Personal Service

The past few days have been heavy with personal service people. I've recently visited the shoe guy, the alterations lady, and the watch guy. I'm happy that I know these folks. I mean, if you're going to have nice things, you should maintain them.

The shoe man is a real treasure. In the past 3 visits, he's put new heel taps on a favorite pair of pumps, replaced the rubber sole on a fabulous pair of clogs, and dyed a pair of orange pair of slingbacks (what was I thinking!?). So now I have 3 "like new" pairs of shoes.

The alterations lady shortened the sleeves on 2 jackets and 2 suits for me, and she also shortened the 2 pairs of suit pants. Yes, I know how to sew. But with the exception of very minor alterations, I go to Ms. Kim. She does a nice job on my RTW and I'm happy to support her small business. It was sweet but somewhat sad to hear her story of her little son who's trying to win the McDonald's sweepstakes so she doesn't have to work so hard any more.

I always figure that the watch guy is slumming a bit when he replaces the batteries in my many fashion watches. His real business is restoring antique and vintage watches to "like new" condition. Yet, he and his wife are cordial and cheerful whenever I bring in a new set of watches.

My dry cleaner picks up and delivers to my office. It saves time, and the company uses an environmentally friendly process besides.

People that perform these kind of services are becoming fewer in number as the result of an increasingly throw away society. I'm so glad they're still around in my community and can help me look my best.

Sewing Travel

I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the things I learned about travel to sewing retreats, getaways, and so forth. I found that it's more challenging to to fly to an event, because you're much more limited in what you can pack.

• Bring interfacing. I didn't and it would have been helpful to have some for the San Diego Jacket I started at the Getaway. It's cut from ravelly stuff, and interfacing the areas to be slashed would have improved the result at the neck/shoulder intersection.



• Bring basting thread. I've become very fond of silk thread for basting, yet I forgot to bring a spool with me. Cotton just isn't the same.



• Bring less fabric. I picked out a ton of fabric and even left some of it at home. Yet there was still a suitcaseful to drag around airports, the hotel, and the Sewing Workshop. And we also went on a shopping trip and bought more. The most prolific of the Getaway participants made only 3 garments and a muslin, so I could have edited out even more.



• Bring muslin fabric. This is one fabric I didn't have but wish I did. Fortunately, the pants fit well from the tissue, but what if they hadn't? Muslin is insurance.



• Tracing paper, same thing. Insurance.



• Be sure to try on the trunk show items if allowed (and, IMO, you should be able to but ask anyway). It's a real plus to be able to check the fit or to explore whether a particular style suits you.



• Bring sewing supplies and notions. I didn't regret bringing any of the scissors, marking tools, pins, measures, etc. that I brought. Do remember that you'll need to check these items!



• A digital camera is a great tool to have. You can use it to take photos of details and processes, in addition to the usual vacation shots. And it's easy to share with your friends.

• I brought a lot of patterns to the Getaway, and it was a positive thing for me. When I had to wait for the irons or sergers, I could cut patterns out.

Uncle Bobby

Carolyn at diaryofasewingfanatic posted an entry yesterday that contained this challenge:

However, this week I want to turn the tables. If you read my blog, I would like you to shout-out and tell me where you are located AND name one person who is inspirational to you, sewing-wise. It doesn't have to be someone famous or well-known, it can just be someone who inspires you to continue to sew or who taught you to sew or whom you would like your sewing to emulate.

I swear, Carolyn, I posted a reply to you. But for some reason, it disappeared into cyber-space. Good thing I saved the response because I can still share it with my blog friends.

I have a lot of inspiration sources for my sewing, but one who came to mind as I read the post was my late Uncle Bobby, who was my mom's younger brother. Uncle Bobby worked for Stewart's, THE department store in Louisville back in the day, in their interior design department. He installed window treatments in high-end homes in Louisville and Lexington KY. He used to always share stories of the fancy Victorian town homes and horse estates he had visited, and how they were decorated--the color choices, the furnishings, etc.

