On Que

Two weeks ago, my bestie Tanfer and I did our annual day in Port Jefferson/ Stony Brook Village.  Meandering, lunch at Tiger Lilly (our now stand by, as it never lets down), coffee, and lots of window shopping is always a nice way to spend a summer day.  She's pre-approved the photo of her modeling the Cosmo I made her, with a zipper.  Apparently it is making it's international debut in Canada next week, as we jaunt for another conference.  Yes, I know.  Woe, woe, woe.  

A conference requiring a passport.  Aside from needing more funding, I do love a good write.  

And, yea, her bag was filled with briars and other things.  On Monday, as we meet at an airport, I've got a hoodie for her . . . what? You can't go to Prince Edward Island and not have a sand colored hoodie to look like a capture from a movie scene.  

In the course of writing galore, and never completing enough, one hell of a Lupus attack that--well, if you live with it you know and if you don't you don't want to know--and other meanders of life today is a random completion du jour.  An on que, per se of what is to come aside from more completed hoodies, pjs, tees, dresses, and  . . . you get the drift.  

Just three weeks ago now I was at my parents house, as IG photos showed views from a running route.  My Mom got a shiny, new pacemaker so I was down for moral support.  And, as things go, Momma asked me to make her some things.  The loot, of hers, from a week of my spoil so to speak . . . that's the infamous Amy Butler Weekender Bag in the back.  Number four, for me, I think.  Let's see, there was one for me that's dead, one for Tanfer that her Mom "stole," another for me, and Mom's . . . yea, that's it.  Though, that's all for those for a long while.  It's easy, and pretty mindless, to make . . . but the upper arm strength to fight that bitch through the machine with layers of interfacing, home dec fabric, piping (which creates two extra layers of fabric) . . . so much effort.  Sewing, the new cardio I say.  

The ones in the front . . . I made one for her and one she's mailing to her sister.  That pattern is from the Amy Butler _In Stitches_ book.  It's ridiculously easy, as I cut, interfaced, and sewed the two bags in a day.  That includes added a tabbed zipper and ripping the teardrop piece off the outsides (they looked, ahem, homemade . . . so Momma got friendly with the stitch ripper.  She also gets to say she helped.  Ha!).  

After I got them made, Mom was looking at her patterns and showed me the Frenchie Bag Pattern.  Around seven years ago I made her one of those, but it was a hijacked job that was smaller, with more pockets, a different strap, and all that jazz.  She wanted the Frenchie Bag again, like I hacked years ago.  Ahem, thought she was talking about this bag, as she kept saying "like the one you  made me, that's now in the book."  Oh well.  Mom's still happy . . . and, I'm down there in three weeks for her next surgery.  I told her I'll make her that bag then.  We just have to use what is in her sewing room, like we did here  for the most part.

In full disclosure, I have two and half bags for her yet.  I've got a hijack of the Flight Bag (from In Stitches) with a laptop sleeve) and a red purse with more interfacing than Liberace had outfits.  I started those the week I was there, and I told her I'd bring them done when I return.  That's a lot of bags, aside from everything else I plunder through.  Bags take a day, at most . . . It's the interfacing that's the time eater.  I'm just not a gung ho fan, as they are mostly straight lines, and  . . . you can only have so many.  

Though, bags are kind of like pajama pants.  Instant gratification and a reset of sorts.  When you fuck up everything else you touch, a simple bag with a couple of pleats to change the shape it hard to squander.  I write this as I have a Cosmo cut out for me, as I'm off again on Monday.  My Stella and Dot bag is near dead, as a year of globetrotting and some daily use is killing it.  So, my handbag/carry-on is on que.  So in reality, that's 3.5 bags I have left this summer.  No bags for awhile after that.  Well, sans that Yoga one.  I mean totes and carry alls . . . 

Insides of those bags, pockets and key fobs too:

Inside views:

And, on more random notes of this course . . . Heather, of Closet Case Files, was bemoaning the hell of finding buttons on IG yesterday.  This is a rabbit hole all too common, as--well--if you sew you end up with lots of buttons.  Lots.  You get them, people gift them, you find them at thrift stores for a nickel and loose your shit for them.  You get the picture.  So . . . my solution is jars.  I saved jelly jars, pickle jars, a mayo jar . . . glass jars.  You can certainly buy them to be all matchy and uniform, but the eco friendly gal in me (and the one who teaches it and writes about it) tells you to just wash out the glass ones.  You certainly have one or two lurking about your house.  Just don't use plastic ones . . . why? Well, smells leach into plastic.  Do you really wanna open your red buttons and turtle at the smell of mayo?

This: 

And, after searching for two hours for buttons for an Archer last fall . . . glass jars became my sewing BFF.  

