Fit A Moving Target

Saturday afternoon, while looking for something else, I found a print-out of my final Pattern Master Boutique chart and the pattern for a darted blouse. It wasn't perfectly, exactly, what I needed but sufficient to allow comparisons on the center front and center back length, the shoulder width, and the shoulder angle. Quite helpful actually.


The something else I was looking for was McCalls 6035, a blouse that I made twice last April. Normally, it would be in the pattern cabinet only - for some strange reason - while the envelope was there, there were no pattern tissues inside. I kept trying to figure out what I'd done with them, where they might be. They weren't in the drawer with the other muslins but the print out was. You win some; you lose some.

McCalls 6035 has separate pattern pieces for cup sizes A, B, C, and D and princess seam lines like the Vogue 8667 dress that is frustrating me to bits. My thought was to compare the seam lines on the bodice to make sure I was shaping them correctly. I picked the pattern up after work yesterday so I can do that today in-between other errands.

I sewed another muslin on Saturday thinking that it would be the last. When I put it on, the bust was now too big and the waist was too tight especially across the front. You would think I'd know my measurements but it's like trying to fit a moving target. Last weekend, when Barb was here and I sewed the dress pants, my waist measured 33.5". This Saturday, it measured 35" and Sunday morning when I woke up, it measured 32.5". Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ! ! !

When you hear people talking about their waist size fluctuating significantly, it's true. 2 1/2" is significant. It spans several dress sizes. When this happens to me, it usually means I've been eating foods I shouldn't be, which I have been, because it's easier and less boring. However... it also gives me a screaming headache, numerous other symptoms, and extra fitting frustrations. Not a good idea.

SO... today... I'll try that last muslin on again to see what's happening with the waist now that I'm not all puffed up. Then, I'll compare the McCalls 6035 bodice pieces with the Vogue 8667 ones for the bust shaping, and after that, try, try again. It would be nice to get to sewing "real" fabric some time soon.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - while occasionally I think enough now, just get on with it and I'm frustrated with myself for my way of being, mostly I am glad that I'm persistent in figuring out issues because the learning is tremendous.

Am I Having Fun Doing What I Do For Fun?

My toenails hurt. It's not my shoes. I've been wearing the incredibly supportive Earth Originals that I showed you a few months ago - two pairs - in varying heights, great arch support, cushioned heels. The sad reality is that I'm incredibly sedentary and have in all honesty been sitting for most of the past eighteen years. I stopped power walking while pregnant with my youngest and haven't done much in the way of exercise since. I have good intentions. I start. I try. However, as they taught me in network marketing school, more often than not, try means no. I have not stuck with anything.

Yesterday felt like a feeding frenzy of fabric. It was busy from the moment I arrived at work until the moment I left. Not once, in four hours, did I move from my cutting spot. In fact, I was relieved from my post in the middle of a hugely extensive, pages and pages, order. If not, I'd have been there for another thirty minutes I'm sure. Looking at all those women madly stocking up I found myself thinking I'm not one of them. Hmm.... well... we've all seen my MANY meter fabric stash. Talk about in denial.

On the way out the door, I picked up four different 22" zippers, one each in black, blue, grey, and purple, because I still hadn't decided what fabric to use for my dress. And then I bought some broadcloth for muslins. When the order was totalled, I found myself thinking I worked three hours for that. Ah yes. The joy of awareness. Apparently, I have my own issues - LOL.

On Fun was Virginia's (or at least I think that's her name) posting yesterday at Signposts in the Sea. I enjoy this thought provoking fashion blog. She wrote - It sort of hit me that I have found myself rather serious lately - and her words sparked a thought, a question. Am I having fun doing what I do for fun?

While I have a good sense of humour, I would never be described as a funny person. I'm rather serious - a bluestocking if we were to talk of Victorian England. I love information and learning, growth and development, opinions and debates. I tend to tackle new subjects with a near obsessive compulsive drive, often with pendulum swings from one extreme to another. I am all this way or all that way before I settle to center.

Style Underdog is one of three fashion blogs that I read. What I love about this blogger is her reality. She is near to my age. She works part time. She is married with children. She drives car pool. She has a fabulous sense of humour. Her few words are typically fun filled as are her wardrobe combinations. She plays. All is not seriousness.

