Putzing

I have spent the last few days putzing about and trying desperately to keep myself busy.  I decided to search through my many cases of DMC thread to see what colours would work for a blanket for my miniature house bedroom.  I printed off a cop of the wallpaper for the room and away I went.

These are the colours I settled on.  I was planning on using the perle cotton at the top, but I don't think it will work right with the thread colours.  I think the textures are just too different.  As you can see I have thread colour in large quantity to use instead. I am not sure if it will be a knit project or a crochet project.  I have done lots of thread crocheted doilies in my time, but part of me really wants to use these.

 These are a purchase from long ago, from Althea Crome's website.  I think.  They are a set of .75 mm and a set of 1 mm needles. Or .75 and .5.  I honestly don't recall but I they were purchased for knitting small things for the miniature house I always wanted to finish.  I have several .75 mm crochet hooks and one .65 hook so I have the choice to do either technique, or both.  A knit blanket.  Corcheted trim on the pillow cases.  Yes that is where I am going.

That left me with time and energy to dig through the fabric ends and pieces left after making things for small scale prints for a quilt.

 Sigh.  This is my leftover fabric ends.  Stuffed full, all of them.  Many pieces will work combined with other bits for colourblock tops and there is enough of quite a few pieces for the Nullabor Cami from Muna and Broad.  There are lots of little bits too, pieces that were from long ago projects and long ago clothes.

These are the bits that might work, though I really won't know if the scale is right till I lay it out and am ready to sew.  Mini things without specialty fabrics can be a challenge and the right scale is quite important to me.  Somewhere in there, some of those fabrics will be part of my mini house quilt.

I am glad I dug through the boxes.  I found my missing vinyl that I will need for some gifts down the road, and I found these small pieces of muslin.

 The bits of fabric were packing from something, but I don't remember what.  I thought I would keep them because you never know when you might.  They are utterly perfect for bags of flour and oatmeal for in my kitchen.  I will have to figure out what the print on the bags should be like.  I was debating using other fabric to mimic the prints flour companies sometimes used to use on flour and feed sacks starting in the mid 19th century and doing so up till the 1950's but these are not part of what I remember so I am going with what I know, a plain flour sack that would be used later for kitchen towels.

It was a good day.

And this weekend we are back to F1 racing so I am good to go.  I am going to try knitting on Monday but not before.  Wish me luck.

Success

My hands are improving, though I don't want to push it just yet.  So, still no knitting.  I did make a few squares on the little loom and I was thinking about trying another row or tow on my sock, to see how it goes.  I haven't had any pain at night for four days.  I am feeling much better about everything.

I did a little sewing over the last few days.  I putzed around, putting together the Ashton top with the skirt from another of Helen's closets patterns, a free one called the Orchard Dress.  I was meaning to use the skirt from the Hexham Dress but I thought it would be easier to use a pattern that was designed for a woven fabric.  Just less thinking.  Plus, the Orchard Dress takes so few sheets of papaer to print out and hey, the pattern is free.  

And it worked, and worked well.  

It fits quite nicely and I am fairly happy with it...BUT  I am not sure if I will leave it the way it is.  I will make a few Ashton Top dress hacks, but this one, this pattern is going to need some changes.  I sewed as it is because again, this was a bit of a muslin or a test for this idea.  I had not put sleeves on the test of the Ashton Top I made a couple weeks ago, so that was a test and I wanted to be sure that the skirt would work too.    

I have used this fabric before, as part of the second great comforter I made using the wool batts I had.  I must have had five metres of fabric and I have no idea what I meant to sew with it.  The print is just too much.  It is also a medium weight cotton, and is a wee bit heavy for what I want for a dress with sleeves.  

I have two options for it.  I can take the sleeves off and bind the sleeve openings and make it into a dress I might wear come summer or I could shorten it and wear it as a top.  It fits so nicely and sleeves would be fine on a summer top.  Or a no sleeve top.  

