An upcoming sewing staycation

Don't you just love it how recessions create new vocabulary? 

Starting next Friday, the 13th no less, I have a week off from school for our winter break. Unlike other times I have all my school work and marking up to date, so this one's for me. There were fleeting discussions about going away to somewhere warm, but my DH can't get away from a project and with the recession and all we are just being frugal, both for the present and for the future.

I have had a pretty intense couple of weeks, personal stuff, family stuff (nothing serious but things to take care of and adjust to) and job decisions like a request from my old employer to came back for a term and work like a crazy person out there in the non academic world. Too much to explain, I get tired just thinking about it.

Point is, dues wise I am pretty paid up at the moment and I have earned a week for me.

Question is what am I going to do with it?

As you all know a week off can be easily frittered away, particularly by me, on lunches and web surfing and getting up late and half started projects.

I really want to sew. I can't remember when I had a dedicated week to sew and I want to spend the week getting geared up for it.

It's interesting that one of Carolyn's posts of the last few days on planning has gone right to the heart of what I feel right now.

If I don't plan, and spend this week getting my supplies and ideas in order, some of that precious week will be wasted.

Question is what are my options?

1. Use the time to do something I need to do and haven't had a clear run at. I'm thinking of those bedroom curtains. Three windows and fabric and lining hanging around at least a year waiting. I have written before about how I hate home dec, being a garment sewer to the core, but would I feel a great weight lifted if I got these units out of the in basket and onto the windows? I don't really know. Whenever I have company I wish I had forced myself to do these curtains and a whole lot of other things.

2. Make a spring coat. I really missed this last spring, something to put over dresses and skirts that covers them to the hem. I have a couple of shorter coats but I feel bitsy in them with some skirts hanging out. I have the fabric and lining for this and a range of patterns from Vogue Vintage to New Look Easy. This would be definitely one of those sewing projects where you want the garment but are not excited by the process. When I have to go somewhere decent in the spring I would be glad I had done this coat.

3. A top week, I have a range of knits that would make good tops and a few blouses and the idea of getting this off the runway and into the wardrobe sort of appeals. I would like to try a sweater set for example and I do have a taste for dramatic sewing as  when I made my five pairs of pants that fit in sort of an obsessive crazy submersion period. 4-5 new tops would really perk up the whole wardrobe and if they are new patterns could be interesting to make.

4. Spring/ summer dresses. I have spent today working on the previously shown Simplicity summer dress pattern and it more or less fits in its fitting muslin shocking pink cotton twill version although I think I need to add a Full bust alteration next time of about an 1-3/4 inches. I made it in a smaller than usual size as per the Pivot and Slide manual that worked for the pants, which in itself has eliminated the gaping neckline, armhole issues I usually have, and of course the A line of the skirt has taken care of my body shape, but it is a lot tighter across the bust, about 1" ease, than I am comfortable with. I should work this out but since there is no way I in real life have a full bust, I am not sure if this is going to work (have done it all on paper this afternoon as a prototype) and I am anxious once I finish current and still wearable version to try it out. I can wear what I have  if I wear a lousy bra it should work (speaking of which I need a good bra, as I get older they just get more uncomfortable but all the sewing versions have that cup seam that is not good for those of us who wear knits) but would love to nail a TNT summer dress pattern sometime before next October, which would be true to form for me. I would love to sew up some bright cheerful dresses but am incredibly, short of fabric of  the weight I need for these somewhat structured dresses.

A trip to the local fabric store at the bottom of the street was no help, more polyester, and all I did was run into a sewing friend who told me I looked tired. Mainly I think I am tired for not finding good fabric. I could try to order some in for these projects but doubt if I could get it in time, I miss Timmel Fabrics which was local.

So that's my week, to figure out how to spend the next one.

Any suggestions?

Burda and red mitts

Of course as soon as I decide that I am not going to sew anything from Burda WF they come out with an outstanding issue full of cool things I want to make, many wearable garments that actually look comfortable. At least I am consistent in my inconsistency.

