yup- empty machine boxes dragged from sewing room to basement for storage
yup- ditto for some empty packing boxes that have been propped against the wall for ages
yup- Valentine's dress for Maddy started as a test run for the jr. bridesmaid dress pattern.
yup- some books sorted out
yup- packing paper shredded for worm bedding
It's so cozy up on the 3rd floor. I like to go up there just to read as well as to sew because it's calm and quiet even
though it's still quite a mess.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Oh, Boy!
I get to go to a smockers meeting today. It's about 20 miles from home, which means lots of windy roads, probably most of which will be uphill. I'm glad it was warm yesterday so that most of the snow has melted from the roads. I'm still quite wary of driving in and around Pittsburgh.
I'm looking forward to a fun afternoon with other stitchers. I'd feel better if I'd actually done ANY stitching in the past month or so, but being ill just took all the motivation out of me. I think I'll go find everything I need to start on my new reticule kit from Beverley Sheldrick. (I say new, but it's actually older than the one I finished, which still hasn't turned up in the unpacking process.)
Or, I could take my hussif kit, which matches the missing reticule, and start working on it. One of the good things about having all these unfinished (unstarted) projects is that I have LOTS of choices when I need something to work on!
I'm looking forward to a fun afternoon with other stitchers. I'd feel better if I'd actually done ANY stitching in the past month or so, but being ill just took all the motivation out of me. I think I'll go find everything I need to start on my new reticule kit from Beverley Sheldrick. (I say new, but it's actually older than the one I finished, which still hasn't turned up in the unpacking process.)
Or, I could take my hussif kit, which matches the missing reticule, and start working on it. One of the good things about having all these unfinished (unstarted) projects is that I have LOTS of choices when I need something to work on!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Winter, still
My life, for the first 10 days of January, was consumed with trying to get over a really wretched cold. Perhaps it was 'flu- I'm not sure. I never did run a fever: I just felt horrible for 4 weeks (apparently, this is a new and improved strain of rhinovirus) and went through approximately 5 boxes of tissues and half a bottle of nyquil. I think I'm better now, but I'm not going to state that unequivocally as I don't want the thing to think I'm inviting it back. I was better enough over the weekend to remove the lights and the SINGLE ORNAMENT from our Yule tree and get Phil to take the tree out for trash pickup. Yeah- one ornament. We found The Most Perfect Tree, Ever, and then I got too sick to be able to decorate it.
While ill, I discovered the amazingly funny blog of The Yarn Harlot. I've started from the beginning in the archives and just read my way up to January of 2008. I purchased The Free Range Knitter from Amazon for an amazingly cheap price and am reading that, as well.
I've also read 4 unrelated books and three magazines. The magazines are producing ideas to go on the Project List. I must stop reading.
In a moment of fiduciary weakness last week I decided I needed a couple of new projects, so I ordered a couple of ornaments from Barbara Meger at Classic Creations, as well as a jewelry bag. These should make good TV projects because they're a kit- everything is right there other than the styrofoam innards. Larger projects (such as finishing the painting of the living and dining rooms) are going to have to wait another week until I'm well and truly no longer feeling poorly.
In the meantime, it is snowing. It started around 1:30 this afternoon, and it looks as if there's about 4 inches of the stuff settled on the sidewalks. It's supposed to keep snowing overnight with another 2-4 inches predicted. Joy.
It's good weather for snuggling down in the living room with some embroidery.
While ill, I discovered the amazingly funny blog of The Yarn Harlot. I've started from the beginning in the archives and just read my way up to January of 2008. I purchased The Free Range Knitter from Amazon for an amazingly cheap price and am reading that, as well.
I've also read 4 unrelated books and three magazines. The magazines are producing ideas to go on the Project List. I must stop reading.
In a moment of fiduciary weakness last week I decided I needed a couple of new projects, so I ordered a couple of ornaments from Barbara Meger at Classic Creations, as well as a jewelry bag. These should make good TV projects because they're a kit- everything is right there other than the styrofoam innards. Larger projects (such as finishing the painting of the living and dining rooms) are going to have to wait another week until I'm well and truly no longer feeling poorly.
In the meantime, it is snowing. It started around 1:30 this afternoon, and it looks as if there's about 4 inches of the stuff settled on the sidewalks. It's supposed to keep snowing overnight with another 2-4 inches predicted. Joy.
It's good weather for snuggling down in the living room with some embroidery.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Absent again...
Are your hearts growing fonder because of it?
I haven't been posting because I haven't been stitching much recently. My husband is transferring to his company's Pittsburgh, PA offices so we've been traveling, trying to buy a house, packing, chasing paperwork and various assorted other things. I may not sew again until we're moved into the new house sometime after August.
I haven't been posting because I haven't been stitching much recently. My husband is transferring to his company's Pittsburgh, PA offices so we've been traveling, trying to buy a house, packing, chasing paperwork and various assorted other things. I may not sew again until we're moved into the new house sometime after August.