It is finished for now and I am pleased.  I am going to cut out another something this afternoon but I am not sure what.  I could use some nicer pants, something dressier than the comfortable stuff I made so far or maybe the first of the two dresses I want to make from this fabric.  I could also fool around on the changes to the pinafore. 

 

Or I might just sit back and read a book and give my hands a rest.  Not sure yet, but I feel good and am pretty pleased with what I have done so far.

Pondering.

When I sew a new garment and end up with a wearable muslin type of garment, a tester garment, I like to wear it a time or two before I call it a done deal.  I do that because even a winning test garment can be an utter failure if it doesn't work through a regular day.  

I am really glad I did this for a garment like my York Pinafore.  It fitted wonderfully.  I loved the way it looked and draped in the fabric I used.  It was really quite perfect.  

So I wore it one day just around the house to see if it really worked.  Not so well.  

It isn't a pattern problem, it is a bum problem, as in mine just needs a more generous amount of ease than the pattern has built in.  Before the end of wear day one, the bottom button had popped and a second came off at bedtime, that showed it too had been under duress when I sat down.  At first I was heartbroken because I had just the perfect fabric and I was so looking forward to wearing the pinafore the shirt and the little sweater I was going to knit to wear with it.  I got over that because if I add some room to the back, it will fit me better and will still keep the look I like so much at the front.  

There are even options for doing it.  I got the idea from another pattern from Helen's Closet. She put out another overall pattern a while ago, The Ruby Overalls .  On the back of that ever so interesting design, she has an inserted half waist of elastic that could be used to add more fabric at the back.  That could easily be done to add more fabric to the back of the dress.  

I could add a pleat like the Waikere shirt has.  That option struck me today.  By adding a pleat at midback, just below the generous arm opening, I could easily add what I needed.  The plus with this is that it wouldn't interfere with the front drape at all.

Another option, one that I want to try on a something sometime just to try it, is to add a section of gathers in the center back.  I saw a way to add it on a sewing blog via Pinterest that comes from the 1920's where they sometimes added a series of gathers at the side of a garment.  That would not look good on me, but it would be an idea for the York.  By adding the fabric at the center back, I would add the extra fabric I need for ease without changing how the dress hangs from the front in the way that  the Ruby Overall fix would add.  It's a bit of a trick with cutting more than a trick with sewing and the idea is interesting.  

I could also draft the back to be more of a swing type garment than the slight coccoon shape it currently has.  I could also add a seam at the center back where I could add the additional ease I need.  I don't know, but it will be an adventure.

My fabric might be the driving force in the choice.  The fabric is not soft and isn't really flowing at all.  It holds itself like a good medium weight denim would. That weight and firmness may mean that the gather idea is right out of the picture and that the best solution will be pleats.  We shall see. 

For the moment my York pinafore is safe but one day soon, it is going to undergo some changes.  First I have to sew a couple more Hexham dresses and I have some really lovely fabric for some Ashton Tops and Ashton Top dress hacks.        

Mildly Less Boring

Today was less boring than the last few yesterdays.  It was mail day and that is always interesting.

There were birthday presents for one of my grandsons, Emmett, who got a big birthday coming up soon.  There were some new embroidery scissors, because my other scissors are really losing their sharpness and my usual tricks have not helped to tune them up again (re-sharpen) and there was one special treat just for me.

I have many books on embroidery of various kinds but each is dedicated to a particular style of work. I have books on blackwork, several devoted to hardanger, cross stitch and a couple that are generic how to sorts of books. Carter's volcano needs more than the very plain stitches I know.  Yes, there are thousands of stitches on the internet, but I haven't seen quite what I was looking for.  What I did not have and what I really wanted was some sort of embroidery stitch dictionary.

 

I had a couple different books that were in the running but this one was my number one choice.  I had actually hoped to get a Royal School of Needlework Book of Embroidery a collection of several of their excellent books, as well as the stitch dictionary, but the books were both a bit pricey.  This stitch dictionary, by Mary Thomas is perfect.  I know the author through her knitting books  though I don't have any of her work in my library. 

