Miss Celie's Pants

After reading Lindsay T.’s post on the $975 sewing kit, I decided to google ‘sewing kits’ and see what came up.

Imagine the pitter patter of my little heart when the ‘Sew Perfect’ plaid sewing kit came up! Burberry like plaid and a sewing kit.

The Ravens are in the playoffs. So, City Hall is bathed in a beautiful purple for them. I don’t watch football. I don’t hate it and I don’t resent it. I just kind of ignore it.

But, I hope they keep winning so I can keep seeing this every day.

This is Wolman Building next door.

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I’m making the ‘Irish Cable Scarf’ and I have frogged (ripped out) this scarf for the third time. I had a good 40 rows this time. Why? Only one of the three cables had actually cabled and I decided the rest was a hot mess (no photos of that). Saturday night I met up with about six women from work who are all avid knitters. They were working on the most beautiful gloves, socks, sweaters and accessories. Seeing their work kind of me made me start over because I want to feel good about my project.

Knitting has taught me so much patience for beginner sewists. But, I don’t remember being this slow and this bad when I started sewing in high school. Was I oblivious to my clothes? Or, I just care more now about handcrafts?

But, I also realized I couldn’t talk, listen, eat or drink while knitting. I have to think too much!

Well, I’m too disorganized to put together a year-long sewing retrospective. But, I thought I would share something restrospective related. Below are the garments and accesories I made this year.

http://s100.photobucket.com/albums/m31/cidell/2008%20Projects/?action=view&current=a57d3e0d.pbw

From my count:

• Two Vests
• Three woven blouses
• Three knit tops
• Five woven dresses
• Three knit dresses
• Four skirts
• Three pants
• One bag
• Three UFOs: MTP dress, a knit skirt and a woven skirt.

That’s about 28 things. Somehow less and at the same time more than I thought. Less than half are NOT BWOF. What are you gonna do? They work for me.

(RSS readers, click through for slideshow)

Last Years Resolutions — Measuring Up
I swore I did a post about my sewing resolutions last year, but I can’t find it. So, I’m going to review the ‘goals’ along the sidebar of my blog:

Attempt a FBA on a Big 4 pattern
Umm. I made an FBA, but it was in a muslin for a dress for someone else that I ended up not making. So, I’m going to count this as a ‘yes’ since I essentially did make one.

Develop a sloper
Erg. No.

Draft something from said sloper
Again, I say ‘no’. And I’m in a mini-battle with the powers that be to let me work a flex schedule to take a drafting class in the spring.

Figure out my pants / crotch depth – length fitting issues
Well, no. But, I have found that it’s trousers I look good in and that’s sort of been my saving grace.

Flat fell seam a shirt
Nope. I know ‘serge’ and ‘fuse’ are the five and four letter words of fine garment sewing, but I’ve always had the vocab of a sailor.

Learn to make a blind hem
Lol. NO! I don’t care how easy you say it is, I just haven’t tried it.

Learn to use each of my serger feet
Almost there. This is detailed in my ‘I think I love my serger’ posts.

Make a double welt pocket (either jacket or pants)
Nope!

Make a Tailored jacket
No! 2010 is our year baby!

Make bound buttonholes
No!

Make jeans
No! But, I finally have the fabric.

Make shirts with collars and such that fit well
Well. I’m going to say YES! I made two awesome blouses this year.

Sew a wardrobe (mini or otherwise)
I’m working on it now.

Use French seams and construct a garment
No

So, I think my next post might be things to add to this list

I’m at home right now waiting for the heating repair folks. My heat went out overnight and it is COLD. Here’s hoping my 30 year old furnace is fine ** ETA: Heat is back on and I’m off to work. It was an easy (free) fix!

In the meantime, I thought I’d post a couple of Christmas wish list items.

I know it’s kind of hipster of me to say that ‘I love the Onion’. But, this one is particularly funny. And not at all politically correct and possibly offensive. So, um, please view at your own risk.

New Portable Sewing Machine Lets Sweatshop Employees Work On The Go

I didn’t take pictures of the Patrones on Friday because that day went down the toilet. I went out for an afternoon meeting and proceeded to RUN OUT OF GAS. I am not a total and complete flake. Just a busy working woman. I waited in my car for over two hours in 30 degree weather for the gas people to get to me. By the time they arrived it was the end of day and I was too cold, tired and irritable to go back to the office. So, I just went home, self medicated with a riesling and went to bed.

