Month End Review - September 2010

Talk about productive; talk about mostly uninteresting. September was an all time high of 25 items sewn, however, most of them (20 of them) were for the upcoming craft show and therefore while they count as sewing, they don't really register with me as interesting sewing. Once I developed those patterns, I lost interest and just go on auto-sew. Which at least makes the repetition go faster.

In the interesting-sewing category, I made 2 more of the BWOF 9/10 turtleneck, one in a charcoal gray with black and white stripes and also a sleeveless version in black rib knit. Quick and very, very useful. The black would have had sleeves except after cutting out the front and back, I realized I only had scraps of fabric left. But this is actually good because it will go under a lot of my heavier jackets and I won't melt at the office.

I made myself a pair of black TNT pants after chucking the old ones. These had a longer inseam, for heels and boots. Now I need to make a shorter pair, for the days I wear flats or low heels. For you lucky tall people, a long inseam for me is 31". The second pair will be 29.5". Funny, I feel like my legs are longer than that.

Last, and smallest, but certainly not least, is the pink velvet baby dress and matching bonnet. We're going down on Sunday to visit parents and baby, and I can't wait. I don't have any siblings, but these friends are close enough that I'm going to get to be Auntie Karen once the little widget can talk.

Now I'm just basking in the (relative) tidiness of my workroom and trying to figure out what, if anything, I need to make prior to our vacation. I can go to Europe for a week with less clothes than some women take for a long weekend, so I think I'm probably good. Which does not mean I won't be making something new to wear the night before we leave. for Belgium.

A conversation about sewing

"Isn't she going to regret giving you that pattern?" he asked, looking away from the combined allure of the television and his iPhone.

"It's not a pattern," she explained, thinking that the phone's bluish glow was not all that flattering. "I just took a picture of her skirt and drew out the design. I'm using my own pattern."

His brow crinkles, he looks confused. "But I thought you sewed because you didn't want to dress like anyone else?"

Hmm. Proof of listening, at least on some level. Perhaps she will allow him possession of the remote for another hour, though that will sentence her to time alone in the sewing room.

Patiently, she said, "Well, that's true. But the other reason I sew is when I see something I want - that I can't have - I can come home and spend a weekend making one for myself."

"I don't understand." He changes the channel while simultaneously reading his email.

The conversation does not so much end as it is drowned out by the other voices in their heads. His voices sound a lot like Steven Colbert; hers are muttering very quietly about future projects.

She leaves, so she can listen to the voices in peace.

As you can see, I finished the skirt Sunday night. When I woke up this morning, it was chilly, rainy and I didn't want to get out from under the covers. Since I had to, I decided to wear my new skirt to cheer myself up.

Not much changed since yesterday. I got the skirt put together, I debated adding centers to the yo-yo flowers (and decided not to), searched the trim stash for something that would replicate the original crocheted trim, didn't find anything and decided against it anyway because at my height, I don't think anything that might end up looking like a ruffle is a good idea.

Unless of course it's my good idea, and I'm adding 2 layers of ruffles to an entire skirt.

But that's a different thing entirely.

And in other news, Denise of the Blue Gardenia blog has asked me to participate in her Sewing Spaces series. Yikes. I've enjoyed the series and loved peeking into the creative spaces (and the minds) of my fellow sewists, but allowing you all into my messy world?

Let's just say I did some really fast organizing. When Denise posts my space, please don't look too carefully at the floor or in the corners.

It's coming along

First of all, let me say it: I LOVE HAVING A STASH. Remind me of that when I grumble about occasional workroom avalanches, okay?

From my last post, you all know I was mightily inspired by Andrea's embellished skirt on Friday, to the point where I sketched out the design and then enlarged it on the copier for ease of transferring it to my skirt. (Carolyn, I didn't actually have the free time at work, I just pushed a pile of stuff over to be dealt with Monday, and didn't get caught!)

When I got home, I went to the shelves. I wanted something of a similar color, not so much to be a complete copycat but because Andrea's skirt would fit really well with my wardrobe. Up on the top of the shelving unit I found several yards of a tobbaco-colored linen purchased years ago for a specific project. After I'd washed and dried it, I found that the wrinkles it sustained in the wash had set into the fabric as it dried. It's a nice distressed look, but not what I wanted at the time. I used another fabric, but this stayed on the shelf, waiting . . . apparently for this skirt to come along.

