Liz's Hired Gunn

This just in from Women's Wear Daily:

William L. McComb is solidifying his leadership team by making his first major appointments as chief executive officer at Liz Claiborne Inc. McComb has recruited Tim Gunn to join the company as chief creative officer, a new post.

"I have a huge learning curve ahead of me. For me, having lived as an
academic for 30 years, I am finally stepping into the real world."

Thanks for the heads up, Project Rungay Boys.

Yes, Tim will continue to be the mentor for at least one more season of Project Runway.

Congratulations Tim!

Introducing Ghost and Smudge

Ghost and Smudge are my cats. No doubt, they'll appear in many pictures on this blog, so it's only right that you should know who they are.

This one's Ghost:

Ghost was a rescue from Albuquerque's Animal Control. She was a "dead kitty walking", scheduled for euthanasia the following day. Smart cat, she knew a paw through the cage was irresistable. She's supposed to be a Russian Blue, but has no paper work as a pound cat. There's definitely some Siamese heritage, though. She's got a mouth on her and has the same skinny physique. Ghost is approximately 17 years old. The vet says she's the healthiest elderly cat he's ever seen. Hopefully, she'll continue to be so.

Smudge is my other feline companion:

I realize he looks very sweet in the photo, but don't be deceived. He's a handful. He thinks he's the king of the house. Smudge came from PetSmart and was not an attractive kitten. But he was feisty; little did I know this was a trait that would continue to adulthood. He's around 7. You can't see it very well in the photo, but he has gray marks on his head, hence his name.

SWAP 2007: Wadder!

The cream rib knit top is officially a wadder!!! I tried to make it work, but in the end I decided to cut my losses and give up.

This failure is primarily due to fabric although I think the pattern contributed too. The rib knit opened up as it was worked with, resulting in a dropped sleeve garment which was totally unanticipated. Remember, this is a TNT pattern, which has never sewed up into a dropped sleeve before! OK, so I took 3/4" out of the body of the top at the armholes and resewed the sleeves. Much better.

However, once the side seams got sewed up, The whole garment was just dumpy looking. I even tried deepening the seams. for a slimmer fit. Nope, no good, still dumpy.

And the pattern? I need to re-check the tracing I used. I'm pretty sure I used the newest version, but something about it just doesn't seem right.

So, my SWAP continues at a glacial pace. Maybe I should try an item from a woven fabric next.

Shoes, Part One of a Series

I really like shoes. I can't help it, I do. I've been pretty well-behaved in my shoe buying lately, with only one recent purchase of some boots to get me through our recent snows. They were replacements for the pair that got ruined when I fell down on the ice. And with cold weather and ice, I've been limited until this week to those new boots (brown knee length flats) and another "sensible" pair of black Clark's. Yes, the same Clark's that makes comfort clogs. Their boots are well made and reasonably priced. I think I'm on my 3rd year with them. But I digress...



Today I decided to peruse Zappo's (http://www.zappos.com/welcome3.zhtml) and found a darling pair of pumps that literally jumped into the shopping cart. Pumps are great; they work with the dress code at the office. Here they are:


I can tell these are a great pair. I'm already thinking of things I can sew to go with them!


Oh yeah, and please forgive the awkward links. I'm still figuring this blogger stuff out.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

One of the less appealing parts of my job is the Quarterly Certification, in which we spew details of our larger accounts. Well, it's January, so that means we get to report on the 4th quarter. The good news is, mine are done, a whole day before they're due! Relief, at least until the meeting to discuss the reports...

Change is Good!

I've had this plan to re-do my "Florida Room" for a while. Well, it's really not a true Florida room, one of those glassed-in porches that are so common in older Southern homes (we call them "Arizona Rooms" out here). In reality, what I have is a sitting room/office that I've decorated with Floridiana--flamingoes, vintage bark cloth, alligators, etc.

When I bought my house a couple of years ago, it included a small room that the previous owners set up as a sitting room with a desk in the closet. I did the same thing, but I never really liked the cave-like feel of the desk. So yesterday, I finally got around to pulling the computer desk out of the garage and into the house. Then of course, I had to rearrange furniture. I felt like I was on an HGTV show!

I'm almost done with this version of the room, although I need to run over to Home Depot and purchase some bi-fold doors for the old desk, which will become storage space. I also need a couple of lamps--hopefully I can find something appropriately tropical.

A Reprieve

The storm I whined over yesterday turned out to be well-behaved Albuquerque snow. Two inches that started melting in the afternoon even before it stopped falling. The roads cleared, too, so DBF was able to come over.

There's supposed to be another storm tonight, but the weather guys say it'll be minor.

