tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874390375295124062024-03-13T21:01:59.081-07:00A page in transitionArts and other things
in progress...Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-11356178594168711182017-07-16T21:25:00.000-07:002017-07-16T21:25:22.716-07:00Rainbow brite x the big tent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9uduyMZbqXPmSz0533xLh0qK5ciYlnRcLo3BIPJ4MtXxCLYxJ4qoSJJVkCdjrBXD1U5wgVElqugSkJFHAmuS1O5oG6l0VvDPHQ1rWY4HCvrDJhUcgX6sMR40aNzX0-fMM25nE07LWOCX/s1600/IMG_20170716_170405438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9uduyMZbqXPmSz0533xLh0qK5ciYlnRcLo3BIPJ4MtXxCLYxJ4qoSJJVkCdjrBXD1U5wgVElqugSkJFHAmuS1O5oG6l0VvDPHQ1rWY4HCvrDJhUcgX6sMR40aNzX0-fMM25nE07LWOCX/s400/IMG_20170716_170405438.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<br />
Cruising the remnant piles at fabric stores, I picked up this vibrant-as-dart-frogs rainbow stripey fabric a few months ago thinking "oh! toddlers wear bright colors?!" and this weekend was the week to act on that impulse buy (because seriously...who buys fabric deliberately? Please see: my cupboard full of quilting cottons #don'twannatalkaboutit)<br />
<br />
Abs has this adorable chambray dress I picked up at a holiday craft fair (#don'twannatalkaboutitx2) last year and I figured it was time to act on one of those "make a toddler dress tutorials" that promises all kinds of instruction yet offers none whatsoever. You know, the sort that says "take a dress you already have and trace it, then fashion that into your own dress and remember the right way to assemble a dress because you are already a sewing pro"? Familiar? Helpful?<br />
<br />
Turns out, those are less helpful unless you are legit a sewing pro, but let me highlight some of the positive aspects and lessons-learned of poorly tracing a pattern off of an existing dress (without disassembling it because I paid good money for that chambray fantasy):<br />
<h3>
practice using the rolled hem foot</h3>
I rarely have a chance to use this scaled-down piece of evil, so it was good to experiment a little bit on her ruffled hems.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcD0TrHHiXWu4sy5A9yzWz66NNoo-QgmkO3o-WAg6FAOQVJ7W4XrrqSmkPb7eLG0UasrL6qwETwZVgZFkTjLMN-N3aDKNnqLiQo9wcv8SSVIxolf9dbIMWSl7tqorUI-NShz464NFlt38F/s1600/rolled+hem+x+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcD0TrHHiXWu4sy5A9yzWz66NNoo-QgmkO3o-WAg6FAOQVJ7W4XrrqSmkPb7eLG0UasrL6qwETwZVgZFkTjLMN-N3aDKNnqLiQo9wcv8SSVIxolf9dbIMWSl7tqorUI-NShz464NFlt38F/s400/rolled+hem+x+1.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of curses, but actually one of the better parts of this sewing expedition. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This sewing machine foot (the rolled hem foot) is a pain in the ###, but <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jNme_qT8VU">this tutorial offered some assistance.</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2LQHmzAfRDgQ5Y57yaYzGFsPdHvIbR-AXRD3j52I8BpHJPCNUrhB4pyEH9p8YStCXbIcsM8jChbJZatxrybufHwdnp7f31rVzJqs1WoMA_bgTLMbbq_WHW3siHQC42ma7ufCLu82DmhN/s1600/rolled+hem+comp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2LQHmzAfRDgQ5Y57yaYzGFsPdHvIbR-AXRD3j52I8BpHJPCNUrhB4pyEH9p8YStCXbIcsM8jChbJZatxrybufHwdnp7f31rVzJqs1WoMA_bgTLMbbq_WHW3siHQC42ma7ufCLu82DmhN/s400/rolled+hem+comp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The near one is the first one...I like to think I got slightly better from one sleeve to the next. </td></tr>
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<h3>
I should use some patterns with instructions</h3>
<div>
I had to approach and re-approach the ruffled sleeves a number of times. Why? Because my brain forgot the appropriate order for assembly and I stitched seams in the wrong order. e.g. stitching the bodice side before I attached the sleeves. What? It is like I wanted to rip seams. urg. So, I should sew some legit patterns to remind myself of viable vs. non-viable assembly sequences. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBIl_01DcdbtXBVxbwBvOsxoScyhhfRyHsy3quBtJadRioYPOdNGEin10SjaqnKZwOeFpoTIz2ZK0iK12qDFd2bPfKUQ8R6-IGcYSclsIaics5Vfo_WgbQljYZujGdmKuw8e0ut9MLi3R/s1600/IMG_20170716_094453502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBIl_01DcdbtXBVxbwBvOsxoScyhhfRyHsy3quBtJadRioYPOdNGEin10SjaqnKZwOeFpoTIz2ZK0iK12qDFd2bPfKUQ8R6-IGcYSclsIaics5Vfo_WgbQljYZujGdmKuw8e0ut9MLi3R/s400/IMG_20170716_094453502.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ruffled sleeves, waiting for action.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByrfBPjxOEu1vgcg_3EMElvXhTFtB3X9pRnXKMAKzuHuxNSIvDF2d4FW1OQqQ8EufMMBnyEAtgUaWMUwU16PmTMWDctmaEX4kSs2Ci6ioNyeHyo-606wK2PxU4_p1xlPpXF_F1rnjYJbH/s1600/ruffled+hem+assembly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByrfBPjxOEu1vgcg_3EMElvXhTFtB3X9pRnXKMAKzuHuxNSIvDF2d4FW1OQqQ8EufMMBnyEAtgUaWMUwU16PmTMWDctmaEX4kSs2Ci6ioNyeHyo-606wK2PxU4_p1xlPpXF_F1rnjYJbH/s400/ruffled+hem+assembly.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Round three of "how tha heck do I make ruffles part of this dress?"</td></tr>
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<h3>
Toddler dresses are remarkably forgiving</h3>
Bodice doesn't fit? Who cares!? Dress is too long? Who can tell!? Baby girl moves so fast that you can scarcely see my error (of which, there are PLENTY.) I'm feeling more positive about making clothes for fast-moving blobs, place your orders now.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoClASQmJLxclcQMGGHVysQ2xaQK505yMwH3rJPMHT6Awl64rOXjnuiYuP00BU0V2PKWdNrq64ZFO-pcxfv8kLclm0v5prB-6al1kdSAzgdJbU1Rf-qB7pXJklw-lYzig0m0mdc4Z-5YjF/s1600/IMG_20170716_183412532+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoClASQmJLxclcQMGGHVysQ2xaQK505yMwH3rJPMHT6Awl64rOXjnuiYuP00BU0V2PKWdNrq64ZFO-pcxfv8kLclm0v5prB-6al1kdSAzgdJbU1Rf-qB7pXJklw-lYzig0m0mdc4Z-5YjF/s400/IMG_20170716_183412532+%25281%2529.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What baby?</td></tr>
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<h4>
I'm a big fan of my daughter</h4>
<div>
She's the best. Seriously.</div>
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwheS-tT9JvEdYTOMfmDMdDj8gL-qqS_TUTJ-II1gny-6xJJ5mHQu4mfFTtP6kMdqDK-JaF6IPoD9NnWJFdTyOXMh-OCPif3KebMTVZGp9VK8x9WnwCrFmpjOdnNMIGpo5WFkYNjtJLsi6/s1600/IMG_20170716_170643322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwheS-tT9JvEdYTOMfmDMdDj8gL-qqS_TUTJ-II1gny-6xJJ5mHQu4mfFTtP6kMdqDK-JaF6IPoD9NnWJFdTyOXMh-OCPif3KebMTVZGp9VK8x9WnwCrFmpjOdnNMIGpo5WFkYNjtJLsi6/s400/IMG_20170716_170643322.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-59H9FvlOeXWyzB-ytnAy0JG74GK3gJLo1vuU8yy9KkdU8DwxtnN52ikRJqNuTBLR3YsqAm1cdZh-wO-xJouUU8IZi7Z7pQ-s7lJlKUwETN778IUjoWXbz1b_6mllCIzFFlCkhHEuhCT/s1600/IMG_20170716_170448050_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-59H9FvlOeXWyzB-ytnAy0JG74GK3gJLo1vuU8yy9KkdU8DwxtnN52ikRJqNuTBLR3YsqAm1cdZh-wO-xJouUU8IZi7Z7pQ-s7lJlKUwETN778IUjoWXbz1b_6mllCIzFFlCkhHEuhCT/s400/IMG_20170716_170448050_HDR.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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P.S. Dress=success. Pleased to use remnants from <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2011/07/rainbow-collection-yellow-playsuit-for.html">Mishunky's playsuit</a>; zipper is a little sloppy, but Abs isn't judgy. At least one of us isn't...Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-35152323221013287712016-12-21T23:17:00.001-08:002016-12-21T23:18:08.294-08:00Peter Pan, the real dealThe muslin worked out pretty well! Once Abbie woke up I wrested her into her new art smock/asylum gear. She was into it. <br />
<h3>
Fit of the muslin </h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7NBZRcj8G7S98pOJuSNueIurO4uM7Qa-1xzVlk6AHTje5LAZXuxxpVNEONZZpL4pCIvpy7S00fu5_CrP-LqzmFQoNqvJz-_hsvo6PMQlIXpTc8lxByFlc0u4Bm1PIQq7kORGqR5WFBU2/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7NBZRcj8G7S98pOJuSNueIurO4uM7Qa-1xzVlk6AHTje5LAZXuxxpVNEONZZpL4pCIvpy7S00fu5_CrP-LqzmFQoNqvJz-_hsvo6PMQlIXpTc8lxByFlc0u4Bm1PIQq7kORGqR5WFBU2/s400/002.JPG" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First studio assignment: Montage!</td></tr>
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You can see there is a lot of
extra room in the torso. Like, room enough for another baby. I ended up
slimming down the body of the tunic so it didn't swallow her, and was
also less likely to trip her up when she was crawling about.<br />
<br />
The
collar was splayed out a bit more than I wanted, though. In the final
version, I made the slit less-deep than I did in the muslin (and then
had to deepen it not once, nor twice, but THREE times for that
big-headed blonde I call my daughter. Three times! Her head is so
huge.)The demo muslin also allowed a bit of testing with the length.
This version had a lot cut off of it, and I was able to knock off ~3
inches from the length on the final version.<br />
<br />
Not bad!<br />
<br />
<h3>
Fabric Choice</h3>
I have a mish-mash of green fabrics that were all close-but-not-quite for Peter Pan...so I went off in a different direction! Leftover fabric from <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2012/04/easter-dresses-part-1.html">Jennifer's Easter Dress </a>plus an overlay of <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2009/09/firesyntheticssomewhat-hazardous.html">green organza from wedding crafts</a> (still!).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXLgxdXpJBBpQS9tQksL7re6gOmi-9HrXshvl0oz52DjCKK3vXmwEUMVP9uoHAbOb0hp1mZN7-yGHIwEjXZ_E_AqN5_B7augUQMLNCMwLei28PIBtvYzTS78f0kL5M8i85v2j7UX5w6ph/s1600/1218091-peter-pan-wallpaper-hgy.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXLgxdXpJBBpQS9tQksL7re6gOmi-9HrXshvl0oz52DjCKK3vXmwEUMVP9uoHAbOb0hp1mZN7-yGHIwEjXZ_E_AqN5_B7augUQMLNCMwLei28PIBtvYzTS78f0kL5M8i85v2j7UX5w6ph/s320/1218091-peter-pan-wallpaper-hgy.png" width="274" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As a reminder, this is our end goal. I had nothing that looked like this for fabric.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<h3>
Accessories</h3>
<h4>
<i>Hat</i> </h4>
The Peter Pan hat is actually more-or-less the Robin Hood hat. This mix-up happened frequently! I used this <a href="http://tikkido.com/node/824?page=2">Tikkido tutorial</a> to guide my progress on the hat, though it was really back-of-the-envelope for drafting. It was made from the same fabric as the tunic, not felt, which was cute for the costume but slightly more difficult to get the shape right. Anyhow, I was really proud of the feather, which was some red skirt fabric cut to a feather shape, frayed to mimic the appearance of barbules, Fray-Checked, and starched to stiffness. The starching part didn't play out <i>exactly </i>as well as I hoped and the feather flopped like an amateur handshake when I was hoping for more of a veteran welder's handshake. You know, it isn't the worst/floppiest, but it could have been firmer. <br />
<h4>
<i>Belt </i></h4>
Something needs to cinch that tunic! I had hoped to affix a cardboard dagger to the outfit but ran out of time. Eh. Baby's shouldn't have knives anyways. There is not too much else that can be said about stitching a rectangle of fabric together to make a belt (<a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2012/01/christmas-dress-still-cant-make-things.html">leftover from this dress</a>). Notably, it is made from the same fabric as the...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5dXcMHgOeNtOS33_EC2L3FGSLzi_KNvWKqBQlqp4O2tPZeUBX9vW6FQiKmZYEj8f0si0jhSR5zjQ1_HOikK8pF_TPgY0Xqfsajrc9OwCWSYHBIfeiOw_ukJ-kckYYwadKs5nlFCLPW3M/s1600/20161028_222916+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5dXcMHgOeNtOS33_EC2L3FGSLzi_KNvWKqBQlqp4O2tPZeUBX9vW6FQiKmZYEj8f0si0jhSR5zjQ1_HOikK8pF_TPgY0Xqfsajrc9OwCWSYHBIfeiOw_ukJ-kckYYwadKs5nlFCLPW3M/s200/20161028_222916+%25282%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<h4>
<i>Moccasins </i></h4>
Pretty proud of the moccasins because
these were completely a shot in the dark. Really. I looked at some pics, sketched them out
based on how long Abbie's foot is, cut and stitched, and they worked.
