I did a lot of sewing this weekend:


Now that the curtains are up (and the stool covers, don't miss those!) I think this kitchen is just about as good as it can get. The one other easy change is that we want to paint the white walls - we'll keep them light colored, but white walls are for people who don't plan on sticking around. Then there are always the expensive remodeling ideas, like new counter tops, but those have to wait until some theoretical future when we have money to spend on counter tops when the ones we have right now work just fine.

I think I've taken my kitchen theme as far as I can without going over the edge to crazy-land (I'm not there yet, right?) I do love the sunflower-y-ness of it! But if anyone ever hears me talking about sunflower print counter tops PLEASE stop me before I go through with it. I'm thinking some nice, sunny yellow counter tops should be fine...

The other sewing project was to re-make a dress I picked up in a clothing swap last weekend:


I love love love cranberry red, and this corduroy dress was in beautiful shape - probably because it has as much shaping as a brown paper sack. I changed the outline of the dress by adding four darts to provide princess shaping. First I had to take the pockets off the front. Then, since corduroy sheds like crazy on any raw edges, I figured french seams were necessary. French seams are when you sew the seams twice, first with right sides facing out, then trim the extra to less then a 1/4 inch, fold so right sides are together, and sew again. This encases the raw edge of the fabric so it's not visible (or shedding anywhere) from either side. So I put the dress on, pinched where I wanted the darts and pinned. This also meant I could make sure it would come off over my head with the new shaping. I measured after pinning to be certain the shaping was even on all sides before sewing. After adding the darts I reattached the pockets lower on the skirt (not that these pockets are functional, but they are decorative) I also raised the hemline by 6 inches. The result:


I feel this is much cuter! Neil still thinks it's a great dress for a kindergarten teacher (he was much impressed by the added fit though) I'll admit a corduroy jumper might be a touch childish, but it's a great dress for wearing to the office in the winter, it goes really well with the charcoal gray shirt I'm wearing today.

Oh, and I'll show some pictures of the princess birthday party as soon as they're sent to me! It was a fabulous 3 year old birthday party!
ETA: Here's a princess photo, one of the prime duties of a princess at a princess themed birthday party is reading princess themed stories:

My MIL didn't come up for a visit this weekend, so I ended up with a surprise! free weekend to do stuff. And yet I don't feel like I got nearly as much done as I wanted too...

I picked my dry beans and soybeans and the last harvest of green beans from the garden. And I got all those processed, either shelled and on the dehydrator, or blanched and in the freezer. But I didn't get the corn or the beets from our CSA put up (blanched and frozen is the goal for the corn while beets involve getting the pressure canner up and running)

I did get a fair amount of knitting time, but, oops, I ended up working on a brand new project. It's a new design, and it needs some tweaking, but I'm hoping to self publish it once it's done.

Oh and sewing! My local quilting store is going out of business (which makes me sad) but I picked up some nice fabrics which I'm hoping to turn into some fairly color-neutral tops to wear under my colorful handknit sweaters. But then I ended up sewing a shirt from a different piece of fabric I already had. And I didn't get the apron I said I'd make for a friend sewn either.

This shirt started the weekend as a size 4 (seriously, I think the waistband was about 20 inches around) calf length skirt. The fabric came from a friend's fabric stash (that's be the friend I'm making an apron for, in exchange for this fabric and a few other pieces) It's rayon, and the pieces were all cut on the bias which gives them quite a bit more drape then woven fabric otherwise has, and makes it just a touch stretchier. For the shape of the pieces I started with the mock ups I made of a princess seamed blouse I'd taken apart to duplicate more then 2 years ago. But this top has no darts, different lengths, widths, sleeves, and a different neckline. So pretty much all I duplicated was the armscye shaping...


With the bias stretch I could make the top fairly fitted without needing any buttons or zippers. The waist is exactly my bust measurement, but it doesn't feel tight at all when putting it on.


I wanted a button closure on the back in case the neckline was too narrow, I needn't have worried, it fits over my head even with the button done. The whole thing was done in an afternoon. It's just 4 pieces (front, back, and two sleeves) sewn together with no fancy bits. The hardest part was putting the facing on the neckline, and trying to find ribbon for a button loop that matched the fabric. Surprisingly I had a perfect, olive colored button so that part was easy.

