Sew Distracted

Slip-Up

This is the week that I am supposed to start sewing something for myself.  It doesn't have to be anything new, I can just finish up a few UFOs, but it has to be for me.  I am tired of sewing things for other people.

My first goal was to make a slip for the wine cotton skirt that I altered in the early summer and never finished after I left the lining out.  

My idea was that I would just make a bemberg slip that I could wear with the skirt because I was too lazy to rip out the waistband again.  I know, I know, I am probably making a simple project harder.  But wait; it gets worse.

I have a couple of a-line bemberg slips that I absolutely love.  They came with a wool skirt with cut-outs and the idea was that you could change the lining/slip to have a different color underneath.  These slips are fabulously comfortable and they drape really well.  Each one is just two pieces of fabric with hooks and eyes at the opening.  How hard could this be?

Well, I underestimated the available time and didn't get to this project until after 10 tonight.  I had the bemberg washed and pressed, and I had the original lining/slip, but I hadn't looked at it that closely.  

Then, when I was about to trace it off to make a pattern I discovered something I hadn't anticipated, although I should have:  the slip is cut on the bias.  This should have been obvious because there are not darts and it fits perfectly -- duh.

So my simple project is not so simple.

I have never made a pattern for a bias garment before.  Do I just trace the slip to paper, or is there some adjustment that has to be made because it has been worn before?  How do I account for changes as the skirt is sewn or hangs out? I am not sure I have enough bemberg to make two if I mess up the first one.  What kind of seam allowances do I add as all the seams and hem will be on the bias too?

Is this even worth doing?  This skirt is a little shorter than the one the original slip was made for.  If I make a lining for the maroon skirt, can I also wear it with the wool cut out skirt?   Am I putting a lot of effort into a slip for a skirt that really isn't likely to last more than another season?

Maybe I should just use the original lining pattern, cut a new lining and attach it the proper way.  It might be faster to just redo that waistband than fiddle with this new idea.

It might be even easier to just forget the whole lining thing and just wear the skirt with a slip since I don't think I will alter it again, or probably wear it beyond this fall.

Whatever I do, it isn't going to happen until tomorrow.

Another One Bites the Dust

I've had this photo of a dress by Narciso Rodriguez on my computer for some time.

It was from the spring collection, and I think it was shown more like a light coat, but I think of it as a dress.  More exactly I think of it as a fall or spring dress, but definitely not a summer dress.

It has been on my mind a lot lately, and I was thinking of making it.  In my vision I see the dress with a little more structure than the original, which seems gathered and soft, where as I am thinking of a more dramatic flared line in the skirt out of something with a little crispnes like a doupioni or shantung.

Today DH saw he photo on my monitor and told me I can't wear that because I would look like a Cardinal (as in Rome).  Now I can't look at the dress without imagining it as a Cardinal's robe.  Too bad and I like the color combination too, and I know it is the idea of a black dress with a wide colored band at the waist that has captured his imagination.

What do you think?  Could I pull it off with a crisper hand, in a more stylized version? Perhaps I should skip the black and go for a deep blue-green with a lighter band at the waist?

Well, anyway, it appears to be off the "must make" list for now.

Please just finish something

Would that I had gotten my sewing room as organized as the sewing room closet, also known as home to the turtleneck collection, the sweater collection, and the boot collection as well as some fabric.   At some point during the summer I had shoved all the UFO's into that closet hoping to consolidate them and go through them, perhaps even finish a couple, but I haven't gotten to that yet. 

Now they are all on the cutting table, a mountain of reproach, a testament to dreams unrealized.  The weight of unfulfilled promise is crushing.

How can I begin something new when each new project gets started and abandoned, only adding to the pile of "could have beens". 

My short term goal is to finish a UFO (or more) a week.  And also to finish every new project I start.  I cannot add to the mountain of regret.

My determination has been strengthened by the completion of another project, albeit one that is non-sewing related with the exception of a few pattern drafting/alteration.  Who knew that pattern paper was so useful?

Presenting the new landing at the top of the basement stairs.  I take no responsibility for the landing, which was created by removing the door at the top of the stairs (edge by first blue step) and putting in a new door (out of sight at the bottom of the photograph). 

The floor however, is mine.

This is just a commercial-grade vinyl, left over from something else.  I had planned on glueing the vinyl down to an underlayment I asked the carpenter to intall after he ripped up the old carpet.

Somehow, in my distracted state  on Monday, with the carpenters, electrician, pest-control guy, and a very confused and unhappy Mr. Distracted, I managed to let the carpenter leave without putting down the 1/4" plywood.  He did trim the opening where the door had been very nicely with molding down to the yucky subfloor which was complete with a few holes.  Obviously it would not do.

