Back in Black

If you are of a certain era, that may leave you with an earworm...... ;)

Really, I'm referring to a closet staple; black pants. In fact a particular pair of black pants that might have been a little responsible for me taking up machine and patterns to restart my sewing journey.



 Years ago (like about 11), I bought a pair of black linen FLAX pants. I love those pants. If there was a fire I might try to save them type love. I am sure everyone has an article of clothing they feel that way about. And it is wonderful to be able to duplicate them. I thank Liesl every time I make pants from this super pattern she made using my old pair. They now have a twin.



I promised finished pics of the floral skulls top and here they are.



 The pockets probably took the longest to match.



 I lined them with scraps of bright orange linen and used the bright yellow linen scraps for a band between the bodice and skirt portion.



 This is again a version using the Scout Tee pattern as a jumping off point. I still have some more ideas for using this pattern but need to get more pattern paper for drafting before those ideas take flight.

There was just enough full width embroidered linen to eek out a top. I had to piece the embroidery onto the sleeves.



 I couldn't resist wanting something to wear out of this lovely fabric. I still have plenty of the plain white portion for pillowcases and will pair them with another linen for hems.

There are two new patterns cut out in fabric waiting their turn. The skull top used black thread and while it was set up in that color I decided to do the pants. Today I'll spend some time with Big Sal and a Sandra Betzina pattern.

Monday Bob looked like this and the roads were a slippery mess.



 Gene opted to wait until yesterday before hauling him down for the spa treatment. I don't know about any other areas but there seems to be a shortage of folks who work on farm equipment around here. Part of it I'm sure has been the economy the last few years. A lot of dealerships have closed their doors and while organic and small farms are plentiful around here, finding someone to work on a well aged Case/IH tractor has not been a walk in the park.

And while we are still visiting black, here is my much loved saddle, all cleaned and conditioned.



 If the Zilco bridle was a good purchase, this Tucker saddle was a great one. Like most horse owners, I have done my fair share of saddle changing. Some fit me and not the horse, some the other way around. I've been through Thornhill, Wintec and Schhumacher. Actually we both loved the Schumacher and I wish to this day I had kept it, but it provided the funds for a secure saddle for Gene to ride in. This saddle has been with me now for 10 plus years and has been a comfortable and safe ride for both of us through many, many mountain miles.



 It fits Dandy just as well as Cooper so when Gene needed a saddle I added a second Tucker. Cooper is short backed, has a good wither and a very round barrel. He needs a saddle with a good wide center channel and a fair amount of rock in it. The Tucker fit him like a glove. Dandy is close in form but with a longer back. We were lucky that we found a saddle that fit both horses well. No shims, no cruppers or breast collars just girth and go. I'm looking forward to spring that's for sure.

Parting shot: Robin "Chunk" Russell.

The Wearing of the Green

Okay, everybody gets be a little Irish today. Myself, I come by a bit of the Irish on my mother's side. And why not celebrate a culture and people that gave us chemistry, modern tractors, flavored potato chips and Guinness stout?  To Ireland and it's patron saint Patrick I raise a glass (or two)! I will however not drink green beer. Been there, done that and it wasn't pretty.

So, in my sober moments, which is just about all of them, I started in on threading Big Sal.



 I am much further along than these pictures show, actually about half way done. The loom is comfortable and easy to thread. Put a regular dining chair in there and thread away.



 It did seem awkward at first getting to those back harnesses, but a rhythm came quickly. Bonus, there is no front overhead support structure so when you stand up, you won't hit your head.

I promised a look at a new pattern.



 This linen top/jacket is the Phantom from Sew Chic, a nice little indie pattern company based in Oregon. I used a lightweight sky blue linen, not my usual color choice but the price was right and linen is probably my favorite fabric both to work with and wear.



 The sizing is spot on, the construction straight forward.



 I made one change and that was opting not to make the turned back cuffs. I just don't like them. The second was to grade a little bit more room in the sleeve. I dislike a tight sleeve especially on my forearms. A very comfortable and fun top.

Now, put on your sunglasses, because I don't do florals often but when I do, it's usually bright.
This one is in progress and it's an Alexander Henry cotton print. Okay, so I got some skulls in there too. And birds!



 Not for the shy. I like bold colors and I like patterns that will hide the trials of daily living. This fits the bill. A note on the fabric. This is cotton but truly a step up from quilting cotton. The finish is smooth and well woven, Henry cottons wear like iron and do not suffer from the limp loose weave that many quilting cottons offer. The come out of the dryer with good body, not too many wrinkles and hold their color very well. If you like wild prints Alexander Henry no doubt has something for you. The finished top is on Rhonda, paired with leggings and awaiting it's final photos. Next post.

