I'm here.... Sort Of

Good Morning Y’all, I have been sewing. I have. I have loads of projects sitting on the sewing table. The God has been cleaning his side of the room. Eventually I think we will have space for other people other than ourselves in there. Who knows? Anywho. Where as I have plenty of mojo, it’s becoming depleted. I’m making garments I’m not super happy with. The last time I was satisfied with a garment it was my orange linen jacket. I like it now, but the construction was a beast. I made V1250 out of denim. It was a stretch denim, but still denim. I added 2 extra inches to it because it (a) wasn’t a knit and (b) because I knew I would be putting a zipper in it. And it came out enough for me to wear it publicly, but I wasn’t comfortable in it. Partially because it was shorter than my muslin, it came to the knee. (If I cut the muslin long, I don’t remember) And it rode up when I sat down. I wore it with boots to keep the overall proportion 3/4ths. The folks I was with said I looked hot in it. But I think it is because it is not my normal look. I wore a leather hat instead of my usual headwrap that let a lot of my hair out and I had up-to-the-knee boots. I’m thinking that attributed to the “hotness” more so than the dress. I Frankensteined another dress this weekend. I had some African inspired cotton print that I wanted to make a simple spring dress. African print is overpowering and making a dress with pleats or anything uber-fancy will look crazy because of the print. Another thing is I was going to a party this weekend (you know you’re getting old when your friends start turning 50!) and I made the dress the morning of the party. Come to think of it, I finished V1250 before I was about to go out. Maybe I’m putting undo pressure on myself. I used NL6648 for the top and the bottom of V8663. I chose both those patterns because I had success with them in the past. And yes I made a perfectly nice dress, but not anything I crave to wear. Had I loved the dress, I would have worn it to work this morning. I didn’t. The dress came out completely ok. Just not the BOOM I was looking for. I will wear it again. Here is the thing with both dresses…. My gut! Let me tell you something about Serenity…. Serenity is a thick sista, with big boobies and wide hips. What she never has is a pooch or a thick gut. NEVER!!!! And if she is… let me stop 3rd person talking… And if I have a PMS moment (which I didn’t have for the last 2 occasions) I can squish it together with shape wear. And I have a LOT of shape wear. Probably more than the average woman. My mother has a shape wear fetish that I inherited. On both occasions I suffered through a tight waist cincher and both times no cinching happened. WTF? This is truly disturbing because I don’t know what is happening to me. I just came off a 21 day juice fast. I should be fine as the Board of Health. But my stomach is fighting me. I’m just at a loss…. So this is my plan…. I have 2 events coming up; a born day party and my niece’s baby shower. I BOUGHT a dress to wear to both these events. I will watch my diet for the next 2 weeks and workout a bit more. I’m going to work my mojo by finishing little Dillon’s baby quilt, and finish my curtains. I also have 1 more crochet job to get out. That should preserve my mojo until I figure this tummy thing out. I will be crushed to find out it’s because of age. Peace

Random Build on a Wednesday

Peace Y’all,

I thought I’d type out something just to remind self to get my behind in front of the sewing machine. I’m hoping to get really random….

~ Since the sewing/computer room is so dark, I bought a floor lamp to lighten up things. It’s assembled but not used yet. I got it from Ikea on sale. But it has a funny light bulb. I sure hope that bulb lasts forever. Because I’ll probably have to buy another lamp if it goes out. Come on Ikea lamp!

~ I have decided for every 3 garments I create for myself, I’ll create one for the God.

~ The God said that he does not have a problem with the 2 of us matching… **insert sinister laugh here**

~ Do you know how hard it is to find interesting clothes for men? I peeped a bunch of runway shows and there is really nothing interesting out there. I have a shirt/jacket pattern and a pants pattern. Apparently that’s all I need. Men’s clothes are BORING!

~ I have all the fabric I need for all the projects I have planned for myself….. That’s never happened before.

~I’m sick of people asking me personal questions and for money!!!!

~ I have been procrastinating like a mug. I need to finish my black linen mourning suit and start on my Easter dress. No UFO’s in the new place.

~ Why am I making an Easter dress when I’m not a Christian and don’t celebrate Easter? I guess old habits die hard.

~ This random blogging is harder than it looked.

~ My job is really boring. And I have have to work this Friday. I shouldn't complain, since I only work 1 Friday a month....

~ Life seems like it’s taking a good turn, despite what people say. Right now I’m satisfied with what’s going on around me.

~ I need to make a trip out to some country thrift stores. They always have old patterns and crazy notions on the low/

~ I just joined Sew Weekly. I’m a joiner.