In her posting yesterday, Catherine Daze wrote, so this is either going to be an interesting learning experience or an epic fail. Possibly both. I don't even remember exactly what Catherine was referring to. I just remember that the sentence, like Virginia's, struck a cord. So often we don't even try out of fear of possible failure or perhaps too much work or perhaps a lack of purpose or perhaps a fear of what people will think. Doing is such an amazing adventure.

After the update on the Self Imposed Sewing Club, I found myself thinking about those patterns whose cons outnumbered their pros. What could I do to transfer the pro elements to a pro garment? For instance, in the 80's I had a blouse pattern with two back layers. One was a normal length, tuck in, layer and the other was a shorter swing peplum starting at the shoulders, secured at the side seams, and ending above the waist. LOVED that blouse. I could definitely transfer the swing aspect of Vogue 8146 to a blouse.

Yesterday, I caught a quick glimpse of Simplicity 2248. It's definitely not my kind of pattern, way too sweet. However, the waist feature had echoes of Vogue 1202. My mind started working out how to use my T & T t-shirt pattern to draft a cross over front with a buckle minus the Dolman sleeves. I have it all worked out - I think. My mind is hopping with ideas for finishing my dress, drafting a blouse, designing a new T shirt and - YES YES - I'm having fun doing what I do for fun. Are you?

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - energizing ideas

The Third Bodice And The Second Skirt

Day one of the new job went pretty good. My hips hurt and I was tired by the end of the shift but all in all, it went not too bad. I spent the first hour filling out employment paperwork and reading the policy and procedure manual and the second hour working with the manager at a cutting table. It's amazingly difficult to cut in a straight line when you have two pairs of eyes - the customer's and the manager's - watching you. How nice for that grove in the table top - LOL. After that, I was mostly on my own.

I saw a lot of fabric. I was not tempted to buy any. What might tempt me is notions. They honestly will not be getting any more in before April and stocks are dwindling rapidly. As soon as I decide what fabric I'm using for my current project, I'll need a dress length zipper. It would be good if I knew this morning before I went to work so I don't have to drive over there again before my next shift.




This Vogue 8667 dress is one of the Easy Options series. I wish it also came with varying cup sizes. That would have made life considerably easier. Without the PMB sloper, I couldn't make any advance adjustments to the pattern with my usual confidence so I started with a muslin which will in turn help me to redraft the sloper so it's all win-win.

The pattern is petite-able which means they allowed for a 1" fold above the waist and below the armhole as if somehow all petite people are simply shorter in the torso. I once read that to be truly petite would mean taking out through the armhole which is what I have to do - one inch - as well as through the torso - 3/4 inch. You can see how short waisted I am. I started with a size 14 and made adjustments for my shape by increasing the waist and hip measurements although it was not quite enough. It's still too tight. This is the first full muslin. I'm currently working on the third bodice muslin and the second skirt muslin because....




... I didn't need to make the same length adjustments to the front due to a fuller bust. What I'm working on now is the amount of the bust adjustment, lowering the bust point, and keeping the waist level. I'm almost done. I might have finished last night except that I curled up in a chair and read which seems acceptable after the first day on a new job spent standing after twenty plus years of working from home spent sitting. I hope - VBG.

When I pressed the pleats, I pressed each one flat and wide. You can see what I mean by looking at the see-thru seam allowances. There's some on each side of the center line of the pleat. I did that before I read the instructions which tell you to press the pleats toward center making them boxier with more fabric over the stomach which isn't exactly where I would want it. I tried that pressing pattern with the second skirt muslin and prefer the look above - without the gorgeous black socks that is. Isn't that a style statement! Too fun.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - my feet are happy that my first shift was only four hours.

SISC Update

In the five months since setting up the Self Imposed Sewing Club (SISC) I've come to a better understanding of why so many of the patterns had never been sewn. On some subconscious level, I already understood that they did not suit me. Given time, attention, or a muslin, the reason becomes clear. Luckily, that's not true with all the patterns even though it's been true with many. It is - however - teaching me a lot about choosing styles I will actually wear.




I loved the drama of Vogue 1202 when it was first released and thought Vogue 2934 had an old world sophistication that was elegantly eye appealing. Not so on my figure. I'm too short and too short waisted for so much fabric and the dolmen sleeves obscure my waist and completely dwarf my narrow shoulders.




The Vogue 2983 skirt has - with considerable adaptation - become a favourite. It took work. I've learned that wrap around seams are not good for my well endowed hips. I need more adjustment and wiggle room. My adaptation has a side seam. My adaptation has no curved back seam. My adaptation is darn near a completely different pattern - LOL - although it still has those fabulous pleats.

