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New Trim

I am still unpacking and putting away from my trip to San Francisco.

Today I unwrapped the trims I purchased at Aida Dalati. I did purchase two fabrics, one that is for fall, and one that I am holding until spring as I came home to find that it perfectly matched a piece of Zegna silk I got from Michael’s .

But it is the trims about which I am obsessing at the moment.

This trim is hand sewn amethyst nuggets. I know exactly what I want to make, but I am not sure if I have the fabric yet (I haven’t looked). Something this fabulous needs to be a simple trim on a simple garment. I purchased something very close at Stone Mountain and Daughter, but it is not quite perfect, which is OK, because I was really not thinking of that fabric when I purchased the trim.

I have faith that the perfect thing will turn up. It always does.

I also purchased a piece of this simple ribbon. I see it as a decorative accent on the front of a simple silk charmeuse or crepe top. I have gray 4 ply in the perfect color, and I know I can get more of that fabric or get the same color in charmeuse or other silk fabrications from Mood fabrics. I just need to narrow down my choices, and reduce the clutter of ideas that are currently filling my mind. Perhaps something with layered silks, or satin organza.

I am always scattered like this, with too many ideas until I finally settle down and the perfect thing falls out of the mix.

Last but not least (actually the second thing I found after the amethysts above) are these fabulous buttons:

They are cubes and you sew them on at the corner, so they look like dice. I am having second thoughts. I believed I knew what I wanted but then I started second guessing myself. Perhaps I want to use them to make a jacket inspired by this one:

But then, if I do, I need twice as many buttons. Perhaps I need to think about this. Perhaps I need to call Aida Dalati and see if there are any buttons left. Perhaps I was a mistake to post this photo of these fabulous buttons, assuming the ladies who participated in Power Sewing the week after me haven’t already scarfed them all up.

September 29, 2007
An essay on photographic intention

I read this fascinating essay on Roger Fenton’s photographs of the Valley of the Shadow of Death. I’ve seen the one most published photograph but am not an expert on photography or Fenton. Still the essay is quite interesting. Although I do not, in principle, think that staging is a bad thing, I do not see the need to go back and try to determine what Fenton was thinking. Can anyone know what someone else was thinking? But I think there must be some human need to assign a purpose or a reason to the photographs, something to answer the "Why are there two" question.

I have an opinion but I will wait to see what Morris learns as well. My opinion is not learned and does not stem from any great knowledge or understanding of art or photography.

I will tell you that it seems obvious to me that the lighting of the pictures is quite different, as one would expect if Fenton took the pictures over a roughly 1 1/2 hour period in the late afternoon. Depending on which way he is facing, I think the light can tell you a great deal, and there are obvious differences in light and shadow in these photographs as I see them posted on the web. Of course I am not looking at the actual photographs, and I know nothing of the techniques and settings Fenton used.

Still, I will be intrigued to read the continuation.

September 29, 2007
Two memoirs

I was writing to a friend about Mary Gordon’s new book, Circling My Mother and I mentioned that I had trouble understanding the profound Catholocism that filled the book and which imbues almost every page. But that is not exactly true. There is much to admire in the book, as indeed there often is in Gordon’s writing, but I still cannot grow comfortable with her prose. IT is not Catholicism, as there are many overtly Catholic writers whom I greatly admire.

So what is the problem?

Admittedly I am occasionally shocked and most certainly uncomfortable with the pure vindictiveness that sometimes comes pouring out of the writer’s pen. There is no shortage of vitriol in this book. I suppose this is something I consciously try to avoid, perhaps to the extent of sometimes failing to defend things that should be defending. But this is my problem not the author’s. And although the periodic harsh outbursts bother me, I have never disliked a book solely because it made me uncomfortable. There must be more.

