And a Merry Christmas to You Too. 2014 – What Happened?

WHAT HAPPENED?

Lots of health issues happened in 2014 which gave me endless fatigue. Upper respiratory infection, allergies, Epstein barr virus plus a recently diagnosed sleep disorder. No wonder I’ve been tired!

But while there were months of just dealing with the fatigue, I still managed to do some new things. So the year isn’t a total write-off.

DIY WEDDING FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS

A lovely friend was married in January and I did the reception table flowers. Due to her allergies (and common sense) I used artificial flowers. Some she already had, others I bought on sale after Christmas. Another arty activity was face painting children for Halloween at the church’s “trunk n treat”. Yes, Elsa, Frozen princess was the most requested face.

I’d made this resolution to not buy any new clothes or shoes in 2014, apart from underwear, socks, stockings and swimwear. I intended to either sew clothes, or buy second hand, or just make do with what I had. Sewing had to be thrifted fabric or else bought on sale. Oh the idealism!

Well my dress for the wedding was second hand. The new shoes were a gift from the bride, so they didn’t count.

What do you do with your hands in photos? Don’t they look awkward?

But for the rest of the year, I stuck to my resolution – apart from sewing. Too tired for that and too tired to go shopping much anyway.

 

KNITTING – SOCK FAIL

In January I tried to join K-Line’s knit-a-thon, two socks on circular needles. I’d never used circular needles before. I even got help from Kristin, so nice of her. I knitted two inches, then got sick. Upper respiratory, whooping cough, whatever. Never got back to the socks.

SEWING – MEH

 All year, this Dritz dress form has been used as a hanger for this 70s dress.

I got stuck on the neckline facing and setting in the sleeves. It’s a winter dress and now it’s winter again.

Circle of life, right?

 

This did not get made, not even a trial vest in cheap purple fleece. I had bought some top quality fleece on sale intending to make a jacket for mum. Now I have given her the fabric…and she’ll get it made up by a professional, using a different pattern.

 

This came from a co-worker cleaning out his garage. The idea of my very own vintage Singer was an exciting one, so I bought extra cams, and replacement rubber parts for those which had perished. Getting it working again has yet to happen nor do I know where to set it up.

 

 

But I did sew something!! I made my first pair of boxer shorts for a friend. An 80’s McCall pattern bought on eBay and a cotton sheet to make a test version.  These were an exercise to practice flat felled seams and the construction of a fly opening.  And I still need lots of practice on both.
In the past two weeks, which is about two minutes to midnight on the 2014 Doomsday Sewing Clock,  I made another pair of boxers and also pajama pants for myself.  Feedback given on the first boxers was about a lack of roominess, so side panels were added to fix this.

My pj pants are in this Japanese themed print. Alas I cut them too small. Clearly I have delusions about my body size! Any how, once again panels were added to the side seams.

 

I like the print, but the fabric (whatever it is) is slippery and frays easily.  The pants became an exercise in french seams and patience.

In the photo you can see how I stuffed up the first french seam; it’s sewn twice because first it was sewn too close to the edge, and the seam allowance (which is supposed to be enclosed), poked through on the other side. The pattern is a 99 cent Simplicity pants pattern. Two pieces, three seams. I still made mistakes.

 

 

I finished the pjs while on vacation with the help of my sister-in-law who has an overlocker. Thankfully she was very patient, seeing as I pinned it wrong and two side seams had to be unpicked.

Why do Americans call it a serger? Spelt as “surger” would make sense as it does go fast – but overlocker better describes what the machine does.

I don’t know how long these pj pants will last. Already the fabric is fraying at the seams. Mending required even before wearing them? Yikes!

The overlocker (serger) impresses me though and one is now on my “someday” wish list.

 

Amazon Local – do you purchase deals on Amazon Local? I usually ignore those emails. Until this one. An online sewing course offered for $30, supposedly to the value of $1000. Is it? I am not sure – who decides that? E-Careers is a British site, and once registered, I have 12 months to complete it. Patterns and course content are downloaded. While I can’t see myself getting through all the content, surely I can complete enough to be satisfied of my $30 investment.

KITCHEN SHENANIGANS

I attempted making home fermented foods. The results were mixed:

• Sauerkraut – the first batch, made at a friend’s house while I watched worked. The second batch made at home – moldy
• Water kefir – never multiplied and gradually weakened to the point where they no longer fermented the sugar water.
• Milk kefir – this was successful and now I make regular smoothies

ALDI was selling incredibly cheap small appliances like a dehydrator, icecream maker and a bullet style blender. I bought all three. What did I make?

Dried figs, pineapple, cranberries (fail), mint, basil. Also:

 Free cayenne peppers from co-workers.

 

 

Beef jerky.  I dried raw beef strips and didn’t give myself food poisoning. I’m still amazed (and grateful).

 

Strawberry icecream, nothing more than strawberries, cream, sugar. Yum.

 

 

Two batches of fig jam, thanks to a generous coworker who took time to pick the figs. I added grated ginger root to the second batch. I also made a batch of pineapple jam. Yum. Look for old fruit and veg at the back of Kroger supermarket. That’s how I got 6 pineapples for $6.00.

As ever, Loki the orange kitty supervises.

 

 

Pavlova makes the perfect dessert for a 4th July block party. But what to do with all the egg yolks?

