Boongoggle

This blog has moved.

2010-10-22T14:56:00.000-05:00

Hi all,
I've done some restructuring. You can now find a new and improved version of this blog at http://boonisagoodomen.blogspot.com/
See you there,
Audrey

My morning

2010-10-21T11:28:00.001-05:00

Wonder why am I so tired (I went to bed at 7). Decide I need to take my B-12 shot. I don’t have any clean syringes. I’ll use an old one that I put in Corey’s diabetic biohazard bin. Get syringe. Put on clean needle. Draw vitamin from vial. Stick into arm. Needle unknowingly slides out of arm fat. Inject contents which then spray all over shirt and bathroom. Stick dirty needle back into vial. Draw more vitamin. Attempt to stick into other arm. Push needle. Won’t go in. Push needle. Won’t go in. Push needle harder. Goes too far (into muscle). Ouch! Pull back out a little. Inject contents. Clean up mess and hope my shirt isn’t stained by the fluorescent pink B-12 liquid. Look guiltily at dog because now there is no time for a walk. Hope that I haven’t contaminated by B-12. Go to work.

Burda 09-2010-122

2010-10-12T15:25:00.002-05:00

Here I am vamping it up in my new dress. It's kind of hard to see the details so I played with the contrast on this photo. Hopefully it helps.

Pattern Description:
The much talked about cover dress from the September issue.

Pattern Sizing:
This came in petite sizes, 17-22, which equal regular Burda sizes 37-42. I made the 22 but with adjustments.

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

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Surprisingly they were. The only part that was confusing was attaching the armbands, but I figured it out. The instructions said to sew the ends of the arm bands together, then clean up the edges. However, the edges of the arm bands are perfectly straight. I finally figured out that they meant to clean up the edges of the dress where they arm bands get attached. There were some extra triangular pieces that needed to be removed.

Once they were removed, you pin the arm bands to the arm holes so that the ends of the arm bands extend past the seam. When stitching and you reach the end of the arm hole, you keep stitching just the arm band. Here is a photo showing how the arm band edges extend past the seam. Then you should probably attach the extending pieces to the dress by hand with invisible stitches, but I didn't. I think it looks okay without.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I loved this dress from the moment I saw the preview. As they say on Project Runway, it's sexy without being vulgar.

I dislike that Burda made this a petite pattern.

Fabric Used:
Gorgeous teal heather wool jersey from Gorgeous Fabrics. The fabric is a bit more green than it looks in the swatch. It's more a teal than an aquamarine. It's not too stretchy and sturdy--like a double knit. It was easy to sew.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I should start by saying I made this way harder than I needed to.
Burda issued this as a petite pattern. At 5'7" I am not petite. Standard Burda patterns usually fit me perfectly. Burda says that petite patterns are three inches shorter than standard, so I set about to add the three inches back in a way that didn't disrupt the proportions of the dress. There are five seams on the front of the dress. I added a half inch at each seam, plus a half inch at the hem, making up three inches, and then added the length to the back as well.

After adding a half inch to the topmost front seam, I pinned together my traced pattern and put it onto my dressform. I then made a mark on the back pattern piece even with the topmost front seam.

Then I took the pattern off the dress form, cut the pattern at the mark I just made and added 1/2 inch to the pattern at that point.

Then I repeated this for each of the four other front seams. Here is the back to the pattern with add the additional length added.

I made up a muslin. The placement of the seams across the bust were perfect--one above and one below my...uh...rack. I saw a couple versions of this dress on Burdastyle where both seams were above or across the bust instead of, well, framing it. The waist was a bit too low on the muslin, so I brought it up an inch so the curved seams hit me where they do the model in the magazine.

Even though I usually wear Burda size 44 and this was essentially a 42, I needed to make both of the side seam allowances 1.25 inches to get the right fit, so it seems like there is some ease built in.

I also widened the arm bands from 4.75 to 5 inches and interfaced them. I didn't want them too floppy. I think they could even be stiffer.

Because there is no center back seam, I couldn't really my usual swayback adjustment so there is some fabric pooling at the back, but it's not terrible.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
This is pretty distinctive so I probably won't make it again. My advice to those other non-petite ladies who haven't made this yet because of the petite sizing - add a half inch to the seams above and below the bust and leave the rest alone. Be sure to add the length to the back side too.

Conclusion:
Love, love, love this dress. It was actually quite easy to sew. The curved pieces go together easily. I feel like a bad-ass in it.

Trouble Puppet Show (Local Austin)

2010-10-04T15:42:00.000-05:00

I went and saw the Trouble Puppet Show's production of Frankenstein last night. As Suzy Snakeyes would say...Amazeballs! I would be sending everyone I know to see it, except that it was the closing night of the show.

The puppets were amazing, the acting outstanding, the accents realistic and the content both dark, smart and funny as hell. They will be doing The Jungle next. From what I hear, it's terribly depressing, which is a bummer (ha!). But they did comedy so very well, I'll still go see how they do tragedy, despite the fact that I don't like my entertainment depressing.

All images from Trouble Puppet.

Worst Dog in the World Learns a New Skill

2010-09-30T16:17:00.000-05:00

The theory behind the (warranty subsidized) purchase of this refrigerator was that the freezer is down at a level that is only accessed 15% of the time. We didn’t consider that the freezer would be accessible 100% of the time by some members of the family.

We came home to learn that Roni has now learned how to open up the freezer. This is not a good development. We presume she did it shortly after we left for dinner on Friday. By the time we returned about 4 hours later, the chicken breasts were almost defrosted, a good portion of the ice had melted and she had consumed a bag of frozen hamburger buns.

We aren’t expert investigators, but we believe that her attempt to ransack the counter drawer proved fruitless and she quickly moved on to a more booty-rich target.

Butterick 5455

2010-09-17T10:51:00.001-05:00

Updated with photos of the finished dress.

I made this out of cheery red "European" linen from fabric.com. Not sure what the European part is. It certainly doesn't mean wrinkle-free. ;) I cut my normal size 18 but it ended up being HUGE. The other Butterick pattern I made seemed true to size, so who knows what happened here. I took it in about 3 inches at the back (because I'd already sewn the sides of the dress and lining, and sewn the shirt to the bodice. I was lazy and just removed 1.5" from either side of the back seam). I also shortened the straps by 2" and added an additional set of pleats to the neckline because it was gaping open. This gave it more of a sweetheart neckline, but it doesn't detract from the design. I sewed down all the pleats.

Now that it fits, I'm pretty pleased with it. It's not quite as form fitting as it is on the model. I would have needed to take in the waist another couple inches for that. It's fitted through the bodice and then there is a little more ease in the waist and hips--enough to hide sins but still show off my shape. It probably would have been better a little tighter, but if I took it in any more from the back, the side seams would have crept around to the back. After wearing it all day yesterday I like it even more. It's flattering and comfortable. If not for the wrinkles (linen--what was I thinking?!?), it would be close to being perfect. On the outside anyway.

Because I don't have anything even close to red thread for my serger, I did all the possible seams as french seams. In retrospect, the linen is a tad too bulky for that. I also used ivory seam tape for the raw edges. Next time I'll get seam binding, not seam tape for the job. It looks okay, just not a polished as it would have with binding. I also ran out, so used blue seam binding for the edges next to the zipper. So the inside of the dress is neat, but by no means professional looking. But I now see why so many people spend the time to bind their seams. But next time I will buy matching thread for my serger. I would have been happier with the insides if the edges had been serged, then bound, rather than having them french seamed because of the bulk. As my sewing gets better, I am increasingly drawn to wanting to make the insides look professional. If for no other reason than the drycleaner won't know I make my own clothes. Isn't that silly?

But anyway, I am very happy with this dress. I don't think it says becky home-ecky at all. Although when Corey first saw it he told me I should sew a sunflower on the botttom edge. WTF!?! A sunflower? Hopefully he's on crack. If this dress needs a sunflower, then I'm all wrong about the becky home-ecky. (*sigh*) He means well.

I was originally going to make the waist panel out of blue linen, but changed my mind. I thought the colorblocking would limit the longevity. I love crazy colors and wild designs when I see RTW clothes, but always play it safe when I sew something. The same is true with my upholstery fabric choices. Why is that?

Update 9/17. I still need to wash and press and take a photo of the red linen dress. While you are waiting, here is a piece of eye candy. I have always been drawn to red and blue, which is why I was going to put a blue waist panel into the red dress. Red and blue plaids are even better. I love, love, love this dress. It's from Claire McCardell via the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1956.

Organizing and some new toys

2010-09-12T19:34:00.002-05:00

I did some cleaning and reorganizing in my sewing room. Getting a Kindle (birthday present from Corey) has really helped me let go of some books. This made room for the fabric and sewing supplies that been draped all over the floor, chairs, etc. Here are some before and after photos. The lucite chairs are a future upholstery project. I just need to finish the other two half-completed chairs before I start anymore. ;)

Before

After

Here is Roni enjoying the fact that there is actually visible floor space now.

Tack-it Pattern Marker

After reading about the tack-it pattern marker in an article about "the magic of vintage sewing tools" on the blog Casey's Musings, I went out and found one on ebay for $7. I just have to say Best. Invention. Ever. I HATE marking all the notches, dots, triangles and circles on fabric. And trying to get the second layer exactly in the same spot as the first layer is hard. Half the time chalk won't wont work on the fabric and I've had NO luck with tailor's tacks. Well, the Tack-It marks both layers at the same time. It saves time and a bunch of heartache. I lurve it!

I bought a pack of multicolored tracing paper. Just put the tracing paper under the bottom layer, on top of the top layer but below the pattern and push down on the handle. It marks both layers with a smalll circle, and it is actually visible. Apologies for the blurry photo.

Zippers Galore

My local JoAnn never seems to have zippers in colors I need so I have been following some great zipper auctions on ebay. Unfortunately they keep going up to more than I want to pay (over $100 in one case. But it was for 200 22" zippers, all colors). I lucked out and was able to get this lot of 100 new zippers for $9 last week. Lot of colors and sized. No invisible zips but really for pennies apiece, who cares.

Kwik Sew 3299

2010-09-10T12:38:00.003-05:00

This was at attempt to find a TNT pattern for t-shirts for Corey. The pattern reviews were promising. One person said that the neck was way too big, but they used a rayon jersey material so I assumed the problem was with the material. Corey wanted to pick the fabric and wanted to see the choices in person, so we went to JoAnn rather than buying a discounted fabric on line. He decided on a rib knit, rather than a thin cotton jersey. His choice was quite a bit thicker than regular t-shirt material, but I kept on, regardless. I made the large according to his measurements, rather than the x-large, his RTW size.

On the first attempt the neck stretched out about 3 inches and did not shrink back even when washed. It was also about an inch too wide through the sleeves and the chest/waist and a couple inches too long. I had enough fabric, so I recut the whole thing adding 1.5 inches to the pattern at the front and back of the neck and removing the inch in width and two inches in length. After serging the ribbing to the neckline, I double needle stitched the serged seam allowance to the shirt because the thickness of the fabric was keeping it from laying flat.