March is a fickle month here. Yesterday it was so warm and sunny and dry, I took my main steed Cooper out for a spin on the training trail. He's going to be 18 this year. We've been together a long time now and I am always amazed that I can let him sit for months on end and one day knock the mud off, tack him up and have the same horse that I left months ago. The month may fickle but the horse is not. I untacked him up at the house and left saddle, bridle and blanket for a much needed cleaning. The Toklat Woolback pad cleaned up well as did the Zilco trail bridle. In fact it was one of my best purchases way back when. A quick wash and rinse and it looks brand new after 12 years of use. My girth is getting a bit worn looking but still perfectly fine integrity wise. The saddle will get a thorough cleaning and conditioning today or tomorrow.

Dead Bob the tractor is finally on a trailer and heading down for his spa treatment tomorrow.



 It was quite the job getting a non starting tractor on a flatbed with the front bucket down. I avoided Gene for the duration of Saturday afternoon while he struggled with this problem. I would have added nothing to the conversation he and Bob had.....

Over the weekend I did get some time in the garden weeding. A few things are even flowering, the hellebore



and phlox are happy campers.



 bee balm is growing nicely,



 and many other things beginning to set bud and grow including grass and weeds.



 It looks like a conservative 75% of what I planted made it, likely more....

Parting shot: I see you! The garden watch cat.

My Own Funky Cosmos

PATTERN UPDATE 3/13: V8626 is spoken for. Laura e-mail me your addy please
S2560 is spoken for. Cindie I will hold it until we can meet up. Majorsue, V8772 and S2808 is set aside for you but I will need you to e-mail me with an address also! And ladies, I don't care who takes what, so if you are being shy and want a couple of more that's fine with me. Just let me know.

***********************************************************************************
Geezum! A week and a half just passed by at warp speed. Just what happened to all that time? Was it a big black hole I was in?  Maybe not but it sure seemed busy and the time change only added to things. I really, really dislike losing an hour of my day right from the get go.

Last week Charlotte had her turn in the vets office for some much needed dental work. The little shadow has officially reached ancient status at 15 and along with being bestowed a title she also lost some teeth. It's all about give and take here. ;) I dropped her off in the morning and Gene came home with the groggy bundle late in the afternoon. She bounced back pretty quickly considering age and the number of teeth that had to go. Yesterday was her last on antibiotics. And as I pointed out to Gene, between her and Peter
our disposable income for this month and next has been pretty much disposed of!

Big Sal is ready for threading. I ended up putting all the heddle bundles on but one that was such a glommed up mess I chucked it. At some point I will have to buy additional heddles, but it's unnecessary for what we're doing now.

I auditioned some new patterns up in the sewing room. The first is Sew Liberated Schoolhouse Tunic. This is not a new pattern, it's been out for a few years but I had never given it a go. I'm so happy I did. The only adjustment needed was a bit added to the mid back yoke for broad shoulders and of course, pockets on one of the versions I made up. The first run through I used some pretty floral cotton gauze's.





These have been in stash for a year waiting for the right project. The fabric is too delicate for pockets. I could see straining and ripping the fabric even with reinforcement under heavy use so left them off.

The second rendition I used a heavier weight Japanese cotton.





 It isn't quite decorator weight, but certainly heavier than most quilting cotton. Nice season spanning weight, good drape and beautiful eggplant color.



The pattern worked well with this print. I have two more new ones hitting the sewing table and those will be in the next post.

A much needed pair of brown pants.



 I wear a lot of earthy colors and while black is a staple in most folks wardrobe, brown is a workhorse in mine. These were made from Sewing Workshops Trio pant, which I've modified over the years. I often use this pattern when I want cargo type pants, but on this pair I just did some nice long front pockets and left it at that. One of my birthday presents was a gift certificate to Fabric of Vision and with that I splurged on some silk fabric. I love silk but am not fond of sewing it. I kept the pattern simple and timeless with a loose flowy A line shaped tee. Easy to make up and even easier to wear.



The rain was awful last week, but after Monday's downpour it looks like a clear, sunny week for Southern Oregon. The farrier is coming today and I'm hoping to get in the garden and do some weeding. Our warm winter hasn't done me any favors that way. Grass has popped up in many areas and it all has to be weeded out. It's hard too because I am unsure at this early stage if I'm not weeding out some things I want there.
The 50 odd bulbs I planted are coming along nicely too, early though...it's all very early this year.

