Life

So, when life hands you lemons you're supposed to make lemonade. But mostly I just want to pick up a lemon and chuck it right back at life, hitting it square in the kisser. Or, you know, just cry about it. (Let's be honest.) Things aren't so bad, but the past week or two has been annoying exhausting and infuriating. In particular, I've started a new job which has a few, *ahem*, problems to overcome, and our building has developed a moth problem. Yes, you read that right, a moth problem. Clothes eating moths.

!!!

Thankfully, we caught it early and notified our landlord, who arranged for pest control to come take care of business. We only had a very small number of things really damaged. (Unfortunately, including my gifted vintage 100% cashmere sweater... *sob*.) However, I did lose the last three days of my freedom unemployment to running around purchasing vacuum storage bags and laundering every freaking textile in our house at the laundromat. THREE FULL DAYS peeps. (And a few hundred bucks, too.) I was not amused.

Anyway, pest control sprayed the building today and set traps, so HOPEFULLY the problem gets solved. I have no faith though... how do we know for sure that they're gone? When can we stop living out of plastic bags? When can I remove all the wool sweaters from my deep freeze?

Once again, I feel affirmed in my decision not to really stash wool or fabric. In fact, my small stash of quilting cotton (inherited from my mother) was culled to about 50% (at the end of a very long day 2 in the laundromat). I totally, TOTALLY understand all the positive feelings that come from stashing and don't judge anyone who does it - on the contrary, I get it. It's just that, for me, the negatives and risks completely outweigh the positives. I'd rather hoard small, un-infestable things like nail polish. (Don't you wish they sold nail polish in smaller bottles? There are so many pretty colours and I never use any of them in any significant quantity.)

So, I haven't been sewing too much, to say the least.

I have sewn a few non-clothing items lately, and I have to admit, I find it way more rewarding right now. I feel a bit accountable to this blog to continue with the clothing, and I know I want to, but honestly I kind of want to make simple, practical things these days. If I had the funds I would dive into quilting full-force, I think. And I have a (not no) secret idea about making "hope chest" items (i.e. baby items, long before any plans for babies happen in this household) which seems practical to me but I fear will seem crazy to others. (Thoughts?)

So, I guess the gist of it is: I'm not sure what direction my crafting and blogging will take in the near future, but I'm kind of excited to find out. That is, if the damn bugs will vacate the building already.

In Progress

I think I mentioned wanting to do more in-progress posts a while ago, but I've clearly failed! To remedy that, here's what I'm working on:

That's my Lonsdale (version 2.0) with the zipper basted in. I kept looking at this dress sideways once the bodice was sewn up, because it looked impossibly small. (I had elected, after my very first bodice muslin, to go with the size 8 rather than the 10, despite the fact that the waist measurement listed is smaller than my own by an inch. I suppose we could chalk that up to a preference for less ease?) Anyway, thankfully the thing zips up fine, although I will admit that it probably is a smidge snug. When I finally sew it in for good I think I'm going to use 3/8" seam allowances instead of 5/8", just for some breathing room.

 I have to admit, this dress is making me feel like a total sewing goddess yet a total fitting failure. This fabric is a dream to sew and I'm really proud of my work. That said, the bodice is seriously out of whack. This is most embarrassing considering that I made both a muslin and a previous, failed version of this dress. However, I think the things that failed about the first version (mainly, too-short fixed straps) distracted me from seeing other minor flaws.

Firstly, the FBA. The proportions are spot-on, but my dart placement and execution could be improved. Thankfully, this busy print seems to hide that so it doesn't really bother me, even if the stupid dart points will not stop puckering. Secondly, the bodice length. I thought I had it right the first time - in fact, I even lengthened it slightly on this version. (The first incarnation was shortened by 1.5". This one was shortened by 1.25".) However, it definitely needs another full inch removed from the back and sides. Unhappily for me, it definitely doesn't need that inch removed from the front - so I suppose my FBA actually wasn't that great after all, because it didn't add enough length to compensate for my bust.

OMG, how to deal with this? I have no idea. Can I just taper down on an angle from an inch up at the side seam to nothing at the centre front? Will that result in a triangle-shape at the bottom or will it all even out once worn? I have so much trouble with spacial thinking! Anyway, I'm a bit dispirited that I have to basically rip this thing to shreds and then put it back together again, but whatever. I just need to remind myself that I actually like sewing. (And seam ripping for that matter. Honestly it's just the moving target of a finish line that bothers me.)

