Winter Sewing

Tags

Butterick 5826, FESA 2014, sewing

Winter arrived here in eastern Washington last week.  One day it was beautiful fall weather, sun shining, highs in the 50s, and the next day it was lows in the teens and predictions of snow.  The snow just missed where I live, but the cold temps stayed.

Out came the fleece, the hot tea, extra blankets on the bed, and the long underwear.  Our two cats are mostly hibernating, though they seem to come alive like lizards when the sun comes out.  (That’s the good part about living in the desert–it gets cold, but the sun comes out to cheer you, even if it doesn’t really warm you up.)  I feel a bit like I’ve been hibernating, too; I’ve been struggling in the healthy eating/daily exercise part of my life, and skipped my weekly weigh-in last weekend, but I’m adjusting and things are improving.

I’ve got plenty of sewing projects lined up for the winter, so I was happy to get this one finished yesterday.

These are two blouses I made for a friend of mine using Butterick 5826.

She wanted a couple of lightweight cotton blouses with collars to layer under cardigans, so we chose the pattern and fabric late in the summer and finally got together the other weekend to do the final fitting.

I cut the pattern to her measurements and was a little worried that it might turn out HUGE on her–Butterick patterns, especially ones described as “loose fitting” on the envelope, always seem to be massive–but I only needed to take it in about 1/2″ on the sides and to cut a few inches off the bottom before hemming.  For the sleeveless one, I increased the arm hole size by 1/2″ and finished it with a quilt-type bias binding.  At my friend’s request, I used a narrow seam allowance on the binding so that a bit of it would show on the right side.  We also skipped the buttonholes; one top is just sewn shut at the front band and the other has a single large button sewn through all layers.  The style is loose enough that she can still pull them over her head when they’re sewn shut.

This was an easy pattern in general, though I must have puzzled over the front band instructions for an hour before I was fairly certain I was doing it the right way.  A clearer drawing of the step would have been helpful there.  The other hassle was the loosely-woven white seersucker, which frayed like crazy and would NOT be pressed into straight folds.  It will be lovely to wear, though, especially when it’s hot.

Next up is some work to reduce the size of the mending pile, which is frankly scaring me.

Then it’s back to the dress pattern that I’m testing.

Those who are following along at home may notice that several of my projects for FESA 2014 just didn’t happen.  I’ve decided I’m okay with that.  Those projects are  still on my mental list, but too many other things came up for me to stick with the rather ambitious plan I originally made.  The most important goal that I had for FESA, that of keeping me sewing during the fall, was reached, so I’m happy with that.

STH

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Things and Other Things

Tags

cats, sewing

Hi all.

I’ve got a new project that I’m excited about–I’m testing a pattern from a new designer!  Oooh, it makes me feel like a real blogger and everything!  And look at the fabric I pulled from my stash for it:

Wait, what?  What are those sparkly gold dots?  Was this used as a dropcloth?

I’m actually going to use the wrong side as my right side (as quilters like to say, you paid for both sides of the fabric).

That’s better!  It’s another batik-style shirtweight cotton, which should work well for this pattern.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to cut a thing yet.  The pattern only goes up to a size 14, so I’m grading it up two sizes at the bust, three at the hips.  And adding seam allowances.  And this is not a simple design.

So, it has been something of a . . . project so far.

Thank goodness Shelby is here to help.  She’s just fascinated by any sewing-related activity.  She sat and watched intently the whole taping-and-tracing process last night.  At some point, I decided to take a break and went into the other room for a while.  I heard her squeaking from her post on the table and assumed she was calling our other cat, Pooh, to come play with her, as she often does.

When I came back to finish the tracing, though, there was Shelby on the table waiting and Pooh was nowhere to be found.  And I realized she had been calling ME to come back and continue the pattern-tracing game with her.

This is a cat who loves her sewing.

Okay, back to grading.  Wish me luck.

STH

Travelling Light

Tags

travel

I’ve been spending a little time trying out some new sewing blogs to find some new ones that I find inspiring.  Also, frankly, to weed out the tall, skinny 20-something sewers.  You’re doing some great work, folks, but some of us have different fitting issues (“the pattern fit size 2 me right out of the envelope!”  YES OF COURSE IT DID.)