I suppose in reading this book, I was hoping that by reading Gordon’s attempt to reconcile herslef with her mother, I could attempt to reconcile myself with Gordon’s writings. I found that I could not. However much I may admire aspects of Gordon’s prose, I cannot connect. I still find myself wishing I could throw the books into a corner, I can read the words, but there is no communication here. I feel like I am reading something alien and foreign, and I cannot seem to bring myself to wrap my mind around it, whatever "it" may be.

And what prompted these thoughts, aside from a note to a friend? Why is the subject not forgotten?

Well, I am currently reading Julia Cameron’s Floor Sample and although Cameron’s upbringing is also profoundly Catholic, and she too spends time questioning the beliefs with which she is raised, and although are personalities are nothing alike, I am finding myself to be much more sympathetic to Cameron. The book is entertaining and thought provoking. It is easy to read whereas Gordon’s was not (but then again that could just be my personal reaction — there was nothing difficult in the prose or the story line). In reading about Julia Cameron’s life an her journey, even though we have taken profoundly different paths, I am finding much to reflect upon and much to share.

Reading a memoir is, of course, always a personal journey. One hopes to find a connection between the reader and the author, something in common, some way one can say "I am like this person". The more I read Mary Gordon, the more incomprehensible I find her. Oddly I did not find Gordon’s mother incomprehensible, it is the daughter that confounds me. The more I read Julia Cameron,the more I feel connected even though we have little in common; the more I am able to say I can understand.

I suppose to a certain extent I am attracted to Cameron’s intellectualism. I am attracted to her questioning of everything and the difficulty she has letting her mind rest. Her inclination is to make everything more complicated that it has to be. I can sympathize. Even though I am not and was not raised Catholic and the emphasis on religion or the lack of it, was different in my childhood, other things were similar.

I too grew up in a house filled with books, a house in love with literature. I went to the library daily as soon as I was old enough to cross the streets by myself. I was allowed to read anything I wanted to read and my parents stood up for my reading choices, defending them against the rules and mores of the librarian, although I was required to read all the books in the children’s and young adult sections before progressing to adult books. Once there were no more "appropriate" books for me to read, my parents defended my choices and encouraged me to read widely. By the time I was in high school I had graduated to hanging out at the local university library where I was allowed to roam free and read at will, my father arranging for me to check out books using his faculty card.

At 16 I too was reading Tielhard de Chardin and Paul Tillich. I too was struggling to find a view of God to whom I could relate and to forge a relationship to and understanding of religion. I too was struggling and questioning.

That I did not end up as an alcoholic is not because of moral superiority but probably the luck of the draw. Cameron became an alcoholic with her first drink. My chemistry is of a different sort. My personality as well. Had I ever experienced a black-out I would have run for the hills — I fear loss of control almost more than anything else. This is probably because I am the child of an alcoholic. It is not always a blessing. Trust and love also require a willingness to relinquish control and I have at times lost out because I was unwilling or unable to make that leap. I have work hard to learn to let go….it is something I will always have to work at.

I am not far in this book. But I am being pulled in.

Life is amazing, simple and hard at the same time. This person’s life is sad and strange and compelling at the same time. I am beginning to think she is very strong.

September 28, 2007
She wore blue eyelet

Navy blue eyelet skirt.

Fabric from Kashi at Metro Textiles.

Pattern: Simplicity 4186 now OOP, but still available on the simplicity website.

This is pretty much a TNT pattern for me now. The only alteration I have made to this pattern is to lengthen it from 22 to 25 inches (shown above) pretty much my standard length for this pattern
.

I had originally planned on lining this with navy bemberg rayon, which, it is true, would have been boring and would not have enhanced the eyelet. Instead I used a light beige-taupe silk/cotton blend that I purchased at Britex Fabrics in San Francisco. I am very happy with the way it turned out. I liked the fabric so much, the way it washes, the way it feels when being worn, that I went and bought a bunch more to add to my lining stash.

Since I used the eyelet border as the hem, the skirt was easy-peasy. I sewed one side seam and put in the pleats before putting in the invisible zipper, and I constructed the lining as much as possible also before joining the two pieces. Then I sewed the lining and the skirt to the invisible zipper in one step, only having to finish that last seam and join the pieces at the waist. A narrow band, just wide enough to cover the waist seam, finishes the skirt.