 

 

Wheat free bread means gluten-free flour(s). The bread making attempts were dismal. It tasted as boring as it looks. Now there’s all this gluten-free flour in the pantry to be used up.

 I did some grilling – on a little battered grill that takes a small bottle of gas. Lava rocks is the secret to stopping the massive flare-ups from dripping grease. Those peppers are Hatch chili peppers and taste great charred. I got good at “blackened chicken”. Also, wedges of cabbage charred on the grill are delicious. Strange, but true.

For a few months I went through a juicing phase. What to do with all the pulp? Well you can a) toss it out; b) give it to a friend who has chickens, or c) make veggie patties. Season profusely – curry powder is good, egg and a little coconut flour to bind them. The first batch were fried and I discovered how fragile they are to turn over, so baking in a greased muffin tin works the best.

FREE YOUR MIND

I started a certificate course in technical writing at the local university. It was challenging because my knowledge of grammar is rather impoverished. Looking at a sentence and thinking you know whether the grammar is correct or incorrect is not enough – how to explain your reasoning? That gets me. However I will knuckle down to learn the grammar and complete the remaining units next year.

Coursera.org offers free, online short courses from various universities around the world. There’s a range of topics and I got through this one, a music theory course offered by the University of Edinburgh. It was challenging, and the final assessment was scary:  analyse two pages of a Mozart quartet score. Never thought I’d do that! The teachers were excellent and really made an effort to answer questions in the forums and Facebook page, which is where the students who were from all over the world got a chance to discuss the lectures.

MUSIC MATTERS

Still managed some music – I had to drop out of a songwriting course because I was too sick/too tired to keep up with it, but I did attend HCAMP down at Kerrville (January) and the Winterfest at Irving (February). I also began to go to the Lone Star State Dulcimer Society (LSSDS) club meetings and get a friend I’d made at HCAMP to come along. The dulcimer club meets every two months – and I made a couple. What HCAMP taught me is how important it is to play with others instead of being holed up in your bedroom.

These two autoharps were rescued from the church choir room and made playable again by Chuck Daniels whom I arranged to meet at the LSSDS Winterfest. I also took a few classes on the autoharp at the festival.

 

This is the gospel service with the two autoharps put to use. You can play it either flat, as on the left, or held in a hug. We dressed up in old timey clothes; I already had the hat and found the “granny dress” at the thrift store.  The repertoire included old-timey country gospel and spirituals like I”ll Fly Away, Shall We Gather At the River, Farther On, Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown, I Saw the Light and Angel Band. The fiddle player was hired – and her contribution really made a difference. There was also a guitar player and double bass player. Rehearsing was so enjoyable that we decided to keep on with this “Back Porch Band” concept and prepare a set for the church picnic held at the end of summer.

And here we are doing a sound test outside in preparation for the church picnic. I am on the left playing mountain dulcimer. By this time Emily had joined as the fiddle player. Playing live was lots of fun. Perfect? No. But did people enjoy it? Yes. Yes they did… or else they’re big fat liars!

 

 

What is this? This is a bowed psaltery. I bought it on the Goodwill auction site (photo source). Because the soundhole has a distinctive design I was able to  trace it back to this luthier,  Song of the Wood. It’s beautifully made and has the cutest bow, especially when you put it next to a double bass bow!  The bowed psaltery is a chromatic instrument spanning two octaves. Each string is a note, and you simply bow between the pins. Advanced players use two bows. To hear what the bowed psaltery sounds like, this site, Psaltery Strings, has lots of audio and video. I played in this version of Revelation Song, performed in church, and got many comments afterwards about it.

During my Christmas vacation, I have made my mum a dulcimer from a Folkcraft kit. The body is cardboard – it has a surprisingly nice sound. Surprisingly? No one thinks a cardboard instrument is going to sound much, but be surprised.

I surprised myself also by putting it together! It wasn’t easy – the bridge was too high and had to be filed down, using a metal nail file made it a slow process. Then a string snapped when I was putting it on.. but mum is learning to play it now. Word of advice if you ever build a Folkcraft cardboard dulcimer, save yourself a lot of hassle and time by getting the kit with the fretboard already set up. Trust me.

I started piano lessons again. Not just re-learning to play again but to keep up with theory and to learn how to arrangement and improvise. It’s challenging and I love it.

PLANTS THAT CAN

Why do African violets have the reputation of being difficult and fussy? Put them on a window sill facing east, ignore them most of the time, but do water when they start to droop.  They reward this haphazard attention with pretty pink flowers.

Even being knocked off by cats doesn’t seem to do any lasting harm.

 

The City of Arlington enforced its rules about nothing being on the walkway areas outside apartments. This meant my plants at the top of the stairs (which were out of the way) had to go. Coping with large chili plants inside was challenging, until I put each pot on a chair and got a couple of 200W lights.  Want to know why your chili plant isn’t setting fruit? It’s not getting pollinated! Now that hand pollination is being performed, the kung pao pepper is setting fruit. I got this seedling from Greens Produce. It’s late.. but at least it now has peppers.

