Couple of comments...

First, Jenny, thanks and "duh", that answer is so simple.... I'm usually a better home made engineer than this, what an easy fix.

I wanted to update on the BWOF purple skirt where I couldn't figure out the waist. It's from January 2009 #111. Let's fast forward to March 2009 to their dress #102. And includes one of my all time favorite BWOF descriptions: "This dress is captivating – due to its cool art print and the clever details. A pretty belt is held into place by carriers on the empire waist seam, brilliantly running below those three asymmetrically placed soft pleats. It’s not difficult – you'll find an illustrated sewing course in the magazine. " The idea of a belt "Brilliantly Running" anywhere just captivates the imagination (yes, I'm caught up in the Burda-speak). But you you look at the drawings you will see the band is the same on the skirt and the dress. And the dress has the "illustrated sewing course in the magazine". I've looked and the tutorial is pretty good, a least good enough to get the waistband done right. The pictures really help.

Lindsayt: next time you're in the DC area, let me know and we can definitely do G Street. Hopefully it will be a good day at THE WALL and you can go home stash-happy. The one in Falls Church (where I usually go) also has a JoAnn (good for pattern sales) and zippers. And a Michael's. All in all, a very crafty shopping center. And a good brew pub, too.

And finally, a funny (to me) story about sewing machines. I was looking on Ebay last night at a Viking Designer SE. Of course it was in excess of $3k. My son was sitting beside me trying to look like he didn't care about a stupid old sewing machine, but his nonchalance was challenged when he saw it. He asked me why I didn't bid on it. It was "awesome". Mom, it has a computer screen. I've never seen a sewing machine with a computer screen. So I thought this was pretty funny, especially in light of the fact that he's probably only seen about 5 sewing machines ever - including a Singer 201, a Touch n Sew, and my Pfaff. I'm giving him credit for 2 more, but this may not be warranted. In case you're keeping up, the Viking sold for $3075 and I lost by $25 (there were auto bidders, I don't play that game). If the machine is really as stated, someone got a heck of a deal. It came fully loaded including designs, hoops, etc.

End of the week from hell.

I had high aspirations of finishing Marlene pants #2. Didn't happen. Didn't even set foot in my sewing room this week except to iron for work, until tonight.

I made a little progress tonight, THANKS ELIZABETH!, I finally got the stupid-simple pockets put together, and the side seams and inside leg seams. One leg isn't good, so out it will come tomorrow. If I have time. I still have a ton of work to do this weekend. And I have a boat-load of alterations to do. Not my fav by a long shot. I have 2 pairs of pants to hem and 3 jackets to take the sleeves up on. It's not easy being short. But I will love having some new stuff to wear for fal.

More fun: I bought a zig-zagger for my Singer 201 from Ebay. This one really IS a ZZ-er. Unlike the hemmer sold as a ZZ-er. Ah well. The risk you take on Ebay. And it does work, in fact it's on my machine right now. But now I'm excited and can really Zig my Zag. It has four cams/templates, including a standards ZZ, a scallop, one that looks like a Christmas tree, and a "W" "M" like of thingy. If I have time - AFTER I hem my pants tomorrow - I'll play around and post some pics of my fancy-schmancy stitches. But I have the blind-hemmer on the machine and want to hem the pants before switching attachments. Yes, the Singer attachments do beautiful work. But they are kind of a pain to switch out. That's where the new machines do win. But I think the Singer's stitches are much prettier.

I still have a shipment from Fabric Mart coming. Hopefully this weekend. I called yesterday, because it was taking so long and they said it would ship today. One of the cuts was on backorder. Doesn't really matter, not like I had time to sew, but I do like to pet my new stuff. Guess I'll just clack around with my ZZ-er and switch out the templates. LOL.

Ok, I don't know how well this shows up, badly I think. It's an olive knit from Vogue Fabrics. With a loop - think soft stretchy loose terry? What to do with it? I need a pattern. Maybe cardigan? Wrap shirt? Ideas? It's finally fall here in DC, so I'm ready to sew for a new season.

Still working on Burda

Short post, no pics. But I did get back into my sewing room after the day from Hell. And found that, sure enough, my Burda pattern did indeed have marks for the pockets and the darts and the pleat. Duh! So my darts are back in, my pleats are stitched. And I'm now a little stumped on the pockets. Haven't given them a lot of thought, after all dinner was ready. But a little bumfuzzled (yeah, I like that word and have been waiting to use it). I may not get back to it for a while, I'll be out of town over the weekend. Maybe the pockets will get done, though, tomorrow night.

