Its A ______________ !

It's hard to believe this is the August long weekend. I feel like I missed most of July. I plan to REALLY enjoy August. It's my last month of school summer holidays with Kyle heading into grade twelve although I guess I can count next year too. I probably will. My life has been running by the school calendar for twenty years now. I doubt that will change.

Caroline and I had a wonderful day together. She sewed for a bit, we had lunch, she sewed some more, we went to Fabricland, she sewed some more, and at the end of the day she wore her new bra home. It fit really well. A bit of tweaking here and there but nothing major. She was thrilled.




I started a Aqua lace bra with white bands and white lace. It's at the channeling step. The whole thing is not hard but - of the steps - I find channeling the fiddliest. Too fiddly to finish up in the morning before blogging. My eyes aren't working that well yet - LOL.

Just go in there, close your eyes, and pick up a piece of fabric. Open your eyes and say this should be a (use the first word that pops into your mind). Then make it. Bev's comment from the other day is still giving me the giggles. It's just too fun. The bra started with a t-shirt. I bought it in my super skinny days, stored it for a long while (like ten years maybe) and can fit into it now but it's just a little too fitted and little too see through for comfort. I decided to refashion it. It's a BRA!




The sleeve had quite a high cap. I traced it before cutting it up so I can compare the shape to my T & T pattern and see what I think. The two sleeves had enough fabric for the bra. If I combine the rest with white fabric and white lace, I'll be able to use the front and back pieces to make two pairs of panties to go with. Fun.

My goal with this bra was to have a neater finish at the top of the bridge. I think I've done that by adding the lace across the bridge as well as the cups. Once the channeling is added, the seam allowances will both point toward the middle and lay flatter and the lace will look continuous. With each bra, my skills are improving.

This morning is banking and errands. After that I hope to finish the bra and start on a t-shirt. I can't finish the pants to go with until I order the fabric from BraMakersSupply along with some white cup fabric. I liked their cup and band fabrics better than the ones I bought from SewSassy and since they're Canadian, it's less expensive and quicker. No duty. No border. I also need stretch lace for the waistbands. Neither website had a phenomenal selection but - thankfully - both had better prices than those ridiculous ones at Fabricland the other day so I'll have to decide which is prettier and order from there. This weekend - more sewing, reading, resting. Next week, I have company.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - as she was leaving Caroline commented that I was really good at teaching which was a nice confirmation of my decision and a bonus to a wonderful day together.

Muslin Masquerading As A Garment

It has been quite remarkably hot the last few days. The heat seemed to sneak up from out of nowhere even though Kamloops typically has hot weather in July. It's just that it's been abnormally cooler and then... HOT. Tuesday afternoon, I went out to sit on the porch and came right back in. Wednesday, I sat out for the morning only. I wonder how long this will last? While it does...




... I'll mostly be wearing skirts. They're cool and more flattering than shorts. Here's the stretch denim one that I sewed last weekend worn with my T & T under development t-shirt pattern. LOVE the color. It's a beautiful, tone-on-tone, fuchsia, paisley print. One of those fabrics that I wish I had bought more of.




It amazes me how every garment is a muslin. I've made this skirt pattern four times. I've been lowering the front waist by 1" and leaving the back the same for my - supposedly - tipped waist. This time, it feels too high in the back. Checking in the mirror, it looks too high too.

It could be that it's just too tight and riding up only that "it's too high" thought clicks with one I had last time I sewed jeans when, in the end, I had shortened the hip depth by two inches instead of the usual one. It also clicks with a comment that Sandra Betzina made in April about the back of my jeans being too high. For months, I've been taking 1" off the hip depth. Now I'm wondering if it should be closer to two. I'll test that on the next muslin masquerading as a garment.




Kyle took the skirt pictures yesterday morning after we went to the Farmer's Market. Isn't that pepper gorgeous? I can hardly wait to eat the fresh carrots and cucumber. YUMMY. We also bought a basket of peaches and some cinnamon buns. The Wednesday market is smaller than the weekend one. I'd like to go back on Saturday and get a flat of peaches so I can freeze some for the winter.




While out on the porch, I worked on these two mitred squares. There are two more colors to add. One square will end with the mauve and one with the variegated. It is SO ANNOYING working on a group project when supplies are scrimped. I knit the green twice to bring the gauge down but even so, I ran out of the pink yarn one row before the end. IMHO that's being too tight with the supplies. My square is just at or ever so slightly over the 5" asked for. It might be me but really... give me LOTS. Let me do my best job.

Caroline is coming this morning. I am SO EXCITED. We've been friends since we were sixteen. This is the girlfriend that I travel and take workshops with. We went to the Sandra Betzina/Ron Collins workshop together this past April. We both get it. Our eyes don't glaze over and roll back. We can talk and talk and talk sewing and not run out of talk. It's wonderful.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - good friends

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Personal Growth - Karen W wrote - Tell us more about the teaching. I have been hoping that you would start online teaching again. Even through your blog you have been teaching me things about clothing that I have started to incorporate in my procedures. Do I owe you money for that?

LOL - too funny Karen. More like I might owe you - for being one of my students, for hanging in there with me through the changes, through falling apart in public, through retiring from traditional quilting, through finding a new way of being, for supporting and encouraging. Thank you.

My plan is to continue blogging in a non-commercial way. I have some feelers out and when I start teaching online again, I will make an announcement and note class dates in a side column and on my website for those who are interested. The classes will not be project oriented. They will focus on exploring creativity and on design. My plan is to be booked to teach 4-6 times a year starting fall 2011 or winter 2012 and to teach quarterly online workshops through an existing site. I don't intend to get pushy on the blog. There is no need. God's in control. He's pretty big. What will be, will be. This may or may not work out. We'll see what happens. Either way, I plan to continue talking about where I'm at in the studio, teaching through the talk, and hoping it encourages others.

Back To Work Program

In case after rambling on about other things I forget to answer Shirley's question from last week, she asked what are the two cookbooks you like best?

The first is Flying Apron Gluten Free and Vegan Baking Book. The reason I purchased this book is because the author owns a bakery in Seattle. I decided that if she could keep a business going selling these foods, then they must taste good and I can figure this out. I certainly haven't tried all the recipes but so far only one hasn't worked for me and that's the bread. Hopefully, I just need more practice. The second is The Gluten-Free Vegan. Most of the recipes I've tried from this book have been main meals rather than baking and most of them I have liked. I gravitate toward these two books because they are both gluten free and vegan which solves my gluten, dairy, and egg allergies all at once and means there are less substitutions.

Lydia wrote - I know what you mean about black. I look as if I am in perpetual morning but it ties in with everything. Like you, I now am trying to break out of the mould but if you look at all my fabrics, what do you see????? Black. I think I need a support group!

Yes, it's easy and comfortable to just grab black. Like you, the majority of my fabric stash is either black or dark so sewing off the stash while hoping to add more color gets tricky. I want to adjust rather than break the mould. I like black. Black with color is just perfect. And I prefer a darker color on the bottom. I'd like to add brighter color near my face. With the fabric, I'm going to evolve by buying colors for the stash and black only if I have a purpose to sew it immediately.

sdBev wrote - Girl, you are overthinking this. Get in your sewing room and make something. Just go in there, close your eyes, and pick up a piece of fabric. Open your eyes and say this should be a (use the first word that pops into your mind). Then make it. Your fabric choices alone will provide variety. Most of us tend to choose the same colors over and over ensuring that whatever you pick up will probably work with whatever you already have. Use your existing patterns and during fitting, adjust for the new smaller you. Quit thinking. Get sewing.

