Many Wonderful Things

There were sheepherders camping in the neighbourhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Saviour has just been born in David's town, a Saviour who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger. - Luke 2:8-12




This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. John 3:16-17





Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. I hope that the coming year brings many wonderful things to you and your family. Thank you for sharing my creativity. I'm looking forward to the inspiration to come in 2011.

I'm also looking forward to these holidays. All six of us are home together for the next five days. It's wonderful. I plan to sleep in, stay up late, spend time with my husband and children, get as many extra hugs as I can before my daughter and her husband leave again, and spend some creative moments in the studio. Perfect. I'm taking a break from blogging for the next week so I'll tell you all about it in the New Year.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - the reason for the season, Christ's birth, God's love for us.

Weirdly Behaving Husbands

My friend and I did meet for breakfast yesterday morning. We had the most interesting conversation about the strange ways in which our husbands are behaving as they age. Mine has exhibited a few unique behaviours. Hers has some similar to his, some different.

When I told Howard what we had talked about he said that's what us guys talk about too. He meant the male version of "what the heck is wrong with her" which has more to do with the weird ebb and flow of female hormones than anything else especially considering that most women I know are dealing with menopause at the moment... and weirdly behaving husbands. LOL!




Howard brought this poinsettia home from work for me the other day. Apparently, it was going to die if left at the office. That made me burst out laughing. I kill plants. We have one violet that has lasted three years. That's no small feat. There's no reason to call them shrinking violets. They're sturdy.

Plants in our house can either go a month without water, are fake, or dead however, this poinsettia dieing will NOT be my fault. It's been dropping leaves steadily since it came through the door - after a ride home in the cold car - after a carry across the parking lot in sub zero temperatures - without protection. The poor thing froze.

Even though pajamas are less structured, I still scooped the crotch to match my shape. Wearing them, it feels a little low all around. The pattern allowed for a 1/2" petite adjustment through the hip. I typically make a 1" adjustment but I thought I'd try it and see because pajamas are not supposed to be snug. Next time. I'll take another 1/2" out of the hip depth and...




... another 2 1/4" off the length unless I'm using a lettuce edge hem as I did this time in which case I will need to cut the hem width off too. Above you can see how, when I stretched the fabric to zigzag over the edge for the lettuce shaping, it wanted to roll to the right side. That created a fold over that was then stitched over resulting in a 1/8" white edge all the way around. It wasn't planned but it works.




Millicent is not very good at modeling my pants. She has a much longer crotch depth but at least you can sort of see how they look. The fabric has some interesting grey and white blotches. I'd originally bought it for a wrap dress which I'm now glad that I didn't make as blotchy in dress length would not have been flattering. There's enough fabric left to make a t-shirt which means I'll once again have a day-wear t-shirt that matches my night-wear pajama pants. The last time they were leopard print. Oh well. That's what happens when you buy LOTS of fabric - VBG.

Howard and I are both participating in the Christmas Eve services tonight. He's playing guitar and I'm singing melody and... this year... our youngest son is playing bass. What fun. Practice is at 3:00 and then there are three services at 5:00, 6:15, and 7:30. After that, we'll have an appetizer dinner, head to bed, sleep in, have a lazy morning, and meet our daughter and son-in-law at the airport in the afternoon. I can hardly wait to see them and get my Mommy hugs. They are here for five days. YES YES.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - family time

My Mother Wants Tape For Christmas

Today is a play day. I typically spend all day Thursday in the studio and even with Christmas coming, I've shuffled and organized the to do list around having this day off. Actually, I should say especially with Christmas coming. We'll be busy and I'll have less time for myself as Robin mentioned in her comment yesterday so I'm charging my batteries.

First, I might have a breakfast date. I don't know. We arranged it yesterday and then she phoned to say that her husband told her she wasn't allowed to go only she was going to talk to him again and call back which she didn't do. I was so in shock that I am sure I stuck my foot in my mouth trying not to say the things that were flashing through my mind, at least one of which I did say. This is a subject I get quite passionate about.

People do not own people. Husbands do not own their wives. Wives do not own their husbands. I'm not a slave. Howard is not a slave. If Howard told me I wasn't allowed to do something, I'd be walking right straight out the door to do it. If he asked me to not do something and gave me a reason, we could discuss that reason and come to a decision. Ditto in return. Neither of us is a puppet on a string. I have one life to live and it won't be spent doing only the things my husband thinks I should or allows me to do. Beathing in. Breathing out. Climbing down off my soap box now.




As part of her gift to me, my friend Sharon gave me three fuchsia and three lime-green felt pens along with three rolls of tape. A few years ago, while driving around town, I asked my son for these items as his Christmas present to me and he rolled down the car window and yelled out MY MOTHER WANTS TAPE FOR CHRISTMAS as if I was some kind of foreign object. Of course I want tape - and pens - the tools of the trade in my favourite colors. YES YES! I used the fuchsia pen last night to trace the pajama pants for Butterick 5432.

The pattern I bought fits me in the upper body and is too small in the lower so I cut the front and back pant pieces vertically and inserted a 1 1/2" strip adding 6" of ease which is what the pattern was drafted with when I compare the measurement chart with the finished sizes. If that turns out to be too much, I can take some out. I don't want baggy pajama pants. I want them more slim fitting and flattering and comfy so I'm...

... using this t-shirt knit. I tried a pair of pajama pants like this on at the mall a while ago and loved them only they were too small and they didn't have my size and, even if they did, they wanted a ridiculous amount of money for them and I could have sewn them for a lot less. This is starting to happen to me all the time now that I've returned to sewing fashions. Either I can sew it and it would fit better or I can sew it and it won't be nearly as expensive. Either way, I'm starting to prefer my sewn wardrobe. In this case, I'd have preferred a solid color but... this is what I had in the stash and, right now, I'm all for using my stash.

K.Line wrote - How about "my goal is to crystallize my creative pursuits so that I can utilize the beautiful fabric I already have to its best, loveliest, and most useful advantage"?

