Working on...

The Chanel jacket! I finally started putting needle to fabric. And of course, I promptly had to un-put needle to fabric, after I managed to catch the lining in the seam. D'oh!!! Anyway, it's starting to take shape, and I'll post pictures later.

And what can I say? The Ravens deserved to win. It's been that kind of a year for the Pats. Sigh...

Now, I can root against the Jets and for the Colts (sorry Baltimore). And I have all my Sundays free until Superbowl, so that's good too.

Pattern Review - Jalie 2682 V-neck Top

Yesterday I mistakenly identified the Jalie pattern I planned to make for my niece. This is the one I really was planning to use. It's better suited for the fabric. So here you go...

Pattern Description: From Jalie's website, "Stylish V-neck top, raised neckline at back, with or without sleeves." I made View A with long sleeves.

Sizing: All sizes are included in the pattern. My niece is a size 6-8 petite, so I made a size T in Jalie's sizing.

Fabric Used: Fabulously Cozy Cotton Sweater Knit - Heathered Gray from Gorgeous Fabrics. I love this knit. It's almost got a berber-y feel to it on the face, and the backing is nice and soft in its finish, so you can wear it right next to your skin.

Needle/Notions Used: Stretch 75/11 needle. Metrosene polyester thread.

Did it look like the photo or drawing when you got through? Yes

How were the instructions? They were just fine. I had made the sleeveless version of this top for myself a couple of summers ago, so I didn't really need them. This pattern goes together beautifully.

Construction Notes: Because of the innate bulk of this fabric, I decided not to do it Jalie's way, which is to use two layers of the fabric in the upper bodice. One layer is the outer shell and the other is the self-facing. Instead, I just used one layer. I cut the front in two pieces instead of one piece on the fold. I sewed up the center seam with a 1/4 inch seam and turned the neckline edge under and stitched it down, as you can see here.

I serged all the other seams, and turned up the hems and finished them with a 1.0mm wide, 3.0mm length zigzag stitch.

Likes/Dislikes: I think this is a cute, casual top. She lives in Montana, and this will be good for wearing to school. I like the lines of the top. As I say, it's really well drafted. It sewed up in less than an hour, while I was listening to the second half of the Pats/Bills game on the radio (Yay Pats! Sorry Pam)

No dislikes at all.

Would you do it again? Would you recommend it? You bet to both.

Conclusion: It's comfortable, cute and a winner. I think she'll like it! Here are pictures of the front and back. 

Happy sewing!

Not to Put Too Fine a Point on it but...

This weather sucks. This is the second discernible snowfall we've had in three days. I know, other places got more snow than we did, and it won't last long, but still - it's Frickin' October 18th, people! (Not you, dear readers, the powers that be) Give us a break here!

On the plus side, I've cut my Razor Sharp pants in my Loro Piana fabric. I'm listening to the Pats from the comfort of my home. I had the opportunity to bid on 2nd row seats to todays Pats/Oilers (Titans now, but it's a legacy game so they are wearing the old Houston Oilers uniforms), but I knew what the weather was going to be like, so I passed. I'm glad I did, too - apparently it's snowing even harder in Foxboro.

You know why I had the chance to bid on those tickets? Because DH's band. Booty Vortex, played a gig to celebrate the City of Somerville being voted one of ten All America Cities. Um... okay. But it was a great time and they auctioned off a bunch of things (mostly sports related) to benefit programs for disadvantaged kids in Somerville.

So the Parting Shot is...
Bootylicious, y'all! DH is playing the bari saxophone, third from the left.
They did a great job, and it was an all-ages show so the kids got to come too. More on the pants later.

ETA: Congrats to the Pats! That was an embarrassment of riches. I'm still glad I didn't bid on those tickets. Besides, they ended up going for $350. Paying $350 to get my butt froze in January during a playoff game? Sure. Paying $350 to get my butt wet and froze in an October snowstorm? Mmmmm, no thanks... But good for the Pats!!!

Globe Staff Photo: Jim Davis

Now, GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!

Happy sewing!