The Vogue 1186 pants are VERY fun. They are also surprisingly dressy even though the pattern cover looks less formal. When I wear them, people tend to think I'm wearing a long skirt and I tend to lift it and move around like I am too. That's not every day comfortable. I like the trouser look but not so much the really wide legged look.

I've sewn the Vogue 2893 top twice. Unfortunately the first one, sewn from a knit, shrunk before I could wear it because it showed potential. It was soft and cuddly. The second one, sewn from silk dupioni, made me feel quite conspicuous. It reminded me yet, still, once again that stiff fabrics are not for me. I need fluidity. The same silk dupioni fabric used for the skirt pattern would have been amazing. Too bad I didn't think of that sooner. I'm learning to think about the fabric properties more before starting a project.




This Vogue 8146 swing jacket has been on my list for years because I LOVE SWING JACKETS. On Monday, I sewed the muslin.




The back is the only thing I still love about the jacket. Everything else is not me so I will adapt that feature to another, more suitable, pattern at some time in the future.




In this side image, you can see the bunching at the underarm. Typically, I shorten a pattern by at least an inch through the armhole. I'll tell you why I didn't with this one further down. Here you can see why it's necessary. You can also see the need for a full bust adjustment.




In choosing this pattern for the SISC, my attention was focused completely on the swing back. If I'd looked at the garment as a whole, I'd have paid more attention to the closure and the hem. I am extremely uncomfortable in garments that are buttoned up to the chin and look heavier in garments that obscure my waist never mind the fact that the raglan sleeves make my shoulders look narrower which in turns makes my hips look heavier. I would look and feel fat and uncomfortable in this garment which is, I'm sure, subconscious data that was preventing me from sewing.

Before I sew any more of the SISC patterns, I will give them a really good think through. There's no point spending time on them if I discover that there are more cons than pros to the pattern. I'd rather up the success factor. Perhaps the pro factors could be transferred to a more successful base garment.

Mary wrote - Today I saw you mentioned Pattern Master Boutique. But all your other posts (that I've read) mention commercial patterns. Do you no longer use PMB? If so, why not?

I use PMB but not in the way that you are thinking. Instead of using it to design garments, I use it to produce a sloper with the correct lines and amount of ease and then I use that sloper and Lynda Maynard's method from her book DeMystifying Fit to alter the commercial patterns to fit my measurements.

Lynda's book was the ah ha moment in fitting for me and it gave me a reason to really figure out how to use PMB. I started by fitting a Butterick fitting shell and then transferred those measurements to the software until I could duplicate the shell and the fit. Once I knew my basic measurements were correct, I could then draft and print out any "sloper" as required whether it was a princess seam or a darted design, close or loose ease. This was an advantage to the one sloper that Lynda talks about in her book. It - finally - made me appreciate what PMB could do for me.

The BAD NEWS is that we had to reformat my computer just before Christmas when it had a bad virus and my charts and slopers were lost. I have a print out of a recent chart in my filing cabinet and will be able to duplicate it much easier than before but it is going to take some effort. I'll need to re-test all the measurements. I'm annoyed that I need to do this again and glad that I can because fitting the jacket muslin and the dress that I'm now working on would have been a LOT easier if I could have printed out the appropriate sloper to compare to the pattern. It's incentive to do the work - perhaps this weekend.




Last night was knitting. I've started on a new project. It's the Garns Studio 71-14 cardigan. This company offers over 39,000 free patterns. It's an incredible resource. This one is a combination of ribbing which is my favourite stitch and cables which are my second love. It has a pattern graph that I'll need to learn how to read. The edge of the sleeves is slightly ruffled and the garment fits smoothly. I'll narrow the shoulders. They would look a lot better on the shoulder rather than dropped. The teal color is fabulous with my green eyes and even if it wasn't, it's a nice change from all the knitting with black I've done recently.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - first day of work

A Feeling Fat Kind Of Day

Halfway through taking pictures yesterday, the phone rang. It was my brother, calling from back east. Since it was going to be a long conversation, Barb took the rest of the pictures while I was talking on the phone. With one hand in the air, they're a little bit wonky. Also not helped by the fact that it was also a bloated, feeling fat, kind of day. My stomach seemed to stick a mile straight out. Sigh. Oh well.




