tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24834477835014106462024-01-21T15:06:26.357-06:00Collected Yarnsthings made, stories toldAngelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-7311368084101907532015-03-06T12:21:00.001-06:002015-03-06T12:21:20.856-06:00McCalls 6754 -- Christmas Dress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3VVjUmu_6ItzRV0C57fakE5AuAS0EhPZQUesA2ojmFzI8hPe16SBsBARNZ1GcmrdkHlt-cRrOTXsySdkjJIbo2AUaPeaXc2lI4Z_iKTtWJiaOf9ijkNOAv0oMdZBKm5pvOC6eFRw7bU/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3VVjUmu_6ItzRV0C57fakE5AuAS0EhPZQUesA2ojmFzI8hPe16SBsBARNZ1GcmrdkHlt-cRrOTXsySdkjJIbo2AUaPeaXc2lI4Z_iKTtWJiaOf9ijkNOAv0oMdZBKm5pvOC6eFRw7bU/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+27.jpg" height="640" width="352" /></a></div>
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This is a cellphone photo of my daughter standing in front of my sister-in-law's fireplace after my nephew's wedding, which was the weekend before Christmas. Yes, I am posting my daughter's Christmas dress in March. I am a very slow poster. Also, circumstances conspired against me as far as getting photos. I had hoped to get some family photos of us all dressed up, but my youngest son came down with an inconvenient stomach virus right as the wedding started, so he and I (and partly his dad) missed the whole thing!! Such is life, at least in this household.....<br />
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Anyway, my daughter made this dress in early December to wear to the wedding. The pattern is <a href="http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6754-products-46534.php?page_id=108">McCalls 6754</a>, view D and the fabric is berry stretch velour from Hobby Lobby. The dress on the cover is very short and my daughter is tall (5'9" plus), so we thought we better add some length to the skirt. We tried six inches at first, but that would not fit on the fabric, then we went down to four inches. However, the skirt is quite full and the weight pulls it down, so in the end we only added two inches to the skirt length. <br />
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The rest of the pattern was sewn without alterations. My daughter made a small (size 8-10). She usually sews a 10. This pattern is rated 'easy' and I would have to say it really is. The whole thing sewed up in an afternoon. It has raglan 3/4 sleeves. The waist seams make a casing for elastic, which helps hold the skirt up. She added knit stay tape to the neckline and the edges of the sleeves and the skirt, then turned them under and stitched them down, using a small zigzag stitch. The fabric does not fray, so the other seams were stitched and pressed open, no finishing required. And it pulls on over the head, so no zippers or other fasteners to worry about.<br />
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I think it looks really cute on her. The only thing she is not sure about is the raglan sleeves. We both have really broad shoulders and wonder if the raglan sleeves emphasize that too much? Also, the velour sheds on the inside, so after wearing the dress she is covered with bits of berry fuzz. I think that might dissipate with a few more wearings.<br />
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We do recommend the pattern. You can also make a tank top version for a summer dress, and there are some peplum top variations as well.<br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-57450562059008564982015-02-22T18:17:00.001-06:002015-02-22T18:47:59.414-06:00Vogue 8854 - Upcycled SweatshirtThis is a higgledy-piggledy VERY casual top I made last year, repurposing an old maxi tube skirt and matching oversize top I'd had for probably twenty years! The dusky purple waffle weave fabric obviously has seen better days, but back in the day I had loved the original outfit and wanted to find a way to reuse it. I should have taken a photo before deconstruction began, but didn't:(<br />
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Anyhow, I am a big fan of Carolyn at <a href="http://handmadebycarolyn.blogspot.com/">Handmade by Carolyn</a>, who, as just one of her many talents, has made some wonderful clothing out of scraps and castoffs (for a few examples, see <a href="http://handmadebycarolyn.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/patched-pockets.html">here</a>, <a href="http://handmadebycarolyn.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-panellist.html">here</a>, <a href="http://handmadebycarolyn.blogspot.com/2014/11/patchwork-sandpoint-top.html">here</a>, and <a href="http://handmadebycarolyn.blogspot.com/2012/05/unusual-dress.html">here</a>). It is because of Carolyn that I now have a large plastic tub filled with discarded clothing that has the potential - maybe - of becoming something else.<br />
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This top was my first venture. I used <a href="http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v8854-products-44614.php?page_id=174">Vogue 8854</a>. I've seen several appealing versions of this top made up, some using a more drapey knit, some more stiff. I really wanted to make the hooded version, but as I've said before, when you are making something out of something else, you never have quite as much fabric as you thought you would. In this case, there was an embroidered and appliquéd design on part of both the top and the skirt that was very worn and unsalvageable, and had to be cut away and discarded, leaving me with minimal fabric. So I went with view B instead.<br />
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As far as the pattern goes, I made a medium, which corresponds to a size 12-14. I did add one inch width to each of the side pieces, tapering out from under the arm. I also added one inch of length to the back hem, tapering to nothing on the side seam so that front and back would still match. I liked that bit of high-low and the longer bottom coverage helps keep my seat warm:) This top has a shirttail shaped hem, which I had not done before, but the instructions on how to do it were excellent and worked, even on this extremely bulky fabric.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side view of the shirt tail hem</td></tr>
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The pattern does not really have a back seam, but I was using the back of the original skirt here.<br />
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The collar can be worn up or down, but if you plan to wear it up, you probably will need to cut the height down. I have a long neck, and when the collar is extended it is up under my chin. When it is extended you can see the pretty button I used to fasten it, but I omitted the snaps on the collar because 99% of the time, I'm going to wear the collar in the down position.<br />
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There are two large snaps hand sewn underneath the front flap. It also has a kangaroo pocket, which is a feature I like. I did lower the placement of the pocket; the pattern had it up quite a bit higher.<br />
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The sleeves are reused from the original top, so I can't comment on how the pattern sleeves do. Because of converting already sewn up pieces of clothing, there are extra seams on my top - some in less than ideal places. Here you can see - if you squint through the blur - the double shoulder seams:</div>
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Because this was an experiment, I decided not to let any wonkiness bother me, instead <strike>hoping </strike> pretending that it adds a little note of whimsy. This is a very casual top, but hey, sometimes I need that in my wardrobe. I made three tops last winter: <a href="http://collectedyarns.blogspot.com/2014/02/simplicity-2289-cozy-pullover.html">a cozy pullover</a>, <a href="http://collectedyarns.blogspot.com/2014/02/butterick-5907-another-cozy-pullover.html">a brown leopard print tunic</a>, and this one. I have worn them all a lot, which shows me that tops are worthwhile sewing projects. <br />
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I had planned to make a few more tops this winter - I'd love to try the hooded version of this pattern - but <a href="http://collectedyarns.blogspot.com/2015/02/butterick-5960-my-first-coat.html">my coat</a> used up all my sewing time. That's okay; I'm trying to enjoy the process of my sewing/crafting and keep it pressure-free. I have to confess that I have just started a project that is definitely NOT pressure-free: a formal dress for my daughter. I will be working on that for the next few weeks -- wish me luck!<br />
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In the meantime, I hope all my U.S. friends are keeping warm. Even here in Texas we are planning to be holed up for the next couple of days. I hope to get in some sewing, cooking and maybe even a jigsaw puzzle:)Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-21107605777005999082015-02-13T16:42:00.000-06:002015-02-17T23:02:29.698-06:00Butterick 5960 - My First Coat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTBag0WD0VYHvOBOIljQsX0zFL0B379t5pOcHjCmoMkD87tfRUL0Y8lyfLSoeXSMHMOhaqWukNCO_xbw8PaWIGBFYaZX-1UwCC0RQaVlEkllk1YRQ3Q2hwsFmMlve2GXTq_RpHXqd1kk/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTBag0WD0VYHvOBOIljQsX0zFL0B379t5pOcHjCmoMkD87tfRUL0Y8lyfLSoeXSMHMOhaqWukNCO_xbw8PaWIGBFYaZX-1UwCC0RQaVlEkllk1YRQ3Q2hwsFmMlve2GXTq_RpHXqd1kk/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+02.jpg" height="640" width="412" /></a><br />
Finally, after many months, I finished my coat! And I love it!<br />
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The coat saga began with four yards of a silvery double-knit jacquard-ish fabric I found at my local thrift store for $4. Thrift stores are hit-or-miss, but over the course of last year I happened upon a lot of usable fabrics (like this <a href="http://collectedyarns.blogspot.com/2014/07/vogue-1390-brown-pleated-shift-dress.html">shower curtain fabric</a>). I didn't know what I was going to make with it, but for $4 it was coming home with me. At first I thought a dress, but when I saw Katherine Tilton's coat pattern <a href="http://butterick.mccall.com/b5960-products-47653.php?page_id=4473">Butterick 5960</a>, I realized that was what the fabric wanted to be;) I made view B, the lined coat with inside pockets.<br />
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I loved the simple lines, the oversized duster shape and no closures, the shawl collar. However, upon closer inspection my fabric was a little light weight for a coat. I decided that a quilted lining might offset that. I found some on ebay for about $30 (around $7/yard). That, plus the pattern ($2 on sale) pushed the cost of the coat up to just under $40. I still feel pretty good about it, especially after seeing <a href="http://www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com/2014/10/06/poppy-delevingnes-emilia-wickstead-floral-jacquard-coat/">this Emilia Wickstead coat</a>, which - as best as I can tell - originally sold for the US equivalent of around $3,900.00. Now I am not claiming that my coat is on a par with the designer one as far as quality of construction and materials, but at least from a distance my coat gives a similar feel and I know that oversized bold silver floral coats are a 'thang.'<br />
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I made the lining first. I like to do that when possible - it helps me check fit, etc. The lining I ordered was pre-quilted and quite stiff, so it functioned as a skeleton for the outer fabric. (A note on this lining: the backing was made of a fusible batting. BE CAREFUL using your iron on this. I did use a press cloth, but I still managed to melt a few spots. Thankfully I caught it before ruining the whole thing, but learn from me - don't use a super hot iron on this). I used a quilting needle in my sewing machine since this was a quilted piece of fabric, and the needle gave me no problems, so I continued to use it on the whole rest of the coat.<br />
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I was a little afraid of a Michelin-man look, especially in the sleeves, but it is comfortable to wear and also very warm. The coat feels very much LIKE a coat, it has a nice heft. Having said that, I do think you could make a great sweater coat using view A, that would be a lot more drapey, but still very attractive. Maybe one of these days I will do that myself.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The voluminous side view!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back view</td></tr>
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I made a size medium, and the only alterations were to add one inch to the lining length (as per Bunny's advice) and one inch to the sleeve and sleeve lining length (a common alteration for me). I am 5'8" and normally sew a size 14 in the shoulders plus add width at the waist. This put me at the upper end of the medium size range and I did not add any width, nor did I add any length (which I usually do). It is still plenty roomy and long on me, so if you are on the smaller end of your size range, check because you may want to go down a size.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9eL5yJtQqKkhhqAVbvVoAd7IYV9UydAr_P6eeftKLb0vmQMio6avVQKy6skUXmSiu-jIn7wsggE2UHwlkxew7ptNnFvlD4BNUHVUj7x4rJt9ywgbDWomAwcyGcV9-NqexRIyf_fg-YRA/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9eL5yJtQqKkhhqAVbvVoAd7IYV9UydAr_P6eeftKLb0vmQMio6avVQKy6skUXmSiu-jIn7wsggE2UHwlkxew7ptNnFvlD4BNUHVUj7x4rJt9ywgbDWomAwcyGcV9-NqexRIyf_fg-YRA/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+06.jpg" height="640" width="430" /></a></div>
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As far as construction went, I combed over Bunny's posts at <a href="http://lasewist.blogspot.com/2014/02/butterick-5960-cashmere-coat.html">LaSewista</a>. She made a gorgeous cashmere version of this coat last year, and put up a series of construction posts that were very helpful. If you plan on making this, I highly recommend reading her posts - I learned a lot! Her coat is much more couture, and mine is definitely not, but I like that you can see that the pattern can look good either way, and that people with very different skill levels and fabric choices can both end up with a great-looking coat.<br />
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Some construction notes: The front facings are supposed to be padded with wool batting, but I used high loft polyester batting, primarily because I wanted my coat to be potentially washable, although I think I would only hand wash it. The facings are hand-basted in, but I did not find a place in the instructions that had you remove the basting stitches. I did remove mine because they were visible; however, I carefully and as invisibly as I could hand-stitched the batting to the fabric near the fold line because I couldn't figure out how the batting would stay in place without that. (Hmm....it just occurred to me another design option could be to quilt the facings).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2a9LnasxG_INUtk5gbieo1QWSQCu8OpS_OT3w2fOBCpqkcL3mzvDDpOaiYg0LPx6kdssq3_xUs9JF2hpiWVRzz-pkw_oCgiA97KCxME2teoFa7sxuGjvDaYjRsggFydSp67SBeY9Glx8/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2a9LnasxG_INUtk5gbieo1QWSQCu8OpS_OT3w2fOBCpqkcL3mzvDDpOaiYg0LPx6kdssq3_xUs9JF2hpiWVRzz-pkw_oCgiA97KCxME2teoFa7sxuGjvDaYjRsggFydSp67SBeY9Glx8/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+18.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is a view of the completed facings and the lining. The batting really makes the collar feel luxurious and warm.<br />
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Unlike Bunny, I did put in the hidden upper pockets, using a silky black remnant so as not to add any bulk. I just thought if I were somewhere and didn't want to take a purse, I could very safely put my phone and a few other small items in those pockets. (And they are deep! I have to really reach down to get to the bottom).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-QeDtp5prusaA-GZx7ckV7z_g8VlkDo8kRefT5b2OFpwkSuB4OEGUNnmP5yAZIOyq4qpw4R_gGa6Fz021txuMuDBvr41YvkaGNHKaNfwLmYS6CzLQa-PLHw2gOLZbQHJZL5-fY70hx40/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-QeDtp5prusaA-GZx7ckV7z_g8VlkDo8kRefT5b2OFpwkSuB4OEGUNnmP5yAZIOyq4qpw4R_gGa6Fz021txuMuDBvr41YvkaGNHKaNfwLmYS6CzLQa-PLHw2gOLZbQHJZL5-fY70hx40/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+09.jpg" height="320" width="188" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reaching into my 'secret' pocket</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsnhArC3RbFw4MXsdSeJtbKaKSfsvDUE8sNCYb8S6196nPuYeC_0rVAx9zToNbiztr_cEAWFFLs5mEd9-OjtNI8Pg_rqnaANCXTq5U0kNLUOD1rTe5L2sk6TgKk40HZ-MbidFJXkg1U0/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsnhArC3RbFw4MXsdSeJtbKaKSfsvDUE8sNCYb8S6196nPuYeC_0rVAx9zToNbiztr_cEAWFFLs5mEd9-OjtNI8Pg_rqnaANCXTq5U0kNLUOD1rTe5L2sk6TgKk40HZ-MbidFJXkg1U0/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+15.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior pocket close-up</td></tr>
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The outside pockets were probably the most complicated part of this pattern, primarily because you can't see what you are doing. You really do have to thread trace them, as Bunny recommended. I can't see how you could mark them otherwise. I'm just glad I was using a print, which is a little more forgiving of slight inaccuracies.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqG44TeOIC4-v9ZZZp8RNlh8CbX-ZZLKzvVnxQJgUQh4mIsVnOup6pccmfHs5mDq4Q1eC5mrM1q32_fgG70U1KXkaq9Q4RtTnbDi7tDPd1dwLU-O1m7Arok36yHU4J7Ox0pbMBh12XeKs/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqG44TeOIC4-v9ZZZp8RNlh8CbX-ZZLKzvVnxQJgUQh4mIsVnOup6pccmfHs5mDq4Q1eC5mrM1q32_fgG70U1KXkaq9Q4RtTnbDi7tDPd1dwLU-O1m7Arok36yHU4J7Ox0pbMBh12XeKs/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+13.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thread tracing from the wrong side</td></tr>
