Back to School

Well like every parent with school age children I was looking forward to this week.

It started out very nice, on Monday I spent the school hours at my LYS with friends for a sit and knit.

On Tuesday and Wednesday I worked, the first weeks of school and before I'm always really busy interpreting (think of all the forms to fill out and all the new info teachers need to convey). Before school started during with of my sessions I pulled something in my neck during one of my sessions and now every time I aggravate it I get a headache. So I haven't been able to sew or knit and today was the first day when I have been able to use the computer for more than 5 minutes.

On Thursday morning (5:30 am to be precise) I woke up to my DS being sick. The poor guy spent the morning that way but thankfully by dinner time he had an appetite and was feeling pretty good.

So this morning with no fever and a stuffy nose I sent him to finish his first week in high school. By 7:30 am I was on the phone with said high school, DS had a slight temperature and was nauseous. I get DS 2 up to get him ready for school, ask my husband to take him to the bus stop, get dress and with Clio (the beagle) in the car I head to the school.

So here I am. I would love to do some sewing today since my neck is better but I know that cleaning my house needs to come first. Here is hoping that next week is less exciting...

What the Olympics is making me do

I am not a sports person, I love to swim but that is it. However I love to watch the Olympics, especially the summer Olympics. I keep telling myself that they only come every four years and that it is okay to drop everything, except my knitting, to watch it. So while I wait for some knitting help from a very kind contact at Ravelry (she's sending me her lace charts and changes she made to the pattern from Interweave Knits I'm working on) I casted on socks for DH. The yarn is Fibranature Yummy a 100% superwash wool that I got at my local yarn store. Of course I could sew together the crocheted skirt I finished months ago or the beautiful cotton tank top that I could wear now. But I can't do that while I'm watching the Olympics...so back to knitting socks.

In my mailbox

So I had asked my brother and his new wife to try to find me a Patrones magazine when they were honeymooning in Spain. And...




The above shows up in my mailbox! Four! 1,2,3 and 4!I did a happy dance. I also got two knitting magazines Katia and Verena and a crochet magazine.

The bathroom is done, well it still needs paint and the hardware. It turned out beautiful! Today I had the boys help me with some cleaning up. There is still a lot to do but we are getting there.

I was able to cut another version of Simplicity 4076 and traced Burda WOF 5/2008 121. Can't wait to get back in the sewing room!!

Verena Knitting Magazine

I was in my local Barnes & Noble the other day and was very surprised to find Verena magazine on the stand. I am familiar with the Spanish version sold in Spain; let me tell you that my mom and I have always loved this knitting magazine and when my mom used to spend a few months in Barcelona every year or so, she would hound the magazine stand because as soon that it was out it was gone.

This version looks very much like Burda World of Fashion. There are many, many designs and I liked quite a bit of them. There are very fashion forward but in a way that they don't go out of style (I still find the designs of issues more than six years ago very modern).

Have you seen this new (to the US) knitting magazine? Let me know what you think!!

No picture

Well my house is officially a construction zone. The bathroom remodel is coming along fine and it will be wonderful when it is all done. Of course have to go out to Home Depot again this morning even though I went there and to Lowe's yesterday.

So not much has gotten done in the sewing/knitting area. I was hoping to finish some knitting projects that just need sewing up. We'll see.

A little bit of everything

Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg

So I'm back from the family vacation in Florida. We had a great time spending two weeks of fun. We had a week of making day trips to St Petersburg and Tampa and spending time with family, and four days at the parks in Orlando.

We were thrilled to be home again but now it is time to catch up with things. This week DH and I are trying to finish getting everything we need for the remodeling of one of the bathrooms, the fun starts on Friday. I also have to start thinking about school supplies...where did the summer go?

I got a chance during vacation to do some knitting. I finished the back of the Square-Bodice Pullover from Interweave Knits Summer 2003. It is my first true lace knitting and it is going slow, when I get confident and stop counting my stitches I end up frogging.





I will be doing only knitting this coming week while the work in the bathroom is being done (family is doing the work and so the sewing room will be a guest room). I do however plan on doing some tracing of patterns and hopefully some cutting. Yesterday I started on Burda WOF 5/2008 121. I am going to eliminate the skirt wrap like Tany and Karen among others have done. I will make mine in a solid red jersey I bought from Kashi a while back.

I leave you with a couple of pictures from our road trip...yes we drove over two days and it wasn't too bad. We got to listen to two Terry Pratchett books, we all like his books and this way we can also have our own book club discussions. Carpe Jugulum was the favorite where we are entertained by the three witches that are regular characters in his books.

Pattern Review Simplicity 4076

I believe at least one of these views has been made by everyone in the sewing community. I chose the scoop neck top with cap sleeves because I needed a pattern that took one yard to make and I really liked this design (I actually bought this pattern for this view). This was a stable poly knit from my stash that came from EmmaOneSock a long time ago. I like the way it turned out and I will make it again with another one yard cut that I have.