LOVE the back of the skirt. It's flirty feminine and swishes and twirls as I move. The knit fabric is very comfortable and....




... it's surprisingly figure conforming even though there is plenty of ease. Those wrinkles below the top annoy me. That's the protruding tummy. The hem appears flat until you wear the skirt. Then it looks rippled. I'm not sure what to do about that. Since it's only serged and turned, interfacing wasn't an option. Any suggestions?

I lightened these pictures of the black pants so you could see the details. I think they're too long and may end up taking another inch off the bottom. The polyester was a nightmare to sew with however, the resulting pants are holding their shape a lot better than the other pair. The back...

... pant leg was caught on my shoe creating an extra wrinkle otherwise, I'm fairly happy with how these look. They are really comfortable. The front crotch seems to need a little more tweaking. It's a bit bubble-ish. I know there's some info about dealing with that in Pants For Real People. You can see this more clearly on the grey pair below.




The grey fabric is a rayon-polyester-spandex blend that is really comfortable to wear and already stretching out. The pants feel like the front crotch especially needs to be raised. I'm going to wear them around the house for a day and see what I think before taking them out in public. I might be taking off the waistband and raising everything up a bit. I really like the back of these even though this fabric is more clingy.

I sewed two muslins yesterday. One is great. I'm perfecting and fine tuning it and hope to sew the "real" garment soon. The other is a throwaway. Totally not what I was hoping for. More about that later. This morning, Kyle has a doctor's appointment. While he's doing that, Barb and I are going out for breakfast just down the road. And then... it'll be time for her to head home. I'm going to miss her and I will be glad of some time to myself before my first day of work tomorrow ! ! !

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a productive weekend

An Hour In The Morning

In an hour on Friday morning, I serged, turned, and stitched the hem on the Vogue 7937 skirt and then I tried on and fit the Vogue 2925 purple pants, now muslin, and then altered and re-traced the pattern ready to cut out. It felt very productive.

According to the date on the pattern, I last sewed these in November of 2009. I know they were slightly loose at one point and now fit smoothly. A few things are fitting smoothly; a few are fitting tight. It seems that I've put a few pounds back on but not so many that it's an issue - unless I gain a few more. Something to watch.

My clothes have stayed, relatively, the same size for almost a year and a half. That's excellent for wardrobe building. I wonder if I'll change size with moving around at work. Toned nicely would be great. So much smaller that it affects all my pants and skirts would not.




The pants are done. I'm not sure I can actually call them Vogue 2925 pants since I moved the zipper to the front and added a fly extension, drafted pockets for the side, and added a narrow waistband however, that's the pattern they started with. I sewed the black - 100% polyester - ones first. SO. NOT. FUN. The rayon-polyester-spandex blend of the grey pants was so much nicer to work with and to wear. They have lovely drape. I'm glad I did them second.




My friend Barb is from Victoria. She's an artist and part owner of the Coast Collective Gallery. We met five years ago when she was a student in one of my design classes. She has taken numerous classes from me since and we meet regularly for retreats - like this weekend. Since we both have a background in fashion sewing and textile art, it doesn't matter what we're working on individually, we're still working on it collectively. My weekend focused on fitting and sewing pants. Barb's focused on finishing UFOs started in previous workshops.

This leaf table runner above was from a City & Guilds applique module. Each block illustrates a different method. The piece below is from a workshop on making bark although Barb doesn't think it looks at all like bark. It will become the focal point of a larger piece. Since I took this picture, she has added embellishment and planned threadwork for the background that you can barely see. It's much larger.

Our retreat is three full days plus two half days on each end. She arrived Friday afternoon and leaves tomorrow at noon. There is still more time to play. This morning, I'm working on a muslin of the Vogue 8146 jacket. It's center right in the header above. I thought about sewing a top to go with the pants but decided I wanted to do something more "for fun" than "for work". Later today, hopefully, I'll get pictures of the pants to show you tomorrow.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - two pairs of pants, nicely fitted, perfect for work

Basic Black Dress Pants

After an exasperating hour at the mall, in which every pair of dress pants I tried on was either obscene, clingy, unflattering, ill fitting, or ugly, I gave up and went to Fabricland. If I was smart, I would have gone straight there and saved an hour of my time and a lot of frustration.