Monday, March 8, 2010
a small kink in the road
The plan for today was to clean up the sewing room. I have a bad habit of flinging or stacking things up in here and it's gotten to the point where I'm out of surfaces.
However, my tortoiseshell cat Kali has adopted a plastic bag containing the pieces of a dress for my daughter as her new favorite bed and is currently curled up in a small ball, sleeping peacefully.
In light of this, I'll shuffle some computer bits around and clean out my bedroom closet instead. I should have my spring cleaning well underway by the summer solstice.
However, my tortoiseshell cat Kali has adopted a plastic bag containing the pieces of a dress for my daughter as her new favorite bed and is currently curled up in a small ball, sleeping peacefully.
In light of this, I'll shuffle some computer bits around and clean out my bedroom closet instead. I should have my spring cleaning well underway by the summer solstice.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Book Review
The A to Z of Heirloom Sewing
Once again, Country Bumpkin has produced an outstanding book. It covers many aspects of heirloom sewing, from a definition through tools needed all the way to hem finishes. Sewing machine presser feet that are useful are described and explained and the various types of fabrics common for this type of sewing are defined.
I've been doing heirloom (or French sewing) by machine for many years now, and this book even tossed in a technique or two that I wasn't familiar with- now, I'm not saying I know it all, just that I've not seen these particular techniques covered in previous books. Among them are joining laces to make one's own beading lace, a ruched ribbon edge and a ruched ribbon and lace edge. Also covered are three different ways to make a placket, snail-edge hems, decorative thread replacement, hem-stitching by hand and machine and several hand embroidery stitches, including both the blanket and buttonhole stitches: yes, they ARE different.
As always, the photographs of different stitches and sewing steps are wonderful. The only thing that would make this book better, in my opinion, is if they had identified the pattern and magazine issue of the many clothing photographs sprinkled throughout the book. Most of them I recognise from issues of Australian Smocking and Embroidery, but it would be nice to not need to dig through my collection to find various patterns. (*sarcasm* Because having to wade through all those gorgeous garments is such a hardship. *huge sigh* *sarcasm*)
I would completely recommend this book to anyone who is building up a stitching library. It is available from Country Bumpkin in Australia and Europe, and from several distributors in the US; just do a search for the title. I bought mine from The Wooly Thread because I know the owner and she is always quick with her shipping and wraps her packages to protect the contents from damage in shipping.
Once again, Country Bumpkin has produced an outstanding book. It covers many aspects of heirloom sewing, from a definition through tools needed all the way to hem finishes. Sewing machine presser feet that are useful are described and explained and the various types of fabrics common for this type of sewing are defined.
I've been doing heirloom (or French sewing) by machine for many years now, and this book even tossed in a technique or two that I wasn't familiar with- now, I'm not saying I know it all, just that I've not seen these particular techniques covered in previous books. Among them are joining laces to make one's own beading lace, a ruched ribbon edge and a ruched ribbon and lace edge. Also covered are three different ways to make a placket, snail-edge hems, decorative thread replacement, hem-stitching by hand and machine and several hand embroidery stitches, including both the blanket and buttonhole stitches: yes, they ARE different.
As always, the photographs of different stitches and sewing steps are wonderful. The only thing that would make this book better, in my opinion, is if they had identified the pattern and magazine issue of the many clothing photographs sprinkled throughout the book. Most of them I recognise from issues of Australian Smocking and Embroidery, but it would be nice to not need to dig through my collection to find various patterns. (*sarcasm* Because having to wade through all those gorgeous garments is such a hardship. *huge sigh* *sarcasm*)
I would completely recommend this book to anyone who is building up a stitching library. It is available from Country Bumpkin in Australia and Europe, and from several distributors in the US; just do a search for the title. I bought mine from The Wooly Thread because I know the owner and she is always quick with her shipping and wraps her packages to protect the contents from damage in shipping.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
not lost, just scatterbrained
Oof. Three months since I last updated this thing. Bad blogger!
I spent some of that time planning a workshop for my local chapter of the Smocking Arts Guild of America.
Christmas was spent in Pennsylvania with my kids and granddaughter. There was snow! In late January I spent three weeks on European time while my spouse was in Switzerland for business. I could have gone along, but didn't want to leave the cats here by themselves. Priorities, you know.
The workshop happened last weekend. The chapter hosted Debbie Glenn, who taught us how to do Madeira embroidery by machine. She also taught us some really good techniques to use that makes the garments much easier to handle while in progress. I'll post some photos soon, but have to do some image editing as they're all currently huge.
I spent some of that time planning a workshop for my local chapter of the Smocking Arts Guild of America.
Christmas was spent in Pennsylvania with my kids and granddaughter. There was snow! In late January I spent three weeks on European time while my spouse was in Switzerland for business. I could have gone along, but didn't want to leave the cats here by themselves. Priorities, you know.
The workshop happened last weekend. The chapter hosted Debbie Glenn, who taught us how to do Madeira embroidery by machine. She also taught us some really good techniques to use that makes the garments much easier to handle while in progress. I'll post some photos soon, but have to do some image editing as they're all currently huge.
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