Stewart's used to sell the (large) remnants at employee sales for next to nothing, and he'd always pick up a few choice pieces and tell me to make something from them. Even after Stewart's closed and he went to work for other workrooms in the area, he always did that.

Even though he's been gone a while now, I still have several pieces of his fabrics in my collection. He inspired my love of textiles and opened my eyes to fabrics beyond those available to a middle-class suburban teenager.

I don't really even sew home dec, but Uncle Bobby's encouragement of my sewing has inspired me to this day.

Stop Ranting, Start Sewing

I'm a reader of a couple of sewing related blogs, and it strikes me that one of the continuing themes from women in middle age concerns what's in the stores and shown in RTW.


I'm not sure why this is even a big issue for many of us. Long gone are the days when designers dictated a single look (think back to the 1950s when the Dior's New Look ruled). Or when only certain colors could be worn in a given season. Fashion is much less rigid now, and it makes sense not to buy into a trend when it's going to make you look like a fashion victim (ie, the recent babydoll trend). Even die hard fashionistas don't participate in every look that comes down the runway, believe it or not.

A major theme of the last several years has been high/low, or a designer garment mixed with inexpensive ones in the same outfit. Mixing designers and clothes to create a unique look. Wearing an inexpensive t-shirt with a couture jacket. Vintage influence, wearing things from many years ago with new. I wouldn't want to look like an Olsen twin, but they've had an influence in this area, and it's kind of a good thing, because a lot of people are afraid to do it on their own. But if an Olsen twin does it, it gives permission for us to do it. Why can't we, but in our own way?


Yet, I keep seeing these posts with a theme of, "should I, a woman of a certain age, wear a babydoll top? I can't find anything else in the stores." Oh really!?! I live in a mid sized Southwestern city, and I don't find the selection limited to only babydoll tops (Or whatever. I'm not picking on babydoll tops, although I left them behind in about 1975 or so). It's not like I live in a fashion mecca or anything. And you know, there's always the internet.


And then there are the complaints about what's on the runway. Those are show pieces, folks. Realize that the looks on the runways during Fashion Week are not necessarily the ones that will appear at the stores. Store buyers do give feedback to the designers about their customers, so hemlines get changed, linings get added, etc.


It's easy to complain. Just sayin'.


But....


If you're posting on a sewing board, you probably sew. You're not limited to current RTW offerings. We sewers can make things that suit us and bypass unfortunate trends! It's OK. Heck, we're not even limited to current offerings in patterns and fabric. Most of us have admitted that we're stashers, with many patterns and fabrics that we can raid when, say, orange mini skirts are the fashion du jour and they only make us look jaundiced and like "mutton as lamb." And there's also e-Bay with its plethora of vintage (although some of it isn't vintage to those of us approaching mid-century).


Come on ladies, quit whining. If you can sew, you have a solution. It doesn't matter if you're petite or tall, skinny or fat, or whatever. You don't have to depend on RTW. You can do what you like.

...And We're Done

Sunday wasn't quite as productive as Saturday. But then again, it was a 9-5 day vs. the 12 hour Saturday marathon. I did finish cutting out the San Diego Jacket, and made some progress sewing it (and learned after the fact that there were some things I should have done for greater success). Here's a picture of it, not too much worse for wear after the trip:

Trust me, there's still plenty left to do on this jacket.

However--I got hung up on having to wait for equipment and decided to stop sewing before I really needed to pack up for the weekend. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed working with the group. We had a lot of fun and I feel that I made some wonderful new friends. But sometimes it's frustrating not having your own dedicated equipment, despite all the good energy.

Linda showed us some techniques and tips in the afternoon. I was very impressed with her discussion of sewing thread. I've always pooh-poohed those who are extremely picky about thread. I just didn't think it made that much difference. Then Linda passed around samples of some silk chiffon, one sewn with poly, the second with cotton, and the last with silk. The poly was noticeably stiffer, the cotton was ok, but the silk thread was undetectable! I don't know how far I'll take this knowlege in my everyday sewing, but worth knowing for special projects.