An excellent international newsagent here gets in Burda and a nice polite man always calls me to tell me when it is in. So four nights ago I went down around 10:00 p.m.  and picked up this interesting issue. Of course the streets in the downtown area are pretty hard to drive on, this is an old city with narrow streets near the waterfront, and with all the snow piled up on the edges they are even narrower. I had to sort of park the car half up on a snowbank beside the newsagent just to leave enough room for the other cars. I then spent about 15 minutes sitting in the car reading the issue by the car light in the cold. 

When I got home I realized that in my excitement I had let one of my nice red knit-by-me (which means one thumb was about 1 1/2" longer than the other) felted mitts get lost along the way.

Today coming home from a meeting downtown I had a brainwave and detoured my way over to the newagent's street which was even narrower now because of a few intervening snowstorms.

Well wouldn't you know it. There right in the middle of the street, looking really alone and dirty and flattened by a thousand cars was my missing red mitt. We were so happy to see each other.

This made me think that it is sometimes worthwhile to go back and try and pick up important things you had left behind, that so often it's just too much trouble, but maybe something is waiting for you to remember.

So when I came home tonight I decided to call up one of my nieces on the other side of the country, she's 10, and we had an interesting talk about sewing which she has just started to do and how sleeves are hard, and I noticed how little her voice sounded. And tomorrow I am going to call an neighbour from my old street 20 years ago who faithfully sends me a card every year, and who doesn't hear from me much because I just get too busy and never get organized to send cards back.

And then I am going to think about what to sew from that magazine.

Kimono pictures

Here are some shots of my sister's kimono, made from some marbled cotton she had, showing really how basic it is. The most interesting shot I think is this one as it shows how the underlap/overlap rectangles are stitched to the centre front, then sliced down diagonally to the hip from the neck edge and how the neck piece is attached. Note at this stage the neck piece is two layers and quite wide, when it is flipped over and stitched down, as in the finished version, the band is four layers thick which helps it keep its shape. The woman I know who knew a lot about kimonos told me that this was typical.

I just stitch up the side seam and out to the sleeve, clipping at the underarm pivot. I have noticed in real kimonos that the intersecting seams at the underarm are often left open in sort of a vent/gusset. If none of this is clear please let me know and I will try to help. I am sure this is not an fully authentic method, but it looks enough like the real thing, and is so easy.

Sort of kimono instructions

Today I am going to make yet another kimono for a member of my family, this time for a sister. This is a super easy pattern,  adapted with the help of a woman who had been to Japan because her son was teaching English there, and changed with some child's measurements added based on my own experience.

The beauty of this project is:

1. It's fast, none of the pattern pieces are cut, all can be torn and as each piece is a rectangle.
2. These instructions work for any size person, all you need are six measurements.
3. It is a great stash buster, for a child under ten you need about 2 1/2 yards for an adult 4-5

4. Can be nearly entirely done on a serger

I will be posting pictures of the hard to visualize parts later in the weekend.


1. Essential measurements:
· widest part - chest, waist or hips
· shoulder at neck to finished length
· armpit to finished length

. centre front to side seam

Also measure from centre neck to hip bone level, this is an important reference measurement.

2. Cut :
· One main piece ( in length double your finished length measurement plus allowances and the width of half your widest measurement plus ease, 6-8” for an adult 4” for a child.
· Two front over/underlap pieces in width about from centre front to side seam and equal in length to the armpit/finished measurement plus allowances.
· A neckband, for an adult I make these about a hand width X 2 (that way it is sized for the person, works well for children). The length should be from hip bone level around the neck and back to the hip. Plus seam allowances.

· Two sleeve rectangles, to give a ¾ sleeve,  I usually have the wearer extend her arm straight out and measure from the top of the arm to below the bust/chest, double that and plus seam allowances for the length and measure from the body out along the arm to where they want the sleeves to end and that's the width of this pattern piece. Plus seam allowances.

· A tie, your choice.

3. Fold main piece in half width wise to find shoulder and in half again to find center front. Cut up through center front, stopping in the middle. Cut out from center each side to make a 6-8" neck opening, the front will be cut in a V later.

4. Right sides together pin and stitch overlap rectangles to center front, lining up the short end of one rectangle with the bottom edge. Finish edge of the overlap piece. Fold the whole garment in half lengthwise. Mark hip bone level depth from shoulder line to a point on the long finished edge of the overlap. Cut up through both layers from hip level to point of shoulder/neckline, slicing off a lot of fabric but making a long V neckline (illustrations to follow).