September 26, 2007
Rockin’

Lisa over at Blackwater Park has nominated me as a rockin’ girl blogger. I don’t really picture myself as rockin’, not surprising for someone who has long been accused of being far too serious. I see myself as confused and overwhelmed or perhaps just hanging on, but truthfully, the thought of being a "rockin’ girl blogger" is kind of cool.

Now I am supposed to pass this on to five other bloggers. Considering that I am way behind on my blog reading, I am not really sure who has been nominated and who has not; especially since, as Lisa noted, not many display their rockin’ status as a button on their sidebars. So I am going to attempt to list a few people who may not have been nominated, either that or I am just so behind and out of it I am probably displaying how absolutely not-rockin’ I am. Anyway to those listed here, if you’ve been nominated and I’ve missed it, apologies, if not you probably deserved it before now:

Liana: Sew Intriguing
Marji: Fiber Arts Afloat
Kathy: Vast Amounts of Spare Time
Nancy: Not So Fancy Nancy
Roseana Matching Notches

And I have decided to post a button, but oobviously I need to edit it a bit as it gets chopped off. That will have to be a task for another day as I am already stolen enough time away from my piles of "things that must be done".

September 25, 2007
Monday Musings

>1 The self-timer on my camera and I seem to be having a bit of a tiff right now so photos of sewing week projects are not yet forthcoming. I had plans to make another attempt at a photography session today, but there were a couple of electricians crawling around the deck and an audience of strange men put something of a damper on my photographic frolic.

>2
One of the first things that struck me upon my return home was what a total disaster area my gardens had become. The fact that the front yard was such a mess is about as clear an indication as any I can imagine that I was indeed overwhelmed and depressed. This was the longest time I had ever spent not gardening since my bout with Melanoma 20 years ago, and I am rather stunned at my ability to ignore my surroundings for so long. Needless to say, I felt a strong urge to make some inroads in reclaiming my space.

The gardening season is nearly over, and aside from weeding, cleaning up beds and generally preparing for next year there is little to be done at this point. However, while I was t the grocery store I saw a couple of these tall millet plants and some mums on sale and decided that it was well past time that I put something in the planters flanking the garage doors. Just this little bit has really perked up the place and my spirits and been enough incentive to start tackling the bigger projects, which abound.

>3 I have also been very busy in the kitchen.
Even though fall is not quite here I have been overcome with the fall cleaning bug and I started with the kitchen, hauling everything out of the pantry (not difficult as the cupboards were pretty bare upon my return) and scrubbing everything from top to bottom, then restocking. It was almost as if I scrubbed out some frustrated part of my mind, the part that had been cooking because we had to eat but not enjoying it, and starting fresh allowed me to rekindle my love of food and cooking and just playing in the kitchen…….see what a little sewing time and time spent with friends will yield? A full rekindling of creative endeavors. Tonight we had sea scallops (the freshest I have ever seen in a local market) sauteed with roasted red bell peppers and artichoke hearts served with a side of spaghetti squash.

>4 The box I shipped home from San Francisco arrived today.

In it were some of the things I originally packed to take with me, but decided I could live without for a week or so and a few new things I picked up, including this fabric. It is a knit with these fabulous blue and yellow brushed mohair stripes. I got two full panel repeats (gray knit plus stripe) plus one extra striped area.

I have ideas bubbling about. Will they work with this fabric? I have no idea. I am torn between wanting to jump right in and having second thoughts. I think I will let this piece sit and inspire me a little bit.

September 24, 2007
Remembrances of sewing week part 1

Sewing week was different this year. I spent most of my time actually in the sewing room sewing and hanging out with my sewing friends. This is the first year I didn’t have to work, and the lure of the computer was substantially reduced as there was no pressing need to turn it on. I had a lot of fun and got a lot done, but already it is becoming a blur, a happy blur, but a blur nonetheless:

I began sewing week after a long absence from sewing and plagued by a bit of confusion over not only what I wanted to sew but what I wanted to wear. Having spent the summer in my gardening clothes and not having spent much time visiting my closet since February, I felt disconnected and uncertain. Although I had plans, I was plagued by indecision.

