Part and Parcel

OMG, my friends. Today has been quite something. Sure, work was a chaos but, in the midst of it, we experienced sun and 18 degrees. I do not know how to explain the healing properties of good weather. IMO, if you don't know bad weather, you can never truly appreciate the shift. (Mind you, I'd happily live unable to truly appreciate the shift if it meant I had more than 7 tolerable weather-months a year.)

At any rate, that was just the start of a chain reaction resulting in mega-fun! My zillions of outstanding parcels have started to arrive and the most exciting of them all was in today's post. Now, y'all know - after a slick thrill - that's pretty meaningless. How often do you buy online only to discover that fit is a horror and now you've got the irritation of returns with which to contend?

Today was truly awesome because I got a long-awaited parcel from the cultish Avocado Lingerie - a brand I've only read about, a brand the fit of which is dicey on so many. I received bras and undies (perhaps the world's most challenging garments to buy sight unseen) that I completely guessed about: how would they fit, how would they look, what would I make of the construction? I purchased in centimeters, people! And it all worked FUCKING perfectly. Online shoppers out there, I know you are fist-pumping your screen, even as you read.

Now, I'm off to write a post about the fit (photos already taken) which I hope to publish later this evening. I just cannot wait to tell you all the deets.

Till then, here's a little taste:

Avocado Essentia

Avocado Mirabelle

 Stay tuned.

OTG Krissie

Oh, the glory of blue skies and warmth! This morning, emboldened by gorgeous weather, I forced Scott to go for breakfast at this really popular place a few blocks away. We arrived at 10 am and got the last table. By 10:10 am there was a line around the block. The food is terrific and it's not pricey. We downtowners know the deal. There was fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, smoked bacon, terrific multigrain toast with tons of butter, sausage, perfectly cooked fried eggs and potatoes (the crunchy ones, not the soggy ones). Not a piece of lettuce to be seen! Alas, the coffee was swill. Had to hit up the Coffee Pocket on the way home. At which point I was ready to roll.

I bought 2, very generous, extra orders of house-made pork sausage (the patty-kind) to turn into Bolognese. Also, there's some nut milk to be blended. I'm working on package-refinement and labels for the skin care. It's a productive, if scattered day. And given that I have no idea what awaits me at the office tomorrow (I refuse to wreck things by looking at my email), I'd better enjoy it.

While sitting at the restaurant this morning, it occurred to me that I was wearing my own deodorant (man, this stuff works AWESOMELY!), body oil, face serum and a new, handmade Liberty-print T shirt. It made me feel so truly capable.

In case you worry that I'm short on imagination, I have this (not so) secret alter-ego I call "Off The Grid Krissie", OTG Krissie for short. She's the woman who makes potions while drinking herbal tea. Her kid's placenta is still in the freezer, 15 years later. She reuses the tacky residue at the base of heat-sealed lotion tubes by cutting the tops off. She replants the hyacinth bulbs in a special spot in the garden after the potted flowers have withered (no, none of them has taken - the squirrels eat them). She's this close to keeping bees, you know, to save the world. She wants to buy a sheep farm.

Look, I realize she's a marginal element of my personality continuum. After all, I hyperventilate and scream piercingly at the sight of a spider and I've been known to lose it during a 20-minute power-out. (What? Where were you in August 2003?)

But I'm a creature of many facets and I won't apologize :-)

Today's questions: What's your favourite alter-ego, of late? I'm curious to know - is (s)he high or low? How do you express your different sides?

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 :-)

Cleo Minnie: A Brief Review (And Other Lingerie Stories)

I don't know if you'd call my latest online shopping exploits a success, but they're interesting IMO.

To recap, in the last month (following the bra sale) I've online shopped:

• Empreinte daisy thong
• Cleo Minnie bra and thong
• Masquerade Persia bra and brief
• Avocado Essentia bra and undies
• Avocado Mirabelle bra and undies
• Bravissimo Alana thong
• Freya Nadine thong
• 3x3 extenders
• 2x3 extenders

Everything is taking a stupid amount of time to arrive. 3 weeks later, I'm still waiting on the Alana thong and the 2 Avocado sets (well, only ordered these 2 weeks ago and they are coming from Poland) and the smaller size of the Masquerade set (the original one arrived quickly and was way too large in both bra and undies). The extenders were ordered more recently, and from Thailand, so I'm not surprised that those are taking a while.

