Newman's Needle

Happy Returns

2011-07-27T20:46:00.000-04:00

Thanks for hanging in there over the past week of silence! We got back into town two nights ago and are still catching up on sleep lost due to time zone shift and then there is the catch up at work after a week's unexpected absence.

First off, I DID manage to exercise while away. I took my TRX for self inflicted torture and set it up in the walk out under the BIL's back deck. Nice and cool in the shade and those floor joists were definitely sturdy enough! Top that off with an hour long brisk hike in the hills with the Pilot in tow and making really good choices for food, I think I did great considering I had almost no control over where we ate and when! What did you do over the past week?

The dress was finished onsite. I had to finish hand stitching the hem and the lining to the zipper once I arrifved, but really that only took about 30 minutes to do while listening to all the chater going on around us. I used Vogue 1100 and some wonderful stretch wool crepe from Darrell. Lots of complements on the dress. It was classy with a modern twist with the neckline treatment. The fabric made all the difference in this one. The wool didn't wrinkle, it was a perfect weight and the lycra made motion easier. Unlike some reviewers, I didn't have any armhole issues, but that could be due to the FBA I always do changing the curveof the armhole. I also adjusted the vertical pleats, lengthening them as well as widening them for a closer fit and shortened the V opening. A funeral is not the place to flash the twins, especially when one is doing a reading at the Mass!

Having made this in wool, I do not think I would make it in charmeuse (which is the original reason for buying the pattern). I think the fabric would be too light for the fit of the pattern and I don't think it would move as well on me, anyway. It has been done by another reviewer who had great success, but for me, this is now my LBD. Ellen would be proud of the handwork and that I honoured her by sewing the dress.

I have some of the wool left as I had bought enough to do a princess seamed dress. Now I have to decide if I want to do a skirt or if I have enough to do a jacket to go with the LBD. I don't think I have enough for a jacket, (and that would be too much black I think) but maybe I can make a snazzy vest/waistcoat? Hmm .... time to go browsing for pattern ideas!

Daily Dose of Diva - Part 3

2011-07-15T00:05:00.000-04:00

Just a short post today ...it was PJ bottoms day. She decided to do shorts for summer out of another batik from MaryBeth. She loves how soft it is! The top will come later on, I think. Tomorrow is her last day at camp, but not the last day sewing. This was a great opportunity for her. If she wants, I may sign her up for some of the weekend classes in the winter if Darrell runs any follow ups (like maybe a jeans course to go with all that great denim you have in stock??? What do you think about that idea, Darrell! Great for the teens and tweens!).

It was TRX torture day. It is getting easier each week. The muscle memory is coming back. I am able to do more for longer now on some of the harder moves. I would be better if I did more at home with my own TRX, though.

The dress is ready to put together. The lining is done as is the dress. Tomorrow I have to finish. I have run out of time. I may leave the neckband off for expediency at this point. Will see how things progress tomorrow. I have only a half day of work, so I will be able to do more when I get home. I also have to add a modesty panel to a tunic that was given to the Diva by a friend. She can't wear it as is at this point.

I know that I just stated posting again, but I am giving fair warning that I may be intermittant over the next week. We are going out of town as of Saturday for at least a week. I am unsure of what access I will have.

Stay sewing and start exercising ... See you soon.

Dose of Diva ... Part 2

2011-07-13T21:34:00.000-04:00

First of all, a correction. Last post I said I was pre-treating a wool gab. I mis-spoke. It is a dress weight stretch wool crepe. It is in the dryer now as my bed was too comfy this morning to get up early enough to toss it in. I should be able to get at it to cut tonight as it is still early.

Now for the Daily Dose of Diva Part 2!

Diva finished her lined tote bag today. There are two more pockets inside. It looks great! MB, you would approve of the use of the batik and LOVE the slightly heavier cotton she lined it with! Today's project was a simple bib apron with a bound edge. Nothing unusual except hat it was an exercise in patience and careful pinning and top stitching as she bound the entire edge and extended the edge into the ties and the neckband. She did really well for all that! Nice straight stitching and a cute little apron. More of the batik gone, MB! Tomorrow she is starting her PJ's in another cotton batik! You, MB are a partner in her camp happiness this week. Which is just what we need at this point. Some good memories to look back on. She is unsure if she wants to have pics taken or not, so I leave it to her.

Exercise - the bike ride was cancelled due to thunderstorms and the pressing need to get the dress done. There is a function in the near future that I need it for, so I have some time issues to meet. Tomorrow is TRX Thursday. I will head to the Rec Centre a bit early and hit the treadmill for a bit prior to the class. That will help me make up for today.
Friday's lunch will be a challenge menu wise. We always bring in lunch on Friday's. How to maintain the tradition without always going for salad? The menu is Lebanese/Mediterranean, so I think I will try a tabouleh salad or something new like that. I know I will like the shawarma and other meats, but I want to be a bit adventurous and healthy at the same time.

Short post tonight, life is progressing fast, so I need to get back at it!

Dose of Diva ... Part 1

2011-07-12T22:43:00.001-04:00

First of all, exercise update: Last week I accomplished my 3 one hour workouts. Tuesday's was a brisk one hour walk with the Pilot. Wednesday was a one hour bike ride of the walking route (done twice) with the Diva. Thursday was TRX torture Day. Today, the Pilot and I walked a new route for another hour. Tomorrow the Diva has already reminded me of the bike ride. Then on to TRX again. What have you done this week?

Now to the main topic - the daily dose of Draping Diva! Welcome to the first in a 4 part series starring the Draping Diva herself!

Here is a photo of the Diva herself modelling the jean jacket she made last fall. She practiced slow sewing to the point of it almost becomming a UFO! By the time she finished it, the "jacket" had shortened into a crop style w/ 3/4 length sleeves! She is doing her best Charlie's Angel pose with one of the Pilot's toys.

Today she attended the first day of a Sewing Camp at store owned by my dear friend Darrell Thomas.
Background - Since Darrell left Bank Street and moved to Little Italy, he has gained more space and added a dedicated classroom. To that end, he decided to run a sewing camp over 4 days. 4 days of learning to sew. What is not to love for a Junior Draping Diva? Especially since she was gifted with some BEAUTIFUL batiks from my other dear friend MaryBeth when we met up in Toronto last month. She now has a sewing machine of her own (My mother's old Singer), a small stash and now she has a sewing box with tools! I decided that we will start building her "Hope Chest" with the sewing tools first! So, on the weekend we went to Darrell's and bought her the essentials so that we no longer have to share.

DAY 1 - She is the youngest in the camp by about 4 years. The age ranges from her all the way up to the lone male university student. The experience varies from her minimal experience to others that have none to some with more. 4 hours of sewing instruction. What is not to love?

First project is a lined tote bag. She had to measure, mark then cut and stitch. She is so excited as she assembled the two side panels, two lined pockets, and the straps in class. She came home and then finished the top stitching ont he straps even though it wasn't homework. She was so excited that the machines at Darrell's are the same as Mine that she promptly asked if she can "practice" on my machine ... yup. I sense a trend towards time sharing here ... Of course, this could be justification for a new machine for me :) (I would be perfectly OK with delegating the Singer to buttonhole duty now that I have the proper attachments ... but I digress. Back to Diva). She is setting her alarm to get up in the summer. To sew. HOW COOL IS THAT??????

Tomorrow they finish the bag and then start building an apron that has bias binding (purchased for this time) then progress on to PJs on Thursday (really cool kimono style top to this Burda Kids pattern).

Projects attempted since last post: The Little Black Dress project
1. Neue Mode 22774 (no link found at this point, I may post pic, I may not see previous post) a princess sheath dress with a sweetheart neckline with a shaped front yoke inset
Status - on hold; it needs more fitting than I have time for. All those body changes have made my TNT adjustments to be Terrible and Terrifying! So, it is shelved for now until I have more time to get real finicky with it.
2. Vogue 1100 (the dress)
Status - in progress. The muslin came out OK, the lining is cut and and basic fitting is complete. It is tweak time. I need to add the vertical darts in (adding extra in the midriff area to shape the extra from the upper and lower adjustments). Tomorrow is the final work on the lining. Tomorrow before work I am preshrinking using the method from the blog Off the Cuff and then tomorrow night I will finish the lining and be (hopefully) able to cut the wool gab.

Tonight I took the night off as I was sewing late last night and the walk was later than planned. Tomorrow I will get more done.

See you all tomorrow! Remember ... get out and DO something so that you can SEW something! Get the family involved ... who wouldn't love a guaranteed hour long walk with the Spouse/Partner twice a week? I know, I have the luxury of built in childcare now that Rugby Boy is old enough, but you can get creative. Swap walk times with a neighbour or fellow parent. Get a rotating playgroup going where two or three sets of kids play while one of you goes for a run/walk. Trade off works!

The Tide Needs to Turn

2011-07-06T21:26:00.000-04:00

I am back from oblivion again. I know I promised pics of projects past. I have come to terms with the fact that sewing was losing it's fun factor. Taking photos at each important step for a review that I was making myself write and then post was taking too much of my time. So, those pics are not happening any time soon. I will discuss patterns as I would chat with you across my table as we shared either a glass or a cup (the contents of which will depend highly upon whether or not I like the project we are discussing)!

I am too busy to do more. Since December last, I switched to a full time job but did not slow down on my other commitments. My sewing time is limited and precious to me. I want to maximize machine time when I can.

The biggest competition for my time right now is me. I have, over the past year put back on the inches and pounds I had lost. I let work and family become an excuse to not take care of me. The result is that the Doc has told me to drop 20-30 pounds. So, that means one hour of exercise a minimim of four times a week. So, the Pilot's workout needs don't mqtch mine so we need to do them mostly apart. Last night was a one hour brisk walk. Next time we take the uphill route as our first one was too easy. Tonight Diva and I did the same route TWICE on our bikes. She wants to do it each week. Tomorrow night I take a TRX class at a city gym. Google that if you want a new and challenging work out!! My goal is to exercise in the week ans then I can sew on the weekends.

The tide has started to turn. I am charting a new course. Does anybody want to join me? I am going to try to do short posts each night with my workouts ...
Let me know if you are going to join my journey. We can swim together.

Draping Diva!

2010-10-20T22:16:00.000-04:00

That is her new name! Monkey Girl is now the Draping Diva. Three times since the last post I have gone down into the Sewing Room and found a length of fabric (usually my bamboo) wrapped, pleated and pinned in place on Mindy. Don't know when she does it, although I suspect it is done when I think she is watching TV or playing on the family Wii. Sometimes there is a note pinned to Mindy asking if she can use the fabric for her design (THAT WAS FOR THE OFF LIMITS BAMBOO!) or she then will join me and ask if the design is something she can wear. Now seeing as she is draping on a form that is my size and bust and that she has not yet shown her potential for needing fitting, it is hard to tell. But she loves to play with the fabrics, so I let her do so. I have warned her off certain fabrics as they do not survive random pinning and being left to hang on Mindy, especially when some of it inevitably ends up being on the bias! I need to thank Darrell for this new talent of hers. you see, he has numerous forms throughout his shop with fabric artistically draped to showcase the fabrics to their best potential. She fell in love with the idea when we last visited. Makes me want to hunt down a cheap form for her to play with until she grows into mine. Christmas is coming ...

So design divas! I need your help and I need it fast! I have an important meeting next week with an VP of a Bank. I need something appropriate to wear ... I want to wear a dress if I can pull it off in the next week (so the Claire Schaeffer mock wrap couture pattern is out due to time). I have some suiting intended for a shirtdress, but again, time is a factor. So, it will have to be either a sheath or an empire style, unless I do a surplice knit. I have this fabric from Darrell that I bought with the intention of using it for one of the HP Three Graces tops (the cowl was the preferred), but now I am thinking of it as a dress. Simple in doing, but it is the fabric that worries me.

It is an bias printed argyle pattern in grey, blue and black with silver thread shot through. The cowl drapes nicely according to Draping diva and Mindya doesn't look too bad in it full length, the issue is whether I will. I want to push my envelope a bit beyond the obvious argyle top or twin set, but is a dress really the way to go? My figure is not the most willowy and I am now in my 40's, so age appropriate is important. I do so want to leave a good impression ...

Idea #2 was to take the top with the cross over front (the Grecian one) and use black for the cross overs and the argyle for the cowl center piece, but that would take soem creative drafting of the pattern pieces to balance the bottom off. This really appeals to me as it will be most unique but still not be too much argyle as it would only be on the cowl and the center front. What fabric I would use on the back is open for debate: black or full argyle? What say you?

Monkey Girl Jacket Update

2010-09-13T21:48:00.000-04:00

This is a quick update on the progress of the current projects on the table. The table currently has two jackets on the go, one is mine, the other belongs to Monkey Girl. I have set up my Mom's old machine (now Moneky Girl's) on the table back to back with mine. That way we can work at the same time on our jackets. We are both using hte same thread colours right now, so that makes it easier for me to help her out.

As I believe in learning by doing, she is doing the majority of the work on her own. She cut and prepped the pattern while I cut the fabric (that is due to her height not being quite up to reaching across the table and me not wanting her touching the Kais!). She pins the pieces together as she goes through the pattern, learning about how the pieces match up. She then stitches them together (reminding herself to backstitch) and tried her best to keep the seam allowance as close to 5/8" as she can (there is a masking tape line on the machine for her to follow). She now knows how to properly press the seams flat using my iron. Yes, Darrell, she even uses the clapper! The top stitching, button holes and collar I am doing for her but I think I will let her do the sleeve insertino as it is on the flat this time around. She may even do the cuffs as well. So far the bodice and the back is complete and stitched at the shoulders. I have to do the topstitching there and then we are off to assemble the sleeves. We have the collar and cuffs put together but not attached yet. She has stitched, trimmed, pressed and turned and then pressed again.

She wants a navy blue topstich for a real subtle contrast to the black. At least it would have been subtle had I not let her loose on Darrell's button wall last weekend! My Monkey took one look at the variety and went for BLING! Not just any bling, mind you, oh no, my darling diva went directly to the designer buttons! Of course, I have to admit, Darrell did have a lot to do with it! It was great fun as she tried the various buttons styles on her Wal Mart remnant fabric. She loved the Fendi buttons and almost went for major crystals and rhinstone flowers until we had to reign her in with a reminder that this will still be worn on the playground. Designer bling is too good for the playground. That was a close call but very fun to watch!

The next thing she did was to head directly for Darrell's silk samples. She fell in love with those from the first time in his shop. After fondling those for a bit, she went over to the display of garment Darrell has on sale. He chooses fabrics from his supply and then sews a number of his own designs as inspiration for his customer base. This way we can visualize what a garment will look like in a certain fabric. She fell in love with a couple of tops and proceeded to talk ME into buying one for her. The drama that ensued as she tried the various sizes on was quite hilarious! Darrell and I agree, there are some serious DIVA tendencies emerging in her personality! Will she be the next generation Sewing Diva? We will have to wait and see if she can bring her skill level up to THE Sewing Divas ... until then, I am not quite sure what to call her ... Monkey Girl is still there but there are occasional flashes of something bigger that I cannot quite identify.

One unforseen effect of teaching her how to sew, is that I have to reduce the directions to the most basic points. In teaching her how to do a project like this one, there are few shortcuts. Each step needs to be read , discussed and understood before we go on. She sees how things are put together step by step. This has slowed my sewing down somewhat, but I think that is a good thing for me. I am now looking at the details again as I stop my sewing to help her with her next step. I find myself explaining things to her. It has brought me back to why I started to sew in the first place. I like the construction of the garments. I love taking flat fabric and turning into a 3Dimensional object. I love that she sees what I see. The potential in every piece of cloth ... expecially the silks, right Darrell?

changes ...

2010-09-07T08:28:00.000-04:00

School is now in session for the kids. Dino boy had minor stomach cramps last night; not sure if it was nerves, excitement or both. I think it was the latter. You see, he started Jr High today. Grade 7. Wow. Not only is he only one inch shorter than I am (YIKES HE IS ONLY 12), he is now at a combined jr/sr high. He gets up with his father and goes out the door at almost the same time. He will be home before anybody else in the afternoons. He is growing up (literally!). He is maturing in so many ways but still believes in embracing his inner child. He still wants a toy for Christmas, even if it is a small one. Just because it is Christmas and that needs a toy. I think that this change needs a new name. Dino Boy who used to grab his little dino toys and leave them in my bathtub or shower is no more. In his place? RUGBY GUY. This is more appropriate now. His new self confidence and height has earned him the new moniker, I think.

Monkey Girl is about to head off to school as well. This is her first year without Rugby Guy at the same school. She will be going alone now. What that means is that I won't let her leave quite so early as there is no early supervision at the school without big brother along. She is turning into a bit of a girlie girl, with her talk of clothes, earrings and her new summer obsession - nail polish. I like seeing these glimpses young woman she has the potential of becomming. Monkey Girl will need to change soon, too, I think. But not yet. I am not quite ready for that. Let me have my little girl for a little bit longer ... even if she is as proportionally as tall as her brother!

Labour Day Project

2010-09-06T19:30:00.000-04:00

So, what are you doing this Labour Day? As was my practice years ago, I spent it sewing. Saturday I took off and went shopping with Monkey Girl. We spend a lot of time discussing body image and fashion vs trends as we shop. We try on everything just for the object lessons. We try not to laugh too loudly at what we affectionately label "CALL CLINTON moments" after her favorite show "What Not To Wear". I like these times together. She is growing up so fast and so tall that I need to have these discussions more often as she is soon to be out of the little girl sizes ( a feat she reached in her shoe size already!).

I think I may have mentionned in one of my posts last year that I have my mother's original SINGER machine now. We gave it to Monkey GIRL FOR Christmas last year with the promise that I would teach her to sew. The majority of what she wants to sew are knit projects, which that machine will not handle well. So, we are trying something different instead. She is making a jean style jacket. We are doing it in tandem, meaning that we have two machines on the same table with both of us working on jacket patterns. I am finishing a UFO (another HP project - the HP Sportive Skirt Suit Jacket). Hers is KS 3136. We are using a black peachskin fabric from Wal Mart for her first project. This is a great project for us to do together. It has many smaller straight seams which will allow her to get used to the machine as well as pinning, pressing and stitching. I have marked out the 5/8" seamline with masking tape on the machine bed, and am marking the seamline on the fabric for her as well. She cut and prepped the pattern on her own, and I cut the fabric and interfacing as required. She sews the seams, we press together and then I top stitch for her. We are lucky that we are both sewing the same colour fabric right now!

It is going really well! Her first seam had to be ripstitched, as she wanted to try to stitch it without a line to follow. She was a bit upset until I told her the story of my first Home Ec project do-over (the night before it was due in!). She laughed and started to rip as she kept giggling! We have the back assembled and have the fronts half done. We are at the stage of putting the chest pockets on. We will see how far we get tonight. She won't be wearing it to school this week, anyway. I promised her a trip to the Button Wall of Fame at Darrell's so that she can choose the buttons. Yup, the buttons will cost more than the jacket, but seeing the pride will be worth it! It is a neat feeling, seeing her across the table working on a project at the same time. Who says that sewing has to be solitary?

On my end, I have the body of the lining assembled, leaving the facings only to be attached. I am working on assembling the body of the jacket as well. I am using a black pinwhaled bamboo corduroy with an ambiance lining in a navy blue. The skirt was completed before the sewing drought started and was the last actual project completed before the Big Sulk started. I made this up in a cheap knit 3 years ago for an interview for the job I now have. Now, I am getting around to making the actual as the cheapness of the muslin is now showing. I took the rainbow zipper off the muslin and am using that in the jacket. I was originally going to use a rhinestone zip but think I may use that in another project instead.

So, this Labour Day, I engaged in a Labour of Love. I have started my 9 year old on a journey of sewing for herself. The feeling I get in sharing my space with her is so deep that I cannot find the words. I remember sitting at my mother's knee playing in the button box and wanting to sit on her lap and sew. I can't remember ever doing that, but I always wanted to. I played in her sewing room all the time when she worked on the various projects. Now Monkey Girl gets to work with me. As a new sewer emerges in the family, I am rediscovering the basics through the teaching process. I am rediscovering the love of the build and the satisfaction of the final product. May you all be so lucky as to be able to pass on your skills and love to a new generation ... I now know that my grandmother's thimble will be well loved and used by another young girl as she begins her wardrobe build!

Challenge Complete!

2010-09-06T18:06:00.000-04:00

The dress is done and I even have photos ready to post!

The project was the HP Plain & Simple T SHIRT DRESS (See here for pattern link) (not to be confused with the P&S Shirt Dress of a previous pattern release!). I chose it as it was an easy style to make and wear for Sunday Mass or for those days when I just don't want to wear pants. This should have been an easy project as it is basically a longer version of a Polo shirt with a hidden button placket with the addition of a self tie belt. Designed for good quality knits, it ws perfect for a stash project as I have a good supply on hand.

HP designs are not for the beginner. Trudy has said that from the day she launched her line. She assumes a certain amount of knowledge in her sewer. I am not a beginner. I would say that at my peak two years ago, I was close to being advanced, and had I not stopped sewing, I would have gotten there (and will get there)with the completion of that tailored blazer I started with Darrell. Rebooting a lapsed sewing brain with a hidden placket on a pattern that has minimal instructions and drawings was probably not my best choice. In the spirit of full disclosure, I will admit that the hidden placekt part of the patten really didn't register until I was too forgone in the cutting to stop. It was at that point that I started the book searches and the internet searches to try to find help. The first incarnation of the placket had me following the directions, but I must have missed something. The placket did not lie flat. It could have been something as simple as me using a knit that was a bit too bulky when layered three times. Maybe I missed a step somewhere. After all, I have made so many of these tops, that I confess I really didn't give that in depth of a look at the instructions.... ahem. yup. got cured of that real quick on this project!

So, I recut the bodice out of the remaining fabric and started over. I thought that I could modify David P Coffin's placket design to include a hiddne placket and use that method instead. Works in theory and in the paper mock up. Once put into practice, however, there was just too much fabric at the bottom of the placket. I just didn't like it. So, I tossed the whole thing in the fabric scrap bin and went to bed. I do my best redesign work as I am in bed at night while the Pilot is snoring.

Inspiration struck two nights later. I went downstairs and grabbed the pieces and scraps and cut out the offending placket. I cut it on the line where a shoulder princess seam would lie (or thereabouts) and took it down below the placket bottom. I then took some black fabric and pinned it in as a cowl neck inset. I liked it a lot! Then I thought the black migh tbe a bit too dark for late summer early fall, so I grabbed some scraps of the original fabric and played. I took the piece I cut out and laid it in half on it's CF. Then I traced the bottom of it and then rotated the piece to the left to allow for the cowl neck. There is my new pattern piece. I cut it out and then added it in. Love it! It does not have as much cowl as the original drape and the inset is also a bit wider, but I am happy with it all the same. Rather than tying the belt, I found a belt buckle that matches colour wise and simply thread it through. I may eventually sew the buckle on and shorten it. For now, I like the way it lies flat on a body that is not so flat anymore. I did have to take the dress in a bit on the side seams, but that is because I added some in the cutting phase "just in case". The only thing I haven't improved on yet, but plan on doing, is to shape the CB seam below the yoke. It is straight. I am not. It needs some shaping to rid me of the extra fabric at the back.

So, here it is. The inset could have been a tad bit wider to allow for the twins as I see some stretching there, but that can be eliminated by wearing a different bra as well. There is too much fluff at the hips (both on me and the dress) so I think any future renditions will need a bit more flare at that point to make it more flattering. Will I sew this again? Maybe. I may try a different pattern version as I have one in an older WOF mag that I haven't tried. I am trying to use as many new patterns in the stash as I can for now. I may just use one of my TNT polo patterns instead and add a more A Line skirt to it. Will have to wait and see!

Sorry for the photo layout, I am still getting used to the laptop buttons and the lack of a mouse. Give me time .... My collarless version of the P&S T Shirt Dress:

When Life Gives you Lemons ...

2010-08-31T22:48:00.000-04:00

I am well on my way with my last challenge assignment. The task was to make a simple dress. Despite having meetings and back to school shopping and starting Monkey Girl on her project, I have managed to get a dress cut out. This is where the lemons come in.

As I have a stash of Sophia knits, I wanted to get through those for easy fall sewing projects. That was why they were bought after all (almost 2 years ago, sigh!). I chose a simple T shirt type dress from Hot Patterns. Yes, I LOVE Trudy's designs. Not all of them are to my personal taste, but she manages to get current trends as well as the classics into her line. The other main reason is that her sloper is NOT Twiggy or a look alike. Her slopers are built on her. She has a shape that is full figured, has hips and a real life bustline! So, there is not much fitting in her lines for somebody like me. So, when I want an easy project I usually pick one ofher patterns.

