December was sunny and dry, there was no white Christmas and our New Year's storm
didn't happen for the first time since we've been here. I got up yesterday morning and when I went out to feed, it was a touch under 50 degrees F. Our waterfall amounts for this time of year are almost 6" less than what they should be. That's a big deficit, that's a a lot of moisture to make up. That's a lot of mud. I should have asked for snow for Christmas, lots of it.
Yesterday I moved the Julia loom from the back sun room to the main living area.
There isn't enough room in the studio proper but this space works quite well.
It get so cold out there and DH hates to heat it since there is no insulation in the walls or the ceiling (house eave space above). This was meant as a porch in the original plans
and for now I'm fine with it being a 3 season room. We had to take the door off to get Julia through but that was easy enough. It's kind of fun having such a cute little red loom in our family area but please excuse the wreck of a (post holiday & football game weekend), kitchen.
The sewing machines haven't been neglected either. In fact I had two of them set up for service. One for sewing and one for just top stitching. It was a pleasure, no a luxury to have two super machines to work on. During the summer I stumbled upon a real deal on this Pfaff 1171.
It's an older mechanical machine with just enough electronics to keep me quite happy. Needle up/down, low bobbin indicator and some fancy satin stitches.
Oh and one more thing, you can fill the bobbin from the needle thread. I never had this option, but now that I do, it's my favorite for sure.
I made some cargo jeans over the holiday week.
Took a lot of time designing pockets and top stitching but I'm very pleased with them. The fabric was heavenly to work with.
A bamboo/cotton blend. The bamboo gives the denim a fabulous drape. These will get a ton of wear and as you can see by the wrinkles, had to be removed for pictures! My only regret is that there wasn't more of this fabric available, but I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for similar blends.
Also up on the sewing front is this cowl tunic.
The pattern is the same one I used for my Mom's lovely black and white one. I've done mine longer and added a bit more shaping to the back with darts. When my Mom comes to visit again ( or maybe during my visit), I'll take some measurements and note them for future patterns for her.
This rendition is from a coral wool crepe, one of my favorite colors to wear. I wanted a little relief from the field of solid coral and did a cute cotton print on the under collar.
I can have just a bit peeking out or turn the collar in and show the whole piece. I loved this print and was thrilled to find a such a perfect use for it.
Going on Hey Baby Delta is this lovely mixed skein of wools and glitz for a bed shawl.
Long, wide and simple I'll let the beautiful yarns speak for themselves. The weft will be a soft darker green Nature's Palette fingering weight Merino.
In farm news, the stalls are as done as they are going to be until spring. Front guards are up, they each have a wall mounted salt block to play with and all three have gotten use to their individual spaces. Of course the weather has been so nice, we have not opened up that little sectioned off barn/paddock area since a couple of days after Christmas.
Dennett celebrated his birthday January 1st, that would be 19. Like a candle reaching the end of the wick, he is fading. He sleeps, we cuddle, he eats well. We'll soldier on until he tells us he truly has had enough. I'm preparing myself best I can.
Stella, Robin, Pogo and Smoochie provide us with lots of comic relief. Robin is hitting that bratty 9 month old teenager stage. No doubt it will last until about 18 months. He's such a cute little rogue and finally has surpassed his big sister in size and weight. She still gets the last word though....always.
Parting shot -Stella : Little Pictures have big ears AND eyes!
12 comments:
I can sew, but you do amazing stuff that I would be totally in a panic about.
And I love your loom in the kitchen, I'd like to try that!!
Sometimes I pull my Pup into the kitchen and weave! BTW...the South has borrowed your Winter...you can have it back!!!!!
LA said it for me. You can have it back tomorrow though. I will enjoy the icy wind for today. Maybe it will finally kill the fleas.
More garment sewing is on my to do list for 2011!
Thanks for sharing the photos of your house. I think it looks so comfy, especially with seeing your canine buddies running around. What's up with the weather this year??
It's fun collecting sewing machines, isn't it? Especially when you can find a deal on a nifty older one. Filling the bobbin from the needle is a great option.
I'm looking forward to seeing your projects.
Have a great week, Theresa.
Yes, we need some moisture though I am enjoying being able to ride outdoors. We have an indoor arena where I board and I avoid it until absolutely necessary. Woody doesn't really like the discipline of dressage, much less indoors...so I try to make it as easy as possible on the old guy.
