Tickled Pink

Big Sal is officially weaving!



 Now I know the weaver's among you are going to cringe at the tension problems with this warp, but that is easily fixed by cutting the practice section off and re-tensioning the warp.



 Frankly, I had no clue how that sandpaper breast beam worked so I was happy when the threads did indeed stick to that thing like glue. Impressive! The hard things to fix check out, the pegging and the threading. I've had my share of learning mishaps. Caught a harness with the fly shuttle rope, sent the shuttle out of the gate twice, missed some passes etc. Sal seems to be a pretty easy gal to get along with and is being a very good sport while I build up the proper hand/eye/foot coordination that is needed for working a dobby loom with a fly shuttle.



 I can't say I love this pink warp, I don't, but it makes it easy to experiment with no worries about wasting precious yarn.

But wait, there is  more pinkness to come! I have a number of Japanese pattern books.



Love some of the simple styles but these are really for the Asian market and are just being released in English. That means the sizing is for a much smaller stature. An XL in this book is a 36" bust and that certainly isn't going to fit me. I really wanted a raglan sleeve T type pattern in wovens, so it was time to hit the drafting table.



It didn't need as much as I thought and lets face it, it is an extremely simple pattern. The neck came out just a little too wide on this first version, so I took some creative liberties and did a couple of pleats, one front, one back.





 That in turn provided an opportunity to use what little bit was left of Stella's cute strawberry bandanna fabric. Now I know this version is bordering on the "twee" factor.



 It was meant as a muslin and I certainly wasn't ever going to do the little sleeve ties, but for in the garden, on the horse and general summer wear this is a great top.

The second version is Plain Jane by comparison.



 Along with the raspberry stripe, I've had this pretty soft woven plaid in stash for over a year. No frills just a couple of pockets. The sizing has been corrected but truth be told, I like the options the over sized one provides for pleating or pin tucks. I will likely use that draft in the future. I was also surprised that this beautiful shade of soft green does NOTHING for me. It does have a fair amount of tan/beige tones but I didn't think it was going to wash me out like it does. Again, made for daily summer wear so not critical. The dogs and horses have never commented on what I wear and DH knows better.

We're not done with pink yet though....Some cute new Japanese cottons arrived at Fabric of Vision and one caught my eye. I couldn't see myself in an all over garment of this, but maybe just a little.



 Cut me a yard and a half please! The Sew Liberated Schoolhouse Tunic provided just the right balance of pink and brown.




(the one large center pleat has been modified to more flattering side pleats).

 I love these retro combinations. Brown and aqua was another favorite. My old living room curtains again to the rescue with their lovely dark espresso color. Just right for this over the top print. Add a little leftover pink linen for a lining and we're good to go. When I was done I was picking up the scraps and noticed the printing on the selvage. I just had to use that cute portion with the sewing machine on it. Had to!



Yesterday I made it out to the garden finally to do some weeding. The weather has been pretty crappy but we need the rain. Simple as that. This week spring temps return along with sunshine. It might even be warm enough to wash a couple of scruffy looking horses! We'll see.

Parting shot: A troublesome foursome for sure!

Stella,(green Timmy), Jack, Pogo and Robin