The Friend Fabric

Have you read The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman? It's on my top ten best books ever list, the ones that have impacted my life. In it, Gary talks about giving and receiving love in our own language (or your child's or your spouse's or your friend's) and how we sometimes miss when others are expressing love toward us, or they miss when we're expressing love toward them, because it's not in the right language. The five languages are acts of service, words of encouragement, touch, gift giving, and quality time.

We can have a primary and a secondary language. My primary language is quality time and my secondary language is gift giving. If you're not sure what your language is, a hint might be found in how you complain. For instance, I'm likely to say something along the lines of and they couldn't even be bothered to stop and visit. Hints can also be found in your actions. I'll drive hours to meet someone for coffee, lunch, dinner, a short visit, whatever, even someone I've never met in person before. Spending time together is the most important part. For me, life is about relationships and - LOL - gifts!

I love getting gifts and I love gift giving, finding just the right something that will make the other person happy. Any excuse to celebrate an occasion works for me and if there isn't one to celebrate, let's invent one. I was talking with a woman the other day who said that her and her husband were not exchanging Christmas gifts. That made me sad. Who better to celebrate than your partner. And then she said that while she'd like a new dress, there was no point buying one, where would she wear it?

Do we need a sanctioned by others, national holiday, kind of reason to celebrate? Won't any reason do? How about I'm alive today. It's not hard to find something to celebrate if you want to. Take January 16th for example, the 32nd anniversary of our first date. That's definitely celebration worthy although - LOL - I doubt my husband will remember without prompting. Even so, I'm sure I'll need a new little something and - luckily - I have a stash of potential outfits.

I exchange Christmas gifts with several friends. In town, we go out for breakfast, have a wonderful visit, and pass presents. It's an extra special time to say how much we appreciate each other. For friends out of town, I mail packages. With the cost of shipping, that's darn near a gift in itself however, friends are so worth celebrating. This year, I'm using the friend fabric as part of my gifts.




It's a turquoise and black print. I'm not sure what the fabric content is but it's silky without being slippery and thicker than most fabrics of this nature. I'm hoping to pick up more on Thursday so I'll check out the fabric content then, It's the perfect fabric for seaming. The join barely shows. I bought two meters, ripped it down the center, sewed it right sides together along the long side, pressed the seam open, turned it right sides out, cut the ends square, and then sewed the short ends together. It's called a neck ring. If you have the October/November 2010 issue of Vogue Patterns, there are instructions on page 10.




The opening was pulled tight and pinned firmly - about every 1/2" - so it could be machine stitched closed. These things are so quick to make that there was no way I was hand stitching the opening. It would have taken ten times as long. Instead...




... I used a tight zigzag stitch across the opening. The above is a close-up detail image. The stitches are much smaller and nearly invisible in person.

This is the neck ring wrapped three times around the neck and...

This is the neck ring wrapped twice around the neck and...




This is the neck ring looped through itself and...

This is the neck ring with the long end of the loop tied in a knot and...




This is the neck ring with one loop around the neck and the other under one arm and...

This is the neck ring crossed across the bust and under the arms. There are lots of different ways to work with this piece. The friends these are planned for both look excellent in turquoise although their color choices are otherwise vastly different. I plan to buy brooches to go with that are more in their individual colors. AND...

... I plan to send some more of the fabric (if they have some left) to my friend Caroline up north along with a copy of The Party Dress Book by Mary Adams and the suggestion that we make party dresses for our 50th birthdays in 2012. So far, we plan to go to San Francisco and check out fashion and fabric. A dress-up dinner would be fun too.

Caroline and the two friends that are getting the neck rings don't read this blog so I'm safe talking about their gifts. The rest, I have to be quiet about for now - LOL.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - celebrating friendship

Inch By Inch

You've heard me say it before that most people quit when they don't know what to do, when they don't know how to do what they want to do, or when they're bored. True with art, with sewing fashions, with knitting, with much of life. True for me. After months of ribbed knitting and twelve inches of - boring - cowl, getting to done was getting hard. I decided to take it inch by inch.

