Flosslady's Blog

Two Days, Two Finishes

2011-07-12T13:51:00.004-04:00

This summer is turning out to be very hectic, particularly July. Two family reunions and a wedding have combined to eat up every weekend of the month. In between, I've been spending countless hours outside working on various gardening chores. Gardening is one of those things that always starts well in the spring, but I quickly lose motivation to keep up with it when the temperature starts to rise. Seriously, it's about a million degrees outside now, and I really have to force myself to get out there. Afterward, I'm hot, miserable, and sore all over... not exactly prime time to be sewing.

I figured that an easy knit top would be a good thing to work on. I decided to try a different view of M6326. Not too many pieces, and nearly instant gratification, right? That's how it was last time, when I made view D, but not this time. No... this time, I promptly sewed the upper back to the *bottom* of the upper front. Naturally, I was using the tiny zig-zag stitch for knits on my machine, which is extremely difficult to rip out.

Lesson: Do NOT try to sew anything when you are tired and everything hurts from gardening.

After some serious un-sewing, things got back on track pretty quickly. I was making View C, the one with the twist top. The only problem with the pattern as designed is the keyhole opening below the twist-- it's WAY too low as designed. I sewed it up a bit, but went too far and now you can't really see the opening when it's worn. The fabric probably looks familiar. That is because it's left over from the dress that I recently finished.

I finished this yesterday, and promptly wore it out to run some errands. It's a cute top, but it doesn't wear nearly as well as view D. The twist top isn't very comfortable in really hot weather, and the back rides down just a bit, which is a problem if you're wearing a strapless bra with it (I was). I had already taken the top in quite a bit before wearing it, but it still slides a bit.

Today's finish was McCall's 5391, the shorts that I started a week or so ago. I wasn't able to finish them because I ran out of thread for the topstitching. I finally remembered to pick some up, and it didn't take long to finish these. They were supposed to be View B, the cuffed version with the tabs, but I cut them off too short before hemming and decided not to cuff them.

This is a lousy picture, but I can't get the stupid remote to work on my camera, and I was too lazy to try to put shorts on Wilma. So, there they are... flat on the cutting table. At any rate, I really like the shorts. I'm not crazy about the fabric (left over from last year's pants), but these were really intended as a wearable muslin. I wasn't too eager to buy fabric for shorts until I was sure I had a pattern that worked for me.

I liked this pattern much better than the previous one I used (McCall's 5857). The waist band sits lower, but not too low. The fit of this pair is much closer to my favorite RTW shorts-- a pair from Lord & Taylor that I bought out of desperation because I couldn't find any shorts to fit me and I hadn't yet found a shorts pattern that worked for me. Now that I've tried this pattern, I'll definitely be making more of these.

Finally Finished

2011-07-03T16:35:00.002-04:00

I don't know what it is about hemming/finishing that I dislike so badly, but it seems like I'll do nearly anything to avoid it. Take New Look 6429, for example. I'm not going to tell you exactly how long it hung in my sewing room waiting for the finishing touches. Let's just say it has been there for a while. The worst part is that it's sleeveless and required a narrow hem around the armscye. I probably should have just put sleeves on this dress. I would have been able to wear it sooner. Oh, well. It's done now.

The pattern is New Look 6429. I selected it for the princess seams and interesting back detailing. I didn't take a photo, but the back bodice goes down into a little "v" shape where it joins the skirt. The princess seaming provides wonderful shaping and the pattern is very well drafted, making it exceptionally easy to put together.

The only trouble I had with this dress (other than my own procrastination), was the facings. They don't want to lay properly. I'm sure the problem is with the fabric & interfacing that I used, and not the pattern. I doubt anyone other than me will notice, but the neckline wants to roll outward just a bit.

My latest pair of shorts are nearly finished, but I've run out of thread for topstitching. They're meant as a wearable muslin. So far, they seem to be turning out pretty well. The fit is nice and, most importantly, the waistline isn't too high. I'll probably pick up some more suitable fabric for another pair soon.

New Projects, Old Projects

2011-06-28T14:57:00.003-04:00

Nearly two years ago, I took a sock knitting class at a local yarn shop. I loved it, and a new addiction was born. I learned to knit as a kid but was never really "into" it... until I found socks. That first pair was pretty plain, knitted using a very forgiving sport weight sock yarn and size 4 or 5 needles.

The ultra-boring 2 x 2 rib pattern and larger size needles kept things simple so that we could learn the basic principles of sock knitting. And learn them I did! :) The moment that first pair was finished, I immediately purchased more yarn, plus a couple of basic sock-knitting books. More yarn came home, and soon my laptop had multiple folders devoted to sock patterns that I had collected online. When I'm not sewing, or stitching, or gardening, or weaving baskets, or any of the other thousand things that I love to do, I'm knitting socks. But like so many things, I usually forget to take pictures. So, here are just a few that I've made in the last year...

A few days ago, I visited the local yarn shop to look for some of my favorite sock yarn (Bamboobaa, if you're wondering). I picked up these lovelies and, of course, promptly started knitting yet another pair of socks.

On the sewing front, I'm working on a new pair of shorts from McCall's 5391. I picked up the pattern during one of the recent pattern sales at Joann. It's similar to the last pair I made (McCall's 5857), but the waist isn't so high and I was able to purchase the pattern in the correct size. So far, these seem to be working better than the other pattern. The fabric is left over from a pair of pants that I made last year. It's not the fabric I would choose, but it was good for a first run of this pattern.

Some good news about that last pair of shorts I made-- they're not as bad as I first thought. They aren't good... the waist is way too high and gives a definite "mom jeans" vibe... but they work well with some of my summer tops that aren't worn tucked in. The great news is that they are really comfortable to wear. So, I guess they weren't a tragic fail after all. I still won't be making that pattern again, though.

Catching up...

2011-06-24T16:21:00.002-04:00

Once again, I've been remiss in updating my blog. I have good intentions. Really, I do... but alas, I suffer from really poor follow-through. Again, my excuse is pictures and the fact that I can't seem to get the remote for my camera to work. Because I'm too lazy to figure out what's wrong, or just take the pictures using the timer, I've decided to renew Wilma's modelling contract. These clothes... the ones that turned out, anyway... look much better on a real person than they do on Wilma, but it's the best I can do at the moment.

First up, Butterick 4789, the Maggie London twist top dress that so many have sewn. When I brought home this fabric (from the "red tag" section at Joann's), BF informed me that it looked like the seat cover for a 1975 Chevy Nova. But even he grudgingly admits that he likes this dress. The fit is just perfect, particularly at the neckline, and it has fisheye darts in the back for shaping. All in all, very flattering!

Next we have McCall's 6326. I can't tell you how much I love this top. It's sooooo comfortable and easy to wear, and so much nicer than a t-shirt. If it wasn't such a distinctive style, I'd probably make a bunch of these. As it is, I plan to try one of the other views. I even have the fabric picked out. Unfortunately, what I *don't* have is the pattern. Somehow, I have misplaced it. I'm sure it will turn up again... these things always do. I just hope it's still summer when it happens. I'd hate to have to wear one of these with a winter coat. LOL

Last, and most certainly LEAST, is Vogue 8032. I love the design. Unfortunately, the finished top leaves much to be desired. The armscye on this is drafted so low that it was practically at my knees. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea. I tried a couple of different fixes, none of which fixed it enough to make it wearable. Someone on PatternReview had an excellent idea about adding contrast fabric to raise the armscye and treat it as a design feature. I just might try that... but probably not soon. Another member suggessted wearing it under a jacket, also a good idea and will probably save this from the trash bin in the end. I love the fabric, so finding some way to wear this would be nice.

And in case you're wondering how bad the armscye still looks after my attempts to fix it...

Better than expected

2011-05-24T12:59:00.004-04:00

There has been more sewing than blog posting lately. Mostly, that is because I'm soooo lazy about taking pictures, and the remote for my camera isn't working as it should, meaning that if I'm going to get any photos, I need to find someone else to take them. I hate to bother BF with it, so until the cats learn to use a camera, we'll just have to settle for Wilma as model.

One as yet unposted finish is Simplicity 2936, a button-front top with raglan sleeves. This pattern has languished in my stash for AGES because, well... the photos are decidedly unappealing. So bad, in fact, that every time I pulled this pattern out I couldn't begin to figure out why I had purchased it. The photo gives it a decidedly "home made" look that made me think more of a craft project than a custom-created garment. Really not my style at all, and something that I'm afraid of accidentally creating. Those of you who sew can probably relate to this. LOL

After giving the technical drawings a closer look, I decided to give the pattern a chance. It had nice shaping, courtesy of tucks in the front and back, and the raglan sleeves are great. I went with the non-collared view and decided against adding trim (though I did purchase some and may add it later).

Everything went together perfectly, and the tucks provided an opportunity to get a perfect fit through the waist. I loved the results and will probably make this again soon, in white. My ONLY complaint is the fabric that I chose. I used a cotton sateen. It would have been great for a different top, just not this one. It wrinkles badly in the wash, and the sleeves of this top are very difficult to iron properly. I've also had a hard time getting the neckline ironed just right. It was great when I first completed the top, but since washing.... well... just take a look at the photo, and you'll see what I mean.

Other than the issues with ironing, I was pleasantly surprised by this top. The full review is here.

M5857... and a lack of clothes

2011-05-06T17:29:00.003-04:00

I've mostly been quiet about it, but... I've lost weight. Quite a bit of it, in fact. I felt like I was too heavy FOR ME and finally decided to do something about it at the end of July 2010. I'll admit, I was skeptical, not expecting much results. I have no will power and LOVE to eat, after all. Much to my surprise, it worked. Great news, but now, the warm weather is upon us again and I have no clothes. Literally. Until two days ago, I didn't even own a t-shirt in my current size. I'm at a point with my sewing where I'd prefer to make clothes rather than buy them, but there are only so many hours in a day for sewing, and I'm kind of slow. I purchased a couple pairs of capri pants and a few tops as a start, but I'm trying to fill in the rest of my wardrobe with my own creations as much as possible.

This brings me to M5857, Misses' Shorts in 4 Lengths. I really need shorts for summer, and had great hopes of this pattern turning into a TNT. Sadly, that was not the case. For starters, I have the wrong size pattern (purchased when I needed a larger size). I took it in quite a bit all over, which helped, but I think it created some problems with the pockets. The pattern is now OOP, so re-purchasing in the correct size wasn't an option.

Even if I had the right size pattern to start with, I don't think it would have helped all that much. The waistband of these shorts is just too high for me, sitting just above my natural waist. This gives a decidedly unflattering look to the shorts, giving an odd "3 months pregnant" sort of look, which is only acceptable if one is indeed pregnant. I'm not. I also felt like it would have been much better with a 2-piece, curved waistband. It would have made fit adjustments in the waist a lot easier, and I think the fit would have been more flattering.

The pockets don't lay perfectly flat. I think this is due to my down-sizing of the pattern. I didn't really do much adjustment for the pockets, and I think I should have. In all honestly, I could have taken the shorts apart and fixed it, but it's fairly minor, and I just don't like these well enough to spend any more time on them.

I will wear these, partly because they are my ONLY pair of shorts at the moment. I'll never love them, but they'll be okay if I don't tuck my shirt into them.

The full pattern review is here.

NL6807 Revisited

2011-04-13T10:19:00.002-04:00

This time, I have a really good excuse for my lapse in blog updates. I was on vacation! There were all the usual vacation preps (including some sewing mishaps), followed by the actual trip, and ending with the multi-day "vacation hangover" that is always waiting at home after being away. You know what I mean-- all the stuff that needs to be unpacked, laundered, etc., plus a pack of animals demanding attention.

I should have more sewing to share, but at the moment, all I can report on is New Look 6807. It's a top that I've made before, with good results, so I decided to try it again. There were a few bumps in the road this time, mostly caused by the fabric (I think). The fabric in question is a knit that I picked up on the sale table at Wal-Mart a couple of years ago. It's very thin, and very stretchy, but it was surprisingly easy to work with. And yet, there were issues...

Having made this top before, I knew that it runs large. Very large. I also knew that the neck band was just narrow enough to make it a bit of a pain to sew on, so I decided to widen it a little. The trouble started after gathering the front and back, and sewing on the band. All was well; it fit together perfectly... and then I pressed the band before sewing it down. It seemed normal until I tried it on. The neck was HUGE, and I had lost all of my gathers. All I can think is that the steam on the iron caused the whole thing (neckband and all) to stretch out horribly.

I fixed the front by adding an inverted pleat in the center, turning it into a "design feature". I very carefully sewed it in place by hand, making sure that everything aligned perfectly, in order to avoid removing the neckband. This fabric is so thin that I was able to get away with this without adding a lot of bulk. Next, I took a wedge out of the center back seam. (Note: this top is supposed to have a tie back, which I've eliminated on both versions that I made.) After these adjustments, the back neck was still a bit saggy. Not a lot, but it was enough to really bother me. I couldn't really afford to take it in any further at the CB seam without encountering bust fitting issues, so I simply inserted a piece of 1/4" elastic inside the back neck binding. Worked like a charm. :)

I have another not-yet-reviewed top that made the trip, but I never got a chance to wear it, so I'm waiting until I have photos. I also hoped to take a new dress and another top, but that was not to be. I messed up the hem on the dress (Lesson: do not try to sew at the 11th hour the night before leaving on vacation, when you are most certainly tired), and the top had buttonhole issues. I'm getting a real backlog of projects that need to be photographed and reviewed. I hope to get to them soon, but life keeps getting in the way. *sigh*

Bad Blogger

2011-03-27T16:30:00.003-04:00

Every time I sign-in to update my blog, I'm surprised by how long it has been since my last post. It never feels like it has been so long, but the dates don't lie. Why is it that the weeks and months are passing by so fast? Maybe it's because there are too many things happening at once. The arrival of spring only makes it worse. Now I'm trying to balance my time between planting and yardwork, all of the sewing/stitching/knitting/etc. that I want to do, plus all of the regular stuff around the house. And now, on top of all of that, I'm trying to ready my condo for sale, while living nearly 100 miles away. I guess it's no wonder that the days are going by in a blur, while I'm not spending much time online.

At any rate, I have been sewing. I finished two tops yesterday. I don't have photos of either one yet, so those will come in a later post. I've also finished this skirt. Sorry there's no pic of me wearing this one. Believe it or not, I didn't have a single top to go with it. Well, none that fit, anyway. I fixed that with a quick shopping trip yesterday, but no updated photos... yet.

The pattern is B4461, a simple a-line skirt with facings and back zipper. The pattern shows six variations-- all the same skirt, but with different trim options. I decided against any trim or embellishment since the fabric is so busy. I tend not to add trim to most things. I see lots of other sewists who have a real flair for choosing embellishments, but I don't trust my own judgement enough to do it myself. I'm always afraid that I'll end up with something that looks like "Crafters Gone Wild" rather than a stylish garment. That is probably due to the memory of some of the clothes that my mother sewed for me as a child. Her sewing skills were wonderful, but too often, the results were just too different from the clothes other children were wearing... and I just wanted to fit in.

At any rate, I love the results I got from this pattern. I wanted something very simple, so that I could really show off the fabric, and this pattern was exactly the right thing. (I really need to take another photo-- the fabric is a much brighter blue than shown here. It really "pops" in real life.) As an added bonus, it is really fast to make, since it is so ridiculously simple. The only issue I had was the length. As drafted, the hem was going to hit right at the middle of my knee, which is not what I wanted. I opted to go just a bit longer by adding wide hem lace to the bottom edge. The resulting hem ended up exactly where I wanted it. :)

The full review is here.

