tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126985092024-03-07T14:41:36.022-08:00Damselfly’s DelightsBeing the continuing story of my creations and curiosities.Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.comBlogger1835125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-91972315362816511702019-02-05T15:48:00.000-08:002019-02-05T15:52:51.661-08:00Hello and Goodbye<div dir="auto">
Alrighty then. I’ve done the deed. I have a new blog home! I feel both sad and excited at the same time. Sad because it’s been nearly 14 years here on Blogger and I’m leaving reluctantly. I’m leaving behind nearly 2000 posts and lots and lots of photos. It’s a huge chunk of my life, to be honest. However, I’m not going to even try to port anything over. It’s just too complicated to even consider. At the same time I’m rather excited with the new format on WordPress.com. It looks fresh and clean and I’ve already had good experiences with the platform and also with the community over there.</div>
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A wee bit of admin first though. I’m leaving this blog up exactly where it is for the foreseeable future - or until Blogger sinks into the sea, whichever comes first! Please update your blog readers to the new address. Hopefully the RSS feed is working properly. I really don’t want to leave anyone behind! I care about you all, my dear readers. Comments on the new blog will need to be approved by me the first time you post but should work fine for subsequent comments. Do let me know if anything isn’t working for you and if necessary leave a comment here to say so in case there’s something I can do to fix it.</div>
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So without further ado, I hope you will all follow me over to the shiny new <a href="https://damselflys.home.blog/" target="_blank"><strong>Damselfly’s Delights</strong></a>!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-adNTZ2f8APsYmHojzgPgkZzfDYO6UouI-CWEKHc80z6E2CRZ9BZqL5MdSNM3M7fCxsIeq_3IK3QhVdivPKG7Q0N79o3IlyL0BPA8K74tcDtVDi6BU-Kithgc89pL2sYCvQut/s1600/7D4BFF9A-906E-42C4-A0A0-271FB8CE38B4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-adNTZ2f8APsYmHojzgPgkZzfDYO6UouI-CWEKHc80z6E2CRZ9BZqL5MdSNM3M7fCxsIeq_3IK3QhVdivPKG7Q0N79o3IlyL0BPA8K74tcDtVDi6BU-Kithgc89pL2sYCvQut/s400/7D4BFF9A-906E-42C4-A0A0-271FB8CE38B4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is me beckoning to you like a human Maneki Neko...</div>
Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-49205862064211196132019-02-02T16:40:00.002-08:002019-02-02T16:46:03.187-08:00Question & Answer TimeHello again! I had too much to talk about to do it in the comments on the last post so here I am again.<br />
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Sue asked a couple of great questions about sewing the Ingrid bra. I really don't think it would be feasible to try to sew the centre front seam earlier in the process to avoid having a raw seam on the back. The top and bottom edges of that seam are where the elastics (FOE at the top and band elastic at the bottom) come together at acute angles. You couldn't get those angles correct without sewing the seam after the elastics are applied. There's no real advantage to hiding that front seam anyway since the rest of the seams are also exposed on the back as well. I guess you could hide them if you made completely separate lining and cups before joining them with the elastics but as far as I can figure you still can't avoid sewing the centre front seam last. Maybe my 3-D brain isn't functioning and I'm missing something?<br />
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Sue's second question asks about taking in the top cup. Nope, the only modification I did was to bring the strap attachment point on the cup in towards the centre by 3/4" following Beverly's tutorial <i><a href="https://www.braandcorsetsupplies.com/2018/08/19/move-strap-ingrid/" target="_blank">here</a></i>. This keeps the straps up better on my narrow sloping shoulders. The centre front seam doesn't tack close to my chest like an underwired bra but fits more like other non-wired bras I've purchased and is raised a little away at the bridge. However I do get reasonably good support and a whole lot more comfort than with wires. If it matters at all, my final Ingrid bra size (that fits better than any bra I've ever owned!) is BCD 4.25" X 32" band. I now have No Idea what that is in regular bra sizes! Heh. Ingrid has over 200 sizes including a lot that don't exist in RTW so it's perfect for those hard-to-fit or between-sizes girls.<br />
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Thanks for your kind words, Barbara!<br />
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And thanks for not being bored yet, Alison! There are more bras to come. Also, I apologise in advance if switching over to a new blog platform is going to be troublesome for you or anyone else who hangs out with me. You might be interested that I've already created an embryonic blog on WordPress.com but I'm not giving out the URL. Yet. I have a lot more learning, experimenting and tweaking to do before it will be ready for prime time. I promise to give you a chance to test the commenting procedure and hopefully we'll be able to find a setting or something that will allow you to do it easily. As things stand right now, I have the opposite problem than you - I mostly can't comment on any Blogger blogs from my iPad which is my primary computer these days. Pardon me for a moment whilst I go on a rant...<br />
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Blogger. You are my nemesis! It's not like I haven't given you the benefit of the doubt here. I've been flitting about this old Damselfly's Delights pond for nearly 14 years now. (My Blogiversary is May 5.) Fourteen YEARS!!! 1834 posts as of this current one. That's a heck of a lot of babbling, huh? However, it's been getting harder and harder to do what I want with my blog. There has been no update of the post editor in Stinkin' Forever! There's no iPad or iPhone Blogger app. The web-based post editor doesn't work properly with the iPad either. My third-party app Blogo, which was working just fine is now broken again so that I can't post with photos. The developer is so overwhelmed that I can't even get into his help page to report it. Last time this same thing happened, it turned out to be Apple's fault when they changed something somewhere in the iOS and I'm betting that's what's happened yet again. They sure don't warn anybody ahead of time. I can post to Blogger from my desktop computer if I first boot it up, hook up my iPad with all my photos to it, transfer the photos over to the desktop and then go online to the post editor to input my text and photos before finally hitting post. A lot of steps and I have to be at home to do it. I would much rather just use my iPad that I carry around with me nearly all the time and is my only camera. I can do almost everything else easier and better on it and do it anywhere that I can get wifi! Why can't I post to my blog easier too? Your guess is as good as mine. I bet you've noticed my blog posts have been getting further and further apart though, haven't you? If it's not easy I'm not going to do it. Hello, Instagram. <i>You</i> are easy. <i>Too</i> easy. Ahem.<br />
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But I don't want to stop blogging so in retaliation I've been exploring my other options and WordPress seemed like it would work for me. Confusingly there are actually two entities called WordPress: WordPress.org which is the more powerful self-hosted opensource website design software and its offshoot, WordPress.com, a fully hosted site with security and backups included. The latter is obviously what I'm looking at more fully. There is a limited free level with the option to upgrade to a paid subscription. As long as the ad banners aren't too annoying, I'm not adverse to having them so I'm starting at free. And believe me, though some things are similar to Blogger, some things are not so there's going to be a learning curve to get through. But there is an iPad app! And the blog is automatically optimally configured for computer screen, tablet or phone views which I like. Can I say all this on here or is Blogger going to shoot me down for trash talking it? LOL!!! I'll stop now and not mention it again until I have something concrete to tell you. ...end rant.<br />
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Meanwhile, we're waiting for a cold snap to hit tomorrow. I ran out and picked some of the wee overwintering greens from my garden before something happens to them. Like they get covered in snow or freeze to death. There's a actually few tiny bites out there:<br />
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Clockwise from the top: kale, chard, mizuna, bok choy, purple sprouting broccoli and (middle) corn salad. The kale hasn't budded out yet but the garlic is coming up. The snowdrops and crocuses are starting to bloom here. Yeah, I know. Those caught in the Polar Vortex are cursing me now. Snicker! Although we may get a little of our comeuppance very soon. Winter ain't over till she's over!Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-79867052337510885712019-02-01T11:26:00.001-08:002019-02-01T11:47:54.362-08:00Sweat Shop<div dir="auto">
I am absolutely and totally fed up! I have had huge issues AGAIN with Blogger and posting from my iPad! I had to go to edit from my desktop to add the images. Too much faffing about! Just a heads up that I will be investigating alternatives and perhaps starting a new blog on a different platform. I may not be able to bring my whole blog over but it will remain here as long as the Powers That Be will allow it. Stay tuned for more information.</div>
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Well, I promised a post on my bra-making obsession, didn’t I? I’ve been going just a wee bit nuts here sewing more Ingrids for my growing collection. There are currently 5 completed (3 in the original size that I chose and 2 in the improved one-size-larger version) and 4 more all cut out and beginning assembly. Here’s number 5, the black one:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNpZbHq-OFrBoAhe9kBSX-CYLe6edZ980c-gwJGEjsfVk8N8vJJ6A3PPbzAIvHYNoxhtFZBMWf_RLbihogm0GgyavkaEvQrF-Gq7aWmhSJKWCFgB8noTp9UiJH6hN-DzL1jUh/s1600/IMG_5802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNpZbHq-OFrBoAhe9kBSX-CYLe6edZ980c-gwJGEjsfVk8N8vJJ6A3PPbzAIvHYNoxhtFZBMWf_RLbihogm0GgyavkaEvQrF-Gq7aWmhSJKWCFgB8noTp9UiJH6hN-DzL1jUh/s400/IMG_5802.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />I should have lightened it up so you can actually see it! The outer fabric is a slightly stretchy nylon sport fabric with a bit of texture so I lined it in black cup lining (aka marquisette). It was a little tricky to sew and I noticed that the cups wrinkle a little on the body. Perhaps I should have used some fusible webbing to hold the layers together? <a href="https://www.braandcorsetsupplies.com/" target="_blank">Bra-makers Supply</a> (BMS) recommends Misty Fuse which is very lightweight but I don’t have any yet. I’d love to see a tutorial on different methods of lining a bra since I’m not very experienced with that and am not especially happy with my previous results. I obviously prefer the single layer of the Duoplex that I’ve had good success using.</div>
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So because I recently bought supplies for several bras in the colour “light copper” (slightly darker and warmer than “beige”) I decided to see how many I could get out of .5 M of Duoplex in my size. The answer is 4! Yes, my 2-D puzzle skills are awesome. However I only had enough matching findings for 3 so I decided to make the 4th one a two-tone copper and black bra. Why not? Here’s Damselfly’s Bra Factory in action:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DNQM9WUykp1bferixV-cfbhMGJsfHeatXBB92ApmvRt3NK3Sfrc8MU82QLqGold3gynzRFEvI3u_LY4IssWQr91K42k1cD71t-j52eMYNPLIq9i5MkG8iDmAqUgOqKOOtxpf/s1600/IMG_5815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DNQM9WUykp1bferixV-cfbhMGJsfHeatXBB92ApmvRt3NK3Sfrc8MU82QLqGold3gynzRFEvI3u_LY4IssWQr91K42k1cD71t-j52eMYNPLIq9i5MkG8iDmAqUgOqKOOtxpf/s640/IMG_5815.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />I’m trying to keep everything together and oriented correctly while also trying to batch process as many seams at a time as I can. They are tiny and fiddly! And it saves much changing of stitches and feet.</div>
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Now that I’ve made (and are in the midst of making) so many Ingrid bras, I have some tips for anyone venturing into bra-making:</div>
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<li>Fabric choices are of course up to you but remember that less stretch in the cups is more supportive and can actually be more comfortable.</li>
<li>Gather all your supplies including findings before you start. There are a lot of different items and you want to make sure you have everything you need. </li>
<li>Play a game of Tetris with your pattern pieces to economise on fabric usage. But pay close attention to your DOGS (Direction of Greatest Stretch) or the bra won’t fit.</li>
<li>Take your time and cut carefully and as accurately as possible. There’s not a lot of room for error on these little snippets of fabric.</li>
<li>I use a rotary cutter but if you prefer scissors, trace around your pattern pieces and cut off just inside your lines so you aren’t adding any extra width.</li>
<li>Keep your pieces oriented correctly so you know which way is up and which piece connects to which piece. It’s really easy to get mixed up between lefts and rights and ups and downs.</li>
<li>Accuracy in sewing is important. 1/4” seams and 1/8” topstitching is very small. </li>
<li>If the pieces don’t want to feed when you start a seam but get sucked up into the throat plate, try holding both spool and bobbin thread behind the presser foot and pulling gently on it until it goes by itself.</li>
<li>Watch your stitch lengths and widths. Also it’s easy to forget to shift from zigzag to straight stitch or multi-step zigzag to lightning stitch.</li>
<li>Press seams carefully and watch out for too hot temperatures. Synthetics are easy to melt.</li>
<li>I use a tailor’s ham and my Thom-made cup ball (dubbed the Chest Piece because it looks like a pawn!) to press the very curved cup seams. A rolled towel or the end of a sleeve board might work instead.</li>
<li>Some of the elastics need to be stretched in certain places to snug up the fit. The fold-over elastic goes on the top edge of the cup and up the strap to finish these edges - no need to stretch this one at all. The bottom band elastic needs to be stretched gently along its whole length. The underarm/strap elastic doesn’t stretch on the strap but does need to stretch somewhat at the curve under the arm to snug it up and then just gently across the back band.</li>
<li>When sewing the bottom and underarm elastics, orient them on the right side of the fabric with the soft fuzzy side up and the picots away from the edge of the bra. When you turn it under for the second pass, the soft side will be against your skin and the picots will peek out at the edge. It seems counterintuitive so it’s easy to get this wrong.</li>
<li>Before you sew the strap elastics to the bra, assemble them correctly first. Sew the loop that secures the sliders then thread the ring on and push it towards the middle of the elastic. Thread the raw end through the slider trapping the ring. </li>
<li>Check the width of the hook & eye pieces over the end of the band with the strap elastics held in place. If you need to adjust anything, it’s easy to shift the strap elastics in or out a little at this point until the hook & eyes will fit correctly. Then sew the strap elastics on and trim any excess at the underside.</li>
<li>The end of the fabric strap goes through the ring and gets stitched in place.</li>
<li>The hook & eye pieces go on. The longer eye piece goes on the left as you are looking at the right side of the bra back. The hooks go on the right.</li>
<li>Stitch the hook piece from the back side so you don’t get scratches on your machine. Depending on your machine, you might need to move the needle over or use a zipper foot to get in there to sew it down without running over the hooks.</li>
<li dir="auto">On the Ingrid bra, the last seam is the centre front seam! It’s completely made in two halves that only join at the very end. You’ll want to make sure the seams line up neatly and that you backstitch well at each end since that seam gets a lot of stress.</li>
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I wanted to add a couple more things to this long list. I read someone somewhere saying that they were confused about all the different elastics and what goes where when they bought a kit for their bra. So here’s the photo:</div>
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As always this collection is from BMS. Bottom to top, there’s the wider picot edge band elastic for the underbust bottom bra edge, the narrower picot edge band elastic for the outer (underarm) edge, the fold-over elastic for the inner (top front) edge, the strap elastic wearing a ring and slider so I don’t lose them, and the 3 x 3 hook and eye set. The second photo shows you the fuzzy sides. Exact widths of each of these elastics can vary depending on your size and comfort. Since I’m ever the In-Betweenie, I mostly use the heavier ones but not always. Likewise I sometimes use a 2 x 3 hook and eye but I do prefer the wider version. If you’re confused or want to make a first test bra, I might suggest you get a findings kit with everything you need. For the Ingrid they come in small and large sizes so you’ll have to pick one but at least then you will have a better idea of what to buy next time. It’s definitely cheaper to buy metres of each type if you’re going to make several bras. I’ve now figured out exactly how much I need to get of each type for 4 bras.</div>
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Another tip I thought to mention is the use of a specialty foot, the satin edge or adjustable edge guide foot:</div>
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<br />This makes it much easier to get an even topstitching. You might have something similar for your machine.</div>
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So are you completely overwhelmed now? Bored perhaps? Wishing that damselfly would shut up already? OK, I leave you with this photo from our Part The Third walk on the Boundary Bay dyke trail. I think we still have one or two sections left to go to complete the distance. It’s been a fun exercise for mid-winter in Vancouver!</div>
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<br />Back to the sweat shop...er, bra factory.</div>
Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-38146146434045089602019-01-27T07:54:00.001-08:002019-01-27T08:01:28.328-08:00January Flying By<div dir="auto">
