Bonus Post: A Personal Pro*ject Run*way Challenge

Ok. If I can pour myself into making a costume for our children's pastor, I can pour myself into making a dress for my daughter.

If those folks on, um, that reality show about designing clothes, can pull off something like this in 24 hours, I should be able to get something together for her.

Not to mention, should I fail, I have the hand-me-down dress as a backup ;)

This design challenge is to create a formal dress for a stick-straight twelve year old who wants to wear the dress with black shoes. You will not be able to get said twelve year old's opinion until the dress is well under construction, so choose carefully! She must wear the dress to a banquet that starts at 7 PM CST tomorrow. Make it work!

Here's the product of the shopping trip (just to clairfy - the pattern has been in my cabinet a while! It's just the one I chose to go with the fabric I bought):

It's now 12:02 PM on Thursday and I'm off!

Next Urgent Item

I finished Pastor N.'s shirt (well, he had to sew the buttons on; all I had were plastic ones which are Not Acceptable for these garments, and the bottom edge was just serge-finished...it'll be tucked in, no one will notice, and we can turn it up when we have more time), prepped the lesson to be taught last night and still had enough time to grab a small bite to eat before running off to church. Whew.

He was utterly delighted with the whole thing (there were four of us total working on the two outfits...he now has two new pairs of knee breeches, two new vests, which he made himself and a new shirt and a new coat) and promised to take photos at the Trace this weekend (the event for which he needed the garments). It was really gratifying to see how pleased he was, but I am reminded all over again of why I don't do this sort of thing for income!

I'll post a review when I get pictures. There needs to be a warning label on that pattern, to wit: 'Pieces and notches do not match. Be warned and proceed with care.' I found a couple more drafting errors on the shirt...pitiful.

But, we must Move On.

There is a fancy awards banquet for kids who work in the children's ministry at church tomorrow night. The Actor is going to borrow a trimmed-up tuxedo he wore in the recent production of The Bald Soprano, so he's good. I thought The Flute Player could wear one of her dressy stretch velvet things, but we've discovered that all the rest of the girls we've talked to are wearing FORMALS. Aiiieee.
We tried one borrowed dress; it was hopelessly too big. I'm picking up another today from my sewing buddy Miss M, who feels pretty confident that it will fit. The Flute Player is still strictly a 'Girls' size...no curves at all...so it's hard to find something fancy on short notice.

But I do have a back-up plan. I've got about a yard and a half of black rayon/lycra matte jersey left from my BWOF dress, and I'm thinking of morphing Jalie 2682 into a Little Black Dress for her. (She did ask for a black dress). I dunno if I could manage to put some bling on it somehow...maybe. I know that it really doesn't take long to put that together and I *think* I could do it.

But mostly I think I'm hoping the dress Miss M's daughter outgrew will work. ;)

The "I'll Just Do This Real Quick" Trap....

Back in January, I made a black rayon/lycra jersey turtleneck top from Christine Jonson's Basewear 2 pattern. I'd used the pattern before, and I *thought* I'd used the turtleneck with no problem. But, for some reason, the Turtleneck on the latest top was too small; the shirt rather puckered around the neckline seam, and it was very uncomfortable to wear. Fortunately, I had some scraps of that fabric large enough to cut a new (larger) turtleneck, so I decided that, before I changed the thread in the machines from black to white to work on the linen shirt portion of the Frontier Preacher costume, I'd switch that turtleneck out. Quick cut...quick rip...quick sew...quick done and on to the linen.

Arg. Not.

I'm not going to detail all the little frustrations I had with that stupid turtleneck. I did get it replaced, and it does look and feel better, but it was after lunch before I got to the 'cut out the white shirt' stage of the program.

And, when I got to the last piece, (the shirt back), I found I was about 4" short of having enough fabric.

Make it work, make it work...the back is being pieced. It'll look like a split yoke in the back.

And the shirt Must Be Finished by 4:30 tonight....maybe I *shouldn't* have gone to the Scrabble Chicks party last night?

Off to sew....

More Fabric In...

Well, despite my reluctance to add fabric to the collection, I found myself fabric shopping in Hancock's yesterday, looking for 'bright dark green' fabric for a top...or blouse...or quick jacket...

Our 'choir colors' for March have been reassigned to April, and now March's colors are the afore-mentioned green and bright yellow, with black. I don't have either of those colors in the closet, hence the shopping trip.

Yellow is not an option for me; I can't even go there. But that's a blue-based green, so it's ok...I just didn't have any. I did some perusing online, and found a couple of green things...a knit print that bordered on being too big/loud for choir and some green silk charmeuse... that would do, but there wasn't a prayer of getting mail-order stuff in time to have a shirt by Sunday. So I went to Hancock's.

And came home with three yards of silk duppioni. The quality is not nearly as nice as the duppioni I got from Textile Fabrics, but I washed it and it did soften up considerably. I purchased it thinking I'd make another Tribeca Shirt, but I'm also considering a stripped-down version of Vogue 1017 (without the assymetric frou-frou on the front). But Sharon's Simplicity 3684 blouse caught my eye, too...and I have that pattern in the stash as well.

I guess it just depends on whether I end up with time to work up a new pattern or not. I still have to do Pastor N's linen shirt...which isn't even cut out yet...

I still may be in all black *this* Sunday, but at least I have a shot at a green shirt...

Pictures are ordered...

I took Pastor N's coat to him yesterday; he put buttons on it last night and it really doesn't look *too* bad. He's pleased, so that's what really counts.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a photo of it actually *on* him, and a picture of a black coat on a hanger isn't really post-worthy. But I have requested photos of the finished coat on him (he will be wearing it this weekend), mostly so I can post about it over on Pattern Review and warn everyone about the pitfalls of the draft.

But, for your amusement, My Sweet Baboo did snap this photo yesterday:
The photographer assured me that you could indeed see the point of the whole thing in that photo...that The Actor is now about 1/2 inch taller than his mother...but I really can't say that I can tell it from that camera angle. I guess we'll just have to take his word for it.

Choir Sundays '09 #7

This month's Choir Colors: Black and White
Jacket: McCall's 5529, from a double-faced checked rayon blend.

The top was a RTW bargain from a big Talbot's sale; a black silk jersey cap sleeve t for which I believe I paid 8 bucks. Unfortunately, it's a tad big so it only gets worn under things.

The pants are the often-seen Vogue 7881 black cotton twill. Looking at the photo, I really think this jacket would look better with skinnier pants, but, oh, well. I was comfy. ;)

Hand Sewing Friday....

Well, for a photograph of a black garment, that's not too bad...

I'm not terribly happy with the way the lining is going in. I probably should've thought it all through better before hand, but since I was literally making it up as I went I guess a little rough edges are inevitable. I will finish off...probably with a machine zig-zag...the top edges of the vents; I'm thinking I'll sew them all together. I don' t know why I didn't finish those edges earlier; I think I was expecting them to be under the lining. As I said, I didn't think all the little particulars out ahead of time. Anyway, after everything's all closed up the vents will be topstitched across the top to hold them in place.

And I've got a bit of hand stitching to do on the lining seams above the vents; I had to release them a bit so that there was room for the coat to overlap.

But, mostly I'm going to be blind hemming a section of the coat, then going back and stitching the lining to it. I expect it will take all day.

But all that will be left for me after that is to pull out the Kenmore and make some faux buttonholes; Pastor N. is covering his buttons w/scraps and will sew those on himself. So I'm getting close....

The Pitfalls of Making it Up as I Go

Did I mention that I'm adding a lining to the preacher costume coat? (Butterick 3072, for those who've lost track of what I'm working on). It's an unlined pattern...which bugs the stew outta me, there's no way that coat will move properly without a lining. So I drafted the lining pattern, made it up first and fitted it so I could use it to tweak the original pattern. But the jacket has three vents...one in center back, and one on either side of the back, in the wrapped-to-the-back side seam.

