Yarnmaven

A Day Off and a Flickr Meme

Today is Juneteenth, so I have the day off. Slept till 7am and hiked the local state park before noon. Now we are safely home in the AC and I am planning to sew. In the park we saw this amazing family of Pileated woodpeckers tearing up a dead tree. They were large and unfazed by our presence. Bark was flying everywhere. I could not tell if one was a juvenile or not, they seemed the same size. Maybe these are the FLDS of the bird world since I don't think woodpeckers are gregarious. I don't have a good long lense on this point and shoot camera, but you can see two red heads and the profile of the third bird on the tree. Very cool birds!

I have cut out a vintage dress pattern using vintage cotton fabric. The pattern is from about the mid-40's during the war I think. Those patterns always seem to have a distinctively solemn tone in the drawings on the envelope. The pattern is unprinted - just tissue paper cut to shape and some perforations to indicate where to put gathers and zippers (or "non-separable slide fastener" as the pattern says). Other than that, the construction is pretty much the same as modern patterns. I am using silk organza for interfacing and this dress has a self or matching fabric-covered belt with buckle and eyelets and all. I bought some hat buckram for stiffening the belt so that it is more authentic. It used to be sold on a roll in fabric stores in several belt widths when fabric covered belts were more widely popular. I did not find buttons yet that I thought worked with the fabric, so I might make covered buttons, still thinking about it. If I am lucky, I will finish this before the weekend.

I created Flickr mosaic for the Flickr Meme that's been going around. If you are interested in the image sources, you can check my Flickr page. 

 

Happy Juneteenth Y'all!

A Dress?

Yes, a dress. Vogue pattern V8383 in a linen/cotton with embroidered polka dots.  Abby calls this my chocolate chip cookie dress because the fabric reminds her, well, of chocloate chip cookies.  I have been collectiong and buying vintage patterns and fabric for a while, but this is a modern pattern.  It's taken me weeks to finish it - mostly because of the limited time I can devote to anything much lately.  I really have been knitting, but they are interminable projects that simply will not end.  If I ever finish them, I'll post photos.  But now that it's spring, I want to sew some of the vintage stuff I've been piling up.  I was very lucky and won some free shoes and a bag from  Zappos.com via Twitter.  The shoes in the photo are the ones I picked - they're Born's, my favorite shoes. 

My grandson had his first birthday and Tom is graduating from Texas State University on May 9th.  It's a busy time of year for us.  The summer fast approaches and I just now got the beans, squash and leek seeds planted today.  Oh, and it's San Jacinto Day, so I had the day off which is how I could get all the gardening and mowing done. Whew!  Is anyone else feeling as distracted as I am?

*note: I appear to be leaning in the photo, the camera was on an unlevel surface, but I was losing light so I took it.  I also managed to miss a button on the bodice, such was my hurry.

FO, Prizes, et.

My FO mojo is groovin' along.  I finished this Vestee for my grandson last night.  This was a very quick knit.  Just a couple of hours of evening TV knitting and a couple of meetings at work and this puppy was done!  I used a bargain yarn I got at Kid N Ewe this year.  It's Plymouth Yarn Sundae Swirl, 78% cotton and 22% nylon, so it should hold up to a toddler pretty well.  This yarn was 10 bucks for a bag of 10 skeins and I only used 5 for this project.  If I'm lucky, I might get a photo of Cooper in it tonight.

Blogiversary Contest Winners and Prizes:

Chris, I know you have knit sweaters and socks and wash cloths, but I haven't seen you knitting any lace.  Yet.  Your prize is a big ol' wad of burnt orange laceweight.  Now, knit us some lace.  Or you could trade it at the next yarn swap if you aren't thrilled or a UT alum.

Steph, I know you've been practicing your dying and you could dye this if you wanted - you're getting a big skein of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool, it only comes in one color so dye it if you want.  There's 465 yards on it which is enough for a scarf or a couple of hats.  I made a sweater out of this stuff and it's great.  It still has the natural lanolin in it so if you don't dry clean it, it's virtually water-proof.

Nicole, I don't really know you, but I thought surely you could use a nice skein of German sock yarn in wool and silk.  A friend brought it back to me from Heidelberg, Germany and he brought 3 skeins, so I think I can part with one.  Germans make the very best sock yarn, it wears like iron.

