Half and Half

Two projects were in the queue this weekend. Only one completed. Sigh. So much for good intentions.

Here are both. The pants are done. The top needs a couple more hours. And, yes, sleeves. ;-)



I used my scoop pocket addition for these HP Marrakesh pants again.



I just don't really like sideseam pockets, although my first-make oatmeal colored linen pants have them and they fit and look fine. So I might rethink that for these pants, since I think I have to sew them at least once more for summer.

As I mentioned last post, we went to the RenFaire on Saturday. It was a wonderful day weather-wise (pink noses) and fun-wise, but winter is definitely over and it was hot in the sun. Thankfully, there was also lots of shade under the big oak trees. But wearing my linen pants was a smart move. Thank you self. ;-) They were so light and airy and comfortable. And for linen, I wasn't even so much a big wrinkled mess at the end of the day. A little slouchy, yes, But this is Florida. Everyone is slouchy on Saturdays.

Speaking of the RenFaire, DS#1 was called up on stage with a comedian (Johnny Phoenix) and the *both* of them together were hilarious. Tyler is a ham and Johnny loved him. JP will be back in Tampa in May at USF and asked for Tyler's contact info, so maybe Tyler will get some free tickets out of it. To give you a very small idea of the antics, here a cell phone pic from the show:



Yes, red bras. Don't ask - because I couldn't explain it anyway. Just know that there were bras, a straight jacket and chains and that JP had to escape from them all in 60 seconds.

I wish I had brought my camera because there were lots of sights and great costumes. I know if we go again next year, my sons will be demanding some mom-made period clothing for the occasion. And I might just comply — and even join them. It sure looked like fun! I could be a wench for a day, no problem. Or a Queen. ;-)

Small Update

This will be a boring, no-photo post. Sorry. I just wanted to post *something* before another week flies by.

I have been sewing. In fact, I gave myself the afternoon off today for my birthday to sew. Unfortunately, I ended up not sewing very much. But last weekend, I cut another pair of Hot Patterns Marrakesh pants in brown linen. And while I was at it, I also cut another Sunshine top in a bright rayon knit print. The pants are nearly done. I just have to sew down the mostly-completed waistband and then hem them. The Sunshine top will go together in a couple of hours.

There will probably not be much sewing tomorrow. We're all going to the Renaissance fair as a family outing to celebrate the March birthdays (DS#1, me, DS#1's girlfriend). I had wanted to wear my new clothes but since they're not finished yet, I'll go with Plan B. Which is the original Marrakesh pants and Sunshine top. LOL!

Speaking of Hot Patterns, I caved on one of the just-released patterns and bought the Weekender Summer in the City Shirt. I already love shoulder/yoke gathers and those puffy short sleeves were the icing on the cake. While I was there, I also tossed a BoHo-De-Luxe Peasant Top into the cart. It was my birthday after all, so Happy Birthday To Me. :-) (And Belinda, it's a good thing you can't hear ME sing either!)

It Was Twenty (One) Years Ago Today

Happy 21st Birthday Tyler!!

From this:



to this:



In just a few short whirlwind of years!

He's still skating and doing lots of other crazy stuff as always. Do boys ever really grow up? Those are Heeleys (sneaks w/wheels) he's wearing below, and Freelines (skateboard wheels without the board) he's encircled with above.



But is it any wonder he's nuts? Look at who he hangs out with? (He's the one with the visible "V" on his arm.)



No, really, these guys are great friends. They all met up at Busch Gardens where they've worked together the past few years during Howl-O-Scream as "Sliders." (Sliders are the guys who dress up in Matrix-like costumes and run out at park visitors while dragging their steel tipped boots and metal pipes on the ground to create sparks, screams, and general mayhem. Funny stuff! Really.)

We're going out for a family celebration dinner tonight where I'm sure he will order a cocktail just because he can.

PSPS Finished

I finished this a couple of days ago but I've only just tonight been able to slow down to take some pics. Sorry to keep you in suspense Angie. ;-) I hope to write up a proper review at some point.






