Cape Town to Canada: The Skirt of Indecision and Disagreement

So the Thanksgiving weekend is over, the living room is shoveled out, the leftovers are eaten and the kitchen is degreased.  Seriously degreased.  You would not believe what percentage of a duck is pure fat.  In case you don't believe me, here's a picture of what was left over, and that's after we used loads of it to roast the pumpkin and poured some extra over the dressing that was a bit dry:

 Anyway, I finally had time to do some sewing yesterday and the skirt of indecision and disagreement is complete.  It was a very straightforward pattern and it went together very easily.  It would have been one of those elusive 1-hour patterns if I hadn't run out of serger thread and then rethreaded it incorrectly and send broken needle bits flying.  Why is threading a serger such a pain in the ass?  I have actually zig-zagged seams rather than serging because the machine was threaded in the wrong colour and I didn't want to rethread. Eeep.

I carefully read all the comments, weighed everyone's opinion, and then decided to ignore the majority ;)  Since I had spent so much time trying to match the print, I had to go with matching panels rather than constrasting ones.  

What I like about this fabric is that from a distance, it reads as a light denim.  Then you get close and see the intricacy of the print.  I'm glad I decided to use such a simple pattern because it lets the print speak for itself rather than getting lost in complicated construction lines. 

And now for a close up of my fairly amateur* pattern matching:

Side seam:

 Back seam:

Not perfect, but I'll take it.  I didn't line it because shwe shwe is quite stiff and won't cling to tights (I tested it out), but on the other hand is soft against the skin and doesn't need a silky lining to feel good against bare legs.  Win-win.

 

There was a seam down the centre back and I decided to add an alteration seam.  Actually, I have no idea what to call this, but you know how men's trousers have one long seam all the way up the backside and through the waistband?  That's what I did here instead of the usual solid waistband.  Since my waist size has fluctuated up and down by several inches in the past few years, I wanted to leave myself the option to take it in (or you never know, let it out).  And while we're talking about it, why don't women's trousers have this seam too, since, let's face it, we're more likely to need alterations than men are.  Men usually only need to let out gradually over the years, whereas women grow and shrink and grow and shrink!   

*I had to google the spelling of amateur because I kept spelling it in a frenchy kind of way (amateure) and couldn't remember the correct spelling.  Don't ever google the term "amature", by the way.  You'd be suprised what sites come up.  Or maybe you won't be suprised.  That's your business.

Help! Some expert advice needed

When we were having lunch at El Centro during the NYC meetup last week, we started talking about sewing hits and misses.  I confessed that I still feel like too much of a beginning sewist to cut into my precious shwe shwe from Cape Town, so it sits unused in a storage box.  I realized how ridiculous this is, because even if I did completely botch it up, I'm going to be back in South Africa and Botswana in February and can always get more for a few $$$.  

     Full of renewed enthusiasm (and new patterns), I pulled out this Butterick 3509, AKA Rita Thomas.  A nice simple pattern like this would work well with the very complicated print of the shwe shwe.  I don't know who brought this pattern at the meet-up, but my money is on Marina.  She brought loads of great vintage patterns. 

Shwe shwe is printed on the reverse as well: 

So I cut, remembering to try to match the print.  There wasn't quite enough yardage to match exactly, but take my word for it, it's pretty damn close.  As you can see in the first close-up above, there are 8 elements that repeat, and I just about went blind last night trying to figure out which element went where.  Then I lay out the pieces to get an idea of how it will look.....

.....when I realized I could switch the side panels to show off the reverse print.  I've seen this many times in S.Africa, but I'm not sure which option looks best.  Also, to be frank, would I look ridiculous in a skirt that said, "Designed for African Women"?!!!?

So this is where I need an objective eye:  I like the idea of alternating panels because it looks more authentic to my eye, but I think that the matching panels would look better on me... less costumey.  

What you do think?

NYC meet-up, continued

So, in the rush to post about the meet-up, I forgot to show any of the treasures I picked up.  Because you know, it was supposed to be all about sewing, not eating and drinking.  When we all threw our patterns into a pile in the centre of Worldwide Plaza, I tried not to look, thinking about the three diaper boxes full of patterns I already have at home.  That's right, three diaper boxes.  They hold about 40-45 patterns each.  Yikes.  But then I saw that people hadn't brought along their fugly '90s patterns, but some lovelies like these:

Well, some of you may not think that those caftan/dashiki patterns are lovelies, but think of them as tunics.  Yeah, tunics.  

And here is my relatively modest fabric haul.  First up, the wovens:

From left to right: cotton broadcloth which will probably become something for my daughter; blue silk which was in a pile of nylon lining fabrics priced at $2/yard = score; silk charmeuse with an art deco feel. How beautiful is that?  It was $12/yard, which is a bit out of my comfort zone, what with being cheap thrifty, but how could I pass this up?