Total Hail Mary.<br />
<br />
<h3>
but how did it look?</h3>
So cute! It looked SO cute. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwnOtnh531Esm-k9c2daZNz7eisTy-lwRcXb8BCr6xojE-1Ms-vwp_D5OGnSSjIQ9Wkfxq9YTKx6sbotBX2eytI1JGvLRi7hrxUr-FR5wS08Ki_uPFJNQEJ1akSIrVQnLIQ8utfWvCT9G/s1600/IMG_4338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwnOtnh531Esm-k9c2daZNz7eisTy-lwRcXb8BCr6xojE-1Ms-vwp_D5OGnSSjIQ9Wkfxq9YTKx6sbotBX2eytI1JGvLRi7hrxUr-FR5wS08Ki_uPFJNQEJ1akSIrVQnLIQ8utfWvCT9G/s400/IMG_4338.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, poor little thing already has trouble keeping her can covered. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XKwJjBZZaIcEYITmqqvg4YpzUtssCxNdtWJ1DDPT1FhsqBmC0IXZ5vQAc4CVUU0fRxOMCnbzcKscEW8d6QpddBE5Ao9gkb9_cDVeJfRFQIrCqlcSJoAxTCEGNihFWupBdECF5Y1aGwQZ/s1600/IMG_4344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XKwJjBZZaIcEYITmqqvg4YpzUtssCxNdtWJ1DDPT1FhsqBmC0IXZ5vQAc4CVUU0fRxOMCnbzcKscEW8d6QpddBE5Ao9gkb9_cDVeJfRFQIrCqlcSJoAxTCEGNihFWupBdECF5Y1aGwQZ/s320/IMG_4344.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Agility!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqDsMdbm0qmRGlY6aKeyIOH_UC0obDBYOJuXDtqqLrw47pxVFQP-EV6DHqbzlHGzrHSF5ZPS7I4n_ebndeWKHwzA6fZum4HG_qc9idXuKFnNY901ZnKStr0_3fKMtQvsTLm5qjgbBKoPc/s1600/IMG_4349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqDsMdbm0qmRGlY6aKeyIOH_UC0obDBYOJuXDtqqLrw47pxVFQP-EV6DHqbzlHGzrHSF5ZPS7I4n_ebndeWKHwzA6fZum4HG_qc9idXuKFnNY901ZnKStr0_3fKMtQvsTLm5qjgbBKoPc/s320/IMG_4349.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More action! Plus a good shot of the feather. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvyuaXVKzsL7U1_5bXW0d4eapiV0lHOFOaMBtAFvCPBsxLF0Mi_QgrtcPnpsOaoruWiyPqNPuC6HAw4bjx0XV09TLzAK_LyTrErzI9wajUCh7g6M5qfp3Vqc4XIufb43vgJZmu8Ja0j9ZQ/s1600/IMG_4330.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvyuaXVKzsL7U1_5bXW0d4eapiV0lHOFOaMBtAFvCPBsxLF0Mi_QgrtcPnpsOaoruWiyPqNPuC6HAw4bjx0XV09TLzAK_LyTrErzI9wajUCh7g6M5qfp3Vqc4XIufb43vgJZmu8Ja0j9ZQ/s400/IMG_4330.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best. Peter Pan. Ever.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I kind of set the bar pretty high. I don't know if I'll ever be able to make another Halloween costume this cute, much less draft one from scratch. Heck, my costume this year suffered even because all of my creative energy was zapped to cute-up that baby. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioW7JmF2CBNnVmqLb8cQ7lQTnURicfte-BkdBRm6gIwgD8Aw8f9qncgXjHyGvVY_niJZle4-wJp8syQK2sfPlgPE_1DBxYUTVBIDE2mbo_Sx7En0R72C3JZS0AC5duw0Z-M4F9skcBnGck/s1600/033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioW7JmF2CBNnVmqLb8cQ7lQTnURicfte-BkdBRm6gIwgD8Aw8f9qncgXjHyGvVY_niJZle4-wJp8syQK2sfPlgPE_1DBxYUTVBIDE2mbo_Sx7En0R72C3JZS0AC5duw0Z-M4F9skcBnGck/s320/033.JPG" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dude. I am quite obviously a Roomba. Sheesh. </td></tr>
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But what was probably the most fun part was using all those scraps. I love scrap busters. </div>
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Since Halloween, I've been poking along tortoise-style on a <a href="https://www.colettepatterns.com/catalog/violet">Colette Violet</a> in an incredibly loud plaid I've hoarded for years. All that is left is to finish the sleeves and bottom hem and pull the trigger on snaps or buttons and then I've got a shirt! And yet here I am, not hemming. *shakes head* Wish me luck.</div>
Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-56477020250506226042016-10-16T16:19:00.001-07:002016-10-16T16:36:33.362-07:00Tiny Muslins--Abbie's Peter Pan costumeI have a forced sewing break right now since I finished the muslin for Abbie's Peter Pan costume and she is taking a nap. This is what has gone down so far...<br />
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This is my only weekend to sew Abbie's costume before Halloween since we are out of town next weekend, and I have to start from scratch. A sane, non-self-sabotaging person would <i>buy </i>a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tinkerbelle-Captain-Halloween-Costume-Pattern/dp/B0091FXK0C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476654917&sr=8-1&keywords=Peter+Pan+Costume+Pattern">Peter Pan pattern</a> if they wanted to make a costume, or for the love of everything <a href="http://www.allfreesewing.com/Halloween-Projects/Homemade-Peter-Pan-Costume">download something</a> so they aren't set up for failure.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/5/52/Will_Scarlet.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130508193524&path-prefix=en" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/5/52/Will_Scarlet.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130508193524&path-prefix=en" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You say using a pattern is easier than winging it?<br />
Impossible!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
NAY!<br />
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I actually <u>did</u> perform a quick scan of the kid patterns in my <a href="http://www.ottobredesign.com/">Ottobre stash</a> but didn't find anything that matched my idea of a relatively easy-to-make shirtdress that could be a Peter Pan tunic. Which meant trying to draft something. Oh man.<br />
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Past attempts at drafting something from scratch have...not really happened. I kind-of copied a headband from another headband I owned and liked, but I think that is where my experience stops. By the way, that copied headband is mediocre at best. Hair is only partially kept out of my mouth.<br />
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First: image searching.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaQCULOlUTo7MCxgPNHaO8Iz8IYuTderAMZFzWVoZPOzmVjeAIQ_yghzTimlc9p2CAU39Xg1M7xJ24sw8KFwpfFmJqI0-8hO78vp1xk8UoElmJ28jW_8aBB3WAVv75jmT8gB2wUwVrk47/s1600/Peter+Pan+insp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaQCULOlUTo7MCxgPNHaO8Iz8IYuTderAMZFzWVoZPOzmVjeAIQ_yghzTimlc9p2CAU39Xg1M7xJ24sw8KFwpfFmJqI0-8hO78vp1xk8UoElmJ28jW_8aBB3WAVv75jmT8gB2wUwVrk47/s320/Peter+Pan+insp.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep. That is Peter Pan.</td></tr>
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Second: get distracted. Hey, I finally fixed my old grey jeans! And a pillow case that Wolfie partially ate ~2 years ago.<br />
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Third: Sketch and mentally map your sewing approach based on your fragmentary memory of making Chris shirts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLAO26n6alXqBrY6_VQTpfwMaM-7OfuIog1dKtfolf3Z7YF2v7p8MUgmJJp6EKgoHXCIOCk5GZ-Z6JC15G2fLc2L8qAphAmnh8otLdu4ePeIPu-16vv3L-Ue4x3LfN7kDCM4Wyna46y_3/s1600/sketching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLAO26n6alXqBrY6_VQTpfwMaM-7OfuIog1dKtfolf3Z7YF2v7p8MUgmJJp6EKgoHXCIOCk5GZ-Z6JC15G2fLc2L8qAphAmnh8otLdu4ePeIPu-16vv3L-Ue4x3LfN7kDCM4Wyna46y_3/s320/sketching.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1. tops of bodice<br />
2. attach sleeves<br />
3. sides of bodice and sleeves<br />
4. collar (make sure it is stabilized)<br />
5. slash 3 1/8" down center front at neckline <br />
6. should I have 4 and 5 before 3? Would that be easier? uhhh, forget it, stick with this order.<br />
7. Wait, maybe that would be better? No. This is good.<br />
8. Better add an inner neckline stabilizer between 4 and 5, or else it will look pretty rough.<br />
9. Shoes? I can just swaddle her feet with brown fabric, right? She doesn't walk yet. Oh man, what if she is walking in two weeks? No, don't think about that.</blockquote>
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Fourth: get distracted again. I'm hungry. This is the baby shirt/dress model for the drafting. It was my niece Stella's dress/shirt when she was wee. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLMj6iW5aY9SfJlV9R47AgMcqhcs4Chhl6519dT0BYPPR_NX68-R_4NQgMQR3QcQVR_hL-R29gCFdCdvd_ah2fa3VbAa4OJ1SlsrDlBSdA7PPAUqvnak-8LqJFItiOrt1lWx-tpIIwTgE/s1600/596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLMj6iW5aY9SfJlV9R47AgMcqhcs4Chhl6519dT0BYPPR_NX68-R_4NQgMQR3QcQVR_hL-R29gCFdCdvd_ah2fa3VbAa4OJ1SlsrDlBSdA7PPAUqvnak-8LqJFItiOrt1lWx-tpIIwTgE/s320/596.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div>
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Fifth: draft, re-draft, re-re-draft. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxlUy-Mx4gyQVIf34GV0SUy5qQv5ZHgJMM5cMifKgLKF43lZodlrktn3RmWweyVxsuk4qYPYdt4n3p9wm-Nred_MnGfwaaar5jRXPM8GAq6_gsd6ruV6QT9x_gEmPtW5ZX6olulE-jQJt/s1600/re-drafting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxlUy-Mx4gyQVIf34GV0SUy5qQv5ZHgJMM5cMifKgLKF43lZodlrktn3RmWweyVxsuk4qYPYdt4n3p9wm-Nred_MnGfwaaar5jRXPM8GAq6_gsd6ruV6QT9x_gEmPtW5ZX6olulE-jQJt/s320/re-drafting.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wolfie is helping. !!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Also, I found a new purpose for the Sac Bee! Somewhat easier to work with than tissue paper, but dirtier too. Not to be used with delicate or light fabrics.<br />
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Sixth: cut and stitch and consider pressing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNh9Ui1bPsMeHDw18SjNf7vQjairJcbiJhJXvHEYVON4LnZ8T0nc_ZB64pRIa-jjoLTkmlNKID4dXGVNKVqyp6B1x2bRh0q94wEB6XsV02FbQcWp8VRd-yhmdV5zWHr6baO4iasKTzkP3/s1600/599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNh9Ui1bPsMeHDw18SjNf7vQjairJcbiJhJXvHEYVON4LnZ8T0nc_ZB64pRIa-jjoLTkmlNKID4dXGVNKVqyp6B1x2bRh0q94wEB6XsV02FbQcWp8VRd-yhmdV5zWHr6baO4iasKTzkP3/s400/599.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I hear some light squawks from the next room, Abbie may be up! time to put her in a shirt dress.<br />
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Next decision, fabric choice. I feel like I should do something absurd with that since you have that freedom with sewing. Not sure though...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2kDwKn7frYU_ZyIUFdddrS3NK6II83sjayS1gUDDqj8Q0l4yQfR6-WqyRZVYzhVIK1MvI49UBud51m_8L-C6NnSBhyvVzVc1JDNleEvedE4IUxFlcGbtW22vl-CukFOcIZ2sxvw7yp0l/s1600/candidates.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2kDwKn7frYU_ZyIUFdddrS3NK6II83sjayS1gUDDqj8Q0l4yQfR6-WqyRZVYzhVIK1MvI49UBud51m_8L-C6NnSBhyvVzVc1JDNleEvedE4IUxFlcGbtW22vl-CukFOcIZ2sxvw7yp0l/s640/candidates.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-47952776674612205002016-09-10T22:13:00.000-07:002016-09-10T23:37:41.201-07:00A week of four cakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Summer is drawing to an end and it is cool enough to bake again! I've been yammering about baking a cake for months but not acting on it because baking a cake is more of an event than baking cookies, which is pretty "whatevs" in my book. Perhaps it is because cookie making is more casual and can be done in stages--I have no compunction walking away from cookie dough after I've creamed the butter and sugar, but once I start on a cake there is a time bomb waiting to explode in your kitchen.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrDq4Uo_fF5Ezx9K5jLCD7xWt9cXN2_FNCgaKlO5TRgQOWIf3WG9HkuFxPRIvsl-1azRY4CdotTgkgAypUnu5wDM8lNn6tMrUcEqk_nazvF2AZrdSlxwmYwnaGlru3swa7i7n1hKz8BBm/s1600/batter2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrDq4Uo_fF5Ezx9K5jLCD7xWt9cXN2_FNCgaKlO5TRgQOWIf3WG9HkuFxPRIvsl-1azRY4CdotTgkgAypUnu5wDM8lNn6tMrUcEqk_nazvF2AZrdSlxwmYwnaGlru3swa7i7n1hKz8BBm/s400/batter2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*tick, tick, tick* </td></tr>
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<h4>
Sunday: Cake #1 Genoise with Cherry Cake Syrup and Chocolate Ganache Mousse</h4>
I didn't want to make my normal <a href="https://www.hersheys.com/recipes/en_US/recipes/184/hersheys-perfectly-chocolate-chocolate-cake.html">foolproof go-to cake</a>, well, it is foolproof and that is boring. The <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/genoise.html">Genoise</a>, meanwhile...I royally screwed that cake up years ago and never re-visited it. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUf7hbaRLSYpRtqvfEadv85r1zh0d3rMFqQ1Q_4qHxBkteNpShh976ANtklBL1nZs_zMBcSq_kaG2_qzwnCThJm7QPP01G0E2xbb_eblxq8TyTaCzrqr9JBjPIVXA35di4e0A6qSt6SEZ/s1600/20160904_131205.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUf7hbaRLSYpRtqvfEadv85r1zh0d3rMFqQ1Q_4qHxBkteNpShh976ANtklBL1nZs_zMBcSq_kaG2_qzwnCThJm7QPP01G0E2xbb_eblxq8TyTaCzrqr9JBjPIVXA35di4e0A6qSt6SEZ/s320/20160904_131205.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh outta the oven!</td></tr>
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My first and only Genoise attempt/failure was right up there with the infamous <a href="https://reneelammers.com/blog/50931/october-16-2012-monets-favorite-birthday-dinner-cake-recipe">Vert Vert cake</a> (<i>never. again.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1</span> Monet was apparently a sick man with an unhealthy butter fetish.</i>) for a common-to-me reason: I didn't follow the directions. I did not grow up with sponge cake (apparently those also require cake
syrups?) or any other syrup-requiring cakes so I ignored that part of
the instructions and hated the dry cake results.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVWqsIw1cFP7aEmM7fkTyrkVS6TR0q9gz3hguRyKGkX1wga1jKEnGr2LLZivN5nPMGzz1EyaBa840kFyFBJeeqP8tbO8b2TMiedlL795hd_zWuVcGPey9Fc6Hw-K5OQK-f6pN31mFCAj_/s1600/20160904_150523.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVWqsIw1cFP7aEmM7fkTyrkVS6TR0q9gz3hguRyKGkX1wga1jKEnGr2LLZivN5nPMGzz1EyaBa840kFyFBJeeqP8tbO8b2TMiedlL795hd_zWuVcGPey9Fc6Hw-K5OQK-f6pN31mFCAj_/s320/20160904_150523.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lesson #2 of cake syrups: actually get the syrup to the edge of the cake.<br />
Trust me on this one. I put a bad photo up simply to illustrate my point.</td></tr>
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If you are also unfamiliar with them, a cake syrup is pretty much just a
simple syrup plus your flavor of choice and lemon juice, and the Genoise is flaky and disappointingly crunchy without it. When the cookbook tells you the cake needs a cake syrup, by golly it does. This time I dutifully followed <u>all </u>of the instructions and made a cake syrup with some Heering Cherry Liqueur we had on hand because...yeah. How else are you going to use cherry liqueur? It is undrinkable. And cherry obviously goes with chocolate ganache. Obviously.<br />
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<h4>
Sunday: Cake #2 Chocolate Genoise with Orange Cake Syrup and Chocolate Ganache Mousse</h4>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBSS9TwhR9fyHwSVi_cgGzf8W016PqPkogJxs6fPOQWls8p5dqEGQNlkFjYrDQYNrzHpP1imPwHdEX7N1qSBKQDCgEK12E2DZchedFXAl6NncICjGskEIFd7MjMH1Ipw006yRZWsysm6z/s1600/20160904_122411.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBSS9TwhR9fyHwSVi_cgGzf8W016PqPkogJxs6fPOQWls8p5dqEGQNlkFjYrDQYNrzHpP1imPwHdEX7N1qSBKQDCgEK12E2DZchedFXAl6NncICjGskEIFd7MjMH1Ipw006yRZWsysm6z/s320/20160904_122411.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.</td></tr>
