Back to Basics. Two, that is.

Yesterday, it was raining pretty hard here in south-central Alaska, so I spent a few hours creating two t shirts, using Pamela's Patterns Perfect T Shirt pattern. 

I used this fabric, an ITY Poly/Rayon, from Christine Jonson.  I believe Christine sells some of the best knits around, and this particular fabric is one of my go-to staples.  It wears well, and holds up for years, drapes nicely, and is wash and drip dry (and I've discovered, machine dryable if I'm in a rush). 

You know when you notice a hole in your wardrobe, and seek to fill it?  Well, I have noticed a hole in that I needed some more black t-shirts, but just never got around to buying any.  So, I was sitting in the house with  Smokey, Snowy (cats) and Nick (husband) on a rainy afternoon.  I considered my wardrobe hole, and that I should fill it (with black t shirts).  Then I thought  about fabric I have on hand, that I paid to ship up here to Alaska from Penna, from where I moved back in December.  So, for me, it didn't make sense to go out and buy the shirts.


One shirt has full length sleeves (the one I'm wearing in the  photo) and the other has 3/4 length sleeves with stretch velvet binding the neck.  I messed up the neck binding on this shirt, so I cut it off and replaced it with the velvet.  The other shirt (the one I'm wearing) I simply turned and coverstitched the neckline, which is becoming my favorite way to finish simple necklines on a knit.  I set the machine to slightly stretch as it sews, which makes for a more stretchy finished project, as the machine lays more thread into the seams that way.   

I'm still getting the feel of my new sewing room, and as I sew, I'm deciding where to place stuff.   I still haven't committed to the placement of the gravity-feed iron.  I have my three main sewing machines (conventional, serger, and coverstitch) in a row along the south side of the room, and catty-corner to that, I have my cutting table.    I have tile flooring, which I love.  No more hidden pins 'discovered' painfully in bare feet! 

I want to sew a 'big' project next.  I'm playing around with some ideas.  But first up is, a small home decorating project. 

Do you sew 'basics' such as these shirts, or do you save your sewing energy for bigger and more complex projects?