Sew Fussy

I am so behind on this, but I had Bill take a fast picture of me in my wrinkly, unhemmed (cause that’s the way I like it) jersey knit raglan top made from the Betsy Ross pattern that I talked about a little while ago. I was also having him take some overdue sexy jean mono-butt shots to send to Kathleen, since I won the jeans contest she had back in April. These aren’t the jeans I won, by the way…

I finished this top and another one made from poplin and cotton shirting before we left for our trip, but I was so busy getting everything tied up I couldn’t post about it. Even now, all I can do is post a pic and run. Well no, I guess I can spend a few minutes typing.

Of the two versions (my jersey knit one above and the cotton woven one not pictured) I prefer the top above. I think the sleeves look better on me in the drapey, fluid fabric, and I also like my gray/black color combo better than the light blue/silver combo I used. It’s a cute shirt, and I’m sure it would look even better if I would take the time to finish the hems but I like it plenty as it is.  I had trouble trying to hem the sleeves of the woven one because they are so bell-shaped, so I may just do a rolled hem or let it fray, which I also like – but not with this style of top. The only other thing i will note about this pattern is that the neck facing is super wide, which makes it easier to sew in, but annoying to wear because on my shirts the facings are always flopping up into my face and I have to adjust quite a bit when dressing. I think one could hand stitch the facing to the shirt all the way around or just through the raglan sleeve seams, or do like I did and cut it close to the topstitching once it’s all sewn in.  And I didn’t read the BR pattern instructions much so it could address the facings in there somewhere!

See?  Quickie!

During our cruise one of the ports of call was Cozumel, Mexico. I got to snorkel (for the first time ever!) in the beautifully clear waters but we also had enough time to shop the little touristy market shops clustered about the pedestrian path that leads to all of the cruise ships. I bought vanilla and some annoyingly functional wooden flutes for my girls – hand painted and only a dollar each – but the most interesting find was this little handbag made from recycled/rescued wrappers. The purse actually smells like candy, so I don’t know if I should be grossed out or if I should consider it a sign that it was meant to be mine, considering my unhealthy affair with sweets, but isn’t it interesting? I mean, I love the concept even if its implementation results in a piece that is mildly tacky looking. Maybe I mean “gaudy” and/or “kitschy” but I really don’t know.

It appears that the only non-wrapper piece within the bag is the zipper, as there’s no lining on the inside.

I don’t think I’ll ever actually use my bag, but when I saw it I just had to take it home with me.  I paid $10 for this little gem,  but you can find bags and accessories made using the same concept (albeit more expensive than my Mexican souvenir) at this site, which I happened to find a few days ago.   I think I’m interested in one of these headbands (boring white is my pick.) Oh wait, I think you need hair to wear headbands, right? Foiled by boy hair…

It’s been so long since I’ve posted, I wonder if anybody reads the blog anymore!

We are finally back home from family trip #1 and I’m trying to get myself into the groove. It’s always difficult to completely disconnect from daily life for a period of time and then come back and have things return to exactly the way they were before.
My family and I were out of town for over a week and I had exactly six minutes of internet time (most of which was spent loading pages on gmail over the slowest freaking connection on the seas.) Actually, it was surprisingly easy to be disconnected. I was worried because I am a serious workaholic – I love to make things and be productive and buzz around doing whatever I do- but a week of visiting with a large party ( 18 ) of immediate family members on a cruise ship was pretty sweet. I only wish that the weeks preceding and following the cruise didn’t have to be so stressful!

So I’m home and trying to gear up to sew for the biz, but I’ve been reluctant to turn my machines on. Sewing block? Whatever you call it, when it happens I must put business sewing on hold and make something for myself or the girls, so I spent July 4th making myself cute underwear! Doesn’t that sound thrilling? But it really was fun… and I now have some of my very own women’s-sized panty patterns that I’m totally excited about, so maybe I’ll offer fun panties for sale in the near future. Of course new ones, sillies!

Next on the agenda: clear out my “fussy folder” by stocking some of these pads. Just looking at the entire contents of the folder is overwhelming, but when I get to the photos at the end I’m reminded of exactly why I do what I do. I really am fortunate to be able to work from home and hang out with the family as much as I do. (*insert lots of love*)
Enjoy the (partial) contents of the “fussy folder!” Hopefully you’ll see most of these things on my website this week. I wonder, how much I should charge for the two girlies?