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There is a place in the directions (step 16) that has you stitch the top and the bottom closed. I just hand-stitched a little bar there, but you don't actually stitch through ALL the layers or you will not be able to get your hand in (thanks for the heads up, Bunny!).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4nMQ39cPo87Znvi9Mz69lYTKg-0IUlZR2NuMwkKuMzmoY2-y7XkQ7YZMVxbQfLSaYPuBj2PrWIRr-IJtcla71lxGUPTQCXrbYpQDHLSBfqDDsGVAfhbWHEdiaF5u0IxC8wS0wi_6YGY/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4nMQ39cPo87Znvi9Mz69lYTKg-0IUlZR2NuMwkKuMzmoY2-y7XkQ7YZMVxbQfLSaYPuBj2PrWIRr-IJtcla71lxGUPTQCXrbYpQDHLSBfqDDsGVAfhbWHEdiaF5u0IxC8wS0wi_6YGY/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+14.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside pocket close-up</td></tr>
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I have long arms and my hands don't quite reach the bottom of the pockets, so if you have shorter arms you may want to see if you need to raise them a little.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2koZwSn91lovtC__hyphenhyphenOOcrjic9EcEeZp2lGnhcXEV0YbfEEPe4DMLUjxXHwCYIzjLnuK02WpmVxR3wGtuUB71Sr1j4nJQSUQQlzE6R4DWztuemfdNC03uy55vAtdXUJ95JV2wM03S9QY/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2koZwSn91lovtC__hyphenhyphenOOcrjic9EcEeZp2lGnhcXEV0YbfEEPe4DMLUjxXHwCYIzjLnuK02WpmVxR3wGtuUB71Sr1j4nJQSUQQlzE6R4DWztuemfdNC03uy55vAtdXUJ95JV2wM03S9QY/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+10.jpg" height="640" width="442" /></a></div>
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This was a bulky project. Sewing the lining to the outer fabric was like wrestling a bear! I kept all my supplies in a big box on the floor. While the pattern is not necessarily difficult, there are LOTS of markings and you will need every single one. I kept having to get my pattern pieces back out and see what marks I was supposed to be matching up.<br />
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I stitched and pinked all my seams during construction. I'm sure serging them would be easier (and I got a serger for Christmas!), but I was already too far in to change methods. The lining hem I turned up and sewed down. I tried doing that with the outer coat, but it was too bulky and left a lumpy ridge. I ended up using some Hug Snug seam binding I already had for the coat and the sleeve hems, which gave them a nice finish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-7Bjb0zovpmgBjpRWGuR5KnJULmlpTmkFQ_8G-bBjf6aIWBeHPV9pFMpYDcekueniqeGvKN8oW5CWRI0GgVZKZ3CY8iPDJLlBFSmteLmGLOplg0gJK6s51Wcl3nDEcghfpC2QCzUv7I/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-7Bjb0zovpmgBjpRWGuR5KnJULmlpTmkFQ_8G-bBjf6aIWBeHPV9pFMpYDcekueniqeGvKN8oW5CWRI0GgVZKZ3CY8iPDJLlBFSmteLmGLOplg0gJK6s51Wcl3nDEcghfpC2QCzUv7I/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+16.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lining hem</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjUh57PrerCTRxmCnQkvJDM8EN4kFVhXPau5VzxV9S5QdTMW9q1H3_yxRQnTouuehdV-Z8MAMy3Yc0QWdMhJKiYb_U_6tlPguyxdzwINZLQ-xr5Lor9CRuEchyphenhyphenR6aB9eU2pa8Tc5HEDY/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjUh57PrerCTRxmCnQkvJDM8EN4kFVhXPau5VzxV9S5QdTMW9q1H3_yxRQnTouuehdV-Z8MAMy3Yc0QWdMhJKiYb_U_6tlPguyxdzwINZLQ-xr5Lor9CRuEchyphenhyphenR6aB9eU2pa8Tc5HEDY/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+17.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blurry view of the Hug Snug</td></tr>
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As far as the pattern goes, it is drafted very nicely, although I would add an inch to the lining length so that your lining hem will be sure to cover the hem edges of your outer coat. I did make myself a few notes. On Step 9, DO NOT sew past the square. This is clearly illustrated, but easy to overlook (ask how I know). On Step 16, DO NOT sew through ALL the layers, just through all the FRONT layers. On Steps 20 and 33, when sewing the sleeves in, note that you DO NOT line up the seam lines, you line up the marks, the sleeves are slightly offset. (If you do it wrong, your sleeves will not fit right. Again, ask me how I know). On Step 35 I think it is clearer to say "Stitch one POCKET (9) to each side of side front lining, matching notches and large circles and <b>STITCH</b> one pocket section to each facing section of front." (I added the word "STITCH" in bold).<br />
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I started this coat in October and quickly got the lining made. However, November and December saw little to no sewing. I got back to my coat after Christmas and finished it by the end of January. I'm a very slow sewer and I have to sew in bits and pieces of time, which slowed me down a little more because I would have to spend time finding my place. My coat is definitely not perfect, it is not as smooth as I would like where the facings attach to the back hem, but I love it and hope it keeps me warm for many years.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUx8pbvxEyWGne6fRlZjvZKvF1-D0-j8nocgp84Mx0a7baJ1NKP9INb5NgibHswQAp-8ZuqTrRK8xPlKL57JGIMb5Rf_D4cvNWeL8IwagfYf3suJ-FtaQ9bRhUETEhHnlvrrekexKONeg/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUx8pbvxEyWGne6fRlZjvZKvF1-D0-j8nocgp84Mx0a7baJ1NKP9INb5NgibHswQAp-8ZuqTrRK8xPlKL57JGIMb5Rf_D4cvNWeL8IwagfYf3suJ-FtaQ9bRhUETEhHnlvrrekexKONeg/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+07.jpg" height="640" width="354" /></a></div>
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(Links to my Pattern Reviews are on the sidebar, if you are interested)<br />
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(Also linking up to <a href="http://www.sewingadicta.com/2015/02/share-in-style-japanese-inspiration.html">Share in Style - Japanese Inspiration</a>, hosted by the beautiful and gracious Rosy at <a href="http://www.sewingadicta.com/">sewingadicta</a>). </div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D2483447783501410646%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D2110760577700599908%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com%2Fgadgets%2Fproxy%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252F2.bp.blogspot.com%252F-k_RZG4Q_oe0%252FVONtZhdXUOI%252FAAAAAAAADHo%252F3jQJXknITLs%252Fs1600%252Fcollectedyarns2015%25252B-%25252B3.jpg%26container%3Dblogger%26gadget%3Da%26rewriteMime%3Dimage%252F*&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 137px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 838px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D2483447783501410646%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D2110760577700599908%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com%2Fgadgets%2Fproxy%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252F2.bp.blogspot.com%252F-k_RZG4Q_oe0%252FVONtZhdXUOI%252FAAAAAAAADHo%252F3jQJXknITLs%252Fs1600%252Fcollectedyarns2015%25252B-%25252B3.jpg%26container%3Dblogger%26gadget%3Da%26rewriteMime%3Dimage%252F*&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 137px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 838px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-48456471764367280092015-02-06T12:04:00.000-06:002015-02-07T10:16:07.103-06:00The Latter Half of 2014<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ZoMeKTZ6ZCrvmPBhL6OCYFtvAc-ZinZuJCXorKJ7iyebejqTJ1BwfO4BKGCSM1075QKoKK9AoybuEXTBn944ijw0mLGjdj9EkpcQb6WPj4Z7OjbKyfWfaM3CMuXELsxiLwfKV3Kfmug/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ZoMeKTZ6ZCrvmPBhL6OCYFtvAc-ZinZuJCXorKJ7iyebejqTJ1BwfO4BKGCSM1075QKoKK9AoybuEXTBn944ijw0mLGjdj9EkpcQb6WPj4Z7OjbKyfWfaM3CMuXELsxiLwfKV3Kfmug/s1600/collectedyarns2015+-+1.jpg" height="376" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My modest snowman collection, which I'm leaving up through the end of February</td></tr>
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The last few months my life got caught up in a whirlwind. Some of it was good. My daughter played volleyball for a small team, and we spent August through October going to practices and games all over rural north Texas. They mostly played small public schools, a few privates and a few homeschool teams. One school was so small it wasn't even located in a town - just a building in the middle of some fields.<br />
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This precipitated lots of driving on my part, but as long as the drives are primarily rural, I don't mind. It actually is stress-relieving to be in the car and at the games, because there is nothing else you can do but BE there, all the other pressures and responsibilities of life temporarily melt away. (As an aside, I took one of those little personality quizzes on Facebook, and one thing that rang true about myself that I hadn't previously thought of is that I am a very in-the-moment kind of person. I'm not looking to move on to the next thing; I'm just happy being in the moment I'm in. Which has its pros and cons.......).<br />
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There were so many things I wish I could have taken a photo of to show rural Texas to you: oil pumps bobbing their heads up and down like some kind of dinosaur relics; wind farms; LOTS of cattle, longhorn and otherwise; LOTS of horses, too. The trees are much less in number here than in the east of the U.S., but the ones we have tend to be low and spreading, majestic in their own way. Rolling countryside, and of course, the big sky. Also, the little towns, often with a traditional square. I enjoyed it all so much, which confirmed that I am definitely a small-town girl at heart. <br />
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I live NEAR rural Texas, but not really in it. I personally live too close to what I call "subdivision hell", where huge look-alike houses completely cover their lots and are built so close together you could hop from roof to roof, and highways look like mazes and traffic jams are all too daily. There is beauty to be found there too, but getting out and away from all that was a balm to my senses.<br />
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Unfortunately for the blog, I had to enjoy all this rural beauty without any photos, as I was the driver and I was speeding down the highways (one nice thing about Texas is that you can drive fast, speed limits are sometimes 75mph!), and while the stress was less, there was still a volleyball player pushing me to get to our destination on time: no dilly-dallying!!<br />
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The volleyball season ended at the end of October in a national tournament in Springfield, Missouri. My daughter, my two youngest sons and I went for a long weekend. Her team won the title for their division in the tournament, which was very exciting and a great ending to the season.<br />
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I assumed things were about to slow down, but when we returned to Texas, life took another turn. First of all, we had a very disruptive bug infestation, which was a major deal and I will talk about that at some later point. Then, my husband needed surgery, which he had right before Thanksgiving. He is doing fine now, but it was two months before he could eat normally. The first couple of weeks everything had to be liquified, and I was glad I had the Ninja blender! Then, right after his surgery, his dad's health, which has been precarious for several years, started plummeting. My husband did have good talks with him on the phone, but he couldn't go see his dad because he was still unable to travel. Hospice was called in, but less than a week later his dad just went to sleep for a couple of days and then went on home to heaven. This is actually what we were praying would happen. We didn't want his dad to have to suffer in pain, and he was ready to go. <br />
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However, the memorial service had to be postponed until we were able to travel to Tennessee (and my sister-in-law who lives in Florida could travel), and my other sister-in-law who lives in Tennessee had a son who was getting married right before Christmas, so they rolled the wedding and the memorial service into one long weekend, the weekend before Christmas. Like I've said before, these major life events are spread far enough apart that my two younger sons had grown again and therefore had no appropriate clothes to wear, so they got new suits out of the deal. My daughter made herself a dress for the wedding, which will eventually get blogged, and I wore a <a href="http://collectedyarns.blogspot.com/2013/04/butterick-5706-lace-dress.html">lace dress </a> I made a couple of years ago. <br />
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There were many misadventures along the way and while we were there, which probably best remain unblogged (sometimes family stories need to stay in the family, at least for a few years;). The two-day drive was grueling, and it was also sad because now there is only one grandparent left. But it was good to see family - however briefly - and it was good to hear from so many people who had loved my father-in-law.<br />
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We wanted to be back home in time for Christmas, so we pushed through and pulled back into town about 2:30 p.m. Christmas Eve. I didn't even go to the house. I had them drop me off at the grocery store and then my husband came back and got me. I rushed around Kroger (along with everybody else in town!) and grabbed stuff to festive up the holiday. I went home and in about an hour made sugared pecans, peppermint bark, sausage balls, fudge, and some other stuff I can't even remember now. Suffice it to say that I amazed myself, even though my family took it in stride!<br />
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Christmas came and went. Uncharacteristically, we had wrapped most of the gifts before our trip East, we actually had outside lights up and our tree had been up since the weekend after Thanksgiving. All that helped since we had so few hours to get ready to celebrate. I was also uncharacteristically efficient after Christmas: all the decorations were taken down and put away by New Year's. I left the snowmen up through <strike>January</strike> February because they are cheerful and can be considered 'winter decorating'. So far though this winter has been very cloudy and gloomy but snow-less.........<br />
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I do think we should consider hibernating during the winter. Everything feels like a slog. Too much death in 2014 for me; too much grief. It is still a bit difficult to look at 2015 with hopeful eyes, instead of wondering what unhappy events lie in wait around the corner. Which is not a good attitude on my part, and not one I want to have! This year I will reach the half-century mark, which is also daunting, mostly because I don't feel like I 'have arrived' or 'have it all together' or anything like that. <br />
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Thankfully, my hope is not in myself and my coping abilities or accomplishments, but in God who holds all things in His hands. My desire for 2015 (and following) is to find joy in the midst of the uncertainty and the messes and the bumbling along of me in my life. I want to enjoy my family, my home, cooking, making things, working here and there, gardening, friends, church, nature, etc. All these and more are good gifts, and <i>"every good gift and every perfect gift is from above" - James 1:17.</i>" There are good gifts every single day. I want to have eyes to see the gifts and the Giver, and to let my heart be glad.<br />
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<i> "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24</i></div>
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<i>"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice." - Philippians 4:4 KJV</i></div>
<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-15086750945626763602014-10-06T00:22:00.001-05:002014-10-06T00:22:22.415-05:00A Short Stop on the Around the World Blog HopBeverley (also known as BeaJay) of <a href="http://ontheroadtosewwear.blogspot.com/">On the Road to Sew Wear</a> has graciously nominated me for the 'Around the World Blog Hop.' BeaJay is a relatively new sewist who has sewn up lots of great <a href="http://www.stylearc.com.au/stylearc/">Style Arc</a> patterns, many of them especially for workwear. She lives in Australia (where Style Arc patterns are native) and I'm jealous of all the fun get-togethers Aussie sewists seem to have! <br />
Anyway, this particular blog hop is more focused on the actual creative process, and if you would like to know a bit more about BeaJay, you can read her answers <a href="http://ontheroadtosewwear.blogspot.com/2014/09/mia-and-now-hopping-around-blogging.html">here</a>.<br />
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There are four questions to be answered.<br />
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<b>1. What am I working on? </b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXrQL7gW1nvQ4rEJeoPQS6HMwVxx9MgOSzGVe1xII40Htyu19zqS-6iDJpjsg9B5FO4WZ0-W9-6pba93RcoJoqY_zBl0X8SYL5N6ubP-E_9XQff8o-T5BoXYwp85RwZMSNuXQ789-PUY/s1600/collectedyarns2014B+-+81.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXrQL7gW1nvQ4rEJeoPQS6HMwVxx9MgOSzGVe1xII40Htyu19zqS-6iDJpjsg9B5FO4WZ0-W9-6pba93RcoJoqY_zBl0X8SYL5N6ubP-E_9XQff8o-T5BoXYwp85RwZMSNuXQ789-PUY/s1600/collectedyarns2014B+-+81.jpg" height="596" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From L to R: white batting on back of lining, black nylon lining, silver and black coat fabric</td></tr>