Following our introductory show-and-tell and personal makeovers, I was even more confused, probably amplified by the fact that I still had not settled into California time and was not sleeping well. My plans went completely awry and I was not sure what I was sewing.

Rather than cut anything out on Monday, I started revising my plans and made an emergency run to Britex for a new lining for the eyelet and a complimentary fabric for the floral. Back at the hotel, all the new fabrics had to go in the wash and only later did I realize that I purchased new fabrics without the requisite threads and a second trip to Britex was required.

Monday was plan revision and panic day, along with a little tipple of wardrobe-refashion.

Tuesday was devoted to the blue eyelet skirt, about which more will come later and buying antique buttons from "the button ladies".

Wednesday I made the black/lilac floral skirt shown to the left. As you might recall (see below) I had originally planned on making this a short narrow skirt, but that idea did not seem to go over well on Monday and I threw that plan out the window. Not really sure what I wanted, and with encouragement to wear longer skirts

(and here I am trying to get out of longer skirts)

I decided to use Vogue 2969 using the floral print for the body of the skirt and black for the contrast inset and overlay.

As the pattern is designed for knits or wovens cut on the bias, I hoped it would work out with my black fabric and I went to Britex hoping to find a black contrast that looked good with the background of the black print. That sounds a lot easier than it actually was, but in the end success was mine.

You can see the finished skirt in the photo above. I still have mixed feelings about this skirt. It is the only project from sewing week about which I am at all ambivalent, and I still wonder if I should have just stuck to my original plan. But it is a nice, wearable skirt and I shall just have to see how I feel about it over time.

The skirt was easy to make and I had no problems with the pattern. The instructions were clear and everything went together well. I like the basic shape of the skirt and will probably make it again in a different fabric. Bias polyester crepe de chine was not easy to work with and in the end I grew frustrated and just serged off the hem. I had thought of doing the band finish as show on the pattern, but decided that was just too fussy with the print. If the skirt becomes a wardrobe basic, I will eventually finish it off with a narrow hem.

Wednesday night I cut out the orange cotton skirt.

Thursday we had Christine Johnson talking about sewing with knits accompanied by patterns and swatches of her wonderful fabrics. I have used some of her patterns in the past and love them, and of course her fabrics are fabulous. It was a great day, but a little slow on sewing progress. Of course, once again I sewed well into the night.

Thursday and Friday were also devoted to the orange cotton skirt, which was almost finished by the time we had to vacate the sewing room at 4 PM on Friday. All that remains is the hem. It would have been finished had I arranged my schedule differently, but I was working on some misinformation: namely that we would be able to sew until 6 PM. When I returned to the room following a lunch and shopping break at 3 PM, Sandra had just learned that we had to close down by 4 and the remaining hour was spent packing everything up.

Saturday was fabric shopping day followed by dinner at Sandra’s. It was a fabulous day, and yes, I did buy fabric.

Here is a picture of me at Stone Mountain and Daughter, shopping up a storm. The pile of fabric behind my right shoulder is also mine, waiting to be cut:

September 20, 2007
Alas, our accomplishment to expectation ratio is running -10%

Once again, I have fallen short of (self-imposed) expectations:

1. No sewing was done this week in preparation for sewing week. I was hoping to arrive, an accomplished sewist, with a new garment to show for my efforts. Alas it is not so.

2. No further reductions were taken in the stack of sewing projects. All the candidates were able to squeeze into one 21" suitcase and were therefore designated cell-mates for the duration.

3. Despite occasional misgivings that my project choices were primarily of the warm-weather variety and in direct opposition to any malingering thoughts I might harbor to the effect that fall is just around the corner, the suitcase remained resolutely in summer mode. After all it is always summer somewhere in the world.

