This And That

This teal t-shirt is the new draft of the New Look 6735 pattern compared to my revised sloper. There's a big difference in the bicep width. This one is wider and a lot more comfortable. The sleeve didn't twist at all when I wore it all day Sunday. The front is a bit too wide at the bottom. The back fits smoothly.




This fabric is super stretchy and slightly ribbed so it's quite body conforming. I"ll try something a little less co-operative fitwise next time and see how that goes. I want to get this pattern consistently wonderful so I can design with it. Knit tops are my preference.

On Saturday, I made a muslin of the Butterick 6582 retro dress. It fit VERY tight and - as a few of the reviews had mentioned - the shoulders didn't have the drape shown on the pattern envelope.




Narrowing the side seams and darts fixed the ease problem. The shoulders were going to take a lot more work. I wanted the neckline lower and more draped with pleats not gathers. This wasn't a project I wanted to get caught up in. It was supposed to be a Saturday bonus. If it had worked, I'd have had a new dress by the end of the day. Because it didn't...




Instead, I made a muslin of the Simplicity 2648 sheath. It fit fairly well through the front. There are only a few tweaks. The back needs a lot more work. Today, I'll make the combined muslin with the Simplicity front, New Look back, and Vogue skirt I talked about in Saturday's posting HOWEVER, I'll do it in a short sheath version to start with. The short version will work later for another dress and now for the lining of the frivolous dress I'm making this week.

On Sunday, Howard and I drove to Ikea in Vancouver. It's about a four hour drive so we made a day of it leaving early, stopping for breakfast and lunch, and getting back home around dinner time. We went to get the Aneboda 3 drawer chest that I saw in Kristy's blog. Her images show five patterns across so obviously it's just perfect for patterns - which I have quite a few of and want to organize.

Even before we got there, I knew that I wouldn't like the clear front. It's not glass, it's plastic. That wouldn't bother me as much as seeing the patterns through the drawer front. I much prefer closed storage as in storage that is totally behind covers. A lot of visual clutter irritates me. I had been contemplating how to calm the front and then...

... we saw the Aspelund 3 drawer chest. It was more money, more my style, and a lot sturdier. We'll still support the drawer bottoms as Kristy describes on her blog and I might eventually paint it. Streaky grey is not really my color BUT... it's going to be perfect for patterns. This is my birthday present. I hope Howard has time to put it together before Thursday. I could do it but - LOL - I'm sewing the dress.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - storage and knowing myself well enough to know what I need rather than forcing myself to make do with what won't work just because it's cheaper.

Retro Dress

No Choice

My favourite pattern of the ones I showed on Wednesday is the Vogue 7824. I love the lines and femininity of the skirt. I'm not so crazy about the spaghetti straps. They would ruin my enjoyment of the dress which is why I decided on the New Look 6670 combination however, since the Simplicity 2648 has the same princess lines and comes with individual patterns for cup sizes, I'll use it for the upper front bodice, the New Look for the back, and the Vogue for the skirt. I will - of course - make a muslin. That's too much mixing it up not to.




This is going to sound absolutely ridiculous to some of you and completely understandable to others. There are only two fabrics in my very wide and rather extensive stash that are suitable for this dress. The first is a gorgeous, denim blue, mottled, slightly stretchy, lace that I bought three years ago just after my daughter's wedding thinking it would be fabulous for a mother-of-the-groom dress. Since I have two sons, this seems a distinct possibility. I'm not ready to cut it up yet not because I'm afraid to but because I want to save it for that occasion just in case. I guess it's a good thing that I didn't have lining and godet fabric to match. That leaves me with no choice. I'll use the other fabric.

I bought this black/taupe/gold lace the last time I visited my daughter. It was on sale in the discount section for $2.50 a meter. The lining is a plain black satin-ish fabric. Jessica had bought meters and meters of it thinking that she might sew pajama pants. I wish she had since I'd love to see her sewing however, she didn't and gave it to me. There's more than enough for the lining and some pants for her. Free is good.

The godets will be cut from this black, embroidered, looks like organza - although I have no idea what it actually is although it has drape and this is good - with a scalloped edge, lace. It would be wonderful if I could use the edging along the hemline. I'm not sure. It's very narrow and would be hard to work with. At the very least, I should be able to sew it to the bottom of the lining.




The dress fabric cost $7.50, the lining was free, and the organza has been in my textile art stash for five years and was written off years ago. We'll consider it free too. A zipper, some thread, and the patterns (all bought on sale for no more than 5.99) and this dress won't cost more than $30.00. What fun.

It's raining again. That makes it impossible to paint which makes it totally possible to spend today in the studio sewing. YES YES. I won't start on the dress until next week. I'll make a "bonus" project today.

Have a great weekend - Myrna

Grateful - that I am able to make the dress without buying anything more.

The Top Three Patterns

In this order, the top three patterns were the Vogue 7824 and NewLook 8630 combo, the retro Butterick 6582, and the Simplicity 2648 Amazing Fit sheath. I haven't had time to read the reviews yet or to sort out fabric choices. I'll do that later today and post tomorrow.

I left yesterday morning at 7:30 and didn't get home until 1:00 in the afternoon. I took Aryck to work, Kyle for his blood test and then to school, met my friend for breakfast and then we went to Fabricland and the plant store. It was a long, and expensive, morning BUT... exciting. Sharon used to sew. In fact, at one time she was the manager of a fabric store but she hasn't sewn in years. I was teasing her that this exposure to fabric might suck her back in. It did. She bought leopard print flannel and a house coat pattern. Maybe... just maybe...




