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Happy Hallowe'en!
Monday, October 31, 2005
The Alice in Wonderland Dress turned out so nicely that the Sprout even wore it to a non-costume party. (The women in our family don't mind being a little *different* when an occasion arises--hee hee!) She wore the outfit with some white tights. I think she had some black Mary Janes too, but I never actually saw her all dressed up.
There wasn't enough fabric to cut the front skirt on the fold, so there is a seam center front. With all the gathers, not to mention the pinafore, you certainly don't notice it. There's a seam center back for the zipper, of course. I usually have some trouble with long zippers in the backs of dresses, and this was no exception. Finally I went back to the original way that good ole Mom taught me--a lapped method with no pins--and got it to go in quite presentably. Yay!
My PMB adventures with this costume follow, if you want to see that stuff...
- Garment Type= Dress
- Style= Classic Bodice
- Closure= Back Zipper
- Front Neckline= Jewel
- Back Neckline= Jewel
- Yoke= No Yoke
- Waistline Style= Darts
- Upper Back Dart= Shoulder
- Bodice Length= Waist Length
- Front Neckline Depth= 0.25
- Back Neckline Depth= 0.25
- Neckline Width= 0.25
- Neckline Point= 0
- Armhole Depth= 0
- Dart Override=0
- Side/Waist Point=-0.5
- Side/Arm Point=-0.5
- Side/Hip Point=-0.5
- Shoulder Pad=0
- Finished Length= 43
- Blousing= 0
- Upper Front Dart Length=1
- Upper Back Dart Length=3
- Lower Front Dart Length=3
- Lower Back Dart Length=3
- Back Shoulder Dart Length=3
- Sleeve Style= Gathered
- Front Waist Darts= 2
- Back Waist Darts= 2
- Hemline Sweep= Flared
- Skirt Gathers= 3.5
- Flare= 7
- Sleeve Style= Puff
- Sleeve Cap Ease= 0
- Sleeve Length=11
- Sleeve Hem Circumference=14
- Sleeve Gathers= 2
- Sleeve Cuff= Barrel
- Sleeve Cuff Width= 1
- Sleeve Cuff Length=12.5
- Front Armhole Shape Up=0.8 Clicks
- Front Armhole Shape Right=-0.2 Clicks
- Back Armhole Shape Up=0.6 Clicks
- Collar Style= Peter Pan
- Collar Width=3
- Chest Ease= 2
- Waist Ease= 1
- Hip Ease= 2
- Seam Allowance= 0.625
- Hem Allowance= 1.5
- Facing Width= 2.5
- The sleeve drafted wonky, so I straightened it a bit
- Added .75 inches to center back seam to facility zipper insertion
The dress was too long by about 4 inches. I don't know why I drafted it so long. Fortunately, it is easier to cut off excess than to add back. I also cut the sleeves off to about 6 inches. I knew they were too long, but I wanted to see them on her before I decided how much.
I lowered the neckline by an additional 1/4 inch requiring a little stretch when applying the collar. This made the collar a little "fluttery", but I heard no complaints. To finish the neck, I used bias binding rather than facings--not the best treatment for this style collar, but fine for a costume.
The pinafore is Simplicity 9143, which I've made before. I cut the size Medium exactly by the pattern, except for the sashes, which I cut 6 inches wide at the Sprout's request. Instead of binding the edges, as specified in the pattern, I finished the edges, turned and topstitched. In retrospect, this could have been a tiny bit shorter, but it is fine.
Home Again, Home Again
Friday, October 28, 2005
It was a beautiful day yesterday for my drive home. (I know I said I flew, but you don't necessarily have to use an airplane.) The Fire Ant Express is along Hwy 41 in Ashburn Georgia.
Cotton was being harvested everywhere along the way. The fields that hadn't been harvested yet were white with it. It sure brings back memories. No, I never picked any, but Mama always says that looking at it makes her back hurt.
:->
South bound
Monday, October 24, 2005
I'll be scarce here this week as I've flown south for a few days and there's only dial-up here. When I get back I'll have some pics of the Sprout's costume and my Rosa doll. I had planned to show you the costume today, but the camera battery died, and then there was the mamogram appointment....
What *does* Beth Need?
Friday, October 21, 2005
meme (n) A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.
Have you see this around the 'net? Google for "your name needs" and see what turns up.
Beth needs your vote at Foxsports.com!
Beth needs a first-floor bedroom
Beth needs to set aside money for taxes.
Beth needs a permit.
Beth needs to look within at what she is believing about her weight
Beth needs to get real
Beth needs help making good choices.
