NPRINS

Dear readers, Still in the mood for a quick fix -- I made these Polartec Yoga Pants - My TNT pattern from Kwik Sew in Medium.  I've made them before and blogged about them Here in Black Polartec. A perfect fit - but I didn't hem the pants (nor did I serge) Polartec does not unravel.  If I wanted to hem -- I'd definitely add an inch or two (please not I have a 31 inch inseam).    I cut them out last night and made them today in less than an hour (and after a candle zippo type of lighter exploded in my hand causing very little burns - so lucky).  I've worn my black ones (in thicker fabric) totally to death.   I still take those fuzzys everywhere I go. I also used this drawcord elastic below (instead of the 3/8" elastic called for and cut it 30").  It is available on Judy Kessinger's  Website Fitnice System . I love them.  I made these a bit snug, but I can live with that.  Plus, post-surgery I need to lose a few pounds....

Dear readers, One of the lucky things I got into was a very highly valued sweater class at Anacapa Fine Yarns.  I signed up early (without remembering the project) -- it's a new sweater pattern picked out by Anacapa's popular instructor, Anne (whose blog is Moonlight Stitches).   Luckily, Anne has excellent taste -- and picked out this sweater - Funky Grandpa.  This fits my style perfectly!  I wear cashmere grandpa sweaters almost everyday at work (goes with my lawyer-geek style). The pattern is available on Ravelry, just search for "Funky Grandpa."  Rililie is the designer and her blog is Lamaisonrililie.  I love her designs and have downloaded her fingerless mitts and cap patterns as well. Now the fun is to pick out the yarn -- I'm leaning toward Madeline Tosh Merino Light -- either dark grey for the main bodice color and black for the arms.  Or, a dark denim blue for the bodice and darker arms.  The denim blue would b...

Dear readers, I've been done with the Funky Grandpa Sweater Pattern for about a month BUT I was afraid of the afterthought buttonholes.  More on that (a bit later on my project review on My Ravelry Project Page ).  Let me just say cutting your knitting is scary.  Now, shiny things:  I'm so thrilled I got this sweater completed.   I love it!!  I took a class -- which took about 8 weeks to complete.   My instructor is a sweetie -- the wonderful Anne from Anacapa Fine Yarns-- her blog is Moonlight Stitches and her revelry page is Moonlight Stitches on Ravelry.   I will post a pattern review on Ravelry with some suggested changes I made.  I made the pattern much longer so I can rock that librarian look at work (my favorite!)  So, I'm thrilled with the result.  Here are some of the photos from the dress form (I could have gone smaller - I made a M).  I've lost some weight in the last two months...

Dear readers, Sorry for the delayed postings I've been traveling for work.  And, some news to report.  About three weeks ago I finished a cape I delayed on.  I didn't like it at the finish -- but as we draw closer to St. Patrick's Day I am finding myself liking it much more! I really thought I didn't like this cape at first.  I had so many problems in the execution.  I made the underlining too thick, and the cape felt very tight.  There are bumps on my shoulders that no amount of ironing (with appropriate tools/hams, etc) could eliminate.  I ended up making the inserts the correct length.  I tried following the pattern review tips to shorten but I felt they were too limiting.  I do think the back length is good.  I had a limited amount of fabric -- so I could either make a cape or a skirt.  I'm regretting not making the skirt however.  Why, oh dear god why, did. I. pick. red. lining?  Ok, now I remember it was j...

Dear readers, I apologize for not posting more frequently.  You've probably been wondering what I've been up to.  Well, life, really.  Extensive traveling for work (DC, Alaska, Monterey, Seattle and San Diego), and battling a really bad sinus/chest infection that just wouldn't go away.  So, I'm back - taking some time off this Fall, and hopefully -- BLOG ON! Below -- six months of working with Acrylic yarn from Hobby Lobby (not fun!) but a good rendition of the Dr. Who Scarf (free pattern from  Dr. Who Scarf website .  Just in time for Halloween this fall!  Obviously, J. is not that excited to pose (although he does love the scarf). Did I mention we've been having a heat wave in California -- average temps 85 degrees or so -- our hottest summer in Ventura since 1931 (and we don't have air).  So on each of these trips I was expecting cooler temps (and failed!  It was an exceedingly hot and beautiful summer everywhere). I've got ...

I hemmed this dress today right before DH and I went out for sushi, so naturally I wore it fresh off the ironing board. It is over 100 degrees here today so a sleeveless silk jersey frock was just the ticket. Kwik Sew 3575 I tried tying the belt in front this time, I think the back looks cleaner that way. This is my 'preferred' method of hemming silk jersey, I like the coverstitch look but lacking a serger I've had to come up with my own method. DVF often uses a blind hem, which also looks nice, but I find hard to replicate on a home machine. With contrasty prints it can be hard to hide the stiches with only 1 color of thread. Either way, I find fusing a band of tricot interfacing to the hem makes it look and hang so much neater. For this method you need a 1" hem allowance, to do a narrower finish adjust the interfacing strip and allowance accordingly. Once I pin up the hem to where I want it, I press it so I get a nice crease to mark the hemline. Then I...

I have been busy collecting new equipment/gadgets in the last month, and as you can imagine playing with them is way more fun than blogging. No offense. The first piece I need to share is this Elna Aliz e ironing press. I bought mine from sewinginusa.com, they are one of the few etailers that carries Elna presses. You can't type 'ironing press' into google without hitting a million Simplicity presses, but it took some work to find the Elna. I was looking for a dry press as well, which also made it hard. Most of the presses on the market now come with steam, which means holes in the pressing surface. Tiny holes, but holes. Since I mainly planned on using it for fusing interfacing, I wanted as smooth a surface as possible. The Elna had good reviews on patternreview.com and the price was right, so I went with that. Features I like: 10 second timer that activates when you close the lid. My favorite interfacing needs 20 seconds, so I close the lid twice and ...