I'm trying to figure out how to finish off the lining at those vents. I'm probably going to have to just hand sew it all down, but I did think I would wrap the self-facing on the upper side of the vent over the lining.

Which means I can't stitch the vents down until after the lining is inserted.

Wish I'd realized that before I stitched 'em down. That was the 'I'm done for tonight!' moment last night....so I get to start with my seam ripper today....

Here We Go...HSM '09: Aida

I got The Call today...could I come down to school tomorrow afternoon and help with the preliminary costume pulling/idea kicking around for costumes for this year's musical? The show actually went into rehearsal last week, but because The Actor was involved in a drama department production that was presented last Thur-Fri-Sat, he was excused from the first couple of rehearsals. The show dates are April 17,18,19, 24 and 25. I've not seen Aida at all, so I've got nothing much to go on for ideas at this point.

The decision was if I could get Pastor N.'s coat done to the lining, I could run up to school for an hour or two to begin the percolation process. There are 50 cast members, so it will be about the same size as last year's show.

This will be...interesting....

First up, though, is to finish preparing the lesson I'm teaching tonight, then pushing the coat through the machines.

A bit of diversion

For you, my loyal reader, as I have not much to report on the sewing front. Pastor Norm has recruited assistance, so I am taking the knee breeches and the pattern/remaining fabric for the vest to him tonight so he can pass them along to a friend of his who has said she could help (he needs these things next week). Meantime, I traced/altered the vest pattern, and the coat is cut out and all the fusible interfacing has been applied.

Ann asked about her readers' senior years, and, since I had just been tagged w/that meme on Facebook, I thought I'd copy it over here for this weeks randomness. So, if you're curious, here's stuff you wouldn't otherwise know about me...if you're not curious, toodle-oo and I'll see you when I've got something a little more sewing-related to report.... ;)

Remembering the Senior Year --


(As if you needed to know more about me than you already did...)

1. Did you date someone from your school? Um, I did.

2. Did you marry someone from your high school? I most definitely did not!

3. Did you car pool to school? Had an hour ride on the bus morning and afternoon all 12 years.

4. What kind of car did you have? Me? A car? Not in high school!

5. What kind of car do you have now? According to our insurance, I'm the primary driver on the white momvan... er, minivan...

6. It's Friday night...where were you? (then) At home reading or sewing.

7. It is Friday night...where are you? (now) At home reading or sewing.

8. What kind of job did you have in high school?I worked summers at the Lizton Dairy Bar. I made killer extra thick milkshakes that were so thick I would stick a straw and a spoon in them and give them to the customers upside down...never had one fall out of the cup.

9. What kind of job do you do now? Little bit of everything with no paycheck (ain't that the job description of a SAHM?), although the emphasis seems to be on taxi-driver these days.

10. Were you a party animal? That is SOOO funny...because I SOOO wasn't....

11. Were you considered a flirt? Not even.

12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Band. Drum Major my senior year, in fact! I was also in choir in 9th & 10th grade, but they swapped up the scheduling my junior year so that it was very difficult to continue to do both. I was in drama, too, but did not get cast in a play my senior year (I could've cheerfully gone all day without remembering that detail).

13. Were you a nerd? Absolutely.

14. Did you get suspended or expelled? Nope. But I did get called to the Vice Principle's office once because a study hall teacher had mismarked the attendance list. I still don't know why I got chewed out over that one....

15. Can you sing the fight song? Maybe. I do remember all the words, but it's pretty high for this alto. I bet I could still play it on my clarinet if my embouchure was up to snuff...I also remember the parody version about beer and wood alcohol and drunk teachers...

16. Who was/were your favorite teacher? Tough question. Probably Mr Thompson, the principal and physics teacher, if I'm limited to my senior year.

17. Where did you sit during lunch? The banana table!!! (Only other Tri-West Bruins band geeks will get that)

18. What was your school's full name? Tri-West Hendricks High School

19. When did you graduate? 1977. Wow, that was a really long time ago...

20. What was your school mascot? B-B-B-R-U, I-I-I-N-S, B-R-U,I-N-S,Bruins, Bruins, Bruins! (so ended the fight song)

21. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Wow, that's a deep philosophical question. If I could go back and do it again, knowing what I know now, I would no doubt do many things differently, which might make me end up in a different place than I am now and so mess up the Now, which I wouldn't mess up for anything in the world. If I had to go back and do it again and be as dumb as I was then...um, no way do I want to live through the humiliating bits all over again...even though large parts of it were tons of fun. So I suppose the answer would be no. Not worth it. Once was enough for me.

22. Did you have fun at Prom? It was ok. All things considered, the Prom isn't anything more than just another fancy dance. Thank God it was really cheap back then.

23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? Um, no.

24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? Yeah, I'll go! I do enjoy seeing people again. The folks who still live round there work hard to make an event possible and I do appreciate the opportunity for all of us 'out of towners' to come in at the same time and visit a bit.

25. Do you still talk to people from school? Oh, there are a few that are still on the Christmas Card list....

Facing the Giant (Er, the Coat)

I finally got the costume coat pattern fixed so that the sleeve and the armsceye appear to be in a harmonious relationship again....the fabric is spread on the table and I MUST cut it out today. The whole thing needs to be finished this week (at least the lining is already done!)

So, I'm (mostly) home today, since it's a holiday and the kids are out. 'Course, someone has to have an appointment of some kind on a school holiday, and today The Flute Player must visit the orthodontist for a retainer check. It's very likely that she'll need a second round of braces to get everything lined up right, but I'm hoping we can put that off a bit longer; the budget simply could NOT handle it right now. And I've an errand or two to run while we're out.

But mostly I'm going to be working on that coat....

Wearing a different hat...

So, no choir post today! I ended up taking part in a drama...in jeans, t-shirt, and cardie hoodie instead of singing in the choir. It'd been over a year since our drama team did something, so I was tickled to get the chance again.

We should be returning to our regularly scheduled programming next week! ;)

Taking 10 (or 20 or 30...)

I have been fiddling with the coat armsceye/sleeve pattern and I just had to walk away from it for a little while before I rip some tissue into little pieces and fling it into the air.

I mentioned that I found a drafting error when I was tracing the pattern...the side seam (which is shifted around to the back somewhat) doesn't match front-to-back.

And that seam dumps into the armsceye right where my problem is.

I even pulled out the original pattern to see if the boo-boo was there, or if I introduced it when I graded up/attempted to fix the original.

Nope. There is 1 3/4" too much sleeve between the shoulder dot (which is in front of the shoulder seam) and the underarm dot. And the double notches don't match.

I also checked the pattern guide and there is NO mention of easing this sleeve into place, so there is NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ANY EXTRA FABRIC THERE.

Grumble, grumble.

I looked again at the one review for this pattern on Pattern Review, and that reviewer made no mention of any problems with the sleeve. However, she used the middle size range for her project, so I suppose it's possible that the error is only in the larger sizes.


Grumble, grumble again.

It is made more difficult due to the fact that the seams in the jacket are offset from the seams in the sleeve, so it's a real trick to walk the seamlines.

I've shaved a bit off of the curve of the sleeve cap on the back, and I've shaved a bit out of the back armsceye, but I think I'm just going to have to rotate some fabric out of the sleeve back seam. And I'll probably run an ease line in it, although I'm not crazy about that. I just don't know if I have enough patience (or time) to keep tweaking it down to perfect.

Deep breaths here.

And, for anyone who has noticed the sudden jump in my 'fabric in' -- no, I have not succumbed to the siren call of the printed knits. I will be making Mantles for the HMC graduates again this year, and I've been stalking on line vendors watching for a sale I could apply to some black and white crepe-back satin for that purpose. Fabricdotcom had a suitable sale last week, so I got enough to make mantles for this year and hopefully next year as well.

So don't panic, Carolyn, I haven't let you down...yet ;)

Fixing the pattern....

