Well, It Had To Happen Sometime

Yes, I've finally finished a project.  The kitchen curtains are done!!!  Well, technically, they've been done for a couple of weeks now, but our kitchen was so dirty that I couldn't bring myself to take pictures.  You may or may not know how it is, but our kitchen only stays presentable for an hour at a time.  And then I cook something.  But that ended this weekend when we finally got the last of the preserving stuff put away.  (Okay, almost the last of the preserving stuff.  We've had this wonky extended late summer going on here which has produced another three pounds or so of pickling cucumbers, so one more batch of sweet garlic dill chips it is.)

I seriously have to work on my white balance.  Our room is not that green.

Here's the front window.  Just simple panels hung with a tension rod to avoid damage to our mill work.

And here's the back.  Nothing too exciting here, either.  Except to me, of course, because this means that (hopefully) my dry streak is over!  The fabric is Dwell Studio Botany Flora in the taupe colorway.  I think it looks gray, but white balance is one of my challenges, so what do I know.  I originally saw this at Joann's but I wasn't ready to buy the fabric at that point, and we all know what a big mistake that was.  When I was finally ready to get the fabric, of course they were out of the color that I wanted.  So, I went on an online hunt and found it for a much better price at Fabric.com.  I just checked, and they still have it in stock. 

The fabric is a twill and is perfect for our casual kitchen.  Our back windows face west, so we need a little heat control in the summer.  I made the panels with a full lining to give them a little more insulating power, but as you can see, they still let plenty of light through.  Regardless, they do seem to keep the kitchen a little cooler in the afternoons on warm days, so they're doing their job.  All in all, I'm pleased with how these turned out.  They add just the right touch to our windows and match our room perfectly. 

It's that one in the middle on the bottom.

I am planning to actually make a dress next.  Specifically Simplicity 1798.  the version with the short sleeves and without the peplum.  It reminds me of my favorite Calvin Klein ready-to-wear dress that I bought in desperation at serious markdown the day before Thanksgiving a few years ago.  It's a magic dress that seems to fit and flatter no matter how my weight fluctuates, and that's a very special thing.  I'm hoping to replicate that here.  I've got a pretty blue polyester crepe that I got at the Fabric Depot outdoor sale last summer earmarked for it.  I'll start alterations on the pattern this week.

Hope your fall is going well.  I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for cooler weather or the cucumbers may take over the whole yard.

Curtain Up!

Actually, it's more like five curtains.  Or exactly five curtains.  Still not done, but getting there.  Seriously, what home sewer has not thought that they should just run up a few curtain panels and later regretted that decision?  Not because they're difficult but because they're a bit of a pain.  I have made most of the curtains in our house, and I hate the process every time.  But I'm determined to get this done by the end of the summer.  Now, if only the weather would cooperate and cool down so that I could finish the three panels I have left.  (I'm sewing in my kitchen, and we get direct afternoon sun from about 2 p.m. on in the nook where I'm set up.  It's in the 90s this weekend, we don't have air conditioning, and I'm a terrible baby about hot weather).  Here's one of my finished windows!

As you can see, there's nothing too complicated about them.  Just rectangular panels hung on a tension rod.  The tension rod decision was made partly because we like the mill work around the windows and don't want to screw into it and partly because I didn't have quite enough fabric.  Gaining the extra couple of inches by only making these to fit inside the window frame really helped stretch the material.

So, I'm still plugging away.  Work's a minor nightmare due to summer, too, with everyone trying to go on vacation at the same time.  Except me.  We try to take advantage of not being tied to a school schedule by taking our vacations during off times.  But with the summer coming to a close soon, the workload should be getting distributed a little more evenly, so it looks like there's an end in sight and I might get my spare time back in a few weeks.  I'll post final pictures when the curtains are done!

Cheaper Than Therapy

So, back in April, I shared pictures of the mud pit that was our backyard.   Well, this week, we put in the last of the plants, and I'm pleased to say that other than watering and weeding, the garden is done.  At least for now.  Just a reminder of how the yard looked back before we started.

Here is what it looked like after the demolition was finished.

