A Little Sewing Going On

There has been a little sewing going on here, just not at a very fast rate.

I did finish another skirt from Butterick 3717 out of the tan/pink striped twill I recently got from Denver Fabrics.


Nothing fancy, just a plain straight skirt, but very functional. I don't know how I did it (probably rushing to get done) but the zipper top ended uneven at the top, by about 1/8 inch.


I was going to rip out the waistband and redo it but I never wear anything tucked in anymore so I figured it was okay to leave it.

B5351

I really wanted to move on to View A of this dress using this fabric:


Which is a 30's cotton Feedsack reproduction from my stash. It's all cut out and the side seams of the top and skirt are done. But I'm having some trouble fitting it because of the construction. The top band and straps go on after the side seams are done and then the bodice is attached to the skirt portion and then the zipper put in. It's kind of hard to fit it because, in essence it is 2 separate pieces. I am also not crazy about the skirt on me, it really hugs my little potbelly. Not a feature I want to emphasize. So I've put this aside to think about and work on something else.

B5331

A lot of people have made this pattern and I really like how they have turned out so thought I would give it a try. I chose this cotton fabric from my stash to make the muslin, if it works out it goes well with the taupe-brown skirt I made back in June. I just need to add a gold camisole underneath.


I'm making View B with the puffed sleeves. I am hoping they are not TOO puffy. The pattern calls for top-stitching on the princess seams and I remember Michelle at Cheap and Picky had flat-feld hers'. Since my first attempt at flat-feld seams worked out well on the taupe-brown skirt I thought I would give it a go here, after all this is just the muslin.

I was concerned about the curves of the seams but they came out good. The picture on the left is the right side and the right is the underside.


The underside could be a little neater and more even, but I think the right side came out very nice and neat. So I am very pleased with this. Now I just have to finish it. Hopefully this week.

Fido Friday

Lily, 1 1/2yr, and Edgrrr , 8mos, before we left Chicago in 2003.



Just babies back then.

Can I Rant............a little

I know a lot of people have it tougher than me right now but so many things have gone wrong in the last 2 months, that I need to rant.....just a little.

In the past 2 months:

Lily had the tumor removed from her paw.
I found and lost a job in 2 days.
The Husband's breaks went out....while he was on a trip.
The Husband's alternator went out.....at least he was home.
The Husband's filling came out.
Our house was egged over the 4th of July.
Our roof leaked...again. Hopefully The Husband fixed it....again. (Not his fault, it is SO hard to find roof leaks).
The tv broke.....luckily it's just the bulb and is on order and The Husband can fix it.
The sprinkler pump went kaput .....a new one is on order, hopefully The Husband can fix it.
Lily is having trouble with her left front shoulder...hopefully it's just arthritis and not a cancer. We are trying medication.
I have not found another job.

Most of these are very fixable, but costly and we have already been living on a tight budget. We are better off than most, we still have some money put away and a little coming in, but these extras don't help. I know I shouldn't complain, but I'm just asking for a little reprieve here or a little luck.

Something About Me Monday

Sunday, July 20, 1969 - "The Eagle has landed"


I know exactly where I was this day, down the street at my cousin's house. They had 1) a big 4ft above ground swimming pool and 2) a big console color tv.

I remember my Uncle Johnny calling us all in to see the landing. Later that night we watched Neil Armstrong take that first incredible step on the moon. What a day!


"That's one small step for man , one giant leap for mankind."

Fido Friday

Super Bowl Sunday, January 20, 1985

What, you may ask, has this to do with Fidos? Well it happened to be the coldest day ever in Chicago with a temperature of -27 F and windchills at.....well pretty damn cold!

The Husband and I lived on the northside of Chicago about 2 miles from Lake Michigan. We had a good amount of snow on the ground that was frozen solid. You couldn't go anywhere because a) almost every car battery was frozen and b) it was to damn cold to walk!

We had our first two Rotties at that time, Wysti was almost 2 and Echo wasn't even 1 yet. The dogs had to go out to do their business but we worried about their paws getting frozen so we came up with a great idea! Actually I think it was The Husband's great idea. I know it was his tube socks and suspenders we used to make these schnazzy dog leggings.

