Mother/Daughter Washi Dress

I stumbled across someone's version of the Washi Dress while browsing Pinterest a month or two ago, and thought it might be a good pattern for Tertia, whose short stature makes it difficult to find adult sizes and styles that fit and are appropriate, yet who is too large for girls' sizes anymore.  The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea, so I ordered the pattern.  We had a wedding to attend last weekend, and while it was an easy matter to find a store-bought dress that Quarta likes and that fits her, I had been looking for months on and off for Tertia with no success.  So I made this up out of some pretty floral quilting yardage I had been saving.  I made the Medium size, but I cut off about 6 inches of length, and raised the position of the pockets by 2 inches; no other adjustments.  This pattern is supposed to have a pretty high waist, but as you can see it is on the low side for high-waisted.  If I make it again for her, I will take it in more at the shoulders, because it tends to gap at the neckline and the neckline is just a bit lower on her than I'm comfortable with.  I might even grade the bodice from a size S at top to M at bottom, while keeping the other adjustments I made.  I was worried 6 inches was too much to cut off, but not really... it still hits her at the knee.

I then made another size M dress for myself, but since I'm shaped differently from Tertia I needed to do something called a "full bust adjustment" (I debated about the propriety of discussing my dress size online, but I figure the Chinese hackers have already got most everything else available about our family through the OPM data breach, so they can eat their hearts out with the knowledge that there is about a 5" differential between my high bust and full bust measurements).  I also followed the instruction videos for putting in a partial lining, and I love the simplicity of this much better than the facing instructions that are included in the pattern.  It does require you to do some origami-like rolling and stitching things into a tube, but it worked so well with the fabric I used.  It is one of my vintage sheets, so fun!  If I make this again for myself (and I hope to), I will probably grade it from a M at the top to L at the middle, and do a smaller full bust adjustment.  And I will add a bit of length to the upper bodice, because those darts were just a wee bit too high the first time.  However the neckline fit me perfectly.  I didn't try the U-shaped cutout this time, but I would like to try it when I make it again.

I like this pattern for a host of reasons:

• it has excellent support on the designer's webpage, so that a confident beginner/ intermediate seamstress can attempt even the intimidating process of altering a pattern to custom fit.
• it also is one of those viral patterns online, so there are a lot of other people who have made it and blogged about it, which I think 
• it has that high-waist, figure-forgiving line.
• it works really well to flatter a teenage girl with the unique figure challenges of Down syndrome.
• it also has a tunic-length version, which would also flatter said teenage girl and could be made in a variety of fabrics that she would really enjoy.
• the designer has made 3/4 length sleeves available, which translate to long sleeves for said girl, and make it a pattern that works for other months besides summer.
• it's sweet without being juvenile
• it has NO ZIPPER to put in! (or buttons or other closures)
• therefore it sews up pretty quickly.
• it has pockets!
• the shirring at the back, done with elastic thread in the bobbin, is kind of fun to do, and it's fun to give it a shot of steam from the iron when you're done and see it pull in.
• there are a lot of different variations of this dress that I want to make, both for Tertia and for me. A Little Black Dress, maybe (for me).  A wardrobe of dressy casual tunics, for Tertia. At least one more dress for Tertia, for dances or parties in the wintertime.

It was a lovely wedding, with a garden reception.  Tertia and I enjoyed our Washi Dresses.  I'm really glad I found this pattern, and grateful to Rae for designing it and giving such good support and encouragement to make it turn out well.

Random Post-Christmas pictures

The obligatory nice picture...

 The obligatory silly picture.  I don't know why, but all modern kids expect to be allowed to do this as their fee for standing still for 30 seconds.

 Steve and his Mom.

 And the two of us.  Even though the kids and I were all in various stages of a nasty cold, we had a nice family Christmas.  I'm glad I didn't knock myself out cleaning the house, because it really doesn't look that much worse now than it did before.

 Quarta with her new puzzle ball.  It should keep her engaged for quite some time.  The farthest she's gotten so far is about 25%.