I have more buttons en route.  Indeed.  Surprisingly they don't take up too much room.  I typically have other notions on that shelf too, like my clapper, jeans buttons (in a little heart tin left over from Valentine's long ago), etc.  Yea, even the tight spaced gal like me has a high and tight system.  

As this week has rolled on and life has been oozing from every orifice it seems, one day my Bernina broke.  Twenty years of memories in that metal passed down from my Momma.  Five days later, left unplugged, I braved the fight and plugged her back in to try one more time.  Lo-and-behold, take note my dears, apparently unplugging for a few days reset the aging computer chips and . . . 

Bernie and I are reunited, like peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, together forever.  

And, yes, I may have become clinically depressed at the impending loss of a sewing machine.  Judge. Me. Later.  

Oh, and sewing legends abound about the sweet spots of sergers.  Sergers . . .also known as testy little bitches who spit out thread with no real reason.  Just to be bitchy.  And then . . . then there is that moment when you find the settings that works on every fabric and needle.  No shit.  I do not joke.  

So yea, do not touch those knobs unless you would like me to loose my shit and take you out.  What is the sweet spot really . . . notice how on number three the marker is between 3.5 and 2, but closer to 3? Yea, that's the marker of a sweet spot.  I've seen blog legends of this, and when I realized I had hit on my mine . . . yea, don't touch the knobs.  The numbers are different for every machine, so you can try to duplicate me but the odds are you will fall short until you find your own sweet spot.  It is also a sweet little gem, that when I thread that bad boy I don't have to fuck with tensions.  Whoo hoo.  Sweet little things.  It sews from knit to silk without changing the setting.  Sweet . . . 

The BQE, coming back from the trip to my parents with a little filter.  

The original

Either way, it's a win, win in the eye candy department.  What I call home, my dears.  

And, yes, as you noticed there's been a little revamp around here.  Slowly but surely, as it is a tedious process.  Of course, read on and you'll see revamps about to go live in the next month.  All, very, what shall we say . . . about damned time.  

Along that way, I finished my Outfit Along.  

That's the Colette Myrtle in silk.  Italian Silk my Dad bought me at Mood, when he spotted it while shopping for his coat fabric.  Mouthful, eh? 

The edits: since I did woven, and I know how Colette patterns fit my rump, I didn't have to do much.  I added 3/4" on the back bodice fold, cut the back skirt piece on the fold (no seam needed, and why was it there?), added 1/4" to the front bodice (on the fold).  I added a skirt lining (simply cut from the skirt pieces) with a hunk of leftover bemburg lining I had left from a pencil last spring (that pencil, a black and white beauty is on que to replace the zipper since I had a fucking defective one . . . I won't go there).  It falls right above my knee, and since I have that swanky conference next week I am certain a pic will surface then.  Why none now? Really, it drapes like a goddess . . . I'm just not in a mood to model.

I had three yards of this silky beauty.  It isn't on the website, so I presume it is sold out.  Sorry, not sorry.  Though, I have just enough left to make a cami.  I think I'll make another Colette one in the fall.

The sweater: Miss Babs Yowsa in Naples.  Size large.  XL sleeves.  We already know I have Wonder Woman arms.  See above about the sewing as cardio for Momma's bags.  Pattern: Myrna by Andi Satturlund.  It's a quick and easy make . . . really simple, cute, and that yarn . . . I bought more in a black shade to make another Andi cardi.  The Miette pattern, but longer.  Cha cha.  

While it was blocking, and hogging the fan so that Muttly couldn't (ha ha) . . . the keyholes are a beauty.  I used some scrap quilting cotton to make the button bands, and I used vintage buttons from the growing stash to seal it off with . . . Raverly has some more notes.  

I didn't intend to make another yellow sweater, but . . . I meant to order cream, ordered this, and . . . well it is fall and versatile.  Look at me, pre-gaming for fall clothing this year.  Cha cha.  

And finally, I have two testers waiting on the PDF. . .a zippered yoga bag. Nothing earth shattering, just something I've been tinkering with for a while.  I'm not keen on paying for yoga bags, those with the drawstring close annoy me, and the benefit of pockets inside and out abounds in my book. I'm in the final phase of edits, as . . . the bag takes maybe three hours.  The drafting of such a bag takes, well, patience. I am happy to tell them that I am doing a final proof for typos now.  And, that my dears, is what we call a pattern about to launch.  

Yes, I've been toying with the idea for a while.  I've made my own sketches over the years, and . . . well now I'm revising and finalizing to make them duplicateable and--yes--purchasable.   This one is looking at a five to seven dollar purchase price point, will be a PDF, one pattern piece, and it only takes one yard of 50+ wide fabric, and a yard point five for the lining of 45" fabric.  

This . . . is coming this month.  It has to as, well, plans and life keep rolling.  I can't sit on it forever.