• solid color knits — to coordinate with the print knits already in my stash, like black, white, cream, navy
• glazed linens — I saw some in LA, didn’t buy any, and now have major regret.  I hear Mood has some nice glazed linens.
• linen knits — I really like linen knit cardigans for the summer and haven’t been able to find any that are just right at the two stores that are close to my apt.  I want white, natural, and black for my stash.
• silk twill, prints or solids – I really love working with silk twill.  I always keep my eye out for it.  It’s not shifty like charmeuse.  It’s a dream to cut and sew. 

That’s it peeps.  That’s all I want.  I think just those three or four types of fabrics will round out my stash nicely.  And after this weekend, I am for sure going on a fabric diet.  FOR. SURE.

Oh and in the random dept, have you seen this????  Robin linked to it on Facebook.  LOVED. IT.   My favorite part is the cryhole.  I die. 

I wish I could say that I have been sewing, but after my wrap dress fail, the mojo flew the coop.  What can I say?  Mojo is a fickle thing and I have to admit that I still haven’t found my equilibrium again yet.  

Hope to see some of you there!  And I hope to see Clio’s purple hair (should I tell her about how I dyed my hair purple in my teens?).

I brought two white shirtings (one with woven stripes and one a swiss dot) and a plain white t-shirt for Jack to tie-dye as well as a selection of Procion dyes.  Sorry, I don’t have before pictures, but I think you can imagine the color white.  Claudine is an experienced dye-er.  She’s experimented with several different techniques and even taken a shibori dying class I believe. 

We took our projects to the great outdoors, her backyard.  I put on dye-worthy clothes and then we had at it.  I won’t go into the details of how to dye fabrics as there are plenty of tutorials out there that you can find.  My first dye job was using the cerulean blue on the white striped shirting.  It came out wonderfully.  It’s super saturated and very evenly dyed.  I must have squeezed the dye through the fabric like a champ! 

Claudine the Dye Master and me the acolyte

Squeezing the blue dye through the fabric

My next project was to dye the swiss dot cotton to, wait for it, my favorite color.  No, no, not purple.  The other favorite color, Kelly green.  Duh!  This time the color was pretty even, but I didn’t squeeze as long as I did with the blue and I can see that it could have benefitted from more squeezing.  It’s pretty hard to notice though to a casual observer.  I had to really look for it.  The green came out just as I wanted it to, a perfect Kelly Green.

Rinsing the dye out

Claudine rinses her tie-dye project

Claudine was experimenting with a swirly tie-dye effect and I tried that too on Jack’s t-shirt.  Jack decided he was too cool to do this project with me and elected to use squirt guns instead.  I used purple and the leftover Kelly green dye on his shirt.  I love how it came out.  I think there is a pretty good balance of negative space and swirl. 

Jack's tie-dye swirly t-shirt

cerulean blue dyed shirting

kelly green dyed swiss dot cotton

Bernie’s cornish hens were delicious and expertly deboned.  I told him we should have Mother’s Day every weekend.  Claudine agreed.

What a wonderful way to spend Mother’s Day!  I highly recommend it.  It couldn’t have been more perfect.  And now I have lovely dyed fabrics to remind me.

Thank you Claudine and Bernie!  What time should Jack and I be there this Sunday?    

Butterick 5454

My mojo has started to percolate and I actually sewed last night.  Unfortunately for me and my mojo, it was a major fail.  I had cut out B5454 way before I went out West and it was just sitting on my sewing table ever since.  Last night, I thought, was the night it would be sewn into an awesome dress.  I used a solid forest green knit that I had in my stash to muslin the pattern.  My suspicion is that a combination of bad fabric and wrong size cut coupled with some pretty hideous “what were they thinking” pleats were the nails on this coffin of this dress.  *sigh*

The knit was a little on the thin side and it was a solid color.  Need I say more?  A solid thin knit is the death knell for showing any minor AND major foible with your body.  If you see a thin knit for an awesome price at the fabric store, I strongly encourage you to walk away.  Everything I have ever made with a thin knit has been a disaster.  At least dress-wise.

