Something Blue is Done

I've worked on a lot of in-progress projects this summer, but until this past weekend, I haven't finished a thing. Seriously, I had to scroll back to April 30 to find a finished item on this blog, and it's not just because I have three sweaters in progress.

I am not really a fan of headless torso shots, but I can't quite bring myself to post the hideous faces I was making while taking these with a tripod. Really, hideous.

Now that fall is in the air, I've finished my first sewing project of the summer. I'm not counting the dress I made in the 90's that I had my mom make into a skirt (the dress was an age-appropriate length in my 20s, but I'm not in my 20s anymore), because I didn't actually sew that myself. This is a simple shirt, with an elastic gathered neck. The pattern is Built by Wendy for Simplicity (pattern 3835), and after having it cut out over a month ago, I finally found the hour or so it took to sew. This was a test run for some special Japanese double-gauze fabric that I plan to use for a summer shirt, and it works well enough. I may wait to cut out another one, though, because I think that I might still find a better pattern to use, and since it's almost September, it's unlikely that I will get much use out of a summer shirt this year. Back of the queue, Japanese fabric! Back of the queue!

A Gigantic Nuclear Furnace

The gigantic nuclear furnace that has been wielding it's power over the Seattle area in the last week has lightened up a bit. It's only 83 degrees in the house right now, and it's been cooling down at night, so it's bearable and I'm back to sewing bags for Sock Summit. I've outsourced my buttonhole problem to a professional, and while I wait for those to come back I've started on some drawstring bags. With a little help (thanks, Mom!), I think that I can get 15-20 of these done by the time I have to leave on Wednesday, without having to call in sick or take any of those stay-awake drugs. And since I just found someone to watch the dogs while I'm away (my original sitter fell through), I won't have to make service dog vests (fake) for them and say that they are for my social backwardsness disorder (probably real).

Now I just need to finish every knitting project I've ever started, clean up the house, and pack, and I'll be all set!

I'm Buddy Rich When I Fly Off The Handle

I was hoping to finish up these bags today, they just need buttonholes. Three buttonholes each, ten bags, shouldn't take more than an hour or so, right? Wrong. The test buttonhole looked great, but the first buttonhole on an actual bag stalled halfway through. The machine kept sewing, but the fabric stopped feeding through, resulting in a huge tangle. The problem is still not fixed, even though I've tried the following remedies with not a single successful test buttonhole:

• Cleaning & oiling the machine
• Changing the top thread (I'm using buttonhole thread on the top, and regular thread on the bottom, but having both threads the same doesn't make a difference)
• Fresh needle (heavyweight, since I'm sewing denim)
• Changing the bobbin
• Rethreading the bobbin for more bottom tension (recommended in the manual)
• Changing the pressure on the presser foot
• Using the manual buttonhole program instead of the automatic program

Needless to say, I've wasted hours, and I'm running out of ideas--or at least I'm running out of ideas that won't cost $50+ (like replacing the bobbin holder) or that will take longer than I have before Sock Summit (like taking it in for service). At this point, I've got my fingers crossed that it's related to it being 85+ degrees in the sewing room, and that when it cools down it will work.

Any suggestions? Before I move from anger to panic?

_________________
I'm Buddy Rich When I Fly Off The Handle: Beastie Boys, "Sabotage"

For L_______, if You're Reading This

For Liberty: Not that I think you're worried, but I wanted to give you some proof that I'm making good progress on the bags for your booth at Sock Summit. The production line is moving, with pockets applied to 10 bags this morning and a ton of handles cut. Next step--turn these suckas into bags! And I believe that I'm about to rope in another worker or two.

I really want to make more raspberry lime jam this weekend, but since it's so hot I'm going to hold off until tomorrow morning--jam hands and production line sewing do not mix!