If you do not change directions, you may end up where you are headed. - Lao-Tzu



One inch equals 5 rows equals 800 stitches. The orange marker is at the halfway point. The turquoise ones mark each additional inch. The markers are visual. They're motivating. Knitting just five rows didn't seem as never ending as twelve more inches. After knitting five rows, I could place a marker, go do something else, and then come back to the project and knit another inch and get another marker. Just one inch. Being hugely competitive and extremely goal oriented, I was motivated to get more markers. LOL - whatever it takes!

Efficiency is intelligent laziness. - David Durnham




Twelve inches equals 60 rows equals 9,600 stitches. With goals, it can be useful to focus on how far you've already come whether that's with the current project or with previous ones. When I felt like quitting, I reminded myself of the twelve inches already knit and that - in the months previous - I'd ribbed one never ending black sweater and a dozen winter toques. I'd done this before. I could do it again.

A life of leisure and a life of laziness are two different things. Diligence overcomes all difficulties, sloth makes them. - Benjamin Franklin




Twenty-four inches equals 120 rows equals 19,200 stitches. There are gentler ways than the total truth to begin or to keep ourselves on task. For some, the intensity of the project prevents them from beginning and that in turn prevents them from moving on with learning and creative growth. They're producing repetitive, easy, peat and repeat, make it today projects. When you're past that skill level, those kinds of projects can really sap your creative energy. It's time to step it up a little, stretch just beyond what's comfortable, and step outside your box in some way. Bite by little bite is an easier way to a "bigger" project, however bigger may be defined.

It has been said that idleness is the parent of mischief, which is very true; but mischief itself is merely an attempt to escape from the dreary vacuum if idleness. - George Burrow




There are tedious parts to every project. Ribbing is my favourite knitting stitch and I love intense threadwork on my art pieces, even on my fashion pieces like the grey ribbed fabric from last week. Ribbing and intense threadwork both require staying seated and sticking with it. While I love the finished results, getting to done is not always fun. That said, intense but mindless stitching is a fabulous opportunity to think, to resolve, to work out problems, and to make decisions. Your hands are moving with ease. Your mind is free to contemplate other issues.

Life is not long, and too much of it must not pass in idle deliberation how it shall be spent. - Dr. Samuel Johnson




The cowl is for my daughter. I'm not sure how she plans to wear it. Finished, there's a lot of fabric that can be pulled and turned in many directions. It will certainly tuck down into her coat and up over the back of her neck and keep her warm in the wind. Apparently, knitting a never ending ribbed cowl is one way of bundling up your adult child, giving them a hug and a kiss, and telling them to keep warm, even from many miles away.

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. - Maya Angelou

This past weekend was slow and leisurely, filled with planned activities and empty spaces that flowed together easily. I accomplished much including reading a romance which isn't at all unusual except that this one contained numerous quotes about sloth and laziness.

Quotes make me think. They make me question. Some resonate immediately and some I have to contemplate more thoroughly in an attempt to grasp their full or intended meaning. What do you think Oscar Wilde meant when he said that to do nothing at all is the most difficult thing in the world, the most difficult and the most intellectual. When I have had periods of nothing at all, they have darn near turned me inside out. Are they also intellectual? Certainly, they've led to what I've previously labelled as over thinking. Now, I wonder since that over thinking has also led to some interesting life directions.

One of my favourite quotes comes from a key figure in Canadian politics. As a politician, I'm not that impressed with this man however, those words of his made me realize that even when we don't agree on some points, we may agree on others. That's a door opening awareness. By we, I mean the general we as in all people because if it's true with one person, it's most likely true with others. Keeping that in mind has helped me to find points of connection with individuals that at first jar my senses.

Grenville Kleisure says that periods of wholesome laziness, after days of energetic effort, will wonderfully tone up the mind and body. The adjective - wholesome - is a clue to his meaning, an indication that this laziness is restful and restorative as opposed to lazy deadbeat as we commonly think of it. Heading into the Christmas season, many of us are about to run ourselves ragged with the never ending to do list of one short twenty-four hour day. That does seem rather ridiculous.

Periods of wholesome laziness also allow us to evaluate what's truly important and what we are willing and what we are not willing to do. Years ago, in one such period, I decided that I was not willing to turn myself inside out with consumerism and event planning and in the doing so make a mockery of what I believe is the reason for the season. I chose to slow down and simplify, a choice I'm ever so glad to have made and have been making ever since. I now enjoy December.

