I Have A Problem...

Cold, windy, and wet, yesterday would have been the perfect day to play in the studio IF the power had stayed on. Instead, it flickered in and out in eccentric bursts, here one minute and gone the next. I reset the clocks four times. Even so, the jacket made progress.

What beautiful fabric this is to work with. I wish I knew what it was besides boucle-ish. LOL - am I the only one who doesn't label and recognize her fabric? I'm more likely to remember where I bought it and what I paid for it than what it is. I know it's not wool because it doesn't smell like it although it moulds and drapes as wonderfully.



Kid, MD wrote - That is going to be a lovely jacket! I'm glad you cut your losses on the Burda - I think the Vogue has much more style.

I agree. I am tap dancing proud of myself for the job I'm doing with this jacket. Right now, it's darn near perfect. When I try it on, the fabric lovingly skims my body and gives me great shape. It feels FABULOUS!

I'm worried about the sleeves. Sleeves and I have a history. I'm beginning to figure out why they hang twisted and I think - believe - hope - I've come to an answer that's going to work with this jacket but there have been some ugly moments in the past.

The worst was three years ago, about a month before my daughter's wedding. I was trying to sew my MOB dress out of a gorgeous dupioni silk and could not - absolutely could not - get the sleeves to hang correctly. They were severely twisted and after several tries, the great melt down happened. It was late at night and I lost it, and cried and cried and cried uncontrollably to the point where my husband held me really tight to control my sobbing and drugged me back to sleep. It wasn't pretty - at all. I eventually wore something sleeveless. I've made progress since then. My sleeves are starting to improve but I'm still working on them and a bit nervous.

Have you ever had a project that turned you inside out like that?




Doesn't the back look lovely? This is before I sewed the side seams and pressed up the hem. I kept hanging the jacket up, trying it on, and patting it. So silly. So fun.

Just to keep me humble... When I fused the interfacing to the top of the back lining, I pulled a small no stick sheet from my drawer. It's not the one I normally use and apparently there was something stuck to it (go figure) that left this yucky black spot on the fabric. Most of it was sewn into the seam allowance. Hopefully some of that pink solution you get at home shows will take the rest off when the jacket is finished. Any suggestions?

The pattern doesn't call for a lining but the fabric is thin so I added one. Sewing a jacket is new for me. I don't wear blazers or suit coats at all. Linings are new for me. I've only lined skirts before. So far this is going well. The lining could be a lot more exciting. It's not. It was here and paid for and that was good and enough.

So... I have a problem. I'm sewing all these nice clothes but I'm not wearing them. I bet I get this finished having made it to walk around the block and then don't. It's weird. I will wear the garments out for coffee or lunch, to church, or on a date and then as soon as I get home, I change back into my jeans and black t-shirt. I'm treating them like dress up good wear. My girlfriend and I were talking about this on Sunday. We thought the solution might be to get rid of all my other clothes - VBG. That does seem a bit drastic. Ideas? Tell me what you think. Has this happened to you?

And... good news. The mammogram and ultrasound went smoothly. No waiting. I was in and out of one and in and out of the other and back home in an hour. Wonderful. They found several small cysts but no dangerous lumps. YES YES! Remember to go for your mammogram. It's important.

Modiste Madness - thanks for the tip on Fabreeze. I didn't realize they made a version for allergies. I'll look for it. Yesterday was much better smell wise. It's starting to go away.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - Today is my friend Caroline's and my son-in-law Kyle's birthday. They are both wonderful people. I'm lucky to have them in my life.

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Personal Growth - There's trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests -- look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular. - Luke 6

While the bible clearly states that we are all called to different tasks, it often seems that mission fields having to do with children, foreign countries, and poverty are more glorified than others. Since none of these is my mission field, on a bad day I can wonder if I'm doing my part.

The bible also clearly states that God has gifted each of us in unique and individual ways so that we can use those gifts to glorify him and yet, it often seems that if you enjoy the work you're doing, there's something wrong with that. It's a subtle pressure that somehow we should suffer in doing God's work. I don't agree and I enjoy what I do.

It's easy to get caught up in what others think instead of being true to ourselves. I refer to the early days of my quilting career as the prostitution phase because it was all about what "they" would buy as opposed to what I wanted to create. Yesterday, I read Blogging For Bliss: Crafting Your Own Online Journal by Tara Frey. In the book, the author talks about different ways to create a popular blog. Some of the suggestions were things that I don't want to do. The thought I should... popped into my mind several times as I was reading. NO - I should NOT. Changing to gain other's approval would be the completely wrong path to take. Been there, done that, let's not go there again.