Fabric : Fibre : Family
Before you get all excited, this isn’t some strange and kooky cooking post.
I think it was the lovely Julia who coined the phrase and it’s pretty appropriate:
There ain’t no way, no how, that that sleeve is going to fit that armhole.
As I was knitting the front and back I was thinking “these armholes looked pretty weird”. I did pull them back a couple of times, but no, the pattern insisted they’d work.
Well, it lied.
I suppose you can’t win ’em all.
I just wish you could.
A frogging I will go!
I left Miss Stitch playing with Piglet on the rug in the sitting room. I was away just long enough to put some pasta on the stove to cook. I came back to find her thus:
That’s what playgroup does for a girl. She’s now snuggled up in her blanket on the sofa. I’ll hold the lunch order.
I know that “too much cake” is a concept not often discussed on this blog, or, frankly, one that I’m particularly familiar with. But after today’s sewing escapades (yes…finally there have been some) I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to investigate this phenomenon more closely.
You’ll remember the silk dress I wanted to remodel. Well, Little Stitch went visiting today with Nana and Grandpa, and I locked myself in the workroom and got to it.
I tweaked and cursed and cut and stitched, and maybe cursed some more, until I had a dress that actually works. All that’s left to do is bind the neckline, hand stitch the lining in place and lift the hem by about 5 inches:
Oh. And lose about 8lbs.
Damn you cake. Damn your gorgeous, luscious, deliciousness. And damn your insistence on lurking around my midriff long after I thought you’d been and gone.
So the dress is consigned to the scrapheap popped onto Maud to await a miraculous shrinking of the waistline. Sigh!
By this time Little Stitch had returned and I was planning a quick win. But firstly I needed a cunning plan to keep her entertained whilst I cut out a quick pattern:
Note to self…don’t let her get her hands on the patterns themselves for a while. However, whilst she was distracted I cut the pattern for Vogue V8534:
I’m making it up in this fabric:
Which I purchased from our local market for the princely sum of £5.00 and thus this will become a wearable muslin to test:
As there’s a lot of pleating in the front I’ve not done a full bust adjustment, time will tell if this is wise. I’m cutting View A sleeves with View B hem, and I’ve added 8cms to the length in an attempt to get it to look the same and not end somewhere around the waistband of my jeans.
Little Stitch is going to bed soon (Daddy is just putting her jammies on as I type) and as Mr Stitch has a little work to do before supper, I’m going to sneak back to the table and cut out the fabric.
Edit at 8.15pm: Fabric cut and ready to sew. I’m off for supper.
I love reading others blogs and seeing all the lovely things they’ve sewn. I’m always inspired and think “I really must get on with some sewing”.
I worry that you, dear reader, will stray, thinking “Pendle Stitches????? Hardly!”
It’s easy to type whilst feeding Little Stitch, or whilst she sits having her drink. Less easy to sew with her around. At least until she gets used to the play pen.
But last night Mr Stitch was away on business, Little Stitch was in bed, and all the ironing was done. I managed an hour in the workroom before hunger insisted I sit and have supper and then curl up on the couch with a glass of Merlot and a sleeve to knit.
So. Did I work on the silk dress that needs remodelling???? Noooooooooo.
Did I work on the black twill trousers that are cut and ready to sew????? Bless you. Don’t be silly.
What did I do?
I altered the hem and sleeves on a black jersey dress that’s been at the back of the wardrobe for ages. It’s a good basic dress but, whilst it worked in an office environment, it didn’t for my new life. I don’t think its even worth a picture, but I’m pleased because
It’s a start. Right?
Wow, I got the One Lovely Blog award from Rose’s Sewing Room. Thank you Rose, and I love the view you have from your sewing room. I look out over the rooftops, and not in a Mary Poppin’s kinda way!
So, the rules of engagement for this award are:
You’ll have noticed some recent additions to my blogroll so I’m nominating these new (to me) lovelies for this award:
Enjoy!
Baby J is out of hospital and for now doesn’t need surgery. Let’s hope it stays that way.
In the meantime I’m off to breath a huge sigh of relief.
I woke up this morning and realised that it’s Thursday. And whilst I’ve cleaned and cooked, baked and ironed, visited friends, had friends to visit, met with social workers and health visitors, walked in the park,played, shopped, gotten really pissed off with people disrespecting me and mine, and a million other tasks and daily events, the one thing I haven’t done is any sewing.
I’ve done a tiny bit of knitting, but nothing to write home about.
And to cap it all Baby Jacob is in hospital. My niece is understandably beside herself. We’re hoping that surgery won’t be necessary (and if he does it’s routine stuff) but he’s so small and only 7 weeks old and it’s just a big fat worry that puts everything else into perspective.
So today I’ll be walking and cleaning and playing and hopefully a bit of sewing and a bit more knitting. And lots of praying for the wee small boy.
Once again that wretched lurgy caught up with me and had me relegated to the sofa watching CBeebies (not my choice but great for keeping Little Stitch entertained when Mummy has her nose stuck in a box of tissues).
I’m slowly coming out the other side of it (although Mr S and Little S have now decided to follow my example and become all snuffly). So today I finally made some progress on sorting out the sewing room. So much so that next week I’ll probably be actually able to start making something. Crikey. I found a pair of black twill trousers already cut out and a dress that I’d made, hated and unpicked. I suspect these will be the starting point.
In other news, after the best part of 5 months of wrangling with the Open University about transferring my French course to next year (they weren’t up for it – I was insistent) they have finally agreed to let me do so. I am thrilled. It means I’ll be able to finish my degree with them without wasting almost £1000.
It’s a good feeling when good business sense and a willingness to support a keen student win out over “policy”.
Wow! Black Purl wasn’t kidding when she said this was a toughie. And also my first meme.
The rules are:
So here we go with my Pieces of Eight….
8 things I’m looking forward to:
8 things I did yesterday:
8 things I wish I could do:
8 shows I watch:
So, that’s me done. Now it’s time to pass the baton. I know the rules say 8 other bloggers but I’m just going with these 5 lovely ladies:
The last few weeks have passed in a blur of tears of both joy and sadness. However, slowly but surely a new normality is settling in Chez Stitches.
Little Stitch is slowly meeting all her new friends and family. She is totally winning them over. They are spoiling her rotten. She loves it! Thank you all for your lovely, generous gifts.
I am so tired. I find myself falling asleep in front of the TV. I wake in the middle of the night because I’ve dreamt I heard a cry. I’ve lost 4 1/2lbs in weight despite not giving up one single thing. I’m having the most fun.
My washing machine is on pretty much constantly and I’ve discovered that patterned clothing is my friend and pockets are essential.
I’ve learnt that my little girl loves pasta and curry, flirts with waiters, has one hell of a temper and the cutest giggle in the world. She thinks bath-time is simply the most fun, and is trying her damnedest to walk.
As we find our way in this brave new world its time for me to pick up the stitches again, so to speak. So we’ve moved the sewing table and added a playpen to the workroom. Now all I have to do is sort everything out so I can actually work up there. At the moment it looks like this:
Eeeek! It’s enough to give a girl hives. Must stop typing. Must start cleaning!