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Having just finished a summer dress right at the beginning of fall, I am trying to get ahead of the season (for once) by working on my first coat. The pattern is Katherine Tilton's <a href="http://butterick.mccall.com/b5960-products-47653.php?page_id=4473">Butterick 5960</a>, a duster style with no closures. I know I will wear this style because I have had a similar maroon coat for probably 20 years and I still wear it. I love this kind of coat over jeans and with boots. I am using a silver and black rose-printed double-knit ($4 thrift store purchase!) for the outer layer, and am lining it with a black quilted nylon fabric that I bought off ebay. This is somewhat experimental for me, but so far, so good.<br />
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<b>2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?</b><br />
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Not much. There are lots and lots of great sewing blogs out there. I will say I don't totally consider this to be a sewing blog. I am interested in lots of things -- quilting, crochet, sewing clothing, aging, personal history, travel, Christian faith, cooking, etc. - and I purposely chose a broad title for my blog so that I can put any of that in that I choose. Currently my time is rather squeezed, with five teenagers/young adults still at home, so I have mostly been keeping my sanity by sewing clothes. This is something my daughter and I are enjoying together.<br />
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As far as sewing goes, one small difference is that I'm sewing for a rectangular/cylindrical/brick-shaped (pick an adjective) figure. Most sewing blogs that I have found are working around other figure issues. A lot are curvy and/or petite, and are making adjustments for that. I, on the other hand, am tall, non-curvy, and not particularly thin;) I'm also approaching the big half-century mark next year. So if this is the kind of sewing role model you need.......<br />
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<b>3. Why do I write/create what I do?</b><br />
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I will start with sewing. I come from a long line of creative women. Almost all of them were poor, but they did beautiful needlework, quilting, sewing, cooking, gardening, etc. I grew up believing that what women did was make things and feed people, and on some level that's how I still operate.<br />
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I knew how to sew but was discouraged by a very temperamental sewing machine. When it finally broke, I began to research blogs about vintage machines (I eventually got a <a href="http://collectedyarns.blogspot.com/2012/01/vintage-sewing-machine-love.html">Singer 401A</a>, which I love). It so happens that a lot of vintage machine owners also sew clothing, and from there I became a reader of sewing blogs. What a revelation! There were all these people -- all ages, shapes, styles, skill levels, countries -- who made their own clothing and then wrote about it - with photos! It had been since the early 1990s that I personally knew someone who sewed clothing for adults. Sewing blogs gave me access to a community of technical help, style inspiration, and friendly faces. And finally I lived in a town that actually had a fabric store. So I jumped in!<br />
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I was already blogging about other crafty things - quilts, bags, toys, etc. However, it was a leap to post about the clothes I was making. If you don't read sewing blogs, then sewing posts (featuring yourself modeling the clothes you've made, no less) might seem a little bit odd. It can feel a little vulnerable and a little exposed. However, I love reading and seeing what others have made, and I love that they are real people with real lives and real bodies. I find that to be empowering, liberating and encouraging. In fact, I rarely read magazines any more because it is so much more inspiring for me to see and read what these real people have been up to. I decided to be as brave as these other sewists. <br />
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Besides, it is fun to share what I make with others who like to make things. And hopefully somebody will think, "if she can do it, so can I."<br />
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<b>4. How does my writing/creating process work?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>I get most of my inspiration from sewing blogs and <a href="http://sewing.patternreview.com/">Pattern Review</a>. Also I keep a style inspiration file on my pinterest board. I do almost all my sewing from McCalls, Vogue, Butterick, New Look and Simplicity patterns. I'm not opposed to other pattern companies; it's just that these are affordable and I can buy them locally, and I really haven't had many problems with them. I try to keep the patterns catalogued on my pinterest boards too, and if you look you will see that I have WAY too many, but I am buying them for both me and my daughter, and the truth is, a lot of the fun of sewing is in the dreaming of possibilities:)<br />
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I start with either the pattern or the fabric, but usually they are not purchased at the same time. The patterns are only purchased during a sale, so I buy any I am interested in then. In general I try to only buy fabric for a specific project, but there are a few fabrics that I just had to have (like <a href="http://collectedyarns.blogspot.com/2013/06/new-look-6119-pillowcase-dress.html">here</a>), and the idea of what to do with them comes later. I make exceptions for any usable fabrics I find at the thrift store; I go ahead and buy those. (Despite these policies, I have amassed a considerable fabric stash!) With sewing (unlike crochet and quilting) I am a one-project-at-a-time gal. It just gets too chaotic otherwise and this forces me to finish things instead of giving up when I run into problems (which is almost always:) I am a slow sewer -- I have to work in small bits and pieces of time -- so it takes me awhile to get things done. I also usually take my own photographs, and there can be a big gap of time between finishing an item and getting it photographed.<br />
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The actual writing of blog posts usually begins with the photos. Then I blather on about the construction details. It may not be the most exciting content, but I try to include information that will help me (and possible readers) if I decide to make this particular pattern again. This is also a good way for me to keep a record of my projects.<br />
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My very very favorite part of blogging (and why it is so different from keeping a private journal) is the interaction with others and the making of friends. One such friend is Coco of <a href="http://cocosloft.blogspot.com/">Coco's Loft</a>, and I am passing the blog hop baton over to her. Coco is a beautiful lady, inside and out. I love what she makes, and she also occasionally shares about her life in South Florida. I married a native Floridian and two of my children were born in Florida, so seeing her posts reminds me of those days - in a good way. Be sure to give her a visit:)<br />
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-22345506107830875262014-09-18T16:12:00.000-05:002014-09-18T16:12:29.821-05:00Vogue 8994 -- Last Dress of SummerI finished this loose summer dress just in time for summer to be over. That is because things take me WAY longer than I think they will. I have a bit of a self-imposed guideline, allowing myself to sew spring/summer items from March through August and fall/winter items from September through February. However, that last item tends to take its sweet time, so I think I need to back this up and sew for fall/winter in August-January and for spring/summer in February-July.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzvLG3RYMlQ7gCvPft1kR4wL0XH9mnE-krcmJsXhDeW3o1mJ62tQEXwitZ9sHPhDqmBJqDFMAy5iQEwoktqAnGj-IMPtt7VnAZBD-WvYKq6piPD4f3U8QGWsDzGgsQxcF4SbzCYjlHrY/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+74.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzvLG3RYMlQ7gCvPft1kR4wL0XH9mnE-krcmJsXhDeW3o1mJ62tQEXwitZ9sHPhDqmBJqDFMAy5iQEwoktqAnGj-IMPtt7VnAZBD-WvYKq6piPD4f3U8QGWsDzGgsQxcF4SbzCYjlHrY/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+74.jpg" height="640" width="466" /></a></div>
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This dress is made from <a href="http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v8994-products-48392.php?page_id=174">Vogue 8994</a> - a pattern labeled 'Very Easy.' Patterns labeled 'Very Easy' should come with cautions -- very easy IF not one thing goes wrong. In this case, a lot of things conspired to make it 'Not So Easy.' In defense of the 'very easy' rating, there are only three pattern pieces, a front half and a back half and a back neck band. But they are large. And all the work is doubled because the dress is lined. (That does allow you to use a sheer fabric on top, however).<br />
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And I did choose to use a sheer fabric, a gray and white crinkled chiffon purchased from <a href="https://www.fabric.com/">fabric.com</a>. Chiffon is not-so-easy to sew; it is slippery and it frays, and you need to use a pressing cloth when ironing it. <b>The one smart thing I did was to soak the chiffon in heavy starch and let it dry (by hanging it over the shower rod). </b>That made it stiff and easy to cut out and relatively easy to sew, and I will definitely be doing that with thin fabrics in the future. I used a Schmetz size 70 universal needle, which worked fine.<br />
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I lined the chiffon in a silver gray broadcloth from <a href="http://www.hobbylobby.com/home.cfm">Hobby Lobby</a>. I was going to use white but the gray looked better. The broadcloth is a poly/cotton blend, so not much wrinkling and it's definitely cooler in the heat (which is where this dress will be worn) than straight up polyester. Also, it's washable, all important things to me.<br />
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Because the chiffon is sheer and frays like crazy, all the seams (front, back and side) were French-seamed. I also French-seamed the lining. I was careful and did a good job. But something was terribly wrong. When I tried to sew the lining to the chiffon, they did not match at all. After puzzling through this for some time (Did I cut the pieces that horribly off? Did the fabric stretch? Did I trace the wrong size?) I realized that I had made a gigantic mistake: I had sewn the armhole seams together in the center instead of the center seams! Three long lines of French seaming had to be painstakingly unpicked. The pattern had to be put back together properly and then painstakingly re-French seamed. (This is where I was very glad I had starched that chiffon so thoroughly. Even with all the unpicking it held up pretty well.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sJ0d5QFVSGdUqgDt8Nq1RnKW3PcPnPqGeXmSjvdGlGy-4SDI2Sy_2UU6EjRM6n7IFKcvGb4kO7dvAjWXQ2xjhTHPOb6oucF14w3a1EMMs5aHK_dcFPIBIhFF4QrQ9dANP3rqvHRHwlg/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sJ0d5QFVSGdUqgDt8Nq1RnKW3PcPnPqGeXmSjvdGlGy-4SDI2Sy_2UU6EjRM6n7IFKcvGb4kO7dvAjWXQ2xjhTHPOb6oucF14w3a1EMMs5aHK_dcFPIBIhFF4QrQ9dANP3rqvHRHwlg/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+75.jpg" height="562" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The neckline scoop is on the left and the deeper scoop on the right is the armhole, opposite of what I wrongly assumed</td></tr>
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In addition to that colossal mistake, I ran into a few other issues. One: if you are anything above a B cup, you will need an FBA. I definitely do not have a figure that normally calls for an FBA (full bust adjustment), but a <a href="http://sewing.patternreview.com/review/pattern/99318">reviewer</a> on <a href="http://sewing.patternreview.com/">Pattern Review</a> had warned that this pattern was snug in the bust. So when I traced the pattern out I traced my usual size 14 in the shoulders but under the arm I went out to a size 16 and then used that for my side seam. I am glad I did, too -- I needed that extra room, and it was barely enough.<br />
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Second, the armholes are very low. Maybe not too low for the runway, but if you are an everyday woman making this dress to wear in your everyday life and you don't like your bra showing, then you are definitely going to have to raise the armholes. Unfortunately, because of the way the neckband is constructed, it is difficult to tell exactly how the dress is going to fit until it's almost sewn together. I was almost finished (I thought), but those low armholes were unacceptable, putting the bra band and hitherto unnoticed underarm fat on clear display. It would have been better (and easier) to redraw the armholes higher on the pattern pieces before cutting out the fabric, but it was too late for that, so I had to settle for shortening the front and back. I removed the neck band, raised the armholes by shortened the back by one inch and the front straps by a little over one inch, and resewed everything back together. I probably overcompensated the front bands by a quarter of an inch, but good enough.<br />
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Third, either the shortening of the back piece resulted in a problem with the neck band or the neck band is drafted too narrow (which is what I think is the problem). The neck band should extend on either side by a 5/8" seam allowance past the back neck piece (step 11). Mine didn't; in fact, it was exactly the same width as my back neck. I rechecked to see if I had made the neck band the right size according to the pattern, and I had. However, it needs to extend. You have two choices: either redraw a longer neck band, or narrow the back neck piece. I chose to narrow the neck back piece because I didn't feel like cutting a new pattern piece, especially since I had already underlined and interfaced my neckband. So I had to take it off and resew the upper back seams (making them more narrow), then reattach the neck band. (I sewed the neck band on three different times -- thankfully the chiffon held on, but it was feeling the strain).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBNysWH9-km-Fi6uGNXnGG6dJl-5sv-T5w-bB-K_jI-ZA7QD5LYbSRpsDIERYpnb2eY82tPkRi0hlEv4NysodYvtRgB7tgAUpNaV1eEJyzaM0OZzkr_piA8AaG6s-6vMOyFzllwqQI5E/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+76.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBNysWH9-km-Fi6uGNXnGG6dJl-5sv-T5w-bB-K_jI-ZA7QD5LYbSRpsDIERYpnb2eY82tPkRi0hlEv4NysodYvtRgB7tgAUpNaV1eEJyzaM0OZzkr_piA8AaG6s-6vMOyFzllwqQI5E/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+76.jpg" height="640" width="442" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back looks like it's pulling a bit on the left side, so I need to check that before sewing again. Also, the neckband is hidden under my hair. I should have gotten a better photo of it.</td></tr>
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All of this raising of the back and the front made the neckline too high for my liking, so I lowered the neckline at center front by two inches. This entailed redrawing the neckline curve, which was harder than I expected and made me wish I had a French curve -- it was not so easy to get an exact mirror image.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPbOsf3P3yxpeXNuNZpd1Y4WmXi_R9if-97k1aqDtQWMopsd-JvetEI9958ergWlZxJoVOBhdsLSknUdNXCfHBO0iMNZcaceByyAMh_GRBRDkrqinE8Kug3eBdU0LcVXX6f1zeqqHsws/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+79.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPbOsf3P3yxpeXNuNZpd1Y4WmXi_R9if-97k1aqDtQWMopsd-JvetEI9958ergWlZxJoVOBhdsLSknUdNXCfHBO0iMNZcaceByyAMh_GRBRDkrqinE8Kug3eBdU0LcVXX6f1zeqqHsws/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+79.jpg" height="640" width="364" /></a></div>
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I made view A, which is the shorter length. I am 5'8" and I usually add length, but this time I didn't, and even with the shortenings that happened, this dress is plenty long. Like the reviewer before me, I felt the high-low hem needed more exaggeration for it to look right, and since I didn't have the option of adding to the back hem I redrew the front hem one inch shorter at center front, tapering to nothing at the side seams. That little bit of change made a big difference. I hemmed the dress with a narrow machine hem, enclosing the raw edges. Then I washed the dress to rinse all the starch out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsn5d199dlPHVuMof-ZNk2Pti1QiqHvuh9HXrHVk9atMbkFFyWMHPQ2vIfPww59Gc5aX2QE4HKx6QclKlFyjQLC3XoLjMW7WD8u-IUj5GlzwGT9j2It2TFoIxvo_b4Nz5CPukMEJ_T4k/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+77.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsn5d199dlPHVuMof-ZNk2Pti1QiqHvuh9HXrHVk9atMbkFFyWMHPQ2vIfPww59Gc5aX2QE4HKx6QclKlFyjQLC3XoLjMW7WD8u-IUj5GlzwGT9j2It2TFoIxvo_b4Nz5CPukMEJ_T4k/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+77.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before I rinsed the starch out, so it's hanging a little stiff here</td></tr>
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To be honest, I thought I was never going to be done with this dress. And I'm probably not going to get but one wear out of it this year. Up until the last minute I just did not know if I was going to have to toss it despite all the work. It is very tent-like, so if you don't like that, then don't bother with this pattern. But surprisingly I do like it. It is good to have a few loose dresses in your wardrobe if you live in a hot climate (like Texas in the summer). I like that it is simple, but the chiffon gives it a slightly floaty feel. It's a pull-over-your-head-and-go dress, which is a plus for me. I think that I ended up with an okay fit. Now, am I going to make it again? Mmmm.......not anytime soon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RYj7cyYkTynoLy6e14yk3IgQ3f6tK2kTjHHl9KG-Z2t212Z033A1pg_PdQT4x6FeT19yfUpqb92h3I8OriN3MNAzMzarI1lRUCnBCbTCi3ziUZrHUk124h1oPtaHo889hFxrOZQ5HYI/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+78.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RYj7cyYkTynoLy6e14yk3IgQ3f6tK2kTjHHl9KG-Z2t212Z033A1pg_PdQT4x6FeT19yfUpqb92h3I8OriN3MNAzMzarI1lRUCnBCbTCi3ziUZrHUk124h1oPtaHo889hFxrOZQ5HYI/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+78.jpg" height="640" width="472" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy to be done</td></tr>