I was about to lose it but the Minnie set arrived today. I'm exceedingly irritated with Belle-Lingerie for having charged me shipping 3 times when I ordered 3 things at the same time and advised them as much. I'm even more irritated that 2 of the 3 items were packaged together and I was still charged shipping x2. I can scarcely be bothered to argue about it at this point. I've already followed up and I got a lame response. Note: When and if you order from Belle-Lingerie (eBay shop with terrific stock and good prices), make sure you EMAIL them directly - not via eBay messaging - to ensure that your multiple purchases are shipped together.

So here's where we're at, fit-wise:

• Masquerade set was way too big but it was gorgeous. I'm really hoping that the smaller bra and undies does the trick - or this will have been a pricey experiment, what with paying return shipping twice.

• The Cleo Minnie is very cute but, in my experimental one back-size up / one cup size up, I'm learning quickly that, during the week I did the majority of my purchasing, I over-estimated my dimensions. So far, in Masquerade and Cleo, the 34 back size is actually great. Both Masquerade and Cleo bands are notoriously snug. We might say tight. I mean, Cleo fits a good band size to a size and a half smaller than it should. For example, I've owned 30 back Cleos that only stretched to 29 inches. A 30 should arguably stretch to at least 30 inches and generally would stretch to 31 inches. In this instance, where things have gone sideways is in the cup. Not that I didn't realize this before ordering, but upsizing the band and upsizing (by 1) the letter measurement results in a cup jump of 2 sizes. I mean, my boobs are marginally a size larger - but they are most definitely not 2 sizes larger. So upping the band without going down in the cup is a crap shoot. 

• Sidebar: I find it very odd to receive bras that don't fit cuz they're too large. As a person with a very projected shape, this isn't a regular occurrence. In my experience, brand-for-brand, projected breasts tend to fit a size larger than breast volume warrants, given the way projected tissue is distributed. It's much easier to design for a wider root and shallow shape, and it takes less fabric. The near-constant exceptions to this are Cleo and Empreinte, both of which design with a projected shape in mind. Masquerade, now defunct as it's been absorbed and devolved by Panache, is another brand that was known for its projected offerings in certain styles.  Update: Just tried on the Minnie again today and I do not know what I was thinking. This is as oversized as the Masquerade Persia was. Must be returned for smaller size, no two ways about it.

• The Daisy thong is great - and I got it for a very good price. Too bad I can't really get with the matching bottom in an inverse colourway. I'm working on it.

• The Nadine thong - repurchased in an XL as the M was really snug (right from the get go), has only marginally improved the situation. That bottom is crazy small. I mean, I like thongs that fit loosely, so it is a bit of personal preference, but the XL fits like a medium in my opinion. Still, it's better than a medium that fits like an XS. It's passable.

A bit more about the Cleo Minnie:

• I'm impressed by how this brand grades its sizes. The larger size manages to be very firm, supportive, uplifting and totally boobs on a plate (what it's known for). 

• The cups in the Minnie fit quite deeply. I'd put them on par with the Ellis. It's the same cut.

• There's still too much underband for my liking. I think this signals the death-knell of Cleo for me. I'm a short-waisted person who doesn't want an inch of wire and fabric at the under bust. The Lori is a much better Cleo style from this vantage point, but it provides a totally different shape.

• The fabric is on par with the Melissa, in terms of softness and quality. That's better than some of the other Cleos I've tried lately, but the fabrics are never going to scream luxury. This is a cheap and cheerful brand designed for ladies who are new in their bra careers.

• The polka dot pattern is totally fun and youthful. I've recently seen the red and white polka dot version and I actually think it's cuter than the black and white - but it fits even more generously than the black. Black dye tends to shrink fabric very slightly. Why bra companies don't grade with that in mind is beyond me, but whatevs.

• The thong is sized generously. You might want to consider going down a size.

So, there you go. Still waiting on the fun bras - the Avocados which I am SO hopeful about (in a way that's likely to disappoint me, so I should just stop with that). On this topic, anyone here tried Avocado and, if yes, how's the fit? Do you own the Minnie? Thoughts about that one? Let's talk.

McCall's 6844: Fifth Time's A Charm

I'm feeling pretty good about the fit on this, but I know it's one of those pieces that owes everything to the fabric:

 

This ponte's got good drape but it has too much synthetic in it for my liking.

This overexposed shot is very similar to the one of Version 1, see photo below, which is why I've included it...

If you compare it with the original version below (which was already somewhat pattern-altered), you can see how much fit refinement has actually occurred over the course of this process:

See that fluttery fabric at the hem-line. That's because there's way too much of it. Even though this isn't the peplum version of the pattern, you can see how it's been drafted with the peplum in mind.

Version 5 (the blue one) still closes over the bust area, and then some. But at least now, there aren't 4 inches of excess fabric on either side of the placket at the waist. BTW, you can read about muslin 2 and muslin 3 here. Muslin 2 shows the ridiculous amount of fabric at the waist, in some ways better than version 1 (grey photo above).

