McCalls 6654 -- Skirt Remake

Winter version -- don't be frightened by my red eyes;)

This is a skirt I made back in March.  Let me preface this by saying that I do not like sewing skirts.  I prefer to wear dresses because they are stand alone, so to speak.  Skirts mean you must also have a suitable top, and those are not very plentiful in my closet.  In addition, most of the dresses I've made hang from the shoulder, allowing me to bypass my waist.  Sewing a skirt, however, requires me to fit my waist and my hips, and on me there is not a whole lot of difference.  Hence my dilemma with skirt patterns:  do I choose the pattern based on my waist and then make the hips smaller, or do I choose it based on my hips and then make the waist wider?

However.....at least two years ago my mother gave me a thrifted maxi skirt made out of tencel fabric.  I love maxi skirts and dresses, but this one was slightly too big and it was rather full.  I never wore it--even once-- because I just didn't have anything to wear with it.  I do love the feel of the fabric, though, and it's not a fabric easily found in my local fabric stores.  Rather than donating all that fabric to the thrift store, I decided to try to transform it into a short, straight skirt.  Straight skirts generally look better on me than A-lines.

I have tried the book Sew What! Skirts book several times, but unlike my friend Elizabeth at MrsThomasinaTittlemouse, I have had no luck.  The skirts have turned out too big (no matter who I was making them for) and unflattering.  I'm either having a problem with the math or the measuring (or both).

So I opted to use a conventional pattern, McCalls 6654, view B.  It is an easy pattern with several skirt variations, designed especially for knits.  The hardest part was deciding what size to use, what with my aforementioned size issues, plus the fact that each knit stretches differently.  After cutting off the waistband and cutting the skirt apart at the side seams, I wrapped the fabric around me to where it looked right, and then measured the fabric against the sizes on the pattern to see which to choose. This seemed to work, although with a different knit the size might need to be changed.

While I was at it, I thought I really need more room in the front and less in the back, so I ended up cutting a size 14 in the front and a size 12 in the back.  The front and back are both cut on the fold.  I raised the cutting line on the front fold by 1/2 inch because I read that can help to disguise a fuller tummy.  I don't know if all that really made much difference, but the skirt did at least fit.

It was impossible for me to get a good photo of the seams

I left a seam in the back center because it was in the original skirt.  The waistband was cut between a 12 and 14.  I used a 1/2 inch seam allowance instead of a 5/8 inch when attaching the waistband to the skirt because I was afraid the one-inch elastic wouldn't fit in the casing otherwise.  Once I decided on all the calculations, the actual sewing took only part of an afternoon.

This is closer to the actual color

It is just a simple plain little skirt, but I like that it transcends seasons.  I can wear it in the winter with boots, as here, but I will also be able to wear it this summer with flats.  At least now it gets worn.  And other than choosing the proper size, McCalls 6654 is a very easy pattern -- good to have in your sewing arsenal.

Spring Has Sprung

Sage in my side yard

"For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;" -- Song of Solomon 2:11-12 (KJV)


Despite having a fairly mild winter, our spring this year has been rather cool (for Texas).  Today I have my windows open and it's very pleasant, but another cold snap is predicted for later this week. So it seems that spring is lingering a bit longer than usual.

These photos were taken a week or so ago, all in my yard.  I really enjoy peeking in at your worlds through your blogs, but if that is all I do, then it can make me feel dissatisfied with my life and inadequate. It's very easy for me to overlook the beauty around me as I do the daily rounds of cooking, laundry, picking up messes, etc.  Part of the reason I started my own blog (and maybe why some of you did as well) was to remind myself that there is beauty and wonder and fun and even finished projects in my world, too:)

I know the dandelion is supposed to be a weed, but it is a marvelous combination of engineering, beauty and whimsy.

Irises do very well here (in North Texas).  These white ones -- I think of them as 'ghost irises' -- have naturalized in the tiny finger of woods in my backyard.  I also have some tall purple ones, which are just now coming into bloom.  I can't take credit for any of them; they are gifts left behind by former homeowners.

This is a blossom on one of my trees, the live oak if I recall correctly.  We have oak trees aplenty here -- live oaks, post oaks, and other miscellaneous ones.

