Tuesday, November 29, 2011

What's Black and White and Red All Over?

I'm sure everyone knows the answer to that elementary school yard standard. My answer is a bit different and not as clever but here it is anyway!

It could be a pirate thing, a goth thing or simply a whole lot of fun well done in this skull print.


I have been casting around for the right pattern from late summer onward and finally, a suitable one was found. I liked the brown tunic a lot and figured the same pattern could carry this very graphic print well even if black isn't always my best color.




There is a lot to love about this shirt but I'm going to start with the fabric. A fine soft wool, in a woven diamond twill. It has the appearance almost of a thermal waffle weave but it isn't. Drapey and very light in weight this will be a staple in my closet for almost the whole year and perfect for the holiday season now. The construction is quite different, the side seams run from the back of the armhole curving to the front hip.


During construction every seam is finished and most hidden in french seams. I learned to do a good miter on this blouse and like the comfortable fit and style very much.


For those that commented on the Turkey Day Apron there is a pattern for that! I was remiss at not including it with the post. Reet's Rags to Stitches No Hem Reversible Apron #RR125.

In general news, Greensprings Fire & Rescue got called out to a structure fire Friday night around 9:30 pm. The beautiful and unoccupied log cabin was fully involved even as the call came in. It was a total loss but the fire was kept contained to the cabin and didn't creep into the forest or move towards other homes. It was a long night for the crew of 3 volunteers (everyone else was visiting family elsewhere) and Gene made it back home a little after lunch time on Saturday.

Dandy got to be THE pony ride giving star Saturday. Children and grandchildren of a friend came up for a peek at the horses and donkeys. Dandy, as always, is the most willing of farm ambassadors. He is as much of a photo ham as Stella, gentle, loves kids, and knows they bring LOTS of treats. He was not disappointed and everyone is enjoying a few days of the bounty Cassidy and Finn brought. Thank you.

My Black Friday splurge consisted of bags of pine shavings bought at the Grange Co-op at half price. And the answer to how many bags of shavings can ft in the back of the Subaru Outback is 10. Oh and a little fabric shopping as there was a sale. Some of it is gift fabric and a fair amount of the next months sewing won't be shown here until after the holidays.

The weather has been very un-Oregon like. We have had some days of rain but we are looking at about a week of almost Indian Summer weather. Warm, dry and sunny.
The donkey's must be enjoying it. I caught them all playing yesterday. Running around, mock fighting and just being kinda silly. The horses were watching them fascinated. It was pretty cute.

And speaking of cute, I'll leave you with this parting shot: Pogo. I'm keeping this ball safe for Stella...honest.

7 comments:

Judy said...

I love your wool top, with the unique side seams. You do such a nice job of tailoring your clothes.
The skeleton print reminded me of a photo that was in our newspaper the other day. An artist drew a skeleton with his arms around a gingerbread man, whose mouth was a large O. It made us laugh :-)
Great photo of a very comfy dog bed. Your canine friends are very blessed, aren't they?
It's been warm here too, and we were out the other day running our dogs with just light vests on. Where's the snow??

LA said...

LOVE the pirate fabric!!! What a find! And, as always, it's a good thing that Pogo is so helpful!

Cindie said...

I love that Sewing Workshop pattern - lovely!

Theresa said...

Judy,
Thank you for the compliment on tailoring. I'm getting better but still not near where I'd like to be. The critters are blessed, a blessing and a curse at times and sometimes all at once. The cartoon sounds pretty funny. And I have no clue where the snow is this year, but with a shelter half done, I'm not complaining too much either.
LA, I loved the fabric too. It's a Robert Kaufman fabric ( light decorator weight) titled Skulldullery I believe. Stella did not appreciate Pogo's helpfulness...
Cindie, I didn't like it when I first saw the pattern but the SW has an amazing gallery section on their web site and made up it is a great looking top. Those drawings can be so misleading!

ada said...

Theresa, what pattern had the 12 darts? Ada

Theresa said...

Ada,
The pattern was a Vogue Sandra Betzina V1173, and the spread of darts was: 6 on each sleeve head, 4 on the back and 8 on the front. It was rough going in the rayon/lycra but I'm thinking it would look great ( and behave better too), in a stable wool interlock/jersey.
This pattern can be used for both knits and wovens, which is why I like it. HTH. Theresa

Sharon said...

All your clothes are well tailored and nicely finished. It stuns me the volume you are able to produce, beautifully sewn in fabulous fabrics. If I could type this in green, I would.