I cut inbetween a size 14 and 16 since I didn’t want to have to fool with an FBA.  I thought increasing the width a little and the wrap of the wrap dress would deal adequately with the girls.  Well, it did work, but a little too much.  It was too big.  The side seams were about 2 inches forward on my body rather than at my sides.  Note to Self: Don’t try to cheat an FBA.  It will come back to haunt you.  Please learn this lesson next time Self.  You have had too many chances to learn.  Enough already.

I had been warned by several reviews on Pattern Review that this pattern has pleats on the back skirt panel which were very unattractive.  Did I listen?  No.  Did I blithely go ahead and make the blasted pleats and then saw for myself how ginormous my ass looked with pleats gaping right over each buttock like they were too fat to contain and wanted to escape?  Why, yes, yes I did. 

As I was constructing the dress, I noticed that I had forgotten to cut out the ties for the wrap.  Did I bother cutting them or sewing them on last night after seeing how awful this dress looked on me?  No.  Will I ever finish this dress?  NO.  Do I feel guilty about that?  NO. 

Since most of this dress disaster was user error (poor fabric choice, no FBA/too large of a size, and ignoring the pleats warning), I won’t blame the dress pattern.  Well, at least not to its face.  But I gotta tell you, those back pleats are hideous.  I think I had nightmares about them last night. 

Is there photographic evidence of this dress?  NO!!!  Do you think I’m nuts?  I don’t want photos of me in that dress on the interwebs.  I have my pride you know.  As a matter of fact, I took that dress off and put on my V8379 dress right away to reassure myself that I didn’t look as fat as the B5454 dress made me look and feel.  And boy was I relieved that I looked like my normal self.  Phew! 

So my lessons learned (hopefully) are:

• Fit is everything.  EVERYTHING.
• Don’t skimp on FBAs to avoid altering a pattern
• Don’t pick the wrong size
• Heed those who have gone before you
• And pick the right fabric dammit!

Once I get over this debacle, if I were to attempt this dress again, I would make the following changes:

• Get rid of those damn pleats and just gather the skirt into the bodice.
• Try the sz 12 with a proper FBA
• Make the skirt longer by about 1 inch.  It fell just where I liked it without hemming, at the knee.

What I did like about this pattern?  I loved:

• The pleats on the bodice that fell from the shoulder seam
• The extra wide left front and right front wrap, plenty of coverage there
• The straight skirt which is great for border prints which I just adore.

Even though this project was a fail in the end, it was still a learning opportunity.  But best of all, I was doing something I love to do.  Sew.  It felt so good to be creating again. 

Happy sewing everyone!  Whether you make a winner or not, you’re still creating and that’s a win in and of itself.

Image from www.thefranchisehound.com

Barbara from Sewing on the Edge just wrote a great post about styling today.  Sorry for not commenting (I am not able to comment on blogspot blogs right now)!   I thought it was a great post in general, but specifically, I thought it was about me.  Not in the narcissistic “everything is about me” way.  No, no, no.  I mean more in the “guilty as charged” way.  To quote Barbara:

“But mainly I think we all go wrong trying to chase our style by thinking it’s a noun and not a verb.

Style isn’t what you buy or make or copy or find by following a prescription.

Really stylish people, the ones you want to be, don’t have style.

They are styling.”

I feel like hitting my forehead and yelling a big DUH!  I accessorize very rarely or just wear the same jewelry every day.  I have one suit with which I wear the same necklace every time.  I don’t have a large accessory collection, jewelry or otherwise.  I hardly ever wear belts (they never seem right on me).  I wear one purse a season and don’t change it often (doing so guarantees I forget my wallet).  I don’t wear scarves or brooches.  My accessories really are just my clothes themselves.

I have always felt stymied when accessorizing or styling outfits.  I tend to wear suits or dresses the same way every time.  Part of the reason is that I don’t think I’m good at accessorizing and the other part is, to put it bluntly, I can’t be bothered to think about it every day.  I think the second reason is impacted by the first reason though because it would take me a long time to think outside of my particular box and I don’t want to spend that time.  Especially when you wake up late (again), and you have to get yourself and the little boy who lives with you ready every day. 

