Two of My Favorite Posts

I am between projects right now. Susan Khalje is coming to town to teach her Couture Sewing Class next week at my studio, so I think I'll revive the skirt to go with my bustier and try to work on that while she's here. Of course, I also have to continue to work and go for radiation treatments (more on that further down) while she's here, so I think next week will not be the most relaxing for me. Oh yeah, and I'm single parenting this weekend. Oh well, it's always something, isn't it?

Anyway, I haven't had a ton to post about this week, but I got to thinking. I had asked readers of this blog what their favorite post is, and the winner of that highly unscientific poll was Cancer Chemo and What I Wore Part 4. While I like that one, and I'm proud of the post, I actually have two posts that I like better. From a day-to-day usefulness perspective, the two that I think are the best are:

The Right Bra Makes All the Difference

and its sequel,

More on Bra Fitting - Bring a Tape Measure

Whenever I work with students or the occasional private client, one of the first things we talk about is fit in the bust area. Different bras give different results in fit, and I think it's always good to remind yourself to check the fit of your bra. The general rule of thumb is that a good bra will last 1-2 years, depending on how you care for it. I hand wash and hang dry all my bras. It preserves the shape and extends the life. I advise strongly against washing bras in the washing machine, even in one of those lingerie bags. The agitation does bad things to bras. And face it - bras are expensive, so its worth the slight extra time it takes to hand wash them. I use shampoo on mine. It works just fine.

I Study Nuclear Science/I Love My Classes...
Last week I started radiation treatments. I've been mentally prepped for this since I was first diagnosed, so they don't scare me. The only major hassle with them is that, instead of 6 hours every third week, which was what I spent at chemo, I go Monday through Friday for 10 minutes per day. That includes the amount of time it takes to get changed out of street clothes, set up, zapped, changed back into street clothes, and out the door. If you are ever looking down the gullet of 6 weeks of radiation treatments, do yourself a favor. Try to go to a location that is convenient for you. I know it's not possible for everyone, but it does make life that much less stressful.

Parting Shot - Pincushion!

Speaking of Susan Khalje, did you know she sells the most fabulous notions on her website? This wrist pincushion from France is one. This is the BEST pincushion I've ever used! I love it because it's big, and because the bracelet is made of metal. So unlike wrist pincushions that have velcro fasteners, it won't snag your shirt or whatever fabric you happen to be working with. I highly recommend this. NAYY, of course. Oh, and her pistolet French curve is the best for patternmaking!

Happy sewing!

The Fabric, the Haul

Here's the fabric I'm using for my McCall's shirtdress:
It is a lightweight cotton with metallic embroidery all over its face. It's pushing the envelope for this pattern just a little, because it's lighter weight than I think is generally recommended, but I really like it and I think it will work up well.

On a sadder note, one of my students sent me a note that Charrette, a local art-supply dealer, is going out of business. Today is their last day, and everything was 60% off their lowest price. I have always recommended their tracing paper to my students, so they will be sorely missed. I stocked up on a couple of things, including cream and yellow tracing paper (they had sold out of the white trace). I also got a french curve, a flexi-curve and a compass. It will be great for making circular ruffles.
I guess I'll have to buy my tracing paper online. Here's a hint for you. Forget the tracing paper they sell at fabric stores. It's way overpriced! You can buy 36 inch wide, 50 yard rolls at most art supply stores (including Blick Art Supply, nayy) for much, much less. And the rolls come in all different sizes.

Parting Shot: Sunflowers
I took advantage of the weather to transplant my poor sunflowers. I had three of them in a pot. They were doing okay, but they were starting to get rootbound. So I planted them next to the garden. They are usually covered with little bees gathering pollen.
Happy sewing!

Come and Get It, Kittens!