And here's how things turned out.

These pictures were all pretty much taken from similar angles.  That first picture just cuts out the fence on the left.

As you can see, Bob is quite happy to be surrounded by vine maples and beauty berries.  Our summer has finally arrived.  Here in Portland, the weather doesn't really perk up until after July 4th, but we've been in the mid- to high-eighties for the last day or two.  I'm a terrible baby about the heat, so I've now been trying to figure out how to add air conditioning to the back yard so that I can spend more time outside.  Either that or I'll eventually acclimate.  I hope everyone's summer is going well.  Next?  More curtains, and I have a couple of dresses in the planning queue.

So, This Was Christmas

Wow, is it just me, or did this holiday season just fly by?  We've taken down all of our Christmas finery, but I thought I'd share some of it here before going back to business as usual.

Remember that 9-foot tree?  Well, here's what it looked like all dressed up.

I never quite seemed to get the whole tree in any photo I took.  That's a capiz-shell star at the top.

And here's how many ornaments it takes to fill a tree that large (large-to-us, anyway).

I didn't even bother counting.  This doesn't include the garland or the 1,500+ lights.

I've been collecting ornaments for well over 20 years, and I'm going to have to stop because I've got way more than can fit on any tree that we can squeeze into our house.

I thought my Christmas Eve dinner table turned out really nicely.

Here's the little boy hanging out with the Christmas toys.  He would burrow himself into them for naps, and you could barely tell the difference between him and the stuffed animals.

Anyway, thanks for indulging me in this little detour.  Now, I also made something.  I know, finally.

Please forgive the wonky posing.  This is the picture where the color of the yarn turned out most accurately.

This is the Ruffled Scarf (I don't actually think that's the name) from Sadie & Oliver, and about 1/3 of the way into it, I realized that it was the perfect Christmas gift for my sister-in-law V.  The pattern is simple.  Stockinette stitch with increases and decreases along one side for the shaping.  Here's what the shape of the scarf looks like without the ruffle.

This is the unruffled version that I made for niece A1.

The ruffle is picked up and knitted along the shaped edge and is a plain garter stitch.  This really helps control the edge rolling that stockinette is prone to.  Another thing that helps?  A really soft yarn.  I used Malabrigo Silky Merino, and it's beautifully soft. 

I wouldn't have any problems wearing this next to my skin, but if you're really sensitive to itch, then there could be a problem with the wool content.  I did not block this scarf because reviews of this yarn have said that it grows a lot during blocking due to the silk.  This yarn was lovely to work with and produces a fabric with a soft drape.  It's kind of rough spun and varies slightly in its thickness throughout the hank; however, I also have this yarn in one of the variegated colorways, and there was a big problem with the spinning.  The thickness of the yarn was wildly uneven, and I couldn't knit more than a row or two before I'd either be working with totally unspun fiber or fiber that was spun so tightly, it was barely lace weight.  So really check the hanks out for quality issues before you buy. 

I also need to work on my white balance.  Everything's a little too yellow.

I really enjoyed working on this scarf, so much so, that I'm making one for myself in a light gray.  The increases and decreases on the stockinette make the pattern more interesting than just knitting a rectangle, but it's still so simple that you can plop down with your needles in front of the television.  The ruffle is a pretty detail that isn't too fussy.  This is still in its gift bag waiting for the intended recipient to get back into town, but my brother-in-law assures me that she'll love it.

Anyway, I hope everybody had a wonderful holiday season and New Year and that 2012 brings you all good things.

Oh, and for my next trick?  I'm picking up Lady Grey again after a substantially long break.  Gosh, I hope I remember how to tailor.

Is the Worst Gift Fruitcake?

Or is it possibly a hand-knit scarf in a novelty yarn?  Let's hope not, because my niece has been breathlessly waiting for me to cough up with one since she saw me knitting a baby blanket last Thanksgiving and asked if she could have something, too.  My sister-in-law told me that she spent the first couple of months of this year waiting for the mail.  In my defense, I never gave her a timeline, but I don't think that gets me very far.  After all, she's only seven.  So, earlier this month, I buckled down, and this is what I came up with.