I cut out the pieces for my skirt, and then got my design and put it on the reverse of the skirt front. I had some old tracing carbon but it was too tired to transfer, so I borrowed some charcoal from Mario's art supplies, rubbed it on the back of the paper and then went over the design with my tracing wheel. The charcoal transferred well, if a little smudgily, and I went over the lines with white tailor's chalk. I quickly thread-traced all of the design that was going to be embroidered. I didn't bother transferring the flowers and leaves; they're embellishments to be added later.

Since I don't have an embroidery machine, all the green part was done with my standard Singer's zigzag stitch, set on a narrower width. I practiced a bit to get the curves down. It's not perfect on the final version, but I don't mind that. It's meant to look hand done.

On the inspiration skirt, the leaves are embroidered. That wasn't going to work for me - no way was I doing that much hand embroidery, and even if I were willing, it wouldn't look that good. Applique was the way to go. I had a chunk of chocolate brown suede left over from a craft show project, so I cut all my leaves from that, stuck them down with leather glue, and then anchored them with a line of hand-stitching in the same shade of green as the satin stitch. It works for me.

The flowers on the inspiration skirt were three dimensional. Crocheted, I believe. Something I do not do, though Andrea keeps threatening me with lessons in all things yarn. I'm afraid of another skill that would cause me to acquire a stash, so I think I'll stick to sewing.

I went with something fairly obvious, but by the time I'm done I hope they'll look like what I want. I made yo-yos (or granny circles, depending on what the older women in your family called them) using a leftover ivory lining fabric, and then I spritzed them with tea to take the color down a notch.

They've now been hand-sewn down (no photos of that yet) and I'm taking a break so I can figure out how I want to do the centers. The last photo here is pre-flower; I was using buttons as place-holders just to get an idea of how it was going to look.

This afternoon, I'll probably sew the skirt together. All the work that needs to be done flat has been finished at this point. The centers, when I decide on them, can be done by hand on the couch.

I'm noticing a trend here of a lot more handwork. I've never minded hand sewing, I just don't know where it's all come from lately.

And I guess by this project we can conclude I've overcome my fear of embellishment.

What's it going to take to get me over welt pockets? I can't even imagine.

Inspired by a friend

I've been a fairly unspired sewist lately. No question, I've been turning out the work, but it's been focused mainly on the December craft show in my neighborhood, projects that I can do without thinking too hard, and after a while, I stopped thinking well about sewing.

The other night, I went into the workroom and pulled out the half dozen bags I had decided to finish off. I looked at them, picked them up, and put them on the other table, pulled out my TNT BWOF pants pattern and grabbed a black RPL off the stash shelf. By the end of the night, I had a new pair of pants, and I felt so much better.

Back story on that project: last week, I wore my old pair of black TNT pants. They were made for the Patternreview Wardrobe Contest in spring 2008, so they're well over 2 years old. Black stretch twill isn't meant to be worn and washed weekly; it ceases to be quite black, and its stretch gets a little inconsistent. I was miserable in those pants all day, and when I came home from work, I took them off and threw them away.

Mario was a little mystified, throwing away what he thought were perfectly good pants (perfectly good meaning no obvious holes and I could still zip them). I told him there was no way I would ever make a replacement pair when I still had those in the closet, so they had to go.

And now I've replaced them. Yay me!

And now for the inspiration of the title. Andrea wore this skirt to work today. She says she's had it for well over 10 years (though it doesn't look like it), and I think she said it was either Anthropologie or Urban Outfitters.

I. Must. Have. This. Skirt.

And short of sending her home from work in her drawers (which I did threaten), I have to make my own. I have a BWOF TNT skirt pattern (ever notice how the words "BWOF" and "TNT" end up side-by-side?) that will work really well for this skirt. I took these photos of her skirt during lunch, and spent the rest of my hour drawing out the pattern, then spent a little quality time with the photocopier until I got it to the right size to transfer to my skirt fabric.