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This cake was around when I figured out that my life might actually be better with a) a proper whisk, and b) a candy thermometer. As it was, I consistently scorched my fingers.<br />
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The internet instructions say, "Place the bowl over but not touching simmering water in a saucepan and
gently whisk until the mixture registers 140°F on an instant-read
thermometer, about 3 minutes." However, my cookbook says bring it to 160°F for a nebulous "couple of minutes. Bringing the mix to 160 takes ~over ten minutes, for sure, and at one point I even ran out of water in my double boiler. Huh. <br />
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After this cake was done, I determined that yes, I like the Genoise. It defaults as a single layer cake, which is nice because it is a more approachable amount of cake. When you make a two-layer cake you're swimming in cake for a week and eating cake in clean-up mode. Poor choices. Also, the Genoise is really versatile based on how you can change of the cake itself (e.g. this version was chocolate) or the syrups, or the frosting. And I quickly came around to liking the whole syrup aspect of it, not soggy at all!<br />
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<h4>
Wednesday: Cake #3 Genoise with Cherry Cake Syrup, Lemon Curd, and Whipped Cream</h4>
There is no photographic evidence of this cake because I made it in a rush after work on Wednesday night, whipped the cream for the frosting the next morning, and actually frosted it in the break room at work. It was gone within 20 minutes of being frosted so...there you go. Instead, here is a slice of the chocolate cake (2nd cake of the week). <br />
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Saturday: Cake #4 Hershey's Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting</h4>
This was for Heather's birthday party so I had no wiggle room for goofin' or potentially screwing something up. I also wanted to spend some more time fancying it up since it is for a BIRTHDAY. And that biz is important! In other words, time for a <a href="https://www.hersheys.com/recipes/en_US/recipes/184/hersheys-perfectly-chocolate-chocolate-cake.html">foolproof cake</a>. However many months ago there was some video I came across with<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjqXLmbCWdY"> fancy pants cake frosting techniques</a> so I thought I would try that out, even going so far as to do the whole "crumb coat" thing. After the crumb coat had set for an hour, I tried the smooth frosting approach using Chris's bat'leth (Bialetti, whatever) and a Lazy Susan.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9r7j3gei9pDCAAYDeEQLnGStGtN_zautZvgaDGxA9W6Qt45On_enCFRLjKS2Dsgj7IBQKmoobq1eU3CAjrww50NP0QjCAqBb8dSZwISpFUWqDjjwc-ZYLKdd1Yfv8ioAWYZK6QNHE_Nz/s1600/IMG_20160910_211522.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9r7j3gei9pDCAAYDeEQLnGStGtN_zautZvgaDGxA9W6Qt45On_enCFRLjKS2Dsgj7IBQKmoobq1eU3CAjrww50NP0QjCAqBb8dSZwISpFUWqDjjwc-ZYLKdd1Yfv8ioAWYZK6QNHE_Nz/s320/IMG_20160910_211522.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a warrior's cake!</td></tr>
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While the Lazy Susan definitely helped, I may only use the Bialetti for high-drama cakes in the future; otherwise, a basic knife more or less does the same job.<br />
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After all of that, the cake looked <i>nice</i> but not <i>whoooooaaaaaa! </i>Luckily, I had also picked up some flowers to step this up to the next level. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGXbqrEK0dI7kzJ15Mw6Ctl_qhZhLlvQ0nKPfb_fvpkdNcSPB88I4t-bhDtq-EXZFNWzo5GYz8Jn3cO5A24FroC3eWFf2yX0keFZhpF-u_HTVVsJj3HJ0ZUVDgMd-uMCiRALij3fY9RVa/s1600/20160910_190156.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGXbqrEK0dI7kzJ15Mw6Ctl_qhZhLlvQ0nKPfb_fvpkdNcSPB88I4t-bhDtq-EXZFNWzo5GYz8Jn3cO5A24FroC3eWFf2yX0keFZhpF-u_HTVVsJj3HJ0ZUVDgMd-uMCiRALij3fY9RVa/s640/20160910_190156.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New territory for me! And yes, I washed all the flowers. :)</td></tr>
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Notes about this cake--I don't think I would use coconut oil again, stick to vegetable oil like they tell ya! Either that or all my frosting futzing somehow made it denser than usual. I choose to blame the coconut oil. So in other words, I somehow slightly goofed on the foolproof cake. Huh.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1<span style="font-size: small;"> <i>While I say never again for the Vert Vert cake, I have been thinking of giving it another go--nine years have passed since I made Michelle a melting blobby cake for her birthday, maybe I can somehow make it work now? I'm smarter now, right?</i></span></span>Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-65546039664676808052015-10-17T21:56:00.000-07:002015-10-17T21:56:18.034-07:00Back in the sewing saddle?<div class="MsoNormal">
Now that Abigail has arrived, there is a whole unexplored
direction for my sewing goals—baby things. First up on that list was a boppy
cover. What’s a boppy? Well, it is a little creepy looking...</div>
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In short, it is a weird partial donut-type
pillow used for nursing. As Abbie gets older she’ll be able to use this weird
pillow thing for developmental activities like tummy time and for support
as she’s learning to sit. Of course, there was the option to buy the boppy with
a cover (<a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS7MimcMenTNh1HTiLRuVRV-NH2kblqSMOGTkfelyfRJcmSQhPPMg">cutesy</a> at best, <a href="http://ep.yimg.com/ay/albee-baby/boppy-nursing-pillow-with-slipcover-sunny-day-pink-12.jpg">foul ugly</a> at worst), but I guffawed at that prospect since it was
$10 more. $10 when I could easily make one myself?</div>
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And I could enjoy the guilt of procrastination (priceless)! Of course, then Abbie came almost three weeks early so I’ve been using this naked boppy with swaddling blankets draped over it because I couldn’t even find the sewing machine in the front room, much less use it.</div>
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Anyhow, finally got my act together and it looks pretty good! This was a good reason to use one of my many pink-tinged plaids for something I'll be able to enjoy daily. And nightly, for that matter. Thankfully this allowed me to overcome my sewing hurdle that has been in place for several months.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMtRuzXeCMukuPqnDvu7tgUKeFRZV3mnNy88S0OoeEagFlvJeT0lT_vQSHZ-HUOtqRy06A5vLS5bxxBdFW0-DDlV8FF03dHC0PaiCmbkeWt_O-AqeGFqDdMh4fxvAunpHULh_jan6ZmFSl/s1600/036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMtRuzXeCMukuPqnDvu7tgUKeFRZV3mnNy88S0OoeEagFlvJeT0lT_vQSHZ-HUOtqRy06A5vLS5bxxBdFW0-DDlV8FF03dHC0PaiCmbkeWt_O-AqeGFqDdMh4fxvAunpHULh_jan6ZmFSl/s320/036.JPG" width="228" /></a></div>
I used
this <a href="http://www.vanillajoy.com/free-boppy-slipcover-pattern-and-tutorial.html">tutorial/pattern</a> and it is really quite easy, though I forgot some really basic sewing techniques, such as clipping the inner curve and tacking the zipper in place before I legit sewed it in. But after I remembered those tricks I felt so good about stuff that I sewed another cover so I would have one to switch out on laundry day.</div>
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Here’s hoping I’ll
be able to keep sewing items at a good clip—especially since I’m hoping to burn
through some of my stash to make Christmas gifts and save some money, though
probably not save any swears. Fingers crossed!<o:p></o:p><br />
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Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-49175536488441937302015-02-09T20:23:00.000-08:002015-02-09T20:23:11.276-08:00Cake a Week: The mission and the progress<div>
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One of the
resolutions I made for this year is to bake a cake a week. There are
multiple reasons for this, only one of which is the joy of being surrounded by baked goods at all times. I figured I have to live up to the title of cakemaker (only a
title through my family, but still), eliminate some of my mental hurdles
to baking, try new recipes, and to basically stop procrastinating. Simply put, it is probably a good time to be friends with me if you like cake. Here's the summary of January.</div>
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<i>Week 1</i></div>
<a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/cinnamon-streusel-coffee-cake-387815">Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake, </a>as found in my Williams-Sonoma <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/tip/williams-sonoma-essentials-of-baking.html">Essentials of Baking</a> cookbook.
Nothing to report there and no pictures (short-lived cake, ya know), but a durn fine coffee cake. Since we were short
butter and yogurt (which itself was a replacement for sour cream), I subbed in olive oil and coconut milk, respectively. Super-recommended.</div>
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<i>Week 2</i></div>
Double
cupcakes for CJ! Coconut and <a href="http://www.bhg.com/recipe/layer-cakes/yellow-cake/">citrus yellow</a> from the aforementioned Williams-Sonoma cookbook and Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, respectively. The major lesson here
is to take caution in baking 24 cupcakes at a time, because oven hotspots will become evident. However, I forgot to write down
where our oven's hotspots are located so I will lose roughly 15% of my next
cupcake harvest. Oven wins. Again.<br />
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<i>Week 3</i></div>
Your basic <a href="https://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?id=184&name=HERSHEY%27S-%22PERFECTLY-CHOCOLATE%22-Chocolate-Cake">Hershey's chocolate cake</a> with cream cheese frosting, as prepared for Parks's taco
birthday. This version of the decorative tacos (idea/inspiration <a href="http://brandyscreations.blogspot.com/2010/10/taco-cupcakes.html">here</a>) was modified according to what we actually had
handy--shells made of coconut caramels rolled flat, chopped raisins
and dates for the "meat", coconut dyed green for the lettuce, and orange
"cheese" frosting. I also had some fun with the Wilton's decorative
frosting tips for this cake, super fun! (almost all decorations accomplished with
<a href="http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?sku=418-12">tip 12</a>.) <br />
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Lesson of the week? Move the pizza stones to a different oven rack BEFORE you put the cake in the oven; this simple move saves so much cursing. </div>
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<i>Week 4</i></div>
Another
Williams-Sonoma cake, the <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/lemon-chiffon-cake.html">Lemon Chiffon</a>. Somehow I MURDERED this
cake and, out of necessity, renamed it the Lemon Leather cake. Chiffon is
supposed to be delicate and moist, but you needed a dinosaur jaw to hack
through this disaster. I was cruising so high--woke up chipper and
launched into making my weekly cake. I was separating the eggs to beat the whites then fold them into the cake to make
it feather-y light whenChris came in and I started chatting with him. Next thing you know, I'd dumped the lemon juice and the
lemon zest in with the whites instead of the yolk mixture; I panicked and tried
to siphon off whichever was the top layer, but that...well, let's just say it was like resisting the Borg.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWoBkjIg4pMcjYthjRiFFECVI8U2FicPDr6IL9Qkh1rdDkgwSefei8lBMKzl5N-dXMMMJT2kUUkd4ffHSiRhTVu4ndqkZtoDLz1g9q_UM1KD7OTybQ8bXtcNfeBD3s1p2mAXQVPgagrVx/s1600/069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWoBkjIg4pMcjYthjRiFFECVI8U2FicPDr6IL9Qkh1rdDkgwSefei8lBMKzl5N-dXMMMJT2kUUkd4ffHSiRhTVu4ndqkZtoDLz1g9q_UM1KD7OTybQ8bXtcNfeBD3s1p2mAXQVPgagrVx/s1600/069.JPG" height="320" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Midway through disaster, when I still thought I may be able to pull it off. Nope.</td></tr>
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My next idea was that I would whip the foiled whites mixture as best as I could to make the cake light? Yeah? No. It ended up that whipping the egg whites and the lemon juice meant that
the egg whites frothed and rose to the top while the lemon juice sank to
the bottom, which sounds like what I wanted, except that I had already
beat the living will out of the whites (they were only supposed to be
medium peaks, not shellacked), so the damage was even further done. Oh,
and it was supposed to be in a tube pan. No amount of glaze could save
this mess.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvkSnni5mJhva8mZBQnR7ivfVO0sK06Aqa2nXuCFAr6kPlNFbAA61Y87MuupVEoE7Qgb9Y4ngeVa1F1r97G1lCJaPMraEt5_DTHGSsyDafAl4mA4SI0u6RvShOeJzzNVt7AuXzyEM16GD/s1600/075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvkSnni5mJhva8mZBQnR7ivfVO0sK06Aqa2nXuCFAr6kPlNFbAA61Y87MuupVEoE7Qgb9Y4ngeVa1F1r97G1lCJaPMraEt5_DTHGSsyDafAl4mA4SI0u6RvShOeJzzNVt7AuXzyEM16GD/s1600/075.JPG" height="312" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shortly before I admitted defeat.</td></tr>
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Well, maybe a little more glaze might have made it tolerable. <br />
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<i>Week 5</i></div>
<a href="http://www.eatyourbooks.com/library/recipes/486655/chocolate-walnut-cake-with-caramel">Chocolate-Walnut Cake with Caramel Sauce</a> (Williams-Sonoma Entertaining cookbook)<br />
This cake was tremendous and delicious and lovely. I should make it daily; especially because it calls for buttermilk and I love having the buttermilk cheat of adding lemon to regular milk--a very easy way to feel like you're pulling one over on the world.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSryK1XDwtl93pVjFoGGwLXTBD-MjCQEKlvsYWvPXXvzCxjxDfsaIParqE87OroByzDnLs3xeY3L6IQH9sL-fCzDOBPDWsb-UwKOxE5ABU4hYeUNruDx1Wrr5D96hMV2SiR6FdXIRgl__J/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSryK1XDwtl93pVjFoGGwLXTBD-MjCQEKlvsYWvPXXvzCxjxDfsaIParqE87OroByzDnLs3xeY3L6IQH9sL-fCzDOBPDWsb-UwKOxE5ABU4hYeUNruDx1Wrr5D96hMV2SiR6FdXIRgl__J/s1600/002.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The batter was so delicious the cake almost didn't make it to the oven.</td></tr>