I finished Pastor N.'s coat lining yesterday morning and had him try it on whilst I was at church for a meeting in the afternoon. All in all, it looks pretty good, but I'm going to have to do a bit of work on the armsceye.

I was quite chagrined to find what is apparently a drafting error in the armsceye/sleeve. There was a good inch too much ease in the back of the sleeve, and the notches for the backside of the sleeve/ jacket didn't match up at all. So something was amiss, but I didn't know if the error was in the sleeve or in the armsceye. I removed about 5/8" from the sleeve at the sleeve back seam, trimmed some of the curve off the back sleeve cap and made a teeny pleat (it's the lining...it'll be ok) in the sleeve to get the rest out.

I still don't know whether the error is in the sleeve or the jacket, but after trying the lining on Pastor N., I'm going to enlarge the armsceye a bit. He can use all the sleeve ease I can give him. ;)

The back of the shoulders look a bit funny to me; almost like the shoulders are too wide. But he needs all the ease when he moves, so I guess we'll just have to live with the drapey lines when his arms are down. He will be quite active in the costume (this is close to a re-enactment type deal) so he needs to be able to have full range of motion.

So, I need to pull out the pattern and work some on the armsceye to get it to be a little better fit to the sleeve.

At least it's a pretty day and it will be nice working in the sunroom...where the cutting table is still staking a claim... ;)

The Promised Expo Link

Well, even though I can't go to the Atlanta Expo this year, I'm going to post the link for it. Last night, I found myself talking to a lady who quilts but had never been, so I told her if she'd stop by here today she could get all the info.

So, for my quilting buddy (and anyone else who's interested), here 'tis:
The Original Sewing and Quilt Expo: Atlanta

I gotta say, it's a great venue for it...the Gwinett Expo Center in Duluth is really pretty and, best of all, parking is free! If you've never been, check out the info and be sure to look at all the classes offered in your area of interest.

Wish I could make it this year...

Doin' the Lining First

We have an Event at church tonight...a Girl's Glam Night...so I have some work to do, both on my contribution to the munchie table and my non-glam self, which is going to cut into my sewing time today.

But I *must* get the lining put together for the Frontier Preacher's coat; I have a meeting at church tomorrow and it will be a good time to try the lining on the recipient, just to make sure there's enough length (he's 6'3") and girth (I had to grade up 2 sizes) before I cut into the good linen shell fabric.

But I may end up with only about four hours of sewing time...it's going to be interesting to see if I can get it done or not.

And a non-related update: those knits are still there....

Stepping away from the credit card....

I really goofed. Being in frugal mode, I hadn't visited one of my suppliers favorite internet fabric vendors in a while.

That's really smart, 'cause I won't covet what I can't see.

But I had a not-smart moment over the weekend...and I clicked through 'just to see what's there now.'

And got sucker punched by a couple of gorgeous rayon/lycra knit prints. However, at $19/yd, they're just not in the budget, although I'm having to be really careful not to drool on the keyboard every time I look at 'em (and you know I've looked several times...half hoping and half fearing that they'll be flagged 'SOLD OUT').

Knit tops are so quick to make...but, no. Must. Conserve. Resources...

However, I did comment to My Sweet Baboo that if they were still around on the next sale, I would consider it a Sign From God that a chunk of each of them was to come live at my house... ;)

Choir Sundays '09 #6

This Month's Colors:Black and white
Ok, one more frumpilated photo of this sweater coat and I'm going to start suspecting the mirror, which tells me it's ok, is lying through it's reflectively shiney teeth.

Or maybe the camera is just catching that I needed a nap after church in the worst way. Didn't get it....

In any case, I'm wearing my new RTW sweater coat, my Sandra Betzina Vogue 2945 top, from black and white oval dotted
rayon/lycra jersey from Hancock's and the La Fred Daphne pants, made from some of Gorgeous Thing's black cotton/lycra twill.


I think I'm gonna quit wearing the sweater coat for photos... LOL...

Beyond the Directions

Gwen asked a question on today's Friday Confession post that I found I couldn't properly answer within the confines of a reasonable comment, so I'm posting it here today:

When sewing, do you stick pretty faithfully to the instructions or are you quick to throw them out the window and follow your own path? If the later, were you always this way, or did you slowly grow into it as you gained experience? And does the way you approach sewing mirror the way you approach other things in life?

I used to be a completely by-the-pattern-guide kind of seamstress. I mean, I have been taught well to Follow the Directions. I remember sewing disasters and near-disasters, and the only comment I could make was 'Well, that's the way it SAID to do it!' Doing something different never crossed my mind.

Sometime in the Mid '80's I wanted to duplicate a detail from a pair of Liz Claiborne pants that I had purchased at a ridiculous clearance price and loved...the zipper was in the pocket. No ugly topstitching to worry about, no added bulk to the tummy area. I thought it was a great idea. The problem was, I could *not* find a pattern to show me how to do it.

Oh, I found some patterns that had the opening in the pocket, but it was just a finished-off edge. A little drafty, and I more than once put a Kleenex in my pocket and saw it fall out of my pantleg a few minutes later. But that was all I could find instructions for. I made do.

It wasn't until around 2002 that it occurred to me that it didn't matter if I did the zipper 'right' or not...it's in the pocket! No one will see it! So, I devised a method of inserting the zipper in the pocket...and even used a zipper that didn't match the fabric, just because it was what I had on hand.

I had an epiphany with that project...I really *could* do things my own way! Why do things like the patterns say? The objective is NOT to Follow the Directions, but to have a nice-fitting, nice-looking garment in the end. Now, I use the Pattern Guide as a general idea of how to put a garment together...but I may or may not do it as instructed. If I know a better way, you better believe I will do it that way.

I hadn't thought about that as an approach to life in general...but you know, I probably do look for ways to do things better, adapt instructions to fit my particular 'skill set' (isn't that a great term? I just heard it applied to my abilities last week...). Most of the time, it's a good thing, but every once in a while I go too far out on that limb and have to scramble back to safe ground (and usually make some apologies on the way).

All in all, though, it was an esteem boost to realize that I had enough knowledge and skill to do something on my own...and that gave me enough confidence to try some things I would never have tried. So, unless we're dealing with an Absolute Authority, I will adapt and modify 'bout anything if it looks like a better way.

Under Consideration....

When we moved into this house in 2005, I was tickled to death to have a sewing space that was not in the garage...it's in the end cubicle of the laundry room. It's a pretty tight space, being only 8'x 9', and it has pretty dim lighting and no outside window (If you click on the post label 'My Space' it'll bring up some photos of my sewing nook...both cleaned up and in its usual chaotic state).But it was heated and cooled and dedicated to sewing and I was happy.

But it is beginning to cramp my style a bit. And my eyes are beginning to have difficulties seeing in the dim light. So now I'm wondering if maybe there isn't something else I could do....

The house came with a sun room on the south side; not on central heat/air (there is a hotel-type room unit for temperature control) and it has a hot tub in one corner. Not wanting to introduce vast amounts of humidity into the house, we never put any water in the hot tub and the room, which is in desperate need of redecorating, was used mostly as storage/overflow/exercise space.

But we had a problem w/leaky skylights and now we're going to have to do some pretty extensive cosmetic repairs. The room got somewhat cleaned out and, needing some well-lit space for cutting some black fabric, I decided to roll my table out there and make use of the available light.

Ooo. Mesa liking this. Suddenly, I'm seeing potential for a nice sewing space.

Problem being, it's really the only room in the house that has a decent amount of natural light. Done right, it could be a really nice, useful room for breakfasting, reading the paper, just enjoying family fellowship time. We've been kind of mulling over plans to make it more useful as regular living space. I'd like that very much, too.

Decisions, decisions....

Meantime, I'm gonna go back and cut out my black fabric in all that nice sunshine. ;)

A Year of BWOF

I got the Feb '09 issue in the mail yesterday...that makes a full year of BWOF now residing in my little sewing cubicle.