Last night, around 8:00, I finally pinned the adjusted t-shirt pattern to the fabric. It's a trial run to see if this version is better than the one I developed before. It reflects the discoveries I made with the sloper. The fabric is from my recent trip to visit my daughter. It was $1.00 a meter. Total cost, $1.50. No great loss but a gorgeous teal color if it works out. Perfect for a - hopefully - wearable muslin.




The pattern on top is the previous version of the t-shirt. With it, I took a 1" tuck through the armhole. There's a seam allowance at center back but even so, you can see that the back is too wide, the armhole needs more scooping and to be raised, and the shoulders should slope more. Interesting.




The green lines in this image represent a new tracing of the pattern - New Look 6735 - in a size fourteen. The green dotted line is the back seam allowance. The red dotted line is my muslin. Up at the shoulder, I've circled the back dart so I remember why that shoulder appears to be too long. I ended up cutting it this way and will ease the front to the back to allow for nicer shaping.




The front was intriguing. The method that Lynda teaches doesn't use a computer generated sloper for comparison. I could have followed her method but I wondered if there was a possibility of change that might mean less work. Her method would have me take out 1 1/2" between the armhole and waist to align the shoulder points. Then, I'd have to make a full bust adjustment. It seemed like I would take tissue out only to add it back so...

By matching up the waist, keeping center front aligned, slicing the traced pattern, and moving the top section down only to where the shoulder points matched, I've basically done the full bust adjustment. By tracing the armhole as is, I can now use the sloper sleeve cap as well. It's an experiment.

In both cases, the armhole was raised about 1", a difference of my body to the commercial pattern that I've come to expect. THAT was fabulous learning. Realizing that I was shorter through the armhole made sense of a lot of the fitting issues that I was having. In her book, Lynda suggests leaving the armhole alone. Obviously, that's not always possible if you need a petite adjustment. Nothing is set in stone. All the techniques we learn need to be adapted to our specific situation and as you learn more, you'll re-make previous decisions. That's just how it goes.

With this comparison method, there are always things to be aware of like the shoulder dart shown above. In this image below, I measured to see if the difference between the traced pattern and my sloper at the side seam is equal to the width of that waist dart. It is. From there, I worked to get a smooth transition from the underarm through the waist and hip and down to the hem where I widen considerably. That line can take work to smooth out. Now to sew the t-shirt and see how it looks.




It's raining again. I live in - or at least I used to live in - a semi-desert area so I'm not used to a lot of rain. This is weird and wet. It didn't prevent work on the patio yesterday. I hope it doesn't again today because it's looking fabulous. Although it's still dirt, you can see the improvement from my studio already. Howard and I have been discussing ways to transition along the slope that will be more attractive. Getting the slab in place first will help. We'll know the exact levels we're working with.

Earlier this year, I bought three large pots at Costco. We wanted them for along the far end of the porch to act as a wind break and to block the not so lovely view of our neighbour's chimney and junk. They store their garbage cans, recycling, and assorted stuff along that side of their house. Not pretty. These are much better. I'm not a gardener. I just decorate with flowers in the spring. These are a mix of trailing flowers, a geranium, a daisy, coleus, and something else I can't remember. Hopefully, it gets full and lush.




I need to go back to the plant store and get a base for this pot. It didn't come with one and this plastic tray is UGLY. So is the hydro meter. It's on my list of things to do to paint it the color of the siding and blend it into the house. I have three tomato plants left to pot. If it stops raining later today, I can do that.

More tomorrow about the fabric and patterns. I know I have only one choice for the Vogue/New Look combo but hopefully more for the others. With all the fabric I have - which is an embarrassing amount at this point - that's surprising. Perhaps as I dig, I'll find more.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - happy, lime green pots

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Personal Growth - Yesterday's Oprah was about re-connecting a family that had gotten so caught up in electronic gadgets, the mess that was their home, and their over busy schedule that they'd stopped being a unit and simply co-existed in the same space. That's a sad reality of our time.

Our family eats dinner together every day. I really enjoy that. Otherwise, I wish we were more connected. I often feel as if we come home, go to our spaces, and stare at individual boxes (sewing machines). In part, it's because we are all introverted and need that down time from our busy day however...

Peter Walsh (organizational expert and author of It's All Too Much) talked about the importance of our home nourishing us and being a place of peace and calm and re-energizing. I so agree with that. It's why raw edges wear on me. I can't relax. It's also why I'm a minimalist. Too much stuff truly is too much. I've reached that point with my fashion fabric. There's too much and it's not contained on the shelf as it used to be. It's spilling everywhere. While I'm looking for fabric for the dress, I'll be thinking through my options. I want my home - and definitely my studio - to nourish me.

On Thursday

Thanks to everyone who sent in dress suggestions yesterday. If you haven't already, there's still time to vote. There were a few private emails as well as the posted comments. I polled all my friends yesterday and it's interesting to see the results coming together. This will be a fun project.

Today - on Thursday - the patio was supposed to start. It's pouring down rain. I hope this crew works in all weather. Not that I want them to be cold and wet. I want a patio. After six years of - mostly - being patient, I can hardly wait. I'm so excited.

Wendy is making tremendous progress on her quilt. She needed the work island last night which made it difficult for me to trace, alter, and cut out the t-shirt pattern. I knit instead. Boring knitting. Shaping for the armhole and the neck on the two fronts. Progress though especially as I didn't knit at Rosemarie's like I thought I would.

