Gardening.....Not Sewing....

It's true, I've not sewn a stitch for....I think it's been nearly two months, AGES!.....and  the half-cut Soho Coat STILL sits on my kitchen table.  Which means no one has had a sit-down meal in the kitchen all that time either.  (no formal dining room in this house)

But hey, it's SPRINGTIME!  What I HAVE been doing is gardening.  And clutter-clearing and sorting through crap-I-mean-treasures.   And the other stuff of life.  

But not sewing.

Just as a way of staying connected with my (cherished!) sewing community, I'd like to share a few pics showing some of the fruits of my labors in the dirt (and to prove that I'm still alive, still here!)

Peach Blossoms and Raindrops

Zachaboo, Old Log Bench, and Cymbidium

A mini field of ixia 

The sort of rusty antiques I love in my garden :)

The first Tulip of the Season!

Love my Cymbidiums!

The first Bearded Iris of the Season!

The Cherub in the Bushes

Maybe, now that I've done a blog post, I'll finally find my way back into the sewing room?   It's just so EASY to get lost in the garden, and I'm loving getting back into the habit of taking my morning tea out for a garden stroll.

And now I'm off to see if I can catch up on a bit of blog reading (which I'm also way....way....behind on.....)

Happy Sewing, and Happy Gardening to the other dirt lovers out there :-)

The new, improved, Word Verification - Just say No!

Everyone who hates the new blogger two-word verification process please move over to that side of the room 

And all who LIKE the new set-up, please move to the left

Yeah, that's what I thought....

A couple of things have come to my attention - some blogspot bloggers don't even realize that they have word verification turned on, because it doesn't appear when you are commenting on your own blog.   And some bloggers who are using the new updated interface on Dashboard think that you can't turn the Word Verification (let's just call it WtF) off.   Here's the good news:  You CAN turn it off!   You just need to switch (temporarily) over to the old interface in order to access the command.   Here are the steps:

1. In Dashboard, click on the "Settings" icon (that's the gear in the upper right corner).
2.  Click on "Old Blogger Interface" in the drop-down menu.
3.  Click on "Settings"
4.  Click on "Comments"
5.  Scroll down until you see the option to "Show word verification for comments?"  Check "no".
6.  SAVE the new settings.  (Important!)

You will see an option to change to the updated interface at the top of your screen - just click there to return to the new interface.

Reasons to keep the WtF:
1.  Some people apparently get lots of spam w/o the WtF.  I guess I've been lucky; the email associated with my blog gets very little spam (knock on wood!)
2.  You really don't care for lots of comments, and like to watch people jump through hoops before they give up.  (j/k......I'm SURE none of you lovely bloggers really do that!)
3.  Ummm......I can't think of any other reasons, but feel free to enlighten me!

Reasons to NOT have WtF:

1.

no explanation needed here, methinks.....

2.  You really DO like comments, and don't want to miss any just because someone has given up after 3 tries :(
3.  There are alternatives:  you can opt to not receive comments from Anonymous posters, which can cut back on some of the spam, even though some perfectly lovely people won't be able to post unless they choose another option (like "Open ID", for instance), or you can choose Comment Moderation.

Personally, I prefer to leave everything as open and easy as possible, and hope that I won't feel the need to change that any time soon!

I hope this info helps someone out there - happy blogging, everyone :)

Why I've not been blogging....

The bad news:  I've not been blogging because I've not been sewing :(
The good news:  I HAVE been clutter-clearing!

Before
What...you think I exaggerate?
Maybe a little...but it FELT like that!

After
OK - truth is, nothing changed much here
except for the surface of the desk.
I face that bookshelf and wall a LOT, so it has to give me pleasure to look at it.
And it does :)

I've also been cleaning, and organizing, and working, and re-arranging the house, and weeding and pruning and gardening and.....best of all....I've had the energy to do it!

Many of you know that I've been my darling, 97-yr-old Mom's caregiver for a number of years, with this past 2 years being, at times, rather intense in time and energy expenditure.   In-home Hospice care (aka, Angels in human form) has been one of my life, time, & sanity-savers during this past year.   Two years ago, sewing re-entered my life.   To my absolute delight, the sewing bug has been another life and sanity-saver during this time.   I'm building up a fun and fabulous new wardrobe, my creative juices have a yummy and productive outlet, and I can do it all at home, while being available for the Mumsy.   Win-win-win!