TNTs & Cardi Wrap

2011-02-24T16:57:00.003-05:00

I had a couple of sewing finishes this week, both from patterns that I've sewn before. After the great collar debacle, my sewing mojo was suffering badly, and I really needed something quick & fun. First up, S2603, the popular cardi-wrap that everyone under the sun (except me) seems to have made already. I made B4737, a sleeveless top, to go under it. As I was sewing the cardigan, I wasn't sure how much I'd like it, but I was happy with it when I wore it recently. Excuse the frightening "bad hair, no make-up" look... I'm so behind in documenting any of my sewing that I got lazy about the picture. Sorry. :(

The cardigan went together quite easily, though hemming it was a pain. It has a LOT of edges to hem!! And I've never particularly enjoyed hemming knit fabrics. Amazingly, this fabric actually behaved with the iron, so the hemming wasn't too horrible, just tedious. The top underneath is ridiculously easy, not much to it at all... exactly what I needed to help get my sewing mojo back.

It's hard to tell with this completely unstyled picture, but it actually works well with jeans. It would be great with dress pants, but at the moment, I don't have any that fit. :( Rather inexcusable, since I could just sew some, but I'm still losing weight and hate altering things after they're sewn. So, more pants are just going to have to wait.
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Meanwhile, I am making plenty of pajama pants. I made one pair for BF recently (no photos yet) in some absolutely ridiculous juvenile fabric. This is what I made for me...

Isn't the fabric great? The pattern is M5248, the same one I used for the pink butterly pajamas a few months ago. I liked those, but the fabric didn't hold up well at all in the wash. I guess that's what I get for using Wal-Mart flannel. LOL I made a second pair at Christmas using candy cane printed flannel from Joann's. Those did *MUCH* better in the wash, so I bought more during their last flannel sale.

Last, but not least, is NL6735, another pattern that I've made before. I picked up this fabric at Wal-Mart. I was on the fence about the print... wasn't sure if it was awful or not. But I figured the gored skirt would help break up the pattern a bit, and the black top tones it all down a little.

Naturally, I couldn't finish all these projects without starting something new. ;) My latest WIP is M5523. I'm doing View A and LOVING working on this one!! It would be finished by now, but yesterday I realized that the dark color is NOT black. It's dark chocolate brown, and I don't have a zipper for it.

M5522... The Mojo Killer

2011-02-20T15:06:00.003-05:00

It might seem like I haven't done any sewing since Thanksgiving, but that isn't true. Some time ago, as in BEFORE CHRISTMAS, I started working on M5522 (I had some other things in the works, too). The pattern had been in my stash for a while, and I purchased some pretty red fabric for it. That's where the trouble began. First, the fabric was aggravating to work with. It fought me every step of the way. It was a nightmare to cut, and only slightly less troublesome to sew. Things were going pretty well, until I got to the collar and stand. The collar & stand weren't the problem-- they went together perfectly. The trouble happened when I pressed the collar. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but my iron ruined the collar. It wasn't a very good iron, and I should have replaced it long ago, but I had gotten by with it for so long that I hadn't bothered. (Okay, there was one ugly incident with a pair of pants prior to this... and I didn't get the hint.)

After completely ruining the collar, I immediately ran out and replaced the iron. I picked up a Rowenta professional something-or-other, which I absolutely LOVE. After getting my spiffy new iron, I set to work on doing another collar & stand. That's when the final incident happened... I managed to follow the instructions for the wrong view of the shirt, and ended up with the band collar. You'd think I would have noticed that there was no collar attached to the stand, but nooooo.... of course not! At this point, I was so sick of the collar drama that I decided to just go with the band collar. That worked, until I tried to attach it, and nothing lined up correctly. I have no idea why, because it was at that point that I couldn't take any more, and I simply stopped working on it.

I love the idea of the shirt so much (and it really is a great pattern!) that I haven't quite had the heart to doom it to wadder-dom, but I also haven't had the stomach to undertake making the collar for a THIRD time. So it sits in limbo.

Meanwhile, I have been sewing. I just haven't been very good about posting, or taking pictures. I tried to play catch-up today, but it didn't go so well. I started with S4135, a pair of pants that I loved when I made them. That was over a month ago. I've lost weight since then, and they no longer fit. I need to take them in all over, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I need to do a review of them, so I took a picture anyway. Ten pounds ago, they were *perfect*... not so much now. LOL

I've also finished S2603, the cardi-wrap that everyone (except me) seems to have made in the last year. I made a sleeveless top to go under it, but not the one shown on the pattern. More on the pants and cardi later.

New Year, New Project

2011-01-04T20:33:00.002-05:00

Since 2000, I've been starting a new project every January 1. Even though I didn't stitch a lot in 2010, I kept with this tradition for another year. For 2011, I decided to start Shell Collection, a Dimensions kit that I picked up last year on a trip to NC. As a rule, I don't normally stitch from kits, but this one really spoke to me. I'm a sucker for seashells, so I decided that I simply HAD to have this. I can't stand stitching on aida, so I swapped the fabric for some 30 ct. cream (or was it ivory?) murano from my stash. Here's what I have stitched so far...

Last year's January 1 start was Garden Verses, which isn't finished, but I have made some progress on it. I've enjoyed working on this one and need to get back to it again.

I'll soon have more sewing to share. I got a bit sidetracked from it over the holidays, but will be getting back to it very soon. In fact, I have a pair of pants that are nearly finished-- just need to hem them. And of course, there are a bunch of other things in the works. Stay tuned...

Sadie's Winter Coat

2010-11-24T10:37:00.003-05:00

Just because my dog is a mutt (beagle/rat terrier mix, adopted from a local shelter), doesn't mean that she isn't a diva. She is, and with short hair, she gets cold in the winter months. Unfortunately, at 20 lbs., her size often prevents her from being able to fit into many of the cutest RTW doggie clothes. This year, instead of being frustrated at the selection of coats available in XS and S, I decided she should have her very own custom creation.

The pattern is Simplicity 2695, which I did with very little deviation from the design instructions. The body of the coat is a single-sided pre-quilted nylon fabric; the contrast is ivory/pink leopard print minky. My only complaint about the pattern is the exposed edges. The instructions had the contrast binding simply folded in half and sewn on with topstitching, which would leave a raw edge all the way around. The minky doesn't really ravel, but it still seemed unfinished to me, so I did my own thing. I pinned the binding to the coat with right sides together and sewed the strip on, then folded over (leaving the unfinished edge on the inside), and topstitched down. MUCH better! I also added sparkly pink buttons to each side of the tab closure.

Not thrilled

2010-11-14T23:11:00.003-05:00

I finished B5497 today, but I'm not terribly excited about it. The color is good. The fabric... not so much. This is the same type of fabric that I used for the purple top I made recently and there is something about the drape that I just don't love. It's a shame, because it comes in really great colors.

I was in doubt over this pattern before I even cut it out. I think the sleeveless version might be okay, but it's November and that just wasn't an option. I was a bit concerned about the cut-in sleeves. Sometimes they work on me, but not always. My plan was to cut them off if they were a complete disaster. (Oh, how I wish that was my only issue with this top. LOL)

First things first. The good... the pattern was very well-drafted and went together perfectly. The elastic insertion at the bodice seam was a little weird, though. It works, but I would do it differently if I ever tried it again. (Don't hold your breath!)

Some of the issues in this photo are due to Wilma's poor modeling techniques. The shirring on the top of the sleeves is completely lost in the gap, and the draping is a little off because of the way the fabric sticks to the dress form. Those things aside, there are actually several things I would change if I was going to do this top again. First, I *hate* the way the neckline is finished. It's done with a narrow hem, something I never like on a round neck. I thought about doing a bound neckline, but followed the pattern instead. I really wish I had gone with my instinct-- it would have been so much better.

I also don't really like the way the sleeves hang. Because they are cut-in rather than set, there is a seam that runs from the shoulder all the way down the sleeve and there is elastic at the shoulder to create shirring at the top of the sleeve. Sounds good in theory, but it shortens the sleeve on the top side, making the hem look odd.

At the moment, I doubt I'll ever wear this for anything other than yard work. My plan is to let it sit for a little while and see if I feel any differently about it later. If my feelings about it change, I plan to fix the neckline (I screwed it up a bit when I was doing the narrow hem). And I might chop off the sleeves and have this as a summer top instead.

On a brighter note, the pajama bottoms have been keeping me warm and comfy. :) There will definitely be more of those in my future, though I will make a couple of changes. For starters, they need pockets. And after looking at the photo, I realized that they aren't nearly as pink as they look here. The photo makes it look like they glow in the dark... they're not quite that bright. LOL

Oh... and Julie... the top for the pajama bottoms were these tiny little spaghetti-strap things. Definitely NOT suitable for cold weather. Anyway, I usually wear t-shirts with my flannel bottoms. (Probably more than you wanted to know. LOL)

Pink?

2010-11-05T12:34:00.004-04:00

I'm not generally a fan of pink. Fuschia is okay, but not little-girl pink. But when I decided that I needed some girly pajama bottoms, I went straight for the bolt of oh-so-girly, complete with butterflies, pink flannel. I'm glad I did-- they're too cute! :)

The pattern is McCall's 5248. Not much to tell, really. Pajama bottoms are unbelievably easy to put together... just four pieces and a tie. Not much fitting required other than getting the hem right. Speaking of the hem-- these ran LONG. I made the medium and shortened a little when I cut the pattern, but still ended up taking off another 1".

I'll probably make more of these to replace the ugly men's flannel that I normally wear around the house. This will certainly be more cheerful during the dreary winter months.

S2451

2010-11-04T11:50:00.002-04:00

I seem to be on a purple kick lately. Or, I was. This is the third purple garment in a row that I've made. Yes, that last top was purple, even though it appeared blue in the pictures. (I really must remember to change the filters on my camera.) At any rate, the latest in my "purpler series" is this skirt.

I was having a bad hair day, so you're getting this one on the hanger. LOL

This pattern has lots of positive reviews on Pattern Review, and with good reason. It is well-drafted and goes together very easily. Lots of fun to make! My only complaint is the fabric I used. I absolutely love the color, especially for fall/winter, but my adoration of this fabric ends there. It wasn't bad to work with, but it seems to look rumpled pretty easily. It also attracts pet hair. BADLY. This is not a good thing in my household. :( Aside from that, there is also a nasty crease down the front of the skirt from where the fabric was folded on the bolt. I haven't washed it yet (yeah, I know... I should have done that before cutting & sewing), so I'm hoping it will come out eventually. Meanwhile, I've tried just about everything else.

It's a rainy day here, which gives me a good excuse to stay at home and sew. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to make. I have two tops cut out already, and some pretty pink flannel that is going to be a pair of pajama pants. I also picked up a piece of "maybe" fabric recently. You know... the kind that *might* work for something... or *maybe* it will be a disaster. It really could go either way. But it was inexpensive enough that I just had to take a chance on it.

Halloween Treats

2010-11-01T11:21:00.005-04:00

A big, big THANK YOU to Angela, who sent me a wonderful Halloween exchange package last week. (Well, she sent it way before then, but the mail was unusually slow.) She has been a dear friend over the years, so it was a special treat to receive something sent by her. She was also kind enough to let me "borrow" her photos of the exchange-- hers were much better than anything I came up with.

I really wish you could see these in person. They're all stitched over one and are just exquisite. The finishing on the tin is truly lovely. I had to confess to Angela that I always wanted one of these, but had never made one for myself because i've always been a little intimidated by the finishing. Now that I have such a nice example of one in my own two hands, I'm going to try to put one together.

The exchange I sent hasn't arrived at its destination, so no pictures of it yet.

S4076

2010-10-19T17:42:00.003-04:00

This is my 2nd completed project for the Pattern Stash Contest. I'm not nearly as prolific as some of the other sewists, but at least this is getting me to use some of the patterns that have been languishing in the pile. And really, isn't that the point? Well, it is for me, anyway. ;) I love the idea of using some of the patterns that have just been sitting around. After all, I wouldn't have purchased them if I didn't like them in the first place. I just tend to get distracted by the latest thing I've hauled home.

My pattern stash isn't very large and most of it hasn't been around long enough to qualify for the contest anyway. So, my goals are modest. I'm hoping to complete 5 items from "old" patterns.

I got a little lazy with this one and didn't do an FBA. I (stupidly) thought that the gathered neckline and knit fabric would provide enough extra room for my "extra" curves. Ummmm... not really. It looks better than the photograph shows, and I'm sure it will be just fine another -5 lbs. from now. There is something funny about the way this top shows in pictures. I'll need to remember *not* to wear it anywhere that a camera might be pointed in my direction.

I was surprised that I had to add 3" to the length of this top. I'm an average height and rarely need to alter the length, but this was drafted quite short. The sleeve length was fine, though, so I think this was just a "design feature"... just not one I liked. And of course, I had to remove some of the ease from the sleeve cap, about 3/8".

At any rate, I'm extrememly happy with this top and will probably make it again someday. There are two other neckline variations for this pattern-- a v-neck cross-over style, and a twist front. I will probably try each of them as well.

I am not a model!

2010-10-17T16:35:00.006-04:00

I really hate being in photos... and it shows. The bad hair day doesn't help, either. LOL Oh well. My latest sewing projects just didn't look that great on Wilma, so I had to step in.

First up is New Look 6375, a six-gored knit skirt. Since I stopped working, I don't have the occassion to wear many skirts. They always make me feel a bit overdressed, partly because we live in an area where most people dress casually and choose comfort over style. I hate feeling frumpy, so I've decided that a few skirts are in order.

I chose this pattern for a couple of reasons. First, I've entered the stash contest at Pattern Review. The challenge is to sew patterns that have been in the stash pile for 6 months or more. This pattern definitely meets that criteria. I've had it for at least 2 or 3 years. The other deciding factor is that I've been on a diet (WW online, if anyone cares), and I am still shrinking. Six gores and an elastic waist make this a VERY easy skirt to take in later. ;)

I wasn't sold on this skirt before I sewed it, mostly because it called for knit... and I haven't had great luck with knit skirts in the past. Then I fell in love with this poly-lycra knit at Joann's, and it was positively BEGGING to be made into this skirt. The fabric wasn't the greatest to work with-- it wanted to roll and made the casing and hem a real pain in the rear-- but the feel and drape of this stuff made it well worth the trouble.Now that it's finished, I absolutely love it. This will probably be a "go to" pattern in the future.

My other recent finish is Butterick 5185. This top is assymetrical with a knotted front. It's a little tough to see these details in the picture, though. Because of the print, they just sort of blend in. It doesn't do this so much in real life, but I was too lazy to take better photos. Sorry about that!

Anyway, the fabric is one that I ordered from Fabric Mart especially for this top. I loved the print and weight of the fabric, but wasn't crazy about the way it feels. Can't have it all, I guess. It feels okay on, so that's good... and it's such a distinctive top that I probably won't be able to wear it too often for fear of becoming "the woman who seems to have just that one top". LOL

The only real trouble I had with the construction of this top was the sleeves. The pattern as drafted had WAY too much ease, which resulted in a puffy gathered mess around the shoulder... not really what I want in a knit top. The detailed review is here: http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/readreview.pl?readreview=1&reviewnum=56312.

