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Just like many others I am claiming my blog. Don't really understand why I or anyone else has to do this, but what the heck.

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Friday ditherings

Ever since I signed up for "The Challenge", I have been suffering from decision paralysis. I can't seem to make up my mind what to sew next. It is so bad that I am procrastinating and actually ironed all my husbands shirts today. Around twenty-five of them. This is serious, no?

 I really want to make the Minoru Jacket and have forever, I even have a Pinterest board of Minorus. As I am in the midst of a weight loss struggle and the Minoru is complicated it just doesn't make sense to sew it right now. Then there is Butterick 5504, a Connie Crawford pattern for shorts, perfect for summer. Vogue 8810, a dress which I am also considering. The list goes on and on. What to do, what to do? I know myself better than to force myself to sew when I don't have the spark, whenever I have done that it has been a major fail, so I am looking through my patterns and fondling my fabrics. Inspiration will wander in eventually.

I have discovered a new, not so secret passion. It is Top Gear, the British car show. I am obsessed with it. It is a great show to watch while ironing (see first paragraph). Fortunately there are 17 seasons on NetFlix. If you want to have a good laugh, watch Season 10, episode 6 and 7. I have seen each of those episodes three times and my abdomen hurts from laughing. British humour at it's best.

If you want to feel hopelessly inadequate and uncoordinated, go to Walmart and buy a hula hoop.  I did. When I was a child I could do it forever, on Wii, I am not great but I can keep the hoop moving. In real life, not so much. After trying for 20 minutes I can get the hoop to rotate around my waist for oh, maybe three times. After I get bored of that, I terrorize the dogs with it. All good fun.

On a serious note, I have a request of all of you. I have a young friend that is having a very difficult time right now, and I am worried sick about her. I can't be specific without breaking her confidence. Could you please add Rosa to your prayers, she really needs some help right now. Thank you, I appreciate it more than you can imagine.

Sign me up ladies!

because you can't have a blog post without a photo, this is one of
my canine children, Jasper.

I have been following this blog for awhile now, and that little voice in my head keeps telling me to sign up. I have been telling the little voice to shut the @$#& up, the little voice has been getting louder and more persistent, so in order to quiet one of the voices in my head (kidding) (sort of), I am signing up. This has  been my intention for some time now anyway, only now I am stating this publicly. Prepare to be underwhelmed ladies!

One of the challenges of doing this is that I am exercising and losing weight, and I have been resistant to making clothes that won't fit me forever. I have decided that this is not going to stop me, granted I won't be sewing with high priced quality fabric from Emma One Sock or Marcy Tilton or with Claire Shaeffer patterns etc, but I will make clothes that fit the body I currently inhabit. So there.

It is February

Well, duh, right. I will explain. For me February is the time of year that I either hibernate or go mad cleaning out closets or a combination of both. This year it is both. I have been busy decluttering and cleaning closets. It is incredibly satisfying to open a closet that you previously needed full body armour to protect yourself from falling debris, to see the change to a tidy organised space. It is so satisfying that I have done every closet, pantry and china cabinet on the main floor of the house. Obviously, this means no sewing has been happening. This is why I have been a no show here. I know you have all been feeling my absence keenly. 8-)

Sometime ago, I got an email from a lovely person who nominated me for a blog award. In a frenzy of activity I deleted all my emails and then promptly forgot all about it. I  am so enjoying menopause brain. Not. So, if you are the lovely person who nominated me, please accept my apology for seemingly ignoring you. I didn't mean to, really.

Vicky from Another Sewing Scientist has come up with a brilliant idea. Map the sewists, sew-ers, sewintists, seamstresses, mangler's of fabric or whatever you like to call yourself. Go here to read about it and go here to put yourself on the map. I did.

I came across this website, Daylight Map, and I find it really useful when dealing with people from another part of the world, I am so very international, don't you know? Seriously, though, it is interesting watching the spring equinox coming. On the equinox, night and day are nearly exactly the same length – 12 hours – all over the world. This probably is of more important to those of us here in Canada than if you are closer to the equator. I thought someone else might like this site. Please let me know if you like it as much as I do, or whether I am just a total geek.

That's all. Sewing to come soon.