I'm totally enjoying my Thread's haul, though. I have them all over the apartment and just read a little everywhere. Driving DH nuts. Hmmm, maybe that's part of the fun. Still pending is a sewing book from Ebay and a Fabric Mart shipment. One shouldn't drink and internet shop.

And I sent back PRunway2 disc 1 to NetFlix. So when I get back in town disc 2 should be waiting for me. YEA! I'm liking season 2. And it is making me realize how lame the current season really is. Ah well. Better than the History Channel, at least.

For my good night shot, tonight I'll leave you with..... my old backyard. I missed it this summer, all but the planting part. And the weeding. And the watering. And having deer eat my begonias. And...no, wait, I really do miss watching the sun set behind the trees. And my bench.

Me and Burda, we're not done

Not by a long shot. I actually cut then next pair yesterday. What a difference wider fabric makes in this layout: There was plenty to lay it out side-by-side. This is fabric I got on our GREAT ADVENTURE to New York. This was from Metro Fabrics, (Thanks, Kashi!). Karen got the same piece in brown and also in green (I think??? maybe grey????) . I washed and dried it and it didn't really change hands much. It's pretty stiff, and stayed that way. Takes a crease nicely, though, and doesn't ravel. I hope it isn't too stiff in the final piece.

Anyway... on to what I've learned in time to fix it on this one.

Um there's a dart AND a pleat on the front. Hmmm. I made it into one larger pleat last time and this explains why I had some fitting problems. Both on me and with the waistband/top. Hmmm. Live and learn, eh? So I can do this right.

I cut my waistband going wrong on the grain. It should be perpendicular to the grain of the slacks. Hmmmm. I guess wrong may not be the right word, but I may recut. I have enough fabric.

There are marks on the sides for the pockets. I just missed some markings in all the busyness of the Burda layout. At least I cut all the same size! Now how could I have missed a couple of little tick marks on all this? Just careless, I suppose.

I've been back to Ebay. And my 14 back issues of Threads showed up today. YooHoo! Only one's a repeat of what I have. And these are older, good issues. Lots of good reading ahead!

So, what do y'all think about this jacket? Love it? Hate it? Want to knock it off or rub it out? I bought and returned it this weekend. Tell me whether you like or not, then I'll tell you where it came from (and went back to)

Carolyn: thanks for you comments on my sewing room. I love it. It's small, but works and is ALL MINE! And yes, I have a lot of lights: I'm old and can't see and there is no overhead lighting, so I had to add it all. Someday, I want to make a wall hanging for it, but for now, the walls are plain.

My dog helped me cut out on Sunday. Primarily by laying in the same spot long enough for her sun to move.

Stuff

I made a quick muslin from the Burda WOF Aug 105. Here's my tracing. I outlined the size I wanted in black Sharpy and then traced onto exam paper, a gift from Lunesta via BFF. It seems like a lot of work to get these even read to cut. I'll let you know if it's worth it. I really DO want to learn to make (fit, really, the sewing is the same) slacks. I'm going to actually make these, probably next weekend, when my husband's out of town and I'm rained in with Hanna. Based on fit, I really like them, but will probably cut them one size smaller. The legs are pretty wide and I had lots of room in the hips. These are the "famous" Marlene pants that are being "sewn along" on SG. They will also be my first Burda. After determining that I must have a German-shaped butt. I certainly don't have a Vogue shaped one. Bleck!

Next up is my wall of sewing. This is an Ikea shelf that fills the wall almost perfectly. Kind of a "where's waldo" feel to this. But I'll point out a few of my favorite things. My vase full of Marti Gras beads. Not so sewing, but I like these. They make me happy. I think it's the colors. Whatever. Third row down and far right are 2 icky green sewing baskets, a la 1970. One is mine and has mostly old thread and odd fiber art (ok, puffy paint) stuff. The other was Mom's and has a quilt (I use the term very lightly) I've been making for 40 years. Aunt Mae started it with me. Ah well.... Patterns are in the 2 brown baskets upper left corner & right below. Trims are in the blue shoe box and my Pacific Trims trims in the little bag to the right. You can see the Burda muslin hiding behind the box. The 2 banker's boxes contain the "what was I thinking" stash and the "it's too small to sew and too big to toss" stash. If you want some odd stuff (and I mean odd!) or small stuff, let me know. It's yours. Sewing books are above the green sewing boxes and there's a furniture refinishing project hidden behind there. Bottom center is a GStreet mind warp. The green is SOOO soft and I have so much of it and have no idea what the heck to do with it. Seriously. It's baby weight knit. Pretty, but not me. You can see other stash here and there. Mardel: if you're looking you can see my FabricMart haul. On the top half you'll find Threads and other mags in their bins and some leftover sofa cushion guts. Bought and realized we just throw them in the floor, so why bother? Couple of UFO's/wadders in the USPS box above my Ebay find. And my tunes in the upper right. No explanation is available for the mess on the edge of the ironing board. That's just an embarassment. Can you find my dad? He's hiding in there somewhere! Today would have been his birthday. Happy Birthday, daddy!