Beth needs to feel safe and powerful.
Beth needs to rediscover what made us fall in love with her in the first place.
Beth needs to raise $5000.
Beth needs to loan her some balls.
Beth needs to put her money where her mouth is and start backing it up with fact.
Beth needs all new clothes, and she needs them in smaller sizes.
Beth needs to get out more.
Progress: The Sprout's costume is sewn together and ready for the first fitting today. Unless it is too tight, the dress proper is done but for cuffs, collar, and hem.
Thumbs' night off
Thursday, October 20, 2005
While my thumbs are on vacation, I'm working on some other languishing projects. Primarily there is the Sprout's Halloween costume. She'll be masquerading as Alice in Wonderland.
We worked on a fitting shell a couple of weeks ago and I've printed the pattern and bought the fabric. Last night I glued the pattern together and plan to cut and sew this weekend. It should be a simple dress to make. For the pinafore I plan to use an apron pattern that I've used a lot. The pattern is Simplicity 9143.
The other projects are Maria's Empire costume and my Rosa doll for the ClothDollMaking Challenge. Maria's dress is drafted and the pattern paper is cut. I've got fabric for that, too. Rosa's body is sewn and her torso is stuffed as of last night. She's a curvy lass. If I'm ever home in daylight, I'll get a photograph of her.
Resting
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
In the 80s I used to do an aerobics program every morning. I don't remember what it was called, but the instructor always said "Resting is rusting."
Not!
If you don't take time to rest and recharge, your thumbs will fall off.
Mine are saying they will, anyway. I'm giving my thumbs the rest of the week off. No knitting before Sunday. (That doesn't preclude a litte work on a certain Hallowe'en costume that somebody keeps reminding me of, however.)
It's hard to pass on the knitting for a few days because I just got two great kits for wristers, or cuffs, from EarthFaire.com. I got the Periwinkle/Amethyst kit for Knitty's Mary Ella and the Elf Moon Bracelet kit. Since I found my 4-oughts the other night, I'm ready to cast on right away!
Emotionally prepared, anyway.
Both these projects require bead stringing before you can start the knitting. I don't know if my thumbs will allow that, but we'll see. Perhaps if I soothe them with a nice warm paraffin bath. Ooohhhh! Sounds good!
Diamond Lace Bookmark
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Why would you want to knit a bookmark?
I can think of a few reasons: a fast gift, to use up a small amount of yarn, to practice a stitch for a larger project, or simply for the pleasure of it. I will be making more.
I've yet to decide about the tassel. That seems like overkill, and since I'm thinking I'll gift this to the DH, no tassel would be needed. (DH, I don't expect that you'll read this, but just in case be sure to act surprised!)
This was a fast little knit, if you don't count three false starts. That seems to be my method--knit 8 rows, start over, knit 20 rows, start over, knit 40 rows, start over, make the thing.
The first three times I was disastisfied with one thing or another. First, I didn't like my cast-on. Next, I didn't like my edge and tried a method I read on a list. Third, I didn't like that and tried another. The fourth time I used the standard "knit the last stitch and slip the first as if to purl", which is almost always satisfactory.
The fourth try was completed in a few brief sittings in less than 24 hours: TV Sunday night, orthodontist waiting, lunch, dentist waiting, haircut waiting.
If you check out the pattern on Sivia Harding's website, you'll notice that I added a pattern repeat. That was to make enough length for DH's large Bible. I also used larger needles because I couldn't find my "4-oughts". I don't know what size they were. They didn't fit any of the holes on the needle gauge next to the couch, but I know they were smaller than 1 and larger than 0000. The yarn is a bit more of the Kroy sock stuff from the Travelling Vines Scarf.
The pattern would make a lovely scarf in some fatter yarn.
Advent/Easter Banner
Monday, October 17, 2005
Saturday was a day for working very hard. ;-) If you call toiling away at something that you love to do "work"
Our UMW (United Methodist Women) circle has worked for an entire year on this Advent Banner. I don't know what we were thinking when we started this thing last September. No way were we going to finish by Advent. About Easter, we realized that if we made the message double-sided, it could double as an Easter banner.
After the group work was done, it fell to me to finish up the details. Back in July when I first tried finishing the message panels, I accidentally cut a few extra inches off one of them. Disgusted with myself, I left the thing in the spare room until now.
As it turns out I would have had to cut off that bit anyway, and my inner engineer got quite a workout. I turned under a hem on the sides and decided on fringe for the bottoms of the pieces. Then I had to work out the header. The message banners had to be fastened to the header in such a way that they could be turned to suit the season. I settled on sewing wide grosgrain across the top and looping a more narrow ribbon across to fasten to 3 buttons on each side.