~ I hate taking out the trash……



Peace

S2766 + Tangerine Now and Laters

Peace!

I am exhausted from the New Year festivities. Within my culture we celebrate the Asiatic New Year at the spring equinox. Also, the Gods who helped the God and I move refused to take money for their aid. So we threw them a shindig this weekend as well. I am exhausted!

I did manage to finish curtains for the public rooms with the exception of the dining room. The DR is really a sun porch, but for us it’s a DR. The master bedroom and bathroom have not gotten their embellishment either. But do you know what? They will be just fine! And I got a shine on the wood floors that even the men noticed. It has gotten warm, real warm, in the “A” and I need to swap out to my warm weather clothes. So that brings me to the reason for this build…. Simplicity 2766....

I hate Simplicity patterns. I do. I have gotten to the point where I can say, I doubt I will buy any more unless the instructions are obvious. It’s not the styles that bother me but the instructions. I ALWAYS read instructions. I read them in the store when I buy new patterns. I read them while considering sewing them. I read them before I go to sleep at night. I want you to know and understand that I read the directions. Okay. So why when I follow the directions to a “T” the garment comes out muffed up? Answer me that? And…. It doesn’t happen with Vogue’s intricate hard assed patterns, or Mcalls or Butterick, or even Kwik Sew. Hell, not even with vintage patterns! Only Simplicty. I am so over them. Why did I buy it in the 1st place? IDK. It was probably recommended and/or on sale.

This garment is the foundation of my summer wardrobe. I’m calling it “The Now & Later Collection" after my favorite childhood (and adult) candy. I wanted a tangerine car coat with bracelet sleeves. I love the color, but I don’t own much tangerine/orange. I mean my Jeep is orange, but that is more of an accessory and not a garment. So I wanted a pop, and I got it with this jacket. The fabric is this luscious linen from Gail K’s. I love that store for browsing. I find her too freaking expensive. But, I hit the lottery. Not for a lot (not even enough to pay off the Jeep), but enough to afford $16/yd tangerine linen. I bought 5 yards of it. It is sooooo pretty and feels so wonderful to my skin. My pessimistic coworker saw the bag (nosy heifer). I have blogged about her before. She thinks she can sew and is an authority because she made a skirt and an apron in high school. But she does't own a machine and never has. I wasn't trying to show her the fabric. She said, "That’s pretty but I don’t see where or how you can wear that color." Whatever.

Pattern: Simplicity 2766

Description: Wardrobe: I made the F view long jacket with the short sleeves

Size: 18

Did it look like the pattern envelope when you were done sewing it? Mostly

Fabric: Tangerine Linen

Were the instructions easy to follow? Heck NO

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I hated the instructions more than you can imagine. I started the jacket last week and got so frustrated that I had to walk away from it but I came back and rigged it to something I could wear

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made?
I extended the collar and omitted the buttons. The buttons that I fell in love with were $8/button. I wanted to hold on to my money a little longer I can always add them later if I want.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
On both answers no. Will I wear the garment I made? Yes. It is the core of my summer wardrobe and I bought shoes to match.

I tried to smile this time. I have enough lined to either make some gloves or a skirt. Does anyone know if you can make gloves out of linen? I don't think I've ever seen any before.

Y'all like my shoes? I ADORE them!!!! I went to Macy's to purchase these shoes after seeing them online. In the store I saw beige and black versions but not the orange. The mean associate told me that they ONLY came in colors I saw. I told him I saw them online in orange and he called me a liar to my face! Seriously. I was about to snap six degrees of ghetto in the store. Instead I pulled up the shoes on my phone. the associate asked me if it was a Macy's website. Really? Style and Company is a Macy's brand and I reminded him of that. As he got nastier, I reached in my purse for my stun gun. i was taking him down. The manager heard the incident and saved him from electrical complications. She found the shoes in their computer, ordered them for me and gave me a SEVERE discount. Then she took the man aside. I'm not going back tot hat Macy's (and it wasn't even a Hood Macy's), but I got my shoes.




Peace!

V8663

Peace.

Y’all know I have million and 6 things to do with the new place. I need to wax the floors, make curtains, and really just clean and get things together. We are having a party in 2 weeks! On Friday, I did manage to claim my space in the combination sewing/computer room. The God has been nagging at me to get it done. He has been nagging at me like his side is already clean. But I digress.

A big problem that I have always had is I don’t have going “out” clothes. I have work clothes, I have weekend clothes, I have a few workout clothes (that is all I need), I have mourning dresses and a couple of all purpose suits. And that’s it. I don’t have going out clothes. Probably because I hardly ever go out. But I needed some. Some Earths asked me to go to a spoken word slam. I likes spoken word. And it was on a Saturday evening. I may be getting old, but that sounds like going “out” to me. So V8663 to the rescue!