Next up: the knits.  It's hard to find reasonably priced jersey here in Montreal.  There must be some place, but until I find it, I'm not willing to spend $14/metre for icky jersey at Fabricville.

1m each of the striped, the mixed blue and the pink jersey; 3m of the black, because unlike Oona, I can never get enough black jersey.

This blue knit has the potential to turn nasty if I choose the wrong pattern.  Maybe just a very, very simple T with few seams.

And just so this post isn't all sewing and no scientist, here is what I did when I got back to Montreal.  We were invited to hear this talk and speak a bit about our project.  Lots of cool projects going on in Canada and the developing world that always make me wonder, "how the hell did I get this dream job?!  And when is my strike going to end so I can get back to 'taking life-saving science from lab to village', so to speak"  ;)

On another note, my man was taking some kind of online survey this morning to determine whether he was a nerd or not; he got a "not nerd" verdict, which led to a discussion about how our perceptions of what is and isn't a nerd has probably changed a lot over the last decade, what with the technology used in everyday life, when I realized what my shirt said:

Perhaps I won't take that survey.  

NYC Sew Weekly / Blogger Meetup

The photos will largely speak for themselves, so here we go:

from Debi: 

 from Marina:

 

from Oona:

(that's me in the middle back, wearing my pink floral pillowcase Pendrell blouse from my last post.  I'll get a better photo of it once it's retrieved from the bottom of my backpack.  And maybe washed and ironed.)

Some of the best parts of the day were finding out that I'm not the only one who sometimes resorts to shorcuts (see Mena's Sew Weekly regarding The Staples); getting to throw around some ideas for upcoming challenges; changing my mind about Colette Patterns Ceylon dress after seeing Cindy's version; eating and drinking in some great new-to-me NYC spots; and of course, seeing that everyone actually does exist IRL and I wasn't just lured down to NYC by some weirdo in a stained trench coat, posing as a fellow sewer.  seamstress.  person who sews.  whatever.  

here is the list of the lovely ladies (and gent) that were in on the day; you should go visit their blogs because if the fabric and patterns they got are any indication, there's gonna be some lovely things posted on the internets soon:

lisette of what would nancy drew wear?:  http://vintageorbust.blogspot.com/  

cindy of crafter by night: http://sickofitcindy.blogspot.com/  

christine of daughterfish: http://daughterfish.com/ 

peter of male pattern boldness:   http://malepatternboldness.blogspot.com/ 

debi: http://fashionsfromthepast.blogspot.com/
meg: http://megthegrand.blogspot.com/
mena: http://www.sewweekly.com/
oona: http://oonaballoona.blogspot.com/

nettie of sown brooklyn http://sownbrooklyn.wordpress.com/ 

marina of frabjous couture:  http://frabjous-fashion.blogspot.com/

and a few others whose blog addresses I don't have right in front of me and I'll have to add later!

 ....and this is what I came home to: 

 

 

 

Four days away means a kid cyclone at my house.  At least I know what I'll be doing for the next few days.  Aside from hosting the site visit for the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, of course.  Holy shit!  B&MGF!  I better get crackin'.

How to sew when you are home with a sick toddler:

Advisory:  Graphic depiction of parenting.  Reader discretion is advised.  

Call daycare and confirm that you'll be keeping the toddler home today because she had fever less than 24 hours ago.  Get toddler settled on sofa with Toupie et Binoo, sippy cup of watered-down apple juice and an oatmeal cookie.

Pull out previously cut muslin for Pendrell blouse.  Start to read directions.

"I need a douxdoux (blanket)"

Go upstairs and get douxdoux.

"NOT THAT ONE DOUXDOUX!  GREEN ONE DOUX DOUX!"

Go back upstairs and get green douxdoux.  Start to read instructions again.  Realize how straightforward this blouse is and predict about 2 hours, start to finish.

"I needa go toilet."

Take toddler to toilet.  Read the scintillating Les petits cochons, vont-ils aux toilets? 2X.  Give up and put toddler back in diaper.  Replace on sofa.  Pin muslin pieces together; find matching thread from great estate sale score on the weekend; thread machine and bobbin; start first seam.  Smell something bad.

"Mama.  I went caca.  Too late."

Change toddler.  Remind her that she only gets chocolate chips if toilet trip is successful (yes, I've resorted to chocolate bribery.  For the love of monkeys, she's almost 2 1/2.  I'm sick of diapers.)  Replace on sofa.  Restart Toupie et Binoo.  Finish first seam.

"I help you.  I do this too."  