Some more sage.  Sage is one of the few plants that has done well for me with almost no effort -- a plus in my book.

We have two lovely crepe myrtle trees in our front yard.  Their leaves are just beginning to come in, but the bark is beautiful year round.

And here are my two sheep, Mocha and Latte, enjoying some fresh grass in the backyard.  Originally purchased to eat our sand spurs and awful stickers, they have basically become ornamental pets.  Not the most practical of decisions, in case you are similarly tempted:)

Butterick 5706 -- Lace Dress

I made this dress at the very beginning of March -- just in time to wear it to my friend Janette's daughter's wedding.  I also wore it as my Easter dress.  The black and silver lace is from Joann Fabrics.  It was the end of the bolt and I paid around $13 for all of it (I still have a sizeable piece left to use for something else later).  I have been wanting to try making a lace dress.  I have a few patterns that use lace, but I chose Butterick 5706 view D, partly because it was labeled "easy" and  also I didn't want to have to cut the lace up into lots of pieces.  There were only three pattern pieces to cut out:  the front, the back, and the sleeves (plus the lining).

Close up of the sleeve and fabric

The lining fabric is a muted silver satiny solid from Hancock Fabrics.  I'm not sure of its name, but it does not fray at all, which is nice.  I cut a size 14, but I added 1 inch to the side seams starting under the arms and I added 1/2 inch to the length.  I also added 1/2 inch to the sleeve length and did a full bicep adjustment on the sleeves. In retrospect I wish I hadn't done any of this except for the bicep adjustment because the dress turned out a little big, and that made it look frumpy.  It needed to fit closer to look right and I ended up taking most of what I added to the seams back out.  I also wish I had made the dress shorter, but because the lace is cut on the edge there's no way to shorten it.  I will just take comfort that I've heard hemlines are getting longer again;)

The pattern was labeled "easy" and there were no problems with the directions.  However, sewing with this lace was like sewing blind -- I could not see what I was doing or even where I had already stitched, and marking the fabric was almost impossible.  (I used a universal needle and a narrow zigzag to sew the lace parts).  Also, this was the first time that I have put in a conventional zipper.  Probably not the wisest move to put your first zipper in on a lined, lace dress, and it certainly is not perfect. But I'm very happy to report it works, and now I will not have to be afraid of zippers.

Erratic zipper application

This dress is very comfortable to wear, and I already have plans to use the pattern again. I will say that it turned out more "afternoon" and less "evening" than I had anticipated.  That's really okay because my life has lots more afternoon events than it does evening ones anyway.

Easter 2013

White irises in my backyard

It's hard to believe that Easter has come and gone.  We had a good day.  We colored eggs on Saturday, went to church on Sunday, we had friends over for lunch, and the rest of the day relaxed.  Although there were Easter baskets, there was no hiding of eggs, and it struck me that there will probably be no more hiding of eggs around here until some future time when little grandchildren will be present.  It's a little poignant to think that era of life is over for me....

However, this Easter was made extra special because earlier in the week my youngest son had met with the elders of our church and professed his faith in Jesus and his desire to become a communing member of our church.  So Sunday he joined, and this past week all my children stood with me and we all took communion together for the first time.

As a mother this was a very happy moment for me.  I, like probably every Christian parent, asked that the Lord not give me any children that would not love Him and be His.  Is this the end of having to worry about and pray for my children?  No, of course not.

I have a lot of children teenagers/young adults, and there are many, many things I worry about for them and about them.  Often that is the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep.  There are many dark things that my children have already had to walk through, and many more to go I know.  There have been hurtful things done and foolish choices made.
Hard things have had to be dealt with, and will have to be dealt with, as long as we live here in this fallen world.

I have absolutely no confidence in my abilities as a parent, either.  However, my confidence rests in the word of God, which says this:

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"  Philippians 1:6

And also this:

 "...for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." 2 Timothy 1:12

For now, I rejoice in the resurrection.  Light has overcome darkness; Life has swallowed up death and sin, and will continue to swallow them up until they exist no more.  Alleluia.