Lastly, I purged a bunch of patterns. If anyone is interested in any of them, let me know, I'll mail it to you.
Otherwise these are going to Goodwill next week. Sizes run from about 14 up to 22 on some. These are all unused/uncut.





Parting shot: Mother Stella cleaning the masses. She is actually pulling on Rodgers skin with her front teeth. If he ends up with a bald spot (a very clean bald spot no doubt!), I'll know why....

Make it Pretty

It is always so much fun to put a fresh set of sheets on the bed. Often times I reserve a set that was line dried way back when we had sunny crisp days, but this time I had a pretty new linen sheet instead.
There was a fair amount of straight sewing with this.



 The natural piece of linen was not wide enough as woven to cover a king sized bed, so like the previous home sewn top sheet I made, the length was cut in half, the middle sewn with a lapped seam and the selvage edges left as is. Rather than giving it a deep top hem, I lapped seamed a linen border embroidery fabric onto the top to give a pretty and deep fold over. This wouldn't work with a bottom sheet, who would want seams, but for a top sheet I think it is an acceptable solution.



 The match between the new top sheet natural and the bottom sheet color is a little different, but who cares? Slipping into cool and soft linen sheets each night is pretty decadent, no matter what color they are.

Two quick tops rounded out the busy week. The mermaid print and red oxford came together as another spring top. Red, white and blue together is not a palette I usually use, but this one is light hearted enough and works with jeans nicely so why not!



I also cut into the brown/grey oxford, adapting my Scout tee again to have a curved empire seam and uneven hem for this long tunic.



 My Brother sewing/embroidery machine was feeling neglected so I got him out and working. It has been awhile and I was a little rusty with the procedures but after a couple of false starts everything was working smoothly.



 Note to self, the bobbin can be a little particular on this machine!

Birthdays celebrations (mine) rounded out the weekend along with finally figuring out a good quick way to get the extra heddles on Big Sal. I am sure it's no secret to those who own this loom but it required a little thought on my part on how to best get past cables and chains to be able to slip these on without taking the harness out. 16 and 15 are done but I still need to add heddles to a few more while I'm at it.

The horses are blowing their winter coats. Cooper has a hair halo around him and every time I go out there I grab the shedding blade for a bit of grooming. I can tell where each of them has had a nap that's for sure. It's like a crime scene outlined in hair. Lots and lots of hair.....

The goats have not started shedding as far as I can tell but no doubt, it will start soon.. The foxes are still making their almost nightly visits and Saturday we saw 16 turkeys strutting and pecking in our back yard.
It's been a while since they were last sighted. The lame hen lives on. The weather has not been great for riding. It's been warm enough but pretty wet and the ground is mud. Slick and deep and surprisingly dangerous. We'll wait for the dry out and then complain about fire season like always! ;)

Parting shot: Sharing warmth and companionship. Robin, Peter and Pogo

Navigating New Equipment

I don't know about anyone else, but I am slow, clumsy and rather inept when I have to learn or change a way of doing something. It applies to learning a new technique to improve my riding, sewing a different way and yes, learning a new loom. Big Sal is a big challenge for me, not that I'm not up to challenges, but with new steps come new things you have to look at in the process. I completely ignored the fact that she has most of her heddles on shafts one through eight, leaving nine through twelve with a decent amount for what I planned and woefully lacking on shafts thirteen through sixteen.



 So before I thread, I am going to learn to put heddles on shafts. Oh joy! Let's learn everything right away!

I would also like to point out that there is something new on her. Big Sal and I received an early birthday gift. A plain beam and the appropriate tension arm.


The apron that goes with this beam is hanging above it.



 Now it won't make one whit of difference on this warp, but it will mean next warp I can at least wind on as I usually do. It also opens the door for supplemental warps. How cool! I'm also getting a helping hand sometime next month from a long time weaver who uses an AVL and does nothing but warp sectionally, so there is hope for some proficiency in the future no matter what method is chosen. I am so excited and you can count on some more information about it as we get to it.

Besides spending most of the weekend in bed napping with 7 of my closest friends, some sewing was eeked out. I used a wonderful springy green Brussels Washer fabric (cotton/linen blend) for another of the pleated front tunics.




 I raised the front seam a bit more, accentuated the curve up to the side seam and lengthened the hem to just below the knee. This fabric has the drape of linen and hangs beautifully. Some pick stitched grosgrain ribbon adds just a little whimsy.