That had me rolling on the floor laughing. Thank you so much Bev. I used to tell my students that the hardest thing to do was start so set a timer and when it rings, grab the nearest thing and go. It's so easy to become paralyzed with procrastination. Nothing like having your words come back at you. Just like raising children. So funny. Thanks. And yes. I am overthinking. I am SO VERY GOOD at that.

Carol wrote - I agree with Bev, don't over think this. Don't feel guilty about buying things you could make. Sometimes it's the best thing to do.

Buying things - especially if they are a good deal - doesn't make me feel guilty. It just hard to do which I find really interesting because I'm not unusually shaped. I remember reading that the majority of women have a triangle body shape although I'm not sure I agree with that. There are so many varieties on varieties. Either way, I went back yesterday to buy the t-shirt, tried it on, and both Carey - the sales clerk - and I said no way. The armhole was so low, it puffed out forward and I couldn't move my arms. The color was gorgeous. The sleeves divine. The fit horrendous. Hmm... I think that's why I sew.




Sue wrote - Definitely go and buy the jeans!! You will make your seven t-shirts in the time it takes to make two pairs of jeans. Buy two bras and two pair of knickers (if you find some on special) then you aren't desperate for underwear and get sewing skirts and other stuff. When you have some basics, sew your underwear.

I should have been clearer about the jeans. I bought them weeks ago although last week, when I was back in the store, they were on sale 50% off meaning that I could have had them for $34.00 each which would have been great. I now know to watch for sales on that brand. They fit so wonderfully, I'll be buying more.

The bra that I like to wear only comes in black and white. I was thinking of buying a few white ones and dyeing them. What fun that would be. But... your comment made me laugh Sue because I'd just gotten back from trying to buy lingerie lace to make panties. In the closet clean, I found a knit skirt and a stretch lace t-shirt that are destined for refashion. Both would make great bra and pantie sets.

My friend Caroline, from Yellowknife, is in town visiting relatives. Tomorrow, she's coming over for a bra sewing lesson. I'll sew the bra but not the panties. The lingerie lace was ridiculously priced. The three I picked out were $3.25, $6,75, and $12.50 per meter. Hello. I couldn't believe it. I went on line to SewSassy.com and they have much cheaper choices. I'll place an order some time soon.

Refashioning is something I've really come to enjoy over the last few years first with textile art and now with clothing. It's a very fun, very creative, challenge. One of those seven black t-shirts in my closet has the hem coming down. It's made of 100% cotton and will make great liners for the panties. That's not the right word but I don't think gusset is either. You know what I mean.

Kathie wrote - You've inspired me to head upstairs with my second cup of coffee and actually empty the shelves in my "casual wear" closet. Just how many red t-shirts does one woman need ??? even though she wears them for work sometimes, gardening often, and dirty jobs such as painting sometimes. Since closet space is at such a premium in my 1870's house, clearing out will accomplish things.

Happy closet cleaning. Clearing out always seems to come around for me when I'm about to make a decision. It's like I'm creating new flow. I wonder if that's the anxiety you said you read in the entry because I didn't think I was feeling anxious. Interesting.

Bobbikg, Lois, and Brenda, thanks for your comments on having a plan. One of the things I loved so much about teaching was how we are all unique and we are all the same. What works for one person might not work for another and then again, it might. Sharing information - ideas - support - is so amazing.

The other thing I miss about teaching is teaching and that's the decision I've been working on for the last few weeks. While I have toyed with the idea of going back to a traditional job over the past year, I've only made token inquiries. If financially we need me to work, I can and will and will be an amazing employee but unless that happens, I'd prefer a back to work program.

Back in April, I mentioned that I was thinking over a possible direction but didn't want to talk about it until I had taken more time to make my decision. I've made it. While I won't be going back to a traditional job, I am looking for opportunities to teach both online and in real life and I plan to write a book (maybe two) starting this fall.

The book will be on how to be creative with fashion as opposed to with textile art and will transfer and adapt the information I taught previously to this new form. I'll continue to teach design in both textile art and fashion. Design basics are the same. It's just the media that changes. I'm quite excited about both the return to teaching and this book project. Some of the garments that I could have been sewing are ones I'd like to show in the book so I've been holding off on making them until I made the decision and figured out a plan for the illustrations.

AND...

... I want to work on being more fit and toned. After Howard's hospital stay, I've realized how important it is to be flexible, able to fall, confident in your movements, at a good body weight, and things like that. I have some obsessive compulsive tendencies. I tend to go all in one direction. It would be easy for the writing or the sewing to totally consume my life while everything else goes out the window. The last time that I worked from home, there was a definite lack of balance in my life. Going back, I want to ensure that balance is there including some form of regular exercise... which will affect my sewing.

I'll tone up and I'll change size which are more reasons why I've been dragging my butt with sewing. Losing thirty pounds already created all kinds of havoc with my wardrobe. Deliberately creating more havoc seemed counter product - to a wardrobe but not to my health. Oh well. I'll just have to sew more to keep up. Being healthy is more important.

Today, I need to knit two squares for a group baby afghan. I started yesterday and they ended up too big. After that, I'll get things ready for Caroline's visit tomorrow and then go for coffee with a friend. My next sewing project will be a t-shirt. I have a decided lack of them right now.

Thanks for all the comments. Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a decision made

Start With Seven

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that my closet and I have a love hate relationship. Saturday - when I thought I'd be sewing - I was suddenly hit by the closet cleaning bug. Perhaps by sifting, sorting, cleaning, and clearing yet once again I thought that I could find something that didn't exist before. Like clothes to wear. Clothes that didn't all look the same. Clothes that were wonderful, flirty, fun, finished, me.

My closet pretends to be sparsely stocked and yet even that paucity is a lie. It's darn near empty. Me Made May, Self Stitched September, 30 for 30, Six Items or Less - NONE of these is possible with my wardrobe. Wait! Maybe six items or less since similar garments count as one. That would mean my seven black t-shirts, two pairs of jeans, and similar skirts would basically be equal which explains why my wardrobe looks morphed and morbid.




In the picture above, sweaters are hanging along the bottom. Thirteen. Apparently, I love sweaters. On the shelf above them is clothing that I actually wear, and on the one above that is accumulated clothing rarely worn. The picture below shows skirts hanging to the right. Eleven. Even though I wear jeans more than skirts ? ? ? Over in the dresser, there is one drawer (only) of bras, panties, socks, tights, pantyhose, and camisoles and one drawer (only) of sleepwear. There's even an empty drawer.




Separating the clothing onto wear and don't wear shelves was an eye opener. The don't wear pile is bigger. I asked myself why don't I wear these garments? Sometimes, I loved the color but not the style. Sometimes, I loved the style but not the fabric. Sometimes, the sizing was too big or too small. Sometimes, neither the style, color, or size did me any favours yet I keep these garments anyway because I have nothing else to wear. Perhaps to avoid facing a totally bare shelf which would be more than I can handle right now. Perhaps as an insurance policy against nakedness and wardrobe malfunction although that seems rather silly.

Sorting the two shelves clarified why I have both clothes and nothing to wear. The seven black t-shirts vary only in neck shape and degree of fadedness. I have two other t-shirts in a pink and a blue print. Of the thirteen sweaters, two are worn as housecoats, two are lacy and impractical, two are brand new, five are black, two are grey, and one is dark navy, somewhat lacy, and somewhat impractical. Its sleeves are constantly dragging into things.