The pattern is a simple polo style shirt dress with a rugby style hidden button front placket. Easy peasy, right? Warning: here be lemons... As Trudy assumes a level of sewing knowledge and experience, her instructions are very basic. Usually I do not have a problem with this as I have enough time behind my machine that I can figure most things out or research them online if need be. That being said, I have never done a hidden button placket on a center front application that wasn't a shirt. So, a new skill, I thought. I read the instructions briefly and didn't see anything that surprised me and visually I thought I had it made. Then I cut it out and started to assemble. This is where things started to go sour. The pattern calls for you to cut the CF section BEFORE you apply the placket and then flip and stitch. The placket is two pieces and it just didn't lie right. (more details when the project is finished when I do the full review). So, being short on patience and being long on fabric, I cut out a second front piece and then tried to fashion my own placket based on David P. Coffin's CF Placket design, but incorporatingt a hidden placket. The mock up of the ploacket went great, but once it was sewn into the second bodice front, there was too much fabric for it to lie flat. I had done something wrong again. By this time, the CF had been cut to allow the placket insertion and I was out of fabric for a new front.

This is where two nights sleep and many a thought about how I REALLY wanted that dress and how I did NOT want to start completely over led to the lemonade. The front bodice is a single piece. I am using a solid colour. Can I remove the aggravating CF opening portion and insert a coord colour piece to add a design element? I searched the stash and found a basic black that obviusly will go with the basic dark blue of the dress. Then I took some chalk and started to draw lines from the shoulder, extending down around the horrible part. Then I took some black SEAMS GREAT and pinned it in place to get a feel for the lines. Liking what I saw, I grabbes the black and started to pin a length down. The way it was lying, it had a CF cowl shape to it. I kind of like it. I added the self belt to the dress form and am now thinking overnight about it. I always wanted to try draping .... maybe this is an opportunity to ease myself in by draping the cowl! So, I left it pinned for now and will think on it some more. I also want to check out some of the prints I have in the stash. This might be a great way to incorporate some shorter lengths of woven prints to give a "fooler" type look to it. If I have enough, I may even add a faux cuff to the 3/4 length sleeve.

I know there are no pics, but I want to leavethis up to your imaginations! I have taken some, but will leave them for the final pattern review. There is only one review online that I have found, so I am going to post mine when the dress is complete. That reviewer also had some problems with the placket, but she managed to pull it off. So, just as a teaser, here is the pattern: HP 1013 Plain and Simple Iconic Shirtdress and here is the link to that review:Heatherrique Review on Pattern Review.com.

Stay tuned ... I love a challenge and I do have the challenge deadline, plus one more evening meeting and Dino Boy still needs new jeans and sneakers for his first year in Junior High and we are going away for the long weekend. ThinK I can pull it off AND get Monkey Girl's jean jacket cut out? Not unless I live on caffeine and don't sleep! Wait and see what happens this week! any chance of an extension, Darrell??? :)

Photos!

2010-08-26T23:33:00.000-04:00

So, the first shots are of the pre-challenge garments to show that I actually did sew something! The shots are not the best, but I can't find the tripod and the Pilot is already in bed for the night, so you have just me! SO, remember, the angle is wonky and the lighting not the best ...

First up is a redux of a DKNY shirt that I made into a knit top by leaving off the collar/band and the cuffs. I also shortened the sleeves. The pattern is an OOP Vogue DKNY 2742. It is a loose fitting knot front shirt. By using a smaller size and a knit I was able to use the Rayon knit in the stash quite nicely. I used a slightly lighter thread to have some visual interest in the hems.

Next up is the semi self drafted wrap dress. I used a simple wrap style raglan sleeve top as a basis and then made the fronts a bit narrower. The original pattern has the wrap stitched into the side seams. The fabric is a pure poly silk weight knit bought years ago as part of a Fabricmart bundle. As the neckline is a bit low, I threw together a quick tank from stashed Powerdry that happened to cllosely match the green in the print. The side ties are temporary in brown bamboo.

Now, the homework assignment! I wanted to make a bunch of nice knit tops that weren't T shirts when I bought a bunch of Sophia Knits from Ressy's coop a few years back. It is lovely to sew with ... drapes beautifully, wears so soft and still holds it shape nicely. Good thing I have more left! I mentionned that I had ordered a number of new patterns from my fave indie pattern line, Hot Patterns. I had been waiting for the right time, and August was it! First off the block was a unique loop front view of the basic T. The newer knot/loop combined with the lower necline and the French Dart on the side gives wodnerful shaping! I made the top a little longer in the front to give that shirt shape to it. Because I was shopping the stash, I did not have the match rib knit cuff called for. I used a dark forest type green Sophia knit once again. Here is the link to the pattern: Hot Patterns 3 Graces T shirts. Here is the top:

The lay of the neckline is not as smooth as I like in the shots, but that is due to me taking the photo and also to the height of the camera for the full body shot. It really focuses on the lower body, so the perspective is off somewhat. I will wear it to Darrell's and he can give his own opinion in person! The unique loop treatment was a bit of a challenge to visualize as the pattern instructions are somewhat sparse (as is normal for HP; they assume a level of ability that allows for that). My spatial sense did not allow me to picture it, but Trudy @ HP always thinks ahead. She has done a number of You Tube videos showing construction and tips for her patterns. Without that video, this could have been a UFO ... I must also add that the pinning of the loop and the darts was made much easier by pinning on the dress form. Laying it on the flat table was a bit troublesome.

So, there you have it! First installation of the actual sewing challenge is done! Tomorrow Monkey girl is going to cut her pattern out (we are using a KS jean jacket) so that will be her first step in her project as well! I am nervous and excited at the same time. I am passing a skill on to my daughter that my mother and dear aunt passed on to me. The challenge of doing it right makes me nervouse, the excitement comes from having something that we can share and that she will use for the rest of her life! Watch out Darrell ... she may only be looking and fondling those samples now, but soon enough she will be buying it! SEE YOU IN A WEEK, DARRELL!!!!

homework update

2010-08-26T20:51:00.000-04:00

A quick update on my howmeork! I know I am a couple of days late but I was teaching all day Saturday and the weekend before I was at a company conference for 4 days. When you lose the weekends, you lose a lot of sewing time!

The good news is that I have started and finished a new top. I am going to take pics after the kids are in bed and I have the ability to do quick changes without fear of interuptions! I had ordered new patterns from Hot Patterns and they arrived just in time for this challenge.

Another new toy arrived today as well that will help with getting the posts online! I have been dond extra hours at work for all of August (almost full time hours!) so I rewarded myself with the purchase of a laptop! That means that I no longer have to wait until Dino Boy and Monkey Girl and now the Pilot have all had their turns at the computer. I now have my own! I have spent the evening setting it up with all my software and this is my first non-set up function! What a way to christen it! I can now have it in the sewing room for easy access to video tips and pattern reviews. No more stairs!

So, two tasks down and only one more to go! An sinple dress was the next assignment, I believe. I have two different styles of T shirt dresses, a kimono style wrap dress and then there are the woven patterns to choose from. I think that the stash of Sofia knits and bamboo needs to be dealt with. Since the nights are starting to cool off, would a stylish nightie work as well for the next assignment? I am thinking no. The dress will get done then Monkey girl is keen to start her own back to school sewing. We are going to do a quick jean jacket together on her grandmother's very forgiving old Singer. So, since school starts in 2 weeks, I will get going on those tomorrow night. Tonight is all about the camera!

One Year Later ...

2010-08-09T21:32:00.002-04:00

I was reminded by a dear friend today that it has been over a year since I last sat and shared my projects with the world (so to speak). To me, it seems like so much longer. I wish I could say that I have been madly sewing away and that my wardrobe is overflowing with completed projects that are absolutely divine!

The reason? I wish I could say that I was just too busy but that is not the reason. The past has seen me burn midnight oil many a time as that was the only time avail to me to sew. The truth is that I just didn't want to do it. I had such great hopes for a classy working wardrobe and had invested in some excellent quality fabrics to accomplish that goal. I had the patterns and the storyboard ready to go. Then the work dress code changed, making everything irrelevant. I could not justify sewing up clothes that would not be worn. My logic was, if I sewed them up and kept the work outs going, then I woudl have to spend all that time altering so why not just wait until I needed them and fit them once.

As you may remember from my last post, I work at a women's gym as the Club Administrator. Up until this point last year, I was wearing trousers and nice shoes with a semi fitted yellow cotton blouse (OK, by the time I was done with it, it was tailored to fit me and was not too shabby all things considered!). I had images of pinstriped shirtdresses, tailored pants and jackets, maybe even a vest for winter warmth. Then the new policy came in. The polo shirts are made of a dry fit type fabric in a red with lots of piece work and angles and white accents. I am still supposed to wear dress pants with it and then finish it off with quality sneakers to give the "casual recreational professionsl image". Let me say right up front .... the prospect of wearing sneakers with a pair of trousers made of an Armani wool does not sit well with me! So, all those nice plans went out the window and all that fabric (Armani included) are in stasis. Yes, I have spent the past year basically sulking.

For all the sewing I have done, it took a lot of mental preparation for me to start such a collection of tailored, professional looking clothes. I started with a tailored blazer in a class at my friend, Darrell's. It hangs unfinished (yes, Darrell, it is not finished) in the shop. I initially stopped as the fit changed when I lost weight and then was bulking up in muscle across my back. That affected my sleeve and back fit and then, well, I gave up. Why bother when it would never be worn at work? More sulking ...

Don't despair, though, all is not lost! I started sewing again last month. I made myself a promise that for every UFO I finish, I get to sew something new. First off the table? I finished a knit version of a DKNY knotted top that I have made in the past. This time, instead of leaving the bottom of the bodice open and just overlapped, I changed the pattern somewhat to allow me to stich the CF seam up to the under bustline seam. I shortened the sleeve as it was originally a fall project and then left off the collar and neck band. This lightened the look a bit as well as allowed me to finish it more quickly. One down!

We had a heat wave that had me wishing for summer dresses, so I pulled out a poly knit in a Pucci style print and threw together a semi-self drafted wrap dress. I started with a wrap top that I had made quite a few years ago and then changhed the shape a bit and lengthened it into a dress. I don't yet have the button for the side, so as a temporary measure I have added a wrap belt in a coord colour due to not having enough scraps for a belt. I am not happy with the way the solid belt cuts my silhouette in half (this depsite the fact that I situated the belt as an empire level tie) so I will have to see about finding just the right button for the closure. This is where I discovered that the dress form needs adjusting ... it fit nice and decently on the form, but on me it was a little lower than I liked. So, out came the power dry stash and I threw together a fast tank to go underneath it. I was very lucky to have PD that matched the lighter colour in the print for the time being anyway ...

We had a plumber in to replace the faucet outside in the back of the house last week. When the plumber looked in the ceiling to shut off the water he discovered that the piped were swollen and looked like it had one time almost burst due to freezing. Considering we shut the water off each winter, it had to pre-date our purchase. The Pilot did the only thing he could do ... protect my machines as the pipe was directly over my sewing table!!!! "Move the tables and replace the pipe!" he says. ME? I would have have looked at the tables and said "let it burst, then I can get new machines LOL!" So, now the room is a mess again as we have to put it back together and do some heavy vaccuuming before I sew in there again.

I have to give a very big cyber hug to the dear friend who e-mailed me a sewing intervention today. Knowing I work on deadlines each day and that I thrive on external challenges, this is the gauntlet he threw down:

You have 7 days to make an update to your blog
You have 14 days to make yourself a simple skirt or top
You have 30 days to make yourself a dress.

Well, task one is almost complete. I will say it is done when I have taken and posted pics of the top and dress. As for the project two weeks form now, I saw a top at Mass this week that I am mulling over in my head ... I think I would love to knock it off. It had saddle shoulder lines to it, but the sleeve was more like a very heavily ruched shaped band that went over the shoulder. It was not a full sleeve, but had shaping to it to follow the line of the shoulder. I have an old WOF pattern that I can start with ... but my version has band at the underbust level and maybe a crossover upper bodice. Of course, I will also have to finish a UFO before I can start cutting the top. So, it looks like the bamboo cord jacket will be ready for fall after all! It was originally going to be the rhinestone Riri, but I think I am going to rip the rainbow Riri out of the jacket's original muslin and use that instead. While I am sewing that, I can decide on the fabric for the top. Will it be bamboo knit or a Sophia knit? Both are in the stash ... Blue, green or teal? Burgundy is too dark yet for this time of year, I think.

What say you all?

Rethinking workwear

2009-07-13T20:44:00.003-04:00

For those of you who have been wodnering where I have been I can safely say I have not been sewing. I have been lurking and reading and trying to avoid buying patterns and fabrics as I had the plan to finish the work wardrobe this summer. I work at a ladies gym as the club administrator, and have a mandatory top I Have to wear along with black, none fitness wear bottoms of my choice. The top was a choice of a polo shirt in white or black (w/company logo) or a yellow button shirt with darting on the front and shaped sideseams along with the same bottoms. I had stalled in the sewing as word leaked out of new uniforms being on the way. Well, they are now here. I can't post a photo as they have yet to come into my possession, but that will happen next week.

The original plan was to make up a skirt suit out of a black wool w/white pinstripe and then a shirtdress out of a black wool with a blue pinstripe for that Nautica look when combined with the yellow shirt. The goal was to make basic black not boring. So, I chose my fabric very carefully. I have an Armani wool that I was going to tailor into a wonderful pair of trousers now that I have made the HP into a TNT for me. THese are all going to have to be rethought as the new design is a raglan sleeved polo shirt with some shaping (according to the photo, anyway ... stay tune for that!). The colour is a red, but it looks to be a blue toned red so far with white accents at the seam lines. That won't do for the shirtdress or the business suit. They are dressing me down and I am not sure that I like it!

So, I have a HP Sportive Skirt suit already half done in bamboo cord that will fit the bill. The skirt is done already, lined with a remnant of silk bought for a steal at Darrell's and the matching jacket is cut and ready to go under the machine. The delay has been due to a window repair that required the computer to be relocated into the Shop as it had the only phone jack for the DSL connection. So, now that the computer is back, I have yet to set the room to rights. (I did find an old cross stitch that has been aging in the closet though ... I pulled that out and have been playing away at that again!) I have a pair of the Razor Sharps in a cashmere wool for the winter that is divine to wear! As I haven't pressed the crease in, they can be dressed down a bit.

So, all you wardrobe mavens ... how do I rework this new wardrobe to accomodate the polo shirts? Patterns already on hand and fitted include the HP Razor Sharps, the HP Sportive Skirt Suit, the Chilled Out Sweat suit and the Skinny Jeans (which aren't so skinny at my size range!); I have a DKNY pant that I have never tried but is cut out that has seamlines in the front and back that could be sharp yet casual. But would they look good in the wool? I seem to have blinders on that all I can see for these fabrics are business clothes! I need pattern suggestions please!

Fabric list: wool (tropical weight) w/white pinstripes
wool w/cashmere w/blue pinstripes
wool (midweight) with a herringbone pattern woven in
rayon linen (very lightweight)
bamboo knit
Sophia knit

I am going to have to finish that jacket and then I figure I can start on the new special project. In the spring was the First Communion Dress, two years ago it was the Cocktail Dress that was my incarnation of the HP BOllywood for the Pilot's Grad dinner. Now, I am going to work on a dress for me again! My company holds it's annual conference each year in the summer. The weekend ends in an invite only event knwon as "Top 500". It is for the top sales people in the company and for select others that have been nominated by their home clubs. Not being a sales person, my GM nominated me to go. The big finale of the event is a Hawaiian boat cruise on Lake Ontario. Thanks to MaryBeth, I now have seen the Decades of Style pattern line and fell in love with this dress pattern ... it is a 1940's wrap sundress that I have to have!!!! In the right print this could be nice Hawaiian as opposed the probably prolific tacky style that will prevail on the cruise!

I may have to play with the back a bit if I can't find a bra to go with it, but that won't be a problem. I've already warned Darrell that I need the right fabric and he is waiting with a "classic linen print" for me. Can't wait to see what it is like! I never have issues with his choices! If I do get the linen, then I may just enter this into the Threads Linen Challenge! I am thinking of trying a French seam or a Hong Kong finish or some other treatment I have never tried. Why not push my limits a bit more, right?

So I await eagerly the wardrobe advice, ladies! Maybe later we can talk about the shoes already residing in the Closet to supplement this wardrobe in the making ...

Promised Pics ...

2009-04-25T13:59:00.007-04:00

For those who have mastered the art of patience, you are about to be rewarded ... thanks to the efforst of the Pilot, the Easter dress and Confirmation Dress photos are done and on the hard drive, so here they are! I made the same dress for each occasion, with minor changes (by request) to the sleeve design and the neckline. The floral Easter version came first and was made directly out of the envelope. I used a thin stretch cotton with a lining of yellow cotton. She likes the belt tied in front rather than the back here. The belt is meant to tie in the back but is actually long enough to wrap around the front once and then tie in back. It made for sitting through the Mass a bit uncomfortable, though, so she tied it in front.

The sleeves are way too full (she likened them to wings) and even if they were made in the chiffon asked for, I think it would be too much on her frame, so for the next version, I converted them into what I call a tulip sleeve (please correct me if I am wrong when you see the photos below). I also didn't like the way the bodice gaped at the neckline in the square shape, so I rounded it off for her. It then fit much better, but I think that if I were to do the square version again, I would have to dart out some of the neckline as the chest area fits well on her as she is a bit broad across the chest and back.

For the Communion version, I took my little fashionista to see Darrell at his shop to pick out fabric. I was thinking a nice cotton for comfort and ease, but then after talking to Denise (Darrell's wonderful assistant who happens to run her own kids label on diplay and sale at Darrell's now!), we decided on a silk dupioni skirt with a beaded silk bodice to match. Although initially against the thought of a one occassion dress, I then decided that it was time that I added to the garment history in the family. There are Baptism gowns on both sides already, but the only First Communion pieces are the headpiece and veil and purse that my sister's all wore. The head piece is now fitted to a bridal veil from my wedding, so we didn't want to take that apart, so I had nothing for my daughter to wear. So, I showed the silk to Hamster Girl and she was smitten (she loves the feel of fine fabrics and adores Darrell's shop just because of the rack of silk samples she fondles for hours on end!). Away we went home with a family piece in the making!

There were two time consuming issues with this dress: the beads and cleaning the sewing room. The sewing room needed to be purged of black lint. You see, for the past two weeks I had been sewing all black ... the cashmere wool pants, the Windbloc raincoat and the Bamboo cord Sportive skirt suit were all done in black. The cutting table and the machines all needed to be cleared before the antique white silk went anywhere near the room! The next hardest part of this dress was removing the beads from the seam allowances and to give room for the presser foot to move. Smashing each bead was preferred to the easier method of snipping the thread as that allows beads further down the thread to come off, so out came the small sewing hammer! I wrapped the head in some scrap cotton so that there was no chance at marking up the fabric. Then I was good to go!

There were many mini bridal gowns worn by her classmates (complete with veils and tiaras), but I think that this simple dress and her headband suited her much better. She loved the dress and I think it is a classic style that can be handed down to her daughter and maybe even Dino Boy's one day. This time, the ties were shortened so that one wrap in front and they were fine to tie in the back. As this dress is supposed to be mid calf length, the original ties would be very porportional if the length was not shortened as it was here. My daughter is quite the young lady when the time calls for it, but she is still very tomboyish at heart, so full length was not an option at all for her!

Here is a shot of the two of them, he counting the hours till his birthday while he sat and watched all the little "kids", mumbling about being bored when not serving on the altar! I am proud of how he let her have her day and didn't spend it all talkign about close his big day was!

Time Flies ...

2009-04-18T21:19:00.002-04:00

Time is flying so fast here at Newman's Needle! It seems like only last week that I posted and promised pant photos. Since then, I have finished the cashemere wool pants, made a rain jacket for Dino Boy and then a dress for Hamster Girl for Easter (really a wearable muslin for her First Communion dress). I have managed also to alter a work shirt to fit much better only to have to tweak it a bit more. The photos are still AWOL. I find I am making more time to sew and to read my blog friends works, but not returning the favour by posting my own. Now that I am back in the sewinng world again, I am going to work more on posting as well.

I just got caught up over at Couturesmith where Connie is working on yet another wedding gown for her daughter's upcoming event. I smiled as she spoke about the mundane hand work and the inevitable rip stitching that comes with the end of a project. Today I spent in the work shop cutting and sewing and doing my fiar share of rip stitching as I worked with the beaded silk that makes up the bodice of Hamster Girl's First Communion Dress.

The sleeves in the original did not meet her desires as they were too wing like for her taste. So, the very full sleeve became an overlapped tulip sleep with a gathered cap. The ties were put in backwards (lining up) to the original as she likes it to wrap in front then tie in back. The beads needed removing in the seam allowances and the seamline (+1/4") to allow for a flat sewing surface. There were issues with the sleeve redesign that had me ripping the serged finish (lucky for me I don't trim the s.a. off when edge finishing at the start!) and that took a while.

All through the frustrations I kept breathing deeply. For like Connie's many wedding dresses, this is a memory project. My daughter's First Communion is tomorrow, you see, and I wanted to add a piece ot the family collection of special pieces. Both sides of the family have a baptism gown that has been handed down. There is a baby quilt made for me by my grand mother that is a constant companion to Hamster Girl in her bedroom. The head piefce that held the veils for my 3 sisters way back on their First Communion was worn for my wedding. All these memories. All these special sewing projects that have been handed down to me. This is my chance to continue the pattern and to hand something down to my children. So, no cotton for this dress. This one is beaded silk bodice with a dupioni skirt. This will be stored with my wedding dress for the future. I am pretty sure that she will be too tall for my dress, but I am sure that I can alter it to make something special for her wedding out of it.

Tomorrow my little girl walks up the aisle in her little white dress. Soon enough the time will come when she ias asking for her prom dress, then soon enough after that the "Big" white dress ... time flies. Time to take photos to freeze these moments! Tomorrow there will be lots of photos taken as she wears both dresses for her Nanna and Poppa and her Auntie who are here to share this special time. Maybe I can finish a skirt while I am at it for myself for tomorrow ... all I need to do is construct the lining and hem it. Doable before 1:00 pm???? Stay tuned!

Pants Pizazz!

2008-11-30T22:52:00.002-05:00

I took a big step last week-end ... I cut out a pair of pants in a brown wool that has aged nicely in the stash for 2 years. Why the nerves over something I have successfully cut and fitted before? Because of the new fit. You see, I have been working with a trainer at work for the past six months (if you count the almost 5 weeks we were "paused" due to vacation and work load) and as a result, I have lost some inches. I was not sure how much this would matter until the Liz Claiborn pants I had purchased last fall began to actually fall off! So, I took a deep breath and decided that I would take a risk and go down a whole size on the pattern.

I pulled out the HP Razor Sharp pants pattern and cut out a size 14. Something I haven't done on pants since my early years of sewing (and those didn't even fit right!). Rather than make up muslin, I pulled out the brown wool and just went at it! I cut it out as a 14 as is with out any additions to the s.a. at all. When sewing, I did hedge and only use 3/8" s.a. on the s.s and the inseam, however, I did use the full 5/8" at CB&CF. I also did my standard curve adjustment (I lower the J into more of an L) as that is something that is standard for my figure. By eliminating the darts at the front and back, I have that little bit of ease that I need at the waist.

I gave them a quick try on a minute ago and held my breath while I turned into my corner mirrors ... WAHOOO!!!! IT WORKED!!!! The back looks AMAZING! I now have quite the nice butt in these pants! So, now all I have to do is to cut out the silk organza that I want to use as a lining and I will have a new pair of trousers for parent teacher night at the end of the week. The even better news is that now I can breathe easier and cut out another pair in the cashmere wool (lined again with the silk organza) as I now am certain of the fit!

I would show photos but I need to get to bed as we are expecting snow and freezing rain over night, so I will have to shovel in the morning. That means getting up early ...

This will really motivate me to continue on with the training as I definitely see a difference in the body shape even if the pounds are not dropping much! Who needs scales when you have a measuring tape???

I will post back tomorrow night after I come back from the Beaver meeting with Monkey Girl and have the lining cut out. Then I may have a photo to share as well. I will start to draft my review of the pattern as I go, but that will be posted much later in the week.

Update from the prodigal sewer ...

2008-11-07T16:53:00.002-05:00

Hello all! I am considering renaming the Needle the Prodigal Sewer as I have been so busy that I have been neglecting the machines. In return for this extended vacation, they have nicely managed to pull lots of fluff bunnies out of thin air and leave them around the carpet. The Pattern pile has grown (Thanks, Trudy and Jeremy!) a bit as has the pile of new luscious fabrics on hand (thanks to Darrell and Ressy!). So, in an attempt to refocus my energies on something other than Scout neck scarves (a record 45 were sewn and I have 15 more to go by Monday - argh!), I want to reorg the work shop. I wanted to start last weekend but it was plastic week not paper on our recycle run. As I don't have the space in the Pilot's shop (otherwise known as the GARAGE) for that much paper (loads of scraps of paper and patterns that I really won't sew again), I waited until this weekend ... then I can start sewing in earnest!

Rather than focus on the patterns, I am going to list the fabrics and muse about the choices available to them. Maybe they will tell me which they prefer (assuming they forgive me for ignoring them). Maybe I will actually have to make a decision on my own ... sigh.