I hope you all enjoy your prizes, Tom drew the names for me.  Send me your addressed and I'll get them in the mail to you.  Steph, I'll bet I can just drop yours by the nest in a couple of days, eh?

Now, for all those patient and indulgent readers who said they would like to see some of my sewing, here is what I made Kandis for Christmas this year:

I used a tutorial I found on Sewmamasew.com for inspiration and construction tips.  I used a natural silk noil for the background of the placemats and scraps from the stash for the pieced section.  The cranberry napkins match the reverse side of the mats.  I washed all the fabric before I ever cut it - even the silk - so now she can toss them all in the wash without having to worry if they will shrink.  Some folks think that silk is delicate or fragile, but in reality, it's one of the strongest natural fibers there is.  Before Nylon was invented, they made parachutes out of it.  Silk was considered precious because it was so strong and lightweight. 

I started two more projects last night. I don't want to lose my momentum.

Mama's Got a Brand New Bag

A rainy Fourth of July and all I've done today is cook and sew.  I made this bag today.  I cannot tell you how much I love it!  I first found this cool silk tweed at Hancock's on sale 50% off and bought a couple of yards.  It was too heavy for a garment but it was perfect for a bag.  Then when McCall's patterns went on sale for 99 cents each, I got a whack of them and one was for this bag - M5198.  It called for metal rings, 1 3/4 in. in diameter.  I could NOT find them in any store and I went to them all.  I even tried the hardware store.  I looked online at purveyors of bag hardware, nope, nothing.  Finally a Google search led me to an eBay merchant and I bought 4 (just in case I wanna make another) and they were like 49 cents each.  I think the shipping cost more.  Anyway, the rings came yesterday and I decided the holiday with no plans was the time to whip this puppy out.  It is lined with a lighter colored cotton.  I don't like dark linings because I can't see the damn things if they are dark.  It has a couple of pockets inside.  The zipper is a left over over-ordered custom zipper for my Mariah - I couldn't make out colors online, so I ordered two to be sure.  This one had no other job to do so it was perfect.  The pattern calls for wrapping a tab of the fabric around the ring joins, but I thought that was too much of the fabric and it was really thick when folded over that many times.  I broke several needles trying it.  Finally, I hand stitched the fold-overs and decided to use some elk hide I had(what?) to create the contrast tabs and secure the ring joins.  I really like the way it came out,, though my hands are sore from punching holes in leather.  I was going to make a beaded zipper pull, but couldn't find the right beads, then remembered I had this key ring that I bought from a hearing-impaired peddler.   

I am nearing the finish of the Square Play sock yarn top - only about 5 more squares. 

The rains have been phenomenal this year, there is no county in Texas that remains in a drought - I cannot remember when if ever that happened before.  Yesterday it rained so much our little creek by the house that drains into an ephemeral pond left it's banks.  This is normally a path across the tiny creek which often runs completely dry.

Happy 4th Y'all!

the Best Laid Plans...

Things were going pretty well with the sewing and all and then...my Ravelry number came up and whooo boy! Can that thing suck up a lot of my time!  No complaint though, it's beyond my expectations.  It's like having knitters in your head.  And then finding out that you are in their head.  Dude, kinda like an alternate reality.  Okay, maybe that's going a bit far, but it's very cool and I can't wait till everybody is in it. 

And if that wasn't enough of a distraction from my sewing committment, Katy Blogless decided to come to town and join me for a workshop with the prolific, talented and very British Louisa Harding over at Hill Country Weavers last Sunday.  Katy and I each bought one of her books.  It was great fun, great food and we got to make a bag with 5 different Louisa Harding yarns and I'll show it to you when I finish putting it together.  I totally enjoyed myself, and Katy's visit.  Oh and she brought me the most beautiful skein of MadelineTosh Hand Painted sock yarn in the color Lily Pad.  I have been admiring Madeline's stuff for some time as she is one of my favorites on Flickr - she takes great photos of stuff I like.  Check out her stuff, it's gorgeous!

And then the six-year-old came down with a fever.  For 3 days.   Today we're going to the doctor.  No other symptoms but the fever.   So while she  lounges on the floor in front of the Food Network, I've been getting caught up with the sewing.  I wish to ammend my commitment to say I will "sew an average of a garment (or accessory) per day".  I think I can still do that. 

Here's my progress so far.  2 more dresses and 2 gowns and a skirt for Abby and a skirt for me.