 Tertia modeling her new boots.  We also pooled some of her birthday and Christmas money and got her a Samsung Galaxy tablet, which we hope will have some good therapeutic uses for her.  So far she has taken a lot of pictures and videos, sent emails, and read a bit.  Oh, and learned a few French words.

 Quarta got some new boots too.

 I bought silly hats for the kids on a whim.  This is Tertia modeling her penguin hat with her penguin walk.  Penguins have been a favorite animal since "Mr. Popper's Penguins" in 5th grade.

 Quarta's is a polar bear, the boys are not so much silly as, I don't know what to call them.  They keep the ears warm and seem to be popular.

 The pie board: I made an apple, a grape, and a mocha-pecan which made a little too much filling for one small shell, so I had an overflow.

My "haul:" An Amazon Kindle Fire, an assortment of teas and chocolate, a can of air freshener spray (from Tertia via the dollar store), the Princess Bride, some nice eucalyptus-spearmint lotion, and Steve won the prize for coolness this year: remember when I requested, tongue-in-cheek, a Proto-Indo-European dictionary and grammar for Christmas?  I did this because I know enough about languages to know that Proto-Indo-European is a purely theoretical dead language and I didn't think enough of a reconstruction existed to even put a book together.  For linguists, it's the equivalent of the Holy Grail, and I've always had a fascination for really ancient history.  Well, Steve found two books on Amazon, one a scholarly work with the Oxford name behind it, and the other a scholarly work that seems to be an attempt to promote "Modern" Indo-European as a living language for geeks who like the Prometheus movie franchise.  Something about it being the language of the engineers?  I don't know, I've only scratched the surface of that and the Kindle.  So Steve gets lots of points for coolness this Christmas!

 I can finally reveal my secret sewing project - I made two pairs of boxers for each of the boys and 4 for Steve.  If you find photos of such things distasteful, consider this fair warning... but I think of it as documenting my sewing and craft activities.

  Northwest fish and Curious George.

Psychedelic flowers from some vintage fabric - I think it may be rayon - and the multicolored frogs from remnants of fabric my mother gave me back when the boys were really little.

I bought the safety cone fabric in blue and yellow for Steve...

and also the musical notes and Seattle fabric.  It had been a long time since I made boxers and felt good to get an actual, practical and fun sewing project done.

Steve gives a "date with Dad" to each of the kids for Christmas and has taken the girls out so far - Tertia for bowling and Wendy's, and Quarta for Despicable Me II and pizza.  I took three of the kids out clothes shopping yesterday and will probably do more next week.  I've been working on getting to know the new Kindle and trying to get a good night's sleep.  For some reason I have been either not able to fall asleep until 2:30 a.m. or have woken up at 3:30 a.m. for the last 5 nights.  A little sewing has been going on, but not too much.

I blame President Obama and the insidious "pajama boy" commercial for spoiling my enjoyment of staying in my pajamas until late in the morning and even -- this should be criminal -- hot chocolate.  I mean, who spoils Christmas with political propaganda, smirking twenty-somethings in infantile jammies, and bad associations for chocolate?  It's enough to make me want to watch Duck Dynasty.  Well, not really.  What we have been watching: the Hobbit part 1 (preparing to take the girls to see part 2 sometime next week maybe), Wreck-it Ralph, Return of the King extended version, first disk (the girls just finished having Steve read it to them), and Tertia just watched an old grainy video of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  Games, social gatherings and plans to watch Frozen are going on.  And someday, preferably sooner rather than later, I really, really need to clean the house.

Hope to get at least one more retrospective/goal-setting post in before the New Year, and maybe enough of Celtic Solstice to participate in the link-up.  But if not, you'll know I'm enjoying a certain amount of well-earned laziness and studying Proto-Indo-European.

