Practice Does Make Perfect

We all know that. We all know that when creating something be it on the loom, the canvas, the blank page, the knitting needles, from the saddle or the sewing machine, that the more we do something the better we get. So it was for the second time around on the Sewing Workshop pants pattern for me. This pair, perfect. I thought about all the changes I needed and wanted to make.

Did a little reading on obtaining good fit from commercial patterns, went down a size, dropped the baggy large pockets and got creative making my own smaller pockets, ones I could actually reach without bending down.

Now this fabric was wonderful to work with. Yes, it's heavy. I finally remembered that it was advertised as Carhartt fabric. Good heavy long wearing canvas type fabric. Getting crisp seams, pleats and good top stitching was a dream with it. Pinning/cutting it out was as not so easy, but I took my time and my sharpest scissors, put a new needle on the machine and set to work. 4 hours =1 pair of finished pants.

I'll have many years of wearing these to death and a good quick working pattern. I have three fabrics ready to go for additional pairs of this easy to wear style and then it's on to a fly front pattern to see if I can perfect a second style to cover all the bases.

Now, I haven't been neglectful of my weaving either. Towel three is in progress and I'm doing it in a single ply 10/2 linen. Looks beautiful. Crisp both in look and feel. I have two other colors of this linen and I might just have to do one of each. I am using a temple, which will leave marks along the selvage, but they come out in finishing.

I took time Sunday, (while watching in horror as the Patriots threw their Super bowl opportunity away to the Jets..sob) to study those three pinwheel drafts. Two are actually identical, one slants the pinwheel in the opposite direction, so is a mirror of the other two. Mystery solved. I'll go with the one out of 60 Scarves for 60 Years since it is printed larger than the other two!

Before the game, while I was still hopeful, I managed to whip up a pair of pillow cases.

In fact I striped the bed and refused to remake it until I had a new pair to go on it. I was happy for the cheerful pattern when I finally got up there at the end of a very long day.

I wasn't the only one tired at the end of the day. Gene (who could care less about football) had a rare day of lots of free time and Stella and crew got a lot of Dad time.

Parting shot: Intensity, Terrier Style