Flypaper thoughts last night in San Francisco version

• Spent a week here with the kids
• Who needless to say are good sports
• Really, really good sports
• Just ask them
• Interesting trip
• First leg with my mom being the kid
• Next leg with my kid being the mom
• Things change but that also brings in such nice surprises
• Got to know my daughter-in-law a little better
• Let me tell you this family sure scored with that one
• So kind, thoughtful, and interesting
• They are a unit, a good unit
• It doesn't get any better than that
• For your kid or for his mother
• What did I do here?
• Went to Britex which was nice but very overpriced
• Strong sense that my NYC garment district negotiating skills would not get me far
• Feel shrugging and walking away would just lead to 
• Well them watching me walk away
• As opposed to saying
• I can give it to you for ... probably more than the marked price actually
• Had lovely folks in a another store show me the inside of designer clothes
• Pics to come
• Walked and walked and walked
• Up hills more than down hills
• Not sure how they do that
• This city is so beautiful you can't compare it to anything else
• Reminded me more of Europe than anywhere else
• Need to get the travel wardrobe down much better
• Continuing my policy of packing mostly shoes and clothes for some other climate
• Middle son is moving to Austin Texas
• This family, honestly
• They know there is no point
• I will just come and visit
• Got the spouse seeing what the state parks are like in Texas
• What I am learning about packing
• You don't need to pack three hats
• You do need to a pack one sweater
• Just because the label says California this town isn't
• People smile here
• I am sure I recognize that smell in the air
• The bus driver is driving a bus until he can sell his software idea
• I am considering calling my fabric collection
• A non profit based start up investment concept
• Going to sell my husband on the concept of being a VC
• Have to explain that means venture capitalist not very confused
• Which he often is when I explain I am spending money to save money
• Or I might if I could get the start up part of this operation launched
• Before the first quarter
• Or new pattern releases whatever comes first
• Borrowed a dog to walk from son's co-worker
• Walked across the Golden Gate bridge which is orange
• That part without the dog
• Went to the first winery started by a migrant worker
• Gave dating advice to son's co-worker
• A topic I really know a lot about
• He's doing tons of first dates from some app
• I have three sisters so I know what women want I said
• Did not mention that all sisters, plus myself, have seen menopause come and go
• Good advice is still good advice
• I thought he was pretty impressed
• Son cleared the table
• Well at least I scored some dog walking didn't I?
• Tomorrow back for another short stop with my mom
• The kids can recover 
• Then home
• Did I mention I got a new Juki serger and cover hem?
• More on that later
• Got a real deal
• Just ask my VC

The Brooklyn pants not in a church basement

I am having another shot at shots of the Brooklyn pants.

I realize that the down in the church basement shots of my last post were not particularly edifying, so I had some more pictures taken. One in the front yard at home in Halifax and the other one in my mom's porch in Winnipeg.

These knit pants are obviously ideal for traveling.

I love them, something you probably were not able to do when you saw the original dark shots. They are super comfortable. I like the stylish new leg shape. Excellent pockets, trim waist, and to tell you the truth that slightly lower crotch is really comfortable. The only construction change I made was to flatten the elastic for about 8 " at centre front in the waistband casing and sew a vertical seam up either end to make sure there were not discernible gathers over my belly.

Suffice it to say that my 18 year old niece has asked me to make a pair for her - I went out and just got fabric to do that today in fact. 18 year olds generally do not want to dress exactly like me, which might surprise you.

So here are some updated shots. I am wearing them with a bamboo knit Marie-Claude top from Jalie, more on that pattern later.

In the meantime lets give these pants another chance:

Review of the Brooklyn knit pant

I made these a week ago and just got around to writing my review.

I wore them to a sewing group meeting tonight and Tori LeBlanc was kind enough to take the pictures. Of course the pants are in a lovely dark navy cotton/rayon/lycra ponte and so you can't really see a thing but that won't stop me from giving my review.

Which is a thumbs up.