This time, the front of the neck was good, but there was too much fabric at the back, causing it to stick up and out in an unflattering way. I ripped out the stitching on the back neck edge only, removed about an inch of the 1.5 inches I had added to the pattern at the back neck edge, then re-stiched, serged and double needle stitched it back down. This seems to have solved the problem.

However, even though I was careful when I turned and double needle stitched the sleeve hems, they stretched out a bit and ended up looking like Corey was wearing bells on his arms. I am not hopeful that they will shrink back down when washed because the huge neck didn't on the first attempt.

I could taper the edge of the sleeves in on the pattern, but I think all this stretching is because of the rib knit. I am hopeful that when I make it out of cotton jersey all will be well. I just hope that the other pattern changes I've made will still work with the cotton jersey. Man, I thought this t-shirt business was going to be easy.

Update 9/10. Corey still hasn't washed the shirt to see if the bell sleeves went back to normal size. I'll post pictures as soon as he does.

Here are the photos. The sleeves aren't bells anymore but all the seams puckered causing a not very masculine lettuce edge effect. Corey is happy with the (slim) fit though. I'll try this again in cotton jersey and see what happens.

This last picture taken while chasing him to the next room because he heard cheering from the football game on the tele. Don't tell him there's a picture of his butt on the internet. ;)

McCalls 6069

2010-09-01T15:01:00.000-05:00

Pattern Description:
Pullover, above mid-knee, semi-fitted straight dresses A, B, C have elastic waist casing, stitched hem and bodice variations; dress A is sleeveless; dress B has three-quarter sleeves; dress C is sleeveless with self sash; dresses A, B, C have optional back strap; optional purchased belt. I made view A. I'm wearing it with "optional purchased belt."

Pattern Sizing:
14-20, I made the 18.

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?
A lot of reviewers have said they are easy to follow. I am a beginning knit sewer. (In fact this is my fourth attempt to sew an ITY knit. The other three were wadders.) I found the instructions somewhat confusing and incomplete. I ended up making the bodice twice. Below are the numbered instructions I felt needed extra description. Normal text is the original. The bolded text is what I added after lessons learned on the first attempt at the bodice.

1. To make pleats in bodice front, on outside, crease along lines of small circles. Bring creases to lines of large circles; baste. Baste across upper edge. Press.
The pleated areas become the shoulder straps. Be very careful that pleats are identically sized or else the shoulder straps will be different widths.

2. Finish unnotched edge of bodice front self facing. Turn in bodice front self facing along fold line; baste.
Finish armhole edges. It's next to impossible to do it when the shoulders and sides have already been sewn together.

3. (Reinforce bodice back pivoting at triangle, as shown. Clip to triangle.) Finish unnotched edge of bodice back self facing. Skip first part of step 3 until after step 7.

4.To make pleats in bodice back, on outside, crease along lines of small circles. Bring creases to lines of large circles; baste. Baste across upper edge. Press.
Do NOT Turn in bodice back self facing along fold line or baste like you did after making the pleats on the bodice front.

7. Rotate the pleated areas which stick out to the sides into position as shoulder straps. Pin back strap to bodice back self facing, matching triangle as shown. Be careful that back strap is perpendicular to shoulder strap. When stitching, be careful to hold back out of the way and only stitch strap to the facing. Stitch. Stitch again 1/4" away.

Now do first part of step 3. Reinforce bodice back pivoting at triangle, as shown. Clip to triangle. If you do this before attaching the strap, it's really hard to be positive you are reinforcing the area directly next o the back strap, where it needs to be reinforced.

8. With right sides together, pin bodice back to bodice front at shoulders; baste. Be sure to keep back facing out of the way.

9. Turn bodice back self facing in along foldline, bringing shoulder edges together. Stitch. Stitch again 1/4" away in seam allowance. Trim close to stitching. Press seam allowance flat. Don't serge shoulders together. It's too bulky (4 layers of fabric).

The rest of the instructions are fine, but if you are new to ITY knits like me, be sure to use a walking foot. ITY knits are slippery! Also, be sure to baste your seams before serging if you have a serger. I just wish there was a walking foot for the serger!

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
It's sexy and comfortable.

It stretched out so that the back strap was a but long and the armholes a bit big (see side view). I'm sure that was just my fabric though. I've heard it said to let knits hang before cutting. I guess there is something in that. ;)

I put pockets in mine and it did add some bulk to the hip area. If you are concerned about that, I'd leave off the pockets.

Fabric Used:
ITY knit from Michael Levine's in LA. I really miss living in LA just for the garment district if nothing else. I was there for my HS reunion and convinced my husband (he must love me or something) to spend the one free hour of time we had driving to and from downtown in traffic just so I could spend 20 minutes in the 60,000 sq ft heaven that is Michael Levine's. If only I had more time. I bought 4 ITY knits and a rib knit (3 yards each) and got out of there for $42. So this dress cost me about $6 plus thread and elastic that I already had.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I did a double needle stitch on the armholes and the hem with one back thread, one red. I just hemmed it about 5/8". With my fabric stretched out, it ended up the perfect length, but it would have been above the knees if it hadn't stretched. Above the knee seems so scandalous now. How funny. Remember when we were all wearing our skirts Ally McBeal short?

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I would definitely recommend it. But if you are a beginning knit sewer, ignore the one hour promise on the cover. Not counting my bodice do-over, I'd say this took me about 6 hours. But I have a great dress. Finally - an ITY success.

Conclusion:
It's definitely not a wadder! I love my dress!

back to the seam ripper and stash explosion

2010-08-06T11:34:00.012-05:00

Burda 8155

I was so sure this skirt was going to go together smoothly and easily. I've made it twice before and I got it 80% done in just three hours--everything but the trim and the waistband. But oh, not so, not so.

Well the trim went on fine, but the waistband is a mess. The left side of the top of the zipper tape is a bit too far from center. It wasn't noticeable until I sewed on the waist band, but now I can see that it pulls a bit creating a little gap above where the zipper teeth meet and the waist band starts. Also, when I sewed on the piping, I used the 3/8" allowance attached to the piping instead of the pattern recommended 5/8". This means the waistband is 1/4 higher than it should be, enlarging said gap above where the zipper teeth meet. I can't have a peek-a-boo of flesh showing, so I am going to have to remove the whole waistband and start over.

But I'm not done with the waistband woes yet. This is the first time I used piping. It went on quite smoothly but I didn't leave enough to wrap to the other side. Instead I cut it even with the edge of the skirt so the unfinished white interior was showing. I tried fray stop, a black sharpie and stitching the ends closed. Still looks like ass.

And next, instead of top stitching all the way around the waistband, I just stitched in the ditch to attach the inside of the waistband to the body of the skirt. I thought the top stitching would compete with the piping. Well I managed not to catch about 80% of the inside band. That's not going to be fun to remove those stitches.

When I've made this skirt before, I had to add 2" to the length of the waistband because I couldn't ease the body of the skirt to fit it. Well, this time the two inches made the waistband way to big and it flares out when on my body.

So basically it's a total waistband do-over. About 3 hours of wasted time. More when you add the time it's going to take me to rip out all the stitching. Rats!

(Yuck!)
---

(Better)

All done now. I cut the waistband length down to the pattern size and it now fits the way it should. I fixed the zipper tape and redid the piping in the correct location. I looked at the piping section in the Kenneth King Cool Couture book but it didn't give instructions on how to finish the edges. I just did what we do in upholstery class--opened up the stitching and cut the interior cord flush with the edge of the skirt, then wrapped the now flat cover fabric to the inside of the skirt and stitched it down. It's almost hidden by the waistband but not quite. There has to be a better way. I'll google it.

This time I followed the instructions and topstitched all the way around the waistband. It doesn't compete with the piping too bad and at least it lays flat and the interior side looks clean. However, fresh off my excellent edge-stitching job I did attaching the ribbon to the hem, I didn't draw a line to follow while top/edge-stitching the waistband. I should have. The stitches are not straight or an even distance from the edge. But you'd have to be standing quite close to me to notice.
I now have three versions of this skirt. I think I'm done.

---

While in L.A. last weekend for my 20th high school reunion, I somehow convinced Corey to drive in traffic, out of the way, to go downtown so I could spend 20 minutes in Michael Levine's 60,000 sq foot fabric store. If only I had more time. I bought 4 ITY knits and a rib knit (3 yards each) and got out of there for $42. I got home to see the linen and crepe fabrics I purchased from fabric.com had arrived too. Although the blue crepe doesn't feel or look like any crepe I've ever seen. I'm pretty sure it's a stretch broadcloth labeled as crepe.

With the red linen, I plan to make this:

The waistband will be the blue linen. Either that or it will all be red, but piped in blue.

And this with one of the ITY knits:

The pink with sheer stripe knit will become a pair of leggings for winter:

I planned to use the blue crepe for this:

But I think it's too stiff. Hopefully once I get my first Burda issue (B-day present from my mother-in-lay) there will be something I can use the crepe, I mean broadcloth for.

Tailored shirt

2010-07-29T11:05:00.002-05:00

(super goofy photo courtesy of Corey) (Ugh!)

I finished my first successful set-in sleeve shirt last night, other than the one I made in the intermediate sewing class at the Austin School of Fashion Design. If you are in Austin, I highly recommend ASFD. I learned SO MUCH in that class. Little tips and tricks that I would have never picked up on my own--how to properly mark, sew and press darts, the right way to sew on a button (with a shank) and how to set in sleeves without puckers. And that edges should be serged after the seams have been sewn. I have been serging the edges off all pattern pieces before I sew a single stitch. Apparently this is a big no-no and stretches out the fabric. It also makes the notches hard to see. Most importantly, I think I learned the importance of CAREFULLY tracing and marking each pattern piece, dart, notch, etc. My haphazard ways were causing me a lot of the issues I was having. Taking the class really helped get me past my plateau.

I have enjoyed classes at Stitch Lab too, but the classes I took there were more towards the casual home sewer. The ASFD taught how to sew the professional, perfectionist way...for models. I say that because the pattern sizes they had available for the tailored shirt were RTW 0, 2, 4, and 6--you know, model sizes. I don't think I've been a 6 since I hit puberty. ;) I can't wear the shirt I made, so I immediately began making a tailored shirt I could wear.

I made a muslin for the first time. I bought the Japanese cotton fabric at Common Thread and it wasn't cheap. I didn't want to end up with something I was embarrassed to wear like I did with my Sencha shirt. The muslin fit pretty well. I had made a 2" full arm adjustment to the pattern before I made the muslin. I ended up taking 1/2" back out when I sewed the fashion fabric.

Here are photos of the back and side:

The pattern review is here.

Finished Elf Costume

2010-07-11T17:37:00.010-05:00

Here are Joyce and friends in costume.