This fall I am focussing on quality fabrics for work. I figure it is an investment, so why scrimp? The only limit for work is that it must be black. No choice ... I do get a "nice" buttercup yellow shirt to wear with it, though. Too bad it is designed poorly! I have a wool suiting with a white pin stripe. That is spoken for as a Marfy pencil skirt with a back bias godet and a matching blazer. Then there is the black wool/cashmere herringbone that will either become a sleeveless wrap dress or an almost tunic length vest. The medium weight would be welcome in the winter air conditioning of the gym! The pinnacle of the pile is another cashmere wool (yup! there is a trend to my shopping these days! I am determined that basic black will not be boring at my gym!). This one is a black with a royal blue pinstripe to it. This one is screaming at me to become a princess sheath style dress that I can wear with my nice yellow ... Darrell says it would be a very "Nautica" look. THEN there is the long lengths of the Rayon Linen that I bought from Ressy last year that could also be used up for now. I see a nice looser fitting twist shirt that will go over the yellow nicely out of that. Then there is the black RPL as well that keeps fighting to the top of the pile of RPL in a box on the floor.

The navy pinstripe is screaming the loudest, but I can't bring myself to cut it first. The commotion the other fabrics will make would be unbearable! So, my thought is to pull off the twist top first out of the rayon linen and then head on over to something else! I could use some more trousers, but I think that this weave will pill at the crotch line and I don't want that. Maybe a jumper type dress?

One very important thing I do have to do before I start anything new is to re-measure myself. For the past 5 months I have been working with a trainer twice a week (OK, trying to make it twice a week, not always successful!) and have managed to dorp some more inches. Just this morning, I pulled on a tank top at the gym proshop and bought it. The clincher? It was a size MEDIUM!!! And it FIT!!!! I am now down a size on the rack so I have to see what that equates to (if anything) on the machine!

Oh, and I almost forgot ... I finally finished the HP Cheery Blossom coat from way last year! The temps got cold last week and I needed something for work, so I moved the buttons over towards the sideseam a bit and then hemmed it. I did a rush job on the sleeve hems, so I need to rip and redo it as it is not a nice as I like. I kept the lining and interlining hanging loose so it needs a bit of a trim at one or two places as well. I removed the pockets and am going to use that fabric for belt loops for the belt. I am certain that I will lose that belt without it loops or it being stitched on somehow (maybe with extra buttons in the back?). I will provide pics when the final touches are done.

I wish I was as prolific as my friend Julia over at her blog. She does such a wonderful job at her sewing and her writing and posting that I often feel jealous!

The Pilot just came home, so we are now off to see Madagasacar 2! Time spent laughing with the family is priceless!

padding

2008-09-03T08:33:00.003-04:00

During my morning read of the online local paper, I found this little gem about how my country's bureaucrats are trying to have those "wonderful" labels found on mattresses, pillows, sofas, etc. added to (get ready for the laugh, so put your cups down!) padded BRAS, shoulder pads and other various items. Yup, I kid you not ... read on ...

Tempest in a D cup: Garment makers cry foul over padding rules

Cassandra Drudi
The Ottawa Citizen

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

OTTAWA - Canadian garment manufacturers are seething over changes to Ontario regulations governing upholstered and stuffed articles that would see such items as bras and shoulder pads treated the same as mattresses and comforters.

These businesses have one message for the government -- stuff your rules.

"There's nowhere in the world that this exists -- in the world," said Elliot Lifson, president of the Canadian Apparel Federation, an Ottawa-based association that represents hundreds of companies within the garment industry.

The Ontario Upholstered and Stuffed Articles Regulation, which is enforced by the provincial Technical Standards and Safety Authority, requires that "all upholstered and stuffed articles offered for sale in Ontario must bear a label in the prescribed format."

The regulation aims to "protect the public from the use of unclean or used fillings."

But the safety authority has failed to make clear what the health concerns regarding shoulder pads -- which don't usually come directly into contact with the body -- are, Mr. Lifson said.

"I don't know where the risk is," said Mr. Lifson, who is also the vice-chairman of Montreal-based Peerless Clothing, a tailored menswear producer. "Where's the relation to safety?"

It's a good question, said Dr. Jason Rivers, a clinical professor of dermatology at the University of British Columbia and a practising dermatologist in Vancouver.

"There should really be no issues with this. The padded material's usually sealed in, anyway," he said, adding that in "20-odd" years of dermatology practice, he's never encountered patients with bra- or shoulder-pad-related problems.

Under the changes, which come into effect next year, bras and shoulder pads must be affixed with 2.5-centimetre-by-seven-centimetre labels, similar to those required on stuffed toys, that state the items are filled with "new material only."

Producers of padded items will have to register with the safety authority and pay an annual registration fee: $400 for manufacturers and $20 for hobbyists and crafters who work from home.

"All padded undergarments and those involved in their manufacture, importation, distribution or retailing" are expected to comply, the safety authority regulations state.

It's all a bit much for people in the industry.

"Why should we have to have a registry of the manufacturers of padded undergarments?" asked Bob Kirke, executive director of the apparel federation.

Dara Vorkapic, the safety authority's pointwoman on the regulations, was not available for comment yesterday.

In the document advising of the regulatory changes on the authority's website, Ms. Vorkapic said that the safety authority is "continually creating greater ways to serve public safety, and protect consumers against unsafe materials."

Chris Piper, an associate professor of operations at the University of Western Ontario's Richard Ivey School of Business, said changing safety regulations are not uncommon. "It's the cost of doing business," he said. "I don't see it as a particularly unique or unusual event."

But importers may encounter problems complying with the regulations, since factories abroad typically produce garments for more than the Ontario market, he said.

Members of the Canadian Apparel Federation hope to meet with the safety authority's upholstered and stuffed articles arm to discuss the changes.

"I hope common sense will prevail," Mr. Lifson said.
© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

Don't we have other things to worry about?

PD project photos

2008-07-25T13:50:00.004-04:00

First off I apologize for the quality and angle of the shots. The tripod seems to have acquired the ability to leave the workshop unaided, so the nightie shots are not the most flattering of me ... they make my head look so tiny compared to everything else! Once we get back from the vacation I will re-shoot with the tripod (or take over the kids' bathroom for re-takes as it has the best light!

So, without further excuses, here they are

This is another one of my TNT princess T's made in a Nomex Power Dry with silkweight PD piping and neck band. Note to self, when using PD for neckbands, don't just fold and stitch. Use a two piece band so that you have two layers of the wicking surface on top of each other. That way the wicking surface is against the skin. Trust me, when you are working out, if the neck sticks to you, you ARE NOT comfortable!

Next up, a new version of the HP Cadeaux T. I love this pattern and not just because of it having been free! This one is in a poly/lycra knit. I love the print as it is takes me through all seasons thanks to the green and ivory in it! I added some fullness at the CF of the neckline to give some gathering interest.

The next top is made with some beautiful stretch cotton lace underlined with PD. Yup, I am heading to the Pacific coast for 2 weeks, so I need that PD! The first one is a version of a Palmer Pletsch pattern where I decided I wanted to leave off the sleeves. The armscye was a little low, so I added elastic to the seamline to pull it in a bit.

Last but not least, here is one of the two nighties I made up, again using PD. They are from a custom colour run from Ressy last year. The pattern is a vintage one that I bought from Lanetz Living, a wonderful little webstore with plenty of nice surprises hiding in there! I wanted to have something feminine but not frou frou and still be slightly sexy. So, I chose view C.
The first version eliminated the tie opening as I will be staying at the DMIL's house for the next week! So, I simply filled in the void from the opening and then gathered it all in. I love the fit of the skirt! The second one (for home use only) has the tie opening and is in a nice dark raspberry pink. It fits a bit more snug without the extra fabric at CF, but it fills the bill as a "birthday present" for the Pilot!

That is all for now ... I have to go do that last minute laundry and get the kids packed (not to mention me and the Pilot), book the cab for tomorrow, oh yeah and finish adding neck bands to Monkey Boy's T's ... do you think I can squeeze in another simple T for myself? grin ... you never know! I am in the groove to be sure!

Project Runway tidbits

2008-07-24T16:26:00.003-04:00

Last week or so, I was reading Tom & Lorenzo over at Project Rungay and saw the listing of contestants for PR5 in the US. I saw that there was a contestant who says she trained in OTTAWA CANADA! COOL ... a local type gal to root for! So, I quickly sent a note to my pal Darrell Thomas and sent him the link. Turns out he knows her from school, she was the year behind him. That is two seasons in a row he has known a contestant!

Darrell also mentioned that the producers had dropped into the shop to see if it was suitable for the show. Turns out that he is a little too small, although they did like his selection! "Darrell," I told him, "time to get a new building that is bigger and better for next season!" "Already looking" he sent back! I thought that this was going to be a single episode for PR Canada until I read today's local paper ... read on! PR Canada is coming to my home town! YUP! Ottawa is getting IMAN for the summer ... too bad I no longer work downtown and can't stalk the fabric shop where I (and Darrell) suspect they will be shopping and working!

I am trying really hard not to read PRungay right now as I want to wait until the show airs up on our side of the border ... but seeing as PR Canada will be starting to shoot locally soon, I guess I can't complain!

Catch up & Contracts!

2008-05-31T11:20:00.003-04:00

WOW! Has it really been almost two months since I last posted??!!! I know I had taken a break, but I didn't realize how long it had been until I signed in today! Time to make up for some lost time, I think! I have been extremely busy with work as I organized a charity BBQ and then finished the Scouting year and had birthdays, and also, I bought myself some time with a trainer at the gym where I work (staff discounts are amazing!). So, 2 days a week, this wonderful young woman puts me through my paces. As a result, in the past 13 sessions, I have managed to drop one. whole. inch! off my thighs and about the same off my upper chest. Now that summer is here, I am going to work earlier so that I can have the afternoons with the kids. THERE is where a lot of my time is being spent!

Sewing wise, I have actually been making some headway ... I took that jacket tailoring class with Darrell, started a skirt, sewn a bra, designed and finished a skort for the gym, a PD T w/piping (also for the gym), made one spectacular PD nightie (according to the Pilot, that is) and have the obligatory T's for Monkey Boy on the table sitting next to a second nightie.

Now for the details, the jacket is unfinished. Partially because I stalled on the armscye fit. It was beautiful in the muslin, but the wool has a different hand, so it fits differently. At least that was the initial reason. Now, it lies in stasis due to the fact that I am in a massive flux of measurements. So, that bra that I made? IT now needs me to adjust the cups. The jacket, it needs some taking in at the back and hips. The PD T formerly known as a TNT? IT needs some serious taking in at the seams. You really know you are losing inches when you sew even though the scale isn't varying much!

So, as you can probably guess, I am really pumped about this training program! The real proof of the success came over the weekend when I attempted to attack the mending pile. In there were the green wool pants that I made at Darrell's class two winters ago. They fit oh so perfectly ... then. Time (and split seams) had relegated them to the mending pile until they fit once again. Well, my little voice dared me to fix the seam and try them on. So, I restitched the CB seam, needing to take it in about 1/4" (there was a weak spot I needed to avoid) and then pressed and tried them on. WOWSERS! They fit as beautifully as they did when I made them! So, what were my skinny pants weren't skinny enough! How cool is that? To top it all off, that little nightie that I made up, is in a 10-12! I usually sew a 12-14 w/FBA, and this is for a knot, so I didn't really bother with it other than to lengthen the upper bodice and use 3/8" s.a. at the s.s., so I was prepped for some snugness, but the fit is dreamy! There is a second one on the table now, only this one has the drawstring keyhole opening at CF ... this is the one that doesn't get worn at the DMIL's next week when we arrive! It is reserved for the cabin at the beach!

Here is a little tidbit that a friend sent along to me the other day. If this photo isn't a scream for help in sewing, I don't know what is! Look closely and see what you think ...
This was taken in front of the Walmart in Gardendale, Alabama. This is hysterical! Look at it closely. Now I ask you... Who sits and looks at a pair of men's briefs and says hmmmm...I can make a nice summer top from these!! On the other hand...$6 for a three pack is a good price!! Now that this person knows what the scissors are for, maybe they can try sewing something??? PLEASE????!!!

I am now off to work! I will post photos tonight (I PROMISE, MB! Mt Laundry consumed me last night ...).

2008-04-06T19:04:00.003-04:00

First off I want to thank Mary Beth for nominating my site as an excellent blog site. I am reserving the right to tag people at a later time. I only read a few blogs, you see and am nowhere near the required 10, so I am not going to post the award. In this case, it really is great to be nominated! I love the history of this blog award (and I shamelessly quote Mary Beth quote here):

it’s wound it’s way through blog communities interested in child rearing, homeschooling, literary arts, and spiritual life, to name a few, landing here in the sewing community just lately

I love the fact that it is not restricted to one topic. I started Newman's Needle as a place to put my swing projects out there for reflection and assistance and as a means of putting more info out there than would normally be in my reviews that I post at Pattern Review . It has since developed into a bit more, encompassing the kids, the Pilot, the Job and Scouting as well since everything in my life tends to veer towards sewing once way or another, I see this as a positive evolution in my blogging, however I am trying to stick to more sewing content and leave the personal info to private e-mails.

So, in that spirit, I want to introduce you to a new blog I found. It is written by a lady who exercises at the gym where I work. I was directed to her site by my dear friend Darrell Thomas who thought we might get along. Imagine my surprise when I saw her picture on the blog and realized she is a lady I see almost every day and whom I also work out with on occasion (OK we are training partners for 6 weeks of "Boot Camp" run by one of the trainers on staff). She is a wonderful person and I love the detail she is putting into her work and her blog. Right now, she is finishing off a Chanel styled jacket out of a pink silk, complete with bound buttons and piped seams. So, go get a cuppa and sit a spell and read along with at Julia's sewing blog.

So, what is new here? I started my tailored jacket class at Darrell's two weeks ago. We are using Burda 8300 for the class. Darrell is making us use bound buttonholes, welt pockets and by unanimous decision, we are all leaving out the back vent. We are using industrial techniques otherwise. Last week we had our muslins fitted and then watched him put the main body together. Nothing surprising there so far. But it is nice to be with others in a group; like a directed sew along combined with the humour of the stitch and bitch we tried last year.

So, I went along with my muslin and realized as I was sewing the fronts together that I had way too much fabric in the side panel compared to the front. Turns out I forgot to lengthen the front panel when I did my FBA on the side. DOH! So, when Darrell fitted my muslin, he tucked out the gap at the armhole and removed all that "extra fabric" that really wasn't extra. But he couldn't know that as he hadn't seen my pattern. So, today I redid one side and front panel and will see if it fits better tonight.

Another issue I had with the muslin was there didn't seem to be enough ease for me. I cut a 14, did my usual FBA of 1 1/2" but it seemed tight for a jacket. So, I went back and did 3/8" s.a. on all the vertical seams. Darrell kept them that way for almost all but the CB. That one he put back at 5/8", and the front seam above the bust apex he also took back into 5/8". I will play with that tonight as well. I have to have the fabric cut and the bodice fused and put together by Wednesday night's session. That is when we deal with the sleeves.

Don't ask me about what fabric I am using. What I intended to do and what I actually am doing may be two different things. I have a number of options in the stash, but most are spoken for other jacket projects. I had planned on using a silk wool blend that I bought with my DMIL's annual GC from Fabricland. I did not want this to be dryclean only, so I put it in the washer on delicate in cold with Woolite. I am not sure if the results are a quality issue or just ignorance on my part, but there was so much fuzz in the washer after that it took me 5 minutes to clear it all out and clear the floor of it! It really changed the hand of the blend. It is much more fluffy and thick despite no dryer time. Careful pressing has improved it somewhat, but I am not quite satisfied yet. I will try again when it is completely dry. I might have to swap fabrics and projects. I have some nice wool flannel that is a perfect weight and have more than enough for this project as well as a HP Sportive Suit jacket and maybe even a skirt ... I'll let you know when the decision is made!

It is bedtime for the kids and almost time for me to head downstairs, so I will be saying g'night for now. Enjoy reading Julia's musings and if you post, tell her Lorna sent you! I'd love to hear how many new readers she will gain between now and our next work out!

Bunnies In Betsy

2008-03-21T12:48:00.002-04:00

Well, I am finished. I just spent an hour taking apart Betsy and entering into areas I have not ventured into before. She is an older Singer machine, so there is not much to do. There is still lots of goop on the gears and I added some oil where needed. When I took the base off (something I had never done before) I realized that there was MUCH more lint hiding under there in places I was not reaching with my previous cleans. I think there was a whole bunnie in there, there was so much lint ... it was almost frightening to see how much I missed. I then removed the top and took a close look in there as well. Not as much lint, but I did give a good run through adding oil where needed. I then took a piece of scrap silk and ran it behind the tension plates and then around them. If that didn't work it was going to be dental floss next! Test run with no tension then ratcheting it up to where my normal 3 proved Betsy to be in perfect condition once more! Yippee!!

When we get back from Mass this afternoon I am going to do some fast work on some Easter clothes for Monkey Girl and I. Due to the snow amounts still on the ground up here, dresses are out of the question. So, now I need to decide what I can pull off in 2 days and what fabric to choose ... Life could be a lot worse right now, methinks!

Betsy and Bunnies ...

2008-03-20T22:59:00.002-04:00

I have not managed to take Betsy in yet. Tuesday night was a flurry of post Report card activity here. We always take the kids out for dinner on report card day. This term, they managed to keep the arrival date a secret until they came home, so I was TOTALLY unprepared schedule wise. Going out made for a perfect solution considering I had a meeting to go to afterwards. No dishes! Yippee for Wendy's! Last night was a quiet night as the Pilot had to work late and we had planned on celebrating being able to see the deck again by having our second BBQ this week. The fact that it was snowing lightly (again/still) while we were doing it and that there is still a whack of snow is irrelevant. I. NEED. BBQ! So, I got me some BBQ. YUMMY pork chops ... but still no Betsy in the shop. Am I in denial or just afraid of what I might hear ... Tomorrow I am going to play with Betsy some more and see if I can get her working. As much as I want a new machine, it isn't in the budget yet. Betsy it is for now! I did manage to get the green T shirt done on the serger, though. I almost kissed that machine ... after I stopped cursing the wooly nylon that kept breaking on me. I think it has gone rotten on me. It was breaking as I was pulling on it straight off the spool. Not too happy about that, but I am not surprised, really. It had been sitting for a while. I just hope I can get the old gal working, I want some new Easter clothes! I really want to use up some of that Rayon knit from Ressy ... which means I can use the serger, but that I will have to hand hem. ick.

Tonight is the start of Holy Week for us. Hamster Boy served his first Holy Thursday Mass tonight. He didn't get his feet washed, but he did get to ring them bells throughout the litany of the saints. His arm is a bit sore, he says now ... but he enjoys being up on the altar. He says that being part of the Mass is easier when you get to "do stuff". I am not going to argue him on that one! He has declared that he knows that the "idea of a human sized rabbit travelling the world dropping chocolate and eggs in one night is highly unrealistic" but that he won't ruin it for Monkey Girl. Hoping he could pull it off, I hugged him and invited him to come along with me when I go get the last minute items (like the afore mentioned chocolates). He gleefully said yes. Which means he wants to pick his own chocolate, I think! Smart boy! How smart? Well, when playing on the computer the other day, he stopped his work, turned to his little sister and related the following (with a straight face I might add) WARNING: If you are drinking coffee, tea, wine or other liquids, swallow now and put the cup down! giggle alert ...

One of my friends at school brought in a really neat article from the news today in class. It was about the Easter Bunny. Last year, somebody tested the Easter Chocolate that had been left behind on Easter and guess what? They found RABBIT DNA on the eggs and candy wrappers. So that just proves that the Easter Bunny is real!

Those of you who don't know my kids won't realize that Hamster Boy is quite the science sponge. He absorbs anything paleontology related and loves history and science. Mythbusters is one of his fave shows. So, the discussions around our house are often laden with words like DNA and evolution, laws of motion and the like. So, to hear her big brother come out with a statement about Bunny DNA on Easter candy would make complete rational sense to her. After all, this is the same person who explains how birds, turtles and alligators are "actually living dinosaurs who have not needed to evolve past their present state." There, now, my friends, take a moment and breathe a bit. Laughter is great, but oxygen is also needed! :)

Fate or Folly?

2008-03-18T16:47:00.002-04:00

So, at Sunday supper, the kids tell me Sunday night (after having a week off for Spring Break) that they need green for St Patrick's Day at school. Hamster Boy has decided that he doesn't want anything special, so I am off the hook for sewing new. "I'll just wear what is in my closet" he proclaimed. Monkey Girl, however, declared that she had no green and needed to wear green. She is so confident in my ability to do this that she kisses me good night later and asks me to leave the top and cardigan on the bed when I am done. She'll "get dressed when I get up" ... YIKES! I manage to piece out a raglan sleeve T with lettuced hems out of remnant green powerdry. I went to sleep, knowing that a simple T takes 40 mins to put together come morning.

So, Monday morning comes along, I have showered and changed and have lunches packed (I LOVE LEFTOVERS!) and I am in the Shop, staring at my machine, Betsy. The tension is so whacked that a setting of 0 allows no movement at all of the needle. Wassup????!!!! I think that the gremlins have gotten inside between projects. The problem is, I need to start working on my jacket muslin this weekend. So, I need to take it to the local shop to get repaired. I have a local vaccuum shop that is also a licensed Brother techie, so I am lucky I don't have to go far (even though it is a 20 year old Singer).

My secret fear/hope is that it will be bad news for Betsy. She is worked so hard, that it is a fear of mine that one day she will just stop and not be able to start again. So, tonight, I will take her apart as best I can and clean her up a bit. Maybe she is just having a dust bunnie induced nap? I hear that the Bunnies give off a soothing hum when they are hibernating inside a nice warm place like a sewing machine. Betsy is not the type of machine who can turn anybody away (as shown by the many last minute projects the kids ask for and get), so it wouldn't surprise me. But I must admit, that after 20 years, I am lusting for a new machine. But don't tell Betsy, she'll have a hissy fit!

PJ Day

2008-03-06T23:51:00.005-05:00

It is almost midnight and I am smiling! I just finished a pair of PJ's for Monkey Girl and it is almost bittersweet. You see, she loved raglan style T shirts (sound like anybody else we know?), especially since those are the basis of the nighties that her Nannie made for her in past years and since Hamster Boy practically lives in his. Today, as I was searching through the patterns, I found that the only one I had for her was too small. She now fits into the same pattern range as her big brother. Yup, no more of the little kids patterns, she is now into the big kids sizes. The baby is growing up and growing up tall!

The jammies are very cute and feminine without being over girlie, I think. The lavender powerdry (from a wazoodle grab bag) coords great with a white and lavender stripe jersey. I used the jersey to extend the legs (I ran out of PD) and for the sleeves of the night shirt. I used some FOE for the neckline and then added some lace to the bottom hemline for an added touch (OK, for added length for those nights when she will refuse to wear the matching pants). The seamline I covered with an iridescent pink ribbon. I echoed this treatment (minus the lace) on the legs where I added the striped portion. I think they look really nice ... we'll see what she thinks in the morning.

Hamster Boy didn't want new ones. He'd rather I trim up the camo knit bottoms I made before Christmas and wash them for tomorrow. When I made those up, I used an XL width and a L length in the KS pattern. Turns out he really only needed the L length in the leg, not the body. He is short waisted and long legged (for now, anyway). So, rather than trim and lose the growth room, I merely turned the elastic casing in once more and took in the crotch seam to narrow them down a bit. We'll have to see if that is enough tomorrow. If not, then he will wear his second choice ... the dragons from last year.

Tomorrow night, I am going to take in those cords a bit. Then, on the weekend, I will prep the pattern for the jacket. This is one project where I will post progress step by step. Not a tutorial by any means, but a way of welcoming you all into my class with Darrell. Now if only you all could hear what goes on in that work room when we are all there at once! You'll just have to come north for a visit, is all. Just make sure to bring snow gear ... March came in like a lion and is determined to stay that way!

The Sunnier Side of life

2008-03-05T22:45:00.002-05:00

For those of you who are also in Ontario's snow belt, you'll be thinking I am about to say I am off for Spring Break to sunnier climes. Not so ... I am enjoying the fact that I now have more time on my hands to sew. I no longer have to stress out about the Scout event. A variety of events have all conjoined to result in me leaving the committee. I am much happier for it and slept well last night for the first time in a month.

I now have the pattern for the jacket. This weekend will see me starting the muslin. First off, I know I will have to do my standard FBA and some back work. I will probably end up shortening the sleeves a mite. I usually have to for my shirts, so I won't be surprised if Darrell will tell me to lop them off a bit.

Tomorrow, I will have some fast projects to do. It is winter carnival at their school and Friday is PJ and Teddy Bear day. I always make them up new PJ's for this event. This year, I didn't get them new PJ's at Christmas, so I am going to make sure I get them done for Friday. I have some nice camo flannel with glow in the dark dino skeletons for Hamster Boy and will use some lavender powerdry for Monkey Girl. Silky and smooth, she'll love it!

Until later ... sleep well and rest up: more snow coming on the weekend!

Breaking Blog Silence

2008-03-04T16:27:00.003-05:00

For those who have been sending me the subtle (and the not so subtle) hints, I am taking a scant moment or two to update the silliness in my life at the moment.

First and foremost: I am back sewing again! Granted it is only a pair of pants, but it is a new garment in the closet! I took the HP Everyday pant and made them in some stretch cord, so I have to take them in a bit more than originally planned. Even with the darts in, the lycra gives too much room at the waist. Granted, in the name of speed, I omitted a stay at the waistband seams, so it is a deserved looseness, so to speak. Also, I finally took apart those HP Chilled Out Sweat Suit pants that I threw together a ways back. I have to do a simple alteration to the HP pants. I simply drop the joint part of the L curve a certain amount and then voila ... I Have a nice butt! I think that the rayon knit was a bit too lightweight for them, but they are super comfy around the house and they look good, too!