After I got the DH calmed down from the hubub, and after dinner, I assessed the situation and realized that I could not put down the vinyl floor, that the stair-lift people were coming today to install the stair-lift, and I had a lot of work to do.

There was no way I would take up the molding, put in the floor and put the molding back, trimmed to size.  So I had to work around it.  Hence the table paper.  Since the landing wasn't square anyway, it proved handy.

I had feared that my skills with a saw and would not be adequate for cutting the plywood to the right size and shape. But I managed to get it in just perfectly,

I am most proud of those little notched corners around the opening to the once door.  Sometimes any finished project is a great boon to creativity, and there has been a severe shortage of completed projects, on any front -- home or personal -- the past few months.

Now to tackle those UFO's.  Well, perhaps I will sleep first.

It was said that she never met a turtleneck that she didn't like

I have finally sorted through the entire sweater collection and the turtleneck collection.  Despite the overabundance of certain color families -- I seem to have a deep-seated need to purchase every shade of blue-green turtleneck I can find -- there are actually gaps.

Next up: finding something to actually wear.

What do I mean when I say I'm not sewing?

I have a friend who would tell you in a moment that she doesn’t cook.  Now there are people who really don’t cook – people who eat every meal out of the house except perhaps for a cup of coffee and a bagel in the morning – and I know a few of them.  Then there are people like my friend who don’t cook but do feed their families.  She doesn’t like to cook, but she puts meals on the table.  Nothing fancy comes out of her kitchen, but that doesn’t mean it is not a healthy meal.  Burgers, chops,  potatoes, rice, salad, simple vegetables.  We all know about these kinds of simple meals.  In fact the “not cooking” that I have been doing  a lot of this past summer is very similar to this – fresh vegetables, steamed or grilled.  Meat on the grill.  Simple stuff. Not the kind of cooking I love to do, the kind that takes time and attention.  But there is a time for everything in life.

When I say I am not sewing, I mean something much the same as when I say I am not cooking.  If I said I was not sewing in my sewing room, my serger might say: “if you aren’t sewing why are you rethreading me twice a day?”  My Bernina would probably choke on the baby quilt that is sitting next to it and say something like “and what is this stuff you have been feeding through me all day, if it is not sewing?”

Now I know a lot of people who say “I don’t’ sew” and really mean that they don’t sew, that they couldn’t even attach a button and would have to send their shirt to the tailor or throw it out.  But when I say I am not sewing I mean that I am not doing any creative sewing, just maintenance, or things for other people.  I am not sewing things I enjoy sewing, but then again, I would rather be sewing/mending/altering than be out looking for replacements.  The shopping isn’t really an option right now anyway.   But taking a t-shirt and making it a size smaller is not thrilling stuff; necessary yes, thrilling no. 

There has been some sewing for other people, but I don’t really have control over the design or fabrication of those things.  As they really aren’t mine and don’t represent my choices in anything I don’t really see any point in posting them here.   I am sewing aprons to help a friend who sells them at craft shows/fundraising yard sale things. I have done this kind of thing before and I always say I won’t do it again. Ha!  The apron patterns are cute, kind of vintage, the fabric, kind of country calico prints would not be my choice and I frankly find them kind of boring.  This is probably a good thing because if they were in cute fabric I would hate to give them back.  I do need a few new aprons, so perhaps that is one more thing to add to my fall sewing list. 

Oh, and I have been sewing diapers and diaper covers.  Another friend’s daughter has a new baby, and she wants cloth diapers.  What did I know about cloth diapers?  When I said I would help make diapers I thought they were pieces of fabric you folded and pinned around baby, or at least they were the last time I used a cloth diaper on anyone.  But these are cute, and fasten on with little snaps or buttons or velcro tabs and they do actually require sewing up.  They look a lot like washable designer pampers, which is I suppose why they are so expensive in the store, and why I am helping to sew cloth diapers. 

The shoes of summer past.

I am still thinking about sewing, and thinking about clothes for fall, although it is still warm enough that the transition is more in "feel" than in actual garments.  And all this thinking about clothes and sewing has actually inspired me to get the cutting table at least partially cleared of clutter, cleared enough that I can see the surface, and cleared enough that I had enough space to block a sweater.  I might even have enough space to cut a new slip/lining for that maroon skirt, which is shamefully still sitting on the cutting table waiting for me to do something about the lining.  Luckily, the color is good for fall, and I have more things to wear with it that are appropriate for fall than were appropriate for this past summer.

And the clutter should be a little more confined soon.  I really do need to stop that habit of punishing myself when I get behind by piling everything up on my workspace.  It is as if I have some mental taskmistress that is telling me I can sew when I get all my chores done, but I never quite manage to get them done.  Enough of that!

But back to my current chain of thought.  I have been thinking about clothes for fall, and I have ordered a few things that aren't here yet, and I do want to sew several things, including that pleated organza coat (and everything else I have written about here). 