Pattern: New Look 6195
Fabric: 100% cotton lawn

Pattern:New Look 6850
fabric: 100% cotton

Pattern: McCall's 4113
Fabric: white cotton batiste with pin-tucks/pink and white paisley cotton plisse

Pattern: McCall's M5159
fabric: 100% cotton pink daisies

Pattern:Simplicity 3834
Fabric: 100% cotton sateen

Okay, back to sewing, taking Abby's temperature photographing yarn.

The Ties that Bind: Stitch, Trim, Turn, Press

I purchased one of the most basic patterns, New Look 6637, an Easy Two Hour pattern in order to sew a simple wrap skirt.  And it was a pretty quick sew, as long as you have all the tools at hand AND the knowledge of how to use them.  This wrap skirt has thin ties at the side where you tie it closed (it has twill tape ties on the inside to tie the other side too).  The instructions say to fold the tie pattern piece in half lengthwise and stitch, trim the seam, turn and press it.  Once it is stitched, this piece is about 1/2 in. to 5/8 in. wide.  I knew what to do, because I have years of experience, but what is a novice sewer to do?  You can't just turn the thing like a sock, it's woven not knitted, so there is no stretch and it's about 15 inches long.  Now, I have a bodkin, but sometimes I can't get it to work, it just can't find a purchase inside the tube to grab securely enough to pull it through the length of the piece.  What I have learned to use instead is...a straight knitting needle (what do non-knitters use?).  I use the blunt end of a long smallish gauge needle and starting at the closed end of the pattern piece, start ooching (one of my favorite words) the needle end inside the tube, spreading the fabric out so the needle can clear all the sides at the end.  Once it is started, it's pretty simple work to slide the fabric down over the needle and voilà, the tube is right side out!  Then you can take the pointy end of the needle and push it upthrough the tube to puch out the corner points nicely.  Then press.  Bodkins work much better for things like spaghetti straps made out of fine, lightweight fabrics, where a knitting needle would not be as helpful.

I've spent a lot of time looking at patterns lately and have noticed a few things.  First of all, the major pattern companies are starting to recycle pattern designs.  Maybe they've done it all along and I am just now clueing in to it.  Sometimes they own up to it and advertise the pattern as a Retro or Vintage pattern.  Sometimes it's just a matter of "everything old is new again".  But sometimes I think designers either just run out of ideas, or they offer some designs on a dare.  Vogue is the worst offender in this.  I like Vogue, I used to be a real snob and prefer to sew Vogue patterns, they were somewhat more sophisticated than some of the more main stream pattern companies.  But there are a couple of recent additions to their line that just bare mentioning because of the sheer gall  the company exhibits in publishing them at all.  I used to respect Donna Karan, she has created some classic designs in the past but honestly, WHO would this flatter?  And I understand he is a brilliant artist, but I think Koos van den Akker may be getting too old to design for fashion.

So as not to leave you with those images as the last thing you leave here with, I found a pattern that I think I might get (Hancocks is having a pattern sale in a couple of days) because I have always liked the old fashioned "shirt-waist" dress. I like this, what do you think?

Buying Patterns: Size Really Does NOT Matter

If you are new to sewing, and buy patterns based on the size advertised on the package, you might have been a little dissappointed in the finished fit.  I have no idea why they even print a size on patterns since there is no recognized industry standard and I suspect they pull that stuff right out of their asses.  Every pattern also offers a measurement chart, sometimes on the back, sometimes on the envelope flap, but that is what you need to look for and go by in finding patterns that will fit.  Know your measurements (or those for whom you sew).  When faced with an incongruity of sizes compared to your own dimensions (what, you mean everyone is not the same size?!), always go with your largest measurement as to what size to buy.  In other words, if you you want to make a skirt, and you have a thicker waist and smaller hips than those for a given pattern, buy the size to fit the waist, it is much easier to cut down in the hip area than it is to add inches to a too small pattern, especially if you already cut it out before you realize this. In the bust area, this is particularly true, so if you are big busted, always buy a pattern that accomodates that measurement.  All this is true of children's clothes too.  I cut out a skirt last night for myself and I had to cut the size 18, though I typically buy a 12 in the stores where I buy clothes.  I try not to take this personally.