Free (that woke you up) to a good home:

Exhibit A: Athena adjustable dress form. You can see her in many of my projects, but now I have four all together and even I don't need that many. Here's a picture of her in one of my projects: She's adustable from 32 inch bust to 38 inch, with waist from 26 to somthing I can't remember, and hips that go from 28 to something like 38. There is one piece missing, an attachment to allow you to mark a hem. She's well used and well loved, but hey the price is right. Here's a picture of her in action:

Exhibit B: A well used, well loved, but still usable gridded rotary cutting mat. It measures 36 inches by 52 inches, so it's bigger than most JoAnn cutting tables, but it's perfect for most dining room tables. It has seen a lot of use, but it has lots more in it. And again, you can't beat the price

Now, here's the rub. If you want either or both of these, you can have them. The only thing is, you have to come and pick them up before this Saturday, June 20. If you want them, and you can do that, send an email to Ann "at" gorgeousfabrics "dot" com. First come, first served. They are both great tools and lord knows I've used them lots. Now it's time for someone else to get the benefit.

Both are spoken for. Thanks!

Oh, and anyone who wants to come visit from Australia, my design studio is always open to you. It's summer here in New England, and I love to show folks around Boston!
Happy sewing!

Look Who's Here!

Ta Daaaaa! She came today! Meet Mini Me. Well, she's not mini. In fact, she's pretty spot on. I need to do a little padding to her, but not much, as long as I wear the right bra. I bought her from Roxy Display. They are the same folks from whom Sewing Diva Phyllis bought her dress form. I placed the order on Sunday, they shipped yesterday, and she arrived today. I am one happy camper!

If you're looking for a high-quality dress form, I highly recommend these folks. The product is great, the shipping is lightning fast, and the installation instructions are a hoot to read!

Happy sewing!

My New Cutting Table

First, let me apologize for the blurriness of the photos. I had the camera in manual focus mode but was shooting like it was in autofocus. Duh! I'll blame it on single parenting all weekend. And because I have been The Parent, I haven't had time to do much work on the Burda dress, which is about halfway cut out. I'll try to finish it up on Monday when DH is back home and I foist the kids off onto him suggest he take the kids to the movies.

Anyway, Phyllis suggested I show off my sewing table. DH built it for me, and I love it! It was super easy to make. The top is a 4'X 8' sheet of melamine coated particle board. DH bought lengths of stripping and nailed them to the sides. Then he used a roundover bit on his router to smooth the edges. After that, he applied some filler compound to smooth out a couple of places where the melamine had chips (melamine is notorious for that, I guess). The legs are simply telescoping table legs and frames from Ikea. The whole thing took him just a couple of hours to make, and it is a perfect size and height. I don't have to bend over to cut things. At the Stitch 'n Bitch, we were all able to work at it comfortably. I love it! Here are some shots of the underside and the legs.



Now I have a table that suits me perfectly. Woo hoo!

Happy sewing!

There is Only One Thing More Annoying...

... than a Border Collie who is demanding to be walked NOW!
(Don't let the prone posture fool you. He stays perfectly still, but the eyes follow you everywhere, and periodically he'll whine at you about how slowly you are moving.)

And that is a dull rotary cutter blade. Grrrr!

Last night I started cutting out my next incarnation of the HotPatterns Tango Blouse, this one in heavy red silk crepe. When I felt that telltale bump in my hand as I cut the collar pieces. Sure enough, there's a spot on the blade that is terribly dull. You can't see it, but boy, when you try to cut through fabric, you feel it! I know I didn't run over any pins in my last project (the triple-secret project), but I must have just worn it down. That's the problem with rotary cutters. I dearly love mine. I use it for 95% of the cutting that I do, and the rest goes to my Kai shears. But when you hit a pin, or when the blade gets dull from normal use, fugghedaboutit. And those little sharpeners they sell in sewing stores? Pfeh! They don't do squat, I don't care what anyone says.

The bummer is that I have been holed-up in my sewing room, trying to see how long I could continue to sew cool stuff without having to set foot into the frozen tundra that is Massachusetts this week. Oh well, I have to go out to see a friend who's visiting from Sydney at lunch, so I'll just stop by JoAnn and pick up a 5 pack on my way home.

Happy sewing!