Here is the pattern info from Stylearc and the picture:

Opt for a luxe track pant style for a relaxed weekend. Knit pants have become a fashion favourite guaranteeing a warm casual day time look that’s both versatile and chic. The forward side seam creates a slimming silhouette along with the angles pockets.

It is really important to note the words relaxed and track pant in this description.

These pants have a full back leg (this is why the side seam is to the front I think) and a lower than normal crotch. They also have a full on high waistband which actually makes them even more comfortable. I have a vague sense of having worn this style years ago - the high wasitband, full thigh, tapered leg. 

Something new to get used to again and the lower-than-we- are-used-to crotch was noted by my sewing group.

As the person inside these pants I think I liked them best in the room and will be on a search now for more fabric to make them in. 

I did not add the back pockets but did sew the side pockets of course that are neat, topstitched, and quite deep and therefore useful.

Enough rambling, here are some shots. 

Listen I know I did not style these at all well. Of course they are short because they are supposed to be worn with bare legs but May in Nova Scotia today was like November and so I put on socks. So shoot me, it was too cold and I was too far out the door to go back and put on boots.

You can pretty much not see anything here except I hope the general leg shape, a little loose in the thigh and tapered into the calves. I made size 12 without any alteration and given that I am tall I really was surprised how high the waist went, about where my hands are in this picture.

Another shot verifying the inappropriateness of my socks. I do trust your imagination on this one.

OK this side shot probably makes clear how the back leg is full, these are upscale track pants cut for comfort and give you a better idea of the length

More of the same, note I have what in some circles are described as athletic calves so they show. The wrinkles don't worry me given the fullness of the leg design, the knit fabric, and that basically these are sweats.

These are great kicking around pants with good pockets, not much bulk at the waist, which is comfortably positioned, and a fairly modern leg and length.

I really love how they feel on and am so grateful to Stylearc for continuing to draft interesting and different pants patterns. I wear a lot of pants with this life and its nice to mix it up a bit. A long way from the time when we all thought all we needed was one pants pattern to make over and over again. Since Stylearc crotch shapes seem to fit me and for some reason so many other women so well I can experiment with different ideas in pants and I do like that.

Life's busy

I will be posting a proper pattern review soon of Stylearc's Brooklyn pants, but in the meantime, here's a quick podcast on creativity.

When I have a moment I promise to get these on iTunes,

Enjoy the weekend.

A podcast test experiment

Hi folks let's test out a new and easier way for me to podcast. Let me know if this works for you and if you think some of these informal while I sew podcasts might be of any interest.


Here we go

Sewing on the edge's May 1 podcast 

Thanks.

Rethinking clothes

Hi folks. 

Thanks so much for your responses to the Violet knit jacket. And my apologies to a few people who left wonderful comments that got spam filed and deleted after I read them because I clicked the wrong button by mistake.

You all gave me so much to think about. I am pretty sure I just write this blog just so I can have the pleasure of communicating with you and for the chance to read your interesting comments.

I am going to make another version of that jacket, starting with using a lighter fabric, a ponte, and raising the pockets 1 1/2". Either I have short arms or they have really long ones at Stylearc.

As you all know I have been deep in sewing garments for my book, quirky little units, that you will see when the book is released May 2018. Yes it take time.

But enough of that.

Doing the sewing I am supposed to do as opposed to randomly as I usually operate created a back log in me. So yesterday I went into obsessive mode, something my family specializes in, and cut all day.

I am going to put all these pieces in a laundry basket, set up my machines, and do drive by sewing during the week to see what comes out of this pile:

Some of this stuff is continuing experiments, some stuff I need:

• one Violet jacket 2.0
• Two cardigans, both different Jalies
• Two pairs of Margaret narrow pants from Stylearc
• Two pairs of Brooklyn knit pants Stylearc and a new pattern/experiment
• Six Jalie T shirts
• Two dresses, both Adeles from Stylearc, one knit one woven ( a cocoon shape and again an out there experiment)

This is of course entirely delusional as an intention but what else is new? I am going to Winnipeg on May 21, start teaching an online creative non-fiction course on May 9th, probably have some book edits coming my way. I also have a ton of appointments, meetings, some political commentary on the radio to do because we should be starting a provincial election today, and much babysitting - including three days with the three kids while my SIL and daughter stage a well-deserved break.