And, out of that year's worth of monthly pattern magazines, I have made exactly one (1) pattern.

Um, that was a pretty expensive pattern...unless I get in gear and use more of them.

And there are more that I want to use. LOTS more. But...time!

I'm going to have to figure out a way to squeeze in a little fashion sewing amongst all the costuming that's looming. The problem w/BWOF is that I think I need to muslin just about everything I want to make and that takes, um, more time. And there are so many options I'm not sure where to start.

So...what are the BWOFs I want to make and haven't had a chance yet? Well, how about just one from each month:
From March '08, there's this cute wrap blouse, for starters.

I even have some black-and-white-stripe cotton/lycra fabric to make The Cover Jacket from April '08. I've not decided if I want to use hooks/eyes as a closure or whether I'll add some overlap at the center front and use buttons/buttonholes (what I'm leaning towards, actually). Need to make a muslin and see if the overlap would work....

I made This Dress from the May '08 issue, but there were some great dresses in there...I'm pining to make this one, too.

I'm not sure where or when I'd wear this cute trendy t shirt from June '08, but it has caught something in my imagination and I keep coming back to it.

The Cover Dress from July '08 caught my attention...not because I thought I'd wear a dress like this, but because I thought with some modification, in the right knit, this would make a great nightgown. That's one for the muslin trials, for sure!

From August '08 is the Deitrich pants that have been so popular on the boards. Classic, comfy, camouflaging... what more could a girl want? Oh, already traced and tested and ready to go would be nice...

I've been wanting to try this shortie jacket from Sept. '08, if only to compare it to Louise Cutting's Anything But Ordinary jacket. The similarities struck me the moment I looked at the line drawing.

I loved this twisted skirt dress from the Oct. '08 issue but I fear I am too, um, mature to pull it off. Perhaps I should make the dress for The Princess and just use the bodice portion for a nice top for myself.

The Cover Jacket on the November '08 issue talks to me, too, although some of that may be due to the appeal of that gorgeous fabric....

December 08 had me wishing I had an occasion to wear a drop dead formal dress. But, alas, I do not. However, the pleated ruffle blouse is definitely calling to me. Feminine without being frou-frou!

On first glance,this top from Jan '09 didn't grab my attention until I started seeing the reviews for it. Now, I think it's kinda cute and quirky and definitely worth a try...

And from the current issue(Feb '09), I'm liking the lines on this jacket bunches...in a different fabric/color, I think that'd be something fun to wear.

And of course there are issues that have two or three 'I want to make that!' patterns in it, but if I could just manage one from each issue I'd more than pay for the subscription.

I just need some time... ;)

Contemporary Easter

One of the things I was anticipating this year was a large scale production to costume for Easter; however, it looks like our production this year will be in a contemporary setting and the costuming will be more a matter of coordinating than constructing.

So I won't have to do too much on it. Which means I'll likely be more involved than I had anticipated in this year's High School Musical, which has just been cast (The Actor is once again in the chorus). I thought I would be consumed by the church production and only get in on the last two weeks of the school costuming (I believe the show opens April 23, but I could be off by a week). But...well...here goes.

Meantime, I can breathe a little easier about sewing up the Frontiersman Pastor costume; Easter production sewing is not going to be pushing me.

Choir Sundays 09 #5

This Month's colors: Black and White












When My Sweet Baboo and I went out on the porch to take the photo (it's 65 and sunny here today...anyone want to come visit?) he asked me, "Haven't we already photographed this outfit?" (Um, it isn't one of his favorites).

To be honest, I don't think we have photographed this *precise* outfit...I've got on my Vogue 7881 Claire Shaeffer pants, made from black cotton twill from the dollar table at Wal-Mart (One of the Good Hunting days...).

The blouse is Hot Patterns Purity Blouse, from white cotton lawn. I really need to tweak that pattern and do another iteration...it's got so much potential!

The vest is a longtime wardrobe piece, Simplicity 5919, from a knitted stretchy poly lace fabric that I got from Fashion Fabrics club eons ago.

It's that whole '70's rock band thing goin' on. And wouldn't you know Pastor's sermon today was about getting rid of the old stuff... LOL...

Tracing/grading/drafting/oh my aching back....

I'll say one thing...tracing/grading patterns is a great way to find out that the original pattern is off. I thought I'd made a mistake when the side seams and notches on the adjusted Butterick 3072 coat didn't match until I laid the original pattern pieces together and found that the boo-boo wasn't mine.

Maybe some day I'll remember to check things out before I trace stuff.

I remarked the notches; I think I can fudge the seam lengths (the front seam is shorter than the back seam a bit) as long as I know they're not going to match. But it is frustrating.

That had me check some other things, too, and I found that the shirt collar piece is uneven; if it's folded on the center back, the buttonholes don't match the center front on the other side. That's an easy fix; I'll just cut it twice w/the center back on the fold so the longer side is duplicated. But still.

And I haven't traced the vest yet.

So my plan has changed just a bit. I'm going to cut the lining only for the coat (following Ann's sage advice to make the lining first), and try that on Pastor N. just so I know it will work. Then we can cheerfully cut into the good fabric, once I know the alterations are ok.

It has been a real trick; I drafted facings, linings and pockets for this coat. Sure wish someone made patterns for real garments instead of just stage mock-ups...

More Period Costumes: The Frontier Pastor

One of our pastors at church is reactivating in The Frontiersmen Camping Fellowship (I'm not even going to try to explain it; click on the link if you're curious!). He's decided that he wants his character to be a pastor from that time period. He's procured a goodly amount of black linen (he'll be wearing it at the same annual camp out for which I made the pirate costumes, so comfort is still a concern), and I've gone to my accumulation of period costumes and found that Butterick 3072 is pretty close to what he has in mind (we watched chapter 11 from The Patriot several times to see the details on the pastor's attire...). However, he wants 2 outfits by the end of February, so I'm making the fancy one and he's making the regular one. So, I schlepped my cutting and tracing stuff to church so we could work on cutting it and discovered that Dear Pastor Person is a size 52, while the Butterick pattern only goes up to a 48. So instead of a quick trace off, I'm actually grading up a couple of sizes.

Um, I didn't make it to cutting today....maybe tomorrow... ;)

Sharin' the Kreativ Love

Thanks to Diana of Sew Passionista for giving me the 'Kreativ Blogger' award! I admit it, it makes me smile when someone links here...it's nice to know other folks stop by and follow my rather, um, random narrative.

Now, I get to forward the award to seven folks. I don't know if I can find seven folks that haven't already received the award, but I'll give it a shot.

Firstly, I want to nominate Charity of Vintage Threads. If you haven't followed the story of her Hundred Skirt project, you've missed something pretty amazing. With a little help from other sewing bloggers, Charity sent 103 handmade skirts, with matching purchased T's, to an orphanage in Guatamala. If that doesn't qualify for a 'Kreativ Blogger' award, something's wrong in the blogsphere! ;)

Next is Alexandra, whom I have actually met at the Atlanta Sewing Expo, of Studio Alexandra. She uses fabulous fabrics to create beautiful and meticulous garments...and she knits, too!

I also want to nominate Debbie Cook, of Stitches and Seams. Debbie is a fitting master who freely shares what she's learned on some very excellent tutorials.

Amy at Shirts and Skirts Galore has been creating lots of things...maternity clothes and knitted baby washcloths are amongst her latest projects.

Josie at Josie Loves To Sew just celebrated her first year blogiversary; that's something to celebrate!

Claire at 1 Seam at a Time has been organizing and cataloging; that deserves a pat on the back, too! I really, really need to take a few days and do the same thing....