What's Different Between Muslin 1 (slightly pattern-altered) and Muslin 5 (very altered, almost there):

• The shoulders are 2 inches narrower on each side of version 5, as compared with version 1. Yes, you read that right. What you can't see in version 1 (the grey one, above) is that the shoulder seams were hanging off of my dress form - and its shoulders are considerably wider than mine.

• The shape and size of the sleeve head and sleeve have been changed substantively (to be made smaller in some ways and larger in others). The shoulder is rotated forward to accommodate my imperfect posture.

• Version 5 is 2 inches longer below the waist and the up-down hem is now straight.

• Version 5 is narrower at the side seams than version 1.

• Version 5 is shaped over the bust (the underbust to hem has been narrowed at the side front where it meets the front band). I also did an upper bust "small bust adjustment" which, it became apparent after version 4 (unphotographed), would be necessary. This is effectively a hollow chest alteration. I don't have a hollow upper chest but that's how my proportions read when you compare the projection of my full bust with my upper chest measurement. There was some puffing above the full bust till I narrowed the side front where it meets the front band. In case I ever want to feel like a buxom cartoon, here's my chance.

• Version 5 has a 1 inch swayback adjustment, so the piece now has a back seam. Note: I don't have a swayback any more than I have a hollow upper chest, but if the alteration works... It's my way of removing excess length to suit my short waist, while maintaining length required to fall properly over the full bust at the front.

Specifically, in the last alteration session (changes to Version 4, see bottom of post, which produced version 5):

• I cut another 1/2 inch of width from each shoulder seam.

• I resized the armscye and sleeve head. The underarms were given a bit of extra fabric with horizontal stretch. But I also made the armhole shorter. The sleeve was narrowed.

• I did the hollow chest / small upper bust adjustment by cheating: I created a version of the side front piece altered by a 1 inch wide / 4 inches long fish-eye dart from the shoulder seam to just above the nipple. I closed the dart on paper and put it atop the muslin 4 version of the piece. I then adjusted the shoulder and upper chest to account for the narrowed dimensions produced by the dart.

• I straightened the hem.

What is the final, necessary alteration (as far as I can tell at this time)?

• I need to take another 0.5 inches from the back length at the waist because there's still a bit of pooling.

IMO, mine is a chic-er and more elegant version of the original design, which is no doubt why I worked through 5 muslins to get here.

What's wrong with McCall's 6844, as originally drafted?

• It's vanity sized into stupidity. And to confuse matters still further, version 5 is a modified XS but the pattern, according to dimensions, suggests that I should have cut a Large.  (I started with a medium.)

• It's drafted for a voluptuous apple-shape - but it doesn't refer to the pattern as plus sized. The result is that many people make it way too big.

• The shoulders would only work on a very wide frame.

Anyway, that's what I got. I'm happy with the fit, less happy with the fabric, but next I'm going to refine the pattern for stretch wovens and make a version that looks like a casual, but tailored jacket to go with a matching skirt or pants. I've also half considered buying this to make a matching, ponte skirt.

Today's questions: I'd love to know if you can see the difference in versions the way that I can. Maybe it's one of those things that's much more notable in real life than in pics? Do you like the latest (almost final and totally wearable) version? If you've made this, did you make a lot of alterations to improve the fit? Let's talk!

What Am I Up To?

Not sure if you know this, but I really don't like Easter. IMO, it's the worst of all the holidays. As a child, I had to go to church on all three days (Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Sunday). The meal never appealed to me. There was always tons of cleaning up that somehow was delegated to me. And it inevitably fell in the week of my mother and sister's birthdays (and now my kid's). So there was already tons of hoopla happening and none of it was about me. Not to mention that the weather on Easter, in TO, always sucks. To wit: today, there's snow on the ground.

(Lest I hear about this on the flip side, I will disclose that my parents always got us excellent, little Easter-morning gifties and left a rhyming poem from the Easter Bunny to give us hints about where they were hidden. But, sorry, nothing could make up for the endless church-going.)

So I don't celebrate. Of course, it would be utter hypocrisy for me to celebrate, what with my not being a practicing religious person. But I don't even get into it culturally. Really, I prefer Passover as a holiday. It seems more lively, though it could benefit from a nice spiral ham :-).

Lest you think I never eat an Easter dinner, most years my best friend Hilary invites my family to her house, along with her family. Sadly, her aunt recently died (one of the long-standing wonderful participants), and this year, naturally, the celebration is being held very close.