In order for me to have the time to sew, I have to be out of the house with major motivation. So, I signed up for a class at Darrell's. He is offering a Tailored jacket class using some couture finishes and some industrial techniques (meaning no pad stitching, but bound buttonholes and welt pockets). I have been meaning to try my hand at this but have been a bit intimidated by the whole prospect of the interlining, lining and so on. Darrell's is the place to get over that, for sure! We are using Burda 8300 for the jacket. I am hoping to use a back and royal blue wool from the Wool House that I bought a few years ago. I have some nice wool flannel that will coord well with it for a skirt or pants, depending on shrinkage amounts. I can't wait ... I have to prep the muslin for the 26th of this month and then every Wed I go to Darrell's for some fun and relaxation!

Work wise, I am very busy ... so much so that despite working in a gym, I haven't been able to work out! Part of that is due to the fact that I only work the same hours as my kids school day, so I can't stay late or go in early. So, I bought into a specialty training sessions done by one of the trainers. One hour each Saturday afternoon. That will get me some time exercising.

What is keeping me from all that I love to do? Planning a regional day event for the Beavers in May. It takes a lot of time reading all the e-mails and playing phone tag with the powers that be for our chosen location. Then there is the normal Beaver stuff, like the Spring sleepover we always do and our normal weekly meetings.

On top of that is the occasional research into what may quite possibly be a posting for us next year. Yup, we may be hitting the road over summer 09 ... for those of you who know, keep them fingers crossed and know that you'll always be welcome during ski or hiking season! We will have a spare room ready as long as you bring some sewing stuff for us to do together!

I am off for now ... I have supper to prep for and then a family chore meeting. Not gonna be fun, no way no how.

Reading Material

2008-01-11T20:56:00.000-05:00

I received my first issue of Current Archaeology today. This was an indulgence brought about by the kids; annual magazine fundraiser campaign at school this past fall. I always use this as an opportunity to try magazines that I wouldn't otherwise try. Anthropology is another one of my passions, you see, so this was a natural fit for me. What makes it even more exciting is a book that was reviewed in this issue: Findings: The Material Culture of Needlework and Sewing by Mary Beaudry.

I can't wait to read it ... I ordered it right away, you see. How could I not? The title grabs me with the double entendre in the word "Findings". To the non sewer, this would refer to the "findings" of a scientific study ... to those of us who sew, the tools of our trade/hobby/obsession! This book covers archaeological finds and provides a context that goes beyond the mending basket. I'll let you all know what I think of the book once it arrives and I start reading it. And yes, MB, I will loan it out when I am done!

Patchoulli 2

2008-01-06T23:13:00.000-05:00

Well, it is done! I even wore it to work on Friday. A week later than planned, but I am happy with it all the same. The neckband came out quite nicely, I think. The raised effect is purely a design accident as I managed to ignore the fact that when I copied the neckline edge shape of my new wrap bodice piece, I copied the outer edge as the inner seamline rather than making it the outer facing seam. Oh well, I now have a wonderful convertible neckband!

I am satisfied with what the final result is, but realize that there is some work to do with the drafting of the overlay as it currently lies at the dart point, causing some troubles there. That is for the next version ... whatever that will become! My full review is over at PR, so I am not going to repeat it here. It is too late at night to do that and I am back at work and Scouting tomorrow!

Tomorrow I start a one month theme on Canada with the wee ones. We are going to embark on a cross country trip, doing a different region each week, ending on Flag Day in February. Tomorrow night we make lighthouses, next week we have a mini winter carnival to echo the celebrations of at the 400th anniversary of the settlement of what is now Quebec City. After that, we hit the Prairie plains with the buffalo (yup, we still have them up here!) and then move into Beautiful British Columbia where we will all make mini totem poles. Then we head north into the Territories. Revisit the Yukon gold rush, and maybe even make an Inukshuk with a special guest (if I can arrange it!). Then we finish it off in the last week with a flag cake and badge presentation. What is not to like?

Tuesday I start the muslin on the CS pants. I really want to get those done so I can start on my Marfy patterns. The latest issue of Threads has really answered a lot of my basic questions regarding hand stitches, under/inter-linings and thread tracing. It is heaven sent for what I want to do next in my sewing journey. Who knows, if I get something finished in time, I might even enter it into the wool contest over at PR.

g'night all ...

Back at it! Return to Patchoullli ...

2007-12-29T17:16:00.000-05:00

So I have spent the day in the shop working on the newest version of the HP Patchoulli dress, in a paisley/floral stretch velvet. The velvet is in a black with a burgundy paisley and floral pattern that has the pile removed. The waist panel is done in a matching burgundy rayon knit as will be the neckbands I am putting on.

I have the skirt done with the waist panel and hem ruffles in. Instead of using the full length of the ruffle and gathering the double fullness in, I only put on one panel for a slight flirty effect on the bottom. But I think it is too long now. Also, I see the hem ruffle and I get a "Prairie Skirt" feeling. Not my style ... to be honest, I think that is why the linen version sits in the Closet more often than it should. Too many ruffles (neckline, hemline and sleeve hemline) for me. I go for a more of a cleaner look.

So, the conundrum now is, do I cut the skirt back and then re-sew the hemline treatment or just remove it completely and hem the skirt plain. I am leaning towards the latter, to be honest. I still have the second halves of the ruffle that I thought I would use on a skirt made from the rayon knit. Maybe to add some hemline interest I can do something with the rayon ... I do have a lot of it!

The bodice I have modified to be a cross over V neck with a contrast neck band in an homage to the Cosmo Dress. Rather than the underbust gathering, I am going to dart out the excess. I have to play with the fit a bit on Mindy first, though. I am not sure if I have the wrap just right yet. If it doesn't work out, I have a back up plan ... when I cut the neckband, I also cut it out in the velvet, so I can make a reworked bodice out of the solid rayon and use the velvet for the banding. Then I can recut the bodice with whatever changes are needed. If things go well, I want to wear this to church tomorrow, so cross your fingers sweeties!

BTW, in between coat sessions, I am going to be starting a pair of Claire Schaeffer pants using the couture directions. AND I am going to line them as well. So, watch this space for more on that in the future. That will be my first big project of the year. Then I will tackle those Marfy's I ordered in the fall!

Blast from the Past ...

2007-12-21T20:57:00.000-05:00

I know I usually post about sewing and the family, but tonight ... a pitch for a movie. Yup, a family movie (that has about 2 mins of sewing, does that count now?). The Pilot and I just took the kids to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. We laughed and giggled all the way through and the Pilot and I were singing "The Witchdoctor" in the parking lot as we walked to the car. Kids thought we were nuts, especially when we began to argue over whether or not the chorus ends in "Bing Bang Walla Walla Bing Bang" or (his version) "Bing Bing Walla Walla Bing Bang". So, he thinks I am on searching for the right words ... I am resisting the urge! I told him I am not worried about who is right ... but I am dying to know!

Go see the movie! For those of you who like me, grew up with the 'munks, learned the song by heart every Christmas, go for the fun of being a kid again. And sing the Witch doctor in the parking lot and be proud!

Holiday Cheers

2007-12-21T08:20:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I managed to leave work early to go to the School to see Hamster Boy in the annual Christmas talent show. My children go to a Catholic school, so this event happened the day after the second Advent Mass and is a wonderful show of talent from all the kids involved. For the past two years Hamster Boy has been trying out for the show with other kids and not getting in. This year, his whole class managed to get something on the stage, be it a dance routine, a song or a skit. I heard girls singing songs, by themselves or in duets, violin and piano solos, a classical guitar, a flute and skits that had me giggling till late last night. There were kindergarten children stealing the show as they sang about Santa. There were the senior class members making us all cry as they sang the Live Aid song "Do they Know It's Christmas", ending with them all adding a can of food to a pile in front of the stage. What a wonderful way to end their Advent project of collecting food for the local food bank!

There was much off key and many missed notes, but each one made it more special. Christmas songs are never more Christmas-y then when sung by a child. IT is that innocence and that joy of the whole season that infuses their whole being. IT is their gift to us, like the drummer boy of old gave to that other Child, whose birthday we all are looking forward to. They sing and dance with their whole heart. IT was one of the nicest concerts I have ever been to. Minimal staging, lots of laughter and the students in the audience sang along with their on stage classmates when they needed help. We all smiled at the toddlers in the audience who danced on the floor next to the stage where their elder sister was performing, silently stealing the show, getting lots of applause at the end.

If you have the chance to see a children's concert, may you enjoy it as much as I did yesterday. Let it take you back to the time when you didn't worry about budget and presents, about taking time off work, about all that holiday stress. When Christmas was all about a Child. One whose birthday brought us so much more than we can ever give back. So, when trying to figure out when you can bake that pie for Christmas dinner, why not bake a birthday cake instead. After all, 'tis the season!

Mumsews returns ...

2007-12-16T17:37:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say thanks to Texas for the latest snowstorm! It is great! Over a foot and a half of new snow for a guaranteed white Christmas … we made it to Mass this morning and then spent the afternoon baking cookies (I mixed them, Brian rolled and cut and I took them out of the oven). I sense a new traditional way of making cookies in the Newman household! Especially since this one recipe is the one I hate making as it is a pain to roll and cut. But it is a Newman cookie, so it is a must. As soon as I get some ground almonds, I will make the cookies from my side of the family ... yummy almond crescents!

The kids just came in from shovelling out their snow fort (again) and trying to outrun the neighbour’s snowblower as he kindly helped Brian with the massive snowplow drift. Their bottomless stomachs want food, but Brian and I are still full from last night's dinner party. We hosted a friend from Brian's work. They brought their 3 kids as well, so we had a house full of fun! Nothing that 2 beer can chickens on the BBQ can't fill up, though! Good thing, now we have some leftovers for supper tonight ... I see chicken salad on my plate.

I have been away too long. Was it really 19 Oct that I last posted? WOW, I knew it had been a bit, but not that long! Thanks to the "mother hens" (you know who you all are!) for your kind thoughts and worries. It is nice to know that others think of me as much as I do of them! Where have a I been? Well, most of October was spent adjusting to working for the first time in 14 years. Trying to balance kids, home, husband (re-learning how to live with him after a year away)and Scouts. Then, the past 4 weeks I have been out 2 nights a week at the gym not working, but working out) with a trainer. Love the way it has made me feel and especially like the half-inch I lost on the waistline (it was all core work!), but hated the number of nights away. After the holidays, the trainer's schedule changes, so I will have sessions in the morning instead. The true value of working at a gym!

I haven't been sewing much of late. After having Brian gone all last year, going downstairs while he is home just doesn't feel right. We have a year to make up for, you know? It is hard to explain, but most nights I just want to be in the same room with him. We weren't even like that as newly weds, but it is kind of neat to feel like that after almost 20 years together! But ... tonight, mumsews returns! I was daydreaming vice singing today at Mass and saw a new version of the HP Patchoulli dress ….sort of a morph into the Cosmo dress in a stretch velvet floral print I have aging. That will be my holiday dress. Susanna needs a new dress as well. I love stretch velvet, it is so easy to sew up! Then I will finish Brian’s shirt and a new top for Iain. As much as I love my job, I miss having the weeks before Christmas to be holed up in the workshop sewing for the holiday gifts.

I did manage to get a jumper done for work, though. I will try to take a photo of that one soon. A long term plan is to have a mini sew along with dear friend MB. We are both going to do a Claire Schaeffer pant sew along. I have read so many things about the CS patterns and the couture options, that I want to dive in and try it. I have some cashmere coming from Ressy that are pencilled in for pants. If they are not the right weight, then it will be a jacket and I will try using the wool flannel also sitting nicely in the stash. So, I hope to end this year sewing and start the new year the same way. I have to get used to shorter spurts of sewing as opposed to the longer stretches I used to have.

The Coat is Dead - Long Live Which Coat?

2007-10-19T18:20:00.000-04:00

I had to bid a fond farewell to my almost 20 year old Gore Tex raincoat this week. It had a major rip beside the pocket stitching that I can't fix. It is in a spot that can't be patched and is jagged and can't be sealed. So, goodbye raincoat! You have served me well! The Pilot, being the kind one that he is, offered me his GoreTex instead. You see, he has weight-lifted his back and shoulders out of his as it no longer fits. Nice intention, but it is still huge on me. I may have worn it when I was 200+ pounds pregnant, but I am no longer in need of that much space in outerwear, if you know what I mean!

So, I am now contemplating new outerwear. What do I need, really? While I would like to think I can find something that will take me from work to play, I hardly think that I can find a nice enough style for work (business casual with Dress UP Fridays) that will also survive weekend outings with the little Beavers on hikes, or playing with Monkey Girl and Hamster Boy in the yard. So, I think I need 2 different coats. One for work and Mass, the other for play. I can still get the same Gore Tex jacket, but to be honest, I think I want something different. For the other coat, I would love to have something wool. By the prices I see, I am considering making one instead. Even with Darrell's prices, I'd still be ahead.

I know what you're thinking. I have 2 coats in progress right now. One is a wool boucle fleece in a duffle style that would be perfect for the playcoat. If I layer underneath it, I'd be toasty warm for when things get frostier. So, I will finish that off as I really like that fabric! The other coat, the HP Cherry Blossom, I am going to give as a gift to a friend who fits it better than I. For me to wear it, I would have to totally cut it down and redo it, after doing a new muslin to determine the best fit. I could probably just re-start with a new muslin and cut new fabric faster. I like the overall style of the Cherry Blossom coat, but the sleeves are not practical for the Northern weather. So, I may take that nice silk wool blend in the stash and make that into the CB as a light jacket for work.

But what about when I need something a bit warmer but not down? Well, in my Marfy catalogue, I fell in love with this pattern for a jacket. It is stylish and I think it could be easily lengthened for the style I want. The only concern I have is whether or not a coating fabric would suit. The pattern has arrived, but I am going to think on it while I finish the duffle coat and hem the Cherry Blossom coat for my friend's birthday in November.

The only other coat I've really fallen in love with is this other Marfy, reviewed over on PR by Marjenann. I love the lines of this one as well. This is one that I could see me wearing to work! So, now all I have to do is to make up my mind, order the pattern and then give Darrell a budget! Realistically, though, I think I will stick with the ones I have. And I will most likely go out and get that Gore Tex again as it is more sensible for wet days or for snow play with good underlayers. Only in a different colour this time... maybe a nice red this time! Now, where did I put that WOF issue with the duffle in it ...

Playing Catch Up ...

2007-10-13T15:45:00.000-04:00

To those who were in doubt, I am still alive! Truth be told, I have been spectacularly busy and have not had the time nor energy to sit and type much that had nothing to do with work, Scouting, Fall Camp or Scout Leader training in the past month. September is always crazy in this household and this year was exasperated by my new job. Mega mental adjustments on my part.

So, to summarize my month in reverse order:

Today was Apple Day. To those who are Scouters or Scout parents in Canada, you know what that means! I spent the morning with Monkey Girl selling apples (for a donation of your choice) for Scouts Canada. It is a national campaign that is really cute to watch. Who can say no to a 5-7 year old child in a uniform holding up a shiny red apple? This afternoon, the Pilot did the groceries for me and just took the kids to the library to allow me some quiet time. He is so thoughtful ...

Wednesday was the 19/15th anniversary of the Pilot and I. Why a dual number? Because we actually dated (non-stop) for 4 years prior to getting married. I can't help but count that. The Pilot, however, prefers to separate the two events (even though the first date was only a couple of weeks away from the actual wedding date) and only count the wedding anniversary. This year, it struck me that I have been with the same man for almost half of my life. And I am still amazed that he is mine. I am thankful everyday for his presence in my life. He is truly my soul mate and demonstrates that to me every day.

Last weekend was Thanksgiving up here in Canada, so, thanks to a training day for the schools, we had a 4 day weekend. OK, the kids had a 4 day, the Pilot and I had to work and only got a 3 day. But it was wonderfully restful. The weather was great and just chilly enough to make the oven's heat comfortable. We even had a fire at night in the fireplace. We all just relaxed ... no day trips or museum runs, no family (that was and is the only downside to living far from both families). We spent some wonderful time together and ate lots of turkey and trimmings!

The week before that was the annual Fall Camp for our Scout group. All age groups participated and for the first time, the Pilot was able to join us. The hardest part of that for me was realizing that the rest of us had a routine wrt Camp, but he didn't know what to do, so he was a bit lost and I was a bit miffed that he wasn't where he was supposed to be ... I mean, come on, after all these years together, shouldn't he be able to anticipate? LOL! It made for some initial tense moments, but in true fashion, we made it through and had a great family weekend! The two weeks before were spent planning the events and organizing the families.

The day after Labour Day saw me start my new job. It has been a roller coaster of a learning curve! When I was in the military, I had a pay clerk, a finance clerk, a supply technician and an administrative clerk all doing the job that I am now solely responsible for. I have had to learn a new software package and comply with daily deadlines from home office and learn the lingo at the same time. The first two weeks were extremely challenging and was almost overwhelming at times. This is my first real job after my military days (which were over 14 years ago). The Pilot was so supportive when I came home almost in tears after a couple of really trying days when I wasn't sure I was able to make it much longer. He grinned and hugged me clsoe and then said "I've been waiting a long time to give back to you what you've many times said to me" at which point he then gave me the pep talk that I have given him over our many years. He then sent me many little e-mails to work over the next few days with positive messages. Better than a bouquet of flowers any day!

Sewing wise, I have decided to go with the company shirts as the yellow seems to agree with me (this according to many in the office). So, that means I can focus on a working wardrobe of trousers, skirts and maybe even an overdress or two. By that I mean a tailored jumper. No the old fashioned jumper favoured by the younger set, but a wrap style overdress that will be very professional looking in the black pinstripe I have set aside for it. I will make a pair of trousers out of the same fabric, probably one of the HP patterns I have. I have not decided upon which one yet. As te temps in the gym are kept cool for those working out, I need something to go on top of the shirts. So, I see a vest or a sweater coming from the Sophia knit I have left in the stash. I have more coming from Ressy, so that will make a nice cardigan as well. I may even have enough for a knit overdress as well or another tailored pant. I splurged and put my name down for some of the cashmere that she is offering. I have to make myself something from that ... whether it will be a pant or a jacket I am not sure. I will have to compare to the hand of the stash coming courtesy of the EFQ. So, for the foreseeable future, my sewing life will be basic black (except for the obligatory Halloween costume for Monkey Girl). I don't mind as I am mixing up the fabrics and patterns so that I don't get tired of it too soon. I have to get my evening sewing time back ... that is the one downside of the Pilot being home. I tend to not go downstairs when he is around. After not having him home for that year, I miss being with him!

So, while I am not posting much, I am around and am doing some sewing. I just don't have the time to post about it. OR post back issue photos for that matter ...

See you around!

The Skirt Challenge

2007-09-13T20:05:00.000-04:00

Well, you've seen my entry into the skirt challenge at Darrell's. He has finally sent me pics of his entry. The one that had us all gasping with surprise and awe. With the exception of his co-worker, Denise, we all just saw a beautiful blue silk A-line skirt. Simple design and we didn't see any original elements. We all started to tease him mercilessly until he quietly said "I made the fabric". We all were silenced. We had all taken for granted that the beautiful glass beaded and bias pintucked fabric was one that he carried by the bolt. After all, we have all seen similar fabric before. Then Denise said that he had painstakingly pintucked the yardage on both bias angles to get a diamond effect and Then he cut and stitched the fabric into the skirt. Then he added the beads. Each one stitched on individually.

Look and drool ... and appreciate the skill and the patience this man had for his craft.
This is the full view on a mannequin in his shop (He designed and made the top and the net shrug she is also wearing).

This is a closer view of the skirt front:

Here is a detail shot of the pin tucks and the beads:

We are trying to badger him into submitting this into Threads, either for the Reader's Closet column or to write an article on how he did it. He is resisting. Help us convince him otherwise! Comment so that I can copy them all and take them in on our next get together!

What is the new challenge for our little group? We had to bring in 3 lengths of fabrics, all had to be 60" wide and a natural fabric and a half yard long. We also had to follow this guideline: One had to be a print, one a solid and one could be anything. We then a Yankee exchange (after some German cheesecake, that is!) and picked/stole one fabric piece from each of the 3 piles. I brought in 2 pieces of linen and some silk chiffon. I ended up with my baby blue linen (I had originally picked a piece of royal blue raw silk, but it was snatched from me!), a piece of purple silk with yellow ribbon embroidery and a black polka dot on white cotton. The finished garment must have all fabrics visible, no other fabric may be added except for linings and interfacing. No other rules. I will post shots of what I have tomorrow. Till then, start thinking for me! I need inspiration ... feel free to send me pattern shots for ideas!

Serendipity

2007-09-13T19:19:00.000-04:00

I started my job this week. Yup, offered the job on Wednesday and started on Monday. Gotta like that! I have been training all week on the computer system with the are trainer. Lovely lady! I have a choice, apparently, wrt work attire. According to the "Manual" I have to wear the company shirt (LS or SS) or the company Cool Max Polo Shirt (LS or SS) with black non-denim, non cargo style pants or skirts with black shoes. OR, according to my manager and the trainer, I can wear office attire. I figure that if I get one each of the yellow shirts, I can make the polos from the silkweight PD (thank you Ressy!) in the stash and just wear a name tag to show I am staff. That leaves me with the need for black pants and shoes. That way, I have "official wear" for those occasions where it is a must (training and conferences) and can wear my own office wear the rest of the time.

So, knowing that the only black shoes in the Closet are strappy slingbacks (suitable for parties and dancing - should the Pilot ever acquire a right foot to go along with one of his 2 left feet LOL!), I needed to go shoe shopping! Stop clapping with glee, Phyllis! I know you wish you were here to help! I went to Payless first as I wanted a quick pair to get me through to the arrival of the first paycheck. What did I see in the front of the store? The sweetest little patent Mary Jane's with the cutest kitten heel. Perfect for the office and for the weak ankle. I fell in love instantly ... especially when I saw them in the red! Oh la la! Almost walked right out of the store with them then and there. Glad I didn't as I had not yet discovered that black shoe rule. So, I went home and finished my second pair of the HP Everyday Pants, this time in a lightweight brown wool crepe. Tomorrow being the Pilot's payday, I will go and get those black shoes.

So, about my pants. I finished the brown wool crepe HP Everyday pants last night. They look divine! Feel divine too … I wore them to work today and had a blast. Super comfy and stylish! After work, I thought I would go back to Payless and get those Mary Janes (in black) for work. Little voice in the back of head says: “Go to Winners and look for black pants; take MB’s advice” (buy some servicable pants OFTR for now and sew better ones on the weekends). So, deciding to listen to little voice, I drive past Payless and waved to the shoes in the window (Sorry Phyllis, the little voice was louder than your shouts of encouragement!) and parked at Winners. I went in and headed for the pant section, knowing that the likelihood of finding a pair of black pants was minimal. True enough, there were no pants in the pant aisle that fit, let alone were black! So, I wandered. I found a new section called "Collections". That little voice found an obnoxious twin who screamed "EXPENSIVE ... don't go there!". The little voice said very quietly "go look". So, being somewhat perverse and not liking obnoxious anything, I did.

I found a pair of wool knit pants in black with the neatest lines to them! Aside from being luscious to touch, they were a sewn on (as opposed to the Betzina method) fly front with a semi faced waist. Semi faced, you ask? What is that? Well, it was faced from CF and CB to the points at which you would put belt loops (I call it mid point of the side front/back). In between, it was a partial band. The other neat thing was that the fly shield had a cut on tab extension for a button. The fly was closed with a zip to the waist edge and held closed by a pant hook and eye. The eye was placed right at the seamline of the fly extension. Very classy, gives a wonderful smooth front and is oh so comfortable. How do I know? Cause I tried them on and them pants FIT! Oh yeah, baby! I need to drop the crotch a hair and fold the hemline up enough to make some cuffs, but other than that, they are on me for work tomorrow! And even better, for the quality and cut of the pant and the wool, I think that the price was worth it. I'll post detailed shots later so that you can see what I am talking about. I might be able to knock these off using some of the Sophia knits in the stash!

As I admired the look of these pants, I thought, I wonder how the brown wools made it today? Do they still look OK in the back after a day at the desk or are they all droopy? So, I took the black pants off (reluctantly, BTW, they are SO COMFY!) and put the browns back on; wondering, what are the chances that this one pair of size 14's will still be there tomorrow when I can spend the Pilot's pay. Then I turned and looked at the backside of the brown pants. And didn't see any wrinkles, so that is the good news. The bad news is that I could see flashes of my creme coloured undies! ACK! I must have snipped a thread when I clipped the crotch seam last night and it had given way. SERIOUSLY given way. My inner debate as to whether to wait a day was silenced. The reason for the little voice's constant advice to day was clear. I needed an emergency buy! After all, in about 15 minutes, I would be walking across an elementary school playground where my little gap would be at eye level for about 30 kindergarten students! And they are not known for their subtlety, are they? Out came the credit card and I changed the pants in the corner of the parking lot with the seat all the way back and down. Only then did I venture out to get Monkey Girl!