Quilting and Sewing Year in Review

These are the finished quilts I produced this year.  Left column, top to bottom: Crumbs quilt for Cedar Tree auction, Play Ball quilt for auction, Aunt Maggie's Quilt.  Center top: Jack's Chain. Center bottom: Feathered Star wallhanging. Right top to bottom: Framed In quilt, Log Cabin, Anita's Arrowheads.  Not pictured is a mini-Jack's Chain made with extra blocks.

Last year I set some goals for sewing UFO's, inspired by Judy L.'s Patchwork Times.  She would randomly draw a number each month and we were supposed to finish our UFO goal.  Here's my list, with completed goals in red:

1. Aunt Maggie's Quilt: finished top, needs machine quilting and binding
2. Framed in Quilt: finished top, needs machine quilting and binding
3. Log cabin... Sew blocks together into quilt top (and quilting and binding)
4. 1996 Piecemaker's Calendar quilt: prepare half of applique for setting triangles
5. " " (I prepared the appliques but the top isn't finished yet)
6. Classical-themed tote bag
7. Feathered Star: make a decision and finish top (and quilting and binding)
8. Bowling-style knitting bag
9. Jack's Chain: piece half of remaining blocks
10. " " (and quilting and binding, and I even wrote a tutorial)
11. Kit for three-quarters bag from Connecting Threads in Whirlwind Romance
12. Pieced blanket of felted wool squares from old sweaters

There were four months that I didn't even bother to do the project: my bag projects got no love, and I didn't do the felted wool blanket either.  But I did quilt and bind three of the tops on the list, which wasn't required, so I feel like I can declare victory and maybe I'll eventually do those bags.

Judy is doing her UFO challenge in a different way in 2013, I'm probably not going to set yearly goals, but I'm very pleased with how many projects I finished, especially considering some of them were more than 5 years old.

These are my current quilt WIPs/ UFOs.  There's that applique for the 1996 Piecemaker's calendar quilt taunting me still, yes, we're working on our second decade.  Orca Bay is a top in need of quilting; so is the Farmer's Wife.  Easy Street is in process, and on bottom right are some crumbs blocks that I hope will become the next Cedar Tree signature quilt.

Goals for the new year... other than finishing the above WIPs and UFOs, I don't really know.  Here is a list, in no particular order, of the WIPs, UFOs and wannabe projects still hanging around, and maybe I'll be inspired to get to them, maybe not.  I might do my own random number drawing, we'll see.

1. 1996 Piecemaker's Calendar quilt - hand applique, add embellishments, and finish top
2. Classical-themed tote bag
3. Bowling-style knitting bag
4. Three-quarters bag (kit from Connecting Threads)
5. Felted wool blanket
6. Orca Bay quilting and binding
7. Farmer's Wife quilting and binding
8. Easy Street mystery quilt top
9. Easy Street quilting and binding
10. Crumbs auction quilt
11. Hooked Rug in Mariner's Compass design
12. heirloom linen blouse
13. wool stuffed toy cat
14. boxers in 3 different fabrics (at least)
15. Frugal Patch quilt
16. Civil War repro/ pine needles quilt
17. Flannel baby quilts
18. Set up an Etsy shop to help finance college educations
19. the ultimate ongoing project: clean and organize sewing area!
20. and have fun, or everything else is pointless.

Okay, that might keep me busy even if I don't start anything new.

Darn Those Jeans! - my first tutorial

Here's my first ever photo tutorial!  If you have a sewing machine with a darning foot, also used for Free Motion machine quilting, it's a quick process and can add years of life to a beat-up pair of jeans.  Last week when Primigenitus was off looking at colleges with Steve I went through his clothes and found this pair that had a belt loop pulled free from the waist.

There was also a nice L-shaped tear on the upper leg -- not the knee where they usually wear out.