Know the true value of time: snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination; never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. - Lord Chesterfield




Part of my December enjoyment is setting goals for the next year. By the time January begins, I like to have an outline for many areas of my life including what I want to accomplish with my work, whether that's my paying work or my creative work. That outline indicates what I want to learn.

Typically, I set business goals in September with the start of the school year and personal goals in December for the start of the new year. Some goals are small and more easily attained like finding a fun shoe to go with my new grey top and some goals are long winded requiring me to divide them into inch by inch segments like widening my vocabulary and learning to write more creative non-fiction, a goal I'm debating for 2011. What are you debating?

One shoe can change your life. - Cinderella

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - finished the cowl and a fabulous weekend

Dreaming Of Cables

It snowed... and snowed.... and snowed and snowed and snowed yesterday. I was out from nine to three and the roads worsened progressively over the course of the day. As I was slip sliding my way over to Fabricland on the North Shore, it occurred to me that this was not the best day to be out and about Christmas shopping - HOWEVER - I am - mostly - finished and that's fabulous. All the gifts are done. There are a few more stocking stuffers to pick up and that's it. I love getting to this point. It makes the season way more enjoyable. YES YES!

One of the gifts on Howard's wish list was hilarious. When I got to the electronics store and asked for the Bose full coverage headset, the guy's eyes lit right up. Those are fabulous, he said. They were also in a locked cabinet which right away tells you the price will be HIGH. When I called Howard and asked did you know these are $350.00, he said, maybe not. Too funny.




Mid morning, I met a friend for coffee. She laughed when she walked up to the table and saw me knitting. In the thirteen years that we've known each other, that's the first time I've brought knitting along. I'm desperate to be done and thought I might be early for coffee - which I was - and when she said that she didn't mind, I kept on knitting. Above, the cowl is at 12". That's halfway. I'm dreaming of cables. Anything but rib.

While I'm enjoying making this for my daughter, it's because I'm making it for my daughter. I am not enjoying another, never ending, ribbed project. I'll be knitting on it steady for the next few days. My plan is to finish and get it in the mail early December along with her birthday card although the cowl is not her present. That's a purse that we bought way back when, when she found it on sale and loved it, and that she assures me is in a box not being used until the day - LOL - except for job interviews as in it may not be in a box anymore.




This Debbie Bliss cabled cardigan has been on my knit list for a long time. I tried to look up the pattern for you but couldn't find it quickly in my magazines so I'll have to dig deeper. I think it's gorgeous, especially the back, except for the fact that....

... it in no way fits the model. It's way too big through the shoulders and chest. I found that with another Debbie Bliss pattern that I knit last year, which could be her patterns, or could be my narrow shoulders, or both. When I find the pattern, I'll come back and add it here. If you know what magazine it's from please let me know. I'm guessing it's an issue of Vogue Knitting. (I was wrong. It's the Cable Vent Jacket from the Fall/Winter 2008 Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine - page 19/20.)

My youngest son has the day off school. After he sleeps in, we're going out for breakfast and then to do his Christmas shopping. Since he'll be able to drive and will have his own car next year, this is probably the last time we'll be doing this together. It's exciting to watch my children grow up, mature, become adults, and shape their own lives only I miss some of our traditions as they fade away. You can only hope that they have happy memories of those times or at least that confident feeling of being loved and supported. They are fabulous kids.

Have a wonderful weekend. Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - finished gift shopping

Grey Ribbed Top

Before stitching yesterday, I started packaging the bras ready to return them and then I stopped because HerRoom.com uses IShopUSA to deliver internationally. Apparently, they charge a $20.00 restocking charge. That fee plus the original shipping, the return shipping, and the exchange, duty, and taxes would mean that I'd paid for the bras but didn't have them. That's dumb so I'm keeping them and will either sell or alter them.

A huge learning lesson... again... since I can be too compulsive. Although, to be fair, there is NOTHING in the HerRoom return policy that talks about the restocking charge. Since they are using this third party, in my opinion, that charge should be mentioned under the information on international orders. Plus, IShopUSA has not returned my email requesting a return merchandise authorization code - in three days. I think that's poor service. Live and learn.

I also filled out a job application for a two day a week position at the university. Someone I know who knows someone who works there told me that most of the positions are already filled and they're only posted due to union regulations. That's common to a lot of businesses with a union so it may be true. I hope not in this case. It would be nice to get an interview. The job sounds interesting.