On Tuesday, I spent three and a half hours painting under the deck and barely got the posts and outside edges done. I was so frustrated, practically in tears. The wood is so dry that it sucks the primer right up and takes forever to cover. Yesterday after work, Howard spent two and a half hours painting between the the joists and got three sections done. There are nine in total. His feet were killing him from standing on the ladder -obviously not something he should have done - and he was in a really bad mood. We've decided to hire someone to put metal fascia under the porch and cover the edges in smart trim. MUCH easier to do and to maintain.

This morning, I'm taking Kyle for his A1C - that's the average blood glucose measurement over a three month period. We go monthly. So far the number has only gone up. Hormones plus teenagers plus diabetes are not a good mix. Perhaps I'm numb or perhaps I'm getting better at letting go. I'm not quite as turned inside out - just somewhat. This poem on ThingsBe resonates.

I'll drive Kyle to school after the test and then phone my girlfriend. If she hasn't been called into work, we'll meet for breakfast. After that, if the weather has improved, I'll pick up plants for the planters and if it hasn't paint for the exterior doors. I've been trying to pick a color and keep changing my mind. Yesterday it occurred to me that I have four sets of exterior doors. I can choose four colors. TOO FUN! Now to decide which one I want where.

AND THEN... I can sew. YES YES!

Have a great day - Myrna

Grateful - water, even when it's falling from the sky

Next Week

Nothing frustrates me more than when I can't do the thing I want to do because of a physical limitation like I'm not strong enough or - in the case of painting yesterday - not tall enough. The ground is uneven. There was no way I was standing on the top of a tippy ladder while reaching upward so I painted everything that I could reach and left the rest for someone taller - like my husband.




I am SO GLAD that I decided to do this painting before the slab is poured. I made a mess. We much prefer to use latex paint however, since I didn't know what type of paint the previous owner had used and because of exposed wood, I had to use an oil primer. The consistency is much thinner. It flipped around like crazy and went everywhere. I need more practice.

While painting, I thought about how overwhelmed I'm feeling with the TO DO list. Because I am not working and because my husband is working long hours, six days a week, I think I've subconsciously taken on all the work I see both inside and outside of the house. It isn't possible. There's just too much. I need to pace myself and realize that all I can do is all I can do AND - since I'm a huge fan of celebration - I'm taking next week off. It will be the week of me. Other than what absolutely has to be done, whatever else can wait.

Next Thursday (June 3rd) is my 48th birthday and the Sunday following (June 6th) is our 29th wedding anniversary. Typically on my birthday, I do something just for me. In the past, that has meant taking a workshop, going on a shopping trip, or sewing an accessory like a purse - something that was completely different from the textile art I was working on at that time. This year, there isn't a workshop I want to take, I don't need to do more shopping, and I've been sewing fashions for the past nine months. SO... I've decided to sew something out of the ordinary - a frivolous dress - something wearable but a step up from every day. Not that a dress is ordinary for me. I don't have a dress. I had one that I sewed a few months back except that the neckline bothered me and I didn't wear it so it's now in the refashion pile ready to be chopped into a skirt.

The criteria is that I must use a pattern and fabric that I already have in stash. I thought I'd get your help choosing the top three patterns first and from there we can look at fabric and I'll read the reviews and "we'll" make a decision. I hope you'll help. Here are the choices.




McCall's 9537 is out of print. This is one of the oldest patterns in my stash. I'm drawn to the yellow version top left with the buttons down the back. What's been holding me back from sewing this dress is the halter top. I'm uncomfortable with too much of my shoulders exposed, I prefer to wear a bra, and I don't want to buy a special one just for this outfit. Otherwise, I love how it flows through the waist and skirt. If I made this pattern, I would alter the shoulder line to accommodate bra straps.




I think the skirt of Vogue 7824 is incredibly graceful with the godets in another fabric. The princess seams are wonderful for fitting my triangle figure. I'm not that keen on the neckline and narrow shoulder straps. If I made this pattern, I would combine the skirt with...




... the upper garment from New Look 6670. If you look at the back view for this pattern, you'll see that it's a deep V. The combo could be quite flattering or I could just sew it as is. The first time I saw this pattern on a blog, it had been used for a wedding dress and looked gorgeous.




Vogue 8630 above (view A on the right) and Butterick 5277 below (view C at bottom right) have similarities. I want something a bit edgy rather than prissy. The fabric would make the difference. The Vogue pattern has a waist seam which would be great for fitting but might require a belt. I'm not sure about wearing a belt. They tend to make me feel sliced and fat.

Butterick 5314 below requires a stretch fabric. That's not a problem, I have lots. Using a knit would make for a comfortable, moves with me, dress. Although this one isn't too outrageous, it would be quite wearable through the summer. I saw a really pretty version of this dress on someone's blog - I think it was Amanda's - only I can't find the link. It was so pretty I bought the pattern.



Simplicity 2648 is along the same lines. The princess seams might make it easier to fit, the V neck would be flattering, and the partial self belt - or whatever you call it - would hide the abbreviated waist seam. It comes in different cup sizes which would make fitting easy.





Butterick 6582 is a retro pattern from the 60's that I bought a few weeks ago. Since I was born in '62, it seems appropriate. I'd make one of the sheath versions on the right. What do you think of the bows?




So... which pattern do you think I should sew? What alterations would you suggest? What type of fabric are you imagining? I want to pick the pattern by Thursday night, submit some fabric choices on Friday, get your feedback, make a decision over the weekend, start sewing on Monday, and hopefully wear this on our anniversary. What fun that would be. Meanwhile...