Hello there! Yup, still here. I have been somewhat remiss this month though, haven’t I? Did anyone see the fabulous Wolf Moon last week? We were luckily able to watch it from my son’s MIL’s apartment with an unimpeded view. Although the end where the earth’s shadow moved off came after we got home so we were peering through the walnut branches by that point. It was an amazing sight! Usually covered by cloudy skies so we lucked out this once. Oh, and my baby boy turned 45. We were supposed to be celebrating for him, I think? How did that happen? At least the moon is older than any of us.<br />
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So, I wonder if any of you lovely readers have been able to keep up with the parallel and related discussions going on in the blogosphere and Instagram? I’m not going to rehash anything here but the first debate was about BIPOC (yes, I had to look that up too - Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) and the lack of support/visibility/participation in the wider maker community. Ooh it made me think! Bigtime. I went through all the usual “but I...” stuff until I realised that, yes indeed, I do benefit by my White Privilege even while living in as multicultural a place as Vancouver and, no, I can’t use all the usual excuses for why not. I needed to see that if I’m not part of the solution then I’m actually part of the problem. More work to be done there, damselfly. Get on it, stat.<br />
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And then of course the talk segued into all the other “-isms” like ageism, eliteism, classism, and of course that big one, sizeism. Specifically what the indie pattern designers are doing to be more inclusive in their size ranges. As I might have discussed before, I’m a Betweenie: not quite “standard” sizing and not quite “plus” sizing. I fall into the cracks in-between! It all depends on the particular pattern, the built-in ease and my idea of how things should fit. But the upshot is that I can get most of the indie patterns to fit me - usually with some major surgery to the shoulder/armhole area to accommodate my diamond/potato shape - even if they don’t go into the plus sizes. Though I have to admit, I’ve been shocked a time or two on how I had to hit the very largest size (or past it) in the waist and hips! I don’t think I’m that large. Really. My darling daughter has much more difficulty than I do for pattern sizes but at least she can find some shops where she can buy RTW that fits reasonably well. I cannot. Good thing I can sew, eh?<br />
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The good news is that some of the indies are working on or have already expanded their size ranges. Others seem to be suffering from Thin Privilege and can’t see their way through to working on this issue. Their excuses remind me of my first thoughts on White Privilege. Somebody (besides me) needs to do more work! They might not be saying it out loud but I’m hearing that I’m not the “target market”... Maybe I’m not. But if I’m not even allowed in the door to look...<br />
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Some indie pattern companies are officially on my no-go list. Sigh. Yeah, call me chicken. Or I’m just too lazy to name names and link links. It’s late. Nevermind. There are lots of other people who are better able to discuss this subject than I can from my white, cis, hetero, short, fat, old point of view. Go hunt them up and read. It’s worth the education, I promise.<br />
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Meanwhile, here’s the pullover that I made for Thom:</div>
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He totally loves it and has barely taken it off since it came out from under the presser foot! This pattern (mostly) is the North Star Hoodie/Pullover from Love Notions although I used the Thread Theory Finlayson sweater to adjust the depth, width, armholes and sleeve cap dimensions. I used the Finlayson because it already fits him to perfection and the North Star seemed like it would be too baggy in the armhole area. The fabric is a double-faced knit in a charcoal marl on one side and plain grey on the other so I used the grey as accents on the marled main body. I interfaced the collar which was a good idea since it gives it some body to prevent it from being too floppy. He definitely likes a “popped” collar! The zipper was in my stash and has grey plastic teeth on a black tape and an opening style which didn’t matter because I cut it off anyway. The longer length meant that it was easier to sew and I was able to pop off the excess teeth that would have been caught in the seam with wire snippers. It’s a heavy-weight zip so that made it much easier to sew without breaking a needle. Now of course he wants more of these. We’ll be on the lookout for suitable fabrics in future.</div>
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Coming up next - a raft of bras. Yup, I’m bra-obsessed. And loving it!</div>
Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-11070472449383047772019-01-13T17:23:00.001-08:002019-01-13T17:23:40.193-08:00Yet Another Shirt<p dir="auto">Hello, my dears! Yes, I’ve been somewhat busy. My sister was visiting for a week or so and you know how that goes, right? Island Girl in the City! Shopping for things she can’t buy at home, visiting places she wanted to see, going to the dentist and the hairdresser, talking-talking-talking...you get the picture. We did have a good crafty session or two in the studio where I managed to finish the last of my previously cut-out sewing projects, another shirt for Thom:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdTlFgaJPA63RidBOu2G48iW3f6G_4juj-0pqpvn8ZjWD3IoB5JuDedBQ5114-Hf5YO5s7KNjjOPgZ39ARkG2Sh-w2AwTPXWTNlZxBBXBvOczfUpFxh1k4AwpLOlJwP93fGdm/s9999/IMG_5767.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ3q5f_hAAgUXdjB4uVFjllT4Qlcjod_UbFNPTlPQBwDPLwIjBfKFHrZWyi4k4VVCIMvYhJ2evl5QX1kQm06kN1qpImp8bovFWewStU8dYOSpYFjsV72MMQ4b7NjybMMllMHyW/s9999/IMG_5769.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7v94yACxbOldeqoAmnMZcvY-iG6YSNzL0DFB6_v6wkuFpRFDPU-jR0n2yyeWYWHRMChyphenhyphenzzyscf4yaEPl0DMqtwtcOioRNGRPnzs0D1iS2vMWlViXEhFbPwOlS2TinG5nJKywC/s9999/IMG_5770.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="auto">The fabric is a lovely soft cotton/linen herringbone twill (a black cotton warp and a half-bleached linen weft). He picked it out specially for a shirt so even though I was tempted to sew something for myself, I made the huge sacrifice (heh!) and sewed yet another Fairfield Button-up. This time I made a squared pocket, cuffs and ends on the sleeve plackets. Gotta keep each one different! He put it on the minute I was done and barely took it off for the next several days. It’s already gone through the laundry. I think that means it’s a hit, huh?</p><p dir="auto">I was happy to be able to use my new straight stitch foot and throat plate for this project since it’s all straight stitching up until the buttons and buttonholes at the end. Yes, I finally got the hardware to attach to the throat plate that mysteriously didn’t come with the darn thing. My vendor (Toews Sewing in Abbotsford, BC) was very helpful and managed to find all the little bitty pieces for me, package them up and mail them including all the tiny little screws and an extra bobbin cover too. Only took me a few minutes and one of Thom’s wee screwdrivers to fix it:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYVwwHOsPSXGynGmi6YJCfnaGINkb4kBjovGmFCUKULR4zjRLt5uGXY3cYfgs5AbQ_ue1l90x2zM57f4US5ccRsGCU6lI1LznN0bwR6wflJAZjNNQB0UaCamaJgzSv2EHFppJ/s9999/IMG_5759.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">I think this setup gave me more control over my seam allowances and top-stitching. I’m just so pleased because I was never able to get many extra feet or other accessories for my old machine. They were expensive at the time and I didn’t have a lot of spare cash. Also snap-on feet are so much quicker and easier than screwing them on and off. I’ve taken advantage of many of the specialty feet for my new machine and have been pretty happy with the results. On this make I also used my new button foot that has a rubbery coating and a wide open space so it holds the buttons, even little shirt buttons, secure and you can easily see what you’re doing. Definitely worth the price of admission. I also had to make the bottom button on the front of his shirt different because I was one button short. It tucks into his jeans so you can’t see it anyhow.</p><p dir="auto">Anyhow, it worked well and now I’m considering my next pile of projects. Lots to choose from but first I need to do some assembly and fitting changes on a few patterns. I’m really finding batch processing is working well for me. As long as I make a point of finishing up the pile before I make a new one! In the past, I’ve left things cut out but not sewn too long so that my needs and tastes changed before the garment got made. Not good. However, I’ve been very consistent in the past couple of years and even though it might take a couple of months between cutting out and sewing up, it does all get done in the end.</p><p dir="auto">I’ve also been concentrating more on making things for Thom since I have plenty of wearing options and he doesn’t. I’ve now made 5 shirts and he still could use one or two more. Plus the pullovers/sweatshirts he likes to wear in winter (when he isn’t wearing the handspun sweaters I made hime) are pretty much down to a single one. That’s the next thing on my agenda anyway so he at least has another to switch off with. And then there’s the Peacoat Project. I have two new books on tailoring now which should boost my confidence somewhat. This is going to be Slow Sewing for sure. Stay tuned.</p><p dir="auto">The weather has been pretty mild and alternating rain and sun. We’ve been trying to get out s much as possible for long walks. Here’s the scene yesterday on the Fraser River walk:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMzXXB2DHOw6GmSoXUM-BOzWGktLS_Cy_qCRSz-7dlTYEu4HUS4UnDjMyTwdMxUJ0nueuc1CcXpKYe_gM1866adL9tW6J4o8OoCPFHMEQt1McZprXl8OXvSslV5TABBS1LvUy/s9999/IMG_5773.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-90909837769785685032018-12-31T12:04:00.001-08:002018-12-31T12:04:51.624-08:00Year of Going Deeper<p dir="auto">After yesterday’s pondering, I saw a post by David from Raptitude.com entitled <a href="https://www.raptitude.com/2018/12/why-the-depth-year-was-my-best-year/" target="_blank">“Why The Depth Year Was My Best Year”.</a> And of course it resonated with my current situation exactly! He of course started last year so, no surprise, I’m a bit late to the party but it’s not as if this whole subject hasn’t been on my mind for awhile now. The essence for me is that instead of always going for the new thing, take what you already have and explore it in depth. I’ve kind of been heading that way anyhow in trying to use stuff that’s already in the stash, not taking any new classes, buying way less craft books, concentrating on a few skills and not starting so many new projects until the previous ones are finished. I need to take it further though into other areas of my life. I’m pretty good at being in the moment and appreciating where I am right now, but I can always improve, no? Yes! And “divestment” still fits in there as well, just a little less starkly. Got my theme for 2019 now. Thanks, David.</p><p dir="auto">Meanwhile, it’s cold and sunny on this last day of December 2018. Here’s my smiling face and an OOTD for you:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWpN0oK6H2c6BZuNdvBTFMKw3tslne2p_D6A3BVZl0l6DnTFR-aYAsFHNkVpyqx4JVWq9_wToMeWRF9GVyW0iaRE54XRdFKbYdEsWoKJPMQotx1qoswWeyQStqRFbMMR8smAo/s9999/IMG_5734.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="auto">The turtleneck is ancient and faded but it still gets plenty of wear when it’s cold in my house. The baggy pants are nearly as ancient, cheerfully referred to as my Clown Pants. And the sweater is my <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/projects/damselfly/ebony" target="_blank">Licorice Tunic Vest</a> (Ebony by Cristina Ghirlanda) in handspun wool. It’s in aran-weight yarn on big needles and very toasty. I’ll be donning more woollies before heading out for a walk after lunch.</p><p dir="auto">Bye-bye, 2018!!</p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-24742563459744920512018-12-30T16:17:00.001-08:002018-12-30T16:17:22.791-08:00Backwards & Forwards<p dir="auto">My Instagram Best Nine - just in case you missed it!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYTmWYaa5_COJ7qzFOtIPpsQmWWGTVd1ZZQrqZp31QptZp-Nr6Ww3eC3STqIVQ0xOR2UBQyPPwX_cmETIel9Fq_GwPb9OCT3i0DNqd_y9IG4iebGtR_g19-Gl8iHJzsd-uGMu/s9999/IMG_5714.jpg" width="550" height="551"></div><p dir="auto">In this in-between week most people spend some time reviewing the year that has passed and looking to see what’s coming up in the next one. I called 2018 the Year of the Slug in recognition of my efforts to slow down, take time, step back from depressing world news and nest. I really thought I was doing a good job of acting slug-like: lots of time spent in the hammock as well as the garden and the studio. I actually read 165 books! That was 15 books past the 150 I had challenged myself with on Goodreads. Yikes! All frivolous ones naturally. That’s just the way I roll.</p><p dir="auto">However I surprised myself even more by counting 41 projects finished! And here I thought everything was taking forever and I made lots of mistakes especially in my knitting that had to get pulled out and started over. It took 6 months just for the Lacca Laneway dress alone. And then there was the old sewing machine that wouldn’t feed and the leaking iron too. Not to mention the summer heat and smoke that made my studio unpleasant to work in for several months. Amazing that so much managed to get to the finish line in spite of the difficulties. I am nothing if not persistent!</p><p dir="auto">So what did I make? 1 woven blanket, 1 sweater’s worth of spun yarn, 5 sweaters, 3 pairs of socks, 2 shawls, 1 coffee cosy, 8 tops, 11 tunics/dresses, 3 pants/shorts, 2 skirts, 3 bras and a pyramid. 11 items were for Thom, the blanket for both of us and the pyramid for his mom. Otherwise it was all for me-me-me! Interestingly the number of things I’ve been making for Thom has been rising quickly. I guess I’m inspired by how much he actually has been wearing the things I’ve made him. I have at least 4 more for him waiting in the queue too.</p><p dir="auto">Speaking of me-mades, here’s my last one of the year, Katherine Tilton’s Butterick 6138:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHCfHm9pM13PxdZvPbwCy_xQREA9deJ6SUP8lyhTtjK-ejz3ZjEs-hAwsicaYFtJv3exZaqMASTrU2yGSwIlGVotaix6eIEt_UOSugya_PPXD11VrKmSn1cZyI4KnvS_sAElc/s9999/IMG_5723.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyHvZh1uhG6pxG3Xlp6rXxBL8WdEDwbcVqTvfutp4ndSdmEOcPD-EwQNVJeMqt8iULihQAkwA0eqeJv7NzQJNyW-EDCHJI_MuE7lH_1b47ykj3_EyAuND4cRemdPKbSs5kpIC/s9999/IMG_5726.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">It’s actually much closer to black than the medium grey it looks here. I apologise for putting it on Debbie Double but I was too lazy to get dressed and trying to catch the elusive winter light so you could see the details on this dark plaid wool suiting. I already made this tunic or dress or vest (what would you call it?) in natural linen for summer so this is my winter version! This is project number 13 for my new Janome sewing machine and the first for my new CHI iron. The suiting is quite crisp so hard to get a really smooth pressing on the seams. They look good when steamed but slowly go right back to where they want to be. Good old worsted wool! I even washed and dried this fabric in the machine before cutting it out and it didn’t even notice. No dry cleaning for this garment. </p><p dir="auto">So now we look forward. What’s coming up? Darned if I know for sure! I haven’t got a word or a theme for 2019 yet. Although I have been thinking more and more about starting to unload some of the supplies around here that I know I’m not ever going to use. The hard part is just going through it all and making decisions. Not that I have trouble knowing what I don’t want to keep exactly. Just that I don’t really know how to get rid of it in the best way. I do know that back in the day I was very grateful for free or cheap supplies from fellow crafty people who were downsizing their own stash. And I would like to do the same for someone else. There is a lot of potential tied up here that would be lovely to let go to another who could use it rather than have it sit here gathering dust. Unfortunately I’m not at all interested in listing any of it online or having a garage sale or anything that takes time and effort. I just want it gone, either for free or a small donation and then somebody else can figure out what to do with it. I’ve already got someone willing to take the lacemaking stuff. Now I need to think about the beadwork supplies. Much money invested in this lot so I can’t just dump it. Oh, and my 14-year-old granddaughter just got her first sewing machine so she can have first pick on excess fabrics. More to ponder as time goes on. Hey, maybe I just found my word for the year:</p><p dir="auto">DIVESTMENT</p><p dir="auto">Sounds a bit ominous though, doesn’t it? I have no plans to get rid of everything!</p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-35574210549185591702018-12-28T15:38:00.001-08:002018-12-28T15:38:07.273-08:00Hot & Steamy<p dir="auto">Hope everyone had a peaceful and safe Solstice/Christmas/Yule or whatever you might celebrate this time of year! Mine was lovely with lots of family, food, laughter and no drama. It’s all good, right? Now I can go back to being a semi-hermit! Yay.</p><p dir="ltr">In the Buy Your Own Presents Department, I usually avoid shopping like the plague this time of year but I finally decided that my old Black & Decker iron needed replacement. I did everything I could to clean it but it was piddling all over my sewing and not turning off when it should. I’m not sure of its actual age but it’s probably 20 years old if it’s a day. Doesn’t owe me anything, does it? It’s been a good beast but it was past time for a replacement. A sewist needs a functional iron! I did all the usual online research, reading reviews and checking prices and availability. Irons all seem to have rave reviews right next to don’t-buy-this-piece-of-crap. Either there are a lot of lemons or a lot of trolls dissing everything. Who to believe?</p><p dir="ltr">I wanted a mid-range mechanical “professional” steam iron with all the usual adjustable temps, steam, spray, extra shot of steam etc. How hard can it be to get one that works properly for a reasonable price? There are quite a number of brands but most of them are manufactured in the usual China. I’ve had good luck with Black & Decker in the past but their current models didn’t get particularly glowing reviews. I didn’t want a digital iron or a retractable cord so that narrowed the field somewhat. After dithering for a couple of weeks (and cursing my old iron roundly every time I used it) I finally settled on this one:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqsLN9zt5ja2ZfCrjA5E32wi40_ezjaCWWmmh61Ri42wJzfCHmngstiB3c_FKrxqHuZ10mrKHphx9PlUXDuJTVP8YCWNzacc4oeFelJg1wwFleukPXuvi-mLlSju2nED92Bmd/s9999/IMG_5715.