While I had a great weekend I'm left feeling like I have so much to do. My list for this evening includes blanching because the corn really can't sit any longer. I'm trying to convince myself to put canning off to next weekend. The beets will be fine. I'd like to make some bread, if I get home in time to start it before the dogs' walk. And I need to do laundry, the underwear situation is getting desperate.

In an effort not to be bored I was crazily productive over the weekend. I made some feta (needs to age for 2 weeks), baked some bread (note to self, flour is important for gluten), started a new batch of wine (apple/tart cherry) I finally have all the perennials IN the ground and not just sitting on top of it. I put stakes in for my tomatoes and sugar snap peas (I used some of the millions of shoots the hardwood stumps are sending out, thanks for the idea Mom!) I took all the animals to the vets. I was very productive!

I finished the other two skirts. These are the three skirts that I picked up fabric for at the quilting store last week. The major lesson with these skirts is: If I don't know exactly what I'm doing I should pick up 3/4 to 1 yard of fabric, not 1/2 to 3/4 yards.
The brown gradient on in the center would've fit perfectly if the waistband was 1-2 inches wide instead of 2-3 since I only had 3/4 of a yard. But I'm still really proud of it. I like how the waistband fades from lightest in the front to darkest in the back. And I like my solution for not having the seams stand out in a bad way.
The blue one with the lace is a 12 gore skirt (meaning it's made of 12 wedges that are narrow at the waist and get wider) gored skirts can flair out a lot, but I kept this one more tame as it's meant to be an office skirt. The lace at the bottom and the white ribbon that I turned into a waistband are from my stash (why yes, I have a sewing stash as well as a knitting stash. Is there a problem with that?) I ended up picking up an extra 1/4 of a yard to make this fit nicely (so 3/4 of a yard total). Luckily no one had decided to use all the bolt of fabric for the backing of a quilt or anything.
The last one makes me feel like I'm wearing a chocolate layer cake - in a good way. I knew I wanted it tiered with elastic at the top. But I didn't want to buy yet more fabric and I only had a 1/2 yard of this brown. And then I realized I had some perfect light pink floaty fabric in my stash that matched the tiny pink dots in the pattern of the brown fabric. One of the trickiest things for me (in sewing) is having randomly, but evenly bunched fabric. I'm much better and even, spaced, pleats. I think I did pretty well on these layers and I LOVE this skirt (it may be my favorite).


All in all three really pretty skirts that are exactly what I wanted. And I spent $17.98 total, for three skirts - I win! If I'd had to buy zippers and elastic and lace trim it would have been more, but probably not more then $25 total. Now I just need it to be warm enough to wear my cute skirts and not my nice clean sweaters.

Oh yes, I also did some mending and washing of the woolens. You can probably imagine this is no small task in my house. Usually mending and washing happens when I put them away for the summer, but this year I did the mending and washing and I'm still wearing them, but it was time.

It's like a where's waldo in my living room. But I'm not sure if you're looking for all the woolens or looking for the living room beneath them... I washed 5 sweaters, 4 hats, 3 vests, 3 scarves, 2 mittens, and 1 jacket (not hand knit, but still 100% wool) Not pictured is Neil's india sweater which needed major reconstructive surgery on the cuffs.

I had a reason behind doing this all at once. My awesome front loading washing machine has a spin-only option. So after hand washing all these things I can just put them in the machine and it wrings 90% of the water out. WONDERFUL. But the machine is smart and carefully balances the load by tumbling it a bit first, so it doesn't walk away (or break) during the high spin speeds. We've tried putting just 1 thing in the machine once. It spend 30 minutes before it (somehow, I don't know how) got the item balanced against the door so it was mostly centered with itself for the spin. The machine may be smarter then me. Now I make sure it has enough in it to balance easily before spinning the water out.

