Ties that Bind

Yesterday late afternoon, Sara and Andrea came by for an impromptu knitting-with-Rioja session in the back garden.

Yes, you read that correctly. We sat in the outside world. For 2 hours. And the sun was shining. And there was a vaguely green quality around us. And the wine was delicious. The snacks were gobbled heartily (always a good sign). So often, I am reminded that life is good. What's better than excellent conversation with friends, food, wine, sun (but shade to sit in) and occupied hands?

Well, there were gifts!

Andrea presented us with the most gorgeous knitting bags I've ever seen:

This one's mine - stupidly I didn't photograph Sara's...

The bags are plush with batting (to protect knitting) and big enough to hold a sweater - though somehow they are so compact.

And just to blow your freakin' mind, Andrea silk screened the fabric to create those gorgeous images. (And each bag was made with completely different silk screened art?!?!?)

I have to say, I've received many beautiful and wonderful gifts in my life, but this one has a special place in the pantheon. Not only is it utterly creative, perfectly-made, practical and lovely - but it was hand-crafted for me with forethought and kindness. This is something I'll use every day, and every time I use it I will feel the friendship with which it was made.

Honestly, I seem to have so many big-feeling reasons to cry these days...

I'll leave you on a more trivial note. The bridesmaid dress is coming along:

Isn't this a treat fabric for a 41-year old bridesmaid??

I did have a near disaster (for stupid reasons, too boring to discuss): I cut the skirt too short (from the original reclaimed skirt). I then realized I didn't have enough fabric to recut it. So I got imaginative and added a 3-inch strip to the waistline of all the skirt pieces. You'd think it would look horrible, but it's actually an interesting design feature - skirt darts notwithstanding.

I sense this thing is going to be too big in the bust for Allison - in an act of extreme irony, I may have nailed my own princess seam woven bodice while trying to make one for someone else... (It's unclear at this point, I used her measurements!!, so Allison - if you're reading - don't freak out. It would be a miracle if this thing fit you perfectly. I'm aiming for slightly too big over too small, however. Just so you don't look like a sausage...)

Furthermore, I love this pattern. It's so nicely drafted - and the instructions are excellent. It's not complex but the results are elegant (or they would be with a fantastic fabric).

That's my weekend so far...

Give a Little / Get a Little

This year I could add an entirely new, super-long gift giving/getting category to archive - that of sewing-paraphernalia - but I don't want to torture my non-sewist readers unduly.

I'll just mention a couple of things:

Thing I really want to receive: A made-to-measure dress form. These cost a bundle and I haven't been able to figure out where to procure one in Toronto. So if anyone knows, please advise! I don't actually expect anyone to buy this for me (unless you're feeling generous :-)) though I'd love to buy one as a gift to myself. The serger is paid off now. (OMG, don't get me started on that thing. I'm going to have to write a whole new post / love poem to that thing because it is FREAKIN' FANTASTIC!) I should be eying the next sewing debt, no?

Thing a fairly novice sewist could easily make and give: And just cuz it's easy, doesn't mean it isn't totally impressive... Recently I talked about the November Vogue Patterns issue, inasmuch as I want to make the jacket on the front cover (it recently arrived, fyi). What I didn't mention is that there's a"free pattern" inside - which is to say, 3 little drawings and a column of instructions. It's to make circle scarves (I think of them as snoods you wear around your neck).

Tonight I made 2 of them out of fabric surplus - note, anyone who has 24" x 70" of leftover fabric deserves an award (and I think Carolyn is destined to win). I've been using my own variation on the rectangular dimensions and it's going fine, but since I usually buy the amount required to make a garment plus a smidge, I'm a bit SOL. I can see I'm going to have to start adding a bit extra onto my fabric purchases - or just bite the bullet and buy some fabric specifically for scarves. Maybe, in time, I'll show you the ones I've completed, but since they are gifts, it could be counter-productive.

Not to get all lovey about the serger again but, if you have one, the scarf project goes by in a flash. It takes about 10 minutes to cut the rectangle pattern, 10 minutes of serging and 10 minutes of finishing by hand-sewing. And it looks so great when you're done.

I'd like to tell you what hand stitch I used in the finishing (tucking in the raw edges on each side and stitching them together), but I have no idea what it's called. I also don't know if I worked it left-handed or right-handed. (The lefty sewing book arrived and just managed to confuse my brain further.) What I can tell you is that the stitch is invisible because it's taken on the inside edge below the fabric fold on each side. Anyone have a name for that?

On a side note: I got a real kick out of the fact that Kathy Marrone, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Patterns, left me a comment recently. I wonder if she is frequently confused for the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue? That would be the substance of an amusing sitcom.