McCalls 6520 -- Jungle Shirtdress

I originally purchased this blue zebra knit fabric (from Joann Fabric) for another dress, and I originally purchased McCalls 6520  because my daughter was looking for a shirtdress pattern, however when I saw view D and that it was for a knit, something clicked in my head and I changed course.  But because I had originally bought the fabric for something else, I barely had enough.  The sleeves had to be cut on the crosswise, and I ended up with only about 8 square inches of zebra fabric left.  I cut a size 14, adding an inch to the sides starting under the arm, and adding two inches to the length (I'm glad I did because I ended up with a tiny hem).

This pattern was labeled 'Easy.'  I'm going to have to disagree with that because I had loads of trouble making it.  There was nothing wrong with the pattern, though; the problems were with me.  First of all, this knit is very beefy; it feels good and substantial.  These good qualities made it more difficult to work with, however. I used fusible tricot interfacing, an 80/12 universal needle from Schmetz, and a short narrow zigzag stitch setting on my machine.  Usually this is enough.  But the button plackets down the front were impossible to sew because the plackets, being interfaced, had no stretch and yet the dress front, which was not interfaced, had plenty.  I was ending up with a several inch differential! After trying a few times and being unhappy with the uneven results, I unpicked the placket stitches and put my walking foot attachment on my machine.  That worked soooo much better.  (By the way, that's the first time I have successfully used my walking foot:) In addition, I  also used my knit stay tape down the front of the dress to stabilize where the plackets were attached.  Finally everything went on evenly, without stretching out.

Next, I misunderstood the collar directions.  You are only supposed to interface one of the pieces of the collar band; I interfaced both.  I thought it wouldn't make any difference, but it did.  When it came time to sew the band to the neckline of the dress, I could NOT get it to fit because there needed to be some stretch in the band and there wasn't any (again due to the interfacing).  I had to painstakingly unpick the collar, recut that one piece of the collar band, resew the collar band, THEN sew it to the neckline.  Thankfully, the collar went on just right that time.

Tissue-fitting made me fearful the sleeves would be too tight in the biceps, so I did a full bicep adjustment (as per here on The Slapdash Sewist) on the sleeves before I cut them out.  I also added two inches to the sleeve length, which turned out to be unnecessary.  I tried to make it work, but the too-long sleeves just did not look right.  However, shortening the sleeves was not straightforward because they were designed for cuffs.  I actually had to cut the cuffs off (with great trepidation) and resew them further up the sleeve -- and they are still a little bit long!  (Moral:  despite the pattern instructions, do not finish the bottoms of sleeves until they are sewn into the bodice and you can try them on.  This includes attaching cuffs.)

Then, tragedy almost struck.  Right in the front, I found a place where I had inadvertently snipped a hole in the fabric with my scissors!!!  AARRGGHH!!   Let me just say I'm thankful this was a busy print.  After taking a deep calming breath, I sewed the hole closed, reinforcing it from behind with a tiny scrap of fabric.  See?  Barely noticeable (I hope).  Another crisis averted.

A view of the patch on the underside

The repair is on your right, but I don't think you will be able to see it

All that work, and the worst most challenging part was yet to come:  many, many buttonholes (13 altogether).  I have a Singer Professional Buttonholer attachment for my machine, but I had never used it before, so I knew there was a learning curve ahead of me.  Finally I figured it out, my samples and even the cuffs turned out acceptably.  But the seam allowance on the placket was too bulky for the buttonholer to work right.  I tried and tried (much broken threads, two or three broken needles) and yet the buttonholes were terrible.  Despite this, I kept on making them because I didn't know what else to do.  Let me just say, they were a disaster and came close to ruining the whole dress.  What was I going to do now?  Finally I got out my manual and refreshed my memory about making four-step buttonholes.  I remade the buttonholes on top of the bad ones.  They are not the greatest, but again, thanks to the busy print, they are not too noticeable.  I sewed the buttons on by hand using heavy-duty thread (thank goodness Downton Abbey was two hours long that night:).  The buttons were purchased from Etsy, and I do think they are perfect for this dress.  (One other plus about sewing for yourself:  you can place the buttons where you want on your dress or shirt, which avoids a lot of wardrobe problems;)

Despite all the setbacks, I do love this dress and am glad I persevered.  It is super comfortable and I've already worn it bunches.  All the problems were good learning experiences.  I had never sewn a collar with a collar stand before, never done a bicep adjustment, never used my walking foot or buttonholer attachment.  The next time all these things "should" be easier.

