December 20, 2009 at 1:46 pm (Sewing)
Tags: Sewing, sewing for love ones
Oh, you came like a winter snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below.
Songwriter, Audrey Assad
I don’t know why the snow has made me happy. Maybe it’s the beauty of everything covered with snow. The sky is clear and so blue. My husband and our sons are out shoveling the driveway, clearing the cars and laughing. Hot chocolate is simmering on the stove. I hear my daughter shrieking because my oldest son finally managed to pelt her with a snowball when she came to the door. I know in another town a little three-year old boy who I won’t see today is having a ball laughing and playing in the snow. Ahh, the sounds of a snowy day.
Sewing
I finished the machine embroidery on the hoodie. Now it’s time to put it all together.
hoodie front
hoodie back
Christmas baking
I’m undecided at the moment. Do I make the fruitcakes or mix up a couple of more types of cookies?
Ahh, a winter snow!
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December 19, 2009 at 7:37 pm (Cookies)
Tags: baking, Sewing
Let it snow, let it snow
Outside it’s cold
But the fire’s blazin”
So, baby, let it snow
Let it snow
Let it snow
Let it snow.
song by Boyz II Men
My annual Sunday Before Christmas Dinner is off. I guess this year it will be a Sunday Before New Year’s Dinner. So the options I have chosen so far today:
Sewing
I cut out the hoodie for my son. I need to cut the lining. I decided to take a short break, during which my husband and youngest son started chanting loudly, “We want cookies! We want cookies!” My loving husband then threatened to disconnect my internet connect if I wasn’t in the kitchen in 5 minutes.
Christmas baking
I mixed a batch of Snickerdoodles and a batch of the Triple Chocolate cookies. While mixing the cookies I looked out the window every so often to watch the comedy that was unfolding outside. There is a foot of snow outside, it’s still coming down hard and heavy, and several of my neighbors are trying to drive who knows where. Mind you, I live on a hill that curves and my house is at the bend of the curve, so I can see down to the corner intersection and up the street to the next bend. People were out pushing cars trying to get through the intersection. One of the cars of the neighbor on the right is now blocking the driveway of my neighbor on the left. The neighbor on the right then moved his large sedan down his driveway into the street so he could drive the vehicle that was parked behind it. I had to laugh out loud when it took him 15 minutes to back the large sedan back UP his driveway. Our driveways slope down to the street; we are on a hill on a hill.
This is why the supermarkets and other stores were overcrowded yesterday. My husband spent 1 ½ hours on the checkout line. People knew we would be snowed in. The secondary street probably won’t be plowed until Monday. It’s a battle to keep the main roads plowed! Whatever we don’t have in the pantry at the moment, we don’t need.
So, baby, let it snow!
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Triple Chocolate cookies hot from the oven
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Snickerdoodles on the cooling racks
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December 19, 2009 at 3:31 pm (Sewing)
Tags: cloth doll, Sewing, sewing for Etsy shop, sewing for love ones
Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we’ve no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Sewing Projects:
I am in the glamour mode so I could work on a cocktail dress for my Etsy shop. Black lace, chiffon, satin, ribbon, and braiding.
I am making this jacket for my daughter using the time-consuming traditional method for the lining, handsewing.
I am making this jacket for myself using a quick method for the lining, mostly machine sewing with a little handsewing.
My oldest son wants a few hoodies. This one is black and turquoise sweatshirt knit with a LOUD printed cotton lining. The purple and turquoise embroidery thread is for machine embroidering a logo he designed.
My grandbaby has taken Snowbell everywhere. Snowbell kept her company while she was in the hospital recently. My grandbaby is healthy again, but Snowbell is not. Her arms are literally hanging by threads. I also need to make Snowbell a new outfit before she goes back home.
Christmas Baking to do:
- Jamaican Fruitcake
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
- Clear the Cupboard Cookies
- Triple Chocolate Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Butter Cookies
- Molasses Cookies
- Chai Shortbread
- Spritz Cookies
- Coconut Macaroons
- Pecan Squares
I don’t know what I will work on, but I have no place to go. Let it snow!
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December 7, 2009 at 7:01 pm (Sewing)
Tags: evening gown, Sewing, sewing for client
The gown is done. It’s the first time I lined black chiffon with anything other than black fabric and I love the effect. I need to work on improving my photography skills because I could not capture the shimmer of the gray charmeuse under the black chiffon. To me it looks iridescent. The pictures also couldn’t capture the sparkle of the rhinestones and beads.