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">CHI model 13101. Twice the price of a cheap iron but half the price of a comparable Rowenta and on sale so right in my ballpark. It’s not a brand I was familiar with but apparently they originated with hair straightening irons and branched out to clothing irons. Kind of sporty looking, isn’t it? The base is titanium infused ceramic and has lots and LOTS of steam holes:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAdNPQdGGXn4cpiMbTF7ApSNbwMODkYO9r6X4Jc603VD8yd8tyr74v4wdXv5KdqcgoEztv_lc6ytDMY820iQ5AayN_0GxosignUAQl0a_FcjwLNj7vm7WFga7zEMqZ7jlQhRI/s9999/IMG_5716.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">No dropping this thing on the floor, huh? There are several things I like about this iron, a few of which I didn’t realise until I used it for the first time during my last sewing session. It has a swivel cord which is 10’ long, 2’ longer than my old one. The cord seems to get in the way less often. It takes a couple of minutes to heat up to temperature which is quite long to wait but it doesn’t spit or drip. On the other hand, it will wait a whole 30 minutes before beeping to warn you it’s going to turn off. Most irons only wait 10 or 15 minutes to shut off so you’re always waiting for it to heat up again while sewing. It’s slightly lighter than my old iron but not significantly so. I like a medium-heavy iron weight because I prefer not to press down too hard which hurts my neck. The sole is very narrow at the front with a really nice “nose” that gets into tight areas easily. The best discovery is the fact that the steam doesn’t shoot out ahead of the nose so I can fiddle with folding hems and not get my pinkies burnt. So helpful! </p><p dir="ltr">The only negatives I’ve noticed are the temperature and steam dials are kind of flimsly lightweight metal. Also the water intake hole is quite small and the red water window is rather difficult to actually see the water level through. I have to pour carefully when filling it. Minor quibbles though really. I’m not very hard on equipment so now we’ll just see how long it lasts. It has a 2-year warrenty against defects but you’re responsible for postage both to and from the head office in Virginia, not especially cheap from Canada. Anyway, I’ve named it Chi-Long (energy dragon) because it talks to itself with little crackling steam noises while it’s waiting for me to pick it up and use it. So go use it, damselfly...</p><p dir="ltr">I have a review of my year’s Finished Objects coming up soon! Stay tuned.</p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-28879977852741441442018-12-21T13:58:00.001-08:002018-12-21T13:58:44.006-08:00Happy Solstice!!!<p dir="auto">Here in the Northern Hemisphere we’re welcoming the return of the sun. Yay!! And today the sun was out for awhile so we actually got to see some of that new light! It’s been so dark. At our latitude the sun doesn’t rise until after 8am and it starts to get dark around 3:30pm. Add deep rain clouds to that recipe and it feels like you’re locked in a closet! The house lights are on nearly all the time just so I can see what I’m doing.</p><p dir="auto">Speaking of weather, yesterday we had one of those once a decade crazy wind storms that knocked out trees and power lines, shut down the ferry system and even killed one man over on Vancouver Island. Yikes! Our house weathered everything just fine except for the usual twigs breaking off the walnut tree and scattering all over the yard. We didn’t even lose power. It helps that we’re on a really stable power grid that also feeds several hospitals in the area. It was a little bit scary though listening to the big gusts of over 100kph rattling over the house.</p><p dir="auto">Meanwhile, I was in deep maker mode in the studio. My 90-year-old mother-in-law recently got an iPad so she could read e-books from the library. Her vision is deteriorating and the eye specialist recommended a tablet. We’ve been trying to convince her for years but she was adamantly against anything resembling a computer! Took the doc to get her to even consider it. Thom set it up for her so that it’s very simple and on his weekly visits he uses his iPhone as a hot spot and downloads any books she wants. She’s currently addicted to Sudoku! Who knew eh? </p><p dir="auto">So in honour of Mom’s new entry into the 21st century (LOL!!) I made her a pyramid rest for her iPad:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUIv3GgvDhumQWvL466bqH6l6_YzjffsMFQ3WD5iwn5Jps_IMO5WvCqMIv2yyy79iBBG1yo1ht25jd_G-ismt75ZD1fjirizkntNIxd9vSVS4ipA0w1v7vfodoL_Uih2KlLr8/s9999/IMG_5710.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">I used some vintage bark cloth from stash along with all the usual stuffing, mat board for the bottom and a stablizing rock. Hers isn’t as heavy as mine and it was somehow a lot easier to sew this fabric than it was the heavy upholstery swatches that I used for the first two pyramids I made. Or maybe it’s Janny, my new sewing machine? This only took a couple of hours after I dug out all the materials and most of that was hand-sewing up the final bottom seam. I don’t even have a pattern anymore since I can’t find where I stashed it. Or even where it came from originally. I think it was a magazine article. Anyway, I’ve added my own tweaks so I just wing it with a ruler and a rotary cutter. The pyramid is a great help on your lap or table to hold up your screen and save your wrists from fatigue and pain. I use mine every single day.</p><p dir="auto">I finally finished that knitting project that got stuck on my needles for half a year! Behold the Lacca Laneway:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi797B541yRHLNqsBJdSoOoLEeb2roKVLL8MdfA4U2fA4huve-eR_-ww0VF9K5yJ7k8mEm3uH6pWN7X3i3jJWfoSUPSMepkZMOzyYkd-2Wqrys86L9S_RQeeZLtPP_Iy1LoN0Zs/s9999/IMG_5703.jpg" width="550" height="1129"></div><p dir="auto">This thing gave me so much trouble! Nothing at all wrong with the pattern (Laneway by Veera Valimaki) but my attention. It was a LOT of round-and-round stockinette stitch so I was merrily reading, watching TV or chatting while knitting. Yarns twisted. Mistakes happened. Frogging ensued. Re-knitting occurred. Finally finished and got all the ends worked in. After blocking I realised that as usual with superwash wool and nylon sock yarn, it relaxed and stretched lengthwise. So now it’s more of a dress than a tunic. You’d think I would learn after so much knitting, wouldn’t you? I could have saved myself several inches worth of work! Oh well. It’s perfectly wearable even if the pockets are too low. </p><p dir="auto">The other FO is my Violet Tie-Dye V-Neck Alder Dress:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1-IDD4RdQlyURQcQyIrIraql0fy23VD7Io0MOLQVmn1UltEz2pPjwhld3KrvC1plLWzv3DEjXxka9osWoIgf8ynhqzxywkjOqJq2aoPSU8UbDRdFhXERtgFi6oDhy-VNVvgm/s9999/IMG_5694.jpg" width="550" height="1034"></div><p dir="auto">I used Grainline’s V-Neck online tutorial to hack the pattern. It simplifies the dress quite a lot. I also made a few more fit tweaks from the first version and I think it’s just about perfect now. A little longer in the skirt and the waist raised slightly, plus the darts lowered and a small slice out of the underarm. Now I can also wear it as a jumper. Since I finished a summer dress in winter it’s good to be able to layer it up until it warms up enough to wear it solo, no?</p><p>In other news, I bought myself a present: yet more bra supplies from the aptly-named <a href="https://www.braandcorsetsupplies.com/" target="_blank">Bra-makers Supply</a> in Hamilton, ON. This time I went for some closer to skin-neutral (for my skin at least) colour, called “light copper”:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-AsAAIPjBkz_FWCVn2FzgPH6C9CYpc1P-I0uEapjKDefoh5x8tWqwx2BE5RNxqLKV2JRD3M-uNB0o-6fIFENxRRhe3dM6Vqj5fRvzV19ff9msvjB6qIVsv9jkL6xQAV8JVpf/s9999/IMG_5711.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">It’s a little darker than “beige” which you can see in the foam padding at the far left. I wanted to make a few bras that worked better under lighter or slightly more sheer fabrics than my usual black, brown, black cherry etc. (I’m not particularly a fan of white bras although I also have some stash supplies for one, I think.) I also got some more elastics and hardware in black:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCaSq-2IaJlpm45OOwWV03d5hv0V49parBxXPOfoRuJ0x98awYZvJXRfYnuyF24WXfYL7N6vsf53ZCbTt6ANyMiQqU-7pqT2MMxv5g_u00a-G6gbqAj0gfiGA1_tqfX8T5k_Vr/s9999/IMG_5713.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto"><br>So I now have enough parts for a whole bunch of new Ingrid bras but unfortunately they’re going to have to wait for a little while while I finish a few other sewing projects first. I have 2 garments cut out ages ago and still waiting and I haven’t even started sticking the pattern pages together yet for Thom’s Peacoat. Always lots lined up in the Making Queue!<br><span><br>Wishing you and your loved ones all the peace and joy of the season - and none of the headaches and big bills!</span><br></p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-53321269024680232812018-12-13T16:22:00.000-08:002018-12-13T16:23:15.601-08:00Seeing In The Dark<p dir="auto">Winter, as we usually see it here, is in full spate! Rain, rain, wind, more rain, and dark-dark-dark. The basement is springing a few leaks which it only does if we get more than our usual rainfall in a very short time. The biggest leak is in our cold-room under the front stairs where the concrete floor is currently a swimming pool for the monster spiders and their prey, the wood lice, who live in there. Luckily we never keep anything on the floor to get wet. Wine bottles, canning jars, potatoes, onions, pop cans and the like are safely on shelves above the swamp. There’s good air circulation in this little room because it was properly vented but if it doesn’t dry up in a reasonable length of time, we’ll be using the wet/dry shop vac to suck it out. Better than the other leak in Thom’s woodworking room. The walls and floor are more finished and there’s a lot more stuff on the floor. He says he’s monitoring it and mopping up as necessary. I hope.</p><p dir="auto">Meanwhile photography has been rather difficult when it looks like twilight in the middle of the day. I managed to get a picture of the finished Coffee Cosy that I made the other day when it was sunny out for awhile:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRostUeeytJSsO6Awo36tRzYQmhWU8IvJxLEnwXKfsmp-XFyFkJDdOPNRbVYD8mshM5W3oXp7IiT_SWsP99H8gtxiexq2iKHoydpzkbRQHNct7zpQRFiImEU_eAzVbPpDBtj2o/s9999/IMG_5671.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">When our fancy-schmancy electronic coffee maker croaked, instead of getting a similar replacement Thom decided a Bodum French press would do the trick. Since he’s the only one who drinks coffee around here and we have to boil the kettle for my morning tea anyway, it works just fine for our needs. However he needed the pot to stay warm until he was ready for his second cup, hence the cosy. I used the same pattern that I did before for my French press for tea that we keep in the VW Westie for camping. “Thinking About Coffee” by Lisa Risager is a free pattern I found on Ravelry but this time I didn’t have any bulky handspun so I used 2 yarns from deepest stash held together. One was a blue-grey 2-ply (possibly Condon’s) wool and a handspun Romney rainbow chain-ply. The results turned out fine though it took quite a lot of work to full it sufficiently and it’s still too long. Probably because I knitted several more rows before the decreases than I should have since I was chatting with friends at the time! I just turned up a cuff. Problem solved.</p><p dir="auto">I also finished my Lacca Laneway sweater but it’s taking forever to dry after blocking. Also, dark. I hope to grab a photo whenever things lighten up enough. I really like it although it’s more like a dress than a tunic. The pockets are a little low even though I raised them an inch (my T-Rex arms!) and the sleeves gave me trouble before I was done. The pattern had them at a full length but I wanted my more comfortable 3/4 sleeves. Somehow I forgot to make a note and edit the pattern accordingly. In the end there was a ridiculous amount of frogging and reknitting various parts of this beast mostly from not paying enough attention to what I was doing. I used the last of the darker lac red for the pockets but ran out with a couple of inches to go so I finished them in the lighter mauve. The red is the part you can glimpse while wearing anyway. All together it took me almost 6 months to finish. That’s a long slog for me even for a fine gauge sweater dress.</p><p dir="auto">So since you aren’t getting much in the way of project photos I thought I would talk about my personal style. Now that nearly all of my wardrobe is handmade, I’ve been trying out new combinations of garments. My chilly winter house has encouraged the layering! Interestingly there aren’t that many sewists or knitters who show a similar style to mine and if they do, their body shape is usually differently proportioned than I am. That said, I do take elements of style and inspiration from several sources. My favourite tool that I like to use to hunt down and save ideas is good old Pinterest. Another tool is OneNote which I use as a large whiteboard to stick photos and notes for further consideration. I used to use Evernote (free version) but the combination of Pinterest and OneNote seems to work better for me. YMMV as they say.</p><p dir="auto">Anyway, one person whom I discovered on Pinterest (and can find nowhere else) who’s style I admire is Elizabeth Eins:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLTpTi2OI8LgEqud2aUIgyHmV1tCKxHC9hq-2nhzm8M8BVHhMrZE0VH0rVr0Z2nMqpuT5Fl-iph3q9Bpd5yIhpSWGdcIx4ceWgNR1j-jrn9BUxcvrWxfapIXsZdT3xJVtnX8F/s9999/IMG_5677.jpg" width="450" height="807"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhV6toRPsDkhzGg_G8g3R_HqEk2LYBzc5IN9nobCJcmSwtTtjtSPD1KbqJpCTZBKmYfvjb0CwfoPSISJWVTVMB5yXrF2yyaMZsftUx7aQ7DLv9vLEROybEL876zpx-hgjYocm_/s9999/IMG_5678.jpg" width="425" height="850"></div><p dir="auto">Elizabeth (who I think is from Germany) wears a lot of Gudrun Sjödén:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgRsrNuoNpxSHTsWCeAIScL3wg20WHCgifpxhIOsVl3IfbeQVW0ZUSY5umZxgBynTiKDxzzSY1bhMnHl_qB365wuIqMLfYuaRMsa1Q7JgEGLZ5GZT4TTk385EOPJQFFpm0h6I/s9999/IMG_5681.jpg" width="425" height="866"></div><p dir="auto">And Ewa I Walla:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegKMYEwGVFY5wrRDu19m1XShkxz8ub_wGi5YVAyzUjzDuljRzTtpZYm3CjoLkbncfd0uQesaqXIow0FCxFqcybPLE7VO13DGHzHD42l2T8ag6qowV24TWIfr037T3N31CQVA5/s9999/IMG_5680.jpg" width="450" height="704"></div><p dir="auto">Both of those are Swedish designers whose clothes I like to peruse. Some individual pieces or occasional combinations from other designers appeal to me too. This one is Krista Larson:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIcp7L85pu5upoCINWvzn3bxkDLN8Qh4KkesjS0HOfGsqPWcLZ46TlDzD0gXdbfSB8T0FmveR3dy1xEKD1hf1aZTYZwnUV0zXKi4Jxe5ahr119z94Fvt975UNgpRNjSZN2M2R8/s9999/IMG_5682.jpg" width="450" height="682"></div><p dir="auto">I love the tie-dye in this one but sometimes her stuff can be too much for me. I can’t handle a lot of frou-frou! Another design house that can have great pieces and combos but also can be over-the-top is Studio Rundholz:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNq1Y3hDGTM5t6FFPniSDkJC9nOnScTuDdH5OHY0Qe04XGjR0PVfR63MGmVCF2uI8adgiOYyqVHRZfuvmCxe1ApmBu7RO5k4jl10sVKBLYryEbDZLzWfeFH-SUsaZu8bKP8BO/s9999/IMG_5683.jpg" width="425" height="918"></div><p dir="auto">This summer style is more restrained but brighter than usual! I also am fond of a lot of the Japanese styles but sadly can’t really wear them since most are designed for a less curvy body type than mine. Check this Dark Mori (forest girl style) out though:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMV8r3hXNYEoy8fPX2tjLyJtGjHX_6F8O8u-fUc_pQ5KV5jUXSZ6_2BNmsE7QFs1ftTJixygxsF5zt6bz8B_ZLtSLeAymEOK1XS0sr2K-IlXrGEm3eYfi2tJx__fQmckXc87X/s9999/IMG_5684.jpg" width="450" height="664"></div><p dir="auto">She’s got the layering thing going bigtime! Sadly I am not happy in too many layers and also prefer my shoulders and arms to fit more closely than a lot of the Lagenlook styles. Some things are just too baggy all over like this outfit from Kaliyana:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhuKXcNKax5lL7zvWJAk7trKKklEL6sCwT9NWxfZdLy9yw98nJeSgikp1BQ9i0vqzTq75Uh3aoKxLavJzUIbE9gAdQDX4g04u_IHFD9PWPc3YhUAwp2Oj-mOA7-BKVKMMd-5Pz/s9999/IMG_5686.jpg" width="450" height="745"></div><p dir="auto">It has some good elements but I would take down the volume a lot. It’s a good thing I sew (and knit) because there is no way I could dress the way I prefer otherwise! </p><p dir="auto">Anyway this is getting rather long and I think I’ve babbled on enough. I hope you’ve enjoyed my wee tour of some of my clothing inspiration. I have to go turn on some more lights now. I’m so looking forward to Solstice and the return of the sun. Only another week to go.</p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-29251766744516481882018-11-29T16:44:00.001-08:002018-11-29T16:44:41.638-08:00Just Sewing (No Knitting)<p dir="auto">Hello, my little twinkle lights! Hope all you Northern Hemisphere folks are staying warm & comfy practicing your <em>hygge</em> and the Southern Hems are staying cool & hydrated! It’s been rather dark and rainy around here but luckily I don’t suffer from SAD, I just use this quieter time to get in the studio. Lots of good lights are mandatory though! I’m sure you want to find out how the bra making has been going, no?</p><p dir="auto">I finished 2 more Ingrid bras since the last post. The first was black & brown:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQoTR3XepBdn-nwfTW9S1j-Uct2kIN41AyJLGQxyj8x6HAJJeDJBKmZWKg9sCAcHqsdUlh0wuko75hpz-pX9EuwpVS-ttOQuxoT3JD4vpvjChorn6Sz0-LMrndBqwFKUVbIpW5/s9999/IMG_5627.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">The brown was a piece of duoplex left from a past bra making effort and the brown elastics and findings were a set from Bra-makers Supply that was supposed to be for the Pin-Up Girls Classic bra. I just subbed in some fold-over elastic instead of the decorative elastic in the kit and left out the underwire channelling and the bow. The power net is black because that’s what I have so this bra is completely from stash on hand.</p><p dir="auto">The second bra was the Black Cherry which included everything matching from my last order from BMS. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLZX8CDAzHLBqwIYAAK4vogUazNBArWMBUa4BMj7gk6lYYpJWafM-ZY9NZjGBAfRhxONoJgtljtyVx6Xvv5FrdtGvHNVrlTEOinGZVaiAfIO9iGQRfvvlWqWNC9f1q4WngaV5/s9999/IMG_5641.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto"><br>I really got way too much duoplex and power net because I was going by the estimates on the pattern which are obviously for the largest sizes. I wanted at least 2 bras but I could make a half-dozen or more from 1M of duoplex and .5M of power net! But I would obviously need more findings since I only got one Black Cherry kit. Instead I dyed some FOE and a hook & eye so I could complete a soft navy blue findings set:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-V9vYj0cXFhg0nNu6JKqqM14765u4V0G6vg5eG5qduO9i-4rONGD7ihezLlURGRwhjuA-dxWYAlsBUWCNLMjkFuAe4o7emXHuQ_mOX-3uEKXfpLBRlPTFeT3hSLt0bpToxPW2/s9999/IMG_5636.