Unfortunately, the bargain section failed me. There were plenty of light or brown or striped or patterned fabrics but nothing in plain black of the right weight. In my opinion, basic black dress pants are an essential work wardrobe component. Dark grey runs a close second. I bought some yardage of both.




The grey is a polyester-rayon-spandex blend. It feels fabulous. I wish they'd had it in black as well. The black is 100% polyester. Both are 60" wide and were on sale. With 2.50 meters, I should be able to sew a short skirt and a pair of pants from each. The total bill, taxes and everything, was forty dollars making the cost ten dollars an item. That's way less expensive than the pants I was trying on. The pair that came the closest to looking halfway decent was $89.00. Not. Doing. That.




The pattern is out of print Vogue 2925. I've sewn these before and they're quite flattering.




Here are the pants from the last time. I gave these to a friend who was losing weight because they were a bit too long in the body and felt uncomfortable. When I talked to her last night, it turned out that she had saved them to give back to me. She's now a size four. I still fit these. Go figure.

I tried them on again last night and will pin fit them today and tweak the pattern. It looks like I'll take an inch out of the hip depth to lower the waistband and raise the crotch level and lengthen the leg to compensate and that should be good. The width is perfect. I added a waistband as a narrow one works best for my constantly shifting waist size. It's either that or elastic and I prefer the secure feeling of the narrow waistband.


Here's the technical drawing. This is a wonderful pattern, one of the few wardrobe patterns where I actually like each garment. I know the blouse gets rave reviews. LOVE the peplum on the jacket. Since peplums are popular again, perhaps I'll make it too.

Yesterday, I did something I haven't done in a really long time. First, I calculated how much I would earn per pay period at my new job, deducted the income tax, divided the amount by the percentage I am allocating toward spending, divided it by two, and took that amount of spending money out of the bank for the next week. Those of you who are on a budget are probably going duh. Believe me, I get what you're thinking. Years ago, I either paid cash or bought an item on my credit card and then went immediately to the bank and paid it off. AND THEN... I opened my business.

Paycheques went from bi-weekly to quarterly and/or intermittent. I got in the habit of buying and then playing catch up instead of paying cash. As you know, I excel at spending money so that didn't always work out as well as it should have. Now, with a job, one of my goals is to re-learn how to live within my means and to pay cash. I'm in training for retirement. Right now, Howard works a lot of overtime which is great for catch-up but when he retires, we'll be on a fixed income and retirement is getting closer quickly. The amount I calculated is less than I usually spend. That made me a bit panicky. Apparently, I'm about to learn some lessons in self control and discipline. This is good. I think. I hope.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a weekend in the studio with a good friend doing what I love to do

Stuff To Go

When I stopped to pick up the serger, Charlene hadn't been able to duplicate the issue. She did make a small adjustment to the lower blade. I know that I had moved it before when the stitches weren't snugging up tight enough to the fabric so it could have been the problem. If so, it was nothing major. If it happens again, the machine will have to stay in the shop longer. I hope not. I hate when my machines are away from home. It's almost as bad as children.




I super cleaned the studio yesterday including sorting through some paperwork that has been in a basket at the end of my desk for years. I'm not sure why this old photograph was in there or where it came from. My uncle possibly. He collects photos like this. It's of me. I have no idea how old I am. What struck me immediately is the shape of my face. It's virtually identical today including the square shape, those groves by the mouth, the chubby cheeks, and the pointed and slightly double chin. I guess I haven't changed much - LOL.




While cleaning, I was debating which pants to sew next and had a - minor - panic attack about zippers. If Fabricland isn't getting any more stock in, how am I going to sew pants and skirts for the next few months? I took a break between sides of the studio and whipped over to pick up fifteen zippers - 3 each of black, grey, brown, blue, and purple. That should help.




Here's the pile of stuff to go to the second hand store. I sorted out some books, magazines, yarn, knitting and sewing patterns, fabric, and even those pillow forms. I know they are perfectly good. It's just that I've been moving them around for at least fifteen years without ever using them so I decided to let them go now. LOL - watch me need one next week. Oh well.

The stash is at a more manageable - read less guilt inducing - level now. It has by no means shrunk to minuteness but everything is folded neatly and visible. What I find hard to believe, in all that fabric, with a predominance of black, is that I have not one single piece of suitable fabric for a pair of black dress pants. Go figure.