I didn't get any further on the project tonight because we had plans, and by the time we got in, I was beat. It was a long week, and even coffee couldn't wake up my mojo. I'll let it sleep, and tomorrow, we'll focus on that skirt.

Why?

Why, when something cool happens, do I never remember that I have a camera in my bag? Riddle me that one, dear readers.

Monday night, I was fortunate enough to have cocktails with Melissa (and her new husband James), who are in the States, and at that point in Philadelphia, on their honeymoon. We met near my office and talked for an easy 2 hours before they went off to dinner and I went home for mine.

As our kind are known to do, I admired her Vogue 8576 dress and Patrones jacket, and Melissa remarked on my BWOF September turtleneck. It's so nice to be among my own kind. James more than held up his end of the conversation - the man can talk shirting fabric with the best of us. Melissa showed me a few of the professional photos from their wedding; make sure you check out her blog when they're posted because they are fabulous.

In other happy news, I'm an almost-auntie! The baby for whom I sewed all that ridiculous pinkness was born last Thursday, more than 2 weeks ahead of the doctor's due date, a week ahead of Dad's best estimate, and right on time as far as Mom was concerned. I'm hoping to meet her this weekend.

There's some sewing being done, but it's more craft show stuff. I'm trying to knock a bunch of it out before vacation, which is coming up shortly. A hint of our vacation destination is attached. Where in the world am I off to?

Baby Project Complete

It didn't take long to finish the bonnet to go with the baby dress. The bonnet was very easy. It's also lined with white cotton batiste, and trimmed with more stash lace.

As far as the photo is concerned, that's a very unwilling and somewhat mortified Annie. It should have been Max - he has a bigger head - but he needs wrangling and my cat wrangler was upstairs at the time.

Here's the full review for the dress on PR.

Other than that, I've been doing some more craft show sewing - I went for coffee the other day with a friend and ran into the woman who runs the organization which holds the craft show. She saw me doing handwork on the baby dress and invited me to participate in the show. I said that I had last year, but it was nice to know for certain that I was going to be this year as well, since I've gotten so much stuff finished.

Back to work tomorrow. I had 2 days off, and they were definitely not enough.

Cutest thing ever?

It has come to my attention that is probably a very good thing that I never had children, particularly a little girl.

I would spend so much time making things like this that I'd probably forget to feed her.

My friends' baby is due around the 10th of October. I missed finishing this before the shower deadline - then again, I missed the shower because I couldn't get there - but I'll still be done before she arrives, unless she's a very early girl.

When I found out they were having a girl, I told them I wanted the privilege of making her very first Easter dress. After receiving the ladybug dress a few months ago, they cleared this with both grandmothers and I was given the go-ahead to make something in a 6 month size.

I've had this fabric since the day after their wedding in November, 2007. The next day was a Saturday, and also a PR Weekend in NY. I bought this candy-pink embroidered velvet at Metro Textiles thinking that sooner or later two of my favorite people would be bound to have a little girl. It only took 3 years - not bad, considering the age of some of my stash.

The dress is an older BWOF pattern (it started out as a christening gown, which I shortened and changed up a bit). The bonnet yet-to-be is from the same issue, as are the shoes that I'm still debating to go with it.

Making stuff for little people is both easy and complicated - easy because everything is so small and can be done with scraps and remnants, and hard because they're . . . well, delicate, and every seam has to be encased, and the petticoat has to be between the dress and the cotton lining so it doesn't scratch. I don't think this hard about my own clothes, and I've definitely made dresses for myself that have taken less time.

And I have to say I would never fold and stitch rayon seam binding on the edges of petticoat net for something I intended to wear.

I had today off from work but ended up running downtown for an hour because somehow in all my accumulation of notions, I didn't have any ribbon the right color, and I had no snaps at all. I got this sea-green ribbon in two widths, one for the dress and the other for the bonnet ties. Clear plastic snaps so as not to clash with the pink velvet. And the little rosebud appliques for the neck, the sleeves, the bonnet and anyplace else I can think of to stick them.

The dad knows that something pink and ruffly is coming their way; he doesn't know precisely what. The only thing this dress will require is a pair of ruffle-butt panties, and I think I'll let the parents provide those. I've had enough with sewing on lace already.