How do you teach a 43 yr old dog new tricks? 

Speaking of accessorizing and age, I have just started wearing flats every day.  I haven’t been able to find any good heels the last 2 years.  They are either too painful to wear or don’t fit right and fall off my feet.  Sometimes both.  I can’t figure out why either.  It’s the same with buying shoes on-line or in the store.  They feel fine in the store, but then I bring them home and they are other brand new torture devices or fly off my feet as I walk.  WHAT IS UP WITH THAT???  Why only now in my 42nd and 43rd years of living do I have this problem?  I don’t understand.  So, the last week or so, I have been wearing the same black flats every day.  And I have to say that even though I look as if I have “given up,” I am so comfortable.  I don’t have to calculate just how far I have to walk anywhere and thusly how bloody my feet will be or if I will lose a shoe on the way.  I just walk. 

But here’s the rub…  Have I just given up?  Do I look like a woman of a certain age that just doesn’t give a damn anymore?  I see my skirt-suited reflection in the glass walls around me and notice my flat-shoed self and think, “Man, that just does not look good, but boy, am I comfortable.” 

Is it just a case of not being used to this kind of look?  Is there a way to make flats with skirt suits look good? 

Or have I just really given up?

Do you style yourself?  And if so, do you do it every day?  Is it a reflex to you?  Or do you have to work at it?

And last question, I promise, are you a flats or a heels only kind of person?

And I wore my new top to the concert too.  This time around, I made a few changes to the pattern, Burda 6-2009-109.  Of course.  What seamstress doesn’t tweak a pattern each time she makes it?

The first thing I changed, or tried to, was the neckline shape.  I knew I was going to try to bind the neck with my binding attachment on the coverstitch machine and I also knew it would look better on a rounded neckline.  Unfortunately, I didn’t round it out enough.  I will do better next time.

Unintentional change to pattern: I completely forgot to reinforce the shoulder seams in my excitement to have a new top to wear to the concert.  Oops!  I hope it doesn’t have any long-term consequences (emphasis on the long).

I left off the sleeve cuffs and just fray-checked the seam ends.  I wanted to shorten the sleeves a little to make this a more summer-friendly top.  Originally I was going to coverstitch the hems, but when I was pinning I realized that the tapered shape of the sleeves would torque the hem.  Next time I will change the sleeve shape at the end so I can hem them.

I used my coverstitch machine to bind the neck edge.  I was really excited about this part.  I wanted to have a very professional neck binding.  On my first version of this top, I sewed on the binding with my sewing machine and while not noticeable to a non-sewer, I notice the many imperfections.  See for yourself.

See how uneven that is?  I love the coverstitch binding much better.  Oh and here is the coverstitch hem.

Some notes on using the coverstitch:

• I used Katie’s and Melissa’s tips for using the binding attachment on my coverstitch machine.  I practiced a few times before binding my actual top.  My binding attachment isn’t as fancy as Katie’s as it doesn’t have the “feeder” which keeps the bias strip evenly distributed into the binder.  So I draped my strip on the Featherweight next to my coverstitch machine.  I was a little intimidated to use it in the beginning, but it actually is pretty easy to use.  My best tip is to practice, practice, practice before you attempt it on your garment.
• I have already used my coverstitch for hems before with no problems.  This fabric though (a burnout knit from Mood Fabrics) was a little on the thin side and curled over itself if you so much as a glanced at it.  So there were spots where the coverstitch stitches didn’t catch the hem allowance.  I just hand tacked those areas rather then ripping out a a coverstitch hem and doing it over.  Some things are worth doing over and others are not.  This was one of those times it was not.  It’s a casual top, not a ball gown.

But enough wordy wordy stuff.  Here’s how it looked on in an infamous bathroom shot.

I knew when I bought this fabric that it was destined for a top like this.  I just love it.

Happy coverstitching everyone!

I will post the dets tomorrow.  Tonight?  I am going to my first live concert since before Jack was born.  Putting on my dancing shoes now.  :)

Happy coverstitching!