Julia R. is having fun being positively creative at Julia's Sewing Blog

Browsing around the blogs that have already been awarded the button and were nominating others, I found a fair number of blogs I haven't had a chance to read yet. The sewing blogging community appears to be growing exponentially; that's cool.... ;)

Fabric to Dye For? (groan)

I've only purchased a couple of pieces of fabric so far this year; a purchase from one of my favorite internet vendors. The fabrics are fabulous, but one is not quite the color I envisioned (one person's 'off white' is someone else's 'beige'...sure wish I had one of those Pantone color guides!). However, she did say that it was dyeable, so I'm hoping to turn a color that doesn't suit me well into one I love.

However, my dyeing experience has only been with Rit dyes and it has been very discouraging. The dye took unevenly...the fabric had creases as it soaked and those creases became much darker (or much lighter) than the rest of the fabric.

I thought I did it right, but as I couldn't stand there and agitate the fabric to keep the kinks out of it I'm not sure how I could avoid it.

Anyway, I'm looking for advice on how to dye a gorgeous piece of rayon knit that just isn't my color! Any experts out there willing to share? :D

Finally Something Sewn...

The first real project of '09...Loes Hinse's Milano Jacket. I was drawn to the design by its simplicity, but also by the fact that it has princess seams and two-piece sleeves. Traced the pattern off *months* ago, and finally decided to give it a go.

I had some poly/lycra moleskin in a gorgeous deep royal blue that I bought from Gigi Louis ages ago and decided to give it a go; I thought the satiny back of the moleskin would make it a natural for an unlined jacket. HOWEVER, I did not take into consideration the extreme drapiness...or, as it looked in the jacket, floppiness of the fabric. Moleskin just didn't have enough body to support itself; I think if I'd added some lightweight fusible interfacing to the front and the facing I'd've been a little more pleased.

But, when it was all finished, it looked better than I expected. The only *real* problem is that I forgot to shorten the sleeves before I cut them out. I marked the fold lines, but since I traced the pattern months before I actually made it, I forgot that those markings still needed to be folded out; I thought I'd shortened the sleeve at those lines when I traced it. (Note to self: Make notes to self about these things...). However, with the jacket open and the sleeves pushed up, the jacket has a casual chic look that I think I really like. Plus, the lycra in the sleeves helps hold them up.

Maybe it's a new look for me ;)

Choir Sundays 09 #4

This Month's Colors: Royal Blue and Black


Wow, the year is only 4 weeks old and already we're into repeats....

Seriously, this top caused me enough anguish when I was making it that I want to squeeze all the wearing out of it I can! It still garners compliments, despite the fact that I made every boo-boo imaginable except cutting into it w/the serger knives. Fortunately, someone would have to be really, really well acquainted with the original pattern to know it wasn't done right ;)
Anyway, the top is Sewing Workshop's Chopin Blouse made from silk duppioni from Textile Fabrics '07 Big Summer Sale, and it has me coveting more silk duppioni shirts, just because it's heavenly to wear. ;)

The pants are the latest iteration of La Fred Daphne Pants, made from a scrumptious cotton/lycra sateen from Gorgeous Fabrics. Not a perfect fit yet, but the closest thing I have to skinny leg pants.

I've got one completed project to show for my week off the 'net; hopefully I'll get the review and some photos posted tomorrow!

Choir Sundays '09 #3

Sigh. This looked so cute in the mirror...but the photo looks like my grandmother. I think I need to speak to my photographer about things like flipped up collars and camera angles again....
Anyway, this month's colors are royal blue and black. I'm dressed for winter like an ad for the Wool Producers...the blue sweater is merino wool that is probably 10 years old and had to have a moth hole in pretty close to the center front darned before I could wear it.
The black sweater coat is brand new...one of the few non-jeans clothing purchases I've made in I don't know how long. It's a wool blend from Lands' End, and, to *prove* that it really looks cuter in real life than in the photo, The Princess (who's 23 and quite particular about such things) commented that it was cute and wanted to know where I got it. Stupid camera.

But the pants are my faithful black wool gabardine Loes Hinse Oxford Pants.

And, it's time once again for the quarterly blogging break, so I'm going to be pretty much off the 'net this week. Got some Household Duties to get caught up (once again, the household budget has fallen waaayyy behind...my fault entirely; can't blame it on anything this time...). So, I'll see you for next week's Choir post!

Whaddya do w/ BWOF?

One of the reasons I hesitated so long about subscribing to Burda World of Fashion was the whole storage thing...how on earth can you keep track of the cool patterns and the tracings and the magazines and...

I hit upon a solution that should work for me for at least the rest of this year, and I've told myself that, unless I sew a *lot* more BWOF patterns this year than I did last year (um, that would be 1 pattern sewn last year...but it gets lots of compliments...), I can't reup for year three. So this might be sufficient for a while.

Anyway, My Sweet Baboo has been bringing home some boxes for miscellaneous storage; I believe they're the boxes for the copier/printer paper they use at work. Turns out those boxes are just right for filing BWOF magazines. (I'm not going to worry about a lid; if I put a lid on it, I'll forget about them...).

I pulled all the pattern inserts from the magazines, put the patterns (and the rare tracing of patterns) in Zip-Lok bags, one for each issue, labeled the bag w/the issue date, and filed the bags in order behind the magazines.

Unless I become a lifelong subscriber, this should work!

How do other folks handle this?

Busting Stashes

Marji wrote an interesting post on her blog about using stash that raises some really, really good points about why people accumulate stashed fabric (or yarn), and then feel guilty and believe it needs to be used.

That made me reflect on my own 'stash busting' efforts.

Do I sew just to use up fabric?

I don't *think* I do...but I do, at times, try to get the stash down. For several reasons.

Mostly, I 'de-stash' because I've got more fabric than I have storage space and I'd rather make room for garments in the closet. I probably shouldn't have purchased so much...but, we all have weak moments in some area. Mine is that I look at a lovely piece of fabric, think, "Oh, that would make such a nice ________!" and get it before I really think if my wardrobe needs a nice __________ ...or if I've got actual time to make it.

Consequently, the stash is full of planned projects; some of which are now out of date and not very feasible. Styles change, wardrobe plans change...anyway, it's there. And yes, I loved it when I got it. Mostly, I still love it (there are a few 'what was I thinking?' fabrics that will be muslins eventually).

But the old must go for there to be room for new. There are two ways of dealing with it. Either I don't buy anything new (and I have really restricted my purchases of late to just real wardrobe needs), or I have to sew/give away what's up there. Some I will give away, but mostly it's still fabric I really, really like and I want to use it to it's best potential.

And there's the rub. For me, stash busting isn't about using up a bunch of fabric, it's about getting over the fear that I'll put a piece of fabric to a less-than-stellar use. Sometimes, in order to get over the fear of cutting, I just have to make myself pull something out and cut into it.

Now, when I'm in extreme 'stash -busting' mode, I will tend towards the projects that use the greatest yardage. Yes, it's a wardrobe need; the yardage involved just makes it the one chosen at that time. It was stash busting that got me to make the six-yard skirt in '07 (a long, flowing skirt made of bias tiers) It used a *lot* of fabric, but because it was sort of tedious it had been pushed on the back burner for a long time. It was when I realized I could use a large amount of lovely cotton fabric that I had originally purchased to make us all 'family shirts' -- only to find that my kids would rather be dressed in rags than dressed alike -- that the lightbulb went off. Now I have the 'wear in the car on long summer trips' skirt I had been wanting for a long time, and the yardage I used in that skirt was a great help towards making parity that year.

Stash is a different thing for everyone. As my stash eventually has higher quality fabric, I expect it to get somewhat smaller. I do not expect it to ever go away. Ideally, stash would just sort of rotate...some in, some out every year. Wonderful fabrics at incredible prices are good to go in; a new inspiration for a piece that was purchased for another purpose brings that yardage out of the stash with lots of positive expectation. It's fun to add to the stash...it feels productive to sew something from it.

