Two For One: Butterick 5997 and McCalls 7204

Friends, these are two projects that have been sewn for ages, but I just hadn't gotten around to photographing!

McCalls 7204 and Butterick 5997

Occasionally, I sew something that my husband just goes ga ga for.  This is one of those outfits!  When I downloaded the pictures, I realized that he had taken over 200 shots.  I can always tell how much he likes something I have sewn by the amount of photos he takes.

Butterick 5997 View B is actually quite long

As you can see here, McCalls 7204 (the cardigan) ended up being quite long.  I am five foot six inches tall.  This thing nearly drags the ground!  I did sew view B which is the longer of the two cardigans, but I was expecting mid thigh to knee, not mid shin!  I love it though.  I wish I remembered where I had purchased this Cerulean Blue knit fabric, because I would order more.  I just love it!

The tunic underneath is Butterick 5997.  This isn't the first Butterick 5997 that I have made.  I went sleeveless with this version though and it is so comfy.

Butterick 5997 Tunic in a Nani Iro Japanese Print

The fabric for this tunic is a double gauze that was purchased from a local quilt and fabric shop called Crimson Tate.  It is a Nani Iro print, and I love the combination of flowers and birds.  The color palette is just beautiful, too.  Unfortunately, it does not appear to still be available on the Crimson Tate website, but there are some other great Nani Iro prints still available.

I added three inch side slits to the shirt since I made it tunic length.  That just helps with some extra space for when you sit down.

Couldn't resist throwing in this photo taken during the golden hour!  Probably should have pressed the center line out before taking the photos, but I kind of forgot.

Would you believe that in August I cut almost 8 inches off my hair?

Yes, my Sperry's match.  The ground was much too soft for cute shoes.  In this photo you can see how the waist comes down at an angle on the cardigan.  You can also see just how long the cardigan really turned out.

One last photo for good measure!  The cardigan is so soft and lovely.  It will get plenty of use this Fall and Winter.

I won't go much in to the construction of Butterick 5997.  Aside from making the shirt sleeveless and using self binding to finish the armscye, I didn't make any changes from my previous version.  I keep saying I am going to make the pintuck version, and then I get lazy.

For McCalls 7204, I mostly followed the directions on the pattern.  I did add clear elastic to stabilize the shoulder seams and the waist seam.  I am really glad that I did this.  I think with this fabric the waist especially would have gone all wonky had I not.  I also cut the width of the front band/collar in half.  I didn't want it to fold back on itself.  I am glad that I made this change, and would continue it in to the next time I make McCalls 7204.  This was a really quick cut and sew.  Even with me hand rolling the hem (I also hand rolled the hem on Butterick 5997), the cardigan was made cut to finish in less than 3 hours.

I am really enjoying hand sewing lately.  Have any of you been doing much hand sewing?  I started my sewing career (ha) hand sewing at four years old.  I did a lot of embroidery and cross stitch back then.  I think now, I like the control that hand stitching gives me.  Sometimes I feel like my machine has a mind of it's own, and I am it's muse.

I think that I would like to next sew McCalls 7204 in a chunky sweater knit.  Let me know in the comments if you have seen any great sweater knits that I should have a look at.

Shopping Local - Meet Crimson Tate

Nani Iro Double Gauze En Garden in Cerulean Photo from Crimsontate.com

Ellen Baker Charms Double Gauze Plus Dots in Grey Photo from Crimsontate.com

Y'all, this morning I went down to my favorite local fabric store aka Crimson Tate.  These two beautiful fabrics came home with me, and are in the wash cycle right now, because they are begging to be made instead of stashed!

I wanted to tell you a little bit about Crimson Tate.  The proprietor of the store is Heather Givans.  Heather is one of those people that creativity just drips from their fingertips.  Just check out her logo, that is all Heather, no need for a graphic designer because she has a Fine Arts degree for Heaven's sake!  She is that cool funky chic that everyone wants to be friends with.

Heather designs fabric for Windham Fabrics.  Her first line was called Succulents (which is now mostly sold out), and she is currently working on her second line.  She is tight lipped about the theme and will only say that it won't be succulent related.  Boo!  She won't even give a hint, but I can't wait to see the designs.

Heather surrounds herself with other creative types.  Her store front is on Indianapolis's hippest street - Mass Ave (that is Indy speak for Massachusetts Avenue).  The second in command at the shop is David.  David knows his textiles, has an eye for color matching, and is such a happy person.  You know the type, right?  That kind of person that always has a smile on their face and something positive to say.  I don't know about you, but I need more of those type of people in my life!  

The best part is Heather and David both really are quilters.  They speak the language, they understand your needs, and even though I am a garment sewists, I can always find fabric at the shop that I MUST HAVE, and Heather and David can always talk sewing with me.  In other words, Crimson Tate isn't just a quilt shop.  It's a little piece of fabric Heaven.

There are other people that work in the shop too, and from what I have heard, they are all just as cool, sweet and happy as both Heather and David.

If you are in Indy, go check this place out!  If you aren't in Indy, hop on their website and find something awesome!

Friends, do you shop local?  Don't you just love little independent shops over big box stores?