I have been meaning to make an LBD for a long time. I wanted to find something that reflected me. Not too old, but not too young. Middle age is a trip. I don’t want to wear the same clothes my mother wears and I don’t want anything written on my ass. I tried at Thanksgiving, but that was a failure and a massive use of fabric.

I was in Decatur to renew my license, I decided to go by my fabric place and see what they have. Since I moved going to that fabric store is a 40 minute hike. I would prefer to find something in my new neighborhood. Y’all know how that is. Folks don’t sew anymore. It’s hard to find a grocery store in my new neighborhood. You know searching for a fabric store will yield miniscule results. So I picked up 3 yards of black knit with a light dusting of glitter on 1 side. The clerk said that it was cotton knit. My iron said otherwise.

Folks call V8663 a 3 hour dress. Well I spent 4 hours on it. You know why? I made mistakes. But not crucial ones, but mistakes none the less. (1) I could not find all my sewing stuff. My white pencil, my seam ripper (And I have 4 rippers, but couldn’t find 1. One was so new I hadn’t opened the package yet) are gone. Where? IDK. But their loss will require me to go to Hancocks or Joann’s to replace them. Because every store doesn’t just carry a white pencil. (2) I cut the back of the skirt incorrectly. That didn’t cause a huge problem because I just had to keep in mind to superimpose the pieces since I cut them backwards and it worked fine. (3) Without my white pencil it was difficult to line up the pleats on the bodice. But even after all that drama, I am still really happy and relieved that I finally have a black dress that I can wear “out” and satisfies my 3/4th requirement. I predict this dress will get lots of wear.

Pattern: V8663

Description: Ladies Dress

Size: I cut a 22

Did it look like the pattern envelope when you were done sewing it? Yup

Fabric: cotton jersey, though I suspect it is polyester

Were the instructions easy to follow? I didn’t use them. Vogue didn’t lie when they said very easy. BUT…. There should have been more direction with regard to finishing off the collar and the armscye.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? It is an age appropriate dress for a 40-something year old

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made? I lengthened the bodice 2” and I made a mistake with the back of the skirt that you can’t sea

Would you sew it again? Yes I would. If I needed to. I’m keeping the pattern because I keep all my patterns that work. But I won’t make another one of these unless something happens to this dress. I can’t see having a whole wardrobe of these.

Would you recommend it to others? Absolutely

Don't I look Happy to be going out?


Alright… Back to my curtains


Peace

Cocoa and Puff

Peace,

After finding an Easter dress in 1984, my mother became sincerely frustrated. The dress had to be altered so much that the alterations cost more than the dress (and the shoes) did new. She looked at me with a seriousness that made me doubt any duplicity in her words and said, “Until your body evens out, I’m not buying any more clothes for you.” And she meant it.

That is what started me on my sewing journey. I requested a sewing machine as an 8th grade graduation gift. I knew that I had to take up the slack in alterations or I would have nothing to wear. And high school was coming….

I call the girls Cocoa and Puff. Properly measured, I am a 40J. Think I can find that size in Macy’s? Think again. My bras are NEVER pretty and ALWAYS expensive. Half the time I cannot find the right size and have to play with sizes. And half bras are a joke. A bad joke. Think of all the styles of clothing I cannot wear. And anything that requires strap less or off the shoulder is a no no. I even have dents in my shoulders from where the straps sit. And before I get a bunch of advice, it’s too late. They are in there permanently. My boobs are heavy too. I weighed one. 1 of them is 11lbs without me leaning in on the scale. I was once excommunicated from a friend’s wedding party because my girls would not go tastefully in the bridesmaid dress the bride chose. She said she had her heart set on a certain type of dress and I since I could not accommodate her dress, I was out!

For my own bridal shower, I requested to NOT receive lingerie. But my in-laws thought they were doing something good by giving it to me anyway. In the back of my mind I know it was for their brother/son/grandson/cousin. None of the, ahem… outfits… ever got worn in the 13 years that have followed.

They have been the bane of my existence as well as a treasured resource. Yes I have to get salty with men who feel completely okay at ogling me and speaking into them but conversely, they got me out of tickets and got work signed off for me as well. I won’t have them removed. They have always been there in some way. I have never been flat chested. I have had nodules ever since I was a toddler. I blame the Similac.