Today, I forgot my camera, so here are my outstanding cell phone pictures:

Tonight I started teaching my first in a series of four sewing lessons. I donated the lessons to a volunteer group back in September and they were auctioned off for a decent price. There were a couple of bidders which tells me there is definitely a market for sewing classes. The woman I’m teaching told me she just wanted to learn how to sew on buttons, hem her pants and sew a straight line on a machine. She’s not the first person who has asked me how to sew on buttons. So I thought it was a good place to start. Easy peasy, right?

There is actually A LOT to show when someone has literally never picked up a needle and thread. Don’t take for granted what we do all the time! I taught her the right length for hand sewing, showed her types of thread (heavy duty vs double strand), bees wax (how to use, why to use, where to get), types of needles (self threading, sharps, etc.), types of buttons (shank, no shank, shirt, coat, backing buttons), how to thread a needle, tying a knot at the end of the thread, how to sew it on, how to make a shank, how to finish it off. Seriously, it was a FULL two hour lesson.

She was so proud of herself, she asked if she could take her samples to show her co-workers. I also learned you have greater patience teaching when the person is not related to you.

During the lesson, I washed my Christmas tree. Yes. Washed. I’ve had this pretty white tree for the last six years. I got it for $20 from Rite Aid the day after Christmas! Over time, it’s gotten a little dingy. I tried to wash it in a bucket, then in the washroom sink. It was too awkward and labor intensive. I finally gave up and put them in the dishwasher. Sparkling when it came out!

If you really want to recycle, check out this Mountain Dew tree from Thrifty Decor chick. Mmmm. Dew.

Dimi’s next lesson (next Monday) will be on hemming her pants. Lots of hand stitching. Funny that I’m teaching about hand sewing, huh?

When the PatternReview.com moderators (minus two) were here over the summer, they came up with a PR Awards concept. The honorees were announced here. Apparently my ‘vote early, vote often’ tactic worked because I took home:

Thank you for voting for me! I’m really trying to improve my wardrobe, so this is the push I could use. In celebration of my award, I thought I would show you guys what was voted for:

My teeny 1940 house closets! These are both in the master bedroom. Presumably, his and hers. If I ever get married, they will stay ‘hers and hers’. There’s a basement someone else can use.

I love living in an older home with lots of character. But, I miss multiple outlets on every wall, central air, and walk-in closets.

I haven’t sewn a stitch in the last week. I’m waiting for my Hot Patterns order to come in (two pants, one coat and a dress). So I’ve been working on the scarf and contemplating Christmas crafting. I learned the continental stitch which is faster. Just 800 people ahead of me on Ravelry. Invitation any day now….

I’m so thankful for my sewing friends. I got home yesterday and a wonderful gift was here from SueV. These beautiful pewter buttons and this gorgeous Japanese print fabric. Fabulousness abounds.

Thank you Sue!! As soon as it warms up, this one is going to be a dress. I’m thinking Vogue 8020 or the Knip Mode version of the Bottega Veneta’s dress that Sigrid and Nancy Karpen made.

Which leads me to say that I was using my beloved Japanese red Clover seam ripper to open up buttonholes and the tip snapped clean off. I stood there for a good minute with my jaw open staring at what I hath wrought.

I feel AWFUL. Especially because I came from the kind of family where you ‘saved’ special or nice things. So, as an adult, I rip into anything new because I don’t want to save it! I got it because I wanted to use it! Please, if anyone out there has a connection in Japan, could you please let me know. I would really really like to replace the seam ripper and I’m too embarrassed to ask the woman who got it for me again.

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My dad is heading over and we’re going to Thanksgiving dinner at Dandy (My gays across the street. Their names are Dan and Randy = Dandy. And they’re gay. Get it? Dandy? Ok. I’ll stop now). Dad will be in Panama full-time with Mom come Christmas this is sort of our last holiday hurrah in the same state.

My contribution? Pumpkin Spice Cake from Country Living magazine. Country Living and Cottage Living are my favorite home magazines and led me to my ‘Urban Cottage’ decorating style. Rumour has it they are also in trouble along with Domino.

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Today’s New York Times has a great story about a Broadway costume designer/beader. You can get it here.

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Tomorrow morning will find me at the GAP. I am desperate for this yellow sweater and they are buy one get one free! Wish me luck in the madness.