The plant frustration, both outdoors and indoors, led me to this:

A plot rented for 2015 at the Fish Creek Community Garden. Blessings to the person who worked this plot over summer then relinquished it. In November I enjoyed fresh mint, basil, parsley, green capsicums and tomatoes. Look how convenient watering will be – the tap (faucet) is right there poking up out of the cinder block. I used all the fresh herbs to make pesto gifts – not only the traditional basil pesto, but mint and parsley pesto also. No recipe for that, just lots of garden mint, Italian and curly parsley, almonds, coconut and olive oils.

ANIMALS OF NOTE

Cat sitting: My two cats – so suspicious of the little black interloper, Schubert, but by the last day, some peace was restored.

 

 

These two did very well this year.  Just a pair of typically demanding, bossy, puking (until I stopped leaving out dry food 24/7), peeing on my bathroom mat, crying & jumping at the door to be let in, clawing at boxes, shedding hair, escaping out the front door, stealing food off the counters, bug-hunting, purring, pouncing,  waking me up at 4am, wanting to play cats.

 Cats and catnip. Nothing more to be said!

 

 

 

 

Mum’s little foxie, Dolly, died this year.

Such a sweet little dog.

 

But Sally, a Jack Russel-Maltese cross was rescued and given a loving home. Sally is more outgoing (and naughtier) than Dolly and loves walks and chewing shoes.

 

Dog sitting Riley down at Joshua: Although it’s a longer drive to work, it always feels like I’ve had a mini-vacation in the country.

Also dog sat two lovely dachshunds for my friends who were on honeymoon. How can I not have a photo of Sam and Shiner?!

TWO UNMISSABLE TRUTHS

Straight hair looks good on me. For the first time ever I had my hair flat ironed when I got a long over-due hair cut. Of course, I can’t get it to look like that when I do it myself.

I have put on a lot of weight this year.  Hmm.

A Little Girl’s Twirly Coat – Simplicity 2745

Image

This little girl’s coat was supposed to be a Christmas present for my singing teacher’s little girl, Molly who is almost 4. I cut it to a size 5. I finally finished it at the end of January. At least it was still winter and still the same winter!

This is made out of Polartech that was on sale at Mill Yardage LLC.  The little girl likes pink. This was what was on sale that fell into the pink end of the spectrum. I like the rich berry colour,  the honeycomb texture and the price! It was on sale as 2nd quality – but I couldn’t see any flaws.

Because of all the seams edges on the inside I wanted to  line it but was unsure of what to use as lining that would be easy to wash. I ended up using a polycotton from Joann’s – not the usual thing to line a coat with, but I liked the butterfly print and was delighted to find matching buttons at the same store.

      I had some green satin  – it was a skirt picked up for free last year, in all the costuming frenzy to  perhaps use for the fabric. Well it wasn’t enough for a lining, but I used it for the underneath of the collar, and put strips of it inside the cuffs for fun. 

I also made bias strips to do the bottom edging. The polartech doesn’t fray of course, but the lining needed some kind of finishing. It would’ve been too bulky to turn up a hem, so I’m pleased I thought of the bias binding option. Ended up doing a lot of hand sewing – hemmed the satin cuffs and the bias strips – I didn’t want stitching to spoil the look of the edging. I should’ve cut the bias strips a little wider, 1 1/2″, not 1 1/4″. It was a little fiddly and the inside finish isn’t perfect.

 

The only alteration to the pattern was to ignore the extra bit that was the front facing – ie, the coat extended and you turned it under and that was the facing for the coat front edging. Otherwise the pattern pieces were kept the same, except for that I lined it.  Used size 90 needle and straight stretch stitch (tongue twister!) on default settings.

Making up the pattern was done a little differently to the instructions due to the lining – the collar had to be sandwiched in between the lining and coat. I attached the lining along the front edges and around the neckline then turned it the right way,  and top stitched down the front edges of the coat.

I procrastinated about the buttonholes for a while – had never  used the buttonholer stitch and attachment on my Kenwood. But it works pretty well – so the couple of years avoiding buttonholes has proved to be rather silly. Sometimes though the buttonhole stitch goes the wrong direction, and I still can’t figure out why. The top buttonhole ended up being a bear. The 2nd and 3rd turned out nicely 1st go., but I unpicked the top buttonhole several times. It’s still not aligned vertically with the others – it’s out by 1/8 inch. Due to the extra thickness, the fabric doesn’t feed through at the rate it should, so you have to pull it fast enough so that you’ll get the 1 1/4″ length button hole needed for the 1 inch buttons. That sounds easy when typing it but not to actually do.

The other bugbear about taking so long to do this coat was that cat hairs ended up on it. The ginger tabby, Loki, has hair that ends up everywhere. I have learned that it pays to have some kind of dustsheet for garments I’m in the middle of making.

So the topstitching isn’t perfect and that top buttonhole doesn’t line up with the 2 beneath it. It is though a warm and pretty coat and both mother and daughter are delighted.

 

30 days of healthy eating. Sometimes you have to do it.

Starting tomorrow, a friend and I are doing this 30 day cut out some foods plan. It’s on the internet. For 30 days, that’s 2 more days than February, you know, for 30 whole days, there will be no more:

Grains
White potatoes
Corn
Legumes – peas, various dried beans, chickpeas, lentils
Peanut butter
Soy
Dried Fruit
Sweeteners, including honey and maple syrup
Highly processed foods with unpronounceable ingredients

Ok, it’s restrictive but doable… but wait, there’s more.