... since this is the year of the yard and that means I'm busy painting and gardening, I've decided to sew t-shirts this week. I'm done with muslins. Now, I want to try various necklines and sleeve lengths on a basic garment so that at some time in the future, I can work my T & T pattern in all sorts of new directions. I'll start tonight. This morning, I'm driving to my friend's about 45 minutes away. She'll cut my hair and then we'll knit and chat for the afternoon. While Kyle has his music lesson this afternoon, I'm meeting another friend for coffee, and then I'll visit and sew with Wendy tonight. Apparently most of my socializing is on one day this week. What fun.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - that I have patterns and fabric to chose from and the option of spending a week celebrating my birthday.

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Personal Growth - The story of the talents in the bible refers to a rich land owner who gave three of his servants some money to care for while he was away. One buried it in the ground to keep it safe. One invested it meagerly and made a meager return. The other invested it fully and made a substantial return. The talents symbolize the resources that God has given us.

I believe two things. The first is that it's important to be grateful for what God has given us no matter how little or how much that is and the second is to take care of, invest, and use wisely and substantially what we have been given. If we are not grateful, and if we do not care for the little, God will not bless us with more and if we do not use fully what we have been given, we're denying the gift.

My skills and abilities, my home, and all that I have are talents that God has given me. While I'd rather not be doing all this physical work and am feeling overwhelmed by the to-do list, I recognize that the work needs to be done. In many cases, it should have been done a long time ago and I've made more work for myself by putting it off. It is my responsibility to care for what God has given me either by doing the work myself or by hiring someone to do it. While on one level I'm whining and complaining on another I'm extremely thankful to do this work because I am grateful to have been blessed with so much. As a bonus, I can dream dreams of fashions while working. I'll be back in the studio sometime soon.

Mountain Of Muslins

This morning the sun is shining, the trees are standing straight and tall, and the grass is dry. It looks to be a beautiful day now that the weekend is over. It was cold, windy, and wet. Not at all perfect for the unofficial start of summer although we managed to get a lot of work done anyway. In the back yard, the bark mulch is finished between the hedge. In the front, we dug out all the plants, replaced the dirt, split the perennials, and replanted the main garden. We also filled the planters with dirt ready for annuals sometime later this week. I have other things to do first.




In-between gardening, I worked on muslins - a mountain of muslins. One thing that I've learned about PMB is how important the pattern editor function is. The slightest difference in a measurement can make changes that you hadn't anticipated. For instance, lengthening center back 1/4" lowered the armhole 1". Without the ability to compare the two patterns, you wouldn't know that. I needed to know and move the armhole back up.

I tried different scenarios each time making comparisons to ensure that the armhole and bust point and other key aspects remained in place. In the end, I didn't adjust for sloped shoulders. It doesn't appear that I have them because even a quarter inch adjustment left excess fabric at the neck. Instead I added another 1/2" to the front and back shoulder widths and...

... widened the neck because THAT WRINKLE appeared on all slopers no matter what other changes I had made. When I put the slopers on backward, moving the right shoulder to the left, the wrinkle still appeared on the right shoulder. It's not the sloper. It's my body.

My neck does not sit squarely in the middle. It is skewed to the right. My left shoulder is a half inch longer than my right shoulder. The only time this will be a real issue is with a collared blouse otherwise I can opt for wider necklines or less formal options. Luckily, I don't wear too many dress shirt collars. I'm glad to have finally figured this wrinkle out.

The quote is in, acceptable, and we're getting the patio poured asap. Work will start on Thursday. Before then, as in today, I'm going to paint the wood under the upper deck. Right now, it's brown. I want white. The contractor says it'll take about two weeks to prep, pour, face, and seal the exposed aggregate slab. Imagine, two weeks from now and I'll have a much cleaner, brighter, lovelier view from my studio. I'm so excited. There's a peace and calm in finishing things. Raw edges wear on me.

How do we manage everything? How do you manage? I'm not working yet I'm finding there is so much to do and not enough time. Between finishing the yard, trying to keep the house clean, hopefully cooking, and the list of things that need doing like window washing and painting trims, cleaning light fixtures, and much, much more, there isn't enough of me to go around. It seems as I take care of one area, another falls apart. I accomplished a lot in the yard this week and the kitchen is bare. I badly need to go grocery shopping. When? There isn't enough time for it all. It seems that in the past, I just didn't do all these jobs and maybe I can't do them all now. I'll need a system (or help) because all work and no play makes Myrna a grumpy girl. It's not good. I'll think about that while I'm painting.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - My oldest son was in a car accident on Friday night. He is fine. The other driver was sent to hospital with minor injuries. No one died. I'm so thankful. My son had gone away for the long weekend with friends so didn't come home until yesterday. I could hardly wait to hug him, count fingers and toes, and see for myself that he truly was okay.

The Sloper With Less Slope

Wendy was over last night. She worked on her quilt. I worked on the sloper with less slope. It didn't fit the way I'd hoped. Instead of better, it pulled across the shoulder points, the armholes were too low, and THAT WRINKLE was still there. I pinned a tuck across the upper chest front and back hoping that would make a difference once the armhole was raised. It didn't. I much preferred the sloper with more slope. I'll give this some more thought - and unpick the shoulder seams and see how they want to move when I put it on. Do I need more room, less room, where, how, what could I do?




The sloper took about forty-five minutes. After that I was too tired and too sore to do any more sewing. I worked on the black sweater. I'm part way up the two fronts, almost at the point of shaping the V-neck. So far, it's slow but good. There's no pattern. I'm making it up as I go along so we'll all be surprised to see what it looks like when I'm done.