B5495

2010-09-27T21:22:00.002-04:00

Last month, I was at Joann's during a Butterick sale and purchased only one pattern. I left feeling not-so-great about Butterick. Well, I might be having a change of heart. I was at Joann's again last week, during another Butterick sale, and decided to try again. This pattern and fabric were among my finds...

The pattern envelope said "Fast & Easy", no naturally something had to go wrong. In this case, the side front extended about 1 1/2" beyond the center front.

Normally, I would wonder if I accidentally cut two different sizes, but I was using the smallest one. I ended up laying the back onto the front and cutting off the excess. There was enough ease in the front to allow it to fit even after I removed the excess, but I'd still like to know what went wrong.

I love the top... except for the sleeves. They're kimono style, rather than set-in. It's not bad, but that style of sleeve is not my favorite. If I make this again, I'll make the sleeveless version and draft a sleeve to go onto it. At any rate, this is what I'll be wearing for lunch with the girls tomorrow.

NL6807

2010-09-21T20:45:00.002-04:00

My mojo is still missing, but I decided to do some sewing anyway. I needed a "short attention span" type of project and decided on New Look 6807. It was just four pattern pieces, with raglan sleeves... basically, a no-brainer.

The fabric was an embroidered poly-lycra blend from Fabric.com. It's one of those that really wants to curl along the edges, which made for a lot of fabric-fiddling, especially when it came to the neck band. Cutting it out wasn't a lot of fun, either. Come to think of it, I probably spent more time fiddling with the fabric than sewing. I do like the way it looks, though.

The complete pattern review is here...

http://sewing.patternreview.com/review/pattern/55620

Has anyone seen my mojo??

2010-09-16T13:13:00.002-04:00

My sewing/stitching/crafting mojo seems to have gone missing. I'm afraid it has been killed in a consipiracy between my floor and a sewing WIP.

The floor in question is in my den. A few weeks ago, I got the bright idea to rip out the carpet, which I have always disliked, and install tile. Naturally, I did every bit of the work myself... and just finished yesterday. I didn't do any sewing or stitching while I was working on this project. I was just too tired and sore to think about it.

Meanwhile, I also started this...

It was going well until I got to the stupid yoke. It isn't particularly difficult, but for whatever reason, just doesn't want to attach properly. I really think it's because I've been tired and/or in the wrong frame of mind every time I've tried to work on it. At any rate, it has brought my sewing progress to a screeching halt. I'll probably put this top away for a while and work on something else. I'm not sure what that will be, though.

M5586 Revisited

2010-08-16T17:59:00.003-04:00

Yes, yes... I just completed View A of this top last week. But as I mentioned in the previous post, my original attempt at sewing this pattern was View B. Thanks to my handy-dandy new ruffler, I was finally able to finish this thing. Excuse the very poor photo-- I was (once again) too lazy to do it properly. I really do need to work on getting some better pictures, but I am too busy sewing/knitting/stitching/weaving baskets/etc., so this will have to do for now.

This fabric wasn't really suitable for the v-neck version. It just didn't want to gather properly in the front. Using the ruffler fixed that, but if I had done it by basting and gathering, it would never have been finished. I'm amazed that I didn't simply throw it out, but I'm SO glad I let it hang around.

As always, it looks much better on me than on the hanger.

I've also completed S2369... details on that later. Oh, and I started knitting a new pair of socks, just for fun.

Unimpressed

2010-08-14T13:37:00.004-04:00

I visited Joann's yesterday. Again. Since getting back into sewing with a vengeance, I seem to be there a lot. Whenever I'm in the neighborhood (not often, since it's 35 miles away), I try to pick up a few patterns from whatever is on sale. This week, it was Butterick, and... well... I was unimpressed. There were a few possibilities, but in almost every case, I could think of another company's version that I liked much better. It was rather disappointing, but good for the pocketbook. I did manage to find one pattern-- 5185. My plan is to do the long-sleeve version, but I'll need to find a printed knit that I like first.

I've done a little bit of stitching lately, but not much. The summer heat seems to chase all of my stitching mojo away. I have a couple of exchanges that I need to work on, but for now, Garden Verses is still getting what little bit of attention I have. Excuse the poor photo... I took it with my new phone, which I have yet to completely figure out. It will never come close to my DSLR, but it's a lot more convenient since I can upload directly to Photobucket from my phone.

The Saga of M5586

2010-08-09T11:05:00.003-04:00

I don't know what it is about "easy" patterns, but I seem to run into some kind of problem every time I attempt to sew one of them. Give me something with lots of seams & pieces, maybe a nice set-in collar or cuffs, and I'm just fine. But just tell me that it's "easy", then sit back and watch how quickly I can complicate it.

This brings me to McCall's 5586, a very loose-fitting, sleeveless top. It has a simple faced yoke, a front, and a back. That's all. Nothing to it, right? Well, maybe.

I originally attempted this top in the v-neck version (View B) using a Mystery Fabric from my stash. All was going well, until I gathered the front and tried to sew it to the yoke. It was all downhill from there. No matter what I did, I simply couldn't get the thing to hang right. I decided that the fabric was a touch too heavy to gather and drape correctly around the v-neck, and promptly moved on. I wasn’t doing much sewing in the interim.

A year or two later, I decided to attempt this top again, in View A, with a different fabric. The construction was mostly uneventful, until the end when I had to finish the yoke. Something wasn’t quite right, so I took the whole thing apart, cut another one and tried again. The second time must be the charm, because this is what I ended up with...

The thing that really saved the day on this project was a ruffler foot. I hate doing gathers! They’re so simple, and yet I never seem to get them right. I think it’s because I fiddle with them too much, and the more I tinker, the worse they look. I never can seem to get them even, so I ordered a ruffler before completing this top. The gathers are a bit fuller than the pattern is designed for, even on the lowest setting, but it makes the job so much easier that I’m happy to adjust for that.

The ruffler is also going to salvage my original attempt at the v-neck version of this pattern. I gathered it this morning, and it looks great. :) All I need to do now is the hand-finishing (not really leaping forward to do that at the moment), and hem.

Simplicity 2416, continued...

2010-08-07T18:40:00.001-04:00

It's finished, but I'm not thrilled with it. I had such high hopes for this fabric & pattern combo. Unfortunately it was better in my head than it was in reality. Sorry for the bad photo-- I don't actually have a top to go with this yet, and I am having a bad hair day. And well, I'm lazy about fiddling with the tripod and remote for my camera. So, Wilma will have to do as a model for now. ;)

The complete review is below. One thing I didn't mention in the review is the way this thing hangs toward the bottom. It hangs much better on me than it does on Wilma, but it does dip inward between my ankles, which really bugs me. The fabric is also just thin enough that I would need a slip, or you'd be able to see straight through it. This sort of defeats the purpose of a lightweight summer skirt in my book.

As you can see, Oliver is trying to play with the skirt. He has been infatuated with this piece of fabric since I first laid it out for cutting.

Pattern Description: Misses' flounced skirt

Pattern Sizing:10-18

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes... mostly.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Despite having quite a few pieces for a skirt pattern, the instructions were very easy to follow. It's a straightforward construction with an elastic waist.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Unless you are more than 6 feet tall, this skirt will be way too long. I'm 5' 6" and would have been tripping over this if I had done it to the length as designed. The instructions say to determine finished length before sewing, but never give any direction on how to shorten it.

You can't really shorten this skirt from the bottom, due to the circular "swirling" tiers. Shortening from the top changes the line & fit of the garment. The very best way to get rid of some of the length is to increase the seam allowance of each layer. Not a difficult fix, but it is a modification that may not occur to a beginning sewist.

Fabric Used: crinkle cotton, which didn't really work out very well for View A. In the shorter view, it may have been okay. In the longer version that I made, the semi-circular tiers are cut in such a way that makes the grain not line up from one tier to the next. It works perfectly in the first 3 or 4 sections, but as I got toward the bottom, it got sort of wonky. (You can see this in the photo if you look closely.) This could have been corrected before cutting, but it didn't occur to me until it was too late. >:(

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I shortened the length and straightened the hemline. The bottom two tiers of View A go together in a way that makes the skirt somewhat lop-sided. I guess this is supposed to add to the "twirl", but it wasn't a look I liked, so I did mine straight across... or as straight as I could, anyway. *groan*

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I probably won't sew this again. I like the style, but would rather find another pattern that doesn't have the hemline issues.

I wouldn't recommend sewing View A. The shorter version looks like a nice pattern, though.

Conclusion:
I really wanted to love this skirt. The basic design idea is a good one, but the hemline issues really ruined it for me. The finished skirt is certainly wearable, but I think there must be a better version of this same idea out there somewhere.

Simplicity 2416

2010-07-21T10:28:00.002-04:00

For a couple of years, I've had a piece of turquoise blue crinkle cotton sitting in my fabric stash. I never quite knew what to do with it. It was purchased because I liked the color and it was on sale... an irresistible combination. I kept an eye out for a suitable pattern, but never found the right thing. Until a couple of weeks ago, when I found this...

I don’t generally wear this style of skirt, and I’ve certainly never made one, but it suited the fabric so perfectly that I decided to try it out. I’m used to straighter styles, so I was a little surprised when I saw that it called for five(!!!) yards of fabric. I wasn’t sure I had that much, but my "helper" assisted in determining that there was, indeed, enough for the skirt.

On to the cutting & assembly...

Not a difficult thing to put together, but certainly a lot more pieces than I normally use for a skirt. It is also taking a lot more thread (stay stitching, plus double-stitched seams, plus edge finishing). I ran out last night, about halfway into the project. Oops.

Almost finished... NL 6815

2010-07-20T15:34:00.003-04:00

I've nearly finished NL 6815. It just needs buttons and a hem. I probably have suitable buttons in my stash, but I'd like to find something new. So, it won't be totally finished until I can get to a fabric store, probably sometime next week. I was pleasantly surprised at how well this top has turned out. If I ever do it again, there will no doubt be a few tweaks here & there, starting with the interfacing that I used. It was just a hair too stiff for the fabric and made attaching the collar and facing a real pain in the butt. The pattern calls for pockets, which I have cut out but have not attached. I'm not sure I want to use them. I really liked the lines of the top when I tried it on, and am not sure that I want to break it up with pockets. I'm also not sure that I need the extra bulk that the pockets would add to the bust. We'll see how it looks once it's hemmed & buttoned.

What next?

2010-07-16T09:49:00.006-04:00

The painting and sewing madness continues. At 7 a.m. (really early for me), I rolled out of bed and finished the last of the painting. Now all I have to do is change the rest of the light switches and sockets, and put the two big light fixtures back on the wall. That's where it becomes a little more complicated, requiring another trip to Lowe's to fix a small wiring boo-boo.

The current sewing project is NL 6815. I'm working on the view D top. I'm not sure that it's going to be a particularly flattering style on me, so I'm using some very inexpensive fabric that I picked up at Wal-Mart a couple of years ago. So far, I'm surprised at how much I like the fabric for this top. The only problem is that it ravels quite a bit, so I'm topstitching most of the seams and edge-finishing everything else. I didn't bother to do an FBA on this one, though I'm wondering if I will regret that choice later.

Here's the WIP on Wilma. I need to "fix" her so that the bust is more accurate. Dress forms don't really account for things like cup size, so while it is possible to get the correct measurements, it's not quite the same. It's much better if Wilma has a bra with plenty of extra padding. Otherwise, everything looks like this... boxy, floppy, and generally shapeless. ;)

Too many projects...

2010-07-13T15:08:00.002-04:00

I'm beginning to think that I've started a few too many projects, and it is starting to show. Badly.

My master bathroom looks like a disaster area, thanks to a painting project. I can't just put paint on the walls like a normal person. Oh no... I have to paint all of the trim on the windows, doors and baseboards. Then I have to become dissatisfied with the beige switchplates. You can't have white switchplates with beige outlets & switches, so this leads to me getting sidetracked with an electrical project. And don't get me started on the light fixtures... too ornate to paint around easily, so I have to take all of them down (more fun with electricity!).

My dining room has been converted into Sewing Central. At the moment, it looks like a fabric store exploded in there. I finished the New Look top in time to immediately cut out another, and there are a few more waiting to be cut & sewed.

Since we aren't using the dining room for actual dining, we've been eating in the breakfast nook. But my sewing machine has been living there, since that is where I like to do my sewing. The house is big enough that I could have a dedicated sewing/craft room, but my favorite spots for doing this sort of work are still the dining room & kitchen. Go figure. And of course, the kitchen has been used for soapmaking. Batch after batch after batch of the stuff.

You might not believe it, but I really do cook. A lot. So when it is time to eat, my current sewing project and soapmaking needs to be relocated to the laundry room & sunroom.

Somebody stop me...

FUFOs!

2010-07-10T14:20:00.002-04:00

I think most of us have a collection of FUFOs-- projects where the stitching is completed, but for one reason or another, aren't truly finished and ready for display. I also think that my FUFO pile is bigger than most. A lot of projects are there because they need to be framed. I have a real backlog of those kinds of items. But I also have lots of smalls awaiting assembly. I'm on very good terms with my sewing machine, so why can't I seem to finish any of my FUFOs?

Having no good excuse for continuing to ignore a growing FUFO pile, I decided that rather than starting yet another small, I would finally put together some of the ones I've already stitched. I now have a few new Christmas ornaments and some LHN designs finished into small pillows (and now I need to make a basket to display them LOL). The pillows were inspired by some finishes that BeckySC posted on her blog.

All of these projects were completed with fabric that I already had in my stash. So really, there was no excuse for waiting so long to assemble them. I still have lots more to do, but at least the collection has been reduced by six. :)

Of course, I can't post without an update of Garden Verses.

Another update

2010-06-23T11:02:00.002-04:00

Garden Verses got quite a bit of attention on Monday, but not so much yesterday. I'm really enjoying working on this one. I'm going to do some more on it today, of course, but after that, I think I might just have to start something new. I have a lot of smalls that are calling my name. ;)

I also got some good mail this week-- the jewel for Malachite Maze arrived! :) I'll be taking this one to the framer soon.

The most wonderful time of the year...

2010-06-20T15:39:00.003-04:00

That's right... WIMBLEDON!!! I watch plenty (okay, probably too much) of tennis, but this is the big one. The bonus is that I'll probably get lots of stitching done. I'll need something to do if I'm going to spend that many hours in front of the television. ;)

I've gotten back to work on Garden Verses, so that project will probably get some attention over the next two weeks. Actually, I've been working on it quite a bit today while watching a rebroadcast of the 2008 men's final. I even took a couple of recent update photos.

This is from Wednesday, June 16:

And here it is today:

I also started a new project this week, Secret Pumpkin Patch by the Trilogy. I would probably have finished this one already, if my cats hadn't absconded with some of the floss. I wish I knew where they buried it.

Counted Canvas

2010-06-04T12:09:00.002-04:00

While on vacation in April, I checked out a wonderful shop (Weaver's Webb, in New Bern, NC). I went in intending to purchase some new sock yarn, but instead got distracted by their wonderful collection of counted canvas patterns and supplies. I could have gone absolutely wild in that shop, but managed to show some restraint, just in case I wasn't wild about stitching on canvas. I chose a few patterns, mostly by Laura Perin, and had one of them kitted up.

The pattern I decided to kit-up and stitch first was Malachite Maze. I couldn't wait to get started, and I rapidly became obsessed with stitching it. This was a nice change from my usual stitching, and the fibers were absolutely yummy. I finished it on Monday, except for one tiny jewel that I need to replace. The photo is a bit lop-sided (photographer error) and it really doesn't do the piece justice.