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And, fearful of missing the season again, I have gone straight from finishing this sundress to working on a winter coat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUSOiDRskErWDj0m1INkleL0MaV2-bTwKEflY-O3Yj7YZ1Xp4rpRvdnMUVo1M9pgg-NtMCEjQ1lUxxOoGWS2_KVkobeMVpJH-sm0M1Gqg7s_94anVC1SxmwnFXBkRoixUs23M5JrfJso/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUSOiDRskErWDj0m1INkleL0MaV2-bTwKEflY-O3Yj7YZ1Xp4rpRvdnMUVo1M9pgg-NtMCEjQ1lUxxOoGWS2_KVkobeMVpJH-sm0M1Gqg7s_94anVC1SxmwnFXBkRoixUs23M5JrfJso/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+80.jpg" height="640" width="470" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My little photo bomber Luna </td></tr>
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-64439784756946014752014-08-01T10:19:00.000-05:002014-08-01T10:19:38.297-05:00Simplicity 2219 - Camouflage Maxi Dress<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8V9eeo3tgPrAMeAHyu9H1tgX65rbvK9-pVCo0VvzimjqqecVTNmNgajqVAOeBIF6gnl1rrguNMSvusJLlxiPAhxoGYSHcrZeQcee1wxvG56oVdWq6FLNoOYstzP_FXPLWNTtDihaulQI/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8V9eeo3tgPrAMeAHyu9H1tgX65rbvK9-pVCo0VvzimjqqecVTNmNgajqVAOeBIF6gnl1rrguNMSvusJLlxiPAhxoGYSHcrZeQcee1wxvG56oVdWq6FLNoOYstzP_FXPLWNTtDihaulQI/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+65.jpg" height="602" width="640" /></a></div>
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My <a href="http://collectedyarns.blogspot.com/2014/07/vogue-1390-brown-pleated-shift-dress.html">last dress</a> is a go-anywhere dress. This dress definitely is not. Instead, it is my frivolous and fun maxi for the summer. Back in the spring I somehow got in my mind that I wanted to make a camouflage maxi dress. <i>What, you don't have one on your wish list??? I hope you have something equally as crazy:) </i><br />
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I had a pattern (<a href="http://www.simplicity.com/p-5912-misses-evening-dresses.aspx">Simplicity 2219</a>) for awhile now but the holdup was the fabric. I wanted a decent knit with some stretch and I wanted a particular kind of camouflage (not blue, pink or brown). After much searching, I finally found some fairly hefty cotton jersey from <a href="http://www.girlcharlee.com/">Girl Charlee</a> (sadly, I don't see it on the website now) and ordered it.<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><br />
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The fabric was a good price and I thought I ordered extra - so much extra that I could maybe make a T-shirt with the leftovers - but it was 100% cotton and must have shrunk quite a bit during the prewash. And I added two inches to all the skirt pieces. Also, there was a flaw along the selvage edges, which normally wouldn't matter, but I ended up needing all the fabric.<br />
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Anyway, when laying out your pattern on your fabric, make sure you have enough for the large pieces FIRST. I didn't and ended up having to cut the back skirt upside down. I also had to put a center seam in the back skirt because of fabric shortage. Luckily, in this particular print, I don't think it's too noticeable.<br />
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I made my usual size 14. I usually add to the side seams, but it was unnecessary for this pattern. In fact, I think it is still a little too big, and I wish I had gone down a size and made a 12. I kept taking in the sides trying to get a better fit. Other pattern changes: I raised the front side pieces by half an inch to insure bra coverage. <br />
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I will say that there are a lot of pieces to the bodice and it was very confusing remembering which was which. I suggest labeling each piece with a sticky note, especially if you are lining with the same fabric. Someone else suggested skipping the underlining and I second that. I tried to underline but all I did was make a big mess -- it is too hard to tell what you are doing, better just to leave it out.<br />
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I was hoping the gathered bodice would add a little more shapeliness to my rectangular/cylindrical figure, but I don't think that happened. However, those of you who are a little more buxom may find this to be a very flattering pattern.<br />
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Despite its flaws, I still love it, and it is a great date outfit for summer outdoors activities (not that I've had much opportunity for said dates this summer, I have to admit). Also, it is so comfortable you could sleep in it ('secret pajamas', right?). <br />
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Doing outdoor photo shoots in Texas has its difficulties. The gate behind me has been broken by a falling tree. The wind is picking up here, and I look as if I'm trying to hold on to keep from blowing away.<br />
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Another wind-blown look:<br />
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And here is the true hazard of my yard - goat head stickers:<br />
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They are everywhere and almost impossible to get rid of.<br />
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A less wind-blown look:<br />
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Lastly, a close-up of my wooden earrings from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/GreenTreeJewelry">Green Tree Jewelry</a>, an etsy shop discovered by my daughter. Check them out: they have lots of fun, inexpensive earrings and great service.<br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-24331936092862722152014-07-25T10:26:00.000-05:002014-07-25T10:27:30.117-05:00Vogue 1390 - Brown Pleated Shift Dress<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDR1naWZyTX6o6urcjvvBN4KqavMm_83cIUUPgJHco7jpJ5SGvZ3EGDNYWLTDSxv8u_JKxFPTWPJwAJmeAdgISkp2YlsV2d1enT7fRU4PhIeXvJRRKhzJYS1xGVrl-C3GAzCpReqYPe80/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDR1naWZyTX6o6urcjvvBN4KqavMm_83cIUUPgJHco7jpJ5SGvZ3EGDNYWLTDSxv8u_JKxFPTWPJwAJmeAdgISkp2YlsV2d1enT7fRU4PhIeXvJRRKhzJYS1xGVrl-C3GAzCpReqYPe80/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+58.jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></div>
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While I have been lax on blogging, I have been sewing here and there. I sew because I like being able to make things to wear, and also because it is a good, constructive, creative way to occupy my mind and body, which makes it fun for me. Unfortunately, my projects have piled up unblogged because it is difficult to get them photographed. Even though for the most part I do the photographs myself, it still requires a block of time to take the photos, and another block of time to edit. I do like to have a record of my projects here, however, so I'm not going to worry about the order and go ahead and blog what I can.<br />
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Anyway, my most recent make is this Sandra Betzina dress pattern <a href="http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v1390-products-48375.php?page_id=857">Vogue 1390</a>. It looks like I made view B (and I did use the 'v' neckline) but I used view A's directions because my pleats were already on my fabric. This is because my fabric is a cotton pleated shower curtain that I purchased for $3.99 at the thrift store:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnuobL1y6ycHHNAAZXbNcTzKcVHXemcx3dyUwAALDA0UFi7wDXKSn4PzrknpczWPT_TBn5sVIhNdGqRB7gyMRczOoHxpcbyMUoPjw2ObphOqGJnu4kokATlMjYgf_Ap3UPEQgTj-B24w/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnuobL1y6ycHHNAAZXbNcTzKcVHXemcx3dyUwAALDA0UFi7wDXKSn4PzrknpczWPT_TBn5sVIhNdGqRB7gyMRczOoHxpcbyMUoPjw2ObphOqGJnu4kokATlMjYgf_Ap3UPEQgTj-B24w/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+55.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry for the blur</td></tr>
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I had purchased the pattern when it was on sale and was keeping my eye out for some kind of panel printed fabric. When I was trawling the thrift store linens section, I came across this shower curtain with its chocolate brown pleats (I am very, very attracted to texture in fabric), a little light bulb clicked on in my head and I thought it might work instead. For $3.99 it was worth a try!<br />
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One thing I will say about refashioning items from one thing into another: you never have as much fabric to work with as you think you will. I had to cut the heading with the grommets off and I had to cut the hem off, which reduced my yardage. I carefully cut the lining away. The pleated section was on the edge, so I had to cut off some plain yardage and sew it to one side of the pleats so that the pleats would actually be centered and be wide enough for my center sections. The pleats were pressed down in alternate directions, and because I used the pleated section on the front and back panels of the dress, I couldn't play around with the placement -- my main concern had to be actually getting the yardage I needed. <br />
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These pleats are much narrower than the ones given in the pattern directions for view B, but as long as you pleat your fabric before you cut it out, I'm sure you can make your pleats any size you want. Again, I didn't do any of this because my fabric came already pleated; however, if you are interested in doing these alternate wavy pleats yourself, I found <a href="http://youandmie.com/2012/07/05/2324/">this tutorial</a> that explains the process.<br />
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Here's a view of the back. It's wrinkled but that is because I've worn it all day (and at least three other days now -- one was my day of flying to Tennessee. It's a great travel dress).</div>
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This is a substantial little dress. The cotton itself was sturdy, the panels are pleated (which adds fabric heft) and the yokes, the bottom bands and the side panels are all doubled (which further explains why I barely had enough fabric -- I had to do a little creative piecing with the side panels).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhioeS6mPs_5ruT5RI3IwYjmv0FkYBoXb8Ol5Vb4cJHa5y6ivB60XkS7DSMPQqIGUkYgwpVVinqAhyphenhyphenmlCfu04o_L00s4bbhXQkvUn6wIlj9gZhWO-DOebCMcfPo32EweHqpfhM8FeuE4wE/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhioeS6mPs_5ruT5RI3IwYjmv0FkYBoXb8Ol5Vb4cJHa5y6ivB60XkS7DSMPQqIGUkYgwpVVinqAhyphenhyphenmlCfu04o_L00s4bbhXQkvUn6wIlj9gZhWO-DOebCMcfPo32EweHqpfhM8FeuE4wE/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+57.jpg" height="640" width="484" /></a></div>
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This is my first time making a Sandra Betzina pattern. Her sizing is different, but a size C is roughly equivalent to a size 14. Although I usually add an inch to the side seams at the waist of size 14s, it was a little confusing how to do this with this pattern, and the dress is supposed to be loose-fitting, so I cut a straight size C and hoped for the best. I did shorten the length by two inches (I'm 5'8"); I was afraid a longer length might look too dowdy.</div>
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The most time-consuming part was cutting out the dress, and that was because I had to reconfigure the fabric and sew pieces together just to have enough. Once I finally got everything cut out, I sewed the whole dress up in a single afternoon (except for ten minutes), which is super fast for me. It may have been because I was working with a sturdy woven cotton, which is very cooperative. There is also no hand sewing on this dress, no turning up of a hem, and no zippers or other closures, all of which make it faster to sew.</div>
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The construction of the dress was a little different, so I was afraid to deviate from the directions very much. Sandra advocates finishing all the seams with a serger, but I just stitched and pinked all mine, which worked fine. I finished the sleeve seams by sewing purchased bias tape to the edge and turning it to the inside and topstitching it down. The final silhouette has a bit of a bell shape. I took a little of the hip curve out (the hip curve on dresses and skirts always hits me mid-thigh, I need to make some type of fitting adjustment prior to cutting out), but I left some of the bell shape in. It's subtle (and hard to see in these photos), but it's another fun element to the dress.</div>
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I have to say this is a very useful and comfortable addition to my wardrobe. So far I've worn it for a day of traveling on a plane and through airports, to an outdoor military ceremony, and to church. It could go to the grocery store just as easily, and to be honest the most needed clothes in my life are things I could wear to the grocery store. And I love that it's made out of a shower curtain!! But my favorite thing about this dress is that it goes with these shoes:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvpEvMbZbqW8fcysDXXbNYU2sVuxIhMoJoCB7NIjuOJOAQn90KhISpTNofgkxjPyTDzcUhm9lvKpCm1yCb7PVHriaK1t6oOcQevTKjCKciGmlelniIFyAdTG4L0cpF-GSqLEzJzjK7zW4/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvpEvMbZbqW8fcysDXXbNYU2sVuxIhMoJoCB7NIjuOJOAQn90KhISpTNofgkxjPyTDzcUhm9lvKpCm1yCb7PVHriaK1t6oOcQevTKjCKciGmlelniIFyAdTG4L0cpF-GSqLEzJzjK7zW4/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+62.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crown Vintage Peony Wedge Sandal</td></tr>
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I bought these (as well as a brown pair) from the online DSW clearance section with a birthday gift card from my husband:)</div>
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-11575254360098480612014-07-23T21:03:00.000-05:002014-07-23T21:03:28.947-05:00Postscript<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2JymYVRMJ8-hmI4hbW5qThsSQdsY8G3MoGcTjRFye7q8_bQrjz_Bh3aK-ToQVJC3pkEjigQ0mTWE0y01rWB6kgu41O0N54x8YW87KP8m0KkTzxa21JUAPwh-LWSHYgVZOVfFcVL8xh68/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+64.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2JymYVRMJ8-hmI4hbW5qThsSQdsY8G3MoGcTjRFye7q8_bQrjz_Bh3aK-ToQVJC3pkEjigQ0mTWE0y01rWB6kgu41O0N54x8YW87KP8m0KkTzxa21JUAPwh-LWSHYgVZOVfFcVL8xh68/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+64.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A large rainbow that appeared over my neighborhood this past spring</td></tr>
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It has been awhile since I posted. I have to confess that for the last few years I have been feeling a bit squeezed by life. Reading blogs by others (one of the most encouraging to me is Brenda at <a href="http://coffeeteabooksandme.blogspot.com/">coffeeteabooksandme</a> and if you haven't read her blog I 'implore you to exert yourself' and give it a try) and blogging myself has been helpful, but sometimes blogging itself gets squeezed out by life. I have four boys and a daughter, all now teenagers/young adults, ages that bring with them a lot of relational, parental, emotional, and financial challenges. I love them all to pieces, but I don't always know the best way to maneuver in these difficult waters. Add to that the reality of aging/dying parents and the awareness of our own growth in years, job stresses, etc. and my husband and I looked at each other one day and said "This must be what a mid-life crisis feels like!" Hmmm........<br />
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I appreciate so much your kind comments about my mother's death. It is strengthening to have the support of friends. I just returned from spending a week and a half with my siblings cleaning out my mom's house in Tennessee. As an adult I have never lived in a house with a basement and often lamented that fact. I am rethinking that now:) Apparently, a basement is a place where you can just put all the things you don't know what to do with, and after 30 plus years in the same house.......let's just say my brothers became very good friends with the man who ran the dump! We didn't get completely finished, but we made a good dent in it. We each chose some things to keep (and I am now trying to fit my treasures into my house), and the rest will go into an estate sale. <br />
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We coped emotionally because the work just kept driving us forward. We didn't have much time for meditation. We boxed up the photos and decided that maybe next summer we will get together to go through them - there was no way we would have been able to do them this time. My two brothers and my sister and I all get along very well, so while the task was difficult, the time spent together was comforting and relatively stress-free (I just realized I made a pun;) We really didn't want anyone else to help -- it was a job that needed to be "just us." We got to spend some good time with my dad and his wife as well, taking him dinner three different times.<br />