Below is the pattern review with photos. I am pretty proud of this one.

Pattern Description:
Misses Fairy/Butterfly/Elf Costume.

This is the dress part of the elf costume I'm made for my sister who will be attending the Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade Ball. She asked for a woodland/Lord-of-the-Rings-type elf costume. These are the two pictures she sent as examples.

Elf 1

Elf 2

I've decided to make a combination of the two.

Pattern Sizing:
I made the 14

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
No, because I made a lot of changes. See below.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Not difficult.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
The pattern calls for a dress (they call it a slip), an overdress, a skirt and an overskirt--all out of sheer fabrics, with the edges left raw. Four separate pieces/layers for what it essentially one dress. I got a little overzealous and bought some green silk crinkle chiffon for the overdress, which I made first. I have never sewn with that type of fabric before. It was like trying to sew air. Even though I made french seams for all the seams, it unraveled like crazy. Holes appeared wherever I tried to push elastic through a channel. When it was done it was just a hot mess. Soooooo, I decided rather than have a short sheer slip dress with a long sheer overdress, I would line the slip dress, make it long and do away with the overdress, skirt and overskirt all together.

The slip dress is body skimming and cut on the bias. It has a nice shape.

I didn't like was that the bodice of the slip dress was really low cut. I mean REALLY low. This dress is for my sis why does not like to show off her cleavage, so this was a problem. The costume does call to add some flower embellishment across the bodice. I choose to add white rose garland from JoAnn's and stitched the rest of the garland at either hip so it will trail and sway when she walks.

Here are photos of the bodice without and then with the garland.

I did like the puffy off-the-shoulder sleeves.

Fabric Used:
I used a white jacquard leaf print on sheer georgette from FFC lined with nude ambiance lining.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
After the chiffon unravelling debaucle, I finished all the edges of the slip dress.

I added 15 inches to the length. There were no instructions for lining other than the bodice, and because I had so much trouble with the crinkle chiffon, I serged the lining directly to the georgette and treated it like a single layer of fabric. It was pretty easy to work with this way although I'm sure someone will tell me that there is a better way to do it. ;)

I added some fake ivy from JoAnn's to the corset vest so it would look like the elf in the first photo my sis sent.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I recommend the corset vest for anyone needing a quick Ren. Faire costume. Review is here: Simplicity 2857

The idea of sewing two dresses and two skirts for one costume seams a bit much, which is probably why I'm the first to review this. If I were to sew it again, I would have to try to redraft the bodice so that it gave a lot more coverage.

Conclusion:
I really like the way it turned out on the mannekin, which just happens to be the same size as my sister. I just hope it gives her enough coverage. But all in all, not too bad. I hope she likes it. Here are photos of the complete costume.

You are such a good dog. Actually you're a rotten, terrible dog.

2010-06-23T14:51:00.007-05:00

I have been wondering lately what makes a dog, a good dog.
My dog Roni is certainly not good by traditional standards. She is a dumpster diver, counter surfer, scrounger, poop eater, carpet pee-er, bed hog, sloppy drinker, not to mention epileptic, dog aggressive, probably brain damaged and able to leap six-foot fences in a single bound. Yet she is an incredible problem solver, extremely lovable and good for the soul.
Every time we leave the house, it has to be bear-bagged. Any trash can left in the open will be overturned. If the bathroom doors are left open, she will do one of two things. Option one: she will open the under-sink cupboards (despite the child locks) and eat and/or spread the soap, shampoo, q-tips, cotton balls, and toilet paper all over the house. How do you punish this? She already washed her own mouth out with soap. Second option: she will lock herself in the room. That requires turning and pushing in the knob simultaneously—without opposable thumbs.

If we so much as leave a backpack out with a granola bar zippered into a pocket, she will get to it and eat it. But she knows she isn’t supposed to be doing these things. If we are in the room, she’s an angel. The only way to catch her in the act would be to pretend to leave and hide somewhere. Even then, if we caught her, what would we do? She already knows she’s being naughty.
Several times we have come home to a kitchen with every drawer and cupboard opened, including the dishwasher. Roni will usually be found happily running around the yard with a potholder in her mouth. One Thanksgiving she overturned the gigantic, city-provided trash can to get to the turkey carcass. Now we have to bungee cord it shut.

Before we learned our lesson, or in moments of forgetfulness, she has pulled down from the counter or out of the garbage can and eaten (on separate occasions):
• 5 pounds of carne asada.
• 7 dozen chocolate Christmas cookies. This required a trip to the vet for induced vomiting. Wag, wiggle, barf, wag, wiggle, barf.
• A dozen rib bones. Another trip to the vet. Stomach x-rayed. We decided not to operate. She had white chalky poop for a few days, but luckily no tears or blockage.
• 1 bottle of vitamins including part of the glass bottle. Another trip to the vet for induced vomiting.
• 3/4 can of ground coffee. This time we induced vomiting at home with peroxide.
• 3-5 lbs of raw pork out of the crock pot.
• 1 bottle of rancid oil (from the fry daddy). She carried it onto the couch, chewed off the cap and spilled it all over the cushions.
• 1 tub of rotten salsa and sour cream. Again she carried it to couch and smeared it all over the couch and rug.
• 1 package of scone mix. There’s a story there.
• I could go on, but you get the idea.

(I left a package of red vines in my nightstand drawer)

The scone story:
Corey and I went to dinner one night and when we got home Roni did not greet us at the door with a toy and a wiggle like she normally does. She came in from the back yard a few minutes later wiggling her butt, her face and paws were covered with an off-white, frothy substance. Roni has epilepsy and when she has a seizure, large amounts of drool and foam come out of her mouth and nose. At first glance, we thought she just had a seizure—except she normally is quite out of sorts and certainly not happy and wiggly when she comes out of a seizure—and this foam looked thicker and gloppier than normal.
Corey bent over to get a closer look. "It smells sweet," he said. Then I realized that the bag of raspberry scone mix (just add water) that I had put on top of the microwave and planned to make for breakfast in the morning was gone. Roni had managed to get it down from the microwave, carry it into the back yard, rip the top off and eat more than half the bag of powdered mix before we caught her. What was left of the bag was sitting on the patio. She'd eaten about 6 scones—a week's worth of breakfasts. And she was damn happy about it, covered in the sticky, gloppy, sugary mess. Damn dog! At least she didn't have seizure.

It was about that time when I decided to try to keep a running list of all the bad things Roni does. The week after the scone incident she somehow opened the door to the office (haven't figured out how yet), and dragged the box of food I thought was safe into the living room. She tore open the box and ate two or three granola bars, a bag of chips, and three or four containers of powdered soup— the kind you peel back the lid, add hot water, stir and eat. And she didn't eat it neatly, there were wrappers and powered soup all over the couch, the floor, her bed, her paws, her face. At least the granola bars weren't chocolate. A few days later we came home and the 50 lb bag of potting soil we had left on the back patio had been torn open and spread all over the patio. Apparently she had played with it AND eaten it, because the next morning her poop was black as potting soil. Essentially she pooped three dirt clods. After that it was more dumpster diving, plastic eating, getting kicked out of agility class, peeing on the rug, so on and so forth. I'm just a sucker for that sweet face when she curls up next to me and rests her head on my lap. Dumb dog.

Then there is the $200 fart story. Roni and I were home alone one night when Corey was out of town for business. Roni began pacing the yard, dry heaving. After several hours I began to get worried that she had the bloat—a condition large-chested dogs are prone to that causes the stomach to twist over on itself. It can be fatal. By this time it was after midnight. I called the emergency vet and explained the symptoms. They told me to bring her in immediately. Across town we went. They poked, prodded, x-rayed, but could not find anything wrong. She had since stopped the dry heaving, so they sent me home with a $200 invoice and told me to watch her. We got home around 2:30 and went to bed. At 3 she woke me up with more pacing and dry heaving. I was about to make another call to the vet when she suddenly stopped pacing and cut the longest, loudest, juiciest fart I have ever heard in my life. It must have gone on a full minute. But then she circled three times, lay down and slept the rest of the night. Yep, it was naught but a case of extreme gassiness.

When she first began having seizures we took her to the doggie neurologist for a cat scan to be sure the seizures weren’t caused by a brain tumor. It turned out she is missing a small part of her brain. We blame the missing piece when she does things dogs aren’t supposed to do, like eliminating or defecating on her bed. Thankfully it doesn’t happen too often but it does happen. But she is trainable. We took agility and obedience classes for several years before her dog aggressive tendencies reared their ugly head. She even passed her Canine Good Citizen test.

Despite her damaged brain, her problem solving skills are amazing—easily opening doors, drawers, zippers, etc. Perhaps the best example happened when we first adopted her. We tried to keep her in the kitchen when we weren’t at home because she was not yet house trained. I said yet. Ha! She still pees in the house if she doesn’t feel like going out, but I digress. The kitchen had two entrances, one pocket door, which we closed, and one arch way. We put two chairs in the arch way with boxes of books (we had just moved in) under the chairs and on top of the seats. The arch way was thoroughly blocked. We came home to find that Roni had chewed the side off the boxes and used her paws to pull the books out. This created a tunnel under the chairs which she promptly crawled through. Freedom!

The thing is, despite the fact that Roni is clearly not the model of canine obedience, she is sweet and gentle and loving. She will patiently allow us to trim her nails, dress her up in funny sweaters when it’s cold, flip her on her back (for belly rubs), take “food” out of her mouth, and essentially do anything to her without complaint. She accepts treats extremely gently (probably because of her boxer underbite), gives kisses freely and is a joy to have around. I couldn’t possibly love her more. Isn’t that truly what makes a good dog?

(My parents painting the brown spots on Roni.)

Elf Costume

2010-06-10T16:29:00.004-05:00

Hi,
Yes, it's been forever. I've been busy. Here is just one of the many things I've been up to. Making this. Sorry the photo is a little blurry.

Pattern Description:
Misses Fairy Costume. View A.
My sister will be attending the Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade Ball and asked for an elf costume. Not a Christmas elf, but a woodland/Lord-of-the-Rings-type elf. These are the two pictures she sent as examples.

I've decided to make a combination of the two. This is for the corset/vest part of the costume.

Pattern Sizing:
Size 14

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

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Except for the sewing the back above the zipper. I still can't figure out what they intended. It sounds like they wanted the lining AND exterior turned to the inside and stitched. But the zipper itself tucks nicely in between the lining and the exterior. Why would they want the seam allowances hanging out where it's visible? I ended up just doing an invisible stitch by hand to close it.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Corset-look without the boning. Easy enough for a relative beginner. The zipper was a little tricky, but that's it. Plus the pointy ends are very elf-like. Also, the lining is meant to be made from the same material as the exterior. Two layers of microsuede is going to get hot. If I'd realized it ahead of time, I would have made the lining out of lining material. Note to self: Read the instructions CAREFULLY before cutting fabric next time.

