Realizations

It’s been a bit nuttier than normal around here. Why? Because I had a golden opportunity to share my stash with a lovely stranger — the mother of the chap who located my sewing machine last year — at the bottom of the last stack of boxes in the far back corner of my storage unit.

So I decided to go through everything, and it feels good to know these fabrics have gone to such a special lady, hopefully to nurture her love of sewing.

Now that my stash is considerably lighter, I’m realizing why it’s taken so long to shift mental climates and evaluate my wardrobe needs realistically.

(I often muttered to myself, “Geesh, you moved almost 2 years ago – what’s the holdup??)

That first year was spent in an unheated basement with very consistent temps: Cooler in summer and never above 60℉ in winter. (Not that I’m complaining – I prefer cooler temps in winter so I can wear winter clothes.)

Leaving that and having now spent a late summer, fall & winter in a much warmer building*, I’ve got a better idea of current wardrobe needs.

Now, the challenge is to start sewing!

Couldn’t resist these, from Hawthorne Supply Company, normally a quilting cotton shop. The left is cotton knit, whilst the right is Brussels washer yarn dyed. It’s a looser weave than anticipated, but should work nicely for summer. Some of their cottons are also available in other fabric types so I’m always checking! CLICK PIC TO GO TO SITE.

*My windows were open all winter unless wind blew directly in. I only turned heat on about 3 times.)

Silly Saturday

Oops . . . . .

I thought I’d measured at least twice . . .

The curtain should come down to the AC unit & not leave part of the venetian blind uncovered. The curtain’s 9″ too short.

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🌖 + 🔆 = Monday’s Total Solar Eclipse

Eclipse fever has thoroughly gripped my area because Monday, 8 April, we’ll witness a rare total solar eclipse. That means the moon will block the sun for about 3.5 minutes, as the moon slowly crosses over (the sun), both in their normal orbits. Here’s NASA’s special page on it.

What’s that got to do with fabric or yarns?

I discovered and acquired a wee bit of eclipse-inspired fabric last week at Sew Creative , and have washed the 100% cotton piece. Even though the eclipse-inspired fabrics were in the quilting section, this feels lighter and is behaving very close to cotton lawn after washing. No patterns decided on yet, but I have it on good authority that the black makes a wonderful shirt. (Thanks, you-know-who-you-are!)

Right now Monday’s forecast is for partly cloudy skies, and a high about 58 F/15C. Probably just a tad too chilly to be wearing much cotton, unless it’s corduroy. So I’m not considering these as must-makes beforehand.

Meanwhile – stay wise and if you’re in the path – DO NOT look at the sun without proper eclipse glasses, except during those 3.5 minutes of total coverage – if you’re in the narrow band of totality!

Also, please be aware the internet will be excessively busy on Monday, which may cause internet outages anywhere in the world.

Below is NASA’s map with a timeline for the North American continent, and showing the narrow path for the total eclipse.

You can also click the map to go directly to NASA’s 2024 Eclipse Site.

Catching up

Hello Lovelies! Long time~no blog. It’s been busier than usual round here with unexpected projects that didn’t include sewing. (Meeeh!) Some are resolved, some are on-going, but they haven’t stopped my thinking about wardrobe . . .

That’s what I was thinking about when I strayed into my all-too-local fabric store. You know what’s coming . . .

On the left are two 100% cottons that feel almost like lawn – wonderfully light and silky even though they were new bolts in the quilting section. (Gasp!)

Originally I was just looking for something to make a couple pairs of sleep shorts to go with 2 oversized tees I use as sleep shirts. But the fabrics are so soft I can’t stop thinking about other possibilities . . . . . .

The red rayon on the right (how’s that for alliteration? 🤣) looks to have been maturing in situ, waiting for me to grab the last 4 yards on the bolt. It washed beautifully and has a very luscious feel.

I’m thinking loose slouchy trousers & a top – maybe the Amalfi (by Masin). Has anybody made it? I’ve looked through IG but there’s not much about it, although there are lots of nice piccies.

If the universe will get off my back so I can sew!

✂️ 🪡 🧵 ✂️ 🪡 🧵 ✂️

A bit of hot water ~

When I moved in last August there was hot water to spare and heating was off. I could shower any time and never have to twist the shower’s tap more than from 6 o’clock counter-clock wise up to 2.

Autumn came and it began to get nippy. I started sorting out buttons for donation & for Sis1, who uses buttons in her freestyle needlework designs. (She’s shy but if you’re interested, I’ll see if she’d let me post some piccies. Let me know!)

One Tuesday the heat was turned on. Mind you, I still had the heat turned off in my place and windows open or air con on.