So I wore my new skirt! (and now my legs and feet are cold)  Here's a lovely self-photo from the gas station parking lot:


Yeah, taking a picture of the skirt I'm wearing with my phone camera = harder then I thought it'd be.  I really like the gradient in the fabric - it's quilting fabric from a store in Johnson.  I already had a brown zipper (convenient!)  The trickeiest bit was the thread - and whether to use dark or light brown.  I ended up using both.  I used the dark brown on the light sections and the light brown on the dark sections.  I like how the stitches stand out, it's a bit like the yellow thread trimming on denim jeans.  I used just about every inch of the fabric.  In retrospect I think a narrower waistband would have left a touch more fabric for the skirt.  But instead this is a skirt I can wear on skinny days...

And just in case you were wondering:


The baby chickens are now teenaged chickens.  They look just like the big ones, but in miniature.  And I have another arucana that's not coming in at night.  I'm choosing to hope that she's sitting on eggs somewhere and not that she was eaten by something.  We'll see in another 18 or 19 days...

And I'm still hungry after eating my lunch...  Yup, that's how exciting my day is!

A potato mystery that is...


On the outside it looks like a standard, russet potato.  On the inside it looks like maybe the standard russet potato got crossed with one of those red or purple flesh potatoes.  It came from a bag of russet potatoes from the grocery store - not from a farmer's market, or anything unusual like that.  My best guess is that it's a hybrid (but aren't potatoes usually grown from little potatoes - not from seeds?)  Points for anyone who has a better reason, or can explain how a hybrid potato ended up in a bag of standard potatoes.

Oh, and I don't think it was poisonous, 'cause I ate it already.

And in completely unrelated crafty new!  I made underwear.  Why?  Mostly to prove that I can.  But also because Cast-On has been doing a series on Make do and Mend.  They talked about re-making clothes in your closet that you don't wear because of one or two little things.  Thinking through my wardrobe I realized the only things I have that I don't wear are thongs (bought years ago, I just can't handle the but-floss feeling)  Anything else I can't wear gets donated - but since you can't donate underwear, and they're in good shape I can't throw them out (or even use them for rags, stupid things are too small)  So I remade them! into underwear that covers my butt.  The funny beer saying on my new underwear is totally an added bonus.

I started with:

1 t-shirt too small for Neil
1 uncomfortable pair of underwear
1 worn out ratty bra

And I finished with:
 
Back and front!

They're really comfortable (the bra turns out to be one of the more-supportive I've ever tried)  The hard part was definitely taking the old things apart.  Salvaging the elastic was a pain, sewing the underwear took mere minutes.  Sewing the bra took a lot longer especially dissecting the old one for the underwire and hook and eye bits - but may have been worth it!

Would I do this again?  Maybe, I do have more thongs I could take apart...

The bridal shower last saturday went WONDERFULLY!  We were well prepared, people really seemed to enjoy the tea (that was my special project) everyone seemed to have a good time - Kat got properly showered with lots of wonderful things (I like how all my friends like their kitchen implements)  And after a relaxing afternoon we had a great time at Margarita's in the evening!  I will add "you could be a fashion designer" to the list of backup jobs that have been suggested to me (art model, fashion designer, there have been a few recently that are A) flattering and B) so totally not my thing it's hilarious)

And that leads nicely to point 2 of this post:

My sweater:


and my dress:


Notice how the hatband matches the dress.  I'm so coordinated...

I really like these tiny ceramic rose buttons:

which I found ages ago and bought (all the ones the store had) even though the sweater was no where near finished - because I knew I'd regret it later if I didn't.  Actually, while in NH I found some beautiful pewter scottish thistle buttons which I bought for a future sweater which isn't even close to finished for the same reason.  I like a nice set of buttons.

And for those interested in the knitterly details:
This sweater is knit out of Knitpicks Andean Treasure.  I bought 990 yards when this color was on sale (discontinued) and decided what to make with it later.  I knew I was going to be close to running out of yarn with this sweater - and it was a really close call.  I had though I'd knit the sleeves from the elbow up and then pick up the stitches and knit down until I ran out of yarn - but the fronts and back left me feeling cocky and I just knit from the cuffs up.  And I did run out of yarn.  So I ended up cutting the sleeves to 3/4 length and unraveling the cuffs in order to finish the sleeve cap shaping and knit the button bands and collar.  The plan worked, and I had enough yarn left to sew on the buttons with, but the hems are stitched up in a non-matching yarn.

