Silk charmeuse in pink for SewHappyColor week

Could pink be the happiest color? I saw a hashtag on Instagram for this month that I have no problem participating in, which is #SewHappyColor.  Just about my whole wardrobe is a bright color, as you probably know it's the rare item in a neutral shade that makes into rotation for me.

But this color is in another category. In all the photos it looks so saturated, and probably also due to the type of fabric it has a sheen as well. It was a bit tricky to get photos of the actual color and I'm not sure any of them are exactly how it looks in person. In any case - this shirt is very luxurious to wear and I'm so glad I finished it before our warmer weather arrives. The silk fabric is from Stone Mountain as well as the buttons which match perfectly. I always find fantastic buttons there.

Because it is stretch silk charmeuse I decided to do my hidden buttonhole placket which I've done on a lot of silk shirts and blouses. Particularly on stretch silk - the buttonholes are a bit tricky and there's always one that misbehaves. It never fails that it's the top one that shows the most so to circumvent that issue I do the hidden buttonhole placket and hide them all :)




I don't put a button on the collar stand, and you may not even have noticed that it was missing.  My shirt my rules! I never button that one up and it's just kind of annoying to do the buttonhole in the silk there so I skip it.

By the way, most all the tutorials and how-to's that I wrote on the original Craftsy blog have been updated onto their new websites, so you can still read them. I have a page here on my blog menu at the top, you can see them all listed and click over to read any.




This one on the hidden buttonhole placket is one of my best, if I do say so myself :) and here is the link. 

Here's a couple of views of the placket in progress on this silk version.





For all my button front shirts I use the same pattern which is this dull looking Simplicity pattern. And I've never ever sewn it just as the pattern is designed. I have a couple of different placket variations, and have used it for a popover and a tunic. I think once you have a shirt pattern that fits as you want then it's really fun to change that into other variations. My most recent version using this same pattern is this one in Liberty cotton/silk.  Which I noted in that post was version no. 15 so I guess this silk charmeuse one is the 16th. I think based on how many shirt patterns I haven't bought I can purchase some new dress patterns!



One of the changes I've made on this shirt pattern is to rotate the bust dart into shoulder gathers. I'm not sure that it worked as well on this fabric as it does on cotton but it does avoid the dreaded pointy dart which can happen on satiny fabrics.







Of the various silks I find that stretch silk charmeuse is the most difficult to sew, but the most wonderful to wear. I did machine baste the sleeves in, which I generally do, and found this little boo boo which is super easy to fix and then sew in the sleeves with a regular length stitch and no pins.






Yeah those buttons could not match any better - and they were just a lucky find on the wall of buttons at Stone Mountain.




And another look at this shirt along with the wool blazer which I wrote about in my previous post. These two items are a match made in wardrobe heaven.

So that's the latest on my silk shirt. Next up are a couple of pieces that I just sewed in a new-to-me color palette. Not as bright as this, I'll say they are jewel-tone adjacent. And just right for the next holiday on the calendar, St. Patrick's Day.

Sewing class updates at Hello Stitch Studio: next week we have a rare weekday class on the schedule, which is my Adjust the Bust class on Thursday Mar. 14.  There are a couple of spots still available and you can sign up for just the morning session, which is hands-on lessons where you will learn to do the various adjustments, or include the optional afternoon session is where we adjust the specific pattern of your choice.
Looking forward to the rest of March we have the Sew a Wrap Dress class on Mar. 23. Pick any wrap dress and I will help you with fitting before you cut out your fabric.
April is going to be really busy - we have our Level I: Learn to Sew series again as the last two sessions were sold out, so that starts on Sat. Apr 6. The Level II: Make a Dress class also starts on Sat. Apr 6. On Sunday April 7 is the Bondi Dress class - that was so popular last summer and we decided to get it on the calendar in time for spring. Then after that weekend on Monday I sleep in!
Finishing out April we have the Lander pants class on April 28.
In May we have the following classes scheduled: Knit T-shirt, Wiksten Haori Jacket, Jeans weekend workshop and Copy your Favorite Garment.
All the class info and registration can be found here.

There are lots of daffodils around and I see the roses starting to leaf out - so spring will be here in no time. With all this rain I'm planning for a great garden year. Sometimes just the planning is enjoyable - even if what I'm thinking of doing never materializes. And with some initial effort (well a lot of effort) you put the plants in, treat them right and then while you are sleeping they grow and grow. As opposed to those lazy fabrics that don't sew themselves, right?

Thus speaks a person who might or might not go to the garden center and succulent sale on Sunday whether or not there is a space to put any new plants in her garden.

Happy Sewing, Beth

Here's a camellia that lives near the front porch. A few years ago it was a big messy thing that was starting to obscure the view out of the front window. So I chopped it down to stumps and kind of hoped it would croak so I could replace it with something a little more interesting. But it sprouted and a couple of years later is again putting out these flowers. I can understand why so may camellias are planted here in the bay area, they are hardy, green all year, and while messy when the flowers drop they are so colorful in bloom.