Part of the process of thinking about sewing is thinking about what I want to sew (organza coat, wool fused-yarn coat), what I need to wear (very casual) and how to work out some equilibrium between my actual and my fantasy wardrobes. 

At the end of each season I do like to look back on what I wore the previous season because it gives me a kind of idea of where my life is.  That period of reflection, along with a look at my calendar and my closets helps tell me what I might need or want. 

It also always intrigues me that although I love reading the fashion magazines and looking at the runway shows, there is more or less correlation of what I wear with what I see/buy/make based on a wide variety of factors.  Looking at all the fabulous clothes coming down the runway now for next spring reminds me of all the things I wanted to make for this past spring.  But I have never been consistent about making something and wearing it in its season.  Sometimes I wear it in a timely manner; sometimes a garment has to mellow in my closet a year, or even two before it is ready to come out and play.  I never intend it this way.  I always think I will wear everything I sew or buy right away.  But I am too much a creature of moods.  So I find "what did I wear?" to be much more interesting than "what did I buy?"

So what did I wear this past summer?  I'm going to look at the shoes here as we all know there was little sewing, and you will have to trust me that the clothes were completely boring, basic linen and chinos and an assortment of tees.

As I mentioned it was a casual summer and several old favorites were in constant use. The blue Aerosole wedges shown up at the top have been a favorite since I bought them (how many years ago? 3? 4?) They make me smile every time I put them on. I will be heartbroken when they finally collapse from overuse.

  Other old favorites were a couple of pairs of practical "comfort" sandals, which I hope still have a little more style than the average merely functional shoe. But even if they don't, one always needs comfortable shoes for wearing around the house with chinos and shorts.  Since I rarely got out of the house except to go to the grocery store or farmer's market these shoes got lots of use.

But it wasn't all comfort and practicality:

 I surprised myself by falling in love with some sandals I bought last year but never wore.  In fact at the beginning of the season I was considering whether this pair had been a mistake and was contemplating selling them.  I should have known better, I make few major mistakes, at least in terms of purchased clothes, anymore.  I can't imagine why I thought they were too stiff and uncomfortable last year.  This year they were pretty much the sandal I wanted to wear almost every day.  Of course it didn't happen, shoes need to breathe and they didn't go with everything, after all.

What didn't go with the bronze sandals more than likely did go with these sandals however and these were the second most frequently worn sandals for this past summer.  Oddly enough I didn't wear them last summer either.  I thought the strap was too tight across the top of my foot.   Do you think 12 pounds would have made that much difference in the size of my feet?  I don't think so.

Whatever the reason, they were perfect this year.

One new pair of sandals made it onto my frequent wear list:

I bought these sandals early in the season for an obscene amount of money.  I am rationalizing it away by telling myself that I bought fewer things than usual this summer, and I have worn these so frequently and I love them so much I know I will wear them as long as possible, even when they are completely out of fashion.  I love the style, I love the purple heel, I love the thick almost industrial buckles at the ankle -- I guess I should have taken a better photograph of those.  And I can wear them well into fall.  No dainty summery sandals these. I feel tough and pretty and in control. 

Gee, that is a lot of pressure to put on a mere shoe.

And although I had little reason or opportunity to dress up this past summer, if I did, I made sure that whatever I wore had to go with these sandals.

This was another sale pair.  I do sometimes love the way everything goes on sale right in the middle of the season in which you want to wear it.  I think it is stupid, but I don't mind taking advantage. 

Besides, it would have been a very sad summer indeed if there was no room for frivolity.

Restart

I knew things were bad when I finished the back of Granite and was not eager to cast on for the front.  I did anyway and reluctantly started knitting.

I was not at all happy with how the back had progressed.  It seemed that my scattered brain waves had affected my knitting and the stockinette looked like the growth rings of a tree alternating years of drought with extremely flush years of excess rains.  The fact that the total gauge was ok judging by the size of the sweater was merely a remarkable coincidence judging by the variations of the size of stitches evident with even the most cursory glance.  I truly feared that blocking would make not one whit of difference so I avoided the blocking board.

In fact I lost the blocking board.  Now it is not a small thing.  So I truly believe that the only way it could disappear is if I willfully lost it.   It was eventually found, but by then it was too late.  I had already made the decision to rip; a decision only confirmed yesterday when I discovered that I had made a major error in the font, an error that could be only explained by the general malaise and lack of enthusiasm with which I was approaching this project.

So I ripped.  I washed.  I rewound.  And I began again.

Now I am very happy although there is nothing really to show.  I trust this time there will be visible progress, progress that I will be proud to share.

