Buying More Time

We've had friends visiting all weekend. There's been no sewing and a lot of chatting and knitting. I'm working on the tenth toque. The "stash" of left over yarns is dwindling and my color combos are getting a bit more creative as I use up bits and piece. This current one starts with a black/white/gold variegated. After that will be black, blue, and purple with maybe a row or two of the variegated higher up. It depends on if I run out before knitting five inches for the fold back band.




I had knit up everything but those last three balls and wanted to use them too so I dug the variegated yarn out of the embellishment basket left over from creating textile art. I went through a period of couching but it wasn't really me. Also left over were these three balls of unused yarn and partial balls of fuzzy yarns. I was almost done the toques and now I have to decide if I want to pair these yarns with anything else and keep making toques or be finished.




Part of me - in particular my wrists and thumbs - want to be finished. I knit these last three toques, plus the one I'm on, in the round. With the combined method of knitting that I use, that means a lot of flicking of the wrist and gripping with the thumb. It's starting to hurt BUT... I like how they look a lot better than the ones with the seams. I made five of those and five this round way.




I'm not very good at taking a break. I get an idea in my head and go full force ahead. Yesterday in church, the pastors showed a video on giving less presents and more presence at Christmas. One statistic really struck me. I can't remember if it was over 450 or 350 billion dollars will be spent on Christmas gifts that may or may not be needed or appreciated, either way it's a BIG number, while spending 10 billion would provide fresh water for everyone. Stats like that really make me think. Kamloops is quite cold in winter. Knitting toques for the homeless is really the least I can do and...

... it's one way of buying more time. On Friday, I got my hair cut. Rosemarie, my friend and (new) hairstylist, and I were talking about the upcoming craft show being put on by the Arts & Crafts club. She knew that I hadn't put anything in to sell but wondered if I'd be dropping by. I said no, there wasn't anything I want to buy to which she replied how do you know if you don't look. I clarified that what I meant was I didn't want to buy anything. Right now, I prefer to spend my money on things that buy more time.

When I buy a book, I spend a couple hours reading. If I buy a knitting or sewing magazine, I spend time reading it and then more time working through the projects. When I buy yarn, I spend time knitting it and buying fabric means time spent sewing. To me, that's getting a lot more bang for my buck than buying a decor item, sitting it on shelf, and that's it. Toques from left over yarn is "bonus" time. I buy the initial yarn, knit the project, and extend the benefits by creating a secondary item from the left overs. FUN FUN!

On Sunday, I wore the t-shirt that I made last week with the houndstooth skirt bought from the second hand store in October and a "last year" sweater along with my two year old pink heels. The shoes and t-shirt were perfectly matched and very fun to wear.

Saturday, I gave away another bunch of clothes. Good thing my friend is one size up from me. It works well for her. Not so well for me - LOL. She has things to wear. I have nothing. In fact, if I want something different to wear to church next Sunday - and this outfit is pretty noticeable so I do - I'm going to have to sew it because I literally have nothing to wear. One pair of jeans and a jean skirt that are approaching too big and one jean skirt and another skirt that are still a bit too tight. Other than the green one from last week, that's it. Howard and I are going to the theater on Saturday to see the play My Fair Lady. I'll try to have the pants ready for then.

We tried putting the knitting machine together but man plus manual was no match for this machine which of course really annoyed my husband because he's extraordinarily mechanical. My friend bought this machine used from a woman who took it out of the box, couldn't make it work, put it back in the box and left it sitting around for years. My friend hasn't used it either. I'm wondering if the machine was actually defective. Another friend also has a knitting machine. I'll ask her for help and if she can't make it work, back in the box it goes. I'm only borrowing it for a month and I don't want to spend that whole time trying to figure it out - I have sewing to do.

Today, I'm baking butter tarts and putting out Christmas decorations. Normally, we do that on the 1st and have egg nog for the first time. Tomorrow is knitting day for me and pool day for the guys so we're bumping it up a day. My gluten and dairy allergies developed last year so this is the first time that I can't have the butter tarts or the egg nog. I'm going to try a GF pastry but have no idea what to substitute for the egg nog. LOL - I might need to buy a latte machine so I can have a vanilla soy latte... or maybe I'll just buy one and warm it up. MUCH less expensive.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - family traditions

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Personal Growth - So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making a new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4

It's been eighteen months since things started going sideways with my work, my son's health, and the economy. I still have no idea what direction I'm heading in and what's next. At times, that gets discouraging. Other times, I'm so thankful to have this space in which to do a few of those "some day" things. My guilt levels over "just sewing" and not earning an income are lessening. They were silly to begin with but that's how I am. It's such a "what do you do" culture that we live in. I know this is an important time of refreshing for me. God has a plan. I will trust that it will come about.

Tape & Tissue

See that Followers box in the side column? I have absolutely no idea how it works but I've heard it's helpful to readers following a blog, which is the same thing I heard about the subscribe box and why it's there also. Let me know. If they're helpful, I'll leave them. If not, it looks so sad with only three signed up. I don't know how you un-follow if you're tired of following either. If you know how this tool works, please share.