Since I've had a few finishes recently, I decided to treat myself to a new start... The Decorator by Full Circle designs, from the 2007 JCS ornaments issue. The fabric in the background is what I plan to use for finishing. All I need to do is drag out the sewing machine. I wonder how long that will take? LOL

A couple of finishes

2010-05-26T14:46:00.004-04:00

Wow... it really has been a long time since my last post. I finished a couple of things in the meantime. Both of them were UFOs that had frustrated me YEARS ago, so I'm quite happy about having them out of the way.

The first finish was a Dimensions Daydreams kit. I'm not fond of working on Aida and had the extra problem of having miscounted one of the squares. Of course, I didn't know this until I had stitched most of it, so major frogging was necessary. At the time when it happened, I simply couldn't stand the thought of it and put the project aside. At any rate, it is finished now. :)

The next finish was much more challenging. This came as a kit-- one of three that I've purchased from this designer. I've had nothing but trouble with every one of them, but this was by far the worst of the bunch. The design was apparently done for the 1998 CATS festival, as it has this charted on the design, although it is not shown on the kit photo. The kit photo shows a blank space where the "CATS 1998" would be. Since the top & bottom three bands are identical, it looks like they simply left something off. Try to imagine a blank space between my bottom two rows, and you'll get the idea.

Kits from this designer are widely known for their shortages. I was aware of this when I started, thanks to first-hand experience with the two previous kits. Even so, I wasn't quite smart enough to check thoroughly before starting it. Silly me! I found out, too late, that the fabric was too short. Not just a little too short, but WAY too short.

Disgusted, I put the thing down. Fast forward about 10 years, and I pulled it back out again. I decided to start over. But, as I had already stitched about 1/3 of the design, there wasn't enough overdyed silk to start again. (There was barely enough in the kit to do the entire design once, much less make any mistake along the way.) This necessitated a color change. I decided to use Waterlilies "Harvest" floss on Apricot linen. Unfortunately, the colors didn't show well in my photo... poor lighting, and perhaps the wrong lens filter, I think.

Starting over wasn't so bad. The new colors suited me a bit better. But of course, there were more kit problems. First, there wasn't nearly enough #8 perle cotton. I had plenty in my stash, but that doesn't change the fact that this was a kit and should have had the correct supplies. To make up for the shortage of #8, there was WAY too much #12 perle. The instructions also had various flaws, mostly instructions that didn't match up to what was on the pattern. Easy stuff to figure out as long as you're paying attention, but just one more thing that shows poor quality control.

Aside from the kit issues, I also had several stitcher-created problems along the way. I took this project on a vacation in April and did a lot of the work on it then. Not being very bright, I decided that it would be a good idea to work on the Hardanger edging in the evening... in poor light... while I was tired from a day of sight-seeing. BAD idea! I ended up cutting the wrong threads (of course) and got to do some really fun (NOT!) Hardanger repair.

In case you haven't guessed, I am really, really glad this is done! LOL

Just a quick post...

2010-03-30T14:55:00.003-04:00

I have lots of updates to share, but no time to post all of them. The short version...

Wee Spring is finished, or the stitching is, anyway. I still need to figure out how to FINISH it.

I haven't done much lately on Garden Verses, but LindaK requested a pic, so here 'tis. Hmmm... looking at it now, I realize that it has grown quite a bit since the last time I took a photo of it. I really need to be more regular with progress pictures.

And, a picture of my TUSAL, taken on March 19... a few days late, and even later with posting it.

There's more, of course, but it will have to wait until later.

Thinking Spring

2010-03-17T16:20:00.002-04:00

Our crocus are blooming! That always puts me in the mood for spring. The only drawback is that my fondness for flowers translates into a LOT of work. Lately, I've spent more time on my hands and knees in the flower beds than I have stitching. By the time I sit down to stitch, I'm too sore & tired to hold a needle.

With the improved weather, I thought some spring-themed stitching was in order. So, I started Wee Spring, by Heart in Hand. The photo isn't very good-- poor lighting. The fabric is really a much prettier shade of yellow than shown here. I'm not 100% happy with the way the white is (or isn't) showing up against the fabric. Perhaps a bit of backstitching will be in order.

I also took a photo of the needleroll that I stitched last month. The stitching is complete, but it still needs charms. I didn't have anything suitable on-hand, so the actual "finish" will have to wait a bit longer.

February Review

2010-03-12T18:21:00.005-05:00

Wow... where did February go? Or March, for that matter?

First things first-- my TUSAL progress. This was supposed to be posted on February 15. I took the photo on time, but never managed to get it online. I still haven't figured out how to get a decent picture of a brandy snifter.

My TUSAL container is a bit fuller now, but not by much. I haven't done a whole lot of stitching so far this month. For whatever reason, I just haven't been very motivated lately.

As for my February goals... they didn't go so well. Here's the review-- with accompanying notes/excuses.

1. Finish Lacy Ribs socks - not finished. I have about 1 1/2 socks so far. I planned to do these in boot length, but after completing sock #1, I realized that I really didn't like the length, so I had to UN-KNIT (ugh!!!!!) half of the sock. After that tedious bit of work, I lost most of my motivation to work on these socks. I'm pretty close though, and should have them finished this month.

2. Spend at least 10 hours on PIG - DONE!!! It doesn't look like much progress to me, but it was a good 10 hours or more.

3. Work on Adia at least once (this is a real challenge, as I have sort of hit the wall with this one) - Okay, I'll be honest... I never even took it out of the drawer.

4. Continue working on Garden Verses - At last, a goal I can actually meet! This was one of the few things I actually worked on in February. It's coming along quite nicely. Updated photo soon.

5. Assemble one FUFO - I really had to force myself, but I did assemble a FUFO. I chose Sekas' Valentine Heart, a project that has been completed for years but never assembled. I'm not altogether thrilled with the way it turned out. I used a pillow form, but think it would have been better just to use fiberfill.

6. Start & finish a needleroll (assembly included!) - Close, but not quite. I stitched a cute little snowman piece during the February blizzard. The stitching is completed, and the ends are finished. I need to find two charms for it, though. Other than that, it just needs to be sewn & stuffed.

All in all, I'm less than thrilled with my February progress. For March, I think I'll just try to finish the uncompleted February items.

January Review & February Goals

2010-02-01T12:26:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure how I feel about my January goals. It isn't a bad start, I guess.

1. Start a new project - started two: Mirabilia's Garden Verses and ST's Snowflakes in the Pines
2. Finish Prairie Garden - NOT done, due to missing floss issue. The floss still has not turned up, btw.
3. Finish Boo Jack - completed January 15
4. Work on PIG at least once - done, but only by a technicality. I didn't work on this until January 31, but I did work on it.

I also completed Snowflakes in the Pines, just so that I would have something finished besides Boo Jack for the month of January.

Garden Verses is still quite blob-like, but I'm making progress.

For February, I'd like to be a bit more ambitious:

1. Finish Lacy Ribs socks
2. Spend at least 10 hours on PIG
3. Work on Adia at least once (this is a real challenge, as I have sort of hit the wall with this one)
4. Continue working on Garden Verses
5. Assemble one FUFO
6. Start & finish a needleroll (assembly included!)

The Lacy Ribs socks that I'm currently working on are from the book Socks from the Toe Up. This is the first time I've tried knitting socks this way, and I'm not sure I like it. I'm also not sure how I feel about knitting socks on circulars. I guess I'm a bit old-fashioned in my fondness for DPNs and Kitchener stitch. LOL However, I do like that I can try the socks on easily as I go. That has been especially important for this pair, as I have decided to do them boot length.

If anyone knows a good way of photographing socks-in-progress, please tell me about it! I'm never happy with the way these photos turn out, and short of taking the picture with the sock ON my foot, I'm not sure how to improve it.

Revenge Stitching & a New SAL

2010-01-17T16:16:00.008-05:00

I was so irritated at misplacing my threads from Prairie Garden that I decided a bit of Stitcher's Revenge was in order. What better way to make oneself feel better than to start a new project? I was determined to finish one more project this month and wanted something small. Snowflakes in the Pines by Sweetheart Tree fit the bill perfectly.

The fabric is a 28 ct. from my stash... Cafe au Lait, maybe? I had to change the floss colors a bit. The snowflakes were charted in ecru. Really. Ecru. For snowflakes??? That just wouldn't do, so I replaced it with B5200, which naturally meant that the beads would need to be white rather than the cream that was charted. Because I didn't use the recommended fabric, the green (502) didn't work... so that changed to 895. Overall, I'm quite happy with the way this one turned out.

So many of these small projects have piled up in my FUFO drawer that I really do need to set aside some time to work on some finishing. Stay tuned...

Meanwhile, I signed up for the Totally Useless Stitch Along (TUSAL) on Yoyo's blog. The "challenge" is to collect orts for the entire year, showing progress pictures along the way. The concept of an ort-collecting "stitch along" was rather funny, and I figured that it was one SAL that I actually might be capable of completing. More details on this fun SAL are here.

I was planning to use a plain ol' quart jar but decided that a large brandy snifter would be more fun. It was just sitting around collecting dust anyway; better that it should be used to collect orts. If you look very closely, you'll see a few snippets of thread. I also added some petite seed beads from Snowflakes in the Pines.

AAARRRGGHHHHH!!!!

2010-01-15T11:21:00.003-05:00

Ever have one of those days? I'm having one right now, thanks in part to Prairie Garden and my complete lack of organization. I was all set to work on Prairie Garden, with the plan to finish it over the weekend. I pulled out the project & the pattern and then realized, much to my dismay, that the threads are missing.

I searched and searched, with no sign of the threads anywhere. They're somewhere in the house, I just don't know exactly where. I was more organized than usual with this project. Rather than the usual tumble of threads, I actually used a floss sorter for these. Somehow, the floss sorter (along with all of the floss) is not with the rest of the project. To make matters worse, this project is stitched with silks, not DMC, so it isn't as though I can just run out and get more floss. I'm sure the threads will turn up at some point when I'm least expecting it, but until then... I'm stuck and can't do a thing on this project.

I guess that is one January goal that will not be met.

The Blob

2010-01-13T13:24:00.002-05:00

...has grown a bit. When I started this, I was concerned that the fabric may not be large enough. It's a fat quarter, and just fits with about 2" to spare on the sides. At this point I've stitched far enough toward the left side that I'm now certain it will fit. I may need to attach strips of muslin for framing, but there is plenty of room for the stitching, at least. :)

So far, I seem to be on-track with my stitching goals for January. I've started GV and finished Boo Jack, which means I am half-way there. All that's left now is to finish stitching Prairie Garden and work on PIG.

First 2010 Happy Dance

2010-01-08T11:08:00.001-05:00

I finished Boo Jack last night! :)

Lazy

2010-01-07T17:02:00.003-05:00

That is the word that best describes me today. I had good intentions of going to basketweaving this evening, but I talked myself out of it. It has been a while since my last basket and I really should go, but I'm just not motivated to go out into the cold.

I think I'll stay home and stitch instead.

Boo Jack is nearly finished, though it isn't exactly a pleasure to work on. I'm not sure what it is that I dislike. Perhaps it's the relatively large blocks of a single color, stitched over one. That type of stitching has never been a favorite. At any rate, it's nearly finished and won't be a problem much longer.

I also realized that I never bothered to post a picture of my last 2009 finish. The design is Itty Bitty Honey, by Twisted Threads.

This little thing has been a UFO for ages. I'm not sure exactly when it was started, but I finished the companion piece, Bitty Bee, in 2001... or so says the date on the project. The bee was a quick stitch. The hive, not so much. The dreaded frog visited the hive a couple of times, and we all know what it's like to frog over one. Not fun!

Initially, I thought these might be the front & back of a scissor fob. Now I'm not so sure.

New Project & Goals

2010-01-04T17:26:00.002-05:00

The new year wouldn't be complete without a new project start for me. I did so little stitching last year that I felt that I needed to begin 2010 with something large. Mirabilia's Garden Verses seemed to fit the bill. I started this on January 1, so there really isn't much to show. I've included the pattern photo, so that you can see that it will be more than just a big blob when finished. Thankfully, this is an older Mirabilia and does not have so much of the UFO-inducing metallics, beads and embellishments, just a bit of gold DMC for a bit of sparkle.

I've also decided to go back to my old habit of setting monthly stitching goals. This has fallen by the wayside over the last few years, and I feel as though I accomplish a lot less without setting some goals for myself. For January, I'm starting small.

1. Start a new project (done!)
2. Finish Prairie Garden
3. Finish Boo Jack
4. Work on PIG at least once

End of Year Finish

2010-01-03T19:13:00.008-05:00

I managed to squeeze in a couple of finishes before the end of 2009. The first was All in a Moon, by Miss Crescent's Crowne. I still need to figure out what I'm going to use for the buttons, but at least the stitching is completed. I also finished Itty Bitty Honey, but there is no photo as yet.

This was stitched on 28 ct. linen from Silkweaver, using WDW and GAST floss that I had on-hand.

The snow has melted, but I can't resist sharing a couple more pictures of it. I actually made BF drive me around a day or two after the snowstorm, on a bit of a photography expedition. Every so often I shouted "STOP!" at which point, I hopped out of the truck and started snapping pictures like a maniac. A couple of them were even worth keeping!

SNOW!!!!!

2009-12-20T16:25:00.003-05:00

We're in the midst of the big 2009 snow that hit the eastern US. It started Friday evening and kept going well into Saturday night. I haven't measured it, but looks like about 18" to 20" of white stuff. Thankfully, we have plenty of supplies and don't need to go anywhere, so we haven't done much to dig ourselves out.

My camera frustrations got the better of me last week. I broke down and ordered a Nikon DSLR. It arrived just in time for the snow. :) Things were sort of gray on Saturday while the snow was falling, but we woke up to sunshine today.

All this snow has been great for staying indoors with my hobbies. I'm in the midst of some socks, and even have some more stitching planned. I'll have pics of all that stuff soon.

Holiday Exchanges

2009-12-10T13:23:00.002-05:00

I was the lucky recipient of two holiday exchange packages this week. The first was from Jayne, for the Year-Long Prairie Schooler Exchange. I really love this cheery little guy. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a decent photo of him... YET.** This was as good as I could manage at the moment. :(

The second ornament that arrived in the mail was stitched by Vickey, from one of my online groups. This also arrived with a package full of goodies**, which I am enjoying tremendously.

**I don't want to rant in an otherwise happy post, but I am experiencing HORRIBLE issues with my digital camera. This is why I do not yet have a decent photo of the lovely ornament that Jayne sent, or the package of goodies from Vickey. It has become a major struggle to get a single decent picture off of my camera.

November... so soon?

2009-11-18T13:56:00.002-05:00

I have no idea where the time has gone. One day I just looked at the calendar and saw that Thanksgiving is right around the corner. When did that happen?

We spent last week in Hilton Head Island, SC. It was a lovely week, but I have to admit that I haven't quite gotten back into the swing of things since we returned home. This is a really difficult time of year for me... I simply don't do well during the winter months with the shorter days. I'm fighting it by trying to stay busy and keeping up with my assorted crafts.

I've been busy stitching, but not with anything that I can share. I'm currently working on two exchanges. One is the winter installment of Becky's year-long Prairie Schooler exchange. I didn't participate in the others this year, but I really love PS designs and decided to MAKE time for this one. The other exchange is a Christmas ornament for an email group that I've belonged to for many years. I love doing ornaments, but always seem to have a hard time choosing the one I want to stitch.