I tried to hang it up to photograph it, but there was nothing in my house high enough that would support the weight. (Well, I could have anchored it to the deck railing, but the cat would have immediately lay down on it.) The finished banner is *huge*--5'2"x7'4.5". I seriously doubt that it will fit on our standard banner poles at church. Hanging it won't be up to me, though ...
... I hope.
Saturday: Home alone
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Green Dud
Friday, October 14, 2005
The green shirt, which was to be a companion for the J@va vest, was completed last evening. The J@va vest, who is made of quality stuff and is something of a snob, rejected it resoundingly.
When I bought the fabric, I liked the green color and the fabric was the only one I could find locally that matched the vest. The extra high mandarin collar actually does work nicely with the vest, but the color just won't do. It's not enough contrast, or something. The only garment in my closet that works with the vest in any way is my red tee, and it is too closely fitted.
Perhaps you haven't seen the J@va vest? It's here. I made it last year, copying a designer pattern that has a reputation for fitting no one--especially not a bony person like me.
So now I've got this tacky green shirt, whose cheap broadcloth fabric smacks of polyester, hanging around my closet. I'm wearing it today, and it is fairly comfortable--except for the crackling sound when I move my arms.
I'll let the DH wash it a few times to see if I like it any better. It's got pretty buttons on it, so they may go into the jar and the shirt into the bin.
Call it experience.
Diamond Lace Bookmark
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Hooked. Obsessed. That's me. At least until something else comes across my radar. Flush with the success of my Traveling Vines Scarf, I wanted to immediately begin another lace project.
Since I want to use the remainder of the Kroy Sock Yarn, a small project is a must. I settled on a little bookmark that I found on Sivia Harding's website. I'm incorporating some of the lace knitting tips that I found here. Primarily, I started writing down information about the project in a notebook, and am learning to use "lifelines".
The first thing I've learned is DON'T run the lifeline through your stitch markers. (Why? The markers must move up and the lifeline must not.) The second thing is that an orthodontics victim--uh, patient--knitting on her lunch hour will have tools for putting in lifelines.
Specifically, a quick search through such a person's dental kit will turn up some floss threaders and dental floss which work wonderfully for lifelines. (The serendipitous minty fresh smell of the knitting project will be a bonus!)
I'm up to row 21. I know because it's recorded in my notebook! No more guessing.
Traveling Vines Scarf--Blocking
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Presenting the Rustybobn version of DogsStealYarns.com's Traveling Vines Scarf:
Wow. I can't say anything but Wow.
Finished, it is 16"x60", and took 2 1/2 weeks, 23 repeats, size 7 needles, and 1 1/2 skeins of Patons Kroy sock yarn. Perfect--not necessarily the knitting , but certainly my pleasure with it.
Keats' "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" keeps coming to mind.
Fringed Linus Blanket
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
The neat fringe for the Linus Blanket is worth a second look, I think. You can see that I've only completed one side of mine:
To make a fringed blanket for yourself (or someone else) 
:
- Cut your fleece to the desired size square or rectangle
- Lay the fabric on your work surface so that the wrong side of the fabric up
- Draw a chalk line around the perimeter, 4 inches from the cut edge
- The corners will have a 4 inch square marked. Cut that out
- Turn the edge of the fabric in to meet the chalk line and pin in place
- Stitch approximately 1/4 from chalk line using straight stitch
- If desired, stitch the cut edge down with decorative stitching. (I used a zig zag in the image above.)
- Cut fringe along folded edge
Weekend fiber fun--Purses and Blankets
Monday, October 10, 2005
Just as I was finishing the Sprout's suprise purse, she called to say that she was coming by for some of her books. ESP?? Perhaps.
She loved it! I wasn't sure on Saturday, but on Sunday when we went shopping, she was carrying it! Yay! I love to see my surprise creations in use. Her friend wants one, too. Maybe I'll hold a workshop.
Saturday afternoon was our ASG neighborhood group meeting. It was our annual charity sit & sew and our project was to make some fleece blankets for Project Linus. We learned a blanket stitch edge finish, and how to square up our fleece. There was a cool fringe edge-finish demonstration, which is the finishing method I chose to do. Of course I didn't finish mine at the meeting, but I suppose it will reinforce what I learned to continue work at home.