In the meantime, during this ripping and washing, this gnashing of teeth and period of decision making, I have been lusting after other projects.  The heart is so fickle.  In times of distress I yearn for every pretty pattern, every soft and cuddly yarn, any thing to distract me from the rough patch with my current project.

My current distraction has been with the new Debbie Bliss magazine.   Of course I started lusting after the magazine when I saw the ad for it in the Vogue Knitting, the add which featured this wonderful cabled vest.

I love this vest. It is so very much the kind of thing I love to wear.  Doesn't it just make you yearn for cool weather?

And on the opposite page there was this fabulous bulky cabled cardigan with short sleeves:

This one is even more enticing than the vest.  I must make it.  I want to wear it tomorrow. 

Well, I know that is not possible.  I don't even have the yarn.  But I do have an idea of what yarn I want and maybe I will be able to buy it tomorrow.

So here I was thinking that I had my knitting plans worked out for the next few months.  I have pulled out projects.  I have set up a queue which I will eventually update on Ravelry, and I thought I had my plans worked out. 

Then some pretty little sweater which is a bit rustic and a bit flirty (love that collar) all at once comes along and steals my heart and throws all my plans up in the air.

The good news is that  the Debbie Bliss magazine also has the perfect sweater for some yarn that was sitting in my stash abandoned after I decided that the pattern for which it had been purchased was a no go, one of those things that looks so lovely, but once knit just sits on the shelf mocking the knitter.  Thank goodness I figured it out before I knit the sweater.

This pattern is completely different in attitude from the two above, so much more classically elegant, words I really don't apply to myself.  And yet it is just so perfect.  I know exactly how I will wear it and what I will wear it with; it is just as much completely me as the cardigan above. 

But first there is Granite.  Suddenly, freed of the weight of that unsatisfactory first start, I am whipping along again. I am sure there will be delays and interruptions again, but I think this time the knitting will be more constant and the results worth the effort of the redo.

More Coat Dreams

So, I am getting my head back together enough that I am beginning to think about sewing again -- perhaps it is all that playing with fabric, perhaps it is just that life seems to be running a little more smoothly at the moment.  It is not that I feel more in control, dangerous territory that, but that I feel less out of control.

Specifically, what has immediately caught my attention is this Burberry Prorsum coat:

I am incredibly intrigued and fascinated by this. At $11,995 it could never fit in any conceivable budget.  And I think I am really intrigued by the idea of it as much as actually owning it.  Or more exactly I want to try do something inspired by this.  Creating my own version of this just looks like fun, and that would be something thrilling to wear.

This picture is from the NY Times Style magazine  and it is the best picture I have found.  On the various runway shots this coat is much to easy to miss. I am surprised that I can't find more pictures or information about this coat. Does anyone know of any better detail shots? Does anyone have any information about the coat?  I am not going to get out snoop shopping this year, at least not much, so I guess it is up to my imagination.  

I believe it is silk organza.  At least there is  a silk organza dress with similar draped pleating.  I can see doing this in organza.  It is light enough that it would not be too bulky and I don't think anything softer would give you that crisp pleated look. That doesn't make this a practical trench, but I am not really interested in it for its practicality.

This coat has reminded me of the lace coat that Burberry Prorsum did in the fall of 2006.  I was pretty interested in that one too, but I wanted to make it for spring and I didn't want exactly the same kind of lace.  I never found a lace I liked that I could get in a large enough quantity to make that trench, especially since I wanted it a little less fitted and close to the body than the original trench.

So now, after a discussion about lace on Stitcher's Guild, and Liana's link to Lace Mart I have also resurrected my interest in a lace trench, this time perhaps in a more traditional lace although I am now considering dyingthe lace some deeper color and perhaps making a trench with a little more volume.  That would make it something I would wear for a long long time.

As neither one of these coats is something I need to survive the winter I can take my time.  My question now is it better to just sew quick little things as I find time and inspiration, or should I start a grand project, just putting in bits of time as I find it available.   After all I did that for years when I had a very time-consuming job:  I just make one or two evening dresses a year, working on them as time allowed.

But before I can sew anything I need to make some sense of my sewing room.  It is still the place that everything that I can't deal with gets shoved until I can spare it the necessary attention.  And I don't have fabric ready for either trench.

I also have to deal with the "what to wear this fall" issue as I am pretty much in need of some new fall clothes that fit.  I think the best solution is just to place an order with J Crew and Banana Republic for the basics, which is really all I need.  And yes it is true, I would order from Banana Republic even though I occasionally bitch about  the quality.  I still like their style and colors.  

If I can satisfy my basic wardrobe needs I am then free to sew what ever I feel like when the time and mood hits, be it simple tees, dresses, or even more complicated epic projects.   And even if initially I only sew the simple things, well dreaming of tees just isn't as much fun as dreaming of pleated organza coats is it?