I Got a Lion (on) My Pocket, and Baby He's Ready to Roar

Lion, Kitten, same diff, right? I'm making some sock project bags (similar to the small bag pictured here) for Liberty's booth at Sock Summit, and these are the pockets. I've been sewing them a little at a time, assembly line style, which is not normal for me but is probably a good exercise. You may have already noticed that I wander a little when I'm crafting, without much focus or a plan, but that's not an approach that will work here. First I cut out the main fabric and zig-zagged all of the edges, then I cut strips for the handles and pockets, and now I'm sewing the pockets. I'm trying to be more focused primarily so that there won't be big size or quality variances from one bag to the next.

I'm shooting to have 20-ish bags, which seems reasonable to finish. I'm not sure how they'll sell (I'm a little concerned about how to price them), but it all feels pretty low-risk given that most of the materials have come out of my sewing room. A friend suggested that I put together a pattern and sell it, which I'm considering--there is a lot of overlap between sewers and knitters, but this is a pretty simple bag to make without a pattern, so I'm not sure if it's worth doing. I may also make some simple drawstring bags (maybe even one with another kitten on it), if there's time or if I can engage the services of a certain retiree who I live with who has far better skills and more free time than I do.

In Sock Summit class news, I have ended up with two classes, and I'm very excited about both of them. One is a sock design class with Anne Hanson, and the other is "Respectfully Breaking the Rules" with Yarnissima. Both of these classes were first-tier on my list, and I expect to learn a lot, so I know that I'm luckier than many people who didn't get into their first (or any) choices. I'm still disappointed that I didn't get more classes, and that E_____ and I each have different full day classes on different days. I feel like I'm not getting full vacation value out of taking three days off work and paying for four nights of hotel, and now it's really too late for me to plan a real (week+) vacation time before work gets crazy in mid-August. Live and learn--eggs, basket, chickens, hatch.

Is it Really So, Really So Strange?

That instead of knitting, or trying to prepare materials so that someone else can register for Sock Summit for me (I'm unavailable when registration opens), or getting some much needed sleep, I'm doing this:

Yes, it's a trash bag for my new car. Yes, it features VW vans on it! All of the materials came from my stash, even the vinyl that I lined it with. I don't really remember what I was planning to DO with that vinyl (don't say pants, E____ or R____), but I was glad that I had it--it should be easy to wipe clean. I'm by no means a neat freak (or much of a cleaner at all), but I hate it when I end up with a lot of paper trash in the car, or when it ends up in my purse instead. Especially straw wrappers--those drive me crazy.

I saw a very similar bag on Craftzine, with a link to a tutorial that doesn't exist anymore. It looks like the woman who designed the bag has taken down the tutorial and is selling bags that she's made, and they are really nice--her shop is here. Totally superior to my half-assed version(you can't see what sloppy buttonholes I made in this photo!), and if I hadn't had the VW fabric on hand I would have bought one instead of making it.

Hoping to get some serious knitting time in this weekend (and maybe even to have something to show for it)!

To See the Frog Eat the Goggle-Eye Bee

Clockwise from top left: Frieda can't keep her eyes open for this photo, Frieda with bag, Sweater sized bag, sock sized bag

Despite the dull, steady headache associated with staying out super late and getting up super early (the rock show on Saturday night was totally worth it, but I have no photographs), Sunday was a pretty productive day. A friend is planning to have a booth at Sock Summit in August, and I've been trying to come up with a sock project bag that she could sell. This is a proposition with a lot of "ifs", in my mind--if I can make more than one or two, if she does have a booth, if I will more than break even on the deal, etc. Then there's the obvious "will anyone buy this" question, of course.

I can sew pretty well, but my quality threshhold for things that I make for myself is decidedly lower than my quality threshhold for things that I would buy, and that's a contradiction that may mean trouble. Producing multiples of something that is sewn well enough that I would buy it myself may suck the joy right out of the creative process for me. Also, I think that my design idea is pretty good, but I've been mentally overcomplicating it and even my simple attempts today have some issues.