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There were some fun things. My brothers and I stayed up late one night laughing at old photos: all I can say is the 1970s and 1980s were not kind, style-wise...... My sister and I found our wedding dresses and prom dresses (all made by my mom). Lots of things we had forgotten about. But a lot of my mom's possessions (her "nice things") were acquired in the last 25 years, after we were all grown and out of the house. The grandkids associated all the nice things with her, but my siblings and I remember instead the naugahide couch that we used for building forts and for sliding down the stairs on the cushions and things like that. (For the record, I totally understand waiting until the kids are grown before having nice things because kids break things;)<br />
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There were other fun things. Over the weekend I spent the night with two of my high school friends, and we had a wonderful time staying up til three in the morning reminiscing and catching up. Also, another friend and her husband came and took me for dinner one night, and a fourth friend came by one afternoon and we spent about an hour catching up. <br />
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I thought I would have a little more downtime for memories and driving around significant places, but it was really too busy. I did spend one night alone in mom's house (I flew to Tennessee, but my husband drove in the next week so he could pack my stuff up in a trailer and we could haul it back to Texas). That night it was hard to go to sleep -- very, very seldom in my life have I spent the night in a house by myself:) But as I lay there thinking about life now and life after death, I realized that the things that are the most solid, and most central, and most real, are God's truths. When life's hard or sad or happy times come round, those truths will hold. Sometimes Confessions say it best. Here is Question 1 from the <a href="http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/heidelberg-catechism-1563/"><b>Heidelberg Catechism</b> </a>(1563):<br />
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<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; color: #3c3c3c; display: inline; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Christian, what is thy only comfort in life and in death? </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;"><b>That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and redeemed me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me, that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must work together for my salvation. Wherefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready henceforth to live unto Him. </b></span><br />
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Also, the words of Paul: <br />
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"<i>For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." - Philippians 1:21 (KJV)</i><br />
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-80456361231031934972014-05-11T17:02:00.000-05:002014-05-11T17:02:46.661-05:00Ponderings on Death this Mother's Day<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFg1B98k8lyFuaxHuGM-ySYgZxhGRTbGC1IMUpJWTyD7z0Oui94dhdmz8IaFctgNsL37zvMNxpqo2JC6b0F0kn_Vd8Gdz7_13M9f-MRM2TXiuf4Q3jhMuLW49PplBBK5reARNNQVt7U8/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFg1B98k8lyFuaxHuGM-ySYgZxhGRTbGC1IMUpJWTyD7z0Oui94dhdmz8IaFctgNsL37zvMNxpqo2JC6b0F0kn_Vd8Gdz7_13M9f-MRM2TXiuf4Q3jhMuLW49PplBBK5reARNNQVt7U8/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+53.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from my mom's backyard at sunset April 2014<br /></td></tr>
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I want to thank each of you for your prayers and comforting words since my mother's death before Easter. I have been the recipient of so much kindness these past few weeks, from many meals and other helpful deeds being provided for my family, to thoughtful words and prayers from friends I have yet to meet in real life. It is a great reminder that the truly important part of life is relationships.<br />
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In our culture we don't have a lot of time set aside to grieve. The funeral itself was a blur of making arrangements, greeting all the people who came to pay their respects, figuring out logistics of travel. Then the next week my brothers and sister and I had to go right back to our regular lives. In the old pagan days we would have torn our clothes and cut ourselves with knives, or more biblically maybe worn sackcloth and sat in ashes, refusing to eat. Something. Because this was a surprise event, we had done none of our grieving early. I expect it will come when it comes, different for each of us, and we will each have to find a way to make a space for it.<br />
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Yesterday my first thoughts upon opening my eyes were about my mom. It was the first time I actually let myself say to her "I miss you, Mom." But I started thinking about this Mother's Day and the sadness of it, and I realized for my mom it is a beautiful day. She may be spending it with her mother, and her great-aunt, and her grandmothers, and her great-grandmothers, and on and on. What wonder to look back through the generations and see the love and even the hardships that had a hand in our past. No longer bound by time and space, able to know and be known by Christ Himself but also by all the generational links back to the beginning of time. Mind-boggling.<br />
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Some of my grief has been shamefully selfish. I loved my mom, and I miss her for selfish reasons. So that I can tell her something. So that I can call her. So that I can hear about everyone else in the family that she kept up with. So that I know I always have a place to go home to. So that my children always have a grandmother who loves them. So that we can go thrift shopping together. So that I have my mother who always wants to give me a small gift. So that there is someone who has known me my entire life -- longer than I've even known myself. So that my mom can be the link back to her mom and her mom before her through all the stories that were handed down. So that my mom can make each new grandchild his/her own special quilt. So that my brothers and sister and I have a link holding us all together, no matter how far apart we are geographically. I could go on and on.<br />
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So that there is at least one generation standing between me and my own mortality. I have to admit to being shaken up about that. My mom had had heart problems, but supposedly she was doing fine. She was always a vibrant, healthy person, active, never overweight. Her parents died in their eighties. Her sudden death at 67 from a heart attack or stroke leaves little reassurance for me. I can't say "if I just don't do this (whatever this is), I'll be okay". Her death feels arbitrary, and I guess it somewhat makes me - her oldest child, her daughter who is only 18 years younger than she - feel doomed. I already have sucky genetics (high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.) against me on my dad's side. Yes, I know that God has our days numbered, and there is nothing we can do to add or subtract from that, but this is where head knowledge and visceral reality meet.<br />
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I think maybe no matter how old you are when you lose a parent, you still feel like an orphan. Both my husband (his mother died suddenly last year) and I are surprised to be without the safety net of a mother and her prayers and her "capableness," if that's a word. I have to say that I don't think I could ever fill the shoes of either my mother or my mother-in-law. At one year shy of 50, I still never feel mature or like I've got it all together, like I could be the matriarch of a family.<br />
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On one hand, I am feeling very grim and sober about this life. Bad things happen, not just death, but other things too. Even in these last few weeks, more troubles have headed my family's way. It seems like my forties have been too much about learning that, too much grief.<br />
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On the other hand, I feel reckless and extravagant. Seeing how quickly life can be turned to death, I want to love my husband and children (and others), to actually be alive while I'm here, to put aside all petty annoyances and hindrances and to embrace all the good and the wonderful that also constantly surround me, whether it's watching baby wrens learning to fly or hearing my children laugh.<br />
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How to do that, and not be paralyzed by fear or dread. Not a theoretical problem, but an imminently practical one.<br />
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One thing that has helped me. I have had two very vivid dreams about my mother-in-law since she died. The dreams were different, but in each dream the feeling was the same. My mother-in-law was so happy, so joyful, light, almost giddy. I've thought about that and thought maybe that's what we are like in heaven where we have no worries, no burdens, no fears anymore. What will it be like to be totally free of fear and the cares that weigh us down, and at the same time know we are totally loved? One day we too will know. It reminds me of the verse in 1 John 4:18 "<i>...perfect love casteth out fear."</i><br />
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I want/need to wrestle with God through the Psalms, and I want/need to worship Him like Peter:<br />
<i>"Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life." John 6:68 (KJV)</i><br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-14492514952228313192014-04-14T13:04:00.000-05:002014-04-14T13:04:04.113-05:00Blog AbsenceDear Friends,<br />
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I've been absent from this space for a little while just because of life being a bit busy and overwhelming at the moment. Sadly, I will be absent a little longer because my dear mother passed away very unexpectedly this Sunday. <br />
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It feels a lot like a repeat of my mother-in-law's death just over a year ago, except my mother was a lot younger. No matter how old you are, when a parent dies you still feel like an orphan. My siblings and I are very sad.<br />
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We are traveling this week for the services. Any prayers are appreciated.<br />
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Thank you,<br />
<br />
AngelaAngelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-16157220547928101852014-03-22T12:24:00.000-05:002014-03-22T12:24:42.048-05:00New Look 6071 -- Blue Sweater DressWhile my daughter has been sewing for spring ever since January, I still had a couple of winter things that I wanted to finish. First up is this blue sweater dress I completed in late February/early March.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0a401HErRjt8nskmysVRdFCkswXiKLfK2nRiHbJ3NOluNon178A1qiYizJo5WgZug1TCMcf8c-YGPE55mAZZEIh8MEwNGf3RG8wis_T6RSz9YcpH7H8tAXTABlnY0EGIY_aO4tlCRlkA/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0a401HErRjt8nskmysVRdFCkswXiKLfK2nRiHbJ3NOluNon178A1qiYizJo5WgZug1TCMcf8c-YGPE55mAZZEIh8MEwNGf3RG8wis_T6RSz9YcpH7H8tAXTABlnY0EGIY_aO4tlCRlkA/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+50.jpg" height="640" width="570" /></a></div>
The pattern is <a href="http://www.simplicity.com/p-6474-misses-dresses.aspx">New Look 6071</a>, a Workroom/Project Runway pattern that just went out of print, so if you're interested in purchasing it, do it soon. I really was not that interested in it myself until I saw Andrea of <a href="http://fabricepiphanies.blogspot.com/">Fabric Epiphanies</a> great series on this pattern: <a href="http://fabricepiphanies.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-stripey-little-number.html">number 1</a>, <a href="http://fabricepiphanies.blogspot.com/2012/10/take-two.html">number 2</a>, <a href="http://fabricepiphanies.blogspot.com/2012/11/blueberries-and-icecream.html">number 3</a>, <a href="http://fabricepiphanies.blogspot.com/2013/05/absolutely-nothing-to-wear-me-made-may.html">number 4</a>, and <a href="http://fabricepiphanies.blogspot.com/2013/08/number-5.html">number 5</a>! <br />
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Inspired by her flattering versions, I bought the pattern myself. I had some blue sweater knit fabric from <a href="http://www.joann.com/fashion-knits-printed-sweater-knit/zprd_12469540a.html#prefn1=isProject&prefn2=collection&prefv2=Fashion+Knits&prefv1=false&start=9">Joann Fabric</a> that I thought would be a good match. I cut a 14 at the neckline and added an inch to the side seams, tapering out from under the arms. Tissue-fitting revealed that the sleeves were very narrow and I actually added almost an inch to the width all the way down the sleeve to the wrist. I also added a little to the length of the sleeves and the skirt.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkKAJkQIGue5WVMnvJw6lh8vkGrW0I-AtfQF-7ptiRu0isMKSIz0fNI5amjAufPYNIItgMBjT_6Jgk6tCVDTwmT-1suwOv7vqrVzNESRvAtGKV429tHZizDXhpoTaL1nfy9t1omBEC8o/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkKAJkQIGue5WVMnvJw6lh8vkGrW0I-AtfQF-7ptiRu0isMKSIz0fNI5amjAufPYNIItgMBjT_6Jgk6tCVDTwmT-1suwOv7vqrVzNESRvAtGKV429tHZizDXhpoTaL1nfy9t1omBEC8o/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+51.jpg" height="640" width="542" /></a></div>
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I liked the interest added at the bodice with the twist and the pleats. Instructions were good on this. The neckline is finished with a facing. After reading some reviews and fearing gaping issues, I shortened the facing to somewhere between the size 10 and size 12. I'm really glad I did, and if I make this again I will shorten that even more, which helps snug up the neckline. The neckline still ended up a little lower than I am comfortable with, so I hand-tacked it together, giving me another inch of coverage.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgON3DoM7JsaYh9-5ei8S05vDxeMXJDCXzhNso8G76tLAEAMvUEM_GZ0uxN5_kRdz_akYw844JhTUpXq279lXeFkyzBWeCbgPaHTSnjpSuiRCc8vROy5CP_fycfq07WmWlVh83tNl8x37Q/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgON3DoM7JsaYh9-5ei8S05vDxeMXJDCXzhNso8G76tLAEAMvUEM_GZ0uxN5_kRdz_akYw844JhTUpXq279lXeFkyzBWeCbgPaHTSnjpSuiRCc8vROy5CP_fycfq07WmWlVh83tNl8x37Q/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+53.jpg" height="640" width="582" /></a></div>
The back fits very well. I made no adjustments to that other than lengthening the skirt slightly.<br />
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All in all, this dress is okay. I like the interest in the bodice, and the slightly A-line skirt is a nice change for me. Definitely wearable. The main thing I don't like about it is that it shows how thick I've gotten this winter while I was bundled up under my giant sweatshirts, and how much work I'm going to have to do to keep from getting thicker. That's a little discouraging. However, I do think I will try it again. I think it might look nice in a stripe and as a top.<br />
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As for the photos, I didn't use the self-timer, but I set the tripod up and set the shots up myself. Then I set my husband behind the camera and told him to just push the button. I still don't understand how I can take more flattering shots of myself than he can take of me....... Anyway, these shots were taken outside, where I was constantly getting photo-bombed by my furry friends and my youngest son,<br />
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who was lovingly mocking me (now you can understand why it is so hard for me to look at ease). But it's only fitting he should have his own photo (even though he's making a face), because this week he was the last of my offspring to pass from childhood into teen-age-hood. Happy birthday - and yes, we did celebrate with ice cream cake!!<br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-14635536979084294142014-03-11T09:53:00.000-05:002014-03-11T09:53:48.904-05:00New Look 6035 -- A Good Top for Swinging into SpringFinally spring is just around the corner! In eager anticipation of this happy event my daughter began making warm weather clothes in February. She finished this little sleeveless shell from <a href="http://www.simplicity.com/p-5873-misses-separates.aspx">New Look 6035</a> view C. I say 'finished" because she started this top over a year ago and stalled out because she didn't know how to do the binding. The top <strike>languished</strike> waited patiently in a little bundle until her skills and confidence caught up, and she felt ready to tackle it. Plus, sometimes you just want to get that project that's been hanging over your head out of the way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS3efiQfhoFOiGb7A7hI7tLqTz9Otpd7Lv-tSInM5skVhTJbXcICRlZ5T7eek42PB0DGjPfY-NqYx_fubO57ULOqnc_936KP5-DKRl45G2r5-KJGfWne9H7mYA9D2_V07g5w1YglBtJSM/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS3efiQfhoFOiGb7A7hI7tLqTz9Otpd7Lv-tSInM5skVhTJbXcICRlZ5T7eek42PB0DGjPfY-NqYx_fubO57ULOqnc_936KP5-DKRl45G2r5-KJGfWne9H7mYA9D2_V07g5w1YglBtJSM/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+46.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
The top is made of a cotton fabric covered all over in tiny white flowers that I've had in my stash for well over ten years. I don't remember what I originally thought I would make but I'm glad the fabric is finally getting to be worn:) The cotton does wrinkle -- these photos were taken after it had been worn all day -- but wrinkles are a second consideration to comfort and coolness when you live in a hot climate.<br />