Here is our story...........

Everything started out okay. They seemed to like their leggings. Echo is on the left and Wysti on the right.
Then they got into a tussle.

Then Echo tried to help Wysti get her's off, or maybe she wasn't really helping.

Eventually Mom had to step in and put a halt to the fun. Obviously our idea didn't work out very well. But it was funny. The Husband's tube socks were never the same again. The dogs went out, sans leggings, did their business at the bottom of the steps and ran back in without freezing to the patio!

These two were just the sweetest dogs, I miss them.

And who won the Super Bowl that year?
San Francisco beat Miami, 38-16

Something About Me Monday

Green

I am very drawn to the color green.


That could be why I have 30 green tops hanging in my closet. At least they are evenly divided between 15 tanks and tees, and 15 long sleeved blouses and sweaters. My favorite greens are apple green, lime and sage......hmmmm all based on foods!

My eyes are a bluish-green.

All of the walls in my house are green.

My Jeep is green.

My RV is green.

My engagement ring is a Tsavorite Garnet (this is a real garnet not created or heat-treated) , which is green.


I love the tree frogs in my yard, which are green.

Green is said to be very calming.

I must need a lot of green!

What a Dress!!!!

Came across this little number at LanetzLiving. Now this is a dress that makes a statement or two, or three! The dress is made in 2 separate reversable pieces that you join by either buttons or zippers. How ingenious is this, you get 3 dresses in one. Just LOVE IT!

Something About Me Monday

I can not float!

No matter how hard I try, no matter how many people have tried to help me, I just can not float.

I am not a good or strong swimmer but if my kayak capsized I'd make it to land (of course, I always wear a vest, but if I didn't I'd still make if just by sheer determination).

The Husband has tried to help me float by holding me up and stuff, but the minute he steps away, down go the feet and then the rest of me. I am not really comfortable in the water so this could be the problem. But it is kind of a catch-22. If I was more comfortable in the water maybe I could float, if I could float I would be more comfortable in the water.

Happy Independence Day, America!

Let Freedom Ring...............................



Also Happy Birthday to my nephew, Jeremy, a proud member of the Chicago Fire Dept..............stay safe.


Happy 35th!

Fido Friday

Lily and her favorite toy, the boat bumper!


Handsome Edgrrr

The Fabric Man Cometh!

Like a lot of people, I too have succumbed to sales on some of the online fabric stores. My downfall was DenverFabrics, especially the twills. At least I have specific plans for these pieces (ROFL....Right, where have we all heard that line before!).

So here's what I got:

Top: Hi-Low black corduroy. This is for a hip-length wrap coat. I bought a flamingo pink flannel-backed satin on sale a few months back for lining and have been looking for a nice corduroy to start this coat for winter. Winters here are mostly mild but we can have some cool days and downright cold nights.
Botton: Black stretch sateen, for a TNT skirt.


Top: Magenta Twill to make view B of B5331. The color looks a little brighter here than it actually is, but it goes nicely with the taupey skirt I just finished and a top that I got to go with it.
Bottom: Cream stretch twill to make pants (yawn!)


Top:Tan/pink stripe twill to make another TNT skirt.
Bottom: Blue/green stripe twill to make shorts or a skirt. I have an inordinate amount of green tops, but nothing in blue, so I thought this would be a nice addition to my wardrobe.



This is my favorite piece, a taupey tan stretch pinwhale corduroy with a delicate floral vine embroidered in green,gold,cream and plum. I got it to make view A of B5331 (above, without the ruffling, I'm too old for that), but almost wish I would have gotten more to make a jacket. The vine pattern goes across the grain (and nap) so it could be tricky (at least for me) to work with, so a vest is probably better anyway. But I just love it and only $4.95 a yard!

I've cut a muslin of B5331 out of a mid-weight quilting cotton. I actually like the fabric and it also goes with the taupey TNT skirt, so I'm hoping it will work out okay. While I work on that I'll probably do something with the blue/green stripe twill as I can get a lot of wearings out of that right away. Everything else, except the black sateen skirt is for when it cools off because................it's still stinkin' hot outside!