Thanks. That got me thinking except that worded in that way the goal would then be to crystallize more than to actually sew. Something about discovering through sewing might work and since that's exactly what I like about refashioning, it would bring even more energy - more would than should - to the idea even though, in the end, it'll come down to self control and discipline. Ah yes. Those words.

I'm off to get dressed. I'll take my journal and myself out for breakfast. If my friend shows up, great. If not, not a problem. I'll either have breakfast with myself or Howard will come and join me and then, studio time. Perfect. (Edited 10:25 - My friend and I did meet and had a lovely breakfast together. This is one the most important parts of Christmas for me - time with family and friends.)

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a day to play

The Death of Creativity

YEARS ago when we bought our first house, there were no appliances. As we were standing in Sears listening to the salesman talk about the different features, Howard debated the extra expense of a self cleaning oven. When he asked me what I thought, I asked him how many times he'd cleaned the oven in our apartment. It was at least five or six times so I replied, great - I've cleaned it once - do you want self cleaning? He did. That was almost thirty years ago. We've had self cleaning ovens ever since.

Yesterday, Howard cleaned the oven. Pulling out the manual, we discovered that our new stove has a Sabbath setting for use on the Jewish Sabbath and holidays. Really? This setting allows the oven to stay on overriding the factory preset 12 hour energy saving feature and prevents any lights and sounds from displaying. From what I can discern on the Internet...

... this feature means that a Jewish woman will not have to "light a fire" and therefore will not be working on the Sabbath. It reminded me of a quilt I saw years ago showing a woman's hands washing dishes, cleaning, cooking, holding a baby and performing other tasks. I believe the title was No Wife Of Mine Will Ever Work.




Holidays are a lot of work, especially for women. I don't know about you but I've had some pretty cranky holidays when I've felt as if I am the only one slaving away while everyone else is having fun. Since I'm not a cook, days and days of cooking larger than ordinary meals do not make my heart go thump to say nothing of the extra laundry, cleaning, and mess around my house. Clutter jars my senses and puts me on edge.

I must have thrown a superb hissy fit last year because Howard is being extremely careful to help out. This is good. I expect all my children to help out and my son-in-law and my son's wives when they marry and eventually my grandchildren. IMHO - a larger family should disperse the work load not pile more and more on one person.

As I explained mid hissy fit, if having the family home to visit means a whole lot of work for me and I'm exhausted and stretched beyond measure and working non-stop while they are "on holiday", I will not want the family to come home. Since I love them, and want to see them, and want them to have fun at home, that's definitely not a good thing.

Any day now, I'll be typing the menu up to put on the fridge. It'll come with sign up slots for who is going to be in charge and who is going to help. And if the floor needs vacuuming, I know for a fact that the other five people in this house have experience as they do with potty cleaning. I support the many hands make light work adage.




Along with my word of the year sentence of intent, I am thinking about how to word one of my goals for next year in a positive and motivating way. It's about fashion fabric. I used to have one six foot length of shelving which expanded to two six foot lengths and then three and now there's another eight feet on the floor and it's starting to pile up two high and every time I pull one piece out, there's a mess left behind. I have too much fabric.

Stop buying fabric is a goal that will not work for me. Instead of less, I'd end up with more. In some positive way, I want to word a goal that promotes creativity by using what I have and purchasing only what I need. If that sounds familiar, it's because I've tried this several times in several ways and so far I've floundered each time which - according to what I wrote yesterday and believe - would mean it was a should not a would goal. I may have reached the would point. I hope so. I'd rather not feel guilty every time I look in the closet.

Yesterday, I applied for three jobs. Eventually, I will be hired somewhere and that will change the amount of time that I have to sew. Ideally, it will also change the amount of time that I have to shop for incredibly lovely, creatively sparkling, on sale at an unbelievable price, fabric. I have no trouble finding those deals although right now, I'm at the point of overload that kills creativity and that's never a good thing. The death of creativity is a highly motivating reason to NOT accumulate more.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - house cleaning today and that's it, we're ready

Word Of The Year

We believe that knowledge has value and it does. Of equal value is what we do not know. The known has been identified and in that identification loses some of its mystery and depth. The unknown is ripe with possibility, unlimited by restrictions.

When considering the unknown, our imaginations can soar. There are no limits. While sometimes frightening, the unknown is equally magnificent, equally beautiful, equally inspiring as we add to it what we wish. New learning, new skills, new discoveries exist not in in what we know but within the realm of the unknown as we dream, as we envision, as we grow.

To believe that I know it all is to deny myself all that is yet to be imagined and discovered. While I am thankful for what I do know, I am equally thankful for the wealth and the wonder of what I do not know.




Lisa Call is a textile artist whose work I have followed in part because she is goal driven as I am. In an article written on Christine Kane's blog in 2008, Lisa said, I started by setting aside my usual beginning of the year ritual, that of setting dozens of aggressive goals and jumping in getting things done, and instead I chose a single word to focus my year around. Her word was courage. You can read about how she chose that word here and about more 2010 word of the year choices here. Christine Kane is a mentor to women. Lisa was working with her at the time.

While I am goal driven, my approach is not as intense as Lisa's appears. Some days, when I read about all her lists and structures, I am tired. She seems to slot something into each click of the clock. That doesn't work for me. Instead of accomplishing, I become overwhelmed by the agenda. I have found that I am more productive when I work with an outline and the freedom to explore the unknown rather than with a list and the assumption that I know what I need to know without deviation.

I am talking about creative goals not paint the bathroom or clean the kitchen type goals. I prefer creative goals with a strong sense of direction that take what I do know and begin to form a path into the unknown. Let me try to give you an example. Instead of setting a number specific goal such as I will sew three capsules of three garments that go together each month creating a wardrobe of thirty-six coordinated outfits, I would instead set a directional goal such as in order to broaden the scope of my wardrobe, I plan to sew co-ordinated groups of garments that work well together and attempt to connect the groups using the endless combinations approach while accepting that this will not always work.

The first wording is a check list goal. The second sets a direction and - if this was my goal - would give me a purpose which I always need. It would also give me room to evolve, adjust, and be flexible within the goal as I discovered how it worked for me. A goal like this may work. It may not. It may be accomplished. It may not. It depends on if you were truly ready for it because what I do know for sure is that while you can set a goal that you think you should achieve, until you actually want to achieve it, and have some purpose that gives you energy, you will flounder. I have found it helpful to leave room for both myself and the goal to evolve and grow as I explore the mystery of the unknown.