For 30 whole days, no more:

Alcohol
Chocolate

Chocolate
Alcohol

Did I say no more alcohol and chocolate?

This terrible thought is expressed perfectly by the Scream Sushi Quartet 

It’s not that I drink a lot of wine or guzzle chocolate every day. I’m quite restrained, but psychologically it’s the fact that I cannot have these for 30 days that is making me think about how good some red wine and dark chocolate would be right now. The sweet fruit of forbidden temptations…

But while the authors of this 30 day limited diet also say to renounce dairy, I am drawing the line in the sand there. 30 days without cheese or no milk in my coffee would be purgatory.

So I will eat dairy, vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, nuts, good oils, even butter. Doesn’t sound so bad. Coffee and tea are still ok.

Every once in a while I need to do something completely different to force myself to adopt better eating habits. Whether it is a 10 day juice fast or this 30 day cutting out starch/sugar/processed foods thing, I need the physical and psychological kick in the pants to make me change my lazy ways. I haven’t been doing much cooking, or meal planning lately. Veggies have gone bad in the fridge. I’ve sunk lower down the food preparation chain and subsisted on grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza, fruit and an occasional glass of chocolate milk.

I’m doing this  with a friend for support. She did it last year to shift some post-baby weight and it worked very well for her. I’m hoping it will do the same for me. I need a change.

February Is Going to be a Good Month

February will be fantastic, fun, fruitful and fulfilling.

It’s going to be filled with music.

It not only has a public holiday in it, but Winterfest, a 2 day acoustic music festival with interesting workshops and the chance to catch up with the other dulcimer players I met at HCAMP. Winterfest is also where  I can get a 1 1/2 fret added to my dulcimer (extends chord/note possibilities) and buy useful dulcimer related accessories, like a light but sturdy folding chair with a triangular seat that makes you sit up straight plus a dulcimer bag with straps so you can wear it like a backpack and keep your hands free.

February has a lot of music practice and planning for the Easter concert. Traditional hymns and gospel songs, old-timey spirituals to sing and play on dulcimer.  I get to sing solo, with people, and harmony parts and play with other musicians.

February is the month where I am introduced to the ways of a new instrument – the autoharp.

February also has a Duets concert at the church as a fundraiser for children’s music camp this summer. I’m not performing in it, but I’ll be in the audience, applauding.

February also has the monthly songwriter’s meetup and I will go this month. The same organizer is also running a “Build A Song” course – 6 session, every alternate week, starting 18th ‘February. The cost is very reasonable. I’m going to do it.

February is a busy time at work but it’s good to be busy. I need to be busy and complete work to get a day off for Winterfest!

It’s going to be a month of healthy eating, more exercise and losing some weight.

It’s going to be sociable, spending time with friends. It’s the month for a good friend’s birthday and it’s good to celebrate birthdays.

February will have some sewing and knitting time. I have some projects to finish and new ones to start. I have some children’s costumes to organize  for a little production in March. Plus I intend to help out another community theatre group  and so strengthen connections and friendships.

February is when I’m going to start some chilli pepper seeds.  Last year’s crop was pitiful, although the oldest chilli pepper plant did produce – in the winter months. 

So much is going to happen, yet it’s only 28 days! Bring it on!

Invited to a Wedding

Yesterday I went to a Friend’s wedding. Evening, ceremony plus nice dinner. Very civilized. Also kept to the resolution of not buying new RTW this year – by finding this dress at the local thrift store. It was ankle grazing so I got the hem taken up at a local drycleaners. Why didn’t I do it myself? Lack of time, was sick in bed for a couple of days, no thread the right colour and  nervous of botching it up. There, a convincing list of excuses dontcha think?

I’m going get over the no posting pics of me here. Ho hum, who cares anyway? Dress is a periwinkle blue polyester crepe-like kind of fabric, lined. It looks like a 2 piece, but it’s really a dress. The top part has some beading on it which was in pretty good condition for 2nd hand. 

New shoes bought by the bride at an outlet place, so I reckon they don’t count as contradicting my resolution, as I didn’t purchase them. The shoes were a thank you for doing the table decorations which is why I had no time to take up the hem of the dress. They’re Naturalizers, comfy and well made.  I was originally thinking nude heels, but I liked these much better.

And as proof that I did indeed do the table flowers, I’m including a pic of some tables – nothing fancy,  just some fake flowers in glass vases the bride had already. For a 2-3 hour event, why go to any great expense? I even made the bouquet.  The bride was  happy and that’s the most important thing!   I got a bit teary listening to the vows, but I’m a sooky schmaltz-ball. The couple deserve every happiness and blessing coming their way.

2013 in Review… sort of

Despite neglecting this blog for the year, I did do stuff.

Showed a friend how to make this:  Fig Jam. Figs were the best kind –  free from a co-worker’s tree.

For Thanksgiving I had the turkey smoked – completely new thing for me and oh boy it was delicious!! This guy across the road had a smoker business that kicked in for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Should’ve talked to him about smoking meats much much sooner.

Sewing Stuff

2013 was the year of being introduced to the perils (and fun) of community theatre. Godspell was in April – I made a costume for me out of thrift store stuff – it looked like I’d run away from the circus. (Or maybe running away to the circus).  Also made 3 pharisee hats and a fringed hippy vest for Jesus.  I liked the hats, and if I find a photo, I’ll post it.