The V center and angled corners of the neck shape were made by stitching across the binding at the back at a forty-five degree angle. Works wonderful and is much easier than angled seams.




To make the mock belt, I fused a 1 1/8" wide strip of fusi-knit to the back of the fashion fabric, turned over a 1/4" seam allowance to the back, slid on the buckle, and then pinned and top stitched the belt in place. Some hand stitches at the top and bottom of the buckle bar keep it centered. I did all that work ribbing the fabric just to have this contrast between the plain and the ribbed fabric with the belt. I like the way my...




... belt and buckle look a lot better than the RTW one above that I was inspired by. The neckline depth is more comfortable (not so low and wide) and flattering on me. It could have been slightly lower but not too much. I'll know for next time.




This is NOT the finished garment. This is it before fine tuning. Every fabric has a fabric factor. Even though you're working with a T & T pattern, there will always be adjustments. In this case, there was too much ease through the waist, bust, and bicep. The top needed to have more negative ease. You can see it's a bit big on Millicent as well.




I removed 2" at the underarm arm tapered to 3/8" along the entire underarm seam and tapered to 1 1/2" at the waist blending into the hip along the side seam. That's 8" off the bust and 6" off the waist. Now, the top fits more closely through the sides where I'm quite flat but still skims the hips without pulling too tight, which would cause the hem to raise. Speaking of the hem...




With the long sleeves, the sleeve and hip hems were at equal height. That's not a flattering design detail for someone with wider hips. As well...




... the top was slightly too long. The hems weren't removed when I cut out the pattern. I figured it would be easier to take off more than put it back if needed. The sleeves were shortened 5 1/2". Above, I carefully marked a 1" line around the hem, cut it off, and re-lettuce stitched.




Now, the sleeve and hip hem are staggered and there is more space around my body. This is a more flattering configuration for my figure. LOL - I've trimmed off all those danging threads now. Of course, they'd show up in the picture.

This image IS the finished garment. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I think it looks even better than the inspiration top, especially on me.

The cuffs and the hem along with a small amount of yardage and a lot of ribbed scraps have been put away for a future project. These bits and pieces will be useful for something. Hopefully I find another sweater knit like this at some point in the future. It's delightful to work with.

Today is banking, coffee with a friend, and then some Christmas shopping. It's been snowing since yesterday afternoon so I hope it's not too difficult - and mucky - getting around. I do wish the snow wouldn't fall on the roads and driveways. That would be so convenient. Rain is not so pretty but at least it doesn't need to be shovelled - LOL.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a successful sewing project - fun too!

Her Room Long Line Bras

It was so cold yesterday that my son asked for a ride to the university. By the time I dropped him off and picked up a few ingredients at the grocery store, the morning was half over. I'm such an early bird. I function best when I can get up early and go straight to work. That was one of the lovely things about working from home - no waiting to get to the office.

My daughter is anxious for her new job to begin next week. After a month at home, she's going crazy. LOL - I keep telling her the solution is to sew. She's doesn't and there's only so much cooking and cleaning, beading and reading, that she can do in a two bedroom apartment. That's one of the ways we're alike. We both like to work.

My friend, on the other hand, would love nothing better than to stay home all day, every day, and cook and clean and garden and paint and read while I can hardly wait to get a job, get dressed up, and get out of the house. I'm looking forward to working - when it happens. I think that a part time job is a great balance of in and out, alone and with other people, earning income to spend on hobbies and time in which to pursue them.




The shoulder seams are sewn and stabilized. The binding is sewn to the neck, turned, top stitched in place with a twin needle, and trimmed close to the stitching on the wrong side. Right now, the neck is blocking. When I took stretch and sew classes in the 80's, one thing the instructor was quite adamant about was leaving the blocking to cool and set for a long period of time. She suggested over night. I've gotten into that habit and it seems to pay off.




Tuesday is knit night. I realized after grocery shopping that I needed to prepare my next project since the black ribbed sweater was finished - finally - thank God. I'm making a 32" round x 24" high cowl for my daughter in 2 x 2 rib based on a picture she sent me. The gauge sample above started with 4.0 then 4.5 - 5.5 - 6.0 and finally 7.0 mm needles. By that point, the stitches were loose and soft enough to give drape. The smallest needles create stitches that were way too stiff. I got 5" done last night. I'm VERY sick of ribbing. I've been making something ribbed for about eight months now between the hats, the black sweater, and this. I'm dreaming of cables.