Happy Birthday to Dennett and hoping for an easy pain free year for him.
Beautiful work-I got focused on the animals though :-)
As soon as I saw your tunic, I thought of the Pantone colors for spring '12.....tangerine!! You are so fashionable, Theresa!
So far our winter has been mild...I'm not complaining, mind you. And we have had quite enough moisture with about 50" of precipitation in '11.
Love the crop of the Stella shot. I can't believe how your animals pose for the camera. Jazzy just goes all blurry on me...then again, she's cat, not a dog. They're different, you know.
I love red and red looms are the ultimate. I wanted one of those red looms the moment I saw it when it first came out!
I love my Pfaff sewing machine, one of the first "computerized" ones purchased the first year we were married, 27 years ago. I had to have the motherboard replaced a few years ago but it was worth it. My only issue with the machine is that it is the only model that doesn't have the built in dual feed. It is set up and ready to sew on. I am always inspired by your sewing projects. Where did you get the bamboo/denim fabric? Pats all round to all the pets.
Hilary,
Having the loom there has jump started some ideas for it. A good thing. Should be fun there and the red just makes me smile. Hope you are feeling better with the PT.
LA & LOTL, I'd take all your cold wet wether and then some. LA how do you like your little Pup? LOTL, we are lucky in that at this elevation not too many fleas. What's on the horizon for garments?
Judy, LOL! Well, if the lived in look equals comfort, our house is very comfortable. With 9 dogs a few are bound to be wandering around at any given time. That shot caught Dennett at the water dish, Charlotte and Bea. I need to come clean with my sewing machine collection. ;) So small, so cheap some of them...
Mary, I should be riding more, but I have a hard time with a balance between them in their heavy winter woolies and workouts on warm days. No arena so it's the mountain trails and most are pretty steep so even light riding can produce a very sweaty heated horse. I love that they have those good dense curly coats though. Maybe this spring you can trailer out for a walk about or ride Dandy the husband horse?
Valerie, Now calling me fashionable is a first! But yes, the color is close to the pantone color this year and since I do love oranges you'll be seeing a bit more of it in different shades.
Stella loves to be the center of attention, as do a few of my kids.:)
Renee, I swear, why don't more companies do colored looms. Is there some unwritten law that all wood looms must be natural colored?
I was surprised how much I liked my Pfaffs over the Bernina, but they both have the IDT. Just good strong sewing machines. So, getting ready to sew something specific in mind? The bamboo/cotton came from Fabric of Vision, I bought every last scrap and just eeked out those jeans in the 2 yards that was left. I wish like heck I could find more, they wear beautifully.
And pats to Twill too!
I love the cowl that you made for yourself and your mom. They look great. I've also fallen in love with your draped collar vest. Lucky for me, that pattern is already in the stash. I think I'm putting it on my list for next month.
Love the under collar and top stitching on those jeans....so much fiddling and measuring and eye strain but you did it! Add up all your labor and those jeans would sell for what....$400? I don't weave but if I did I'd have to have a red loom. I bought a new mannequin this year after 30 years with the older grey ones and it is red and livens up the sewing studio! Happy new year and much luck sewing on all the new things!
Aw, Stella is a photogenic as ever. I have to say that when I first read the title of your post I feared the worst! I think though, after last winter nobody minds. That Pfaff looks wonderfully complicated. Considering how professional your sewing looks, I imagine you'll put it to very good use.
Sherril, Thank you! I as surprised at how nicely this pattern goes together and how easy it is to modify. A simple well thought out and drafted pattern and makes up into a flattering garment. The only thing is the dart length and angles needed some adjustment for more mature bodies. The vest pattern has a nifty tie jacket too, which might make a nice blouse also. I like it!
Joannely, Thank you for the kudos. I'm pretty happy with both pieces and that collar ended up being a bit of a struggle with the different fabrics and then having to interface the cotton so the pattern wouldn't show through the crepe, but I love the piece and it will get a lot of wear. I won't hesitate to topstitch anything again. Time consuming yes, but the results are so worth it. Congrats on the new mannequin! Nothing like a bit of something in the red family to liven things up!
Leigh, the Pfaff is really quite straight forward. Sometimes it feels like running a blender with those push buttons!
I am still amazed at how photogenic Stella is. And oh how she loves to be the subject.
As to winter, we really need the water up here or it's going to be a vicious fire season.
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