The book is exactly what I wanted.  It has sections of different type of stitches, outline stitches, fill stitches, canvas work stitches, and so on.  

Each set of stitches is laid out and is beautifully photographed.  The photos are then followed by details of how to make the stitches shown and for some, there are samples of work done with those stitches.

And look.  An entire series of knot type stitches! 

 It is going to take a good long while to take in all the things in this book.  It is the perfect way to end a kind of slow week. 

Busy being boring.  I am not happy about it and if I did not have good medication to deal with anxiety and depression, then life would be tough.  

The physio guy was here the other day.  He added a couple excersizes to my routine for my hands.  I am doing a median nerve glide and a tendon glide.  We shall see if they help.  I trust that he knows how a body works far better than I so I am putting my faith in him.  With luck they will help and they will help keep me knitting more safely than in the past.

That is all I am up to besides cleaning my bath.  I am cooking supper today too, but that is about all you need to hear about that.  Still it could be worse.  So I might feel a bit down but I am working on focusing on the not to distant future when I will be knitting.

A Long Monday

Yup, still here, still bored to tears, still not knitting.  My wrists are getting better everyday, but the not doing anything at all is getting the better of me.  Who knew that puzzle setting was exacerbating the injury?  

I had a busy weekend.  It was a second Easter with the part of my family that celebrates Orthodox Easter.  What a good day. It also means that I spent the whole day Saturday swabbing out the kitchen.  It shone for a change when the company arrived and the food was tasty and fresh, just like Easter food should be, a true sign of spring.

Last night we had some rain and a window had been left open in the kitchen.  The house was fresh and smelled like rain and that was lovely. It stopped through the afternoon, but it is raining again now.  There has been some growly thunder and a fair bit of wind too.  Still, it is rather nice.  It is just a bit too cold out yet for open windows overnight.  Last night was an aberration, but it might be time to start opening them for a few hours in the afternoon, just for the fresh air.   

I had a nap in the afternoon, more because if I had not, I would have had to figure out something to do than that I really needed sleep.  I can watch TV, but I have never not done something else while I watched and I feel rather lost without knitting.  Still I will sip my cocoa strong with the knowledge that it is getting better and knitting will come.

Surprise, surprise.

Well that is a surprise.  I love it!  I finished the Hexham dress today.  

On the hanger, it kind of looks like a sack but on my body?  Wow.  It hangs all the right ways and folds just where it is supposed to drape and flow.  I am really pleased.  Have you any idea how it feels to have a pattern fit and fit nicely without any adjustments?  Have you any idea how it feels after a lifetime of really poorly fitted purchased clothing to be able to find a fit that simply is right for the body you have?  

I even almost like the fabric.  It actually works with my greying hair and looks surprisingly pleasing.  I wouldn't feel odd going out and about in the colour and that is a huge surprise.  I know just the sort of sweater I want to knit to wear with it too.  I think I even know the yarn I want to make it with.  It is already in my stash and is a design I have long wanted to knit.  I can't wait to wear them together.  

As to copying the dress skirt to add on to the Ashton top to make a woven dress in this same simple shape?  It is going to work great.  My two treat fabrics have arrived for said Ashton Top dress.  My favourite online fabric store had a special sale for newsletter members on the really good stuff so I picked up a piece of linen in a dusty blue and a piece of linen cotton with a very pretty embroidery skating across its surface.  I had to hold myself back, the prices were so good, but honestly, I have enough fabric to keep me in new clothes for a very long time and two new dresses, plus this one is more than enough for summer.

So it was a good day.  Just a really good day.  

I sewed today, but my heart wasn't really in it.

I did work on the new dress pattern, the Hexham Dress from Muna and Broad today.   It's looking good fit wise, though the longer I work with it, the more I am not loving the fabric.  