A few weeks ago, Gertie mentioned some long line bras from Her Room, an on-line lingerie store. Looking through the site gave me plenty of ideas for lingerie month in January. The prices were reasonable and I was curious so I ordered two bras - the Carnival Full Figure Camisole Long Line Bra 720 above in a D and the Rago Lacette Long Line Bra 2202 below in a DD. Surprisingly, the D fit in the cup size and I could barely do it up while the DD fit in the band size and the cup was too big. Shouldn't the same sized band be the same size? I wasn't expecting the band to be the issue.




The bras were quite nice. If they fit, I'd keep them. They don't so they're going back. A word of warning. If you live outside of the United States, the shipping, duty, and taxes are most likely going to be too expensive. By the time I return these bras, those "extras" will add up to the price of one of the bras and that money is a straight loss. Needless to say, I won't be doing that again. I did take a good look at how they were made and some pictures. These are of the Rago Lacette bra.

There were two different laces used. The heavier one to the left is stretchy band fabric. It also goes beneath the cups. The lighter one to the right is non-stretch. It also covers the cups. There are only four strips of boning, two at the back and one at each side.




Both bras had seven hooks on the closure. They came right to my waist. There is 2" wide band elastic running around the bottom that's quite thick. I would have preferred something lighter. The information in The Bra Makers Manual on sewing a long line bra does not indicate that a wider band elastic is necessary. I can see why the length of the bra would be important. If it ended below the waist against the curve of the hips, the bottom might roll.




When I took the bra making workshop, the instructor said not to use a serger. I wondered why not and had anyone tried it. The seams on this bra appear to be made with a coverstitch machine and are wide and dense. The seam allowances are to one side and completely covered with stitching. The seams did not show through my t-shirt. Since I don't have a coverstitch machine, next time I'll try a serged seam and a wider zigzag finish and see how they work. Maybe with fuzzy nylon thread for softness.




This bra did not have underwires. The channelling was there to give the cups shape but there were no wires. Instead, do you see that smooth seam running across below the cups like an extra piece of fabric? That's the same pocket that you see my hand inside of in the picture below.




This seems to add a kind of support to the cup along with the stiffness of that triangle wedge and the band lace that was used. IMHO, it's a lot of extra work for not great results. I'd rather have an underwire. When you're wearing the right size of wire, you can't feel them. They sit flat against the chest wall and are "invisible" HOWEVER...

... getting the right size is the trick. Between sewing my bras and helping my friend sew hers, I've realized that many women are between sizes just like I am with the D and DD samples. The width of the DD cup fits me much better only it's too deep. The depth of the D cup fits me much better only it's too narrow. I need a compilation of the two. I think that's why I now prefer my sewn bras to anything RTW. They fit me SO MUCH BETTER.




My T & T bra pattern is based on Wonder Bra 7422. I've worn this bra for most of the past thirty years. I think it works because the D cup comes with DD wires. I never would have known that until I started sewing bras and took one apart to make a pattern. All I knew was it fit better than any other RTW bra, which is why I kept going back to it.

Looking at the image above, you can see how easy it will be to convert this pattern it to a long line style. There is some information in The Bra Makers Manual on how to use the grainline to support, minimize, or enhance the bust. I'll read that first and pay attention to the inserts and seam lines of the long line bra images on sites like Her Room. If I have time before the Christmas party, I might try making one to wear under my outfit although it's only two and a half weeks away now so that might not happen. It depends how quickly I finish this top and whether the pants are a pain or a joy to make. I also need to finish the waist on my skirt.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - learning to sew bras and liking my sewn ones better although that's a mixed blessing. So far, I prefer my t-shirts and my bras and my skirts. It's going to be difficult if I ever have to go back to buying RTW - LOL.

The Makeover Magic

You have to live in a climate like Canada's to understand our constant fascination with the weather. I'm sure we're always talking about it because there's actually something to talk about. Our weather changes drastically day to day.

Yesterday, the temperature was -14 Celsius. Today, it's supposed to go down another ten degrees. I know from all the social studies projects that I helped my kids with that the temperature range in some countries is not that wide over an entire year never mind a couple of hours. Either way, today will be very cold. How nice to be snug and warm in the studio.