Crabs, birthday, baseball and fireworks

We had a fun-filled weekend. My brother and his wife came to visit and we made the most of our time together.



On Friday night we had crabs. It had been a long time since I've had crabs and enjoyed them very much as you can tell from what was left.



We also celebrated my mom's birthday. Happy Birthday mami!



On Saturday we went to the Bowie Baysox game. We love these games, you get great seats for reasonable prices, great stadium with easy, free parking and a firework display. What more can you ask for?



Speaking of fireworks, my brother showed me the fireworks setting in my camera and I had fun taking pictures. I think I got a few good ones.

New Look 6723 Pattern Review

This past weekend was my brother's wedding so I finally got to watch the bride wearing the dress I made. She was thrilled with it, exactly what she wanted, she said, it sure fit her mood. She look radiant and happy and I'm glad the dress contributed it a small portion.

This pattern it's a simple princess seamed dress with a gathered skirt. She chose the sweetheart neckline version and no sleeves. The fabric is a beautiful silk shantung. The bodice is lined and the skirt interlined with cotton batiste. I added bra stays and a waist stay.

I made several muslins to get the fit right, some of it was done by looking at pictures and some by traveling back and forth. The toughest is always the bodice and I talked about my alterations in a previous post. All the changes were done to fit her body I found no fault with this pattern. The only mentionable is that the length is on the short side, on my SIL who is not very tall, the hemmed length hit her just below her knees.

I had fun making silk flowers to give her the option of adding them at the waist. She chose not to wear them but plans on adding them to her straw hat when he goes on her honeymoon next week :-)The single rose was made using the technique described in High-Fashion Sewing Secrets by Claire B Shaeffer. I loosely gathered the fabric to obtained the open rose effect and then I strung some beads and added it to the center.



These I made following Laura's excellent tutorial. I combined the silk shantung with a beautiful but horribly hard to work with silk chiffon.



Here are a couple of snapshots of the wedding day. My dress is Butterick 6582, and I was very happy with it. My brother wore a traditional Cuban guayabera, the temperature in New York City was in the high 80's with very high humidity and the church was not air conditioned :o

One non-stop weekend

This weekend my brother got married. Talk about non-stop fun! On Friday we got together for dinner so family members and close friends could meet. The ceremony took place on Saturday, it was a wonderfully happy event shared with our friends and family. On Sunday before heading home again, all those still in the area got together for breakfast.

I promise to share pictures of both my sister-in-law (yeay!)'s dress and mine. For now I leave you with a picture that captured the mood of this weekend.

About knitting...

Juliet by Zephyrstyle.com has been finished for a while. I chose to do the longer bodice and then even though I used every ball of yarn I had the skirt length didn't make me happy. So the project has sat even though I found some nice buttons for it.

I recently went on search of left over yarns to do a quickie crochet project to forget about my frustration with my first lace project and guess what? I found another ball of the Boboli!!



Now I don't know how much more a ball can do but if it might save my shrug from languishing in a drawer you can be sure I'm going to undo the last couple of rows and give it a go. I'll keep you posted...

A morning walk

Yesterday morning I packed up the kids and dog and we went for a walk at one of the many man-made lakes in Columbia (there are only man-made lakes in Maryland). It was a beautiful day with wonderful cool breezes. The wildlife was out and about, the blue heron above looked to be a statue until it tried to fish and a swallow was feeding her babies.



My babies found a good climbing tree amongst other things

Burda WOF 9/2005 102

I have completed my muslin with the standard alterations I make: I added to the back waist length and I traced size 38 at the neckline, shoulders and armhole, 40 at the chest and from the waist down a 42. I usually trace a 40 at the hip but it was mentioned in the Great Coat Sew along blog (sorry but it is only open to those participating)that there was not enough ease in this area I decided to go up. I am wearing a sweater underneath, I rarely wear jackets under coats and therefore don't need the extra ease for that.

I measured the ease at the hip and thought I had plenty (46 in) but I forgot this was a double breasted coat and as you can tell from the pictures I have no ease in the hip area.

Without the shoulder pads I thought I would need a forward shoulder adjustment but with the pads I don't think so, what is your opinion?

These pictures have a 3/8 inch shoulder pad in:






I did not add walking ease. Is it recommended for a double breasted coat?In Power Sewing by Sandra Betzina she does not make this distinction and if it is recommended in this coat pattern to include the wedge in CF up to the neckline would cut right through the "bib" and therefore alter its shape.

I marked the welt pockets which will be covered by tabs but somehow I missed since the two parts (the welt pocket cuts across the seam line) do not match. Burda has you mark the welt according to your size on the side panel and then to join the pattern pieces and extend it to the front. I did that but did not turn out :o

I don't see any other issues in the fit but that is why I joined this great sew-along ...for all the extra eyes to appraise the fit!

After I receive comments on my fit I will add the sleeves.