It's just that when it gets overwhelming that it becomes something negative, and that's a different point for everyone. So I hope no one would take my efforts -- or anyone else's, for that matter -- to control, track or use personal stash as a judgment of how everyone should manage their fabric purchases. It's just what works for me. Everyone else will be different. ;)

Not this Year

I received the brochure for the 2009 Sewing Expo in Atlanta yesterday and it grieves me somewhat to realize that it's just not going to work for me to go this year, as much as I want to.

My Sweet Baboo has an opportunity to do something really cool (it would take to long to explain; it's a metal working class in it's simplest term) out of state just a couple of weeks after the Expo and I'm not sure the budget could take two travel hits in such close succession.

But we've got some emergency repair work to do on the house. Some things that were done before we purchased the house were not done correctly and now must be corrected. The estimates coming in are, well, discouraging.

So, in the interest of being fiscally responsible, I can't make the Atlanta trip.

Y'all have fun, and enjoy La Madeleine's for me...hopefully, I'll see you next year!

Whirlwind...

That's what this month has been so far! And I thought things would settle down for a wee bit after the holidays...but, no.

I have a couple of things to blog about...but I haven't had time to sit down and compose my thoughts!

Maybe tomorrow. I hope. ;)

Unexpected....

One of our pastors at church needs a costume for a para-church ministry by the end of February. He needs to be a 'pioneer parson', for want of a better description. We were supposed to meet and talk about it today, but we didn't manage to catch each other. Hopefully we'll talk about it later this week. He'll need a couple of jackets and some knee-breeches; he thinks he has a suitable shirt already. He's going to provide the fabric and perhaps even make part of the gear himself.

These folks pour a lot into ministry with kids; my youngest two are part of the children's church ministry team and work along with them; they've learned a *lot* and I'm happy to get the chance to bless the pastors. Just as long as I can squeeze it in before Easter program (there have been changes made to that plan...I should find out next week if we're going to do a Big Production or not) costuming and High School Musical costuming begins...which will be soon.

Meantime, I was surprised today to be rather obliquely asked if I were possibly interested in a paid costuming position with a local organization. My offhand reaction was 'No way would I do that!' The type of costuming is not really my expertise, and I know there are some *very* demanding time periods associated with the job, some which would conflict with other events I would want to be involved in (i.e., the church Dickens Christmas production, when/if we do that again). BUT -- it could be a very educational opportunity, and any income at the moment would be welcome. So I didn't answer right away, but agreed to consider it/pray over it at least a bit.

In all honesty, it was a very low-key inquiry, and someone else who is already involved with and volunteering with the organization would be more suited and may already be in consideration, but it was an attention getter.

Truth be told, I think I would need to volunteer with the group for a while before I could even begin to consider being a chief at all. And there is no room on my plate for any more volunteer anything.

But...we'll see...

Choir Sundays 09 #2

This Month's Choir Colors:Royal Blue and Black
I've got about 30 seconds to snap a photo... basically in the dark... as the choir is coming onto the platform just before the service starts. Not as good as I would like!

I love royal blue, though...wearing it this month kinda makes up for the yellow-orange-tan combos we wore that don't do a *thing* for me. I've got on Silhouette Patterns Robin's Jacket, made from the blue wool flannel that the moths chewed on. I cut it out a year ago, but didn't finish in time to wear it last January, so I'm glad the blue came back around this year. Under the jacket is another Silhouette design, Pam's Blouse, made from poly microfiber charmeuse. It's a good underlayer for the jacket, since the jacket is not lined.

And I'm wearing my white-and-black rayon/poly/lycra modified Oxford Pants. These pants are continuing to shrink just a little; I don't think I can let the hem out any more. I'll be sorry if they ever really shrink to 'too short'...

The Sewing Backstory

Lindsay asked What's Your Sewing Backstory? yesterday, so I thought that was worth a post...'specially since I'm having problems getting to my cutting board this week. ;)

She's got a poll up, too, on which we can indicate who our sewing teachers/influences were. I checked two...'Mother' and 'Self-Taught'. Mom got me started by explaining what I had to do to make an apron, a plaid skirt and a dress, in that order, for my first three years of 4-H. After that, I could read a pattern guide and I was pretty much off on my own. I made the dress for the first day of 8th grade and sewed a good deal for my wardrobe after that. I could buy poly crepe double knit really cheap at the local Ben Franklin (back in that day it was more like a Wal-Mart than a Hobby Lobby) and sew and sew.

When I was in 10th grade I caught the 'wardrobe' notion, and, with a goodly length of blue crepe poly doubleknit and a coordinating blue-and-white poly doubleknit, I made what was very nearly a SWAP wardrobe:

1 Blue crepe jacket (um, with short, puffy sleeves and large rounded lapels...it *was* 1974) (note to self: look around on the vintage pattern sites and see if you can find this jacket)

1 Blue 4-gore skirt

1 Blue/white houndstooth 4-gore skirt

1 Blue/white back-zip straight leg pants

1 reversible vest: Blue crepe on one side and the blue/white houndstooth on the other.

I added two rib knit turtleneck bodysuits from the JC Penny catalog...one in white, one in navy...and considered myself pretty snazzy.

It's probably a good thing I lived in rural Indiana, where fashion was something people did Somewhere Else.

I had a bit of a pause the year I went off to college and the first six months or so after I got married, because I didn't have access to a sewing machine. But the first Christmas My Sweet Baboo and I were married, I received a check from my mom and dad and promptly used it to purchase a basic Kenmore sewing machine.

And I've never really stopped sewing; puttering along at the 4-H red-ribbon-level for years and dealing w/fit issues as they arrived (see The Evolution of Fit for that story...). It wasn't until I turned 30 that I really started to consider improving my technique.

I had kind of an identity crisis that year, thinking I needed to be, um, 'grown up' but not feeling like I was (Not sure I am now, for that matter, but that's another topic altogether). In my pursuit of a responsible adult mindset, I read several books, including Anne Ortlund's Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman. I did have some attitude changes as a result of reading that, but one of the things she said is that everyone needs to have some area of expertise...and she challenged her reader to pick one area and pursue it.

The area I picked was sewing and I subscribed to Sew News magazine...which led to a Threads subscription and a Fashion Fabrics Club membership (which was the beginnings of my stash)...which led, when we got online, to discovering independent patterns at now-long-gone Patternshowcase.com, which led to Patternreview.com...and writing reviews for PR has *forced* me to improve my techniques, both in construction and fitting, because, hey, people who sew are looking at those photos!

And, because I had been working on fitting and construction, when a need arose to make costumes for church I volunteered to help out and now I'm the *ahem* 'chief costume curator'.

But there was a couple of times when I almost gave it up. One was due to lack of space to sew; I don't know if I would've quit altogether or just put things away until I had a space, but, well, desperation leads to unique solutions and I moved the sewing to the garage and was glad to have some dedicated space that was out of sight. But the other time was an almost sell it/give it away moment.

I'll try to describe what it was; I don't know if everyone will understand or not.

After The Flute Player was born, I was sewing a lot. The magazine articles were inspiring me to not just sew clothes I needed, but to do some artistic exploration as well, and it was taking up a lot of time. I began to feel guilty about all the time I was spending on sewing, wondering if it could be spent in a way that would be more of a benefit spiritually in my life and in the lives of others. An old religious notion that if you enjoy something, it's selfish to do it much. It took a personal revelation for me to understand that God gives joy, not takes it and I saw that I didn't have to give up my sewing.

Five or six years later, as I was sewing furiously for yet another church drama production, it hit me that if I had given up sewing back when I was having the guilt trip, I would not have been able to serve in that manner. Food for thought... ;)

The Times, They are A-changin'

I've seen it coming for a long time; subtle and not so subtle indications.

Then, suddenly, I found myself flapping my shirt every hour or so wondering who turned up the heat. I guess I was fortunate that that only lasted for the months of September-October. Annoying, but not intolerable.

However, the shirt-flapping was followed by a sudden and alarming weight gain.