I can share a photo of my latest finish. This is the Mill Hill kit that I was working on last month. I completed it on November 3. All I need to do now is pick up a frame.

There haven't been any new baskets lately. I missed the last couple of classes, and there won't be another until after Thanksgiving. There are some new socks in the works, though. I've finished one already, and have started the heel of the second one. It won't be long now! :)

New Addictions

2009-10-27T16:48:00.002-04:00

After finishing the cuffs on both socks, I simply couldn't put it down. I gave in to temptation and decided to try a heel flap. Not too bad. Once the heel flap was done, I figured I might as well try to turn the heel. All I had to go by were the printed instructions, so I didn't really expect that it would go smoothly. It did. I kept knitting and all that is left now is to graft the toe. I'll knit the second sock along with the class. There are still two sessions left, and I need something to do.

This week's attempt at basket weaving was successful, but only barely. This silly little thing fought me every step of the way. The handle is a single piece that goes all the way down & across the bottom-- the basket is woven around the handle, rather than having it simply inserted at the end. Following the shape of the handle as it flared out proved to be challenging for this novice basket weaver. I got it all under control just in time to have trouble with the lashing (the bit at the top that holds the rim in place). I'll probably end up re-doing it later, because I'm just not happy with it.

The good thing about this basket (now that it's finished) is that it is just the right size to stow a small stitching project. Right now, it's holding my current WIP-- a Mill Hill autumn-themed Buttons & Beads kit.

One-eyed Jack

2009-10-19T15:01:00.003-04:00

Jack is missing an eye, but at least he has one, along with a nose & mouth. This project has stalled a bit. I haven't worked much on him in the last 10 days or so. Other stuff keeps getting in the way. I have big plans to work on him this evening and still hope to finish it by Halloween.

One of last week's many distractions was a quilt show, held at a local plant nursery. I have never been to a quilt show before but thoroughly enjoyed this one. The quilts were absolutely gorgeous, and I was surprised how many were actually hand-quilted. One of these days, I'm going to take a quilting class. I learned to do it when I was a kid but could really use a refresher.

As lovely as the quilts were, the thing that really got me into trouble was the one small table occupied by someone from our local yarn shop. They had some yarns on display, along with a few sample items... including socks. I've wanted to learn to make socks for a while. And yes, you guessed it-- the shop offers a knitted sock class. I signed up immediately! It's a three-part course; the first session took place on Saturday.

The pattern is a simple rib knit and is knitted with sport weight yarn on #5 needles, so it works up fairly quickly. We started the first cuff and are supposed to knit the rest before the next session, on October 31, when we will do the heel flap. I finished the first cuff quickly and have nearly completed the 2nd one.

I don't know what I am going to do when I finish the second cuff. I'm torn between starting on the heel flap, or simply buying more yarn in another color and starting a second pair of socks.

There is also a new basket in my house. :) It actually took two sessions for me to complete this one. It has a "fancy" bottom, which I'll have to photograph later after I've removed the tomatoes. I'll be making the next basket this Thursday. I didn't attend last week's class, so I'm itching to get started on another one.

Boo Jack SAL

2009-10-05T11:44:00.002-04:00

It was a hectic weekend, but I managed to put a do a few more stitches on Boo Jack. It's coming along pretty well considering that I rarely manage to stitch for very long in a stretch. I'm hoping to have this one ready to display before Halloween, but that might be a bit ambitious. The stitching will probably be completed in time, but the actual FINISHING may be another story.

And... a couple of gratuitous photos of our new baby. I took these pictures a day or so after finding him in the bushes. He's grown a bit since then, and his color is starting to change a bit.

Christmas in July & SAL

2009-10-01T14:12:00.002-04:00

I didn't want this lovely exchange to get lost in my previous ramblings, so I thought I would give it a spot of its own. I received this from Liz, from an online stitching group that I've belonged to for ages. I just loved this little ornament, and the other goodies were terrific as well. I put the floss organizer to immediate use holding the silks for Prairie Garden. :)

Yesterday I took a break from working on Prairie Garden to start a stitch-along. A bunch of stitching friends are getting together in Columbus this week, but not all of us were able to go. Those of us who were left behind decided to do this little design as a SAL. The pattern is a freebie from Primitive Bettys called "Boo Jack." One of our members added a bit to the design so it will actually be "Boo... Hoo I'm not going to Columbus". Clever, huh? LOL

I'm stitching this over-one on 28 ct. sage jobelan, using GAST and WDW floss.

I've said this before...

2009-09-29T14:53:00.004-04:00

But it bears repeating. I really need to keep up with this blog more regularly! No job, no kids-- you'd think I wouldn't have any excuse. I have to chalk it up to "good intentions," knowing that intentions really don't get anything accomplished. So here I am, three weeks after my last post, playing catch-up yet again.

We had some bad news about one of our pets recently. Buddy, our 13-year-old orange tabby, was diagnosed with mouth cancer about 3 weeks ago. There's not much to do, other than to keep him comfortable for as long as we can. He's doing quite well so far-- still eating, playing, and cuddling normally.

In the meantime, we had another tiny kitten appear in our yard early last week. The same thing happened last year, when little Sanford showed up in our back yard. This one was in much better shape than Sanford. For starters, he was already weaned. :) He had the usual ear mites, worms, runny eyes & cold that you'd expect, but otherwise seemed okay. Everything checked out okay at his first vet visit, so we'll be keeping him. We've named him Oliver Conrad and are hoping that he will make a nice playmate for Sanford.

In stitching news... I'm working on Drawn Thread's Prairie Garden. The colors don't show up very well in the photo. The fabric is actually Waterlily, though it doesn't look like it here. Most of the time I've been working on this, I've been crossing my fingers and hoping that I have enough fabric to finish it. There was a piece of fabric already in the chartpack-- placed there by me-- that I thought had been purchased for this pattern. Apparently not, since it is just big enough.

Fortunately, it looks like I'll have enough fabric to stitch and frame the sampler.

Soon I will start working on something for a Prairie Schooler exchange that Becky is hosting. I haven't been able to participate in any of Becky's exchanges in quite a while, so I'm really looking forward to this one. :) I think I have a design picked out, but I'm not sure how I will finish it. So many ideas!

I've also continued going to basket classes. "Class" is probably a bit of an overstatement-- it's more like a workshop. I love it!! They have one nearly every week, and everyone is working on something different. Needless to say, there is a LOT of enabling happening. LO

I've attended two basket classes since making the first one. In the second class, I made a bean pot basket... my first attempt at something round. It was a LOT of fun to make, and I love the way it turned out. My most recent basket is square, but it isn't finished. It's more advanced than the first two I made, and it took me a while to get going on it. I was also quite tired that evening and just couldn't work quickly enough to complete it in one evening. I'll finish it at next week's class.

Labor Day?

2009-09-07T11:52:00.002-04:00

Is it really the end of summer already? It doesn't seem like it could be, but the calendar says otherwise. It looks as though our tomato plants did not get the memo this year. They've been very late and are just now starting to ripen. I tried some romas this year, so we're hoping for some homemade sauce soon.

An end-of-summer tradition where we live is the county fair. I always promise myself that I'll enter some of my stitching, but I never seem to do it. I've only entered once-- many years ago. I finally managed to get myself organized enough to do it again, and I put in three pieces this year.

My "large picture" entry was Angel of Love. I stitched this years ago for my mom. She had always wanted me to show this one, so that was my very first choice. It won 2nd place. :) Sorry for the lousy picture, but it was very difficult to photograph because of the glass. At the time I originally completed it, I didn't have a website, or a digital camera, so there are no photos of it prior to framing.

The other pieces that I entered were in the "holiday decoration" and "miscellaneous" sections. For the holiday category, I entered TrickORTreat Box (2nd place). In the miscellaneous section, I chose the biscornu that I completed not so long ago. No one seemed to be able to figure out what purpose the biscornu was supposed to serve, and I was quite surprised to find out that it also won a 3rd place ribbon. :)

Trying Something New

2009-08-22T13:55:00.004-04:00

For the last year or so, I've wanted to sign up for one of the basketry classes that is offered through our county. They have one each month, but I always seem to miss it. Either we're out of town, or I simply forget to sign up. This month, I decided to make it a priority. Now I finally have a basket made with my own two hands. I'm quite pleased with myself. LOL

I've done a lot of crafts in my life, but nothing quite like this. I'm used to working with materials that are soft like threads and fabric, or something completely rigid like glass. The stuff that you use for a basket is neither... and it tends to fight back just a bit. It takes some getting used to but is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. And there is something to be said for the nearly-instant gratification. After just a few hours of work, you have an attractive and useful finished project. This is one of the best "instant gratification" crafts that I have ever found.

I made sure to pick up a complete class schedule before leaving. In addition to the classes affiliated with the county, there are others on a regular basis. The next class is in a couple of weeks. I'm pretty sure I'll be there. ;)

Some Finishes

2009-08-12T19:17:00.002-04:00

Sometimes, not updating my blog has its advantages. In this case, I've been able to do some stitching in my "away" time. I even have some finishes to share!

My first finish is for a Christmas in July ornament exchange. The pattern is from an old JCS ornaments issue, but I can't remember which one. The 2003 edition, maybe? If I can find it again, I'll post the pattern details. At any rate, I thought this was a cute design for the occassion.

My next finish was Halloween's a Sudden Boo, a freebie by Barbara Ana. The pattern is available online at cybersttichers.com. There is supposed to be a verse at the bottom, but I decided to leave it off. It's hard to tell in this photo that the fabric is sparkly-- a limited edition from Silkweaver that I had in my stash.

Last, but not least, is another design that I found at Cyberstitchers. It's Kilim Motif, by Banu Demirel. It was a quick stitch-- started Monday evening and finished this morning. It's stitched on a 36 ct. hand-dyed fabric. I haven't decided yet whether to turn this into a needleroll, or if I'd rather have it in a frame.

I should get back to PIG, but at the moment I'm itching to start something new. I wonder what will win out?

PIG Update

2009-07-28T10:34:00.002-04:00

I haven't been posting much, and haven't been stitching much. :( I have managed to do a bit more on PIG, though. :) This photo is from July 15-- it hasn't been touched since then, but I plan to get back to work on it in the next couple of days.

I also took a couple of detail pics. The first is one of the portal sections. There is a lot of detail in these-- specialty stitches, over-one and plenty of metallics. The metallic backstitching is a real pain, but adds a nice sparkly touch.

This is a detail of the little buildings on the outer corners. The rooftops are done in a modified rice stitch, which is then backstitched in gold.

My recent stitching has been a Christmas ornament for an exchange, due to be mailed in a couple of days. I'll post a photo after my partner has received it.

The Championships & Stitching

2009-06-29T13:05:00.005-04:00

This is the time of year when I'm happiest that I'm not working. Wimbledon!! Two weeks of tennis-- all day, nearly every day (except middle Sunday, of course). We're having lovely weather at the moment. I should be outdoors enjoying it, but I can't manage to tear myself away from the tennis coverage. :^o It happens for two weeks each June/July. I essentially become a shut-in, only emerging only on middle Sunday.

The good side of spending nearly two weeks as a couch potato is that it means LOTS of stitching time. When The Championships started last Monday, I pulled out PIG and went back to work on it.

Here's what it looked like on Monday...

And here it is on Saturday morning...

It's hard to see the details, but there are plenty of them. The section I've been working on has lots of rice stitches and TONS of backstitching. Those domed rooftops were a pain-- all rice stitch, with gold metallic backstitching overlaid.

I'm hoping to stitch today, but it's not looking good. I had a nasty night of insomnia last night-- awake until 5:30 a.m. and back up and 8:30. The likelihood that I'll be able to focus well enough to stitch on black fabric is slim, at best. :(

I'm still here

2009-06-12T12:06:00.004-04:00

I didn't realize it had been so long since I've posted. I really haven't been doing much stitching lately. There never seems to be enough time, and when there is time... I'm simply not motivated.

The only project that has seen any work recently is "Halloween's a Sudden Boo," a Barbara Ana freebie. I was making a bit of progress until I ran out of black floss. Since then, I've been too lazy to pick up more and the project has stalled.

I also have a Christmas in July ornament exchange coming up. Maybe that will help get me motivated. We mail on July 31, so no pics before then.

Some Finishes

2009-04-23T23:02:00.002-04:00

I'm still feeling very "blah"... just can't seem to shake it. So for once in my life, I don't have much to say. I haven't done a lot of stitching recently, but I have had a few finishes to share.

First up is Souvenir Sampler. I did manage to do this pattern without adding any charms or beads. The fabric used was 36 ct. Edinburgh linen, and I thought it would be better done without embellishments. It was a bit of a challenge, but in the end, I was very happy with the results.

My next finish was a Mill Hill Santa ornament. The beard was NOT fun to stitch. The project is done on perforated paper, and the large needle with all six strands of floss was extremely difficult to push through.

The most recent finish was Serenity Sampler, by Sweetheart Tree, completed on Tuesday. I picked this kit up on vacation in North Carolina just a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't expecting to find a needlework shop while we were there. We were just driving along and I saw a sign on the road. That's when I started shrieking, "Stop the car!!!" BF is used to this sort of thing when we're on the road together, so he dutifully pulled into the parking lot. LOL He waited in the car, so I didn't linger too long, but I did manage to pick up a few things.

Blah....

2009-03-13T19:59:00.002-04:00

That's how I've been feeling lately. Very, very... blah. I don't know if it's in my head, the change of seasons, or something else. What I do know is that I feel lousy. I wake up feeling run-down, despite sleeping 10-12 hours per night. I'm pretty sure that is TOO MUCH sleep for anyone. This has only been going on for a few days, so maybe it's just a bug or something. In the meantime, I am completely unmotivated.

I hate being a downer, so I'm probably going to keep quiet for a little while. Once this slump passes, I hope to have some fun things to share.

Souvenir Sampler Progress

2009-03-04T16:56:00.002-05:00

This has been an interesting design to stitch. If you aren't familiar with the pattern, I'll fill you in. Otherwise, feel free to skip ahead a bit. ;)

Drawn Thread's approach to this pattern is interesting. It is created in a way that allows the stitcher to personalize it, to make it more meaningful to themselves or family. I thought it was a great idea and a lovely design, so I had to try it. The pattern is laid out with "optional areas" that are denoted by placeholder boxes within the pattern. There's an accompanying booklet that gives various options for each of these boxes to be filled. It recommends for certain areas to be filled with scraps of fabric or lace. Some are supposed to have charms, and others have stitched motifs. In most cases, the stitcher gets to choose which option to use.

All of that works fine, as long as you want to put scraps of fabric/lace and charms on your sampler. It doesn't work quite as well if you don't want these things. Guess what? I don't. I chose to stitch this design on 36 ct. Edinburgh linen, and I really want the whole thing to be stitched. No beads, no charms, and no bits of fabric. I found out too late that certain parts of the design do not have anything available to stitch in the optional blocks if you don't use a charm.

I also discovered-- too late-- that certain areas are supposed to have initials and dates. I presume these are for marriages, children, etc. I don't have these things. Well, I had a marriage, but certainly NOT one that I want to commemerate on a sampler. LOL My only "children" are the four-legged furry kind. So, what to do? Mostly, I'm planning to improvise. ;) You'll see a little of that in the photo.