I was surprised by how few pant patterns I have in stash. I wanted a pair with a contour waist rather than a waistband. Of the ones I had, this Vogue 2925 design is the only one that had been reviewed at PatternReview.com and was "highly recommended" so I'm giving it a try.




I'm forty-seven. If it ever was, my derriere is no longer pert and perky. It is decidedly dropped which is why those wrinkles appear on the back of my jeans. Remember yesterday when I said to follow the wrinkles to the answer? Here's another example.

If I were to pull up on the center back seam, the wrinkles would disappear because I'd also be pulling up the curve of my behind. The same thing would happen if I pulled down on the sides of the jeans because I'd be bringing the other end of the wrinkle down level with where my behind actually is which would eliminate the tension causing the wrinkles to disappear. It would be easy to think that the center back needed to be shortened or that the sides needed to be lengthened however, the real answer is that the back crotch curve needs to be dropped significantly.

By placing an elastic on a flexible ruler, aligning it with the center of my crotch, and wrapping it around me, I can get an idea of the shape of my crotch curve. Above, it's bum to the left and tummy to the right.

I transferred the curve to paper and then took a 1 1/2" wide elastic, made a circle, placed it around my waist, and measured the crotch curve from front to back writing those measurements on the paper. If you know you have a tipped waist, take that into account. I added 1 1/2" to the front measurement for that reason. I want that length there for now. I'll adjust for the waist later.

Next, I measured the front and back crotch curve on the pattern and compared them to my measurements. I needed to add 3/4" to both the front and back curve ONLY along the center back and center front seam by inserting a wedge-like shape that tapered to nothing at the side seams.

After that, I aligned the pieces at the inseam and placed them over the drawing of my crotch curve so I could roughly trace the shape of the curve. It's hard to decide where to place it exactly so I drew a few lines to work with and then took short pieces of tape and placed them next to the line, clipped to the tape, pinned the pieces together, and tissue fit the pants. This meant running back and forth to the guest room. I really hope there's a full length mirror in my Christmas future.

I learned this method at the pant workshop with Palmer & Pletsch that I took in Portland in July 2008. The class was great and I think their book Pants For Real People is one of the best. It along with Fit For Real People and Jackets for Real People are go to books for me. They're FULL of good tips.

While tissue fitting, I use the wide elastic to hold the pattern in place and a hand held mirror to look at myself in the full length mirror. I had to wait until Howard came home from work to take these pictures. The boys are willing to take all kinds of shots but ones of their mother in her underwear with tape & tissue were too much from them - LOL.

It took several changes to get the pattern to a place where I was satisfied with it. Let me clarify what I mean by that. I spent about two hours tracing out the pattern and then tissue fitting it because I've learned (the hard way) that time invested up front can save you a LOT of frustration later. It's worth it.

I'm looking for three things. The first is that the curve of the paper crotch is up tight against, and the same shape as, mine. Later with the fabric factor, there will be sufficient ease. The second is that the hip line (which is hard to see on the pattern above) is level side to side. And, the third is that the crotch line (that dotted green one) is level. Below is the tissue from the front and...




... here it is from the back.

I can see some fine tuning that needs to be done however, this is close enough to be able to make the adjustments to the pattern, re-draw the curve, and cut the fabric out. If you were still nervous, you could make a muslin and draw the hip and crotch lines on it and confirm a bit more first.

The red line shows the final crotch curve. You can see it dips down quite a bit but that the curve does not affect the inseam. Before moving on, I'll clean up the lines and re-draw the seam allowance at 5/8". For fitting purposes, I'll make the seam allowance 1" at the inseam and side seams. That will allow for fit and fine tuning adjustments. With the way a crotch curve works, if I've made it too low, I can make the seam allowance smaller and that will raise the crotch curve as well. You can visualize that by moving the red line upward.

I'm hoping to cut these out later today. First, I need to clean the fridge and do a few chores around the house. We may be getting company this weekend. Early afternoon, I'm getting my hair cut. Sewing will probably be after that or tomorrow. I"m not sure which fabric I'll chose yet. I'll let you know how it went on Monday.

Have a great weekend - Myrna

Grateful - borrowing the knitting machine even though it came in a million pieces with an instruction manual and is a lot more complicated than I was expecting and for a husband who loves instruction manuals and to hunt, bag, conquer, and be needed. He'll put it together with me.

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Personal Growth - That verse from yesterday stuck with me. I thought about how often we guilt ourselves out and keep beating ourselves down over things that happened in the past and cannot be changed. The only thing that we have control over is our choice of action right here and now in the present. Instead of beating myself up, I need to pour on the love, forgive myself, learn from the situation, live now, and move on. What is, is. I'm so good at taking on guilt even when there is nothing to feel guilty about. Breath. Let it go. The future is fabulous.

Follow The Wrinkles

Yesterday was delightful. I finished the toque, cast on the next one, cut out and sewed New Look 6735, and it fits darn near perfect. YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!




There is a lot of shaping built into this pattern. It's very nicely designed. One of the great features is a center back seam that allows for shaping over curvier derrieres like mine only...