Two of the items I found while cleaning were this picture from Anthropologie and a green wool blend. I'm assuming it's a blend because I've washed it in hot water twice now and it won't felt down any further but it smells like wool. It's fairly light weight. I think it would look great in a similar style. I can't link you through to the picture because this one is from 2009 and is no longer on the site. Neither is anything similar. Everything in the jacket category is quite structured which is not my style and makes me glad I sew. YES YES.

First, I need to clean house. My friend Barb is coming tomorrow for our weekend retreat. She'll be here until Tuesday. I'm really looking forward to seeing her. We do a lot of learning together.

I have planned several activities this winter to keep me occupied and happy. For whatever reason, the past two winters were very hard. Not this year. Things are going to be different. This weekend is my retreat with Barb, mid February I am going to Nanaimo for another workshop with Ron Collins, and, if need be, will take an overnight trip in March. By April, things will be fine. Starting the job next week will help as well. It's all good.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a clean studio, less stuff, the ability to give, Barb is coming

Since I Wasn't Sewing

Yesterday was one of those days when things don't go quite as you planned. I seem to have had quite a few of them lately. I did do several errands and the grocery shopping so it's not as if nothing got done however, not what I really wanted to do - sew.

When I took the serger in, Charlene wanted to keep it until this afternoon hoping that it was something simple she could fix herself without passing it over to her husband who does the repairs. Apparently, he's incredibly busy and it would be weeks to wait. I hope not. I'm serger addicted. I like the way it finishes. I need it to sew.

I decided to read for a half hour and then start cleaning my studio. When I downloaded a new book, the Kobo had a glitch that required a factory restart that required reloading my library that required deleting preloaded books and marking those already read as complete. That - of course - took far too long, a couple hours. And then, at the end of that, I found an option that hides the preloaded books. That would have saved half the time at least.

SO... since I wasn't sewing... I thought you might like to see the patterns I bought in the last sale and read some of my plans. LOL - that makes me laugh. I'm sure if I read my plans from the last batch, very little has come to pass. Oh well. A girl can dream.




My friend Caroline emailed me about this pattern - McCall's 6293. She's jacket oriented. I'm not so much although I do think if handled correctly, the seaming in this design could be used to create something more artsy than crafty. I like the built in shaping. I'm a bit concerned about how the sleeves appear twisted on the model. Hopefully a muslin corrects that. It's unlikely the pattern will arrive before I leave for the workshop in February. They typically take 28 days. However, if it does, this is one I'd consider making.

A couple of the patterns I ordered are because I saw them on someone else's blog. I'm not always sure whose but if it was yours, thanks for the inspiration. I liked the soft shaping of this McCall's 6286 shirt, especially the green view without the pockets. Normally, raglan sleeves aren't suitable to my figure type. The wide collar balances that aspect. I think this would be a good shirt for work with simple dress pants. Possibly, what I should sew at the workshop is work clothes. Hmm... that sounds way too practical.

McCall's 6264 strikes me as the perfect summer dress. It looks both elegant and easy wearing in all three lengths. The pattern is for stretch knits. The longest one takes 3.8 meters which seems like quite a lot. I normally buy 2.0 meter lengths of knits so I don't have an appropriate fabric and it'll have to wait until I find the perfect thing on sale.

I've liked Vogue 8685 for a long time. It's one of the easy options patterns. I'm more drawn to the flared skirt than the fitted one. I'm not sure about the midsection. I'm so short waisted that this might not work for me. It's something else to muslin. I have a lot of patterns of this nature in my stash that I've bought and not sewn. Hopefully this won't be another one of them but the odds are high.

This new skirt pattern - Vogue 8711 - has shown up on quite a few blogs. It's one of those perfect tummy camouflage patterns and again lovely for summer. The longer style takes 1.8 meters. I like View F with the decorative buttons at the hip - which are hard to see in the picture and easier on the technical drawing if you click through to the site.

I bought Vogue 8705 to see how it's sewn more than to actually sew it. I doubt I could carry this design off but I have some ideas for using organza or wash away stabilizer to add a similar approach to other garments. Then again, maybe I'll get brave and sew it for our 30th anniversary in June... LOL... or not.

Vogue 1218 didn't interest me as a dress. Again, I wanted the how-to details and the possibility of converting this to a top. I love the way the front ruffles like that. It's subtle and sophisticated and not over done. Quite nice.

This Vogue 8699 cut on turtleneck is practical as are the elastic waisted pants that go with. I think the top lengthened would make a wonderfully warm winter dress.