Fabric Used:
Brown microfiber/microsuede from Fashion Fabrics Club.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I added strings of sparkly beads to hang from the points at the bottom. You can see from the pattern photo that without any weight, the points curl up a bit. Besides, a girl (or girl elf) can never be too sparkly.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
If anyone needs something to wear to a renaissance faire, this is perfect and goes together pretty quickly.

Conclusion: Done. Now on to the dress part of the costume which will be a modified version of Simplicity 3632.

Hiking Bull Creek

2010-01-18T21:22:00.003-06:00

Corey, Roni and I went hiking at Bull Creek today. We went to the West side of the park this time. Lots of waterfalls. Roni had a little trouble with the rocks in a couple places, but overall a very enjoyable place. We'll be back.

Bedroom Planning

2010-01-14T19:32:00.000-06:00

Do you think we are a little indecisive? 12 blue samples. Guess which one we chose?

Also, I want to add a false thatched roof to the ceiling so it looks like we are in a British Colonial home in the tropics, like in the book Tropical Asian Style.

Here is a site that shows how to do it. www.calibamboo.com Check out their gallery of gorgeous ceilings.

And here is a source for a lovely mosquito net for the bed to give it that tropical feel. (Besides those damn pesky buggers eat me alive while I'm sleeping. This is beautiful AND functional).

The plan is to make a new, white duvet cover. I think eyelet is a little too girly for Corey. But I want it to have some kind of embroidery or other interest. I'll post the possible swatches as I find them.

As a side note, I really like this buffet/serving table for the dining room 32x18x31. I'll have to go home and measure.

It would go on the side of the table below the mirror. Yes? No?

Loft Lamp

2010-01-13T16:29:00.003-06:00

I need a lamp for the loft to go on the far side of the orange couch. Maybe on the near side too. I'm thinking an arc lamp, but, oh, which one? Which one?

Another Post Post

2010-01-11T19:51:00.003-06:00

Or a column post anyway.

Here is the front porch post/column with all the dead wood removed and sealed with wood hardener.

Here was the plan. It didn't quite work out (no room to get the 1x2s behind the plastic sheet.

Instead I added a patch to the plastic so the putty would have something to stick to.

A word for all you would-be wood puttyers: Don't try to use this stuff in cold weather. The 15-60 minutes it was supposed to take to set up turned into 4-5+ hours. The putty slid and sagged down like a fat old man's jowels. Next weekend I'll sand and add another layer.

Ze Bedroom (Before)

2010-01-11T19:47:00.002-06:00

Finally, I remembered to take before pictures. Here is the boring white bedroom ready to be made over.

The ceiling.

Ze Loft

2010-01-11T19:20:00.009-06:00

Before

After

Here is the somewhat finished loft.

My Rodger Roundy collection.

I made the curtains with this fabric from Ikea.

I bought the coffee and side table on the same Ikea visit, but as soon as I got home I saw the following in the CB2 catalog.

I wish I had waited. I normally don't go for CB2. Too cold/hard. But both the tables here have a ton more character than the Ikea ones. I even like th green pouf. Oh well, I'll pin them to the inspiration board for possible future use.

Home Improvement

2010-01-07T00:11:00.006-06:00

Projects for the weekend: paint the loft, hang the art that has been unhung since we moved in two years ago, fix the rotten patch on the column on the front porch.

Status: Done, done, and uh oh.

I never think to take before photos until mid project, so I don't have any before shots of the loft. I can tell you it was the same, boring builder's special, off white/light beige color the entire house was painted with, probably when it was built in 1993. The previous owners must not have liked color very much.

Here it is in progress. The perfect shade of dove grey. Ahhhh.

Here's Roni sitting on the second step on the other side of the barricade, wearing her red and yellow "cozy" as Corey calls it. She tends to swipe her tail in wet paint and "help" paint other things, like furniture and pant legs. So the loft was off-limits for a day.

I'll post the final photos soon. I am still missing a coffee table and curtains. There is the perfect fabric at Ikea to tie everything together (third one down). Maybe they'lll have the right coffee table too.

Here's how the column looked when I started. I started to scrape away the dead wood. The putty knife sunk in like it was butter. Stay tuned for what it looked like when all the dead wood was gone.

2010

2010-01-06T23:56:00.006-06:00

Happy New Year! Here are some photos of Corey, Roni and I "hiking" at Bull Creek on New Year's Day.

The Perfect Pencil

2009-12-11T18:26:00.002-06:00

Here's the review from Pattern Review:

Pattern Description:
Burda Easy fitted pencil skirt with high or standard waist band option, back slit. I made view B with the standard waistband.

Pattern Sizing:
34-46. I sewed a 44.

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?
This was my first Burda pattern. Now I see what people mean. Half the instructions are missing, however there are helpful photos. If you have made a skirt before, this should be no problem.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I have been looking for the perfect pencil skirt. After hearing Gertie rave about this one, I checked out the reviews. All the reviews were glowing. They were right. It's the perfect length, the perfect fit, the perfect pencil skirt. It's a little hard to tell from the photo, but using the hem line provided on the pattern, the skirt ends right at the bottom of my knee without covering any part of my calf. I'm 5'6" (and a half).

Fabric Used:
Cotton twill with a little stretch from Fashion Fabrics Club in a dark blue grey. Not too stiff, not too light. I think I will make everything in twill from now on. It sewed like a dream. I barely needed pins. This is easily the best constructed garment I've made. The seams are perfectly straight. The zipper is perfect. I think it's due to the fabric. Twill evening dresses? Twill underwear? No? Okay, maybe not. But I highly recommend anyone needing an ego boost make something out of twill.

zipper:

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
This is the first time I've sewed a pattern and had it need no alterations at all. It fit perfectly. I have a small waist and big hips and booty. I always need to adjust things to fit my curves. Not this time. Heaven!

Because my fabric had some stretch to it, I mad the seams 7/8" instead of 5/8". I plan to make this out of a tweed woven next and I imagine I'll reduce the seams back down for a little more ease.

Also, the waistband was about an inch smaller around than the top of the skirt. I didn't want to ease the skirt to fit a waistband that instructions did not have me cut on the bias, especially because the skirt fit when I tried it on before sewing on the waistband. So I re-cut the waistband to be two inches longer - an inch to avoid easing the top of the skirt plus one inch for the extra tab where the button goes. It worked perfectly.
waistband tab:

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, yes, yes! I plan to make a tweed version right away.

Conclusion:
Truly the perfect pencil skirt.

Simplicity 2497

2009-12-08T19:36:00.005-06:00

So here's the story. I made the dress. I tried it on and asked my husband what he thought. He told me I looked like a clown and began singing circus music. Before I managed to throttle him, he reduced the insult to simply "it's just not flattering." Unfortunately, he was right. I have wide shoulders and wide hips, but a small waist. This style has a paper bag style waist - baggy above and baggy below the midriff band (which was a lot more narrow that I thought it would be). Without anything to highlight my waist, I look like a "refrigerator" (more throttling), "I mean rectangle." says the husband.

Then I saw FullertonRegan's version made into a tunic. I pinned mine up and it looked much better, so I cut and hemmed it into a tunic. It's better, but still not all that great. To make it fit better, I think I would have needed to make the shoulder wider, but the front bodice narrower (is there an adjustment for that?). Also, I could have made the midriff band about 4-5 inches wider so you could really see my waist. And finally I would add more room through the hips.

Front

Back

Ruffle detail

Zipper

On me (with matching clutch bag)

Back view

See how it just bags about the midriff band? Unattractive.

Anyhow the complete review is on Pattern Review if you are interested. I should add that Corey now says he likes it as a tunic. But he may just be tired of being throttled. ;)

Photos of muslin

2009-12-03T20:58:00.004-06:00

Here it is. The facing kept peeking out, so I stitched it down but the neckline puckered. The first time I sewed it in, it laid flat and beautiful, just inside-out. I must have cut it too small this time. Maybe when I make it from the good fabric I'll just line it and do away with the facing altogether.

Here it is on me. This photo shows the actual color better. Meh. Definitely needs tweaking.

Muslin for Simplicity 2511 (or the girl with alien eyes)

2009-12-01T08:48:00.010-06:00

While waiting up 'til midnight so I could register for the series of upholstery classes at Austin City College, I worked on a muslin of vintage Simplicity 2511. Look at the size of the eyes on the (suicide) blonde girl on the pattern envelope. Scary. I made view 1. It is size 36 and I am a 37/38. I was going to grade it up slightly but I did a pin fitting with the pattern and it looked like it might work, so I went ahead with the original size and used 1/4 inch seams instead of 5/8. Well...I should have stuck with my original plan. It's a little too constricting through the shoulders and armholes. I'll grade up to a 38, use the 5/8 inch seam allowance, enlarge the armholes a bit and add an inch to the length.

It's made out of a navy slinky/crepey polyester with just the slightest bit of sheen from JoAnn's. It's soft and drapes very nicely. It would be more of a blouse and less of an almost wearable muslin if I hadn't sewn on the neck facing inside-out (so the interfacing side shows when you look inside and my trimmed seam edges threaten to peek out from the neckline). How did I manage that? (*sigh*) I think of sewing as sort of a big geometry project. I never really got geometry. I guess that's why I almost always sew at least one piece on upside-down, inside-out or backwards. I should try to think of projects as puzzles instead. I'm trying to decide whether to pick out the understitching and the seam and sew the facing back in the right way. That would take hmm...2-3 hours? Is it worth it for something that doesn't fit perfectly?

I went for something slinky to try out my new walking foot. Love! It made it so easy to ease the pieces together. Would it be cheating to use the walking foot on everything? Are there downsides to using a walking foot? Will I get used to it and have trouble if I attempt to sew velvet (like I'm planning to with the tunic from Twinkle Sews)?

Anyhow, I really like the shape of the blouse. It has 6 darts in the front and four in the back. It highlights the curves of my waist. It's hard to see on the navy, so I think I'll make the real thing in a lighter color to show off the detail. Maybe a cherry red? I spent a lot of time on the darts on this blouse. I have to say my sewing is getting better. That makes me happy.

BTW - I made it into the Upholstery class. There are only 7 spots and they usually fill up within hours of registration opening, hence the late night. I can't wait to tackle some of the more interesting upholstery projects I keep buying from Craig's List, much to Corey's chagrin. If all goes well, look for them on my soon (I hope) to be opened etsy site.

Update on the muslin:
I went ahead and picked out the stitching. I should get it back together tonight. I'll post photos when I do.

Fast, Easy, Cute (Joyce don't read)

2009-11-29T15:31:00.003-06:00

I just finished Sew Baby Pattern 10, the reversible sundress and bloomers for my niece Kara for Christmas. It came out really, really cute, if I do say so myself. ;)

Here is the review from Pattern Review and some photos.