Washing up after lunch one day I noticed a decided difference in water temperature: It was lukewarm. I made a mental note to check mid-afternoon.

Barely warm – I reported to Maintenance & was told the boiler would get fixed tomorrow. Meanwhile, they said, ‘run the kitchen tap whilst turning on the bath tap and eventually there’ll be hot water in the kitchen’.

Whaaaat??? It didn’t work or make sense, especially with water shortages & high prices, even if this building doesn’t charge us for water or heat.

The next day the boiler got fixed and I started washing up. Lukewarm water. Reported again. There was another problem, but it’d get fixed Thursday. I also learned . . .

Hot water temps are regulated by state law. (I’d been told this in other states, too.) The previous plumbers had been willing to raise temps above the legal limit; the current plumber wouldn’t. So we were advised again to turn taps on in kitchen and bath. Still didn’t work for me.

Meanwhile I was taking showers as late as I could, turning the shower’s tap 3/4 around. Then came the Official Office Memo I wrote about.

The boiler got another looking at/tending to, and it was announced Maintenance had raised the water temp, after signing a non-responsiblity waiver for doing so. (Quite rightly!)

So, is the hot water back to “normal”? 


Half-way. I’m still showering and turning the tap ¾ counter clock-wise. Washing up is sometimes warmer, but still not as it was when the heat was off. Will there be another chapter? We’ll have to wait and see.

Meanwhile during that last Arctic front I finally got to shut the windows, wear my fleece LB Pullovers, and was beginning to think about sewing a wint’ry vest.

How-EH-ver . . . now it’s back to the 30’s/40’s/50s. I’m sitting quietly writing this up whilst both living room windows are open. And the hot water is warm.

Wardrobe planning? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? !  I feel like starting with anything in stash and making whatever. Sooner or later it’ll be wearable. 🤨

Oh. Remind me to tell you about my adventures with Canadian quarters in the basement laundry machines . . .

Tol’ya I was thinking red!

Letting my fingers do some walking, I “went” to Evanston, Illinois – a suburb of Chicago, where family-owned Vogue Fabrics has been for 50 60+ years.

(When I lived in Chicago, I’d either take a commuter train or the subway up to Evanston. Both had stops next to each other & were about 2 blocks from the store – commuter heaven! Now they’ve moved to larger digs, and stock even more fabric.)

Am revising my sewing plans again, as these fabrics are also light weight, particularly the 2 knit prints. All 3 are still available, and here are their deets:

• VF222-16 Tyros Garden – Red Flowers and Olive Stems on Lightweight Cotton Knit Fabric – Will also work with that solid olive fabric from this post.
• VF223-07 Deities Stripe – Red and White Stripe Rayon & Spandex Knit Fabric (I disagree about this being heavy enough for bottom weight!)
• VF223-08 Deities ‘Ula ‘Ula – Red Tightly Woven Stretch Cotton Fabric

Vogue includes this in their description of the last fabric: “”Kai uli is Hawaiian for deep blue sea, and ‘ula ‘ula is Hawaiian for the most sacred color – red.”

Which will lead into my next post, unless my current crochet project takes over and we have a finish. But I suspect not, as I need 1 more skein for edging & fringing. Meanwhile ~

🐰🌷 A Happy Weekend to All 🌷🐰

A little ta-da moment…

Dropping in to share a quick ScrapHappy project for my neighbour, a link over to Kate’s ScrapHappy post, and share another project just restarted for the umpteenth time.

Several weeks ago I was about to start downstairs in my building, when I saw my neighbour trying to manage 2 crutches, a booted foot, and some small packages before coming up the stairs.

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We decided I’m come down first. On the way down I realised she needed a shoulder bag to put small bags in, and I had the very bag with me. A solution! I showed her what I had in mind and watched her easily and very adroitly balance herself upstairs.

Being a non-sewist, she had no idea how easy it was for me to make her a bag of her own… but a bit of thinking and we reasoned that a cross-body bag would be even better.

So that’s what she’s got, and it works a real treat. Mission accomplished! (Now I want one, too…. hehee! 🤣)

Over the weekend I had the urge to crochet, but I didn’t want to continue the project that’d been sitting untouched for weeks. What to do . . .

I ripped that forlorn-looking project down to zero and started over. And am happy to report it’s going great guns. At last I think I’ve found a good way to use this lovely yarn. Another little yippee!

🧶 🧶 💛 🧶 🧶

red straps

My current slow-sewing-’cause-I’m-slammed project is a cross-body bag for my upstairs neighbor. She’s on crutches & currently has another cloth bag of mine, but it’s a shoulder version and can slip, messing with balance.