The moral of the story? Listen to that quiet but persistent little voice when you shop. You never know what you may be leaving behind you ... So, you'll have to wait for a shot of the brown pants until I fix that crotch seam!

Phoenix Rising ...

2007-09-08T13:40:00.000-04:00

How appropriate is this considering I am starting a new job, the kids are both in school full time and the Pilot is in a new job as well?

You Are a Phoenix

Driven and ambitious, you tend to acquire material success easily.

You have grand schemes - both for your own life and for changing the whole world.

You are a great leader, and you have no problem taking the reigns.

However, you aren't all business. You also have great talents for performing and visual arts.

What Mythological Creature Are You?

C'mon ... curious minds want to know!

When Goodbye Hurts

2007-09-07T09:36:00.000-04:00

I have been happily talking about the fact that my youngest is now in school full days. She comes home excited and full of smiles and happiness and tells me how much she loves her class and her teacher. She was all excited, anticipating her big brother walking her to school and me picking her up. "I'm a big girl!" she would proudly state. So, a bit unsure, I let her go with her brother. He is silently proud of the fact that he is allowed to do this. She would play with him until some of her friends showed up and then she would leave him and the other "big kids" to go with her own classmates. Then, when I show up to walk her home, I am sent away as she wants Hamster Boy to do it. So, I slowly walk away and they both catch up fairly quickly.

Yesterday that changed. She called me to come and get her. She wasn't feeling well. She was in tears. I brought her home and we cuddled on the sofa for an hour and then she was fine and went back to school for the rest of the day without a problem. This morning, she was uncertain about who should walk her to school, so I suggested that I come along with them. Hamster Boy went along ahead and the two of us made it to school. She wanted to be with me the whole time, right up to when her class started to line up to go in. Halfway up the steps, she turned and was crying that her belly ached again. She wanted to come home. "I like grade 1 but I don't want to go" she cried. I walked her to her classroom and then the teacher gave me that allknowing look. Assurances were given and I know she will be fine. But every parent who has to remove their child from their arms and give them over to another's care when they don't want to be there knows how heartbreaking it is. Goodbye hurts.

Two years of kindergarten wasn't a problem for her. She had her days when the Pilot was away where she needed her Mommy. I know that this will pass. But goodbye hurts. I left hearing her tears and knew I had to keep going. Goodbye hurts. I know that the teacher will call me later today, probably at recess telling me that she is now OK. But my child is hurting inside and it hurts me, too. She is growing up and doesn't like it very much.

I am really blessed that the job I found enables me to see her to school and then to pick her up after. No babysitters. That was the one condition I made for job hunting. I turned down a couple of offers due to the hours. I am glad I did. Goodbye hurts even more when there is a babysitter at the end of the day and not Mommy.

Empty Nesting ... sort of

2007-09-06T17:36:00.000-04:00

It all started with Brian announcing that he was going to take the day off so that he could take the kids to school. He wants to make up for missing most of last year and this year Monkey Girl started grade 1. Yup, full days of school ... no more half days for us! I now have my days to myself (thus the job hunting!) So, on Tuesday, we walked the kids to school (OK, we walked behind them as they ran ahead!). Then after we were further abandoned to friends from school, we walked home, hand in hand. We then made a pot of coffee and sat in the quiet and drank. Then we planned. We finished our coffee and then put our plan in to action: Home Depot here we come!

We walked around the kitchen area finalizing our choices and then we browbeat the clerk into talking to us. She then told us we needed an appointment to sit and get a ballpark estimate. Looking around, and spying her appointment book, I saw that there was nothing on it. I waited. She said “you need an appointment”. I sat silently. She then looked at me and said “I can fit you in this afternoon?” Then I smiled and said Fine! See you at 1:45! We then started walking around.

In the proceeding 90 minutes, we managed to redesign our bathroom vanity and pick our new shower stall, toilet and sinks. We priced MDF for a new sewing table configuration (that I have to now design), designed a kitchen island and priced a new deck. Then we sped to the local chip truck and got 2 hotdogs and some wonderfully sinful fries. Gulped them down and made it back to Home Depot. I fell in love with Corian counter tops but not the price tag. So, it looks like it will be laminate. I now have to compare what I found at HD with Ikea and then price them both out in detail.

It was so much fun to just wander and dream and plan ideas like that. We pulled out a 4x8 sheet of MDF to see if it was enough for an L shaped work surface. Seeing as it was only $25 for the whole sheet, I figure I can get a real nice work surface with holes for the cords and a power bar mount … Oh my! Now I just have to figure out dimensions and drawers and such. That way, I can bring the kitchen table I am currently using as a sewing table into the empty eating area of the kitchen for the kids to eat on and do homework on. It will also become the basis of my kitchen island … Brian and I came to an agreement as to what we like in a master bath wrt cabinetry. I want some drawers for my stuff and he wants shelves for towels and cleaners and such. We discussed the rather unique way our plumbing is and how to accommodate it in the cabinets. Everything but colour …

We made it home in time to do a bit of web surfing and then pick the kids up. There, we were told to leave by Susanna who was expecting her older brother to pick her up so we retreated and left her to Iain. Then they both joined us for the walk home with lots of talking happening!

How is that for a day? The first day without kids and we spent it in Home Depot! We could have spent it at home, being romantic, but instead we snoop shopped together and had so much fun! We were like kids in a toy store before Christmas! Couples that dream together, stay together!

Working wardrobes

2007-09-06T10:45:00.000-04:00

Well, I am now employed! I sign my contract on Monday and start training on the local systems the same day. I am taking over as the Club Administrator for a branch of local private gym. Yes, the same one I interviewed for in the spring. Same position, too.

So, now I need a working wardrobe for a casual work environment. I see more HP Everyday pants and maybe even some of the Razor Sharp pants in the wools I have in the stash. I see some crisp shirts and lots of tops (lucky for me I have a bunch of Ressy's rayon knits stashed in fall colours!) and some more casual style jackets. Think Sportive Suit and the Lacy Wrap cardigan as well ... then there are the Marfy's I am looking at as well (more on those another day ... now that I know which job I have, I will have to adjust my purchase plans!)

Then, there are the shoes ... Phyllis dear, you must come up north for a weekend to help me shoe shop once I get everything done! Really! Come on up ...

PHOTOS!

2007-09-03T10:47:00.000-04:00

I have just uploaded photos of the HP skirt and the capris. I am about to go and post the reviews, but here is a sneak peak of the results of my efforts! First the skirt. This is a late night pic of the skirt, so sorry for bad posture and tops that are not tucked in all the way ...

Now the capri conversion. These I am most proud of. The darts look a little stressed, but that is due to the fit process when I needed to let out the s.s.. I actually can pinch an inch at the s.s. now. These were worn last night to a BBQ, so there is some wear wrinkles, but otherwise I love the fit! I just have to do some real minor tweaks still, I think (I could use some more ease at the hip area judging by what I see). For some reason, the front looks off kilter, that is because I didn't straighten them before I took the photo.

Reviews & ramblings

2007-08-30T22:49:00.000-04:00

It came to me that I have not been posting many reviews lately despite some actual sewing on my part. So, after supper, I spent an hour or so drafting reviews of my last few HP projects. The reviews for the Chilled Out Sweatsuit pants (that still need some tweaking), the (Sort of) Sportive Skirt and the Every Day Pant/Capri makeover are all in draft form awaiting photos (and in the case of the capris, hems and waistband facings). The capris, BTW are TDF! I am amazed at the way the back lies and the adjustments were so minimal. I just wish I had a photo to show you but Hamster Boy took my rechargable batteries for his NERF dart gun's "laser" site for battles with his friends (and for those hallway ambushes he pulls on his father each night at bedtime!). I think I better buy some new ones tomorrow morning so that I have my own supply again!

I am fighting a mean viral throat infection right now so sewing is in short bouts as I stop to take meds and drink huge amounts of fluids to keep the rawness at bay. Tomorrow is going to be a heavy sewing day. The capris will be finished and then the lining will be started for my friend's dress. I should be able to get that done by supper as the fitting is finished in the muslin already. I need to throw together a top for the Pilot's office BBQ on Sunday to go with the capris. Do I maintain my HP obsession and go with the Princess Top or the Great White Shirt or do I go in another direction altogether? That remains to be seen according to time available, I think! I would like to go get a few things for the kids for school tomorrow aft as well. They go back on Tuesday ...

I have applications out for 3 positions that interest me and suit my desires for schedules and pay. Today's job interview went well. It was actually a call back for a position I didn't get last spring but now have the opportunity to try for again. They were willing to check to see if they could match the pay of one other job I applied for, so that is a good sign. I'll know Tuesday afternoon.

If I get this position, I may have to rethink all my sewing projects wrt jackets. The dress is business casual, so making a bunch of tailored jackets may be overkill. I am OK with my pant plan, but may have to reconsider the jackets. I'll still do the Kensington Jacket to go with the skirt, but I am now on the look out for other options along the line of the Sportive Skirt Suit jacket. I have this Peggy Sagers' pattern on hand that I could dress down with the right fabric ... maybe alter it for a zip instead of that ribbon. There were a couple of nice Marfy's in the latest catalogue that I like. But that is another post altogether! That requires batteries to show the photos of my wishlist!

Marvelous Marfy Minute ...

2007-08-27T14:57:00.000-04:00

On Friday night, I went onto the Marfy site and ordered the catalogue. I paid for the faster shipping as the price was not that much different. The amazing thing is that I got an e-mail the same night saying it was being shipped. According to the UPS site, it is in the city and is en route to my house as I type. WOW! That was fast ... now I can't wait until the doorbell rings and I have it in my greedy little hands!

Now, back to those fast capris ... I added a cut on front fly as side zips tend not to lie flat on my curves. I have a job interview on Thursday morning (after coffee with the girls, of course!), so I want to get these done for then. I am thinking a fast wrap front/twist top to coord with it. Somebody posted a RTW one over at PR a week or so ago. I can't find the link right now, but if I get the top done, I'm sure I'll find it for my review. Basically the top is a faux wrap with a side twist to it. The twist is about midway between CF and the s.s. and is below the bustline, around waist level. As my belly is not for public consumption, I will be making a full wrap under. I am going to start with the Jalie wrap top as it has a nice cut line for the under panel already. I am going to use that as a seamline vice a cut line.

Hemming along ...

2007-08-23T18:41:00.000-04:00

I haven't been posting much this week as I have been spending my mornings doing back to school shopping with the kids, getting what we call PP&S (pens, paper and stuff) and then overheating poolside as I watch them in their swimming lessons. Last week I read and missed the action, so this week, I took the Challenge skirt and am (sit down for this, it is a shocker) hand hemming the skirt. I also hand stitched in the ditch the waist facing. I will machine stitch that later on. Those two circles flounces take forever to do. I have one more day of classes left. I want to get it done tomorrow so that I can have it ready to wear on a moment's notice.

A dear friend of mine from University days has a wedding to attend on the long weekend. I am working on her dress right now. We have settled on the shorter length and the sleeve is still in limbo. The longer sleeve doesn't suit her and would be impractical seeing as her 18 month old would only swing on it. The cap sleeve I think is too short on her. She is fairly even in her measurements (almost a rectangle), but has a very broad upper back and a wide ribcage. I think that if I shorten the longer sleeve it can be quite flirty and still be stylish. We are trying to decide on whether or not she gets the front tie or not. I am thinking no, she is hopeful for a yes. We'll see what the mirror says. The muslin is cut and will be put together tonight.

The other project I have on the table is a pair of pants. Yup, another one! I am a sucker for punishment. I am determined to get through all the pant patterns I have at least once. This pair is the HP Plain and Simple Everyday Pant. I threw together a trial pair in some mystery fabric from my Mother's stash. I cut a 16 and took a 1/2" deep dart tuck from CB to nothing at the s.s. and then added that 1" back to the top of the pant. The back drape is beautiful with 3/8" s.s. and 5/8" CB/CF! It needs some minor reshaping at the hip curve and most likely the darts will disappear in the front. It is still a bit short in crotch depth, but I figure that I can add that in easy enough. I have something buried in my construction files about that in HP patterns. I'll look later.

I broke the moratorium on shopping today to spend my birthday $ from the DMIL. I had hoped to find some nice mmidweight fabric for a pair of casual capris from the above pattern, but other than wrinkle prone linen, I was out of luck. So, I picked up some nice wools instead! I found a beautiful wool/rayon flannel in a navy (perfect for a skirt to match to a black and navy tweed destined for a jacket already in the stash), a wool/silk boucle type in a deep purple that will be prefect for a fall jacket if the cashmere one from last year doesn't work out with new tinkering this year. I also picked up some nice brown wool/rayon as well for the HP pants. I also picked up some heavier cotton for a few shirts for the Pilot and I and some nice navy twill with border embroidery for Monkey Girl for school. I see a jumper and a skirt for her and then with the plain, maybe some pants.

I now have the makings of a very nice work wardrobe. I will have the green wool 3 piece suit (skirt, pants & jacket), the navy skirt and jacket and then there is the (I almost forgot!) black wool pinstripe in the stash that will be an as of yet to be determined dress/suit? Have to think about that ... I have a couple of nice dress and jacket patterns from Vogue in the stash that will do. Then there will be all the shirts/ blouses and tops I need to do as well! Now all I have to do is get a job! LOL!

Oh I almost forgot ... I took the plunge and ordered the Marfy catalogue tonight. I was drooling over Maria's copy at Darrell's the other night. She is going to put in an order soon that I was going to tag along with, but I think I will wait until mine comes in so that I can take my time choosing! There was an amazing jacket in there that I fell in love with that would be amazing with in that purple wool/silk!

Kismet for the Needle

2007-08-20T14:11:00.001-04:00

It must be going around today. I just finished reading Ann's post over at Gorgeous Things' blog about chance meetings that may turn into something good. I spent the weekend on the sofa nursing a mild case of stomach flu and forced myself to go to the gym this morning for a light workout. While packing up my gear, I was watching a fellow member evaluating a workout top that was on sale in the gym. The inner Seamstress said "if I was to sew that she would need a smaller size with an FBA, and those spaghetti straps are not recommended". I watched her as she shortened the straps to make it fit better. She gave a big sigh and turned to me and asked "You wouldn't happen to sew would you?". The look on her face when I said yes was almost comical. She didn't expect a yes. She asked what I thought about the fit and I had to be honest and say, "you need another size" and then explain why. After a few moments, she is asking for my card and my price list(which I of course carry with me to the gym (NOT!)). Wednesday we'll meet again after our workout and away we go!

So, I may have another client here ... kismet. Who have you met today?

Challenge complete ... Almost

2007-08-15T08:35:00.000-04:00

Last night I managed to get the skirt to the point of only needing hemming and the zipper put into the CB seam. The zip goes up into the waistband, so that had to go on last night. As I am using an invisible zip, I left the CB seam open in order to be able to put it in on the flat. Much easier, IMO. The contrast flounce and waistband looks really sharp. I am really glad that I went with the contrast there.

The contrast tweed is really nice to work with, but is a looser weave than I thought it was. Hindsight says that maybe I should have interfaced it in the waistband. When I make the jacket, I will have to interface the body and stabilize ... a perfect opportunity to open up my Palmer Pletsch Jackets for Real People book and use it, start to finish! I plan on making the matching jacket from the HP Sportive Suit in a brown Ottoman that I have in the stash, maybe with some accents from the tweed. For a dressier look I will go for the now OOP HP pattern, the Moneypenny Kensington Jacket. It is a tailored jacket with soft shaping that will be perfect for this tweed. Once those are complete, I will actually have the basis for a SWAP capsule, I think. I will have a pair of pants (already in the Closet, made in the same green wool as the skirt), 2 jackets and the skirt. If I make another pair of pants and maybe half a dozen tops, then I am done, if I have the concept right.

For fun last night, I pinned out the back of the Chilled Out Sweatsuit pants. I pinned out a horizontal dart of about 3/4" above the crotch curve and them pesky wrinkles went away. I may baste it in and take a pic to make sure I am right. I'll add the note to my review for next time. The next pair of pants will be another HP pattern. I have the Razor Sharp Pant that could be up next, I think. I have a nice narrow wale brown cord in a tweed pattern that will be great for those ... or maybe another pair of HP Skinny Jeans.

The next up in line will be a dual track project. School starts soon and Hamster Boy needs/wants jeans. Good thing is the weather will still be warm and he can wear his shorts for at least another few weeks. So, I have 2 lengths of stretch denim in the stash, one goes for jeans, the other for his jean jacket. That will be my evenings. Days will be this dress. A dear friend has a wedding to attend in the fall and needs a dress. She is a Registered Massage Therapist and we have worked out a swap of skills. Gotta love a full body massage ...

Last minute changes

2007-08-13T23:26:00.000-04:00

I did some re-thinking of the skirt last night in bed. I realized that I really liked those pleats I added to the CB panels and did not want to shorten them by adding a yoke and facings. So, I decided to go back to the original idea of bias side panels. I think that this will add some nice shaping to the sides, and be anchored nicely by the flounces. So, I laid out, cut and hand basted (on the table) the bias panels together and then pinned them to Mindy for overnight hanging. I cut them with an extra 1" s.a. and then basted on 5/8", so I should have enough room for this to work out. I hope ... this is one of my first independant forays into the bias. In my basting, I used long stitches and broke the thread every couple of inches. That was a tip I picked up from the Roberta Carr book.

One thing I was not sure of, is when to attach the flounces. I am assuming that since the hem would be done after hanging, then anything stitched to the hem (like a flounce) would also be done after. Was I right? We'll see tomorrow ...

The other change I made was to increase the depth of the flounce. I added an extra 2" to it. Yardage restrictions gave me the opportunity to use the wool tweed that coords with the solid green for the flounce. I also used it for the waist bands. Should the bias panels not work out, I may just use the tweed for the side panels (on grain) and have the CF/CB panels and waist as the solid green and the rest in the tweed. I have options. Either way, this will be a nice touch for the jacket when it is made up. It will show them as a pair, while still leaving the skirt to stand on it's own.

So, the sides of the skirt are hanging and the flounces are stitched together (using French seams) and awaiting tomorrow's race to the finish. I may lose Wed afternoon to mini golf with the kids, so I have to get at it tomorrow as soon as I get back from the gym.

I must say that I like how easy this skirt is to work with so far, even with all the changes I made to it.

Pleating Pleasures

2007-08-12T21:02:00.000-04:00

Well, I have done it! I took a wild chance at the CB pleated panel and, with some effort, it worked. To make the panel piece, I taped the existing kick pleat panel to the CB panel and extended it up to the waist. This is when I started having some teeth gnashing. The pleats weren't lying right, but that was because I has gotten to this point without a plan. There was no fixed idea of how many pleats or how deep or the spacing ... nothing! So, what did I do? I stitched it onto the skirt anyway, thinking that I could figure it out when I could see it on Mindy. Didn't work. At all.

Next step? Take the panel off of Mindy and work the pleats on the ironing board. After a few attempts at a variety of widths, nothing seemed to work. I couldn't seem to get the pleats straight all the way down ... so I grabbed my metal yard stick and used that as a straight edge. Then I had a light bulb moment ... there is a line in the middle of the yardstick. All the way down ... Next attempt, I used the yard stick as a spacer and used the mid line as the depth marker. Easy! Perfect sizing of the pleats to get the back panel down to the correct size. I stitched the pleats flat for about 9" from the waist and then stitched the panels to the skirt and tried it on. MWA! I almost kissed my reflection! I need a smidge more room around the hips (surprise, surprise there!), but that is doable. Tomorrow I draft the facings from the pattern and then refine the width of the flounce. Then I can cut the skirt out tomorrow night as well. I am living this project!

Skirt Challenge - Stage 2

2007-08-11T23:30:00.000-04:00

Well, the muslin is put together. The circular flounce came out nicely although I still have to fine tune the inside measurement of the circle a bit better. I like the way it looks right now (a 4" flounce) which means I have to make it longer to allow for the needed narrow hem. The problem right now is the pleated CB panel. I had envisioned a panel that was pleated from waist to hem, stitched flat over the seat, but I guessed at the amount, figuring I could just pin the pleats in. Silly me. So, my bedtime reading tonight is going to be a back issue article from Threads (thanks Diva Els!) and Armstrong on pleats. Then I can get back at it tomorrow afternoon.

I am still debating whether or not to add the yoke to the skirt. The prototype is sewn in the panels as per the pattern, so I can just add a facing to it and leave it as is. The plan was to get the flounce and the pleats sorted out and then trace off the shape of the yoke and then go cut it off and recut the yoke and facings in 3 pieces vice the 4 I have now (allowing for a CB zip). But that would ruin the strong vertical element I am trying to out in with the pleating. I am going to have to play a bit, I think. If I can play tomorrow, then by tomorrow night I can redo the patterns as per the changes and then sew it on Monday and Tuesday.

I must say thanks to Maria for loaning me the Roberta Carr book and for Els for sending me the scanned shots of the flounce pages. It really is great to have such resources at hand for projects like this. What a great place the sewing world is ...

On a family note, Hamster Boy came home from camp this afternoon. He went away to Cub Camp for the past 7 days. This is the longest he has been away from us so far. He spent 4 days at his aunt's when I went to bring the Pilot home, but that was with family, so it was a bit different. And he had Monkey Girl with him then. This time he was only with his fellow Cubs Scouts. He had loads of fun and is exhausted, but he missed us at bedtime. He is a boy who hates being away from his own bed, even if we are with him. He likes being home at bedtime. Sleepovers with friends are OK, but home is best. I sense a new aura of self confidence in him, though. My little boy is taller and seems to be a bit older now. I am glad he went, it was worth the expense. But I am so glad he is home!

School starts here in 3 weeks. This is a big thing for me this year as Monkey Girl will be going for full days this year. That means that I can go back to work! It has been requested by the kids that whatever job I get, can I be home when they get home from school. They don't like the idea of a babysitter. I think that the job I am looking at will make that possible. Remember that position at the gym from the spring? They are hiring again ... I applied for a different position, but have been told that they want to talk to me about a couple of positions, so I may be gainfully employed come Labour Day. Seeing as I really would love new kitchen cupboards, this will be a great thing for us if I get the job. Stay tuned for news next week ...

Summer camps!

2007-08-10T16:03:00.001-04:00

This morning I was at the gym listening to music on my "bot (what I call my MP3 player) and reading the subtitles to a news channel. One of the "news" headlines caught my eye and then my ire. Turns out in Halifax, Nova Scotia (where I spent a lot of my childhood) the city is putting on some day camps for boys and girls. Turns out that a little girl (about 10-12 y.o. age range I guess) wanted to sign up for the boys only camp as she was not interested in the girls camp. This is where my blood pressure started to rise, I am afraid. I have been blessed with both a son and a daughter. I teach both of them that gender is not an issue and that they both are able to do the same things as the other. In fact, both children are in Scouts together. Monkey Girl is not interested in Girl Guides or Brownies. So, she entered Scouts. Now, I realize that her access into Scouts is only due to the lawsuits of the past. So, I feel for the little girl in her quest for a camp that interested her, whether it is Coed or not. You see, the only other option to this camp was a "Glamour Day" camp. This did not appeal to her sense of fun at all.

Now, I have to be honest here. I do believe that there is a huge gender double standard out there. Us women have been suing for access to all programs on the grounds of gender discrimination, but we have no qualms in denying access to males who want to enter our domains on the grounds of needing our own space. My question, when do men get their own space? So, my problem with this whole incident is that there was no middle ground option for camp. You were either in the boy camp or the girl one. Easy solution? Offer the program in a coed option or a male only option. That way there is pure choice.

Still on the subject of camps, I came across this little story in the National Post, a newspaper up here. It is a design camp, only without all the PR drama. The kids get to design, sew and then show their creations at a fashion show at the end of the session.

Think Canada's Next Top Model Meets Camp. This is a week-long fashion camp, hosted by the Design Exchange, an organization devoted to promoting Canadian design

One of the 12 year old campers has this to say:

"That's another [thing] with people who are buying clothes," she sighs. "They don't realize all the hard work that goes into them."She doesn't get a chance to finish. The day is winding down and cleanup is beginning. As the girls clean the scraps off the table, Cate reflects on her experiences at the camp.
"I'd rather be here than anywhere else in the summer," she says. "This is funner because you get to do your passion."

What a great camp idea ... I wonder if it is Coed?

Design Options ...

2007-08-08T23:43:00.000-04:00

As I was sketching belowstairs, I have come up with some design options for the skirt. I have decided to forgoe the bias side panels. I am still using the panelled skirt, but am adding a deep shaped yoke ending at around the hip level. As I am eliminating the back kick pleat, I need to add walking ease. I would love to incorporate some pleating in this skirt somehow but I also think that a nice flounce would be very flirty as well.

The idea for the pleating came from this discontinued Folkwear pattern that I have in the stash. This pattern has the pleating at the sides going all the way to the waist. This pleating would be great on the side panels and if I only pleat below the yoke, then I would not have to worry about adding bulk at the hips. There would be no need for the flounce in this option, but I would still be one element short for The Challenge requirements.

If I pleated the CB panel only, that would still give me the walking room I need and I could still have the flounce on the bottom 4" or so of the side panels. That would allow some of the visual interest to carry around to the front. I would leave the CF panel on grain as per the pattern. This option would also give me the three elements I need.