Finally, an update

It's been way too long since I've posted. It's just been crazy, I've had a number of travel obligations, in fact I'm in Detroit right now but my son ditched me so I have some down time, including Cleveland and Kingsport/Abingdon and Columbia, MD. My company landed a BIG new job that has entailed a lot of long hours and days away from the office and home.

First, I want to post a couple of pic's from Karen and Beth's Organizational frenzy. We reworked her sewing room while I was there. And yes, the organizer in me was truly in hog-heaven. So here are a few before & after: And 2 more:Just look at all the storage space we made!!! We took piles of stuff from chairs and old shelves and organized it so she can access it and keep the sun off the fabrics. And say "hi" to her Aunt there in front of the shelves. She hung out with us while we worked. Having seen pictures of her house, I'm sure she approved of our attempts, though, compared to her, we were a bit amateurish. Ah well, room for improvement.

I also finished the batik skirt. I LOVE this skirt. It's cute, fits well and is as easy to wear as a pair of shorts. Since I took this pic, I reworked the waist band - the pattern gave no lap at the waist so it tends to gape. I also lined it. And I had all kinds of fun with my twin needle and top stitching. I may top stitch everything now. Hmmmm.

I've tried, again, to make pants. Just a dismal failure. I don't know where to go with them other than the dumpster. They are just too long in the crotch. When I get back to DC, I may try undoing all my crotch seam adjustments and try taking them up from the waist band. That will leave an odd space for the front zip, so I may sew that up and make them side zip. *sigh** I like the fabric - a light grey stretch with just a tiny pinstripe picked up off the G Street $2.95 table on a trip with BFF in February. And I REALLY want to make pants for fall. I have a lot of fabric I've stashed with slacks in mind.

In other sewing news.... I've been on an EBay Spree. I am now the broad owner of more button holer templates (still missing some) and a BLIND HEMMER for my 201. I am in love and lust with the hemmer. It is just wonderful!!! I've never done well with my Pfaff on this (it doesn't like anything that has to be done with the fabric near an edge), but the pictures in the Singer book finally lifted the veil of confusion on how to fold the fabric. And it feeds so pretty and straight. I almost look forward to hemming. Almost.

I also thought I bought a zig-zagger, but it is actually another hemmer. A case of Caveat Emptor, I suppose. I didn't pay enough for it to be mad, just disappointed. A friend emailed me the ZZ manual, though, and it has all kinds of 50's Singer ideas for using the ZZ-er that I CAN use with the Pfaff's stitches. So not a total waste. I'll be deco stitching when I'm not twin needling.... Hmmm, no time for actual construction? After the last pants, that's not such a bad thing.

And I made my first purchase from Vogue fabrics. It came right before I left for Detroit, so I haven't had much time to pet the new fabric much. I do see a long sleeve tee out of one of the "eyelash" knits. Or bed sheets? Sure is soft, so I may just carry it around like a baby.

While here in Detroit, I wanted to deposit some checks that have piled up. I filled out deposit slip, endorsed the checks and dug my wallet out to get my ATM card so I'd be ready. No card. Nope, not in the slots, not in checkbook, not in the change holder, not in the bottom of the purse, not in the side pockets, not in the brief case. Damn-it. Just gone. Last time I used it was at Union Station, couple of weeks ago. The money was in my wallet, but no card. Dumped out everything. Pawed thru it. Swore at it. Realized that I could get a new one issued today at Kroger if I hustled. Kevin wanted to go, for groceries, so we piled in the car and took off. I started with the deposit and told the teller I'd lost my card. She updated my account with my Driver's License and went to call to cancel the card. I put my license back in wallet and shoved it back in my purse and up flipped my bank card. I yelled "HERE IT IS"!! She hung up, mid-sentence, on the home office. How close was that?

And, totally off topic. And for my guy lurkers (do I have any of those????) I hate to show you this, but felt you should know. There will be no more Rambo movies. He is buried in the same cemetery as my parents. May he RIP.

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...