Of the skirts, three are winter fabrics, two are lace and too fancy for every day, three are the Reitman's copies made recently, and three are my version of shorts, identical in shape and style, varying only in color and print. These are five years old already. Read I am bored with them. The only thing stopping me from chopping them up is nothing to wear.

On the wear shelf, far left, are out of season turtlenecks. Hanging below with the sweaters is my pink coat. These are all my clothes not just my summer clothes. I've talked about this before. This lack of wardrobe. It's a point of stress for me. It has me spinning my heels not quite knowing which direction to go in. There is so little in my closet that the task before me has become overwhelmingly huge and when I think about it, it gets even larger and larger. I've almost been tempted - almost - to throw it all out. That would certainly force me to take action.

Tom's question in Life! By Design - are you happy - helped me take a good look at what was missing. I asked myself all sorts of questions like am I happy with how many clothes I have? Am I happy with how many skirts, jeans, pants, t-shirts, dresses, sweaters, coats, lingerie (and so on) that I have? Am I happy with the fabrics used? Am I happy with the colors? Am I happy with how much black there is? Am I happy with the styles? AND... if not, why not and what am I going to do differently?

As we near the end of August, I am thinking about my goals for the next school year. I set personal goals in January and work related goals in September. Unless our financial situation changes significantly, I won't be getting a traditional job so work related this year means starting on a major, self directed, project. I live best with a focus or I tend to wander around aimlessly, accomplishing nothing, which really frustrates me for wasting time.

Most of my time will mostly be spent at home. On a pie chart, it would easily break down to 80% at home and 15% (or even less) outside the home with about 5% (or even less) dressier occasions. I've decided to start with seven. Seven t-shirts that are different and I love. Seven skirts and pants that I love. Seven sweaters that I love. Seven sets of lingerie (1 bra, two panties) that I love and so on.

TOP of the list of requirements is that I love it. That means the garment is in a style, fabric, and color that makes me feel wonderful. That could take some time. Next will be variety. No making one thing and then making it over again without variation. The results have to differ. Third will be color. I love color and I love black. Somehow, I've ended up with a mostly black wardrobe. It's time for that to change. I want both. Fourth will be interchangeability. I want garments that mix and match and go together. Fifth will be adaptability. I want to be able to dress some of the garments up or down as needed and I'd like most of them to be multi-seasoned requiring a little more layering in winter and a little less in summer. At least for starters until I get that basic wardrobe together.

AND... I may need to buy a few things even though the price tags drives me crazy. In May, I found two pairs of Nygaard jeans. They were $68.00 each which is way more than I'm used to paying for jeans. Only they fit me fabulously. Yesterday, I found a gorgeous t-shirt with those gathered and pleated sleeves in purple for $39.00. I admired it, checked out how it was sewn, and didn't buy it. That seemed way too much and yet later, at Fabricland, a similar fabric was $19.00 per meter. I wouldn't normally pay that either. I'd wait for it to come on sale. Perhaps I can't afford to wait - for the sale or to sew. I just might go back and buy that t-shirt only...

I don't have a regular paycheque so this is going to get interesting but somehow, some way, I'll end up with a wearable wardrobe. I'll start by making a few lists of what I need, my priorities, a color palette, fabrics I have to sew with, and garments that I should buy. I feel like I have both a good sense of where I'm going with this and not enough information. I know I don't want seven blouses, jackets, or dresses. I rarely wear these garments HOWEVER.... the concept of start with seven gives me a framework to move around. There are seven days in the week. Seven interchangeable outfits will give me endless possibilities. After that, I can take it up a notch or two or three. What do you think?

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a plan. I feel less like I'm floundering and more focused.

Self Care Saturday

It's a delight to have company and it's a delight when they leave especially if - when they leave - you are home alone. I imagine that the wonderfulness of being home alone will change as my life changes however, right now, while I'm still in the child raising years, alone is the definition of a true holiday for me. As much as I enjoy spending time with my husband and family, when I am alone is when I am completely free of responsibility. I live a high responsibility life. Alone I can do what I want, when I want, if I want. For just a little while, it's a lovely change of pace.

I'd intended to visit Fabricland on my way home from the airport Friday. Instead, I drove back across town, curled up on my front porch, and felt how absolutely exhausted I was. It had been months since my last alone day and thirty days since Howard first went into the hospital. All that lifting, bending, twisting, and reaching was showing. Actually, it was all that being responsible for everything while making sure he takes it easy. Such a high level of alertness.



Later that evening, I drove back across town to pick up McCall's 6164. It's one of the new Fall 2010 patterns so I wasn't sure if Fabricland would even have it yet. Luckily, they did. McCall's was the only fall catalogue in stock. I thought I'd get the pattern sewn over the weekend. I didn't.

Saturday was supposed to be Sewing Saturday. Instead, it was a Self Care Saturday which extended into a self care weekend. Most women are really bad at practicing self care. We tend to do unto everyone but ourselves without realizing that it is our "me" time that gives us the energy to live out the rest of our lives. By taking care of ourselves, we have more energy for our obligations, interests, and those we love. That's a lesson I learned the hard (near breakdown) way but now that I've got it, I've got it. YES YES!

When I got up Saturday morning, my plan was to sew all day, produce three or four projects, and some how - in one short bit of time - make up for all those unproductive days of the past month. Didn't happen. Oh well. What is, is. Those unproductive sewing days were completely productive in a different direction. My life is not all about sewing. Go figure.

Instead, I went for a walk, read a book on the porch, altered a skirt pattern, ate the rest of the peach cobbler, had coffee with a friend, cooked salmon for supper, cleaned my closet, sewed for a bit, researched the changes needed for my daughter's bra, watched the news, and went to bed early. It was a fabulous day.




Cleaning the closet is an experiment that I want to tell you all about only it'll have to wait until tomorrow because I have more than enough to talk about today with my denim skirt. It's based on the same pattern that I used for the black and white print skirt that I made a few weeks ago and the flirty skirt that I wore to my high school reunion - the one drafted by copying the Reitman's RTW skirt. This time, I eliminated the yoke and extended the pattern pieces right to the waist.

The seam line for center back and front were extended straight. With the side seams and the princess seams, I continued the existing curves. It wasn't at all scientific. There was no measuring involved so I had no idea if the garment would actually fit when I was done. In fact, I anticipated it being too tight in the waist. It was PERFECT. Snug as a glove perfect which meant I had to add a zipper instead of using an elastic waistband since I doubted my willingness to inch by inch it up over my hips every time I wanted to wear it.




Worried that the waistband would stretch out, I used a bias binding to finish and a stay tape to stabilize the waist edge. This is the first time ever that I've used stay tape. I wonder what took me so long. Once the seam was stitched, it was serged in order to uniformly trim the seam allowance. That's a trick I use often. Serging over the zipper did something to the tension of one of the looper threads but luckily, the seam was already stitched and there isn't a danger of it coming out. The tension is now fixed for my next project.




To finish the waist edge, I pressed the binding fabric up and then over the seam allowance. The black dotted, silver grey, color blends well with the denim although it doesn't really matter. No one is going to see the waist anyway. I never tuck in and if I did, I'd wear a belt. To secure the binding in place, I zigzag stitched from the right side and then trimmed close to the stitching on the wrong side. Because the binding is bias, it won't fray.




From the front, it is neat, clean, and flat - all desirable traits. I've come to realize that I'm not much interested in traditional waistbands, even on jeans, nor in any bulk around my middle or on my hips. Pockets on pants are bulk enough. A contoured, bound, or elastic waistband works just perfect for me and - luckily - these methods are much faster.