I also modified the collar because I knew I wouldn't be able to finish it as written:

After a few rows I started an I-cord bind off like the one used on the button bands.  But that left a funny gap between the I-cord button bands and collar trim.  So I ripped back to the edge of the collar and carefully picked up 3 stitches at the top of the button band.  I knit about 1/2 an inch more I-cord and then turned it around the corner and knit along the collar.  I did the same thing at the other end - and I think it adds a nice finishing touch to the sweater.

And with all the planning and attention my other projects needed this weekend I went for some simple knitting:

And made a scarf.  Of course it's the warmest weekend yet this year...

I'm tentative though, because it's still just march. But since I spent lunch outside with my knitting, a quick, pictures only post of my weekend:

The lilacs are budding (along with my plum trees, rose bushes, and lots of other things)


The chickens are scratching through the dead grass:


We put the trim on their coop finally! Looney approves of his finished coop

No that's not it behind him...

And Mary Reed is very curious:

I spent most of both days outside on the lawn, the chickens got used to me and my knitting out there:

That's the hem of the royal rose sweater - the one with 12 colors


And half the second sleeve of the juno sweater. The color is much better here, you can see the flecks of green!

In the evenings I sewed:

But the dress isn't done yet...

I also made cheese, but that really doesn't photograph well. It was delicious though!

I’m attending a bridal shower in a little more then a month, and I’m using it as a great reason to put my sewing skills to good use. I don’t sew nearly as much as I knit – but I was sewing long before I was ever knitting and the skills serve me well even in knitting. I’m never afraid of cap shaped sleeves or sewing a hem or a sleeve in knitting. I credit my really strong grasp on garment construction to my sewing background too.

While I was at college I took a 4 credit costume design course (complete with 40 hours of lab time) from the theater college – it was for my fine arts credits. The course not only taught me some wonderful sewing details I’d never picked up on my own (especially hand sewing, as it turns out), but gave me a feeling of confidence in designing my own stuff and not just following patterns (anyone really surprised by that? I didn’t think so)

So, in honor of my theater class, I present, a bridal shower dress, in steps.

Step one: read the play forwards and backwards, talk with the director to get a feeling for the goal of this production.
Well, since I’m a bridesmaid involved in the planning I have a pretty good feeling for this event. It’s not just a bridal shower, but a springtime Tea Party complete with fancy hats. So I need a springtime tea party dress (I’m seriously considering knitting the fancy hat, any suggestions?)
Step two: research the period and style of garments that fit the time period and feeling of the play. Yes – I actually spent my lunch break one day looking up spring 2009 dress styles. I can tell you that asymmetric necklines, empire waists, bright colors, patterned fabrics, flutter sleeves, and layered skirts are all in fashion. Really, I picked a good season to try and design something I might like - that might also be “in.”



Step three: look at fabric.
This comes before the design phase on purpose. As my theater prof explained – if you design first then you’ll waste a lot of time looking for the fabric you already see in your head, and it may not even exist. Once you know the feel and styles you’re looking for, pick several possible fabrics and then design from them.
I didn’t shop, but I went stash diving (why yes, I have a fabric stash that matches my yarn stash, I could give tours in my closet). I pulled out 9 or 10 airy, bright, spring colored fabrics from my bins. The colors in that photo are a small sample.
Step four: design the garment
We actually spent two or three weeks at the beginning of the semester learning to sketch and paint by watercolor – complete with learning drawing theory, how to portray light and shadow, how to layer watercolor paints, the whole deal. If you’re going into costume design as a profession it’s not just nice, but necessary that you be able to portray what you see in your mind’s eye in a way that other people can see it with their actual eyes:



Nice huh? I’ve got one complete front view along with some detail sketches of key elements like how the back is shaped and what those flutter sleeves look like from another angle. I find this isn’t just helpful for showing other people, but it gives me something I reference constantly as I’m cutting pattern pieces.

The rest is surprisingly straightforward assuming you can figure out what shapes of fabric you need to sew together to get those dress shapes. This is where sewing clothes for myself (and American Girl dolls) since I was 10? 12? comes in handy. I can’t explain it, but I know what shapes I need. I’ve got all the pieces cut, I need to buy a matching zipper, and this weekend I’ll haul out my sewing machine for some sewing fun!