My basic idea is a bag that will keep two balls of yarn from tangling (as in two socks at once, or colorwork socks), but will let me remove the yarn without cutting it, and will hold the project and the yarn. No velcro, no zippers--I maintain that these are the enemy of yarn, just as mohair yarn is the enemy of my skin. I've decided to try button closures, so that the yarn can thread out the sides, but will tuck into the center & be buttoned up. Future enhancements (the part that I'm overcomplicating mentally) include inner dividers, pockets, etc., but I'm trying to remind myself that this is just a project bag--it's not a purse, or a full-on knitting bag, or a means to create world peace. Two balls of yarn, with room for one or two socks. That's it.

The prototype bag is made of denim with a little stretch that I had lying around, embellished with some Japanese frog canvas & a couple of scraps. I didn't line the bag, but am still on the fence about that--it's a balance between excess weight and better finishing. I zigzagged the raw edges so there won't be any fraying, but lining would still look neater. Also, I put in the buttonholes before sewing the side seam, and it would look neater to sew the side seams first and then turn the top edge down and put in the buttonholes (assuming that I could still mark the buttonhole positions straight). The embellishment took a long time--too long, really. A cute pocket (maybe big enough to hold a pattern) might be a better use of the space.

So what do I like about the bag? The craftsmanship is reasonably good, and I think that the size will work well (but I might make it slightly wider). I like the clutch-style handle, and I like the look of the different buttons. Denim is super durable, so needles shouldn't poke through. It will stand up (though is a little floppy) when empty, which means that if loaded properly it will stand up when full.

The only project I'm working on now that uses two balls of yarn is the Black Diamond (look at how big it's getting!), and this bag will hold two 100g balls of classy but not the yarn and the sweater. So why not sew a larger version of the bag? On the larger bag, I put two handles to the top of the bag, and a mermaid pocket on the front. Wider opening = 5 buttons, which I was too lazy to dig out and sew on before calling it a day. I'm not sure I'd want to make many of these, it takes longer and a lot more fabric, and getting the pocket square is tricky. If you could see it closer, you would notice that--trust me.

So now that I've made a couple of bags, I suppose I need to test them out--I have this fear of the yarn getting all tangled up on the buttons, and the only way to put that fear to rest is to knit a little!

When the Sun Comes Out The World's Gonna Go Crazy

Have I mentioned that Spring may have finally arrived, just in time for Summer? On Saturday Mom and I went to six or seven quilt stores, and it was really nice to see the sun around here for a change. Most of the fabrics I bought are very spring / summery, too, even after it clouded up on Sunday. I bought patterns all over, some Amy Butler fat quarters in Chehalis, some Amy Butler yardage in a couple of other places, a Swell Jellyroll in Bothell, and some really cute Japanese piggy and frog fabrics in Bellevue. There were a few things that I was specifically looking for that I didn't find, but I did see a lot of great new fabrics and had a delicious meal at Burgerville. I can't stress enough how much Burgerville plays into my desire to Quilt Shop Hop--the closest one is also close to Sisters, one of my favorite stores on the Hop.

So what to sew first? I'm thinking about a small needle roll or soft folder to hold the tips of my Knitpicks options. I love the needles, but I don't like the binder at all. Hmmm. . . piggys or frogs? Or dachshunds, for that matter?

Insert Stevie Nicks Lace Quote Here

I missed the Seattle LYS Tour this year, but I did pick up the Renaissance Yarns project last week. Its a very cute lace washcloth (Rav Link) made from Sublime Organic Cotton dk. This yarn feels as good as it looks, with a suitably "organic" palette. It's a very quick knit (I'm just finishing the border), and assuming that I finish this one, there will be more on the way. I'm thinking that a few of these in coordinating colors might be a nice gift for a recent college grad, who is moving to her first apartment soon. If she doesn't want to use it as a people washcloth, she can always try it out on dishes. Yes, it does pain me to say that.