Here's a picture of the finished skirt on Millicent. The fabric is a stretch denim. There's a vent at the back and top stitching along the princess and center seams. The hem is machine stitched. The seam allowances are serged. It may seem quick and dirty but it's actually neat and clean and works well for me, my figure type, and my life style. This is good.

This is the fourth time that I've made some version of this skirt. It's so comfortable that I'm developing the pattern as a T & T pattern with variations for a zippered opening, an elastic waist, and a yoke as well as various hemlines and shapes. Basically, I want to know it fits well so I can use it for design purposes. Designing is something I really enjoy. It makes me happy.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - some alone time and now my family is home again. I missed them.

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Personal Growth - A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. - John 10:10

This week, I've been reading Life! By Design: 6 Steps to an Extraordinary You by Tom Ferry. In the text, there are a lot of questions to answer so I plan to work through it again with pen and paper. I enjoy pondering. I enjoy thinking about and shaping my life. I enjoying living by design rather than by default as Tom describes it.

In one assignment, Tom asks a series of yes and no questions. One is are you happy? Honesty is such a core value to me that even though I might be 99.9% happy, I'd have to say no because I'm .01% unhappy in some area of life. I'd much prefer if the question asked me to rate myself on a scale of 0-10 with ten being very happy and 0 being very unhappy. That way, I could say that I was an 8 or 9 or some other mostly happy answer.

Yes and no asks you to really look at each specific area of your life and question it - am I happy with my relationships, am I happy with my finances, am I happy with my spirituality and so on. Isn't that a fascinating question? It's so cut and dried, it really makes you think as do your answers. I found myself applying the question to all sorts of areas such as am I happy with my sewing and if not, why not and what do I plan to do differently? How would you answer it?

There are many "thieves" that seek to kill and destroy in our lives. One often unrecognized thief is our choice of focus, our thoughts, and our refusal to deal with the painful things in our life in order to experience more joy. I've read a lot of books on this subject. I've worked through a lot of pain. Tom's approach is different from many I've read about. Specifically, it includes doing the hard work as opposed to a name it and claim it type philosophy. It's so worth it.

Peach Cobbler

Yesterday, we talked and and talked and talked and - I was right - we haven't run out of words yet although we're running out of time. Karen leaves today. We need to head to the airport at noon so we have a little more time for coffee on the porch and perhaps another serving of...




... peach cobbler. We used the Cinnamon Spice Muffin mix from Only Oats and mixed it with brown sugar and Becel Vegan "butter" to make the crumble topping. YUMMY. I missed ice-cream melting on top. Apparently I need to buy an ice-cream maker so I can make it myself from rice, almond, or coconut milk.




On the way home from the airport, I'm going to stop at Fabricland and see if they have that t-shirt pattern with the gathers up the sleeve. I waited too long to hit the purchase button on the BMV sale so the patterns are in my cart waiting for next time. Not a big deal either way. The big deal is that tomorrow I can spend the whole day sewing. YES YES!

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - my daughter fell down her back stairs yesterday and landed so hard on her behind that she blacked out for a bit BUT... she's okay. I'm glad. I just wish she lived a little closer so I could see for myself.

Misc Stuff #2

Karen and I had a wonderful day yesterday. We moved slow, talked lots, drank tea & coffee, and nibbled goodies. We went to the Farmer's Market in the morning and bought fresh raspberries for dessert last night and peaches to make a cobbler today using gluten free oats.

In the afternoon, we checked out the sales at the mall and looked at the fall fashions. As always, I enjoyed the details. The clothes are still quite feminine and interesting. It's hard to believe that we're having end of season sales in July. The woman at Costco told me they'll be putting out Christmas in a couple weeks. IMHO - that's just ridiculous even if the rush to bring in fall clothing helps me with my sewing decisions. OH - that reminds me to go order those BMV patterns I was looking at. Did you order some?

In the evening, we looked through my collection of gluten free and vegan cookbooks and compared ideas and recipes. My books stagger the time frame of my increase in allergies. I started out just with gluten free and then dairy and then corn and soy and then yeast and eggs and and and... so I have some books that are gluten free and some that are gluten and dairy free and some that are gluten free and vegan which helped with the egg allergy and so on. In the end, there are two books that I like quite a lot and about six or seven I have to pick through and still find substitutions for substitutions. It's frustrating although eighteen month's later, I am ever so slowly learning new things about cooking BUT... it's certainly not easy. I'd rather sew.

Debbie Cook wrote - I'm confused. The legal age in the U.S. is 18. Except for drinking alcohol - that's 21. But you're a legal adult at 18.

Thanks for clarifying Debbie. I wonder if it was just the border guard last year getting a "bee in his bonnet" because it was the guard who told Howard that he needed the permission slip. We hadn't required one for the years before. Sorry for confusing the legal and drinking age. If I'd thought about it a bit more, that would have made sense. Ours in Canada is the same. I'm not even sure what the age of consent is. LOL - I expect my children to be good and listen no matter how old they are.

Have a great day - Myrna

Grateful - fresh berries with flavour and jeans for Jessica for $2.00

Misc Stuff

Depending on how things go with my cousin, I may or may not post every day this week. She arrived around noon yesterday. The flights went well. So did my cleaning. The house is licked and promised, good and enough. She has two boys as well so she gets clean dirt.

Howard called last night and they had made it safely to their destination. He was feeling pretty good and had done lots of stretching along the way. No one would let him help at all with the camp set-up. EXCELLENT. Poor guy is feeling useless though. I know he'll find other tasks he can do.

Carol wrote - I'm slightly amused by you having to write a letter for your son. Here in Australia...

In Canada, the legal age is 19 but in the United States it is 21 so the letter was because Howard was taking them into another country. The border between the US and Canada is not wide open. You have to go through border crossings with agents in both directions.

Karen wrote - Maybe you can get back to sewing realizing that Howard is healing and you don't have the heavy load of responsibility to carry.

Sounds great. I think it'll be a little slower than that as he's not allowed to do too much until the end of September. That's when I'm taking a workshop so when I get back, it'll be life more as normal. I'm looking forward to that. Yes, sewing does take some of the stress off. I'm glad it helped you with your situation.

You also wrote - Hang in there and tell us about the next piece of clothing you are going to make. Maybe another T & T tee shirt with the gathers like the one you showed us earlier.

Either McCalls or Butterick has a pattern along those lines so I'm going to order it in the latest sale and see how the sleeve is shaped. If I was sewing for necessity, I really could use more tops so that would be a place to start although I'd also like some more skirts and dressier pants... well... and dresses... and... hmm... I need just about everything. Seeing I only have one day, it'll most likely be another t-shirt and skirt.

Susan Being Snippy wrote - Glad things are easing up for you, I have been reading but not commenting lately.

Thanks. I'd missed your comments and wondered how you were doing.

On cousin time, it's two hours later. I imagine she's hungry or at least ready for coffee on the porch. I absolutely LOVE our porch. After that, I'm not sure what we'll do. Today is the Farmer's Market downtown so we might wander around there and pick up some fresh fruit for her. I'm not a fruit lover; she is. I live in fruit country; she doesn't. Isn't life like that.

Sew something for me. What are you working on?

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - safe traveling

The Bye Bye Boys Stay Home Alone Retreat

It's time for the annual Bye Bye Boys Stay Home Alone retreat. For the past six or seven years, Howard and the boys - along with friends - have gone to a four day Christian rock concert called CreationFest in Washington, USA. This year, there are two men and four boys although at almost 21 Aryck is only a boy to his mother and the US border agents. Because his birthday isn't until August, I still had to write him a permission slip this year. Next year, he's on his own.