Ten pounds in about 6 weeks. Ick. Double ick. Beyond annoying and definitely intolerable.

So I'm down to wearing only the stretchy stuff and trying to figure out how to fit the shirts I'm itching to get started making. There's hope it's not permanent; right now, our church is on an extended fast which seems to at least have stopped the upward climb and may even pull it back down a bit.

Hopefully, the chiropractor will have my back in some kind of shape by the time the fast is over and I can begin a real exercise/weight reduction plan.

'Cause I don't want to have to retrace all my TNTs in a bigger size...

Changing the Photo Plan -- Maybe

I learned something today...

I've always wondered where the pictures that were uploaded to Blogger went. Guess what? A Picasa account gets created for the Blogger account and any uploaded photos go to Picasa albums.

Basically, all that I needed to do was create a user name for that account and...lookie, there are my pictures! Accessible to Pattern Review and everything!

Okiedokie, then. If I switch to Picasa, I won't have to upload photos twice and there should be no repeat of any unexpected requests...it looks like Picasa allows photos to be public but not searchable.

Much better. Except...

There's pretty much only one size available for viewing. Flikr allows the photos to be viewed in a larger format. This is going to take some thought.

Oh, well, I've got until I upload the first review photo to make up my mind.

Meantime, I've got some housecleaning to do on Picasa. There are several photos that were uploaded, then I lost the link while writing the post so I had to upload them again. I need to delete the duplicates. ;)

Resubbed

I debated about it for several months, then finally decided to go ahead and renew my BWOF subscription for another year...even though I only made 1 (one) garment from the entire last 11 months worth of magazines.

There are several patterns I want to try; I just haven't been able to get to my own creative sewing yet. And it is cool to see the trends; plus, I've observed that the patterns in the magazine tend to be long-lived.

So I don't think it's a bad idea to re-up. But I need to use it more next year if I want to spring for year three...

Oh, speaking of magazines, I was in the checkout line today and saw the cover of Weight Watcher's magazine...the lady on the cover had on a very interesting top, with the fabric woven into a pattern on the lower front. I almost bought the magazine just so I could study the top. Anyone else see it?

2008 stats

Fabric In:89.25 yds
Fabric Out:86.875 yds

Garments made for me: 35
Garments made for other people in my family: 9

'Donations': 1

Things made for friends:1 set flannel waterbed sheets

Miscellaneous Church-Related Sewing:
1 Loes Hinse Weekender Bag for missions fundraiser
24 chair back slipcovers

Church-related Costuming:
2 pairs black linen ratty 'pirate pants'
1 swashbuckling linen coat
2 rayon/linen pull-over shirts
1 longish multi-buttoned waistcoat vest
1 truly hideous Coat of Many Colors
1 Men's Bible costume
2 Women's Bible Costumes
mending of multiple costume pieces!

Costuming for the 2008 High School Musical, Pippin:
6 silver lame' pull-over shirts
6 gold lame' pull-over shirts
1 full-length metallic print/velvet trimmed vest
1 knit mock turtleneck metallic print stretch velvet top
Team Effort:
19? (I lost count) hooded robes
14? (I didn't count) pairs doe suede pull-on pants
6 pairs metallic-on-black-stretch velvet pull on pants(that were later struck)
Long lady's vest w/metallic print godets
1 set leg flounces (dunno what else to call them)


I didn't get anything at all productive done yesterday; the black tops are still on the 'to do' list. But I did, at least, finish everything I started in '08...with the exception of a few costume pieces that just got put on a back burner. They are, however, cut out, and when the timing is right I'll pull 'em out and sew 'em up.

So I was 2 3/8 yards short of parity. I've pulled the index cards for three very cheap pieces of knit that I will fetch out of the bins and cheerfully put in the donate bag and probably never miss...it'll add up to 5 7/8 yards out. So I'll actually finish lower than I started, which is good. We'll see how I do this year.

One of the things that surprised me was that I bought considerably less fabric this year than I have for a long time (when I label 89.5 yards of fabric 'considerably less', you know stash accumulation has been an issue!). It's the first time since I began keeping records of my purchases, back in 2004, that I purchased less than 100 yards. So perhaps I am finally learning some constraint! Not to mention I ran out of places to put it...


Anyway, I'm off to clean my slate for a new year!

Choir Sundays Heads into 2009

I took my camera to church today, but things were kinda hectic and I didn't get a 'group photo'. Hopefully next week!

Anyway, this month's colors are royal blue and black.
The top is the silk duppioni Sewing Workshop Chopin Blouse that took forever and was a comedy of errors (remember the piece that I threw away?). But it works great for choir and I love the way that silk feels on...heaven!

The pants are hot-off-the-sewing-machine La Fred Daphne Pants, made from a scrumptious cotton/lycra sateen from Gorgeous Fabrics. I still need to tweek the pants a bit; this is the third iteration and I'd like to be closer to a TNT than I am. But, perhaps the *ahem* excess of the holidays might account for a bit of that? Not sure...but, they work as a bottom layer under a long top, which is what I wanted them for.

I had to have My Sweet Baboo take the photo on the porch as the inside of the house is a maze of half-down Christmas decorations and boxes. That's one chore I'm always relieved to finish.

I really, really need a black turtleneck top; I've got fabric and a pattern, if I can make it today I'll count it for '08 as intended, otherwise I'll be done where I am. We'll see how the rest of the day goes!

Cutting Myself a Little Slack

Does anyone notice how close I am to parity for the year?
Four measly yards!
And I have hardly sewn a stitch all month...just a wee bit of emergency sewing for the Flute Player. Oh, and the Big Christmas gift...a set of flannel waterbed sheets for my Dear In-Laws, which consumed 7 yards.

Oh, I have plans; I have fabric. I even have a pair of pants well started. What I don't have is time.

Now, according to my personal parity rules, if I go over for the year, during the first two weeks of January I have to donate twice the overage to charity before I can purchase any new fabric.

Fair enough. And I probably have eight yards of 'Why did I buy THIS?' fabric hiding in the bins upstairs anyway.

But, in looking at how much sewing I did for other folks this year...much of it rather unplanned for...I think I can cut myself just a wee bit of slack here.

So I'm giving myself through the weekend before I 'close out the numbers' for '08.

Not that that's a huge amount of grace; the rest of the week looks pretty busy and I don't know if I'll get much time in the sewing room anyway.

But I at least want to get all the '08 projects finished!

So...Happy Sewing New Year, everyone, and may you meet your Sewing Goals for 2009!

Last Choir Sunday Post for 08 -- number 40

This month's colors:Red and black

Jacket: Silhouette Patterns Robin's Jacket, made from silver/black/red plaid wool/lurex crepe and bound w/faux suede. It's over a black RTW fine gauge turtleneck sweater.

Skirt: Kwik Sew 2581, from black rayon crepe.

This is the last choir post of the year, since we won't be in choir next week! I likely won't get to the blog for the next week or so, so I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas...may you have many happy returns of the season! ;)

Toasted, Fried AND Burnt....

I received an email today with the following request:
We at NowPublic are working on coverage of the top ten worst fashion trends of 2008, and we are putting together a collection of photos. We came across your amazing photo on Flickr and it would be a great addition to our story. We would very much appreciate its use, with proper credit to you of course. It was followed by a link to a page at which I could grant them the use of this amazing photograph.

So, you ask, what was this amazing photo that would fit into the TOP TEN WORST FASHION TRENDS OF 2008???

The (I thought) wearable muslin of Simplicity 4366.

I'll be the first to admit this is not the most flattering, stylish photograph, but I wasn't trying to take a flattering, stylish photograph; I wanted a photo of the fit of the pants. Probably the folks at 'NowPublic' didn't even realize that.

But still.

What were they thinking???



