I've been waiting a year for those strawberries....
A simple salad of butter lettuce, local strawberries, olive oil, vinegar and a pinch of salt.
Skirt done and top almost done.
They go great with my green pullover.
Widget was absolutely no help and it was a relief when she went to take a nap.
Something that I am trying to do with my work clothes is to build sets of clothing that mix easily.
I fell in love with this print (cotton double gauze), looked at it for over a month, and then decided okay, yes.
But there is a rule I've set for myself with prints... I have to buy enough fabric to make a skirt and a top so that it is an outfit on it's own and each piece has to go with something else so that there are multiple options.
The yellow and brown were picked to match the print and I thought maybe would go together.
The original plan was yellow top, brown pants or skirt.
After living with the fabric for a few days, I don't think that I would wear the yellow (cotton) without another color in the mix though. Too...something (loud?). I am leaning towards two tops or pulling the brown from this mix.
This is an easy decision, pants made with a light denim. All three other fabrics will be just fine with the pants as tops. This is probably as close to making my own jeans as I am going to get. The more I look at the yoke part of jeans, the more I think no.
The fabric will make a minimum of 5 pieces. It's very likely there is enough of the denim to make a cropped jacket bringing the total to 6. It's also possible scraps can be pieced to make one more top with just this mix. It is certainly possible with other fabrics added in. And masks. There is certainly enough for a mask or two.
I need to look at the rest of my wardrobe and make some choices.
Loosing fitting so that I stay as cool as possible, but covers more than a tank top.
I cut apart a shirt that was a bit shorter than I liked and a pair of pants that didn't fit very well, and added a scrap leftover from the original sewing. A french seam was used for all the piecing.
The pocket fabric was a gift from Mom and Dad.
The details: It's made of two squares about 36 inches wide (my shoulders are about 24 inches), plus the pocket. The neckline is from another pattern, cut on the fold. The arm holes are about 14 inches. It's four seams of sewing to put it together: along the sides from arm hole to hem and the shoulders. The neckline is finished with bias tape.
That's it.
As for the garden,
it's rose season again!
I am really not sure where today went...
nothing much that I planned to do happened.
And I am not sure how I feel about that.
Maybe it was what I needed.
I did spend 15 minutes sewing.
The button marks the front of a skirt and the wonky patch the back neckline.
It's kind of like "This side up."
The intention? To make nine items of clothing in 2021 (inspired by The Make Nine Challenge) using material that is in the stash... which is mostly bits and pieces left over from other sewing projects.
There was one exception. I had three yards of this fabric.
First attempt was dress length. (What was I thinking?)
Second attempt tunic length. Not there yet.
Third attempt shirt. Yes, this I will wear.
And everything that was cut off? It would make a good lining for a vest or jacket.
Along with the sewing, I also went for a walk in the sunshine. The creek at the park was running fast.
I think I could make yarn this color.
I am not sure that I will ever look at winter the same way after this year...looking for colors other than dark green has been very worthwhile.
And there was winter pasta.
Pasta + dried tomatoes + oil cured olives + canned artichokes + thyme + feta + olive oil.
And all about "why not?" Just put it out there.
Two altered photos:
Thinking about Raku.
And so many layers I lost count.
And because I keep forgetting:
The pants dyed blue.
Don't look too closely,
one leg is slightly bluer than the other.
Super comfortable but the next pair I make will probably be two sizes smaller.
Pockets do better if they are reinforced.
This one hides a bleach mark.
Blue enough?
I think so.
Original plan was to be a poncho.
I think it would be better as a blanket.
Okay.
Have to consider where the bright stripes land.
Might need to dye more yarn.
November...it's glorious when the sun is out.
When there is time in the garden to do things like plant shallots.
And make a moon garden.
But it's statistically our wettest month here.
And dark.
And a month I find challenging. I suspect this year it will be especially so.
Last month I started thinking about a month full of black and white images.
That seems a bit much so I rethought my parameters: one post a day for November with a black and white (and gray) image.
Color where appropriate.
Sharing other projects when they are there to be shared...like today!
Making a pair of jeans was my sewing goal for 2020.
I considered a lot of patterns, but never settled on one. Thinking it would nudge me along, I bought some denim because it was made in California and meets another sewing goal.
Nope.
Instead I was distracted by another pattern...
Arthur pants (available at Sew Liberated).
I have never done so many flat-felled seams! I made pants pockets for the first time. They are super comfortable and, perhaps, more flattering than jeans.
They make me smile!
These are heading for the indigo vat and more fabric will likely be ordered.
As for the denim...well, it will make a great jumper.
P.S. Making something and getting outside was good therapy this weekend.
Deep breath.
There are those who get to wear PJ's or casual clothes (a house dress?) if working from home, those who have uniforms, others who are business as usual and then some of us who have to decided how much of our wardrobe to sacrifice as we go of to work...
Bleach marks on clothing have always been a reality working at a childcare. It's much riskier now though, the recommended dilution has changed from one that didn't leave marks to 4 tablespoons of bleach per quart of water. And we are making up a lot of bleach dilution.
The joke around work is we need t-shirts that say "Bleach happens."
The majority of us choose to buy second hand clothing for work (considering budget and the general risk factors to clothing from young children). I also wear the things I've made.
Last week was bad...two more items with bleach spots. This is not sustainable.
Solutions include:
I am also considering something else... embracing the mark and make a heart patch or a label for each item of clothing with bleach on it... Essential worker, COVID 19.
It's time to see the mark left behind as one of effort, not a stain.
For most of my childhood Sunday morning was waffles and a weekly call from my grandparents in California.
Today it is apple pancakes and an email to my grandmother...she has a hard time hearing me on the phone.
A couple pancake thoughts:
Field notes: We skipped right past first frost and went to first freeze. Last nights low, 33 F with a windchill between 21-23 most of the night; wind gusts up to 40 MPH. The sun is out, it's 34 F/1 C, and the wind has calmed.
Today's project: pants making.
Also some pruning once it warms up a bit.