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Here you can see the tone-on-tone flowers, which add visual texture to the fabric. The neckline and armholes are bound with self-fabric bias, and the neckline also has small pleats.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWVvwHQgChGp5jGv_wjeFcVITDc11KMjzgRWLSot9FjK1ZyLcH8-qmaI4P6EgkkNQTzP_CMdusJjwO7FgGdVmwnSP0itEY76iNPm0a02UELgbkLWh_UyQkVeION-_-GzQdTd6VLvjkjU/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWVvwHQgChGp5jGv_wjeFcVITDc11KMjzgRWLSot9FjK1ZyLcH8-qmaI4P6EgkkNQTzP_CMdusJjwO7FgGdVmwnSP0itEY76iNPm0a02UELgbkLWh_UyQkVeION-_-GzQdTd6VLvjkjU/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+47.jpg" height="318" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's a view of the back:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnOWBnqnjMnfoc6BkoLyRo5H1xk1qkSQ_zr8LZ88LHDL176XMHFvjHQ5POjehyphenhyphenLvLgdbrTTM255ub03rFDyQMN6xVOp_R-7Ol0Y618HuEEhsShGqjrw2baVqP3kYoJ05ysy7oA9yNTRc/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnOWBnqnjMnfoc6BkoLyRo5H1xk1qkSQ_zr8LZ88LHDL176XMHFvjHQ5POjehyphenhyphenLvLgdbrTTM255ub03rFDyQMN6xVOp_R-7Ol0Y618HuEEhsShGqjrw2baVqP3kYoJ05ysy7oA9yNTRc/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+48.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
And here is a view of the side. The side seams are finished off with a slit, which gives the top a little more movement. She made a straight size 10. The underarms are a little snug, so next time we will deepen the underarm seams half an inch or so.<br />
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It's a great top for summer, but also for cooler weather because it's perfect underneath a jacket.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSyL-FCxWn1lv4cv2FQvJDM-Z_vzM-J5rACAeKDCIYfcWyz6oMo7eVlJnH8VSZ3iiSyJaqBK1hpnAvQzDAbNJ3D8wu9SHwUq56RfsYzPqqlUhTpcxJMeQuGuTeYOgDcGbmpOIcMUghQk/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSyL-FCxWn1lv4cv2FQvJDM-Z_vzM-J5rACAeKDCIYfcWyz6oMo7eVlJnH8VSZ3iiSyJaqBK1hpnAvQzDAbNJ3D8wu9SHwUq56RfsYzPqqlUhTpcxJMeQuGuTeYOgDcGbmpOIcMUghQk/s1600/collectedyarns2014+-+44.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a><br />
An all-around do-it-yourself-er, my daughter also made the swing in the photos:) She used <a href="http://www.lowes.com/creative-ideas/build-and-remodel/rope-swing/project">these plans</a> from Lowe's, spent an afternoon or so on construction, and then hung the swing in the huge live oak tree that is in my front yard. It's very sturdy (supposedly up to 500 lbs.!) so any of us can enjoy it, not just small kids, something that all my tall people appreciate:)<br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-50096409636085494192014-02-20T20:07:00.001-06:002014-02-20T20:07:06.637-06:00Butterick 5907 -- Another Cozy PulloverSewing-wise, I accomplished very little in December and January, but for some reason February, the shortest month, has seen a rise in my productivity. I think it is partly the pressure of winter soon being over and all my winter ideas having to be put aside until September. It's also that I have been making things that are relatively quick and easy, like this top from <a href="http://butterick.mccall.com/b5907-products-46829.php?page_id=678">Butterick 5907</a>, view B.<br />
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It's a little hard to see in the photo (these were taken before <a href="http://ahavenforvee.blogspot.com/">Vee</a>'s tip of lowering the ISO on my camera - which I will try to figure out for next time), but the fabric is a soft, comfy chocolate leopard print double-knit that I think I got on sale at Hancock Fabrics. At the time I bought it, I thought it might make a good top so I bought 2 yards. This would normally be enough, even for a long sleeve top, but the cowl on the top is rather large and cut on the bias, and I did not have enough fabric:( I've had the fabric for awhile so I wasn't sure if the store would still have more in stock, plus I really didn't want to spend any more money, so I put my thinking cap on for awhile and came up with this.<br />
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I took the scraps and sewed them together until I had a piece of fabric large enough to cut the cowl out. The cowl is doubled so all the wonky seams ended up hidden underneath the top layer and are in the back. The busy print means that the seams are almost unnoticeable. I am the most proud of this part of the whole project;)</div>
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As for the pattern itself, it has dropped shoulders, a huge but lovely cowl, and a pleat at center front, which is a nice feature that adds a little interest to an otherwise plain front. The whole pattern went together beautifully and I love it. I made a size medium, adding my usual one inch to the side seams, tapering out from under the arms. I lengthened the sleeves 1/2 inch and added 1 inch to the length. I usually lengthen sleeves a lot more and often have to widen the bicep area. I did not have to do that here, which makes me think the pattern may run a bit large, so if you are between sizes, go down a size. (Take into consideration that I used a knit, but some of the other recommended fabrics are wovens. If you are using a woven, it may not run so large, so proceed with caution).</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Not the greatest view from the back, but at least you can see the coverage helps keep your backside warm:)</span></div>
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The cowl is luscious.<br />
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Anyway, it's another top I will wear often. Like the top in my last post, I have already worn this multiple times. If this is a shape you like to wear, I highly recommend Butterick 5907.<br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-73305503492700596792014-02-17T23:52:00.000-06:002014-02-17T23:52:37.842-06:00Simplicity 2289 -- Cozy PulloverI don't know if it really has been or not, but this winter feels colder than usual. I have been sleeping in knee socks, long flannel pants, a giant T-shirt, and on top of that, an even giant-et sweatshirt -- yes, quite alluring, I know;). During the day I've often worn a coat or jacket while I go about my business inside the house. And I don't live in the great white north -- I live in Texas! <br />
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Our temperatures seem to go up and down willy-nilly, even within a couple of days, but we have been known to have snowstorms in March, so I am keeping on with sewing warm garments through the end of February.<br />
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This top is my version of a wearable blanket. The fabric is a lightweight sweater knit from Hancock Fabrics value selection. It has a lot of stretch in it. It is the color of dusty miller leaves, kind of a gray-green. Even though it is lightweight, it is very soft, warm and cozy, just what I was hoping for.<br />
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The pattern is <a href="http://www.simplicity.com/p-5536-misses-womens-sportswear.aspx">Simplicity 2289</a>. I've had it since last year, but it took me awhile to find a fabric similar to what I had in mind. The cover fabric is fleece, but I was looking for something more drapey. I wanted something you would pull on over a T-shirt if you were outside and the sun went down. I'm wearing it over a T-shirt here.<br />
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I did make a few changes. This pattern came in sizes small, medium and large. I made the medium but added one inch to the side pieces, tapering out from under the arm. After checking <a href="http://sewing.patternreview.com/">Pattern Review</a> to find out what others may have thought about the pattern, I found out that the consensus seemed to be that the sleeves ran tight and short (which is interesting, because the body is quite wide). <br />
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So, I lengthened the sleeves by 4 1/2 inches. I would have done more - they are still not full-length on me, but the sleeve is cut as one with the body and 4 1/2 inches was as much length as I could fit on my fabric. Be aware that the sleeve cuffs don't really add much to the length. I also gave myself a little more sleeve width by using only a 3/8 inch seam allowance on the underside of the sleeve (making the same adjustment on the cuff). This was fine because my fabric had so much stretch, but you could give yourself even more room in the sleeve by using a 3/8 inch seam allowance on the top seam as well.<br />
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After reading the reviews, I decided to make the collar a double, rather than a single, layer, since my fabric was so lightweight. That adds warmth at the neck, almost like wearing a light scarf. It also prevents any raw edges from showing and adds some body to the collar.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A couple of my husband's paintings are on the wall behind me</td></tr>
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The pockets were added after the shoulder seam was stitched, so I could check their placement relative to where my hands needed to be. I think my pockets are lower. I also took 3 inches off the length, but I decided that after I tried it on. Both the shoulder seams and the hem are reinforced with knit stay tape.<br />
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Here you can see how it is finished at the sides. After ironing the knit stay tape on, I just turned up the hem and sewed a 5/8 inch seam at the bottom.<br />
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(A word about these photos: My family does not really enjoy fashion shoots;) I took all these myself using my little camera's self-timer and a tripod. While I'm happy with their composition, the downside is when the camera is in self-timer mode I don't know how to make other adjustments, so the quality is a lot grainier. Something else to figure out.......)<br />
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I have to say that this top is a piece of clothing I will wear to death. In fact, I already wore it three days last week. I finally had to stop because I spilled something on it and it needed to go in the wash. It looks good but it is so comfortable you could curl up in a chair and go to sleep while wearing it. Not a bad idea.....<br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-77503792114541589742014-02-11T00:03:00.000-06:002014-02-11T00:03:20.789-06:00Simplicity 2054 - Take TwoI made this dress back in November/December, but I had been thinking about making it since last winter, when I saw Erica Bunker's version <a href="http://www.ericabunker.com/2011/12/review-simplicity-2054-combo-dress.html">here</a> (from 2011). Erica is one of the best-dressed sewing bloggers out there, and I love her style. When I saw her version, I thought "hey, I've already got that pattern - <a href="http://www.simplicity.com/p-6279-misses-dresses-cynthia-rowley-collection.aspx">Simplicity 2054</a>!" In fact, I already made it (<a href="http://collectedyarns.blogspot.com/2013/01/simplicity-2054-winter-sparkle-dress.html">here</a>). However, Erica's dress has faux leather sleeves and I could not figure out how I would wash something like that. So the idea kind of sat on the back burner.<br />
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Finally (over a year later -- this just shows the long, slow journey ideas in my head take before they actually materialize, IF they materialize at all) I saw some black dance knit in Joann Fabrics and thought, that's the fabric I've been looking for. The body of the dress is a gray rib-knit, also from Joann. This fabric came formed in a tube and was quite a bit narrower than regular knit fabric. But it was the right weight and is very comfortable and worked great for this dress.<br />
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Now that I have made essentially the same dress twice, I want to repeat that this pattern goes together beautifully. I made a size 14 and did my usual adjustment of adding an inch to each side, tapering out from under the arms. I added to the length to make it knee-length. It looks longer in this photo, perhaps because of the angle of the picture.<br />
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I used the black dance fabric for the arms and the neckband. This time I made view C, with the sleeve slits. I added 2 inches of length to the upper part of the sleeve, and 3 more inches of length at the bottom of the wrist. This seems like a LOT, but the sleeves fit, so maybe they run short? Anyway, these sleeves make me feel like a superhero;)<br />
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This is one of the simplest dresses to make, just a plain front and back with neck binding and sleeves. But I find that it is the simplest things that I tend to wear the most: they are easy to put on, easy to care for, and easy to wear.<br />
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These photos were taken before winter had completely taken hold, hence the semi-green grass. Now everything is cold, cold, cold and all that grass is brown and muddy. When weather conditions are less than ideal, this dress can take you through the winter - both versions I've made are warm, cozy and comfortable.<br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-87470285719008581052014-02-05T15:49:00.002-06:002014-02-05T15:49:40.701-06:00New Bunny - "Cottontail"This is another little project my daughter worked on this winter. It is the "Cottontail" bunny from the gorgeous book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Storybook-Toys-Projects-Puppets-Softies/dp/1607055503">Storybook Toys</a> by Jill Hamor. We originally purchased this book because it has great directions for sewing beautiful doll faces and hair. But there are other nice projects tucked within the book as well, and Cottontail was one of them.<br />
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My daughter has just begun a collection of china teacups (three so far) and we placed the bunny on a shelf next to one to give you an idea of his size. He is about 9 inches tall. He is made out of "fur" from Joann Fabrics. This fur was very difficult to wrangle under the sewing machine, so my daughter resorted to hand sewing the whole thing. However, she was nervous about how durable he would be, so we stuffed him in a pillowcase and washed him in the washing machine on delicate cycle, then tumbled him in the dryer, also on delicate cycle. Happily, he came out unscathed, which is good.<br />
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He needs to be sturdy and washable because he is a gift to a teacher's not-yet-arrived baby boy (her fourth boy, no less!). Although the fur was tricky to sew, it gives him such a soft, squishy feel it was worth it. Also, his eyes were made out of embroidered felt pieces, so you don't have to worry about little ones playing with him.<br />
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From the back you can get a tiny glimpse of his cottontail.<br />
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I also love his floppy ears. My daughter has made quite a few stuffed toys before (you can see some by looking under the label 'toys' on my sidebar), but each one has its own personality. This one reminds me just a little of the Velveteen Rabbit. I hope he gets loved that much:)<br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-55775372014931614632014-01-27T17:54:00.000-06:002014-01-27T17:54:52.508-06:00McCalls 8107 -- Polka Dot Dress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I am allowing myself to sew winter things through February, but my daughter is sick of the cold weather and has moved on to sewing spring and summer things. She purchased some white cotton fabric with black polka dots (the polka dots are very slightly raised) from Joann Fabrics and she rummaged through my pattern stash for a style she thought would work, settling on <a href="http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m8107-products-7138.php?page_id=522">McCalls 8107</a>, a basic princess-seamed but now out-of-print pattern.</div>
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Because her fabric was white it needed a lining, and for that she used a nice white broadcloth from Hobby Lobby. She was afraid it would make the dress too heavy, but actually the weight of the lining feels good, and both fabrics are all cotton so the dress should be comfortable even in the summer.<br />
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The directions for sewing princess seams must have been good. I was expecting to help with that part, but she already had them sewn and had done a great job before I even knew she had started. <br />
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However, the directions for the rest of the dress were terrible. She used the directions of view I, because that view has a lining. The lining was attached with bias tape at the neckline and sleeves (she used black for contrast). BUT -- and this was the terrible part -- the zipper was put in last, after the dress was sewn together. And instead of sandwiching the zipper between the lining and the dress, at that point the lining and dress were treated as one. The zipper was very difficult to put in with the rest of the dress sewn up. I put the zipper in for her, and I had to redo it several times to get it to be acceptable. Not fun! I DO NOT recommend this method ever.<br />
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The dress by itself is a little plain, so she added a patent leather belt for waist definition. After driving around to at least five different stores in a fruitless attempt to find one, I finally ordered one from Ebay (under $10 for a real patent leather belt - plus it is delivered right to your door!).<br />
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My daughter added 1 inch to the hem length which left very little room for an actual hem. I'm trying to get her to add 3 inches to patterns (she is 5'9"), but for this dress we used hem tape to make a narrow hem. The lining was hemmed an inch or two shorter.<br />