I finished the ribbed yardage by late morning. The white stripe on the one fabric is a chalk line. I drew one line on each fabric piece - on grain - and then followed it with the presser foot to make the first ridge. The rest of the ridges were made using the edge of the presser foot as a guide.




With this technique, the fabric shrinks significantly especially if you are using a wide twin needle. Give yourself LOTS of extra space and fabric. As you can see above, the front barely fit on to the piece I'd made. Normally, it's not that tight. Extra is better. The left over scraps can always be used but not enough of a self made fabric is a trickier problem to work with.




This is what the ribbed yardage looks like from the front. There are narrow ridges and wider furrows. On the other side...

... there are wider, flatter ridges and narrow furrows. When I noticed this, it occurred to me that I might want to rib my yardage upside down sometimes for this completely different look. That's a new technique for my tool box. Every technique we learn becomes a possible answer to our how can I and what if questions.

The pieces are all cut out. You can see from the earlier picture that I drafted full pattern pieces for the front and the back. This was more accurate than cutting them on fold. I also cut out the sleeves individually, thankfully remembering to cut one right side up and the other right side down so that I had a left and a right sleeve instead of two the same. This is a step easily forgotten. I pinned the shoulder seams together and tried that on to check the neck depth. Now, to start stitching the seams together.

Last night, I started rereading Nothing to Wear by Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo. This remains my all time favourite makeover book. Apparently, I still need making over. They listed the five major indicators of style incompatibility - signals that tell you your look and your life are out of whack because your image and your identity are out of sync. The more symptoms you identify, the more disconnected things are. I had four out of five - LOL - which sounds worse than it feels. I don't think it so much style incompatibility as that rut we've talked about a few times.

Every time I've read this book, I've come out an Avante-Garde/Chic . That category feels right and it doesn't feel right and yet every makeover book I read that has a test of some kind puts me in a similar category. It must be right. Some of the discord is that I'm slightly dramatic not hugely dramatic. I think that's the taming of the Chic. Maybe the real me is more of a drama queen. Who knows. This time reading through, I paid more attention to the individual descriptions and especially to the Chic description. Here they are from page 37:

Chic: This style is defined by a powerful look and sharp lines that seem to come together in an effortless way. It is often monochromatic and combined with bold accessories.

Avant-garde: This is an ultramodern style that uses fashion as an extension of the wearer's creativity. It often seeks to make a dramatic statement. Typically, the foundation for this wardrobe is black.

Doesn't that make sense? LOL - I mostly dress monochromatic. I wear a lot of black. I LOVE BOLD ACCESSORIES. Wasn't I just saying a few weeks ago that I didn't really need a lot of clothing, I needed more exciting accessories. The description of the Avante-garde/Chic combined style on page 47 feels more comfortable. It reads:

This mixture works particularly well. Think back to our description of the Avante-garde style and the profile of Natalie. The Avante-garde/Chic is someone who moves back and forth between these two style types as needed so that she is more approachable. Incorporating one Avante-garde piece - a pair of modern jodphur trousers, or a blazer with an asymmetrical zipper closure instead of the traditional two-button or three-button blazer - will get you just the right Avante-garde edge without looking loony! It will add interest and still look sophisticated.

The next step in the book is to clean your wardrobe. VBG - no need for that. Mine is sparser than sparse. I doubt Jesse and Joe will ever have seen a small closet like mine with plenty of blank space. It'd be fun to show them. It'd be fun to have them make me over.

Don't you wish the author came with the book? I would love to sit down and talk to Jesse and Joe or to Kim Johnson Gross or Linda Grant or Malcolm Levene or Kate Mayfield or Christopher Hopkins - all authors of makeover books that I've enjoyed. I would love to be made over - to experience first hand the make over magic - like a Oprah moment. Unfortunately, even if I could afford their services, most of these authors are just too far away, often in New York, and Oprah certainly isn't calling me.

If I was in New York, I'd love to go to Mary Adams The Dress or take a workshop with Mary. She offers private lessons on her techniques. What fun that would be. I sent Mary an email over the weekend to say how much I enjoyed her book, The Party Dress Book, and got a lovely email back. Our processes are so much the same that I know we would have a lot to talk about if we were in the same room. I wish. If you check out her website, you can tour through the gallery and see many of her dresses. The details are amazing. Just click on Showcase and then on the individual categories and there's a slide show.