... I'm used to the back and front being cut on fold with two shoulder and two side seams. I just followed along in my usual pattern. I typically start sewing by stabilizing the back and front neckline and the back shoulders and then I stitch one shoulder seam, add the neckband, and stitch the other seam. I did all that except that I only added half the back and didn't realize it until the band was on. I had to piece the neckband and then match up the serging lines.

Luckily, it is a busy enough print that the join didn't show. I use the serger to attach the neckband. That way it's easy to make sure that the seam allowance is cut to an even width before I fold the banding up and over and edge stitch it in place. I am REALLY looking forward to buying a coverstitch machine - at some point in the future - when I have a job and some money again. I've no idea when that will be but it's on my list.




I steamed the neckline and let it cool while I went and had lunch. The opening is at center back. I wanted to stitch that seam last to allow for any fitting issues because I'd read on PatternReview.com that some people found the back gaping. In the end, I didn't have that problem but if I had, I'd have been able to alter for it. The next time I sew this pattern, I'll put the opening at the right shoulder.

I basted the center back and side seams to try the t-shirt on before sewing any of them permanently. There was excess fabric across the front. That pinned tuck is 2".

To make that adjustment, I shifted the side seam over so that an additional 1" was taken off each side of the front piece. I've since transferred that alteration to the pattern piece and made a note about the change so I'll know what I did for next time.

Burda patterns are designed for a C cup. Most of the others including Simplicity, New Look, McCalls, Butterick, and Vogue are designed for a B cup. I was a D and now I'm a C, both of which mean making a full bust adjustment EXCEPT this pattern has easing along the side seam at bust level. See how the distance between green marks on the top pattern is shorter than the difference between the green marks on the bottom pattern?

You can see the difference here in fabric. When I ease that "extra" in, it accommodates a fuller bust size. It's a WONDERFUL feature of this pattern. It truly is designed for curves. Here it is finished from the front and...




... from the side and...




... from the back. The seam is barely visible with this print. I'm not sure how I'd like it in a solid but then again I'm really pleased with how this fits so I'd probably be okay with it.




There's only one small area to correct - these back wrinkles. If you learn to follow the wrinkles, you'll learn how to fine tune and fit your garments. Just be sure you're following them in the right direction. At first, I though these wrinkles might mean adding more width to the back but when I started pushing them around to see where they wanted to go they...




... moved upward shortening the center back length. It's about 5/8" which is the difference between my center back length and the pattern's center back length. I thought on a knit I wouldn't have to bother with that slight alteration and I probably don't need to since it barely shows in the finished back image above but because I can and it's easy, I'll make that alteration for next time as well.




This t-shirt, the McCalls skirt, and the Vogue blouse will all be part of my SWAP. There's time to test at least one more pattern before I make my Christmas outfit. Because the fabric for the skirt is changing, the fabric for the top needs to change as well. I tested this t-shirt pattern because I have an idea for a knit shirt that I could adapt from it. Should be fun.

Maybe I'll do some pants next. I haven't sewn any since I took the Palmer Pletsch workshop in Portland summer 2008 so it's probably time before I forget everything I've learned. For Christmas, I've asked for the Sandra Betzina and Ron Collins jeans DVD. I'd like two skirts, a pair of pants, and a pair of jeans to be part of the SWAP. The DVD will help make those and familiarize me with their technique before the class in April.

This morning I'm going out for breakfast with a friend. She's going to lend me her knitting machine. Last summer, I bought a lot of a white cotton/acrylic blend. I'm not sure what I was thinking because I'm so not a white sweater kind of girl. Instead, I'm going to knit it up on her machine and then over-dye it. The cotton will dye and the acrylic will not which should create a heathered look. After that, I'll unravel the yarn and reknit it by hand into a sweater. I'm not quite sure what color I'll dye it yet. We'll see.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a lot of supportive emails. THANK YOU!

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Personal Growth - Now is the time to forgive this man and help him back on his feet. If all you do is pour on the guilt you could very well drown him in it. My cousel now is to pour on the love. - 2 Corinthians 2

Hurt is easy to drag around. At some point it stops being about the other person or the event and starts eating away at me. I'm learning how important it is to forgive. It's coming somewhat easier. LOL - too much practice. This has been a really rough year relationship wise. More than one friendship has gone by the wayside for various reasons. That's an extremely painful experience. While there might be opportunity, I don't want to gossip or criticize or malign or verbally beat down on any of these people nor do I want to wallow in pain. I chose to look at how I could behave differently, to forgive, and to move on.

The Costly and Possibly Worth It Siberian Top

When I first bought the magazine with the shawl collared jacket in it, I showed it to a friend and she loved it so much that she bought the issue too even though she hasn't knit for years. She's said several times that she wants to start again and so far hasn't been able to make the time although it sounds like she was a fairly high end knitter before. It should come back easily.





A few weeks ago, when she saw me wearing the jacket, she suggested I knit her one. When I said it took between 30-40 hours and even at a rate of $10.00 an hour the cost would be $350.00, she seemed to be mulling it over so I added and you pay your housekeeper $20.00. I have absolutely no desire to knit or sew for anyone else but if I did, I would certainly want to earn as much as someone scrubbing potties or let me scrub the potties.