Oh and yesterday my youngest son asked me to make him a dress shirt with windmill patterned fabric on it (found some at Spoonflower) before he goes to a wind conference in a few weeks.

I am pretty sure that the fact I have so much coming up is exactly why I took the time to cut yesterday.

In one sentence : I sew to feel like myself.

And the busier life gets the more I need that.

On another random note I have long held a theory no one has asked to hear, that fashion has often diverted us to "classics" that are in reality men type clothes. You know button up shirts, blazers, tailored pants.

This forgets, I think, dresses. These women devised to suit us, clothes of our culture. I am picking up, and have written before, about a less tight and revealing backlash in clothing coming from younger women (my daughter like the Violet jacket) and this is redefining the dress.

On that note I was interested to read this morning about sport dresses from this company

I am struck that this look would have been completely absent in the sportswear scene a few years ago.   

I would be interested in what you think of this trend, which seems to me to be very wide range of body type approach. 

Violet knit jacket by Stylearc

O.K. there is a back story on this. Several in fact.

First it has to do with policy.

I have sort of a policy to try new profiles and shapes every season that are out of my comfort zone. Of course this produces a lot of should have known better garments, but it also has on occasion, useful occasion, helped me move ahead. Which when the alternative is to move behind is a good thing.

So this is what happened.

I have been noticing a general enlargement of shapes recently, as the fashion pendulum swings back from skin tight, and thought I should try some looser garments. In the past these outlines have not been good for me. I remember once trying on a bunch of Sewing Workshop garments at a booth at a sewing show and having the nice lady in the booth sort of agree that I looked more like a flagpole in a flag than a chic person.

However I have been thinking.

The end of May I am going to be doing some flying. To see my mom in Winnipeg and then on the Sn Francisco. What to wear on the plane and in spring is hard so I got the idea to try to make one of the Violet Knit Jackets from Stylearc, because it had that go over everything feel and was, back to where I started, completely outside my comfort zone.

However I didn't have any knit that was a coordinating colour in a weight I considered jacket weight.

About the same time I was pondering this serious issue I went to a sewing guild meeting where one of the women always seems to be snagging great yardage at Value Village (yes Lorna this is you). I however do not find anything good the odd times I have been there - strictly mauve polyester twill.

But then last week I was at VV trying to find a new heavy dish for Daisy since I dropped the last one. On a whim I cruised by the material rack and there it was, wool double knit written down to "as is" for $3.00 owing to a certain history with moths in someone's basement I am sure.

Well, I thought, why not? I can make a non wearable muslin in case I look like a flagpole with a wool double-knit flag. So I bought it, much to the amazement of the lady standing behind me in the line up.

At home I washed and hung it all out to dry and then marked numerous holes with tape so I could assess the situation. (Be assured I had a whole list of much more important life business to be taking care of when I was doing this instead).

This is what I was working with and this is how I had to lay it all out:

Pretty nutty I know and BTW I did press the fabric before I really cut out, these were practice photos.

Of course I didn't have enough fabric to cut the fronts double, as the pattern suggested, although I did cut out the bottoms double, which might have been too heavy in this wool knit. If you are sewing this pattern up yourself you might feel happier with something lighter like a ponte because the fronts and bottoms are doubled anyway.

To finish the single layer front edges I got out some ancient wooly nylon left over from some self-delusional Christmas project and did a 3 thread overlock with the stitches set a bit closer than normal, about a 2.

Here is what that looked like:

And here is the whole thing on me:

Now over to you.

Because this is so much not what I regularly wear I am wondering what you think. 

I can certainly see the utility of a jacket like this but if you think I look like a knucklehead you should probably tell me. 

Otherwise Air Canada here I come.