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Here is a close-up of the fabric and the bias trim:<br />
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We almost gave up on this dress, but I'm glad we didn't. My daughter looks lovely in it, and she has gotten to wear it already during one of our warmer weekends. It also looks cute with a black cardigan. </div>
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-74316345119111925122014-01-21T20:28:00.000-06:002014-01-21T20:32:13.085-06:00McCalls 3830 -- Leopard Print SkirtI am such a slow blogger that I have a couple of makes from before Christmas (as in late November/early December) that I am just now getting around to posting. I like to record my projects on my blog, so.......if you are bored to tears by these sewing posts, I try to clue you in by the title so that you will know what you're in for. However, if you do like to read about sewing, read on:)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry for the slight blur of the photos</td></tr>
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Even though I am late to the party, I wanted to join in the animal print trend. Last year I bought some leopard print fabric from Joann Fabrics. I'm not sure what you would call it. It's not a knit, more along the lines of a microsuede, but I'm not sure if that's exactly right either. Anyway, a fabric suitable for a skirt or a bag or even a structured jacket, but not right for a flowy dress.<br />
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I really just wanted a plain straight skirt. I have not totally given up on A-lines, but so far I have not found one that flatters my poor body at all. I chose <a href="http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m3830-products-2773.php?page_id=113">McCalls 3830</a>, which is a very basic but useful skirt pattern to have in your arsenal. I chose view D because all the longer views have a kick pleat in the back and I didn't want to fool with that. I did lengthen view D to hit me right above the knee.<br />
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Despite the supposed simplicity of skirts, I approach skirt-making with trepidation because skirts have to fit: too loose and they fall off or twist around, too tight and you (as in, I) will look like a stuffed sausage. It's a fine line. Also, how to choose a size? For dresses I usually choose a size 14 but then I add an inch to each side seam. I think I chose the skirt the same way, which put me in a size 18 for the skirt.<br />
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The skirt has a zipper up the center back and front and back darts. One small change I made was to use hem tape at the waistband instead of facings as per the pattern instructions. This worked great, so great that I decided to use hem tape on the hem as well, particularly as I did not add as much to the length as I should have. However, the hem tape on the actual hem was my downfall. I think maybe I made the hem tape too tight or something, but the hem looked AWFUL. I redid it and redid it until it was passable, but I really wish I had just folded the hem up and sewn it down. I always find a way to sabotage the simplest tasks;)<br />
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Anyway, I am hoping to get multi-season use out of this skirt. Here I have worn it with black, but I think it can also look good with red, cobalt blue, denim, and even some other color combinations I haven't <strike>thought of</strike> seen on Pinterest yet. I have quite a bit of the leopard fabric left, so I may eventually get around to making a bag out of the rest.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The camera was not cooperating with me </td></tr>
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My 12-year-old informed me that he thinks leopard print skirts are tacky(!). I, on the other hand, think they are <strike>cool</strike> fun (so there you have it ........I hope I'm not alone:) In fact, <a href="http://prttynpnk.wordpress.com/2013/12/29/butterick-5967-connie-crawford-purrs-for-me/">Anne of Pretty Grievances</a> is hosting a whole month of animal print garment sewing (just go to her blog and click on Jungle January on the sidebar). I would enter but since I didn't actually make this skirt in January, I will just have to be there in spirit;) It is hard to explain to a twelve-year-old that 48-year-olds often feel the need for a little zip in their life and in their appearance. (At least I do, do you?)<br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-10820779367514640702014-01-17T08:56:00.000-06:002014-01-17T08:56:11.908-06:00Happy ConnectionsLast summer I was contacted by email by someone who was searching for an out-of-print pattern, New Look 6751. She had seen a review I had done of it <a href="http://collectedyarns.blogspot.com/2012/11/new-look-6751-tunic.html">here</a> and asked if I might be willing to sell the pattern. I wasn't quite ready to do that, but I suggested she could borrow it, and she took me up on that. Little did I know that she was in Queensland, Australia!<br />
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So, I went down to the post office and sent the pattern off from Texas to Queensland. I was not in a big hurry to get it back, but in December Christine contacted me saying she had put it in the mail. We missed a week of mail in December due to an ice storm (hard to believe since this week we are in the sixties), but a little before Christmas I got a fat envelope from Queensland.<br />
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I was only expecting the pattern, but when I opened it there was a lovely notecard with a kookaburra and some Christmas paper!<br />
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Inside the paper were some lovely gifts. A beautiful tea towel with a map of Australia (whose photo needs to be rotated but I'm not blogging this from my computer so I don't have access to my photo files at the moment):<br />
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Also, this little pouch --<br />
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which unzips into a tote bag:<br />
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And these adorable little clip-on animals, all icons of Australia:<br />
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What a lovely surprise to open all these gifts! My husband was quite impressed that I had received a gift all the way from Australia. Thank you, Christine!<br />
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I have to say that making these kind of contacts through the internet has been so much fun and so nice!! It really gives a boost to your day when someone on the complete other side of the world has given you a little thought. I have always enjoyed making connections with people, and even though a lot of us may never meet in person, it has been (and is) such a pleasure to get to know some of you. <br />
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Here's to many more happy connections between us all for 2014!<br />
<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-2521305352750348072014-01-10T21:46:00.002-06:002014-01-10T21:46:20.058-06:00Robins<div>
Yesterday began and ended with drizzle and heavy fog. However, around lunch time I returned home from an errand, and while the skies were still gray, the fog and mist had temporarily lifted. I got out of the car and decided to walk down to the end of the driveway and pick up my soggy, plastic-wrapped newspaper. As I walked, I began to notice bird song in the air -- something I hadn't heard in a long time. I looked up and saw birds all round my little neighborhood. There were tiny birds swarming in the bare branches of a mulberry tree, but they were so tiny and so fast I could not get a photo nor could I clearly identify them. Doves were pecking beneath the bird feeder in my backyard, but I could not get a photo of them either because they attracted the notice of my little dog Luna, who raced out and barked at them in a very offended manner.</div>
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My neighbors' yard was filled with robins. By leaving Luna in the house, I was able to get photos of a few of them using the zoom on my camera.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">We live too far south for robins to be the first heralds of spring -- it's spring when they go back north. I'm not sure where they spent the month of December, though. We had a very icy, cold December -- the polar vortex reached all the way down to Texas -- and yesterday 40 degrees felt downright warm. </span></div>
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I thought so anyway and so, apparently, did the birds. This little fella is enjoying a puddle.</div>
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Winter is actually a pretty good time for us to see birds. The usual winter birds of cardinals, chickadees, titmice, bluebirds and dark-eyed juncos are around, as well as lots of blue jays, crows, mockingbirds, starlings/grackles, doves, ducks and geese. We also live on some kind of migratory highway. Birds pass through on their way south to Mexico for the winter and then again when they go back north in the summer. Every year for a few days we enjoy flocks of cedar waxwings, Mississippi kites, killdeer, and goldfinches. More ominously, our entire town gets covered up in starlings/grackles (I'm never sure of their official name) at certain times of year, to the point you begin to feel you are personally inhabiting an Alfred Hitchcock movie.<br />
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Anyway, it was nice to see so many birds out cavorting around because this past month has been a month to hunker down in the house. The Christmas season seemed very short, partly because Thanksgiving was so late and then an ice storm hit my county and lasted through the first week of December. School didn't finish until December 20th and then my mother arrived for an extended visit on the 19th. Blogging had to fall by the wayside to make room for parental and filial duties.<br />
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This was the first time my mother had visited me in five years. She got to spend Christmas with us and we had a great time making candy, thrift shopping, and generally just lounging about. I took almost no photos of the holidays -- when I'm with other people I seldom think to stop and take photographs -- but sometimes that's okay. While it's fun to have documentation, it's not always necessary. It's okay just to live:)<br />
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I feel like I should have something more profound to say about the changing of the year from 2013 to 2014, but I'm past the point of thinking I know everything and I'm not yet to the point of feeling like I have a lot of wisdom to impart. I will say this about 2013 -- I lived through it, with its good parts and its hard parts. I hope to say the same about 2014. Of course I cannot read the future, but from this vantage point it doesn't look to me that it will be an easier year. In fact, it looks like a year of hard work. <br />
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I have a friend who chooses -- or feels that God chooses -- a word for each new year. I don't usually do that, but this year the word "diligent" keeps calling my name. The Lord has helped and will continue to help me persevere, but at the same time He is calling me to be diligent: that is, to keep doing faithfully those things that I know to do. I will leave the results to Him. I guess it's like the old song: "<i>Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey."</i><br />
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I'm not trying to be gloomy and pessimistic. Although many sad and hard things happened in 2013, many good things happened, too. I'm sure the same will be true of 2014:) <br />
<i><br /></i>In any case, I wish you all a belated Happy New Year!Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-68884337647469807822013-11-30T09:18:00.000-06:002013-11-30T09:18:01.693-06:00New Look 6225 -- Sweatshirt DressA while back I saw <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/217017275766930739/">this dress</a> (at least I think it's a dress, it may be a tunic) by Philip Lim on pinterest and thought how I would love to wear that. (I know, that may not be what you were thinking, but to each his own, okay;). Sewing is changing the way I think about clothes. Instead of thinking "Where can I find this?" "Can I afford this?" or "Will this fit me?" I think "Maybe I could make this." That starts the wheels rolling, and I think about what fabric and patterns I could use. <br />
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There are not many dress patterns with raglan sleeves, so I decided to use <a href="http://www.simplicity.com/p-9739-misses-tops-in-two-lengths.aspx">New Look 6225</a>, view D, which is a raglan top pattern with cap sleeves, and just extend the lines of the top down to my knees (one of the few times having a relatively straight figure is to my advantage). I made a size 14, and added one inch to the side seams, tapering out from the underarm. I also lowered the neckline in the front by 3 inches. Because I was being a little experimental, I basted the side seams first to check the fit. I found out that this is a good practice: the fit check is much more accurate than just using pins, and if it needs to be fixed, basted seams are MUCH easier to unpick. For the fabric I used a cozy charcoal sweatshirt fleece from <a href="http://www.joann.com/sweatshirt-fleece/xprd790576.html#q=sweatshirt+fleece&start=1">Joann Fabric</a> that has no stretch, which worked out since New Look 6225 is drafted for wovens.<br />
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I know this dress is a little 'out there', but I've worn it to an art gallery opening already, and it's very comfortable while being a little edgy. I do wonder if I am on my way to 'crazy old lady' status; on the other hand, I have always loved that poem "When I Am Old I Shall Wear Purple," so I guess I'm okay with that. Life is too short to take oneself seriously all the time:)<br />
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Usually I am not a fan of asymmetrical hemlines, but I felt in this case it was necessary to add a little 'oomph.' Instead of cutting each pattern piece on the slant (I was getting a headache trying to make sure each side was correct), I made the dress a normal length, then tried it on and marked where I wanted the hem to go on each side. I then chopped it off, leaving enough fabric to turn up the hem. (One note here: I wish I had made the dress longer and given myself more room to work with, because the differential between one side and the other needs to be greater than I anticipated for it to have the right effect.)<br />
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This is not the most flattering view of my backside, but honesty in blogging and all that;)<br />
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The shoulders were unpleasantly constricting after the sleeves were sewn in. I unpicked them -- every project needs a little seam ripper action;) -- and resewed them with a 3/8" instead of a 5/8" seam allowance. The sleeves are two pieces with a center top seam, so that gave me another inch of room (4 seams at 1/4" increase), which was helpful. I'm not very experienced with raglan sleeves, so I'm not sure why the shoulders turned out too tight, and there may be a better way to fix this problem, but for now it worked. I added a little interest to the sleeves by binding them and leaving the raw edges exposed. I also added a binding to the neckline and topstitched the raglan seams.<br />
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Also I finally figured out how to mount my camera on a tripod and take photos of myself using a timer. (I looked on the good old internet and downloaded a very helpful manual for my camera -- much more extensive than the booklet that came with it!). I need a lot more practice with picture quality and height, etc. but not bad for my first try.<br />
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Of course, I did get photo-bombed by my furry friends:<br />
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(Note: my little dog Penny, who has appeared on my blog before, disappeared under sad circumstances early last summer. We got Luna, the little dog on the left, this fall from a rescue shelter. Angus is our Australian Shepherd.)<br />
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I also got photo-bombed by my husband and older son, who hammed it up and danced grotesquely for the camera. But those photos are certainly not fit for public consumption;)<br />
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Lessons from this dress:<br />
It's fun (and possible) to copy -- or loosely adapt -- ideas from pinterest or other inspirational sites<br />
A top pattern can be turned into a dress pattern<br />
Basting seams is worth the extra time -- they are so much easier to unpick, and they allow me to check the fit before I permanently commit to it<br />
I can take pictures of myself when necessaryAngelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-34240533095332296282013-11-24T20:53:00.000-06:002013-11-24T20:53:00.029-06:00Simplicity A1738 -- Turquoise Waterfall JacketIn October I experienced some computer issues that kept me from being able to put photos on my blog. Also, access to my laptop has become more limited as my high schoolers need to use it for some of their schoolwork. That, combined with overwhelmed feelings on my part, led to an unplanned blog hiatus. And like with most things, once you get out of the habit, it's hard to start back again.<br />