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">Nylon dyes quite nicely with acid dyes in the craft microwave. I think this will look nice with the black cherry, yes? And then I have one more option for a lacey-ish black bra before I have to order more parts. With all of the Canada Post disruptions this isn’t a particularly good time for mail order so I’ll give it all a chance to cool down first.</p><p dir="auto">So I never did get a photo of Thom in his 4th Thread Theory Fairfield Button-up shirt. Here’s a hanger version even though it’s already been worn, washed and ironed once already:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTAeIokxMGJW5xRjfo0HMxJrilyfnUSKtQQbE2zlNR0GZE_j3D4AWpI0MjKZalJkxPkXkeyrmM9k8fRcB53-TEiOYDYD3kNhADliz4jepvRZ2qLcbPxtuJZiEkTH5cyc0BwAs/s9999/IMG_5646.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="auto">Yeah, not exciting, I know. Grey linen (exactly like the green stuff of his last shirt) on a grey day. The buttons were rescued from a worn-out shirt and match perfectly. I made a single rounded pocket and rounded cuffs to match. Otherwise, same old same old. He loves his Fairfields!</p><p dir="auto">And speaking of sewing for Thom, we were watching the new season of Shetland on Netflix and he suddenly decided he needed a peacoat like Jimmy Perez wears all the time. Luckily Thread Theory has the Goldstream Peacoat:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpbHMDH-qpETtIkbHw5Qp8uUa3cNudsJWq4oztYauTp5I2R299kqyDBM3bJsP2FNiG-rBhrKxPbeuvouEdz9gh9J-oBHNE3zPb9L8qOFaHyvz7oB_nibroKZNA2PGHFMdfzkZ/s9999/IMG_5637.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="auto"><br>And also conveniently had a (dare I say it) Black Friday sale so I bought the pattern. 99-gazillion pages to assemble! Lots of tailoring, interfacings and linings and buttons and such. Oy. We’ve already found the fabrics for it at good old Dressew:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVO1Qh1drIuwMLHYVsmRUphj9m71N_LWI5L3HeHcVCa9wD_MMx33-XIbJ6ea38dL-zTL3cwDq75S7pU__FU5sWwPjEpSiSY65uSkLwzERP2R3l4Gsz1ij9vpyG519m4xyzgI_z/s9999/IMG_5632.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">You might not be able to tell but the wool blend melton is a dark olive green and the lining for the body is a quilting cotton with a cabin in the woods, bears, moose, deer and eagles. I’ll go digging in the deep stash for something more slippery for the sleeves though. The buttons are from stash and belonged to his auntie. I’ve even got some hair canvas and plan to make the shoulder pads myself. This beast is going to be a lot of work but it should last him forever. The man has definitely proven that he’s Sew-Worthy because he loves and, most importantly, actually wears what I make him. Pretty soon he’ll have a mostly wife-made wardrobe. Heh.</p><p dir="auto">So that’s not all! I needed a palate cleanser after making 3 bras in a row (whew!) so I finished sewing another York Pinafore that had already been cut out.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZB6a11leqvP7MbvuKhGGRIHr910LWIiM4BAS8-0woYX6myfqNwQ0TMawYCzRJ8icVnWkwdmOcotJlm4UFvwjZ7O0lBZve8lfbgNO8bMzCIXkHecKI6BVjbX1Yqf_wpNKYn4L/s9999/IMG_5654.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="auto">Persimmon Head! Yummmm...er, this was a quick photo before I lost the light so I just popped the pinny on over my t-shirt dress. I love the pannier pockets! They’re from the York Apron add-on pattern. Do not tell me they aren’t flattering to the hips. I don’t care. They’re so practical! Wish I had this York back when the garden was in full production but there’s always next year, right?</p><p dir="auto">The fabric was a 1M piece of black/grey denim with an abstract print. It’s much lighter weight denim than my first York. I just barely squeezed the pattern in with only tiny scraps left. Not shown is the bias binding I made from a wee piece of grey and black striped cotton/poly. I love using up stash. With this third version I think I have the York fitting just the way I like it now. More to come in future. I love that it’s so practical, takes very little fabric and works with either heavy or lighter weight materials.</p><p dir="auto">So lastly I do NOT want to discuss my knitting. It’s still giving me fits. Things keep going wrong. I haven’t come close to finishing anything. I have no idea why that should be so. But I’m not giving up. Just taking time to cool off. </p><p dir="auto">Meanwhile, I’ll leave you with this lovely photo from the False Creek Seawall on our way to Granville Island on Tuesday. Gotta get out while the getting is good! The tide was extra high (called King Tides) and, goodness me, there are an awful lot of highrises downtown now. Looks lovely there but it rained on us just three blocks from home on the way back. Ah, Vancouver.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPlWoaXUiBfnR09K4kMUfnGMLVlq7isr5QvZdRgoHZWXUIzxPnwpzWs4nDvZdZno_HSq4idRAFQhTGdZNKXC2ymlElBG-aXqavjW8ICB_M_kW4nyxP_LxCfawuYl0DvovN-N5d/s9999/IMG_5642.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-65644533519253765742018-11-16T12:40:00.001-08:002018-11-16T12:40:27.843-08:00Adventures In Bra Making<p dir="auto">Hello! I’ve been sewing up a storm the last while. Well, ok. Maybe not a storm. Slow sewing at its finest perhaps. Things with a gazillion pieces and lots and lots of topstitching! I finished yet another shirt for Thom. He’s wearing it today but I haven’t been able to capture him to get any photos yet. Hold that thought.</p><p dir="auto">i do have a couple of pics of my latest though, the Pin-Up Girls Ingrid Non-wired Bra, a new pattern from the wonderful and amazing Fairy Bra Mother, Beverly Johnson! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqRlh_6Gh-ZRmc3-uq2mbz0EeXdaZCEJdW3MGWL8R0X30B0xQQZixsWEfHRWNTTP9A7ZKe9ROoz-I9YcpDXvbeGCLKQ5ugjv17N54kyjIuMd8Ualv3Msc4681_F-Uv6Exnydr/s9999/IMG_5618.jpg" width="550" height="711"></div><p dir="auto"><br><br>What I liked about this bra pattern was first and foremost the lack of underwires. I’ve tried but I don’t think this body is ever going to be really happy with a wired bra. The multi-pieced cups on the Ingrid give good support without underwires but avoids the dreaded “uniboob” look that can happen with some non-wired bras. Engineering at its finest! I also liked the good amount of coverage as well as the padded straps. Maybe not sexy nor lacey though it could be if that’s what you’re going for! I prefer relatively plain and functional myself. This first tester version used a bunch of supplies that I already had:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTdDTLQrjZEgKqiDsejIoQDR4pmz2OrGXPMYPPFZ5byVy1XSpcjF5FI9qYWyIG7WRiLRQBL16xJOY9mjglzSYmwzuqrxeJ0m5lgoTqfUnZRfYm31igIoFBph0ZzWN-7EXmhY8/s9999/IMG_5616.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kPwVvuiCIsTr2w8VP8HTF2CiKRbjtYnhz0ypFUXKJ597Suusgs7ZAsRx9Ns8nwnMxszwXUvZnvOgbg80BruSdyhyAogt4SD4A7IDxFH3mZJzqApTQs35u40_PTqn5KIqCoEa/s9999/IMG_5617.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">Not too shabby! Kind of resembles the purple and black version on the Bra-maker’s website. Unfortunately if it fits Debbie Double then it’s a little loose on me since she has no squish factor. I’m wearing it anyway but I might just spend the time and pick out the stitches on the hooks and eyes and strap elastic so I can shorten the band. Big job so I’m not leaping to it! The cups fit really well though and it’s very comfortable so I’ve already cut out Tester Number Two with a size smaller in the band. I only needed to cut and overlap one pattern piece, the back band, because every other piece was unaffected. So easy!</p><p dir="ltr">While I’m talking sizes I should mention that this was the first of the bra patterns published using Beverly’s BCD sizing system. So simple to understand! Everyone should get on this bandwagon. Two measurements, the Bottom Cup Depth from underbust line to the apex and underbust around the body, and that’s it. Trace off the pieces for your size cup and the back band piece that corresponds to your cup size and band length. The straps are the same for all sizes. Once you’ve made the tester bra you will know if you need to go up or down a size in the cup or band. As I discovered with my band because I’m actually between sizes and I should have gone down instead of up. Doh. Conceivably I could have gone between the two sizes but I think tighter is probably better for me.</p><p dir="ltr">The one fit adjustment I made was to move the straps inwards for my narrow shoulders. It worked perfectly! I followed Beverly’s blog post on how to do it which made it easy.</p><p dir="ltr">Making a bra isn’t really all that difficult but there are a lot of wee little pieces and a lot of different elastics and findings. This one took four fabrics: cup fabric, sheer cup lining (because the blue stuff is too stretchy), power net and cut & sew foam. It also took four elastics: 5/8” band, 3/8” side, 5/8” strap and 3/8” fold-over. Plus 5/8” rings and sliders and a 2 x 4 hook and eye. (It really only needs a 2 x 3 but I had this one available.) Whew! Sewing it together gave me an excuse to use several different feet and stitches on my new machine too. Not to mention my cup ball stand that Thom made me for pressing. I definitely love my Janome. She did a great job even though I had to change thread colours a bunch of times.</p><p dir="ltr">I found that the recommended yardages for fabrics and elastics were considerably more than I needed for my size. I guess they cover up to the largest size? I can cut all the cup pieces from two layers of fabric 10” x 16” (being careful with the DOGS - direction of greatest stretch). That means that I can actually get at least 2 bras from the .5 M listed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPAC7qS523pAFkEzQHzUkmIkNiDMv7uobJznNzv6asOdCSxihGpOSKl9n9pN04Fh9WDxFaHMA3wMqM5Sa031_Ak0xL4h260PruGNAw-Bg3elJ_YJNEADYT_nOT_lsFXPvW8Gx/s9999/IMG_5614.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="ltr"><br>Yes, I’m good at 2D puzzles and Tetris! I can also get the pieces that need to be cut from power net from just two layers of 8.5” x 10” so I could get lots of bras from .5 M! I did an inventory and the math and figure that if I went for multiples I could make a bra for around $20 Canadian with all the supplies from Bra-Makers. They aren’t cheap but they’re Canadian (no exchange or duty for me) and good quality. Plus lots of colour choices for fun! I would buy the parts separately though because the findings kit for one bra alone is $19, not including the cup and band fabrics. I guess you pay a bit more for the measuring and packaging which is only fair. Sure convenient though there’s a little more waste than if you used exactly the amount needed.</p><p dir="ltr">So the next tester bra will be a black and brown one. I found some leftover brown Duoplex that fit all the cup pieces and a brown findings kit for the Pin-Up Girls Classic bra that I hadn’t used. Just eliminate the wire channelling and substitute some brown FOE from stash for the fancy upper front elastic and all the rest of the findings work for the Ingrid. The power net parts and strap padding are again black because I have lots! I see more thread changes coming...</p><p dir="ltr">And then if this one fits the way I hope then the next one will be the first of the Black Cherry bras. Yum! And I could definitely make a Black and Cherry one with what I have on hand. Then I have enough of the cup and band fabrics for more but no more coordinating findings so there will be another order in my future.</p><p dir="ltr">Meanwhile, out to rake the leaves! The walnut tree is finally letting go. It’s been slow this year. Now it’s finally starting to feel like November.</p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-74381942602269687642018-11-05T17:15:00.001-08:002018-11-05T17:15:27.313-08:00Sew Your Own<p dir="auto">Well, the month of November is here! (Where did October go?) I had ordered some bra-making supplies from...<a href="https://www.braandcorsetsupplies.com/" target="_blank">Bra-Makers Supply</a>. And the package came in time for my birthday! Which is pretty good since Canada Post is doing rotating strikes around the country. (Just in time for the holiday season, huh? Typical.) So here’s the pile of goodies:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuN9OBuYyeyZsZgTDTAEajaUT2Y3s7BVARwdFXXUCqHGDEHA10_PlkuLhagnAydAgwIihgVHuNL5iP4Oy6ojp80vAvOrpmYDKA7ga8kjZyz7Fn-oOEfUqLyI2F1N2tGpcqGPu0/s9999/IMG_5587.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto"><br><span>You get exactly what you want when you buy your own birthday presents, am I right? Though now I’m kind of wishing I had bought more. Now that I’ve dug more thoroughly into my supplies I can see a few more gaps. You need so many different fabrics and elastics and other findings for bras. Oh well. There’ll be a next time. Soon too.<br><br></span>Wh<span>en Beverly Johnson came out with her Pin-Up Girls Ingrid #5382 pattern I was determined to try it out. I had some success with her Classic b</span><span>ra after I modified the heck out of it until it resembled her Shelley bra - right before her Shelley was published, of course!</span><span> However, I’ve come to realise that even when it fits pretty well I still hate underwires. </span><span>Also all the underwire bras I’ve made, the ones that </span><span>fit properly </span><span>at least, </span><span>are pretty much worn out. Couldn’t bring myself to make another. So much so that I actually bought several non-wired RTW bras. (Shhhh, don’t tell anyone!) Anyway, the Ingrid pattern ticked all the boxes for me: no wires, full coverage, padded shoulder straps, </span><span>innovative sizing system, “gothic arch” upward curve in the front and optional front closures. </span><span>I </span><span>may not ever use a zipper or front hooks but this pattern is ready for that option. It’s not lacy or sexy but that’s not what I need or want in a bra. I need support and plenty of it! I think this bra will be easier to fit too. Here’s hoping anyhow.<br></span><br>So while I was ordering the pattern, I got enough supplies for a complete bra and also to add to the stuff I already have for several more. The Black Cherry colour is really pretty although I actually wanted navy but they were out of some of the matching supplies for that. And black is always useful and can be easily combined with other colours. This colour-blocked one from the website is cute:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPjh_ieFyDQ_jmfdGh45_56IJ_dvdQYAkHX4Zk5C_WzlDcWZmyPdGt2WX7Ajl9NzyTThcSjN80kL0cLEleNLVgygems4KHSHSwVai55rwhUss5pjCX5C4XqcxK-sHwPEf_iDi/s9999/IMG_5584.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto"><br>I also got some cut and sew foam for further versions since that’s what’s needed for the shoulder strap padding. Plus I could also make a foam cup version if I want. Getting the pre-cut findings kits makes it easy to see what elastics etc are recommended before I go getting creative with what I have on hand. (Hint: nothing in the stash matches!) So nice that Beverly has many of her fabrics and notions dyed to match each other for coordinated sets. Much nicer than the usual white or beige, huh? I also got a metre of sheer cup lining so I can stabilise a stretchy cup fabric. That gives me more options. But first I need to make a trial bra. Crossing my fingers that it will be wearable.</p><p dir="auto">Naturally I was right in the middle of sewing another shirt for Thom when the package arrived. I promised to finish it first but, ahem, this happened:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghu13qa0Bu7OoHvC1PiMdMcBMrhANHuMwIGp2fG80I7wX6owNv6myAThGQsVAXPlRfJv59HgxBPQcL-QO9ORoJU52rJa2SnGToSlN5YLiux6ndIYrpf9TeLyixjBBY-N9uNXwl/s9999/IMG_5596.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">Oops! I traced off what I hope is my size. There is a very inclusive size range and you choose yours by measuring your Bottom Cup Depth (from apex to wire line while wearing a well-fitting bra) and your actual Rib Cage Measurement. No magic numbers, sister sizes, guesswork or other folderol. The pattern is further divided into 2 size ranges between the 4.25” BCD and the 4.5”. The difference is that the larger sizes are drafted for a wider band elastic and a 3X3 hook and eye set. Unsurprisingly I fall just a little before the dividing line. Betweenies ‘R’ Us!</p><p dir="auto">That should have been sufficient but I’m pretty convinced that I need the straps closer together to accommodate my narrow sloping shoulders. Luckily, Beverly has a helpful blog post outlining exactly how to do that. (Which I would love to link for you but it’s not happening for me.) Adjustment already done and although a little tricksy, I didn’t find it too hard to do. Hopefully it’ll keep the darn straps from falling down all the time. Now I’m ready to go. But there’s a darn linen shirt I have to finish first...and this is calling to me...<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEB0EP8drMV4z9g7uBGuYjyERwDpKg0sLXgkgYBZaNqI7GlqCF8y9G_ZwLrMtXmpRsDamNeBbu2dLx0lvLN-Rt55aIRs-qDAZ6kVD4k3xyry8QhlSUWAd_jcXpna-7n24KxHJ/s9999/IMG_5594.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-10492260621133808592018-10-29T15:03:00.001-07:002018-10-29T15:03:31.700-07:00Fitting Matters<p dir="auto">Whenever sewists talk about sewing, the largest issue amongst them all is fit. How do you fit a pattern to your unique body shape? Some people have it easy and they can usually get away with minimal adjustments to get a garment to fit them. But most of us have to work at it. Especially when you’re nowhere near the usual shape that paper patterns are designed for.</p><p dir="auto">I have to say that aging makes this fitting exercise even more difficult! After menopause a woman’s body goes through a number of changes. The following may not be true for everyone but a lot of us experience at least some of these. Fat accumulates around the middle, aka a “menopot”. Gravity and declining elastin in the skin takes its toll on boobs and butt and jowls and underarms and everything starts to head south. You might lose height as the discs between your vertebrae begin to degenerate. Your back shoulder gets rounder and your upper chest becomes more hollow. Sounds kinda horrific, doesn’t it? I like to think of it in terms of: <em>I’m. Still. Here.</em> Consider the alternative for a minute.</p><p dir="auto">So what do we still have? A body that may not look like the ones you see in the media regularly. It still works pretty well though, thank you very much. And I want to dress mine to celebrate. To cherish it. To have fun. And to be seen. After all, it’s the only body I have. <span>Truthfully, once I learned how to fit clothes for </span><span>this potato-shaped body with short </span><span>stick arms and legs I actually started to love it more! Sounds suspiciously like Body Positivity, doesn’t it? Yup. I don’t have to feel frustrated in the shops because nothing looks any good on me. I can have that expensive boutique garment or a close facsimile and it will fit me better than the real thing. Sewing your own clothes is powerful. Mindblowing. I don’t even go into clothing shops anymore - except maybe to borrow ideas. (Kind of wish some of them would share their fabric sources though. Just sayin’.)