For now, there's just me, learning about me, trial and erring my way through. I really enjoyed working out the problems with the purple sweater last week and making over the RTW top. It made me think that one of my next steps would be to look in my clothes to be made over box and see what was in there to transform.

A few years ago, one of my if I wasn't afraid I would _____ list items might have been to refashion clothes. The possibility of failure was terrifying, paralyzing. It prevented my creativity from moving forward and it prevented me from achieving good fit and design. When you reach the stage of realizing it's only fabric - that they're making more every day - that some how in some way you'll figure it out - that oh well, if it doesn't work, it doesn't work - you find a new freedom that allows you to push ahead and, quite surprisingly, raises your success levels. It's as if by not thinking about failure, you no longer experience it in the same way whereas when your focus was so completely on the possibility of failure, it showed up far too frequently. Brain power - the choice of thought and where it leads us - is such an amazing thing.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - central heat

Ribbed Yardage

At five-thirty-five this morning, the smoke detector went off. Not the persistent beep beep of a low battery but a blaring siren - with no smoke - and no boys rising from their beds and rushing out the window - which is both good and scary since there was no fire but - what if there had been? A noisily interesting way to greet the morning.

There was a lot of snow this weekend. The world outside is fluffy and white. Inside, warm and dry, it's the perfect cocoon for working in the studio. Since our family keeps Christmas very low key and my schedule allows me to avoid the stores on busier days, I don't find this time of year stressful. Instead, I've always found the winter months the most productive. When the snow falls, I seem to settle into the studio and start to think about my goals for the new year. What do I want to accomplish? What will I learn?

A friend has been making what she calls her If I wasn't too afraid I would _____ list. For now, it's mostly a mental list. She hasn't actually started writing things down. It will be interesting when she does because that's the point at which we're committed and willing to go for the goal.

Her list has made me think about my list. How would I fill in the blank? At one time, I wouldn't have categorized myself as afraid. I was willing to try just about anything. Lately, I've become far more cautious, perhaps too much so. Although not enough caution is dangerous, too much sucks the joy and adventure out of life. Something to think about.




I've been working on ribbed yardage off and on all weekend. It's tedious to create and a fabulous texture. The grey sweater knit is soft and stable. It's perfect for this technique. Using a 4.0 twin-needle and tightened tension, creates these furrows. They are spaced presser foot distance apart. A narrower twin needle would create narrower and more shallow furrows. The front, back, and one sleeve are finished. There is one sleeve to go. It takes half an hour to do twenty-eight furrows, about 7" wide. As I said, tedious.




Using my T & T t-shirt pattern I'm creating a sweater inspired by this RTW one. It won't be exactly the same. What would be the point of that? Instead, it will be a customized design fitted to my figure, more flattering than this one was although it was pretty good, just too low and the wrong size with some negative sewing situations.

The whole reason I'm making the ribbed yardage is for the contrast between the belt and the background. Since I couldn't buy the same fabric ribbed and plain and since close enough wasn't good enough, I'm making my own. I've always loved thread and texture. Making this is very reminiscent of some of the textile art work I've done in the past. I have to bribe myself through the monotony to get on with the project - LOL.




I showed you the rhinestone buckles last week. They are from Sew Biz Fabrics. Very pretty. The rectangle is slightly smaller than the one on the RTW top. Since I'm short waisted, that's not a problem. It should look more graceful.

This morning, I plan to work on the yardage. This afternoon, I'm visiting one of the women from knit night. She had a baby at the beginning of October - the little girl that I made the frilly twirly dress for. Hopefully by this evening, or tomorrow morning at the latest, I'm ready to start sewing the sweater pieces together. I'd like to finish this top and start on some pants and wear the outfit to a girl's get together for my grad class in early December.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - friends who care enough to say what they think

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Personal Growth - Pray diligently, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out. Do your best in the job you received from the Master. Do your very best. - Colossians 4

It shouldn't be hard to come up with a gratitude a day. In fact, a long list should be relatively easy. While it's a generalization for sure, and the details will vary, those of us who have Internet access are living a good life. We have much to be thankful for.