The upshot is that I don't have a damn thing planned for this long weekend - unless you count my kid's 15th birthday dinner (which happened on Thursday), dinner with friends (that was Friday) and a big-ass chicken tonight (cuz Scott feels it's sad not to eat a roast of some sort when other people are doing the same).

As a result, I've been doing all the Kristin-things:

• I'm getting there with my skin care "brand". I've done a lot of work to improve my labels and, while there are many glitches still to correct, I'm on the right track.

• Made skin-care: Lotion A, Deodorant A (this time it worked!), Serum A (I go through this stuff). (I can't keep my potions in stock because everyone I know wants them. Makes me feel very popular, in truth.)

• Bought more freakin' ponte from FabricLand. While this isn't like me, earlier in the week, I decided to buy the additional amounts I required (to bolster amounts of left-over fabric, after making every possible muslin for McCall's 6844) without bringing swatches to the store. I've given all of the muslins away (they were VERY popular with friends) but I didn't want to waste the 1/2 metre remaining, of all the fabrics, when I could just buy another metre and have enough to make them all again (or something else, for novelty). How hard could it be, I mused, to remember which bolts I'd already purchased from? Well, apparently harder than you'd think. It's amazing how I messed up, given that there were only 4 blue fabrics to choose from. So I had to go back and buy more in the actual colours I have remnants of, and more in the colours I'd erroneously bought on Monday. Let's just say my plan backfired but I sure do have a lot of blue ponte in the stash right now.

• I finally implemented the alterations to the next version of McCall's 6844. One should always do this immediately after making the last muslin. I started the process but lost interest (having sewed all day prior to realizing that muslin 4 was also a bust). Yesterday I spent quite some time remembering what I wanted to do and implementing the changes. Lord, I do hope muslin 5 is the well-fitted final or I do think I'm done with this.

• I'm currently sewing McCall's 6844 muslin 5. Hope to have this done today...

• I'm also knitting sock 1 of Kristin's Simple Sock Recipe. Note: This has been in the works for a while but I can't knit for more than 10 minutes at a time without taking a break, so who knows when we'll see the finished pair. How cruel to realize that I cannot live without handknit lounge socks at a time when knitting binges cause pain.

So that's my weekend. But what about you? Do you celebrate Easter (or some sort of holiday on this long weekend)? Are you working on your special fun crafts? What's up with you? Let's talk!

Not Quite Done Talking Shop

I have interesting intel for you: A local TO boutique started selling Ewa Michalak bras (or a small sample thereof, at any rate). This is very good news from my vantage point because, in the past I went through the stupidity of buying this brand direct from Poland and, after all the fuss, the end product didn't fit. I was able to determine today, once and for all, that EM bras don't work for me.

On paper, the narrow wires / projected cup combo is perfect for someone of my shape. In practice, on my body, the wires are too narrow (when have I ever said that) and the cups, while projected, seem to lack integrity at the centre cup. The net result for breasts that are not young or notably firm is that these bras don't support very well (especially compared with Empreinte offerings).

I may be the first person to dis this brand and, really I have no issue with it, shape-wise, it's just not for me. Furthermore, I do think the fabrics are a bit on the cheap and cheerful side. You might think I'd be bummed by this outcome but I'm actually pleased because now I won't feel longing every time some blogger does a love letter post on this product. I prefer brands that are easy to source.

Turns out there is not an every-day bra in that store (in my size) that I don't already own (or dislike). Imagine that.

So, I did what any sensible woman would do - I bought some erotic lingerie. And lest you think it cost what it does in your average sex shop, think again. I've never spent so much money on such a small amount of fabric, evah. Volume-wise, it was kind of like buying jewelry.

Anyway, I got a couple of outrageous pieces by Bordelle and FYI by Dani Read (links NSFW). If you're looking for some impractical underwear, I urge you to check them out.

And while we're on the topic of lingerie, gotta say that these two posts have revitalized my dressing habits. Having reminded myself of the truly excellent, well-fitting sets I own, I've put every fashion set back into regular rotation. I was becoming that woman who wears a beige bra (albeit a different one), every day of the week. Now I have extenders, in every colour, winging their way to me, to facilitate wearing the tighter-backed fun bras, even when I'm sensitive to snugness. As yet, I still haven't received my replacement for the too-large, Masquerade Persia set - and my Cleo Minnie still hasn't got here more than 2 weeks after having shipped. I'm not expecting the Avocado lingerie to get here before the end of next week. Have to say I'm feeling sort of agitated with anticipation.

Today's question: Have you tried Ewa Michalak bras and, if yes, what's your experience? I'm very curious to know. So let's talk!