Pattern Description:
Reversible Sundress and Panties/Bloomers

Pattern Sizing:
6M-4T (I made the 18M)

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?
Extremely

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I made this for my niece Kara for Christmas. I don't think it took me more than two hours from start to finish, including tracing and cutting it from swedish tracing paper, so I can make it in a larger size as she grows.

Fabric Used:
Three different fabrics all from the Keri Beyer Proud series in turquoise.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
None. I used my new double needle to topstich (with one orange and one pink thread). I used vintage buttons I bought at the City-Wide Garage Sale.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes and yes. This is a great gift idea. It looks adorable and is incredible easy to make.

Conclusion:
Super easy, super fast, super cute.

Goodies from the City-Wide Garage Sale

2009-11-29T14:04:00.006-06:00

Austin has a city-wide garage sale at the Palmer Events Center each month. I've never been before. Corey went once and said it was nothing but junk. The one this weekend is supposed to be the biggest of the year so I thought I'd give it a try. I wanted to see if I could find some cute buttons for the dress I'm making for my niece Kara. (Stay tuned for a post and photos).

Clearly Corey and I have different definitions of junk. Look at all the goodies I bought!

Two vintage patterns for 50 cents each, sizes 36 and 38 (I'm a 37) Woot! Look at the jacket on the McCalls pattern. Love!

Vintage buttons for $1 a card. Vintage mother-of-pearl belt buckle for $5.

Vintage fabric for $5 a pound. I think the floral will make a nice scarf, the purple a skirt.

Vintage Vargas pin-up prints including the famous 6-fingered girl.

I am a happy camper!

Vintage Simplicity 4709 and more photos of Socialite Dress

2009-11-22T20:40:00.006-06:00

Here is the review from Pattern Review for my vintage dress.

Pattern Description:
This is a vintage simplicity pattern. There is no date on the envelope, but I'm guessing mid-1950s.

Pattern Sizing:
This was a half size, 18 1/2. I did some modifications to make it work.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Close. Some changes were purposeful. See below. But the skirt on the pattern photo looks much fuller than mine.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Not too bad. Since it was a vintage pattern, it wasn't super thorough, but easy enough to figure out.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
It was really easy to put together except for the zipper. It only has four pattern pieces and no facings or interfacings. The zipper is half on the bodice, half on the skirt, but on the side. The instructions had me fully attaching the bodice to the skirt, and then attaching the zipper above and below the seam, "breaking the stitch at the waistline." That did not make any sense to me. How are you supposed to use a zipper with a band of fabric through the middle? I left the waist seam open at the zipper, attaching the edges of the seam to the zipper tape so the zipper opening is above and below the waist seam. Everything else was a piece o' cake.

Fabric Used:
I used some inexpensive quilting fabric from JoAnn's. I originally ordered fabric from Fashion Fabric Club for this project, but it's been over three weeks since I placed the order and I got tired on waiting.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I moved the bust darts down an inch, thanks to Gertie's blog for Burda Style about essential alterations for vintage patterns. I also narrowed the shoulder straps an inch and a half and changed the front soft pleats to darts.
Since this was a half size (for more robust, petite ladies), I added some length to the bodice (since I am somewhat robust, but not petite). I read somewhere that half sizes are meant for ladies 5'2" to 5'3" and usually need between 1 and 4 inches of length added to the bodice for a regular sizing. Since I'm 5'6" I added 3 inches. During the baste fitting I realized that was way too much. I ended up taking off an inch and a half. I probably could have removed another half inch.
I had also added a couple inches to the waist, using one of my well-fitting skirts as a proxy. That wasn't needed either, I took 1 1/2 back off, and put a seam down the back so I could make a much needed swayback adjustment. And finally I took about 6 inches off the bottom.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
If I made it again, I would make the bodice more narrow, more fitted, and the skirt fuller.

Conclusion:
I really like the dress. It's not perfect, but my husband says it's his favorite of all the things I've made, so it must not be too terrible. ;) Pardon my deer in the headlights look.

And here a photos of me wearing the socialite dress.

Socialite Dress Completed

2009-11-15T20:21:00.004-06:00

Here is the review from Pattern Review:
Pattern Description:
Socialite Dress from Anna Maria Horner.

Pattern Sizing:
XS-XL (I made the Large. I wear a 10-12 in RTW.)

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. They were written for a beginner, down to the tiny details. I did notice that at the step where the front neck facing is attached to the dress front, it didn't make it clear to attach the bottom of the facing instead of the top, which seemed counter-intuitive to me. I sewed it on upside-down and had to take it out and redo it. But, no other reviewer mentioned it, so maybe it was just counter-intuitive to me. After all, it wouldn't be an Audrey creation if I didn't sew at least one piece on backward or upside-down. ;)

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
It went together really quickly. I got it done in a day. The only thing I didn't like was tacking down the neck facing by hand. It took over an hour. (I did it while watching the tube.) My hand sewing is always wonky so I prefer to do things by machine if possible. I understitched the facing first, trying to avoid the hand sewing, but it still needed to be done.

Fabric Used:
Anna Maria's Volumes fabric in gold from the Drawing Room collection. I agree with the other reviewer who said this dress would be better in a less stiff, more drapey fabric.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
None. There is a size chart on http://www.annamariahorner.com/. Check it out before choosing a size. If I had just read the finished dress sizing on the pattern envelope, I would have been tempted to make a size smaller and that would have been a mistake. It is a loose fitting dress as you can see from the envelope photo. If I were to sew it again, I would make a sway back adjustment but other than that the fit was good - closer fitting through the bodice, looser through the waist and hips, which allows you to put your hands in the pockets comfortably.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I would recommend it to a beginner. If I were to sew it again, it would be out of a drapier fabric. I would also narrow the shoulder straps. I have wide shoulders, so thinner straps are more flattering on me.

Here's the back view:

Socialite Dress

2009-11-14T23:45:00.002-06:00

Still waiting for my fabric for the vintage dress, but in the mail today came the pattern kit I ordered (after the fabric for the vintage dress) from Anna Marie Horner, so I started on that instead.

The fabric is washed, pressed, cut and the seam allowances serged. The reviews on PR say this one goes pretty quickly so hopefully I'll finish it tomorrow. I'll post photos. Good night!

Lookie!

2009-11-13T16:53:00.002-06:00

Look at the two patterns I just bought from ebay for $5 each. I am drooling! What fabric should I make them out of? Hmm....

Built by Wendy Skirt (again)

2009-11-12T19:10:00.007-06:00

Since I am STILL waiting for my fabric from FFC for my vintage dress pattern, I took on a repair project. I ordered that fabric on 10/28. It's been 3 weeks! Has anyone else had this problem with FFC? In the past two weeks I must have ordered 4 or 5 other fabrics, just so I'm never sitting waiting without fabric for a project. :(

I made this skirt several months ago from a stretch tweed I bought at FFC for $1.99/yard. It is the skirt pattern from Sew U by Built by Wendy. I had a really tough time binding the pockets. So much so that afterward I bound the hem with inch-wide binding rather than 1/4 inch. Even so, I only wore the skirt once before the ragged edges poked through the bound edge at the pockets. The edges were bound in stretch denim left over from...well let's just say that skinny jeans + muscular thighs + squatting = about a yard of denim for small sewing projects. I ripped 'em wide open from seam to seam. Thank goddess I was home and not out in public! (*shudder*)

Anyhow, now that my serger is up and running, I decided to remove the pocket binding, serge those tricky unravelling edges and rebind. I also serged the side seams because I never got around to finishing the seam allowances. The skirt looks much better now. Although I think it looks weird with the wide binding at the seam and narrow at the pockets. I thought about redoing that too, but the skirt never fit all that well to start with. Either the waist is too high, or it's too small. It would be okay except that the pockets are quite high. They are really unusable where they are. If the skirt sat low on my hips they'd be perfect. I'm glad I did this exercise but I have enough of the fabric left over to redo the skirt from scratch. This time I'll go up a size and maybe I'll bind the edges with red.

I have to say I'm not a huge fan of the Sew U book. I like the clothes a lot, but the instructions are not easy to follow. They are not linear. Wendy jumps around describing how to do certain things at the beginning of the book, other things several chapters later. The book is not a good place for a beginning sewer to start. Now that it's been several months I might go back to it. The pants pattern included in the book is really, really cute. But that is a project for another day. I have at least three on the to-do list before I even think about pants.

Where Did the General Keep His Armies?

2009-11-09T22:29:00.005-06:00

In his sleevies! (Yes, I am a dork in case you hadn't noticed.) ;)

After my Serger 101 class this past weekend at the fabulous new Stitch Lab location, Corey thought of the perfect first project--sewing long sleeves into a t-shirt so it looks like he is wearing a thermal underneath. The length of the sleeves always bothered him (a bit too short), so he thought with longer sleeves he'd get some wear out of it. And since I am no longer afraid of my serger, I was happy to oblige. Wasn't he a good sport about posing for photos?

It went pretty well except for a frustrating lesson in the importance of threading order. But since I was determined to be smarter than the thing I operate, I figured it out. I love serging! So fast. So easy. Now I can't wait for the fabric I ordered to arrive so I can start on my vintage dress pattern. You'd better bet I'm going to serge all the seam allowances.

If you live in Austin, you should definitely check out the new Stitch Lab. It just moved into an adorable converted house on South 1st. Leslie, the owner, is awesome and the shop is full of fun, pretty, fabrics and colors and surprises. It's a very happy place.

Sari update

2009-11-05T15:00:00.002-06:00

I've decided that I was too hard on myself in the last post. I felt like such a complainer.

I have been walking around today in my new top, admiring the beautifully bound armholes each time I glance at my shoulders. They really do look nice. My edge binding skills have improved tremendously. Also the top is really comfortable and I've received several compliments (to which I just can't help blurting out "Thanks, I made it!"). And to be frank, it's shiny...and sparkly. A girl can never be too sparkly. ;)

So overall, I'm pretty pleased with myself. I was caught up in the problems with the top and overlooked the good things. I am my own worst critic after all. But today I'm giving myself a break. Go me!

Not too sorry sari

2009-11-04T20:21:00.007-06:00

I know I said I would make something in cotton next, but I still had several yards of silk sari fabric from my sister, so I thought I would try a simple tank top. I started with Simplicity 2599 but didn't add any of the ruffles or embellishments. The fabric was embellished enough! Since the silk was a little sheer, I decided to line it, a first.

It came out okay. Not one of my best, but okay. I took it in a little. I made the lining first and I wanted a little more of a fitted look, so I took in everything a couple inches at the waist. I don't know what I did, but it just doesn't quite hang right. From the front it looks fine, but it pulls a little at the back. It's not too tight, it just makes a line in the fabric across the back from side to side. Next time I'll follow some official pattern adjustment instructions rather than just contouring in the waist.

The only other problem I had was to attempt a rolled hem. I guess the edge wasn't straight enough or I didn't practice feeding the fabric through the foot enough. I ended up irreversibly chewing up the bottom of my fabric. I had to cut off about a half inch and start over with a traditional hem. I then had to take out and re-hem the lining because it was longer than the tank.