I loved it till I saw it in real life.  When I ordered it, I thought the background was black, which would have been great, but this very dark garnet background isn't really a good colour for me.  It washes me out.  Still, there is a place for it to be used, and that is why it is getting used here.  It will be a wearable muslin for this pattern.  (It was extremely inexpensive fabric, much less than actual muslin would have cost so...) In this fabric, the dress will be more useful in fall and winter than for spring and summer wear.  It is a thicker knit, a heavier weight jersey, but under a neutral coloured sweater, it will be fine.  Pairing it with a sweater is a great way to wear colours that aren't really your best.  

The pattern is easy peasy.  It is a simple knit dress that relies on the drape of your fabric for fit.  I am particularly concerned about the fit on the skirt section, because I will use it as a basis for the skirt on my Ashton Top hack to make a dress with a sweet flowing skirt. The photo above is the neck band and dress body.

And this is the finished sleeve cap on sleeve one.  It went together very well.

So well, that I decided it was time to stop.  I am still having trouble with my hands and I do not want to put any stress on my cantankerous wrists.  No point in keeping on just to finish it, lest I make a mess too.  Taking it slowly has served me well.  I will pick it up tomorrow when I am fresh and ready for a new day.  

I will finish it tomorrow and then, depending on how it all goes, hope to cut out the next fabric.  

  

Setting up for the next thing

I took some time over the weekend to get ready for the next embroidery project.  

I found my fabric and got the basic volcano transferred.

Last time I did a kids artwork as an embroidery, I copied too much of the drawing to the fabric.  It meant that in the end, some elements didn't quite work how I wanted them to work. Some things were done just to cover up the lines.  This time, I am going with the basic drawn shape and will fill in the details by simply following the drawing itself. 

I am really looking forward to this flowing lava fiesta.

Happy Days, Or trying to be

Oh happy days.  No I am not quite able to knit but it was still good.  Great in fact.  I went to Scott's house for dinner yesterday and had a wonderful time playing with Grandkids.  And babies.  And toddlers all of whom are grandkids!  Also I learned that the Easter Bunny poops chocolate eggs from five year old Emmett, which just charmed me.

Before I left, I took a photo of our front lawn.  

Twenty four hours later, this is what was left.  

And by supper time today, there was only the smallest bit close to the house yet.  Not to worry, there is lots in the back yard, lest you think spring is fully here.  

I did try knitting last week but that did not work well, so I am back to absolutely no knitting and very little anything else that can be done with my hands.  Yes I am going nuts, and yes, I am on the verge of depression.  Honestly, what do people do if they don't do things with their hands while sitting watching tv?  I am just numb with boredom.  

I did do a wee bit of sewing today.  I had one last shirt to buttonhole and do the buttons so that is now done.  I decided to do the first step to some really interesting projects.  I sewed a muslin for the Ashton Top from Helen's Closet with a leftover bit of fabric from another top.  I adjusted the shoulder length and the top fit really nicely.  

My next things is going to be sewing a proper top.  I may do the expansion pack but the bigger challenge is to see if I can change it to a dress. I plan to use the Hexham dress from Muna and Broad as a guide.  I haven't sewn a Hexham dress either so I will have to sew one of those too, to check the fit.

 The Hexham dress is designed for knit fabric and the fabric I want to use for dresses is not knit.  That is how I ended up buying the Ashton top.  I did not want the hassle of resizing the top of a dress designed for knit wear, but I ought to be able to manage a skirt and a Hexham styled dress with the look of the pink dress on the pattern page is the goal.  There is quite a bit of sewing to do before I get to goal.

The other thing, with all the button hole making I have been doing, I finally managed to give my sweet little York Pinafore a wear to see if it was the right fit for comfort and wearability.  The answer is no.  It looks great while I stand but when I sit it pulls far to tight for comfort and before the end of the afternoon, the bottom buttons had popped off.  I do have an idea of how to get a bit more room in the hip area, hopefully without changing the way the dress looks in front.  That will happen later.  First the Ashton top and Ashton hack and then the Hexham styled dress.  

Weird stuff on Blogger today. Somehow a blog post from years and years ago was posted as unpublished and not following community guilde lines.  Odd since it was from long ago, before Brian died.  