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The recipe called for store-bought caramel sauce (what?), so I stepped it up for my birthday and picked up Ginger Elizabeth <a href="https://gingerelizabeth.com/shop/caramel-sauce/">fleur de sel caramel sauce</a>. Totally worth the $8! At least, for a birthday it surely is. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqpDS1s5jATbGmJ5MIKjCOZ4sgwIKulq6KO01ZUusIby5GPNTTi3RizIX1-Dl1mTYoSrtW64b1r7dcSU8tu2VS_Yv_Bj3MuXQh4kL2vafStFs0Bk9YBz4aVxHiDRe3M3yAlZhljw3LbS1/s1600/007.JPG" height="319" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hi, reflection of Parks!</td></tr>
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And that was January! Busy month, and my favorites are tied between the first one (coffee cake) and the last one (chocolate-walnut). Most humbling cake was easily the chiffon, that piece of garbage...never trust a cake invented by an insurance agent!Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-13934389388789757902014-05-01T17:45:00.001-07:002014-05-01T17:45:57.851-07:00Updates<div class="MsoNormal">
I last posted here…a year ago. I may have lost the blogger temperament,
since it no longer serves as a motivation to have somewhere to post projects;
it started seeming like another burden on the list of to-dos. And I have a harder
time sewing these days because I have a harder time on all fronts. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Three months ago today, I gave birth to a beautiful baby
boy. In spite of our world being filled with wonderful and amazing things (like
how I could grow such a perfect little person), Chris and I were also
confronted with a terrible reality. James was born still. <o:p></o:p></div>
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James is our first child. To say he was taken away from me
and that I miss him does not skim the surface of life now; to say that there
are days you don’t want to get out of bed does not accurately describe the
constant ache and confusion that is being a parent without your child. Nothing
can touch that kind of misery and, mad though I was that I felt we weren’t
warned about the possibility of stillbirth, nothing can prepare you for it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKF8x2pfGg6C8eBTFO8D0Yd2xQo_zYlVusVPUe-x_SLVqiPzvpeIsXdwQDsxtyXs0601VLy9BWzfvvgy_Zd2Al2_mY6AZ38gw5VmBtHaHfyVElal14nHvGOYOcCy2H74ORaz27LkMgG67V/s1600/IMG_8182-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKF8x2pfGg6C8eBTFO8D0Yd2xQo_zYlVusVPUe-x_SLVqiPzvpeIsXdwQDsxtyXs0601VLy9BWzfvvgy_Zd2Al2_mY6AZ38gw5VmBtHaHfyVElal14nHvGOYOcCy2H74ORaz27LkMgG67V/s1600/IMG_8182-2.jpg" height="284" width="400" /></a></div>
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Happy three-month birthday, James. Your parents love you.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-32765498499767441192013-04-21T21:57:00.000-07:002013-04-21T21:57:03.008-07:002013 KDVS Fundraiser<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ah, KDVS fundraiser! We have our annual fundraiser to...raise funds (ahem) for operating costs (spare parts for turntables, CD players, light bulbs, and so on). It is one week long and the source of 2/3 of the annual budget; our goal is $60,000 and we need every penny of it. Lot of stress riding on this one!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Per usual, I sewed some things that will be given away as premiums to people that pledge during my show from 8-9PM on Monday. All of these things will be available at 8PM on Monday and not a moment sooner! :) That also means the links below will show up as "not in stock" before my show starts, but will be in stock after 8PM. Ah heck, just look at the crafts!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwnoevNQnuabgOshpORh3YvvkFABDXFPWnK9903jRxf2stwS-DQ0slqV3BF5FwI_xNn01156o1C4XepNQcflUIYShYcTi5S-qx_nxDVtFooZTxL-rJL_9MvL1EZMypfVaZOtCdZwPHR8i/s1600/IMG_8870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwnoevNQnuabgOshpORh3YvvkFABDXFPWnK9903jRxf2stwS-DQ0slqV3BF5FwI_xNn01156o1C4XepNQcflUIYShYcTi5S-qx_nxDVtFooZTxL-rJL_9MvL1EZMypfVaZOtCdZwPHR8i/s320/IMG_8870.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The 1st <a href="http://fundraiser.kdvs.org/products/item/id/601" target="_blank">KDVS Record Bag</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm quite partial to this color combo, it makes me think of water nymphs and stuff. You might notice that it is the straps and bottom are the same fabric as my <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2011/03/heavy-duty-playsuit.html">playsuit</a> from a couple of years back. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxywJWuJeAZ8lkNLkpGy3nmA-ILVYdmeSEuwiaqB5B7pJZNbguxSwlgPGNir73vElj7Qp4EBf0JIKyZHkZNiPv0qAtGjtG-ypChy6BCfPk0dO1Wfbg5y2uBRPM7yMFOsUWqEFosmcr8hA/s1600/IMG_8889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxywJWuJeAZ8lkNLkpGy3nmA-ILVYdmeSEuwiaqB5B7pJZNbguxSwlgPGNir73vElj7Qp4EBf0JIKyZHkZNiPv0qAtGjtG-ypChy6BCfPk0dO1Wfbg5y2uBRPM7yMFOsUWqEFosmcr8hA/s320/IMG_8889.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The 2nd <a href="http://fundraiser.kdvs.org/products/item/id/599" target="_blank">KDVS Record Bag</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A damask I've had lolling around for a bit, I made Cate some fancy pillow cases from most of it and have been working through the rest ever since. The yellow? Oh, you know...another <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2011/07/rainbow-collection-yellow-playsuit-for.html">playsuit</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzvwmtEUMstvSZQjay4zChm_mVfebWlutYLD8bgswYBDuyd4VIeWaIp6-dlEn25latArvdKd4UqEK7b-tA3qPtS-Q1WC2D7TUD1i6lWqb24idTW_NiK5Awn8pwC_u0hecEewE3tOT4hxC/s1600/IMG_8866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzvwmtEUMstvSZQjay4zChm_mVfebWlutYLD8bgswYBDuyd4VIeWaIp6-dlEn25latArvdKd4UqEK7b-tA3qPtS-Q1WC2D7TUD1i6lWqb24idTW_NiK5Awn8pwC_u0hecEewE3tOT4hxC/s320/IMG_8866.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The third (and final) <a href="http://fundraiser.kdvs.org/products/item/id/600" target="_blank">KDVS Record Bag</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It may look familiar from a <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2010/06/finally-finished.html">purse</a> some time ago...and a <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2011/08/rainbow-collection-blue-beignet-skirt.html">skirt</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsIGvG27sxXUKEnGqyInQ3KFnKDw6_3SSvb-0p1sGI3iU74BzK8TdRYOcstTVvRe1mRbO9bj0ts54nIVhvhKtxfKV2doJmJdCw1Q45txyFri4rDhufsBe-g9U55NfgskG2TeTnMGVQuxj/s1600/IMG_8907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsIGvG27sxXUKEnGqyInQ3KFnKDw6_3SSvb-0p1sGI3iU74BzK8TdRYOcstTVvRe1mRbO9bj0ts54nIVhvhKtxfKV2doJmJdCw1Q45txyFri4rDhufsBe-g9U55NfgskG2TeTnMGVQuxj/s320/IMG_8907.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A <a href="http://fundraiser.kdvs.org/products/item/id/607">cassette holder</a>, you can get at least 22 tapes in there. (bam!)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The salmon brocade is a remnant from Lucille's stash that was passed on to me a couple of months back. I love using fabric scraps! The fabric lettering is from a very foolish point in my life where I thought it made sense to buy fat quarters. (still living that down)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since the bloomers take five yards of fabric, I couldn't very well use scraps (bummer) because I don't have five yards of anything laying around. Available is a variety of sizes! <a href="http://fundraiser.kdvs.org/products/item/id/602">Size XS</a>, <a href="http://fundraiser.kdvs.org/products/item/id/603">Size S</a>, <a href="http://fundraiser.kdvs.org/products/item/id/604">Size M</a>, <a href="http://fundraiser.kdvs.org/products/item/id/605">Size L</a>, and <a href="http://fundraiser.kdvs.org/products/item/id/606">Size XL</a>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKA5n4EzZBM1MzfgZPRvDgVX-ENkGO_OcYAAg_4pGynfy6DQ2RLbCIauDLQxmywlSAGSOm71cm9zk2lwJmLuU65Sk2PzZ9-kEOtGbe2e-aZR4-6Yp0OmnRqrN8Gvb5ni8mOZKrViFfrUH/s1600/IMG_8904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKA5n4EzZBM1MzfgZPRvDgVX-ENkGO_OcYAAg_4pGynfy6DQ2RLbCIauDLQxmywlSAGSOm71cm9zk2lwJmLuU65Sk2PzZ9-kEOtGbe2e-aZR4-6Yp0OmnRqrN8Gvb5ni8mOZKrViFfrUH/s320/IMG_8904.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">DJ Sister will add the stitching later...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yeah, so please call in to the show! It will feed my DJ ego. :)</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Monday, April 22nd</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">8-9PM (Pacific)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">530-754-5387</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">fundraiser.kdvs.org</span></div>
Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-33371651934225828432013-01-15T22:12:00.001-08:002013-01-15T22:12:19.108-08:00Making time for sewing...Office Hours!2012 was marked by an abysmal lack of sewing. We could blame it on a lack of pressing or interesting projects, or say that higher priority tasks and world travel edged out my sewing time, but it wouldn't be true. I simply didn't make sewing a priority. After the banner year of 2011 where I more-or-less completed a project each month, 2012 reeks of failure and smirks at me most unattractively. Stop it.<br />
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In spite of constantly proclaiming each January that I'm not a resolution-type person, I want to fill 2013 with the racket of my sewing machine and decided a resolution was the way to do it. My 2013 sewing resolution is to dedicate two hours* a week to sewing--I'm calling it my sewing office hours. Hopefully by giving the resolution/time commitment a pseudo-responsible title, I will not blow off my two hours a week or postpone indefinitely, or end up doubling up or tripling up my time commitment and invariably return to my infrequent sewing binge schedule. </div>
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My first set of office hours was tonight since I had the flu last week (I actually <i>did</i> sew two hours worth last week, but that's another story). What can you accomplish in two hours of sewing? Well, not a whole heck of a lot. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5k9SIIyazKoDsrA8VM4cnGvfF5i5mo1Eu7ZuZzqfjvDqvmbsif3hpk6r_z6B4VQBqizFUQdGaRCYH-0BUTXuMGbFMPDn0cUO8PwysuKtohL460piO94RWPL5q7gopdITNiIvVlgBdov5/s1600/IMG_8689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5k9SIIyazKoDsrA8VM4cnGvfF5i5mo1Eu7ZuZzqfjvDqvmbsif3hpk6r_z6B4VQBqizFUQdGaRCYH-0BUTXuMGbFMPDn0cUO8PwysuKtohL460piO94RWPL5q7gopdITNiIvVlgBdov5/s400/IMG_8689.JPG" width="287" /></a></div>
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<ol>
<li>Seam rip, cover, and reattach two straps for my lamb bag (they were starting to fray, stuff was getting real)</li>
<li>Cut, embellish, and stitch two rice bags</li>
<li>Sketch, do the maths, and start cutting fabric for my forthcoming fabric cover for my new planner</li>
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There it is. I suspect that in future weeks I will make it through some larger projects, or at least through parts of some larger projects. But here is to a good start!<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*Two hours a week is a minimum target, not a weekly prescribed exact amount.</span></div>
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Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-62281096896918492482012-10-14T21:30:00.001-07:002012-10-14T21:30:47.799-07:00VICTORIA SMASH!Apparently I hulked out at work last week.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ot8TDzrZW-jm1FKHi66lLVIVyE5PVbxDaHMPVGMqn37SD1Z2iJyJhKAJxl9uJ9awKnBAWwRrwHFcppbmTyTaao2CtwKr7hZCKbebZNSZts4ZYwTrJUtwr1blMMcSmyWCCQsdLCk2OSsZ/s1600/IMAG0182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ot8TDzrZW-jm1FKHi66lLVIVyE5PVbxDaHMPVGMqn37SD1Z2iJyJhKAJxl9uJ9awKnBAWwRrwHFcppbmTyTaao2CtwKr7hZCKbebZNSZts4ZYwTrJUtwr1blMMcSmyWCCQsdLCk2OSsZ/s320/IMAG0182.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You're making me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.</td></tr>
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Dang, I've had that shirt since high school! I wore it in my senior class photo. And though the tear is right along the seam, the fabric is in no condition to be made into a new, narrower seam. I think it is simply time to say goodbye to this shirt.Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-14626680237143939472012-10-09T21:39:00.000-07:002012-10-09T21:39:37.210-07:00Late summer cherry SorbettoBoy, is that title misleading! It has been long time since I last posted, long enough that I appreciate the fact that you forgot this pattern is called the <a href="http://www.coletterie.com/colette-patterns-news/free-pattern-to-download-the-sorbetto-top" target="_blank">Sorbetto</a>. The cherry part comes in because...well, the fabric is red. Did I really have to explain that part? Probably not.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERSt1eGPoDPrtCinMyFVEkH95ATrN_0uSBb-b-ZP19Mgy8KswoQnu_hUHL6Wit1qAK5B1jsf8KhDnG_qJ2vAiZ2nsLRZGD4Qum4Ku-Z8LUx-7WIfhDGW4lHBR6YrSRioxOdJiKrhW3FyK/s1600/028+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERSt1eGPoDPrtCinMyFVEkH95ATrN_0uSBb-b-ZP19Mgy8KswoQnu_hUHL6Wit1qAK5B1jsf8KhDnG_qJ2vAiZ2nsLRZGD4Qum4Ku-Z8LUx-7WIfhDGW4lHBR6YrSRioxOdJiKrhW3FyK/s400/028+-+Copy.JPG" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disneyland in Frontierland--our home away from home.</td></tr>
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Michelle bought this fabric for me last summer to make her a summer top LAST summer. As in, 2011. Oops. Anyhow, I finally pulled it together to make her the top in August. 2012 has been a less-than-productive sewing year, as this top was the first thing I have made since all of my <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2012/04/kdvs-fundraiser-crafts-final-products.html" target="_blank">KDVS fundraiser crafts</a> in April. It had been such a long time that I forgot many of my previous lessons-learned from <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2011/08/rainbow-collection-orange-paisley.html" target="_blank">other</a> <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2011/12/rainbow-collection-bethies-white-eyelet.html" target="_blank">versions</a> of the Sorbetto. Blinking determinedly and mouth grimacing through a bouquet of straight pins, I tried my darnedest to affix the sleeves (unwittingly cut <i>sans</i> seam allowance) onto the bodice. I don't care which algebra book you operate from, it wasn't gonna happen. Luckily there was more fabric to cut new sleeves as I muttered to myself about...well, let's just say it was a semi-violent muttering session.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6x9rdLfC3s9jGY0EClVHZexONNm-YZpnwhV2ZAkiBq_5lfng7_8-y4oaO53GUmXDkNwhn5G0cdYkMCq4bbRa-7MOcKmknMYpHAlVrlVO5lHGP6t4XJoJqY1XKI_O5CwH0SMjdWb1LA6a4/s1600/042+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6x9rdLfC3s9jGY0EClVHZexONNm-YZpnwhV2ZAkiBq_5lfng7_8-y4oaO53GUmXDkNwhn5G0cdYkMCq4bbRa-7MOcKmknMYpHAlVrlVO5lHGP6t4XJoJqY1XKI_O5CwH0SMjdWb1LA6a4/s400/042+-+Copy.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disneyland on the Mark Twain Riverboat--great for parties!</td></tr>