The trip will be a bit different with Howard's recent surgery. Everyone else will have to bend, lift, twist, and reach and they'll all have to stop every 20-30 minutes for him to walk around the vehicle and stretch. It was unanimous. They were willing. Everyone was afraid the surgery would mean no trip.

The boys go and I stay home. Some times alone. Sometimes with friends. This year, my cousin is coming to visit from Winnipeg. She's a year younger. We reconnected a few years ago and found that while we had nothing in common as children, we have a lot in common as adults. What fun. Together, we make her husband laugh. Apparently we talk and act alike and say similar things, which is quite interesting since she neither sews nor knits. Can you imagine!

Karen will be here until Friday afternoon and then I'll have a day and a bit to myself before the boys come back. I plan to sew although - as you know - I've been making plans to sew for quite a while and - as of today - it's been a complete month since Howard first went into the hospital and since my sewing routine went out the window. Here's hoping.




Karen is also allergic to gluten and dairy and a few other things. It's my fault, just as it is with a few other friends. They'd complain about something or other and I'd say well.... that could be gluten and sure enough, they'd give it up, and feel better. Works for me! I have company and help with baking and cooking ideas. Yesterday, I made some granola for our breakfasts as well as...




... tried a new brand (to me at least) of gluten free products called Only Oats. These are the cinnamon spice muffins although I substituted pumpkin puree and molasses for two of the eggs and added more cinnamon and ginger. I was winging it and surprise, surprise, they worked. They're fluffy and moist. Four eggs was too many. I can handle one or two but after that my mouth burns.

I'm just getting over a mistake from the reunion. When she brought the refill, I think the waitress brought me a real versus a diet Coke or Pepsi or whatever it was they were serving. The diet versions don't have corn syrup; the real versions do. I ended up with a bright red face and a rash all through my mouth, nostrils, and throat that lasted a few days. It's painful and VERY annoying.

The boys should leave in an hour and a half and then I'll run around like a maniac and clean house. There's no point doing it before when six guys are loading up a van. After that, I'm off to the airport. I have soup in the crockpot for our lunch and we'll spend the rest of the day visiting. Howard asked will you be able to just talk for four days. Yes - no problem.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a visit from family

A Bit More Style

The sleeves on this purchased t-shirt give it a bit more style than the typical short sleeve has. The middle is black elastic and the cap is gathered. It doesn't look like they used transparent elastic although it's evenly done, perhaps with a gathering foot or as a ratio on the serger. I'll have to ask Charlene at Anderson's Sewing Center if (or how) my serger will do that. I'd like to copy these on to another t-shirt.




I hemmed the t-shirt. Probably too short. When I was marking and trimming, I wasn't thinking about how the fabric might shrink. It's rayon. I've had a lot of trouble with shrinking fabric this year, even when I've prewashed it.

I went to the reunion. I even had fun, stayed late, and got home around midnight. It was WAY different this year than the last two times. With a few exceptions, people were genuinely glad to see each other and willing to talk. A lot of us showed up feeling the same way - wondering why we were there. Perhaps because of that we were more relaxed. Definitely the setting was less formal. We met at the pub in the school neighbourhood.

Many of the conversations were about hobbies as opposed to careers which was a much more interesting change. I got a lot of envious looks for my sabbatical status, especially from the women, and lots of compliments on the skirt. The range of children's ages was wide from one to twenty-nine. Some had grandchildren although most didn't. Most were in a similar stage to mine, nearing the end of child raising, approaching time for ourselves, and looking forward to it. There was talk of a thirty-fifth. I'd go hoping it was as much or more fun and as relaxed as this reunion was. Apparently we're improving with age.

These large lilies are beginning to bloom in my garden. I'm not sure what they're called but they're slightly later than my other lilies and have a pink/orange/yellow center. There are LOTS of buds on the plants. They're going to be gorgeous in a few days which is just perfect. My cousin is coming to visit tomorrow. The garden will be pretty and somewhat weedy. I'm having a hard time keeping up with the yard without Howard's help. Oh well - the view is lovely, the chairs are comfortable, and the drinks are chilled. Good and enough.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - that I came away from the reunion feeling positive

Pretty Peaceful Inviting

Last week, I managed to get the Adirondack chairs painted. The color is Royalty from Home Hardware using their Beauty Tone paint. Normally, I use Benjamin Moore paint. This product is as nice as the ads say. It goes on smooth and even and is thick enough not to be too drippy. I think the price is pretty similar - expensive. Good paint and good fabric have things in common.




The chairs could probably have used a third coat - oh well. They looked dumb where I thought I wanted them, sitting on the edge of the cliff in the back yard looking out at the view, so they're in the front up against the garden instead. There they look pretty, peaceful, and inviting.

Cory from The Finishing Touch is coming mid morning Saturday to finish the trim around the two patio doors. It's so about time. We left this job undone for almost six years. I can hardly wait to see it clean and finished. He dropped off the trim Wednesday afternoon so I could paint one coat before it went up and then another afterward. That's what I did yesterday and then - while in painting mode - moved on to other areas like the trim around the garage door and the side entrance. It looks SO NICE. I wish I'd done this sooner.

I can hardly wait until the door is finished. It's the same purple as the chairs. What you see here is one coat. It'll take at least two more. The front door will be the same color. I'm not sure about the patio doors yet. Probably purple. The other two - the door to the garbage room and to the under porch storage - are painted invisible, the same color as the siding. They didn't need to be obvious to anyone but us.




When I'm not painting, there is a black, wrought iron bench just to the left of this entrance up against the L shape of the house walls. I'm debating spray painting it navy blue. It would look fabulous with the purple. It's a fuchsia shade of purple, bright and pink-ish, one of my favourite colors. It looks wonderful with navy blue and lime green. I'd also like to replace that carpet with something far more interesting. It's a Wal-Mart special. Works for now. Not my favourite.

Sue wrote - By the way, I loved that pink jacket. The color was lovely on you. Maybe you need to find some pink knit? ?

Carrie asked - Do tell us where you found such a cool sweater for $25.99. I do not own a Calvin Klein top, but I have purchased their bottoms at Costco and like them.

It was so cold the other day that I wore the jacket for a walk around the block with my husband. He commented on how good it looked and how much he liked the color. When I wore the raspberry blouse Monday, it got a lot of comments as did the black and white floral skirt on Tuesday. Apparently, I need to wear color just a bit more. I was looking at the sweater on Millicent and thinking it would look great with a pink or teal shirt and some dark grey dress pants. Something to think about for fall - which will be here faster than I think considering the date and how my summer is going. I got the sweater at Costco.

This weekend looks like more of the same, mainly looking after other people. I hope to finish those PJ pants and start sewing something else. Oh yeah - there's the 30th reunion. I'm still undecided but most likely I'll go, unless I forget. I could get distracted by purple doors. I'll let you know Monday.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - finishing things and a fresh clean look

Sew Something

Jackets aren't my thing. They make me feel stiff and uncomfortable emotionally even if they're soft physically like the pink one I sewed a few months ago. I rarely wear it. On the other hand, I love sweaters and wear them all the time. Just like the black t-shirt, when I saw this grey sweater, I knew right away it was ME. It's a heavier, ribbed knit with a gentle V at the neck, shaping through the waist, hip length, and very flattering.




Details enhance the waist shaping. The partial belt is purely decorative and adds to rather than cuts through my waist. They had black. I bought this charcoal grey instead - since I have so much black already - BUT - I'll probably go back. I think I'll wear this often and it was a great price - $25.99. I'm not brand conscious but it's Calvin Klein Jeans if that matters.