My 2011 word of the year is INSPIRE chosen for its many angles both in inspiring others and being inspiring and for continued exploration of the known and of the unknown. I haven't yet written my intent in a complete sentence. I'm working on that.

If one advances confidently in the direction of one's dreams, and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with success unexpected in common hours. - Henry David Thoreau




Today is my daughter Jessica's 24th birthday. She is half my age. I am twice as old as she is. Without any charts to confirm it, and no knowledge of my longevity, I'm fairly confident in saying that I doubt this will happen again.

Jessica inspires me She's an incredibly talented, capable, creative, and achieving young woman who has thrived in areas that I continue to struggle with. Her success not only inspires me to be better, it gives me hope that some chains have been broken. We are alike in many ways which I'm sure she won't enjoy reading but has come to accept on some level. I'm very proud of her.

This is a week of lasts. Yesterday was the last major grocery shop before Christmas. Our fridge and freezer are stocked up and I hope that's it although I'm realistic enough to know that we've probably forgotten something. Today, I'm washing sheets and towels so the beds and bathrooms are fresh. Tomorrow, we'll clean.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - the mystery and discovery to be found in the unknown

Not Perfect But Perfectly Amazing

A few months ago, I sent my daughter a link to The New Vintage Wardrobe thinking she might be encouraged and inspired by this blogger's fun with clothing and her zest for life. Just check out the flirty image on her About page. I think her name is Andrea.

In the time that I've been blogging, I've received some nasty comments that typically make assumptions and are judgemental. They are not signed. They are anonymous. If you've ever read the blurb in my comments box, you know I have little patience and no respect for comments of this kind. I delete them.

Nothing I've received has been as offensive as what Andrea received last week. You can read about it in her posting Really?!?! It made me angry. It made me want to cry. How can insulting someone on such an intensely personal level ever be considered acceptable or by any stretch of the imagination helpful? Yet once again, we're having a discussion about the nameless brutality of the Internet. I wanted to wrap Andrea up in a great big Mommy hug. I thought she responded with incredible grace.

If only the Golden Rule - love your neighbour as yourself - treat others as you would want to be treated - could be extended by all. How frustrating that something as connective as the Internet can also be so hurtful and divisive. I doubt that "I'm not a thin person myself..." would want to receive a comment of this nature. At times like this, I take comfort in the fact that what goes around comes around.

Our weekend was slow and lovely. Saturday morning was another Christmas breakfast with a friend. After that, I made a big pot of spaghetti sauce and used some to make a lasagna that went in the freezer for later. While things were cooking, I worked on my menu and grocery shopping list for next week. If only I could do that fifty-one more times a year, this cooking thing might work out - LOL. In the afternoon, I curled up on the couch and read a book.




The spaghetti sauce was for Sunday night. We have a tradition of decorating the tree followed by a candlelight dinner. The boys wanted spaghetti, garlic bread, and chicken wings which are traditional to us choices that mean something. There's comfort in tradition and - for me - a lot of frustration as I try to figure out what I'm going to eat. Most of our traditional food contains an ingredient I'm allergic to.




It was while decorating the tree in 2008 that I had to finally accept my gluten allergy. I'd been trying to rationalize it away until then but within minutes of beginning that meal, I had so obviously reacted that Howard and both boys all noticed and were quite concerned. It was a rough year. On top of the food, it was also the first time we decorated the tree without my daughter. I didn't cry when she went to kindergarten, I didn't cry when she moved out, I didn't cry when she got married but I bawled my eyes out when she wasn't here to decorate the tree that first time. (My daughter corrected me. Apparently 2007 was the first year without her and 2008 was the allergies. LOL - I'm old. I forget.)

This year decorating went incredibly smooth. Howard and I put on the lights and wrapped the garland and then called the boys to help with the ornaments. I panicked for a few minutes when I couldn't find the hooks and then my oldest son remembered that we'd packed them ON the ornaments last year. Why it took me thirty years to think of that I have no idea but it sure makes decorating easy. I unwrapped the ornaments, handed them to the guys, they hung them on the tree, and we were totally done in half an hour.




Each year, I buy a new ornament. For the first few years, I only bought them for the kids writing their name and the date on them. Then I realized that we'd have no decorations left on the tree when they all moved out so I started buying four, one for us as well. This year's decoration is a tin angel that I picked up at my favourite shop - A to Zebra - in Nanaimo earlier this year. It's not always easy to find an ornament you can write on.

My three favourite ornaments are the Baby's First Christmas ones bought for each of my children. Children are a huge responsibility and an incredible honor. I'm not what I consider a natural mother. I don't like playing games, baking cookies, or making crafts with glue and glitter. I hate glue and glitter. I hate mess. I love my children. They are the best gift ever.

Sometimes, I wish I'd been older and wiser before I had them. As I mature, I've become more realistic, more laid back, less of a control freak. Perhaps, I might have done a better job but then again, maybe not because it appears I did a good job. My children are all hard working, responsible, reliable, generous, and thoughtful people. Not perfect but perfectly amazing. I'm glad they're mine. They are some of my favourite people.

Today is the last big grocery shop before Christmas. I've made the lists. Howard's coming with me. We'll go to Save On first for the smaller things and then to Costco for the bigger ones. They open at 8:00 and 10:30 so that staggers nicely. This afternoon, I'm getting my hair cut. If I make it to the studio today, it'll be tonight.




I tried twice yesterday to get pictures of me in my new sweater. Both times, they came out too dark. You can see a blob but no details. I'll have to try again on a brighter day. That's also why the blog is later today. I was waiting for enough light to take pictures of the ornmanets on the tree. It's so incredibly grey that that's not going to happen today especially with the tree in front of the window. It's just after nine and I'm editing my earlier writing. We've already been to Save On and are getting ready for Costco. So far, so good. It wasn't too busy.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - my children

Tap Dancing In My Head

The links bar on some blogs shows a small image. It's whichever picture comes first in the linked to blog. To use that feature as a marketing tool, I would place my most colourful or most intriguing image first as a hook to tempt readers by whispering come visit me.