The chiffon and charmeuse are polyester and purchased from Sarah’s Fabrics. The trim, beads and the rhinestones were purchased from M&J Trimmings. Yes, it took hours to sew on the trim and those tiny beads, but I enjoyed it. Busy hands relax the mind.
So where is she wearing this gown? She’s going to a dinner dance given by her husband’s fraternity to raise scholarship funds. They give scholarships to youths in Westchester County, New York. I asked her to send me pictures of her in the dress when she’s decked out. Hope she remembers.
I’ve been bitten by the bug. I want to make something else that’s glamorous!
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December 5, 2009 at 11:03 am (Sewing)
Tags: evening gown, fabrics, sewing for client
I am working on something glamorous! I love glamour. Here are the elements: silver gray charmeuse, black chiffon, rhinestone and beaded trim, rhinestone buttons and sew-on rhinestones.
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November 30, 2009 at 7:32 pm (Cakes)
Tags: creative ventures, decorating cakes
We all have a multitude of ways that we express our creativity. One of my ways is through baking and decorating cakes. I baked three cakes for Thanksgiving dinner, and I thought it would be fun to let you see them.
Black Forest Cake: devil food’s cake, cherry filling, chocolate buttercream frosting, and chocolate sprinkles.
Pineapple Coconut Cake: vanilla cake, pineapple-ginger filling, buttercream frosting, and shredded coconut.
Red Velvet Cake: red velvet cake, buttercream frosting with a hint of cocoa, chocolate swirls and white chocolate shavings on top.
The only reason I didn’t have to make a cookies-and-cream cake is because my younger sister was not in town. Since I will see her for Christmas, I will have to make one. Not sure how I will decorate it yet.
I’ve been decorating cakes for years. It’s great when I can combine two of my passions, such as the time I made my girlfriend’s wedding dress and then decorated her wedding cake to match the lace I used on her dress. She loved it. It’s great when your expressions of creativity make others smile.
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November 23, 2009 at 10:54 pm (Sewing)
Tags: Sewing, sewing tips
Kira is bonding with her sewing machine. How can I tell? She brought me a new circle sample to examine. If you will remember, I had her sewing concentric circles in order to learn to sew curves smoothly. When she brought me her second sample, she wanted me to look only at the third ring on that sample. It was the only one that looked like a smooth circle. Yesterday, she brought her third attempt. There were only four rings on the sample, but they all looked like circles! This means she has better control of her machine speed and her hands are not fighting the fabric as she goes around the curve. I guess it’s like riding a bike and leaning into the curves. When you are comfortable, you do it naturally.
Kira's 2nd sample
Kira's 3rd sample
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November 15, 2009 at 11:26 pm (Sewing)
Tags: Fitting, Sewing, sewing tips
Another Sunday, another sewing lesson for Kira. Today’s lesson covered a few things. First part of today’s session was spent pinning and sewing the shoulder seams of the lining on her Chanel style jacket using the fell stitch.
Wednesday was the first time I had Veterans’ Day off, and I spent it printing a pattern and stitching a muslin for my Chanel style jacket. I drew horizontal lines on my muslin pieces before stitching the jacket to see how the horizontal lines would match. The shape of the front side piece caused the stripes to tilt in the shoulder area, creating a funky look at the princess seam in that area. I experimental with the pattern piece and did not improve the look. As well, I needed more ease everywhere and the shoulder seams tilted too much toward the back. So I tossed the whole thing, tweaked the measurements in my patternmaking software, reprinted the pattern and cut a new muslin, which I stitched today while Kira worked on her jacket. I tried on the muslin of the jacket and this became the second part of her lesson. She watched while I let out the seams in the back across the hip area and lowered the front neckline. We evaluated the horizontal lines. The horizontal lines are better and the fit is good. I explained that I would move the shoulder/princess seam intersection 1” closer to the neck, which will improve the look of the horizontal lines.
