bodner052

In and around my sewing, I seem to spend a good bit of happy time just preparing. Today is one of those peaceful, puttering days. A pair of husband's torn jeans pulled from the trash provide some gorgeous resist patterns. I'm not sure how I'll use these pieces yet, but they are so pretty, I think. The pocket areas are my favorite but the back yoke and waistband also provide interesting possibilities. I also like to have a few dye pots around the house. Husband is so very patient with these sometimes stinky endeavors. Here is one that carries on continuously - a small copper pot for my discarded tea bags. It contains some squares of cotton sateen. Happy making!

This is my first foray into Style Arc patterns but it won't be my last. I am really taken with this design. It's true that I'm very late to the party in just now trying out Style Arc. Although there are many lovely styles published by Style Arc, this is the one that called my name. And I was able to order it on Amazon, avoiding international shipping. On the down side, I later learned that these are sold by Style Arc on etsy for less. It's ok though for such a great pattern. It took me way longer to make than it should have. I began by deciding to make up a toile (muslin) because there was no easy way to determine the finished hip measurements. Luckily my version of the pattern is a multi-sized paper pattern, giving me size options. I believe that Style Arc does not ordinarily issue multi-sized patterns. I often make one size through the shoulders and bust, and go up a size in the hips. So my first toile was based on that assumption. It fit great through the shoulders a...

Over time I keep coming back to a neckline that has great appeal for me. This one is particularly good for hot summer days when I to minimize the fabric enclosing me. Fabric: As Mama always said, it's all about the fabric. That is no less true for this piece. It is a silk dupioni purchased at Gail K here in Atlanta. I washed it before cutting into it in order to knock back the sheen just a bit. It is a fairly weak fabric with no give at all, but easy to wear and easy to sew. I love, love, love the coppery milk chocolate color of it. Base pattern: One of my all time favorite patterns for summer is the Mix It Top from the Sewing Workshop. The pattern envelope contains 3 very different shirts, but the Top is the best, IMO. It's loose but has bust darts and good fit through the shoulders. I only altered the neckline finish. As you can see, the original has a key-hole opening in the front and a smallish mandarin collar. I replaced it with a reversed facing, an idea I first encounter...

Yesterday I finally finished my (first) version of view B, All About Details, from Cutting Line Designs. I almost hid it in the back of my stash closet at the beginning, but was glad to recover my senses and finish it. I like the current version very much. The fabric is a piece I've had in my stash since a week in Arrowmont with Roland Ricketts some 3-4 years ago. With BSF I spent a whole week learning about the ancient Japanese approach to indigo dyeing. And I spent a great deal of time carving stencils while we waited on the dye vat to refresh. It's a PFD linen I purchased from Dharma Trading Company, fairly crisp and not especially heavy. Linen is always fun to sew. There was no need to turn on the iron for many steps. A little finger pressing produces a sharp crease on this fabric. But the flip side is that it wrinkles much more than the softer linens I like to sew. And it is too light weight to use for most jackets. So I decided to line it with some Thai silk. The pattern ...

Recently it feels like my sewing is full of starts, stops, and rips. Take this Now shirt made from a recycled linen shirt: It was fun to make but I was not happy with it. So I added sashiko, also fun. But then I wore it. Those side panels created a decidedly unattractive silhouette. And then there was that chest pocket. I put my phone in there and immediately removed it.  Changes are a bit subtle, hey? So I went to work on it, first removing the ugly side panels. That improved it a great deal, so I moved the pocket too. Now I'm wearing it, but it was not a terribly satisfying make. On the bright side, it is very light weight and soft, great for our hot steamy weather. And I will use this pocket. Then I started a rather complicated jacket, the All About Details from Cutting Line Designs . My initial efforts stimulated a creativity sink hole. This was due entirely to mistakes I made. I think I've rounded the corner on that piece and hope to blog about it soon. Meanwhile a little...

Reading Betty Edwards' Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain has led me to think of the duality of other aspects of life. Dr. Edwards discusses the roles and interference between the left and right sides of the brain, particularly as it applies to drawing. But there is duality elsewhere too. This quilt has a very traditional side. This side is mostly symmetrical in terms of the layout of the overall pattern and even the layout of each block. I've used equal amounts of light and dark, square and circle. And it is a 36 inch square. And it has a boro side. This side is clearly asymmetrical, almost chaotic, I think. The colors are unbalanced. The shapes are squares, rectangles and circles. When I consider this side, I feel organized but a little sad. And when I consider this side, I feel creative and a little bit wild. This will hang in my sewing studio but I'll probably flip it from front to back some. It will hang above my thread cones, protecting them from dust and sun dama...