The first image in today's posting is grey. It's not colorful nor that intriguing in postage size. Yes, I'd like readers to come, visit, and enjoy my blog however, while marketing was a huge part of my career, it's not where I'm at right now.

I've been watching over the months as Gertie has positioned herself. Consciously, or possibly subconsciously, she has appeared to me to be building a path to what I call being a big name. It came as no surprise earlier when she announced her pending book nor yesterday when she announced her teaching. I'm happy for her and so glad it's not me.

Just thinking about the energy needed to build and sustain that career makes me tired. Instead, I have reached a milestone of my own this week. A book idea has been tap dancing in my head for months, demanding to be written. It wouldn't leave me alone. And then, it stopped dancing. Not because I'm no longer intrigued with the idea - I am - however, through the blog I can write, teach, share, and inspire with the bonus of something to wear immediately and without the stress or expense of producing products, without putting "they" before "me", without deadlines, and especially without the constraints a focused subject puts on my creativity. I've come to realize that that is good and enough.




Right now, I'm intrigued with refashioning and with lingerie. If I were writing a book on a different subject, these would go on the back burner. When I was creating textile art, I was not sewing fashions. When I was creating textile art for a workshop, book, or exhibit, I had to ignore any other creative ideas that whispered come play with me. There wasn't time to explore them.

I'm aware that I live a fairytale life right now and that it will change significantly when I get a job, however, even so, it is wonderful to explore creativity without obligation and to then share it with those who are interested. Blogging works fabulously as a method of personal sharing. Not being in business, I can let go of other popular, must do, marketing ideas like Twitter or Facebook that don't intrigue me in the least. I don't have to do that. I'm not on that path anymore. YES YES.




In the back image, the white line at the top of the pleat is chalk. It'll wash out later. The neckline looks casual and soft. It's stabilized to hold that look. I fused a strip of the sweater fabric to interfacing, cut it 3/8" wide, zigzagged over it several times to firm it up, and then pinned it behind the fold of the collar and around the back of the neck 3/4" down. It's zigzag stitched along each edge although it's nearly invisible because of the texture of the sweater.




The clasp is like a giant hook and eye. There are three holes on each side between the curling design where it's stitched on like a button. I was surprised at how inexpensive it was - $2.50.




While Sharon was here yesterday, I worked on another bra using a Chinese brocade. Technically, you can sew a bra out of any fabric you'd like as long as the cup is firm and shaped and the band is stretchy. In reality, you'd need to make some changes to make that work. For one, I'd need to add an inch to the band to give it additional stretch to make up for the lack in the front. I can barely do it up.




The cup would need to be ever so slightly bigger. It fits however, the bust is confined to its shape as opposed to filling in a fabric with a bit of stretch. Instead of smooth and sleek, I look bumpy and compressed. There are no more firm fabric bras in my future even though it's gorgeous. There are also...




... no more pictures of bras on me in my future. After seeing what Kyle pulled up on the Internet the other day, even though those images are headless, I've decided that Millicent can do all my lingerie modeling. I tried to think of who I could give this bra to but most of my friends have a larger ribcage than mine. They would need to be about a 32 C or D.

This morning, a Christmas breakfast with Francine, a few errands at Wal-Mart, and then home to do a super clean in the kitchen. I want to wipe down the cupboards, clean out the fridge, see what's missing in the pantry, make a list for grocery shopping on Monday, and have it all nice and neat, ready for Christmas.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - reaching a new stage and awareness in the de-commercialization of my creativity

Grey Refashion

Baby holding at the dentist went wonderfully. She sat and looked at the fish tank for the first half hour, was held and rocked for the next half hour, and slept through the one after that and even through coffee afterward. I enjoyed the warm snuggles. LOL - I'm going to have to tone up my baby holding muscles whenever I hear that I'm expecting a grandchild. My arms could tell it had been a few years.

When I got home, it was either start on the file cleaning and most likely get sucked into that for the rest of the day or start on the sweater refashion and most likely get sucked into that for the rest of the day. I chose the sweater. What fun. Here are some pictures. Hopefully, I'll have the finished ones tomorrow. All it needs is a closure. There were some metal ones at Fabricland I want to look at.




Bunny wrote: I see this all quite differently. Your friend told you no, she didn't have the time. I think her saying no is just fine...

Oh definitely. I am all for saying no. In fact, I think the ability to say no is one the greatest skills a woman can learn. My friend's no didn't bother me at all. What bothered me was the negative questioning and the I'm a Mom, I don't have that option comment that felt critical as opposed to a discussion of preferences or differing customs however, I do know she didn't mean it to be critical. That's not her nature.

If I'm honest, the past probably factored into my reaction as well. Over the years, I have received a lot of criticism for simplifying and for saying no and yet we send cards, bake goodies, decorate the house and tree, exchange presents, have special meals, and spend a lot of time together. It's just scaled down to be less stressful. I've been surprised by how many women (and men) feel they don't have that option. They do.

AND... I should have been more general in my comments. I didn't mean for the discussion to be about who was right. My friend's priorities are correct. Her focus is her family and friends. I just feel that she, like many women, isn't stopping to think through what her actions might really be saying. That lack of awareness is not uncommon and THAT is what I wanted to say. If you're running around in circles, frazzled and not enjoying the season, stop, think, question, decide, and act instead of react. Make Christmas what you want it to be not what you think it has to be.

That was my experience. First, I was blissfully ignorant and then it occurred to me that while my priorities were correct, my methods needed revising. After years of behaving one way, it suddenly made no sense to run myself ragged prepping for one 24 hour day that I was then too exhausted to enjoy. If I would just do things differently, I could have thirty-one days of memory making. MUCH better.




I thought I understood how to create. I've read every book on the subject. I've dabbled in every medium I could find but always came back to quilting. Your class has taught me more about creativity than anything else ever has. You put it so simply and then emphasized and encouraged. Beautiful. I got it!