Wendy came over last night and I was determined to sew something. I almost finished these leopard print PJ pants. They are too long in the body so I need to shorten from the top and add the elastic to finish them.

The fabric is a knit. I bought a LOT of it on the discount table at Fabricland a few months ago. If I don't chicken out, I'd like to make this Vogue 1179 summer dress. It's not great on waist defining shape but it's fun and summery, different and I like it. Could be even more fun in leopard.

Last night, I finished reading What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life by Kim Johnson Gross. Kim wrote a comment on the blog the other day - a personalized, yes I did read this blog entry, comment that I very much appreciated just as I appreciate the honest, real woman perspective of the book. It's not an I'm perfect and here's how you should do it type of book. It's more of an I'm figuring it out too, here's what I know so far, let me help you, kind of guide. On page 262, the book closes with...

And I wish I could tell you that finding my Feel-Good Closet means I've lost weight, am off all medication, am completely out of debt, and have found black pants and white jeans that fit perfectly! But as I have gotten back in sync with my closet, I've gotten back in sync with me. My asthma medication has been halved, as has my debt; my cholesterol is lower; and I am training for my next triathlon. I have finally learned that nothing in life is perfect. Good enough is great! If we are obsessive about our closets, we will never be pleased. If we are neglectful, we are punishing ourselves. But when we are mindful, we can be content. I like the way I feel in my clothes again. I enjoy the fashionista in me (I guess she will always be there in some capacity), but there comes a time to stop talking about clothes and live a life in them. My closet thrives with life now rather than striving to have a life.

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES !!!!!!!!

I'll take it step-by-step, one piece at a time, expanding that small Feel-Good section into something somewhat larger, better functioning, and even more me but... I'll keep it in perspective. I have neither the time, the money, nor the energy to maintain a wardrobe. I'd rather maintain a full and energizing, healthy and creative, LIFE.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - time in the sewing room, the support of friends

Return To Routine - NOT

Howard first went into the hospital on June 20th. After a week in and out and in and out, surgery, recovery, ten days flat on his back, and seven days (he's saying they were) pain free, he went back to work this morning on a very limited, very light, work load. They'll be happy if he spends the day sleeping in the lunch room as long as he helps organize the men.

You'd think that would mean a return to routine for me. NOT! I'd like nothing more than to lock myself in my studio and ignore the world only... there's a list... and it's not even mine.

I'm a huge and vocal advocate of self care. I know all about establishing boundaries. I have absolutely no trouble saying no to people. I get, at a very core level, how important it is for me to refresh and energize. I completely understand that the better I care for myself, the better I will care for those I love. I've done the near break down thing before and even so, that's not enough. Other's things can take up way too much of your time. I find summers especially difficult. My routine just goes out the window but not usually this out the window.

It has been twenty-four days, with the exception of that bra, since I sewed in my studio. When I went to bed Monday night, my big goal for Tuesday was to sew something. It didn't happen. Today, I've downsized. My goal is simply to cut something out. It's Wednesday. I really, Really, REALLY hope that Wendy is coming to sew tonight as usual. It would help significantly. Meanwhile...

I woke up this morning to a link for the Fall 2010 Vogue pattern collection and decided to approach viewing it as a Style Mentor exercise to see what I was attracted to and why. The more I read through What To Wear For the Rest of Your Life, the more I realize that I do actually know what I like and I do know what suits my body. Kim will give a suggestion and I'll be nodding because I've already been there, done that, for years, which leads me right back to where I started - bored with the lines and styles that I've already discovered - years ago - suit my body and safely entrenched in a feel too-good closet of jeans and black t-shirts. The answer remains to take it up at least one notch and keep going from there. While viewing the patterns, I paid careful attention to my self talk.




V1193 is a "safe" dress. It has easily adjustable style lines, a pleat from the left hip across the tummy to hide any excess weight, elbow length sleeves to cover my lack of exercise, small pleats at the shoulder to balance my hips, and a simple neckline. I'm drawn to its simplicity and, for the same reason, repulsed by it. It seems like I always end up in something like this when...




... my heart went yes, yes, yes when I saw V1202. The gathers across the skirt are fabulous. The seeming primness of the front is wonderfully contrasted with the open back of the top. Love the drape. My self talk said and where will you wear that and what about a bra which really makes me think sew the darn thing. I'm debating a mesh insert at the back with a contrasting bra - a suggestion that was made on a video I watched the other day about evening t-shirts.




V8679 is a wardrobe pattern. It claims it's not suitable for my triangle figure type. Hmm... I'm not sure why because other than the risk of looking frumpy, these lines would work for me. I particularly like the pants. The flare below the knees would balance my hips just as a fit and flared skirt does.




The style lines on this V1204 pattern are fabulous with interesting seams. This garment is supposed to look good on my figure style. Really? I know it wouldn't feel good. I'd feel prissed up around the neck, devoid of a waist, the length would make me feel frumpy, and the skinny jeans would make me feel like my hips were vastly on display. Even if physically it looked good, emotionally it's NOT me!




It's the same with V8677. The high waisted skirt is fabulous. I'm short waisted. It won't work. The pleats in the back are amazing and would do amazing things for my flat behind. The rest is too prissy for me. I'd again feel locked into this coat. In contrast...

I quite liked the style lines of Sandra Betzina's V1198 jacket especially the elastic at the back waist that helps to give it shape but skip the cuffs. They'd add unnecessary inches to my hips. The rest is warm and cozy, fitted but not too fluffy. The right fabric would make it softer and more me. Nothing too stiff. I'm desperately in need of a fall coat. Perhaps if I start now there's hope.




Maybe a cape? I saw a young woman at Starbucks yesterday wearing a cape similar to V8674. It caught my eye right away and seemed one of those garments that could be carried off at any age.



LOVE the draping on V1191. Can you see the similarities between this and the brown V1202 top above. I'm drawn to things that have classic clean lines, details, soft structure, and drape. Again, where would I wear a dress like this? Again, does it matter? It might even be shortened into a top that would be far more fun than this V8669 although even it is a step up from plain black with a V or round neck, which is the description of the majority of my wardrobe.




As I started to describe the different patterns to you, I deleted a whole bunch that were just too play it safe. What an eye opener to talk about these. It illustrated how much I yearn for that and settle for this as I described the other day. The task now - to step it up.

Stepping it up has to come step-by-step. Giant leaps would make me feel uncomfortable. This V8665 dress might be a good place to start. Fabric choices could make it fun and an interesting bolero, jacket, or cardigan would finish the look as could...

... some variety in handbags. In The Thoughtful Dresser, author Linda Grant talked about her mother's and her own handbag collections and about her mother's advice that a good handbag makes the outfit. She went on to describe those women who have only one, boring, basic, handbag that they use for every outfit. Yes... well... I'm one of them. Didn't used to be.

Handbags are another one of those things I've let slide partly because it's a pain in the butt to change handbags and partly because I seem to be attracted to outrageously priced handbags and there's NO WAY that I'm paying that for that. Perhaps I'll add handbags to my long list of things to sew.

What do you think? Which of these patterns looks more Myrna to you?

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - that Howard feels well enough to go to work and hopeful that he won't over do it

Feel Good Closet

A Feel-Good Closet is simply a space within your closet reserved for the clothes you feel good wearing. It might not be much, but it's a start -- a really good start to revitalizing your friendship with your closet. And like all good friendships, a Feel-Good Closet is a safe haven devoid of judgement. To start your Feel-Good Closet, it's important to turn a deaf ear to the fashion police, your mother, children, husband, or anyone else with an opinion, even if you value it. Only you can know if something physically and emotionally feels good to wear. If you second-guess your feel-good choices by worrying what others might think, you'll drive yourself nuts. - page 25, What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life by Kim Johnson Gross.