<br><br></span></p><p dir="auto">Damselfly’s First Law of Fitting: Start at the top and work down. It’s important to get the shoulders, armholes and neckline right because everything hangs off of these points. I have to alter for the shoulder slope, forward shoulder with accompanying baby dowager’s hump and hollow chest, skinny upper arms and a forward neck. I almost got it right with my latest make, Grainline’s Farrow Dress:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvSQ1XJVaSju6MeC2y6lOy_MKYYDJE1BvAfFnx5Uqw54pJuIL2JUyTbPq6rIbrkta8N1DFRT_NPmaSqA5CtHebQf5EtPyAqAYzB8O0BLSri0KGtyoGI21qgwjWYEy1xlhI_v-/s9999/IMG_5551.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="auto">I struggled with this one a lot even though it seems to be a fairly straightforward dress. The neck and shoulders are good but the underarm is still a little low for me. Which of course you can’t see in this photo! However the neck and shoulders fit really well. I discovered I’m starting to need even more fabric across the high back and less across the slightly hollow front. New fitting knowledge! I also didn’t need the back neck opening in the Farrow probably because the neckline is wide enough to get into it with my narrow head.</p><p dir="auto">After the critical areas at the top, I tend to fit the bust without a lot of ease but skim into more ease at the waist and hem. In this pattern, I cut a size 12 at the bust but it was still a bit loose at the underarm. Then I graded out through size 14 and then 16 on the way down. I think next time I would go from a 10 through a 12 and it would still fit me fine. Of course <em>none</em> of the measurements given for bust, waist and hips in those pattern sizes correspond to my personal body measurements. At all. Happens all the time! Just measure your pattern and make sure it works for you and your desired amount of ease. Use your basic blocks, a similar pattern you’ve already fitted or a garment that fits the way you like it to judge this. The pattern size has nothing to do with your actual body.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpelfxOXgBqKMv0GvtPuCpVUCmSnjCI40NPHpHHlER_CK_oG4m7gJOCtqwfj0BW9_wDbhdRvRZh81hq6LLuuXA0yStsajZQ14tj-YJTLu5mpPh2yuefXbmHCuzVoWGD25OPc3i/s9999/IMG_5552.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="auto">This dress is rather an expensive wearable muslin in linen but it’s still going to be a garment I wear a lot. Next time I make it, it will be different again. I’ll re-draft the facings to have the armholes and neckline in one. The pockets are a little low which I should have taken into consideration because that’s often an issue for me. And the fit is quite loose and flowy and I might like it a little more snug. Kind of depends on the fabric as well. We’ll see but right now I’m done with this one.</p><p dir="ltr">So that’s 3 garments from a 5 metre length of fabric: a jumper (Helen’s Closet York hack) and a dress (Grainline Farrow) for me and a shirt (Thread Theory Fairfield) for Thom. Only tiny scraps left so excellent marks for waste avoidance! Next up there’s the grey version of the same fabric in another Fairfield shirt. After that I still have 2 more garments cut out for me and yet another shirt for Thom. I’m alternating one for him and one for me. Seems fair, no? I’m trying to increase his wardrobe of bespoke garments just like I have mine already. He certainly wears them enough. Appreciation gets you everywhere, hon’!</p><p dir="ltr">And in turn I appreciate Thom’s help chopping up the two buckets of madder root to dry. It took 3 days to finish! I love my Alaskan ulu for this job. These roots are harder than the rhubarb roots were. I was getting blisters.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5xFdgQ2Fx0zok7Si_8pSX_zaLB00OmJH1aeB1zOAczisg64_MLRE-Ise2pxMFQPfYS8Au7SpaPOXs-WLXY8OMZAJ5U9Q471ihz_Sgcd-cMGdpeK_gnIpPHK8gfkI8mp1b6ms/s9999/IMG_5567.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OIDc2YV2uZGMMaDZvTHFrFJx4Q8Fyum3gGtIehuXo4poW2k6ex5zA2R0uQCU5NH5nhdePfahNdLBtm63hTgBWpAYS7Rgr5RDgjZl6veRzZajtqRJQN6FwAleZsSXlo3nSr_D/s9999/IMG_5571.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">Lots more than one dyebath worth this time! The above photo only shows less than a quarter of the total. It was a really excellent production for my wee patch. Whew! This will do nicely for at least 3 years until they grow big again.</p><p dir="ltr">Next year I plan to keep the dye garden simple. Besides the re-planted madder, I have a few weld plants that I left in plus a perennial coreopsis and a clump of dyers chamomile. I’m going to fill most of the rest of the space with Japanese indigo since I have lots of seeds this year and I never really feel that I have enough to do anything with the usual amount. More is better! At least they aren’t quite as ugly as the madder is. Sorry, madder. Love you anyhow! Especially now that I’m done chopping you up into tiny pieces. Mwa-ha-ha!!!</p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-56736083699904141852018-10-24T18:20:00.000-07:002018-10-24T18:21:12.165-07:00West Coastin’<p dir="auto">So I didn’t do very well with the promise to post more often, did I? Naughty damselfly! No excuses but the weather was glorious for the past few weeks. We decided to run away to Tofino for a week or so. It was perfect! The campground in Pacific Rim National Park was stupidly closed (it seems they’re doing some construction) so instead we stayed at Bella Pacifica on MacKenzie Beach. It worked out really well since it was close enough to also enable us to walk into town and to access the Tonquin Trail and Chesterman Beach without having to drive. The campground is pretty rustic. Basically a parking spot in the bush with a plug and a picnic table. The washrooms were unheated and the water tepid. Showers were coin operated too - a pricey $2 for 3 minutes - so we settled for spit baths. At least we had our plug-in heater! The nights were chilly but the days were warm enough for shirtsleeves. Warm enough for the best gelato I’ve ever had at Chocolate Tofino. Mine was Dutch chocolate. Now I want another one. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuF2pdBdx9MODiyVViWiIaIYjxW6b-Yw4gycTO6Lq2FBnaHQJzZCmFJrBXX_A6DlSSRAZU-6ANPx2EZyudBSsRBw6CWTnvRXC7pXxfcG5vYdrqdHlQFTN-xrcXHeaaPTsiN4mW/s9999/IMG_5448.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><p dir="ltr">We had a very relaxing time! And our last night when we were running out of groceries we had an amazingly delicious dinner at SoBo, one of the many fine eating establishments in Tofino. I swear, for a small town of 2000 souls they sure know how to treat the tourists. No wonder it’s crazy busy in summer.</p><p dir="ltr">We also drove down to Ucluelet, just so Tofino’s main rival didn’t feel left out. They have a really nice trail system called the Wild Pacific Trail which we explored. It’s a pleasant forest trail with peek-a-boo views of the ocean and the Amphitrite Lighthouse. There’s also a longer section along the coast that we didn’t explore. Yet. Gotta save something for next time, right?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkjFObpWNqGHvR1-LxVz6mtqZEvyXUhkvLMd4DA8Gr6xT-67iGcQ2BhDWUrZm5qqhd64w-pxgG3bDv_eFJ8TG7xyVm8uQoEr-Cn9zpLRKbhJkck5J4FhzcHdS_SzGIWHYZJSp/s9999/IMG_5454.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">What else? Oh yeah. I spent 2 days digging up my dye garden and harvesting the madder:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fQpD35tHqlJOUfZEuqt_vGVh4lpvHVLXDlEMO3B-he-jzqKB_kA7gNxSXqTNRSNbYx2Am23Er-9_bDY_7QZevhO3UbPQPDV_4exazhFb0ZEHyvI5kyenYwKHcYZEKY3mlP9N/s9999/IMG_5518.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">Two buckets full which is not too shabby for my wee garden strip. I’ve replanted the crowns in a different section this time and they’ll get another 3 years to grow before they get dug up again. Can you tell that it’s pretty easy to tell the madder from other roots. They’re pretty smooth but brittle and bendy and definitely have a reddish colour. If in doubt you just have to break it and see the orange centre. Now I have to dredge up enough energy to wash them all and chop and dry them for storage. Just like the rhubarb root! Sigh. The things I will do just for some natural colour. Madder is one of the very few reds so it’s precious. Too bad the plant itself isn’t one of my favourites. Not particularly attractive, it sprawls all over and attacks you with scratchy leaves and stems when you pass by. I’ve had my revenge now. Mwa-ha-ha!!</p><p dir="ltr">Did I show you Thom’s latest shirt that I finished just before we ran away to the coast? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvVGeky2lIRXeAAUD5fJm_FVAlx66X4oabO-Cp0rBA4hT6P7CRTym22xTK_KzNAHvq0ikz1V1w3sP130dDM4p8rE7anfTvbi-Tcd6vqK6G5VnxLPEgaFtTA51JpjRrPufeRuL/s9999/IMG_5520.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWqotmUuXk1OoaONwC1Wr84HCkQpb6CqoKK2AOzNuVM_aeASY6n1UbwxtIIj1Bqn2kXOJGuW1_zbH64rdO1Y7sYSPeziTITp0zBsMdY_OnzKLNz1XmnfC_VaKY-c9_Iq1urHV/s9999/IMG_5525.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="ltr">It’s the same pale green linen that I made my hacked York Pinafore from. I love that stuff! I still have a Grainline Farrow cut out which is next on my sewing queue. Plus there’s another shirt for Thom in the gray version of this same fabric.</p><p dir="ltr">And in knitting news there is no news except that I haven’t actually finished anything. I have 3 projects going but I seem to be concentrating on the Highland Shawl (actually named the Study Hall Shawl from Knitty):</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7l8a5gUfILkVgCmc-YiaN6qZSFlU1dIN6HO7HEDHZdrQ2paa1BBfku9ppDXf_ytXp7gvJ9AFVOsUJwZt1r-dLgpcP_7tQQ4DDjdJgMPqYm4PpZYTbhmfl-HsENNzDb-1_wf8/s9999/IMG_5514.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">I’m further along than that now. I think the Cloudborn Fibers Highland Fingering yarn in Espresso Heather and Natural that I dyed in smoke bush prunings has a very vintage look to it. I absolutely adore the pattern with it’s graphic designs on a regular triangular shawl. Fun to knit but I do need to finish up the Lacca Laneway Tunic sometime. I’m on Sleeve Island. Yup.</p><p dir="ltr">Also related to knitting, I had a pair of socks that I’m very fond of that are getting thin under the heel. I tried to figure out when I knit these but it predates my Ravelry membership by several years so sometime between 2001 when the pattern was available to the end of 2004 when my more detailed notebooks start. The pattern is <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/prism" target="_blank">Prism by Jaya Srikrishnan</a> and I think I might need to knit another pair someday soon. It uses two colours so good for leftovers in a slipstitched stripe.</p><p dir="ltr">Anyway these socks are about 15 years old! Goodness. Guess they’re worth the mending, huh? I channeled my inner Tom of Holland and his lovely visible mending and got out the darning egg, made for me by my Thom, and went to work:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJJOVD1zklXpZXHB1tOTkSbsrR8GdRu5bI5v-7M3TJ4ekP7w-qNu97bsgiwmTW92Su3ndyBBSA64XMMgWlkY4kHheSiJ0-eZ0OYTkAnGLwe_O6oQc9mk6lLe1qDztaZpwxxtm/s9999/IMG_5528.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">Swiss darning, aka duplicate stitch. It helped that the yarn wasn’t quite worn through so there was a scaffolding to work on top of. I’m not usually one who makes sharp holes in socks, just wear mostly under the heel.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzKQI0o65Z6tLLxIc200_tluRaOeg9SPc0hJA_HvvB9WMlwK-TY7NRICRUQK4LOZO7o3900Z2cEC2mLYIYEfjJIgp_2UPt9yb4ApJvTFPqX2BEsvNkmeralZU2IgrvUSkcO8d/s9999/IMG_5529.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">I also made liberal use of my magnifier light. These older eyes aren’t quite up to tiny stitches without help.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06g-jBcXP-p0ObjLx8Ual9dmXLUdbbADIs6ZJNId_Dnd6A54I9ommlevrNfQD67f3z5HwMK8jtpmOZO6PokcHtH2AGugFPwVh0RtNCSn0XAtMWYbIz1U3hyvXiFGVnxcx9wyi/s9999/IMG_5530.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">I went for similar yarns but not matching since who knows if there’s anything left by now. They’re probably included in my two Ten Stitch Blankets made from sock yarn scraps. Anyway, I think they’ll give me a few more years of wear now.</p><p dir="ltr">So I recently tried to write a post to talk about my Slow Fashion and how it fits with what I’m doing and have basically been doing for decades now. However, it self-destructed. I think this post is much more true in some ways. But I haven’t given up on a theme that I really want to put down in a tangible way. Coming soon. Though I’m not making promises because it seems that will jinx it!</p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-26717655929703566582018-09-27T15:25:00.002-07:002018-09-27T15:27:40.299-07:00A Stitch In Time<p dir="auto">Yep, I’m back already! Promised, didn’t I?</p><p dir="auto">So I went to put on my <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/projects/damselfly/combers-tunic" target="_blank">Combers Tunic</a> this morning and...ruh-roh...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MVGH2AdaD5uKGpFCAZ59oPCudrpP3WhIFZr0xRrIePHVwqPdII-HuJKH3anXScaXNy37X_AXVyqb3thPDxXEtL0MvUDhmPdMpLyL0bzQzbKIvzkC-3vwbpGMCaj0j0AKDmOr/s9999/IMG_5322.jpg"></div><p dir="auto">There was a hole in the front near the hem. It’s not even a year old yet! No idea what happened though it was definitely not a wear spot and I haven’t seen any signs of evil m*ths recently. Especially since I tossed around all my sweaters only a couple of months ago and washed a number of them. It affected at least 2 rows of knitting and was more like a snip or cut and not a snag. Luckily I still have quite a lot of that Cloudborn Fibers Highland Fingering wool left so I was able to duplicate stitch over the ouchie:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpd-dQwGQAy_Rb7p7_hQHaK9-Ya98AwizrRYGDG-LgpMD7UzA_ifQovlKJ5PymfDPAKF594PILmRYoEv3SJR_32jzvngErFVvKq_8goU8KHF5IxWYwfv3LfkPPugBExq_pKu3/s9999/IMG_5323.jpg"></div><p dir="auto">You can’t see it now but only feel it. And who’s going to be feeling up my skirt anyway? <em><snicker!></em> I love this tunic so much and it was such a lot of work to design and knit and some of the yarns dyed by me too. I want to be able to wear it for years to come. Apologies to Tom of Holland but I went for not-so-visible mending.</p><p dir="auto">Slipping back to Monday at Granville Island, we wanted to see at least some of the textile exhibits that are still scattered amongst the shops after the Textile Society of America’s 16th Biannual Symposium that wrapped up last weekend in Vancouver. This gave us a great excuse to wander through some of the shops that we normally pass by. I didn’t take many photos but the highlights for me were in the <a href="https://www.silkweavingstudio.com/events.html" target="_blank">Silk Weaving Studio</a>, these pieces by Amy Putansu:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVHCdnWhGkxWKcIYzKM1jSK648pMbCMolHM_TZEW6LWUE9pJB1SqJIWPbUjGdMqIv7BKLc6fT1YIOOhzIXZQBLdMotIQMEPs1OZIaveHSA141O2eeFoDNVq0C3TK5g6PRUsjm/s9999/IMG_5295.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><p dir="auto">Rayon and barbed wire! And unless you’re a weaver you might not notice that the threads aren’t straight vertically. They were woven on a specially adapted loom with a shaped reed creating a wavy pattern called ondulé. Also indigo dyed. I’d love to know if the barbed wire eventually causes interesting rust stains on the cloth over time.</p><p dir="auto">In <a href="http://www.circlecraft.net/" target="_blank">Circle Craft</a> I fell in lust with this fabulous coat by <a href="http://www.angelikawerth.ca/" target="_blank">Angelika Werth</a>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0TPHG-RMabqflJdry2N_Iao_xHAKi1SyBmx3pX_w4mXLCCutklMTaMJCRls_hNtII6yD8eTbWfUOCWS8YZJafEhXoDi8k9JNSepZFJCLbJr1EgvRAZbFFZ_TcwzoVXuueqKL/s9999/IMG_5294.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="auto">I apologise if it’s somewhat hard to see but its location right by the window made it hard to photograph a dark garment. The fabrics are all recycled wools including tweeds and there are lots and lots of vintage mother-of-pearl buttons and zippers.</p><p dir="auto">In the <a href="https://www.theclothshop.com" target="_blank">Cloth Shop</a> we found a number of pieces by quilter/surface design artist <a href="https://ravensthread.com" target="_blank">Catherine Nicholls</a>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbSogSnIxm32ZhhyXFqD3S_NwV0Eaq3CfaRMY8XDOPqjFVYlxqnJVXbeX-duTQHQF_jKMOzIZxcqtvQMgqCUdOZRmvrrNpOA_wXTaAeuH1ZUp8O-hjc1_LBHdSstmNXpJmDcG/s9999/IMG_5297.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="auto">A through-the-window shot mostly because I was a little uncomfortable taking inside photos in this small shop. These pieces are rust-dyed and machine-stitched and I love the patterning that happens with the rust. It’s not something I’ve explored much but you can tell I’m fascinated with the results, huh?</p><p dir="auto">We also saw beadwork and felting and tapestry and there’s lots more in odd spots like the broom shop, the luthier and a boat charter! We played a game of “Where’s Waldo” with the lovely little quilt by Bonnie Adie that served as a map for the exhibits:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0PfAwpOpccxPIai5boHhSZy7Y6nVvvptwD3rMkqotRXhLU0y9pUAt0NdeX1_SCBSftLbxsp1iD5_tGh3p5KfuTqvQNe7Z7uS4GiVBbY8-i6peN18d7bLklhwhqzm9pML0h_Ks/s9999/IMG_5324.jpg"></div><p dir="auto">We finally located it in the Silk Weaving Studio high on the wall behind one of the looms! Who knew? Glad we were able to visit before the end of the month. Last but not least, there’s another textile exhibit at the Italian Cultural Centre that my Spectrum Study Group plans to visit on a field trip. That show is on until the end of the year though so there’s lots of time.<br></p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-14783350391529389072018-09-25T13:29:00.001-07:002018-09-25T13:29:20.683-07:00Batches<p dir="auto">Hello, my little autumn leaves! How are you? I’m fine but I dunno - am I falling for the Instagram (quick & easy) over the blog (more work & time)? I was hoping not, but judging by the lack of recent blog posts I’m not doing as well as I should be. Bad damselfly. I’ve written to you lots in my head! Just not for reals. Oops.</p><p dir="auto">Anyway, if you’re still with me, the weather has been quite variable for the last couple of weeks. We’ve had sun and rain and more rain and it’s downright chilly unless you’re in the sunshine. My house was 15C (59F) inside this morning. Time to add another layer of blankets on the bed! We’re playing the “how long can we go before we get cold enough to turn up the furnace” game. The sun is bright and warm today though so I should be able to remove my woolies later on! So far I look like this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTx6k8LzNJX2i8L_uAo6bZmhmWttEIsnIx-MeSwOQdSpGQb7i_VGXOmuKGquhjQ32_V03W1P_AiAZmtxEU23JdPsg3DMxraZYwv31dHa9ncY9XG-NV7-cgeSk5ecvU6biuxvts/s9999/IMG_5303.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="auto">But I could seriously add fingerless mitts to the outfit! That’s my Multnomah shawl in handspun yarn dyed in rhubarb roots and leaves, madder and blackberry shoots all from my garden. The James sweater (mine is named Sunny Jim) is also dyed in rhubarb root. (Which reminds me, I still have the rest of a bucket of roots to chop up before they mould or get too hard to cut!) Underneath is my latest make, a modified Helen’s Closet York Pinafore. Oh, you’d like to actually see it?