The quote above is from Nancy, one of my Self Expressions students. She was talking about the method I taught in the class of picking a starting point and step by step responding to the developing piece until it was finished. It's a way of working that, when I developed it, completely changed how I create. It's the method I'm using for this refashion. I started by opening up the grey sweater and then used my T & T pattern to get the shape of the shoulders and armholes correct. In the picture above, that section sticking up at the right is how much too wide the back of the sweater was after maintaining the side seams.




It was formed into the wide pleat you see in this image. The stitching line ends about even with the notches on the armhole.

Even though the original sweater had a dropped shoulder, because it was an extra-large man's sweater there was enough room in the sleeves to cut my smaller ones.




First, I sewed long sleeves but later cut them off to three quarter length. The long ones looked frumpy and just plain wrong with how the front was developing. I'd hoped to use the ribbing from the collar to make cuffs only half the collar equalled too tight a band for my arm so I used a 1" hem instead. The hem along the bottom is the original sweater hem. That worked out perfect.

When I showed Howard my sweater in progress last night, he said that he liked it and that it looked familiar somehow. That made me laugh. Yes, I said, imagine it bigger and longer and your size and now it's my size. He didn't have a problem with that. Apparently it looks better on me. Good thing - LOL.

This morning, I'm out for a Christmas breakfast with Sharon and then she's coming over to sew on her latest bra. I'm not sure what I'm working on yet.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - fun refashioning and great discussions

To Sort And Be Sorted

Cleaning electronic files is as obsessive compulsive as the regular cleaning of every box, basket, cupboard, closet, and drawer in the house. I just can't leave any "container" undone. Yesterday, I planned to spend the morning cleaning and the afternoon sewing. Instead, I cleaned all day - as in well into the evening, right up until news time.

Just like regular cleaning, chucking got easier as the day went along. Pretty quick, I decided that if I hadn't used it in years, I wasn't likely to miss it and goodbye. If I do miss it - oh well - what's gone is gone. That's worked well for me so far. I'm not talking about the files from my books or workshops but about the amazing number of useless files and duplicate images and what on earth did I keep that for information.

The main files are sorted. The categories and subcategories have been established. All of C drive is clean. On the D drive, I've divided images into sorted and to be sorted. That last category is HUGE except... I know... that it is full of useless images like the ones of me in muslin. LOTS of those and only needed in the moment, not for posterity.

I've decided not to stop taking so many photos BUT... to stop keeping them all. I called the photo center and they recommended a 2400 x 3000 pixel image if making an 8 x 10 photo which means saving family and other images I might want to print at full size which in turn means keeping less. My plan is to take process and project photos, size them for the blog, use them, and then delete all but the finished and detail images. We'll see how that works.




I got an email about the job position yesterday. It was posted Sunday, I applied Monday, and by Tuesday it had been filled. I can only conclude that they already had someone in mind and the process was a mere formality. DARN.




I was crabby yesterday. Have you ever had one of those conversations where you're not sure if you've been insulted but you're assuming not because it would never have been that person's intent but even so, you are feeling somewhat insulted. One of those conversations.

A friend is extremely busy getting ready for Christmas. When I phoned to ask her for lunch and a trip to Value Village (a place she loves) she said no, she only had time for the things she wanted and needed to do, maybe after Christmas. I knew she didn't realize that she had just said that she didn't want to have lunch or go shopping with me. I assumed she was just frazzled and true enough because...

... yesterday morning she phoned to apologize saying she thought she may have been too abrupt. That was great except that she then went on to question why I wasn't busy and didn't we have any Christmas traditions and... and... and.. negatively phrased questions. When I talked about what we did at Christmas, there was silence, the judgemental kind, and then she said that she didn't have that option because she's a Mom. Hello... I have kids. I'm a Mom.

In the end, I couldn't decide if she was criticizing my way of doing things or justifying her busyness. I know she would like to be less busy. She thinks she can't make that choice. I wouldn't have been surprised if it was the later especially because I've had many negative reactions to my downsizing and simplifying of Christmas over the years as if we somehow aren't having fun with fewer baked goods, smaller meals, less expense, and more time together. I think that some women find "too busy" and "frazzled" a badge of honor while I - on the other hand - think that's just plain dumb. All for one day? And what is the point anyway? Years ago, I made a decision to focus on family and as a result, I enjoy December.

I talked with my son about the conversation last night and he said, I like our Christmas the way it is. Gotta love that child. That was exactly what I needed to hear. Short of grocery shopping next week, which I'm doing with my husband on Monday, I am ready and have been for weeks. Easy and fun is the way I want to spend, and to model, Christmas. I hope this way of being is something that I pass on to my children and especially to my daughter and daughter-in-laws (when I have them) as I really have an aversion to women so busy running around in circles that they don't have time for the people in their lives.

The long line bra was ready by Saturday only I didn't wear it. The band could have been tighter although it would have worked. The cups wouldn't. They were way too big. Remember when I told you about the Estrasmart supplements that I'm taking. One of the things this product does is reduce and eliminate the occurrence of breast cysts. I'm dissolving. A month after I started taking the product, I went for an ultrasound and the technician noted less cysts already. That's surprising and good but not good. That extra fullness will no longer help to balance my hips - LOL - I'm down a cup size. SO...




... I'm going to mail the bra to my friend Caroline. When she was here last summer, she sewed a size really close to this one. I'm hoping it will fit her and that she'll enjoy it. I'll just pop it in the mail and find out when it gets there. It's not for Christmas. I already sent that package on the 1st. This will be a surprise bonus present.

This morning, I'm holding a baby at the dentist's office. My friend is almost forty and has a 3 month old baby. She's a new and older and nervous mother. I've only held the baby once before about a week ago. Before I hold her, I have to wash and sanitize. It's really quite amusing and makes me wonder what I was like as a first time mother. I'm sure I amused some people too.

ANYWAY... my friend has to have some emergency dental work done and she wants the baby to come but doesn't want the staff to touch her so I've been asked to hold the baby. And guess what? I can do this because I'm not at all rushed with Christmas and the file cleaning can wait. Life is about relationships not rushing, not baking, not presents, not stuff. It's about PEOPLE.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - twenty-six hours, a $4,99 part, twenty pounds of pressure, and the sink drain is clear again. Naturally, we took the longer, more expensive than that route, BUT... it's done. YES YES.