What sewing has NOT been is a time-saver.  Nope, let's just call a spade a spade here, and admit that it's been taking a LOT of my time!   And yes, some of it, I daresay, has possibly been "wasted" time (although I'm not convinced there really is such a thing as "wasted" time...)   And let's not even mention the blogging, ok?

As a result, what's fallen behind (WAY behind) is house cleaning and organization, paper work, gardening, and, as a self-employed person, work & $$-making.   Now this is not all the fault of the sewing obsession...my health took a bit of a beating due to the stress of 24/7 on call duty (HOW do single parents do it????   Oh wait, I know....they're in their 20's, 30's, even 40's.......they're not, ummmm....my age)

The bad news:  Regarding health stuff - when the Mumsy stopped being able to walk, roughly a year ago, I started living with sleep deprivation, and the ensuing lack of energy crept up on me to the point where I was, at times, completely non-functioning.
The good news:  About 6 months ago my homeopath diagnosed adrenal fatigue, and thanks to the remedies and advice she gave me, I am finally beginning to remember what a day of "normal" energy feels like!
The bad news:  Although I am far, far more patient with myself and others than I used to be, the healing process seems to be taking a long time, and I still need to remember that I DO need to rest, preferably before I hit the proverbial wall.   In my perfect world, sleep would not be necessary.  I'm learning to really, really love a good night's rest-filled sleep.
The good news:  I am prioritizing, making healthier choices, and thoroughly enjoying the regained energy I do have!   The house is getting cleaned.   Paperwork is being dealt with.  The basement is getting de-cluttered.   The garden!  Oh, the garden!   Two truckloads of tree trimmings and weeds have already left the property, and another is in the driveway, ready to go.   My magical garden is beginning to emerge again :)
The bad news:  The Soho Raincoat has been sitting on the kitchen table, half-cut, for a month now.
The good news:   I have done a tiny bit of sewing - door curtains in the basement entry have finally been made!  (I've had the fabric for well over a year now - probably closer to 2 years)

Boring Curtain Pic.
But I love it, because it's DONE, looks good,
and hides a multitude of sins lurking behind.

The bad news:  No sewing = no blogging.   I'm not one of those who thinks that I'm letting my readers down or anything, & don't have any reason to apologize for my lack of blogging presence...heck, I feel blessed to have any readers at all!  :D

There is no more bad news; it's all up from here!   I'm working a bit again, the house is really shaping up with furniture being shuffled around, & the pile of stuff to be removed from the house (one way or another) is growing.

More good news:  I even (finally!) got the treadle set up!   I was waiting to refinish the cabinet, but decided that was silly - USING the sewing machine is more of a priority than having the cabinet look pristine.

This is in my office, since there isn't an inch to spare in my sewing room.
Barring my dream of turning the backyard shed/barn structure thingy
into a sewing room/office, this is where it will live....

Oh wait, there is another bit of bad news.  Well, maybe, depending on ones attitude about fabric-aholism....I've noticed others mention that when you don't sew, you buy fabric.   I can attest to this.  WHY do we do this????   I was being so good in January...no new fabric....and somehow in February I accumulated 7 or 11 new lengths of goodies.   *sigh* **headdesk**  *sigh again*

Oh yeah, the other touch of bad news is that I'm way.  Way.  WAY behind on blog reading.   I just had to "mark as read" hundreds of posts in my Reader, because there was no way......    I know I missed a lot of goodies, but if I haven't been commenting much, that doesn't mean I didn't at least skim, and I hope y'all know that I LOVE reading your blogs, but frankly, I love even more the fact that I can wander my garden with tea in hand, and see the bulbs poking their heads up, know that the cymbidiums are transplanted, fed and healthy and blooming, the fruit trees have sunlight reaching all their branches, and I can walk on actual pathways, not weeds!

