sunday sevens #35

all done but the hemming, which won’t take long

Technically it’s more than a hair past midnight, so it’s really Monday, but let’s say it’s still Sunday, shall we?

Natalie, over at Threads and Bobbins, came up with the idea of Sunday Sevens.  Anyone can join in, and you don’t have to do a post every Sunday. Or Monday. 😀

Ali/Thimberlina sent a lovely pattern last winter (NewLook 6871, here), and I knew I wanted a very light weight cotton for it.

Enter Anne/Compulsive Seamstress and her suggestion that we trade some fabrics. Then add a few weeks for it to finally percolate through my brain that this could be the perfect cotton for that pattern.

It is!

I cut it several sizes larger than if I were doing the blouse, and used all the length of the fabric so it’s just above knee length. Perfect for really hot summertime lounging or sleep wear.

Left out the interfacing & lined yokes, did the gathers all the way across front & back instead of a section in the middle, and it is perfect! I’ll zip up arms & neck & hem Monday. Super huge Thank You’s to both Ali and Anne for thinking of me!

Now here’s the rest of the week, which has been packed, but not very photogenic.

Hope everyone is getting back into the groove of work after vacations! 😉

PS/ Monday – Josée’s original recipe is here & my printable version is here.

must be getting cooler as just pulled a batch of my fav chocky muffins outta t’oven

here’s what half my cutting table looks like

and here’s the other half

taken sunday at dusk – the last rose of summer?

fabulous new book with loads of fascinating info about colours – THANK YOU to Margaret for the details! http://thecraftycreek.com

these are popping up all over – but who’s been nibbling? not me!

is it wednesday already?

edges serged…

Arggg… much too much going on, and not enough of it sewing, nor sleep.

Not a favourite situation.

But at least I made time to serge all the pieces of this project.

Lizzie/The Vintage Traveler lists two articles (amongst several excellent articles) in her Sunday blog that follow up on a couple of things I’ve been following, so I’m passing them on to you specifically: NYC fabric stores closing and fashion sizing.

The last is very interesting – an editorial by Tim Gunn lambasting designers for refusing to design for all women. He wrote,

“This is a design failure and not a customer issue. There is no reason larger women can’t look just as fabulous … The key is the harmonious balance of silhouette, proportion and fit, regardless of size or shape. Designs need to be reconceived, not just sized up… Done right, our clothing can create an optical illusion that helps us look taller and slimmer…”

We sewers know it takes skill, knowledge, and experience to design clothes for all sizes. Most designers are not doing that. They’ve stuck with the smaller, easy, less lucrative market. Pun intended. Quite a comment on those designers, eh?

Also, on BBC’s Women’s Hour  this week:

“Fashion historian Amber Butchart joins us during London Fashion Week to talk about fashion staples. Each day she’ll talk about key items that many women have in their wardrobe…”

• Monday: jeans
• Tuesday: trainers
• Wednesday: the white shirt  
  
• Thursday: the little black dress (LBD)
• Friday: the trench coat
  
  

Geesh. Only thing from the list in my closet is the LBD. 😱  Guess I better get busy.

sunday sevens #34

It’s Sunday and time for Sunday Sevens, thought up by Natalie, of Threads and Bobbins. Anyone can participate whenever, so feel free to join in.

Where has the week gone? It’s already past the middle of September!

Last weekend was Last Night at the Proms and I was so preoccupied with breakdowns I forgot to listen. AGH!!!

But the entire 3 ½ hours are available for listening, and a little for viewing, depending on what country you’re watching from.

And no, you don’t have to listen to it all in one go. Above the line in the Iplayer are little squares, indicating where each piece starts. Hover your cursor and titles appear.