Dressing the girls has always been a challenge. I keep hoping for something to happen in the retail world. I can’t be the only woman with an ample bosom. Returning to my sewing machine has also made a bit of knowledge born to me that patterns also run tight for me in booby area. Can the buxom get a break? But FBA’s and newer patterns have helped me out a great deal. I used to purchase tops in larger sizes and alter them down to fit me. Since I’m short, I have always been able to alter down a dress and insert a gusset to release the chest. The funny thing is I didn’t know what a ‘gusset’ was at the time. I have had professionals to give me advice but I am really sad to report their advice was really heartless. More…. “You should have those things removed” and not true advice. And I had to pay for a lot of that bullshit.

So if your big breasted, and clueless I will share with you what has helped me thus far. Without sending a shout out to my switchblade. And be mindful, as big as you think they are… or what you see in the mirror… They are bigger.

Things that tell you where to put your boobs are off limits. Lingerie is good for doing this. If there is a clear are designated for boobs to go, don’t buy it. Since I’m speaking on lingerie, don’t buy traditional outfits. Big boobs dangle and aren’t perky. Buy whole slips that don’t tell you where to put your boobs or separates that are like t-shirt and panties. Anything else will be highly UN-sexy.

Empire waists and tent/swing outfits make you look pregnant. Yeah they do. I used to love me some baby dolls in the 90’s with Dr Martins. Good thing slovenliness was also the rage. A lot of those African outfits are swingy or straight but definitely not form fitting. I don’t know why. I got engaged on my Bornday in November. I sang in a concert shortly thereafter where I had to where on of those African outfits. Everybody thought I was pregnant and that’s why I had gotten engaged. It is a nice commentary of today’s society that the only reason 2 folks in their 20’s who have been dating for a minute have to get married is if they get pregnant…..

Belting under your boobs because it’s the smallest part of you is salacious and should be avoided. When I do that I look like a porn queen. I wear belts at my natural waist.

Separates are really the only answer. I have gotten bigger as I have aged. But when I was thinner, I could not buy a suit. I had to buy a jacket and a skirt. Or tops and bottoms. But all separate. The only dresses I wore, I made. I could make them to fit my body. Jackets are still tricky. I cannot afford to wear a poorly made jacket. I will either look sloppy or like a sausage. Jackets should close. I think this is the reason I have moved to cardigans. And I was doing this BEFORE the 1st lady. And why does she wear them anyway? The one thing she is lacking is boobies.

As hard as this is to believe, showing neck and upper chest BUT NOT CLEAVAGE takes the attention off the girls. Big earrings go a long way to camouflage the girls.

Dark tops and lighter bottoms. Yes just the opposite of what most folks. I don’t own a white blouse since I stopped being a church usher. Seriously. I own all dark dress tops and maybe a few white t-shirts. That’s it.

If I have unavoidable cleavage, I use a scarf to throw it off.

And most importantly; I hold my head and back up proudly. I am a beautiful woman that happens to have large breasts. If you have a problem with that, get some therapy.


PEACE!

The New House!

Peace Y’all,

There has not been any sewing. But there have been plans to sew! I moved at the beginning of this month. I moved from a 5 bedroom 2.5 bath 3500 sq ft home to a 3 bedroom 3 bath 1500 sq ft home. I took stock of my life… I lived at the other address for 10 years. When I initially moved there I was married, a Christian, 30, planning a large family and had dreams of pursuing a career that I got myself into severe student loan debt to cover. 10 years later, I am 40ish, righteous, childless, widowed, and I realize that the career I prepared for, I no longer want. There was no reason to keep that house. And I’m okay with it. Life does go that way.

My new home is an older home with a lot of older (1940 compared to 1999) touches. I have hard wood floors. I have never lived in a home with hard wood floors that I knew of. My childhood home had really pretty and ornate hardwood floors. But my mother covered it with wall to wall shag carpet. I didn’t know they were underneath until she sold the house and the new owners wanted the floors uncovered and refinished. My currant floors are thirsty looking and I have no idea how to care for them. The internet is suspect in my investigations. One article says do this another says don’t do it. One product get raves in one search the next search slams it. I am at a complete loss. And my mother is no help. She feels I gave up on the other place. Why is this her business? Does she pay any of my bills? Now Cipher! – That’s “No” for the non-righteous….

Another thing about the new house is… It has a ishtload of windows in places you wouldn’t suspect. The sub-basement, the laundry room, a closet, a basement bathroom and a sun room. The rooms with windows like you would the windows open sideways and some don’t open at all and have bars on them! It’s going to be interesting getting to learn this house.