The bark mulch made a HUGE improvement around the hedge. There was only enough to go between eight plants, about a third of the length. Howard picked up more last night and I'll finish that up later - after I clean house. We also need to clean up the slope behind somewhat - not too much as it's mostly raw and natural but enough to keep those grasses and weeds from showing above the hedge.

In the front, I dug some new dirt into one section of the garden and moved three large ornamental grasses over there. This morning, they seem to be settling in well as do the hosta plants I shifted. It's been cool and damp, perfect for moving plants. The largest section of the front garden needs much better soil. If we pick up a truck load, it'll be a lot easier and less expensive than multiple bags only we'll need to do it soon. Next week, I'd like to plant annuals.

The handsome young man (Shane) worked like the dickens. He's actually closer to my age, only six years younger. He did this rock wall in two hours. That pile of rocks has been sitting there for two years. Now it's in place. He also cleaned out most of the weeds across the potential deck and moved a pile of square cement slabs into place along the side of the house. They still need levelling and grass planted between except that...

... his wife came over just before noon with tickets to Mexico leaving today. They just moved from a big house into a condo near us and she has to go back to work in a week and wanted a holiday. Darn. I hope he'll come and do some more work when he gets back. I have a list. Maybe the patio will be poured by then. We're getting the quote this morning and the contractor said he'd need to do it right away between some other jobs. How wonderful that would be. I could sit...

... and sip ice tea while admiring my lovely hedge and my - hopefully - freshly painted fence. It took two hours yesterday to scrape off the old paint. I'll need to prime before painting since the raw wood is exposed in quite a few places. It'll be blue. We had a blue fence at our last house and I loved it. The neighbours were in shock when I painted it and after we moved, they complained that the new owners "painted over your fence in boring white". Too funny.

This is a long weekend in Canada - Victoria Day - to celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday. Howard is working a double shift today and a morning shift tomorrow, which is why we took last weekend off. The boys have plans. I'll mostly be home alone. Hopefully, I'll get a chunk of yard work finished and some sewing. Maybe just a lot of sipping ice tea. Have a great weekend.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - all the work accomplished yesterday.

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Personal Growth - While Shane was working on the yard yesterday, he asked if we were fixing the house up to move. I said no, that we were fixing it up to stay. We want to enjoy it. Of all our moves, this house has taken us the longest to finish up. I think we both got tired of getting things just so and then moving. While the financial profit was great; the physical and emotional ones not so much. It feels like I'm finally nesting in a very strange way.

For twenty-eight of our twenty-nine years together, I worked. My time and energy was different than it is now. It's been an adjustment. For the last nine months, I've been on sabbatical and I'm relaxing in layers. I have more time to enjoy making a home only - thankfully - I'm far less driven than I used to be and my wants and expectations are way more comfortable. I move at a slower pace. I'm more thoughtful about what I want to have and to accomplish and I'm not willing to go into physical or financial debt to achieve it. This is good.

I followed up an interesting link the other day. It's Living to 100 with a multi-paged but not too long quiz about your lifestyle. By answering the questions, the program calculates approximately how long you'll live and if you click on further feedback, it'll give you suggestions for extending that life span. I answered the questions for myself and for Howard and the results were about what I'd been expecting. I'm glad I've been thinking in the right direction.

I'd be happy to add the five "extra" years "offered" if I knew I would be adding five years of quality living but not if I'm adding five years of dementia and pain for myself or my children. I've done a LOT of thinking about what I read in You Could Live A Long Time: Are You Ready? No matter how old you are, it's a book worth reading. There are definitely some things I want to change now that will improve how I age.

Did you watch Oprah yesterday? It was an interview with Simon Cowell. I was intrigued by how comfortable he appeared to be in his own skin and intrigued by the similarities between our ways of being, how we view the world, and how we feel the world views us. Of course, I don't have his money but....

Four Bras & A Handsome Young Man

Ache all over would describe how I'm feeling this morning. When we moved so often - seven times in ten years - I was far more used to physical labour what with knocking down walls, building, painting, and landscaping. You should see me with a sledge hammer and a chain saw! Not so any more. Yesterday was a LOT of work and it was only a start.




Here's the edge with the hedge. I weeded between the plants. All of the tall (taller than the plants) ones are gone however some of the thicker in-between ones, mostly grass and chickweed, are still there. I wasn't strong enough to get them turned over or pulled out. VERY frustrating.

When I talked to Howard at lunch time, I suggested that he either come home with enough energy to help or a handsome young man. He's doing both. Tonight, he'll turn over the soil so I can put down a layer of wet newspaper and cover it with bark mulch, which according to the much older and wiser women than me at Arts & Crafts will keep the weeds under control, AND THEN...




... tomorrow, a friend of a friend who is doing odd jobs will be coming to work through that list Howard hasn't been getting to starting with this rock wall. We've had the rocks for two years. They are in the middle of the (potential) patio that will (hopefully) get poured this weekend so they need to be moved and into place sounds just perfect to me. They'll be against that bank you see in the background with several rows curving around from the higher level down to the patio level. I am SO EXCITED about getting the back yard finished. It's been an eye sore for way too long.




After the back, I cleaned up the front gardens and then, when I went back inside, tried to work on Jessica's bra only the patterns that I have don't contain the size I want to try next nor did I have the correct size of underwires so I ordered some more supplies from Sew Sassy. Their prices seem pretty good. Two of the Elan or KwikSew patterns equalled the price of one at BraMaker's Supply and they were more pretty and flirty. I ordered the four above (two for me, two for Jessica) and expect they will take a few weeks to arrive. That gives me time to finish the next sloper and sew something for myself. T-shirt ideas are tickling.