Hand knitting is labour intensive. The more complicated the pattern, the longer the project takes. This costly and possibly worth it Siberian Top is from ThievesBoutique.com. It's hand knit in organic wool and listed for $648.00. Since it's a relatively simple design, I concluded that it is actually hand knit, maybe in Canada, maybe even by Canadians, who are hopefully getting a decent hourly rate while the company is still looking to make a profit. Those are all suppositions on my part BUT - if true - even though I couldn't afford (or want) to buy this top - there are people who can and how thrilling that someone somewhere could actually be getting a decent amount for their artistic endeavours. It's so hard to do.




As a point of comparison, I started this toque last night at knit night. Three hours later, I'm five rows from the end plus sewing up the seam. Even at $10.00 that's $30.00 plus supplies plus profit if I were to sell this hat. I just don't know too many people willing to pay a hundred bucks for a toque. Perhaps they're out there. I think they might prefer organic wool to bargain basement acrylic though and then up goes the price.




I've finished four toques so far. Two in the multi-colored Rumours (discontinued) yarn which is an alpaca blend and two in the black Bernat Chunky yarn, an acrylic that I know pills badly which is why these left overs became toques. It looks like I'll make two or three more before I'm done knitting up all the suitable bits and pieces of left over yarn. It feels good.

A few weeks ago, I challenged those of you who knit and live in cold places to consider making ribbed caps and donating them to street people. I don't think they'll even know that they're wearing a hundred buck hat but I do know that they'll appreciate being just a little bit warmer and that feels good too. A win-win.




This morning, I'm going to finish the hat and cast on the next one and then I'll cut out and sew this New Look 6735 t-shirt - the view with three quarter sleeves. I made this pattern a few years ago and had almost perfected the fit when I had some textile work that had to be done. It's been put aside since. Now that my size has changed, I'm back to figuring it out. According to the finished measurements which include four inches of negative ease and the flat pattern measurements which are larger than what they state, it should fit fine however, those high hips of mine always create an issue. I get a 3" fold of fabric at the back of my waist and a raised hemline.




A 3" adjustment makes for a really weird pattern shape. I emailed Lynda - the author of DeMystifying Fit - and asked if this is what she meant by the high hip adjustment and she gave me some advice BUT... I want to compare the original to the changes so I'm going to sew it without this alteration first and see what happens. There were lots of great reviews on PatternReview.com for this design.

My Chanel-ish jacket from September was a New Look pattern as well. It came together really well. I need to look through their catalogue more closely because the patterns are far less expensive than some others. Perhaps I'll find a lot I like AND save money. YES YES.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - the skills to knit and sew the designs I love but could never afford to buy and the enjoyment of doing so.

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Personal Growth - He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. - 2 Corinthians 1

All of our experiences are stretching and growing. They can be used to support and encourage someone else who is going through a similar situation because only someone who has been there, walked in those shoes, can truly understand. I want to be bold in helping others and not hold back for fear of being hurt or intrusive or overwhelmed by their emotions. I want to do what I can do in my God given way and hope that what goes round comes round because there are times when I can really use an understanding ear too.

100 Posts & Moving On!

Today's posting is the 100th since moving the blog to this new location and switching focus. My earlier blog was a marketing tool for my textile art business. It was about making money. This one started out that way and then - in July 2009 when I decided to close my business - I deleted anything marketing related and started re-posting with talk about my life and creativity.

That decision to delete was done to satisfy my insurance company that my writing was now personal which then allowed me to continue writing daily. After that, the blog became about connecting with others who do what I do - people who are creative with fabric and in particular in textile art and fashions - and about encouraging, supporting, and inspiring others to their best which I feel is my purpose.

Back then, I wasn't sure how long posting would last. Even though I love to write, it had been a really rough year in all kinds of ways and I was feeling quite beaten down by stuff beyond my control. Now - even though the situation with my son's diabetes will be ongoing for a few years still - it feels like I've shifted to a better space. Life is starting to find a new routine. Knowing that today would be the 100th post, I've been thinking a lot about the blog, about how I want to continue on with it, and about my point. I thought I'd share SOME of my perspective.

From September 2004 to September 2005, I took a Year of Play - a full year off from producing products for resale to come into the studio, be creative purely for self, and to see where that led me. It was both the best and the worse year of my life. By the end of it, my work focus had firmly shifted away from traditional quilting to textile art and my teaching from pattern based to self directed learning.

After that year off, I taught classes like Studio Makeover, Creative Wearables, Self Expressions, and Design Basics that were geared toward helping my students live out their personal expression of self in their textile art. Basically to identify and create in their own style. I'd become more of a creativity coach than a teacher. That's the perspective I take with writing the blog. I'm now in the process of finding my fashion voice just as I was once in the process of finding my artistic voice.

Through my journey with creativity, I want to encourage my readers to their best and I want to connect with other women who create fashions. Where I live is not a small town and yet there is not an active fashion sewing community. It's difficult to find anyone who sews clothing never mind anyone who sews at the level that I'm at which - blowing my own horn - is fairly advanced. I'm not into tailoring but I am in to fine details and well developed technical skills and individuality. I love talking sewing with someone else who gets "it".