The pockets almost always seem to take as long as the garment itself. Lining and correct placement both on the tunic and to each other, but at least for me, I got to have pockets. Tops feel incomplete without at least one and with a weighty fabric, just one will make the garment feel lopsided when wearing.

Just had to share the logo on this sweatshirt that was waiting for me when I arrived in MA. It has become my favorite around the house shirt BTW. I don't know where my Dad got it, but Gene offered me good money for it. No way!

My cold is almost gone and I really can't complain. It never truly moved to become a chest cold but it certainly stuffed me up for a few days. Peter did get a round trip to the vet Saturday morning, some special canned food, a blend of liquid stuff that he hates and a thorough blood panel done all indicate that this is just a tummy thing and nothing worse. But watchful we remain. He is improving slowly. With age this seems to be the case, human or canine!

Parting shot: Alert! Alert! Contraband (nylabone) on the bed. Stella knows it is not supposed to be there.

Pet Piranha

No, not a new addition to the family. "Pet Piranha" is the name of some totally fun fabric I bought Tuesday and just had to work into a top of some sort. I took my faithful Grainline Scout Tee pattern and did some modifications traced onto pattern paper.



 Longer wider sleeves, an above the waist seam front (gently curved) and back (straight), a front center pleat



 and some deep pockets and I had a completely different tunic. I liked the modifications so much I'm sure I will be using it again. And I love this fun print.

I also promised some pics of the other new fabrics that hopped into my bag. There is a lovely embroidered linen.



The stitched and scalloped border will grace the top of a linen sheet I am making. Should be a beautiful fold over detail. It was wide fabric and the plain white section left will become a couple of linen pillow cases. Even without a scalloped border linen cases are a treat to sleep on.

Some nautical print paired with a red oxford cloth.



 I just love that mermaid!



A plain grey/brown cross weave oxford cloth also found a home in my stash. A great neutral for me in this darker tone. There was some beautiful beige tones but it does nothing for me when I wear it, so the darker was the clear choice.



 In Salem MA I picked up a few yards each of a wonderful pick stitched grosgrain ribbon at a fun little yarn store named "Seed Stitch".

 I spent a few hours one day getting out of the house and doing some shopping in Salem. It gets a little touristy with all the witch stuff ( an understatement), but there are some gems there. A lovely bead store and a custom perfumer top my list of neat places. I spent quite a bit of time at Aroma Sanctum finding just the right scents. Her creations are all natural oils with no alcohol or chemicals. A boon for someone like me who reduces everything down to just an alcohol scent. I walked out with 3 different fragrances, all which can work with each other or stand alone. Beautiful web site so worth a peek.

Peter and I are both a bit under the weather. He has a bit of an upset digestive tract and is on rice and chicken bits for the time being and I have a head cold and am on Kleenex and chicken soup. Today I need to remove the beater and breast beam from Big Sal and get her ready to thread. There is also a special addition to her which arrived Wednesday as an early birthday gift from my Dad. I need to unbox and make some room. Pictures coming on that for sure.

No doubt while I sew and work in the loom room I'll be listening to the Olympics. The USA/Canadian Men's hockey game is today and no matter what I'm doing I'll stop and watch that. Go USA!

Parting shot: Smoochie, happy to be hanging out with Mom again.

Weather Delays

Cripes, with the storms marching over the Northeast it seemed like I would never get back to Oregon, but I did Monday afternoon. My original flight had been scheduled for Friday, Valentines Day, but storm Pax left the eastern part of the country in quite a mess, as I'm sure some of you know! My flight was so delayed connecting flights out of San Francisco were almost impossible. Believe me it was no hardship to have to spend another few days with my folks. I felt sorry for all those people waiting in airports and hotel rooms that's for sure. I even saw some of them in line on Monday, finally getting out of Boston to where they needed to go.

Yesterday I did a quick clean sweep of the house, putting things in order and headed to town for some much needed supplies, which included fabric of course! Lots of fun new fabrics came in while I was away
and next post I'll include some pics. Who knows, I might have even transformed a few into something. :)

While in New England I helped my Dad put on a 12 yard warp for some fine cottolin towels and of course, Mom and I did a little shopping here and there. As always, I was treated to many seafood delights  but the Ipswich clams were the standout this trip. And of course, a brace of lobsters. Some mink fur yarn came home with me and a few yards of pretty grosgrain ribbon. Pictures coming.

Since this is a picture less post I'll keep it short, and use the time getting some pics taken!
Horses, goats, cats and dogs all weathered my absence just fine, and everyone had a special greeting for me when I got back.

Parting shot: Okay, maybe someone was a bit miffed I had been gone so long.