Make room for toddler next to sewing machine.  Quickly unplug serger as she steps on pedal.  Open button tin as a distraction maneuver.  Toddler finds all the ladybug buttons and spends 5 happy minutes "put them for dodo (sleep)".  Finish sewing fronts to back.  Plug in iron; prepare bias binding; start to pin.  

"Mama, I need snack."

Go to kitchen and find applesauce.  Figure that should be easy on the stomach and the sofa.  

Notice that it's too quiet in the sewing room / TV room / play room / disaster area.  Rush back in to find toddler with glass headed pin in mouth.

"Mama, I find lollypop!"

Install toddler on sofa with bib, dishtowel on lap, and Mighty Machines.  Finish sewing neck binding; decide to add sleeves; gather and set.

"Pickmeup!pickmeup!pickmeup!pickmeup!"

Pick up toddler.  Feel burning fever has returned.  Get kids' Advil.  Cuddle toddler on sofa through 30 minutes of Mighty Machines ("YELLOW ONE MIGHTY MACHINES!") before you can convince her to take medicine.  Start to fall asleep with toddler in arms.  Wake up when vomit starts.  Clean up toddler.  Clean up sofa.  Clean self.  

Repeat.  

(ps. I did manage to finish the Pendrell blouse after 8 hours.  All in all, not a bad time estimate.)

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Two weeks ago, I thought/hoped that my unexpected vacation may be coming to an end, so I thought I'd better grab the chance to go see the Jean-Paul Gaultier exhibit at the Museé de Beaux Arts.  (Just imagining going to this exhibit with the yard apes in tow makes my blood pressure rise.  In fact, they probably have a no-kids-allowed policy, and for good reason.  All the pieces are displayed right there, within sticky finger reaching distance.)  

I took a couple of shots in the entrance of my favourite piece:  this draped jersey nautical dress with the trailing strips.  The foyer was crammed with a bus tour of people, so I figured I'd just loop around and get some more photos after I'd seen the whole exhibit.  Unfortunately, it was one-way only, so I didn't get back for more, but you can always follow the link above for much better shots than my pocket camera is capable of taking.  

The mannequins were blank-faced, with faces of local artists, singers, and even J-PG himself projected onto them, and were triggered to start when you tripped the sensors.  A strange experience until you figure it out.  

(sorry for the crap iPhone video, but that's the best yer gonna get on this blog!)

There are pieces of his earliest works;  his famous Blonde Ambition era corsets; The Uptight Charm of the Bourgeoisie; High-Tech; the film costumes from Fifth Element, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, and the Almadovar films...I'm forgetting a lot more than I'm remembering.  Maybe I'll have to go again. 

It's a genius exhibition, and it's traveling over the next two years to Dallas, San Francisco, Madrid and Rotterdam, so catch it if you can!

Strike Action

I've been on strike for three weeks now, and for the first time in ages the house is clean, the dinner is homemade every night, my paperwork is all up to date and I'm getting some sewing done.  

Exhibit A is a hit: 

It's a basic bodice made from the Sorbetto pattern, but the bodice was shortened by about 12cm, the front was cut as two pieces and sewn half-way up to make a slit front, the armholes were lowered a bit.......(well, it was once the Sorbetto pattern).  I added a gathered rectangle skirt and a simple neck tie.  It's pretty see-through, so I probably should have lined it, but I have a summer dress with a slippery synthetic lining and I never wear it because it's too clammy in the 99% humidity of Montreal summers, so I say let the sun shine in.  

I sewed french seams on the bodice, bias strips for the armholes and enclosed the waistband.  I was so pleased to have enclosed all the seams so well, when I noticed that I had forgotten to finish the back skirt seam.  D'oh.  

Exhibit B is a bit of a miss:

It's a shift dress pattern from 1970, but I didn't want to interrupt the pattern by sewing a seam down the front, and I only had 2m of very narrow linen, so I couldn't cut to match the pattern.  I also left out the darts in the back for the same reason.  Result:  a shapeless shift that is a little too close to skin tone.  Maybe with some dark purple tights and a yellow cardigan for the winter, but as a summer dress it's a bit of a flop.  It's also crazy itchy.  Is linen usually this itchy?  

I did bind all the seams with bias tape because this linen fabric had a thread count of about, oh, 5 per inch.  I may be exaggerating slightly, but you get my drift.  Every time I pulled it over my head to fit it, threads would fly left and right.  I also had just exactly the right length of 50-year-old hem tape hanging around.  Score one for hanging on to every scrap.  

I've also been catching up on a lot of thrift store alterations and mending, but they aren't incredibly exciting, so I'll skip it.  In other news, I'm planning on going to NYC next week to meet up with Mena, Oona, Debi and Meg.  Woohoo!  Nothing like planning a trip when I'm completely out of money, Air Canada is on strike and I can't find a cheap hotel to book, but I can't miss the fun.