I know, ’cause I sometimes have the same problem when I’m carting heavy trash downstairs in my shoulder version!

I mean, can you imagine?! Up & down two looong flights of stairs on 2 crutches. AGHHHH!!!!!!!!

Better get these attached to something… catch ya later!

Have yourselves a fantastic weekend!

Memorial Day 2022

I used this same photo in 2015, when we had an early Memorial Day weekend, and the fabric was still a tablecloth. Have a click here to see that post, and read a bit more about this U.S. holiday’s history.

This year the tablecloth fabric’s become a blouse. Well, sort of.

At the moment it’s just 2 pieces sewn together with an elastic-gathered top & slits at the sides. But I’m thinking of adding some straps, because I found some extra fabric the last time I went through my scrap drawer.

Ain’t it amazing what can come to mind whilst rootling around in a bunch of scraps!

What have you discovered lately?!

Stormy Monday

Managed to do something with fabrics last week besides moving it from pile to pile, or tabletop to box. Wonder of wonders! So thought I’d drop by and show you what I’ve been up to.

Colours aren’t too true here.

This shirt’s been languishing in my Autumn/Winte/Spring selection of tops for years. YEARS! And I like both the colours and the high quality smooth cotton fabric.

A bit of history — At one point I put tucks in at the shoulders to give it a more fitted look. And didn’t wear it. It felt cumbersome and never sat well on my shoulders — too much fabric in too small a space.

Last Friday afternoon/evening, with storms raging outside & local telly’s severe-weather team live streaming numbers of lightening strikes per city & and projecting tornado paths, I decided to get on with the changes.

Taking off the collar but leaving the collar stand.

Yes, that’s my newest, and therefore sharpest, Clover seam ripper you see in action. I know Leslie S kindly suggested she’d used her sharpest & smallest scissors on a similar reno, but I don’t have any.

If you’re inclined to read labels, you might recognize this as a very nice men’s shirt-maker. I grabbed it soon as I saw it at a local thrift store because I know fabric & workmanship are quality. It’s only been aging for . .. . . . uh . . several years. 🙈

I sliced off one layer at a time, exposing the wonderfully soft interfacing they’d used.

Six inches more got lopped off the sleeve length, some thread tidying up, and I’m ready to take another look and those underarm seams. We’ve another potential series of storms tonight, so it might get revisited then . . . . . . Oops! Editing’s taking too long, thunder’s arriving hours earlier, so I’m uploading & signing off!

✂️ 🧵 ✂️ Happy sewing, Everyone! ✂️ 🧵 ✂️

catching up to silly saturday

Hello! It’s been a bit since my last post, but lots of things are developing around here, and that’s taken away most blogging time (and all IG time). Mostly interesting stuff, but can’t discuss yet.

What I can offer today is a suggestion to try a tasty citrus fruit next time you see some at your grocers.

Called Blood Oranges over here, because of their colour. I discovered, after reading the Wiki article about them, that the one I ate, and did not like at all, just wasn’t ripe.

Seems they’re sort of tangerine-like, and not like regular oranges at all!

They sort of remind me of persimmons, which can look lovely, bright and shiney orange. You’d think they were ripe & ready to eat, but YUCK if you try. You have to wait until they start getting black and gelatinous and quite rotten-looking. Then they are sooooooo good!

In my very limited experience, blood oranges won’t appear that yucky, but might seem slightly shrunken, like a citrus that’s drying out. The outer skin might start showing red streaks.

If what you buy doesn’t look ripe, leave them to ripen! Mine have been aging in the bottom of my fridge in a drawer. Which reminds me . . .

Time to get another out and enjoy . . . . . . . Do tell if you’ve tried them!

Post Script!

PS/Thought I’d just add that today’s blood orange tasted quite orangey. Guess it’s like a chocolate box – you never quite know what you’ll get!

Macro Monday

Hope everyone has had a lovely Holiday this year. Mine has been quiet and relaxing, even if the weather is increasingly warm , with mid-70’s by Wednesday.

Ouch! I’d just cut out a fourth LB Pullover from some of Vogue Fabric’s luscious gold no-pill polar fleece, and somehow can’t bring myself to sew it up. Can’t imagine why. 🙄

Maybe I should cut out another, lighter weight knit and leave off the lower sleeve, which would make a short-sleeve version. Maybe that’d be wearable until the humidity kicks in. Hmmm. What lighter weight knits do I have in stash . . . . .

Have you ever seen…

… a little Christmas turtle? I’ve had this little 3-inch ornament for ages, bought at a pottery collective up in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains. In this photo it’s sitting on a scrap of that gold fleece. Hinting?

Have a happy last Monday in 2021!