In other handmade news: all of a sudden I'm desperate to knit. Unlike most people, I get most enthusiastic about knitting when the weather turns nice. (As K.Line observed, it's probably because we can do it outside. Also, I can tote it around without also having to tote around coats and umbrellas and other winter accessories.) The yarn for two new sweaters is calling from my cupboard, but I don't have the headspace for them at the moment. Instead, I decided to cast on a Noro striped scarf:

 

I've also decided to join a Ravelympics team this year (Team Canada! Woot!) and I'm pretty excited about it. Excited enough that I wish the Olympics were longer so I could plan on entering more projects! I'm not sure what my strategy will be yet... one big thing or lots of little things. Sadly, I think I would probably get more satisfaction from the latter. I really am a project (as opposed to process) knitter.

While I Was Away....

... one of my assistants had a birthday! Now, you might think that this little milestone needn't be revisited for the blog, but you would be wrong. Firstly, what sort of self-respecting crazy cat lady would I be if I didn't? Secondly, we did a post for the other assistant's birthday, so it's only fair.

Now that we've got that cleared up, let's commence with the cute kitten photos, shall we?

Here we are on the night he came to live with us:

It's a cute story.

2007-2008 were tough years. During that time I experienced a lot of loss, including both a very close friend and my Mom. By the time 2009 rolled around, I was feeling a little worse for wear. Mr. Modiste wanted to do something to make me happy. Back then he was working for a small regional airline, and they sometimes shipped kittens for the SPCA. One day, he came to work and his plane was full of kittens. Most were all bundled together in group crates, but there was this one little scruffy, wire-haired, broken-tailed white-and-ginger guy in a crate all by himself. He was a frisky little thing, taking swipes at people who walked by. Something about his attitude won my Mister over.

(Little did he know that this ragamuffin would grow up to be the quietest, sweetest, softest cat we've ever met. But I digress...)

So, he brought the little guy home and surprised me. Let me tell you - best present I have EVER received.

Okay, I know I probably seem a little too attached to my cats. The thing is, they came into my life at a dark time and made it brighter. It might sound silly, but this little cat was sure to make me smile every day, even on bad days. He kept me company when my Mister had to be away for work. He was someone for me to take care of. I'm not even sure my Mister realizes exactly how big of a success his gift was.

Hobbes is the kind of cat that likes to sleep on your lap, but only between the hours of 9am and 5pm. Otherwise, you'll usually find him sprawled fast asleep, belly-up. He loves to sniff anything, no matter how gross, especially your breath. He will try to cram himself into any empty box, Maru-style, and prefers to drink only from the bathroom faucet. His sole mission in life is to eat human food. When you touch him, his motor instantly turns on and he still purrs at that loud kitten volume. When he's frisky, he likes to chase wine corks and rebounds off the walls at alarming heights.

When he made it clear that he was lonely, we adopted Johnny Cash. Then Hobbes became the kind of cat that's always trying to take care of everyone. Well, always trying to bathe everyone, anyway.

(He still does this to Johnny Cash every day. Actually, he does this to us, too.)

He's also very handsome.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Hobbes!

I'm back! (Well, almost.)

Alright, I'm putting an end to this little self-imposed blogging sabbatical. (Probably a week or two sooner than I really should, but I can't resist.) I must say, though, that the time away was good for me.

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of taking a class at Spool of Thread, Vancouver's awesome sewing lounge and fabric store. I was pretty excited about this, because I've been in there to buy patterns but I've never tried using the space! I have to say, it did not disappoint. Their equipment is great and the class was so well done. It was really nice to do some sewing along with other people, too... I'm so used to sewing being a solitary activity.

Here's what I made:

Isn't it adorable? Just a little reversible tote bag for shopping.

I couldn't stop thinking about sewing when I got home, so I decided to set about improvising a little pouch to stow the tote in. I find that super useful, so I can always have a shopping bag handy in the bottom of my purse. I took some quick measurements, pulled out my scraps, scrounged up an old button and sewed this little baby up:

When it's all packed up it's about four inches square and an inch and a half thick... so, not the tiniest tote bag I have, but by far the best! Spool of Thread sends you home with the pattern, so I'm thinking I might make a few more to match.

I'm in the midst of studying for a big test on Wednesday (Occupational First Aid 2 - ack, so hard!) and juggling a few other things, but I'm planning on trying to incorporate crafting back into my schedule because I've missed it dearly! I've still got the bathing suit in the works (being thwarted slightly by my serger's tension...) and fabric for a fashionably late arrival to the Pajama Party. And a few other exciting things, but you'll have to stay tuned for that...