4. The fall fabric stash aided and abetted the summer projects by defying all attempts at being routed out of their hiding places.

Sewing week will be lots of fun. Lift-off is tomorrow at 6 AM, the airport an hour away, and my dreams and expectations are on full alert.

September 7, 2007
Decisions, Decisions

Here it is September once again, and I am packing up projects for sewing week. Truthfully I am having a lot of trouble focusing my sewing thoughts and narrowing down the list of projects I want to make. And even though fall is just around the corner, and I am staring wistfully at fall fashions, my sewing projects are not quite settling into a fall pattern yet.

Here is what has survived the first cut, although they aren’t all in my suitcase yet:

Cotton eyelet from Kashi at Metro Textiles. This fabric has moved on and off of my cutting table all summer and I really do want to make it. The neutral color means I can wear it well into fall as there will be plenty of warm days ahead.

I meant to sew it up this week, but since I am still struggling with packing — I have grown totally out of touch with my closet and it is a strange and foreign land — it does not appear that the skirt will be finished before take-off on Saturday morning. More likely I will have to stitch this garment up if I intend to wear it. Luckily it is a TNT pattern I have made several times before, although I will have to make a Britex run first thing as I seem to be experiencing a severe shortage in the zipper supply. Only today, as I was trying to gather supplies did I remember that I had not yet placed my semi-annual zipperstop order before life intervened in my plans last spring.

Aside from the blue eyelet, there are several other fabrics that have recently joined the skirt queue and it looks like my sewing week will primarily be skirt week.

I posted this fabric back in June when I met some sewing friends for a shopping spree and gabfest at Metro Textiles. Although the fabric really screams summer, the deep oranges strike me as a possible transition for fall. Although the fabric is quite light, making it perfect for the full circle skirt (I hope) the lining is heavier, and might make this a more transitional garment.

When I started gathering together potential projects for this trip, this fabric also reminded me of some tangerine chenille that has been sitting in my yarn stash for some time. I was about to add it to the E-bay pile, but now I am thinking of designing a sweater to wear with the skirt, perhaps extending its seasonal usefulness even further.

Then, in early August I picked up two beautiful polyester prints at JoAnn fabrics. Since they are poly I can’t imagine blouses or even dresses from them, but think they would make interesting and fun skirts:

I know that once again, they are prints that are more reminiscent of summer than fall, but I think they can be mixed in with many trans-seasonal pieces, and can also travel to more southern climes year-round. Besides, what can I say, I am hemming white pants and knitting a white sweater as well. Seasonality and the creative spirit have never quite meshed in my mind.

I also have fabric and plans for two jackets, although I might not get to either one of them. If I get started I might only get as far as the muslins, but I am still considering these two pieces. They may go in lieu of the skirts or in addition to the skirts.

This is an interesting silk and polyamide (nylon) chenille-like fabric on a silk gauze backing. It actually looks like individual strands of yarn that have been stitched and partially fused to the backing. I think it would make a very interesting jacket but it has to be simple, as the fabric is the statement here.

I have had the Textile Studio Capri jacket pattern for some time but have never made it. I am not sure if this fabric is appropriate but the style looks like the kind of thing I am looking for. I will have to do a muslin first anyway.

Then an off-white and black wool with a coordinating piece of lace for a jacket inspired by something from Valentino Spring 2007. Since it is wool, it is probably seasonless in this world of air-conditioning, heating, and automobiles. More information whenever I get to this particular project. Again, I will have to make a muslin for this as it requires a bit of morphing between two patterns I haven’t really used before.

So do I go for the quick thrills or the more complicated and interesting projects, or dabble in a little of both. Fewer than 60 hours remain before some semblance of a decision must be made.

September 5, 2007
Saturday Miscellany

The new Threads magazine came the other day and I spent a little time yesterday causally looking through it.

This issue is interesting and entertaining and has some good information. All in all, perhaps Threads is appealing to me more again…..not that I was going to stop subscribing or anything.

