Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2018

Plague 2: The coughening/ January Goals update

Ugh. I got better! I had a week of being better. Then I got some upper-respiratory infection (probably viral) and I've had three days off work, in bed, feverish and sweaty and coughing like a hardcore smoker. Add to that; my machine (the Singer 7258) cannot handle buttonholes on 2 layers of thick flannel plus interfacing and I have STILL not got the Harrison finished. All I need to do is buttonholes and hem, but so far, no dice.  But January goal: sew a button-up shirt. Almost done? I'm going to give myself an 8/10 for that one. I'd hoped to sew two shirts and honestly, if I hadn't lost 25% of January to illness, I might have managed it! I'm in my bed as I type this, with honey and prescribed cough suppressants and a box of hand-embroidery supplies by my side. But I've got to be honest, I've been watching the 2016 War and Peace on amazon prime instead. I've really enjoyed it. I read W&P in 1998, my upper sixth year, and I remember nothing about it,

When the plague hits...

Oh, it's been so miserable being too ill to sew! I'm fortunate that I'm generally pretty healthy, despite having two primary-age children AND being a teacher myself, but this virus has knocked me for six. I haven't sewn in 4 days - the first 4 days this year I haven't sewn anything - and I miss it, but in the evenings I've just crawled into bed. I'm so close to finishing my Harrison now; just need to topstitch the collar stand, add cuffs, buttonholes, and hem. My initial thoughts are: I don't need this much bust space after all. I've got the space hitting the right point, but there's extra at the side (where the second line of the princess seam panel hits the side) that I just don't need. My bust is more.. forward than wide?  Sort of? I think it's part of how narrow my back and shoulders are. There's not a lot of ...me around. Not a lot of side. . . I will get pictures soon. Given that I want this to be wearable; I think I can sort

-16c, with a windchill of -18c...

Well, I've muslined (made a test garment in cheap fabric similar to my fashion fabric) the Cashmerette Harrison's front, back yoke, and back pieces, and it's looking promising. With the double princess seams I'm concerned about getting the bust fit right where I need the space, especially as I generally have to shorten and narrow all patterns, but Cashmerette in particular. My sewing space is a tiny laundry room next to the garage. I don't get freezing in there, as it's next to the boiler/main heater, and I have a little plug-in-space-heater, but MY GOODNESS it's not tempting to 'quickly slip' in and out of 4 layers of clothing (thermal underwear up to the down vest) to check the fit! I finished binding a quilt for my son instead. Snuggly wins over my sewing goals for today. Now I'm going to get under a blanket and wish it was even 10C warmer...

Shirt Making January: day 1

It's happening! Shirt making! It's completely Baltic tonight in my garage-adjacent sewing area, but it's -12c outside. BUT I have hot tea, and I've taped and cut the Harrison shirt pattern. Tomorrow night I'll adjust it (narrow shoulders, shorten torso, maybe a small high round back adjustment) and cut it out in muslin. Thursday is a social night so I won't get any sewing time, but I'm hoping to have a muslin I've fit to my bodice by Friday night. I want to be cutting fashion-fabric (even though it won't be precious stuff) by the weekend! Incidentally, I can't get my phone to upload pictures to blogger, but my instagram is mkgstitch and it's where all the pictures of today's fun quilt crafternoon AND pattern taping are. I love wearing buttondowns in the winter because I love wearing wool (I get cold!), but I want proper sleeves and a proper collar between me and the wool; preferably in a snug flannel. In fact, I like wearing woven shir