must be past my nap time…

rayon from stash

This morning I logged into WordPress to see what the sewing world was up to and was greeted by a big announcement of Gutenberg.

I thought it referred to the large, free, public domain book site, gutenberg.org, and wondered what the heck was going on.

Mid-afternoon I had a bit of time and decided to explore. Being careful not to click the Download button, I opted for more info.

And promptly thought I’d dropped down the rabbit hole.

Starting here I had trouble making it through the first paragraph:

“The editor will endeavour to create a new page and post building experience that makes writing rich posts effortless, and has “blocks” to make it easy what today might take shortcodes, custom HTML, or “mystery meat” embed discovery.”

Rightly guessing my clueless and bug-eyed response, the text immediately set about explaining:

“Key take-aways from parsing that paragraph:

• “Authoring richly laid out posts is a key strength of WordPress.

• “By embracing “the block”, we can potentially unify multiple different interfaces into one. Instead of learning how to write shortcodes, custom HTML, or paste URLs to embed, you should do with just learning the block, and all the pieces should fall in place.

• “Mystery meat” refers to hidden features in software, features that you have to discover. WordPress already supports a large number of blocks and 30+ embeds, so let’s surface them.”

Maybe I am more sleep deprived than I thought. This doesn’t make sense. Can any of you Lovely Readers help?

Meanwhile, on a more pleasant note, am debating about cutting up my last piece of the above buttery soft rayon.

Already have a top and cut-offs, but could also use a skirt.

Nothing fancy, just slip in an elastic waist and zip up the sides. Maybe a pocket, if the bits on the jagged edges are large enough.

Sitting over on the corner is another rayon remnant. This navy might be enough for shorts, but I think the fabric’s print might look better as a skirt.

Do prints ever do that to you?  Sort of give you a Look, as if  peering down their nose and saying, “I am not that sort of fabric.”

The inspiration piece for these skirts is another rayon skirt.  All three fabrics were from Vogue whilst living in Chicago. They’ve been ageing in stash – goodness! – more than six years.

Hope this isn’t a “best-laid plans” sort of post, and I can actually motivate myself into picking up the scissors.

Watch this space…

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a little experiment . . .

just to catch your eye… actually, am wondering how to use this big & BOLD print… suggestions MOST welcome! CLICK the pic for the larger view & check the yard stick for scale

Am trying the Import feature on WordPress and see it will/may take up to 24 hours before the transfer is complete.

Am trying to save some posts from Del’s Other Stuff to the category “Music.”

So if something weird is appearing, that might be what’s going on.  Maybe.  Hopefully it’s not anything weirder.

Meanwhile, it is just past the witching hour, but like most not-really-a-witch I’m going to rest with a good book.

And fingers crossed…

      📚        😴     💤

time for a change …

playing with heavier weight cotton batik fabric… how to use?

As you see, I’ve changed themes.

Hope nothing has been lost along the way.

If you spot anything gone walkabout, do let me know so I can fix it. Thank you!

Decided a couple of weeks ago to get out this cotton batik from Vogue Fabrics. (I got the end of the bolt last year.)

It has niggled me since last summer. Heavier than I had anticipated, I had put it aside to think about how to use it.

Finally decided there was nothing for it but to make it up as a duster for when (if?) the weather moderates to the sixties instead of the nineties. It would make a good duster to pull on over something else.

(My duster pattern is very vintage & consists of pieces copied  years ago. Unfortunately, I’ve no idea what company it was.)

But what about the “else” to go under prospective duster??  Not wanting to create an orphan, I took some time thinking about what else from stash might work with this busy batik.

maybe wearable with the batik?

Perhaps a combination of teals?

I have a bit of yardage in that solid-coloured rayon – am thinking maybe trousers.

Already have a top & cut-offs from the patterned fabric.

yesterday, almost at the ta-da! stage . . .

This was taken yesterday before front facings were sewn and wrists hemmed. Decided, as the fabric was distinctly not floaty, to leave long slits on either side to allow whatever floatiness might be possible. I cut the back with no centre seam and a slight flare.

To be completed today are the hems. As the sides  are slit 12″ each there are three sections to hem (back and the two fronts).

Then to decide how to tack down the (un-interfaced) facings. I am not a fan of hand sewing, but might have to do it anyway. We’ll see…

On past duster versions (last year’s) I didn’t use facings, in keeping with the very light weight of the fabric. However, I decided to use them this time. Why? Don’t exactly know. It was just a feeling. Know what I mean?

books

Finally finished my latest Durrell volume, Birds, Beasts and Relatives. Have deliberately tried to make it last as long as possible as am having trouble finding a good but inexpensive copy of the last of his Corfu Trilogy, Garden of the Gods.

(No false economy, as the reissued Trilogy over here has been more than the three separately.)

As always, I found Durrell’s writing highly entertaining, educational, nostalgic in the best sense, and humorous ~

“Now winter was upon us. Everything was redolent with the smoke of olive wood fires. The shutters creaked and slapped the sides of the house as the wind caught them, and the birds and leaves were tumbled across a dark lowering sky.” first sentence in chapter, “Owls and Aristocracy,” Birds, Beasts and Relatives.

❤     ❤     ❤

naughty corner

these shorts ain’t short – another issue?

did hems as I’d done other cotton shorts

doesn’t that look interesting? would you/could you guess that blue is the wrong side??