What do you think?

Why Google is my friend ...

2007-08-08T22:15:00.000-04:00

I have cut the HP pattern out for the basis of the skirt for The Challenge. I have decided to eliminate the existing waistband and go for a faced waist instead. I am going to add a circular ruffle and place the side panels on the bias. Since I am going for the solid green wool that means I don't have to worry about any pattern matching. I am also adding a circular ruffle to the hemline. The third element is still a mystery. There already is a box pleat in the back of the skirt, but since I am adding the ruffle, I am going to leave that out.

There was a little stall in my process, however, in that I had no source material in my reference collection (limited as it is) to calculate how many circles I would need for this skirt. The instructions in Armstrong deal with how to make a circle, half or quarter circle skirt, but not what I wanted (if I am worng somebody PLEASE tell me what page to use ... I have the latest edition!). Diva Els refers to Roberta Carr's book Couture: The Art of Fine Sewing, which I don't have (insert a not nice word here!) and the library does not have it either (I love online library catalogues!). So, I have e-mailed two local PR members to see if either of them have it for me to borrow. Not wanting to stop my efforts on this skirt so soon, I turned to Google and took a wild guess.

I typed in "drafting circular ruffles" and found not only El's post over at The Sewing Divas, but also this lovely site that actually has a calculator that does all the math for you and actually tells you how many circles you need and how big to make them and how much fabric you will need to cut them! How easy is that?! I LOVE IT ... but I am still going to hunt down that book and buy it for myself for my birthday! The tradition continues ... a new sewing book each year!

On Age ...

2007-08-08T20:06:00.000-04:00

I can proudly (and honestly) say that today I celebrated the 39th anniversary of my birth. Yup, that means that as of today I began my first day of my 40th. To my husband, when I pulled this logic on him some 6 years ago (the Pilot turned 46 this month, you see), he gave me a weird look and then said quite firmly "I am not 40! Not for another 3 hours ...". It was a challenging year for him and the only good thing about it was the fact that he was in his fortieth year and could laugh about it. You see, we both believe that if you don't have a sense of humour, DO NOT let us know when your birthday is. We are known in his family and amongst our friends for placing penguins, cows, buzzards, storks, or whatever tacky lawn ornament we can rent on lawns for significant days. We laugh at birthdays, not stress out over them. So, today, as I stare 40 in the face, I am laughing.

No midlife crisis for me! Why suffer through midlife, I ask, when there are so many little crises throughout your life already! Spread the pain out and laugh more! And who says this is the middle of your life? I personally would love to live beyond 80, so I have yet to reach the middle of my life! When I do decide on an end date, then I'll be able to decide what the midlife date is!

Time was when older women were respected and revered for their wisdom. The old crone was usually a woman of some status and respect in the village of yore, somebody who had seen life at its best and worse and survived to tell the tale. She was somebody who had answers, but knew when it was best to be a silent supporter to allow the youngsters to figure things out on their own. I am not a crone, but that is something that I aspire to. I see women who are double my age and they are out dancing through life and laughing a mile a minute, regardless of the wrinkles each laugh makes. Badges of honour, each and every one.

So, I am going to enjoy 39 and view it as a training ground for my 40's. May I have the grace of my sister in law who accepted our Stonehenge card with the caption "See? There is something older than you!", the practicality of my lovely mother who sent me a card that doubles as a fan for the hot flashes that are to come (a good German woman who believes that preparation is everything!) and the sense of humour of my friend who gave me a card at the coffee shop this morning wishing that my year (and coffee cup) "runneth over" with good things, may I keep the whimsy of my daughter who took me to Timmy's tonight for a birthday doughnut. Because life doesn't end at 40 ... it is just beginning!

Signing off as I descend to the workshop for a night of caffeine induced sewing thanks to my daughter, husband and dear friend!

Second thoughts can lead to surprises

2007-08-07T19:41:00.000-04:00

Well, despite the initial sense of boredom with the latest project, I finished the top. And received a pleasant surprise! I am so glad that I didn't toss the top unfinished. I learned a few things from this top. First, I was right in not needing an FBA. It fits fine without it, but a small one would not be amiss if I want to use a s.a. of greater than 3/8" on the s.s. Second, I did need to lower the bustline about an inch or two to get it in the place I want it to be. It is OK where it is, but would be better lower. Third, I like this kimono sleeve style on me. I am pleasantly surprised! There is a bit of an armscye crease, but I think this is inherent in the design. If I am wrong, somebody please let me know ... I am always open to constructive correction! The last thing is that this would be great in a knit, so I will make at least one more from the supply of rayon knits from the stash. I suspect that the knit will fit better than the woven unless I do the FBA to give a bit more ease. Last lesson, Mindy's cover needs to be adjusted. It seemed way too small on her. So that will be a project for a rainy day I think!

So, I am glad I finished this top, even though the initial reaction was not very good. So, sometimes it pays to keep going even though you really don't want to!

Next up is a skirt project for the monthly S&B at Darrell's. A simple skirt with 3 original elements added. Lots of leeway there. I have decided to use the Hot Patterns Sportive Skirt as a base. I had initially planned on taking a pencil skirt and adding panels and a curved waistband on my own. But then my thought process was interrupted by the screaming from the Workshop Closet. Turns out I had a pattern already there with some of the elements I wanted already there! Amazing what you can hear when you actually listen to the Closet ...

I am going to use a medium weight dark green wool in the stash that was always intended to be a skirt. That way, I can later progress into a tailored jacket out of a coord checked wool. This is something that I have been wanting to do for some time, and since I am now seriously trying to re-enter the workforce, I now need that interview suit. So the question now is, what other elements to add. If I remove the box pleat from the back, I can then add a flounce to the bottom or a block of Hemline pleats in the side panels, or even just switch the box pleat to a set of narrower pleats. I plan to eliminate the waistband and instead use a deep curved faced yoke with belt loops. But I need one more element ... Maybe a welt pocket somewhere? I will have to see where the seams are when I muslin this up later on tonight. If the panel seams lie in the right place, maybe I can do a vertical pocket there. If not then I may have to do an angled pair in the side panel.

Second thoughts

2007-08-05T18:18:00.000-04:00

Ever start a project with some enthusiasm only to have that slowly but steadily disappear as you progress? You know what I mean. You've done it. Picked a pattern, matched it to stash fabric in your mind and cleared the table of project so that you can carry on uninterrupted. Then, from the moment you lay out the fabric you hear that inner voice murmuring. First, the fabric is narrower than expected. Easy fix, you alter the layout (who follows those things anyway?). Then you start cutting (there should be enough ease with smaller s.a., after all, it is loose fitting, right?). Of course you did a dry fit of the pattern and the fabric pieces, right? You didn't just rely on measurements, did you? Because this is supposed to be an easy top for those hot days you are taking it easy sewing it together. Checking the directions even though it is all obvious (except for the insertion of the mandatory modesty panel, those are really hinky!), you start sewing. And, the more you sew, the more you really don't like what it is shaping up to be.

This is where I am at. The fabric is a cotton paisley print from a surprise bundle last summer. I thought this would be an easy project for a nice summer top, but it isn't forming up that way. The fabric is light enough, but there is not enough of it and I think I really should have done an FBA even though the numbers said I didn't have to. I think I am getting too complacent in my sewing. So, I am really not sure this will work out in the chosen fabric for fit issues. But I really don't seem to mind at all. I think I will finish and then re-eval as to whether or not I re-start in a different print. I have some nice summer calicos and florals in the stash that would suit this. I will have to see whether or not the kimono style sleeve suits me body or not, though. This is a new one on me. Either way, at least I am sewing again!

There is a new challenge at the S&B at Darrell's for August. A simple skirt with 3 differnent elements to it. I think that my mind is on that project right now and that is why I am not crazy about this top right now. I have till the 3rd week to get the skirt done. MB and I are brainstorming design ideas ... I hope to start the pattern once the Pilot is back to work on Tuesday. Whether I start from a ready project or I draft my own is something I am still trying to decide on.

Magazine Musings ...

2007-07-18T14:31:00.001-04:00

It is interesting to see that Taunton Press has decided to cease publication of it's latest offering, "Sew Stylish". With the website up at the same time, I was watching to see how much content would be duplicated in the website. As I saw the site expand to include so many contributors, I began to wonder if it would become the main focus of the Sew Stylish staff. After all, the internet is the fastest medium in which to spread a message. It is also, so the "experts" say, the primary medium for the younger generation. It also doesn't require printing presses and a staff to handle subscriptions and can be advertising driven. So, it is not a surprise that the online version is taking over. Response time is so much faster online. Nothing like instant gratification in publishing!

The comments on the demise of the mag puzzle me, I must admit. I picked up a couple of issues to compare to Threads (to which I suscribe). While there were some articles that were specific to SS, I found the majority to have been copied from Threads (I did like the Formalwear themed issue, however, as it was a useful beginning reference for sewing formalwear). So, in light of this, I wonder why so many people said they preferred SS to Threads? Is it a question of layout? Of strictly article content (this would be puzzling considering the twinning of some of the content)? I would really like to know ... Anybody care to enlighten me with their views? I would love to discuss this ...

Pant foundation

2007-07-15T17:21:00.000-04:00

Last night saw me start the pant foundation for the second time. Technically, it was the third time, but I figure the almost complete erasure of the first draft to be a drastic editing, not a re-start. The instructions are fairly straightforward, but I seem to have hit a stumbling block for a while on one step, but I think I have made it past that hurdle alright. I'll find out for sure when I get to the muslin stage!

The foundation (the portion of the pant above the crotch line) is formed by measuring your ankle to waist height and using that as a centre line from which you draft the front and back patterns. You then mark the crotch point, the hip point and the waist points on this line and then extend perpendicular lines according to the amount stated in the instructions. The result is a rectangle shape on each side of the centre line. The problem I have been having seems to lie in the formulas used to draw these lines. Whenever I got to the point of drawing in the darts and extensions, the back numbers never seemed to work out. The numbers would have me extending into the front piece ... so I read it through again and discovered a little note that said to decrease the dart intake by 1/4" if the waist measurement met up with the centre line. Seeing as my measurement bypassed the line, I just marked the side seamline 1/4" in from centre. We'll see how that works out when I muslin it up.

Tonight, I draft the leg extensions ... I think I will update later on with photos to better explain. This won't make sense to those of you who have not done this before. IT barely makes sense to me

Sewing Man Shirts

2007-07-12T20:29:00.000-04:00

I have written before of my quest for the perfect fitting shirt for the muscle bound Pilot. Today it takes a quirky side route ... His new position allows him to wear civilian clothes on Fridays. Due to the July Temps, he wanted a short sleeved shirt really quickly for TOMORROW. Turns out the majority of the shirts in his portion of the Closet are POLY and he doesn't like them in hot weather. So, prior to him going shopping for a new shirt (Which we all know won't fit him anyway!), I made him try on the shirts already there that were LS, in the hope that I could cut one down sleeve wise. He has two striped shirts hanging, one is a Hathaway, I am NOT cutting that one until it wears out and can be used as a pattern! Then, in the midst of other shirts, there is the KS shirt I made about 2 years ago. "Try it on", I asked. What was too large then, now FITS!! That is what one full year of daily gym workouts to relieve stress will do ... Had I known that the old pattern would now fit, I would not have had to go bother Darrell. Not that that is a bad thing ...

Except for the sleeves, which are now too short to wear. So, that shirt is now off to the cutting table to become a short sleeved shirt. That means that the second shirt, ageing down in the Shop can be finished and worn for Fridays as well. I sense a menswear binge coming ... as soon as we can agree on fabrics, that is!

Pant Pattern Theory

2007-07-07T10:04:00.000-04:00

Before heading to the drafting table, I did some more reading last night. The process of drafting pants is very mathematically. Why this surprised me, I don't know. When I first learned how to do an FBA, it was a similar process. I cut and spread according to measured amounts. In altering my existing pant patterns, it was adjusting by eye all the time. I find that I like the math approach better. It just fits my brain better. Whether or not it will fit my body better, I will find out soon enough, I suppose! I have a pattern printed off from Pattern Maker that I have yet to tape together and sew up. I think I will sew that one up after I have the self drafted pattern done to compare. I have not seen that one reviewed before, so it will be interesting to compare the two. The information that follows is taken from the Helen Joseph Armstrong book Patternmaking for Fashion Design, 4th edition. I am trying not to copy it wholesale, but I do think that for those of you who have not self drafted a pant pattern before, (like me) some of the information behind the process interesting and maybe even helpful.

The intial idea of drafting my own pattern from scratch was quite daunting. How would I handle the shaping of the pieces? How do I determine the crotch curve? How would I draw it? Once I realized that the whole pattern's shape grows as you use the measurements, it seemed easier. The shape starts with a vertical line with a number of horizontal points marked on it according to your measurements. These points are then extended to horizontal lines whose lengths are determined by your measurements and some minor math (all of which is easily diagrammed in the Armstrong book). The curve is also drawn this same way.

I had initially intended to start with the culottes, but closer reading revealed that culottes are based on an A Line skirt with a crotch extension added. Not what I want right now. While the thought of drafting a skirt block also appeals to me, my project this summer is to perfect the pant! So, which one to choose first? Armstrong's trouser pattern is the next logical place to start. The slack is based on the trouser pattern, but my real goal is a nice city short/pedal pusher as an end product. But first I have to draft the trouser, so I guess I will end up with both in muslins!

My time at the table is limited this weekend as I promised Monkey Girl that the next thing off the table is her new bathrobe/housecoat. I am using this cute Simplicity 4767 for her. I made her some PJ's last winter. She loved them but decided that the absence of fabric on her neckline was too chilly for winter temps, so this is now a summer PJ pattern. I cut the robe out of a nice soft yellow Minky that I found at Wal Mart last year for a great price just for this purpose. And I had just enough to sew this up. From now on, I go for my standard yardages for fudge factor. I had hoped to cut the robe longer to allow for the inevitable growth spurt that follows each sewing session for her! Not a chance ... although, there was probably enough last year when I first bought it ... It is all cut out and once I re-thread the serger with lighter threads, I will finish the edges first as it is very messy.

I aim to have it finished for tonight's bath routine, but I do have some shopping to do this afternoon. A coursemate of the Pilot is coming tomorrow with his family. When we were in Toronto, I was given a crash course in Pakistani cooking at his home. Tomorrow I have to recreate what I learned. Tomorrow I get to make Biryani, a wonderful spiced meat and rice dish that is spicy and oh so yummy! To top it off I plan on making a traditional dessert as well. As the family is Muslim, I have to get my meat from a store that stocks Halal meats. No biggy ... I absolutely LOVE going into ethnic grocers ... the smells are divine and I always get new recipes and techniques to add to the Kitchen. I have my list and am waiting for Pilot and Hamster Boy to get back from Rugby. After some lunch and some other errands, we are off to get groceries! I may make the meat tonight and then let it sit in the sauce so that all I have to do is the rice tomorrow.

Next in line ...

2007-07-06T19:32:00.000-04:00

Now that Bollywood is finished, I am ready for the next major project. Aside from the spattering of kid sewing and finishing that shirt for the Pilot, I am determined to draft a pant pattern from scratch. Last year I bought Helen Joseph Armstrong's pattern drafting book and have been dutifully skimming it for a year. Time to put measuring tape to body and then pencil to paper!

I figure the amount of time I spend altering patterns can be better put to use drafting my own from scratch. I don't have software and am not sure I want it as I love handling patterns! I can much easier see how to change patterns to reflect the styles I want since I started with this book. And, since the budget may not allow me to take the courses I want this fall, I think I will start with this for now and then see whether or not I need to pay tuition for what I want to do. Once I have mine done, I have convinced a friend to let me do her a pair as well. This will give me experience and her new clothes as she drops her post baby weight. Win win I say!

So, tonight I have the Pilot take that measuring tape to me and then I will start the process. Armstrong's book has foundations for culottes, pants, trousers and jeans. I think I will start with the culottes first as they are fuller and I have a nice stash cotton that would be perfect for summer wear! Then I will go for the pants (only cut to short length).

I have yet to see a comprehensive review of this process anywhere, so I intend this series to be as detailed as I can make it without copyright problems. In other words, I will take photos but I won't type out the entire process. I will, though, post some of the math that I found interesting. To draft your pattern, you start with your hip and waist measurements and then manipulate those to get your crotch extensions, depth and so on. But that will be tomorrow's entry, so I will leave you all in suspense until then!

Bollywood Bash ...

2007-07-05T14:55:00.000-04:00

Well, we are home! The graduation is over and was wonderful! The Pilot managed to turn it into a second honeymoon by booking us a room in the fancy hotel we spent the original honeymoon in as well as our first anniversary. This was all done without my knowledge, so when I arrived with my bags, he says with a grin, "Don't unpack too much ... we're not staying long". What a night! The restaurant had a wonderful view of Lake Ontario and the city as it revolved, giving us the full view of the sunset over the horizon. Perfectly romantic! Even with all the others at the table. We all were very quiet as we sat with our spouses and watched the sun go down. It has been a long 10 months, even for those who were lucky enough to be with their families the whole time. For those of you who put up with my private and public rants over the past year, thanks for putting up with me. Your kind words of patience often helped me get through this single parent thing. Now I just need to adjust to him still being here all the time!

I almost called this post "The Eagle Has landed ... in Bollywood" but thought better of it. It just isn't me ... but almost! The dress was a huge success. The Pilot had spoken about the dress (All he knew was that it was silk, no more info allowed) to the women on course who wanted to know what was being worn so that they could judge what to wear themselves. He was no help to them, but the rampant curiousity had me almost swarmed when we arrived. Those who knew I had made the dress were amazed and were asking permission to touch the fabric. Those who didn't know, soon found out as the word spread throughout the wives. I even had a Stacy London moment as the wife of a US Air Force officer came up and said "SHUT UP! You did NOT make that dress! By. YOUR. SELF! Tell me you do this for a living and where because I want you to make me something! WHERE DID YOU GET THAT FABRIC!!!!!" Between that reaction and the two German Officer's wives who both gave great compliments (one wanted to know which boutique I shop at that sells matching shoes!), my ego got quite the boost that night ... even before the wine started to flow!

So, credit where credit is due: To Darrell, thanks for the fabrics and the confidence. We'll talk more when/if that US wife comes up for a fitting! To MB, thanks for all the encouragement and advice! Ells, your knowledge, as always, is a comfort when I ask for help. Enough small talk ... what you really want is to see the dress, right? So, here it is after the night of dancing and socializing! I did end up hand stitching a modesty panel in the day before I left, but I think that it still works ...

The gathering shifted a bit I think when I stitched the bodice to the waist panel, so I am not 100% with the way the bodice lies, especially in the centre panels of the front. I had some concern about the fabric and the pattern, but in the end, it turned out OK. The last bit of hindsight self-criticism? I think I should have NOT added the fullness to the bodice. To my mind, it really emphasizes the Twins. So, should I actually do this as a summer dress, there will be no additional fullness on top. Too bad the Pilot couldn't get the shoes in the shot ... he is learning how to use his new digi cam. Finally, he joins the rest of us in this century! Suffice it to say that I found a pair of strappy leather sandals in a beautiful bronze that actually matched the contrast on the dress and I found them at Sears of all places! Fate, my friends, it had to be fate!

Well, I am off to get supper going for the restless kidlings. Iffy weather and friends being away has made them restless ... time to go shopping, I think! It always makes me feel better!

A quick note ...

2007-06-26T11:06:00.000-04:00

This is just a quick note to say that I am about 30 minutes and one load of dishes away from leaving to join the Pilot. I am picking up the kids and then heading to my sister's for one night and then leaving them with her for the rest of the week whilst I and the Pilot enjoy the first weekend without children since before Hamster Boy was born. In that time, we will pack his room up, attend a garden party/graduation ceremony, a formal dinner at Toronto's CN tower and then maybe even dance the night away! We will then return home with the kids on Saturday, in time for our National Holiday.

The dress is finished, but I have to apologize for not having a photo done. You'll have to wait till I come back and have the photos uploaded. The skirt is also done, and while I did manage to get a top cut out, it is not coming with me. I ran out of time as there was unexpected laundry to be done last night as well.

So, I will post when I come back, with my family reunited at last! Then it will take a while to get used to having him here full time again! I love being an Air Force Wife!

Bollywood Gets a Makeover!

2007-06-24T17:09:00.000-04:00

Yippee! The redesigned bodice works wonderful! Extending the contrast bands all the way to the waist panel looks really nice. The slight gathering on the bodice also works well. The fit is better and I love the look of it. Uniquely me!

Something that I found difficult was the understitching of the lining. I had to understitch the armscye and the neckline and I found that I had to start at one end of the armscye and then stop at the shoulder seam, then start back at the other end of the armsyce and do the same. It probably would have been easier if the shoulder was a bit wider, but I managed it anyway.

The skirt gathered like a dream as I laid it out so that there was less embellishment at the top edge. I even managed to French seam the sides and the contrast panels. All I have left to do is to hem the skirt and the lining. The zip is in and hand stitched already. I am happy with it, although I must say that this has been a hard journey. I probably could have done without the bodice gathers in hindsight, but I am not about to take it apart!

Tomorrow I leave to go bring back the Pilot for good. His course ends on Thursday and my sister is taking the kids for me for the week. Yup, we have reached the point in our parenthood journey that we are taking a few days WITHOUT the kids as we pack him up and attend all the functions this week. So, I hope to have the dress photo'd up and posted tonight. I may even have something else done as well ... I have the HP Trumpet skirt half cut out already. I had already done a muslin in the fall, so this is an easy sew up. It is getting the bias stripes matched up that is the fun part! I am dreaming in technicolour here as I also hope to have a simple bias top cut out and sewn together to hang overnight for early morning hemming.

See you all later (much later) on tonight ...

The Bollywood Saga Continues ...

2007-06-22T19:24:00.000-04:00

Well, I have finished the bodice and pinned the waist panel to it to see if I like it more than I did this morning. I don't. I dislike it even more. As you can see, the pleats are really invisible and it is much fuller than the muslin was. Even though the pleats are mainly on the side, I don't think that moving them over closer to the CF would change the armscye puff. It just is not appealing to me as it would give the dress the appearance of a puff ball tied in the middle.

So, I spent the better part of this afternoon cutting out another bodice. This time, I started with the bodice mount/lining pieces. I liked the princess line of the mount and it fit well. I added 5/8" in length and also constructed a contrast band for the neckline. Instead of the simple V, I took the contrast band all the way to the waist semline, so the dress will have a Duro like effect. To keep some of the original feel of the dress, I also added some slight fullness to the bodice, which I will gather in. I kept the mount fitted without any gathering as per the original pattern. As the gathering is so slight, I am omitting the interlining. I suspect that the interlining is another reason for the extreme puff factor. This omission will, I hope, give the bodice a softer feel to it. We will soon see ...

Listening to Your Fabric

2007-06-22T09:14:00.000-04:00

I am deep in the throes of Bollywood. I have completed the bodice, complete with one recut of the front. I am not sure what exactly went wrong there, but something did so I redid the fronts and things matched up this time around. I suspect that I forgot to add a s.a. on the contrast band I added. I am so glad that I reduced the gathering on the skirts, because I now have lots of Uh oh! fabric to play with! Of course, with each Uh oh! my wrap gets considerably smaller ...

Anyway, today's conundrum is the pleats. What looked very Grecian in the muslin, looks almost sloppy in the silk. I suspect it is the pussy willows that are causing the problem. The actual buds are almost chenille like, so when one lies on the crease of a pleat, they round it out like a gather. So, the seamline is trim and neat, but the pouf factor seems to be exagerated as the pleats are forced open by the fabric. As a result, I am going to remove all the pleating and gather the seamline. If I think it is still too full, then I will go back to the yardage and cut a new bodice, styled after the princess seamed bodice mount, only adding slight fullness at the bustline to echo the original design.

So, I am listening to the fabric on this one. The lesson for me? What looks good in muslin may not translate into the actual fabric. I trialed the gathers with a strip of the silk, I should have done the same with the pleats. I could have been done by now, but the song of the muslin was so much louder than the silk. It tends to be subtle and understated in it's teaching style. That muslin is so bold and bossy ... so pretentious, thinking it can behave like silk. This muslin didn't come through Ressy's dungeon, so I am not sure where it got such attitude!

Off to get the hair cut. I need a trim and Martin the Marvelous will be playing with the finish today as he tries to teach me how to "do" my hair to match this dress! If I can't do it on my own, then I have to try to get an appointment next week at a salon nearby the Pilot's residence. He comes home tonight for one last weekend trip.

On Shaving silk ...

2007-06-20T00:03:00.000-04:00

No this is not typo. I don't mean saving, I mean SHAVING. As in with a razor blade. The pussy willows on the silk are almost velvet like but are actually just satin stitched patterns. That means that I have to shave it down in the seamline areas so that the seams are straight and that they lie flat. That tends to slow down the pace a bit. I found that a plain blade works best in the hand and that I need to angle it slightly to get the best shearing effect without slicing the base silk.

To test my method out, I stitched the contrast hem piece to the skirt bottom on the front panel prior to completing the French seam. I think that this will be the most time consuming portion of the project. I also think that I will be pretty good at French seams by the end of it as well!