The top half of the sampler really didn't give me any trouble. I was able to choose optional motifs from the pattern, and I'm happy with the result. The only area that is still lacking is the very top border. I might end up using some tiny buttons from some of my own baby clothes, but I am not absolutely sure yet.

Also in the top half is the nasty little tree that caused me so much grief a few weeks back. I'm happy to report that the tree, along with it's neighboring house, additional trees, and tiny little birds are all in exactly the right spot. :)

The bottom half of the sampler is where I am running into trouble. There are three tiny, blank areas that I don't quite know how to handle. The first two are by the "P" and "R". I will probably use those to sign & date the sampler. That leaves the obvious, slightly larger area that is to the right of "S". I have a feeling I'm going to be stuck putting a charm there, whether I like it or not. It's an odd shape-- 8 x 9 stitches-- and I don't feel like designing something to go there.

You might notice that there are a pair of initials & a year above the house. Those are for BF & me. The date under the house is 2008, which was supposed to be the year the sampler was completed. We're just going to pretend that I intended it to represent the year that BF & I moved to the "country". ;)

I'm getting so close to a finish on this one that I really need to decide what to do about the few stray areas. Otherwise this will be destined to become a UFO, and it's way too pretty for that.

New McCall's Top

2009-03-03T12:58:00.002-05:00

I think I must be the world's slowest sewer. It seems to take me forever and a day to put a piece of clothing together. That is because I have sewing ADD. I just cannot seem to work on a sewing project for very long at one time. I end up doing a few minutes here, half an hour there, and eventually... I have a new piece of clothing. I'm this way with my stitching as well, but I don't mind having 20 or more stitching projects in various stages of completion. I'm not able to do that with my sewing. If I did, my clothes would be out of fashion YEARS before I'd ever be able to wear any of them. LOL

I have to say that I love this top, although it turned out a bit large. (That's what I get for following the size guidelines on the pattern. LOL) I'll probably have to take it in just a bit. It looks a bit droopier on Wilma than it does IRL. She's a bit stiff for the flowy fabric, and it's made worse by the fact that she has no arms. Poor girl!

Pattern: McCall’s 5662

Fabric: Lightweight Polyester that I picked up for $2/yd. at Wal-Mart. I have to say that this fabric was much nicer than I ever expected, and it worked great for this pattern.

Pattern Description: Misses’ top/tunic/dress with sleeve & bodice variations. I made View E, a top, which has a gathered, draped middle section and used the kimono sleeve option from View F.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes!

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, and no. It’s not a complicated pattern, but there are several different options for sleeves & bodice, so the instructions jump around a lot. I chose View E. The instructions jumped to View B for gathered middle section, followed by View A for the rest of the top construction. If you’re familiar with top construction, you won’t have any trouble, but I think it could be confusing for a beginner.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like that it has so many options that can be combined in different ways. My only complaint is that it runs too large. I chose a Large, based on my bust measurement, which turned out to be too big. (I should have read the reviews BEFORE buying the pattern!) I sized it down a bit during construction, but will probably have to go back and take it in a bit more.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: Originally, I planned to do View E exactly as shown on the pattern—gathered/draped middle section and three-quarter length sleeves gathered into cuffs. I wasn’t absolutely sure that I’d like this in the finished top, so I waited until everything else was done before finishing the sleeves. I’m glad I did! After doing the first one and trying on the top, I realized that it was just “too much look” for me. I’ve seen it done this way on other people, and thought it looked great… on them. Not so great on me, though. Instead, I simply hemmed the sleeves as shown in the kimono sleeve option (View F).

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes, would absolutely sew this pattern again, but a different view. I would recommend it to others, although I think the pattern may be a bit confusing for beginners.

Conclusion: A great top, in a flattering and versatile style.

No Pictures

2009-02-23T14:31:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting inside (duh... it's February!) and listening to the wind blow. It sounds really nasty. We had a bit of "warmer" weather recently, and I think I got a bit spoiled. Temps in the 40s - 50s are tropical compared to 30-something and nasty wind. I'm feeling a bit lazy, so I'm not taking any pictures today. So there. LOL

Brigitte, if you're reading... your comment on my last post made me laugh. One of my friends saw the same pic and said I looked rather "blue" and should probably get it checked out. LOL I really, really, REALLY hate having my picture taken, so I usually avoid it. When I can't avoid it, I'm convinced the resulting photos are so terrible that they can never see the light of day. I'm just horribly uncomfortable in front of a camera, so I stay away from them. You'll all just have to enjoy looking at "Wilma" (yes, I named my dress form) in the meantime. ;)

Despite my feeling of laziness, I am working on a couple of things. First is another top. It's a v-neck wrap front design with raglan sleeves. I'm not sure I'll be thrilled with the sleeves when it's finished, but we'll see. The pattern is designed for stretch knits-- I'm using a lightweight polyester in a pretty raspberry color. It will be great with jeans, and shouldn't take long to finish. As usual, I had to adjust the bodice so that the seam under the bustline would be in the right place. And, as usual, I discovered this after cutting it out.

In stitching news, I've done a bit more on Souvenir Sampler. Not much, but I did manage to get past that stupid tree that gave me so much trouble before. I'm planning to photograph it again tomorrow, so there will be pics soon.

It's finished!

2009-02-21T17:18:00.003-05:00

I'm happy to report that as of Friday, my top was done. :) Now I just need some warmer weather, so that I can wear it. The sleeves look a little funky in the photo, because I took a picture before adding the buttons to the sleeves.

Next up will be another top-- this time, in a solid fuschia stretch knit. Bring on the spring!!

I'm also going to post my pattern review here (I've already added one at the Pattern Review site). I'm starting to do enough sewing now that I would like to devote more of my blogging to my clothing adventures.

Pattern: Simplicity 2924

Fabric: Cotton Blend

Pattern Description: Misses' Tops with square neckline and empire waist. Can be made sleeveless or with slightly puffed sleeves. Tops have a wide belt that ties in the back.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, everything was very intuitive and I really didn't need to refer to the pattern much. That seems to be the case with most of the "It's So Easy" patterns that Simplicity produces. As long as you cut & mark carefully, everything goes together very easily.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked the overall style of this top. The sleeves are nice, without being too puffy. The center back seam made for a good fit. The empire waistline is quite flattering, although I think the belt is just a bit too wide.

The only problem I had with this pattern was the bodice. The front bodice piece was not nearly long enough for me-- something I didn't realize until after I was finished cutting. Once it was assembled, the seam that was supposed to hit under the bustline was much higher on me. Fortunately, I had plenty of extra fabric and was able to modify the bodice to fit my figure.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: In order to make this fit my bust correctly, I had to lengthen the front bodice by a few inches and add darts. Other than that, everything else was per the pattern.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would definitely recommend it to others. The only suggestion I'd make is that if you are on the busty side, you should add some extra length to the bodice and put in darts.

I'm not sure how many of this top I want in my wardrobe, but I am considering making it again in white. I think it would be a nice alternative to a t-shirt with a pair of jeans.

Conclusion: Great top in a flattering style. I'm looking forward to some warmer weather, so that I can finally wear it.

S-L-O-W

2009-02-12T15:37:00.002-05:00

That's how I would describe my progress on my current sewing project. Really, this is a top that might have 2 hours worth of sewing, perhaps a bit more given the modifications that I've made. Even with the bodice modifications, there really isn't much to it. That said, I've been creeping along and making progress by inches. Mostly, that is due to my habit of sewing for just a few minutes at a time, never spending much time at it in a single stretch.

After lengthening the front bodice, I ended up with quite a bit of excess fabric at the bottom front. And no, I couldn't just cut off the excess. That would have resulted in things not fitting together correctly, defeating the whole purpose of making a top rather than simply buying ready-to-wear. The solution-- add darts, of course! After adding the darts, I sewed up the side seams. All that's left now is setting the sleeves & cuffs, and finishing off the edges & hem.

It's hard to tell on the dress form, but the fit was absolute perfection when I tried it on. :)

Wretched Little Tree

2009-02-06T17:33:00.005-05:00

That's what I'm doing today, after a nasty visit from The Frog. Actually, make that repeated visits.

As I was working on Souvenir Sampler yesterday, adding in more of the optional motifs, I realized I had miscounted on a tree. I wasn't very happy about this, since I hadn't particularly enjoyed stitching that tree in the first place. I had stitched about 90% of it, and had to rip all of it out, because I had placed it one row too high.

After re-stitching that wretched little tree, I carefully checked top & bottom. Perfect! On to the house....

I stitched the brown of the house and was just starting on the roof, when I decided to check the placement. Sure enough, the top & bottom were perfect. BUT... the house was one stitch too far to the right. I couldn't believe it. I checked the position of the house relative to the tree. Of course, it was right. It was that stupid tree. The one I didn't like stitching the first time, and liked even less the second time around.

Here's what the sampler looked like before my frogging session. I haven't made a lot of progress since the previous post, but thought I'd share anyway.

And here, dear friends, is the Wretched Little Tree that has caused me so much grief. I hate that tree.

And no, I haven't re-stitched it yet. I'm almost afraid to try it again, so I've started with the house this time. Who knows, maybe I'll do a different tree altogether. LOL

Souvenir Sampler

2009-02-03T19:54:00.004-05:00

Last year, I was making some pretty good progress on Souvenir Sampler. Then I got distracted by other things and put it away. A couple of times, I tried to get back to it, but just couldn't get into a rhythm with it.

The last photo I took of SS was in early September 2008.

I pulled it back out recently and finally managed to make some progress. Here's what it looked like as of this morning:

I think I've figured out the bodice issues with my top, so that should be easy enough to finish. I'm actually pretty handy with a sewing machine-- I've been sewing most of my life. It's just one of those things that I have to be in the mood for, so I come and go on it. The mood usually strikes me whenever the clothes in stores are particularly unattractive or ill-fitting. Or poorly made. The trouble I'm suffering from at the moment is a complete lack of fabric shops where we live. I got a bit spoiled by G Street when I was in northern VA. Out here, all we've got is JoAnn's, which I am not a fan of, and it's 35 miles away. Before long, I will probably tag along on one of BF's trips back to the DC area, just so I can go fabric shopping.

Sewing UFO

2009-01-31T20:13:00.002-05:00

Months ago, when it was still warm outside, I decided to make Simplicity 2964. It's not a particularly complicated top, and it should have gone quickly. I was planning to do View A (the one the model is actually wearing) in the fabric shown with my pattern.

I cut it out, then started putting it together. One of the first steps was adding the elastic across the top of the neckline, then attaching the front bodice to the front yokes. Easy enough. Just to be sure, I pinned this assembly to my dress form after sewing the three pieces together. Good thing I checked!

See that seam that sits right under the bust? Well, on me, it was going to hit... um... right across the middle of my bust. NOT a good look! The bust seam thing is something that really irritates me on tops, and it's one of the reasons that I have so much trouble finding RTW tops that fit properly. Nearly every one of them has an under bust seam that is nowhere near being under my bustline. *Sigh*

Once I found this problem, there was no choice but to re-cut the bodice. Not really a problem, since I had plenty of extra fabric. It was a nuisance, nonetheless. The end result was that I put it aside, intending to go back to it later. Well, "later" never came, and here I am.

Today, I finally dragged it all back out and re-cut the front bodice. Tomorrow, I'll start putting it together. With a bit of luck, and a little persistence, I should have a new top to wear by the time the weather turns warm again. LOL

Glass is tough to photograph!

2009-01-28T18:18:00.003-05:00

But that didn't stop me from trying. I took a stained glass course a couple of months ago, and today I realized I never got any photos of my projects. We did two projects in class-- one in copper foil (the method Tiffany used), and one in lead came. Both were pretty simple, as stained glass projects go, but it was a wonderful introduction to both techniques.

We did the copper foil project first. I have to say that choosing the colors was the hardest part. It felt like such a huge decision, probably because most people take a class like this, and then never do another project again. I didn't know if I would or wouldn't do any more stained glass. It really depended on how much I enjoyed it. (Turns out, I LOVE it!)

The lead came project was a geometric piece, which is the easiest thing to do with lead came.

After the class ended, I decided to buy a glass grinder and try something a little more intricate. It's not quite finished, but I'm quite pleased with what I've done so far. I still need to finish the outside edge-- I need to do that in the garage and will have to wait until the weather warms up a bit. Once the outside edge is done, I'll be able to add the patina and enjoy my creation.

It's hard to see in the picture, but the clear glass actually has a raindrop pattern on it. I thought it was a nice choice for the spring floral theme. If I had it to do again, I wouldn't have chosen such an irregularly shaped piece as my second project. Other than that, it really wasn't too difficult. There were quite a few pieces, some of them tiny, and more intricate soldering, but overall, I really enjoyed putting this one together. I haven't decided what I'll do next, but I've been steadily building a stained glass "stash" for future projects. ;)

New Year, New Look

2009-01-26T23:17:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year! Okay, so I'm nearly a month late, but better late than never, right? I've been horribly delinquent in blogging-- both in updating my own and in reading others. I am trying to catch up, really I am, but it is not going to be easy. I'm a creature of habit. As long as I keep up, things go quite smoothly. But the minute I stop doing something, whether it's blogging, stitching, or whatever, I have a very difficult time getting back to it.

That's where I am with practically everything in my life at the moment. Stalled. Being that it is the middle of winter doesn't help, either. I hate winter. It's cold, it's dark, and I don't want to leave the house. Great thing about not working-- I don't have to leave the house. It's also the bad thing about not working. LOL Because I don't HAVE to go anywhere, I usually don't. Anybody see a nasty pattern developing here? LOL

While trying to catch up on some of my blog reading, I discovered a fun site with free backgrounds and gadgets for blogs-- The Cutest Blog on the Block. It probably isn't new, but it is certainly new to me. I had lots of fun playing with backgrounds before finally settling on this one. It's bright and cheerful... everything that winter isn't.

Since it's a new year, I decided to start a new project. It seemed like as good an excuse as any to start something new, and I thought it might be just the kick that I needed to get me out of my stitching slump. I'm delighted to report that I actually FINISHED it as well. The design is L*K's Autumn Boxer. I picked the chartpack up a couple of years ago and have had it sitting in my stash ever since. I'm a sucker for anything with pumpkins, so of course I just had to have this. Isn't it cute?

I haven't decided how I will finish this one. It's a regular size-- about 5" x 5"-- so it would probably work in a standard 6" square frame. But it would also make a cute pillow. Decisions, desicions!

PIG Update

2008-11-28T10:59:00.004-05:00

I can't believe how long I've neglected PIG. By my best estimate, it has been well over a year since I've worked on it. The last photo of it was dated June 23, 2007.

I finally got back to work on it this past week. I didn't have a lot of stitching time, but did manage to make a little bit of progress on it.

Better Late Than Never

2008-11-19T12:30:00.002-05:00

As promised, a pic of the beautiful Halloween bellpull that I received in a recent exchange. I should have posted this well before Halloween, but I'm not doing so well at keeping up with these things lately.

This little bellpull is so cute that I really hated to put it away. Unfortunately, the Christmas decorations will be coming out very soon, and Halloween might look a little out-of-place then.

I also finally put the finishing touches on my JBW pumpkin pillow. I purchased the pillow and pattern at Hershey in 2006. The pumpkin was stitched not long after and has been sitting in a drawer awaiting finishing. The finishing on this was unbelievably easy and made me wonder why I let it linger for so long.