I spent the remaining time cutting out Now and Zen shirt patterns, so they're ready to go when I feel like doing some sewing. I know a lot of people really believe in tracing, but you know what? It was liberating to just cut into those pricy Sewing Workshop patterns. There are times when tracing is the right thing to do but IMO, it does add an additional level of inaccuracy, no matter how good you are at the process.


And it's not like the Sewing Workshop clothes are all that body conscious in the sense of negative ease and closely fitting each and every curve. Of course, it helps that I had the opportunity to try on the garments. Now I know exactly what size is going to work for me.


A comment that always comes up re: these patterns is that they are voluminous. Well, yes and no. The older designs are big, because that's what people were wearing in the 1980's and 1990's. The newer patterns have much less ease. I can wear a Medium in most of the newer designs, even a Small in some, but the Japonesque (a really old design) in Extra Small fit me just fine.


After wrapping up in the afternoon and heading back to the Laurel Inn, I repacked everything. Needless to say, I was a little worried that all the additional fabrics wouldn't fit in the suitcases. A little juggling, and now they do. However, there's not a lot of extra room to spare! I hope the TSA can get these bags re-closed after their checked luggage inspections.


In the evening, I headed down the block to a little Italian place that one of the other Getaway participants recommended, Osteria. Very popular, let me tell you! It was packed out for a Sunday evening (or maybe that's San Francisco for you). But delicious! Mmm, mmm, mmm. I had gnocchi, which is a real test, IMO. Too many times they can be like little lead balls, but these were light textured and melt-in-your mouth. The sauce was cream-based with gorgonzola and pine nuts. My only very minor criticism was in the plating. It was all very white on white and could have used a touch of color. But that's a tiny quibble, and given a choice between flavor and appearance, I'll go with flavor!

Around noon, I'm heading back to Albuquerque, and on the schedule for this afternoon and evening are a long soak in the tub. It's amazing how stiff and sore my shoulders and back are from all the sewing.

Productivity

Saturday was a pretty productive time at the Sewing Workshop. We spent all day and well into the evening working on projects. From Friday, I had a pair of Plaza Pants cut out and ready to be sewn. I'm pleased to report that I got them done yesterday, and I'm wearing them today. And I also had time to start cutting out a San Diego Jacket, which I hope to have well under way by tonight.

There's a charming little jewelry store located across the street, called A Jeweler's Place. So of course, we had to go over and take a look. I ended up spending some money over there...2 pairs of earrings and a citrine, pearl, and silver bracelet are coming home with me.

(Sorry about the crappy photo. I only noticed the dust and Smudge's fur after taking it! But you get the idea.)

The owner, Carol Reed, provides great customer service. She adjusted the bracelet to fit my narrow wrist, and while I was there, she was helping a customer put together a design for a bracelet made of antique red coral beads. I'm accustomed to this with "fine" jewelry, but not so much with silver and semiprecious stones.

We also had a guest in the afternoon, Anna Lisa Hedstrom, who is a nationally-known fiber artist working in shibori. Among many styles of scarves, she had some pleated into flower shapes that were amazing.

Linda brought us dim sum for lunch, and we were on our own for dinner. Several of us went to a Mexican place, Tommy's, and I had an Enchilada Suiza dinner and a margarita. It was a different style of Mexican food than I'm used to, but delicious nevertheless. It was also nice to get out and walk after a day of hunching over a sewing machine.

Not Exactly Radio Silence, But...

I'd hoped to post more, but I'm having problems with accessing wi-fi from the hotel. No, thanks, I don't want your AT&T connectivity, thank you very much. Yet it keeps trying to possess my computer anyway.

A quick summary of yesterday's activities:

• It rained all day yesterday. Well, I did want the San Francisco experience!
  


• Linda brought muslins of the Plaza Pants and the Ikina Pants. I fit the Ikina muslin in Medium. Right from the envelope. The Plaza Pants required only a minimal tweak for the Medium size.



• I'm working on Plaza Pants now. They're cut out, and edges are serged. They should be completed today. Linda and I decided that the Medium would work for me, with a slight tweak to add a little bit of extra room. High hips, ya know.