Sigh... Again

Photo: Matthew Lee, Boston Globe

Congratulations Maureen! Your boys did a great job. And like I said, McDaniels is a class act. Still...


Sigh... not a good day in Boston sports.

Yeah, I'd Do the Happy Dance but...

There are a bunch of things that need to be fixed. The offensive line for one. Defense needs to be shored up; but hey, it was a good game and good on the Falcons for putting up a good fight.

Fred Taylor ROCKS!!!!

Sigh...

Globe Staff Photo / Jim Davis

And that's not a good sigh.

Phew!

Globe Staff Photo / Jim Davis

Oh man, that was a total gut wrencher last night, wasn't it? Ugly football all the way. But for anyone who follows Patriots football, with the exception of the 2007-2008 season (and even then) they always played ugly football. Good on the Bills, who put up a fantastic first half. And here's hoping Jerrod Mayo comes back soon and healthy with that knee.

On the sewing front, I'll have lots of pictures today of the bustier. It's all done except for the lining and the waist stay, Those will both be in later and I'll have finished my first couture lace garment. Stay tuned.

Happy sewing!

A Couple of Things

I spent yesterday at DSis' helping put together Ikea cabinets, so I haven't done much work on the LBD. But today, Sewing Diva Phyllis is coming over and we're going to the studio to spend the afternoon sewing, so I'm hoping to make progress.

Thanks to the "fun" events of last week, I never got to congratulate the Patriots on a fantastic season. You may not have liked them last year (face it, even some of us were sick of them by the playoffs, and the hype was so annoying, even to me), but you had to admire them this year. With Brady knocked out 7 minutes into the season, losing Harrison, Bruschi and countless others, and 24 starterless games, Matt Cassell, Bill Belichick and the rest of the team pulled a season that no one would have forseen. Yes, it sucks that they didn't make the playoff (Stoopid Jets, later much Man-genius), but they played with the kind of heart that we hadn't seen for the last few years. Now that Indy has been knocked out, I can root for the Giants with impunity. Don't be surprised! The Giants were New England's team before the NFL expansion. Never the Jets - always the Giants.

I got an advanced copy of what looks to be a really fun book John Bates: Fashion Designer. It's available now, and I'll review it as soon as I finish reading it. John Bates is probably best known for being the designer of Emma Peel's fashions on the 1960s TV series, "The Avengers".

So I have lots to do. I'll keep you posted on my progress with the dress. I think I'll make a muslin today and ask Phyllis to help me fit it.

Happy sewing!

Last Man Standing

Congratulations to the Pats! They managed to pull out a win despite losing 4 starters for the game. At this time of year, the playoffs really are determined by who has the healthiest team. That's not to denigrate Seattle. They played a good game. This is the time of the season where, except in seasons like New England had last year, every game is a nail biter. And let's face it - last year was not the norm.

And hey, the Jets lost! Double yays! (with apologies to my New York friends, sorta)

I'll post pictures of the coat progress. I got less done than I hoped, mostly because I had to get home to see an old friend who is in town from Germany.

Happy sewing!

Congratulations Steelers

I can't say I'm sorry that I missed watching the game today. I was sick as a dog yesterday, and today was DS the younger's birthday party, so I was away from the TV and missed the Steelers trouncing of the Pats. Owww! Well, you know you have to take the good with the (ouch) bad. And good on Pittsburgh for showing once again that their defense is world class.

Next time, babies!

Okay Okay Okay!

Thank you all for your feedback. The blogroll stays. It's no hassle for me, and people seem to like it, so why fix something that isn't broken? I didn't get a ton of sewing done this weekend, but yesterday I was the speaker at a New England ASDP meeting. The topic was Spring Fabric Trends. It was a ball! I woke up at 4:30 yesterday morning with my heart pounding, thinking "How the heck am I going to talk about fabric trends for two hours???" But just as nature abhors a vacuum, so I abhor silence. And being Irish, and inoculated with a phonograph needle as a baby (according to my mother), I was able to yammer on for almost all of the allotted time! The only downside to the meeting was that I missed the Pats/Dolphins game. When I got in the car, they were just down to the two-minute warning. Go Pats!!!!