August to November – Jane Eyre the Musical. Much grander and more complicated than Godspell. Agreeing to be costume mistress, as well as being in the show, took me down this super busy path of rehearsals and sew, sew, sew for 3 months. A lot of costumes were fortunately sourced from other theatre groups. But it was still a lot of sewing even with help. Next time? Organize even earlier, get more people to help out and delegate more.

I had a couple of parts in the show – the crazy wife, Bertha –  who screams, laughs maniacally, is an arsonist, attacks and bites people, then jumps to her death. How could you not love doing that? Costume: Christian Dior nightgown from thrift store. (You read that right – Christian Dior!) Gauze curtain veil with comb stitched to it. Pantaloons underneath to preserve modesty during all the kicking and biting.

I was also the bitter spinster schoolmistress, Miss Scatcherd in early scenes at Lowood School.  Costume: black long skirt, black thrifted jacket reshaped to be a bodice and the most whitest starchiest collar possible.

Mostly though, the costumes were put together from what we had, and finishing touches sewn from scratch to make it look “period”.

 

Eg, the Housekeeper: Lappet cap from Butterick B5663.  Black long skirt and a black long sleeved top which had cuffs added to it – shirt sleeve cuffs and some broderie anglaise lace.  Added a large white apron, and scarf with pin, and voila – Mrs Fairfax came to life. (Review of B5663 here on Pattern Review.

Some outfits only needed more trim. One of the dresses for Adele, Rochester’s little French ward, this yellow crepe outfit, only needed extra trim to take it from plain to pretty.

Jane Eyre got me using a hot glue gun for the first time ever. Yes, by nature, crafty stuff doesn’t come naturally to me. I’ve never woken up and thought: What can I hot glue today?

But some flower accessories for the party ladies were needed – hair or brooches. I made more than was needed, but as I was enjoying the process, I kept on making them.

Making these period undergarments got me doing a little hand embroidery and crochet again. Funny how the brain/muscles remember how to do the stitches. Fabric was muslin. Review of camisole here, and pantaloons here.

I’m kinda proud of this cape, it’s made from a thrifted bias skirt I’d bought ages ago because I liked the fabric. So pleased to have used something from the stash box in my closet. I made it reversible, the skirt was already lined, so I added fake fur trim along the bottom. Two of my grandmother’s vintage buttons were used. I do need to move the buttons though, and I really should have sewn something to that edge to stop it wobbling – twill tape? Well we learn from our mistakes. I bound the edges with black velvet ribbon. The top edge (neckline) was some black wool saved from a skirt I’d altered. (See? It’s good to save scraps!) This cape was worn by Jane Eyre and I kept it for myself, but I won’t wear it until I fix those issues of the button placement and the wavy bound edge.  The photo doesn’t do the colour justice, it’s a defiantly red plaid.

Perhaps someone needs to know how to make a gentleman’s necktie – a stock and bow style necktie? Make a band to fit around the neck, velcro at the back. This band (the stock) was made from either white or black fabric. Then make 2 other bands, longer and narrower and stitch them at the front of the neck band, positioned to be on either side of the neck (but still fairly towards the  front).  This replicates the stock and bow  style nicely, I think.

 

Sometimes on costumes I added details that the audience would never see, but I knew they were there, and the wearer of the costume and others on stage knew they were there. I’m detail oriented, and can’t resist them, no matter that they take extra time.

This is the cuff of the coat worn by the footman. Had to have gold buttons.

Here’s the cast photo – it’s a major accomplishment for me to think that all these people – adults and children – are dressed the way they are because of me! I had so much fun planning what the outfits should look like, then it’s a challenge to match the reality with the vision in my head and accept that somethings won’t work. But sourcing/altering/coming up with the necessary bits and pieces. – wow, the end result turned out so much better than I had hoped. Miss Scatcherd (me) is on the end, far right. The walking stick was truly needed. About 2 weeks before the performances, I pulled a calf muscle. Never knew how painful that could be! The walking stick was a good prop for the schoolteacher, good for poking and pointing at those dreadful Lowood charity school children. (This Lowood was rather progressive – it included boys as well as girls). The condition of the facility and attitudes of the teachers, though, remained unchanged.

After Jane Eyre was finished and all the costumes sorted, cleaned and returned to their rightful owners, you’d think I would want to pack away the sewing machine for a rest. But no! I wanted to make something for me, that wasn’t a costume. Pattern Review was having it’s Vintage Pattern competition. I hoped to enter this 1973 dress, but had fitting issues and missed the November 30 deadline.

I’m still finishing it – but I have fixed (as well as I can) the fitting issues.  It was all about the princess seam at the front and the side seams and the back darts. Pushed myself a bit there – never dealt with princess seams before.  Two toiles of the bodice were a no go, tissue fitting helped fix a workable muslin. Oh then I go and read that you should make the skirt muslin as well so the bodice has that weight. Whoops.  Well it was only the 2nd time I’ve made a toile.

I had grand plans for Christmas gifts to be handmade. PatternReview had a sale of its Simplicity patterns, I bought a few, including this jacket pattern: I bought some Polartec fleece on sale online and intended them to be jackets/ vests, using this pattern. I’ll get there.  Starting handmade gifts at the beginning of December is not enough time. 2014 – will be more organized.