And even so, lately being grateful has been more difficult. My eyes have been focused too much on what doesn't work rather than on what does. That's not a good perspective. It makes me grumbly and negative, which is not an attitude I want to have nor one that I admire.

My purpose has always been to help others to their best. That charity needs to start at home. It feels somewhat hypocritical to be passing out advice to others that I'm having difficulty taking myself - and yet - reality is that life is full of hills and valleys, times when we are doing well and times when we are struggling. Evolving struggle requires climbing hills. There's no other way to the mountaintop. Sometimes, we're not sure which hill to climb. It's much easier when you know.

It's not that I'm struggling. Rather I'm coasting which is a bland and boring, go nowhere, position. I'm coasting while waiting to find a job but that doesn't mean that I can't be working on other achievements in my personal life. It's not just one or just the other, work or a personal life. A balanced life is both and more.

As I think about what would be on my if I wasn't afraid I would ______ list and my goals for next year, I'm encouraged to change my focus, to positive up my thinking, to be less cautious and more joyful, to trust in God's plan even though the lines are blurred and unrecognizable at this point. It may be my fear that is holding me back from that first step and until I'm willing to take it, God is unable to move further. An interesting thought.

The Party Top Makeover

I woke up late yesterday and everything moved slow after that. Maybe because it was so cold. It was our first day of freezing, wear your gloves, bundle up in your coat, weather. Luckily, it wasn't snowing. I went small stuff grocery shopping and it's a nightmare trying to navigate a cart through a snowy parking lot. I'm going bulk stuff shopping today at Costco. They don't have anyone to help you. After hurting my back one time, I won't shop there in winter unless one of the boys comes along to push the cart. Therefore - LOL - if it starts snowing before I get going, it'll have to wait.



In the afternoon I worked on the party top makeover. I put it on, wiggled around to shift the fabric, marked where the hem should be, took it off, wacked off the excess, and sewed a 1" hem. That was the easy part. The sleeves were more of an issue. There were very small 1/8" seams and the fabric tore easily. It occurred to me that failure was not an option. Above is the makeover. Below is the RTW tunic.




The tunic came with cap sleeves. I included that length in the finished sleeves or they'd be shorter than I wanted. Using them meant that 3 1/2" of the sleeve cap was already in place.




This is my T & T sleeve pattern at elbow length. There's a 1 1/4" hem included along the bottom. The dotted line shows the 3 1/2" already sewn to the sweater less the 1/4" seam allowances.




I stretched out the ribbing along the bottom before cutting out the sleeve so that it would snap back and create a snugger look on the finished sleeve. Above is the abbreviated sleeve. Below it's sewn to the RTW sweater. As you can see....




... the seam was quite visible. I knew from other projects that a double needle pin tuck would help to disguise a seam so I added one, then three, then five tucks because odd numbers always work better.




In hindsight, I wonder if I should have added seven tucks so that they extended right down into the ribbing. Oh well. I didn't. This works. The front of the underarm is a bit baggy. The back sits nicely. Later on, I'll do a little more tweaking by pulling a bit of the front into the underarm seam with a dart like shape. In theory, the back will stay as is and the front tighten to the armhole. We'll see how it really works when I try it.




To finish, I added three rows of pin tucking around the hem so that the tucks on the sleeves "matched" tucks on main body of the garment. I don't normally add details to my hips and worried that they'd be attention grabbing when I was done. They're not. The collar demands the most attention.

The hem tucks are small enough and soft enough to wear the sweater tucked in and a fun detail for when it's untucked. I'm happy with the makeover. As a tunic, I never would have worn this. As a sweater, it's perfect for the party and useable after, even work wardrobe useable. There's a remnant of black and fuchsia tweed in my stash. Enough for a short, fitted skirt. They should look good together.

My youngest son is in a grad fashion show tonight. It seems entirely the wrong time of year for this but oh well. It's tonight. I took him and a friend to be fitted for tuxes last week, for final fittings yesterday, and will return the tuxes tomorrow. Other than the event tonight, it'll be the perfect sewing, knitting, reading weekend. Hope yours is wonderful.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - my daughter has been looking for a job for the past few weeks since moving to Calgary. She was offered what sounds like a wonderful one yesterday with a higher salary than she anticipated. YES YES!