Twenty years ago when I first started writing books, developing patterns, and teaching classes, I was a product person. The focus was on creating precisely and accurately and on finishing and having that specific item whether it was a quilt or a garment. I don't recognize that way of being much anymore. I've become a process person where the journey is more interesting than the end result. It's not that I don't enjoy the finished product or want it - I do want clothes to wear - but it's more of a bonus since I REALLY enjoy all the twisting and turning and learning in the journey.




Often on the blog, I share the projects that didn't work out exactly as I'd anticipated. I talk about why and how things happened the way they did and what I learned. For example, last week, I showed two black blouses. The one above, wasn't the right style for me. Instead of listening to my inner artist - the one who says "this is me" or "this isn't me" - I had been pulled off track by a romantic vision of this pattern. That happens to all of us. When it happens to me, I share the perspective to be encouraging.




The second black shirt was too big through the shoulders and armholes. I tested various alterations to the pattern and made the green blouse above. It's perfect except for being a bit too tight through the hips because I zigged when I should have zagged with one of the alterations. THAT'S FINE. These things happen. I shared how to raise the armhole, adjust the shoulder width, and make a high hip adjustment and then what I should have done differently all to share and encourage. I'm very much about sharing and encouraging. I use those words all the time.

While both black blouses and the green blouse were not absolutely perfect fit wise, they were wonderfully sewn and darn near perfect technically. I enjoyed every minute of stitching and pressing and forming their three dimensional shape. I love to sew. I'm VERY good at it. AND.. I absolutely adore learning. I get a question in my mind and I need to know the answer. With garment sewing, that might mean making numerous repetitions of a design until I figure it out. If you're watching me do that, it can get a bit mind numbing so I don't share every garment I make. I'd like to keep you as readers.

Here's what I mean by that. About ten years ago, I bought Pattern Master Boutique software and about 18 months ago I finally figured out how to make it work for me. During that time - in between my textile work - I probably made a hundred muslins. Many images of Myrna in broadcloth with lines drawn on her bust and butt appeared on the blog. That's boring after a while.

It wasn't that I'm slow, rather the process was flawed IMHO because it is really difficult to learn how to use a program while you're also learning which alterations to make to correct a fitting issue while you're also getting the varied input of a lot of different sewers at different skill levels via the chat group. Talk about an EXTREMELY frustrating journey.

Now, many years and many muslins later, instead of thinking Pattern Master Boutique is a waste of time and money (which is exactly what I was thinking) I am able to share how to make the software work for you - buy a Vogue fitting shell, fit it expertly with or without help, measure the flat dimensional pattern, transfer that exact shape to the software learning how to manipulate the program in the process, print out basic patterns with the correct ease amount for the garment you're making, and then either sew that garment or using the information in Lynda Maynard's book De-Mystifying Fit use that basic pattern to adjust commercial patterns to fit your proportions. Print a different basic pattern whenever your size or the ease requirements or garment style changes. This answer really works. It took me almost ten years to arrive at it. I hope my journey will save someone else countless hours and many tears because it is truly wonderful HOWEVER...

... from there you'll still have to learn about fine tuning fit adjustments. That's where I am now. My technical skills are well developed however, in the twenty years that I didn't do much fashion sewing, my body has changed significantly. Three kids and fifty pounds later, I'm learning about ways to alter for high hips, sway backs, and full bust adjustments. Through this process, I'm coming to know and understand and appreciate my body more. Our bodies are an amazing and wonderful thing no matter what their shape. Look at all they do for us.

My learning is somewhat complicated by the fact that I'm also losing weight due to food allergies discovered earlier this year. Since January, I've lost twenty-five pounds and two and a half sizes. I'm not trying to lose weight. It is simply coming off now that I'm avoiding these foods which means I have no idea what the end result will be in terms of weight and size.

It's been intriguing to see how the weight comes off and where. Recently, it's been coming off my hips and in particular my back hip. On Saturday, I realized that I am mostly in one pattern size as opposed to stretching over several. VERY strange. Even so, I'm still making the adjustments I mentioned earlier. Our bodies have the same shape with more or less weight. I will always be bottom heavy, always a triangle, always have high back hips, and always be petite through the armhole and hip. I'm just a slightly smaller version now. I'm learning about these adjustments.

Life long learning is really important to me. Now that I'm a stay at home Mom, I'm a bit worried that I'll become stale and boring with nothing to contribute to a conversation or self centered and all about myself which is unacceptable to me. That's one of the reasons I watch Oprah every day. I don't always agree with her but I always come away with a new thought. And it's free.

Now that I'm not earning an income, I can't afford the number of books I'd like to read which is why I also spend more time on the Internet. Not wanting to become self centered is also why I include the grateful item at the bottom of each posting. There is so much in life to be grateful for and I believe that a focus on gratitude helps to keep us from becoming too introspective and/or depressed both of which I could easily do.

