Winter came and it conquered with some pretty decent snowfall amounts, about 14 new inches on top of our 10-12 we had before the day and night of downpour. This shot was taken at the start of our big snowfall. It was all welcome and did help with our 5 inch waterfall deficit. We still have a lot of catch up to do. The dogs had a marvelous time. To them it must be magic that those pee spots get "refreshed" every night. HA!
With snow also comes the general knowledge that everything outside takes longer, be it a drive to town or refilling water tanks. Hoses must be hung back up carefully, snow paths need to be broken, trudging around is slower etc. And then there was the completely lost NFL playoff Sunday. Congratulations Patriots! I will admit to not watching the last 1.12 minutes of the game. I was sure it was going to be tied and go into over time or worse, end with a Raven touchdown. When I switched back,
I was pleasantly surprised of course. The Ravens gave that one away. And congrats to the Giants, who fought for every single point against the 49'ers. It was a great game, well played by two teams that were evenly matched. I didn't have the vested interest in this one and enjoyed every minute of it.
The prayer flag warp is just about at it's end. I think I can eek about 4 more flags out. I leave a good amount of space for fringe with these little flags so it does eat up warp. I figure I should get about 15 flags. The green wool warp is ready for winding on and threading. I'll use 4 shafts in plain weave, although for some interest I will probably double or triple up threads every 3 inches or so and try to get a little textural windowpane effect in the weaving. We'll see.
I finished off the new McCalls pattern and while I loved certain aspects of it, I truly disliked others. They have you mark everything with circles, squares and triangles. Really, I can match sleeves and cuffs quite well with just a couple of clips and maybe a dot.
The collar, that big collar with the large neck opening is set on a stand. Let me tell you, it was a bugger to get in neatly. It is on the outside, that inside facing is ugly though and the next time I make this, I'll make the collar a bit wider and set it right into the neck and face the inside with grosgrain ribbon or something. The last gripe is the sleeve construction. The top yoke/sleeve is wonderful and the lower sleeve piece fits well, but then it is not really set into an armhole but created by sewing up the side seam into the sleeve seam.
It's just not the nicest construction style for a blouse IMHO. It's okay but not great. I wanted great from this pattern especially since it uses a whopping 3.5 yards. I do love the mushroom fabric, enough that I bought more for later since my hefty stash of it was eaten up on this one garment.
The quilt top has been pieced and is ready for batting and backing.
I haven't yet decided on what type of batting I want to use. Maybe a light wool. I also need to get a binding fabric. I wanted it pieced before I decided on that. It's pretty cute and those squares were quite easy and fun. A nice re-entry into quilting.
I've been reading up on linings and honestly, I am disappointed in what I'm finding in my general sewing books. I have an unlined coat pattern that I want to do but need to line my fabric choice for it.
If I want to bag a lining from edge to edge, a fair amount of good basic instruction. If I want to tailor a men's jacket by hand with linings, interlinings and all sorts of stuff, I can find that too, but for a mostly bagged lining with prominent facings, not so much. I realize how this is probably done but some detailed explanations would be handy to have. I think my old Time-Life The Art of Sewing: Basic Tailoring has the closest information and maybe a peek at some of my coat/jacket patterns with linings may have what I'm looking for in the way of concise steps. We'll see.
Parting shot: Stella, keeping Timmy close on a cold winters day. ;)
For those that may have missed it, "Timmy" is the name of her ball(s). As in , "Go find Timmy, Stella!" Or "Is Timmy lost?" or "Hand Timmy over to me." This one rarely works unless she is absolutely sure you are going to toss...Timmy.
13 comments:
You have certainly been cranking out the sewing projects!! Your wardrobe must surely be complete by now?
Wait..."go find Timmy"..as in Lassie? Too funny!
"What? Timmy's in the well?" LOL And, I'm sure that Stella is up for the job! Lots of sewing going on while it has been snowing outside.
Oh no, Timmy is in the well - run, Stella, run. Love Stella's sweater, she looks nice and comfy.
Oh my you could hear the angst in Stella's bark where you all are if Timmy was in the well. Of course lost in the deep snow is almost as bad. Love is going out in a snow storm and "helping" with the rescue operations.:)
Valerie, one can never have too many tops, especially
around here where paw prints and staining slobber abound. Not too mention I often forget to wear my nice protective apron when cooking....
Thistle Rose, Stella loves that little sweater and I need to copy it for a more manly version for Robin, Peter and Jack.
haha, "Timmy" is in the well? Stella is certainly guarding her Timmy carefully in the photo.
The mushroom blouse is very pretty, and the workmanship is lovely. Are you saying the instructions had you sew the sleeve in flat? I though that technique was for knits?
Congrats on the snowfall! I bet you have a wonderful view out of your windows right now. I like your quilt and the thought of a wool batting. That would be really warm.
A couple of thoughts...I saw wool batting at a big box fabric store the other day! Who would have thought that would ever happen. I think I would go with wool. It is light weight, warm and breathable.
My other thought is about the coat lining. It seems to me that there is a whole lot of sewing knowledge missing in the publications out these days. For instance, a stand collar is great looking but not very common and the pattern explanations are either lacking or convoluted. Someone needs to write a new sewing book for people who are willing and interested in trying to go beyond "make it quick" but make it interesting and current!
And, I love mushroom fabric. Dont get me started on fabric, or the lack of fresh local fabric stores to be precise.
Such a lovely winter wonderland you have there. Perfect weather to weave and sew, challenging weather to take care of outdoors and critters. Stay warm!
Mary, the top of the sleeve is made the moment you attach the back yoke piece since it is all one piece. Then the fronts, then the back half of the sleeve. To close it up you sew up the sides and sleeve all in one long seam. Ive seen the technique used on blouses but usually they have a clear arm hole/sleeve. I'll try to get a pic up on my next posting.
Judy, the snowfall is quickly going down. Rain overnight and warmer temps due the rest of this week. I like a nice wool batting and with just a little care is as lasting as cotton and much nicer to quilt.
LOTL, You are right of course. There is very little out there for the intermediate level sewist. Lots of couture techniques and lots of beginner, but not much with RTW techniques. Really, I don't see big ugly facings in many ready to wear garments and those that I do see are not handled like the pattern companies do. I like doing collar stands, but this one was not the usual button down type collar, that is a very large neck opening and a very wide collar meant to fold over. It was a bad match construction wise.
I am blessed with a fab fabric store and a fab yarn shop!
How funny Stella knows the "name" of her ball. Snow, not so funny. Shirt and quilt, lovely! Interesting about the lining. Hopefully you can figure out what you want.
I think Stella has the right idea... snuggled with her favourite toy under the blankets and away from the snow.
The quilt is coming along nicely.
I bet the dogs think its for them with the puppy print fabric.
Have a great weekend.
Susan x
Even if you have only a little mushroom fabric left, it can be used on a solid blouse(cuffs, collar, yoke) or as pockets later. It looks like a great neutral and will blend with tans and ivory, no? Love the snow photo and the cozy dog shot!
Apparently winter chose you over us. Enjoy our snow. I'm amazed at easily you create finished complex garments. You - one a day. Me - one a month or more.
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