For this method the set-up of the sewing machine is important.  You need a darning foot or free-motion foot that is compatible with a zig-zag stitch, and you need to have a free-arm if your pants legs are going to fit under the needle.  The darning foot for my machine was a $20 purchase about 15 years ago ... best $20 I ever spent.  Even though I don't use it much for machine quilting anymore, it has helped me finish many quilts in the past, and this technique has saved probably hundreds of dollars in blue jeans... my menfolk are tough on their clothes!  Along with the darning foot, you will need to drop the feed dogs so that you control the movement of the fabric under the foot instead of it being fed through in one direction by the machine.  And you can't see it, but my machine requires you to set the pressure on the presser foot to the "darning" setting, which is the lowest possible.  This means the fabric will not be pressed tightly to the throat plate while you are working, but has lots of freedom for you to move it around.

I like the 3-step zig-zag stitch for this technique.  Set the widest stitch width.  Stitch length doesn't matter because you will be controlling that yourself.  Just be sure that your free-motion quilt is wide enough to accommodate it!

You will need a patch to back the hole and serve as a foundation fabric.  It should be about 1/2" larger on all sides than the hole.  It doesn't matter if it's not the same shape: you'll trim any excess away afterwards.  I usually use denim scraps, but couldn't find any since I cleaned out my sewing room so this is a scrap from an old chambray shirt or jumper.  I used two pins to hold it in place from the front:

I tackled the smaller hole at the waist first.  It can be a little tricky to maneuver the bulky set-up under the presser foot:

Once you get it flat, and make sure the pins are holding the patch in place on the back, lower the presser foot.  It will seem like it's the same up or down, but your machine won't work if it's up!  Bring the bobbin thread up and take a few stitches that take bites from both the patch and the edge of the hole.  The motion of the 3-step zig-zag will be left-right, but your own hands will control forwards and backwards motion.  Once you get used to this motion, you can pick up the speed.  Just be sure you remember where the pins are and remove them once you have enough stitching in place to hold the patch in place!  I used a light blue polyester thread this time: cotton thread would be fine too.  I keep going with the stitching until the entire surface of the former hole is covered with stitching.  It's like creating a new fabric over that spot.

The blue thread blends in nicely with the denim fabric.  Once the belt loop is sewn back down you'll hardly be able to notice.

This is how it looks on the back after I trimmed away the excess fabric from the patch.

True confessions: I broke two needles, both when sewing down that bulky belt loop.  You do need to be careful not to tug the jeans in any direction too quickly, especially when sewing over a bulky area.  I took a break and gave my machine a good clean-out, which it needed.

And I eventually got the thing sewn down.  It looks almost as good as new!

Then it was time to pin and sew the second hole.  I trimmed off some of the loose threads that were sticking out from the hole and would just have gotten in the way.  Since this one was on the actual leg, it was a lot more challenging to tug into position over the free-arm.

I find it difficult to take pictures of my hands while they're sewing.  This is a still shot.  The technique is the same: back and forth and up and down until all the edges of the hole are attached to the backing patch, and then all over until a new, firm fabric is created.

And here it is finished on the outside.

And on the inside... oops, the patch got folded over.  No worries: the stitching will hold it tight through many washes and the edges will fray and soften after they're trimmed.

Here it is trimmed.

And all done!  I wonder if Primigenitus has noticed that his jeans are fixed yet.  I think these are the only pair without paint spatters on them from last summer.

If you use this tutorial I hope it helps extend the life of your blue jeans and saves you some money.  And I'd love to hear back from you if you do.  Thanks for stopping by!

WIP Wednesday: Brought to you by the W.C.T.U.

Here's a little finished project - Quarta's first latch hook kit.  I made it into a pillow this week.  It had been cluttering up my sewing area so it was good to get it done.  It's by no means beautifully finished, but it's finished.  Yay!

Farmer's Wife Quilt block #98 - Waterwheel. 

Block #99 - W.C.T.U.  This one makes me tear up a little.  My late grandmother and her family were active in the W.C.T.U. in rural Ohio, and I have only fond associations with her despite the fact that I know some who like to poke fun at the temperance movement.  I did some research and the Women's Christian Temperance Union was associated with a white ribbon opposing violence against women, and quilts associated with them were frequently blue and white.  The white ribbon was a traditional bow, not the more modern "awareness" loop, and this block composed this way looks a little like the bow on the W.C.T.U. logo.  I think the white and solid blue are both scraps from my grandma, and the flower print looks like something she would have loved.

