I Had a 3-Day Weekend

and I really don't have anything to show for it. On Friday - I went to my Weight Watchers Meeting which I had originally considered skipping - but I'm glad I went. It was a good meeting and I stayed exactly the same. Not too bad considering I would like to lose some more pounds, but I'm not really doing anything more than maintenance these days. Then I headed over the JoAnn's. I needed a bag of fiberfill so I could mend Beau's big bear and some skirt hooks and eyes. I also took the brown polka dot fabric and the pink that I found for the jacket to look for something that would work to line the jacket. Originally, I was thinking something brown/pink/cream and possibly a floral. I ended up with a plain cream lining. Boring - but it will work. I also bought 2 pieces of fabric, one for a top and one for a dress. After that I went to Everett. Originally it was planned that I would meet my friend at Great Yarns for knitting, but I was unable to get a hold of her to confirm. I went anyway - but didn't take the pattern for the next up sweater. I did have the pink daisy skirt with me, because I was unpicking the hem during the earlier WW meeting. Anyway - I got the yarn for the knit top. Then I filed a lawsuit for work. By the time I got home, I had just enough time to hem the ties for the purple Simplicity dress I'm working on. Then I had to run out to meet with one of the members of our local ASG. We were working together to do a presentation on Needle Felting on Saturday, April 14th. I got her information, but found out that she got a surprise trip to Bangkok and so won't be helping me. When I got home again - I started dinner, only to have the hubby call and say that he had a really long week and wanted to go out. Saturday morning dawned bright and early where I very lazily sat on the sofa drinking water (I didn't make coffee), finishing the back of the current sweater on needles and watching sewing programs. Hubby had to go to work for a side job and asked me to pick him up at 11:30. I got there at 11:45 - still without having had any coffee. He was now helping with a car in the shop as the customer is our doctor's wife. Then he ran off to talk to somebody and came back to get my driver's license - what? Thankfully this time I brought knitting so I just hung out and swatched for the Wimbledon Sweater. We finally ran to get me a latte and then we had to come back to sign the loan for my new car! I was a little surprised because I had just asked him about it the night before and he said the guy wanted too much. The upside of having a spouse who works at a dealership is the deals - the downside is that I never get to actually pick out my own car. I am now driving a 2002 Seabring Convertible - it's dark blue with a blue ragtop. Completely loaded with only 13,000 miles! And we only paid $1 a mile for it!! Complete steal. Saturday afternoon and evening was spent doing housework. Hubby had to clean and rearrange the garage to fit my new car in and I spent hours literally cleaning floors, walls, glass tables and dusting. It looked great until I let the dogs upstairs on Sunday morning! We didn't finish and sit down to eat until 10 pm.! I literally ate and went to bed! Sunday JB cooked breaky, I helped clean up. Then we walked dogs in the very cold sunshine. I got some time to sew until I had to start dinner. At this point in time the bodice of the purple dress is almost complete As a matter of fact, I'm going to sign off and go finish the bodice. After this - the skirt will take no time at all!!! Although now the dress seems a little 'heaving' for the weather - but it might be okay for a week or so - if I can finish it this week.

I'm Melting

and not like sugar! More like the Wicked Witch! The earlier post wasn't suppose to be about sewing at all. Not sure where it came from - hmmm. Anyway - I'm having a serious mental breakdown. I woke up in a bad mood with a headache. If you've been reading for long - most of you know I have weight management issues. I'm a lifetime member of Weight Watchers and I'm currently below goal - just barely - but below goal just the same. A little more than a year ago, I fell into the bad habit of weighing myself daily. I know, I know - don't lecture. For the most part it works as positive reinforcement that I'm doing something right daily. But there are days! Anyway - this morning I was up 4# from yesterday!!! So, like a headache wasn't bad enough - I have to wake up fat too?!!? After making coffee (which tasted horrible) I fixed myself a buttered toasted cheese bagel for breaky - why not, I woke up fat anyway! Then I got to work. Nobody was there yet - yeah I could get caught up on some work without the interruptions. Right? Wrong! My computer had other plans - crashed continually throughout the day. Come to find out my newly reformatted computer has not one, but two!, viruses. Not sure how that happened. Our IT guy will be out again tomorrow. As if that wasn't enough, the phone kept ringing off the hook and apparently nobody else can answer it!!! Actually - everyone's pretty good about helping out, when they are there. My day just continued to go downhill until I was actually shedding tears over it. I'm home now, having a cup of cocoa and watching Sandra Lee on the Food Network - I mean really - it's got to get better. I am not however, cooking a real meal tonight. Hubby can either take me out or we're having sandwiches - fried egg or tuna. So there!!! Hope you all had a much better day than I.

Un-Inspired

I have been sewing - really! Last weekend I got the lining for the upcoming black & white KS 3337 made, started the heck out of the hem, and then sewed a reinforced straight stitch with a wing needle just about 1/16" of an inch from the hem. I also did the same with a small scrap of the white cotton fabric. I have been trying out different crochet patterns on the small piece, but so far I haven't found anything I really liked. In the meantime I got the purple fabric at the left cut out for Simplicity 3877. I'm making the dress shown in orange on the left in the pictures, but adding long sleeves. I don't know why I think of this fabric as purple I guess it really is more purple than anything else, but after working on it for a bit, I think black is going to be the best choice for any seaming that will show. I had the perfect match in a lavender thread, but when I wound the bobbin, I emptied the spool! Isn't that always the way?

Prior to cutting into the fabric, I prewashed it. I prewash everything! If I can't throw it in the wash and at least hang dry, then it isn't practical for my life with 4 drooly dogs. There is rarely a day that goes by when I don't get drool on my work clothing. I also pulled out Sandra Betzina's Fabric Savvy to see how she suggests working with a poly silky. Her recommendation is to cut on the cross-grain to avoid puckering seams - so I did that. I am sewing with a slightly shorter stitch length and using a fine microtex needle. I also put microtex needles in my serger and threaded it up for a 4 thread overlock with shades of purple thread.

This fabric is ravelling like nobody's business. For whatever reason, I rarely construct with my serger. I use the sewing machine for construction and the serger for finishing. And I tend to overcast each edge individually so I can still press them open. I know it adds more time, but it makes me feel better about how the inside looks, so there!

I also found with this fabric that it's really difficult to get a nicely pressed edge. However, using the iron and pressing - not ironing - and then misting with my spray bottle and pressing again is working well. So far I have the fronts sewn together, the back darts sewn and the shoulder seams put together. I have overcast the edges on all 4 side seams. I overcast these edges before seaming because they don't get sewn all the way - one side gets left open for a zipper and the other gets a deliberate hole in the seam for the tie to go through. I was just about to sew these seams, when I realized I wanted to put the sleeves in flat so I could overcast the raw edges and it would be much easier to do flat then inserting the seams. One of the few seams where the raw edges will be serged together rather than separately is the armhole seams - just because it will be easier.

Okay - I am going to get the sleeves sewn in before I go to work today! So I guess I better publish this post and get busy!!!