Also in the Simplicity bundle was this pattern (2745): intended to be a gift for a friend, for her little girl. Not quite finished, I’m getting there though. It will be the darndest cutiest coat ever seen by the time I’m done with it.

I won’t mention either 3776 or 1630 bought on a whim in the same sale. Or the super cheap “Sew Easy” patterns I found at Walmart.  (A cape? Why not!)

Knitting

Knitting in 2013 was only dishcloths. To use and to give as a gift. These were actually made in time for Christmas. During the year I also bought some really nice yarn and more needles from a shop that was closing down. Plus  a few pattern/pattern books. I even bought that famous classic “Knitting Without Tears” by Elizabeth Zimmerman.  As everything was discounted heavily I went crazy and presented an overflowing handbasket to the cash register then had to put most of it back because I’d gone way, way over budget.  This shop had a casual weekly Thursday evening knitting group and I never made it to a session. Too late now, alas.

I am though knitting my first ever pair of socks  on circular needles (that will work) as part of K-Line’s Sock-A-Long. Once upon a time I attempted socks on DPNs (double point needles). This mangled thing was the outcome.  Yes I managed to turn the heel, and even changed wool colours, but the leg part is way too tight – impossible to pull on.  Clearly wrong sort of casting on, and wrong size to begin with. But, with a bit of catnip in the toe, at least it has life as a cat toy:

Crochet

Returned to the crochet hook a little this year. A mediocre dishcloth and some eyelet trim for threading through ribbon to tie the leg cuffs of Jane Eyre’s pantaloons. The foible with crochet is that I remember how to do some stitches but have no idea what they’re called, so following a pattern means looking up the stitches.

Pets

2013 was also the year for Cats. This one got sick (ugh expensive vet bills) and finally came home but had a sore on his back resulting from a reaction to the injection site. In order for the sore to be left alone and not constantly scratched/licked, I made a little sweater, self-drafted. The armbands and neckband are the ribbed tops of old socks. Grey knit came from old pj pants. If I were to do this again, I’d make the armholes a little bigger.  Kitty didn’t mind, and it did allow the sore to heal – and much better than making him wear the cone of shame.

 

In 2013 I also took in this little fellow.  How cute is that kitten? He was rescued from a drain pipe in a piece of machinery at my workplace. He was extremely hungry and yelling about it, and covered in grease. One eye was closed, completely gummed up with grease.  Who knows how long he had been stuck down this pipe, but the co-worker who heard his mews, had to reach in as far as his elbow to pull this furry scrap  out by his ears.

Craft Fail

How pretty is a real Christmas tree. I attempted some home made Christmas ornaments to add to what I already had.  The results were mixed.

This was a fail. Slices of orange are dried out in the oven then strung on the tree – positioned in front of a light, they’re not only fragrant, but have a lovely orange glow from the light behind it

As you can see, drying them in the oven led to the majority burning. A few ended up on the tree. Not much smell either. Lesson learned. Just eat the oranges next time, ok? 

 

This star is made from cinnamon and applesauce. A dough is made, rolled out and shapes cut out. Don’t forget to poke a hole in them, and bake. I then glued glitter to them. Pretty! However, these didn’t smell much once they’d cooled down.

However I’d made a lot of dough and left it sitting out for a few days. I finally got around to using it up for more shapes, and these ones smell much more strongly. Huh? Maybe the fragrance had to “develop”.  No, they’re not edible.

Surprises

A co-worker who is cleaning out his garage, asked if I’d like to take an old sewing machine off his hands. Do I really want an old sewing machine? I gave him $25 and in return got a Singer 403A with pedal and case but missing spool pins. The rubber bobbin tire and feet are also perished. But apparently it does still go. The Kenmore is a good machine for me, but its plastic bits inside. Once in a while the Kenmore has the sewing machine equivalent of a brain-fart and I have to turn it off/on again to get it to work properly. I would like to try an old mechanical machine for comparison. Something with metal inside that will last. (Although when people say that, what are they thinking – the next 100 years?)

The “can’t resist a bargain” in me is saying “yes! take it!”. The sensible side of me is saying: “where are you going to put this? It’s heavy and takes up room. Most importantly the persistent chiding inner voice says: “You’ve already got a good sewing machine that will do everything for your sewing needs – you don’t sew every day or every week. Stop being foolish.”

But it can’t hurt to look at it and play around for a bit, can it? I’ll clean it up and see how it runs…I’ve never sewn on a Singer (unbelievable, but true) so I’m curious to try it out.

Oh… one last exciting piece of news. During the costume making binge, I was loaned the use of a dress form. It was old and couldn’t be adjusted much, but still proved to be quite useful – bodices could be put on it, and so much easier to see how new trims would look. etc. I started to want one quite badly. This was compounded by the 1973 dress and all the fitting issues – how awkward it is to try and tissue fit yourself – or put on a toile and then in the mirror try and pin the excess or mark it up. Oh if only I had a dressform!

I began to research….My Christmas present to myself was a Dritz My Double Delux and fitting form pads. It was a good buy – a returned item on Amazon.  I’m looking forward to using this – even though I have worked out the fitting for the 1973 dress.

