Back to the Sewing Room

I wanted to try wearing more skirts this summer, so chose this for my first project back in the sewing room.

It’s the Six Sense skirt from the Shapes line from Linda Lee and Louise Cutting.  I got the pattern and the fabric, a silk/poly blend, from Country Cousins in Concordia, KS.  The pattern instructions are great and the sewing is fairly straightforward.  Except…my fabric wouldn’t take a press for love or money!  On the good side, though, that means it doesn’t wrinkle while wearing…  I made a straight size 3 as my measurements indicated, which is about the right length in back, but the drapes in front are a bit long; if I make it again I’ll shorten it about an inch.  It was also too big around, so I took out about 2 inches in the center back, and it could stand to be even smaller.  I’ll take it in when my ab muscles finish recovering.

A (Non)Sewing Day

Used my first day driving to go to an ASG sewing day. Still can’t lift my machines, so I stuck to knitting.  And trying on a polonaise Theresa is making for Cowtown.

I don’t think this is going to be my look…

Sleep Tee Upgrade

I acquired a stack of sleep tees from Lands End in preparation for a hospital stay, and this weekend I decided they were boring.  The first one I upgraded got a foil initial:

The second one allows me to take Murphy the puppy with me:

I silk screened these using some photos I had taken…

The initial photo:

The edited design:

And the screen:

I’ve been using a product called PhotoEZ.  It comes in sheets and is exposed using UV light — I use sunlight.  It’s a trifle temperamental, but I gather all screen creating technologies are, in one way or another, and isn’t nearly as expensive or space-hogging as a Thermofax machine.  I definitely need more practice, but it’s really fun!

The Socks that took 2 Weeks

This pair took considerably less time than the last!  It’s the Monkey stitch pattern on a Bordhi Riverbed architecture (toe up) knit in Plymouth Happy Feet yarn.

The Socks that Took FOREVER!

Finally finished these socks I started in August?  September?  A long time ago, in sock time.  I practically knit two full pairs with this one ball of yarn, considering all the frogging I had to do to get them to fit…and they’re still not the best fitting socks I ever made.

These are knit from Pagewood Farm Glacier Bay Hand Dyed Sock Yarn.  The yarn was nice to work with, but the color crocked all over my hands something awful.  I’m hopeful they won’t stain my feet blue after a couple of washings with Synthrapol. The resulting socks are gorgeous, but oddly…crisp.

The pattern is a mashup of Cat Bordhi’s Riverbed architecture and a rib pattern from an Interweave Knits sock pattern from last year some time.  After the heel, I didn’t add any more rib columns — I just let the ones from the top of the foot spiral around the leg.  No ribbing at the top — just a bind off.  Because of the spiral ribbing, they twist a bit on my feet, but not uncomfortably so.

Whoops! I Did It Again!

I painted another dog blue.  What, you say?  You can’t see the blue? Let’s get closer:

Man this little guy is fast.  I thought he was outside!  I swear the paint jar was open for no more than a minute, up on the kitchen counter.  I still don’t have any idea how he got himself all punked up.

I do know that he’s feeling pretty proud of himself for defeating all attempts to play the wet towel game.

Ironically, the paint was open because I was testing a screen I made from a picture of him — so I have two blue, wet dogs drying in my kitchen!

A Pillowcase Experiment

This year’s ASG community service project is to make pillowcases for kids at Ronald McDonald Houses.  A few of us thought it might be nice to add a drawstring to the trim to allow the pillowcase to be used as a carrying bag as well.  As I thought about how to sew this, I was worried about adding knots or bows that would be uncomfortable to sleep on. As I was rethreading a drawstring through the waistband of a pair of workout pants(again), I was also thinking about how to keep the drawstring in the pillowcase through washing. So…I came up with this.

I turned the selvedge edges under on a 2-inch strip, cut it in half, and laid it out with a gap at the halfway point on the case:

I made a drawstring out of another 2-inch strip by turning in the edges:

I threaded the drawstring through the trim, pinned everything at the edges, and sewed the drawstring into the sideseam.

The drawstring doesn’t really show:

Until you pull it out:

Ok, so here’s my problem.  I solved the comfort and loss-ability problems, but now I’m sort of worried about choking risks.  What do y’all think?

Testing a Tee

I loved this tee when I saw it in the Nov 2008 Burda WOF…until I saw that it was sleeveless (who wears sleeveless tees in November?).  To test a sleeve morph and to make sure the front gather/drape detail looked good on me, I made this test out of some really awful knit from JoAnn.  It was so awful to sew and icky feeling that I didn’t even bother to hem it — just whacked it off with a rotary cutter.  Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I love it!  Fit is great, feels fun with the bit of drapey flair at the where-the-hem-should-be.  I’m even getting compliments when I wear it, which I hadn’t planned to.  Gotta make another one in fabric I’m not embarrassed to be seen in!

Speaking of Toys

In one of those synchronicity things that life likes to produce, last month, just as I was sewing my first stuffed animal in years, I also ran across pictures of a teddy bear I made for a friend ages ago and saw said friend for the first time in years.  Stuffed, jointed bears were just about the first thing I did really well with a sewing machine, and I made them for everyone until the tendonitis in my hands forced me to stop (working with such small parts and sewing them shut after stuffing are pretty hard on your hands).

This is Rocky the Heavy Metal Bear:

He even has an axe earring!

I used Judi Maddigan’s Learn Bearmaking book and bought my supplies at a teddy bear shop in Santa Clara.  I wonder if it’s still there?

Dangly Earrings!

I bought a fair number of beads when we were in St. Charles last … er…April?  and hadn’t used any until this week, when I finally finished these earrings.

I like them, except that they’re about 1/2 inch too long for winter wear — they get involved with collars and coats and things.  I suppose a really good beader knows the best lengths and measures, but I’ve never claimed to be a good beader…