Here's the text that very likely would accompany this amazing photo, quoted from the above link:
5. Plaid pants

Ahh...popularized in the 1970's, and re-appropriated by grunge kids in the 90's. Leave plaid pants in your youth with that ratty old chain wallet you wore with them.

If you need plaid in your life, I wholeheartedly suggest you invest north of the waistline; a button-down shirt, fitted equestrian blazer, or tunic are all acceptable alternatives.

Thank you very much for your advice.

I did send a reply:
I would prefer that you do not use this photo.

Thank you very much.

Um, just a suggestion.... if you are looking at a photo posted for the purpose of displaying the fit of a home-sewn pattern, it *might* not be terribly considerate to ask the seamstress if it could be included in an article about Fashion Faux Pas. It, um, could ruin her day.

Just a thought.

I need some ketchup with my fries....

Choir Sundays '08 #39

This Month's Colors: Red and Black













I'm wearing...
A RTW black wool flannel Requirements jacket that I've had for something like 10 years

A likewise ancient red poly microfiber blouse from a looooonnnng out-of-print Kwik Sew pattern. I remember getting that fabric when microfiber was a brand new exciting thing. But it's still polyester...and one day I'll replace it with silk. ;)

My black wool gabardine Loes Hinse Oxford Pants

Our fearless leader gave us the heads up about colors for the next two months...royal blue and black next month(Yay! I can wear those things I made last year too late to wear!) and black and white in February. So -- no panic sewing in the immediate future, anyway!

Christmas '08 Project Number 2

I *really* don't think the intended recipient of this little appliqued stocking will stop by here...but just the same I'm not going to say whom it's for.

I used the reverse side of some sweatshirt fleece for the fuzzy look... ;)

One Down

The biggest home-crafted Christmas present to come out of my sewing room this year is finished...that's a sigh of relief! Unfortunately, due to the very slight possibility that the intended recipient will drop by, I can't post any pictures or say what it is.

Pictures wouldn't help much anyway and I'll spill the beans after the gifts are opened.

I'm just glad I can move on to the next project! ;)

Crying 'Uncle'

I'm looking at the next two weeks and seeing a mountain of stuff to do; so I am going to do something I haven't done in the three years I've been blogging on Sew Random: I'm going to go to sporadic posts for the rest of the month.

I've done straight up blogging breaks, but I've never just said 'I'll post when I have something to say'. But, given the amount of things I have to do (we have FIVE Christmas-related events THIS WEEK) and the scarcity of time in which to do it, something's gotta give.

So, when/if I have somethings sewing-related to post, I will, but in the meantime I'm going to be working hard to get everything done that needs to be done!

Thanks for hanging with me!

Oh, My Achin' Back!

I'm not making much progress on the sewing queue...we've had a busy, busy weekend and I didn't even get into the sewing room.

And, if you've been following the choir Sunday posts (the choir didn't sing for Sunday morning services yesterday...we had a special presentation instead), you might have noticed that I've mentioned low back problems a couple of times. It finally got to the point that I had to do something, and one thing led to another and I ended up at the chiropractor.

Not going into whether chiropractic is good or not here...but I will say that it is helping somewhat.

Only I have to go three times a week until Christmas. Let me tell you, that is cutting into my sewing time.

That's really frustrating, but I was at the point that the back pain was interfering with my life so in the long run it's probably good to get something done about it.

But I have Christmas sewing to do so I will get going in there as soon as I can. I *don't* want to leave it all till next week!

Concert Attire

I finished the pants at 5 pm last night...an hour and a half before we had to leave.

And discovered that the pants pattern that I made her last month is now nearly too short! These pants have a scant 1/2" turned up at the bottom for a hem...I'll have to add length to them next time I make them for her.

It didn't help that her flat dress shoes were also discovered to be too small last night; she's wearing her boots, which have a bit of heel. Ah, well. A trip to Shoe Carnival will be in order for new dress shoe next time an occasion arrives for her to wear them. But since it's December, the boots can fill that position nicely for a while.

I intended to take a photo of her with the cummerbund and tie, but the teachers collected them before the kids even left the stage. And the Flute Player was behind a music stand in the second row, so I couldn't see her at all when they played. So no 'concert photo'.

And the concert...well, it was a junior high band concert. It was fine. ;)

There were some kids there with shirts from formalwear shops...they were noticeable because they had studs on the front of their shirts instead of shirt buttons. But there were a number of kids who obviously were wearing the Hobby Lobby shirts and a number of them were not all that big. So perhaps there *was* a smaller size available than what I found? Oh, well...

Must. Find. Inspiration.

Yesterday was a Very Interrupted Day...and I didn't get a single stitch sewn on the black pants. All I managed was to change the serger thread to black.

Have I mentioned anywhere that the concert is tonight?

So I need to, like, spend all day sewing black pants.

Now, we do have black pants in the closet that are borderline too small and quite Not Liked, so if the effort fails, there is a Plan B; the world will not end.

But the Flute Player will not be happy...

sigh.

Tux Shirt: Good Enough

She hadn't combed her hair yet this morning...and when I suggested it to her, she shrugged and said not to worry about it. So. THAT attitude will so change in a year or two!
This really is just a form of costuming; once I got my brain around that things went faster.

It's not wonderful; the armsceye was cut so low on the original shirt that I couldn't do much about the fullness under her arms. But the shoulders are higher -- I took about 2 1/2" out of the shoulder width -- and the sleeves are a much better length at 1 1/2" shorter. I was stressing over the hem; for some reason the back was about 1/2" longer than the front at the sideseam. My first thought was to whack it off and hem it, then I thought, hey, it'll only be worn tucked into pants anyway, why not just serge it?

But she tried it on this morning and tucked it all in with no trouble...so I'm calling it 'done' and moving on to the black pants...

And we will not have to worry about her shirt tail coming untucked. ;)

The Tux Shirt...progress

Well, it's cut and ready to baste back together.

I had a time deciding how to go about reducing that shirt. My thought was to get a shirt pattern in her size and just overlay it to cut down the shoulder seam/armsceye/sleeve cap.

But it didn't fit; the bottom of the armsceye of the pattern was off the edge of the lower curve of the armsceye on the unconstructed shirt.

Rats.

Finally, I just trimmed off the portion of the shirt and the shoulder seam that I had noted needed to be trimmed; I'll put the sleeve back on and pin fit the rest of it. It was a continuous underarm/side seam anyway, so I can just kind of keep stitching it up until we're satisfied.

Oh, it's not going to fit as well as a custom made shirt, but it's saving me the trouble of doing all that pleating...not to mention figuring out how to do it, since I haven't seen a kid's pleated front/tux collar shirt pattern. I suppose there *might* be one for boys in the Vogue catalog...I didn't look there.

This is going to have to work for now; her concert is Thursday...and I still have to sew her black pants (which are cut out).

So, aside from a couple of errands today...I'm sewing....

Refashioning Exercise

The Flute Player has a required outfit (I can't really say 'uniform' -- it isn't) to wear for concerts...black dress pants and a tuxedo shirt. To this outfit are added a red bow tie and cummerbund, which belong to the school.

The band requirements expressly prohibit substituting a regular dress shirt for the tuxedo shirt.

So...who knows where you can obtain a tuxedo style shirt in a girls size 14?

The teacher suggested we try the local formalwear shops. I shudder to think what such a thing would cost there.

So, I cut the '40% off any one regularly priced item' coupon from the Hobby Lobby ad and got myself over there and purchased the smallest size they had.


Um, no.

The shoulders and upper chest are too big on ME, for crying out loud!

But, having invested ten bucks in this shirt, I intend to make it work.

The cuffs have been removed, the underarm seam undone, and the sleeves taken off. Now all I need to do is cut down the upper part of the shirt and reshape the shoulder cap on the sleeves and put it back together.

Have I ever mentioned before how not fun this kind of sewing is????

But at least I can do it. And it won't be a bad shirt for ten bucks and a little time.

Assuming, of course, that I don't mess it up...