The silk wasn't too hard to work with. Here are a shots of the lining and a close up of the button detail. A nice touch, I think (although the smaller covered button dritz kits don't seem to work as well as the larger ones).

I know I need to keep sewing to get better, but sometimes I get impatient. I am very much looking forward to the two sewing classes I signed up for at the Stitch Lab. I hope that I might improve faster with some professional guidance. Here it is on me.

Next project will be to make this dress in a grey cotton twill with yellow binding at the edges. It it goes pretty easy, I might even attempt the little jacket.

See...it says "Simple to make." Here's hoping. :)

Back on the Horse (Joyce don't read this)

2009-10-31T17:14:00.007-05:00

My latest sewing project was an easy one to get me back on the horse after the problems with the last few. Last month my sister Joyce surprised me with a box of beautiful sari fabric. A note said she had meant to make pillows for her couch but never got around to it. (Keeping track of a one year old will do that to you, I imagine.) So she sent me the fabric hoping I'd get some use out of it.

I made her those pillows for her couch with tassels at the corners and invisible zippers. I'll send them for her birthday in December.

One gift has been crossed of the list. Now there's just my father's December birthday, everyone's Christmas presents, and Corey's and my nephew Caden's January birthdays. If anyone has suggestions on what to make, please speak up!

Here is a detail shot of the fabric.

Happy Halloween/Blessed Samhain

2009-10-31T16:57:00.004-05:00

Here are a few photos from the annual pumpkin carving party. From left to right they were carved by Sarah AKA Greta GroundnPound, Sarah 2 AKA Truckstop Trixie, me, Sarah 3 AKA Dill Dozer, and Mike "Wundamike" Whitely.
Have fun tonight and be safe!

Over $4,000 Raised for The Keep-A-Breast Foundation

2009-10-13T20:58:00.006-05:00

The art show was a success! TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls raised over $4,000 for The Keep-A-Breast Foundation, which raises money for breast cancer research and awareness. Their main fund raising avenue is to partner with organizations, such as TXRD, and arrange for participants' breasts to be cast. The casts are then painted by artists and the finished products are auctioned with the proceeds going to KAB. Here are photos of the casts at last Saturday's Championship Bout between the Hellcats and Cherry Bombs.

Mine were painted by the fabulous Rodger Roundy. Check out the detail!

Lessons Learned

2009-10-13T19:19:00.018-05:00

Well...I am an idiot. But at least I learned some valuable lessons with this one.

Lesson 1: Know your fabric.
Lesson 2: Mark the right side and wrong side of fabric when it's hard to tell.

Here's the story.
This was my first attempt at a vintage pattern. I saw a 1958 Marian Martin 9000 on ebay and had to have it. (Can someone with access to the Vintage Pattern Wiki upload this to the Marian Martin page? 9000 is not there yet.) I found some gorgeous bright violet linen-look fabric at JoAnn's. The store near me only had a yard left, so I drove 20 miles to the other end of town to get another three yards. I thought polyester would be easy to work with. I somehow totally overlooked the fact that it was a polyester WOVEN. Woven as in stretchy, and unravelly. It was a linen look for pete's sake. How did I miss that it was woven?!? Woven calls for binding seams, not lazily pinking them. And the stretch factor? Read on.

I cut the pattern out and started sewing. The instructions were fairly clear. I had a little trouble trying to figure out if I still needed to fold and stitch if I was using fusible instead of sew-on interfacing. Also, they didn't say anything about stay stitching, but I knew to do that. But the bodice stretched like crazy anyway. The top half was cut on the bias. Even with stay stitching and a needle meant for stretch it just wouldn't cooperate. The self-made bias tape around the armholes was especially bad. Instead of a nice clean line at the shoulder, I got stretched out wrinkly waves. But I continued on thinking I could fix it later.

While working on the skirt, I kept thinking how odd it was that the illustrations were backwards. When I got ready to attach the skirt to the bodice, I learned why. They weren't backwards. I somehow got my right side and wrong side of the fabric mixed up and made the skirt backwards. Notice the pattern photo shows the dress coming across the front and buttoning? Well my skirt closed on one side and the bodice on the other. (*sigh*) Back to the drawing board. I recut the front skirt pieces, carefully marking the inside of the fabric and recreated the skirt.

(Notice something wrong?)

This time the bodice and the skirt went together. But...because the bodice was stretched out, it just looked...wrong. I took the bodice and skirt apart and sewed them together several times trying to make them come together without the bodice sagging and hanging strange. I finally reached the point that even if I got it to work, I'd still need to take the bias binding off the armholes and do them again before I'd feel comfortable wearing the dress.

I decided to try to save the piece by doing away with the bodice and making it into a skirt. I created a facing, sewed it on, top stitched, created button holes, sewed on the fabric covered buttons (which were easy and fun to make), hemmed, stepped back and assessed.

I ended up with a skirt that would be flattering if it sat snugly on the hips. But the skirt I made had pleats and button holes that would pull out of shape if the skirt was snug through the hips. I had to give it enough ease that the pleats and buttons laid flat, so I ended up with a skirt that was too loose through the waist to be truly flattering. Also it has a high waist. I assume this was the style at the time. But it means the pockets are practically right below the bust line. Not comfortable for strolling with hands in pockets. But at least there ARE pockets. Modern skirts rarely have them. And somehow it looks A line, not straight and sleek like it is in the pattern photo. Perhaps the fabric is too stiff?

So here is my skirt on Lily and on me. Ignore the yellow chalk marks. Yes.Yes. No head. I was having a bad...head...day.I decided to name my dress form Lily after my maternal grandmother, Lillian. After struggling through this and my last sewing project, I've decided to do something easy next. I need a confidence boost. Then I'll tackle another of the vintage patterns I just bought..but with cotton!

Whoa oh oh she's a lady...

2009-10-12T13:52:00.005-05:00

Look at the lot of 1950s vintage patterns I just won off ebay! All sizes 16 and 18 which is what I usually buy. I shouldn't have to do much grading. They are all so ladylike. I especially like the short sleeved bolero type jacket a couple of them show. I can't wait until they arrive!

I am eager to try another 50s pattern after the problems I've had with the Marian Martin 9000 I am currently working on. I've learned a lot of valuable lessons. I hope to complete it tonight. Stay tuned for the post.

Photos by dbdoucette.

Do You Name Your Dress Form?

2009-10-02T18:21:00.004-05:00

(image from alldressforms.com)

I just posted this to Sew Retro too.

I have a question if you don't mind. I have been reading a lot of sewing blogs lately where the dress forms are referred to by name, such as Delores, Dotty, etc. This got me to thinking. Is this traditional? Do the people who name their dress forms also name their sewing machines, Kitchen Aid mixers, cars, bicycles, etc? I see there is a post today about Betty, a new (vintage) and beautiful sewing machine.

Does your dress form have a name? What is it and what is the story behind it? I'd love to know. Thank you!
Audrey

The Ugly Chair Gets a Makeover

2009-10-01T20:50:00.011-05:00

In August, my friend Dawn and I took an upholstery class at the fabulous Spruce Upholstery here in Austin. It was a two-day class. We had a great time! Above is the ugly chair I bought on Craig's List for $15. Below is it in process. Scroll down to see the finished product.

TA DA!

Much, much better. It looks like more than $15 now. It's upholstered with Robert Allen's Sperling fabric in Noir. I love the little green details.

I am going to make a green pillow to go on it. I've decided to attempt to do its mate myself at home. Here is how it looks so far. I've been pulling out staples while watching the tube (even though I swore to myself I was going to give up all TV except True Blood.)

The Maxi Dress

2009-10-01T18:29:00.007-05:00

This one was a doozy. It's Simplicity pattern 2587 - Cynthia Rowley Misses Dress

I have been wanting a maxi dress all summer. I finally got around to sewing one. Below is my review from patternreview.com (my first). People left such nice comments. It makes me really happy.

Pattern Description:
Empire waist maxi dress

Pattern Sizing:
I bought the 4-12 but I should have bout the 12-20. I am a relatively new sewer. Everything I've made before was sized s-m-l or was ready to wear sizing. I somehow never realized that pattern sizing was different. I wear a 10 or 12 in RTW so I cut the size 12.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, BUT... I ended up adding 3-inch panels to the sides of the bodice to make up for the fact that I cut a size way too small for me. I wish I had read the other reviews before I had cut the pattern and fused on all the interfacing. After reading another review stating that the skirt was too large, I decided not to size up the skirt and just sew the size 12 onto my adjusted bodice.
It does look like the photo but I think if I had made the skirt the same size as the bodice, it would have ended up much fuller than it appears on the photo.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Somewhat involved but not difficult.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Like the other reviewer I disliked that the pattern called for interfacing the midriff bands. I had already fused my interfacing before reading the reviews. It made the area so bulky, after trying to attach the zipper about 12 times I had to give up. I broke two heavy duty needles. When the needle didn't break, it jogged around the bulky area missing the zipper tape entirely. Finally when my zipper tape had holes in it from sewing and ripping out the thread so many times, I just sewed the back together, said a prayer and pulled the dress over my head. Luckily because of the style of the dress, and the fact that I'm small breasted, it worked out just fine.

Fabric Used:
Keri Beyer Proud Peacock light weight cotton

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
Had to add 3-inch panels to adjust the bodice from a size 12 to a 16/18. Sewed the size 12 skirt onto the now 16/18 bodice.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
It's such a distinctive style I probably won't make it again. But I would recommend it to someone as long as they read the reviews first.

Conclusion:
Despite the problems I had, I LOVE the finished product.

Jamaica

2009-09-21T20:04:00.019-05:00

No I'm not dead. I've been crazy busy with work and derby. I am finally posting photos from the trip to Jamaica Corey and I took in April. It was beautiful! From what I've heard of Hawaii, it looks the same - green and lush, turquoise water, but unlike Hawaii it was affordable. We went to the Couples resort in Negril. Highly recommended. I miss the tree frogs singing me to sleep at night. Please pardon my extreme laziness--I didn't rotate the photos. Short on time right now. I'll come back and do it later. Promise.

Before and After

2009-03-04T15:56:00.004-06:00

I bought this antique wicker chair from the 1920s off Craigslist. It has springs. They certainly don't make wicker chairs with springs anymore. The cushion had springs too, but I replaced the entire cushion with nufoam. It had been painted at least once and the cushion recovered 2 or 3 times over the years. I stripped it down and started at the beginning. Here are some before, during and after photos.

Yeah for batteries!

2008-10-05T10:54:00.012-05:00

The camera has batteries again! I've been busy, but my sister Joyce has been busier. Here is a photo of my brand new niece, Kara Elizabeth.

I get to see her next week. I just finished making her the snuggy wrap blanket from Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones.