When I closed my business, I decided to make time for the things that I'd been putting off. In my studio there was 400 meters of fabric and over 150 patterns even though I'd barely sewn fashions for the past twenty years. To me, that expressed a yearning. Fashion sewing was at the top of that list. It - and the perky pretty wardrobe - were something I really wanted to get back to.

Also on that list was personal growth through developing my spirituality. I'm a Christian. I believe in God, in heaven and hell, and in the gift of eternal life. Just as I rarely discuss politics, I rarely discuss religion because I am absolutely opposed to shoving our religion down other people's throats and I'm very aware of the hypocrisy so often associated with Christians because although we may try to live a certain way, it is impossible to be completely on all the time. EVERYONE makes mistakes. That said...

... one of my goals is to spend more time in this area. Just as for years I said I wanted to sew fashions, for years I've been saying I want to spend time each day reading the bible. It hasn't happened. I'm going to work on that and see if I can make it happen more often. When I do, I'll share a personal growth thought at the bottom of each posting. If you're interested, you can read it. If not, you can skip over it.

For those of you interested, I'll be reading The Message which is written in easy, every day language. There's a lot of controversy around which version of the bible we read. I find that ridiculous so please don't bother emailing me about it because I don't care. I believe that God can speak through any thing and any version. This version I actually read, understand, and enjoy which is not true of others. You do what you want to do. I'll do what I want to do.

Why am I mentioning this? To hold myself accountable. I'll be adding another category at the bottom of my posts called Personal Growth and writing a "thought of the day" type blurb. It may or may not refer to anything religious. I'm not sure. I haven't tried it yet. If it doesn't work, the category may disappear. We'll see what happens. If you want to join me and/or comment, I hope you will.

Today is knitting day. This has been a significant change for me in the last year. As a work from home Mom, my time was filled with work or home or family. I'd become house bound and quite lonely. Now, I'm starting to get out in the real world again and meet people. I go to two groups, one in the morning and one at night. At both, most of the women are quite a bit older than me. Even so, I'm really enjoying the time together. Just as the blog is connecting me with other women who sew fashions, these knitting groups are connecting me with more women to talk life and knitting and creativity with. It's good.

Have a great day - Myrna

Gratitude - this has been a difficult post to write because of wanting to share this new category and the background to it. I'm not perfect and now I feel vulnerable and nervous that I'll have put this thought out there and then won't do it. That's life. We all go through it. Now that I've said it, I can see what happens. YES YES!

The Von Trapp Family Skirt

Saturday afternoon, I sewed a McCall's 5523 skirt using the dark aqua-green fabric that I bought a week ago Sunday and the lining fabric that I bought last Friday. Both were from the discount section. I went back for the lining fabric to underline the skirt, give more body to the upper fabric, and eliminate the need for a slip. It was regular $15.00 discounted to $1.00. I saved $84.00 on six meters and it worked like wonderful. Total cost of the skirt - $6.00. The pattern was probably more expensive.




It was REALLY easy to fit and sew. I moved the zipper to center back instead of at the side seam allowing me to take it in when I lose more inches. This will only work for another size or so before the proportions will be off but it buys some time... although at the price of this skirt, I could just sew another one and give this away.

The back straight on and the back from the side so you can see that wonderful flippy section.




Kyle took these pictures the minute I got through the door from church before I changed. Otherwise, who knows when I'd have taken some. The underlining felt LOVELY. This hem length, just above the knee, seems quite flattering. My legs have nice enough shape however, I have a lot of varicose veins so I prefer wearing tights or pantyhose to even out the tone and I LOVE the way they snug me in and smooth me out. I'd have liked higher heels only I was singing in both church services and with five hours of standing - NOT!




Sunday afternoon, I started on my Christmas skirt. This Simplicity 2516 design is sewn with two pattern pieces. You cut two of the combined front/back piece and four of the combined front/back-side piece. These form a mirror image side to side and front to back.




Somehow, the idea that the curve of my butt equals the curve of my stomach is not at all comforting. I now have this image of myself as a beach ball when I'd prefer to think of myself as shapely with a flat stomach and a curvy rear end. However, I looked at Millicent and she is relatively similar back to front and since she's dialled up to look like me, I suppose it could be true.

For version B - the pink one - you also cut two of the combined front/back overlay and four of the combined front/back-side overlay. That's the version I'm working on. The top layer is 3" shorter than the bottom layer. I'm not sure what the difference is in the longer version above, but you can see that the hems are too far apart. The proportions are off. The same is true with the shorter version. I'll change that.

My plan is to cut the top layer out of fashion fabric and trim it with lace and to cut the bottom layer the same length as the top one only out of lining fabric to which I'll add a wide (about 2-2 1/2") edge of gathered tulle. Ideally, the resulting look is attractive with a somewhat sexy, peek-a-boo bottom.




This is a really fun fabric - silver taffeta with a velvet flocked design. I picked it up in the discount section for $1.50 a meter. My plan was to stagger the motifs, deliberately mismatching them to create an interesting look. It's certainly interesting. It looks...