Now to the next part of today’s lesson. Kira asked if I kept my paper patterns after making the garments. I explained that I did keep some. I lectured on tried-and-true patterns and slopers, and why I would transfer the bond paper pattern of my jacket to oaktag or poster board. I sketched a princess seam jacket, the Chanel styled jacket, and gave it a military look by sketching upper flaps and lower patch pockets with buttons, epaulets and belt loops with a tie belt. Cut it from wool gabardine for the winter and linen for the summer. Extend the front overlap and add two lines of buttons, and you have a double breasted jacket. Add a horizontal seam line and you have a yoke. Overlap the front and back at the shoulder, trace the neck area and center lines, draw a shape from the front to the back and you have created a collar. She had that sparkle in her eyes, which told me she got the point. I demonstrated dart manipulation of the side dart on a bodice front, turning it into an armhole princess seam. I next demonstrated how to turn a long sleeve sloper into a short puff sleeve, using the slash and spread method. Her smile told me her mind was working, envisioning the possibilities when I sketched the princess seam dress with a puffed sleeve. She also learned how to draft a flounce and how to add flare to a straight skirt. Now she knows why I don’t have an abundance of patterns; I change what I have by drafting the pieces I need.
We closed out the lesson making lap zipper samples. She understands how to improve her lap zipper installation and we will do it again next week. While she worked on her lap zipper sample, I finished baking a banana pudding for her to take home.
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November 8, 2009 at 7:43 pm (Sewing)
Tags: Sewing, sewing tips
Kira came for her sewing lesson today and I started by giving her an impromptu lesson on constructing a lined vest. She brought with her a vest that she started on her own. I looked at the vest and all I saw was confusion. She is a very intelligent college graduate and she could not decipher the instructions on the pattern guide sheet. Who’s writing these instructions? They are horrible!
I printed out a ¼ scale vest using Wild Ginger Click and Sew software. I cut the miniature vest using orange cotton for the vest and beige cotton for the lining. Kira watched as I stitched the vest. As I stitched I explained what I was doing. In a few minutes she understood how to construct the vest.
I then typed the instructions from the demo with Kira dictating some of them, showing me that she understood the construction of the vest. Here are the shorthand instructions:
- Stitch all princess seams first. Press seams open and clip.
- Stitch shoulder seams on vest and shoulder seams on lining. Press seams open.
- If making a collar, stitch collar together. Clip, trim seams, turn right side out, understitch, and press.
- Lay collar on right side of vest, so the underside of collar is to the right side of the vest.
- Lay right side of lining to right side of vest, sandwiching the collar.
- Stitch front hem, up front, around neck, down front, across other front hem. Stitch armholes. Stitch back hem. Leave side seams open.
- Clip and trim seams. Turn right side out through the open side seam, pulling the fronts through the shoulders. Understitch where possible. Press.
- Pin vest side seams, stitch vest side seams and as much of the lining side seams as you can.
- Fold, press, hand stitch closed. Lining only.
- Make buttonholes if needed and sew on buttons.
She is happy now. She has instructions she can understand and a miniature sample to look at. She’s amazed that it took so few steps and so little time. She says I need to make a video of this lesson for others.
I spent the next part of her session showing her how to baste, pin and hand stitch the lining seams on her Chanel style jacket using the fell stitch. Her homework for the week is to finished hand stitching the other lining seams. We finished the session with a zipper lesson. I demonstrated how to install a centered zipper in a seam and she made a sample for her notebook. She did very well for her first time. Her other homework assignment for the week is to make another zipper sample. Practice makes perfect.
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October 31, 2009 at 3:47 pm (Sewing)
Tags: fashion style, Sewing
Woke up this morning and as people say, “Any morning you wake up is a good morning.” I was looking forward to going fabric shopping with my cousin Nicole. Her husband is a Que and his fraternity is having a formal dance. I am making a gown for Nicole. This morning I tried to think of the last time I wore a gown. I remembered as a child my mother getting dress for fancy dances and weddings. I remember the beautiful gowns, sparkly jewelry and if it was winter, the rented furs.
What happened? Where are the events that allow you to put on your finest? Today, people don’t think they should dress up for weddings anymore! The last time I wore a gown was 14 years ago when a best friend got married. I was one of the bridesmaids and I made the wedding gown and dresses for that wedding. I remember the dress vividly because it was a hot dress, RED! A long sleeveless sheath, with princess seaming and a high slit on the front left thigh. The neckline was scooped front and back, and we wore long red chiffon scarf draped across the front of our neck and hanging down the back.
We looked and felt glamorous. And that’s the point. Did glamour die and no one bothered to tell me? When was the last time you wore a gown? When was the last time you felt glamorous?
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