Block #100 (woo hoo!) - Weathervane.  I needed more golds and purples and I like the way these look together, with the gray looking like the iron of the weathervane.  I noticed I constructed this block a little differently than the book, but I'm also referring to Maggie Malone's 1001 Patchwork Designs book.  It just seemed sensible to do it this way.  I used fast-45's for the corners around the house-shaped patches, so there was no template cutting.

Startitis has struck.  I need to start on my UFO for March (a bag which actually hasn't been started yet), and I just finished my 3rd shawl for 2012 so of course I needed to figure out what to start next in knitting.  I tentatively chose Maluka and some yellow sock yarn from my stash.  And I decided to dye some ugly tan cashmere laceweight I had in my stash of reclaimed sweater yarn, with the idea that it could be used for one of the 2 "large" (= 500 meters or more shawls) required for the 12-in-12 challenge .

I kettle-dyed it with almost an entire jar of Wilton's black, burgundy, about half a jar of red red and a dab of rose.  I was going for that almost impossible to capture black-cherry red that so many of my friends are knitting now.

This is well over 1000 yards of 100% cashmere laceweight.  It was cold this morning and a few crunchy ice crystals had formed on the bottom of the hanks, but it's warmed up now.   The smaller skein on the right is the one with lots of knots that I threw in at the end to sop up extra dye, and I almost like it more than the main ones.  I may lose some yardage because of slight felting, but it's really easy to spit-splice ends of this yarn together.  And I have a hard time imagining ever knitting more than 1000 yards of a shawl.

This photo is not accurate for the darkness, but it shows a little of the variation of color.  I'm going to have fun picking out a large shawl to attempt with my very own custom-dyed luxury yarn that I got at the thrift store for under $2.  And you should have seen my students' faces when I explained my hands were red because "I was dyeing yesterday."

I did some spinning yesterday evening and made some progress on the Wensleydale laceweight I dyed last summer.  The trouble with spinning laceweight is that it takes forever to fill a bobbin.  I spun about an hour altogether and maybe did a quarter bobbin. 
I should really create a list of WIPs - that way I can be more accountable week to week.

• Aunt Maggie's Quilt - binding 25% done
• Farmer's Wife Quilt - made 3 blocks this week, 11 to go
• March UFO knitting bag - not started but I'm thinking about it
• knitting Oslo Walk shawl (3 of 12) - finished, awaiting blocking
• knitting argyle-fest - no progress
• knitting cotton bath rug - about 1/3 done with center
• knitting On Your Toes sweater - downgraded to UFO, no progress for months, oops
• knitting Maluka - just cast on, no pics yet
• spinning blue Wensleydale - about 25% done

goals for next WIP Wednesday:

• finish Aunt Maggie's binding
• start boxer shorts
• cut out pattern for March bag

I have to give myself homework, and it helps to have a list.  I am my mother's daughter.

Check out the other WIPs at Freshly Pieced.

Sewing UFOs and WIPs: Goals for the New Year

Back in June when I last took stock of the situation, I described the difference, at least in my mind, between a UFO and a WIP.  An UnFinished Object is something that languishes, almost forgotten and possibly unloved, for 6 months, a year, or even longer, producing disproportionate amounts of guilt and other negative emotions in the process.  A Work In Progress can be anything that you are currently working on ("currently" meaning that it easily springs to mind as something you are working on without having to sort through layers of unpleasant repressed memories), and is usually characterized by a fair amount of creative agitation, mess, and occasional bad temper.  Still, WIPs by definition are things that a crafter is interested in and thus have an obvious advantage.  There are WIP Wednesday linkup parties to monitor their progression, and crafters really LIKE to talk about them.  UFOs, not so much.  I listed 11 UFOs, all of them quilt-related, without batting an eye, and resolved to finish a few of them.  I actually did: the Shirt-Stripe Boxes quilt and the quilting for my MIL's Japanese Lanterns quilt.  But that's still a drop in the bucket, and new UFOs have sprung up since then.