My Goal For Next Year...

Working your way through twenty years of electronic files is tedious business. And obsessive. Suddenly, I have a desire for neat, clean, well organized files when for years I've managed to turn my head and ignore the need. Of course, that's because they were the backup files. And - I'm sure - because the job was overwhelming - which it is - only now it's also unavoidable. Should I be grateful for a crashed hard drive?

A few months ago, Howard set up a secondary hard drive, meaning another one besides the external one used for backing up. It's purpose was to hold all the images that were taking up way too much space on my regular drive and slowing down my processor. While sorting through the backed up files, I decided to move all the images to that drive and then, from there, when all of them were all present and accounted for, sort them into some kind of order. Except, it was full before I got all the pictures moved. Can you believe it? Apparently, there are more images than I thought. That will be the next big clean up. I'll start by deleting the full image and keeping only the sized ones which should make a significant difference. There are also lots of pictures of my muslin coated body that don't need to hang around although...

Last night, my youngest son sat me down at the keyboard to show me something. He googled his name and came up with a huge long list of either images from, or links to, my blog. He found this astounding. LOL - the things you don't know about your parents. I told him I do blog five times a week. Oh! Really! Some of these images will be hanging around for posterity on the Internet.

Edited Dec 17th after receiving a nasty comment. My son did know I write a blog, he didn't know how often. He did know that I mention him. I do have his permission. He was surprised that his full name linked to my blog which was due to our shared last name. When I told him about the posted comment he said, what's her problem. A typical teenage response - LOL. The comment has been deleted since the writer refused to sign their name.




Apparently, Canadians are more in debt per person than Americans are although only five percent of our debt is on credit cards which supposedly means that while we have more debt, we also have better debt. Hmm... I'm not sure if that's something we should be proud of or not. It's sort of a mixed blessing.

The Governor of the Bank of Canada was urging us (on the news last night) to - even though borrowing rates are low - make wise decisions and do not accumulate more debt because at some point the rates are going to go back up. Isn't that like the candy store window? It makes me think about my spending though. Always good.

I applied for another job yesterday. So far the computer hasn't rejected me so we'll see. Whenever I get my first paycheque - from whoever - I've already worked out the spending/saving formula which is exciting in itself. So full of potential. I'm looking forward to the change of having someone else pay me after so many years of employing myself. It didn't always pay well - VBG.

Over the past year, I have become a lot clearer with my studio purchasing decisions especially toward the end of the year. After a year of fashion sewing, I have a much better idea of the kinds of projects I want to sew and the fabrics that I prefer to work with. I also recognize that what I have right now is more than enough even if I'd prefer more natural fibres and slightly higher quality. Oh well. What I have is what I have and I'll use it first so...

... my goal for next year is to work my way through the piles of potential already accumulated in my studio. That's most easily done if I stay away from Fabricland. Since that won't be entirely possible, I hope to contain my purchasing to mostly notions to go with the fabric and patterns that I already have. You can tell you're at overload point when you click away from sales. I have absolutely no interest in fabric or the BMV Club sales right now. The stash closet is full and the pattern drawer runneth over.




So does the to be refashioned box. This silver grey, chenille-ish sweater was Howard's. Since he never wore it, I moved it to the box where it's been waiting around, along with two or three others, to become something for me. I'm debating pairing it with the rhinestone zipper and cutting the turtle neck into a collar. It all depends on...




... how I reconfigure the front. I'd like those cables on each side to form mock princess seams which means the front one will get cut out because the sweater is way too wide. The back is just ribbed with no cables. I'm debating how to stitch some of them together to become pleats. So far, I'm just processing ideas. I didn't even start yesterday. After errands and file cleaning, I read for a bit, made supper, and then...




... the drain backed up in the kitchen. It's been doing this periodically for the past while and this time the problem was too big for the plunger or the full length of the snake. At eleven last night, Howard was on his way to WalMart for liquid plumber. It loosened things a little through the night but not all the way so this morning the sink is covered up, we're not using it, and hopefully more liquid plumber will do the trick. That might mean that I quietly stay home and sew or that I spend most of the day out. I'm not sure yet. All I can say is better now than when we had a houseful of people for Christmas.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - that we have a sink downstairs in the laundry room

Feeling Like Ellen

There was an segment on the news last night about the price of cotton and how it's going up. Several business owners were interviewed. One said that it was not just cotton, that the factors raising the price would also raise the price of polyester and nylon and other fabrics. They anticipated that the demand for cotton would go down. Why - when I looked at Howard and said I guess I should buy more fabric - did he burst out laughing? - LOL

Another comment made during the interview was that the clothing industry had not seen the price increases found in other industries and that it was about time they caught up. (Hopefully not with groceries which seem to be going crazy.) I wondered if we would see the point at which sewing was less expensive again. It's hard to tell when the price of the key ingredient and the end results are both expected to rise. I don't imagine price increases will affect my need to sew in the least. I'll just become an even better sales shopper. And then, there is my stash. Do you think that's why he laughed? - VBG




The big stones in these earrings are a rich purple that matched my outfit. The blue ones are more turquoise. The camera was playing tricks with the color as it likes to do. This was the first time in years and years and years - at least fifteen - that I've changed my earrings. Normally, I wear small diamond studs day and night. The left ear was fine. The right one was sore by halfway through the evening and I took them off.




The belt is leather in the front and elastic around the sides and back which makes it quite comfortable to wear. This may just be the only time in the last twenty years that I've worn a top tucked in with a belt. When I was getting dressed, I wondered if I would feel fat by the end of the evening. I didn't. This is good. I'll experiment more with this look now. I think it was the leather/elastic combination that worked. Since it bends and conforms, it's better than all leather especially with such a short waist. OH - and the 1" waistband on the skirt was perfect. It fit the night of the party and stayed front to front where it was supposed to be. YES YES!