The yarn is Bernat Baby Jacquard Florals in the Rosebud colorway.  I picked it specifically to match A's new Build-A-Bear that she was proudly showing off at Thanksgiving.  I think it's really cool how the yarn creates not only a striped effect but also the tapestry-like sections.  Here's a detail:

The pattern is the body portion of Sadie & Oliver's A Little Ruffle scarf.   The pattern is simple, and clearly written.  Just what I needed when working on a deadline.  The main body of the scarf is stockinette stitch with increases on one side to get the shaped effect.  The ruffle, had I added it, is picked up and knit from one end, down the shaped side and across the other end.  I left off the ruffle because not only is the yarn particularly girlie and I feared that the ruffle would throw it over the top but it's not really A's style.  I also made the scarf smaller and shorter than called for in the pattern so that it's better sized for a little girl.  I also made a little garter-stitch scarf for Berry.

Teddy bear scarf as modeled by Manda, who is still very well-loved.

I mentioned A is seven, so I wanted to make sure that the yarn I used was machine washable and dry-able.  The only problem is that it's acrylic, and I have no idea how to block acrylic, so I most definitely did it wrong.  As you can see from the picture above, the scarf is still doing that annoying curl thing that stockinette stitch does.  These are one their way to California as we speak to be opened, and hopefully enjoyed, on Christmas morning.  Personally, I think the teddy bear scarf is the best part. 

I'm also making the full-sized version of the scarf as a gift for my sister-in-law, so I'll have a fuller report on the pattern as written in a day or two. 

A Tree Never Hits a Car Except in Self Defense

Every year, getting our Christmas tree home is an experiment in engineering.  I think this year we have finally reached the limits of how much tree you can fit into the backseat of a Toyota Camry without bending the laws of nature.  That's approximately 8.5 feet, just in case you were curious.  We've tried tying the tree on top of the car, but the last time we did that, it ended up with me hanging out the window trying to keep the tree from sliding into the street because we didn't manage to tie it on tightly enough.  Inside the car works better.

In case you couldn't tell, the Camry is the car equivalent of a senior citizen, so we choose to go the the local Boy Scout lot instead of cutting our own.  I'm not sure what the Camry would do with a muddy dirt road, but I'm fairly certain that it wouldn't be pretty and would involve a tow truck at the end of the day.

We actually got a Noble, but I didn't take a picture of that sign.

So, the Saturday before last, we headed down to our favorite tree lot and interviewed potential candidates.  For the past several years, I've had to pressure Mr. flyskim into getting a tree that's taller than me, so imagine my surprise when this year, he made a bee-line for the 9-10 footers.  Up until last year, the biggest tree I've managed to wangle him into was 7 feet. 

Not that this surprises me in the least.  When we first bought our house, I suggested really neutral colors for our bedroom, bathroom and office (they're a suite of rooms) and then carefully negotiated the yellow in the living and dining rooms by pointing out that the color was actually called Windham Cream, so not really yellow, no matter what it looks like.  The next thing I know, I've got a brick-red accent wall in the living room and an orange kitchen.  And I didn't choose either color.

Here's Mr. flyskim with our tree.  He's 6 feet tall, so you can get an idea of the size of the tree.

We carted off the tree.

And got a fresh cut (very important because Boy Scout trees can be dry).

Then we stuffed it in the backseat.  Anyone else thinking of The Grinch stuffing the Who Christmas tree up the chimney?  The Boy Scout dad who helped us load up the tree was so impressed, he took his own pictures. 

This was the side we had to worry about because we didn't want to cause any property damage on the way home.  Needless to say, we stuck to the deserted side streets. Once we got the tree home, we soaked it for the better part of a week, not because it needed the long-term soak, but because we just didn't have a chance to get it into the house sooner.

And it finally came to rest in the corner of the living room, none the worse for wear.  My buddy C thinks that we could actually manage to cram an even bigger tree into the car next year.  But as you can see from the tree top brushing our ceiling that even if we did get the tree home in one piece, we'd have to cut off part of the tree to get it to stand upright.  So, that was our big tree adventure.  We're still in the process of decorating because we're doing a little each night.  I'll have more pictures once it's done.  Oh, and if you haven't guessed, there's been no sewing going on around here, but there has been knitting with a couple of different finished projects.  More to come on that, too. 

Hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season.  We're sure going to try.

Whenever I Feel Blue, I Start Breathing Again

So, it seems like forever since I last posted.  Probably because it has been forever (I'm not exaggerating, either.  Five weeks and forever are totally the same thing.).  Life has really been living up to its reputation lately and requiring constant attention which leaves little time for sewing and less for blogging about it.  So I consider it a major accomplishment to have completed Vogue 8615 (a very modified version).

I actually started another version of this dress a year ago, and it's still a work in progress (story of my life).  That version is for Christmas, and I'd always thought of this as a more formal dress.  But then I tried on this dress at H&M, and it was the most wildly unflattering thing on me ever.

The waist was too high.  In order to get some more length in the skirt, I sized up, so the top was too big.  And it was mustard yellow.  Not my best color.  But I became obsessed with the idea of a 3/4-sleeved, full-skirted dress that was warm and soft as a t-shirt.  And then it hit me.  Vogue 8615.  But in a doubleknit.  This is the exact opposite of the advised fabric for this pattern (think shantung or taffeta).  Doubleknit can't even pretend to have the crispness of these fabrics, but having seen the H&M dress, I knew that the fabric would work with this style dress, although it wouldn't look like the picture on the envelope.

I had already done all of my pattern alterations when I started on my silk shantung version last fall.  These included a full bust adjustment, a shoulder adjustment and enlarging the sleeves for my fuller upper arms.  Since I had fitted the dress as a woven, this allowed me to treat the doubleknit exactly like a woven when sewing it.  Well, except for one place, and I'll get to that in a minute.  I'm really pleased with the fit, although I'm rethinking the ballet neck because I'm looking a little well-endowed in all of my pictures.  Trust me, certain objects that you see in the picture above appear larger than their actual size (and I'm not talking about my legs).

And then we get to the back.  I'm really glad that I've been taking pictures of the backs of garments.  I'm going to have to start doing this during the fitting process as well, because I might have realized how badly I need some sort of alterations.  Partly that's my refusal to do a sway back adjustment most of the time (which I really need to get over), and part of it is just my body shape, but there's also definitely something going on with my fitting.

You can also see that the sleeves are a little baggy.  That doesn't bother me so much, and there are a couple of reasons that this happened.  This is a stretchy fabric, and it looks like the sleeves have stretched out because of my elbows.  Now, the sleeve itself is supposed to be really fitted per the pattern, and I can tell you that when it's made out of a woven fabric and lined, it is fitted.  Really, really fitted, and I suspect that this played a part in the drooping as well.  Or more to the point, how I dealt with the fitted sleeve in order to hem it.  Let me explain.

When the dress is made out of a woven, the sleeves are fully lined, and the sleeve hem is finished by sewing the wrong sides of the fashion fabric and the lining together at the sleeve hem.  You then turn the lining to the inside of the sleeve, understitch and hand sew the sleeve lining to the lining of the bodice at the armscye.  Since lining the dress would have defeated the purpose of wearing what is essentially a long t-shirt, I wanted to finish the sleeve by turning the hem under and stitching.  Well, the sleeve is so fitted that it is too small to fit around the free arm of the sewing machine.  Or at least my sewing machine.  So instead of figuring out something that didn't require the distortion of my fabric, I just stretched it around the free arm and figured that it would spring back when I was done.  Now that I see the pictures from the back, it didn't spring back so much.  Here's what the inside of the sleeve hem looks like.

Another thing that I had to figure out when I decided not to line the dress was how to finish the neckline.  I ended up constructing facing pieces using the bodice pattern as a guide.

You can see in the above picture that it's a pretty narrow facing.  That's because the neckline is so wide.  If I'd made the facing any wider, it would have had to have been tucked into the top of the sleeve, and I would have had a much more difficult time tacking it down.  To draft the facing pattern, I traced along the front and back neckline edges and then extended the pattern piece down 2 1/2 inches.  The bodice has seams at both the center front and back, and I wanted to avoid adding too much bulk, so I trimmed the seam allowance from the center seam and cut both facings on the fold.

