Smudge, Etc.

Pam wrote a comment and asked if I could post a picture of Smudge, since that's her cat's name too. Here he is, surveying his domain. Normally, his tail isn't that fluffy but I startled him. And this entry shows him as a kitten.

I've been working on a big project for a customer at work and it's also the end of the quarter, so that's where my attention has been lately. DBF and I had the opportunity to see Alison Krauss and Union Station Monday evening, and what a good show--excellent musicianship! And the new Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho is quite nice, even though it's currently in the middle of nowhere.

I've been using my new serger's cover stitch to hem up several Slinky skirts. I'm not totally happy with the results so far. The fabric isn't moving through as well as I expected, which is causing some skipping and wavering stitching, especially at the seams. Fortunately, the skirts I've worked on so far have been black prints, so these problems aren't really noticeable. But, but I'd like to get it right, you know? I'm wondering if the foot pressure is too heavy to accomodate the Slinky, so I'm going to try reducing it a bit to see if if helps. Any other suggestions?

Trapped!

I got home from work this evening and found that both cats were trapped! Smudge, obstinate beast that he is, refused to come in this morning when I was getting ready to leave. He made his choice so I don't have a lot of sympathy.

But, worse, little Ghost was trapped in the sewing room closet all day! I had moved some skirts that need to be hemmed from the bedroom to the sewing room so that I would actually work on them. She slipped in and I didn't even see her. She was both embarrassed and annoyed at my error. Only minor damage to the closet's contents, though, and nothing that can't be remedied. She barfed on a piece of waffle knit fabric , used a wadded up plastic blanket bag as a bathroom (she couldn't possibly hold it all day!), and made a minor tear to one of the patterns hanging from the closet rod. I need to tidy up that closet so perhaps this incident will encourage me.

Other than cats, I worked on the front yard this evening. I'm not much of a gardener, but as Cidell often says, I don't want to be "that house" on the block. I have intentions to hire landscaping work done but we'll see if it comes to pass this summer. Last year, it was so wet that it couldn't be done and this year, there's a lot of new construction needing landscaping from scratch. So we'll see. In the meantime, maintenance. I trimmed the desert willows back, pulled the worst of the weeds, and sprayed the rest. In a day or so, I'll do some follow up work--again and again, most likely.

Then eventually, the jungle that's my backyard.

Beginner's Mind

I went to my sewing machine dealer's yesterday for an introductory class on my new serger. Although I'm fairly confident mechanically, I took advantage of the class anyway, and approached the class with a beginner's mind. There is always something new to learn, and the more complex machines have a real learning curve. Having the class speeded up my progress and showed me some things I might not have tried otherwise.

I was the only student, so I received a private lesson for 2 1/2 hours. Thanks Phyllis! We went through:

• Basics of 2, 3, and 4 thread serging.
• Rolled edge
• Wave stitch
• Cover stitch.
• Serging on various types and weights of fabric, including denim, 4 way stretch lycra, various cottons, and wool.
• Attaching ribbing, elastic, and lace.
• Faux blanket stitch
• Using the differential feed.

All in all, we covered a lot of information in a short time, and the class was a nice extra to include with the machine.

Oh, and there was a question on the boards recently site about paying extra for a Babylock in order to get the wave stitch. I paid a lot of money for my new machine, but the wave stitch was the least of it. Power, baby! The Evolve has a lot more power on multiple layers than my old Protege--so far, everything I've sewn on it has been like buttah. The Evolve does a lot of adjusting for you, so a lot less preparatory tweaking and figeting. There's a lot of ways to thread it depending on the stitch you want, yet it's pretty simple to accomplish. I can see the need to keep the quick reference guide nearby! I've heard nightmare tales about setting up cover stitches on multipurpose sergers, but it was no big deal on the Evolve.

Also, there was another question about sewing curves since the presser foot is wide. Again, not an issue that I've had problems with. I do think the lifter is placed oddly, but that's probably only because I'm so used to having it on the right hand side on the old Protege.

I see the biggest issue for me at this point is to re-train my eye so that I know where the fabric is in relation to the knife and needles. I had the Protege for so long that I could eyeball all of that. Hopefully, I'll soon have the same ability on the new one. It's a matter of practice.

TNT Skirt: Simplicity 9570

I planned to make this skirt (above) for dinner out with DBF on Saturday. I didn't quite finish on time, but fortunately I had another version available (below) that I made 3 years ago! They're both View B, but the new one is made with only the lower flounce and the older one is made with only the upper flounce.

I continue to wonder if the flouncy skirt is "done" but it keeps coming around in different variations.

This pattern is an out of print Simplicity from 2001. Views B and E strongly resemble Loes Hinse's Swing Skirt, but I bought this one at one of Jo-Ann's pattern sales back when they were 99 cents. I've made several skirts from this pattern--it's one I often go to if I need an outfit for an event on short notice. I've made it from panne stretch velvet, rayon challis, silk, and polyester silkies. It would probably work in linen/rayon blend, but definitely needs a fabric with a soft, drapy hand. The fabric I used this time is from Jo-Ann's. It's a lightweight poly with a woven texture. Whatever it is, it's one of the better fabrics Jo-Ann's has had recently--I have another skirt I made from the same type of fabric, and it's a favorite.

