Lazy Fall

Well I haven't been doing much of anything lately. I managed to just sit on my hiney while JB was at whirlyball and not make it to the sewing space. I will get down there this weekend! On the holiday front - I will not sew any holiday gifts this year! I am planning on knitting some to that end I'm ahead of the game. I have 2 1/2 gifts finished. Well one gift is a pair of socks and I have one finished but not the other. It's close though! Did I ever tell you that Miss Lucy Goat Dog ate the center of my ball winder? Yep! The last time we had poker at our house, they were locked downstairs. My friend D was here thatnight, but because the light downstairs (well anywhere I sit to knit really) is shitting my house - we stayed upstairs in the living room. I'm making a pitch for a couple of Ott Lights for Christmas - I big floor standing one and a smaller tabletop light. Anyway - one of the ladies who comes to poker is truly afraid of big dogs so we try to keep the dogs away from her. I don't believe in deliberately terrorizing people! Well Lucy wanted to be where the action was and couldn't get upstairs, so she found something to chew on. This is what she does when she's anxious to be where you are and can't get there. So yep - she at the center of my ball winder. Do you know how hard it is to wind a ball of yarn without the center in the winder - yep. Impossible. Do you know what I am dying to start knitting with right now? Of course - anything in a hank that needs to be wound. That's about all I've got right now. I have a 3 day weekend (Monday is a holiday); a 3 day work week and then another 3 day weekend (regular Friday off) coming up. Look for progress photos from the sewing space - or else a call of "Help, I've fallen and can't get up!"

Time to Cut Bait

You are all aware of the old saying "Fish or Cut Bait" right? Well I have decided that it's time for the Stunt Stitcher to cut bait. It occurred to me the other day that the reason I'm avoiding the sewing space is those darn Amy Butler Skirts. Let me explain. To quote a very wise lady from my Neighborhood ASG meetings I'm a girl and I'm made from curves. With that in mind, let me say that it is very hard to make any skirt with no darts fit and look good. I have been sewing garments long enough to know that darts are what make a flat piece of fabric fit a 3-dimensional shape and look good. If I were to add darts to the back pieces of skirt, I could make it fit and look good. However that is not the goal For . This . Project. When I offered to make garments from quilting cottons it was a very self-less offer. Miss C recently opened a dry-goods brick and mortar store in her home town. She sells yarn, knitting supplies, quilting cottons, and patterns. She teaches classes on knitting and sewing. Miss C knits and sews quilts - but not garments. As a garment sewer who has no real interest in quilting but loves the fabulous quilting cottons available I offered to sew some sample garments for her. Miss C jumped at the offer - her only condition - I sew the garments in a size to fit me and after being displayed for a few months she would return them to me as "payment" for my labor. So now my very self-less offer has turned greedy! I can own some beautiful skirts made from Amy Butler fabrics. One of my favorite skirts is a lined Kwik Sew made from AB cotton. Don't get me wrong - I love Amy's patterns - she designs incredible bags and home dec items - I'm just not in love with her skirt pattern and continuing to attempt to make it fit me and look good is going to drive me crazy. Tonight while JB is off playing whirlyball with the guys - I'm going to recut the skirt to the smallest size, get the A-line sewn up and ready to ship off. Once I have that one done I will move onto the Layered Skirt and then the Apron. Hopefully I won't upset Miss C, but honestly my intent was simply to help her have some garment samples for her store - not to end up with clothing for me. See - time to cut bait!

Score!

Yesterday was the Annual Meeting for the Local Chapter of ASG. Since I'm a neighborhood group leader - I always feel compelled to go. Besides - it's good fun! Our meeting is always a little business, the election, a potluck, a silent auction and a fashion show. Why would anyone want to miss that? I made a modified pair of baby pink Fetching fingerless gloves. They were modified by adding a second cable row at the top and adding a few more rows for the thumbs. Unfortunately - I did not take photos. I know - I'm grounded. I also made a fake fur teddy which was requested by the lady who bought one I made several years ago. Her dog loved the first one and has practically killed it. She says it's really grody and he needed a new one. The final bid on the bear was $20! I came home with a stack of Cynthia Guffey books - Volumes 1 and 2 of Finishing Techniques; Volumes 2 through 5 of Precision Sewing Techniques, Volumes 1 and 2 of Cynthia's Simply guide to Master Tailoring; and finally Festive Machine Embroidery. I got all of that for $12! I purchased these books with the last post in mind - the one about making an epic project and stepping up my skills. My plan is to start reading through them, and then decided if I need the missing volumes. I will also sign up for and take classes from Cynthia at our local Sewing Expo in Puyallup in February. There are so many 'experts' out there and conflicting opinions that I plan to start with one - incorporate her techniques and then learn from another. Right now - however, I'm headed out to the Mall to get a hair cut! Happy sewing everyone.