Pictures of the visible accomplishments will pop up in coming posts....and the Soho Raincoat WILL get done (even if we don't get any more rain this so-called rainy season....)

May we all figure out ways to find healthy balance  in our lives.....and find a way to recognize what's important, and have the health & energy to have it :)

ETA:  WHOA!   Another little good news update!  I just realized that, somewhere along the line, I magically hit 100 followers!  This calls for a celebration of some sort, I'm sure; meanwhile, how about if everyone who reads this has a drink of their favorite beverage?  On me.  :)   Well....virtually on me, at least until we meet in person....

The Soho Robe

After the long, long search for a nice, thick, juicy cotton terry to replace my old worn out robe....

Yes, I've been wearing it for that many years,
and yes, it's really that worn :(

...I finally gave up & accepted the inevitable:  if I wanted thick & juicy, and a color &/or pattern I liked, it was probably going to need to be a poly fleece.   Fabric Mart, and Marc Jacobs sherpa fleece on (ridiculously cheap) sale, combined with a yummy cotton flannel from my local fave, Stonemountain & Daughter, along with a pattern that is a far distant cousin to your usual boxy robe, and I was, finally, on the road to replacing that beloved but far too funky tattered creature I've been wearing.

Some notes on the Marc Jacobs faux sherpa fleece (since FM had 1000s of yards of the stuff, I know there are are a few of you out there who transported some of it into your stash):

1.  Note that it does have a nap, so bear this in mind when you're laying out your pattern for cutting.
2.  It's thick, but the backing is not a super tight weave, and it may not be as warm as you think it is.   It isn't warm jacket material by itself.
3.  The fleece side is thick enough that it warrants clipping off the fleece from the seam allowances.   Be prepared to sweep and vacuum.   A lot.

Clipped Seams

A little pile of fluff.
That gets everywhere.
EVERYwhere.

4.  The backing collects the fleece bits, and mine was already pilling a bit after being handled, so I would recommend lining whatever you're going to use this for.
5.  All of the above aside, it's really pretty stable and easy to work with.

The Sewing Workshop Soho Coat Pattern.  Love.  LOVE!  It's been in stash for awhile, waiting for just the right time/fabric/inspiration - who woulda thunk that it would come in the guise of a robe?  Actually, I do plan on making a raincoat (and you'll be hearing more about that, soon....I'm already scratching my head in confusion regarding the initial plan....) so this robe was the perfect practice piece.  Especially since the only choices in actual robe patterns are the classic boxy rectangle with a sash, aka, the insta-20-pound weight gain illusion, or the classic poufy sleeved, lacey fronted, shaped vintage look that's a little more suited to swishing around the house with teacup in hand than it is for keeping one's body warm.  Don't get me wrong, I have a pattern for this look, and was this close to using it until I hit on the Soho Solution.

I hit a few potholes along the way (of course).  I bought the end of a bolt of flannel, and thought it would be enough.  It was, but it required cutting two sleeve halves for one of the sleeves.   But no one will know, because I'm not telling, and I know you won't :)

I ignored the side seam pocket instructions in favor of patch pocket, which I sort of randomly cut.   And sewed.  And lined.   And then decided the shape was all wrong so I recut.  And re-sewed.   And re-lined.   And added piping.  Just because, we wouldn't want this to be TOO easy, would we?

First Pockets
Boring.
And wrong.

Second Pockets.
Cut to echo the lower curve.
Much better.  :)

I have a confession.   In spite of the fact that I'm really good at solving certain kinds of complex puzzles, there's something about multiple layers of flat fabric that need to be sewn and turned
 so that A ends up facing North while B turns a corner and faces Southwest and C brings it all together with a little whipstitch and a turn of the wrist that creates 3D magic that totally and utterly escapes me.  This is why I will never be a flat pattern maker.  I have lengthy head-scratching moments with what is probably the simplest little task for so many of you.   Things like how to place the piping in a lined pocket.   How hard can this be???  I actually managed to sew it up wrong before I figured it out.  Am I the only one who has to jump through this many hoops to figure something new out?

