Tag / Sewing

by Sixer

Frankenstein or "when you find yourself in a shirt with one sleeve"

Well. The first sleeve of my shirt has been attached to the body. I think the technical term is “put in.” The result is so pathetic that only a picture can really convey it. How can words paint such a travesty as a badly fitting sleeve? The cap seam falling down my arm, the extra fabric from the back pooling sadly behind my shoulder.

Look at all those wrinkles!

The question is, how do I fix it? I’m consistently lazy and able to ignore most cries for more work, but I’m not delusional enough to believe I will actually ever wear this sleeve. On the other hand, if I turn my back on this project how will I ever grow? Sewing is not intuitive for me. I’m not able to visualize how to fix this:

Okay, so I rip out the sleeve seam. Do I then have to redraft the back? Set the sleeve in further from the armhole? The front fits fine (well, the neck is a little too loose, bit that’s because the pattern allows for some drape. I’ll be taking it in later), so I don’t want to change the sleeve placement on that side. Really, the problem seems to be that my shoulders aren’t as wide as the pattern assumes. This makes sense. I’m petite, and store bought clothes often don’t fit around the shoulders. Would back darts work? I’m already going to take in the waist at the back, should I go ahead and make the whole back smaller? Maybe I should experiment by “fixing” one of my ill-fitting store bought shirts first?

Agh! So many questions! Why can’t sewing be as easy as cooking?

Blue cheese burrito. Delicious, quick, and completely intuitive.
by Sixer

The Great Annual Review of Summer Accomplishments

“Who reflects too much will accomplish little”

– Schiller, Wilhelm Tell, III, i (qtd. in Bartlett’s)
        Oooh, my first ever loaf of bread!

I have left my family’s house again, and in leaving have had to admit how much I’ve left unaccomplished. I had such plans of pleated wrap skirts, neatly sewed; Cute cardigans, and colorful shrugs; Books devoured and carefully recorded… And amidst all this I was to keep a careful schedule with you, oh unseen reader.
                 I did do some things though, let’s see I made an apron. It took one day to cut and sew, and only ten minuets to learn that you should not practice making button holes on an item intended for wear. The button hole debacle, combined with the ribbon fraying  fiasco, extended an otherwise short project, into the netherlands of eventually. I did finish it though, and I rather like it. I used one of my mom’s aprons as a guide, but added criss-crossing straps (One of the missionaries had an apron with these kinds of straps and I adored wearing it, even if it meant doing dishes).

                      At the start of the summer Theo and I started our fist cardigans. She’s knitting Hey Teach, and I’m knitting February Lady. See my little progress bars on the side? It’s the Je Ne Sais Quoi bar, the one that is only 15% complete. I’m really winging the pattern, since I’m using a lightweight linen yarn instead of the recommend wool, so I keep having to try it on to make sure I’m on the right course. Though this sounds simple, it involves finding loose string and transferring half a million little stitches onto it, and then back off it when I’m done. If I could just get over my dislike of this process I could reach the lace portion of the sweater in no time.
Another First Button Hole
            While avoiding the Lady, I finished another lonely sock, and made a Knit Picks order. City Tweed (in Plum Wine and Habanero), Comfy (in Cypress),  Imagination (Damsel and Frog Prince), and  Wool of Andes (in Pewter).
 

Yum….. Yarn. Shouldn’t yarn be enough of an accomplishment for anyone?
by Sixer

What Begins with ‘B’?


Beautiful, Bountiful, Braids, Bento and Bikes.

                   Spring has sprung. Again. It’s Beautiful. I accidently stumbled upon this poem by Traherne, who I had never heard of before, but now that I’ve read it, “Wonder,” I really want to read more of him. Flying down the hill on my shiny blue bike to come home and read “How like an angel down I come!” Can there be anything more breathtaking than words matching soul?
I within did flow
With seas of life like wine;
I nothing in the World did know
But ’twas Divine.
                                   – Wonder, Thomas Traherne
                       As if spring as awoken something crafty within my soul, I woke up on  Thursday morning and decided to make this:

                That’s right, it’s my first Bento. The bottom compartment holds the traditional rice, and the upper tier plays host a ham stir fry, leftover from last night (actually, I think I made enough of it to last me a whole week of bentos, if I could stomach the monotony). I’m loving the cute, plastic, muffin molds, especially that bright blue against the yellow pineapple. The meal was a complete success, only 1) I can’t eat rice with such short chopsticks! Next time I’ll pack a longer pair, and 2) by the time I opened my bento the shortbread had become a little soggy. Everyone say  “eww!” No, it wasn’t that bad, but I guess I’ll have to remember to wrap breads and cookies separately to keep them from getting damp.
                I’ve finally shot pictures of the overskirt, which I need to start working on. My mom has sent out the rest of my dress and I can’t wait to finish all the fiddly little details. Bountiful is the Lord, they say, and that my soul knowth right well.

I’m still flabbergasted at the amount of work my mom has put into this dress, it’s going to be mind-boggling. Completely white – or, to go with the ‘B’ theme, blanc – the overskirt is gauzy goodness, with little, silk ribbon roses sewn on to it (well, it will be like that. I’m still sewing them on), and larger roses pinning it up to make elegant drapes.  These drapes will be imitated on the bodice, and their will be a rose on each sleeve. Of course, their are matching shoes, white ones, to which roses will be attached. It’s all going to be gorgeous when it comes together, which needs to happen before the ball on the  28th.

                   In honor of the ball I had my hair braided. That was my official excuse, really I was just bored with the regular french braids I do. It’s really hard to take pictures or your head, do you think this one came out okay? ( I colored it a little, forgive me)

         Oh, least I forget, the photos which this post is just full of are all courtesy of this cute little card reader. I ordered three, because some people complained about duds. Only the highest praise so far. No more camera trouble, yay!