Kwik Sew 2874

I made view A

Fresh on the heels of my latest make, the less than successful Katherine Tilton  V8690, which I feel my choice of fabric was largely to blame for. I decided not to set fire to the remaining four meters in my driveway (sorry Heather), or to put it back in the closet of requirement, or to donate it. I decided to discover if the fabric truly was to blame for the failure of V8690. So I decided the next knit project of 2013 going to be Kwik Sew 2874. Since I already had the sewing machine, the serger and the cover stitch machine  threaded, and I knew how to handle the fabric, I figured what the hell.

this is the fabric of the devil

I did discover something while making this top. It is incredibly freeing to sew something when you could not possibly care less about the outcome. Really. For instance, instead of being thrifty while cutting out the fabric so you use as little as possible, I did the opposite. I tried to waste as much fabric as possible. It was fun and I felt like a rebel (I know, it's sad). The remaining scraps are going in the garbage, where they belong.

the shoulders are held in place with blue tack so you can get an idea
of the shapelessness of the garment

I can state without hesitation, if you ever want to make a completely shapeless garment that will make you feel  unattractive and will hide all those pesky curves you worked out so hard to get and gave up cheesecake and pizza for, this is the fabric for you. I know ladies, control yourself now. You got to get yourselves some of that. The pattern, oh the poor pattern. It gave it's life for the fabric of the devil. I have no idea what this pattern is like. I can say the directions are good, and it goes together easily, but whether it is wearable and a well fitting pattern, sorry I have no idea. As part of my resewlution to sew knits all year and get competent, I will revisit this pattern at some point this year.

Oh yes, the fabric was in very large part responsible for the massive fail of Vogue 8690, whether it is entirely at fault, I don`t know. I will make it later in the year and get back to you.

So far this year month I have made

                             Vogue 8536
                             Simplicity 4076
                             Butterick 5215
                             Vogue 8690
                             Kwik Sew 2874

9 more to go, I think I will make my goal this year, don`t you?

Butterick 5215 and Vogue 8690

Close up of fabric, accessorized with dog hair.

Two more t-shirts on my list made. One is a complete success, the other, not so much at all.

  

First, the success. Butterick 5215, a Connie Crawford pattern. 

I made view B, which is the semi fitted version. I lowered the neckline by two inches (thanks Dixie!) and that was the only change I made to the pattern. It fits pretty much perfectly and it is in the running for my TNT. I made it from a horrible rayon lycra blend that I bought a while back after I had bought a t-shirt made from the same stuff. Before the purchased version began pilling, of course (sigh). At least it was cheap, if memory serves it was $3 per meter. It wasn't fun to sew as it is slippery and clingy all at the same time. Swearing while sewing was mandatory while making this one. Fortunately I am very good at swearing. Ask anyone who knows me. 

The not so successful. Vogue 8690, a Katherine Tilton pattern.

I made this to wear around the house instead of a sweatshirt, to that end it is successful. This is not a garment I would tell anyone that I made. As a matter of fact, no one that I don't live with will ever see me in it. That includes all of you. Sorry.

The shoulders are tacked on the wall with Blue Tack so you can see how much
the fabric stretched. Not a good look. Fugly.

Ignore that last paragraph. All of it. The Husband just came home, saw this on, and announced "well, that is a look". Keep in mind my husband is incredibly supportive and almost never critical of anything I make. This may be the first time he has ever been that critical. Seriously. Welcome to Wadderville.

I am not sure if it is the fault of the fabric I chose, or the pattern, or a combination of both or the manufacturer. I am in the way of thinking it is the fabric. This is (I think) a poly cotton blend, it is that stuff they make thermal long underwear out of. This stuff stretches in width and shrinks in length. Of course this is the stuff that I have four more meters of, I am too cheap to throw it out, and I would hate to donate it and have someone experience the joy that is this fabric. The karma would be a killer. I am considering setting fire to it in the driveway and then dancing in the ashes, it would have the added benefit of melting some ice. Oh, I don't know, I may just put it back into the fabric closet of requirement.

I think I will try this pattern again later this year, in a better choice of fabric.  Four patterns down, ten to go.

1947 Singer Measurement Chart

This little goodie fell into my hands when a friend of mine gave me a box of sewing goodies he came across at an auction. I was hoping for a case of unopened Dritz welt buttonhole makers, three or four thousand vintage pristine cut mother of pearl buttons, four or five dozen eyelet templates for the Singer and Griest buttonholers. Uh, no.

This was the only cool vintage thing, of course I thought immediately of sharing it with all of you. I wish they still made the "Molded to You" form. No more duct tape dress forms. Oh well.