So I came across this blog called “Would I Wear It in Paris?” and it hit me, like the dork I am, that I–as in me–am going to be in Paris next summer.  OH YEAH THAT.  Partner is doing the Paris-Brest-Paris bike ride, so I will meet him at the end of that, then we’ll go down to Provence to spend some time with his sister.  And it’s time to start thinking about organizing all that, booking hotels, etc.

This will be my third trip to Europe and fifth out of the country, not to mention our nearly-every-weekend trips in the summer to my partner’s cycling events.  So I thought I would collect here some ideas that I have on packing and how my experience differs from what is often the standard packing advice.  I travel with one carry-on size rolling bag that I check, plus a tote bag and a small purse that I bring on the plane with me.  I think that’s pretty good, considering that I have to bring extra things like my special hard-to-find laundry detergent and toilet paper for sensitive skin.  Next time I’m going to try to go lighter.

— Go a bit dressy for more flexibility.  Yes, you’re on vacation and you want to be comfortable, but clothes that are slightly-dressier versions of your comfy clothes will be acceptable in more places.  If all you pack is your white T-shirts and shorts, then you’re going to have to bring EXTRA stuff for that nice dinner out or the night at the opera.  That cathedral you want to tour may not let you in if you’re wearing a tank top.  Something like this is basically a T-shirt, but the nicer fabric and cut makes it more versatile.  This principle also applies to shoes; get some nice-looking walking shoes and use those instead of flip-flops.

—  Lightweight, soft, breathable fabrics–mostly knits–are your friends.  I cringe when I see polyester clothes marketed as “travel fashions.”  Many tourist destinations are humid or hot, and you’re going to be miserable in polyester.  I bring mostly soft cotton-blend knits; they roll up very small in your suitcase, they’re comfortable in hot weather, they don’t wrinkle much, and they dry overnight after you wash them in the sink.  My partner swears by these lightweight pants, which are very tough but acceptable anywhere.  I bring cotton-blend capris and a pair of black knit pants which can be dressed up or down.

—  Skip bulky thick clothes, if you can.  Use your light fabrics to layer when it gets cold.  Unless you MUST have them, don’t bring jeans; they’re space-hogs, they don’t fit well in a standard bathroom sink, and they take forever to dry.  On our last trip to the UK, temperatures ranged from 85 F in London to about 40 F (with rain and an icy wind off the North Sea) in the north of Scotland; instead of bringing a coat that I’d only use for a few days of the 3+ weeks we were there, I stayed warm by adding more layers plus a rain shell that I picked up on clearance in Edinburgh.

—  Don’t “pack only neutrals,” because BLEH.  Pack what you actually like to wear.  I love my colors, so I would much rather pack three colorful knit tops than one black one and four scarves.  Why in the world would you want to be messing around with scarves when you’re traveling?  Travel is great, but it’s also often stressful, uncomfortable, and disconcerting.  Pack clothes that make you feel confident and like yourself when you’re away from everything that is familiar.  Everything should go with everything else, but it doesn’t have to be boring.

—  Listen to Rick Steves on packing.  His best piece of advice:  pack for the best case scenario.  If you need anything else, if the country you’re in has their first snow in a generation, whatever, you can always buy what you need.  Second best:  you will always carry your bags more than you think.  Consider how common it is to spend one night here, then take a train, walk to another hotel for one night, and repeat that kind of itinerary over and over.  Also consider that things in Europe are designed to get maximum use out of limited space.  Stairways are tight and elevators tiny or nonexistent.  Can you haul your bags up two flights of narrow stairs?

Because I have back problems, I’ve used a rolling bag up until now, but I’m thinking of overhauling my travel bag stash and going to a Rick Steves-type backpack + purse combo. Wonder if I can find a suitable pattern to make one?  Hmmm . . . .

STH

Not-Clothing Sewing

Tags

embroidery, sewing

When I was taking pictures of the infamous PJs in the bedroom the other day, it occurred to me that I’ve got some other nifty creative projects around here, and, hey, throw them up on the blog cause the blog is where I get to talk about whatever I want to talk about and if people aren’t interested they can just clickclickclick away.