Today I'm going to work on the coat. I'm waiting to see Tatiana to decide which of the tricots (thanks LindsayT!) we prefer for her dress, and I won't see her until tomorrow.

Oh, and speaking of LindsayT, she's switching blog hosts right now, so if you get an error (specifically from RSS feeds) when you try to link to her, she's still there! She asked me to let you know that she's working on it and hopefully all will be working properly soon. For now, you can link to her blog by clicking on her name right up above here.

Happy sewing!

Next Up - Silhouettes Ann's Top

Now, how could I pass up a pattern that was named for moi, right? To tell the truth, when I ordered it I just did the special package order without checking out what was in it. But hey, bonus!

So I'm making this top in this Cotton/Rayon/Lycra Jersey from Gorgeous Fabrics:


It's about 2/3rds of the way done. I should have it finished and posted tomorrow. In the meantime, congratulations to Matt Cassel, QB for the Patriots, who won this week's AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. I wasn't able to stay up to watch the game, alas. I was fighting off a cold so I turned off the TV at halftime. Oh well. More tomorrow!

Happy sewing!

Alright Boys!

These days it isn't always pretty. You have to remember that before last season it was never pretty. It's no longer taken for granted. But it wasn't taken for granted until about mid-last-season. But boy, does it feel good when they pull it out! Congratulations to the Patriots. They worked hard for this one and they did it against a good team in San Francisco. Now I can breathe again.

The pants are about halfway sewn. It was a beautiful day and we had to get some stuff for the house. They should be done tomorrow and I'll review them then.

Happy Sunday!

Sniff...

Congratulations Miami - great job.

I have nothing else to say.

Go D! And a Slight Diversion

We're watching the Patriots game against the Jets. It's great to see the defense starting to step back up. At the risk of sounding like a heretic, I was getting tired of the Tommy B. Show that all the Pats games have become. Love Moss, love Welker, love the whole team, and I do hope they can prove that it's a team effort, not a rock star solo show. Cassel may not be burning up the boards, but in 2001 when Bledsoe went out, neither did Brady.

Anyway, I'm going to start on the dress tomorrow. Today I made lined curtains for DS the elder's room:
I still have to steam them to get the wrinkles out. I tried to put plastic grommets in the top but they wouldn't penetrate the layers of fabric. So I think I'll try another type - Wallies, maybe - tomorrow.

Happy sewing and go Pats!

Monday Musings

First off, I can't tell you how painful today is in Patriot Nation. No one wants to see any player get hurt, but waiting to hear how serious Brady's injury is - well, everyone is holding their collective breaths. I believe that Pollard was not trying to make a dirty hit on Brady. But face it. Since mid-last year, everyone, and I mean everyone on the opposing teams have been trying to figure out how to get past the offensive line and bring him down in a season ending, if not Joe Theismann-esque injury (don't click on the link if you're squeamish). Pollard managed to do it, and now we all have to wait to see what happens. Kudos to Cassell and the Pats' defense for holding off Huard and the Chiefs.

My darlings Project Rungay Boys, Tom and Lorenzo, interviewed Emmett, my brother by another mother today. It's a great read. Emmett is one of my favorite people in the world. If you're in NoLita, definitely stop by his store. He makes Gorgeous Things, and I know from Gorgeous Things.

In fun family news, DS the Younger (he of the Gloucester boulder stitches) got his braces off this morning. Funny story. When his orthodontist said to him, "You look like a million bucks, kiddo!" he responded, with no prompting from me, "Well, they cost that much." Dr. V and I both cracked up.

Sewing-wise, I have the Burda dress traced off and ready to cut. I think I'm also going to do a little fun-with-tricot tutorial (it's not just for lining anymore). Stay tuned for that.

Happy sewing

Oh Boy Oh Boy Oh Boys!

They're Baaaaaaack!


Uh oh....