I wish these Vogue 8717 pants suited my figure type. They are elegant and sophisticated and, in just the right fabric, would have fabulous drape and movement. Unfortunately, the style is not suitable to short waisted me. That lovely waist would be curling over and folding down. I bought this pattern for the jacket. In a softer, cardigan type fabric, it could be work quite nicely with a dress, skirt, or pants - for work - in the summer - when the air conditioning is running. I like the elbow pleats and the way the seam lines on the front curve right into the shoulder.

I don't want to but I need to clean the studio today. It looks like a hurricane went through here. Very. Messy. The fact that Barb is coming this weekend is strong incentive. It'd be nice if we could actually function.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - the potential for clean

Book End

When I walked into Fabricland yesterday, I couldn't believe the number of people in there. There must have been an extra good sale going on because there were long line ups in the cotton section buying quilting fabrics at 50% off. I don't normally pay attention to that section so this was either better than normal or people wanted to get what they wanted before it was sold out.

While waiting in line to have my fabric cut, I overheard that they've already put out all the zippers in stock. The needles are severely picked over with only a few left. The thread is starting to look sparse. Apparently, nothing new will be ordered until they are in the new location - in April. There is going to be a LOT of frustration in town when people can't find the notions they need and...

... I'm going to be a part of that frustration both as a consumer and as an employee. The manager called yesterday afternoon and I'm hired starting next week. It's somewhat ironic that working at Fabricland will book end my child rearing years. I worked there six months before my first child was born and I'll be working there six months before my last child graduates.




I used a piece of the crinkle taffeta left from my Christmas skirt to make the waistband on the purple knit skirt. The colors are in the same family even though they look like distant cousins in this image. What cameras do to color is always intriguing. The two fabrics below also go together really well. In real life, the blue/black/purple print has WAY MORE purple. I bought them to co-ordinate.




I used the taffeta for the waistband because there was just enough of the skirt fabric left to combine with another fabric and sew a co-ordinated top. I already own Vogue 8649 below. The slimness of the waist with the gathers of the upper garment would be excellent for my bottom heavy figure. I'm not sure about those cut on sleeves though. Perhaps. Perhaps not. Perhaps with shoulder pads.

I like Butterick 5497 below even better, especially the print view with the prissier front and the open back. Fabricland will not be getting in any patterns at all - not even the new ones. Realizing that, I was "forced" to take advantage of the latest BMV club sale to order this pattern... and a few more... ten... which you know that I know that I don't really need. Like that stops any of us. At this rate, I'll need to clean out my pattern cabinet and make room. It's getting quite full and there are some "what were you thinking" patterns in there that could move along.

I didn't take the serger in yesterday so I'd like to do that today and then make a trip to the grocery store. After that, I plan to start sewing at least one, hopefully two, pairs of dress pants suitable for work. I also want to redo the hem on the purple skirt. I turned it up the 1 1/4" provided and machine stitched it in place and I think it's too bulky. I'd prefer to serge, turn, and top stitch along the edge.

I'm quite excited about going back to work, about sewing a work wardrobe, about having some structure to my schedule, and about getting out and meeting people who love to do what I do. The paycheque seems almost like a bonus because even though it's a minimum wage job, this will be the first time in a long time that I can count on a specific amount of income.

For our family finances, minimum wage works well right now. That income will be more my spending, decorating, keep busy money than our survival money. I'm thankful for that and, at the same time, I'm aware that for others that minimum wage is critical and making ends meet is a real struggle. There's a lot of talk about raising the minimum wage. I'm not sure how that would help. Briefly. Maybe. And then that increase would be passed on to the consumer again and that higher minimum wage would remain a struggle. It has happened in the past. It's one of those tough questions. I'm not going to try and solve it. I'm going to use what I have as wisely as I can and improve that ability with time. That's the best I can do.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a job that seems perfect for this time in my life

Intense Sewing Productivity

Contemplating the possibility of working - and needing work clothes - you might think I spent the weekend in intense sewing productivity and you'd be wrong. I did start a skirt. I haven't finished it yet although all it needs is a waistband.




The pattern is Vogue 7937, the same one I used for my party outfit in December. This time, it's sewn from a knit, one that's heavier than a t-shirt knit and lighter than a sweatsuit knit and not all that great of quality it seems. It's a lovely purple on the front and white on the back. When I snagged it on a pin, white pulled up to the front. A good choice for work fabric - LOL - assuming I get the job. Otherwise, it'll be for about the house. It's soft and comfy.