... like the Von Trapp family skirt. When I showed it to Howard he said, no it's quite cute until I tried it on and then he said, sexy shape, different fabric. When I asked my oldest son if it looked like I was wearing curtains, he said, sort of. The youngest one said, no comment. His friend said, yeah, kind ah. I think that's husband speak for I'll take you in anything but preferably out of it and boy speak for what's the right answer here because that looks like yuck but I don't want to hurt your feelings. My daughter I can count on for the truth. I wish she was closer. She'll read this and say what were you think; you're not going out in public in that. LOL - too fun. SO...

... at best, the "looks like curtains" fabric was inexpensive for making a muslin. Now, I know the pattern fits and my idea is still fun. I'll pick a different fabric from my stash. What comes to mind immediately is a green lace with a scalloped edge left from my daughter's wedding. It's very pretty and would be much more flattering. Of course, the top I had in mind matched the "curtain" fabric so I'll have to think of something new for that. Oh well - that helps to test more patterns for my SWAP.

Today, I'm cleaning. We have laminate flooring throughout the house except in the basement and bedrooms. It needs a REALLY good cleaning and I have absolutely no desire to get down on my hands and knees with a pail and a rag. Instead, I bought a steam mop the other day when they were on sale. I've heard they're amazing. We'll see how it works. Hopefully quite well since I'll be sliding all the furniture around to get to the corners. The fridge also needs cleaning. The cupboards need sorting. The sheets need washing, the bathrooms need a scrub, and a flick of the swiffer and a vacuum would help the dust levels. I'm not sure I'll get that far. We'll see. Cleaning is good - LOL - but what I really want to do is SEW!

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - Boys - what fun!

About That Wedge

That wedge I talked about yesterday? The one I cut off because I "always" have too much hem and hip room? Apparently not always. I needed it. It seems that I've - finally - got the mix of alterations darn near perfect and now need that wedge for garment ease. Until I lose a few more inches, there's not enough in this blouse to stop...




... the hem from crawling up my behind BUT, the blouse is not too bad - not unwearable - just not as wonderful as it would have been with the wedge. I added it back to the pattern placing 1/2" on each side for a more balanced and graceful look - LOL - I hope. Once there's more ease, these wrinkles will settle down or at least most of them. Some wrinkles are just part of the life of a three dimensional form - VBG.




The width across the back through the armhole looks a bit wide and yet if I take too much away I won't be able to move my arms forward. I've sent these images to a friend for advice. She's very knowledgeable about fit. I'll see what she says.

The shoulder width looks close. A slight bit more could come off but not too much - no more than 1/2" - which might just resolve the armhole as well. Hmm...




The princess seam passes nicely through the bust point and the raised underarm allows for improved arm mobility. Good. The sleeves and cuffs worked out great although...




... it's been so long since I've sewn a placket and cuff that there are surely faster techniques out there now. That's something to ask Sandra Betzina at the workshop in April however, I don't imagine it's too big an issue since I'm not a huge fan of long sleeves. I doubt I'll sew too many. I prefer three quarter length.

Other than that, from the front, the hem length is good and it'll be hard to tell from the back until there's more ease. OVERALL - I'm quite pleased. I finished the buttons around 8:30 last night. The studio is cleaned up and ready to sew again. Next is a skirt only I'm not sure which one yet.

There's been an increase in readership lately so some of you may not know that I recently retired from a career in textile art. While working, I started reading Robert Genn's twice weekly articles which are always thought provoking. In today's, The Artifacts of Our Culture, he discusses the work of Claude Levi-Strauss (1908-2009).

Claude spent his lifetime studying native people and in particular native people in Brazil and North America. There were several things of interest in the article. Two stand out for me and are applicable to the journey of developing our style both in fashion and in art.

Earlier native populations were isolated which, in Claude's opinion, was ideal as they were able to develop their art without influence. YES YES! When teaching, I highly recommended that my students work in isolation for a period of time free from the opinions and thoughts of others. That length of time depended on the student but definitely needed to continue until they could hear another's opinion, evaluate it, and use or disregard it as necessary in pursuit of their own self expression. For me, that was several years.

They were fabulous years that changed my artistic life because it is not until you learn to listen to your inner artist, that you can begin to create the works of your own heart rather than works influenced by others wishes. That's true of our style through fashion as well.

It takes careful listening to yourself and confidence from within to create and sustain a style of your own free from what's in and what others might think. Nina Garcia talked a lot about that in her book The Little Black Book of Style, about how style is not wearing the latest and greatest "it" item that "they" say you should wear. It's about carving out an expression of self through the use of clothing that says here I am, confident in my own skin, expressing my inner self outward, like it or leave it, this is me.

I'm working on that confidence and expression in clothing and very glad that I can transfer the earlier learning from my art. It's a learning that started with my art and has now rippled into every area of my life. Because of it, I recognize that voice that says "this is me" or "this isn't me" and I'm able to explore the what if thoughts that tickle. Even so, right now, I find myself highly influenced by what's going on in the fashion world around me and by the comfort of familiarity. That bothers me on a certain level. I don't want to be a carbon copy.