Included in the order is Kwik-Sew's Beautiful Lingerie. For some reason, I think I used to own this book but I can't imagine why I would have had it although it looks familiar. I know I don't have it now. I checked first.




There's no way that I'd pay this much - and so far I've managed to buy a swimsuit when I need one - and hopefully that trend will continue because sewing lingerie is enough but... I can definitely do it cheaper than this. The Submerged Watercolor Maillot from Anthropolgie is $358.00. It's pretty but doesn't that just make your jaw drop? Aren't you glad you sew? YES YES.

I'm out for breakfast with a friend this morning and then back to gardening this afternoon. After gardening comes painting doors and trim. This is going to take weeks. Wendy is coming tonight to sew. Hopefully I'll have something from fabric to show tomorrow. I have to sew. I have to keep up my energy - LOL. Have a great day.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - my son passed his learner's license and is now practicing driving. This is scary/good.

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Personal Growth - The elders interviewed in You Could Live A Long Time: Are You Ready? by Lyndsay Green talk a lot about staying flexible and in shape, keeping moving so you don't stop, wear down, and wear out. That is definitely something for me to think about. I don't want to shuffle before my time - actually I don't want to shuffle ever. I want to be an "enviable old lady" and it's starting to look like that will take more than wishful thinking. After all this outside work is done, I'll be in better shape. It would be good if I maintained that in some way. Hmm... yes... I want to... it's SO HARD.

Yard & Repair Work

Apparently the sun shone like crazy while we were away last weekend. I know it's true. The weeds grew in feet, not just inches. Last year, we planted a privet hedge along the back edge of our yard. The plants are spaced three feet apart for when they're full grown. Right now, the spaces in-between are filling up with weeds. SO...




... this morning... right after I take my son for his learner's license and then to school... I'm going to pull weeds. It's been raining quite heavy for the last two days. The soil is soft and they should come out easily. I hope. While I enjoy a beautiful garden, I do not enjoy gardening. It's like cooking. I keep wishing I did but I don't.




There is supposed to be a lovely deck with a beautiful yard and gardens just outside my studio window. For the past six years since we bought the house, we've been getting to it. My cousin is coming to visit in mid July. Most of my family lives quite far back east and never comes to visit so having her come is motivating. On Thursday, I'm getting a quote on an exposed aggregate pad. They could do it right away so I hope it's affordable. The view would improve immensely especially once I add the wicker furniture and flower pots. It'll be beautiful.

While I was at Jessica's, I fit the trial bra. I'm going to compare the alterations to pattern sizing and see if there is one that's a better choice. I'm not sure how underwires work. Changing sizes might require me to order new ones. I'm hoping to figure that out tonight so I can get them ordered and get the next sample to her as soon as possible. Liana posted some gorgeous lingerie on her blog the other day. I'm inspired.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - soft soil

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Personal Growth - Research suggests that boomers are more likely to have regrets than previous generations. Life has thrown many opportunities our way. More advantages mean more paths not taken and greater chances for remorse. Previous generations might find it easier to rationalize risks not taken or dreams not pursued because their options were more limited. Not us. So it will be particularly important for us to be self-aware when making life choices. Studies find that people's top regrets centre on (in descending order) education, career, romance, parenting, the self and leisure. They surmise that these areas produce the greatest potential for regret because this is where people see the greatest prospects for change, growth, and renewal. - You Could Live A Long Time: Are You Ready? by Lyndsay Green, page 90-91

This is quite a fascinating book. I'm intrigued that many of the aspects of life that I've already been working through are ones that the elders interviewed say need to be addressed. Many - not all.

I've been studying my whole life either through reading, workshops, or enrolling in formal classes. I've pursued numerous careers from working retail to the beauty industry to construction and renovation to writing and teaching. When something interests me, I follow it up. I don't imagine that attitude is going to change as I age although my approach has. I'm far less driven.

I've been married to my husband for almost thirty years. We've grown up together. We like, respect, and love each other. I'm not pining for lost loves or looking for new ones. My biggest regret would be in the area of parenting. I wish I'd been more relaxed, less driven, and spent more time with my children when they were younger with more walks in the park and less focus on work. I'm doing that now. That's the best I can do.

In terms of self and leisure, I'm also a huge believer in self care and in self development. I spend a lot of time on both and that interest is intertwined with my leisure. Self and creativity weave through everything I do. I recognize that I'm able to have this focus because I'm not fighting to survive. I've been blessed with a very good life that leaves time for self exploration and creativity.

It was interesting that the list didn't include other relationships. I believe life is about our relationship with God and with others and that there is nothing more important than relationships. I imagine more on this topic is coming up.

On page 98, the author quotes two of the elders... As Peter put it, "What I do in my life is based on values, beliefs and philosophies. If you don't have these, then you get buffeted around. You must find a moral compass." Georgina agrees. "You need some form of belief system as you age. I haven't become more devoted as I age. I actually find I have more questions rather than less. But my religion really grounds me. It's the center of my outlook and it guides me."

Exactly. YES YES

Gone Fishing

This past weekend, Howard and I went to visit our daughter and son-in-law. It takes between nine and ten hours to drive there depending on how many coffee and potty breaks you take. It's a LONG ways away. Leaving the house and the boys behind, I didn't want to announce to the Internet as a whole that we were going so... after the fact, that's where I've been.