Because the facing wanted very badly to roll to the outside, even after it was understitched, I tacked it down to all of the interior seams. 

So, all in all, a very successful project.  Will I make it again?  As I mentioned above, there's a half-finished, emerald green silk shantung version up in my sewing closet.  That's for Christmas.  I'd also like to take a stab at this with the v-neck mirrored in the front.  I love a wide v-neckline.  I'm not sure what's next.  I might put together a denim skirt, or perhaps get started on my Thanksgiving dress.  I'd better figure that out soon, because I'm starting whatever it is tomorrow.

"Color Is My Day-Long Obsession, Joy and Torment"

~ Claude Monet ~

Over-exposed, I know.  But the backyard was bright, and I had to set the exposure ahead of time for Mr. flyskim.  I think we've all had the dilemma of wanting a good shot but not wanting someone to have to take 9,000 pictures for you, so once he got something semi-in focus, I called it good enough.

So, as I mentioned earlier, there's actually been a good amount of sewing but not much blogging here at Chez flyskim.  My friend H got married at the end of July, and for once, I wanted to actually finish a project in time to actually wear it as intended.

Enter Simplicity 2176.  H got married in her mother's backyard, so I knew that I wanted something lightweight and summery.  I had this pretty cotton stretch sateen from a spring fabric.com order that fit the bill, and I thought that the vintage feel of the Simplicity pattern would suit the fabric beautifully.  For once, I seem to have done a good job pairing the fabric to the pattern, because this dress is just what a summer sundress should be:  light, airy and yet with a little body and shape. 

The pattern was simple to put together.  A princess-seamed bodice with a top band.  I made a size 12 in the bodice with my usual full-bust adjustment (dropped the bust point 1 3/4 inches and then added about 3 inches in total fullness). The full bust adjustment did not affect the bodice band itself, so I cut the size 12.  Then I freaked out a little and added 1/2 inch at each side seam for insurance, and it turns out that I needed it.  I have tried starting with a 14 recently because of this exact problem, but I've ended up with a lot more fit issues that have just frustrated me, so I took a chance and went with the 12 this time.  Turned out well because the fit around the bodice is great. 

I used the thicker straps because I wanted the option of wearing a standard bra and still be able to take off my sweater if I wanted (you eventually reach and age when visible bra straps are just tacky).  This means that I did not use the markings given for attaching the straps.  Instead, I tried the dress on without straps and pinned them on to match my bra straps.  Because the straps are sandwiched it between the top band and the facing, you need to do this prior to attaching the facing for this to work.  In reality, it turns out that I didn't need to worry about it so much because I actually prefer the dress with the sweater.

Oops.  I was in such a hurry to wear this, I haven't tacked down the facings yet.  Better see to that.

I also cut a 16 in the skirt but had to bring it in a little at the side seams, not because I should have cut the smaller sized but because the skirt seems a little large to me.  This is straightforward because the pleating on the skirt does not alter from size to size.  The size of the skirt is entirely dependent on the side seam.

The lace was a simple addition.  When I first planned the dress, I expected to have to catch the lace in the seam between the bodice band and the skirt band, but the instructions just have you tack it on to the outside.  I started out by hand sewing the bodice lace on because I thought that would be less visible, but that was time consuming, and since my hand stitches didn't seem to show, I took a chance and stitched the skirt lace on by machine.  Good thing, too, because I finished this up right before lunch on the day of the wedding. 

All in all, a very successful venture.  I did think that this dress was going to be pretty versatile, but I've discovered that it's a little too dressy for general weekend wear for me.  But with a cardigan, it's a pretty addition to my business casual work wardrobe. It's probably because I like the look of this dress better on me with a sweater as it's been too hot around here lately to wear one if there's no air-conditioning (which we only have in the bedroom) and by the time it's general sweater weather again, the dress will be too summery for me.  Something else for me to consider in the future when planning garments.