I did manage to meet my sewing goals over the weekend, even though there was an unexpected plumbing emergency to deal with which had me staring at the underside of my kitchen sink for an hour on Sunday morning and a trip to Home Depot to buy and install a replacement fawcett.  I also felt the pull of the garden and needed to stake the tomatoes and plant some okra and canteloupe. 

I finished another outfit for Abby like the last one, only this time, in pink polka dots.  I have one more of these outfits cut out from last summer.  Something distracted me and I never sewed them after cutting them out.  I am determined this will not happen this year.  Tonight, I'll sew something for me.  I asked Abby to try on the blue daisies outfit for a photo and she wouldn't take it off all day.

Garment 1

I finished this little top for Abby before 10:30pm, when I promptly went grocery shopping.  I should finish the matching shorts before I leave for the knitting meetup in the morning.  Yes, this one was easy and already cut out, but I did work all day and fix dinner before ever sitting down to the machine.  They won't all be this easy.
Pattern: Simplicity 5497
I may get a modeled shot tomorrow.

Planned Insanity - the best kind

I sew. As long and as much as I have knit. I was taught when I was twelve by a great aunt who recognized a teachable moment when she saw one. I still remember that first dress, sleeveless yellow gingham A-line with a standup collar and an invisible zipper. Once my friends found out, I was making them all mini-skirts. In high school I sewed costumes for the drama department.

Being tall and having long limbs, it was hard to find store-bought clothes that fit sometimes and sewing allowed me to fit myself. As a young mother I sewed clothes for my daughter. She chastises me in adulthood for the humiliation she endured from having to wear Little House on the Prairie dresses to school as a kindergartener. McCalls came out with about 4 different patterns inspired by the popular TV show at the time. I bought every one. I don't know what she is complaining about, she looked adorable in that bonnet and pinafore. The knickers might have been a bit devious of me though. At one time I worked in a sewing factory. It was an interesting experience. I have worked in fabric stores and as a private seemstress. I have made prom dresses, wedding gowns, cruise-wear, curtains and drapes, even a cape for an Elvis inpersonator. I also made a couple of men's suits, but I won't be doing that again. Whatever price the store asks for a man's suit - pay it. It's worth it.

So, for the month of June 2007, I plan to make a garment (or accessory) a day. Some are for Abby and some are for me and a couple for Kandis.  Weekends will see more substantial progress because I still have a full time job. The big impetus for this project is that my cutting table has been up in my kitchen for a couple of months now and I'm tired of it being there reminding me that I have work to do. A couple of months ago, JoAnns had pattern sale on McCalls - that's when I buy patterns. NEVER pay full price unless it's an emergency (sewing emergencies do happen) or you have more money than good sense because they are always going on sale. BUT, $1.99 per pattern is a fabulous sale and I had several that I had on my wish list and they varied between 14.95 and 17.95 each. Well, I stocked up. And there were others in my pattern stash.

Now I also like to find bargains on fabric and the end of the season is the time to do it. Also if you browse frequently you can snag some real finds. Even Walmart (yeah, I know) has a few goodies on the Dollar a yard tables. You have to dig and be open-minded. It helps to know fabric by it's feel because they don't always disclose the content if they are giving it away for a buck. The plan is to sew and post photos and maybe along the way share some advice or suggestions. I have learned a lot of tricks after sewing for some 30+ years. And I have some favorite tools and techniques.

To start with, my sewing machine is an older model Bernina, electronic, but not computerized. Margene posted hers the other day and I think mine is a bit newer, but not a lot. I don't require an expensive machine, this one was gifted to me by my mom when she learned someone had one they weren't using, she bought it. I have used up a Kenmore and a Brother. I just kept putting new motors on them when I burned them up. I prefer simple machines that don't have a lot of hooha on them. I do mostly construction and not decoration so simple is better. There is a trick to keeping a machine working well for you - it's simple too, learn your machine, get cozy with the tension and KEEP IT OILED. Get out your manual and follow the instructions on oiling it regularly and it will preform for you for years.  Kinda like a car - my dad always said, "oil is cheaper than metal", of course, he didn't live to see 3 dollar a gallon gas, but I think the principle still holds up.

Now, lest you forget that besides sewing and knitting, I am also a naturalist and our office borders a state park and well, sometimes wildlife likes to kinda hangout with us.  This guy is a wild tom turkey.  He likes to strut up to the glass windows and puff himself up and display for that fella he sees in the window.  Makes for a fun place to work.