This pair of red shorts-that-aren’t-short has been periodically tossed into the naughty corner all summer long. Yesterday’s go at it had me yet again trying to get the pockets in.

Firstly, you must realise I’d already sewn up the side seams with basting stitches, and done rather more to the waist than I should have.

Translated that meant I was willing to take out the side seam basting, but not the waist. Not a good choice, as it turned out. But as I deal with heat & humidity induced attitudes toward any activity needing cogent thinking, am cutting meself a break.

I also needed decided to use a contrasting fabric for half each pocket. A decision ripe for disaster under such conditions . . . especially as I’d pieced the blue & white contrast.

Three times I fiddled with those pockets. Getting out the pocket directions and squinting to decipher fading markings on front versus back, checking and rechecking which fabric was where.

I was finally reminded of Hila’s mantra, “done is better than perfect.” That was after realising, yet again, that I’d gotten wrong side of contrasting pocket in wrong place. I’m going to try living with it for a bit.

However, I’ve only put in the one pocket. Hedging my bets?  Final report anon . . . . .

P.S.   Has anybody tried the new Schnittchen Trine Cocoon Dress? Saw it Monday on Curvy Sewing Collective and liked what I saw & read. As always, thoughts & suggestions most appreciated!

P.P.S.  At least that dastardly pocket isn’t upside down. 😲

prequel to old magazines

 

almost completed – to tassel or not is still the question…

nope-didn’t like this

too much-too heavy!

i think i like this one

Yes, there’s a back story to my last post. I was hunting for an article on how to make tassels. In mentally working out a design for this in-process scarf (to match the hat) am thinking the added weight of some tassels will be needed to balance out the completed scarf’s lightness. And one might even appear on the hat – who knows?

Yes, I did find the article. I also rediscovered some knitting photos (below) that I’d used as inspiration for crocheted items. Crocheted whilst living in Chicago, I soon discovered that my version of the yellow-orange hood thingey did not keep out the bitter winds of a Chitown winter – too many holes! So if you get inspired, remember to be practical, too. 😉

this knitted version became a crocheted version

but this one wasn’t practical for chitown winter winds

spied this – future project? yes, please!

I also sorted through lots of fascinating Threads articles, most of which I tossed. I’m beginning to realise I no longer have nor want to dress for a professional office, so all those tailoring & fitting articles are gone, and so is any temptation to return to such styles. (Well, not all the fitting articles got tossed… 😉)

today’s blogdom
Ever wonder how you manage to avoid spam in your blog’s Comments section? A little thingey called Akismet.  No relation to the 1950’s musical, Kismet, it’s a special programme that WordPress built into it’s structure.

{Edited to add: Akismet works only for spam comments on WordPress. It has nothing whatsoever to do with anyone’s personal email accounts.]

“Sooo…?” I hear some Lovely Readers inquire.

Briefly, because the European Union (EU) wanted to protect people’s on-line information they wrote the GDPR, a.k.a. General Data Protection Regulation.

It also applies internationally to companies the size of WordPress (and Facebook, IG, Google, Microsoft, etc). You can easily read about it on the EU site here.

That’s why WordPress has made a built-in announcement. Aren’t they clever?

Referring back to my stats here in the U.S. — Looking at them, I considered some of the dates/months listed on the left of the screen. Then I remembered what was happening (or about to happen) in the news at those times. There were some interesting numbers in months with interesting national activities. . .

Would you believe that in one month I got over 100 spam comments? And didn’t have to see any of them? I hadn’t even realised they were “there” because Akismet automatically put them into the spam folder.

They were all definitely spam. All from one or two sources (strangely “named” blogs) and all similar message.  Veddy, veddy weird.  I am so grateful I didn’t have to delete so many comments.

Sadly, these days we all need to be alert when we’re on-line. Why not take 5 minutes to look at your own Akismet page? It’s simple.

• Log in and you should see your full Dashboard.
• On the left side, look for Akismet Stats. It should be under Dashboard.
• Click and all will be revealed.

Don’t see Akismet Stats?

• Look here, scroll down to the left for Personal option–it’s free!
• Click Get started with Personal.
• On that next screen look down below the blue Continue bar to “Already have a wordpress.com account? Log in now” and follow the prompts.

summer books
Am slowly reading my way through these 4 books, savouring each of their varied perspectives, and enjoying them all very much. The Santa Klaus Murder is different from the other 2 Hay books I’ve read.

She includes a full-page list of characters, as well as the first floor house map. I use them both! The beginning chapters are each written from a different character’s perspective, with the final two-thirds written by the Chief Constable.

sewing?
Uh. . . The weather hasn’t been very propitious, and I’ve managed to stay quite busy indoors attending to rather a lot of maintenance issues. The apartment complex currently has a good crew, quite competent and patient. Those qualities have been needed, as earlier staff was a bit lacking. Changes were made. A-hem.

Twice last week I was told it was a good thing I’d caught a problem early. Once because it saved me from possibly turning on a kitchen sink tap and getting an upward geyser instead of a downward, normal flow. The second issue saved a lot of my fridge food from getting thrown away because of consistently too high temperatures during the defrost cycle.

So it’s been an interesting summer, folks . . . .