Oprah yesterday was about fashion for men. Tim Gunn talked about how many men get stuck in the style of their youth and keep repeating and repeating it. It's not just men. Learning to step confidently outside of my fashion box and express myself in new and different ways is taking some work. While I like the blouse above, it is predictable, a version of a garment I've worn for years. Something more is needed to make it unique and interesting. It's safe. HOWEVER...

... don't be discouraged by that. Safe is an excellent starting point. Once the details of fit and flatter are worked out, the "blank canvas" of a garment can be taken in all kinds of different directions to express our uniqueness. That's exciting. It's something worth working toward.

Claude was also concerned that the global village was leading to commerce and ego. History has certainly shown that things we thought were great improvements have often had negative consequences.

For years, I attended a fall retreat in Port Townsend, Washington, USA. One of the things I loved about the drive was stopping at Pier I Imports in Bellingham. The items in that store seemed so international, different, and unique from anything we had here in Kamloops and then, we got a Pier I Imports too and so did darn near every hamlet in North America and suddenly unique became homogeneous. Go to any town or city in North America and you will find the same stores with the same stuff. If you're like me, you are once again searching out the hidden artist studios, the second hand stores, and the independents.

There are many wonderful things about the interconnectedness of today's population. In particular the sharing of information on a common topic of interest through blogs and forums. It's fabulous. Without the sewing talk I get online, I'd be in deep starvation. However, there is also much perpetuation of sameness. I read a blog, I see a pattern, I think oh, that's cute, I buy it, and I'm not the only one. I'm simply one of many. Sewing allows me to create garments in the colors, textures, and prints that I want to wear in order to express my inner self outward. Am I doing that? Yes and not fully. At least not yet.

Lately, I've been thinking about how to balance the reading and conversations which are highly valuable with the need to work in isolation to develop my fashion voice. I haven't quite figured that out yet but I know it has to do with uniqueness. The women whose style I admire are unique to themselves rather than carbon copies of other women or the "in" crowd.

To that end, my Internet time has two focuses. The first is to read and learn about expressing personal style. Blogs such as Already Pretty, The Hidden Seed, and The Slapdash Sewist help with these. The other is to learn about fit and improving the quality of my sewing. Blogs like Blog for Better Sewing, Diary of a Sewing Fanatic, and Two On Two Off help with these. I'm still figuring it all out. WHAT'S YOUR PLAN?



Edited at 2:09 pm to add this picture of me in my "uniform" so I could connect it to a discussion on Stitcher's Guild about What I Wore Today. I'm cutting out a turquoise skirt with a fabulous lining. More on Monday. Have a great weekend.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a mostly successful ending to a rather rough week of sewing

Dialled Down Millicent

Yesterday was one of those one step backward, two steps forward, kinds of days. Not quite smooth sailing although progress was made in the end. I started by testing stitch lengths, seam allowances, and pressing.

Fussy fabrics that shine over when pressed or show the seam allowance drive me crazy. This is one of the good ones. Like the black, it's a dressier fabric but not as smooth and slippery as most. It has that catchy surface. Not sure what that is but I like it AND... another discount buy. I was there the day they pulled these bolts off the floor, reduced them to $4.00 a meter, and put them in the bargain section where they promptly went on sale half price.




I bought three meters in two colors and sent them to my friend in Yellowknife for $12.00 as well as nine meters for myself for $18.00. If I remember right, the regular price was between $15.00 and $20.00 so a savings of at least $165.00. I'll check for more in another color next time I'm over although I don't remember seeing it on Sunday.

Before I started sewing, I dialled down Millicent. She was now several inches larger than I am. Working with the dress form, I'm very aware of how many inches I'm losing and exactly where. This time, I had to adjust across the back in the bust and hips and on the sides for the waist.




On Monday, I bought a smaller bra for me but Millicent has to wait. Hers is clipped together tighter for now since the cup size hadn't changed, just the band. I am so glad I bought this dress form. They are FABULOUS. I have no idea how I managed to sew without one for the thirty years before.




The high hip alteration on a princess seam ends up with this weird shape. See how the grain line shifted? The bottom angled edge of this pattern has been pushed outward an additional inch. According to the instructions, I should cut that off and add it to the side seam only I've found that makes the hip and hem too wide. This time, I left it on until I could see what happened and ended up eliminating it so it's cut it off the pattern for now although I've since started to worry that there won't be enough room through the hips even though I basted all the seams earlier and checked. Hopefully it's needless fretting.

That was the frustration yesterday. Alterations that didn't work like I thought they would - which is fine - it's good learning - except that I want to get on to sewing. Actually, what I want to get on with is wearing. Here's the blouse this morning. The collar band needs to be hand stitched underneath and then I can move on to the sleeves.

For this version, I cut out the long sleeve with the cuff. It's been forever since I've worn a button up blouse never mind one with a sleeve and cuff. I couldn't begin to tell you when that was. It'll be a change. A good one I hope.

My plan for today is to sew this morning, ideally finish the blouse, make a quick trip to Fabricland for buttons, check out the discount section, and come back to the studio and cut out a co-ordinating skirt. I booked Wednesday and Thursday - all day - for sewing. We'll see what really happens.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - perseverance