The purple made me stand out. I was right in assuming that most of the women would wear black. The dance floor was a sea of dark. It was surprising - and nice - to see that the women were more dressed up this year. I've heard that's a side affect of tough times. Perhaps it's true. It was noticeable.

One woman had on the most amazing charcoal grey tights with silver sparkles. I talked to her at the entry while we were waiting for our husbands and she said that her sister sent them from Wolford's in New York. Apparently, it's a lingerie place? They were gorgeous and she said the quality was substantial. Of course, she was at least ten years younger than me and...

... small and thin. Sparkly tights might make an entirely different statement on my body. LOL - I'd have to decide if they were both Myrna and age appropriate. I contemplated my purple tights but decided head to toe purple would not be a good thing.

I've been going to Howard's staff party for the past thirty-one years. When I started attending, Alf would be there with his wife Ellen. They were the oldest couple and would spend the whole night on the dance floor. They loved to dance and were tremendous fun, friendly, outgoing, always laughing. That first year, they made me feel so welcome and comfortable being there. I don't think I'd ever been to a party with dancing and drinking before that. At this year's party, there was one couple who had been attending longer than us. When I commented to Joanne that I was feeling like Ellen, she said I know exactly what you mean.

Some things really surprised me like the woman at our table who spent most of her non-eating time texting on her phone or talking to her friends at the next table. She never once spoke to the woman beside her and only to me when I addressed her directly. I'm not sure why they didn't just sit over there. It wouldn't have been any less rude to get up and move than it was to stay and ignore the rest of us.

It seems that some adults are extremely immature. That shouldn't have been a shock and yet, at an adult Christmas party, where men are throwing food back and forth between tables and making paper airplanes to fly at each other and stealing bottles of wine and... and... and... it does. Perhaps it's me. Perhaps I've become old and prudish. Then again, perhaps I've always been this way.

Last week, in one of the comments, Karen asked how Howard was doing. The short answer would be much better and not well. They, meaning doctors and physiotherapists, anticipate it will take at least two years for the nerve damage to heal but that's only the back issues. He has other stuff going on.

Other than the one time years ago, he's never been horrendously ill and yet his health has been constantly compromised. Last year, we left the party at midnight. This year, we left at eleven. By then, his feet were hurting so badly he was beginning to limp. I can only imagine that next year, we'll be leaving at ten and that at some time in the very near future we will have one or two slow dances and that will be it.

He danced with me because he knows how much I love to dance and he loves me. I danced less than I wanted to because I know how much it hurts him and I love him. With that realization, I alternate between sad and angry. It's the plight of the care giver, experienced in unending ways.

Many of the things that we love to do or want to do can no longer happen because of the needs and limitations of the person that we love. While I want to be gracious and understanding and compassionate and caring, sometimes I also just want to throw a little temper tantrum and cry and say what about me. And when you feel like that, you also feel self centered and selfish and it's a whole vicious cycle that goes around and around. If you're a caregiver, you get exactly what I'm talking about. Sometimes, there's no solution. It's not like I'm going to find another man to go dancing with. Not - Going - To - Happen. And so, in the end, you no longer do this thing that you love with the person that you love because of that love. It's tough.

I'm typing this post from my desk top. After what felt like forever trying to figure out the problem, Howard had to reformat the hard drive. Luckily, I've always backed up files to an external hard drive. Unluckily, everything is quite disorganized and now I have the task of sorting and moving the files back over. There's twenty years of business files, patterns, workshops, articles, illustrations, and personal information stored there that has needed a good cleaning for a long time. Apparently, now is the time. I'll have to do it bit by bit.

Right after I put away the laptop and return the studio to normal, I want to work on a sweater refashion. There are three or four of Howard's sweaters that he never wears in my refashioning box. I'm inspired by Embellish Knits Month at the Grosgrain blogspot. I've no idea what the blogger's name is. I can't easily find it anywhere and haven't had the time to dig around. That's interesting since it's a commercialized blog. Oh well. She's very creative. The sweaters are gorgeous even if several of them are far too young for my taste. Many of the ones I really love are Anthropologie inspired - one of my favourite inspiration sites.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - my desk top is working again and that Howard had the skills to fix it without costing us a lot of money. YES YES!

Party Ready

When I broke a needle accidentally trying to stitch through a stay, I decided it was time to quit so the long line bra is almost finished but not quite. I have the closure and the straps left to go. Below is a teaser shot on Millicent. You can see the potential even though there's not enough tension to pull it completely into place.

You might recognize the pink with the black overlay on the cups from the last bra that I made. I have a LOT of this fabric and I like it and the rest of my outfit is in shades of this colour so it seemed just right.

The wide band elastic is from the RTW bra that I took apart. I started pulling out the stitches only there were three tight rows made - I think - by a cover stitch machine and it was going to take forever. Instead, I cut the elastic off right at the edge cutting through the fabric but not the elastic. Luckily, the elastic has a rounded ridge at the edge so the previous fabric is well hidden below. On the new bra, you can't even tell it's there.

Kyle came home from youth on Wednesday night with a green hanger. It's a gift. For me. Mine because he saw it and it was lime green and that made him think of me and so it had to be mine. Isn't he a sweetie?

Yesterday, I applied for a 20 hour a week position with a bank using my reviewed and improved resume. It'll be interesting to see what happens as I applied for what sounds like the same position with this same bank in early November before I had figured out more about this process. Hopefully, I get different results this time.

Howard thought my desk top was fixed and then it crashed again as soon as he hooked it up last night and opened email. VERY frustrating. Now he's wondering if it might be either the virus or the spam program that I'm using with email. We'll try deleting those next and see what happens. I'm getting tired of working from the laptop but thankfully I have it.

This morning is breakfast with a friend, a stop at Fabricland, some quick errands and then I'll finish the bra and put the button on the skirt. After that, I'm party ready. Should be good. I LOVE TO DANCE. Pictures and details on Monday. Have a great weekend.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - learning something new with the long line bra and stays

Thank You For Being My Friend

Yesterday involved a lot of friends. I had breakfast with one, coffee with another, and sewed with Wendy last night. Normally, that would be way too much people interaction for me, especially if it happened every day, but, as an unusual occurrence, it was great. The next few weeks will be busier than usual with Christmas breakfasts. I think there are five so far on the calendar upstairs. They're a wonderful opportunity to say thank you for being my friend. Life is about relationships. Friends are a precious gift.