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Aside from the sleeve complications/mental lapse, the shirt was straightforward and simple to construct. I'm still using bits of bias tape that people have given me instead of buying any new tape for projects, which is good and bad. While it is awesome to have all of that stock on hand (and for free), I'm quickly running out of desirable colors. Next up, shirts edged in puce!<br />
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I think this proves that there is still a place for Sorbetto in October! Or at least that's what I'm telling myself as I scrape through the <a href="http://www.watermelon.org/recipes/Watermelon-Lavender-Sorbet-192.aspx" target="_blank">watermelon lavender sorbet</a> I made last weekend. It is OCTOBER, how are we still getting watermelon in our CSA box?! I hope to have an update next week on this adorable black and white dress I also made in August. Spoiler alert: <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2010/01/reasons-i-dont-like-pattern-sewing.html" target="_blank">history repeats itself</a>.Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-845448325545765692012-10-05T08:57:00.002-07:002012-10-05T08:57:25.416-07:00Update coming soon!You're right, I left you hanging.<br />
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I won't do it again. A serious update is in the works, see you before the end of next week!Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-40866759869358504962012-04-24T20:44:00.002-07:002012-04-24T20:44:21.886-07:00KDVS Fundraiser Crafts, final products<br />
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I didn't finish as much as I was hoping to in time for my fundraiser show last night (went well, thanks for asking!), but I think the crafts I <u>did</u> finish turned out super well. There was the KDVS Record bag with red appliqued letters and allllll dem bloomers. </div>
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So the thing about bags is that they're <i>so</i> incredibly easy to make, but I have so many free bags (grocery shows, ag fairs, life in general) that I have absolutely no cause to make one for myself. Even though you know and I know that I would so much happier if my grocery bags were made of something other than stained canvas. You might recognize these fabrics from <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2010/06/50s-party-dress-sort-of.html" target="_blank">past outfits</a> <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2012/01/christmas-dress-still-cant-make-things.html" target="_blank">I've made</a> (even the red applique). </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iCxl2WeD5VZbNHEsseZtkdkY0uDgQpJdIRj23XPi3Di27NEqcyj02DZuJDIAmJrBnBAOf8Z1RtJBITQJq89y5yUUS4fSzK_jCYQL2-fJ0tpn2NGfAyH9IQY8LWla27rhRO4p8jRgayJ1/s1600/Record+bag.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iCxl2WeD5VZbNHEsseZtkdkY0uDgQpJdIRj23XPi3Di27NEqcyj02DZuJDIAmJrBnBAOf8Z1RtJBITQJq89y5yUUS4fSzK_jCYQL2-fJ0tpn2NGfAyH9IQY8LWla27rhRO4p8jRgayJ1/s400/Record+bag.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Any second now, Mario is going to shoot out and I'm finally going to catch him!</td></tr>
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If I take note of anything about this bag, it should be the perfect length of the handles (17.5 inches/44 cm). I could pull the bag up on my shoulder or carry it by my side (arm extended) without it dragging on the ground. Awesome! However, I don't think I could wear it like a backpack (with one strap over each shoulder), which is what I need to do with all my grocery bags. That makes it a walking bag.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYHUQfcOd0urSAM16-W6JpO-PNQ4RTcAPxV_j8BAttf0B1px_dSI5qauDmzWxUeYEN1GLDCev7QFucrr0utTFgtloVeygYr9K4oT7BqkZS-PgRnSBydtcRO6Jdo0jhji-qdXAfBWY_Azm/s1600/Bloomers-Lion+Says.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYHUQfcOd0urSAM16-W6JpO-PNQ4RTcAPxV_j8BAttf0B1px_dSI5qauDmzWxUeYEN1GLDCev7QFucrr0utTFgtloVeygYr9K4oT7BqkZS-PgRnSBydtcRO6Jdo0jhji-qdXAfBWY_Azm/s400/Bloomers-Lion+Says.JPG" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Lion says, "Put some damn pants on!"</td></tr>
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The bloomers turned out well. As predicted, the yellow with the blue polkadots is summery and sweet, and Michelle's stitching does wonders with the theme "Your Beacon in a Sea of Sound". There is still <a href="http://fundraiser.kdvs.org/products/item/id/830">one pair left in size XS</a> for if you're feeling extra slender today. Come on, give it a shot!</div>
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<a href="http://fundraiser.kdvs.org/" target="_blank">KDVS Fundraiser</a> continues until Sunday, April 29th at midnight, so be sure to pledge! If you're nice, maybe you can sweet-talk me into making you the most awesome bag you've ever owned. </div>
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<br /></div>Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com0KDVS, Davis38.542560112050673 -121.7501449584960938.539455112050675 -121.7550804584961 38.545665112050671 -121.74520945849609tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-85954950362144645342012-04-16T22:07:00.000-07:002012-04-16T22:07:44.698-07:00KDVS fundraiser crafts teaserHey there! KDVS fundraiser bloomers are in fact in the queue for "things to make before Monday the 23rd". I bought the fabric yesterday at Joann's, washed it last night, and cut all the pieces tonight. Lessons learned? 4 yards is <i>exactly </i>enough fabric to cut the pieces for five bloomers, one in each size XS-XL. It was unnervingly close and could have very easily been not enough, but we made it! Anyhow, I wanted to give a preview of the fabric that will turn into bloomers within the next week.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2-aVM4jZrrDVE5f_be2vSncE-yIyBF85fwxKLgLBdY8uMY-DnneQIbm-gSTGu0ghTi9czVEbqsFLaRIsXKzqMoB7wZUi5EaRiiLuic16GEv7mdWdWaODaUkrpeLgr_LCq-9SLgLNnVY3/s1600/IMG_8254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2-aVM4jZrrDVE5f_be2vSncE-yIyBF85fwxKLgLBdY8uMY-DnneQIbm-gSTGu0ghTi9czVEbqsFLaRIsXKzqMoB7wZUi5EaRiiLuic16GEv7mdWdWaODaUkrpeLgr_LCq-9SLgLNnVY3/s400/IMG_8254.JPG" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't that great? I'm beyond enthused about how cute these will look when they're done.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Cute, no? So, the blue ribbon will be for the leg draws and I'm thinking of a similar blue for stitching the KDVS (usually on the left hip) with a little anchor beside it to play into the fundraiser theme "Your Beacon in a Sea of Sound". Yeah, I probably should put an actual beacon but I think a broader nautical thing is far more appealing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UM0jpxfGsI4cyc2HZlEolIWZYnVVzp_Ie0j2Frfi3-fYB5ajV2ZpHYHqk2MdkhYo6Z91oZFKGA-KSqNbQZs6MYe5xCZmZ-hFEuNKtECNkd7Ar_dch9hlMP7dLiat77aD-tlnikWuGo3O/s1600/IMG_6539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UM0jpxfGsI4cyc2HZlEolIWZYnVVzp_Ie0j2Frfi3-fYB5ajV2ZpHYHqk2MdkhYo6Z91oZFKGA-KSqNbQZs6MYe5xCZmZ-hFEuNKtECNkd7Ar_dch9hlMP7dLiat77aD-tlnikWuGo3O/s400/IMG_6539.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of last year's bloomers. I just found out that there is one pair left over (someone didn't pay their pledge?) that will be offered up this year again.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The game plan is to also make some bike straps (which I haven't done in YEARS!) and a record bag or two. Get stoked! Also, get healthy. I'm sick right now and it is terrible.Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-72469263235082915462012-04-12T21:49:00.001-07:002012-04-12T21:51:40.455-07:00Easter dresses, part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been meaning to make Brycear a dress for quite some time (I think I decided that around Christmas?), but I'd been procrastinating because of the alterations I would need to make. I assumed I would need to make a <a href="http://www.coletterie.com/sewalongs/rooibos-full-bust-adjustment">full-bust adjustment</a> on any dress I made for her and had been psyching myself out for quite some time. However, the FBA doesn't seem like something you could perform without the intended recipient being there for every step of the process. With that in mind, I figured that if the pattern was basic I could do most of those measurements and alterations in one day. I started out with Burda Style 108 from March 2011, which is the same pattern I used for my <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2011/07/black-red-and-tan-party-dress.html">black, tan, and red party dress</a> (which has the most wonderful and amazing border print known to mankind). </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfn_5D2bJBJScb4PNDfpaAZHevE68SoE5DyOpG9aPEWFavC8XJJtRsM9nLyXbAfgeJxcmYnAR1XLv6gTvCfGkpPHlsSPyEOsevMAA_PWbxtQY5HHRy6elEua0D8LtP_7RUdWB4eW3EpVlz/s1600/IMG_8188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfn_5D2bJBJScb4PNDfpaAZHevE68SoE5DyOpG9aPEWFavC8XJJtRsM9nLyXbAfgeJxcmYnAR1XLv6gTvCfGkpPHlsSPyEOsevMAA_PWbxtQY5HHRy6elEua0D8LtP_7RUdWB4eW3EpVlz/s400/IMG_8188.JPG" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the front bodice panel. Two darts and you're done. Timber could make this dress.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The only wildcard was that the dress pattern only came in a small handful of sizes and to get the right size, I would need to perform some pattern grading. I used an article from <a href="http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/4368/making-sense-of-pattern-grading">Threads</a> as my guide and gave it my best shot. Here is a picture of my efforts to be a legit seamstress who measures things in advance.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtBspr3_tqIoDcfYhNXkCKTUTFOhFygngM5v8WLvabzbJaToxgWAtXz00gFUBA1iSE7aB9P3tMJE2pKXe8mWITOZgEqYKdB65EEOFJq0feMjFxdkgd2JmNlgzKi0BTWCQG9QHcGz-MBOKO/s1600/IMG_8191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtBspr3_tqIoDcfYhNXkCKTUTFOhFygngM5v8WLvabzbJaToxgWAtXz00gFUBA1iSE7aB9P3tMJE2pKXe8mWITOZgEqYKdB65EEOFJq0feMjFxdkgd2JmNlgzKi0BTWCQG9QHcGz-MBOKO/s400/IMG_8191.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DON'T BREATHE! This was right before I taped all the pieces down to trace the modified bodice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By grading the pattern instead of just trying to add some fabric at the seams, I was able to spread the added size throughout the whole pattern instead of just at the sides. The darts serve their purpose better when you have that kind of foresight, I'll tell you that much. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was expecting to have to make a FBA after that fitting, but Bryce was pretty happy with the fit of her swimtop muslin (which was light yellow with a hot pink zipper), so I just went ahead and made the dress from there. Of course, more adjustments had to be made sometime after midnight at the ranch, but she still had a dress to wear for Easter. A dress made in a day, yeah!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlYfB4neb1edXkag39iBKRMEQq53VQrKBn89e6Ub1XfeBhWH5OpC6tlaJoG3LbdKia-FKq4K7j4sKCUzxUiOA6MkLRFpYJnZPNmOFQSjUZDC7uOAEnPS50bW5nslwwqIzsNSy4Uh01Ke4/s1600/IMG_8230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlYfB4neb1edXkag39iBKRMEQq53VQrKBn89e6Ub1XfeBhWH5OpC6tlaJoG3LbdKia-FKq4K7j4sKCUzxUiOA6MkLRFpYJnZPNmOFQSjUZDC7uOAEnPS50bW5nslwwqIzsNSy4Uh01Ke4/s400/IMG_8230.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">gettin' ready to catch stuff, Huck Finn style.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The fabric I used was one that Esch "donated" to my stash last year after she officially determined she wasn't going to learn how to sew. I think she got it at <a href="http://www.boltfabricboutique.com/">Bolt</a> in Portland, and it is a cerulean x sky blue with white shamrocks. Very cute. I keep hoping she'll forget about some of the other fabrics she donated since her fabric trip yielded some smarter purchases than mine did. However, she brought up a certain fabric I've been going Gollum for on Sunday so I think I'm out of luck.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58yY8Fa9AsnxQNSAghKkMgSBZC5oIJzm-EzIWWblJ09QotZRp26m54DdpEmPUzQkfO2DS0YJ5qm94uc5k-Ya6i8yW_0ZrKbw5lIrHZL4sRYeS9xc1ff9lbb0-h10wKt3rGMmVgm86Pqtc/s1600/IMG_8211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58yY8Fa9AsnxQNSAghKkMgSBZC5oIJzm-EzIWWblJ09QotZRp26m54DdpEmPUzQkfO2DS0YJ5qm94uc5k-Ya6i8yW_0ZrKbw5lIrHZL4sRYeS9xc1ff9lbb0-h10wKt3rGMmVgm86Pqtc/s400/IMG_8211.JPG" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She looks happy because she got a lot of Easter candy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I've finally graded a pattern! It is not my favorite thing to do, but I feel like it opens a lot of doors to patterns that aren't exactly "my size". You know what I'm sayin'.Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-87590621362469045062012-04-11T23:43:00.000-07:002012-04-11T23:43:03.567-07:00Easter dresses, part 1Jenn was a real champ this time around and was very gracious about letting me take her picture in her seafoam Easter dress. Doesn't she look cute? I should have made her twirl in that full skirt...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTq2NKc9YnH_hVYZ6DZ_jA3k46rYd1nVw28Vkyve4TDnzy7Ml4KufnlVIb4IJ2dwlVD0LtnjsReHNIaKMhFqJyodFbrIOfV367_2oeSvb5kTiIIlb8XnOLrq1htDp8izB63Vx02gSvX2t3/s1600/IMG_8195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTq2NKc9YnH_hVYZ6DZ_jA3k46rYd1nVw28Vkyve4TDnzy7Ml4KufnlVIb4IJ2dwlVD0LtnjsReHNIaKMhFqJyodFbrIOfV367_2oeSvb5kTiIIlb8XnOLrq1htDp8izB63Vx02gSvX2t3/s400/IMG_8195.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, I made her take to the field in heels. Nice sister, eh?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I used <a href="http://butterick.mccall.com/b6582-products-1037.php?page_id=371&search_control=display&list=search">Butterick 6582</a>, the same pattern I used for her "Mad Men" party dress and my <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2012/01/christmas-dress-still-cant-make-things.html">Christmas dress</a> (new dresses for every high mass!), though I used version C for the first time to create a full-skirted springy effect. This pattern has been getting some good use, being used three times in about six months! The full skirt was a bit unwieldy at times and it seemed to take forever to hem, but look at how it fluffs out...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPssQx7eN0S6szevSjJvBu1Rd0ACNY6pzAbqJQ8Gcx-In_A5NSEk3ylcIeToS-ojfgR4oA3eCzWONaESaILS0YeZplS2UWrgix0kFZAcJz6G6WD5djl2IJkaGltBS4ZEiJVy7fUTRZrFmv/s1600/IMG_8209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPssQx7eN0S6szevSjJvBu1Rd0ACNY6pzAbqJQ8Gcx-In_A5NSEk3ylcIeToS-ojfgR4oA3eCzWONaESaILS0YeZplS2UWrgix0kFZAcJz6G6WD5djl2IJkaGltBS4ZEiJVy7fUTRZrFmv/s400/IMG_8209.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So you can't see the skirt fluff out too much because she didn't want itchy legs. Can't blame her. However, I think this pose was used for Jenn's 8th grade graduation shots, too. Any word on that?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Naturally I used horsehair braid along the hem to give the skirt some life (like I even have a choice at this point in the game). Going into this dress project, I knew that both Jenn and her friend Sara had issues with this dress slipping off their shoulders at the Mad Men party (for which they both had someone make this dress for them) once the dress was made large enough to accommodate their busts. With that in mind, I made a pass at shortening the length of the neckline near the shoulder seam by folding the pattern to remove a triangle of space before I cut the fabric.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LcymAlRbr92f83LlxwODdi10Bj-Fl4n4dZeyGnriHSNpel3XfhX0-_NC8_l0YYBw064iFE8u3Emme8isfFRLwXhqTxPL3fXk8NmPNgGQUXb5wggvqRQKbfStszaGoAkb9g68kXMTpuEt/s1600/bodice+alterations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LcymAlRbr92f83LlxwODdi10Bj-Fl4n4dZeyGnriHSNpel3XfhX0-_NC8_l0YYBw064iFE8u3Emme8isfFRLwXhqTxPL3fXk8NmPNgGQUXb5wggvqRQKbfStszaGoAkb9g68kXMTpuEt/s400/bodice+alterations.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The parts shown in red are parts that I "removed" by folding the pattern over itself before I cut the fabric. And isn't my drawing awesome and<i> totally</i> to scale? I thought so. :) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>This seemed to keep the dress on Jenn's shoulders and I think I'll make the same alteration if I make it again for myself. It would probably also work to take the pattern down another size then do a full-bust adjustment, but I'm still avoiding those...<br />