My serger is not working correctly. Instead of the trimmings falling away, they're going around the blade and getting sewn into the stitches. This was happening earlier and I assumed it was a dull blade except that after changing it, it's still happening. Now, I'm wondering if the second blade was also dull even though it was - supposedly - new with the serger or maybe I've installed it incorrectly. I'll take the machine into the shop and get Charlene's advice. Hopefully later today. As is, it's a frustrating way to sew.

My regular sewing machine is extremely picky about thread. It likes Mettler's Metrosene Plus but not their Poly Sheen. It's too fine and slippery and goes flying around the spool creating all kinds of issues except I have two boxes of it, in black, which is a color I use all the time so it would be nice to use this. On Saturday, I tried the Poly Sheen in the serger thinking it would make a neat, thin seam. It works great except it's too fine and slippery and goes flying around the spool creating all kinds of issues so I used caps and thread nets to prevent that from happening. The nets were less effective on the sewing machine. Luckily, they worked with the serger. Maybe it's the addition of the cap. I love how they've all settled out in all different ways.

Saturday night was pretty scary for drivers. I was sitting in the studio reading when I began to hear cars spinning out on the hill behind our house. At first, I though it was just a car with bad tires but when it kept happening I looked outside. It was shiny and there was a half inch layer of ice over the city. My son was at work. Howard took the new car to go and get him after shift and the all wheel drive worked like wonderful. Exactly the reason why we wanted that feature. YES YES - they made it home safely. Yesterday, the weather warmed up and it started melting. Of course. Isn't that the way it goes.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - traveling safety

The Kobo Cover

I woke up at five o'clock this morning which was really enough time to go back to sleep since I normally get up at six. My body was willing. My mind was not. It started to calculate all that I could do if I got up now, had my bath before the boys, and spent some time in the studio before leaving for my interview. As soon as I started to think, sleeping was over.




Yesterday, I made a quilted cover for my Kobo. It looks like a small purse. I debated beading and may still add that at some point. For now, it was fun to pull out the threads and play with textile art for just a little bit. Nothing major. Just something fun and for me.




This lime green and black batik print on the inside is my all time favourite. I have about four yards of it left and it's no longer being printed. Instead of carefully hoarding it for God only knows what, I decided to use it. Every time I pull out the Kobo, I'll see this fabric and it will make me happy. This is good.




The main fabric started life as a full skirt, the kind that is gathered in tiers as it goes down. I bought it in a second hand store and wore it to meet an incredibly stylish and fashion conscious friend. When she finally realized, I was actually there, waiting, in the store, she said, "oh, I didn't notice you, just the skirt. Nice." That cinched it. It made me look fat. It had to go so I....




... cut apart all of the squares, layered them over a thin cotton, stipple quilted them in place leaving the raw edges exposed, and the cut up the yardage to sew this top. That was quite a while ago. I've worn the top a few times but again, it's not really my color. The pattern was drafted with Pattern Master Boutique when I was just learning the software and about thirty pounds ago, which means it doesn't fit me all that well. It's been sitting on a shelf for the past two years. I cut it apart and used only the bottom section of the front to make the cover. There's a lot of top left to explore ideas with.




The first step was to fuse Misty Fuse to both sides of the green and black batik, foil the top side, cut it into squares, and scatter and fuse it over the surface. After that, I placed a dark purple with flocked velvet dots overlay and used a variegated rayon thread to stipple it in place going around the dots. Once cut to shape, the edges were zigzagged. To make sure they don't fray, I ran a bead of Fray Check all around. The button is from my stash. So is the snap which was the perfect size, wrong color. Black or bronze would have been better. Oh well, silver works too.

After my interview this morning, I'm having lunch with a friend and then I'm not sure what I'll work on. It may depend on the outcome of the interview. If I already know the answer, and if I'm hired, I may be sewing something to wear to work - LOL. Too fun. Have a great weekend.

Edited at 10:50: The interview went well. I felt very comfortable and feel quite confident about the job IF hired. Throughout the interview, she talked as if I would be hired however, her final remarks were that she's doing a few more interviews and will decide in a week or so. I'll let you know when I know. Thanks for the encouragement.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - everything I needed in the studio to make a cute and practical cover for the Kobo.