Where has the time gone?

2008-11-12T13:59:00.002-05:00

I keep promising myself that I'm going to update my blog, and I keep breaking that promise. I seem to have gotten out of the blogging habit. The result is that I haven't updated anything here in more than a month. I also haven't been keeping up with reading the blogs that I've always enjoyed so much. I've been distracted by a lot of things, not the least of which has been Facebook. I found myself spending more and more time fiddling around with more and more useless applications. I finally got fed up with myself, and deleted most of them.

So, here I am... playing catch-up in blog-land.

Besides not doing much blogging, I also haven't done much stitching. That must change! I did manage a bit of Halloween stitching for an exchange. The design is Stitchy Witchy from Brooks Books. I also received a lovely exchange gift, but I am going to save that for another post. It's so nice that it deserves its own space-- don't want it to get lost in the clutter of my rambling.

While the sewing machine was out, I also made a bunch of tuck pillows. I've never made any before, but found that I really enjoy making them. I think this may be my new addiction! Two of these were for my Halloween exchange partner.

Speaking of Halloween...

The world's most tolerant dog! I know that most of the goofy dog clothes and costumes are really geared for tiny dogs, but I couldn't resist dressing Sadie up for Halloween. I was hoping she could be the "greeter" for Halloween night, but we only had one trick-or-treater. >:(

My current stitching project is an ornament for an exchange. It goes in the mail at the end of this week, so I need to get working! As usual, I managed to bite off a bit more than I can chew with this one. Sometimes, it's the finish (like deciding that the Halloween bag simply MUST be lined). This time, it's the actual stitching. The design looks simple-- because it is-- but it is all done over one, and there are a LOT of stitches in it. It's cute, though. I'm really excited about it and hope that my partner will like it.

The Mischief Maker

2008-09-24T11:36:00.003-04:00

Little Sanford continues to thrive, and he is becoming a one-cat wrecking crew. Seriously. It sounds like there's construction going on in our master bathroom at night. He's very sweet and endearing, but he gets into EVERYTHING. Today, he found a basket of needlerolls. They were up high, well out of kitty's reach, but somehow, he got to them.

Oh, and the bits of debris that are on the floor around him are remnants of a potted plant that he attacked before his Great Needleroll Discovery.

Integrating him into the household with the other animals is coming along slowly. Zoe, our oldest and crankiest cat, is distinctly unimpressed. You might even say she's p***ed. Buddy isn't exactly thrilled either, but he's holding his temper a bit better. Sadie, however, is Sanford's new best friend. He chases after her non-stop and we're amazed at how tolerant she has been.

I had a stitching finish last week, but I'm not able to share. It's for a fall/Halloween exchange. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, but am unsure exactly how I will finish it. I have a few ideas, though.

More Updates

2008-09-12T15:26:00.003-04:00

During my blogging hiatus, I actually did complete some stitching. One of the projects that I was particularly pleased with is this ornament, which I stitched for a Christmas in July ornament exchange. It is from one of the JCS ornament issues from years past.

I found the finishing fabric before I started stitching. I wanted to choose it first, figuring that it was easier to find an overdyed floss to go with a specific fabric, rather than doing it the other way around.

The stitching was easy, but the finishing itself was a challenge. It shouldn't have been difficult, but I am absolutely convinced that the instructions in JCS weren't quite right. When following their measuring and marking instructions, I ended up with a flap that was way too short to hit the correct place when folded over. Naturally, I discovered this *AFTER* I had already cut the stitched piece per the faulty instructions. >:( From there, I improvised.

I also had trouble finding a button to finish the ornament. It was impossible to find anything in stores out here, so I ended up going through my large collection of antique buttons. Luckily, I found just the thing. All I had to do was clean it up... a LOT.

My current WIP is Souvenir Sampler. At the time I started it, I was bored to death with neutral fabric colors. Instead of the recommended neutral, I chose a pretty 36 ct. Edinburgh linen from Silkweaver that was in my stash. The fabric is actually a lovely pale green... not that it looks that way in the photo. I really need to remember to take pictures in better light. LOL I'm using DMC rather than the called-for silk floss and tweaked the colors just a bit, so that they would go with my chosen fabric.

Has it really been so long??

2008-09-09T21:10:00.002-04:00

It seems as though I haven't posted anything here since the end of June. It's now September. Where did the time go? Way too much has happened since then to bother posting about it all now. Lots of work on the soap business-- which, by the way, appears to be causing me a bit of plumbing issues. It seems that my garbage disposal (new, just installed in December) does not care for the lye solutions that occassionally get poured into my sink. Expensive lesson, yes, but cheaper than what it was going to do to my pipes if the disposal didn't corrode. Ouch!

The kitchen plumbing issues have me seriously considering having the garage converted to a soap lab. I don't think there would be too much plumbing work to do, and it already has gas heat and cable. Not a bad idea, but we'd need to clear a LOT of stuff out of there first. So, I think that is a bit off in the future, and I'll need to find a way to dispose of my soap bits and lye that does not involve pouring things into my kitchen sink. Sigh...

In the meantime, I finished stitching Tradewinds! I'm so happy with the way that this turned out.

There's some other stitching going on, as well as other crafty stuff, but I think I will save that for another post. ;)

In other news-- Sadie rescued a kitten... sort of. BF had been hearing odd cries outside for several days, but we couldn't locate the source. We were afraid that something was injured. So, I brought out the hound (on a leash, of course), and she led us directly to a tiny little kitten. It was frightened and gave us a hard time in trying to catch him. But, catch him we did. It was a good thing, too, as the poor thing was half starved and had some kind of respiratory infection.

The poor thing was wheezing horribly and frightened out of his mind. Eventually he calmed down, and was very happy to have some food and kitten milk replacement. Two vet visits, assorted antibiotics, shots, prescription kitten food, and countless hours of nursing the poor little creature has produced a more robust and healthy kitty.

And yes, we're keeping him. We named him Sanford.

Changes

2008-06-28T11:25:00.002-04:00

I originally started this blog to keep track of my stitching projects. I'm bored with it. Not with the stitching, but with the blog itself. It feels like I'm writing about the same ol' thing every time I post. Perhaps it was a reflection of life at the time of the blogs inception. At the time, I was working a regular Monday through Friday job, doing about half of that viat telecommuting, so my days were all pretty much the same.

And then it all changed.

I quit my job, moved back to my hometown in the "country" and filled my days with things more fulfilling than work. My life changed, but my blog didn't. It's time that this blog caught up with the rest of my life. With that in mind, I'm going to make some changes. I'm not entirely sure at this point what those changes may be. There will still be stitching (of course!!), but I will also focus on some of my other interests.

In the meantime, I do have some stitching to share! First up is my Itty Bitty America by Twisted Threads. I finished the stitching ages ago, but only assembled it last week. I'm really pleased with the way this turned out. The backing fabric was already in my stash, but I really had to search to find the navy blue trim.

I also completed two LHN pieces-- Pumpkins and Peaches.

I have mixed feelings about Peaches. It's a cute design, but the colors don't show up very well on the fabric. The color of the cats doesn't show up on lighter fabric, and the brown disappears on anything darker. It would have worked better on a color (floss toss was nice on Twilight Blue), but I'm doing the entire set of these, and I want them all on neutral fabrics. I originally planned to do them all on the same color. Unfortunately, that simply isn't possible with the Crescent Colors threads. Speaking of the threads, I am unimpressed with Crescent Colors-- there simply isn't enough color variation. These kits were my first exposure to these threads, and I won't be purchasing them in the future. I much prefer GAST or Weeks for overdyed cottons.

There's lots more to report on, but I have other things to do today. Most importantly, I need to watch Wimbledon, which I have been devoted to for the past week. VAMOS RAFA!!!!

A Flosslady Original

2008-06-22T15:31:00.004-04:00

Okay, so it isn't stitching. But it is an original, by me.

I've been on a scone kick recently, and I decided that I needed some with cinnamon and toffee chips. I didn't have a recipe, but I've made enough scones this year that I was pretty sure I could do it by "feel". Sure enough, it worked! In fact, they turned out so good that I thought I'd share my new recipe.

Cinnamon Toffee Scones

2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter
1 c. toffee chips (Heath bits, usually found on the baking aisle)
1 egg. slightly beaten
1/2 c. buttermilk
Cinnamon Sugar (you can purchase this premade on the spice aisle, or
mix up your own to taste)

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder,
baking soda, and salt. Cut butter into pieces and add to food
processor; pulse until coarse crumbs form. Transfer mixture to a
large bowl and stir in toffee chips.

In a small bowl, mix buttermilk and eggs. Add egg mixture to dry
ingredients and stir just until dough forms. The dough will be
sticky, but should be firm enough to handle. If not, just add a tiny
bit more flour.

Lightly flour your hands and work surface. Divide dough in half and
form into two balls. Place both on the prepared baking sheet and
flatten until they are about 1" thick. Use a large knife to divide
each round into 6 wedges, but leave the wedges in place. Sprinkle
the tops with cinnamon sugar mixture and bake for 20-25 minutes,
until the tops are firm to the touch.

Scones can be served plain or with sweetened whipped butter. To
make: soften 1 stick of butter, add a bit of vanilla (1/2 tsp.
maybe?) and confectioners sugar (about 1/4 c.?) and whip with a
mixer. I don't have exact measurements for the butter, because I
generally mix it to taste and add whatever I'm in the mood for...
honey, GFIC coffee drink powders, etc.

Have You Ever?!!

2008-06-16T15:04:00.002-04:00

Have you ever been so close to the end of a project that you can literally imagine it in a frame and hanging on your wall, but you just can't seem to finish it? That's the point where I am right now with Tradewinds. You wouldn't believe how close I am to a finish and yet I just... can't... get on with it. It's the first time in a while that I truly feel like I've lost steam on this project. I'd share a photo, but I'm singularly unmotivated today and don't feel like fooling around with the technology.

In the meantime, I got a BIG shipment of candle supplies today. Up to this point, I've only played at making candles. I've been getting a lot of requests for them, though, and have decided to try my hand at making some for sale. So, there is a giant box of soy wax sitting in my den, along with new fragrances, piles of wicks and oodles of containers for the candles.

Little Miss Sadie Mae had a "doggie spa day" this morning. She badly needed a bath, and I didn't really want to do it myself. I did that once, and it was a lot of trouble. My tub is set up for people, not animals, which means lots of bending and stooping, plus a ton of clean-up afterward to make the room fit for human use again. So off we went to the groomer this morning for a bath and assorted aromatherapy treatments. She loves to be fussed over, so I'm sure she was delighed with all of the pampering. I heard that she especially enjoyed the blueberry facial. LOL

I promise some pictures with my next post. I've got several FUFOs that I'm working on, plus a few other things to share. Stay tuned!

I'm Back... sort of

2008-06-11T17:53:00.002-04:00

I spent a good part of today trying to get all of the hardware and such re-installed on this stupid computer. This is NOT how I want to spend my time!! When I wasn't busy with that, I was busy trimming and cleaning soap for packaging. It's the not-so-fun side of having a soapmaking business. I'm horribly behind with all things soapy, so at this point, I really don't have a choice. Well, I guess I do, but part of being your own boss in a tiny two-person operation means that you have to do everything, whether you feel like it or not. So, I spent my morning scraping soap. Ugh.

Yesterday was two weeks since Sadie had her surgery. What a difference a fortnight makes! :) She was back to her old self and ready to have her stitches out, which we took care of this morning. She has healed nicely and it was an extremely quick procedure at the vet's office to have the stitches removed. We celebrated the event by stopping by the local doggie salon & spa to make an appointment for early next week. We couldn't bathe Sadie until after the stitches came out, and she is... How shall I say it? "Ripe." Seriously, I can smell her from the other end of the sofa. :^o

Stitching-wise, I was able to put a bit of time into Tradewinds over the weekend. The French Open finals were on, and tennis tournamnets always translate into stitching time for me. This one was no exception.

Back Again

2008-06-10T21:31:00.002-04:00

Did you hear the big CRASH coming from my little corner of the internet? It was the sound of our laptop going belly-up. We hauled it to a repair shop, and they confirmed that the hard drive was fried.

The laptop is home now and is functioning well. The only problem is that we've lost EVERYTHING that was on the old hard drive... including all of my stitching progress photos. I still have most of them on my camera cards, but I will need to reload all of them onto the laptop. Before I can do that, I need to install the camera software. So for now, I don't have any updated photos to share.

Most of my stitching efforts have been devoted to Tradewinds. I'm getting very near the finish line on this one. Wish I could share a pic, but that will have to wait!

Sunday Stitching

2008-06-02T11:29:00.002-04:00

I whipped up a little project yesterday, "All You Need is Love" by Sweetheart Tree. The design called for silks that I didn't have on-hand, and I couldn't see buying all of them for something this tiny. So, I converted the colors to DMC that was already in my stash. I'm not sure what the original is supposed to look like, but I suspect my color choices were a bit brighter.

I'm hoping to use this as a tin topper for this month's finishing challenge, provided that it is the correct size. I don't have any tins in the house, so we'll have to get some Altoids to find out. ;)

Thanks for the comments on the animals. Zoe's mother was a purebred chinchilla. It's strongly suspected that the father was a Maine coon, but we don't know for sure. She definitely has the Maine coon coat. You know... a double coat that is a horrendous pain in the summer because she sheds horribly and has a tendency to develop mats. And yes, she is chatty! She starts her squawking first thing in the morning, voicing her list of demands, which begins with "pick me up... NOW" and moves on to "worship me, you peasants". LOL I wish I could get a better picture of her, but she really doesn't like cameras. The result is that she is always scowling and looks p***ed off in just about every photo. She's not really as cranky as she looks. ;)

Sadie is getting over her dramatic phase, but I'm sure it will return next week when I have to take her back to the V-E-T to have the stitches removed. Oh, what fun!!

Tough Week

2008-06-01T11:37:00.003-04:00

I haven't been particularly busy, but I also haven't had time to do much. How did that happen? Well, Sadie had to go to the V-E-T this past Tuesday to be spayed. Most of my free time since then has been devoted to nursing the poor girl. At her first vet visit, the vet warned me that beagles tend to be "drama queens" when it comes to things like surgery. She wasn't kidding!

As far as I can tell, Sadie's surgery and recovery has been perfectly normal, but she has demanded a LOT of attention. The first day or so was absolutely miserable, for her and for me. She was on pain meds, but was still clearly uncomfortable. It has improved quite a bit since then, although she continues to be rather clingy and needy. She also can't go on any car rides until the stitches come out (in another 8 or 10 days). She doesn't like this one bit, as car rides are one of her very favorite things.

I've gotten some stitching done this week, but don't have any photos to show for it. Tradewinds got a little attention... not enough to photograph, though. The only real progress I made this week was on a Christmas ornament. I completed the stitching on Friday, but can't show a picture of it, because it is for an exchange. I still need to put it together, along with a bunch of other projects in the FUFO pile.

Since there are no stitching pictures to share, here's a gratuitous kitty photo. The box had been used to move a few things from my condo to the house, and little Zoe took possession of it before we had a chance to get it out of the room. She likes it so much that we've just left it where it is. Maybe she'll tire of it eventually, but for now, we have a new "cat box" in the den. LOL

And of course, I can't resist posting a photo of Sadie with her favorite toy. She doesn't know that it's meant for the cats. LOL

Their Song Chart Update

2008-05-27T09:21:00.003-04:00

Rosa in Iceland was the first to email me about this chart. It will be on the way to its new home this week.