I went to teach my daughter to "fish" as in give a man (daughter) a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. I taught her how to paint while we painted their master bedroom. Above she's just starting to learn how to cut in along the trim. By the end of the room, she was moving along a lot more quickly and doing a fabulous job. A friend taught me how to paint twelve years ago. The ability has since saved me thousands of dollars painting our various homes. Either later this week or next, I'm going to start on the exterior trim and doors of our house and I'll be going back to Jessica's sometime soon to paint her main living areas.




The room started out boringly (yawn, yawn) beige. We think that it was primed, not even painted because it had scuff marks that wouldn't clean off and when you did wipe the walls, you wiped the paint right off. They sucked up the new paint like crazy. Even so, I bought too much. I may be painting something in our house this fabulous shade of Wild Orchid from Benjamin Moore.




We picked the color in March when Jessica was visiting using the 3 in 1 Color Tool to choose a shade of the complimentary color to the olive in her bedspread. The smallest throw cushion in front is a darker shade. The room looked gorgeous when done.

Howard and I had a wonderful time. While Jessica and I painted, he helped our son-in-law with mechanical and yard work. We took some time by ourselves, drove around the city, stopped at open houses to look at tiny houses with big price tags, and made a stop at Fabricland. We had a picnic in Field in the middle of the Rocky Mountains on the way there and another beside the river in Revelstoke on the way back and went for a walk along the edge. It was lovely spending time together. As you know...




... when travelling, I'm programmed to stop at all Fabricland stores (my husband calls it an obsession not an interest) to check out the discount section. At one, there was nothing I wanted and at the other, I bought the seven fabrics above. The bottom six are knits. There's at least five meters of each so I can experiment with design ideas. They were on sale for $1.00 a meter. You can see a detail of the top fabric below. It's a black, grey, gold with glitter, lace that was on sale for $2.50 a meter. I bought three meters planning to make a garment and use the scraps for bra cups. While we were there, I fit Jessica's sample bra and I'm ready to sew version two. Once I have that figured out, lace features in future bras AND... I'll be teaching her how to "fish" (sew) bras for herself.

It's interesting shopping the discount sections. At each store, I find fabrics now on sale for between $2.00 and $5.00 a meter that I previous saw on the floor for well over $10.00 or even $20.00 a meter. These aren't cheap fabrics. They are fabrics that did not sell out while on the floor and are now marked down. Works for me. The stack is now prewashed, folded, and ready to fit in the stash closet. I'm not sure where. It's looking far too stuffed. I really need to sew from it... a lot.

THANK YOU so much to everyone that commented on Friday's and Monday's postings. I so appreciate the feedback.

Towanda wrote - I am looking forward to seeing your results as you work with PMB. - and Loise K. wrote - I am also glad to read about your current success with PMB. I remember your struggles with it on the forum.

I'm thrilled that I understand the software better and am starting to know how to work with it such as knowing that shortening the slopes will create more of an angle to the shoulder. This is HUGE learning over where I was at before.... which was incredibly frustrated... so it's wonderful... however... that said, I have no intention of using PMB as a design or pattern making tool. Perhaps for really simple things but mainly I want it to create an accurate sloper to compare to commercial patterns as I described in Friday's posting.

Carol and Modiste Madness both wrote with suggestions for changing the shoulder slope. Thank you so much. I understand both. They sound doable only I'm going to start by changing it in the software and sewing another sloper to see what happens. In the end, I want that paper pattern for comparison's sake and creating the right angle in the software will benefit printing out slopers for varying garments and ease amounts. HOWEVER, I'm also going to try these methods and the one for narrowing shoulders that AnnR talked about on Stitcher's Guild recently because it's good to know the manual method as well. I might not always have, or have access to, the software.

The term fashionista received a mixed reaction just like it had mixed meanings on UrbanDictionary. Since the "audience" for the calling card is other sewists, it looks like that's not a good idea. When I was talking about this with my son last night, he suggested just using artist only I wanted to be more specific than that and I wanted a word that would create interest, lead to conversation, and be memorable in some way. I'm debating a phrase now, like a tag line, a short sentence below my name that will prompt curiosity.

Several people asked why I need any title at all. Debbie Cook summed that up best when she wrote - I don't think Fashionista fits at all but that could just be because I don't particularly like that term. But I'm wondering why you need any title? You're not in this as a business venture, right? You're not looking for clients. Why not just your name and contact info. I guess I'm missing something.

At the moment, I'm not in this as a business venture and I'm definitely not looking for clients as in people to sew for. That won't be happening - ever. If I'm completely honest, I am hopeful that at some point in time, way down the road, I will teach again both online and in real life. Not how to sew or how to fit, rather how to be creative within the "blank canvas" of your choice. That's part of the reason why I want a title or phrase. Either way though, I'd like my card to be part of building the reputation that I want to build and I'll use the same wording on my blog and website.

One reason for a title or phrase is so that people will make the connection between the card and me. If I'd just been to a sewing retreat where there were thirty or forty people - or to a sew expo where there were several hundred sewists - and had gathered a lot of information only to get home and look at a card with no identifying factors, I'd wonder who this was, what the card was for, and why I picked it up. While I'd like to think I'm unforgettable, reality is I'm not that so I'd like the card to continue to connect me with other creative sewists long past the time I hand it out. One thing that I am really enjoying about my return to fashion sewing is the interactive and supportive community that exists online and at workshops. While I'd eventually like to teach again, it may not happen. If it doesn't, I still want to be connected to this community. It's amazing. THANK YOU for the feedback. When I have some more ideas, I'll ask again.