The pattern for the next dress I want to make also has the designation of 'Easy.'  That's making me a little nervous.....

Travel Tips for Large Families

The red Globus bag is the toiletry bag

Because this past year involved so much traveling (I estimate I traversed at least 10,000 miles) I thought I would post a few travel tips.  These are especially for those of you with large families.  A smaller group may have different ways of doing it.

I, however, have a family of seven, none of whom are small (only one is still shorter than 5'8", and I expect that in the next couple of years he will have surpassed that height as well).  Because of our large number and size and small budget, most of the time we are driving, although we have had one occasion that involved us all flying and then renting a car.  I did make one flying trip alone last year when I stayed with my mom.

These tips are in no particular order and are not hard-and-fast rules, but things that over the years I have found (oftentimes the hard way) to be helpful.

TIP #1:  Each person should have his/her own suitcase.  It is also much better if those suitcases are carry-on size and have wheels.  That way EVERYONE, no matter their age (or lack of it), can be responsible for their own luggage, they actually can transport their luggage without personal strain, it will all fit in the back of the car (if you are driving an SUV, which you probably are if you are hauling around seven adult-sized people), and if you do fly you will pay no extra fees for checked baggage.  It is SO much easier to keep organized if everyone has their own bag.  When traveling by car, I do pack one extra bag just for toiletries.  When flying, you will not have that luxury.

TIP #2:  This applies to car travel:  Everyone needs to have their own filled water bottle.  Desperate situations can be avoided by having water available to drink.  It does need to be water; anything else can leave a sticky mess in the car and doesn't truly quench thirst.  The water bottles can be refilled for free at rest stops, restaurants, and hotels, so make sure everyone has one.

TIP #3:  Keep some extra blankets in the car so that people who are cold can wrap up while people who are hot can still have the air conditioning on (you WILL have both types of people at the same time and they WILL complain simultaneously).  Also bring a few pillows.

TIP #4:  Pack lightly, but pack at least one thing you can wear to something dressy (think:  church clothes).  My kids also always pack a bathing suit just in case we get to stay at a hotel with an indoor pool.

TIP #5:  Choosing a hotel:  if possible, choose one with an indoor pool and free breakfast.  If you are a large family, that free breakfast will save you a lot of money (and time).

TIP #6:  After eating your free breakfast, only stop for snacks at one of your gas station breaks.  Eat only one big meal a day when you are on the road.  This way you will save time, money and calories.

TIP #7:  Audiobooks are great for long car trips, provided you can find something your whole family will enjoy.  We listened to almost all the Harry Potter books that way.  Otherwise, expect people to be listening to their iPods, etc. with occasional group listening going on.

TIP #8:  Bring the following medicines:  ibuprofen(for headaches or fever), benadryl (just in case for allergies), dramamine (for motion sickness), TUMS (for stomach upset), a few bandaids (for cuts).    Also, keep a canister of wet wipes in the car, along with a couple of plastic bags for trash or wet clothing.  At some point you will need all of these things.

TIP #9:  Don't forget chargers for your electronics, money, keys, sunglasses, prescriptions, eyeglasses, etc.  Think about what your family needs for this particular trip.

TIP #10:  This is not necessarily a travel tip, but make sure everyone in your house has something in their closets they can wear to a wedding or a funeral.  When my mother-in-law died, we actually had to go shopping for clothes for my four sons.  They don't normally have to wear anything dressy, and because they are all different sizes and are always growing, they had hardly anything appropriate to wear.  As the seasons change, check your family's wardrobe and take care of this BEFORE you have to.

TIP #11:  That many related people in that close quarters for that many hours (in our case, usually 18+) will NOT get along that whole time, so expect there to be some bumpy times and a few meltdowns.  This is why I do not want people other than my immediate family in the car with us -- every once in a while we need to be free to yell at each other.

