Hyyge collection: depression era sewing

 It's been a bit of a busy week but ended well.

Last Friday Daisy had a cancer removed from on her belly. Yesterday the vet called to say the results came back from the biopsy. It looks like it was low grade and they got it all with margins. This was much better news than we expected. I wonder if this whole covid thing has put it us all in an expect the worst mentality?

It's funny what behaviours are coming to the surface these days.

For myself one thing I have felt drawn to is making the most of what I have. Maybe being more homebound (Nova Scotia has been more or less covid free all summer, expect for a few quarantined travellers) in the sense I can't leave the "Atlantic bubble" and go see family, has me looking harder at what I have hoarded just where I am.

For what am I saving so much fabric? If I don't use it now, then when?

I have also been aware that I am short of warmer spending-the-winter-in-the-house type clothes. So I have decided to go on a little tear on tops.

I am again using Jalie's Romy, sort of an almost bat wing sleeve raglan, because the sizes of the individual raglan components are smaller than a regular top with a large front and back. I thought this would make it easier for me to fit in some actual garments from odd shaped left over fabric.

There is a shorter and a tunic version for this top but I decided not to do the longer view, what I would usually do being tall. It looked pretty fitted to me and my stomach and backside are not areas I tend to like really fitted.

So here is what I did, randomly, with whatever fell off my shelves. First off is some stripe from Joann's I bought for some reason. It was this garment and the process of trying to wiggle out some stripe matching that produced my no stripes need to be matched during the pandemic policy. Included is an action shot because on me action involves talking.

Next up is what I made with some random ribbed knit and less than a meter of boiled wool. My warm dog walking sweater:

And finally some leftover cotton velour, another cozy top:

I feel pretty good with these tops. Definitely I like having made something out of nothing, which in some ways is what all sewing is.

Before I go though I would like to dedicate this post to my grandmother, a prairie Depression era housewife. She was a woman who would wrap up and save a quarter of a leftover pancake, and once nearly had a heart attack when she saw me unwind the wrong colour old thread from a bobbin and throw it out. 

"That's good thread you are wasting!" she scolded me.

I think she would have approved of these tops. But it is a good thing she can't see what's still on my shelves.

Spring 2020 Jalie patterns: Romy

Well it is that time of year again when I participate in Jalie's spring launch of new patterns with my own reviews.

This is how this works.

A few months before the Jalie spring collection is released myself and a group of other sewists have a look at the patterns. Mostly we check to make sure the patterns are typo and error free. We also have the opportunity to choose some to make for ourselves and review on our social media channels. I usually try to select patterns that are things I would actually wear myself for this first look. Often however when I see what other sewists make, I go back and try other patterns later on that I decide look interesting. I will certainly be doing that again this year.

If you have been reading this blog for a while you know that I am a long time fan of these Quebec based patterns. There are several reasons for this.

First of all I love the size range, which pretty much covers my entirely extended family- all in one pattern. I love that something I can make for myself can also be made in a version for my grandchildren and I don't have to go out and search for another pattern. It's like having a pattern store in my house. Whatever I need to make for anyone chances are there is a Jalie staple I can use or adapt.

Second I like the fit. Jalie is one of those lines that really is as close to good RTW in fit as you can get. Also, because the sizes are so incremental, about an inch between sizes, it is very easy to make slight alterations just by fading in and out of different size lines. I also change the ease for many garments by making up a different size--I have close fitted shirts in one size and ones with more ease just in the size up.

Third and this is best for last, I love the construction techniques. Learning a new construction technique is just about my favourite thing in life. I am actually serious about this. Always, always when I make a new Jalie I discover some new nifty way to put clothes together. Sewing with this patterns has made me a better sewist.

Over the next 10 days or so I am going to be posting my reviews of my favourites of the new patterns.

Today I would like to start with Romy.


This is a pattern for a tunic or shorter sweater. There is a nice funnel neck with a really cool construction method I can't even describe. There is also a band I had some concerns about. I was remembering the waistbands of all those old sweatshirt styles. However this band is not at all tight. Because I am tall I added 2" to the short version.

I used a really, really soft bamboo fleece and it was perfect for this pattern -cozy, cozy, cozy. These days I appreciate all the cozy I can get.

The sleeves are very wide, at the body but not loose at the arm. This adds to the cozy comfy factor considerably.


And finally an out take shot taken before we went outside, with my Covid hair and my best Covid companion. 

My just stop fooling around and take the picture face.

This really is a winner of a pattern for these times I think. Super comfortable but also stylish. I have already earmarked three more pieces of fabric from my reservoir for more versions of this. A fast, fun sew too.