One thing really made me laugh however. One of the first things I always read in the Threads is the article on the last page, the "Closures" column. What tickled my fancy was this paragraph by Kristine Kadlec:

"If you listen to opera and/or classical music, you tend to be extremely organized. You’re self-disciplined and always schedule sewing time into your day. If your house isn’t clean and the laundry isn’t done, you can’t concentrate on your sewing projects."

Well, I don’t really believe people can be that easily classified and I listen to most genres of music fairly regularly, but my first musical love and primary treat will always be classical music. People have always accused me of being organized, although I tend to think I am never organized enough, part of that same nerdy side of me that tends to think all problems can be reduced to a mathematical equation — the trick is finding the right equation. And I used to schedule regular sewing time. But lately I don’t seem to get through my list of things that need to be done efficiently enough to schedule sewing time. There are too many distractions and interruptions and unplanned events. Not that I am, or ever wanted to be a, highly scheduled "at 7:18 we take our vitamins" type of person, but I still can’t let myself sew when there are piles of laundry to be done or other "more important" tasks.

Oh well.

Not that means I have been out of the sewing room completely. I just don’t have anything really to show for my time except fun and learning experience, neither of which photograph well. SInce I have had bits and pieces of time, a half-hour here, an hour there, I have my machines set up and I am playing with their various capabilities. I have been testing the various feet that came with my new Baby Lock serger (over a year old at this point) and learning how to use them and making samples and notes to myself. I have also been working through my Bernina manual, trying all the different stitches and feet, although not in any comprehensive way. I am but a mere beginner, but I am getting much more intrigued and confident about doing some new and different things.

Besides, even though I don’t get the thrill of a new garment to wear, I am still sewing something, even scraps, and I am still simple-minded enough that I find that endlessly entertaining.

Which brings me to the other timely aspect of the new Threads magazine, at least for me. A good portion of this issue is about wardrobe and planning and snoop shopping, in short deciding what to sew, I have been spending a little time doing mental gymnastics in the wardrobe department. All this not sewing has me itching for new clothes. Not only that, I am itching for more pulled together outfits rather than the mix-and-match kind of very casual separates I have been working on in the recent past.

There was a reason of course. When I stopped going in to an office every day I stopped needing suits. I liked suits. I liked skirt-suits and pants-suits. I like menswear inspired tailored jackets. But I got a lot of well-meaning advice from friends that an Armani-inspired suit with jacket, slacks, and loafers was not really appropriate casual-weekend-spent- antiquing or watching-a-soccer- match attire. My friends were probably right. But I had a hard time figuring out a casual wardrobe. Now all I have is my casual wardrobe, and fancier go to nice dinner or cocktail party/evening clothes. (I am probably exagerating here ) And I think I have gone to far in the casual direction….I crave outfits, which is really more my nature.

Perhaps my mood is influenced by the fall designer collections, which have certainly be heavily leaning toward a more polished, formal silhouette, a look that I really prefer to the completely casual attitude. Today’s Wall Street Journal has an article about just this trend and the doubt that it will be an easy sell. It could be that I have had to spend a few days lately in a suit and heels and hose and it felt really good. I had forgotten how much I love being DRESSED, and how much more myself I feel, when I make a bit more of an effort.

As to gloves and hats? Well, I would definitely go the glove route. And I love the look of layered sleeves, short over long, or short with gloves. I already have a small glove collection and have a pair of gloves to match every coat I own, and some that I just have for contrast or special occasions. I love hats too, and if I lived in a city where I walked more, I would probably have a hat for every coat as well. I have sometimes toyed with that idea. But it is hard for me to get in an out of a car with a hat, much less drive in one, so the hat is mostly off, as is the coat if I am spending a day in and out of the car. I think if I ever quit the suburban life I will just have to head for the city…and find a good milliner too, as my head, unfortunately, is too fat for one-size-fits-all women’s hats.

September 1, 2007