Overall, I like it a lot. But I do want to make a few more tweaks. First, I want to lower the neckline opening, which means redrawing the lapel and facing pieces. On me as drafted I think it's about an inch too high. Next, the shoulders need to come in a tiny bit more. I'll just eyeball that on the pattern piece. Finally, the sleeves are too long. I like my short sleeves shorter than this. None of these changes are too complicated or time-consuming and two of the tweaks are preference things not fit issues. All in all, this pattern is a definite keeper which went together well and only needed minor fit adjustments.

On another semi-sewing note, I managed to clear out my mending pile tonight so those tedious projects aren't looming over my weekend. Yay! … Although the sewing room looks like a bomb exploded so I do need to spend some time straightening up a bit so I can get it all messy again with whatever my next project is. ;-)

PSPS Teaser

Here's the completed collar and a preview of the fabric. It's beige linen with brown embroidery which I bought at Joann's a couple of years ago to make a skirt. So much for that plan since yesterday the fabric told me it wanted to be this top. Usually, I pick a pattern and have an idea of the fabric I'll be using. For this one, I didn't even look at fabric until I was ready to cut the real stuff.

I have some errands to do this afternoon so I don't know if I'll get it finished tonight or not. All that's left is to sew the sideseams, hem the sleeves and bottom, and buttons/buttonholes. I'm pretty sure I have brown buttons that will work. If not, it will sit until I find some.

I had an Anonymous comment on my last post:

"I had to make the same adjustments when I made this shirt. I made a wearable muslin, wore it but never got back to making the final garment. I was a bit peeved about the amt of work I had to do to make it wearable. I would've been better off drafting my own."

This confused me because I didn't make very many alterations to this pattern at all, and certainly nothing really outside my usuals. I added bust room, removed sleeve cap ease and narrowed the shoulders. Oh, and I blended to a bigger hip size (which incorporates the bigger waist/tummy size too), but I don't really even consider that a real alteration since I can easily do it as I trace/cut. So for alterations, I count 3 and that's it. And all of these were very minor changes compared to other patterns I've altered.

Another PSPS Update

Well, I got distracted by the Oscars and the Barbara Walters "pre-game" show so I haven't finished it yet. But it's coming along. This will definitely be a keeper pattern.

I opted for a slight FBA after all, because I decided that the front was hiking up just a bit without it. So I added 3/8" to the princess seams at bust level and added 1/2" add'l length to the center front, tapering to nothing at the sides. These were quick alterations that I pretty much just eyeballed, and now they're done so I won't have to do them again for this pattern.

I also had to do an "inside-out" full bicep adjustment on the sleeve. What I mean is that the sleeve was plenty big enough at actual bicep level, but it had waaaaay too much ease in the cap (more than 1") so I did kind of the opposite of a full bicep adjustment to remove the excess cap ease. I'll take pics because I'm guessing you have no idea what I mean. ;-) I didn't have to adjust for square shoulders but I did narrow the shoulder length by about 3/8".

I've just sewn the collar on and am deciding to stop there for the night. I'm glad I know how to do notched collars/lapels because even with this revision of the original pattern, the HP instructions are lacking. No wonder so many others have put this collar together in "unusual" ways.

I'll try to take some pics tomorrow.

PSPS Update

(No pics cuz the camera is still up in the sewing room, but I am taking them as I go.)

The PSPS (Plain & Simple Princess Shirt) muslin is cut, sewn and tried on. I cut a straight size 20 per my measurements (with a blend outward for hips) and made no adjustments in order to see what my starting point would be. And, it's quite promising. I need more bust room, but not much, so I can just adjust the princess seams without a full-on FBA. I also need more hip room (sigh, too many months sitting on my butt working on the computer). Again, more adjustments to the seams. Easy fixes.

The horizontals seem to be fine though. Waist and bust levels are in the right places. The armhole size/height seems to be good, but I haven't sewn in the sleeves yet. That's next. And then I need to assess the shoulder slope, since mine are square and I didn't adjust for that pre-muslin.

Onward and upward back to the sewing room. I plan to sew all afternoon and then into the evening as I watch the Academy Awards. If I don't allow myself to get too distracted, I may end up with a new top to wear tomorrow. Fingers crossed. Looks like we're ordering pizza tonight. And I wonder why my butt is so big?? ;-)

The Mojo Makes a Comeback

Traced and ready to cut the muslin, which I'll do tomorrow morning. Now I'm off to have a very late dinner and pop a chick flick into the DVD player.