Bestway B2085 This project is still going fine, but overall I’ve gone completely rogue on the upper portion. I’m running low on yarn, so I may not be able to make it a mock turtleneck, or if I do, I’ll have to sub some other similar yarn. I still love it, but I’m looking forward…
Category: sewing
12/17/20 I finished one sleeve of the B2085, and now I need to seam it together and start the other one. I only knit it to the point where I last increased, so it’s missing some stitches, but I think that’s the right thing to do since I will join it at the round. I…
12/2-12-5 2021 Two-Color Jumper The sweater is coming along nicely. I keep worrying that it will be too big, but then I test fit it, and it’s fine. The pattern only mentions that the sweater’s original dimensions should fit up to a 35″ bust and is 20″ in length with 4/5″ sleeves. I did a…
November 24-29 11/24 Well, I have finally decided which pattern to make with this glorious yarn I bought at the fiber festival a couple weeks ago. I’ve started working the math for this 1940s pattern and cast on my first stitches. The original pattern is 80% too small for me, so I’ve worked out a…
November 19-20 Aranami Shawl I finally finished knitting the Aranami Shawl which I started years ago, only to set down for some reason, then left it. For the past couple of weeks I’ve been plugging away at it and finally bound it off, washed, and blocked it. I’m developing the story for Outfit Of The…
One of the best things to come out of social media algorithms is how I fit Taproot Magazine‘s customer profile. This magazine really is everything I could want: it’s ad-free, crafty, visually appealing, well-written, and has lots of applications for household waste. It practically is me. In issue 40: Cure, was a small quilt project…
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Sashiko
Well, I might have fallen in love with a new mending philosophy: Sashiko. I foresee a long, home-bound winter ahead. In preparation, I bought a subscription to Craftsy: partly because I’ve been meaning to and partly because they had a $5 sale for the year, so I could see if I would even use it.…
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moJAVe Masks v2.0
moJAVe masks are cloth masks made in honor of our brother-in-law, whose initials were JAV. He and my brother (his husband) had recently bought a house in Palm Springs (near the Mojave). I chose the symbolism of the desert because is a place of invisible, but undeniable, community. Joe died from Covid-19 on March 30,…
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Another Gertie Swirl
I was planning to help a friend make a Gertie swirl dress yesterday, but I think her day must have gotten away from her, so I started without her. Friday night, I cut and prepped all the pieces. I meant to photograph it, but it was hot, and my place is small; I just didn’t…
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Sweater Fixin’
I found this potentially awesome sweater at Savers a little while back. The thing was that it had these really weird knit long sleeves which didn’t really match anything. It is black (good), with cool embroidery along the upper chest (very good), but wow: who authorized these strange sleeves? I wish I had a photo…
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Sewing Day Part Two
So this morning I finished slashing & spreading the pattern to approximately fit my body. Now for the “muslin” which I’m hoping will fit well enough to wear. I chose a nice green & cream gingham from my pattern stash, but decided to cut the bodice (at least) on the bias. Of course, I don’t have…
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Sewing Day Part One
It’s March First and it’s still snowing. I’d like to be as every other New Englander and complain about it, but I’m just done. Maybe we’re all done. It’s time to adjust to the “new normal” of cold, bitter snow and probably-forever winter weather. So I can’t go outside, and half of our things are…
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Slash & Spread (Part Two)
I am so glad I tried this. Grading the pattern was fairly easy math, and I ended up developing a method that I really like. First I slashed the pattern in 3 parts, then held it together with some scotch tape. Then I used very wide masking tape to join the two pieces together, after…
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Slash & Spread (Part One)
It sounds more revolting than it is. I bought a lovely pattern book a few days ago. It is filled with beautiful, simple, feminine style. And why wouldn’t it be? It’s Japanese! Super great, right? Except all the patterns are drawn for Japanese women, which, if you haven’t noticed, don’t typically fall under the same…
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Second Shirtwaist
Sun, Feb 16, 2014, 1:30p: All pieces cut out, matching thread wound. I did not have enough fabric for this project, so I had to make some very advanced decisions. I decided to contrast some elements with white. Bodice, skirt, sleeves & 1 yoke: Orange with black-outlined white circles, cotton. Collar, sleeve cuffs, bodice and…