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.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
On Shaving silk ...
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!
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!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Beginning Bollywood ... for real!
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 ...
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 ...
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Movie Night ....
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!
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
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!
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!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Bollywood Gathering ...
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 ...
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 ...
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Bollywood Day 2: things that make you go HUH?
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 ...
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 ...
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
The BollyBodice has Begun ...
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.
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.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Bollywood Begins ...
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!
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!
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Birthday Unwrapping ...
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!
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!
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Playing Photo Catch Up ...
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!
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!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
You win some and you lose some ...
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!
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!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Frustration Fix ...
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 ...
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 ...
Monday, May 28, 2007
Client Updates...
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 ...
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 ...
Monday, May 21, 2007
Inspiration!
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 ...
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 ...
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Bollywood, the Beginning ...
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!
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!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Flower Girl Update
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.
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.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Confessions of a Confused Sewer ...
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 ...
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 ...
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Fabrics ...
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 ...
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 ...
Now all I have to do is wait till June 13th ...
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