This weekend is the Western Washington Quilt Shop Hop, and I made it to eight stores today. That sounds like a lot more than it is, really--I basically covered the shops between my office and home, and then went to Puyallup and Tacoma. Up until earlier this week, I was planning to be out of town, but those plans fell through so I'll spent at least a portion of the weekend shop hopping. I'm trying to develop a quick plan of attack, because otherwise I'll end up with nothing but a sore butt from driving all weekend. Or I'll end up with a bunch of fabric that I may never use, and frankly I already have plenty of that. Here's where I went at lunch (I didn't take photos of any of the others--too much rushing around!):

This is Carriage Country Quilts, and it's close to my office so I pop in there occasionally on non-Shop Hop Days.

3 is a Magic Number

So if you're having a party today for your 3rd birthday, and I'm invited to your party, I have a couple of things to say:

• The photo above is your gift. It's a pattern from Melly & Me that I picked up at the sewing expo, and I used fabric on-hand to make. The name of the pattern is Sangsang, but you can name this doll whatever you like!
• Who taught you to get on the internet, anyway? Seriously, my blog may be a little too adult for you, as it involves many controversial topics and deep debates about the issues of the day. Oh, wait, no it doesn't--you're probably fine, since you don't read yet. Right?

This is a cute pattern, I made the smaller sized doll. After getting it a little damp this morning photographing it amongst the strawberry plants, I decided that it was a little on the plain side, so I added a rick-rack belt.

Much better, I think! Happy Birthday, J____!

Cutest. Bag. Evah.

Did I say that I was going to pack? I meant that I was going to finish sewing the Day in the Park Backpack Tote, which I will probably take with me even though it won't hold enough to be an effective carry-on bag. In the photos above, it's holding my tiny computer, a small knitting project, and a zippered pouch of knitting equipment. I don't want to cram a lot more into it, but I think that I'll need more room for the plane. It's probably a good walking-around-Prague bag, though--there's a zippered pouch inside that I can use for my passport & wallet, and the bag cinches up enough and is deep enough that it shouldn't be a pick-pocket target.

I'm very happy with the pattern, and I didn't have a lot of trouble, but I think that the rivets are probably not going to hold through all of the layers of cord. I sewed the ends of the long straps just in case the rivets fail. I won't be brokenhearted if they fail, because I think that I twisted one of the straps, and it can't be fixed without ripping out the rivets. Or it might not be twisted, I might just be twisting it when I put it on. Either way--I'm fine with it.

If I make another one (and I might, though not right away), I might make it an inch or so deeper, and I might make the straps an inch wider. The skinniness of the straps is fine if I don't overstuff the bag, but let's face it--I'm going to overstuff it. Another possible mod would be to add a zipper closure to the top--it would be relatively easy to put one in where the lining meets the patterned fabric, and then I'd omit the magnetic snap.

Poor Frieda wasn't happy with me trying to get her into the photos--she refused to look towards the camera at all. Gretel couldn't quite figure out what was going on at all, she wouldn't come all the way outside:

Note that the sliding glass door is open next to the dog door, but she chooses to stand halfway out the dog door instead of just walking outside.

That Hungry Little Dachshund *

Total passport holders made to date: 7
Additional passport holders to make: ??


I settled on fabric for my passport holder--it's a Japanese linen blend, featuring a dachshund motif. I love this fabric, and I decided to use this only after confirming that I could get more of it (in another color) from Superbuzzy. It's a shame to cut into a yard of fabric for just a little rectangle, but a passport lasts a long time so I thought that it was worth it. I think that the Letter Hound agrees.



* I refer you to this song (watch out for the pop-ups). My favorite lyrics in the song are "and hungry eyes that could not speak, say even little doggies have gotta eat". I've seen that look before, and I fear it.

Isn't This How Everyone Prepares for a Trip?