So this is the dress I finished Thursday night, then I started working on the next one which was ALSO long overdue...Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-38034788671782498562012-02-29T22:58:00.000-08:002013-01-15T21:53:25.677-08:002011 in Review!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's leap day and I don't have someone to propose to, so I have to do other impressive things like beat my mile goal time (holla! yes!) and finally post my year-in-review. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">January ! <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2<sup>nd</sup>: Bethie’s tweed dress<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12<sup>th</sup>: Scott’s Spice Pack<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">20<sup>th</sup>: Bryce’s fireplace<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmrgQyGTCNSwquNaAbpVwnvT2EgGQ3113EiaVSxkYKHWLUGN40rq2yo4IQMjZbYC3ojIhou03Wplhgoux9M40rwKhXHePv3TVIUYMoIh_ArGUtNk88EA7kQFgnTFqhFIK4d-zyTmAQWyv/s1600/January.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmrgQyGTCNSwquNaAbpVwnvT2EgGQ3113EiaVSxkYKHWLUGN40rq2yo4IQMjZbYC3ojIhou03Wplhgoux9M40rwKhXHePv3TVIUYMoIh_ArGUtNk88EA7kQFgnTFqhFIK4d-zyTmAQWyv/s400/January.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">January was a “clean-up” kind of month. I had a lot of Christmas gifts to finish and deliver. I was really stoked about Bethie's dress, but I made the huge mistake of choosing brown tweed for the fabric. I am fairly certain she has never worn it because it is brown (and a little big, but who's checking?).</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">February !<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6<sup>th</sup>: Chris’s bed pocket<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">22<sup>nd</sup>: Jenn’s skirt <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaK4tz95y3kP360feFfiwkY-GdJscTH9BTjs2BxmEBvElWnRu22mFypEK78QBaAPyavaJTqqRwO4Vp3l79Cfv-0N5mEzp4QP8IA2dmvACX1IOQjsbDpV-kAunlgs2QNY7nDUaEqy68YX7/s1600/February.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaK4tz95y3kP360feFfiwkY-GdJscTH9BTjs2BxmEBvElWnRu22mFypEK78QBaAPyavaJTqqRwO4Vp3l79Cfv-0N5mEzp4QP8IA2dmvACX1IOQjsbDpV-kAunlgs2QNY7nDUaEqy68YX7/s400/February.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We went to Mexico in February, and that seems more impressive than finishing up a skirt (hemming it, really) and making a bed pocket.</span></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">March !<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">23<sup>rd</sup> Turquoise playsuit<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">26<sup>th</sup>: bedroom curtains & ties<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">27<sup>th</sup>: curtain ties (for the front room's curtains)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">27<sup>th</sup>: Cate’s pillowcases<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7acKbTBEjhS3Du8g7NVbSfov7hqEXPHhLvl06w4jgW-aApXFHOZzoPtjgPii4I4o-lfMW-sdsMIT-qzuFPQf_pfzc3CL6j6RsRZ7kl0DknZCOYneBJDQ6o0PdTMpGB4vhaZzcQa9av10e/s1600/March.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7acKbTBEjhS3Du8g7NVbSfov7hqEXPHhLvl06w4jgW-aApXFHOZzoPtjgPii4I4o-lfMW-sdsMIT-qzuFPQf_pfzc3CL6j6RsRZ7kl0DknZCOYneBJDQ6o0PdTMpGB4vhaZzcQa9av10e/s400/March.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ah, the first playsuit! Made a size too big in some cheap yardsale fabric. Oh, how I love it! And my best curtains to date. So pretty and remarkably even in the hem!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">April !<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6<sup>th</sup>: Michelle’s camel skirt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">17<sup>th</sup>: 5 pairs of bloomers for the KDVS Fundraiser!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWCBCZk3A0-HqQ0GMf9fTJpc42RZM_9pz1P3cwpRm51Parrk_w9oE-ZwtUmqa-AAzoy98u3qTqkdtL6k7mqqcVXJrVMK-R0tbVqfTuCq04kqO54RPrXI-F9uFM4VcEPbhYABEWxvGlZzk/s1600/April.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWCBCZk3A0-HqQ0GMf9fTJpc42RZM_9pz1P3cwpRm51Parrk_w9oE-ZwtUmqa-AAzoy98u3qTqkdtL6k7mqqcVXJrVMK-R0tbVqfTuCq04kqO54RPrXI-F9uFM4VcEPbhYABEWxvGlZzk/s400/April.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">May !<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-fail-<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6Z3ZOi7m0pwUQqizojJ9_AVtSHIpJciojFAiK2sahiQV_5rkAnzjCtaLmc9NSuXW672iIx1BMZpYvt4lpNg8s_mNCuHQoOX8yVoqYKpSo8I1iOsxZhyOW0MgepOly_httfYDFgNMfktQ/s1600/May.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6Z3ZOi7m0pwUQqizojJ9_AVtSHIpJciojFAiK2sahiQV_5rkAnzjCtaLmc9NSuXW672iIx1BMZpYvt4lpNg8s_mNCuHQoOX8yVoqYKpSo8I1iOsxZhyOW0MgepOly_httfYDFgNMfktQ/s400/May.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But even if I didn't sew, it seems that I did wash a dog that month.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">June !<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12<sup>th</sup>: Michelle’s light blue net dress<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">16<sup>th</sup>: black w/ red & tan flower dress<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">30<sup>th</sup>: coral window pane romper<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBhxTA-ivghDtgob5QolXtG9ooaxPHwhNdypA_tppWh_pU5MTgmOgMaPxt6Hg2UQT_g7eslAKEJa-WJ-LcsTjHS1zIJHDYpB5WIBCZNPYKZrQ5yjhXSmJDKsPmZcu7F4b1ShhY7niuLsL/s1600/June.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBhxTA-ivghDtgob5QolXtG9ooaxPHwhNdypA_tppWh_pU5MTgmOgMaPxt6Hg2UQT_g7eslAKEJa-WJ-LcsTjHS1zIJHDYpB5WIBCZNPYKZrQ5yjhXSmJDKsPmZcu7F4b1ShhY7niuLsL/s400/June.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wedding dresses and other lifetime goals! I'm still mega proud of the dresses I made for Michelle and myself for Clara's wedding, and I can't wait until the return of romper weather. It should be a good time for all. </span></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">July !<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12<sup>th</sup>: Michelle’s yellow playsuit<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">15<sup>th</sup>: two headbands (one of which matches Michelle’s playsuit)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">24<sup>th</sup>: Orange/tan paisley Sorbetto top<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8t95_cWTrP9JEM9AnUDXmxnpGylg_St2FtcT0yYX2PT8XwUEF-bvPEGaCbFsXbYd1PMd0n2MLG9INGfyvV4N4JygicHImvZSpNHdNnKS9hbx-Ol0yduR0xCt7V7Robk12NQFp_zb4Xm7t/s1600/July.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8t95_cWTrP9JEM9AnUDXmxnpGylg_St2FtcT0yYX2PT8XwUEF-bvPEGaCbFsXbYd1PMd0n2MLG9INGfyvV4N4JygicHImvZSpNHdNnKS9hbx-Ol0yduR0xCt7V7Robk12NQFp_zb4Xm7t/s400/July.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> A Colette Patterns-heavy month, if I do say so myself.</span></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">August ! <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">23<sup>rd</sup>: teal skirt w/ black/white/red buttons<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">31<sup>st</sup>: bed pocket for me<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Tv6AXvMUVgMr-_Dd-Poo6mu4ajdR6FymVAkCqh7Pn9jGm955YU4-aylKNde0E6U_lQz_-Eal5fNIBblBdaQjKkOLj7TPjhyphenhyphenkhQFXXXmO3Uo6animkNPjTq0ZF25iNPGOVZ_vQnpeuID4/s1600/August.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Tv6AXvMUVgMr-_Dd-Poo6mu4ajdR6FymVAkCqh7Pn9jGm955YU4-aylKNde0E6U_lQz_-Eal5fNIBblBdaQjKkOLj7TPjhyphenhyphenkhQFXXXmO3Uo6animkNPjTq0ZF25iNPGOVZ_vQnpeuID4/s400/August.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My teal skirt...why must you rumple so? I also need to do some serious fixin' on the lining, which I've shredded with my power stepping.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">September !<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2<sup>nd</sup>: Jenn’s Art Tote bag<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3<sup>rd</sup>: Merril’s bloomers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">22<sup>nd</sup>: Thrift storedress modification<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">30<sup>th</sup>: Blue BurdaStyle sleeveless top (never saw the light of day)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMc9eoBUbpBkoa1VJ7LJcbfohVrDl9J90M7rQeUSS3YBE7pfroIIoNM4mA0tuuIzaZxAverB7PRV7e-msGuss7bYoLPzZkgGUpbUQIkGFWgf7A9_8xoemgOs5sXdLglk8uCX1PXxv2RLQ/s1600/September.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMc9eoBUbpBkoa1VJ7LJcbfohVrDl9J90M7rQeUSS3YBE7pfroIIoNM4mA0tuuIzaZxAverB7PRV7e-msGuss7bYoLPzZkgGUpbUQIkGFWgf7A9_8xoemgOs5sXdLglk8uCX1PXxv2RLQ/s400/September.JPG" width="285" /></span></a></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You guys haven't seen this shirt, but it is all around bad news. Susan is so embarrassed to be seen in it! I'm starting to think the buttons are cursed (they were used on my doomed Sencha blouse, too) since everything they touch turns to awful. Hrm.</span></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">October !<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11<sup>th</sup>: Atmosphere bag (decoration)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">21<sup>st</sup>: Jenn’s houndtooth wiggle dress<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5wjSt5zw97Xcjw4e8AJQOSHFAGBJH4Go0fQxA-dUDQp5_fHFZZUqXlD1qY78utOGcRK8pQ4YRnwjUA9MOCB-4_QXrUDwlyvgtiOEgOPY9Qj8A-H5HNmIcjp4EapguRXPwyecg_lTqTjV/s1600/October.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5wjSt5zw97Xcjw4e8AJQOSHFAGBJH4Go0fQxA-dUDQp5_fHFZZUqXlD1qY78utOGcRK8pQ4YRnwjUA9MOCB-4_QXrUDwlyvgtiOEgOPY9Qj8A-H5HNmIcjp4EapguRXPwyecg_lTqTjV/s400/October.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Jenn didn't give me a picture of her in her houndstooth wiggle dress. I'll remember that. My atmosphere bag is pretty fun, though!</span></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">November !<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12<sup>th</sup>: Stella’s skirt <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12<sup>th</sup>: Cate’s sleep top (adorableness, why don't I have a picture?)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8e5GuiL56WQUXF2bI3ylJVNuq-XGKSJ_noRcUBd3Fal3rzjgQuphurQK9Don1-jURx6sBD37tBFcVdBnqG9_M8WkZFbj1opMqHipQdW8LaJiMEZaEchGiWQ5pIBKIYX5NPG3-k4-jnLCv/s1600/November.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8e5GuiL56WQUXF2bI3ylJVNuq-XGKSJ_noRcUBd3Fal3rzjgQuphurQK9Don1-jURx6sBD37tBFcVdBnqG9_M8WkZFbj1opMqHipQdW8LaJiMEZaEchGiWQ5pIBKIYX5NPG3-k4-jnLCv/s400/November.JPG" width="350" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">December !<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1<sup>st</sup>: Michelle’s laptop bag<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1<sup>st</sup>: Cate’s bloomers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11<sup>th</sup>: Bryce’s eye mask and bloomers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">16<sup>th</sup>: Cate’s sleep top (I had to go back and finish the hems, then it was <i>really</i> done)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">21<sup>st</sup>: CJ’s bed pocket (which he keeps at the ranch)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">24<sup>th</sup>: 12 lavender sachets<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">24<sup>th</sup>: Bethie’s white eyelet top<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">24<sup>th</sup>: Claire’s summer fun dress<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">24<sup>th</sup>: My red/tan lace dress<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqucnJ1qRZmW2OVRHGFx1Lts8oLM3KpSRl5kUE7mHrZdrD5hO8wWRuQGjRScVgneMxHbhBwpCFGVAFVCiW8bf-24Bh4QHIBREE756GQ7X1zqWVT_lqJaGBl-akCA0v6qsmNsUm6sayfD9/s1600/December.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqucnJ1qRZmW2OVRHGFx1Lts8oLM3KpSRl5kUE7mHrZdrD5hO8wWRuQGjRScVgneMxHbhBwpCFGVAFVCiW8bf-24Bh4QHIBREE756GQ7X1zqWVT_lqJaGBl-akCA0v6qsmNsUm6sayfD9/s400/December.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Busy month, don't you think?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That is my 2011 in review. December was easily my most productive month and May the least productive (I was distractedly working on Michelle's blue dress for Clara's wedding the WHOLE MONTH), and there were lots of bedpockets and bloomers. Colette Patterns dominated the show with thirteen items (though eight of those were bloomers), and my own love of cutting out shapes for home decor purposes made a good showing too. (hello bed pockets and curtains!) At the end of the year there were over 40 notable things I had sewn. Wow! Good job me!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that we're entering March, any ideas on sewing goals for 2012? It's not too late!</span></div>
Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-27839204173368102202012-01-31T23:37:00.000-08:002013-01-15T21:54:02.512-08:00Christmas Dress! Still can't make things fit...I made a dress for Christmas! Actually I made a dress that I mostly finished in October or early November but never finished fitting until December 24th. That way I could wear it to midnight mass to look great for my walk of shame out of the Cathedral. (Don't look at me, it wasn't my fault!) Pictures of this scandalous dress are few and those I do have are oddly lit, but hopefully you'll get the idea...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWwAwPQG2RSGP_x1gTxhpk3Fd_4KVR24iT2_zhLV0-j2xSN4P1oYFiqS3tun9L-TanrtdWhr-UfKXPwkjnI_LxTj_SeJnFW2jrKIDN163sZl1AzIFh8NZCgScbAr18aCUnhLNsVD8WVPl/s1600/IMG_7749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWwAwPQG2RSGP_x1gTxhpk3Fd_4KVR24iT2_zhLV0-j2xSN4P1oYFiqS3tun9L-TanrtdWhr-UfKXPwkjnI_LxTj_SeJnFW2jrKIDN163sZl1AzIFh8NZCgScbAr18aCUnhLNsVD8WVPl/s400/IMG_7749.JPG" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disregard my rumples--I just got off work.</td></tr>
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I used Butterick 6582 (the same I used for Jenn's wiggle dress that she NEVER GAVE ME PICTURES OF) and layered this ~carnelian red lace/cutout fabric hybrid--it's too sturdy to be lace but too hole-y to be a cutout fabric, is there another name for it?--with a nubby, tawny boucle-type wool blend that I shrank the dickens out of. It can't get much smaller! Here's a mega-close-up of the fabric.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iVVyA1H4xNXVKpjK4bRvUy3fIPMAdQmzv6w3-om_8DdX73va9Y7JY6iCX-UjsJTvOd8EX30-0UTO2aS00QbaixzjOQyk8b64DEuVrUlWtF8ZUANi0sQMdy_FRro-wpyOnvh5qXCkWsMu/s1600/IMG_7764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iVVyA1H4xNXVKpjK4bRvUy3fIPMAdQmzv6w3-om_8DdX73va9Y7JY6iCX-UjsJTvOd8EX30-0UTO2aS00QbaixzjOQyk8b64DEuVrUlWtF8ZUANi0sQMdy_FRro-wpyOnvh5qXCkWsMu/s400/IMG_7764.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah! You don't know what part of the dress this is! It is like one of those pictures that you keep zooming out of until you figure out that it was a super-close-up of an old milkshake.</td></tr>
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For a wiggle dress, it is surprisingly roomy. What that really means is that I still don't have the fit issues worked out. It might be a fabric selection issue or my determined nature to <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2010/01/reasons-i-dont-like-pattern-sewing.html">only make things in the wrong size</a>, but it seems unavoidable. I keep hoping that I'll outgrow my mismeasuring/sewing stage. Heck, I can bike in this "wiggle" dress, that is wrong on ten levels! Also, check this out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPs-mEkM7X6AmL59cxyrPOjatZm5dhYRl1Y3mmv0FWvsMC_YIJUelnNtnZdQmItJNjzHA3BaIAiyO7QsrQR73pEJtyNGlkFlisftzd7ItDIJBe4aslyrthjyUaa0FRifhmcqjKXruXY5p/s1600/IMG_7772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPs-mEkM7X6AmL59cxyrPOjatZm5dhYRl1Y3mmv0FWvsMC_YIJUelnNtnZdQmItJNjzHA3BaIAiyO7QsrQR73pEJtyNGlkFlisftzd7ItDIJBe4aslyrthjyUaa0FRifhmcqjKXruXY5p/s400/IMG_7772.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's not a tumor.</td></tr>
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What is with that shoulder lift? Looks like I need to do some minor disassembly, poke around there with a chopstick, then press that seam into the suburbs of Sacramento. Citrus Heights, I'm coming for you!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5eR76ZT81VMMOKstevjB4ENgtgPTuHPpsNjkX_0glyuy4QHFbXiLXjPYl8729MBGvMJxziVF5EVNEcAdpbKonmSMPuToqGPYwNXkEla1o7lhTN5iUul-IdTOzRffqYFCL0EY8PGKh_Wj/s1600/IMG_7768.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5eR76ZT81VMMOKstevjB4ENgtgPTuHPpsNjkX_0glyuy4QHFbXiLXjPYl8729MBGvMJxziVF5EVNEcAdpbKonmSMPuToqGPYwNXkEla1o7lhTN5iUul-IdTOzRffqYFCL0EY8PGKh_Wj/s400/IMG_7768.JPG" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Without the protective sweater; with the protective dog.</td></tr>
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Hopefully I'll be able to post the "2011 in review" summary soon. Stay tuned! If things get <i>really </i>crazy, I might even let you know what I've been doing in 2012!Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-83760208605897462382012-01-31T22:52:00.000-08:002012-01-31T22:52:22.728-08:00Rainbow Collection: Michelle's Birds-in-Your-Head Green Laptop BagI need to tie up Christmas stuff! Here goes...<br />
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Since Michelle normally negotiates for clothes all year long, I decided that I wasn't going to make her a dress or pantsuit or day-glo pantaloons. She had recently purchased a laptop, meaning she could once more go out and about and compute. "Excellent!," I thought, "I'll make a super-cute bag to lure her to coffee shops and parks and discotheques! Maybe she could even bring Olive along!"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVIYFErHHlwV7KqX098mMRgm1ly_qHKDGAx1AEpQ4JNhKghZ0XJkFnRVVucKYKD-qXjXKvXzM4E_ZoVE9A3Mjujyc5JUvE_ifCFaUARkm8E9aA1csLUbI1xO-yB5GMRKqA-nmIWS2W9sg/s1600/IMG_7682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVIYFErHHlwV7KqX098mMRgm1ly_qHKDGAx1AEpQ4JNhKghZ0XJkFnRVVucKYKD-qXjXKvXzM4E_ZoVE9A3Mjujyc5JUvE_ifCFaUARkm8E9aA1csLUbI1xO-yB5GMRKqA-nmIWS2W9sg/s400/IMG_7682.JPG" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or not...</td></tr>
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Then this seemingly innocuous laptop bag ate up the better part of November's craft time. I was following a <a href="http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2011/08/back-to-school-laptop-bag/">How Joyful tutorial</a> re-blogged by <a href="http://blog.craftzine.com/">Craft:</a> from <a href="http://sewmamasew.com/index.php">Sew, Mama, Sew!</a> I read through it a time or two with the diligence of a room full of Labrador puppies and figured I'd be good to go. It's a <i>bag</i>. Come on. Yeah. There were some...kinks to be worked out, especially with the amount of batting to be sewn into the handles and the final cut size of the foam padding that is built into the pockets and I'd rather not recall the bear that was turning the entire bag right-side-out through a two-inch opening. It became a huge trial because that cursed bag got in my head! Maybe it was me, I don't know, but I felt like there were parts when I should have just abandoned the instructions and followed my gut. I stalled and stalled and cursed and broke ~ five needles (those handles were death on my needles!) and finally wrapped it up with cattish finality on December 1st. By that point it was all I could do to trim the loose threads. I have enough extra foam and batting to give a go at another laptop bag (or something else with foam and batting), so we'll see how mouthy and irritable I am after that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVes57uN242q07zwP-i6kKtx_XDKDrjHzP_5UndHLRdX9pXmtQerECU9BqiuXBD8zQe_sMzrQ2Cj-acXYxGh41_Zn_zZqbz7WIJ3ZlwNuz79JIFxLIKwzEW08le2bVQ4sxeb4mPhJ6iAiu/s1600/IMG_7684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVes57uN242q07zwP-i6kKtx_XDKDrjHzP_5UndHLRdX9pXmtQerECU9BqiuXBD8zQe_sMzrQ2Cj-acXYxGh41_Zn_zZqbz7WIJ3ZlwNuz79JIFxLIKwzEW08le2bVQ4sxeb4mPhJ6iAiu/s400/IMG_7684.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Never buy fat quarters unless you want to make quilts or really awesome laptop bag pockets!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>All deprecation aside, the good part about this project was that it finally gave me a project to use a bunch of my smaller prized fabrics on. The inner pockets were made of some of my favorite quilting fat quarters and the outer shell was this (2009?) Echino fabric leftover from Bryce's wall hanging/curtain. The yellow handles and accent pieces were remnants from <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2011/07/rainbow-collection-yellow-playsuit-for.html">Michelle's yellow playsuit</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcs-CuhvnipR9f15cEIjb-l6aebKMnaBXGRvLGyXneYLi7jf8lZwYRAHJzAKsTGSZyQI3yVH95Fz3UMW9xyWZUI-dh1O7frfrKZrTKXJAwhsVQBYnv1rg3GEbD8ru9gJ4aogFooZ_C0iOK/s1600/IMG_7698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcs-CuhvnipR9f15cEIjb-l6aebKMnaBXGRvLGyXneYLi7jf8lZwYRAHJzAKsTGSZyQI3yVH95Fz3UMW9xyWZUI-dh1O7frfrKZrTKXJAwhsVQBYnv1rg3GEbD8ru9gJ4aogFooZ_C0iOK/s400/IMG_7698.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>All in all, it is a nice little bag that should provide some level of protection to Burnt Chicken (Michelle's laptop). So though I didn't make an outfit, the level of intensity for this project certainly fulfills the Rainbow Collection: Green criteria. Besides, it looks dang good on Timber.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_3P478r7WITN1Tj-TdjPFb0Lr7fvevuIaHuqjADMj2_CDUzp40sTbkOHfotpI7x6UI6E9qihbPqtAe3DKEMhZbvi-Vh4d4trZ1ynw5mbRAFiXJ0SkF8w6VzMKI8JJW8oBP3KYGDvCz5g/s1600/IMG_7680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_3P478r7WITN1Tj-TdjPFb0Lr7fvevuIaHuqjADMj2_CDUzp40sTbkOHfotpI7x6UI6E9qihbPqtAe3DKEMhZbvi-Vh4d4trZ1ynw5mbRAFiXJ0SkF8w6VzMKI8JJW8oBP3KYGDvCz5g/s400/IMG_7680.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Technophobic dog says, "Get that laptop away from me!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Huzzah!Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-11244474603519885112011-12-30T13:25:00.000-08:002013-01-15T21:54:28.465-08:00Claire's Summer Fun Dress! in DecemberYay for summer dresses in December! It really gives you something to hope for, since I've had summer on my brain in an incapacitating way for the past month. How is it in the 20s at night? How is that POSSIBLE?! Anyhow, Claire has long been talking about dresses of mine that she likes, specifically my <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2010/06/50s-party-dress-sort-of.html">50s party dress</a>. My goal had been to make her a version of that dress until I realized that I didn't have the pattern in her size. Dangs. The plan shifted into making a version of Burda Style 108 (March 2011), <b>with </b>the seam allowances included, unlike my <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2011/07/black-red-and-tan-party-dress.html">last duel</a> with this pattern.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CCza2x0jbwY/Tvv7dCEn1ZI/AAAAAAAAAe8/7wBEddTHddA/s1600/IMG_7656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CCza2x0jbwY/Tvv7dCEn1ZI/AAAAAAAAAe8/7wBEddTHddA/s400/IMG_7656.JPG" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">more pictures from my porch, such class!</td></tr>
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This fabric was a gift from Michelle as a thank you for sewing her a number of things. Can you picture it as something other than a spring-in-your-step dress? I can't. The original dress pattern called for a bubble skirt, but that seems a little silly on a grown woman. Instead, I cut the pattern pieces in the recommended length (a rather short and kicky 21 inches, ee!), gathered the tops and sewed it to the bodice. The hem is basic, as in without horsehair braid because I felt it would give too much lift to an already short skirt. Without the horsehair braid, the skirt falls about four inches above Claire's knees. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wh0WZL1ubD0/Tvv_HP0NonI/AAAAAAAAAfI/sHs6ATZrwo4/s1600/IMG_7659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wh0WZL1ubD0/Tvv_HP0NonI/AAAAAAAAAfI/sHs6ATZrwo4/s400/IMG_7659.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gathering skirts is something I should put on my resume...</td></tr>
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The dress fits her pretty well (no photographic proof, just trust me), gives her hips and everything! Now if only it would warm up a solid 60 degrees. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xrxR-IVe4Us/Tvv_r6H7CVI/AAAAAAAAAfU/mML8z06g3fQ/s1600/IMG_7662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xrxR-IVe4Us/Tvv_r6H7CVI/AAAAAAAAAfU/mML8z06g3fQ/s400/IMG_7662.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These photos were taken at the 11th hour, aka right before I wrapped this gift on December 24th. </td></tr>
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Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-88100735515539175232011-12-29T11:30:00.000-08:002011-12-29T11:30:01.951-08:00Rainbow Collection: Bethie's White Eyelet topThis may be a first for me--Bethie seemed to like her Christmas gift. WHAT?!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PcAiKuRy0b0/Tvv269r7xAI/AAAAAAAAAeY/AhDgzqANM1Q/s1600/IMG_7640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="365" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PcAiKuRy0b0/Tvv269r7xAI/AAAAAAAAAeY/AhDgzqANM1Q/s400/IMG_7640.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>This eyelet top has been in my brain for a while. The fabric was picked up at a sale in a storage unit in Davis from when <a href="http://www.rikidesign.com/">Riki</a> was...selling fabric, I don't remember the line of reasoning behind it. This was probably the most usable piece of fabric I bought that day (what am I going to do with that army green wave design?) in spite of it being a smaller piece; I originally planned on making a dress for Stella, thinking that Beth would be crazy about it. I kept <i>not</i> making the dress and eventually adjusted my goal to make a top for Beth, which I imagined would pair perfectly with a dark grey cardigan (neutral colors to achieve her goal of looking French). I'd made the <a href="http://www.coletterie.com/colette-patterns-news/free-pattern-to-download-the-sorbetto-top">Sorbetto</a> <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2011/08/rainbow-collection-orange-paisley.html">earlier this summer</a> for a hangouts top and had originally planned to make the eyelet into a tank top, but it seemed like the right thing to do to slap some sleeves on it and make a delicate yet casual short-sleeved shirt. Claire of <a href="http://sew-incidentally.blogspot.com/">Sew, Incidentally</a> drafted a <a href="http://sew-incidentally.blogspot.com/2011/08/sleeve-pattern-for-sorbetto-top.html">pattern for sleeves</a> for the Sorbetto and shared it on the <a href="http://www.sewweekly.com/">Sew Weekly</a>, so I was set.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LZ1RXlPGo3c/Tvv3EFw0WbI/AAAAAAAAAek/SlITQ_PxU6o/s1600/IMG_7643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LZ1RXlPGo3c/Tvv3EFw0WbI/AAAAAAAAAek/SlITQ_PxU6o/s400/IMG_7643.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>I paired the eyelet with some tannish-gold liner fabric to provide much-needed modesty while giving the illusion of showing bare skin. Construction was not too complicated, but the lining caused some strife. The Sorbetto is not usually lined and I improvised on using the lining as facing, so there were some imbalances when I tried to affix the lining around the armholes to the shell fabric and sleeves. Specifically, the sleevehole lining came up higher than the sleevehole shell fabric, which was ugly and led me to curse and seam rip and curse some more. The only way I knew to solve the issues that rose out of using the lining as facing was to topstitch the hell out of everything--the neck opening and sleeves are topstitched into oblivion. Note to others: consider how fabric shifts when you're using lining as facing!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sRfabXxACaw/Tvv3rGnzgNI/AAAAAAAAAew/0nK8-y_Hhxc/s1600/IMG_7642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sRfabXxACaw/Tvv3rGnzgNI/AAAAAAAAAew/0nK8-y_Hhxc/s400/IMG_7642.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You've been topstitched!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I hereby declare that this top fulfills my Rainbow Collection: White requirement! I wonder if I have enough of this eyelet to make another Sorbetto...Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-47540431114167000842011-12-28T20:26:00.000-08:002013-01-15T21:56:20.368-08:00Christmas is over, thank heavens...It is a tremendous relief to have Christmas behind me--all of December was lost to sewing, worrying about sewing, preparing to sew, and breaking needles. I break the most needles at Christmas. Especially on Michelle's gift, which took out a pack of needles.<br />