Here we go again...

Yet another snowstorm has hit New Mexico, beginning yesterday in the Southern part of the state. Last night, it finally made it in to Albuquerque, and I had hopes for a light dusting.

Nope, no such luck. It started again this morning. And it looks like it will continue for a while. My poor cacti. The prickly pear in the photo is the centerpiece of the xeriscape in my front yard. The snow from the last big storm finally melted off a few days ago, and now it's getting covered again. Now, this is a big, hardy plant that's about 12 years old, so it's survived several winters. But I don't know. It's looking kind of mashed right now.

I hope we don't have the side effects from this storm that we had New Year's weekend. It took 2 weeks to get the snow removed from streets, sidewalks, and parking lots. I only fell once (no damage) but it wasn't pleasant.

I realize I probably sound like a big baby, but winter in New Mexico is typically sunny and mild. Cold enough that you know it's winter, but you can throw on a jacket or some polarfleece and be good to go. The snow is on the mountains where it's pretty to look at and fun to play in (if you choose). But snow is not so much fun in town because it quickly becomes icy and a general pain to deal with. Not to mention that I probably won't get to see DBF because his little sports car can't handle more than a couple inches of snow. Wahhhh!!!

Tag, I'm It!

The tagging game has hit me too! Thanks Debbie at http://stitchesandseams.blogspot.com/ and MaryT. at http://thesouthernsewa.blogspot.com/! In case you're unfamiliar with this, here's how it goes:

1. someone tags you
2. you post five things about yourself that you haven’t already mentioned on your blog
3. you tag 5 people you’d like to know more about

My 5 things:

1. I'm originally from Louisville KY, where I grew up and lived for 18 years in the South End, within walking distance of Iroquois Park. That neighborhood was pretty cool because it had been an area of luxury summer homes during the Victorian area, many of which survive to this day. Maybe this accounts for my love of historic old houses?
2. I got my MBA at the University of Florida (hence the Gator Nation post)and lived in the state for many years, including Panama City, Merritt Island, and Melbourne in addition to Gainesville. I thought I'd live there for the rest of my life but my then-husband had other plans, which is why I've lived in New Mexico since 1988. He now lives in Tucson.
3. My current BF is an RN, having previously been a chemical engineer before he moved out here.
4. I'm a banker, working primarily with business clients. I got my current job due to my membership in ASG, believe it or not. A bunch of us get together at the Applebee's near our meeting place for the after meeting. One night almost 5 years ago, we were there and my friend Renee said that a man at the next table kept looking at me. Oh Gawd!! I thought, what's the deal? Anyway, I turned around and it was a gentleman I had worked with 10 years earlier when I was a credit analyst at the same bank. Weird coincidence, since neither of us usually went to that location very often. The rest is history.
5. I have been single since 1991 and don't have any kids. My 2 siblings don't have kids either. What are the odds of that?
6. Bonus answer, since I got tagged twice in one day. XH and I had our fancy honeymoon a year after our wedding, right after moving from Melbourne to Albuquerque. Since we were going to the British Virgin Islands, we had to get passports before we moved. When I told the clerk where we were moving, she exclaimed "...but you won't have your passports in time!!" Yes, friends, she didn't realize that New Mexico is a state.

With that, I hereby tag: http://swaggerdesign.blogspot.com/, http://rustybobbin.com/blog/, http://emilyphoto.com/blog/, http://fiberartsafloat.blogspot.com/, and http://ruthieksews.blogspot.com/.

SWAP 2007: Update

The first garment is ready to be sewn. I'm making the cream T-shirt first because it's a TNT (tried n true). I also discovered that it does have a right and wrong side! It's a tubular knit, with a narrow rib. Well, that was the back side. When I washed the fabric again, I discovered that the right side still has ribs, but every 5th or 6th one is done with a fancier knit stitch. So, it's a lot more interesting than I thought it would be.

MaryT asked what pattern I'll be using for my reversible jacket. I'm planning on the Loes Hinse Kimono Jacket pattern. The fabrics I have in mind aren't real heavy, so I think doubling the layers will be ok. The black is a wool blend crepe. The teal/black is mystery fabric, rayon, I think. It has a fairly open weave.

The slinky is beautiful, the photos don't do it justice. I am a little afraid of it though. While I love wearing slinky, my experience with sewing it is somewhat limited. That's why I'm using my TNT Kwik Sew T-shirt pattern. With an untested fabric, I prefer working with a known pattern. I hope I have enough left for a skirt--not necessarily for the SWAP, but as a bonus garment. The two pieces together could become an ensemble

Pincushions

I think there's a mini-trend (trendlet?) going on among sewing blogs lately. Debbie (Stiches and Seams), Liana (Sew Intriguing) and Stacy (Stacy Sews) have all recently published photos of their pin cushions, so I'm joining the club. As you can see, I'm a bit of a collector. There are more too, but how many red tomatoes do you need to see?