I admit it, I'm a bit preoccupied with the trip I'm taking next month. The trip planning started with an invitation to a wedding in Vienna, from my friend G___ (sender of Krampus packages and recipient of an Unoriginal hat). My friend S__ and I will be travelling together for most of the trip, and once the date of the wedding was set we added:

• A plan to run a 4.2K "mini-marathon" in Prague, which as a non-runner has involved a lot of training. S__ is running the full marathon--I'm just running the mini in order to get free beer later that evening.
• A quick 2-day trip to Paris, a city I've never been to before.
• An even quicker trip to Venice to visit some Boston friends who are living there this spring.

Basically, it's now four countries in a little less than 2 weeks, and I'm leaving in about 3 weeks. I haven't been back to Europe since 2001, when I live and studied in Vienna, and I'm very excited to go back. I can't really believe that 7 years have passed since I was there, or that it's taken me this long to go back. I'm also having a hard time believing how terrible the exchange rate has gotten--I think that it was about 0.9 dollars to the Euro when I was there, and now it's about 1.5. Yikes!

Anyway, with the trip getting closer and closer, I'm started to get into heavy-preparation mode--hence the photos above. I think that it's perfectly natural to start a bunch of new craft projects that have to be finished before I leave, don't you? The stress of this approach will counterbalance the stress of finishing a hundred lingering projects at work. Right?

I was supposed to be out of town this weekend, but changed my plans at the last minute and stayed home, and have tried to be as productive as possible so that the weekend's not "wasted." I started with making six passport holders using this great tutorial, (via whip up) and I may make more. It's hard to decide which one I'm going to take (I'm leaning towards the gnome), and I'm although thinking about adding a hidden pocket in the lining. It might add some unwanted bulk, though, and I'm in more of an assembly-line mindset than a design-and-innovate mindset.

I also started three A-line skirts, using Amy Butler's Barcelona Skirts pattern, using the three fabrics in the lower left hand corner above. I think that the green striped silk will be appropriate for the wedding, and the two cotton skirts should be good for everyday wearing. The fabrics for the skirts and passport holders are from my stash (yippee, stash!), although I did need to buy the skirt linings and notions. I made a skirt back in January with this pattern, and I wear it a lot. It's a little bit big, so I went down a size with these three skirts. Unfortunately, I forgot that the silk does not have quite the same amount of "give" as the wool-blend I used before, so the silk skirt is currently a little bit tight. Not can't-be-zipped tight, mind you, but a little uncomfortable. I'm going to hold off on hemming it for now, and hopefully I can lose a few pounds in the next couple of weeks. Or figure out how to let it out without have to pick out all of those stupid seams. I've got my fingers crossed for the other two skirts, the cotton should be a little less "firm" and maybe I'll make the seam allowances a little skinnier. Maybe the next project should be one of those elastic-back cute skirts!

They Go Hand in Hand

New Electronics, and Pouches For Them

When I travel, I frequently take my laptop (or my work laptop), and it's really a pain. I rarely need it for more than basic internet connectivity and entertainment, but it's heavy and it takes up a lot of room in my carryon bag. And even though I'm reasonably careful, there's always a chance that I'll break it, or that it will be lost or stolen. Ever since I started planning my trip to Europe, I've been thinking about alternatives. One alternative that I pretty quickly dismissed was going off grid for a couple of weeks--it's just so much easier to find information (and in English) if I have internet access. With seven different flights to catch in five different countries, there's plenty of room for delays or missed connections, and then there are baseball scores and blog posts to keep up with.

The alternative that I decided to go with is an inexpensive, very small portable computer, the Asus eee. Asus just released the Windows XP version this past week, and so far I'm pretty impressed with it. The computer has a small hard drive (4 GB, and it's basically full of the operating system), but there are a couple of different expansion options. I included the spool of thread above for scale. The screen is 7", and the whole thing weighs about 2 pounds.