All I managed to do was completely cut the garment out and to interface the waist lining and to construct the waist panels. I had the final Scouts leaders meeting tonight. But I did manage to get some time in, anyway! Off to bed ... tomorrow is another day!

Beginning Bollywood ... for real!

2007-06-19T09:21:00.000-04:00

Although I said I wasn't going to sew over the weekend, Monkey Girl had a minor crisis. Her bathing suit from last year is too small and had a rip that was not worth fiddling with the stitch length on the serger for, so I threw together another suit for her. You see, she goes to the water park adjacent to the Rugby Pitch while Hamster Boy is playing. He is a proud member of the second tackle line on his squad. Now he gets to take down all the people he wants ... only he is discovering muscles he didn't know he had after an afternoon on the field! But he loves it! And I am proud to say that his squad won all their little games! WOO HOO! Go Scottish ...

I am about to head to the workshop to start cutting the fabric and lining. Unlike most linings, the Bollywood lining is not constructed independent of the dress and then bagged. Rather, it is attached in sections, so I actually have to cut the whole shebang out today. I am going to use some organza that I have in the stash for the bodice interlining rather than use self fabric or 2 layers of the lining.

I am taking a deep breath and readying myself for this. To keep me in the frame of mind (and to work them in), I am wearing the new shoes, bought just for this dress. I also am keenly aware of the fact that I only have 6 days in which to finish this dress and get the garden party dress done as well. So, I will be limiting my time online as I stick to the machines during the day. I will try to post my progress in the late evenings so that I have a means of ordering my thoughts for the next day. I make no promises about photos, however, until I have some significant progress made!

So, I am now off to pre-thread some needles for basting layers together and to layout and cut! I hope the silk is ready for this ...

Movie Night ....

2007-06-16T23:27:00.000-04:00

The Pilot and I had date night tonight! First one is a while, so we took it easy and saw the latest in the Pirate of the Caribbean Trilogy. AS the others, it was was a wild ride! Questions were answered and more were left asked ... but all I will say is, STAY UNTIL ALL THE CREDITS ARE DONE. Otherwise you miss a part. No spoilers, here, me hearties! Just sty till the credits are done... and there are a LOT of credits!

G'night all ... Hamster Boy has his first tackle rugby match tomorrow at noon thirty. I get to watch the half the match after I take my turn watching Monkey Girl in the water park adjacent to the rugby pitch. I think I will take the second half! Let the Pilot tell her it is time to get out of the water! Mwaa ha ha ... why should I always have that privilege?!

Go Scottish!

Sitch and Bitch Report

2007-06-16T08:24:00.000-04:00

No sewing to report, the Pilot is home for the weekend and the dress is to remain a secret until it is done and I am getting ready for the dinner!

BUT, I will give a little bit on the stitch and bitch that my friend, Darrell Thomas hosted last Wednesday. being the first session, this was more of a brainstorming session about what we all wanted this group to be. The first thing we all agreed on was that we would do some charity sewing. First project, to be handed in next month, is an apron or two for a Men's Shelter in the area. This organization helps men who are in need with shelter and whatever supplies they need to get back into a normal life. They always need aprons for their community kitchen, so that is what we will each do.

The make up of the group is nice. There are some older ladies and one that is a bit younger than me and we even have a gentleman who has taken the fashion design program at the local college. His wife is also a big sewer, having graduated with Darrell. what a wonderful concept ... couples sewing! Can you imagine shopping trips with those two? We all are looking for group support and the chance to learn some techniques and critical thought about current projects.

So, it looks like there will be some Show and Tell, some technique and some learning as well. The first Show and Tell was a Chanel jacket. One of the members attended a week long course one summer in Halifax, organized by Julie Culshaw of Timmel Fabrics. Susan Khalje and Judy Barlup were giving a week long seminar on the Chanel Jacket. Most of it is hand done and I tell you the result that I fondled and drooled over is fabulous! Hand quilted and even the sleeve was hand done! My word, it was truly inspiring to see the final result. Next session I am on tap to show the Bollywood Dress (no pressure) and our gentleman sewer will bring in one his tailoring projects he has underway for a client.

Aside from the program at the local college, there is a private school as well, but the cost for one year is way out of my league, so it is out of the question. But I think I may seriously look into the college program as it is in the part time studies department, so I wouldn't have to take it full time and spend $ I don't have. I could do a couple of courses at a time, which I can afford! I have 5 years to do 12 courses. I think I could manage it in 3 if I could take 2 or 3 courses per term. Have to see what the Pilot says; maybe if I pick up a part time job in the fall, that will pay for it ... The program is heavy in construction courses, there are 2 basic, 3 in tailoring and 3 in pattern drafting and one in draping plus a couple of others. I am really drooling over the chance to take these ... I have a few months to work on the budget to see how to make this happen!

Bollywood Gathering ...

2007-06-14T11:48:00.000-04:00

52" of one skirt panel needs to be gathered into a 9" waist panel. That's is what I measured today. Those numbers are from one back piece. The front is double that. 104" into about 18". Seems a bit excessive for my taste. So, I cut a 3" wide strip of the silk to 52" long and then gathered it into the 9". Then I loosened the gathers to the 18" of the front panel. Much nicer! So, I think I have my solution. I will reduce the skirt fabric width by half in each piece. That will still give me some fullness while not making me look huge!

Playing with that strip of silk also showed me how much "fun" I am going to have with this fabric. My word it frays fast! I am going to have to serge the edges clean, but I think I will also attempt French seams on the verticals. I have not used true French seams before (something which shocked Darrell last night), so this is another opportunity to expand my knowledge. I will practice on scraps.

I removed the too full skirt and then attacked the bodice. I took the bodice apart but for the CF seam. I removed the gathers in the bodice and then re-pleated, trying to keep the pleats more even in depth and in location. Rather than do it on Mindy as I did the first set, I took the bodice and had it flat on the table and then used the waist panel as a guide for the pleats. I started at the CF, about 5/8" away from the CF seam, taking about 5/8" in depth for each pleat. It took 13 pleats to make it fit the waist panel, with no side pleating this time. The same process was taken in the back, which I think looks particularly sharp! The skirt was reduced by 50% and then re-gathered and attached.

When I put it on Mindy, with the lining underneath, I see that there is room to deepen the waist panel a bit. I also see that I have to add some extra length to the bodice in the pleated area as that area seems to ride up a bit compared to the rest. I really love the way the back panel came out.

Now all I have to do is get the other side of the back done and try that on Mindy to see how it lies. I am a bit concerned about the fullness closer to the s.s., but will check that out on me before I do anything else. My hip curve is slightly different than Mindy's lately. She doesn't work out as she has an orbital right in front of her but she never seems to use it ...

Bollywood Day 2: things that make you go HUH?

2007-06-13T16:18:00.000-04:00

I have the front pleating redone and the waist panel and skirt attached to the bodice. The first comment, the bodice lies better with the skirt to weigh it down. And believe me there is a lot of fabric to weigh it down ... The front alone has slightly over 2 3/4" yards of fabric gathered to the waist panel, so there is a lot of downward pull. Here is what I mean about the fullness:

I am not sure if I like the hip effect of all that gathered fabric! There is the same amount of fabric in the back as well. This design is hiding the fact that I do have a figure, full that it is. I am not that square in shape! If it is way too much in the gingham, so I can only imagine how much it would be for the dupioni! I think I can safely remove at least half of the width and still have some slight gathering to give the fullness the design requires and the silk will give.

The back bodice piece is the same as the front, very full. While I have the Girls to help me fill out the front, I really don't know if I like all that fullness in the back. I think I may experiment with the back tomorrow. I can re-shape it according to the bodice mount, or I can just pleat out the extra ease and stitch it down on the muslin. If I like it, I'll transfer the changes to the pattern and go from there.

The waist panel is not near as wide as the sketch gives it to be. The lining has a skirt yoke to it, giving the extra width, but the actual waist panel is not that wide. That also may be widened to better suit my figure ... I will determine that once I have the other design variations figured out.

None of these changes is the fault of the pattern. It is all design changes that are being made to suit my body. The instructions are very clear and make a lot of sense once you see all the pattern pieces. So, before any of you decide to get on the anti HP bandwagon and start to grumble, please go to another blog. This is not the place for you ...

The BollyBodice has Begun ...

2007-06-12T16:31:00.000-04:00

I have made the minor alterations to the bodice mount/lining of the Bollywood dress. I forgot to mention that I also needed to raise the front V a bit for modesty's sake. The dinner at which this will be worn has us sitting with some international friends, so out of respect (and not wanting to provoke an international incident LOL!), I thought I should avoid showing my bra at dinner!

Here is the muslin lining:

The only concern I still have is the slight fullness at the armscye. It seems to want a dart there, but that might be because I have not clipped the s.a. in the muslin. It might lie flatter once I do that.

Here is the pattern piece for the front of the bodice. You can see how much it has been spread to give all that ease:

I stitched the fronts together and then pinned it to Mindy to play with, knowing that I need to raise that V a bit to accommodate the higher lining. I pleated out the left side of the bodice and pinned it at the bottom. I think I have some more work to do tonight in distributing the pleats for the best effect. I then gathered the right side and tried to spread the gathers as evenly as I could to make it flattering. I still see fullness starting at the armscye, although not as much as in the reviews I've seen. I will staystitch the armscye and the clip the s.a. to see if it disappears when I sew this version.

Bollywood Begins ...

2007-06-11T23:49:00.000-04:00

Although I seem to struggle with the HP pants, I must say that their upper body patterns are perfect for me. So far, I have only done a cardigan and a zip jacket and attempted a coat (which I altered beyond all need thus relegating it to the UFO bin). The two unaltered jackets fit like a dream with only the personal desire for a bit more length to the pieces. So, following this trend, I started the Bollywood dress. I cut out a size 16 from the old Glamour Girl range (which is now the "new" 16) and went for a muslin with standard s.a. of 5/8" in the lining/mount only. I started with this part as it is the more fitted portion of the dress.

The only alterations I had to do are extremely minor! First off, I needed to remove some ease to the front V neck by taking a dart out of about 1/2" at about 2" above the bustline. Then, in order to be able to wear the bra of my choice, I am raising the base of the V back by about 2", extending the zipper to a 16" vice the 14" called for. That, folks, is all I did. I know that the fit is supposed to be "neat" around the waist, and it is at this point of the evening. However, this is also due to me using 5/8" s.a at the CB seams vice the 3/4" called for. That extra 1/4" combined with control top pantyhose will make this dress perfect! So, tomorrow I will start cutting out the dress muslin and see about the fit of the BollyBodice.

I have to say that the fit styling of the lining is amazing! The bodice is a slight princess line with little easing required for the bustline (did I mention no FBA? at all??) that is then stitched to a waist panel. The skirt is also two piece, having a yoke and a skirt piece. This unit is then stitched to the bodice panel. There is a lot of shaping in the waist/hip area due to the separate pieces. Tomorrow I will take a picture and post it right away (now that I have figured out how to post with Picasa!) to show how nice this lies. I feel very glam in just the muslin with the shape this gives me. I would almost use this as a dress on it's own in a nicer fabric ... very 40's glam to my mind.

To say that I am excited about the so far lack of work is an understatement. Now if only I can get their pants to fit out of the package!

Birthday Unwrapping ...

2007-06-09T22:22:00.000-04:00

Well, Monkey Girl's party is over and done with and mostly cleaned up. We'll leave the presents out until the Pilot and Hamster Boy come home from their camping trip tomorrow afternoon. The 7 invited girls had fun and cooled off at the end in the sprinkler. After all left, she and I snuggled on the sofa and watched Bugs Bunny, what is not to love about that?

The only part I didn't like was having to disassemble all the toys from their packages. Not only are they sealed in plastic, each piece is wired to the backing board and sometimes even elastic bound on top of that. Then all is taped on the back. Then the whole assembly is in another plastic package. That was the almost tiring part of the whole day!

I kept the girls occupied by tracing off a picture onto pillowcases which they painted with fabric paints. A whole 30 minutes of fun and minimal mess, I was very impressed! Now they all have a special pillowcase to take with them on vacations/car trips, etc. I like doing useful things at parties like this rather than spending $ on dollar store toys that last a day and lots of candy (not that they all didn't get a balloon and a few chocolates in their pillowcases!).

No sewing tonight, I am beat. Having a party without the guys here was great for Hamster Boy, but tiring on me and I know the Pilot was torn between the two events, but I think Hamster Boy needed him more. This past year has been really hard on my son and he really misses his father. He also got short changed on me a bit this year as I still have afternoons with Monkey Girl, but he is at school, so he has little to no solo Mommy time. I think we will go camping for a long weekend once this whole thing is done. That way he and I can get together again without him having to compete with his little sister.

I just finished watching Last of the Mohicans on TV. We saw it on the big screen on our honeymoon. We were in the Rockies at the time, it was the Fall rut, so the elk were in fine form. As we drove through the woods to get back to our little cabin, we had to stop to allow a herd to cross the road. We opened the windows and heard the antlers hitting tree branches and hooves on the road. Very eerie in the dark after seeing a movie like that ... we laughed about that for a while after! I also love the music of that movie. It is great for running to!

I have the muslin lining for the Bollywood dress cut out and ready to go. I will fit that and then go onto the actual bodice. There will be changes coming to the BollyBodice (thanks MB for that term!) now that I see the pattern piece. It appears that the bodice started as a regular block, then was slashed and spread, starting from the armscye, giving the fullness in the design. My initial feeling is that I don't need to have that much fullness. The plan is to gather in one side and then to convert the gathers to tucks to take out the fullness on the other to see which is more flattering to my shape. The only reviews I have seen are of ladies that are less endowed than I am, so I can't really use their photos as a comparison. Maybe I will just fill it out better? Finally a use for the Twins? LOL! I am off to bed after checking on the Rodent while his Boy is away. He's been kicking bedding out of his cage lately as he makes a new nest in the corner rather than in his little side room. Very messy ... naughty Rodent!

Playing Photo Catch Up ...

2007-06-06T18:57:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the problems with the photos, it took me a bit to figure out how to post using Picasa! Here is the final post ...

I have been promising for a while now that I would get around to posting photos. Today is the day ... I have the long awaited Dragon shots, shots of the Raglan Princess T's and the Flower Girl dresses.

The initial dragon shots are out of date in that there has been some shape shifting due to going to the gym, so the fit is slightly different now. as such, I have re-taken shots of both pair to show the new fit. I may also cut off the khaki pair at the knee seam to make them into shorts.

The HP Chilled Out Sweats that needed a bit of tweaking are also shown below. Turns out what needed tweaking was my body! After one week at the gym and one week at home working out, things are "sitting" better but there is still room for improvement. This is why all the pant shots are new ones. The earlier ones just aren't real anymore! Amazing what some exercise can do in a short time! This feedback is much better than what I am seeing on the scales!

The Raglan T's got a work out this past weekend at the Area Centennial Beaveree. IT rained most of Saturday afternoon and was really muggy. I was quite comfy in those powerdry T's. And a couple of people actually asked where I bought the Beaver T's as the fabric were in Beaver colours (brown and blue). Very comfy indeed! The next ones will need to have a slightly larger neck opening, though. If I make this pattern in a woven, I will have to add more ease as they fit perfect for a knit. Not too tight and not constricting, but still fitted. LOVE IT! This T started out as this vintage Tunic pattern ...

and resulted in this new T:

Last, the Flower Girl dress. The first shot is the "muslin", where I used a donated stash cotton. I omitted the facing and used a foldover trim for the neckline instead. I also considerably shortened the skirt length, and only lined the sleeves in the muslin. The final version has the requested pink ribbons and unlined sleeves. The fabric is a bit heavier than I would have liked for a summer dress, but it works. There is some stretch to the fabric, so that is a benefit for the little girl who will be wearing it.

I am ready to go on towards Bollywood! I saw another version today. It was done in a silk, but not dupioni. Again, the wearer was not particularly buxom, but the dress seemed to emphasize the upper body and not have as much shape to it as I would like. This version had the added tulle underskirt, however, so that might emphasize the fullness even more. I am going to really need to take this slow as I want this to be fabulously fierce! To tease you all, here are the fabrics that Darrell picked out:

I'll post more later ... I am Bollywood bound for an hour or so before I get supper ready!

You win some and you lose some ...

2007-05-30T23:47:00.001-04:00

First off, to any hockey fans in and of California, I hope you treat your goalie like gold! That guy has a talent for snatching pucks like Tretiak! He is truly amazing ... That is the loss part of tonight's post.

The winning portion is the raglan sleeve princess T I've been working on. I dug out some white 4 way stretch interlock and did up muslin #1 and stitched with 3/8" s.a. as I had started with a vintage size 12 pattern and wanted to make sure I would have enough room, even with the stretch factor happening. I also did a small FBA (for me anyway) of 1", which I eased in. I lopped off the collar pieces using the facings as a guide and I think it worked out OK for the muslin. I need to put it on Mindy and adjust the neckline for shape a bit more, though. Tonight, all I did was serge the edge and then use some FOE from the stash. I then did a contrast zig zag over the seamline for a bit of styling. I also topstitched the seamlines in a contrast thread.

The verdict? I can use the full 5/8" s.a. at the s.s and the shoulder seam in interlock. Otherwise, I think I will keep to the 3/8" in the bodice to accomodate the decreased stretch in the PD I will be using. This design is a winner! I hope that tomorrow I can post photos and maybe even a review over at PR ...

I know I am way behind on my photo postings, but I have been busy downloading my photos from Yahoo and then uploading them to Picasa. I haven't even touched my reviews over at PR yet ... that will be a long process. It would be easier if I could print out a list of all my reviews (not my catalogue) so that I could mark off which ones I had actually re-linked. My catalogue is also way out of date. I really don't use it much, so it can't help me in this effort without many hours of cross checking with my file cabinet.

This weekend Monkey Girl turns 6. It is also a weekend Beaver Camp to celebrate the Centennial. So, she gets her birthday at Camp and I don't have to bake a cake for another week, which is when she has her party (while Hamster Boy is off at his Cub camp with the Pilot). Only 30 more days till he comes home for good ... yikes! I better get to Bollywood soon!

Frustration Fix ...

2007-05-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

What does one do when your favoured hockey team is losing it's first game in the final series of the Stanley Cup? You sew. But not client work, that is just forecasting ripstitching! So, I started to unpack some TNT patterns for easy T's, but could not find anything that matched my need to let out all that frustration. I love my princess T shirt, but that still wasn't doing it for me. What I wanted was a nice princess lined T with a raglan sleeve. This is something I have been thinking about for a long time, but hadn't been sure of just how to accomplish it. Do I start with the raglan or the princess? Do I start from scratch with a T shirt?

I pulled out my Helen Joseph Armstrong pattern drafting book and went at it. There are wonderful explanations of how to take a bodice with a bust and waist dart and make it into a princess line. So, I went into the stash and pulled out a vintage pattern that I recently bought. It had the requisite raglan sleeves and the two darts required to start with, so the morphing would be less than if I had to draft the raglan after. Following the Armstrong directions, I drafted the princess lines, making it an armhole princess pattern.

As I was winning with this process, my team ended up losing the game. We'll spot you this one game, Anaheim ... for Walt's sake. (I'll leave the debate about what he'd think about owning a hockey team for other boards!) You played well, just watch the stick action behind the play ... it'll get you in trouble someday!

Tomorrow morning I finish off the Flower Girl dress and then fool around some more with the pattern. It has a collar that is cut on with the sleeve front, very interesting! The fact that this is intending to be a T shirt means that the collar needs to come off somehow. That can be for Wednesday's game!

Go Sens Go! If only I could edit the Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck "Wabbit Season-Duck Season" sound clips to be Sens Season-Duck Season ...

Client Updates...

2007-05-28T17:19:00.000-04:00

It has been a while since I had time to sit and post. Life has been getting in my workshop time lately. The sun has come out big time and the bulbs arrived, so the daylight hours has been taken up with planting! The Canadian May long weekend has come and gone along with our annual trip to the zoo. One thing about being a family that moves a lot, you make some neat traditions. One of ours is that on the May long weekend, we go to a zoo. This year, we joined the Pilot at a hotel and then went to the zoo. We also had a night with my sister on the way as a means of avoiding serious road traffic.

The Flower Girl dress has been started. I drafted a facing for the neckline as the fabric is hefty enough to go without. The facing is on, the shoulder seams are done and the 2 piece sleeves are hemmed and lined up for gathering. I always take a break at this point in the sleeve. Makes for less ripstitching, I find!

I am ignoring the guide sheets for the most part, only referring to them for the match point on the sleeves. Rather than setting in the sleeve, I am going to put it in flat once I have them gathered. Then I can sew up the s.s. so much easier. Another change is to attach the gathered skirt in pieces. I am gathering the back to the separate back pieces and doing the same for the front. I did this for the muslin and made sure to keep the s.a. clear of gathers for the s.s. stitching and it worked out fine. It also makes putting the zipper in flat a lot easier. I am once again using an invisible zipper. One more thing I learned from the muslin was that I have to keep the bodice/skirt seamline free from gathering at the CB as well as 5/8" into the garment for ease of zipping.

The first batch of nylon has arrived for the salon capes and I will get at those by tomorrow night, I hope. I have been confirmed for 4 capes in total and no aprons. Those will be easy to do. I examined a lot of capes in use and saw that they are edged with either a narrow hem or with bias binding. I think I will go without the binding. I do have to go buy some snap tape, though, for the necklines.

Once these are done, I will have the table cleared for Bollywood ...

Inspiration!

2007-05-21T19:34:00.001-04:00

No, I am not going to talk about snoop shopping or sewing projects by those I admire. Today is about the ability to keep going when the going is tough. I see my dear friend MB fighting her cancer with grace and humour. I see another friend who is re-defining herself after unforseen changes to her life with a smile on her face and with a renewed confidence. A close friend who lives in the same city as me is fighting to drop over 50 pounds through exercise and eating right. Ressy, the Evil Fabric Queen herself, is living with diabetes and now has another lifestyle adjustment to make as she tries to eliminate gluten from her diet among other things.
I have been a part time single mother for the last year (38 more sleeps ...) as the Pilot commuted from his post to home on weekends whenever he could.

We all have a personal battle of some type to go through in our lives. We all manage to do it. We get our support from online message boards, blogs of similar minded people, e-mails and phone calls. No matter how that support comes, I am glad it is there. Reading that Ressy was using the Dreadmill at her hotel made me go into the exercise room at my hotel over the weekend instead of lounging in/beside the pool while the kids splashed away. Knowing that my friends are eating well had me make better choices at the restaurants we ate at all weekend. Knowing I had to check in with Shallon when I got home made me second guess a lot of things ... there is not much you can hide from your best friend/massage therapist!

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks to all of you whom I check in with, whose sites I lurk and for all those e-mails I read. I just wanted to let you all know that it does make a difference.

Tomorrow I post sewing, honest! I will be starting the Flower Girl Dress tonight after the Monkeys are in bed and should finish tomorrow afternoon. I just have to get a zipper and some trim for the bodice. The Pilot has said to stop working on the shirt to focus on my dress and paid projects. Little did he know I already had ... then he reminded me that there is a garden ceremony as well. DOH! Another dress to make ...

Bollywood, the Beginning ...

2007-05-09T18:17:00.000-04:00

I took the Pilot to Darrell's today. I managed to baste in a sleeve and a cuff as well as the collar before we went. It made for a long night and an early morning, but it was worth it. The shirt got the stamp of approval from Darrell wrt fit. He gave some advice for hem lengths on formal vs casual shirts that the Pilot actually listened to as well. Turns out that he now likes having shirts untucked ... after almost 20 years, he has surprised me! We then looked at the shirting selections (with me hiding the price tags) so that I have my limits of colours. Bold stripes are out and don't even mention pink (although with his colouring, he certainly could pull it off!) but he will take some patterns in his shirts, thank you very much! I now have permission to mass produce shirts in both casual and more formal fabrics as much as I want. His new post will require civilian business attire for Fridays so come July, he will need them!

While I was there, Darrell slipped me a bag with my fabrics, lining, thread (some silk and some Poly/cotton) and a zipper. The fabric is even more luscious than the sample. I will try to match it to pantone cards and take a photo later on. We are not letting the Pilot see what is happening, you see. I want a complete surprise on his part. As for this Blog, when I mention my sewing site, my Techno Peasant hubby thinks I am referring to either Pattern Review or Stitcher's guild. He is blissfully unaware of Newman's Needle as anything other than my business name!

Re. the shirt, I have to re-cut the right front panel as it had a little mishap with the serger, it decided that it needed to be up close and personal when I was trimming the neckline seam. I have a nick about 1/4" that is butting up to the placket seam. Good thing I have enough to re cut that panel and then redo. Now I just have to rip all that stitching ... good thing to do while watching the hockey game tomorrow ... GO SENS GO!

Now. The dress. I have taken the instructions out and given them a glance. They are written well enough, but I think I need to see the pieces they are talking about to make them click in the brain. Aside from the lining being called the mount, there appears to be side and front/back panels. That is a surprise at that doesn't show in the drawing. Also, the only review I have seen doesn't mention it either. So, I think that the only way to go forward from here is to take the pattern out and start cutting pieces. I have to decide if I am going to choose a 14 or a 12 in this. When I made the Patchoulli, I cut and sewed a muslin of the bodice without any changes to guage fit and then hacked and slashed from there. I will do the same thing with this one.

