Spring Tease

We're all over the scale here - 90km winds, 10 degree temperature spreads every day, wretched freezing rain and, very occasionally (like for 2 hours every week), some sun and encroaching warmth.

April really is the cruelest month (well, with the exception of January, February and March). Yeah, I know we're in the home stretch. But what I would give to walk out of the house without waterproof shoes with treads, a scarf/hat/gloves and a fucking coat.

Refusing to let the weather get me down, I bought these tulips a few days ago and I'm thrilled by how they've opened:

Are they not the most cheerful things you've ever seen? They look even better in real life. Their little pointy petals are perfection!

To ease the transition - and to mentally extend myself to warmer climes - I decided to make a couple of T shirts. Last weekend M and I made a one which we're sharing (first time she's asked to sew something with me, like, evah). She kept her focus, which is admirable given her nature, but she did more watching than anything else. We'll see if she wants to give it another go... This weekend she has "other plans" including appearing in her friend's film (said friend goes to art school and this is one of her assignments). She's an extra in a party scene, pretending to be from the 90s, and she looks utterly awesome! She straightened her hair and bought this black moto-jacket (from H&M but it's an shockingly good fast fashion fake). I wish she'd have let me take a photo cuz she looks totally NYC mean girl circa 1994.

At any rate, last weekend's sewing event reminded me of how fun it is to sew T shirts and how really easy it manages to be. Not to mention that I have a great sloper and practically all of my RTW T's have bitten the dust. Seemed like a no brainer to pull out the fabric in my stash. Did I mention that I've somehow managed to buy the same fuchsia fabric from multiple vendors, like 3 times? I don't even know how that's possible. People, it's identical.

Today was about using up some blue fabric. I know, what a shock, I've got yards of navy jersey. Alas, nothing wanted to photograph well, but whatcha gonna do?:

I urge you not to use cheap jersey. That's what I did (with the navy above) and my serger ate it as it sewed the seams. Now there are micro tears at the shoulders - revealed as I stretched this thing all to shit over my too-wide dress form. Oh well, I'll wear it 5 times and toss it. The fun was in using a contrast fabric (that floral is a Liberty jersey, used previously to make a Lady Skater). I bought it at Ewe Knit - an excellent place for both fabric and yarn, also my LYS. Alas, I've been very absent there over the past winter. Not knitting much has had the impact of precluding yarn purchase. Sigh.

I also used the Liberty to make this 3/4 sleeve version:

Technically, the shoulder seams start about 1/2 inch inside the shoulder of the dress form...

This fabric is all that. I mean, I don't love that the pattern lightens as it stretches (cuz it's printed onto white jersey), but it's forgivable given the beautiful hand, drape and recovery it also sports. I bought 2 yards of this and used about 1.3 to make a Lady Skater (which I wear all summer). This was a chance to use up the remainder, though I did keep small scraps (not like me) because I want to use those for contrast binding when I make my next navy T.

I lengthened my sloper by 1.5 inches. It was always on the short side but, due to body changes, I do need the extra length or it would ride up over the course of the day. Fun thing about Ts is that you can pretty well stick with the same size, once you've figured out your sloper (barring serious weight changes). Length gives you any necessary additional fabric if, say, your bust or lower abdomen change in size or shape slightly.

So, that's the first half of my Saturday. I think I'm off to make some calendula and immortelle salves. I've been thinking a lot about my skincare line (cuz at this point, that's kind of what it is). People have started asking me to sell it (including a local hair studio), which is very encouraging. I do wonder about how viable it would be to add a little sideline business to my already busy life. Mind you, I make this stuff whether I sell it or give it away. Might as well recoup my costs and make a bit of fun money. And I LOVE it when people enjoy the product and tell me that it makes a difference, that their skin is improved, that they love the scent of my serums and oils, that the salves work to heal, as is their purpose.

I'm still perfecting my brand - improving packaging, refining the look at which point I do intend to show off my pretty potions with details. What do you think? In theory, would you care to buy skincare from a blogger friend? I mean, I have. And I buy online all the time. But I'm my target market, after all :-)