I’m excited about using the dress form, but at the same time feel very guilty for indulging myself.  I think I’ll pin this note on the corkboard that’s on a wall in the sewing corner:

To my new owner; thanks for buying me but I cost you $112 ($134 with sales tax). So, how many times have you used me this month?

And that was 2013. I wonder what’s ahead for 2014?

Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving to those who will be prepping, cooking and washing up today. And of course everyone else who’ll be enjoying the fruits of others’ labors.

So the year has almost come to an end – what an interesting year it has been.

Yes I have made bread in the breadmaker, but didn’t get around to the sour dough. I made fig jam again out of free figs, and also showed a good friend how to make jam. I learnt how to make pavlova successfully and took pleasure in introducing this delicious dessert to American friends.

I traveled to Houston to compete in the regional women’s barbershop competition with the chorus that I’m in. (barbershop choir is called a chorus). A lot of hard work but great camaraderie. I found the on-stage moment terrifying but oh so thrilling at the same time. We will go back next year to compete again.

I was in 2 musicals, something I never thought I’d EVER do… but had a lot of fun, met some really good people, opened up as a person and grew in confidence.

I bought an Irish tin whistle and an alto recorder so I could annoy the neighbors. (No, seriously, I love their sounds). I kept up dulcimer playing and went to a dulcimer festival down at Glen Rose, Tx  Music was put on the back burner for the 2nd musical, but now I can pick it up again. I’m planning on attending a 3-day live-in dulcimer camp in the new year. Something I would not have contemplated at the beginning of the year… I even managed to get along to a song-writer’s group and sang one of my songs – acapella – that was a leap of faith – but it went well and i got good feedback and I’m glad I did it. 2 years ago, I was terrified to sing in front of anyone – I’d stand there shaking, throat so tight, you could barely hear me.

I was costume mistress for the 2nd musical, so for 3 months I practically ate, slept and dreamt sewing. As well as learning lines, music and attending rehearsals. I loved planning and sourcing the costumes and figuring out how to make them with limited funds and “make-do”  (and also bossing people around in regards to what they were going to wear.)

I used a hot gluegun for the first time, making flower hair accessories/corsages to embellish a few ballgown costumes. Hot glue is fun!

With help from another person, I made a large “rock” for the musical, which looked pretty good, given it was paint on 2 sheets, plus stuff like chicken wire, wadding etc. Never done that before.

Knitting? I knitted 1 dishcloth  sometime during the year.

Crochet? I crocheted a dishcloth, but the pattern was not to my taste and poorly written, so the pattern wasn’t a keeper.

But I also crocheted some trim for a costume –  So that’s far more crochet then I’ve done for years.

I also bought a bunch of yarn, a few patterns, crochet & knitting needles from a posh (= expensive) yarn shop that was closing down. So I now have lots of tools, interesting patterns and some nice quality yarns. At the same time I got to know the younger sister of a friend and she is a cool person – totally into knitting and spinning. I will have to show her crocheting one day and she can help me with the circular needles.

As I have today and tomorrow off, my 4 day weekend is supposed to be finishing a 70’s dress I’m making for the PR Vintage Pattern competition for this year. But the bodice fitting is still being a PIA. Maybe today I will succeed. I didn’t realize it but the bodice has princess seams. (didn’t know what they were!) I think I’m doing a full bust adjustment, I didn’t realize that’s what they’re called until I started researching my fitting issues online.

I have plans to make a lot of Christmas presents – so more sewing/knitting etc over the next few weeks. I made my first Christmas wreath last week for the front door.

I adopted a 2nd kitten from  my work, who was rescued from certain death by a coworker. I learnt how to care for a kitten that’s not yet weaned. The 2 cats are now great friends and company for each other.

I went to aqua-fitness classes at the Y for the first time. Aqua-zumba is fun. (Need to keep going tho!)

I got a raise at work and was made salary.

In December I have Christmas barbershop singing, a Christmas service at church where I’m singing a duet, and door-to-door caroling with other choir members to look forwards to.

So many “firsts” for me – it is good to open up to what life can offer.

Over the year I have cemented friendships and started new ones with some lovely, talented, generous people.

I’m am very blessed.

PJ Pants Done

Well talk about last minute. But the pj pants done as part of the sew-a-long at Did You Make That are finished.  Obviously the band on the bottom is familiar. The green check fabric is another cotton sheet found at the thrift store. Excuse the rather dark photo but it was taken around 11 o’clock at night – definitely bed time! I set up the laptop on the coffee table and watched “Life” on Hulu while I was sewing.  Christina Hendricks pops up in the series and the lead, Damien Lewis is rather appealing 🙂

Oh and the results of PatternReview’s vintage pattern contest have been announced, Peter from MalePatternBoldness won for his wonderful take on a 50s opera coat. Congrats!! I was stunned to see that 9 people voted for me. ? What the? I didn’t even vote for myself, they’re just pajamas… but whoever you are, thanks!

Fashionably Late to the Pajama Party

Well, it is one of those synchronicity things that just as I finish making pjs, I stumble upon a blogger Did You Make That? who’s hosting a pajama sew-a-long. All the pj pants get reveled on the 28th. Another pair would be useful… so it took less than a day for me to decide and sign up, almost at the end of the month, fashionably late?