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However, I did continue to sew a little. I love the title of Barbara's blog, <a href="http://sewingontheedge.blogspot.com/">sewing on the edge</a>, because it conveys what is probably the reality for most people -- I fit sewing (or any other creative endeavor) around the edges of my days, in spare moments here and there. So, back in late September/early October, in the midst of everything else, I made this waterfall jacket (I think that's what you call it, anyway).<br />
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I have Lynne of <a href="http://wonderfullymade1.blogspot.com/">Wonderfully Made</a> to thank for it. She made <a href="http://wonderfullymade1.blogspot.com/2013_05_01_archive.html">this beautiful version</a> and then had a give away of the pattern (it's now out of print) and I won!!! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_ax0U7x2h4GK7SKHW9E2a1_xrMy40KXcGzWPG33jeM-11SFx5LvsdQ9cTuOGrG5nSCPB10r9V4XgxsLdnQhqHsAsKvLEpf1hibKFQ6IYGPZ96xtp58rmQJPwdUlNKBLaAxUz1fGb37U/s1600/collectedyarns2013+-+191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_ax0U7x2h4GK7SKHW9E2a1_xrMy40KXcGzWPG33jeM-11SFx5LvsdQ9cTuOGrG5nSCPB10r9V4XgxsLdnQhqHsAsKvLEpf1hibKFQ6IYGPZ96xtp58rmQJPwdUlNKBLaAxUz1fGb37U/s640/collectedyarns2013+-+191.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
Not only did she send me the pattern, but also this cute zippered pouch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pxk9AB9ntz3UeAzW1t7Cvux1RUwqfE6eyjdMn-fizcHK4MEcUrmZcGOFCYTR_4ipjGQewBaYlk5eXe-rmImdlTkjlA-YR1LYjSl_yCRnNrFD8eWnFF4W8GMN3x_LKBUmPxn2Ksw2bZU/s1600/collectedyarns2013+-+192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pxk9AB9ntz3UeAzW1t7Cvux1RUwqfE6eyjdMn-fizcHK4MEcUrmZcGOFCYTR_4ipjGQewBaYlk5eXe-rmImdlTkjlA-YR1LYjSl_yCRnNrFD8eWnFF4W8GMN3x_LKBUmPxn2Ksw2bZU/s640/collectedyarns2013+-+192.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's lined with wipe-off fabric and would make a fantastic cosmetics pouch, but right now I am using it as my camera bag, which I needed more. I love it -- thank you so much, Lynne!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfRYI8gewkZhOso258URD06GPQdyhobnN5_2zsVLwsKWhyphenhyphen52fxTzUMstkiRNhM67T_TXJuKHx4NLAuhpNI3j4mRdfgqnnXYEySHzU81BHUA9O7Mny2_eUKDf0zjj3z7S2tNYOuJgD9hc/s1600/collectedyarns2013+-+194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfRYI8gewkZhOso258URD06GPQdyhobnN5_2zsVLwsKWhyphenhyphen52fxTzUMstkiRNhM67T_TXJuKHx4NLAuhpNI3j4mRdfgqnnXYEySHzU81BHUA9O7Mny2_eUKDf0zjj3z7S2tNYOuJgD9hc/s640/collectedyarns2013+-+194.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I was very surprised to win her giveaway, and also I was very intimidated (Lynne's version is gorgeous!). It was the beginning of our very hot summer, so it took me until autumn to feel like I could actually make a jacket and also to decide on fabric. I ended up using some turquoise cotton interlock fabric I had purchased from <a href="http://www.goldendoroutlet.com/">Golden D'or</a> back in February. I have a brown knit jacket made of similar material so I hoped this would work, even though the recommended fabrics were fleece (!) and suedecloth. <br />
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I cut my usual 14 in the shoulders and added a little to the side seams. Now there are some things I wish I'd done differently. I think I should have gone down a size to accommodate my more stretchy fabric. The cotton interlock is a little too floppy. I ended up top-stitching around the edges of the entire jacket to give the seams a little more structure. I did not use knit stay tape on the seams, and I really wish I had. But, it is very comfortable and I love the color. A tab adds interest across the back:<br />
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And one more sort of goofy view of me, however you can see the jacket pretty good. The sleeves are long, but I usually wear them pushed up.<br />
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I am much more a jacket person than a cardigan person. I am thinking of making another one of these, only next time out of suedecloth, which would give it a whole different look. Lately I have noticed some really cool suedecloth at both my local Joann Fabrics and Hancocks which could work.<br />
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It is wonderful to be inspired and encouraged by friends on line. I have "met" so many generous, nice people, and Lynne is one. Finally, Lynne, I have finished my jacket! Thank you so much!Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-41369913148494323922013-11-20T21:37:00.000-06:002013-11-20T21:37:10.090-06:00Under Pressure<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj60OvEib15gG7-OlaYpJ-x5eVhq_xceXyRr9T25mwF_8McGHJX5y2oI_QRp-NKBEBY6622LJyA0oWXnD7Mz4LGHN0T6myzAeVoDGzIqXSPq29Raau5_BoloY64vCyS6EJbGyDsYhA27os/s1600/collectedyarns2013+-+185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj60OvEib15gG7-OlaYpJ-x5eVhq_xceXyRr9T25mwF_8McGHJX5y2oI_QRp-NKBEBY6622LJyA0oWXnD7Mz4LGHN0T6myzAeVoDGzIqXSPq29Raau5_BoloY64vCyS6EJbGyDsYhA27os/s640/collectedyarns2013+-+185.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chemical Weathering of Limestone</td></tr>
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Inside this mason jar a limestone rock is soaking in vinegar and is slowly disintegrating. The rock started out much larger and very smooth. (This is an example of "chemical weathering" for those of you who don't have a student in general science this year;) I have been observing this rock disintegrate for several weeks now because it is sitting on the windowsill above my kitchen sink.<br />
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On the other end of the windowsill is a different mason jar filled with dirt, sand, gravel, and water. After jostling the mess around for a day or so, the contents of the jar were left to settle and over time they settled into distinct layers. Most of the sand is on the bottom, then a layer of gravel and dirt, then a layer of light sediment, with fairly clear water on top.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAl_24QDB4k3gsOemaKZ25ZNUKp_irbjfxWXTMpbVaIdbGugHXfXvSfnlaWo-n5XY773gfTnDzHDBmLmzcg2vmjCwycAMjIYTo8Cshcs1mK58SLugg_-04KdbImkjqMObzfeHuvare3o/s1600/collectedyarns2013+-+186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAl_24QDB4k3gsOemaKZ25ZNUKp_irbjfxWXTMpbVaIdbGugHXfXvSfnlaWo-n5XY773gfTnDzHDBmLmzcg2vmjCwycAMjIYTo8Cshcs1mK58SLugg_-04KdbImkjqMObzfeHuvare3o/s640/collectedyarns2013+-+186.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Laying Down of Sediments</td></tr>
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Sitting nearby on the counter is a bowl, which used to contain a big square of pristine steel wool. The steel wool has been transformed into its current state by nothing more dramatic than soaking in household vinegar for a few weeks (just like the limestone rock, a victim of "chemical weathering").<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoIHNBjjqYLSOxElHsf4oCSNnPsBtJrzd7vVnoQ9gjgaI9mxT1oI1q0w8TWrOQ-XBCB9En1I-2WfzftkyupSP2n3TGJeRibQWdO-Bo5cFnksBk3nKdu4u7xlTfbMjthZ7tUr9qmZUi08/s1600/collectedyarns2013+-+187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoIHNBjjqYLSOxElHsf4oCSNnPsBtJrzd7vVnoQ9gjgaI9mxT1oI1q0w8TWrOQ-XBCB9En1I-2WfzftkyupSP2n3TGJeRibQWdO-Bo5cFnksBk3nKdu4u7xlTfbMjthZ7tUr9qmZUi08/s640/collectedyarns2013+-+187.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chemical Weathering of Steel Wool</td></tr>
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There was a time I tried to keep fresh flowers on my windowsill, and hopefully that time will come again. But right now science experiments surround me, and in some sense they serve as metaphors for what is going on internally as well. A lot of weathering, a lot of rubbing away of sharp points, a lot of transforming.<br />
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This fall has been a time of pressure in my home. Five teenagers/young adults in the house is a lot of food and laundry to keep up with, but just as importantly, it is a lot of conversations. Conflict resolution conversations, talking-someone-off-the-cliff conversations, listening-to-venting conversations, reassuring conversations, attempts-to-motivate conversations, crisis-avoiding conversations, temper-cooling conversations, faith-building conversations, asking-(and hearing)-questions conversations, late-late-night conversations, late-late-night-waiting-for-the-last-person-to-make-it-home praying conversations. <br />
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This has also been a time of increased academic pressure as everyone has more homework, more papers to get done, more decisions about the future to make, etc. And some students are more motivated than others.....<br />
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Financial pressure has also increased this year, a combination of poor planning with some unforeseen and unavoidable expenses.<br />
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Plus, I am at the age where I am starting to have health pressures, both my husband and I have parental (our parents) worries, and there is not any one standing in line to buffer any of it anymore.....it's just us. I have felt very <b><i>squeeeeeezed</i></b>.......why? Well, I need a lot more wisdom, discernment, patience, hope, discipline, authority, energy, frugality, creativity, encouragement, perspective, endurance and love than I've got. <br />
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I think I have unconsciously been living my life under the delusion that things will get easier when (substitute whatever) happens, when a new decade arrives. That is not how it works (at least so far as I can tell). Every season has its good parts and every season has its hard parts. Also, everybody's story is different; we don't all have the same burdens, nor the same joys. It does me no good to compare my story to yours -- I am called to live MY story, and it may require different things from me than yours does from you.<br />
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Which brings me back to the limestone rock. There is another way that limestone rock can change. If, deep in the earth, it is subjected to intense heat and pressure over a long period of time, it can be transformed, or metamorphosed, into marble, through a process called 'recrystallization.' I am hoping that all this pressure will have this good result in me (and everyone else in my family), that the character of Christ is being formed in us. It is certainly not something that can be seen on a day-to-day basis, but I hope to one day look back and think wow...the Lord has done something beautiful with all of these messy lives.<br />
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On my windowsill is one more science experiment: a bowl of crystals that were formed by dissolving alum powder in water (you can get directions <a href="http://chemistry.about.com/od/growingcrystals/tp/Make-Crystals.htm">here</a>). Not quite diamonds and not quite marble, they still are incredibly beautiful. The same God who has power to change things on a molecular level has the power to change people on a spiritual level, bringing forth beauty and order and love and peace and perseverance -- all the fruits of the Spirit -- from people who once walked in darkness.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77wr8oalHaxdAjLXb6mc6I5nwKgaT7MDRhTiCv5iOA_Bd971u2W_3KWx-pgovbmVyxdeE67C54AZvtr6I0Ge8X8007PjFnA7XI6R9SAoCIK9sGXYwIeDGSkFPyg8nIvf80utY6kwnWXc/s1600/collectedyarns2013+-+188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77wr8oalHaxdAjLXb6mc6I5nwKgaT7MDRhTiCv5iOA_Bd971u2W_3KWx-pgovbmVyxdeE67C54AZvtr6I0Ge8X8007PjFnA7XI6R9SAoCIK9sGXYwIeDGSkFPyg8nIvf80utY6kwnWXc/s640/collectedyarns2013+-+188.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alum Crystals</td></tr>
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Squished behind all the science experiments on my windowsill is an index-card stand. For a long, long time the only verse written there has been <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+16%3A33&version=KJV">John 16:33</a>. Every time I would think about changing it, I would think No, I still need that verse. I finally feel like I can add another verse, one that has been hanging around my thoughts for awhile, to remind me that God is able to do so much MORE than all that we ask or think:<br />
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<i>"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen" -- Ephesians 3:20-21 (KJV)</i><br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2483447783501410646.post-68291286485528455592013-10-13T22:25:00.000-05:002013-10-13T22:25:19.591-05:00McCalls 6032 -- The Problem Purple DressAfter seeing a solid purple dress on pinterest <a href="http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/simona002/post263820679/">here</a> (which actually seems to be for a sewing pattern, just not in my language), I got it in my mind that I wanted a purple dress, too. I found some purple pique knit fabric at Joann's, which I used with the smooth side out. I had a pattern (now out of print) that I thought might work: <a href="http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6032-products-10730.php?page_id=522">McCalls 6032</a>. I was a little leery of those gathers underneath the bust, but I decided to give it a try. I made view A, the one the model is wearing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_1E7ClLSCDCi8DKNz8opnLCfrzX8LsdOQgZDjTEM8r8Gzy_ygH-DnDl7hE7JwM5gX-sySdXvxdgtEn9Bp1QJ2rJxOUE2tVYkxeC0bPpiMIXbw9BF2FyjcshspbYjUF326m1ehjYhylc/s1600/collectedyarns2013+-+181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_1E7ClLSCDCi8DKNz8opnLCfrzX8LsdOQgZDjTEM8r8Gzy_ygH-DnDl7hE7JwM5gX-sySdXvxdgtEn9Bp1QJ2rJxOUE2tVYkxeC0bPpiMIXbw9BF2FyjcshspbYjUF326m1ehjYhylc/s640/collectedyarns2013+-+181.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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This pattern required A LOT of alteration to become wearable. I cut a size 14 and added one inch to the side seams, which is my usual alteration. However, it is so large in the neckline that I should have gone down a size. The holes where the center loop goes through were too large, so I sewed them up smaller. Also there is an inside lining piece that goes down to the waist. The directions have you make a casing and run elastic through the bottom of the lining. That added a lot of bulk to my ribcage and it caused the lining to crawl up and bunch, so.....after painstakingly inserting the elastic, I had to painstakingly remove the elastic:( One thing I did not do that I should have done: stabilize the neckline (which is a deep V front and back) with knit stay tape. I didn't do it because it's a bit awkward to figure out HOW to do it on this type of neckline, but it would have helped the neckline lay closer to the body. It's a low neckline and a little va-va-va-voom.<br />
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The skirt was very full -- a lot fuller than it looks on the model -- and I took out a lot of width on the side seams below the waist. I can't remember how much, but at least 8 inches! All these alterations were not enough to prevent the dress from the dreaded maternity look, which is fine if that's what you're going for, but I am trying to avoid that. Ugh......I was really bummed because I loved the fabric. I hung the dress in the magic closet, hoping that when I pulled it out again a month and a half later, my opinion might have changed.<br />
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Unlike this <a href="http://collectedyarns.blogspot.com/2013/10/butterick-4789-polka-dots-and-zebra.html">top</a>, the dress did not improve with its time in the closet. I thought about cutting it up and using the fabric for something else, but it had a center front and center back seam so there was no large piece of fabric. I racked my brains trying to think of some way to salvage the dress. Emboldened by the fact that I had nothing to lose, I took in the center seam by one inch from hem all the way to the lining, which helped get rid of some of the excess front fabric and it tightened the neck up a little, too.<br />
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Here's the much-altered dress:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8pLclnxQm_8KhNIDc9GbTs3vY_FyKXRtYxB2Zn1AGIfYdAsSpm9L39Am1dLezhzHiHopTl1sMsXXfwpcUynxYpA2_rvpeyntsQow9m8vfe946lJiKygT_lrGnFghT2g5Lk3-f_u2Z5TA/s1600/collectedyarns2013+-+183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8pLclnxQm_8KhNIDc9GbTs3vY_FyKXRtYxB2Zn1AGIfYdAsSpm9L39Am1dLezhzHiHopTl1sMsXXfwpcUynxYpA2_rvpeyntsQow9m8vfe946lJiKygT_lrGnFghT2g5Lk3-f_u2Z5TA/s640/collectedyarns2013+-+183.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
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A view of the back:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6Db4_nvv-npX7Lk69qHjSssLB7L5p0KI3mqDGDXxBTFwvFWhuf_lGZCHhzND-h-R7h-oIFralqekaFVhEKJeOsRWTcJaMqqNGzBz0TWTNZjRpy-LVkV5pdCyLt463V1fBGyUAaHz6oA/s1600/collectedyarns2013+-+180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6Db4_nvv-npX7Lk69qHjSssLB7L5p0KI3mqDGDXxBTFwvFWhuf_lGZCHhzND-h-R7h-oIFralqekaFVhEKJeOsRWTcJaMqqNGzBz0TWTNZjRpy-LVkV5pdCyLt463V1fBGyUAaHz6oA/s640/collectedyarns2013+-+180.jpg" width="274" /></a></div>
I can't say that I recommend this pattern -- it required almost a complete overhaul for me to get something wearable out of it.<br />
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The part I am most excited about are these bra-keepers I added to the inside of the shoulder seams:</div>
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These were super easy to add with just a small piece of ribbon, two snaps, and a little hand sewing, and they work great. I am going back and adding these to some of my other problematic dresses and tops. They keep your bra straps from showing and they keep the dress from sliding around and off your shoulders. This is the one part of this dress that I truly recommend:)<br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11718137744623626322noreply@blogger.com14