For cutting the fringe, I had the opportunity to try one of those plexiglass fringe-cutting templates. It certainly made pretty fringe, but wasn't easy or fun to use. Even when I got all the way across one side, I had to clip a few places with my scissors. There must be a better way to make fringe than to spend $20 on something that doesn't work any better than that!
Slouchy Hobos
Friday, October 07, 2005
It never did get bright enough to take a decent picture of this bag yesterday. Then there was a headache. I did actually *start* another bag with an embellishment, but didn't get very far before I decided it just wasn't worth the strain.
Not at all.
If you read through the entire 18 pages of the Slouchy Hobo Bag tutorial thread at Craftster (you did notice the 18 pages of discussion, right?), you saw numerous lovely examples of this bag. I'm amazed at the ingenuity and sheer, well, craftiness of the posters on that board. Phenomenol talent there!
My first bag is a bit too large. I cut my zipper to 14 inches. This second one is to be 12 inches, as specified in the tutorial. It's still the same black ostrich pleather, but I'm trying to dress it up a tiny bit. I'm hoping it will be good enough to gift.
This first one is good enough to gift, but not to the person I have in mind. It's fine, I just want this second one to be a little fancier. I know it looks good because the DH even noticed it.
We went to a restaurant last night and I laid it on the table for a minute.
DH: "Where did you get that bag?"
Me: "I made it last night."
DH: "Wow!"
Then he asked me if I killed the ostrich and the conversation from there would not interest you...
<< sigh >>
Want a New Bag???
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Ever on the lookout for a cute new bag, I found this Slouchy Hobo Bag tutorial at Craftster.org yesterday. If you put the word "tutorial" in the search box, you'll find a number of tutorial projects that you might like.
There were several projects there that I liked, but the Hobo was a style that I had seen in a local boutique recently for upwards of $300. Of course I didn't have the fabric in my stash that the designer used, but I *do* have fabric.
Oh yes, I have fabric.
The material I chose was a black ostrich skin pleather that I got from Denver Fabrics a while back. This is like a thin skin of plastic bonded to a stretchy black backing. It's not what I was expecting at all, but it looks good. I don't know how it will hold up over the long haul, though.
Take my advice, and make this bag from something else--at least the first one.
While the pleather feels good on the finished bag, it was a pain-in-the-neck to sew. If you simply must sew pleather, use a stabilizer between the feed dogs and pleather. If you don't have a teflon foot, use some between the pleather and the foot, too.
I'll show you a picture tomorrow and tell you the modifications that I'd suggest. It's just too dark and rainy here today to get a good picture of a black bag. This is so fun and quick that I may even make another today!
Thinking about SWAP
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Digging through the stash boxes to find fabric for another shirt unearthed several nice greens. I recall collecting several of them at the Sewing Expo last March.
There's a stretch striped shirting, a rayon crinkle, a medium weight rayon blend, a dark greyed gabardine, and an ottoman. I found a gray fleece sweater knit in the closet formerly known as the Sprout's that will blend with most of them. I'm thinking that particular fabric would make a nice Kimono Sweater knockoff.
I doodled around on a piece of paper trying to make a plan, but I can't make up my mind. I want to use the loose shirt draft for the stripe, but that's definitely not the style just now. Unfortunately I've picked up a bit of my pre-orthodontics weight just in time for the waistline-emphasizing styles to come in.
And there's >>nothing<< worse than having to keep your stomach sucked in all the time! 
We'll see what develops. I'll spend a little time snooping before I make a final decision.
White Loose Fitting Shirt
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
This draft was to be made first from the vanilla shirting, but I decided to go ahead with the white cotton. Turns out, it doesn't look good with the J@va Vest anyway. The J@va Vest wants a *green* shirt to go with it, or maybe a blue one--anything but white!
The fit of this is nice and loose. I don't believe that I have ever used this much ease in a regular shirt drafted with PMB. (By regular I mean one not intended to be worn over something else.) Funny, before PMB I would not have considered 3.5 inches to be a lot of ease. When your draft fits right for you, extra ease isn't needed.
Naturally, I spent a lot of time in Pattern Editor with this. I wanted an extended yoke, so I had to add some of the front shoulder to the back. I also wanted to try the dart rotation tool in Pattern Editor, which I had never bothered to learn, so I used a project sheet that one of the PMB Certified Educators developed to rotate the dart into two shoulder pleats. Finally, I wanted to use the Zieman Express Collar--Louise Cutting does this, too--to eliminate bulk in the collar.
