Lacey fix

Went to JoAnn's after work tonight. Whee! They redesigned the store, so the layout is somewhat better-- But the aisles are too narrow--only one person in an aisle at a time or someone has to back out! Always felt I was in someone's way. Picked up some supplies I needed, like the brown thread I ran out of, and got some wide flat lace to put at the hem of the Sense and Sensibility chemise. Came home all excited--gathered the lace--started sewing it on--kind of screwed it up--I have to rip it out and fix it sometime later. I really shouldn't sew after work. It's pretty rare when I do sew post-work, but I can't remember an occasion where I sewed after work and had it come out the way I wanted it to be.

Anyway, I will post the fix on SPR when I fix it properly!

Sew-sew weekend for sewing

This was a busy weekend for me, what with my hurricane and all! I worked for 6 hours on Sunday, which cut into my sewing time. (cut, heh heh!) But here's the sewing weekend in review:
On Saturday I made a cupcake nightshirt from McCalls' 3006.

(Yes, I do occasionally make a non-Simplicity, non-New Look pattern!) It's not as long as I'd like to make it--I like to make it as a long tunic but I should have bought 3 yards to accomplish that. I did buy the fabric in person at J&O Fabrics in Pennsauken, but it's also for sale on their site.

I also made view A of New Look 6807.

I wrestled with another huge neckline and even though I kind of hated it and those flow-y sleeves on Sat night, I like the end much-smaller-neckline result. I wore it to work today and really liked how the neckline and sleeves looked.

On Sunday I finally made Simplicity 4052, a Sense and Sensibility pattern that I've had for at least a year (suitable for the pattern stash contest over at Sewing Pattern Review).
It was another neckline battle, but I got through that! I think I need to head over to JoAnn's sometime soon and get some lace to put on the bottom of the fabric, so that it hangs over the extra-long lining (which I made extra-long to give this some length). The lining just looks odd hanging out there, but I'm gonna fix it with the lace. Honest! I did like my "So sweet" ribbon solution since I didn't have any white single fold bias tape:

These have all been Sewing Pattern Reviewed.

I still have the disaster shirt from the previous weekend to fix. I have a trick up my sleeve; I think I'll try it this weekend and of course will let you know how it goes! And if it works, then it is another one I can enter in the Stash Contest. There is a Project Runway jacket that I want to make (also from the stash) and two new knit shirts NewLook 6729 and 6828--both of those patterns arrived in the mail today and I'm kind of drooling over them...

And thank you to Antoinette for the shout out on her blog! She's so sweet!

I was wondering about this...

I'm now a devout reusable grocery bagger...but was wondering just how bad the reusable bags are for the environment. Here's a WSJ article that sort of sheds light on this issue.

Sewing results, quickly

Ooph, I made a lot of stuff this weekend!
First, I took a failed project (a shirt) and changed it up to a vest after reading that's what someone else did on Sewing Pattern review.

Then I sewed up an apron as a goodbye present for a colleague who is moving to another building..












Then I sewed up Simplicity 2971, view A (sort of), in a berry color I hear is super trendy for fall.









Then today I worked on a disaster shirt. Finally I put it aside and made New Look 6807, View E. And I think it looks amazing, if I do say so myself. It was also a relief that it didn't need much tinkering...I made it two sizes smaller than my usual New Look size, based on other Sewing Pattern Reviews and also since it seemed very roomy.


I really like the cowl neckline and the ties in the back!









All (except the apron) have been Sewing Pattern Reviewed.

I have entered the Pattern Stash Contest. Making 6807 was inspired in part by my desire to "keep up" with the leaders of the contest...

Self Serve

As I was driving home from the gym today, I saw a deer approaching the "Self Serve" farmer's stand nearby. I don't think this is what the farmer had in mind! Wish I had my camera with me for that picture!

You're no problem at all

I have the Rob Thomas song in my head (see title)! Or maybe that's just the refrain. It's the song I play when I'm feeling all unsure of myself. But it is stuck in my head from yesterday's pre-work meltdown. I'm all back on track today! The gym last night also helped--it's my stress reliever.

Speaking of the gym, during one of her classes Rita played a CD of mostly Madonna songs from the 80's and it struck me as being quite good...so I bought Madonna's Immaculate Collection and it arrived over the weekend, in the middle of my jacket-sewing marathon. This inspired me to find my Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation CD from my high school days. I had forgotten about her musical interludes and her realistic world view. If she threw in something about bottled water, that CD could have been released today. And who can still recall that hunky guy in her "Love will never do without you" video?

Speaking of bottled water, BPA is all over the news today and really, I have no idea who or what to believe. The reusable bottles I have been using are all 7's. Some say 7 definitely contains BPA; others say 7 is just a catch-all for plastics that don't fit 1 through 6, so some 7's may contain BPA and others may not. I bought a stainless steel bottle from LLBean but I've read that these types of bottles may be coated with plastic on the inside--seriously, I don't know what to believe.

So I really should learn more about economics. What is happening on Wall Street with all these big name firms going up in smoke?

Funny note of the day: One of my coworkers thinks I'm 26. Have you seen my gray hair? And I have a lot more gray than what's shown in the picture.
I wonder if the grays are all my reddish highlights bailing on me. Am I going to be completely gray by the time I'm 45? My parents didn't start to turn gray til their mid-50's.

What to do with empty spools?

Any suggestions on what to do with empty spools of thread? Yesterday I finally made Simplicity 4280, which was a lesson in thread management. I wound the bobbin and realized I didn't have any more brown spools of thread! Only bits of brown thread remnants on various spools. I was really sweating out if I had enough thread for 5 buttonholes--and if there was enough on the bobbin near the end...but I made it through! I posted a review on Sewing Pattern Review about the jacket--my first jacket ever!

And I decided to add buttons at the last minute. So glad that I did--I used these flower buttons carved from coconut shells that I bought in Hilo, HI the summer of 2006.


But the question remains...what can be done with all those naked spools? They don't have recycle numbers on them, so I can't recycle them at the recycle hut--but could they be recycled into something else?

Simplicity 4077

I finally sewed Simplicity 4077 today--it looks great--so tired now, though...will I have the energy to take pix and write a Sewing Pattern Review tonight?

Little Red Riding Hood

I've decided I want a new coat for winter. Not just any wool coat. A red wool coat. A fashionable red wool coat. A fashionable red wool coat that will make me feel fabulous wearing it. I haven't had a new wool coat in years. And never a fashionable one. And certainly never a red one. It is time.

Oh, Myrtle Beach, how I love thee (and thy mini-golf). Hanna, please be gentle: http://climate.weather.com/articles/hannapreps090504.html?from=hp_news

The smell of freshly baked cookies...

....mmmm...smells so good!!

Cookie rush

So I'm leading a round of load testing tomorrow at work, and I decided I would bake some cookies from scratch as the reward for my coworkers...What was I thinking? I'd rather couch potato it and read!

I'm going to try to make the cookies in an hour, no more...here I go!

Topics I want to blog about...

....but I should really get to sleep:

• The shirt I just made
• What it's like to be a girl with a boy's name (based on this post)
  
• Picking up trash around my neighborhood
• The aluminum paradox.

Whee! Should get to sleep...now...