The Usual Suspects

As part of my extended 40th birthday celebration we got to stay in a vacant apartment in San Francisco. Maxine lived there from the late 1940s until she died some years ago — she was 97. She fancied "Oriental" decor and fancy stereo equipment. I think these headphones were hers. Thanks, Maxine.

Ta da!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. It was swell, especially the goblet-sized lemon drops that my brother-in-law made — explains the silly grin, huh? Missed the hangover after my 21st birthday, saved it for my 40th. The orange chiffon cake was fab, too.

Me 4.0 and Simplicity 3835

It took me a year to finally make the Built By Wendy, Simplicity 3835 pattern. I watched as everyone made cute shirt/tunic/dress after cute shirt/tunic/dress. While thinking that it looked great on them, I wondered if it would look maternity-ish on someone my size. The pattern only goes up to bust size 40 inches and I'm 46. Fortunately I remembered that on of my vintage-but-sized-for-larger-folk patterns it explained that, if you are larger than a B-cup, it's better to measure above the breasts and around the back to get a better measurement — when I do that, I'm 42 inches. So, after holding the pattern up to my body, and getting mom's opinion, and comparing it to my other favorite home-sewn, I skipped the muslin and went straight to cute polkadot quilter's cotton.

The modifications I made were: not adding the elastic on the sleeves (too puffy); adding a little to the front fold (about a half inch); adding additional length (because I'm tall); and adding the darts in back (like the dress version).

Make sure to follow the directions for the length of the elastic for the neck opening, which seems long, but, will flatter with its peek at your collar bones.

This shirt is so much better than stained, Old Gravy T-shirts in XXL, but it serves the same purpose — it's a classic mom uniform from way back, but now you get to use all the cute fabrics. It's utilitarian. It's easy. It's stash busting. It's fast (1 1/2 to 2 hours)! It's my favorite pattern, ever!

Did I scream yet about how much I LOVE THIS PATTERN?

So, even if you have big b**bs, and even if your waist size is the same as your age*, and even if you still have that baby belly — TRY THIS PATTERN. It even looks good on skinny girls. It's all good.

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*It's my 40th birthday today!!!!!

Skirts For Others

Day 320
Originally uploaded by becktress.


Day 321
Originally uploaded by becktress.

No deep thoughts lately, just sewing. I'm playing catch up on the posting because last month I only posted four times!

The top skirt was the result of an extended playdate. Sewing *can* happen with two moms and three kids. I measured and drafted an a-line skirt for my mom-friend, Gigi; then, sewed it up with her vintage upholstery-weight linen. She helped maintain a comfortable level of sanity with the children. Barking did happen, but it wasn't the grown-ups. I finished everything except the hand-stitching while they were here.

The bottom two photos are skirts that I made for my sister for her birthday. The top one is an Amy Butler print, the bottom one is denim. The interesting thing about the denim is that it looked really frumpy when I made it her normal length of 26 inches in the front. Shortening it made it look cuter, less of a bad 70s thing. I mean, there's good 70s and there's *bad* 70s — just sayin.

Straw Bale House

It's a lot easier to be video free video light in the Springtime — we're giving it another go. Winter was tough. As soon as the kids got sick I caved in and the videos trickled back downstairs until there were huge piles of them. Straw bales help — they might be my favorite kid toy of all time. Lots of creative play has been going on, around, on top, underneath, and inside of them. And, when stacked they are slightly dangerous, which makes them even better. We're thinking of getting some for a friend for his fifth birthday.

I *Heart* Red & Aqua (pt 2)

The purse is the result of a fascination with graygoosie's crochet bolero. I was wondering how the hell to crochet something with motifs and no real pattern. Then, I sat down and actually read a book, instead of a computer — I know, wacky stuff. I turned to the section about Irish Crochet and had my answer: first, motifs are basted onto fabric templates; then a crochet chain is basted to the edge of the fabric; finally, random lace is worked from the outside toward the motifs.

So, I tried that with this purse, but the lace was *too* much. I had made a spider's web connected to the flower. The weight was too bulky and loose — I knew I'd be catching things on it all the time. So, I frogged the web and embroidered on some western-style loop decoration.

The real breakthrough for me was making a bag. I know, y'all make bags all the time. But, I haven't wanted to make one since my first attempt, which was a sorry lopsided thing made with a reclaimed polyester patchwork quilt, vinyl backing, and polkadot lining. It was a mixed-media nightmare and I never finished it. (see picture at right)

The other blue and red goodness, from left to right: metal bird ornament made by Regina at Creative Kismet; handmade pincushion and imported gnome-ish ribbon from Kristin at Kleas.

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Just found this great series of tutorials for making modern clothing with Irish Crochet. Wish I had found this first, but, then, if you don't even know what it's called, it's hard to google.

Use With Caution: Magical Hats & Wands

A few of the magic wands and wizard hats made for auction season over here at the two-preschool household. The wands rest on a album of vintage photos — a gift from a special, creative friend. I'm thinking about scanning them high res and uploading them to flickr so y'all can share the beauty. I'm especially thinking Kim and Bethany might like them.