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyv7w9tWkBlEGILGne6gaQM7vwptaYH-jAjpluO8Z0hLQdjlYBBrv2KGsj8oDtvBaLG8VGRT7D7zEyEegLSf9yL9GSnkaNWkmUHh6zJNuyVLA0dLIX7ddMUGyF6eYpoWrLf4-h/s9999/IMG_5310.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSk6AJDb_jKdnsTkabDv4eEjoEd2PJVuan_onbu1m4kR793W9jjW4U1hAzLwVN0Yfkv1g6iUyxu-yJlmDHGb-K1BOneTA1NggLmKbEZPoRkOZW6e-JOG0eR8-1IPcx8s-euuu/s9999/IMG_5307.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="ltr">The fabric is a medium weight linen purchased at Atex awhile back for another Thread Theory Fairfield Button-up shirt for Thom. I wisely bought 5M because it’s a nice colour and a nice weight and mostly so I could have something out of it too! I ended up being able to fit the shirt and a Grainline Farrow with enough leftover to squeeze out this York. I used Helen’s <a href="https://helenscloset.ca/2018/07/09/york-pinafore-hack-spaghetti-straps/" target="_blank">hack for spaghetti straps</a> with a few mods. I didn’t have enough fabric to make full facings so I just made ones for the tops of the bibs and used bias binding to finish the rest. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7mQpjPlowLeG6xE32XUjeZ6iBi94dlMF4twXeOzJxIacotKM_lPPgM01zD3TMO37vvlPZTRr8QlJbpeRCsGmeZUjSEOn9k6kzDG0uN8kWIRe3v4A1IAvk1CGrxcq2FXf3jwD/s9999/IMG_5312.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">Hope you appreciate the weird contortions it took to selfie my fabulous bindings for you! I wasn’t about to remove anything to do it. Cold.</p><p>The results are quite soft and a little floppy but I think it’s ok. The straps are wider (1”) than spaghetti and I had to fudge with the angle at which they are attached before I stopped getting weird folds. My sloping shoulders demand to be accommodated! It took several unpickings and re-sewings before they were reasonably acceptable. One of the 3 garments done and I’ve worn it several times already proving that it doesn’t even wrinkle too badly. Next...</p><p dir="ltr">I was really productive and chopped out about 8 garments in total. I get into a space where I’m working with the patterns or I’m cutting out a bunch or I’m sewing things up in batches. I figure I should just go with what works for me rather than do one item at a time from pattern to sewing up. The only drawback to this method is if I don’t get it made within a reasonable time frame I might not get it made at all. Tastes change. Needs change. Bodies change. Then I’ll be left with chopped up pieces of fabric that are very hard, if not impossible to make anything else out of. Nae sae guid.</p><p dir="ltr">Speaking of sewing, Jannie my new sewing machine and I are getting to know each other better now that I have 4 garments under my belt. I still reach for things in the wrong place occasionally but the muscle memory is starting to stick. I still have that bobbin holder issue but only very rarely and I’m pretty sure it’s operator error and that there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with the machine. At least I’m going with that for now anyway.</p><p dir="ltr">In knitting news, I sadly pulled out quite a large chunk of my Lacca Laneway Tunic when I realised that the skein of lighter mauve was too different from the last one and showed unsightly lines where I shifted over. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjggT80FytjjMFepRbInozqg9GH2c6tXly7qQcIfyfjfDhbHRgoHntJVEjfSILbwKzc86vyqcoPsY2mw2Hl_kJaGE0snOxA7JQ4k5mOmhgQcbj2nsu21DP5K-XFI8lhidRKX7oo/s9999/IMG_5266.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">Unsprisingly it didn’t improve when I continued knitting so I just frogged it or I would have continued to wish that I had done that earlier. I’m nearly back to where I was and it definitely looks better with another more even skein. This is from right after I frogged and got it back on the needles:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLqGEBTCxFHQlxxa4qHE_vmLtvXTa_5TpiXui3ABKviIBk2FTd8ai534-XS9NsexV7FPx_inIeo0_6OAW8yXIEDROost3Nkh8IpBaBoca7RHK-dJT3PPO79jvsl3Z5i9mqV5E/s9999/IMG_5267.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">Don’t have a current photo yet. Have to say, this beast is taking forEVAH to finish. Love it so far however. It’s gonna be worth all the trouble.</p><p dir="ltr">In the garden there’s not a lot of edible stuff left. There’s the scarlet runner beans that perked up once it got cooler. The other beans are toast. I’ve got the second batch of asian greens and lettuce I planted and they’re doing well along with the herbs. I need to plant the garlic bed soon. And dig up and replant the madder once it dies back further. We already got the rhubarb done which I’ve been putting off for a couple of years. I planted 7 crowns back into a larger space so they can grow for the next 3 to 5 years before I have to dig them up again. The rest are going to be used for that lovely soft yellow dye. Here’s what the beautiful big roots look like:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIORIrnFDtvfSp5C08ocBvXf2JBR8MCemtqXsq_6Z6NTXxLKDL0agdkWwdqboWs-WvQ8FwOr7NvqwnI3vJkNeHDVi9YUGYKVKTXsCOWxHKkW6pBGidhJaUmsVMfh33uAlPch5q/s9999/IMG_5293.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">It smells quite nice while I’m chopping, kind of sweet and woodsy. My sweater still retains a little of that scent too. They aren’t too hard, a little softer than carrots, but I have to work on them in reasonable sized batches or my hands get sore. I’m not risking my functionality for some free dyestuff. I’ll just take my time.</p><p dir="ltr">In other news I have a report on some of the textile exhibits that we were able to see on Granville Island. These were in conjunction with the Textile Society of America conference that just wrapped up here in Vancouver. However, this is getting long and I need to get back to the choppy-choppy thing. Next post will be sooner rather than later. Promise.</p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-32267836822118975842018-09-04T18:03:00.001-07:002018-09-04T18:03:57.780-07:00Moving Along<p dir="auto">Well, goodbye August and hello September! And, August, don’t let the door hit you on the way out, eh? Can’t say I’m sorry to see you go with your excessive heat and smoke. Hopefully September will be an improvement. Besides being my favourite month in the whole calendar, it’s usually the time we go on vacation. But not this year. We’re staying home this month. Good thing we had a great vacation back in February and March, huh? Or I might be more inclined to leave than I am right now.</p><p dir="auto">Speaking of the smoke/ground level ozone pollution, it certainly was bad enough, when combined with the high temperatures and no rain to speak of, to do some damage my vegetable garden. The cucumbers, squash and bush and pole beans were particularly susceptible:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpSYfNdg_o3Arxnrx8fbG-effDYQO999DnKOjnGxvg8oqn09J3RzwjZ_6IxbbZa-4zMndHQC4stja1CaZTKDK4UcsEY_EuoUjhHPpF0w3feohnwTXkfhVdHpPAfYzq7zK5C5T_/s9999/IMG_5221.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">Interestingly, the scarlet runner beans look just fine although they didn’t set much fruit while it was still hot.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cJ2X2wtwBzYeq-JBU6xRDLOsZKAvCal6BKM4AqrAAuTLBmq9c9qF_NGAKq1LJt5Du1MdFccqOcGgXhlH4v-Uxc59bIY1mBil3qiv8uGkoeaPXDm1np4ym_mxj6vRw_cfNWa5/s9999/IMG_5222.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">They’re just coming back now that the skies are clear and it’s cooled down. It’s been lovely to get back out into the garden again. There was a lot of work waiting for me now that I’m not so likely to melt into a pile of goo!</p><p dir="auto">That goes for my studio too. My new sewing machine and I have been getting to know each other. The jumping bobbin case issue hasn’t gone away entirely but it has only happened once more since the last time I whined about it. Which leads me to believe that it’s possibly newbie operator error as suggested by the dealer. I hope because I have no desire to drag it back into them only to be told there’s nothing wrong with the machine.</p><p dir="auto">So I made three garments, all out of the same cotton/poly french terry in navy:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOCGOBgqVmbSbtTuI4DF-WdDWX94p8BqfyNe6mmvlldSjH2LjrYQBrMOvFIA8O9Bp4jSBElQ9DJwppbydv5qjgyZxwM_iWfQa9GqAR7tvq2Ka4l6yFPbSdByX55EgFUQErBVx/s9999/IMG_5224.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvltRUyQ0QX-241kQBVJq2zhxuIV5gNlX-xURUufiSAbN8Ws9Lu5FFuDNRtVGLRDUj4P6JEHSI2jJkG2OaP9f2qzt1P_oQ_dG2uRH_qQZsFeH8jKn4yXutnDJUyLkstXu_mzIS/s9999/IMG_5225.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5csqbj15Y788rUNU0ZN3xBjA4PLZa8qq9-LH_IS_eOWjJd2F3BnN4aTPeuiv82DZ9QdTsXzbBF0m1zh8vUsb1cWLE_3tjoHllAJfMG-m06Y2O30z_d251mzrZLv4bCj8xw4vJ/s9999/IMG_5232.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="ltr">The pockets and neckline on the top (B6492 Katherine Tilton) are scraps from the tie-dye leggings I made last year. The pants are my TNT boot-cut pants long-ago traced from a favourite bought pair. The skirt is a new self-drafted pattern and I think it might need taking in just a little on the sides and the hem pegged a wee bit more. Which repair I need to get around to very soon or it won’t happen.</p><p dir="ltr">The top turned out better than I thought it would. I did my usual mods of sloping narrow shoulders and took 1.5” off the sleeve length. I had issues with the fabric being heavier than recommended so the top-stitching I thought I wanted didn’t look good at all and I had to pick it out. Luckily I had only done the curved front seam but it was 2 rows of stitching! Then I had to pick off the first pocket because the pattern markings were incorrect and I put in on backwards. Grrrr... Somehow nobody else has mentioned this issue? The tops of the points on the pocket and the side front piece are opposing instead of matching when they are aligned correctly and the notches do <em>not</em> match. Should not be. Not to mention the raw or exposed serging on the pocket edges. Not. I finished them off though the double-layered pocket, even with the lighter tie-dye knit on the top was still pretty thick and heavy. Could have been one layer instead. Next time, if there is one, I’ll try something different. </p><p dir="ltr">Another issue is that the sleeves are quite narrow fitting. They’re fine for me and my skinny arms (and actually matched my personal block quite well) but if you have more “normal” arms you might find them a little restrictive in a not-quite-so-stretchy knit. In the end however, I actually like my top and may even make another sometime. I’ve definitely made notes of where I need to pay attention.</p><p dir="ltr">Now I need to figure out what to sew next. I have fabric. I have patterns. And I have a new sewing machine! There’s shirts for Thom who needs them desperately for winter. I see a marathon cutting-out session coming on. </p><p dir="ltr">In other news, I finally bit the bullet and tried to rescue my mouldy (and now attracting flies) indigo pot. If you’ll cast your mind back to the end of July, I picked my Japanese indigo and attempted to extract the dye by fermenting it in a bucket to take advantage of the hot weather. That part worked well but the trouble came when I added soda ash to make it alkaline. I didn’t add enough. I needed more than I was used to since the fermentation made the vat very acidic. It didn’t separated out so I could remove the liquid and dry the pigment. It just went weird instead. Not realising what had actually happened I just left it. For a month.</p><p dir="ltr">Finally, after reading John Marshall’s book some more, I tried again. I had to filter out the mould. Yuck. And then added lye (a higher pH than soda ash) and thiourea dioxide (thiox) and heated it up on the dye stove to 50C. It actually reduced! Although it was still weird:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GCyvQyV9q07PMNocnIaM7xMFqpOLxdOfqRS8m74fjH7ENNP7hk8yrm4mRwT9M2384m8eXCqJaCbUEp_YJhcdevWCWlCSskqcxiCCYzTqVpUmnjSQTyH8ONgu_kjrbENF1bnS/s9999/IMG_5207.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">Full of bits (which came out on the vintage t-shirt I threw in) but eventually washed away or disappeared. Perhaps I should have waited a little longer before putting the t-shirt in? Dunno. After 6 dips the t-shirt had quite a nice shade of medium blue:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpY0f7yTSgAzHDs-M_Ql9q_Sw4rQHmJeFIuwKxusqc2EYXUDeCYAgSaXs4prY1EgEBS0-DTf-_3H9KkHrOD_fns_RwkL7f6FnN2qw9o6b6H8qRPIBkpVlr5SEkKHIlJWXBY-9h/s9999/IMG_5210.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">I’m quite pleased. At least I finally used my precious carefully nurtured indigo and it didn’t go to waste. That would be, like, a mortal sin or something, right? I’ve even worn the t-shirt a bunch of times since. I call that success. Next year I want to grow a larger plot of indigo. The fermentation thing worked well until I screwed up. Now I know what I did wrong. If I can keep my indigo pigment (or even sludge) and combine it together enough to make a more intense vat I would be very happy. But that’s for next year.</p><p dir="ltr">Moving right along...</p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-4475923452384613192018-08-28T15:15:00.001-07:002018-08-28T15:15:47.405-07:00Janome HD5000 & A Long Story<p dir="auto">Sounds like a quidditch-playing wizard’s new broom model, doesn’t it? Heh. As I mentioned last time, I was finally ready to give up on my venerable Pfaff. We were starting to have irreconcilable differences, she and I. It was time to look for a new love...er, sewing machine. But what make and model? I applied my google-fu ninja skillz.</p><p dir="auto">First I wasn’t sure whether I wanted a mechanical or a computer machine. I kept flipping back and forth during a whole two days of online investigation. Note that my Pfaffs (both sewing machine and serger) are basically mechanical machines. I’m not at all afraid of computers but I do know how easily they can go out of whack. I wanted a machine that would hopefully last for the rest of my sewing life and not need to be serviced every 5 minutes. On the other hand, computer sewing machines have lots of nifty bells and whistles that the mechanicals just don’t have: automatic needle up or down, tacking at the beginning and end of seams, more stitch and buttonhole options, memory to save settings, etc. Some of those would be nice to use, but since I’ve been sewing without them for 60 years or so, I deemed them not especially necessary.</p><p dir="auto">It wasn’t easy to find a relatively basic but not too simple sewing machine! So many of the machines today are made for quilting and embroidery. Perhaps perfect for an art quilter but I’m mainly a garment maker and don’t need 300 fancy stitches. I didn’t even use half of the ones I already had on my old Pfaff! And can one really trust online reviews to be accurate and non-biased? What I was actually looking for seemed like the proverbial unicorn. You can do all the research in the world but sometimes you just have to jump in the deep end. </p><p dir="auto">Of course, being an old Pfaff ffan, I first looked at their current models. My nearest sewing machine store is a Pfaff dealer but they still haven’t gotten with the 21st century and don’t have a website. Doh. I think they also carry Janome and BabyLock but since I’ve never had very friendly service there (even though that’s where I bought my original Pfaff 40 years ago and my serger 10 years ago), I skipped them entirely. Also Pfaffs are no longer made in Europe and they are just part of the same company as Singer and Husqvarna/Viking. Meh. <span>I also didn’t want a Bernina, even though there are those who sing their praises from on high. Too rich and too fussy for my taste.<br></span><br>So finally I checked out Janome. It’s a Japanese company with their machines made in either Japan or Taiwan. Good overall reviews. And best of all, they had several models that would fulfill my criteria. I found out that the largest Canadian dealer is <a href="https://www.toews.com/" target="_blank">Toews Sewing</a> in Abbotsford, an hour+ drive from me and lo and behold, they had a sale on the HD5000 model! So we went for a drive. Big shout-out to Alayna who gave me great advice and service, not to mention a deal on all the extra feet, needles and bobbins that I bought along with my machine. She even looked through her parts suppliers to see if replacement feed-dogs were available for the old Pfaff. (As I thought, the answer was sadly no.)</p><p dir="auto">So here is the HD5000:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlqTO7a01vZIdRThZKddw6NnEMm2feln3Aj9knYcwde8gqOhL9Pm-5tQc2tYoudI7cUbJ7JHgp3O62ZcFnNKwSq2kDa1gDm4wXroQ8mZ0c8XUtlOq3KpVDj8R6qt3fDfxyScl/s9999/IMG_5187.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">A mechanical heavy-duty sewing machine with an aluminum body underneath all the plastic. It’s heavy and powerful. Only has 18 stitches but all the ones I use regularly and at least one more that I’ve always wanted. Also a single one-step automatic buttonhole, a built-in needle threader, 7 feet included (and I bought several more just because I could!), a free arm, a hard cover and everything fits in the body of the machine:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAXs5UCXFTebW1KG1dYkFJgFbgG6wNruYv-cfSXbbfzv8Q4zpMnQiSlwhMXxIWTVGbbii4QGonCJBIiZDExPrOVqDIAFOOS9qndNUHCpar49uV2cDWkivr6GLzOPD9wRuLHcc/s9999/IMG_5199.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGKvY9oaeL-He4RlOiu8KdZsQY30POPSjiP72gV7vg1PI856-q8iG60l46tfURQh5g2g5Bk0xuhT43iLa5SfNsGELCfbC9XPxdf43WrfZkG6-KMxybNk0TbwlrUDuTFlbFnFf/s9999/IMG_5200.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">The inside of the lid has all the stitches and their settings for easy reference. The manual (which I checked out online before heading to the store) is basic and has clear illustrations which I definitely prefer rather than photos. However, it was missing info on how to set up for twin-needle sewing so I remembered to ask Alayna about it. Easy-peasy. The only things my old machine has that this one doesn’t are the Pfaff’s patented IDT (built-in walking foot) and an automatic needle up (on the Pfaff you press down on the presser foot lever to raise up the needle to its highest postition and to bring up the bobbin thread). I’m still working on remembering to use the flywheel to raise the needle manually! The Janome’s 7-part feed dog has very positive traction so I don’t miss the IDT foot at all but just in case I also got a regular mechanical walking foot:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5ZEkbJ5mpPEXuE200aXtP9XXcKRYAfBiX4nfvxha0jDhuTCxv6kGH8z65KM-SeUJoUFv2EqUW-u0JtxbquYtMOQrdRcE8gsiUdStMy6aGt9i0gOgW60tn61TkPGmXmxSOKrW/s9999/IMG_5203.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">That’s the big beast on the right along with the rest of the extra feet I indulged in. I haven’t used any of those yet! I’m also still waiting on a button foot and a straight-stitch foot and throat plate which are on order. Why not, eh? My sewing pleasure is worth it, right? And you’re going to laugh: the whole package ended up costing no more than my Pfaff did 40 years ago! And less than half what a comparable level of computer machine would be.