- Garment Type= Blouse
- Style= Classic Blouse
- Closure= Single Breasted
- Front Neckline= Jewel
- Back Neckline= Jewel
- Yoke= No Yoke
- Hemline Shape= Curved
- Darts= Side
- Upper Back Dart= Shoulder
- Sideseam shape= Fitted
- Front Waist Darts=2
- Back Waist Darts=2
- Front Neckline Depth= 0.5
- Back Neckline Depth= 0
- Neckline Width= 0.25
- Neckline Point= 0
- Armhole Depth= 0.5
- Dart Override=0
- Side/Arm Point=-0.5
- Side/Hip Point=-0.5
- Upper Back Dart Length=1
- Lower Front Dart Length=4.5
- Lower Back Dart Length=4.5
- Back Shoulder Dart Length=3
- Sleeve Style= Set In
- Sleeve Underarm Seam= Tapered
- Sleeve Hemline Shape=Pleated
- Sleeve Cap Ease=1.21
- Sleeve Length=22.5
- Sleeve Hem Circumference=8.5
- Sleeve Cap Height= -0.75
- Back Armhole Shape Up=0.8 Clicks
- Collar Style= Dress Shirt
- Collar Width=2
- Chest Ease= 3.5
- Waist Ease= 2.5
- Hip Ease= 4
- Eliminated waist darts on front and back torso
- Cut off 1.25" from the front shoulder and added it to the back.
- Cut off a yoke 4.5" from neckline at CB
- Rotated back shoulder dart to seamline
- Rotated front bust dart to two shoulder pleats
- Mirrored the collar and stand to create a "whole"
- Created the Express Collar from the regular collar pattern
- Smoothed the arc of the yoke piece
- Drafted a missing cuff (?!?)
This is the first woven top that I've made with my new WiderBack chart. I think it may have solved my problems with back tightness, although I really need to try it out on a more fitted garment. Perhaps I can even deflate the bicep measurement to more closely reflect my actual bicep measurement.
This shirt is a keeper--I think I'll retain this paper pattern to make again.
Rustybobn Sews Pattern Weights
Monday, October 03, 2005
Usually I use rocks. Big, clean, heavy rocks hold down my pattern pieces while I cut.
Lately there's been a lot of talk about using BBs to make weights of various types to use for this purpose. I first thought I'd collect some jar lids, fill them with BBs and cement them in place with some sort of clear-drying glue. Sounds messy, doesn't it?
I remembered another way, so this is what I came up with:
They are Grrr-e-a-t!!!
How'd I make them? Pretty easy:
- Buy a big container of BBs (mine were about $5)
- Find a scrap of tightly woven fabric. I used a strip of cotton drapery fabric left from my Christmas napkins--54" wide.
- Cut a 3 inch wide strip. Mine was cut across the grain and about 50 inches long since part of my scrap had practice embroidery on it.
- Fold the piece in half lengthwise with right sides together.
- Sew along the long side and across one end with a smallish stitch length and a 3/8" seam allowance.
- Turn to right sides
- Mark the desired length of your weights with a pencil. Make a mark 1/4" from each side of this line for the seam line.
- Fill to within 8 inches from the top of the tube with BBs. My tube was just large enough to insert the end of my funnel.
- Sew across the open end so your BBs don't get away.
- Divide your BBs between all the marked lengths. Remember that you want the finished weights to be flexible, so don't put too many BBs in any one weight. Use straight pins to keep the BBs away from your seamlines.
- Sew back and forth several times at each seamline--we want the BBs to be secure, the weights do not necessarily need to look pretty.
- Cut the long sausage of weights apart at the original lines.
There were a few BBs left, so I made 4 little square BB pillows. I used my new weights to help me cut a white shirt (I'll tell you about that tomorrow) and they are wonderful--even better than my beloved rocks!
Deconstructed
Saturday, October 01, 2005
One of the items in my knock-of list yesterday is deconstructed. The word is, as you might expect, interpreted in different ways by different people. Some of the places I looked defined it as "taking the garment down to its simplest form"--leaving off interfacing, shoulder pads. Some used the word to mean taking something else apart to make a different item. Still others used the word to mean leaving seams unfinished and raw edges showing.
de·con·struct (dkn-strkt)
tr.v. de·con·struct·ed, de·con·struct·ing, de·con·structs
1. To break down into components; dismantle.
2. To write about or analyze (a literary text, for example), following the tenets of deconstruction.
I thought I'd share some links about deconstructed and you can decide for yourself:
- A discussion on PatternReview Message Board
- A Two year old Robb Report on deconstructed menswear
- An article from Time.com talking about women who deconstruct and reconstruct
- Thread (NZ) article about deconstructing some jeans to make a skirt