More My Space Pics

I sat down to do this last night and fell asleep before I found my first photo. That would have been okay if I hadn't woken up at midnight and flopped around until 2. So, here you go, just a little late. These pictures were taken from the loft area, looking down on the living area. Much smaller spaces than we used to have. And for you sewers, I made the lovely coffee table cover out of some home dec from Hancocks, the same as I used to cover the icky black plastic dining room chairs - not really visable in the "arial" photo, but you can see them in the table view. You can also see that I need to go wine shopping, I'm dangerously low, apparently! In fact, the more I look at that photo, the more worried I get, the one on the bottom is empty, I just liked the bottle - it was some sticky sweet goo from Romania, but the bottle was interesting. This simply won't do.

I started working on my Advanced Beginner Competition skill last night. I cut out the front of the pattern from an old shirt of W's that ripped - fabric is a pretty good match to the one I'll be using - remember this is also one of the garments for the JCC, so I have it picked out already. I did one side as per pattern directions and put pintucks in the other side. I like the look of the tucks, actually from the "wrong" side better than right side, but I need room to put more in: 1/4 inch per tuck, 3 tucks = 3/4 inch. The called for dart requires 2 1/4 inches, so I need 7 more? I just don't think I can make that work, I don't want to slash and add fabric. Sew.... next trial will be to make my 20 total across the entire front and see if I get a good proportion - you know, that seems like a lot, I need to recheck my math. If that fails, maybe I'll just do PT's in lieu of the waist darts. I needed some extra "take in" there anyway. I'll try to get some photos up of these attempts this weekend. I'm using the pintuck foot from my Singer 201 on my Pfaff, I may switch to the Singer for these stitches, the feed dogs are better spaced for the foot, I think. I'm wondering if I should make the tucks with a contrasting or coodinating rather than matching thread? Again, a couple of trials should answer this.

I need a dress for a company event, in Florida, in 2 weeks. I stopped at Ann Taylor at Union Station yesterday, only one possible and not even close to my size. I did find some other niceties on sale including some really beautiful white slacks. Now, Zoubida, if you're looking, I'm going to try really, really hard NOT to spill ketchup or mustard - or any other condiment - on them. I wonder how black dog hair will fair? Couple of other nice summery tops to take with us, we're going to spend a couple of extra days down there. Looking forward to this - I haven't been in Florida in 5 years or so? Maybe play some golf, find the beach, drink Margaritas, get sunburned. Ahhh. Now how did I get from a cocktail dress to margaritas on the beach? Hmmm. But I still need a dress and those skills are just above mine, I'm afraid. Though I do keep tracking back to a Laura Ashley pattern and my very stiff Anna Sui fabric. I may still give that a shot. It's sleeveless, not black, slim fitting.... We'll see.

And later that same day

Most of my day continued to stink, butsepfer (in the words of a 3 year old I once knew) lunch. I had lunch with an Online friend from SG. Here we are at lunch, we were hoping for a third, but life got in her way and she couldn't make it this time. That just means we'll have to do it again. No worries.

I also have some pics of our apartment, including my sewing room, the really tiny "den", but it works nicely, the Ikea stuff fits well and there's room for everything I need and it's all close by. My only gripe is the ironing board, it just messes with the whole Feng Sui of the room, LOL. If you look closely, you can see me taking the photo in the mirror. All in all it's like a "Where's Waldo" photo.

There's even just enough room for my Singer 201, so it will get used again. I've even bought it a new toy: a new button holer as my first (and I'm sure not last) venture into Ebay. I think I'll get it the blind stitcher, next. But I need to check out it's wiring before we go too far. She's no spring chicken and may have some problems. That would be bad.

You can see her there, on the right, under the Ikea curtains, that I'm going to hand up in just a minute. My Pfaff is there on the white table hiding amongst the pattern pieces - all a result of my Monday night indecision. Some of the mess is gone, some is not.