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfc7-NtlFeJ5pUIV4wdTPvn5l2Ny3nezMVfzEDm84X9tizy2Ad_4yTwjtT_UAyQBPoxd_OFcAZ2r6iPQr7hlBcO2Z8WRK1u6Hjt7aEedW4fYekAy0Jr82Gc2LP0WmZDQMmyJbf/s9999/IMG_5202.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="ltr"><br><span>Now for the not-so-good news - there’s an issue with my new machine. Sigh. </span><span>Hopefully it’s easily fixable. The top-loading bobbin is totally new to me. It’s very easy to use but for some unknown reason, the holder/basket/cup/thingy that the bobbin sits in pops out of position occasionally while I’m sewing. It’s done it several times and now I know exactly what’s happening right away and can stop and fix it. However it shouldn’t happen at all!</span><span> I have an email message in to Alayna and I’m waiting for her reply on whether there is something we can do remotely or whether I need to bring the machine back in. Apparently they use these machines in schools and prisons (!) and demo them sewing through 10 layers of denim and shoe leather so obviously they are tough beasts! Wouldn’t </span><span>it just </span><span>figure that I’d get one with a problem? Yeesh.</span></p><p dir="ltr">Meanwhile, I’ve already sewn a pair of stretch boot-cut pants and a skirt in navy poly/lycra french terry. It was exciting to use fun things like the lightning stitch, a twin-needle and the hem-stitching foot on real projects. I still have a top in this same fabric to sew and then I’ll let you see the results. These garments were already cut out so I just dove into them. Otherwise I might have chosen something in a woven to sew first. But I plan to throw everything at her eventually! I’d ask you to cross your fingers for me that the naughty bobbin holder is easily fixed but then you would find it hard to knit or sew. And that would just be mean! So think positive thoughts for me and Jannie instead, OK? Thank you.</p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-88796705667392733462018-08-26T18:51:00.001-07:002018-08-26T18:51:47.764-07:00A New Friend<p dir="auto">Hello! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? The Fambly Campout wasn’t exactly a bust but a majority couldn’t make it due to illness and scheduling conflicts. Bummer. Those of us left made the best of it although the weather was mostly cloudy with the occasional glimpse of orange sun thanks to the smoke from all the wildfires. It wasn’t pleasant to hike in so we only had a short 5k up a mountain and back down again. The Littlest Grandbeastie was a bit bereft when her cousins couldn’t make it. She went swimming:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUFGHd9G_mu_5s2OSp09WYJ3fT3OfC1Er6ZwQ0zew8RgUoQ_I1lR6ecJtNpG1f5m78ruoPNMhajg4MGlxqQwuheqeQQTXNKZdP56y9mM1BxNz5Bm62M9-ghVe7NVcLKZBGW7x/s9999/IMG_5168.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">And found some other kids to play with while the rest of us relaxed. Maybe next year will be better than this?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyN1ahULfHsFUuHcoUX1bIBZ5ij5S-iCdr0sbGoBLNyYRDbjbeXe4GdkIx65Yrb1zve3rBCbXHVSw69ppqPLIHEdBI-0_98Wtyq1_q1frDx3n2uUY6-hJ-VEtzQQe5shNVjnUf/s9999/IMG_5166.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">Meanwhile, I finally finished Thom’s Manly Short Socks:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUkx1jz4-MhAKuUFXM0O6hrSXbDrqXwbT4RC9Xsv3BN4JeXU-JJeAzF2zh0qFp2ZziIdZRBNQ1htNTi8LJqONHNKgdPdk7y4-5KJtaREu00yHA9cBbVfhx76twIJBOudaKJyl/s9999/IMG_5180.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">Yes, they are definitely purple. He picked the yarn! It’s Zitron Trekking Pro Natura, 75% superwash wool/25% bamboo. The pattern is my usual top down socks with a short cuff right before the heel flap. He wanted these to wear for comfort in his shoes without looking like he’s wearing socks:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1uLHf3zYy5UbEqrhXFHwevjC650NkmdiR5bsjPgoRssKr5U5aihVM4BxdOU3OyyZuXhTN7OOxyDZFBLQoPdtU-ColNYRUkrSwR1GW0GxFyLwBG-6b20maU_Z__VeGJU1_PtP/s9999/IMG_5181.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">Seems to work pretty nicely and he likes them a lot. Now naturally he wants a second pair! Although since the weather has changed and we’ve had some actual rain and cooler temperatures recently I think the pressure is off for the time being. I will knit him another pair eventually so at least he can have one to wear while the other is being washed. It’s only fair, right?</p><p dir="ltr">Anyway, you might have noticed the title. Here is my new friend that I alluded to:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhee7enepSidREjOn9491-AssAQ4eUiOfDwJRdzgtSbvGRVxQw1lCCMRmI_kH5s9ps-h4UoaOqUIbThkSW8yvCBIhuLNPgjZenbriLsQ6zxHRYoweGFC9FP4Ms-9evdco8qd3AC/s9999/IMG_5189.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">Yes, I bought a new sewing machine! My poor 40-year-old Pfaff was developing issues that just couldn’t be fixed. There are sadly no parts available anymore for love nor money. The feed-dogs are worn so much that fabric doesn’t feed through properly and the tension is impossible to balance. Not to mention the foot pedal that overheats and runs mad. I’ve been loyal for so long and put up with the increasing difficulties but it finally dawned on me that I could <em>actually</em> buy a new sewing machine. Who’d a-thunk? More on Jannie (that’s her name) in the next post. And obviously she is not a Pfaff.<br></p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-34337847347723048462018-08-13T19:08:00.003-07:002018-08-13T19:08:28.568-07:00Finally Some FOs<p dir="auto">We’ve had a bit of a respite from the intense heat over the last few days. It even sprinkled enough so I didn’t have to water as much! However along with the clouds we’ve had haze from lots of fires and the occasional smell of smoke. Not fun. The air quality is really bad. This seems to be a summer trend now and not a trend I wish to continue. A number of our nearby fires especially could have been prevented if people weren’t so appallingly stupid and careless. Grrr...</p><p dir="auto">On a happier note, I’ve actually managed to finish a few projects. First up the <a href="https://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6360" target="_blank">Trillian In Linen</a> Shawl, pattern by Martina Behm.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozSV-WeqatAKgZndgbkT0mEH2C7lbFo5UvC1pZ13Qhc9UwCcezSogWSDgXisLQCIfSLzPDz_X-QTyxt1fFyYoe3TsRgqiIBIupyUFfKDKJI3LtxR_RK42-ZwzWvssfSzxTg1Q/s9999/IMG_51411.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="auto">The yarn is Prism hand-dyed Euroflax Laceweight in colourway Kilimanjaro. Matches my dress and my glasses! Heh. I originally began a different shawl but decided that the pattern was too busy for this variegated linen so frogged and began again with Trillian which is mostly simple garter stitch and shows off the yarn much better. The shape ended up a long narrow asymmetrical triangle which I quite like. It was a bit tricky to block though:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-qdzBUUpkUTQZfxhx_oO9hlqdsJMNhbkT0MY7BE6PDszO4Lr0VxsHhqjh8fSM2e_zDNDydGe-BPpKVOgOUToUlqhGV82NlkIMrX-EMFuzKM9ncVIgG2y469eW0gBCIGpmIzm/s9999/IMG_51410.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><p><br></p><p dir="auto">I had to use more blocking wires than I expected. It ended up a shawl/scarf hybrid!</p><p dir="auto">Now that shawl is finished I still have 3 knitting projects on the go:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50iY-nhlDBlaDwFwAslXObSRwe4s08ovEChXXL8KToAjoqiCNa4iRj0mmu7NAJVf0NZ3hku1kiBi4Q31kM3Vrd99rvNU5ArMOtyotV7RlPwVkltJdO0E8xz08N1piIsWc2Y9e/s9999/IMG_51512.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">On the bottom of the pile is my Lacca Laneway tunic, on the right is the Deciduous pullover and on the left are the short socks for Thom. Priority is the socks because there’s only a limited time left with weather warm enough for him to wear them. Which of course means the other two sweaters are patiently waiting their turn. No hurry. I have a plethora of sweaters. Assuming it ever gets cold enough to need one. Did I just contradict myself there?</p><p dir="auto">I was so happy when it cooled off a little that I finally felt like getting back up to the not-quite-so-much-sweat shop. Caught up on a heap of ironing, a little mending and finished these three garments that have been languishing since last summer. First the <a href="https://www.heyjunehandmade.com/product/lane-raglan/" target="_blank">Lane Raglan</a> t-shirt turned into a tunic:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjh5fu0VcWA9rukWfuCjuFzRa_y8YtlbeQp0rckN-su4AUNLqdVLjrvhoHg5NQeCHCKDjQ7FSsS7QHkno5RROYDMOjNOdTfhLPsviyrhcrc_Wyu5uHOBs1HYbocS-p8BFPOtC/s9999/IMG_5169.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p dir="auto">Then a <a href="https://www.mariadenmark.com/2012/05/kimono-t-shirt-pattern-free/" target="_blank">Kirsten Kimono tee</a> and the ruched capri leggings from <a href="https://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6360" target="_blank">McCall’s 6360</a>. Here I’m wearing them with my denim <a href="https://helenscloset.ca/product/york-pinafore-pdf-pattern/" target="_blank">York Pinafore</a>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4mfvPW4a9-Xf3Tp2SNDqUOE1XbKY1AK5g1m0k8GQsObFH9kfB6aFXdAUpfdb2waKgtIWThrW5tIuWZXBAM3ANRjrMX71mQuwEqDH6xIdtVRhDJU5Ex0gMk9SC4BVNMlxWXIg/s9999/IMG_5168.jpg" width="550" height="733"></div><p><br></p><p dir="auto">These are all TNT patterns and basics in my wardrobe. (And you might notice how many indy patterns I’m starting to use instead of Big 4.) The fabric is a fairly lightweight cotton/lycra baby rib in a very bright orange-red. (Umm, yes, I love orange. Why do you ask?) I cut these garments out last year but didn’t get around to sewing them up before we went away on our September vacation. Glad to finally get them off my checklist! Not sure what I’ll be sewing next. I’m going to have to go through the stash to remember what I had planned.</p><p dir="auto">But first we’re going away again for a few days. It’s the annual Fambly Campout this coming weekend so packing will be top of my mind for the next couple of days. I still have garden produce to deal with too before we go anywhere. I’ve been dehydrating tomatoes and making bean pickles but there are still more waiting. Looking forward to a bit of a holiday again but I know with the Grandbeasties around it’s not going to be much of a rest! A lot of fun though.</p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-86985641835843459472018-08-10T16:26:00.002-07:002018-08-10T16:27:57.635-07:00Magical Mystery Tour Report<p dir="auto">OK, I now understand why Instagram is becoming way more popular than blogging. Because it’s so much quicker and easier! No trying to marshall your thoughts and match them to your photos. No linking information or hunting down details. Oh dear. Am I getting lazy? Maybe my brains have just melted away into a pile of goo. It’s certainly been hot enough! I don’t do well in the heat. I just want to sit there quietly and read a book and drink copious amounts of liquid. No action. No thinking. But you want to know the details, right?</p><p dir="auto">So where was I? Oh yeah, we were taking off on a seniors’ tour with Thom’s mom. She very kindly invited us even though she knows it isn’t really our thing. Not that we aren’t seniors, because we definitely are! But we still prefer to travel on our own, go where we want, stop when we wish, sleep in our own bed and eat our own food most of the time. However, the chance to go places we hadn’t been before without any responsibilities sounded like fun! And it was - to a point. There were a few glitches though. I’m not naming the tour company but if you live locally you could probably figure it out. Some glitches were unavoidable but some could have been handled better. That’s all I’m sayin’.</p><p dir="auto">Anyway, the trip we chose mostly consisted of a lot of ferry/bus/boat/bus/ferry kind of thing. Luckily I really love the water and the BC coast is just incrediblly beautiful. The weather was really cooperative too and for a miracle it wasn’t too hot at all, except on the last of the four days. Day One we headed up the Sunshine Coast with a stop in Gibsons:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LOB-wikePhHB7UI5ZNwylSvjrv0Pz6sxP0yPmc-M_VFYAcYZqdGnwBHQVN2pOI4bJk3DM_bP6yEbuHvud5PfIsgP0PJnZH0imrpIlwr_CAfoHlmO0L7dm5FmHcsRbwevZFER/s9999/IMG_5048.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><p><br></p><p dir="auto">BTW there’s a great dress shop in Gibsons called <a href="https://www.laughingoyster.ca" target="_blank">Swish</a>. Lots of my kind of clothes! Mom and I oggled them but didn’t buy anything. Then we had lunch and a walk in Sechelt:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWRV0FAdLnNsqeaiqFUYakBAxIkDZ3fobIjMAjO8D8XKkg-XHZ8i61jojp34E-z1WbKMPL6PFVsyQngB-MJ7m9Ez4H_gi3O12RmZxMoUA8dqOjSL7F6I9hO3ZpdhyphenhyphenwJAI87gL/s9999/IMG_5050.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><p dir="auto">Another ferry and more driving past Powell River up to the end (or beginning) of Highway 101 at Lund:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9nohkUAsCXUtd-qRCHxyOS3D0fY9jyJgSaCvKnrzpFTT0HlWpfNceGGmUAfRuQihqDx_r5DRPu10VH-3pbRKAGkcD81qJlk3OQZ35n-nO4ZeNioRAH2SpMhTTvygGDqnRsOJ/s9999/IMG_5061.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhEasrRxWZ1AY4z2OEr8zCp01cct0jZpbbAe8g44iyYxAAWXln5lm-8JtzgMpLdgE5q_qz-jB72moV5TW9Z_tJo2rVrtqU85e6bZAQRkPV2B2m84zHssNNwxzoI70d6Z4QGT0c/s9999/IMG_5060.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><p dir="ltr">Supper at the <a href="https://www.laughingoyster.ca" target="_blank">Laughing Oyster</a> was fantastic! We overnighted at the historic Lund Hotel which was also very nice and recently renovated.</p><p dir="ltr">Day Two didn’t quite go as planned. Our bus driver wasn’t able to catch the two ferries that he needed to get to Cortes Island to pick us up so our boat tour up Desolation Sound ended up taking a detour. Here are the two boats (ours is the closest one, the <a href="http://www.pristinecharters.com" target="_blank">Carrousel</a>, and the second is the <a href="http://beyondtheroad.com" target="_blank">Agate Pass</a>):</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTniSkW3C9oQp-HNggMszs_qTqqAiyv8NkCZpoEhkrXfYxtq35GkzK8C43ISEgitEVDgTXLqqlgC_ATngi32SpEgBOZ2gvRoSTJC7AlGSkjvcJxebChofAd0KbVorOzodDS_R/s9999/IMG_5068.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">And that’s our yummy lunch being carried by our skipper and his wife to be stowed for later. Even if the cruise was longer and we only got a glimpse of Desolation Sound it was still a lot of fun.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElN_nXgXL9HKqKzz2rHqRzUQx0IzV-eOpy2luTCepmm9JscpYMkyB16wlkqLBWes0y1jAFvSKO_kDlmm08wdcC5Eh3YrBwBA3emivjMk3dtpKDx3rLMcmX_aisNhnQGnPv8v-/s9999/IMG_5076.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><p dir="ltr">We saw plenty of sea birds, seals, eagles and finally whales! No photos of the whales because I was too busy watching them. Oops. Lunch was onboard with both boats anchored in Gorge Harbour:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrB-5S2qmw36Ui8zKm2mFXKnfH-AXJs2CBzBcdOnwpxyuw7oXXrWPRvo1VksO5PwjJhaf69k9Ly1VEtmUGOxeD6XtA8QQ2HXHaDTYXtfN0TIAWuRLYSCtTXZjZNaj4EBsB8cBw/s9999/IMG_5079.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><p dir="ltr">It’s a narrow entry but opens up into quite a large bay. This is only a corner of it:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLeiwFkHIFw-9Geyc4ztruk1hlDjqaBU9aHNwAWnjY0f-xFfmZyhx8_Ddh1NegXByZ8Uk8958qqTYvOCenpW19q64sGhSd3MISTT7xyvQI-ZaUaxbXJzBDPWKbZ6pedx_egSJ/s9999/IMG_5080.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><p dir="ltr">After lunch we got serious and headed for Quadra Island’s Herriot Bay where our bus finally managed to meet us and took us to our lodge at <a href="http://www.nuyumbalees.com/directions.html" target="_blank">Tsa-Kwa-Luten</a>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5QTeEd4veFtpOlMwzS8hvxvl9JRazzJVP6M_RtWGzAepJB-GT8W0Kv1Tza1qfvnuKrRVWcWgKmUSXDldKxqXodQDTkluy1l0bOqkHodSHGZmMM0H7yIC9odClacLbOM9JI4Y/s9999/IMG_5084.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><p dir="ltr">Every room has a view of the water and Campbell River across the strait.</p><p dir="ltr">Day Three took us to the island’s outdoor Saturday market instead of to the <a href="http://www.nuyumbalees.com/directions.html" target="_blank">Nuyumbalees Cultural Centre</a> in Cape Mudge village. It was unfortunately closed due to the death of a chief which we totally understood. We did get to see the petroglyph stones that have been relocated there from the beach in front of our lodge not far away:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTc0SU_0GjEWZW6TO1aRxcahSwUuD-G8wIZS2DFCw_uPI725VrDNAPMQckx_nnKCJVrxd5mg9KmyNC_2ExbT7rBZ92b6gUVwhydYGYn6XBE9gKYTnAEPuJwvTXnsETj2nMYyu/s9999/IMG_5100.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGQAxu-4sbP94S2v1EsgFpMFN8EweGQIBLBw-96HPLrGxu51his7msfuJB-WqhOZ30SUVaa0AGeWFGulhMSNxN7fz3a_kJ36T9N_Yna8BGONsAbfoCzf_JQPa7FEA5EnPAiiv/s9999/IMG_5099.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZuWAN97Xf7A30FIX8HaiYMlmCY6kNVhG-m7vi65ncjjWjHIBnYAqWHKI3BNcPHnx4Ci08qtmGaaDzEdvOFzQSlqa2mscIPMV5AR6BZveZBVe6oyjHfPcuswEG3ti5d8Vjc8HH/s9999/IMG_5096.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuSYma7xX9028xYm4dro7pQrof5Th7U8iQbaEDl0dTGeII5mKUBhjP5ig62GKk5rDWTv9jzst2VUagE6-5Ny69MIz4PfRxNejrXAUOipk9B9x40FDhL4Hta1xvRJMKsfNvCoA/s9999/IMG_5098.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><p dir="ltr">You know how I loves me some petroglyphs! These are all faces and are around 3000 years old. Some have been re-pecked into the rocks several times over the millennia. There are lots of petroglyph rocks still on the beach but the images are much harder to see after waves and weathering. Also the beach is uncomfortable cobblestones to try to walk on. I was glad these were available so I didn’t have to trust my balance and the tide!</p><p dir="ltr">We stopped at Rebecca Spit for our picnic lunch. It gets quite narrow:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAXGZnHWm2pYfUcOqb3N-EYIo_UzwRpI9iW475sOBt8IOlwQqI91LbtPGTe-TaH7pRkG2pBHSnEtxbHyxUd8TtI70g5o5KJZu8MkNIHotMcUNE1rl5cmxKPKqcw6vTlG6wr4B/s9999/IMG_5101.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><p dir="ltr">It was lovely to finally get a good walk in around the tip of the spit where we watched the ferry heading to Cortes Island where we were supposed to have been the day before.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfoWKgnjXBSI4dfQa3qXp1zDReTWzNNeYLIVrXPwGNjvafWWQMr4x7T2lCGwyDVj0nV5gGzMHp2L8obZO02Zxp7dYVTYxLU7CcwXttaK7q0y7IUKywpKV05MN6-yyqV3sB0_f/s9999/IMG_5104.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><p dir="ltr"><br>Later after dinner at Tsa-Kwa-Luten we got in another walk to the Cape Mudge Lighthouse:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qSGhZA6GuwVphSlYW1IbQ8iiLrtxGI-SwI7F2HE0tJWL6nocer-ylVl2je5mcaUGIk9zr4KDH7flNJ4tE6I0WXLgh90KlM6va_K87A5krsjr2xIKaMiduVfbByKqZFK_ugT2/s9999/IMG_5110.