Happy Dance!!

2008-05-26T14:33:00.004-04:00

I finished Their Song this morning! I was expecting to finish this on Friday, or at least over the weekend. I was so close that it really didn't need much work. But life (read: "gardening and animals") got in the way and I didn't have time or energy to stitch until this morning.

This was such a fun stitch that I put everything else on hold and worked obsessively on it until it was completed. I rarely stitch anything straight through like that, unless it is something tiny. If you would like to stitch this, send an email to me at flosslady99 @ yahoo.com, and I will be happy to pass the pattern along.

With Their Song completed, I plan to get back to work on Tradewinds and Adia, plus a few small things that I want to start. I need to spend some time clearing out a few FUFOs, too.

A New Project

2008-05-16T16:01:00.003-04:00

Joanie was kind enough to pass along her pattern for "Their Song". It arrived a week or two ago (I've totally lost track of time recently) and I couldn't wait to start it. I went through my stash and found a lovely piece of fabric for it-- Antique Gold 36 ct. Edinburgh from Silkweaver. After selecting fabric, I set about pulling threads. I changed the colors just a bit, so that they would show properly on the fabric. I started on Monday, and here's what I have so far.

I really don't like the way this photographed. It's so pretty IRL, but doesn't look so great here. The photos I took of Adia today aren't much better.

Speaking of Adia, that project got a few beads recently. That's about the only thing that is left on this project, and it is slow going.

Here's how she looked before my most recent beading session.

Sadie is still settling in. We've had a few "accidents" since bringing her home. I do believe that she is house trained, but I don't think that I've gotten the right schedule for her yet. (Obviously. LOL) This is made worse by the fact that she gets very distracted when she goes outside. There are so many new things to see and smell! We got a kennel for her a few days ago, and that has helped quite a bit.

She's still learning about her new home, and has started to investigate her "room mates", also known as The Cats. This has been entertaining for me, but I'm not sure the animals are finding it quite so humorous. We've also discovered that Sadie likes to open our mail... with her teeth. She chewed up part of an envelope today. Fortunately, it was junk mail and not anything we needed. I'd hate to call the phone company and explain that the dog ate our bill. LOL

My First Biscornu... and a note on the cardinal nest

2008-05-11T11:34:00.003-04:00

I completed the second piece of stitching, Green Moroccan Tile from BH&G, this week. Both designs were stitched on 28 ct. colonial blue lugana, with "Waterfall" floss from Carrie's Threads. This was my first time using these threads, and I must say that I really like them. The variegation is nice and there were no tangling issues. I only have a few of these threads, but I will definitely be getting more of them.

With the stitching completed, I immediately got started on the finishing. It was really easy. I understand now why other stitchers say biscornus can be so addicting.

As for the cardinals, I think the eggs must have hatched, but I haven't actually seen the babies. The nandina bush that contains the nest has gotten a bit thicker since I photographed the eggs, and it's nearly impossible to see anything now. Getting a view of the nest at this point would require too much disturbance for the birds. I have seen both the female and the male back and forth a lot around the bush, bringing food for their offspring.

Meet "Sadie"

2008-05-09T13:34:00.002-04:00

She's the newest member of our family. I brought her home from the pound on Tuesday, when I went in to drop off some blankets that we were donating to the shelter. I had been planning to get a puppy, and they didn't have any, so I thought it would be "safe" to go there that day. Wrong! I was just going to look at the dogs, but the instant I got to this one's cage, I thought "that's my dog!" It wasn't a puppy (she's 2 years old), but I was sure it was supposed to be MY dog. The big concern was how she would work out with my cats, so the shelter workers took her into the room where all of the kitties are kept... no reaction whatsoever. The only time she paid any attention was when one hissed at her, and she scrambled away as fast as she could. :)

Sadly, this poor little dog has been at the pound before and was adopted. Apparently, she got loose a couple of times and was recently picked up, but her family didn't want her back. :( She's well socialized though, and was clearly treated well, except for the fact that at two years old, she still hadn't been spayed. (We'll be "fixing" that in two weeks.)

She has done extremely well with our cats, and oddly enough, they've done quite well with her. They've never actually encountered a dog before, so they didn't know quite what to make of her. They don't seem afraid, just a little cautious, and I think with time that they may actually become friends. She doesn't bite or chew, and hardly barks. The only "negative" we've noticed so far is that she loves to dig. But, she's a beagle mix, so we expected that.

Tradewinds Update

2008-05-05T16:28:00.002-04:00

I haven't worked on Tradewinds in a week or so, but it has been even longer than that since I've posted an update. During my last Tradewinds stitching session, I completed the ship's compass.

I've also made some progress on the biscornu for May's Monthly Finishing Challenge. I completed the stitching for the first side last week. The design is Orange Moroccan Tile, a freebie from BH&G.

Side two will be the "Green" tile from the same series. I'm stitching them with "Waterfall" floss from Carrie's Threads. The fabric is 28 ct. Colonial Blue lugana.

Brace Yourself!

2008-05-02T13:28:00.003-04:00

I have a feeling this is going to be a long & rambling post. Lots to share today. LOL

Thanks for the comments and emails regarding the "Family Heirlooms" question. I knew I couldn't be the only one who didn't really have immediate family to pass these things on to. ;) I do have members of the extended family who would probably be delighted to have my stitching, and of course, there are always my stitching friends.

I also realized that I posted a pair of assembled needlerolls and neglected to give any design details. So, I'll try again...

The one on the left is Pansy Sampler, by Victoria Sampler. I finished it some time ago, but the assembly was on hold until I could find something to line the hardanger area with. The one on the right is Little Gift Sampler, a freebie by Indigo Rose. It was a recent finish.

Speaking of FUFOs, I finished another one today. This is a Sweetheart Tree heart that I stitched ages ago. At my used-to-be LNS, there once was a little Christmas tree decorated with all of the Sweetheart Tree hearts stitched and sewn into ornaments. The patterns were on little cards that didn't have photos, so this tree really helped to sell those designs. I collected most of them, but have only stitched two so far. This one was meant to be a Christmas ornament, until I found a little heart-shaped box at a craft store that looked about the right size. It was perfect!! Unfortunately, I only got one of the boxes. :( I may look for more of these, but I'm not sure I'll be able to find them.

I finished the box using coordinating paint colors and simply dabbing it on randomly. It took some time to get it just right, but I'm quite happy with the end result.

The last of the tulips are blooming. The blooms on the doubles are so large and heavy that they fell over. Can you believe this is a TULIP blossom?

Happy Generation is also in bloom. It's the one with the red stripe. Daydream is fading, but a few are still holding on. I've really enjoyed watching the colors change on that one. I really need to find more bulbs for these and the doubles this fall.

SBQ - 4/30/08

2008-04-30T20:41:00.002-04:00

This week's SBQ is from Jennifer:

Do you have any pieces that you would liked passed on to future
generations as family heirlooms?

Well, yes... all of them!! Everything I've stitched, or that has been stitched for me, has a special significance to me. That said, I don't that any of them will become family heirlooms. I don't have children... and I'm not going to have them in the future. And I have no siblings, which means no nieces or nephews. I do have a very large extended family, though, and some of them may appreciate my stitching after I'm gone.

I just hope none of my stitching ends up at a yard sale.

More FUFOs!

2008-04-27T14:25:00.002-04:00

I recently joined the Monthly Finishing Challenge blog, and it has already had a great effect on my FUFO pile. This month's challenge was needlerolls. I had already completed two just before joining the blog, so I felt that I should do at least one more. Doing "just one more" led to doing three more.

These were the last of the pieces in my FUFO pile that were designated to be finished as needlerolls. Now, if I want another needleroll, I'll need to stitch it! :)

May's finish is supposed to be a biscornu. I've never done one of these, and I don't think I have anything stitched that will fit the bill. So, I'll be stitching one soon. It's a finishing technique that I've wanted to try for a while, so I think it will be fun. I'm not sure yet if I will pull a freebie pattern from the internet, or if I might go ahead and design something original. I haven't spent nearly enough time designing since leaving work, so maybe this will be a good opportunity.

I had a nice surpise a couple of days ago. For the third time in a week, I had a female cardinal fly out of one of the nandina bushes as I was making my "rounds" through the flower beds. Detecting a pattern, I decided to do a bit of very careful nosing around. Yep, it's spring, and the cardinals are making new birds. :)

I couldn't quite tell if there are 3 eggs or 4, but as of yesterday, they haven't yet hatched. I'm able to see the nest from inside our sunroom, so we're able to watch without disturbing the little mama.

MY babies are doing quite well! The garden still doesn't look like much, but the bits that I've planted there are growing and appear to be happy.

Tulips!

2008-04-25T17:53:00.002-04:00

The laptop is currently out of town with BF, which means I can't post any stitching progress. So, I'll share some gratuitous flower pictures instead. ;) I had excellent results with the bulbs that I planted last fall-- 100% success! They're blooming in stages, so we've had continuous color ever since the first crocus peeked through the ground.

One of the first tulips to bloom this year was Fosteriana "Red Emporor". The petals of these were so shiny that it made the flowers difficult to photograph. I did the best I could, but had to do it in a hurry. Then, we got a lot of rain, and the blooms were ruined before I could take more pics.

"Orange Emporor" came next, followed by a Darwin hybrid "Daydream". Funny thing about "Daydream"... it has turned sort of orange. It was a sunny yellow when I took the photograph below, but the color has changed considerably as the bloom has matured. I'll need to take another photo, if the rain we're getting doesn't ruin them first.

These are more Darwin hybrids, but I can't remember their name.

Gardening chores are multiplying quickly around here. I'm exhausted from it most of the time, but the results are worth it. The weed patch is slowly starting to look more like a garden. I got the tiller out the other day and worked on another row. Ordinarily, we would have worked the soil for the entire garden at one time, but it was neglected for so long that we can only manage it piecemeal. I doubt we'll get it entirely back into shape this year, but at least we're making progress.

SBQ - Week of 4/23

2008-04-24T17:22:00.000-04:00

This week's SBQ is from Christine:

How do you handle blended threads? Do you kit the blends up before you start a piece, or do you grab what colors you need and blend when the need arises? If you kit up the blends beforehand, how do you store them? Do you have another option for blends to share?

I blend the threads when I need them. If it is a project with a lot of different floss, I put the threads into Floss-Away bags by number and pull from there as needed.

For projects that have a lot of blends, like Tradewinds, I create a sheet with all of the blend symbols. Then, when I don't use a full length of a given blend, I can "park" the threads in the sheet of paper. It saves a bit of time on projects where I need to change threads frequently.

My "To Do" List

2008-04-20T19:09:00.003-04:00

Sometimes, I need a reminder...

Completed April 20, 2008
Design: Big Girl Panties
Designer: Janlynn Kit
Fabric: replaced the 14-ct. aida with 28-ct. something-or-other from my stash
Floss: DMC

This has been such a busy week. I'm exhausted from it, and even managed to sustain very minor (but painful) injuries in what could only be described as a freak accident. A large glass measuring cup fell, hitting me in the head before landing on my thumb. It would be funny if it wasn't so painful. >:( Nothing serious, but painful enough that it disrupted my sleep last night. So, instead of throwing a pity party for myself, I finished BGP. Much better! LOL

I'm also feeling very pleased with myself for a "work" acheivement today. I *finally* got around to trying the new body cream formula that I've been working on. I still have a hard time thinking of these things as "work", but I suppose that's what it is. The cream is a basic Shea & Cocoa butter and jojoba oil combination, lightly scented with lavender essential oil. It's really thick, which is what I was going for. It turned out GREAT, if I do say so myself.

FUFOs and Gardening

2008-04-16T13:14:00.002-04:00

Spring has definitely "sprung" here. The daffodils have mostly faded, except for a few strays. Our poor little gnome is looking a bit beaten. The oddly-painted concrete yard art isn't really my thing, but my mom had a few of them, so they sort of came with the house. I guess I'll need to touch-up some of the paint this year, before they look any worse.

I did a bit of planting this morning, starting with this "Bag o' Blooms" kit that I picked up at Wal-Mart a while back. I'm not sure it's going to work... the plants in the kit looked pretty sickly. But, I just had to know. It will be a fun experiment, if nothing else.

Experiment #2 for today was rhubarb. I remember my dad growing it when I was a kid, and I don't think it was particularly difficult or demanding. I got a pair of roots and we've planted them behind the garage. The next task will be finding or making space for tomato and pepper plants. I went a little overboard in my seed starting. I didn't really expect them to grow so successfully, so I planted lots of them. We currently have 72 tomato plants (4 varieties), and around 100 assorted peppers, both sweet & hot. There's no way that we'll have the time or energy to make space for all of these plants. And if we did, we'd have to open a farm stand at the end of the driveway. LOL

The weed patch is slowly starting to look more like a garden. It has suffered so badly from neglect over the last several years that it is going to take a LOT of work to get it back into shape. This year's garden is mostly experimental, more learning experience than actual garden. We're feeling pretty successful even now, just for having cleared some of it off and setting a few tiny plants in.

Stitching has been practically non-existent this week... too much other stuff to do. I did manage to hemstitch a couple of needlerolls, which I assembled this morning. Two less projects in the FUFO pile. YAY!!!

Home Again

2008-04-14T20:23:00.002-04:00

We spent last week in New Bern, NC... our annual trip to BF's timeshare. I always look forward to the trip, but we keep finding more and more to do down there, and it seems to become more hectic each year. Yesterday I arrived home feeling like I needed a vacation from my vacation!

I managed to stitch a little while we were away, but not much. I dutifully worked on Adia Tuesday-- my weekly UFO stitching commitment. PIG also saw the light of day, but again... not much. I didn't get around to photographing them yet, but I'll post some updates soon.

We've been extremely busy since we got home yesterday. There's a ton of garden work to do, and we're also trying to get one of our northern VA properties converted to a rental. It doesn't look like I'll be doing much stitching this week.

Little Gift Sampler

2008-04-09T18:15:00.003-04:00

This isn't actually a gift-- Little Gift Sampler is just the name of the design, by Indigo Rose. I wanted this to feel a little more like spring, so I changed all of the colors. I started with the fabric, 32 ct. Carnation Pink linen. I used Waterlilies "Confetti" for the alphabet, then chose coordinating DMC for the rest. I'll finish this one into a needleroll. Which reminds me... I really need to assemble some of my finished projects. Currently, they're sitting in a drawer, waiting for attention.

In the meantime, I've pulled out PIG once again. I haven't actually started stitching on it yet, but I plan to do that this evening. Tradewinds is still coming along nicely. Perhaps I'll have an update to both of them in the next few days.

A FUFO!!!

2008-04-03T14:34:00.002-04:00

The finishing fabric that I had in mind for Candy-Stick Noel was really calling to me, so I bit the bullet and pulled out the sewing machine this morning. This fabric is actually what prompted me to stitch the design. The pattern wasn't something I'd ordinarily choose to stitch, but I couldn't resist because I had the perfect fabric to go with it.

I'm really happy with the way this turned out. And, now that the sewing machine is out, I just might go ahead and assemble something else if I can find the time. I've been pretty busy over the past couple of days filling soap & lotion orders. I think I've earned a break, though. ;)

Yesterday's soap was a fragrance called "Lick Me All Over". I'm not crazy about the name of this, and may decide to call it something else, but it smells delicious! It's a sort of fruity scent... almost good enough to eat.