I really want to make a dress from this fabric that I got from Fabric Mart. It's a stretchy knit, but I don't know what pattern to use. I had a cross top from New Look picked out, but the more I looked at the less I liked it. Strewn across the table is Butterick 5190, but I'm not in love there either.

The fabric is so cute, though and I really want to use it this season. Suggestions anyone?

And my last point for tonight is a picture of the black and white skirt and top I made from Hancock stretch cotton. Now if it would only warm up enough to wear the top. It's just too darn cold lately. I didn't line this skirt, I bought some stuff - at Wallyworld for a whopping $0.88 and it unraveled in the wash, even with the edge stitching, so I just tossed it and made the skirt anyway. C'est la vie, eh? I don't know how to say "you get what you pay for" in French, but it's appropriate.

If you come back tomorrow night, you'll be treated to the picks of the rest of the BeeBee domain. You don't know what you're missing - well, maybe you do, they're on SG already, whatev...

Rough Day

Does anyone remember the children's book: "Alexander and his Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day"? Well, I think I'm having Alexander's day, though I did not wake up with gum in my hair and no one cares if I call Australia. I know a couple of people in Australia that I wouldn't mind chatting with, some who sew, some who wheel, some who are just cool. But I haven't called them.
I did get a report dumped on me at 9 for a 12 o'clock deadline by someone who thinks I can pull number out of my butt (now THAT would be a cool trick - maybe get me on Letterman?) and gets angry when I can't do it. Now do you get mad at David Copperfield when the tiger doesn't disappear? No, you just think it's part of the show. When numbers don't appear out of my butt, his boxers get in a wad. **sigh**
My pants are too big. They're pinned on and look stupid. These pants are just plain laughing at me, calling me names and waiting for me to trip over the hem so they can tell that pair of cropped jeans all about it tonight in the dark closet. Nasty pants.
My banana was all schmussed. Yuk.
My reports don't run right in our antiquated computer system. I think someone dropped the stone tablets and superglued them back together all wrong. But this relates to the numbers out of my butt theme from above. Does my phone actually connect to any one? Or does it just go into an empty room with an answering machine sitting on a bar stool?
I can't find my gel pen to write with, so I have this stoopid Bic thing. Soon as I find my real pen, it's going in the trash, along side the giant paperclip with ridges on it that tore my paper.
Too many people want too much stuff on too short a notice. No more **sigh**, we're up to a full blown **ARGGGGGH*, as Charlie Brown would have said.
Well, for 10:30, that's not bad. I have to go now, I need to call Australia.

I'm back!

I know it's been a while, but I finally got my camera working a little better and took some pictures of my sewing work. Photo's are being uploaded into my flickr account as I type.

First, I'm going to discuss my combination June Capsule Competition entry at Stitcher Guild and the simultaneous and spontaneous Advanced Beginner Competion at Pattern review. The JCC requires 4 garments and 1 accessory: at least on bottom, one may be sewn before June and one may be purchased. The Advanced Beginner, also running for the month of June, requires one garment that must be sewn completely in June and has one new technique. Sew.... Here are my JCC fabrics. The skirt is V8363, view C, without the side buttons. It is my "sewn before June" item, the fabric is a Mills Creek home dec remnent from the now closed Potomoc Mills G Street. K & I hit the Falls Creek store on Saturday afternoon and finished our JCC shopping. The lavender cotton, a quilting cotton will be the top (the other top, not shown, is a white blouse - currently at the laundry) and the stripe will be the other bottom. Maybe from the same pattern - not sure yet. Now, to add the PR AB twist: I want to make my "new skill" to be pintucks AND I want to use V8419, with short sleeves. SO that will require changing the darts and pleats to pintucks. I'll have to try it out on some scraps first. The colors on the bottom photo are the most true.

Okay, enough for one night, but I have more for tomorrow. I'm having lunch with a SG new friend and maybe another. I'm looking forward to this and I'll update tomorrow and post some new pics of other projects.