Correct placement of the piping

Sewing the 3 layers together (lining, piping, fleece) using a zipper foot

I took this picture to remind me to mention 3 things.
One is how pleased I am with my new ham stand!  
My Reliable V100 prefers to do its pressing on a flat surface,
and resting the nose of the ham on the stand gave me a nice flat place to press open a seam.   :)
Danged if I can remember the other 2 ???
Give me some time.....

I also made a belt, but it completely destroyed the lovely Soho lines, so, in spite of how much I like the ease of just tossing on the robe on a chilly morning & taking a quick wrap of the belt, I thought maybe...just maybe...I could handle the horrendous hassle of actually buttoning a button in the morning.   I mean, it's all about style, right?

I had this rather beat up old button that came off a vintage swing coat - missing bits, lucite (?) kind of scratched, but I hung on to it anyway, and decided this was the place to dress it up & use it.

Note:  The glue pictured turned out to have lost its virility.  
After a couple of failed attempts, the nasty, toxic E6000 did the trick.
 Sometimes you just have to bend the (ecological) rules a bit *sigh*
I had some seed beads (from my beading days) in the perfect color, and a couple of pinkish buttons from stash -  the magna-tac glue ate the color off the first one.

Stringing the seed beads onto thread
This is the nice thing about having had multiple artsy-craftsy forays in life,
you end up with all sorts of tools & goodies that surface to serve later on :).

The finished button

After discarding a number of buttonhole thoughts, I decided to use my new favorite method - the one I've dubbed The Koos Buttonhole, as used on The PeonyVest.  It's sort of like the Spanish Snap buttonhole, but not quite.   I decided to do a simple round shape - here's a picture-heavy tutorial:

Two Circles.   

Stitched around edge, RS together, leaving an opening to turn.

Turned, with opening slip-stitched closed. 

Buttonhole area marked with basting stitches

Right Side of Buttonhole fabric pinned to Inside of Robe

Buttonhole area stitched onto robe, following basting stitches

Deep breath taken, and Slash Surgery performed.
Slice down the center, then make a V-shaped cut at each end of the slash, 
clipping exactly to the corners of the stitching, 
as in cutting a welt opening.

Pull the buttonhole fabric through the slash, to the RS of the robe.

Topstitch around the buttonhole slash, and around the edges of the circle
stitching through all layers.
Done!

Button in place

The beauty of this method is that you can create any shape you want - sky's the limit!   Unlike a bound buttonhole, you end up with a bit of a gap in the slashed area, but in a case like this, it isn't even noticed because of the thick fleece.

Back to the robe.

Because of the lining, I basically sewed up two whole coats.  I cut the lining just to the edge of the folded sections along the front opening and the hem, serged the lining edges, and then sewed it in place with topstitching.   I also tacked the lining to the outer robe in several key spots, like crossing seams at the neckline, armscye, etc.

Pattern & Construction Notes:

• A nice note about the pattern instructions is that you are given a 3/4" SA for all of the flat-felled seams, so you don't need to remember to add extra while cutting.   I REALLY appreciate touches like that!
• The pattern runs large (par for the course for Sewing Workshop patterns, in my experience).  My measurements put me on the larger side of Medium, but I cut a Small.   I'm still debating whether or not to cute an XS for my raincoat, because the Small is plenty roomy.
• The hood & fronts are one piece (two, actually - one for each side), and the shoulders are actually formed by a V shape that is slashed into the pattern.   Doing something like a narrow shoulder, or forward shoulder adjustment (usual for me) on this pattern is beyond the functioning ability of my brain.  (see notes above about head-scratching on flat patterns)
• I shortened both the coat length and the arm length by about 1".   At 5'3", this length is fine for a long robe, but I'll need to do more for an out-and-about coat.
• The lines on this coat are, imho, to die for!  I think it would be flattering on a lot of figure types - you really don't need to be long & lean like the pattern illustration for these lines to work!

The finished piece:

The belted option - I haven't decided whether to add belt loops & use this option...
What do you think?

Gratuitous cute kitty pic

Next up:  The Soho RainCoat.   I think.  The pleated fabric is already making me chew my nails, and I haven't even cut it or sewn a test swatch yet.   My next post will more than like have nothing but questions!