When I first bought this pattern, I typically made the longer View E, but lately I've been making the shorter View B. I haven't tried the other views, but how often would I need a gingham maxi skirt (View F) with a big old gathered ruffle at the bottom? View A with its small ruffle at the bottom is cute, but I haven't gotten around to making it yet.

I often make both views with just one flounce. One advantage of doing this (other than saving fabric) is that the front and back units can be sewn together prior to assembling the side seams. In general, working on the flat is always simpler than sewing in the round.

I added a lining to this one.I hadn't planned to originally but the woven texture of the fabric makes it a little more sheer than I'd like. So I cut the front and back pieces from lining fabric, serged them up, and attached them to the casing. I made a narrow hem at the bottom of the lining. I didn't include flounces because I didn't want to risk them showing below the skirt. Also, the lining's purpose is just to cover the "naughty bits"; the flounce can be a bit sheer since all it shows is my knees and calves.

Following Up:

Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes. It was a nice day, especially with my sewing board and blogosphere friends chiming in. I feel like I know people all over the world.

The dinner date with DBF was fun. Whisque has only been open a couple of months and seems to be filling a need in Albuquerque, judging from the crammed parking lot and crowded patio (despite the unseasonably cool evening). The bartender makes a fabulouso Mojito! I enjoyed the pork loin and DBF had the salmon, which we both loved. Next time, I might just get the shrimp appetizer, and add a salad for a lighter dinner. DBF ordered shrimp as his appetizer and they were wonderful! Like most restaurants these days, the noise level was high, ugh. I'd rather have it quieter so I could have an actual conversation. Oh well.

Tonight:

The end of the Sopranos. Buon' anima.

Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Meee...

Today was my birthday and everything has been great so far. My sis sent me a gift certificate for a spa treatment via email this morning. It's going to be quite something I think, because the gift certificate says to allow 3 1/2 hours! Then my best friend at work had a goodie bag for me when I got to the office, with a nice candle (butterscotch cookie) and a frame for our eventual gal pals photo. When I got back from lunch, I discovered that the florist had delivered the lovely roses that DBF had ordered for me. Wow! I'm a pretty happy girl right now.

Tomorrow, DBF and I are going to Whisque, a newish restaurant that's not too far from my house. Hooray, the West Side of Albuquerque has an upscale restaurant at last!

As for the evening, I'm on my own, but happy because I'm planning on playing with the new serger that I got recently. Am I a sewing nerd or what?!? Hopefully, I'll be able to do more than just make samples. I'd love to make a summery little skirt to wear to dinner tomorrow.

Park Bench

Carolyndh had a great question concerning the details I liked at the Park Bench trunk show, and it got me thinking. What did make those sample garments look so good?

1. Drape, first and foremost. MLR (that's Mary Lou Rankin, the owner) designs these patterns to have 8-10" inches of ease. Yes, really. And with that much ease in a garment, it absolutely cannot be made out of a stiff fabric like quilting cotton. The fabric needs to have drape. One of my most favorite garments was an Audubon Park jacket that MLR was wearing as an overblouse. It was plain white or cream, she wore it over a matching tank top and black pants. I'm not sure what the fabric was, but it was drapy and very flattering to her.
2. Color choices. Many of the garments were more muted in color than you'd think. I already mentioned the white Audubon blouse. The Griffith Park skirt was made up all in black too--you couldn't see the gores but it had great movement, and it would be a flattering staple. The Woodstock skirt, which is a pieced skirt, was made up of related prints that blended with each other.
3. Fabric choices. MLR is not a fabric snob. She mentioned that she has been using a lot of fabrics from Jo-Ann's, including the polys, because that's what's easily available to most people that are buying the patterns. True, there were also some pieces in 4 ply silk crepe. But I liked that she was trying to be where her market is, and Jo-Ann's fabrics have never looked so good! As long as it has the necessary drapiness, she'll use it.
4. Embellishments. Denver City Park includes a super simple jacket, but one version was made up with a double layer effect with fabric tubes trimming the opening. Balboa Park's jacket has a seam that can be finished off as a seam or made as an opening into which fabric tubes, trims, etc. can be inserted.

The overall impression of the sample garments was of boutique ready-to-wear. Granted, this is not a line that works for everybody since its focus is on easy dressing for women of "a certain age". The patterns aren't graded so that's out of some people's comfort level. And if you need highly detailed guidesheets, you won't get them here. Personally, Park Bench's styling is way too relaxed for my work environment, but I can see using these patterns for items to wear during my downtime on the weekend.

MLR mentioned during the show that she will be putting pictures of the sample garments on the site. It may take a while, as she admits she's not web-design savvy. I hope so, because the current gallery page leaves a lot to be desired--what's on there now is extremely limited. It would be great if some professional-type photos of the garments were added.