Uncle

Just a quick note to say that I'm taking a little hiatus from crafting and blogging. I'm still hopeful about finishing the swimsuit (it's going well!) but no promises. I have no idea if this purposeful hiatus will be longer than any previous unannounced extended period of silence around this blog, but I hope you'll all keep me subscribed in your readers. I'll be back before too long.

Twin Needle Fun (and a Lonsdale update...)

I went out and purchased a twin needle for my bathing suit project, because (and I hope I don't offend anyone here) I think zig-zagged topstiching looks kind of cheap/homemade. I was a little scared to give it a go, but I'm so thrilled with the result! It looks so clean and it stretches SO well.

(Excuse the iPhone photos...)

 The only issue is the back side. It seems as if it's skipping stitches or failing to catch threads or something... can you see what I mean in this photo, or is it too far away?

I'm assuming this is a tension issue, but I'm not sure how to fix it. Do any of my wise blogging friends have any advice? (In case it's relevant, I was using a walking foot.)

In other news: I basted the zipper into my Lonsdale muslin last night, and I'm sorry to say that it's entirely unwearable. The saddest part is that it's only really because of two relatively minor issues in execution, which I just don't really have the energy to try and fix. I'm a bit sad, because I really loved the fabric (butter yellow linen), but at least it was on clearance so it's not a huge loss financially. On the bright side, aside from those issues it actually fits really well, so at least I can try again with different fabric sometime in the near future.

(I'll post some photos and discuss in greater detail tomorrow. Although, I can't promise that I'll be able to post anything unflattering, which might defeat the purpose? Apparently I might have a few more self-confidence issues then I'm willing to admit...)

On The Table...

I'm this close to being done the Lonsdale dress. Seriously, I just have to insert the zipper and hem the outer skirt (lining is already hemmed. Win.) Despite being another "wearable muslin" I'm actually hoping pretty badly that this will be... well, wearable. Fingers crossed!

After that's finished, I'm going to attempt something pretty ambitious: swimwear. I'm not sure if this is crazy or not, but I'm going for it. We're planning a trip somewhere warm at the end of the month (thank you, tax returns!) and I've had to admit that my favourite suit is really past its prime. I've bought another one in the meantime, but I'd really love to be able to recreate my old one. Unfortunately, in my enthusiasm for this project I neglected to take a "before" photo, so I can't really show you what I'm going for. This is where it's at, currently:

I've never cared much for the colours or print, but the fit was beyond perfect. It was the first time I discovered a "D-cup" top in a swimwear store that didn't obviously look like a D-cup top, if you know what I mean. (Don't get me started ranting about how things start to look different in larger sizes. Maybe I'm a rarity in that I have a large bust - F-cup - but need relatively little in the way of "support". That's not to say that my bust is enviously perky; it must just be rather light, as I definitely don't require extra-wide bands/straps, "full coverage," or any of the other modifications that bra companies seem to make for every style of bra above a C-cup.)

It's a triangle top, but the triangles were fixed together and to the string, rather than moving freely. Upon ripping it apart I discovered that the elastic is actually in perfect shape with great recovery, so I'm going to re-use it. I just so happened to have some swimsuit fabric lying around in a pretty awesome shade of blue, plus some white athletic fabric for the lining:

And, I have enough of both to screw this project up about ten times. Win!

My other plan is to take a stab at testing the new Suzy Patterns design. I'm not going to be overly ambitious and buy fabric; instead, I'm going to commit the cardinal sin of garment sewing and dive into my Mom's quilting cotton stash. I'm not 100% sure I have enough, but I think I'll be able to squeeze it out of this white floral (I'm going to go sleeveless, so that will help):

Compared to some of the other quilting cottons in my stash, it actually has a relatively nice hand. Hopefully it'll be a wearable muslin in the end!

So, that's where I'm at.

As an aside, I recently discovered I was kindly nominated - twice! - for the Liebster blog award:

For anyone who hasn't yet seen it, it's an award for relatively new bloggers with less than 200 followers. I'm so honoured that my peers would pick me! Particularly these two lovely ladies. After hemming and hawing about it, I've decided I don't want to nominate five others as per the rules (I'm such a rebel...), but instead I'd just like to implore you to go visit the talented sewists who nominated me:

Amy at Sew Well
Andrea at Four Square Walls

Seriously, go! They're two of my favourite bloggers, you won't regret it. (If you're not already a big fan like me!)