The Womens March on New Jersey

Outside Princeton U stadium the day before the march, distributing the last of the 64 hats I sewed.  (I gave them to people;  I didn't leave them there).

It's about time that I write about the Womens March, which took place on January 21, but feels like it was so long ago.  I marched in Trenton, NJ, the capital of my home state, with Francesca, my 81 year old friend from my meditation group, and her husband George.


We had tickets to take a school bus from Princeton (right around the corner from my office) to Trenton.

The crowd filing in

Everyone hold up your signs

The first part of the event was held at the War Memorial Theater.  We arrived around 9:10 or 9:15am or so for the 10am start, and we got seats third row from the back of the theater.  The theater filled up as well as the overflow of 1,000 seats  behind the stage.  Everyone else had to listen over the loudspeakers outside.  Estimates are all over the place, anywhere between 4k and 6k people at this march.


James from craftspacecontinuum had knit a hat for me.  I am allergic to wool so I can't wear it for long, but there was no way I was giving his hat away!!!

George put on his pussyhat!

There were almost 2 hours of speeches by a diverse and inclusive group of speakers:  Different ages, races, genders, sexual identities, religious backgrounds, and activist groups were represented.  This was my first time hearing my congresswoman, Bonnie Watson Coleman, speak.  She is the first African American woman to represent NJ in the House, and she is awesome!  "We will not be shut down.  We will not be silenced.  We will NOT be silenced!"




Then we marched.


"I can't believe I still have to protest this sh*t"




The march ended at the State House.  My mother worked here during the 60's in a job she *loved*, and it was fun to imagine her walking up the stairs and into the building.  There were more speeches, then it wrapped up at 1pm.  Francesca then danced to Aretha Franklin on the sidewalk as we waited for the bus to take us back to Princeton.


While waiting for the bus, I asked this guy if I could take a picture.

The overall vibe was positive, and I never felt in any danger.  One of my friends had told me I should write the name and number of a lawyer in sharpie marker on my skin, carry pepper spray and have someone to check in with later that afternoon.  I didn't do any of those things, and it wasn't necessary.

I was instagramming throughout the day as I could with pix and video (my phone and/or the network wasn't working for part of the march) and I really appreciated the overall good comments I received.

It was amazing to see that there were marches not just in the US but all over the world, including Antarctica. I knew from IG that there was going to be a march in London, but WOW the marches were all over and non-violent.

The overarching theme was "this march is not the end, it is the beginning."  As we have seen over the last 18 days, there is plenty of work to be done.  I'm still working out a path forward, but on Valentine's Day I will show you my next bit of craftivism (which I already showed on IG, but not here).

I made and distributed 64 hats at my Pussyhat Factory (I removed the throat plate on my sewing machine and vacuumed it, and vacuumed my serger, and vacuumed my cutting mat--so much pink fleece lint everywhere after sewing up 8 yards of fleece).

I know of at least 3 people who made hats because I had been instagramming them in the weeks leading up to the march, which was awesome!  And the Pussyhat Project received some donations because of hats I made for others, yay!

Don't doubt the power and influence you have and the inspiration that you are--these little ripples can add up, even for an introverted hermit like myself.





I have received many pictures of people wearing my hats in Atlanta, NYC, DC and of course Trenton, but I am too overwhelmed to get them into a collage here.   Above is one of my favorites, by Anna Christina's daughter (kayeightysews on IG), during the NYC march.

Be well, my friends, be well.

McCall's 4664 skull cap: done

So I am still working on the muslins for the Sewaholic Renfrew top and Thurlow trousers.  Jennifer Stern is helping me with the top via her "fit the tee to a t" class on PR, and Angela Wolf is helping me with the trousers via "Altering Pants" on PR.    I think I paid $27 each for these classes, and have definitely received more than $27 worth of help on each!   I will start muslin #3 of the Renfrew (determined not to have armpit wrinkles!) and here's muslin #5 of the Thurlows:



I had grand plans to start the third renfrew muslin this afternoon, but made this skull cap and took a gigantic nap instead:

Yes, the first day of spring was on Wednesday, but I still need another winter cap. I've made this before in brown, and then pink .  This time I wanted something more subdued....

It's supposed to be hemmed 2" but I like it to completely cover my ears, so I only hem with 1".
Also it was the first time I have ever, ahem, used the "stretch stitch", though I guess I should have been using this stitch all along on every knit garment.... There, confession is complete!
It looks like an italicized zig zag:

Here's a quick sample:


and because of it's italicized zig-zagginess, it allows the stitch to stretch with the fabric instead of breaking the thread.
So even on something really simple, I learned something new.

Oh,and I had to laugh, I had plans to make this cap before Christmas, and bought the fleece during one of Joann's big sales. I had guessed I'd just need a third of a yard.

Joke was on me:

That's the center strip. OOPS.  Totally forgot about that.
I folded the pattern piece in half and then cut two center pieces and sewed together.
It worked.
I braided my hair for this shot:

I didn't feel like cooking tonight, so I baked instead:

My specialty, Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookies with walnuts, from scratch 

It's supposed to snow tmw, but here are some lovely daffodils from the supermarche:

I love spring! It's my favorite season!
Be well!!