Today is knitting. I considered skipping to stay home and sew especially as I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon only I'm reading Lyndsay Green's book You Could Live A Long Time: Are You Ready? and one of the things she talks about is how important it is to be part of a supportive community, both in person and online, as you age. In the book, she interviews forty people between the ages of 75 and 100 for their perspective on living well in Elderland. I'm only part way through the book and it's quite interesting.

While I cannot be someone I'm not, aging well could require me to behave somewhat differently, in particular in groups. They're not my best place. I'm more of a 1-1 person. Typically, a group finds me interesting for six, nine, maybe twelve months and then there's a shift. Suddenly, I'm a "lot of work" as was said a few weeks ago. In part, it's about expectations that others have of me that I will do things that I'm not willing to do such as serve on committees and in part, it's about my way of being. I'll keep reading. Perhaps she has some suggestions on eccentric loners functioning in a group. Either way - I'm off to knitting this morning. Have a great day.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a safe trip to and from our daughter's house and a wonderful visit

Calling Cards & Collections

Before the fall, I want to have some new calling cards printed. Since I'm not in business, I can't really call them business cards. Either way - whatever you call them - they are - a very useful tool. I want them to reflect where I'm at now only I'm stuck as to what to call myself.

I remember having this whole debate during my art career opting to use the term textile artist over quilter or quilt artist because I didn't want to evoke images of Grandma and beds. My art was not at all quilt-like. The term textile artist invites questions - what does that mean - that I can answer in a sentence - think contemporary, abstract painting only made of fabric. I want those same possibilities in my new card.

It should say that I am creative with fashion but not that I sew for others or sell sewn garments. For that reason seamstress, sewist, or fashion designer will not work. The only term that I think evokes that same asking questions essence is Fashionista. I googled it and UrbanDictionary has a mixed set of definitions, some of which work really well for me and others that don't. What do you think? If not fashionista, what phrase would you suggest?

Changing subjects - in his article, 10 Inspiring Ideas For Your Home, in the current edition of Oprah, Nate Burkus says: Start a collection: Whether it's first-edition books, English teacups, or ceramic cows, a carefully assembled collection expresses your singular style.

When I first read that I thought about collections past not current - like my (at one time) collection of antique purses. I stopped collecting them when the collection was no longer my own. Once it's known that you are collecting some thing, you receive that thing as gifts, not always in versions that you like or would have bought and instead of being personal and individual, your collection becomes others driven. How frustrating.

BUT THEN... I thought about my thirty six year collection - my studio - which has definitely been carefully assembled and expresses my singular style. What I love most about my studio is how each ingredient contains within it both the seeds of creativity and of endless possibility. Here are some of the beautiful moments in my studio.




These are jars of dryer garbage, those clumps of thread that gather on the cut edge of fabric when you pre-wash or dye it. Dryer garbage is wonderful when combined with...




... luscious, hand-dyed threads. I use a swift and a thread winder to transfer these to a standard spool and then run them through the sewing machine or couch them in place.




One drawer is devoted to purse handles and beads. Making purses is one of my favourite expressions of self. During my art career, a purse was a Myrna project, something special, set aside, just for me. Making one was a holiday.




I love, love, love thread in all forms from the practical to the artistic. This little stand sits beside my sewing machine and holds the most current spools. Nearby, under my work island, I have jars filled with threads of different colors. I can see at a glance what I need just by turning my head. You can see those in the studio pictures on my website.




What is more practical and wonderful than a zipper well installed? This basket contains all kinds including invisible, regular, separating, metal, plastic, and rhinestone in lengths from four to twenty-four inches.




These new patterns arrived Thursday. They're just a few of an extensive and growing collection - maybe 300. I know many of you have far more however, 300 is a lot of patterns when you haven't sewn fashions for twenty years. They are pregnant with potential - LOL - like this 60's retro sheath. What fun that would be to sew. I have absolutely no where to wear it. Does that matter? Not at all.




My primary fabric for textile art was cotton. I have piles and piles in different colors. Although I'm not using these at the moment, they remain attention grabbingly pretty to look at reminding me of past accomplishments and future potential.




These hand-dyed silk scraps range in color and size and look fabulous with the dryer garbage, hand dyed threads, and beads. Silk is an interesting fabric to create textile art with. Too much thread work and you lose the luster; not enough and it looks like a quilted bedspread. Silk stretches your skills. It's also delightful to run your hands through and lie around in - LOL.

Focal point buttons call to be first - pick me and then the pattern and fabric. Some of them are far too big to make a traditional button hole for. I'll need to learn new skills like a bound buttonhole or button loops or snaps underneath or a chain with a smaller button. Ideas tickle.

I'm a huge advocate of lifelong learning and I love to read. It's a good combo. In the past few years, I've sought out self-published, out of print, and obscure titles for the different and intensive information they contain. Kenneth King's The Moulage or Lynda Maynard's Demystifying Fit are not likely to be picked up by a traditional publishing house. The field of interest is too small only it's my field. I'm interested. My collection ranges from obscure titles to well worn favourites like Fit For Real People.

Perhaps, I should have included a picture of the computer. At one time I swore "over my dead body will we have one of those boxes in our house". Obviously, I was wrong. I'm still alive and I have two. I can't imagine how different life would have been if I hadn't started to use a computer. It was love at first click. The computer led to designing, to writing my books, to teaching online, to connecting with others with a similar interest in textile art and fashion sewing. It has broadened my world beyond considerably. I'm so thankful to have it as a part of my collection.

What's the favourite part of your collection?

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - all the bits and pieces that come together to make the whole