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.