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">And then further down the beach trail to the private campground associated with the lodge. We could come back here sometime in our van which would be fun and explore Quadra Island some more. There’s a lot we didn’t get to see.</p><p dir="ltr">Day Four was the long trip home. The ferry to Campbell River, lunch in Qualicum Beach, down to Nanaimo and the ferry again to Horseshoe Bay. The tour manager and the bus driver opted to avoid the Pride Parade traffic by going over the Workers Memorial Bridge instead which made the ride much longer, especially when they took the, ahem...scenic tour. Those of us in the back of the bus were getting quite silly by the time we got to our starting/ending point at VanDusen Gardens. I was super glad to finally get home. There’s a reason why I schedule our personal travel days to usually not more than 5 or 6 hours! That’s plenty but this was more like 10 hours on the road/water/hanging about in ferry terminals. I was pretty impressed at how well they all held up (except perhaps the tour manager!) considering Thom and I were probably the youngest passengers.</p><p dir="ltr">Told you it was going to be a Magical Mystery Tour! And it was.</p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-39520413707697585112018-08-01T20:53:00.000-07:002018-08-01T20:54:08.118-07:00Magical Mystery Tour<p dir="auto">Just a quick one to say we’re off on an adventure tour with Thom’s 90 year old mom for four days. This will be our first experience travelling in guided air-conditioned style with other seniors! (Ackk! Are we that old?) We’re heading up the BC coast to Lund, Quadra Island and Desolation Sound where we’ve never been before. It’ll be fun! Lots of boats and ferries and buses. Oh my! Will post if I can. You never know what the wifi is like in these places but I’ll do my best.</p><p dir="auto">Of course we worked our butts off to be able to leave. Watering, watering, and even more watering. Picking produce. Tring to do something useful with said produce. Thank heavens the garden is finally slowing down a little! Though I did plant some more baby Asian greens that are being watered with a sprinkler on a timer. I hate to leave my babies without supervision but what can you do?</p><p dir="auto">So I finally finished Thom’s cargo shorts. It was a struggle and I probably broke at least 8 needles on this darned impermeable linen canvas. I sewed slowly and took advantage of all the super power in my vintage Pfaff. Even my CoverStyle serger held up once I got a big enough needle in it. There were a few issues with the <a href="https://wardrobebyme.com/products/cargo-shorts-sewing-pattern" target="_blank">pattern</a> from Wardrobe By Me that didn’t quite resolve as neatly as I would like. Might just be me not understanding or missing an instruction somewhere? I would change a few things next time anyway. But he loves them!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi389gTKZ6pxSsN-5l7bloU8NrYrX6DEvQ-zEANjxF2CzqhbkKZ7FkvcUN1zRrWfckoXMOzU2Egx500Mx5Th1b2X5hYGzNbei9TP4aPxyMVvO7wKKri7htNWWGRwUUPsasrzkku/s9999/IMG_5038.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiI-okZgbbvC0sJ2PZ0SMrLxy8jX4H2uJlMDWuRJu2X5QNbVWgurLcEINrGxkOFN3jzU2yPgCwIzmdfos13hBKI_saVMSDsTmGdsf52eSoMSDn-bAosyupb1No01quaFjeNy7x/s9999/IMG_5039.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">Looking pretty spiff, huh? Think they’ll get plenty of wear anyway. And that is definitely all that counts! This pattern could also easily be extended to full length trousers too. Perhaps a future make for the guy who appreciates my efforts, huh?</p><p dir="ltr">Unfortunately my Japanese indigo experience didn’t go so well. The leaves fermented as they were supposed to do:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmystF89nwFNOrLXWSRRrs8IGFWQN_-1HOkNKEiDc-_vpoO01suLxe2nE1SSy-2V7jeUMLaor7SPCc18ADse06PwGodOEQWpB3xBJMRERN7uUHzl3Vm8_K-OJPRbiAxyNSRSt0/s9999/IMG_5025.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">It took 4 days instead of 2 or 3 but that was fine. I didn’t have a lot of leaves to work with. Then I separated out the spent (and rather stinky) leaves and was left with this gorgeous turquoise brew:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcIKwppP6WNhCnenHNhmidvuIaSVXGscTsxPKH79N1rFOYjCdpzUU4Fkkgpb1xV9USltQAOW235nZbKQY7HpXhRZGKJ7QZu-W8obrQsOy1oJ3H_nE3s9ietTA_F0ZDzFusNsW/s9999/IMG_5026.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">I added alkali (soda ash since I have lots) to hopefully bring the pH up to 10-11. It was hard to tell with pH paper but it seemed like I had to use more than I do with my usual method? The fermented solution was quite acidic anyhow. Then I beat the solution with my indigo stained hand mixer and got lovely blue froth:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEW-ULJOw3N3iU640I3xPmetga6XJR9eMmH8NmNgOf0dp2Mlj1y9pBfQRbJg6kwAllt0ZaBALU71kOZ9RgfkJZDj8mkNDYhhJh_LsNNm-ymLpWEsn7ve48QZbi6PDYPT7Dkqq/s9999/IMG_5027.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">I decanted this out into 3 smaller plastic bins to make it easier to deal with. And then it sat there. And sat there. No settling out. At all. Two days later it is still just sitting. Blue. Did I do something wrong? Again? I’ve had so much trouble with dyes lately. Things that should be relatively simple. I don’t know about my indigo but I’m blue myself! If I had time (which I don’t) I might have tried to add thiox and see if I can make a proper vat if I’m not going to be able to get dried indigo from it. But my only hope now is that maybe it will settle out while I’m gone? Or I’ll try to reduce it when I get back next week. If it hasn’t gone bad in the meanwhile. Sigh. So darned fickle this magical blue. Must recall this was an experiment. Sometimes experiments don’t quite have the desired results? Argh.</p><p dir="ltr">So looking forward to a break. The weather is finally cooler. One more sleep.</p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-39044521544262651422018-07-26T17:27:00.000-07:002018-07-26T17:28:10.360-07:00Singing The Blues (Hopefully)<p dir="auto">Trying to carry on here whilst my brains are melting down into my toes. Yikes, it’s been hot! Currently it’s 30C (86F for you non-metric folks). And I think it’s even hotter than that upstairs in the Sweat Shop where I spent a couple of hours arm-wrestling with the Cargo Shorts project that I started a few days ago. The pattern as I’ve mentioned before is from Wardrobe By Me and is very well drafted. The instructions are pretty clear if a little succinct. I would not call it a beginner pattern since there are so many pieces and steps but a confident sewist should be able to manage okay. There are 3 different kinds of pockets (patch, slant and welt), a fly front, belt loops and a faced waist rather than a waistband. Lots of interfacing and topstitching make these shorts look very professional. The only difficulty I’m having is my fabric choice.</p><p dir="auto">I decided to use a piece of my linen canvas that I bought in Victoria last summer. I’ve dyed and overdyed it and it’s thick but quite flexible. However, it’s really <em>really</em> hard to sew through! Even my tough old Pfaff is struggling and I’ve already tried and broken half a dozen needles. Currently a rather slender size 80 jeans needle seems to be working in the sewing machine while a sturdy size 100 universal needle is in the serger (not even a proper EL serger needle because I didn’t have one in that size). Go figure. </p><p dir="auto">I didn’t go for anything exciting for the pocket bags. Just plain old muslin. And I’m using the SF101 fusible woven interfacing that I bought for shirt collars and cuffs. The shorts are coming along but I can only work on them for a couple of hours before I am just done for the day. With my luck the weather will change before I’m finished these things! He’d better wear them after I’ve struggled so much to make them. Just sayin’.</p><p dir="auto">Nothing to see in the knitting department. It’s actually too hot to knit. I think I’m going to rip the colourwork back on the Deciduous sweater and start it again using the more normal stranding technique. It should work fine since t<span>he chart I’ve designed has no long floats until the last section where I can use some float catching techniques to make that part work. The issue I’m having with the Coast Salish technique which is used with every stitch is that it just looks too uneven in this fingering yarn and obscures the delicate design image too much. I think it will look better stranded though I may have to use a larger needle or knit it inside out to prevent the yoke from becoming too tight. At least I’ve only got about 2” or so of the chart done so it’s not that big of a sacrifice. I’d rather have it right than continue and not be happy with it. Unfortunately however, I was running in the loose ends of the colour changes as I went so it’s going to be a challenge to rip out! Sometimes I’m too smart for me.<br></span><br>In the garden, I finally decided that the Japanese indigo was mature enough to harvest some to play with.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXb3QjivnrVOCk617ysYXw7z1MGPnw2uuPYqBTsyIQ2KXRHhF2wkRv3q5vNLp25wINMwklC55sifR_PJ5IAWQMRtOQp7G379rGUI9JM1TkbKzM8lyqsrWSuS-4uS1Htfcd5OgO/s9999/IMG_5007.jpg" width="550" height="412"></div><p dir="auto">This is only about a quarter of the two patches in my dye garden though I don’t really have that much this year since I gave 1/3 of my babies to the Richmond guild for their new dye garden. I cut the stems above where they are starting to grow new branches and left some of the most mature stems alone. I want them to start to flower so I can get fresh seeds and if I cut them right off they take too long to grow back again to maturity. I still got a whole bucket of leafy stems.</p><p dir="auto">After reading about a different method of extracting the blue from indigo other than composting (called sukumo in Japan) or my usual cooking the leaves a little. This new one I’m trying is a fermentation where you cover the leaves with water and leave them in a warm place for a couple of days to heat up and release the indigo precursors. Then as usual, you raise the pH and beat oxygen into the vat to turn it blue. I usually go straight from there to creating my indigo vat right away but you can also let the indigotin precipitate out, remove the excess water and let the paste dry for later use. It would be nice to save the product from a couple of extractions and combine them so I could actually have a dark blue vat instead of the diluted pale blue I usually get from my home-grown indigo. I could even try a 1-2-3 vat with fructose and chalk. The other advantage is that I don’t have to use it right away but can save it for when I’m more ready to dye blue. I’ve actually gone a couple of years recently just growing indigo for seeds and not using its dyeing potential at all which is rather wasteful. So I hope this works.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYiqUZsSm8c7x0FhabuanRKSuehLXd9Ylm6PnzkEYnuq2gPzsk71iuTRX_Rp1IRuA_R6SVxJJ0VMNA3KuUoj-AuTg-M4mhIprY8CJBQsPsCTkBw-FQaN3uKVYgmI5oDMOR8dxR/s9999/IMG_5011.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9l5lMI8DhaE69lA_Ffmz9WA9IUMm3vqUhqjny51ERiLZN7_WsgHTZ4dPlGlbsk_CNI5gQXUNNcqb-uHzJ1orw94ko3Y2Jhgv70uQ8VXnOMCS1mA9QtNLSLwB3fFZWFvDzqNrj/s9999/IMG_5012.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">I weighted the leaves down with a couple of heavy plates to keep them under water. Now the bucket with a lid is sitting in my greenhouse where it will keep nice and warm. And hopefully do what it’s supposed to! Crossing metaphorical fingers.</p><p dir="ltr">So right while I was in the middle of stripping indigo leaves (I already have a blue fingernail!) I received this lovely item in the post:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVeqwwmEAoA1u6NYatzG-Bw2-N5Yk4duIHSoCIzbXQlVNGtftISbHCOanH20LnOrWdwx1kzzDHrqhGmDj1owRU5dbTCyD2kNI71tQGeYcPH4atWlz-sEyXbND87ey0TcY_MW4l/s9999/IMG_5014.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr">Cost me an absolute fortune thanks to our low Canadian dollar and note the ridiculously expensive postage. Not from Amazon obviously! But I’ve been waiting for quite awhile for this <a href="http://www.johnmarshall.to/indigo/index.htm" target="_blank">publication</a> from the talented and ever-delightful <a href="http://www.johnmarshall.to/indigo/index.htm" target="_blank">John Marshall</a>. See, tucked in the back there’s even a real dried indigo leaf, his autograph and a personal note on a kimono-shaped bookmark.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhci8EWRJX7tdOaTQgQgG3SRI0v9J9Yz_1Z2jXstlvOEgfKMN2Ey_vlbW6ge3hppxCpav-kec1FwI9Lxay8Trfc4ZSL_pP4zm2HlQ2Wh4gBOHwxtT2OIna1ZGkY8vdkXARALkpq/s9999/IMG_5015.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="ltr"><br><span>“Singing the Blues” is the perfect handbook for someone who grows their own Japanese indigo and wants to make the most of their harvest. John includes a whole selection of practical tips and methods of extracting and dyeing with this plant. Including the method I’m currently experimenting with! He doesn’t remove the leaves from the stems first. But then he has a lot more volume from his much larger plot. There’s so many exciting techniques in here that I’ve not come across before that now I want a much larger plot too! Oh well. One experiment at a time.</span><br></p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12698509.post-84403372910619815022018-07-21T15:31:00.001-07:002018-07-21T15:31:12.842-07:00What A Yoke<p dir="auto">The weather has been pretty nice here this week - not quite as hot but still mostly sunny. I think it’s just about perfect except for the constant need to water the garden! That gets old really fast. The good news is that I’m harvesting lots of yummy veggies: zucchini, beans, cabbages, the last of the peas and the first of the cucumbers and tomatoes. My fridge is jam-packed and I’m hard-pressed to keep up with the largesse. I even made zucchini chips in the dehydrator after buying a mandoline to slice them thin. Anything to use the produce up before it becomes compost!</p><p dir="auto">The only veggies we buy at the farmers market this time of year are peppers and root vegetables such as beets, onions, carrots etc. I can’t for the life of me grow them properly. As I’ve mentioned before, I did start some new seedlings for lettuce and Asian greens which are getting big enough to transplant soon. They need to be tough enough not to be eaten right away by the slugs. So I give them a good head start under the grow lights before they get out into the garden. Just works better that way.</p><p dir="auto">In crafty news I still haven’t been sewing at all. I got a wee bit obsessed (ahem!) with designing a new yoke sweater incorporating some leftover yarn from Cloudborn Fibers. I dyed or overdyed a number of small skeins of Highland Fingering (2-ply, woolen-spun) and combined them with 2 colours of Wool Fingering Twist (4-ply, worsted spun) to develop a colourway that pleased me:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXUZfvfisrG8G773c-7zS4zEYil7KJnMDjzBqOhyeaKLzWdijU9KckFxcCcpFuDOsIuZ6uTKlmSsC4rHONEw8PZoHgX8rvqnM3_oFEwdfv6_xnrOW11dhGdUq-u3YUd0fzlJm/s9999/IMG_4734.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">This photo is missing the darker grey Twist (Iron Heather) because I added it after I decided that there probably wasn’t enough of the Near-Black Highland to cover the area I wanted it to. The rest of the palette shows a nice selection of light, medium and dark shades most obvious when the above photo is rendered in grayscale:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-gNnVpT-0fsEqk09OoaiDnjGgBPvMrlU5YahEVD1NyF-RD_HYu6YiFr0WgKdmPyAM5x7EliI_RYrqlVYyQ62is8DWwF45mNN9DqthDszk5CXZRLUy-OLUA4Buu7WT1q7mEFp/s9999/IMG_4733.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">It took several days of playing with charts to get a hopefully workable design almost totally out of my own head. I still use Knit Visualizer which hasn’t been updated since 2008 on my Windows 10 computer. This software is a little clunky compared with modern apps but I paid a lot for it (remember when software cost more than a cup of coffee?) and it still works better than a lot of the alternatives. Although I might think I’ve got the pattern all set, I’ve still been tweaking it a little as I knit. All designers do that, don’t they?</p><p dir="auto">I decided that this sweater, unlike my previous Combers Dress, was going to have a raised back neck similar to the Lacca Laneway Tunic (that I’m still knitting). It’s much more comfortable on my aging body with a neck that slopes forward. I used German Short Rows, fast becoming my favourite method because it’s simple to work and nearly invisible especially right next to the k1/p1 rib used for the neckband. Here’s what I have so far:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZsyasG1aX0SVPCB-2gGP3kKvtpWBIymEGQY3tFzCQozw0KHVxnPb1O2u5PctL4_kS4LBywRpM0G-tHcfx6KSk-8g6GxV8fQ-fJVgOekFCjM-GN7-86D8XTg7l8zHa6EFYDC4X/s9999/IMG_4989.jpg" width="550" height="550"></div><p dir="auto">I’m calling it Deciduous because there’s a theme of falling leaves which I hope will be more obvious as I carry on. I’m also using the Coast Salish colourwork technique that I learned last summer and used previously on the Combers sweater. It’s kind of fun, though not as perfectly tensioned as I would like, particularly if you’re used to the more usual two-colour stranded knitting. Some of that evens out in the blocking and some is just the nature of the knitting, a combination of uneven yarns, the interlocking behind the stitches and the necessary make-one increase stitches every few rounds for the curved yoke. Fingering is an awful lot finer than the bulky yarns used for traditional Cowichan sweaters! I’m definitely remembering to keep the motif yarn in my left hand and the background in my right so the motif stays dominant as I discovered the hard way with my last colourwork project.</p><p dir="auto">Of course I probably should have held off awhile on starting this third knitting project. But I couldn’t help myself! I usually like to have no more than two things going at a time, one more portable and mindless and one more complex. I already have the Lacca Laneway down nearly to the waist. I’m still undecided about the pockets but will have to choose whether to include them or not very soon! And the Trillian In Linen shawl is getting quite large. Or at least long. It’s been my TV knitting (while the Lacca is my reading knitting and the Deciduous is my listening-to-podcasts knitting) so it gets a hour or two of love every day. I have to remember to leave myself enough yarn to finish the geometric lace section on the wide end. Coming soon.</p><p dir="auto">While it’s a little cooler I really need to get back into sewing. I have so many things I want to make and the month is just flying by. We have a couple of short trips planned for August but it seems we might be sticking around for September for a change. I’m running out of time for summer sewing so I’d better hop to it or everything will be waiting until <em>next</em> summer! OK then. Off to start on a couple of pieces of mending/refashioning left over from my clothing purge of a few weeks ago. Gotta start somewhere, right?</p>Louisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685532773952211627noreply@blogger.com1