Kim is talking about creating a section of clothing that makes you feel fabulous within a closet stuffed with clothing that does not. What an interesting concept. It's easy to see how that section of clothing would be the base on which you'd develop a complete wardrobe, step by step, piece by piece, eventually filling it with garments that fit and flatter both emotionally and physically. As you did, the feel-bad part of the closet would begin to disappear. Eventually, you (I) would have a wardrobe and a style that felt familiar. It would be ME.

Before starting to sew the black t-shirt, I decided to visit the mall, try on some different styles, and see what was available. At one store I found a plain black t-shirt with an elasticized detail on the sleeve reminiscent of The Curated Tee - $88.00 - that I showed you last Friday from Anthropolgie. This one was on sale for $9.99. I bought it.

Later, I had coffee with a friend who works in the mall and showed her the t-shirt. Her response was so, it's an ordinary t-shirt. She saw it as nothing special and yet I knew the minute I touched it that that t-shirt was ME. The knit is soft, and lingerie-like. It skims but doesn't cling. The cut is clean and simple with drape. The neckline is wider and more flattering than a typical crew neck without excess cleavage on display. A ballerina neckline. It's comfortable. The sleeves add an element of interest and will - as I said Friday - balance the width of my hips. The plain front allows for adornment. It's only flaw is that it's too long and I can fix that especially for $9.99.

Bev wrote a wonderful comment in yesterday's posting. If you haven't read it already, please go back and see the whole of it. In part she wrote... My transition took 18 months just to take shape. 3 years from the beginning, I can finally go into my closet and pull together an outfit that I will enjoy wearing and have all the pieces I need. At first I was appalled at the 3 year rule, but now I think I understand.

THANK YOU for understanding what I meant and for sharing. Besides loving to write, THAT is the reason I blog. To connect with other women and to share. It's comforting to know that I'm not going crazy, that this is a normal passage in time, and that others have experienced or are experiencing what I am. I've never heard of the 3 year rule. Can you tell me more about that please? It makes sense. It takes a long time to buy (or sew) the right clothing and to build up a wardrobe. Of course, I'd rather it had happened yesterday than in 2013 - LOL.

I talked to a few friends about this yesterday and we concluded that it is more about a change in lifestyle than anything else. For us, it seems connected to when the youngest child is finishing school and there is an opening in which to focus on one's self. Some of my friends are younger than I am but their children are older than mine. They had already begun to experience what I am just now talking about and again, like Bev, they made me feel more comfortable in my confusion.

Hatty wrote: I've never been to a high school reunion. But I am interested that you think everyone's number one question is "do you see me, do I matter?" That made me think for quite a while. Is it my number one question? Well, no, it isn't, I decided. Of course, that might be why you blog and I don't. I am not saying my way is better or yours, just that perhaps your number one question may come way down the list for some people. Perhaps someone will do a clickable survey one day!

Actually, it's been done. That's where my comment came from. I was referring to our as the general population and not myself specifically. Statistics and studies document that our number one need is for acceptance and our greatest fear is of rejection.

The phrase "do you see me, do I matter" is one that Oprah uses and says has been a theme through all the interviews she's done over the twenty-five years of her show. While I don't have her experience, in my years of coaching and teaching art, it was easy to see that most people were controlled by fear in some form and if you listen to people talk, it's visible in the comments that we make particularly in times of stress. Comments such as they couldn't even be bothered to phone OR nobody told me OR we weren't invited (while implying that they should have been) all speak of rejection and of not being seen. That said, it is true that not everyone feels that way. It's just that - statistically speaking - more people do than don't.

I am very lucky to have several friends who are supremely confident with themselves and their journey through life. They are filled with a sense of joy and awe and eagerness to see what's over there, what's just around that corner. While tough stuff comes their way, as it does to all of us, they have an innate wonderment that helps them cope in ways that I am just learning. It's not that I'm terribly insecure, it's just that I'm not terribly secure especially in times of transition and in that, I am normal.

What I find intriguing - as near as I can determine - is that these friends are secure in such an inspirational way due to an accepting, encouraging, and embracing childhood. This observation provides a clue. Self confidence is the greatest gift we can give ourselves. It removes, or dissipates, the need for other's acceptance and the fear of other's rejection. It's attractive and well worth growing into by focusing on being our best self - LOL - perhaps in part with a Feel-Good Closet.

On page 35, Kim goes on to say When you wear the clothes that occupy your Feel-Good Closet, you will look and feel better about yourself every time you face the mirror. It simply takes a commitment and an awareness to honor your body by dressing to flatter it. She means our body at any size and at any age, which she talked about earlier. I'd also include at any stage because these transition points in life seem to shake the stability of what we know - at least for me. For just a short space in time, one that feels like forever, they make me feel a stranger in my own skin and then, just as I knew that black t-shirt was ME, I find my way back.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - great t-shirt find at a great price

What's In Your Closet?

Friday morning, Howard and I were out and returned to a phone message. His mother, who is almost eighty, had fallen and broken her hip. She and his Dad were at their cabin three hours north of us. The nearest hospital was here in Kamloops. Most of the weekend was spent waiting - for her to arrive by ambulance, to get in of and out of surgery, and to see how she was doing. I made a pot of soup, baked cookies, picked up groceries for guests, and packed things for Howard to take to the hospital. I didn't sew. I did read.

I finished The Thoughtful Dresser and started What To Wear For The Rest of Your Life: Ageless Secrets of Style by Kim Johnson Gross. In both, the authors refer to your closet as autobiographical - telling the story of your life. Oh dear! I'm in trouble.

This picture was taken in November 2009 just after I'd cleaned out my closet. With as little as you see, there were still garments I didn't wear. Things aren't much different now. I've gotten rid of a few garments, added a few, and the total sum is neither exciting in numbers nor presentation. In What to Wear, Kim writes I had to re-think the way I had been dressing for the last thirty years. It was time for a fresh start. And she was in the fashion industry!

I find myself wanting something. Fun flirty clothes, a sense of style, confidence in my appearance, a healthy body, to feel as if my clothes and I fit together, that they describe the real me. I want to be - or to at least present myself - differently only I'm not really sure how to describe what exactly it is nor how to attain it, which is a problem because you can't find it if you can't define it. Added to that, I feel as if I can't even look for I'm not able to afford either the learning or the styles. Except, we all get dressed. Is it harder to dress one way than another? Is it about finances or is it more about how I play it safe? I've been debating that question for a while. Yes, finances are an issue but no, they aren't the total picture.

I started working - and therefore buying my own clothes - when I was twelve. I didn't have a lot of money and had to be very practical. Because of that, I learned quite young that while I might yearn for that blouse with the gorgeous fabric and the delightful details, I should buy this one with the bright orange sale tag. I've been doing that ever since. I do it with fabric as well.

Kim also writes I woke up one morning and couldn't believe this was my life. I had turned fifty, sent my youngest daughter to college, closed my business, divorced, and none of my clothes fit. Not only had my life changed, but my body was changing without my permission. How eerily similar. Is this some mid life crisis that all women go through around fifty? As I approach fifty, I find myself feeling rushed. There are so many things I want to do and get to before I run out of time. Most are around making time for me, authenticity, and being my best self.