Thank YOU for reading my blog, for your comments, for being a part of my life, for sharing the gift of creativity and learning. I really appreciate that you are here.




The waistband is on. There's a button to go and I'm done the skirt. Nothing in my stash matched the unusual color. I might need to use a snap or a hook, something smooth that won't create bulk. I'm over near Fabricland tomorrow so I'll look at buttons then and decide.

With a waistband, the skirt feels much more secure. I'm not worried about it becoming too big overnight, falling off my hips, or twisting around. I used a one inch band. Next time, I'll experiment with three-quarter and half inch widths.




Refashioning the bra didn't go the way I thought. When I tried the RTW bra on again, I noticed a whole lot of other things besides the cup size that I didn't like. In particular, the shoulder straps were placed really close to center. Since I have narrow shoulders, they'd be way over on someone of average or wide shoulder width. It felt confining. As well, it didn't have underwires. Combined with the close together straps, that made me feel squished together but not supported.

My sewn bras fit me so much better than anything purchased. When I counted up all the things I didn't like about this RTW one, I decided to sew a long line of my own by adapting the instructions starting on page 175 in The Bra Makers Manual for a strapless bra. I drafted the pattern last night and it was really easy.

I still have the bra that I sewed in the workshop in October 2009. It has a 36 band and fits quite well so I used it as the starting point. To gather information, I compared the sewn 36 bra to the purchased 34 bra. Guess what? They were the same length. One was not two inches longer than the other. It wasn't any inches longer than the other. Weird.

That made me compare the sewn bra to my regular RTW. They should have differed in size. They didn't which means I'd have been a whole lot further ahead starting with the pattern than taking apart the RTW and copying it as I've been doing. Oh well. Live and learn.

There's some interesting information in the manual starting on page 45 about grain line and what it does to support, enhance, or minimize the bust line. I read through that information to make sure I'd used the best choices. They were basically the ones that were already drafted on the pattern with a few minor adjustments.




To figure out how much to lower the back, I tried the RTW bra on over the sewn one and they were the same depth. Since the RTW was supposed to be a low back bra, that was another surprise. The shaping of the back band gives the illusion that it's lower than it really is. I may copy the shape. I haven't decided yet.




I've been taking apart the RTW bra so I can use the bits and pieces, especially the back closure, the wide band elastic, and the stays. The stays are a very flexible, interlinked, metal chain. They're quite soft if you can say that about metal. There were only four in the RTW bra. That's not a problem for my copy however, if I like wearing a long line bra, I'll have to figure out where to buy more.

This morning, I'm cleaning house. This afternoon, Sharon is coming over to sew a bra for herself while I work on mine. She just bought a new sewing machine so we'll be figuring out how to make it work as well. It's possible - LOL - that I've created an addict. She hadn't sewn for years and now she has a new machine bought specifically for sewing lingerie. YES YES!

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - the ability to take things apart, understand them, and put them back together. Learning.

Crammed Full

Thanks for your encouragement. The meeting at the bank went well yesterday. We spoke for almost an hour about my resume, about the duties of the position, and about how this bank in particular operates. It was really good learning that I'll be able to transfer to all of my profiles. There's only one credit union that takes resumes in person. The rest of the banks require you to apply on-line.




My newest project is making slow progress. I didn't knit a thing last night and just sat and chatted instead. The mall is open for late shopping the month of December so we're meeting in homes. This meeting was at Brenda's. She had put together a table full of appetizers, crackers and cheese, veggies, and baking. A LOT of work. I took along rice crackers and antipasto as well as a gluten free, dairy free, gingerbread loaf. I'd made it before so the success odds were higher and it worked. Thankfully. Others even enjoyed it.

The project I'm working on now is #25 Le Gilet a Pans Arrondis from the autumn-winter issue of Phildar magazine. I'm guessing it's the 2009 issue but it could be older. I dug it up in a crammed full shop in Whippletree Junction on Vancouver Island when I was there in April. It's a shop I'd love to go back to. There were all kinds of interesting yarns and patterns.




Phildar is a French magazine being put out in English. I only have this one copy. Verdana is a German magazine also being put out in English. It's owned by Burda, the same company as the sewing patterns. I have a five issue subscription to it. What I like about these European knitting magazines is the difference in styling compared to our North American ones. They're a little more upbeat and interesting, different than the norm, even if - LOL - the one I'm currently knitting is calm enough.




The pattern is designed for narrow hips and a wider bust. It might just be this pattern or it might be a commonality between all the patterns based on the most common European figure type. I'm not really sure. Either way, my body is wider on the bottom, narrow through the bust, so I'm adapting the instructions to fit me. I should probably write good notes before I forget what I've done to copy to the fronts.

Last night, when I walked out of Brenda's house, I slid straight down the driveway. It had started to rain and was freezing as it hit the ground. Luckily, I was the first to leave and could warn the others. Several of them are much older - in their seventies - and one has a false leg. I'm so glad they didn't slide with me although I left right after warning the next person so I'm not sure how it turned out in the end.

The roads were slippery all the way home. I hope they've been well sanded through the night. I'm going out for breakfast with a friend at nine and my son has an exam at the university this morning. Walking or driving could be hazardous. The not fun part of winter.

Later this afternoon, when I take Kyle for his guitar lesson, I'm having coffee with one of the women from my grad class that was at the party last Friday night. She works at a bank downtown, the one were I screwed up the application. I'm looking forward to coffee. This woman always has a big smile and a laugh and a strong sense of joy in life. I remember that even from our years in high school though we weren't good friends.

If I'm going to get any sewing done - and you can tell it's happening at turtle pace - it'll be tonight if Wendy comes to sew and maybe even if she doesn't. Not only do I need to put the waistband on my party skirt, I want to alter one of those long line bras that I ordered, the one that fit through the band but was too big in the cup. I ordered it for under the party top so I should make the effort to wear it.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a good meeting yesterday and safe driving last night