First, here’s a blanket that I made for my honey for, I think, our first Christmas together.

Actually, this is an L.L. Bean cream-colored fleece blanket that I’ve hand-appliqued some wool felt shapes onto.  I wanted to keep the decoration subtle, so I only embellished two corners of the blanket and left the rest plain.

This is the other corner, and you can see that in addition to the leaves and vines, I’ve sewn on some stylized thistles.  My partner’s mother was Scottish and he has spent a lot of time there; it’s important to him, so I wanted to work that into the design.

I cut the simple shapes freehand and made freezer paper patterns for the more complex ones.  I used several shades of wonderful wool felt that I had been buying at a local quilt shop and stashing away for just the right project.  I think much of it was actually thrift-store wool suits that had been cut up, overdyed, washed and dried to felt them.  That gives the fabric subtle tweedy patterns that are so much more interesting than the usual flat felt colors.

I gave this to him on Christmas with a set of L.L. Bean flannel sheets in olive green–you can see them and the chocolate brown bed skirt peeking out from under the blanket.  I don’t think he was quite convinced that those were actually supposed to be thistles, but he liked the gift anyway.  🙂

Second, this is the quilt we have hanging over our bed.

I really haven’t done this justice with the picture I took, but it’s a fall-themed quilt with sunflowers, fall leaves, and pumpkins machine-appliqued onto a pieced background.  I really love this pattern and all the colors in it, so it stays up year round in our bedroom.

One good reason that there’s no close-up of this quilt is that I made it with my grandmother’s ancient White sewing machine, and that machine was not too happy about being asked to do satin stitch on appliques.  The stitches were not nice and neat and, most annoyingly, as you sewed, the foot pedal would get hotter and hotter until it started to burn your foot and you had to take a break.  That machine was just as difficult to deal with as its former owner, come to think of it.

Third, here’s a quilt I made as part of a quilting class.

This is a paper-pieced pattern called “Oklahoma Dogwood.”  If you enlarge the picture, you may be able to see the oval shapes I used to quilt the border to echo the paper-pieced portion.  I really like how this turned out, and paper-piecing is another fun quilting technique that I definitely will use again.  Right now, I’m sewing some clothes for myself, but all those quilting supplies and all that gorgeous wool felt is waiting for my attention to shift back to them, as I’m sure it will.

STH

Good News

Tags

politics

I thought perhaps us lefty types could use a little good news this morning.

Here we go:

1.  Two statewide “personhood” initiatives were defeated yesterday.

2.  Dallas joined Houston in enacting protection for LGBT employees.

3.  Cities are beginning to turn against fracking.

4.  Alaska, Oregon, and DC have legalized pot.

3.  Washington was the first state to institute universal background checks for gun purchases.  Another initiative, a deceptively-worded one meant to keep the state from enacting any gun control measures, went down.

4.  In my Congressional district, Washington’s 4th, two Republicans were vying for the seat of retiring Rep. Doc Hastings.  At this writing, the “establishment” Republican is in the lead, and the Tea Party wanker is losing.  I’m particularly enjoying this, as the aforementioned wanker, Clint “vote for me because I played football” Didier has been running for various offices here for YEARS.  (I think last time it was “Commissioner of Public Lands.”)  Every election, they bring out the same signs, with a new sticker showing the position he’s running for this time.  He’s lost over and over.  This was Didier’s best opportunity yet, in a heavily Republican district full of Obama-hatred and THEYRETAKINGMYGUNS hysteria, and it looks like he’s going to lose again.

Have a great day, folks.

STH

Oy

Tags

sewing, swears

I thought I’d do a little update on the restyled dress project while I ponder where to go with it.

The original plan was to recut and restyle this dress so that it fit me–it was at least a couple of sizes too big–and had a better shape.

Here’s the before:

This was a Pavelka pattern, but it seems to have fallen down the memory hole, as I can’t find a picture or mention of it anywhere.  It was a straight jumper that was meant to be reversible, with a placket down one of the sides; the placket edges are sewn together for most of the way, but are free at the bottom, creating a vent for walking ease.