Agent Spiffy

My son had his 8th grade dance last Saturday and he was required to wear "dressed up" clothes. He couldn't resist a chance to post as I tried to record this momentous occasion. He ended up not wearing the jacket, it was hot and the locale was lightly air conditioned. I expected to receive a call to come get him but I was pleasantly surprised that he did not call. It was nice to wait for the kids to come out, everyone looking so nice. And the best part he had a great time...even danced!

Moving along...

I am officially done with wedding sewing and now I'm ready to start tracing the coat pattern to work on the muslin (which I still need to order). I will try to do some summer sewing also since it is my favorite but I never get to do much of.

Until the next one happy sewing, knitting, crocheting,...

Loss

Yesterday a mother lost her daughter. How does one recover from such a loss? I don't think you can. But I know she will go on because she has a son that needs her.

Enjoy and cherish your loved ones.

The Great Coat Sew Along

I have joined Marji's Great Coat Sew Along. I need a new tailored coat and I thought this was the best chance of it getting made when I actually needed. So here is the timeline:

May - Gather Materials - Done!!
June - Make Muslin
July - Construct coat
August - Lining and finishing

The sew along blog will offer the guidance of Marji and other experts. All participants will share their progress as they construct their coat/coats. Because this blog is closed to everyone except the participants I will share my progress here also.



I have chosen Burda WOF Sept 2005 102. It is a classic style that I plan to keep forever. The cashmere/wool coating I purchased in Pennsylvania Fabrics Outlet which is no more. On Friday I went to G-Street Fabrics and found a beautiful silk Jackard lining and cotton flannel for underlining. I also found gorgeous buttons which were really well priced for G-street.

This will be a fun project especially with the promise that you are not alone and every question can be asked and help will be gladly offered.

There's nothing like a perfect fitting bodice for a sewing high

This weekend my brother and his future bride came to visit. We had scheduled a last fitting of her wedding dress and of course family time. We had a great time together as always but the best (at least for me) was trying on the dress.

I was apprehensive since this is the first time that I sew for someone other than my boys and husband, and it is a WEDDING DRESS. So...I carefully pin her into the bodice...and we both jumped for joy like silly girls! It fits perfectly, it shimmers and gives her a bridal glow...

So what did I do to obtain this perfect fit? On the last muslin fitting I corrected the back bodice for slight swayback by trimming half an inch in the center and blending into the side seam (Burda WOF has a tutorial on this), I raised the armholes by an inch at the side seam and tapered the addition towards the notches using my French curve(Threads has a great article on how to deal with bodice fitting) and finally I fitted the princess seams as an S-dart which Threads describes in Issue 107 The S-dart Advantage. In my case for the S-darts I fitted the muslin and then made sure my curves were smooth when I transferred the changes to the pattern.

In this pattern(New Look6723 view D) the bodice lining goes up to the edges. Because my lining (cotton batiste) does not match the color of the silk I understitched around the neckline and the armhole to make sure I would not get a sliver of lining peaking through. In the picture you can see the understitching aroung the armhole.

I hope to finish the dress this week and ship it to her next week. She'll be glad to have it and I'll be glad she does.

Burda WOF 2/2008 Knit top 123 view A

This top did not catch my attention when I first saw it, in part because the model was wearing it like it would not stay on your shoulders, but after I saw many reviews in PR I decided that it was really cute.

I used a very stretchy jersey from my stash. I think because it is so stretchy the shoulders pull down a bit(I made my usual 38 at the shoulders). I eased the waist band into the top with no problem but I did gather the sleeves (since the gathers don't go all around) before I sewed the sleeve band. I also added clear elastic to the neckline before I attached the band there. I finished the band hem on the inside by enclosing the seam allowances but instead of sewing it all by stitching in the ditch (which the instructions recommend) I sewed it by hand.



Here is a closer view. I really love this top. I got to wear it yesterday because we had beautiful weather here and received lots of compliments. Today we are back to raincoats...



And the beautiful necklace I'm wearing was designed and made by Trena. Go check out her shop at Trena B designs, it'll be a treat!

My trip to New Jersey

The view is two short city blocks away from my brother's place. Not far from his place (the next town) I lived with my family when I was going to high school. Walking along Boulevard East to look at the view was something we did often. On my last visit to fit my future SIL I did not get a chance to do my walk because the weather was awful. This time we didn't have the best light for photos but we enjoyed our walk.

The dress has been fitted and the bride is happy so now I will cut and put together the dress and I hope to have done in a couple of weeks. I will hold off showing you the final product until I get wedding pictures.

On Sunday we went to Fort Hanckock in Sandy Hook. What a great place for exploring. We walked on the beach,



explored a path that led to beautiful shrubs and a stream,





and we got to explore one of the officer's home. It was a beautiful, practical and well laid out house. The house was decorated in the World War II era which is when the fort was most active. One of the rooms was a sewing room and the caretaker was nice enough to let me step in the room to take pictures.





During this trip I also got to have dinner with some very good friends I don't get to see enough. Even though this is the first Mother's Day I did not spend with my sons and I missed them very much I had a great time.

I'm almost done with a knit top from Burda WOF...stay tuned.