Oh man, what a freaking nail biter that game was. With Brady knocked out in the first quarter, good on Matt Cassell for stepping in and taking it over with aplomb. Now of course, the real nail biting begins. I usually retreat to my sewing room during games to listen to Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti call the game. They are much more informative than those idiots on CBS or Fox. Today was no exception, but I had to run to the TV to see the replays. Owwww! And then when Brodie Croyle went out with a shoulder injury I just figured it was going to be ugly. But if I can just say, the Pats' defense was great. Not Awesome, not yet, but if the D keeps working like they have, it will be one hell of a season.

What I've Been Up To

What an incredibly busy week this has been! Between Gorgeous Fabrics, the kids being out of school and needing transportation everywhere, out-of-town friends staying with us, cranking out an article and life, in general, I have had no time to blog! But I did get to have a couple of fun little adventures. On Thursday, my sister and I went to the Patriots' pre-season opener. What fun! What a rip! Geez - parking two miles away is (brace yourself) $40. $40 to walk two miles! We looked at each other, said, "Screw that!" and pulled into the lot right across the street from the stadium, which cost $50. Hey, if I'm going to spend stupid amounts of money, I am going to at least get convenience. Besides, the tickets were a gift from my neighbor, Rosemary. She's been a season ticket holder for years, and only recently found out that I'm a big fan. I have a standing offer to her that if she ever can't use her tickets, I'll pay a premium for them. And she knows I'm well behaved. Well, sort of. Most of the time. Um, hmmmmm....

Anyway, we had a great time at the game. None of the first stringers were playing of course, but we got to see some of the rookies, and there is some promise in the up and comers. Alas, Tank Williams went out for the season with a knee injury in the 3rd quarter. I hate to see any player get hurt. And Williams was looking mighty good up until then. The Pats lost to the Ravens. Oh well - DSis and I went to Davios at Patriot Place and had appetizers. Then when we got out and started driving home, we hit one of the worst thunderstorms I've driven through in ages. You couldn't see more than 2 feet in front of the hood. Yikes!

Did I tell you DS the eldest got sick of the politics of local Pop Warner Football and decided not to play this year? Let me just say that I have been enjoying August for the first time in 5 years. Except for the weather. What the heck is up with weather in the Northeast this year, anyway? As I said to DH, if I wanted to live in this climate, I would move to Florida! We've been having big (and I do mean BIG) thunderboomers every afternoon for over a week. And it shows no sign of letting up. My tomatoes love it. My cucumbers are not happy. Poor Hoover has been parking himself under my desk every day. The weather makes it difficult for the kids to do their outdoor camp activities too. Well, I suppose at some point I'll miss this weather. Most likely when the temperature is hovering around 20 deg. F and oil is $5.00 per gallon.

Hopefully next week will be a little less crazed. As it is I did make time to do some sewing. More about that in the next post.

Happy sewing!

I Didn't Do It, I Swear

Giants' Superbowl Rings Stolen in Heist in North Attleboro

Okay, I have to ask, what Einstein came up with the idea to have the Giants' Superbowl rings manufactured in the next town over from Gillette Stadium??? Are there no manufacturers in, say New York? Say around 48th?

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Bwhahahahahahhahahahaha! Snort!

Sorry, I promise I'll try to be gracious, but I'll be chortling about this one all day.

Wooooo Hoo!!!

Globe Staff Photo / John Tlumacki

We're going to Arizona
We're going to Arizona
We're going to Arizona,
To play in Superbowl!

Okay, I have to say, San Diego? Fabulous, fabulous job! What an absolute nailbiter this game was for the first three quarters and then some. And you know what? I'm SO tired of the supposed pundits declaring these huge differentials in scoring. For gawd's sake, does anyone think that any team that makes it to a conference championship is going to roll over or give it up, just because they are either playing against a 16-0 or a team captained by a top notch guy? Heck no!!! This weekend is about winning! I (of course) salute the Pats, who managed the clock and handled one of the best D's (and O's) in the league. But the fact is that anything can happen, and frequently does, and tonight, almost did.

We'll see the Chargers again, and if they are all healthy, it will be one helluva game.