There are other factors. I live in a small town. I've never been exposed to high fashion and almost no one around here wears it. In some ways, that's a plus because I do a double take at all those prices. This weekend I was looking online at some evening t-shirts. Made of silky fabric and cut on the bias, they were pretty but relatively plain and sold for well over $100.00. The idea that an outfit, consisting of jeans, an evening t-shirt, a jacket, lingerie, jewelry, shoes, and a handbag totalling between five and six hundred dollars, even upward to a thousand, is abhorrent to me, especially if it's throw-away fashion intended for one season only. That's not where I want to spend my money and yet... the look that I like is expensive or at least the feel of it is. Beautiful fabrics cost money whether the garment is already sewn or not. It's a dilemma.

Like Kim, I'm at a point where I need to re-think how I've been dressing. I know what I don't want. I'm not sure what I do want. I thought it would be easier - and faster - although I should give myself a break. I've only been working on the question for less than nine months. Like my closet, my fabric stash is mostly full of what's on sale. I know that I've played it safe with colors and choices but I also know that I've gotten a better feel over time for the fabrics that I'll actually wear. AND... louder than my closet or my fabric stash... my pattern cabinet will tell a story. In it are images of the garments I've been drawn to, yearned for, and not sewn. In it, I may find - if not the answer to my question - a sense of direction. What's in your closet?

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - the peacefulness of my front porch

High School Reunion ? ? ? ?

A week Saturday is my 30th high school reunion. I have mixed emotions around attending. I might; I might not. I just don't know and probably won't until the day of although not knowing hasn't stopped me from thinking about what to wear IF I attend. My emotions around that are just as mixed up as those around attending.

The high school years were not the best years of my life. I was not girl most popular. I did not fit in. It's doubtful I ever could have even if I'd known how. Life was a mess. I had few friends. Thirty years later, I'm not in contact with anyone from my graduating class. Occasionally, I run into another class member and we surface reminisce and then life moves on. They are no more interested in me now than they were then. Which makes me wonder, why does one go to a high school reunion?

Is it to say look at me, aren't I wonderful, do you like me now? Is it to compare our children, our careers, how well or not we've aged, our excess or lack of excess weight, our retained youthfulness or our degree of wrinkledness, our married or not status, or our rung on the social ladder? Is it to connect for some brief moment and then move on again in our separate ways? There seems little reason to attend beyond curiosity and comparison. Is that healthy?

I'm still pondering these questions as I try to figure out what to wear - IF I go - what do I want my clothes to say about me? Of course, I'd have to over-think the whole thing. I couldn't just show up and let the chips fall where they may. That wouldn't be me which - LOL - is one reason why I never fit in in the first place.




Yesterday, I started reading The Thoughtful Dresser: The Art of Adornment, the Pleasures of Shopping, and Why Clothes Matter by Linda Grant. The back of the book reads... a thinking woman's guide to what we wear. For centuries, an interest in clothes has been dismissed as a trivial pursuit of vain, empty-headed women. Yet, clothes matter, whether you are interested in fashion or not, because how we choose to dress defines who we are. How we look and what we wear tells a stories. Some stories are simple, like the teenager trying to fit in, or the woman turning fifty renouncing invisibility. Some are profound, like that of the immigrant who arrives in a new country and works to blend in by changing the way she dresses, or of the woman whose hat saved her life in Nazi Germany. The Thoughtful Dresser celebrates the pleasure of adornment and is an elegant meditation on our relationship with what we wear and the significance of clothes as the most intimate but also public expressions of our identity.

I'm only part way through. Being an over thinker, it's always seemed a contradiction that I'm interested in clothes and make-up and shoes and handbags and things like that while at the same time reading psychology and business and self help. I might be somewhat vain although I'm not empty headed. Clothes do matter to me whether I'm viewing them on myself or someone else. I find them fascinating. And I believe that clothes create a first and an ongoing impression of who we are and what we want people to think about us. Linda Grant, the author, is obviously a thinking woman which makes us somewhat similar. She loves clothes, she loves shopping, she knows the designer names and the industry. And yet, she doesn't seem to have that innate ability to put it all together. She's still trying to figure it out. Me too.

Our number one question in life is do you see me, do I matter? I am both that teenager trying to fit in and that woman approaching fifty renouncing invisibility. I've spent a lot of time this past year looking at what I wear and why, defining my style, and attempting to wear me rather than walk around in this familiar skin of the last twenty years that I'm trying to shed - my jeans and a black t-shirt uniform. I want to sew the majority of my clothing and yet, it's like a treadmill. I can't seem to catch up before something else goes on in my life that absorbs copious amounts of time. It's beginning to feel like I'm going backward more than anything BUT... it will come together. Baby steps. Step by step.




My goal for the reunion - IF I attend - is to feel both emotionally and physically comfortable in what I wear. This flippy skirt made a few months ago is one of my favourite garments. The fabric has a slight stretch and fits smoothly and yet it moves when I do. The garment cups my behind giving me a bit more shape than usual and the peplum at the hem is flippy, flirty, fun. There's a bit of glitter in the fabric, the turquoise is bright but not overdone, and the print moves and has life in an abstract, contemporary way. It's short and shapely but not desperate.

I even like it with the black t-shirt. I'm very comfortable in black and love wearing it with colorful accessories only most of my black t-shirts are looking quite faded and I'd prefer something with an elbow or three quarter-length sleeves and perhaps a few details around the neckline although I'd like to keep the shape through the waist. I have one so I may as well show it off.

Yesterday, I bought some black knit yardage at Fabricland. It's a cotton/Lycra blend. I was hoping to get it on sale - which I did. I also got it free. On the way through the mall to the fabric store, I first checked out what was available in RTW and then I stopped at the ticket center to check my lottery ticket. I won twenty dollars, took that into the fabric store, paid for the knit which was half price already, and walked away with free fabric and an extra ten bucks in my wallet. TOO FUN!

The fabric is washed and ready to sew. I just have to figure out what I want to do with it. I'm going to use my T & T pattern as the base and add details. Here are a few images from Anthropologie that I'm using as inspiration.

What I like about The Curated Tee - $88.00 - is the sleeves. They'd be easy to do with some transparent elastic and add both detail and a balancing aspect for my hips without being too out there. They'd combine with almost any neckline.




The Embraceable Tee - $68.00 - above has an interesting neckline detail. It's a bunch of ruffled pieces of knit sewn on in a decorative manner. I like it and I'm not sure about whether it would detract from the ability to wear jewelry. The neckline of the Trickle Down Top - $78.00 - below is made from pleated chiffon. Skip the trailing bit and it's pretty and would allow for a necklace only it might be too prissy for me.




The neckline on the Crepe Myrtle Cardigan - $178.00 - is done with short pieces of fabric, sewn on, and tied into knots. Very easy. Soft with a barbed wire kind of look. Slightly different. Not overdone. It intrigues me and would allow for jewelry.




I also saw a Burda pattern that I can't find a copy of and probably can't describe properly. The main body was knit, the neckline opening was woven with small ruffles, and the sleeves were woven with gathers at the elbow. The woven fabric was pleated. The combination of woven and knit was interesting. Again, I wondered if it was too prissy which really gives me a clue to where I'm going - not to prissy, definitely to interesting.

This morning, I'm hoping to paint those chairs. Yesterday was taken up with errands that Howard needed to run. This afternoon is coffee with a friend. Later today, I'd like to start on the t-shirt or I might curl up and finish the rest of the book. Once I start sewing, it won't take too long although I won't wait until the last minute, just in case. Have a great weekend.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - that while some struggles seem to stick around for a lifetime, others are overcome