And what does every tiny computer need? A tiny case! I whipped up a case for it on Saturday, using fabric that I had on hand, and I'm pretty pleased with the results. The outside is a fat quarter of quilting fabric, and the lining is green flannel (you know, to keep the computer from scratching). I also used flannel as batting, for a little more protection without a lot of bulk. I sewed a pocket into the lining using vintage fabric. The pocket is really two pockets--I sewed a long rectangle into a pocket with a flap, and then sewed the pocket to the lining along three sides, with the top open. An elastic band holds it all together. There's no velcro (velcro is the enemy of yarn, and there's always yarn nearby!), no buttons, and it fits nicely into my small-ish bag. The pocket is big enough for a small external hard drive, or extra memory cards, or some cables.

I'm hoping to test out the travel-worthiness on a quick trip to Boston this weekend--I'll report back (or from the road!) with the results!

Our faces Stitched in Sewing

One problem with procrastination is that it doesn't leave enough time to take decent, comprehensive photos of finished objects. Instead, you end up pulling over on your way to the baby shower, and draping the baby quilt above over the back-seat, and taking what you can get. Then you cram the blanket into a gift bag (along with an Octopus and a book that features an Octopus), and are thankful that you finished it at all.

I started making this last weekend, and finished it up late last night (oh, and put it in the dryer this morning). The pattern is very loosely based on a quilt in Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts and further inspired by Jessica's doll-sized version. Being both lazy and short on time, I didn't cut individual rectangles. Instead, I strip-pieced four or five fabrics into blocks, then cut the blocks into stacks of rectangles. Then I mixed and matched the blocks, and threw in a few single-cut blocks to make it slightly less matchy-matchy. I chose the dark solid brown for good contrast, and to make it less pinky-girly. I think that a mauve or a purple would also have looked good, but I like the brown the best. The back is brown with white dots that is so cute that I almost substituted something else so that I could make myself a skirt out of it to wear to the baby shower. The actual quilting is minimal, because I wanted to retain a very clean look. The "batting" is flannel, so close quilting isn't necessary.

One thing that I learned while making this quilt is that my sewing skills have gotten unacceptably rusty. The fact that you can see the back of quilt fabric in the photo above grates a little, and getting the topstitching to match up was a problem. Yes, this is a blanket that is meant to be used (i.e. vomited on) and washed frequently, and it will hold up just fine. But I was struggling more than I should have to struggle to get less than ideal results, and I think that I need more practice. Good thing that I know 1,000,000 people with babies on the way, and a bunch of new spring skirts to sew. And a wallhanging--I want to make a wallhanging for my office.

Another thing that I learned is that the sewing room, which offered so much promise last summer, is now a pigsty. This summer's project be to whip it into shape, and it will probably involve a lot of work and some tough decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of.

Forget I even mentioned that! Here's a pre-assembly close up of the top:

I think that the single little gnome is my favorite part of this quilt!

Put a Sock in it!

This evening I made a sock project bag, using possibly the most cloying fabric I've ever purchased. Seriously--kittens and yarn amongst gigantic flowers in 1974's finest colors? It wouldn't surprise me if I found this in my Mom's extensive fabric stash, but I can't explain why I bought a 1/2 yard on the quilt shop hop. I'm not sure why I had pink cord lying around, either. The vintage button on the kitty-pocket is from last winter's Sewing Expo. This is a good size for carrying around, and it's pretty unlikely that anyone else will mistake it for their kitten sock project bag.

Who's Cuter? Gretel or Bunny?

While I worked my fingers to the bone on the Big-Footed Bunny, Gretel alternated between laying on the porch in the sun, and cooling off on the carpet. She doesn't care how stupid it looks, she wants maximum carpet-to-belly contact.

I've been spending a lot of time on the Brother Socks, and a little time on the Bee Fields shawl, but have no interesting photos to share. However, the big-footed bunny is now officially a bunny carcass:

The pieces came together pretty quickly, although I missed a step or two and had to backtrack a couple of times. I'm fighting off a cold, so I'm a little foggy and skipped over whole sentences!

The toughest instruction in the pattern is to turn under 1/4" of the face frame and press, so that the raw edges are underneath. I'm terrible with this kind of thing, especially when a curve is involved, and that's what kept me from starting to sew right after cutting.