One of my favorites is the little pincushion attached to the coiled basket, which makes a handy tote for little mending jobs. This was given to me many years ago by an ASG friend. Strips of bias fabric wrapped around upholstery cording, then zigzag stitched into the basket shape, then trimmed with a touch of lace, some buttons, and the mini pincushion. Whew! A lot of effort went into that.

Also, the collection of "little guy" pincushions that I bought at Cost Plus/World Market, along with the 2 similar boxes that I use for bobbin storage.

The purple one at lower right was purchased at the Fiber Arts Fiesta one year, which is a biannual show and market sponsored by the fiber guilds of Albuquerque. It's a thumb pincushion used for bobbin lace that I got from a vendor. I don't do bobbin lace, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I never got the hang of wearing it on my thumb, but it's a handy travelling pincushion that stays in my mobile kit, which should be the topic of a blog entry someday.

And of course, the ubiquitous tomato.

SWAP 2007: I'm Official!

Yes, I'm still going to do the SWAP that I posted about in December. No, I haven't sewn a stitch yet. But I'm officially in as of today! I emailed my order to Julie this morning and my goodies will be sent out on Monday.

I ordered the Loes Hinse Kimono Jacket and Bergman Blouse for the SWAP (plus the Bacall Sweater, which is non-SWAP right now). I also ordered 4 meters of gold wool blend jersey, more than enough for a twin set or top with matching skirt. I haven't worked with wool jersey before, but I think it will be a good experience. With New Mexico's variable temperatures--warm days and cool nights due to low humidity and altitude--wool is workable for most of the year.

I'm hedging a little bit. I have no idea if I will have enough time to "do" the entire SWAP, but in any case, my plan is to try. If I can't sew it all, I'll probably post pictures of how I incorporated the sewn clothes with RTW items in my wardrobe. I wouldn't be eligible for judging but it would be helpful for those who like the concept but feel daunted by sewing that many items. There are many ways to work the concept! And after all, the goal is to have items that work together instead of lots of orphans in the closet.

I'm not feeling that bad about not sewing yet. I keep telling myself that planning is the key. So, here's the plan (subject to change, of course):

1. Faux Wrap Skirt: This will be made from multicolor georgette using the Sewing Workshop's Sandra Betzina skirt.
2. Blouse/Top: Also from the multicolor georgette. I haven't decided on which pattern yet. I'm attempting to create a dress look with the skirt.
3. Jacket: My inspiration for this piece came from J Jill. The winter catalog featured a jacket that was very similar to Loes Hinse's Kimono Jacket. This will also be my reversible item. I'm going to make it from black fabric on one side and black and teal on the other. Black lapels. I also want to work in some binding from the multicolor georgette to tie everything together.
4. Top: knit top from the blue slinky, using my favorite Kwik Sew t-shirt.
5. Skirt: Purple georgette. I'm unsure of the pattern, but I'm leaning towards the Loes Hinse Tango Skirt. It might be a reversible garment, since that georgette will require a lining. Black on one side, purple on the other? We'll see.
6. Blouse: purple georgette. Again, not sure which blouse pattern yet, but I have both the Bergman Blouse and a vintage Vogue on the drawing board. This will be another dress look when worn with the skirt.
7. Black Skirt: Unsure of the design and fabric, but I'm leaning toward a pencil skirt.
8. Black Top: My premade item. I have a textured Slinky top that I made years ago from the Kwik Sew pattern. This top is a workhorse.
9. Cream Top: Kwik Sew again, made of cream color textured knit.
10. Cream Pants: This is my RTW item. I have a nice pair of cream pants that I bought at Dillard's last year. My challenge here will be alterations. I need to take in the waist and shorten them.
11. Another Blouse or Top: This is a wild card right now. Maybe the gold jersey will fit in here.

Ha! I knew it!

Remember how I mentioned that Vogue had published another design similar to Vogue 8305 last year? Well, here it is and it's still in print. This one is Vogue 8138.

Another addition to the cavalcade of drape front cardigans--enjoy!

Success!

I took another trip to Home Depot during lunch today, and they had one set of Daylight bulbs with enough output to suit me. 23 watts = 90 watts incandescent. So I snapped them up and installed them into the overhead fixture in the sewing room tonight. Much better! The fluorescent Soft White bulbs were the same wattage but the quality of the Daylights is sooo much better--no yellow, so much kinder to the eyeballs. I even did a little mending on black this evening. Hopefully this will open up whole new opportunities in sewing.