TIP #12: This may only apply to my family, but before you leave the house, check to make sure everyone has shoes (see here for what can happen if you neglect this tip).

Traveling is a lot of work, but my whole married life I have had to do it because we've always lived far away from our families, and we do the traveling at least 95% of the time.  I will say it gets a little easier as your kids get older (we no longer have to make sure we stop at a playground, for instance), but it's still hard.  To be honest, getting ready for a trip actually makes me feel sick because there is so much to do.  But once we are finally on the road, I relax. In fact, I am usually happy because my family is all together under one (car) roof.  We've certainly made a lot of memories over the years.

I hope you find this list helpful.  And if you would like to add some tips of your own, please do so.

The Long Winter

Painted by my mother-in-law's mother

I am lounging on the bed writing this.  I am the last of my family (of 7) to succumb to 4 - 7 days of fever, cough and sinus pain.  I don't know what to call it, I don't think it's technically the flu but it wipes you out.  Thankfully, everyone else is better now except for me and my youngest, who is still hacking today.  It's amazing how tired just lying around makes you feel......

The month of October my mother had emergency heart surgery and I went east to stay with her for her first week out of the hospital.  In December my family had a couple of weeks when the stomach bug went round.  This month of February has passed in a fog of illness as well.  Neither were too serious, but they do put a damper on things.  And sadly, the month of January was marked by the unexpected death of my mother-in-law.

It has been quite a shock to us all and really we haven't had a chance to process it.  Though Mary (her name) was the oldest of the grandparents at 84, in many ways she was the most alive and vibrant of them all.  We had just seen her at Christmas, where she was sweeping up our muddy footprints before we had much managed to enter the house (she was a true Mrs. Thomasina Tittlemouse;)

Only a couple of weeks after we had returned to Texas, in mid-January (on my oldest son's 21st birthday) we got a call that she had died in the night of a massive heart attack.  How we immediately had to get ready to leave on a two-day drive is for another post, but we got there.  It was bitterly cold and somewhat surreal, as I suppose a funeral for someone who dies suddenly always is.  After all, they were there themselves only a few days before.  

Unfortunately my father-in-law has been really frail these past two years, and it was very clear that he could not remain in their home alone.  Nor did he want to move to Texas (or Florida, where another child lives) so he that week had to move into an assisted living facility. (My husband has one sister who lives nearby, but she was already taking care of HER mother-in-law).

Even though it is a nice place, all these events understandably have been very stressful and disheartening to him.  So many changes in such a short time.  And again, no one (not even my father-in-law, who is the ultimate planner) was prepared because everyone thought that Mary would outlive him.  No one even considered the reverse.

Because of all the major decisions that had to be made, I think no one has had time to properly mourn my mother-in-law yet.  She was a feisty lady, very petite and very beautiful even in her eighties, VERY opinionated and outspoken:), sometimes very funny and mystifying, but she loved her family very much. I was the only daughter-in-law, and because of that I can say that I was her favorite one;)

I have known Mary for almost 30 years myself, and yet she was older than I am now when I met her.  I remember the first time I was ever in her house.  At that time it was one of the largest houses I had ever been in and beautifully decorated.  She loved her home, and she had the gift of order (which I admire but definitely do not share).  Her home was never sterile, there were always magazines and books to read and snacks to eat, but I could always count on it being its same orderly self, as it was even this past Christmas.

She also was a wonder with geraniums.  It is a little amazing to me that her geraniums live on when she herself is gone, but my sister-in-law has promised to give me some cuttings when I go back this summer to help sort out the house.  I know this is a common feeling, but how bewildering it is that the world just keeps on going when someone you love has been absolutely removed from it, leaving such a hole in your own family.

Mary is a Christian, and I do think of her now in heaven.  I imagine she has a cottage with a flower garden overflowing, and I can't wait to visit her when I arrive in that beautiful city.  I figure that if Jesus in His resurrected state spent time visiting with friends, eating with them, breakfasting on the beach, etc.  then we too will have these sorts of experiences in heaven.  He said Himself He is going to prepare a place for us, and why would there be streets unless we will be walking up and down them visiting one another?

"In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." -- John 14:2-3 KJV