My ‘sweat shop’ will now be shared with the God’s computer workroom. He does computer stuff and carpentry. I have convinced him to leave the carpentry stuff outdoors. I don’t want that dust on my things. He could also use the sub-basement, but it’s scary and smells moldy down there. The Sub basement is big enough for you to stand, is well light, has windows and a concrete floor. But it reminds me of a place where you would keep hostages or cut up bodies in peace. The computer/sewing room is a big space. I was flirting with making it our master bedroom because it has so much space and a bathroom, but it’s cold. I can’t handle that. Even in GA.

I have been getting excited about what I will sew for spring/summer. Very excited but that is another build. What I need to sew right now, is curtains for all these doggone windows. And they need to be pretty curtains. I was thinking…shabby chic. I bought a sheet set at Dollar General that has the look I am going for…. And they were 50% off. Those will go upstairs in the boudoir, closet and bathroom. I will use the drapes from the other house for the living room and combo space. The sun room will be used as a dining room (Do you know how hard it was to find a small house with a dining room? Are dining rooms luxury rooms?) BUT…. The sun room has 3 large windows, a small window and a sliding door. The irony is, for it’s name and location, it gets very little sun! I have 3 tension rods that are less than an inch too short when fully extended (yet they are too long to use anywhere else!). ARGHH!!!!

The living room has 1 large window that has decorative, though useful bars on the inside of the house which prevent me from hanging blinds. But I do walk around half naked and I don’t want the world to see me or the flatscreen. So my 1st sewing project will be to find some opaque fabric and hang them off said bars. I will have to add tabs and Velcro to attach and close the tabs.

The second project will be curtains for the laundry room and downstairs bathroom. Not so much for privacy, but the view really sucks from those windows. It looks into the neighbor’s yard and that is one nasty looking yard! I don’t want to go crazy on fabric (my new utilities are low, but the move itself was expensive) so I will shop what’s already in my stash. While I was packing I found that I infact have a stash that I was unaware of. So they will become curtains for these “off’ rooms. I don’t want to just make panels. I want them to be pretty. But I am having a hard time finding inspiration. Don’t people use curtains anymore?

All right y’all. Wish me luck! I am very excited about this new stage in my life! Watch I’ll end up pregnant and need to move again for the room!


Peace!

Downsizing.....

Peace…

For the last few months I have been contemplating “capsule wardrobes.” Those are small collections of clothes that can be mixed and matched in various ways. Now, I find myself moving. And the new house is a lot smaller than the old house (hey, it be’s like that!) and that especially means my closet. I now need a capsule wardrobe. The house is a lot older and doesn’t have a walk in closet. It does have a dressing area… and a window (o_O); but that area still isn’t big as my current walk-in. So….. I find that I have to do what I been meaning to do for a minute. Reduce my wardrobe.

The new closet hangs half the clothes the old one does. ***sigh*** It has one shelf above the rack. I have 3 shoe racks, a 3 tier box for lingerie, A bunch of hats in boxes, a bunch of headwraps, a free standing jewelry box and a trunk. I’m a be honest, the space I’m getting is not really enough to keep my stuff. I have 70+ purses that I am NOT parting with. Because I had a walk in closet I stored a lot of things in the closet and relinquished my claim on the furniture for storage. So now…..

This is what I have now.

This is what I'm getting.

This was fine when I was in college/grad school. But I'm a GROWN woman now. With a grown woman wardrobe!

The up side to the depletion is that like most women, I have clothes I never wear. My mother buys me suits every year for Christmas. I use them for interviews, funerals, etc. I don’t have the type of job that requires me to wear suits to work. But I recognize they come in handy and I know she paid a lot of money for them; so I will keep them. It’s only like 5 of them. Also I have white suits that aren’t included in the number. Now…. I don’t know about y’all, but I have the occasion at least once a season to wear an all white dress. So I will keep both suits since one is a summer white suit and looks fabulous on me and the other is a winter suit though not winter white. And I am in a sorority after all. Then suits will always get used.

It’s not the things hanging in my closet that worry me. It’s the things on top of the closet that do. I have a bunch of workout clothes that I don’t use, a bunch of t-shirts and just over all crap. Some how, some way, I will need to get it within myself to get rid of most of my beloveds.

So far, the plan is to hang the most used clothes in the tiny closet, get a rack for the rest of the clothes in the dressing area, and get a real dresser for the clothes that won’t have a place to live.

I need to do some REAL decreasing. There will be tears and gnashing of teeth. But once it’s out of the house and at Goodwill then I can’t get at it. Let’s hope that it goes smoothly and quickly. And think about all that good sewing I will have to do to replace the clothes…..

Wish me luck!


Peace