It has a hood and everything. My baby blanket had a hood. It was white with bunnies on it with a silky yellow trim. Here's hoping Kara remembers this blanket when she's 36. The hood is key. It allows you to play super hero and run around with your "cape" flying behind you.

Here's a picture of my baby lounging on her favorite chair.

Corey and I had out back porch painted white. My dad also painted my porch swing (my birthday gift from Corey) when he was here a few weeks back too. I ordered some outdoor fabric and made a seat cushion and a few pillows for it. I think it looks nice.

I bought a few purple passion flower vines and got lucky and found some black and white pots at Home Depot. Hopefully, by next summer the vines will be crawling all over the trellis. Next is to hang twinkle lights and maybe install a ceiling fan. A rug and a few chairs and we'll be ready to entertain back there. I wish I had taken some before pictures. It was pretty bare. We had the deck built when we bought the house. There was just a 10'x10' patch of concrete at first. That's it. I love it back there now. It's so peaceful.

I also did a little rearranging in my craft room. In his book Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure, Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of Apartment Therapy talks a little bit about his aunt (I think) and how her book collection ended up being a burden over the years. If you had asked me a year ago, I would have NEVER been swilling to give up books. But I did a brave thing and donated all but a few that mean something special to me. Now I haver room to display a few things on the bookcase.

I just got the Audrey doll from Little Big Pants. Isn't she adorable? I was going to put my hair in pigtails and take a picture of Audrey and Audrey wearing my red with white polka dot skirt. I may still. I am such a dork.

I love Austin

2008-09-12T10:30:00.002-05:00

Sorry guys. I have been meaning to post, but the batteries are dead in my camera and posts without pictures are boring. But I had to share this tidbit.

I had an "I'm not in LA anymore" moment this morning. I went through the Tuscany coffee drive through (in the Tuscany Shell station on the 360). I ordered a large sugar-free non-fat latte and a blueberry bran muffin. I got to the window to discover that my wallet was not in my bag. It must have slipped out somewhere yesterday. I apologized to the man at the window. Do you know what happened next? He gave me the coffee and muffin anyway! He told me he'd ring it up as cash, and to bring the $6.44 by sometime today. That would NEVER happen in LA. People actually trust strangers to do the right thing here. I love Austin.

By the way. I found my wallet. I left it in my gym bag yesterday. I will pay back the nice man on my way home from work today.

I hate mosquitos!

2008-09-03T16:15:00.001-05:00

I have 36 bug bites. I am sad and itchy. Waldryl and Caladryl aren't working. Does anyone know a good remedy? I look like I have chicken pox. (*sigh*)

Happy Labor Day!

2008-09-01T23:17:00.008-05:00

My parents left today after a four-day visit from California. It was really good to see them. As usual they helped out on several household and garden projects. Photos to come soon.

I finished several things while they were here. The first is a blouse from Sheila Brennan's One Piece Wearables. She is a big fan of avant garde design and creative draping and has created a book of clothing patterns made from one pattern piece each. The piece I chose was fun to make, but not the most flattering on me. It has a cute pouch pocket in front and I do love the material. Here are a few photos of the blouse on my new dress form and on my mom. It looks better on her. The bust dart fold up making the front look wrinkled in my opinion. Oh well. I'll try something different next time.

I also made my mom a patchwork bag like the one I made in the class at Craft-O-Rama. I took her to JoAnn and had her choose fat quarters. I was going to make her one for Christmas, but thought if would be fun to do together while she was here. Roni thought either the batting was comfy, or that I should stop sewing and pay more attention to her, or both.

That's all for now. Good night.

Finger Puppets Again

2008-08-20T22:23:00.005-05:00

I thought I'd post some photos of my finger puppets on their new displays hands. I still need another one for the butterflies, dragon fly and lamb.

My wallet hurts

2008-08-18T14:50:00.007-05:00

I spent a ridiculous amount of money this weekend. First at Stein Mart. They had so many beautiful colors, plums and marines and oranges. My wardrobe has needed a shot of cheer.
Then I went to JoAnn's Fabrics and bought all kinds of supplies for future projects. I bought such pretty embroidery thread. I hope it inspires me to make a few creations.
Then I bought fabric to make the cheeky monkey laundry bag from Amy Butler's new Little Stitches for Little Ones book.

Here it is completed. It is going to be a shower gift for my sister Joyce and soon-to-be niece, Mason.

Holiday gift idea

2008-08-14T16:17:00.002-05:00

There are always so many pretty things that I want but don't need - like these striped salad spoons available from Orange Lola. So cute! Only $15. I know they'll make a great Christmas gift for someone...like me, perhaps.

Finger puppet display

2008-08-14T11:26:00.004-05:00

I just bought these jewelry display hands from ebay to display my collection of finger puppets. I think they will look great displayed this way. I hope they arrive quickly.

Fabrics and Lampshade Longing

2008-08-12T14:56:00.002-05:00

Here are just a few things I am longing for today.

Look at all these fun fabrics so neatly and prettily organized from quaint handmade. Mmmm...organization. It makes my OCD happy.

And I love, love, love the products from UK company Lush Designs.

So unique. The colors are so bright and happy.

Pillow Fight!

2008-08-11T21:08:00.004-05:00

I was tired of watching TXRD pillow fights with dirty white caseless pillows, so I decided to make a sham for each team: the Hellcats, Cherry Bombs, Putas Del Fuego, Holy Rollers and Rhinestone Cowgirls (natch).

Here are a few in process.

Here are the Hellcat and Cherry Bomb pillows in action.

My First Failure

2008-08-11T15:45:00.002-05:00

I got the Built By Wendy book, Sew U for my birthday. It has so many great ideas on how to personalize patterns to make them your own. It has patterns for a skirt, button down shirt and pair of pants. I decided to try the shirt. Oh boy.

I was used to the easy-to-follow instructions in the Amy Butler books and patterns. I think Wendy assumes you know more than I do. The instructions are really pared down and not incredibly intuitive. I decided to add a ruffle to the front and was happy that it came out well. Although I tried to use the new ruffler foot I got for my birthday and just ended up breaking a couple needles. I went back to the instructions which said to baste a row of stitches and then pull the thread to make the ruffle. That worked.

I then struggled with the collar for awhile and finally went online and found these easy-to-follow instructions with pictures. It helped a lot. I made some pretty puffed sleeves and eventually got them in the armholes without any bunches. But then, alack, alas, now that I could actually try on the shirt, I noticed I had accidentally sewed a bunch of extra fabric into the seam of the collar. The front of the shirt pulled at a weird angle because of it. And the collar, after ripping out the seams and resewing them so many times was finally on for good. Chock that one up to lesson learned, I guess. I am so bummed. Look how cute it would have, could have been.

Future Projects

2008-08-11T15:40:00.002-05:00

I have discovered this wonderful blog: Pretty Little Things. Lori Marie has to be the most talented, crafty person ever! Everything she makes is amazing. I want her entire Etsy store. Her site is full of so much inspiration. I am getting all kinds of ideas for things to try to make. Especially for my yet-to-be born niece who I have nicknamed Mason.

I had a dream that my sister Joyce was pregnant with a boy named Mason before Joyce knew she was pregnant. I got the boy part wrong, but I still call her Mason. Even though Joyce and Scott have picked out a name that's...uh...not Mason.

But while I ponder on what to make next, I'll leave you with a mosiac that I saw in the Dallas airport. Isn't it pretty?

Patchwork

2008-08-11T15:33:00.003-05:00

I took another class with Molly at Craft-O-Rama. Hayley, the owner of the shop taught the class. She's awesome. I highly recommend Craft-O-Rama! They have a ton of classes I want to take right now. This time it was a patchwork bag class. I decided to make a Rhinestone Cowgirl bag with western fabrics and one tattoo print to keep it from being too sweet. I am really please with how it came out.

I think I will make one for/with my mother when she comes to visit at the end of the month.

The Big Bad Wolf

2008-08-11T15:08:00.002-05:00

I promised Skate Wolf that I would make ears for her helmet. I drew a couple sketches and made a pair out of fuzzy gray and white fabrics. I forgot to take a close up of the ears before I gave them to her, but here they are in action.

Skirting The Issue

2008-08-11T14:53:00.011-05:00

Tired of pillows, I bought Amy Butler's In Stitches and made these fabulous pajama pants.

Corey calls them my Aladdin pants. You can't really see in the crappy picture I took in the mirror, but they have gold sparklies running throughout the fabric.

Then I made this fun sleeping mask.

This was my first quilting piece. I now know why quilting rulers exist. Drawing and sewing lines one inch apart is time consuming and hard to do. I learned some lessons on this one. I trimmed the seam too close and sewed the ribbon too close to the edge.

I saw and loved the Barcelona skirt:

in Amy Butler's Midwest Modern that I got for Christmas. I bought the pattern and made the tiered skirt from a beautiful batik fabric that I bought from Cia's Palette. Didn't it come out cute?

I then made the more simple A-line skirt from the same pattern with this owl fabric I bought a few weeks back. I wanted to put pockets on it and didn't have a pattern so just made one up. The curved edge was really, really hard to get to lay flat. Now I know about bias binding tape. I may go back and redo the pocket edges with orange bias tape so they look better.

More to come.

Hello there. It's been awhile.

2008-08-11T14:37:00.012-05:00

My supercrafty friend Molly has convinced me to start blogging about my own crafty endeavors. I have started sewing. My dad bought me a sewing machine sometime around my graduation from high school. It has been collecting dust for about 18 years, but now that I have moved to Austin and have my own craft room,

it is finally getting some use. I just bought the painting sitting on my desk. I have been in love with it for over a year. When bonus time came at work, I finally had the money to buy it. It's by Bailey Saliwanchik.

The watercolors on the window sill behind my sewing machine are prints of the French Riveria I bought on my honeymoon. I love how they look like stained glass windows with the morning light shining through.

I took the Sewing 101 class at Craft-O-Rama back in April or May. We made a cute reversible bag. I'll post a photo soon. Since then I haven't stopped.

Next I made this pillow for the living room. You can see that Roni has been here.

Then I made a whole slew of pillows for the family room.

Corey and I had the walls painted blue. We thought that yellow would be a good accent color for the blue walls and green couch. Now we think the room is too dark. I think we are going to end up changing the wall color. We'll see what else changes.

Two blocks in Santa Monica

2006-09-27T17:36:00.000-05:00

2nd and Santa Monica. Freshly laid asphalt. Reminds me of something. I can't quite place it. Something happy. Maybe recess and jumprope at recess in elementary school. No I don't think that's it. But it still smells wonderful.

2nd between Santa Monica and Arizona. Just a hint of popcorn from the Laemmle theatre. Not stale or burnt. Fresh and buttery and yummy. Now it's gone.

2nd and Arizona. Strawberries. And herbs. And other green growing things. The Wednesday Farmer's Market.