Nothing like the zaniness of the second half to put me back on track. (Yes, I sing along.) Only available for 3 more weeks, so listen soon. ⌛️

I attacked the UFO/alteration pile last week, and managed to overcome a reluctance to use a twin needle as well as reduce the pile, and am feeling quite chuffed. Below, the pale green is a men’s silk shirt re-do, liberated from a charity shop. The rest are updates to existing makes.

this completes the set, made from 1m fabric from white tree fabrics

a twin needle project – re-cut the neck & arms to cooler/looser size

adding a pocket, maybe even 2

another double needle project, this just finishing the arms & neckline

added elastic to shoulders to pull them it

Am also debating my next project, and what thread to use. I’d thought white originally, but looking amongst my blue  spools saw variegated. It looks tempting, and as this is another lounge around home project, only my eyes would be offended. What do you think? The fabric came from a trade with Anne/Compulsive Seamstress, and the pattern from Ali/Thimberlina.

looked everywhere for a frozen breakfast like this & we’ve n-o-t-h-i-n-g over here to compare. it’s all waffles or pancakes or dinky muffins with egg & bacon. i want beans, too!

what do you think about this thread?

Lastly, my UK DVD of Agatha Raisin finally arrived. Am a fan of both author  M.C. Beaton’s series(es?), Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth, so was delighted to see Agatha being made for telly. The U.S. compatible version isn’t available yet, so am very grateful my hardware/software plays PAL.

meet the adorable Hodge (and Ms. Jensen)

However, the movie raises two questions:

• Why can’t I find frozen breakfasts like Agatha’s over here?
• Is everyone flipping back & forth doing video calls like Agatha, her therapist, and Roy?

Hope everyone has a lovely week planned, and we all survive the regional weather shifts!

  🌈  ☀️🌈

this ‘n that

yes? no? might be good linen combos??

Gray (ey?) Friday over here, and as we’ve had sunshine for endless days, but no rain, let’s hope we get some liquid to refresh the landscape.

Just have a couple minutes but wanted to get these bits of info out, in case anyone wants to try getting some fabric from Paron’s before they close Sunday.

W-H-A-A-A-T???

Yep. That glorious store in NYC’s old garment district is closing. Read Peter‘s post, which I just read (thank you for sending, Robyn!)

Another disappointment: BBC has lost The Great British Bake Off ~ it’s going to another channel. But we in the U.S. should still see 2-3 seasons of the original, as we’re sooo far behind.

Can’t end a Friday post on such a downer…

So, let’s add

C-O-L-O–R:

Autumn’s Pantone’s Fashion Color Report is out:

“A Unity of Strength, Confidence, and Complexity”

In my order of must-have-some, from first to last:

Potter’s Clay (where can I get lipstick that colour???)

Spicy Mustard

Aurora Red

Riverside (blue)

(And when will it finally get cool here? 😲)

(Edited to replace numbers that wouldn’t centre with dots that will, at least in Preview mode. Grr.)

(No. Those don’t either. Double GRRRRRR)

teetering on the edge of autumn (sunday sevens #33)

decided to add this for a bit more autumnal flavour!

Ho, hum,
When will Autumn come?

Not soon enough for me, but then I’m not a heat lover.
Condolences to those who are.

Here are last week’s highlights, not worth their own posts. Natalie of Threads and Bobbins came up with the idea, and anyone can join in.

What’s not included is Thursday’s unexpected deluge.   You can imagine wringing out towels without photos. ‘Twas a leak, finally discovered coming from above. Er, from an upper floor. Looking on the positive side, I’m rearranging my sewing space.

Thought laundry day was going to join the Come & Fix It list, but unplugging the washer as the manual advised reset things, thank goodness!

Hope everyone is having a gloriously productive week!

🌞   💕   🌞

(click a pic to get to all the captions, then Escape to get back here)

chicken caprese, which i’d had as a wrap the week before (forgot to photo) and thought i’d try the sandwich ~ wrap is better. it contains everything!

jo-ann’s (crafts & fabric) was beating the season by having all their hallowe’en things out for sale 2 months early!

partly washed pile of the hobgoblins work got properly washed & dried, thank goodness!

from last friday to this friday – not too many 90’s

thought i’d start early so all the good ones aren’t sold out 😉

more on this in a bit . . .

forgot to photo my yummy crumpets – pretend these are they? 😳

Also submitted for WordPress Photo Challenge.