Now, at the close of the old year, I have discovered Patchwork Times, where Judy Laquidara hosts a yearly challenge to finish up some of those long-term UFOs.  This really appeals to me.  I think the way it works is, I post my list of 12 UFOs that I would like to get finished in 2012.  Then, every month Judy will draw a random number and we work on that numbered project.  I had no trouble coming up with 12 UFOs by splitting some of my bigger challenges into parts and counting projects for which I've bought patterns and fabric but not even started.  So here's my list:

1. Aunt Maggie's Quilt: finished top, needs machine quilting and binding
2. Framed in Quilt (pictured above): finished top, needs machine quilting and binding
3. Log cabin... more blocks? Sew blocks together into quilt top
4. 1996 Piecemaker's Calendar quilt (pictured at top): prepare half of applique for setting triangles
5. " "
6. Classical-themed tote bag
7. Feathered Star (pictured above): make a decision and finish top
8. Bowling-style knitting bag (was a sew-along in a Ravelry group over a year ago)
9. Jack's Chain: piece half of remaining blocks
10. " "
11. Kit for three-quarters bag from Connecting Threads in Whirlwind Romance
12. Pieced blanket of felted wool squares from old sweaters

If I don't make it on any of these 12 goals, there's no penalty of course, but at least I have blog fodder and camaraderie while I'm trying.  I reserve the right to go on an obsessive finishing streak and work on something out of order, too.  That COULD happen.  If it does, here are a few extra projects to throw in for a bonus:

1. Hooked Rug in Mariner's Compass design
2. heirloom linen blouse
3. wool stuffed toy cat
4. boxers in 3 different fabrics (I was supposed to make them for Christmas. Ha!)

In addition to working on those long-term UFOs, here are my current WIPs that will probably be in play for at least the first 3 months of 2012:

1. Farmer's Wife Quilt (79 of 111  blocks complete)
2. Orca Bay mystery quilt (halfway through clue 4)
3. Sports quilt for Cedar Tree auction (This is really a UFO but I'm giving myself a March deadline)
4. Crumb-along quilt for auction
5. conversion to Bonnie Hunter's Scrap-User's system... ongoing

And then, of course I will probably start any number of new quilts.  I have some ideas but I'll wait to share them, lest they be counted as UFOs and start to produce guilt.

I'll do another post sometime soon about my knitting goals for the new year, because I approach knitting UFOs and WIPs in a completely different way than sewing ones.

A few finishes

I've finished a few projects in the midst of the painting frenzy.  These are my Leyburn Socks, finished mainly during the Veritas training.  I liked this pattern but could have used more direction on the short row heels, which I pretty much faked my way through.  I've cast on socks for Primigenitus using the Stashbuster Spirals pattern to use up some of the little balls of sock yarn I've been saving.  It's a fun pattern and is very interesting in self-striping yarns.

I finished two pairs of boxers in an antique-looking New York City print for Steve and Secundus (who is convinced he's going to live there someday).  These were the ones with the cursed brown thread.  My machine, newly tuned-up, did not like the brown thread I used for this, but did fine with the same kind of pink, white, grey, and blue thread during the time I was frustratedly working on these.  It would break, have tension issues, make nasty sounds, etc. with the brown thread -- then I'd give up in frustration and switch to Farmer's Wife blocks and it would hum along just fine.  I have no idea why it was just the brown thread.  And it was just in the spool: the bobbins of brown thread work fine.  Weird.

Trim painting and touch-up is going on today.  No drama with color - it's Courtyard.  Primigenitus is a good sport about having his photo taken.

Secundus, not so much.  I'm liking the progress outside and I've also been working on the basement cleaning a bit.  Soon, too soon, I'm going to have to shift into mad prep mode for school.