5. Right sides together fold neckband in half. Stitch ends, turn and press. Machine baste long edges together. Matching centres pin band to back neck edge and diagonally down the front, Stitch.

6. Fold over the neckband, covering the stitching and topstitch/ditch stitch in place.

7. Match centers of sleeve to garment and pin, right sides together. Stitch. 

8. Stitch up side seams and bottom of the sleeve, pivot and stitch up the sleeve front a few inches, leaving the rest of the seam free as a sleeve opening.

9.  Make tie and hems.

I have colour scurvy

Today in a slight detour on the way home, where folks were expecting me, I stopped for just a minute and picked up this Simplicity pattern, shown in the last post and some bright, bright pink cotton twill for experimental purposes.

Around here right now what isn't covered in molten ice is grey or shades of. This has gone on long enough. I realize I am developing colour hunger, and this is not helped by my black, grey, white and a little red SWAP wardrobe, or the clothes I wear every day in those same colours this time of year. 

I am remembering Health Class from when I was a kid where they told us that if you didn't eat citrus fruits your teeth fell out and you got thin and weak. Bread and water nearly did the British Navy in until they handed them those limes.

Well it has occurred to me, and I don't know why no one has made this connection before, that lack of colour, tropical, fruit like, juicy, fresh colour does the same thing to your health, head and heart.

In fact it is the exact colours of the fruit that prevent scurvy that hit your soul with the same kind of malnutrition.

That's why I am craving colours in the worst way this week, why my deficiency is hurting me, and why the rest of Nova Scotia has booked a week away in Cuba this week.

Well that's it. Time for dinner, haddock with feta, mushrooms, and red pepper in puff pastry. No I don't cook like that but my husband does.

Me, I am too busy making original contributions to 21 century thought.

Coat picture

If at first you don't succeed, go into the bathroom with your camera and do it yourself. 

I have been wanting to show pictures of my knit jacket with giant snaps so folks can decide if they want to use these things themselves, but my compatriots in this house are not around when I need them for all the jobs I have to assign, so I did this myself, complete with messy hair. Hopefully this will give you a better idea of the impact of the super snaps on a garment.

The end of January

I was woken up this morning an hour before I had to get up with the realization that I had to sew some shifts.

One minute I was asleep with my head cupped on my new memory foam pillow in my big warm bed and Rascal pushing hard against my back, easing me closer and closer to the edge like he always does, and my eyes opened wide to the thought that it was time I sewed some shift dresses for summer. I woke up understanding that this was something I really, really needed to do.

Shifts were what we used to call them in the sixties when I was just a kid. Sort of like a sheath (thank you Michelle Obama for solving all my work wardrobing problems with your fashion leadership - a sheath and a cardigan are just my style) but a bit more ease, almost A line but not quite - operationally a dress that is fitted at the neck and chest but loose enough around the hem that you don't have to put in a back vent to walk. Bust darts for sure, and back neck darts, but probably any shaping more than that with seams from below the bust.

Easy to sew and with pique or cottons with enough body no lining required. Cool in the summer and it seems that every summer I feel hotter, like every winter I feel colder.

You can do a lot with at basic pattern like this. Sleeveless or little sleeves, piping, neckline variations - scoop, V neck and fancy stuff like tabs, and little slits in the front, and pockets, different kinds and different places, or versions where it's about the fabric or the colour, and after this grey and black winter colour would be good, coral maybe, or purply blue, sorbet, non January colours. And if you made it plain you could dress it up with jewelry, long necklaces or brooches, I like brooches, or nothing more than a big cuff bracelet, and probably any of these dresses once I had made a few and could sew them in my sleep, could be done in a couple of evenings or over a weekend at least. I could do binding instead of armhole facings, wear them to work, wash them carefully and hang them on the line to dry.

Maybe some I would line.

And then it was 6:20 and I got up to go to work.

The streets and the yards and sidewalks were covered with ice. Lumpy ice like lava that had been thrown over us in the night. I made it into work but I was the only one there. When I was still in my bed thinking of neckline variations the radio should have been on and I should have heard that my school was closed because of the weather. So I let myself in and had a productive morning of quiet work and I called Fabricville to see when the next pattern sale was.