Quick sewing evening

I spent a lot of today cleaning, which means not much sewing. But I did squeak in a little sewing time.

Made a new pillowcase made with fabric fresh off the JoAnn's bolt (also made my mom an apron out of the same fabric):


Made Pete this hat for the third time (take 1: it was too long; take 2: I messed up and cut the fabric the wrong way, so it didn't stretch in the right direction so it's too tight; hopefully take 3 will be just right this time--it stretches and has the shorter hem.)



Here's a preview of what's coming. Guess what I'm going to make out of this fabric:


Here's a pile o' knit fabric. Some stash, some fresh off the JoAnn's bolt.


I'm truly a glutton for punishment and am thinking of entering the SPR Refashioning contest. It ends on 1/14 at midnight so I'd have to make the item next weekend. I'm trying to decide if I should make something pretty (nice shirt) or something cute/funny (shirt for the gym).

I loved this four day weekend and am sad to see it go. Sigh!

Good night!

EPIC FAIL: My 2009 Sewing Disasters

It's that time of year again. Time to break out the bagel guillotine for my special breakfast with my work team. Time to think about the place of tipping in American society. Time to be bitterly disappointed by the holiday gift experience.

And it's time to have a retrospective on one's year in sewing! (though, truthfully, this is the first year I've done such a retrospective).

My sewing was stifled by my back injury but I somehow persevered and sewed approximately 31 garments and 1 pillow this year (and there are still a few weeks left--who knows what else I will make??).

I thought I would break this up into a few posts.
First up, the Epic Fails (the Fighting Fails?). These wadders are sad, sad, sad.

1. The unintentional Star Trek dress. I loved the 60's style dress on the pattern envelope but in real life, that front seam, the neckline, collar, and my fabric choice wrote this dress off as a Star Trek costume wanna-be.


The expression on my face really sums it up, don't you think? (I spent how long and how much money on this and it looks like this? ARGH!)


As I recall I wrote something to the effect of, "just get me a triangle patch and beam me up!"

2. Next up is this gem (cough cough). Yeah, that belt is not saving it.

Not really A-line, not really straight shift dress, the fabric, bizarre pooling on the back and overall styling made me look heavier than I really am.

I remember the day I made this, it was pouring rain. I should have stayed in bed. Or read a sewing book.

In serious need of a sway back adjustment.

Another priceless expression:


3. I loves me a cowl neck, but this is just weird.

While the fabric was ok generally, it didn't seem to drape very well for a cowl neck...and it's a challis! You know, challis, the home of the drape! very bizarre. Plus once I cut the length off this shirt, it seemed to have lost its charm. The pleating detail at the shoulder seam was annoying and frustrating. Sewing the yoke was a test of my patience. I actually finished this but it has never, ever been worn.

Cute detailing on the back does not save this shirt.


4. I love ruffles, but this was too much. I could not get the upper ruffle to lie properly. I tried many times to save this, but alas, no dice. (I have an idea of how to rescue this shirt...by removing the ruffles and adding something else...possibly I'll try over the New Year weekend).


5. This is supposed to be a square cowlneck, only it's more like a drunken square

I've never worn this because everytime I put it on, I think, "that neckline is so wonky!"

(I did make it again, sleeveless, and the next time it came out more square and I wore it quite a lot...saving that for my "epic win" post).

6. I made this hat as an attempt at winning a Sewing Pattern Review contest. Even though I cut out every flower and leaf and sewed them on by hand, it was an epic fail. Not only did I not win the contest, I don't have the guts to wear this hat out of the house.


7. Fabric: too stretchy, too clingy. Neckline: too low. "Skirt" of the shirt: always screams maternity to me. I felt totally uncomfortable wearing this out of the house. My chest is too small for this kind of shirt. FAIL.


8. Ugh. This is pretty lackluster. It's supposed to have very cute gathers on the side, but it just didn't work out. Plus the crossing v-neck was always crossing in a weird manner.


9. Oh, first garment I sewed this year. Sad, sad floppy cowl neckline. Sad.

(Hmmm...I'm actually tempted to take the collar off that one and interface it and try it again?)

So, what have I learned from my epic fails?
1. Fabric choice is essential. Don't go making dresses out of 100% cotton if you hate wrinkles. Evaluate if the fabric is good for garments first.
2. Don't make something in an attempt to win a Sewing Pattern Review contest. Seek extrinsic validation elsewhere.
3. Save hemming for the very end.
4. Don't sew a red dress for a while.
5. Set a time limit for trying to "save" a garment. Gotta know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run. Er, and yet I'm still going to try to save two of these. Well, we're all a bit hypocritical, right?
6. Time does not heal all wounds. It still stings to look at some of these garments!

So I hope you enjoyed my 2009 epic fails! I'll continue the retrospective soon!