Mom to the rescue--she reminded me that we'd seen a great technique on one of the PBS sewing shows that would work perfectly.

Step 1: Cut out another face frame, and sew with right sides together to the first frame. Use a long stitch, or a basting stitch. Clip seams around curves:

Step 2: Turn right-side out and iron it good. Ignore wonky right side--you're going for a hand-made look, right?:

Step 3: Rip out the seams and separate (p.s. ignore the water stains on the ironing board cover, please):

Two frames, perfectly folded under. No burnt fingers! Note on the blue frame that this is where I skipped over a whole step--I topstitched the edges, but I was supposed to stitch it to the face rather than to nothing. Duh.

Next I need to clip more seams, I think, and press them and poke out the corners before stuffing. I have a fair amount of experience with this (thanks, Harry Barker!), and it's a tedious process but it makes a difference in the finished product. I think I'll sew the face on before I stuff the bunny, although the instructions might say to do that after it's stuffed--again, I'm not at my sharpest right now, I should wait until I'm not so foggy!

Hoppin' Down the Bunny Trail . . .

I've been itching to sew something in the new sewing room before it's once again overwhelmed with the crap that I moved to the garage. I've only gotten as far as some cutting--I've started cutting pieces for some tissue holders for Mom's church bazaar, and the Big Footed Bunny above. I love the bunny, and the pattern is very well written and clear. I traced the pattern pieces onto plastic template, so that I can just draw around the templates when cutting. I do this with any small pattern, especially one that I think I'll make more than once. I'm going to use a polka-dot for the contrast on the ears, feet and paws:

This photo is a little dark, the fabrics are a pretty good match. Next up, I start sewing. I'd sort of forgotten how much I hate curved seams. "Hate" as in "Am Terrible At". Hopefully it will turn out o.k.--I'm planning to make one or two of these for my nieces for Christmas. The finished bunnies are adorable--check out the Flickr gallery.

Skirting the Issue

It's hot this week in the Pacific Northwest, at least by Seattle standards. I know, I know, we don't get super high temps, or bad humidity, or those flying cockroaches that they have in other parts of the country. But it's still hot enough to want new cotton skirts! I finished the skirt above today, it's the "Cute Skirts" pattern from Favorite Things. It's a really good pattern. There are only three pattern pieces for this version, and it only takes a couple of hours to make. I've also made the flounced version twice, and I've got plans to make at least one or two more of these for the summer. Maybe the summer of 2008?

Happy 4th of July! I live very close to about 20 reservation fireworks stands--Frieda's been hiding under the bed after dark for the last week. Frieda and I are going to escape the neighborhood for a few hours for a BBQ, but we'll try to get back before the neighborhoods goes crazy!

The Big Reveal

Now that last weekend's sewing project has been gifted to J___ C____ at her 2nd birthday party, I can reveal that it is a very girly jumper. My mom made a matching hat and handbag, to complete the summer ensemble. Despite the pain that it is clearly giving J____ to fake smile for the photo above, she seemed to like it. I'm not sure yet how it fits, because someone refused to try it on when we arrived for her party, but I think it should be fine--a little more full-length than expected, but not drag-on-the-ground long. The pattern for the jumper and hat is the Little Vintage Jumper from Favorite Things. It's a good pattern--very clear, right amount of detail, not a lot of pattern pieces. I love that the facings under the buttons on the front and the back are part of the main pieces, rather than separate pieces that have to be cut and sewn.

One thing that I think I should start doing is reading through patterns and finishing all of the raw edges that need to be finished first--it annoys me a little to keep switching back and forth between zig-zag and straight stitching, I inevitably end up doing one or the other in the wrong place.

The real highlight of the birthday party was the cake that J___'s mom made. The Teddy Grahams in bikinis totally crack me up:

That bear in the mask on the front creeps me out a little--what is he staring at, anyway?