• We went to Satin Moon yesterday. Small store and lots of beautiful fabrics wedged into every nook and cranny. I was kind of overwhelmed, but did end up with a couple of pieces:

• Fabrix is right up the street, and a whole 'nuther experience. I picked up 3 pieces of knits. Nice stuff and only $1.99 per yard.

• I tried on a bunch of the clothes from Thursday's trunk show. There are several patterns I can wear straight from the envelope. Those would be the Now and Zen Tops (Medium), the Japonesque Top (Extra Small!), and the San Diego Jacket (Small). I'm planning on working on these patterns some more while I'm here.



• Dinner was very nice. We basically took over Mescolanza, an Italian restaurant on Clement St. with our group of 16, and later discovered that we actually had reservations at a different Italian restaurant up the street! The food was excellent, and it was really a fun time.

I should have brought heavier clothes. This desert diva is having a little difficulty with the dampness here, so I'm feeling cold most of the time. It's nice that the hotel room has great linens, including a fluffy down (?) comforter and masses of pillows.

Cali!

I've made it to San Francisco, where I'm blogging from the Laurel Inn, our group's recommended hotel for the Getaway. I've been in travel mode since 6 am this morning, and fortunately, I was able to check into my room upon arrival at 1 pm.

Jeez, did I ever bring a lot of stuff. I had one wheelie with fabric and supplies, another wheelie with clothes and toiletries, and a computer/overnighter bag (courtesy of DBF). No travelling light, even if I wanted to. I didn't think sewing tools would be too acceptable to the TSA, so there was no choice but to check them. Unfortunately, the elevators at the Albuquerque Sunport were out of order this morning. Ugggh, it's no fun to schlep 3 bags onto 2 flights of escalators to check-in.

San Francisco is true urbanity, while Albuquerque is a lot smaller and more spread out. I'm feeling a little bit "country" at this point, know what I mean?

My clothes are hung up and I have a wheelie bag full of sewing stuff ready to take over to the Sewing Workshop this evening. I think that's the plan, Linda's last email mentioned bringing your "stuff" this evening.

Tonight's activity is a trunk show of Sewing Workshop garments while the attendees get to know each other and get started. Yes, my camera will be coming with me!

I haven't had much chance to eat today. Coffee, pretzels, and a diet Coke aren't going to get me much farther so I need to go in search of a late lunch. There appear to be several restaurants close by as well as a Trader Joe's.

More later...

Procrastination

It's nice to be losing weight.

In addition to all the health benefits, I look better (IMO), I have more energy,it's easier to fit patterns, and I'm rediscovering clothes that I'd to put away because they were too small. Good thing I wear a lot of classics, they can be recycled in that way.

However, it's kind of distressing to go through the alterations stack of things I haven't even worn yet and discover garments that are too big. In other words, money spent for no good reason. I realize I could take them in. But I've been to this rodeo before and know that a garment can be altered to fit, but sometimes it still won't look right. This usually happens when trying to alter it down too much. I'm now mostly fitting into RTW 10, and some of these things are RTW 14s.

So it bothers me, but I'm not going to spend the money taking those too-large items to Miss Kim the alterations queen or take the time to do it myself. No, they're going into the charity pile for someone else to enjoy. Imagine the thrill of thrift store shopping and finding nice pants with the labels still attached! Well, it's happened to me in the past, and it was a great feeling! I hope these items will find a good home.

Even after the cleanout, I realized that I still have a giant collection of RTW to work on. The stuff behind the door...

...most but not all of it. There's also this section of the sewing room closet devoted to upcoming alterations.

Did I mention I also found a bunch of items in my walk in closet this morning that could also use a little work?


Ummm, most of these items just need to be re-hemmed so I really have no excuse...time to move these goodies from the sewing room to my closet, then onto my body. These selections do not include the items that I've put away because they're still a little too small but are becoming OK.

An Unexpected Surprise

I received an e-mail from Nancy Erickson yesterday, regarding the double-faced taffeta that I whined about last week. I turns out that she unearthed a missing bolt in her studio, so I will be getting a cut of it after all! It should arrive before the San Francisco trip. Wheee!