Can't wait to see what that envelope holds!

Flower Girl Update

2007-05-08T15:35:00.000-04:00

Well, the "muslin" is done but for hemming. The sleeves were a bit of a pain ... Lining a tulip sleeve and then gathering the overlapped cap made for a lot of fabric! So, I think I will not line the final dress. This is for a July wedding, so I think lining would be too much for this little girl. The final fabric is a heavier weight cotton so the lining is not really needed anyway. I will have to draft a facing for the neckline but that is not very hard.

A personal pat on the back wrt to the pattern grading ... the pattern in the proper size arrived yesterday in the mail. When I compared my re-draft to the actual size 4, I was very happy to see that except for minute differences in the armscye curve, I managed to get it right! Very nice to know that my technique worked!

The Pilot's shirt is all cut out. The shirting that MB sent is beautiful to work with except for that border print! Very subtle, but made for a challenge wrt layout! I finally decided to use that border for the front placket and the cuffs. I would have liked to have had it at the CB, but that would have required a seam and that is not on! I also cut the yoke, collar and stand on the bias. The Pilot needs that extra curve in those areas, I think. I took the time to match the stripes on the yoke and the pocket. I want this one to be wearable for him. He needs a few good shirts and if this one will fit then I can work on one for him for the grad dinner after the Dress is done. There is no hope of getting the Dress muslin done for tomorrow as I have a Scout meeting tonight and I have lots of coins to roll from all those almonds the kids sold! So, after Hamster Boy comes home I have to run out to the dollar store to get wrappers.

Confessions of a Confused Sewer ...

2007-05-07T12:54:00.000-04:00

I finished the final alterations to the Dragon version #2 the other night. Even though I took in that back leg seam, they still bag out on me. I am NOT HAPPY! They look not too bad until I take the digi camera shot of the back. Then I can see all the wrinkles. Ick. It wasn't until I read the latest Threads issue that I had a lightbulb moment. This pattern needs drapey fabric. For me, that meant something lightweight. The article by Linda Lee on choosing pant fabrics for drape showed that I was really wrong about drape. I think that I actually need something heavier in weight but not hand to carry off the extra ease in these pants. I think the fabrics I have been using are too crisp despite their lightweight. So, seeing as I don't have anything in the stash that will suit this pattern, it has to go on an extended hiatus. Dragon hibernation if you will ...

On the other hand, I do have lots to keep me busy. The Flower Girl muslin is 50% done. I should have it to hem stage by supper. That way I can arrange a fitting for it later in the week. Tomorrow will be the Pilot's shirt second muslin. This one will be sewn up in some lovely shirting given to me by Mary Beth over at The Stitchery (sending lots of virtual hugs, MB!). I need to have that done quickly as we have a fitting on Wednesday with Darrell. Also, I want to have a muslin of the bodice of the Bollywood Dress done for he same day. That way I can get Darrell's help if I need it without a second trip downtown. I pick up the fabric Wednesday as it has arrived. He promised to have the lining and silk thread to match when I get there. I love that man!

My other clients have given the thumbs up on the field test of the rip stop nylon for the salon capes, so I can go ahead and start with those once the Flower Girl is fitted and approved. Those capes can be whipped up in a day, I think. I just have to wait for the fabric to arrive ...

Fabrics ...

2007-05-03T16:26:00.000-04:00

The Closet is responsible, not me. It convinced me that I did not have enough summer weight tops and next to nil lighter colours for spring. I needed simple tops. I have the TNT patterns, but not the knits to make them up. So I went off to wazoodle to buy a couple of grab bags. As I live in a humid climate, I asked for 2 bags of wicking knits. Last summer I loved what I got, so I was looking forward to what Lee Ann would select. There were some repeats from last year in the blues and the soft yellow, but I got a orangey colour and a lavender as well as a nice steel blue with a hint of green, a khaki green, a chocolate brown and a nice black as well. I am pretty sure I can make a wardrobe of knit tops from that! The orange will be coord with the brown as will that blue green. The lavender will become a nightie, I think, for Monkey Girl. She might even like the orange. Hamster Boy refused with a "What are you thinking" look. I had to try ... I also picked up a nice textured white poly knit that is better in person than online.

News from Darrell ...

2007-05-03T12:34:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I received a wonderful e-mail from my friend Darrell Thomas. Starting next month, he will be holding a "Stitch and Bitch" session at the shop. The idea being that the first 30 minutes will be discussions of any personal projects on the go and an opportunity to get help, then there may be a technique or two demonstrated and then the monthly creative challenge will be presented. The idea is to get us all sewing something unique. The example given was to sew up a skirt with a certain number of vertical and horizontal seams by the next meeting. There may also be charity projects the odd month as well. I can't wait! There are so many of us who love to sew and get together, so we take classes, even though we already have a certain skill, just for the community touch. We don't have the ASG up here, so this will certainly fill a niche!

Now all I have to do is wait till June 13th ...

Daily Dragon Update #4

2007-05-02T23:30:00.000-04:00

Well, I managed to redo the crotch curve tonight. I was not a fan of how it was lying, so I took out the Silhouette pant sloper and compared. It was identical up to about 2 inches from the inseam. The HP curve was higher than the proven Silhouette one, so I lopped it off IAW proven pants. I then clipped the crotch curve, took in the inseam and the s.s. to the full 5/8" s.a. as they were too baggy. A big improvement, but there is still too much fullness at the back seam where the side and back panels meet. This is as far as I am going. When I pinch out the fullness, the pants are beautiful, so I think this fabric is still not right. I think it really needs something fluid.

I did some playing on the Flower girl dress pattern today. I really wanted to try my hands at grading a pattern, so I traced off the bodice pieces with all sizes (6-8) and markings. I then connected corner points, notches and dots and extended the lines inward. I then measured the lines for the existing sizes to see if there was a set distance. Where there was, I continued the distance inwards, using my curve when I needed to blend lines, specifically in the neckline and sleeve areas. The skirt was easier as the only difference was in the hem length, so that was a simple change. Tomorrow, I do the tulip sleeves. That requires fresh eyes. By tomorrow afternoon, I will be able to start a muslin to check the fit. I think I will do the first one with 3/8" s.a. to allow for growing room and "just in case".

I apologize for the lack of photos of late, but I have been sewing after the kids are in bed as I have been spending my days in the garden. This late night sewing is taking its toll, but the weather is so nice, I had to get the garden done. I only have to help Monkey Girl with her first flower garden and then I am done for a couple of weeks, anyway. That is when the new bulbs arrive! There is one more patch in the front bed, but that needs to have the backfill of gravel passed off as soil to be removed and put under the front step to shore it up. That needs the Pilot. He wants to do lots of "puttering" next week while he is home, so I see major work in his future ... I am even "renting" him out to a neighbour who wants to replace their fence. But please don't hold your breath, in case life gets in my way!

No Dragon Tonight ...

2007-05-01T19:34:00.000-04:00

Nothing to report on the dragon's today. I skipped last night as it was Scout night. Today, while I should have been in the workshop, I made an executive decision and went into the garden instead. Last night, we had a special evening, as the older children all moved up a level. So, I said goodbye to 5 Beavers as they moved up to Cubs Scouts. Sad, but exciting at the same time. One of the boys started with me 2 years ago and he was crying for the first month as he couldn't participate in any of the games due to a broken arm. He was so unsure of himself for that time ... this year he is a very aware young boy who has loads of confidence! He is definitely ready for the Cub Pack!

Another event of note, last night I invested as a member of the 1st Gilwell Scout Group. That is the troop begun by the founder of Scouting, Lord Baden Powell. Members of the Gilwell Group have all completed Advanced Leader Training and have earned the right to wear the Gilwell neckerchief and one set of wooden beads on their necker. Those beads go back to the original beads handed out by BP himself. While the original African beads are long gone, the replicas carry the same meaning. Achieving this during the Centennial Anniversary of Scouting in Canada is even more special to me. An added bonus, my mentor had invited all the members of my training course to come and see me get my beads! I am the first one in our section to finish and get the beads. I was told last night that one of the youth that was also on course with me has finished his requirements now and will soon be getting his beads. I will be there to see him as he was for me!

The Garden got some more needed attention today. As we have been in the house now for a little over a year, I am now making the garden mine vice the previous owner's. Gone are the foundation platings that were taking over the front patio. The rose that was attacking people as they walked by it has been moved to harass the lilac in the backyard instead. The sassy Spirea has been relocated from the lilac corner to the front bed where it is now surrounded by some lavender to replace what the local felines killed last year. I also bought a pot with 3 Columbines in it. I divided them up and put them in the front bed where one of the foundation plants had been. I have found many of the lilies that I was sure were killed off last year due to their poor showing, were starting to grow again. I found this out as I was turning the soil and accidentally dug many of them up. Will have to see which ones actually make it now ...I also bought some Iris for the back bed.

Tomorrow I will plant some other shade perennials in the back bed. I am looking for some variety back there and now that the apple tree is gone I have room! To be fair, it wasn't really a tree. More like a tall sapling. It was only about 7-8' tall, but it wasn't very healthy. The roots were in full shade, the trunk was thin and at a bad angle. I managed to pull it out with very little loosening of the roots. That sassy Spirea had more of a root ball than the apple tree! and don't get me started on the roots of that rose ... it looked like something out of Harry Potter! That was the hardest job so far!

Once the kids are settled in bed, I will take the Rodent to the workshop for its nightly exercise. It will roll around the floor in it's ball for about an hour before it wants to go back to the cage to eat and play. By then Hamster Boy will be asleep and the wheel won't bother him. The plan tonight, seeing as I avoided the client work in daylight, is to trace off the flower girl dress pattern and then work on measuring and sizing down where needed. I had some really good measurements taken by the mother, so I have lots to work with. My experience has shown so far that there is not much difference between the sizes width wise, but I will have to see. I will do up a calico muslin to check fit. That way she will get 2 dresses out of this. That reminds me ... I have to do up a contract for the clients before I get too far ahead!

I am off to locate my old price list ... if memory serves, I did a flat rate per garment type for kids and did hourly for adults as they require more fitting. See you later ...

Dragon Daily Update #3

2007-04-29T22:53:00.000-04:00

Little sewing tonight, but lots of ripping! I have taken the inseams and crotch seams out so that I can take in the vertical seams in the back of the legs. I also trimmed off a bit of the crotch seam at the back to bring it in line with my one and only TNT pant curve. I am calling it a night. Too many hockey games of late ... combine that with what I thought was allergies (allergies don't travel into your chest, do they?) and I feel the need for my bed! Tomorrow is another day.

I will work on the flower girl dress in the morning and keep the evenings to my personal projects. That way I can try to simulate a regular work day. I hope that this becomes a habit ... having to sew for a living in the daytime, I mean! A gal could get used to that, especially if it brings in enough for me to expand my workshop "supplies" (otherwise known as better quality stash!). See you all tomorrow ...

Daily Dragon Update #2

2007-04-29T00:08:00.000-04:00

Well, the pants are together with the waistband facing on. I will post a pic tomorrow. I am more pleased with the smaller size and my s.a. plan seemed to have worked as I have plenty of ease even in the smaller size. Enough so that I think I will take some of it out at the s.s. and get ambitious enough to remove some of it from the vertical seamline in the back of the legs. There is some fullness there that needs to come out. I think if I use the 5/8" s.a. there and then clip the crotch curve, they will be fine. Sigh, the topstitching was so even, too. I should always do detail work while a hockey game is on. For some reason it made for great background noise and straight lines!

This will be the last incarnation of this pattern, regardless of how they turn out. I think that if I really need this pattern, I will take my Silhouette pant and re-draft from there. Why didn't I do that to begin with? Because I want to keep learning how to alter the patterns I have. That is a totally different skill set and although I do want to be able to draft my own patterns, I am not yet ready to start from scratch. That might just be a summer project for when the Pilot is back home and is settled into his new position. An ideal project to take on when it is too hot to garden and working in the basement shop is the coolest thing in town! I have been wanting to draft a pant sloper from scratch using the Armstrong book that I got for my birthday last year. I also have a pant drafting kit that my DMIL gave me years ago that I have never used. The name escapes me for the moment, but it has a number of templates that are used to draft the pattern. Not as exact, but it would be a neat experiment to try.

Well, I am off to bed. Sewing pants and watching/listening to hockey into 2 periods of overtime (OK, one period of overtime and almost 2 minutes of a second overtime period) only to see a beautifully worked for goal by the team I was not rooting for makes one tired. My Dear Father had his favorite teams in hockey, but he always gave credit where credit was due. New Jersey, you earned tonight's win. Just dont' do it again ...

Daily Dragon Update #1

2007-04-27T23:51:00.000-04:00

Well, it is almost midnight up here in Canada's capital city. I am off to bed, but first I wanted to post an update on the pants. I have the fronts completely sewn (fly included), using 3/8" s.a. for all vertical seams (fly excepted). I pinned the front to Mindy to see how they shape up width wise. Looking good so far ... she seems to have some room to move, so let's keep our fingers crossed!

The Pilot didn't make it home this weekend, so it is just the monkeys and me. We start with dance class in the morning and then progress to a birthday party at an indoor Mini Golf for 2 hours for a friend of Monkey Girl. The older siblings of Birthday boy is a classmate and Scout mate of Hamster Boy, so I think we will tag along and do some glow in the dark golfing ourselves! Then, once we get home, it will be time to dust off the Domestic Diva costumes as we all work together to clean the house. All the nice temps have caused the trees to bud out, releasing massive amounts of pollen, so I have been laid up with allergies this week. Tomorrow while she is dancing away, I will buy some Claritin! Three days of this is quite enough, thank you very much!

A little teaser ... I went to visit Darrell today at his shop and fondled his silk samples. Let's just say I am super motivated to get these pants done and to progress to the client work this week. I hate being at the mercy of the postal system and customs, but I am for one project so I just have to work one project at a time. That means, the pants then the flower girl dress. Salon work can't start until the fabric arrives.

Dragons take 2

2007-04-27T12:47:00.000-04:00

Well, the second pair of pants was cut in the 14 width wise. I also moved the horizontal seamline up a few inches in the legs. I couldn't zip up the pants, but the back fit a bit better in the 14. I had to do some major surgery to the pants, but I think I have it figured out. I cut them out again with an extra 1/4" at all vertical seams and will sew s.a. at 3/8" vice 5/8". That should give me the extra ease I need. I also took a horizontal dart tuck in the inside upper back panel to remove some of the fullness that has been bugging me below the crotch curve. I have yet to start sewing, but I hope to start tonight.

I am very motivated to get this final version of the pants done tonight as I have a client project on the go. A flower girl type dress. The challenge will be in the pattern itself. The pattern was chosen from my stash of patterns, but the measurements of the girl are for the size range down from my pattern. As a result, I have to grade down the pattern. In case this doesn't work out, I found a copy of the smaller size online. It should arrive next week sometime. The client has already bought and dropped off the fabric, so I can get started this weekend on a cotton muslin. I also am awaiting delivery on some rip stop nylon for a group of 3 salon capes and matching stylist aprons for 3 stylists at the salon where I get my hair done. Once that arrives, I can whip those out in a couple of days. My business is starting up slowly, but nicely, I think. These two projects along with some private sewing lessons I have been asked to give over the summer will be a nice little start to Newman's Needle. Now all I have to do is set up a price list and print off some business cards ...

Eventually I would love to have a commercial embroidery machine to expand my client base a bit more ... but that will have to wait a year or two, I think. I need to earn quite a bit before I get to that point! I don't want to finance the whole purchase, so I would like to have at least 50% of the cost in hand before I buy.

Fashion Rant

2007-04-21T16:03:00.000-04:00

OK, I am one of the first to admit that I am not a fashion diva nor am I an expert. I firmly believe that there are trends that look good on most bodies (what I call a classic look) and then there are those that are body specific (stove pipe pants are a wonderful example: my body cannot tolerate stovepipes as they would more resemble smokestacks!). The other day while snoop shopping, I came across a number of young women, teenage girls and, yes, I am sorry to admit it, middle aged women who were preening in front of the mirrors of the change room comparing their new outfits. Every single one of them had similar builds, one that resembles a bean pole, and completely coincidentally (I hope) they were all blondes ... back to the outfits. They all had on black leggings that ended mid calf, long white shirts or T shirts or layers of tank tops all over top of a skirt. The only variety was in the skirt styles and the show height. IT seemed the older the lady, the higher the heel. Here is an example of the look that I spied over at one of the few fashion commentary sites I frequent. Go Fug Yourself is a great site to laugh at each morning as you contemplate what you see on the subway, bus, or in your parking lot.

My first thought of these women in the change room? "Hey this must be a group of girls trying out to be a new Pussycat Doll" My second thought? "Is there a Madonna's Material Girl reunion in town?"
I guess you can tell where I am going with this ... I don't think this is a flattering look. Yes, it shows the legs off, but it also cuts them off visually. And what type of a line does it give the body? Too many conflicting shapes ... baggy tops hide whatever shape is up top and some of the tanks being worn were a tad too snug, showing every wrinkle in the skin. Don't get me wrong, I lovedAudrey Hepburn in her back tights, ballet flats and black jacket. It is a look that can easily be pulled off if done well and if you have the body for it. While the majority of these women did have bodies that could wear all of these elements separately, I am of the opinion that they should not be combined like this. At any age. I think that Ms. Hepburn would have agreed.

What A Difference a Day Makes ...

2007-04-20T12:55:00.000-04:00

Well, the Butterick is going to be relegated to UFO status for next fall. As of yesterday, spring has arrived. The temps are rising and the sunblock is now on the counter. When I went to the closet today, I realized I was in major trouble. Very few tops for this temp range. There needs to be a binge of tops and fast! I went to pick up the new patterns I spoke of in an earlier post but I couldn't find the wrap dress. That's OK, I found another dress instead! So, I am going to pull out some TNT tops from the pattern drawer and start a marathon of tops. I have a few short sleeve blouses/shirts I want to put together as well. Now I just have to cross my fingers about the capris in the Closet ... how well do they fit? I am about to find out!

A family note, Hamster Boy turns 9 today. He is growing up so fast, but still has some "little guy" tendencies. I took him out for lunch today (a tradition in our house) and sent Monkey Girl to a friend's for a lunch play date. He inhaled his food as best as his manners would allow and then asked to be taken back to school so that he could play with his friends. Tomorrow the party happens. WE reached a compromise, it is a "non-sleepover" slumber party. MEaning, they arrive at 3:30 and stay till 9:00 pm. We will have 2 movies, pizza and popcorn and maybe an obstacle course outside. Instead of "loot bags" they will paint T shirts with dragon designs of their choosing. I bought 4 packs of white T's @ Wal Mart. I have iron on sheets for the printer, so I will print off some outlines and then they can pick and choose and paint them in their own colour schemes. By the time they go home, they will be dry. Fun in the sun ... and they all have a cool T shirt!

I am off to brave the Closet and the capris, I hear them giggling from here. Then I have to wrap presents before it is time to go get Monkey Girl. The Pilot will be home for supper, at which point the "ripfest" will begin! It will be a toss up what the favorite will be ... the Zoo Tycoon extension for the computer, the water gun (look out PIlot ... you're the target of champions!) or the extra tubes for the Rodent cage (Hamster Boy stated that they will officially share a birthday, so he needs to get something, too!) or the 2 archeology mags he wanted.

Horoscope

2007-04-13T12:33:00.000-04:00

I found this over at The Stitchery today. The Goddess of War ... seeing as I am a Leo, I guess that fits! Now I really have to dye my hair red to match my personality!

A good thing today, on impulse I entered the Lion's Den at Wal Mart, otherwise known as the bra department. It has been many a year since I Have been able to find proper fitting bras at a non specialty store, which is why I began sewing my bras. The thing is, I need a new bra and can't find powernet locally and can't stand the underwire poking me through the casing on my sports bra. I just don't have the patience right now to sit and repair it. Nit picky work I am not in the mood for (says the person who is back at altering the Dragon Pants!). So, I went and tried on a couple of bras from the "Just My Size" label. I found 2 that fit beautifully! The girls are sitting nicely where they belong and the strap is level in the back where it is supposed to be, just as snug as it is supposed to be. I could almost say the I am in love with RTW! I will still sew another bra, but right now, it was nice to find them when I needed them!

Dragons in the Mist

2007-04-12T17:50:00.000-04:00

Today I went to Home Depot and found a remnant of electrical cable that was the perfect size for measuring out my crotch curve. All for the astronomical price of $1.07 (w/taxes). So,after lunch, I went to the workshop and came up with this curve. ***** I am not quite sure how accurate it is as I couldn't get it to stay snug against me in the back, but the curve part is accurate enough. I then made a template and then took out the Dragon pants and compared. I needed to change the curve, just like Debbie had suspected (assuming that I made an accurate curve).

I trimmed the vertical s.a. to the size 14 as the last version seemed so large on me, (even once I took out the extra 5/8" I had added to the s.s.). I left any horizontal seams at the 16 as the length of the blue version is perfect. I left the dart shaping in at the front seamlines as well. The first fitting had the front zipper not closing at all. Obviously I needed some of that size 16 above the hipline! To get a better idea of where I needed to add, I slashed the waistband to the vertical seamlines on the pants (front and back) and then added a wedge of paper underneath to trace off the area that needed filling. I then stitched a similar piece of fabric in to test my theory. Worked wonders in the front. The side seams still hang straight and the front lies flat and the zip closes. I still need a bit of ease across the belly fluff, though. To do that I will add 3/8" at the s.s., I think. The back I did the same thing, but it doesn't lie as nicely, but it does give me an idea of how much I need to add. I am wondering if I needed to add a wedge at all or if just letting out the s.a. a smidge would have been enough.

I am going away for the weekend, so I won't get anymore work done on them till next week. I took some flat photos of the wedges. The fitting session I am not up to taking live shots of yet. I'll post the photos tomorrow before I leave just to leave everybody hanging in suspense. I am off to bed ...

Exercise in frustration?

2007-04-11T09:22:00.000-04:00

Monkey Girl begged us to get a new bike 2 weeks ago. Her other one had been so well used that the bearing case died a fast death and locked the pedals. For the age of the bike and the other abuses it had seen in its early days as Hamster Boy's bike, I can rest easy knowing it is replaced. That being said, SHE wants to bike to school each day, so that means that Mommy has to as well. Not a bad thing,really, I like my bike. I just hate the first few days of riding it as the body remembers what the seat feels like and the knees remember what it is like to pedal.

I am determined to not just bike the 2 blocks to school (and that is the long route) and then park the bike. Yesterday I left early to pick her up and did a couple of blocks beyond the school and then doubled back and did a circuit around the school track. Today, I dropped her off and took another long way home. It felt like it was forever with the wind in my face on that last part of the trail. But I felt like I was getting a workout. I figured that since I had not measured out the mileage, I should wear my pedometer tomorrow. I must have been going for about 30 minutes or so by the feel of it ... Then the bubble burst. Just as I was approaching the turn that would take me to the bottom of my street, I see another mother from the school. I know the distance she had to walk, including a drop off of another child at a neighbouring school. She is fast walker, but she has 2 other kids in tow, so she is limited in speed somewhat. But not limited enough to mkae my ride the 30 minutes I thought it was. When I got home, it turns out I was only out for an extra 15 minutes ... Talk about deflating my ego! Oh well, at least I know that is a good baseline. Now I can plan a longer route to get me that 30 minutes each morning (except coffee Thursdays!).

I posted my Dragon Pants review over at PR. Debbie C. seems to have picked something up that I missed, that being the back waistband dips, more so when hiked. She recommended I revisit my curve and add more length. I have not yet done this, but have seen how others have had success looking at this. Also, when I put them on today (fresh from the dryer) I really noticed the dip. I also noticed that they are too big all over. The new curve I am not sure on, but I am willing to take another look. I think that once the younglings are in bed, I will head to the workshop with the tin foil and check my crotch curve. I think that in order to put the Dragon to rest, I am gong to have to pull out that Tencel and sew up another pair in a smaller size with a new crotch curve, made from the foil experiment. I have some fabric in the washing machine that I bought from Ressy just for these pants, in a nice Khaki green and also in a dark tan colour. She called them "Misty" and here is her description:

50/50 cotton/microfiber Water Resistant....soft with nice
drape..could be used for light weight jackets, trench coats (with
interlining), sportswear, jogging outfits etc..etc.. Very breathable
while being moisture resistant.

That should do it drape-wise. Can't wait to see how they feel once they come out of the dryer! As I like the green better, I think I will use the tan as the next muslin, without any topstitching.

Revisionist Dragon-Taming ...

2007-04-10T18:29:00.000-04:00

Two years ago I made this pair of pants from WOF. What caught my eye at that time was the seamed legs and the facing. The crotch fit leaves something to be desired, but I didn't know then what I know now! I think that the overall look on this pant is much better than the Dragon Pants. The line of the legs flatter me more than the fullness of the Dragon. I think that when I am mentally ready to make another pair, I will play a bit and see what a good morph will do for them.

That this pattern didn't work for me has nothing to do with the design of the pattern or the instructions. It just doesn't flatter my figure. Perhaps on somebody taller and slimmer ...