No running to the store for pattern or fabric. Impossible anyway. This is just knock up something out of what you’ve got time. The pattern will either be something drafted from an existing pair or else I fix the vintage pants pattern. Nice and easy it does it in one evening.

Vintage PJ’s Finished!

Ta Da!!!  Last weekend I finished the pjs in time to meet the contest deadline, even managed to write a review and work out how to use the self-timer button on the camera. (I don’t read manuals most of the time and I couldn’t tell you where the manual for the camera is.)

The review is here. From this 1947 Advance pattern (which I recently found out the department store chain JC Penney used to own), I made view 1, with the short sleeves.

Does it look like the picture on the pattern? Yes. Although I didn’t put on bangles for the pic, but at least my toenails are painted.

The yellow floral was a cotton sheet and the pale pink was a large nightgown, both from the local thrift store.

The trim was handled differently. The pattern called for lace edging – 5 yards of it – at $3 a yard at Jo-Ann, I wasn’t going to spend $15 on trim. For a couple of weeks I toyed with the idea of making a crochet lace trim instead. I experimented with a few trim crochet patterns and liked this one and I thought it was meant to be when I found some crochet cotton at a garage sale for 25cents. I did crochet some trim but decided it wasn’t going to work and gave up on the lace edging altogether. I salvaged a bit of trim, bows and buttons from the nightgown. The extra ribbon trim on the sleeves came from the nightie – the sleeves were cut that way.

What I Learned 

Tracing a pattern onto tissue paper is boring, but doable.

Unmarked vintage patterns are not so scary after all. The instructions, while glossing over details, still give you enough information to sew the garment. (Although these were only pjs, not a tailored coat.)

I can fit into this size, but the pants are a bit weird – way high in the waist but way low in the crotch. I did make a rough version of the coat out of a poly-cotton sheet and it fitted ok, but I didn’t bother with the pants. Live and learn. These are pjs to warn me not to put on weight as there isn’t a lot of wiggle room to get them over my hips. There’s elastic in casing only at the back – the front has a yoke.

I wish I’d discovered this tip before turning over and pressing the edges of the bias strips. I need a gadget (a set square?) to cut bias strips properly, although the polka dots worked as a guide.

Sheets have crooked grain. The nasty polycotton sheet (how can polycotton feel slightly slimey?) used to make up a rough version would not line up with the grain. I got very frustrated trying to get it to lie flat on the floor (folded), even ironing it directly on the floor at one stage.  The cotton sheet was slightly less frustrating – even after cutting off the edges it was still not quite true. I gave up trying to make the grain perfectly straight.

The worst part about sewing for me is preparing the fabric and laying it out. Yes I understand why you have to wash and iron it. But how on earth do you iron large swathes of fabric on an ironing board? And then lay it out, folded of course, and get it straight and wrinkle free? This is the most hated part about sewing. Having to do this is probably 90% of the reason why I don’t do much sewing.

Cutting on the floor is also a pain. First you have to sweep the floor. Maybe mop it and wait for it to dry. Or at least dustmop it. Then it’s hard on your knees and the fabric won’t cooperate and lay flat. I’m seriously contemplating getting a fold-out cutting board that you can put on the bed. Of course I’d have to make the bed first. 😀

Major Boo-Boos

Forgot to cut the pants yoke on the fold so had to re-cut.  A simple mistake anyone could’ve made.

Blue tailor’s chalk doesn’t wash out well. 😦  All the buttonholes have this bluish look to them from the chalk.

I wish I’d had the sense to plan ahead and apply the trim on the coat’s yoke before inserting the sleeves to avoid the unpicking/resewing business where the lace disappears into the sleeve seam. However the main annoyance with the eyelet lace is that it frays a bit and I didn’t allow enough at the ends to properly turn it under and secure it – so it’s going to fray with repeated washes and I’ll have to replace it down the track.

Small Wins

I can do buttonholes by hand! The guide had instructions for hand made buttonholes. I did consult my 70s edition of the Readers Digest Complete Guide to Sewing and did 3 for practice, before noticing the pattern guide had instructions already. Whilst doing the 9 buttonholes, I kept on thinking of Laura Ingalls Wilder – in Little Town On The Prairie, she’s got a job in town sewing men’s shirts to help raise money to send Mary to college. Well she hated doing buttonholes so much she became very fast and proficient at them. On the other hand, I took hours…..

As the pink fabric was much thinner than the yellow fabric I doubled it for the yoke of the coat as I didn’t want the facing to show through. As can be seen by the pants yoke, you can see through the pink fabric. Don’t really care about that on the pants, but it was a good decision for the coat.

My choice of DVDs to have on in the background was a winner. I borrowed from the library a few seasons’ worth of The Closer. I knew that I needed something on in the background that was better than free-to-air TV, but it had to be something I’d seen before and didn’t mind watching again. The Closer turned out to be a perfect choice, you can follow the plot by dialogue only and it’s watchable enough to get me through the hours of handsewing. Anything that’s more engrossing and that I like more, like MadMen or Larkrise to Candleford or (insert period drama with gorgeous sets and costumes here) would be too distracting and I’d end up watching that rather than sewing.

Making these pjs to a deadline almost got me used to the idea of sewing regularly. I almost found myself thinking I needed to sew something else pretty much straight away. There seemed to be a gap in my free-time that almost needed to be filled by another sewing project.