The old bulbs will be relegated to the sconces on either side of my garage door, where they'll save me having to replace bulbs out in front of the house all the time.

Gator Nation, Baby!!!

Drape Front Cardigan Patterns

I had a request from kelly asking about some patterns that could be used with sweater knits. Since I mentioned in my last posting that patterns similar to my RTW drape front cardigan were currently available, I decided to post a few:




This one is Kwik Sew 3462, which I think comes closest to the Coldwater Creek sweater. Strangely enough, Kwik Sew thinks this pattern should be made up in woven fabric. Go figure! It would be perfect in knit.

Another Kwik Sew, this one 3285. This one is designed for knits. A little different style of drape in front, but another good choice.

McCall's 5241. If you shortened it some, it would be close to the Coldwater Creek sweater.

Butterick 4673. This one's similar, and the pattern includes the skirt, pants, and top as well. Unfortunately, I think the skirt and pants are "meh," but the cardigan and top are good. Yet another way to do a drape front, this time with a curve.

Vogue 8305. I've seen this one featured in some other blogs. A nice wardrobe that I could see in a fine gauge wool jersey. Didn't Vogue have a suspiciously similar wardrobe pattern last year though? I think it's in my pattern stash, so I probably won't be buying this although it looks great.

I've seen a lot of similar styles in RTW (at least in the RTW catalogs I regularly look at). Depending on fabric, this is a look that could go sophisticated or casual, wouldn't require too much fitting, and make up quickly.

Goodies from the USPS

I've had a nice run of things from the post office over the last couple of days. And for some reason, they're also providing service to my front door instead of the silver box down the street on some items. Yesterday was an awesome sweater from Coldwater Creek:



Love, love, love this! It's made of ribbon yarn and is surprisingly warm. Really fun to wear too. The pattern companies have several similar patterns right now, Kwik Sew and Vogue among them. Yes, I could have made one and may eventually do so. But sometimes RTW can be fun too.


Today brought more treats. A back issue of Belle Armoire. Fun eye candy and inspiration. It's not the most informative craft magazine, certainly inspirational.


But best of all, I got a surprise package from the Sewing Workshop! I participated in the recent "Invent the Inventor" contest online. I didn't win, but it was a good experience. I received a generous discount on the purchase of a pattern just for entering and thought that was it. But no! Linda and her staff sent more swag: her "Mastering Miters" book and the Tamari Apron instruction booklet. How great is that!

Daylight!

I went to Home Depot yesterday in a fruitless search for salt or sand to put on the front walk. Yes kids, there is still a lot of the snow on the ground here.

However, I did notice that they had an expanded selection of compact fluorescent bulbs in more varieties than before. Soft white (ugh), which is basically a yellowish shade like regular bulbs; bright white; and daylight, best of all! When I have more time, I plan to head back over and pick up some for the sewing room. The compact fluorescents I have in there now are the soft white type and I want daylight! And more wattage!

Happy New Year

It's hard to believe that 2006 is over. In many ways, the 21st century has been a blur so far--I mean, we're seven years in already?!? It doesn't seem possible.

The sun has come out but there's still plenty of snow on the ground. While this is typical in Northern New Mexico, for my area, it's not. While we have all 4 seasons here, I'm more used to cold dry mornings and nights, offset by warm dry middays. I don't think that'll be the case for a while yet. I heard on the news last night that another storm is on tap for next weekend. I hope this turns out to be a non-event, since DBF and I had to cancel this past one due to the storm. Honestly, I'd love to send the snow on to you folks in the traditionally snowy areas but it's not my call.

I did spend some time in the sewing room yesterday. I traced off a skirt pattern for the Timmel SWAP. It requires some tweaking, since I'm using a pattern designed for knits with a woven fabric--this is the Sewing Workshop's Sandra Betzina skirt that I posted on last month. So I need to change it up with a deeper hem and a facing or something for the faux wrap. Also, the circle fabric is thin, I'd call it a georgette type. So it'll need underlining, which also causes pattern changes.

However, most of my sewing room time this weekend has been more mundane--alterations. I worked on a favorite pair of princess seam pants yesterday. Unfortunately, I had to let out the center back seam that my alterations lady had taken in a couple of years ago. I also pinned up three of pairs of pants that I'll complete today since I have sunlight! The pants are dark gray, forest green and black, and I was having trouble seeing well enough in the evening's gloom. I'd also like to get started on altering my winter white pants--I got them on sale at Dillard's last spring during their winter clearance. These will be the RTW component of the SWAP, at least that's my plan for now.