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I made lavender sachets to accompany most of my gifts (homemade and bought) this year, and I'm pretty pleased with the results. The sachets are a great scrap-busting project! I have leftover lavender if anyone wants another (or a first) sachet to put in your drawers or with your laundry as it dries, drop me a line if you would like one.</div>
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I'll post pictures of some of the things I made over the next couple of days, though I sadly did not get a picture of Cate's Janet-Leigh-in-Bye-Bye-Birdie-inspired nightie (from Simplicity 2749),</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.wikia.com/vintagepatterns/images/0/09/Simplicity_2749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://images.wikia.com/vintagepatterns/images/0/09/Simplicity_2749.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used the 3rd version, naturally.</td></tr>
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paired with the <a href="http://www.coletterie.com/colette-patterns-news/free-pattern-to-download-the-madeleine-mini-bloomers">mini-Madeleine bloomers</a>, nor of Chris's ranch bed pocket from <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lotta-Jansdotters-Simple-Sewing-How/dp/0811852571">Simple Sewing</a> </u>(now with more pockets than ever!); aside from those omissions, I think I got photos of all the handmade items. Better than all of that, I only used fabric in my stash as part of the big fabric destashing effort. Huzzah!</div>
Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-26000791179051607672011-11-13T13:13:00.000-08:002011-11-13T13:13:43.073-08:00Totally Premature Rejoicing!Yes! I finished one Christmas gift already and I'm almost through another one. To make sure I took care of the most important things first, I made a gift for a very demanding recipient who would surely give me hell if I did not give them something wonderful and amazing for Christmas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0LW6HAbwhdylho2eurQZpzMCmM5I0fD1Fb1jinNjcaIIlZN0EJ1fWqlflJWH8wf1wwTGbRXqIUSd97F6ClFLSwh8h0o9XFBSmIqOzvKy0xWokHtnrCZqZdFhsSMhU2TKkP0rQTPgPDGr/s1600/IMG_7504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0LW6HAbwhdylho2eurQZpzMCmM5I0fD1Fb1jinNjcaIIlZN0EJ1fWqlflJWH8wf1wwTGbRXqIUSd97F6ClFLSwh8h0o9XFBSmIqOzvKy0xWokHtnrCZqZdFhsSMhU2TKkP0rQTPgPDGr/s400/IMG_7504.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I played a dangerous game, placing a skirt so close to Olive's back end...quite a gamble.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Yes, I made a skirt for lil' nine-year old Stella, who doesn't seem to really know when I gave her something and when I ducked out of a gift-giving situation and just showed up for cake. Anyhow, I figured it was safe to post this because Stella doesn't seem to do much on the internet, and even if she did, she'd probably forget about her gift before Christmas.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOefEse2RZztGEXQ3S2ZEUz_0NkrWnKluKUBNgWvqnzb-Z-a9AsfEl9NeGd97cZZGp_MXmOYsAUq7SyQPi9YNRTTkkOer2s7OzRYOiAv_EFo3urLkVKp1pBNTWD3b8dS_HG5IBd5KTCXR1/s1600/IMG_7495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOefEse2RZztGEXQ3S2ZEUz_0NkrWnKluKUBNgWvqnzb-Z-a9AsfEl9NeGd97cZZGp_MXmOYsAUq7SyQPi9YNRTTkkOer2s7OzRYOiAv_EFo3urLkVKp1pBNTWD3b8dS_HG5IBd5KTCXR1/s400/IMG_7495.JPG" width="285" /></a></div><br />
This skirt was based off the <a href="http://sewddelicious.blogspot.com/2011/09/peggy-skirt-tutorial.html">tutorial</a> on <a href="http://sewddelicious.blogspot.com/">Sew Delicious</a> for a little version of a skirt seen on Peggy from "Mad Men", which should also apply to making grown-up sized skirts if you're so inclined. The denim is from an old pair of jeans that I wore through (finally, something to do with those other than denim-bottomed bags!), and the fabric is something that Eschy bought a couple of years back at <a href="http://www.boltfabricboutique.com/">Bolt</a> for me to use on an Anna Tunic for her. The buttons...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5ZXfxrCkhrOUjF4aW1tY3l48Kvq-qLn2_3VkUQKbpw9XlNlH7rINT5dyloJa-jxqhGaMbYryq6hiqHsps_wKImyDVupfUMste5sC7EU45fh103X0TnMYpiuMSaTyMyr0TD5GLpZOZvP4/s1600/IMG_7512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5ZXfxrCkhrOUjF4aW1tY3l48Kvq-qLn2_3VkUQKbpw9XlNlH7rINT5dyloJa-jxqhGaMbYryq6hiqHsps_wKImyDVupfUMste5sC7EU45fh103X0TnMYpiuMSaTyMyr0TD5GLpZOZvP4/s400/IMG_7512.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The buttons are from the <a href="http://ephemeralmailbox.tumblr.com/">Ephemeral Mailbox Museum</a> from a time before I really knew how to buy notions. They're adorable and and I love them, but since I'm not as whimsical with my clothing as I originally thought, I've had a hell of a time figuring out how to use glittered cupcake buttons. Don't even get me started on how I'm supposed to use the glittered scissor buttons in the same fashion...<br />
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So, not a bad start to the season, right? Right. Hopefully I don't go on a sewing strike until December 15th just to bring myself to the appropriate stress level. I hate my subconscious balancing acts.Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-32613692423677883312011-10-31T20:33:00.000-07:002013-01-15T21:54:53.656-08:00Bad weather coming your wayI finally fulfilled my dream of being a tornado for Halloween! One pack of assorted farm animals from Rite-Aid (~$6) and your existing set of black clothes and you've got yourself a gift-card winning costume! Farm animals, Chris's miniature train tracks and trees, and some of my bike pins were among the items to get swept up in the dervish known as Victoria on Halloween-Monday. Things to know if you ever make your own tornado costume: a skirt is probably a better idea because the debris on my legs kept getting tangled, and make the strings on your legs shorter so they can't get tangled! I lost some of the items just walking around the office, so don't be super attached to any of your debris. Oh, and be ready to spin ALL DAY LONG. Still dizzy.<br />
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Here it is in action:</div>
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In other news, I made Jenn a black and white houndstooth-type dress in this pattern this past month, fulfilling my new year's resolution, and a fabric destash as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://butterick.mccall.com/filebin/images/product_images/Full/B6582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://butterick.mccall.com/filebin/images/product_images/Full/B6582.jpg" width="378" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Compliments: Butterick.McCall.com</td></tr>
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I used the black version with the bows as the selected model. I made a huge mistake in not taking her picture when she tried it on at my house, as the louse refused to send me any pictures from the party she wore it to. I'll get her yet. For the record, the pattern calls for interfacing on the bows, but that made them waaaay too stiff and I had to hand-tack them to the dress so they wouldn't poke people's eyes out. I would not do the interfacing on the bows again. Her friend Sara had the same dress made for her in blue taffeta (Mad Men party, if you're wondering), minus the bows. Tres chic! At the very worst, I'll be able to report on my version, which is a brown/gold linen blend with a red lace overlay, no bows. I need to hem that beast and document it! I kind of want to wear it to the bazaar on Saturday, so I better get moving. Unfortunately, I'm getting sick as we speak. dangs.Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2287439037529512406.post-6866711533455270762011-10-02T01:14:00.000-07:002013-01-15T21:56:40.325-08:00September BluesSeptember passed with a whisper. The entire month was lost to me, a transition month that failed to take me from summer to fall. September (and summer?) are gone now, and I don't feel that I have much to show for it aside from a lot of work-related stress. Though I feel like I fell back on my destashing project, I did manage some sewing in there: I made a long-overdue tote bag for Jenn, finished Merril's bloomers from the KDVS fundraiser, tackled a thrift store project, and thoroughly muffed up a Burda-style shirt (still trying to figure that one out). Since you saw <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2011/04/kdvs-fundraiser-bloomers.html">a slew of bloomers</a> earlier this year, and Jenn's tote was a duplicate of the <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2010/12/ah-gift-exchangesyoure-bringing-me-down.html">gift exchange tote</a> (though her version is lined and has pockets inside!), I'll show you two other projects I have pictures of, one of them a long time coming. And they're both blue!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZcvVZFTQHGD7pqruBmH2A5Kg1kFUanogdPchTPgVHwWrJa0105XA3PRxjNqQsHd5XX68AXmAukA2ZOYgyGWMtiWI-EwhGRI6sO9OkSjbH-YQuVSlbWn2001MIXvqx0LIp_EsbhIPuYIgU/s1600/before+before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZcvVZFTQHGD7pqruBmH2A5Kg1kFUanogdPchTPgVHwWrJa0105XA3PRxjNqQsHd5XX68AXmAukA2ZOYgyGWMtiWI-EwhGRI6sO9OkSjbH-YQuVSlbWn2001MIXvqx0LIp_EsbhIPuYIgU/s320/before+before.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course I could teach you macrame!</td></tr>
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I got this dress at the thrift store for a dollar. It had some unsightly stains hip-level and the length was...questionable. It had a post-prairie missionary feel to me, but check out that border print! It definitely called for the skirt to be removed, shortened, and reattached.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHq0_1HEYs80qcTmlgwWzLXZV-_WjJ0ldzKQ9_Qad-h7mwQpLbRR4GDnytJ7CassXubxfIbxQFm0ENOcvorjbvyzGSCNrrjT_qq1k3oE9W50i8VsHBrhIvRdj1vQ3TLB8o_YgUJYS6pXc/s1600/before+after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHq0_1HEYs80qcTmlgwWzLXZV-_WjJ0ldzKQ9_Qad-h7mwQpLbRR4GDnytJ7CassXubxfIbxQFm0ENOcvorjbvyzGSCNrrjT_qq1k3oE9W50i8VsHBrhIvRdj1vQ3TLB8o_YgUJYS6pXc/s320/before+after.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Success!</td></tr>
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Back in June, I complained heartily about making Michelle's maid-of-honor dress for Clara's wedding because the netting was such a nightmare. I sewed until my fingers bled--not exaggerating, I had to wear gloves and bandaids to keep from staining my powdery blue tormentor. But it turned out really well! (and I should hope so after the muslins and fittings and general anxiety) Here are some shots from a different wedding earlier tonight...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyux5wK1kOpfIRBCOzEBFnVRrebjDnGhu0ID-YjiPTpoEhdrkfAq2kbgkZTaQFt11ixZqRKX4QfaQai65VcqaAGcRUuOsgahxG4qFaRaV8iwqz9yQjjiyUXQA_bEGqm4Se8ZzSHhyphenhyphenhSkNH/s1600/IMG_7353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyux5wK1kOpfIRBCOzEBFnVRrebjDnGhu0ID-YjiPTpoEhdrkfAq2kbgkZTaQFt11ixZqRKX4QfaQai65VcqaAGcRUuOsgahxG4qFaRaV8iwqz9yQjjiyUXQA_bEGqm4Se8ZzSHhyphenhyphenhSkNH/s400/IMG_7353.JPG" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is Michelle's exclamation lately? You know, it is shouted at parties, texted...hrm.</td></tr>
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This was my second round using horsehair braid on the hem. It is still wiley and less-than-cooperative, but the effect is lovely and I *think* my technique is getting better. (it gives the bottom of the skirt that rolling body)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_kBv0WAK1ZEP73X27pdTNxwab-yIgaehzECm48ncmvXZLt9VuRQ6oTzZFUHEtzLo-VYqn6vAOgjmO9eqqnJPiVHJcX-2YdZpDtI66rnGhk5EwUAmEupAmMTv2wMyMtKs5fYhfbeFC5oh/s1600/IMG_7369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_kBv0WAK1ZEP73X27pdTNxwab-yIgaehzECm48ncmvXZLt9VuRQ6oTzZFUHEtzLo-VYqn6vAOgjmO9eqqnJPiVHJcX-2YdZpDtI66rnGhk5EwUAmEupAmMTv2wMyMtKs5fYhfbeFC5oh/s400/IMG_7369.JPG" width="285" /></a></div>
I was reminded tonight that the original inspiration for this dress was a lacey Erdem number, which tells me that I need to look at more fashion magazines/websites so I can strive to replicate (and re-interpret) notable things. I need to constantly remind myself of that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oP-2aiaBze5qimfDlFxhokgpqLAAlMULx0AGhi2e6-bCTS5deAHdLICeqxq9ZjtMkGfBCydDUB91HS8BC1oAv0aIqsJbtnTqv1jdhydRuB4gQVSPH9hqcwM7lOI8lEG-oe8MzDlld6Fm/s1600/IMG_7378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oP-2aiaBze5qimfDlFxhokgpqLAAlMULx0AGhi2e6-bCTS5deAHdLICeqxq9ZjtMkGfBCydDUB91HS8BC1oAv0aIqsJbtnTqv1jdhydRuB4gQVSPH9hqcwM7lOI8lEG-oe8MzDlld6Fm/s400/IMG_7378.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extreme close-up!</td></tr>
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And that Burda style shirt...shis. What happened there? Well, first of all there were some ill-placed buttonholes, and the fabric might be less than ideal for the pattern (left over blue fabric from <a href="http://viquena.blogspot.com/2010/01/reasons-i-dont-like-pattern-sewing.html">this dress</a>)...you know what, I'm going to try to fix it. I'll let you know in a month or so if that worked out. Technically, it was my September clothing item to fulfill my resolution, but it needs more work if I'm going to ever wear it without a self-loathing grimace. Like I said, I'll get back to you on that.<br />
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Happy October!Viquenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08660867306883213787noreply@blogger.com4