The unfortunate thing about it, though, was that the fit was just terrible–it made the wearer look like an egg, as the dress widened over the hips, then curved in below.  My sister made it, then passed it on to me when she discovered the egg problem.  It doesn’t help that my sister and I are both big women, and sorta kinda egg-shaped already.

I was going to use the Butterick pattern above, but quickly realized there wasn’t enough fabric for sleeves.  And the bodice of the dress was different enough from the pattern that I couldn’t have used it for the pattern.  So I decided to use the skirt from Butterick 6760 and the bodice of Butterick 3569.

The cutting was challenging enough, but then I basted it together and voila!

EGGTASTIC.

THE SAME FUCKING PROBLEM.

I’ve taken in the bodice a couple of times, used the darts in the pattern, and added more darts to get it to a semi-fitted state.  I’ve tinkered with the seam allowances on the skirt–taking it in at the top and reducing the seam allowance below the hip area–but the bottom line is that there just isn’t enough width in the skirt to make for a better shape.  And there isn’t any more fabric to be had, as my sister used the rest to make some pillows, and this fabric is long gone from stores.

I don’t want to give up on the fabric, though.  Seriously, look at this:

So I’m kicking around an idea of ripping out the side seams on the skirt, doing a narrow hem on the raw edges, then adding an underskirt.  I have some drapey black polyester-blend fabric that I was going to use to line the bodice and I could also use it to make an underskirt that would extend past the hem of the overskirt, as another problem I’m having with this is that it’s a few inches shorter than I would like.  I have heavy legs that also tend to swell, so mid-calf to lower-calf is where I usually like skirts to end.

(It is relevant here that I have been watching “Fiddler on the Roof” while I use the exercise bike and I am totally in love with those costumes.  So a long, full skirt worn over boots seems like an even better idea than usual right now.  I’m hating myself a little for getting distracted from the pathos of the movie by wondering if a middle-aged American woman could get away with wearing a Cossack tunic in public.)

So I’m thinking right now that I might set this project aside to let it cook in my head for a bit; I’m a slow thinker.  I’m not at all sure I want to put more time and fabric into this thing, and I’m not at all sure the idea I have would even work.  How would the black poly work with the shirt-weight cotton the egg is made from?  Is black a good color for this?  It’s really my only fabric option, but before all this eggy business, I had wanted to make a tunic with the black poly.  If I do the underskirt thing, I’m probably going to have to draft my own pattern for it, which doesn’t make me super happy.

I do my best thinking while I’m exercising, so I think I’ll lay the egg dress, the black poly, and the patterns out where I can see them, and put in an exercise DVD.  We’ll see if any bright ideas come to me.

Don’t Forget to Vote!

Tags

atheism, politics

I hope everyone will get out and vote on Tuesday, if you haven’t already.  Even if you have to hold your nose and vote for the less awful candidate–as we had to do here in Washington’s 4th Congressional district–it’s important to do it because the awful candidates in this election are REALLY awful.

But we also have the chance here to vote for universal background checks on gun sales, and other states have similar referenda on their ballots.  The average person doesn’t have much power to influence things, so you better believe I’m going to use my vote to do what I can to make the world a little better.  I hope you will, too.

PZ Myers, as usual, has the right idea:

Do you know what it means to be an AtheistVoter?

It means I vote for the separation of church and state, because religious delusions should have no influence on my life…or yours.

It means I vote on the side of science, because science is where we find the answers, not in holy books.

It means I vote for peace, not war, because we only have this one life to live, and killing people — any people at all — is an unforgivable crime.

It means I vote for the environment, because the promises of priests that their gods won’t allow harm to come to us are meaningless.

It means I vote pro-choice, because there’s nothing magical about a fetus’s “soul” that trumps the rights of women.

It means I vote for equality and against racist and sexist policies, because all human beings have equal rights.

Read the whole thing.

(And why does the WordPress spell checker think “referenda” is misspelled?  I beg to differ, WordPress!)

STH