Nike Run Hit Remix

2006-09-25T13:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I ran the 5-mile Nike Run Hit Remix. There's nothing like seeing 14,000 people all in the same shirt running down the streets of downtown LA. Luckily I passed Young MC (Bust a Move), Vanilla Ice (Ice, Ice Baby) and Digital Underground (the Humpty Dance) just as they were playing their signature songs. It was so much fun. I passed Coolio between songs. It would have been fun to hear Fantastic Voyage.

What a great experience. It was a beautiful day. The course started at the Colisseum went down Figueroa past the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall, then down USC Fraternity/Sorority row, then through the tunnel (wheeeeee) into the Colisseum. The Fraternity/Sorority boys and girls were out front cheering, hollering and offering hits on a beer bong. I hammed it up for the event photographer, but he missed it and took a sucky photo. Oh well.

End of Summer

2006-09-06T13:51:00.000-05:00

I went for a run at lunch last week. The air smelled of freshly cut grass and sweet allysium. It smelled like Summer. Freshly cut grass, sweet allysium, juniper heated by the sun. Mmmm. But it made me realize that Summer is coming to an end. School started yesterday and with it the extra 15 minutes of commute time due to the extra cars on the road. Only seven more weeks of daylight savings time left. I vow to not squander it.

Peacock 7

2006-08-21T18:07:00.000-05:00

Last Tuesday I flew up to San Francisco to get started on the color work. Cicely had the idea to do each feather a different shade of turquoise to give it more of the stained glass effect. She worked on it for about two and a half hours before I had to jump back on the BART to the airport. I really like the way it turned out. It's almost done peeling. As soon as it is, I'll take and post a photo.
She plans to be is West Hollywood at a friend's shop in a few months, so I'll schedule an appointment to see her then. I can't afford to keep going to San Franciso, eager as I am to see it completed. I am really pleased with how it looks. Even Corey is really starting to like it. Good art can overcome stereotypes.

Peacock 6

2006-07-26T17:27:00.000-05:00

My mother was at my house this weekend and caught a glimpse of the tattoo. I expected her to freak. My mother is quite religious and very conservative. I was prepared to give the "I'm 34 years old and it's my body" speech. But what did I hear from her? "Ooh, is that a tatoo? I like tattoos. Can I see it?" And when I showed it to her, she told me she thought it was very pretty. It was just another reminder that even people you know well, can surpise you. Which is good.

Peacock 5

2006-07-25T18:30:00.000-05:00

The day finally came. Sweet Cicely lives and works in San Francisco, but came down the weekend of July 14 for the Body Arts Expo in Pomona. It was an interesting atmosphere to get my first tattoo. The roar of the crowd served as white noise and was actually rather soothing. People stopped by periodically to ask Cicely questions about her work or make comments (all good!) about how the peacock was progressing. It was great to chat and people watch. The outline took about 2.5 hours. It felt less like a needle and more like a gentle grinding below the skin. It was at times almost pleasant. What can I say? I like a little pain. It got a little intense on either side of my spine. When she got to the part on my derriere, my nerves starting acting up and my legs kept twitching. It happened whenver she removed the needle, thank goodness. With about 15 minutes of work left to do, I began to get lightheaded and had to take a break. At least I didn't hurl. I drank some water, ate a few grapes and then we finished the outline. The photo was taken right before we started.

It's been about 9 days and it's done peeling. I am ecstatic. It's gorgeous. I love the way it fits on my body. Now I have to call Sweet Cicely and make arrangements to start the color. She expects it to take about 2-3 visits. I'm going to start looking for cheap fares to San Francisco.

Peacock 4

2006-07-25T18:21:00.000-05:00

On July 13, Sweet Cicely sent the draft. I am very happy with it, but had a few questions for her. They were:

1) Does the tail need to curve in a way that covers the feet? I love bird feet. It sounds weird, but I think their feet is the one area that shows they evolved from dinosaurs. Dinofeet. If you think it will make it look awkward to move the tail, let me know.

2) It doesn't quite have the art nouveau quality I was hoping for, but I love the style so I don't want to change it. But I was thinking we could add, either now or later, an art nouveau border - something to anchor it and give it more the feeling of a stained glass window. The border would be the window frame. What do you think? Do you think it will make it to busy? If you think it's too much to do now, that's cool, but I want to make sure the size is right so there is room to add the border later.

She responded right away. She added the feet and I am very happy now. We decided to discuss the border later.

Peacock 3

2006-07-14T16:11:00.000-05:00

My husband and I have had several tense discussions over the last few days about this tattoo. Bottom line-he thinks tattoos are disgusting. I made all the arguments about why want a tattoo, and why I decided on a peacock. I like things that are positive and beautiful and empowering. I connected with the ideas a peacock is supposed to stand for-infinity or immortality, confidence and beauty, being egotistic or vain, prideful. (Not that I'm vain. At least I hope I'm not!) I think art is what separates us from the animals. Our creativity and our search for self expression and individuality is what makes us special. (I didn't make that up, I read it somewhere else).

His argument was that people will look at me and think I'm white trash. He also felt I was seeking an emotional response or cure through artwork-that if I have the need to feel more powerful, etc. these needs, and the solutions, come from within. He felt that I am seeking an outward solution that has a permanent consequence.

In part his arguments have merit. I agree that emotional needs and solutions come from within, but that there is nothing wrong with an external reminder. I asked him to think hard about what was at the root of his disgust. I went on to say that I hoped he could embrace things that make me happy, not belittle me because of them. He suggested I get something smaller. I declined. Something smaller would not have satisfied me. I already had my heart set on something large, and I didn't believe that it was the size of the piece bothering him. I invited him to come with me. Ultimately he accepted that I was getting a tattoo, but was upset at my failure to comprise.

Peacock 2

2006-06-22T11:09:00.000-05:00

I had a dream last night that I was being pursued by some sort of mythical beast/monster. At one point she got close enough and shot me full of stick pins. Every inch of my skin was punctured by thousands of stick pins in neat symmetrical angled rows. Hmmmm....
The cool thing was that I could fly in my dream. Unfortunately so could my pursuer. The dream dictionary says this about chase dreams: "To dream that you are being chased, signifies that you are avoiding a situation that you do not think is conquerable. It is often a metaphor for some form of insecurity. In particular, to dream that you are chased by an animal, represents your own unexpressed and unacknowledged anger which is being projected onto that animal. Alternatively, you may be running away from a primal urge or fear.." But it says the following about flying dreams: "To dream that you are flying, signifies a sense of freedom where you had initially felt restricted and limited." Ambivalent? Nah!
I am still waiting for Sweet Cicely to contact me with the first draft of the peacock. I am so impatient.

Peacock

2006-06-05T10:51:00.001-05:00

The time is getting close. On July 14th I will begin my peacock back piece. I have been trying to pinpoint the time I decided I wanted a large tattoo on my back. I have always thought tattoos to be incredibly sexy - well, the right tattoo on the right person anyway. I was never vehemently opposed to getting one. I just didn't know what I would want on me for the rest of my life. I think I decided the peacock when I saw a tattoo program on television. A&E maybe? One woman had a large beautiful bird on her back. I saw it and knew I wanted something similar. I have loved birds ever since my Maxwell, my Senegal parrot came into my life. Now that he's gone, this will be a way to remember him. Although he certainly wasn't a peacock and he is only part of the reason I decided on this. I like the symbolism of the peacock. I'll get into that another time. It's also beautiful. It will be like a piece of jewelry on my back - an art nouveau, stained glass peacock.
I have sent all my inpiration ideas to Sweet Cicely Daniher of Cyclops tattoo. She does the most beautiful color work! I met her at at the Ink Slinger's convention in April. I had decided on the piece I wanted a few months back, and was searching for the perfect artist. She seemed to know exactly what I was looking for before it left my mouth. She has my insiration pieces. She has a tracing of my back. Now I am waiting to see the draft of the design. I am so excited! Stay tuned.

Changing title due to spam

2006-05-22T15:43:00.000-05:00

I can't see clearly now.
I scratched my cornea over the weekend, so I am wearing my glasses to work today. For those of you curious, a scratched cornea feels like you have an eyelash in your eye that you can't remove. Anyway, it's now 1:45 p.m. and at least ten coworkers have mentioned the glasses. It seems that people who wear glasses as opposed to contacts can't stomach touching, or having objects near, their eyeballs. I, on the other hand, would much rather trade an occasional scratched cornea for peripheral vision.
But all the talk of vision and glasses brings up another question - with the advent of glasses, contacts, RK, Lasik, etc., are we contermining the natural selection process? You would have thought the thousands of years before glasses were invented would have weeded out humans who can't see clearly from passing the genes along to their offspring. What percentage of the population can't see clearly? I tried googling it with no luck. Are we impeding the progressive evolution of our species by continuing to pass bad genes to our children? And if so what, if anything, do we do about it?

The Old Man is Snoring

2005-02-11T11:08:00.000-06:00

It's raining today. I can hear the sound pounding against the glass windows of the office building where I sit looking out the window at the foggy grey ocean that has all but disapeared into the clouds. A little mellow, but it's nice to actually have weather. I wonder if Volleyball class will be cancelled tomorrow.
On a happier note, I am going to the Barney's Wearhouse Sale tonight at the Barker Hanger. I haven't been since I worked at Buzz Magazine. I hope I find a nice tie for Corey and a B-day gift for Flea.

Solstice

2004-12-21T17:38:00.000-06:00

Happy Winter Solstice! The beginning of the end of seasonal affective disorder. They return of longer days, of sun and spring! And strangely, the beginning of winter. Check out the recently interesting links for more solstice information.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

2004-12-08T12:49:00.000-06:00

I never have outgrown watching the Schulz holiday specials, especially A Charlie Brown Christmas. I know it has something to do with tradition and familiarity. I've made it a personal official start of the holiday season (along with White Christmas). I like happy sound of the Vince Guaraldi Trio playing.
But as I watched A Charlie Brown Christmas last night I had a revelation. I think I identify a little with Charlie Brown - Always rooting for the underdog, the feeling that I've always been little bit of a geek, sometimes sad, but never without hope. So I told Corey "You know I think I identify with Charlie Brown." He responded with "You think you're a loser?"
Oh, Good Grief!

Potty humor

2004-12-03T15:11:00.000-06:00

One of the guys in the office brought in a device that makes realistic fart sounds. Juvenile. Yet we all laughed. I'm sure Freud would have something to say about it, but it's interesting that we never seem to outgrow potty humor.

This morning, the thermometer read 41 degrees. There was frost on the grass and ice on my windshield. I was tempted to put a sweater on my dog. And I have a big dog. I decided against it because I was running late (as usual) though I'm sure she would have appreciated it. She sits 6 inches from the wall heater in the bathroom when the house is 70 degrees. God forbid we actually live somewhere where it snows. Then I'd have to get her a doggy jacket and doggy booties.
If you'd like to see what she looks like, here's a link to her dogster site - http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?j=t&i=15174&PHPSESSID=6cb6a25b4c5eedee51f71385f22e4772