So whoever is weirding out my blog, please stop.  Thankyou.

Distractions

Yesterday, I started cleaning my sewing room.  That did not continue for long.  I was much more interested in making buttonholes.  I had all sorts of new comfortable clothing waiting and it just felt like the right time.

It started with my patterns.  They are printed at home patterns for the most part.  They take up more room than store bought pre-printed patterns.  I had two boxes full of them and there were three more that needed to be stowed.

I happened to have a small box so I tucked the whole mess into it.  That still doesn't hold the patterns that are from the big pattern companies nor does it hold the two really old patterns I have.  

It is more efficient than what I had, but it isn't very tidy looking.  I should have a container of some sort for it around here that will work better.  The search is on.

Then it was time to pull out the interesting new button tool that I purchased.  It makes placing the buttons take no time at all and ensures that the button holes are correctly spaced too.  It's a shame that I did not have this nifty thing much earlier in my life.

And then I had a problem. The button holes were not very even, and they were much wider than my button placket.

Eventually, I sorted out the poor buttonholing and then I sat down to change the orientation of the button holes on the jumper and away we went.

Three shirts and one jumper completely finished.  There is a fourth shirt waiting to have buttons sewn on.

I went to hang them  in my closet and then I realized something.

So.  Not done, but oh so very close.

I have been steadily doing a deep clean of my house.  It is very boring.  Very, very boring.  

But my bedroom is clean.  That's the upside.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, so to speak, My hands are getting better.  One hand is no longer giving me any pain or buzzing at all and the other only feels tired in the morning.  Much better.  One of these days...

My bookish past

I have just finished playing in books and blue and white china and it makes me think how grateful I am to two specific people from outside my family as well as my dad.  

I am forever in the debt of Mrs. Reding.  When I was small, Mrs. Reding was the teacher in charge of the library in our little old Gr. 1-3 school building and eventually, was one of the Grade 5 teachers.  Our other grade 5 teacher was Mrs. Dziendzielowskli but she was another story so I will save that for another day.  

I remember being allowed to take as many books as I wanted to from the library so I could read to my hearts content.  Even in grade 1, on the days we could take our readers home, I would read the whole book, even though I would get scolded for reading ahead.  At some point when I was very small, my dad bought a set of the Book of Knowledge, a very readable sort of childrens enclyclopedia and read it I did.  Dad bought a huge number of Reader's Digest Condesned books too, so there was always something to read at home, but I lived for the school library.  

When I was in Grade 3 I helped Mrs. Reding do books at lunch hour.  This led to my getting permission to go to the high school library (really, the library for grades 4 to 12) to pick out books.  

I still remember my first trip there.  The room was filled with long sturdy wood tables and there was one massive wall of books along one whole side of the room.    And I stood way below the top of the surface of the librarians desk.  I loved that school library.  Mrs. Reding eventually took a degree in library science so our little school was very lucky.  We had the skill of a professional librarian building a collection of books and films and so much other materials, that still stands as the best small school library anywhere in western Canada. (IMO)  My own kids went to school in there and in, Hanna, Calgary and Sherwood Park and no place had anything like Mrs. Redings library.

And then there was Jim.  Jim was a teacher who came to our school as a student teacher and stayed for the rest of his teaching career.  He was clever and was a great teacher and connected with kids.  He inspired me to read history for fun which explains many of the titles in my personal library.  He also provided me with the understanding that what was printed on the page was not all that was, and that the stories of the why and the where and the views of the other side of history were as important though often missing in the written records. He helped me to see how much the sometimes cold lists of dates and places and names skipped and to look for the stories of the people involved for a sense of what really happened.  And that it was our job to learn and find that too.  Having Jim as a teacher taught me to  see what was without judgement.  Or at the very least to try.

Going through my books, dusting and sorting and fitting it all back on the shelves was so filled with memories.  And joy.   And sorrow that so many young people don't ever have those kind of people in their lives.  

I was very lucky, lucky in so many ways and I never ever forget that.