A new way to look at clothes

At least for me. I stumbled on a blog - linked thru SG that grabbed me and held me. I know, I'm coming into this late, but still, here I am. A Dress a Day gave me an interesting perspective on clothing. Ok, now, I know my knee highs don't have much personality, and that my Target undies aren't saying much after "get me outa this crack", but I really do think that my open toed MaryJanes are taunting their closed-toed sisters as they strut towards the Metro, and my brown suit? Well it just hates and despises me all kinda ways. Know what? Feeling's mutual and it's very likely to spend some quality time in a black garbage bag before ending up at a Thrift store crammed next to a lumpy brown sweater with pilling and moth holes. So there - go ahead, tighten up on my shoulders, will ya. And my home-made (yeah, it looks it, I can say it) PJ tee shirt? It says, "ahhhh, put me on, you'll be so comfy, you can lounge in me, you can sleep in me, I love ER the way you do, I don't mind if you spill wine on me".
So thank you, Erin (if that is, indeed, your real name...) for some laughs, some tears and a whole new way to look at my clothes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to reorganize my closet, I simply do not want the bad vibes from that yellow golf shirt rubbing off on my linen tank top, that just won't do.

Light at the end of the tunnel

We made it back to DC late last night after driving through a monsoon for 10 hours. Seriously, folks, it was pouring when we left Detroit and had to drive 35 miles out of our way because I75 was closed. Say "Goodbye to Michigan - land where it's acceptable to close major freeways for months at a time". Slight weather break in Ohio, and picked up the rain plus hurricane winds in Pennsylvania. Kacy slept the whole way, but she always does, she's such a good little traveler. NOT such a good leash pooper, though. Unload the car at the doors to the elevator, open the door, prop open the door with a computer bag - I KNEW that thing would come in handy! Slide all items into the foyer and push the elevator button. Wait. Watch the dog shake and freak. Wait. The door opens and start sliding all items into the door. Every 10 seconds, the elevator bitch (for the visually and apparently hearing impared) yells, "Door Closing, step away from the closing door". Yeah, that helps the dog calm down. She's on her belly trying to dig her claws into the tile floor, no way is she getting on that thing with those moving boxes. Up to the fifth floor with the still shivering cowering dog - I'm waiting for her to pee any second. And repeat the box dance: slide them out of the elevator, Open the door to the hall and prop the door open with the computer bag - I've used that thing twice now! And you said it was a waste of money, geez. Slide everything past that door into the hall. Now start carrying stuff down the hall. Real easy with a 70 lb dog freaking out at the end of the leash trying to simulatiously trip you and pull you over. Dump the stuff in the apartment, put on a rain coat, dig out an umbrella - remember the typhoon - and take the dog, who hasn't peed in 6 hours - outside. Walk around for 1/2 hour with no results, go back upstairs and watch her pace the floor. 2 hours later, repeat performance. Give up for the night and repeat in the morning, Noah's rain included.
We're getting our furniture delivered and stored on Wednesday. Soooo we're almost done. This has been a long time coming!
Karen's coming to DC this week, she has a conference in the District. We'll meet up for dinner a couple of times and she's going to spend Saturday night here. Probably hit GStreet on Saturday afternoon and then do dinner in Old Town. I suspect she's going to want her Janome back, though. Ah, well, it was a good run.
I worked on my skirt for the June Capsule some. Got the zipper put in - first time, most beatimously. Tried it on and it was too big, so I had to take it in and the lining so I didn't get it finished. I might tomorrow night, though. The rest should go fast: attach lining, waist band, hem. I may even try a button hole for the waist band. Hey, it COULD happen. When KT & I go to GStreet I need to find some coodinating fabrics for this for the capsule. I will need another skirt fabric and at least one top. I'd like to do 2 tops, but that may not happen. Have to do an accessory, too. I'm thinking belt, but maybe beading. Something simple and quick.

I made my first Craig's list posting today: FOR SALE FAST: This stuff has to go so I have room for my real stuff on Wednesday. I'll give you a great deal!
Well it's late and I have to work tomorrow. Good night lurkers.....