Here was my process:

• I bought an art projector, this one I think. 
• Found an image online, similar to any of these. 
• Projected the image onto the wall at the size/scale wanted
• Traced the projected image on the wall in pencil
• Started to paint what I saw on the printout.

This was an in-progress picture.  I don’t have a final picture myself; I’m not sure why.  And my sister has since changed apartments, so this mural doesn’t even exist anymore. 

Seems pretty easy right?  Kind of like paint by numbers easy.  I didn’t have to figure out how to shade, or how to scale the flowers in relation to the branch.  Tracing an image allowed for a relaxed verisimilitude.  The problems I ran into were more technical in nature, like:

• Which size brush to use?
• How or when do you blend wet paint?
• How do you prevent muddiness of colors?

If you look at the top right, you will see some muddy, brownish petals.  I tried to blend colors (rather unsuccessfully) to get the color I wanted, but instead I came out with a brownish mess.  To be honest, I can’t remember if I corrected the color later or not, after the paint had dried.  As I mentioned earlier, this picture is not of the final mural as you can still see some of the pencil tracings.  I hadn’t painted some of the flowers yet, nor any of the greenery.  The bird is looking mighty cute though.   I remember that Katie spent a great deal of time staring at the bird when she was a baby.  Each successive petal was easier and easier to paint and to replicate the look of the original image. 

Now that I have remembered this forgotten project from 6 years ago and talked through some of the details and process of it, I feel the urge to create something similar again.  Maybe with some pre-stretched canvas.   Maybe a triptych of this kind of scene.  I do love me some chinoiserie.  Wouldn’t something like this be so beautiful, inspiring, and peaceful hanging above your sewing machines?

Kathy of Spottedroo is continuing her learn how to paint series.  Check out her latest post!

Happy painting, sewing, or whatever crafting you’re doing right now everyone!

P.S. Don’t forget you can purchase your very own Man Forgetting Tour Concert t-shirt (or mug or magnet or totebag) at SEWN’s very own store.  Click through to purchase and help Momma’s House with the profits from all sales.  See original post here.

I had so much fun on my Man Forgetting Tour of 2012, I wanted to memorialize it for all time.  You can join in on the fun memories too!  Following on the Selfish Seamstress’ lead, I created custom Man Forgetting Tour t-shirts and other tour trophies on Zazzle.com available for purchase.  The tour logo was designed by the famous Susie Riley!  In another tip of the hat to Selfish Herself, 100% of the profits from the sales of the tour memorabilia will be donated to Momma’s House, a not-for-profit organization which provides housing for young, single mothers and their children for up to 2 years.  Their mission statement is:

“MOMMAS is a home for young mothers aged 17 to 23 years and their babies. For approximately two years, the young mothers at MOMMAS House continue education or vocational experience interrupted by pregnancy. With guidance and direction, the young mothers can learn to support themselves and their children independently.”

As a single mom myself, I couldn’t imagine not having the support of my family and friends during my pregnancy and through to today.  Parenting is hard enough in a two-parent household, let alone being a single parent.  Momma’s House helps create a stable environment when a child needs it most and gives their mothers a safe place to raise their children during a most vulnerable time.

Click here to access SEWN’s very own Zazzle store.  Here’s a shot of the awesome tour t-shirt.

Click the reset button on the  logo at the top of the post if you need to forget a man and want to buy some Man Forgetting Tour of 2012 memorabilia (and help support an amazing organization while you’re at it).

Weird, I have this nagging feeling that I’ve forgotten something.  Oh well.

On the way to Los Angeles

The Pacific Ocean

Jack and a street Magician at Balboa Park

Bowling in San Diego

Grandpa and Jack on the way to the Padres game

My little Padre

San Diego at night in the rain

At the Children's Museum in San Diego

Niki de Saint Phalle (mosaic artist)

Jack at the Niki de Saint Phalle mosaic park

Classic kid pic

Hotel del Coronado

Margaux 2004 - very smooth

Let’s all raise a Bic lighter to the end of the Man Forgetting Tour of 2012, shall we?  Thanks Susie, for the idea.  ;)