Learning to Sew - 2December 13, 2024
NOTE: Had this all written and ready to go because Walt and I were taking off for Arizona for a while on another one of our adventures. I just didn't realize how adventurous it would be.
Late the 2nd night on the road, we had a flat, and Walt could have fixed it (remember the guy who can do anything). However, the air-pressure tork on those lugnuts is impossible to get off by hand, then when they strip the grip on the lugnuts, it makes it
more impossible. And I'm not a fan of us doing this at night with limited light, and we're already tired. Walt had been driving all day (since early morning with a three-hour exit from Dallas. Dallas traffic is a whole other subject!)
So I finally talked Walt into leaving everything as is until morning when we were
fresh and businesses would be open to help. We had parked in a very-well lit PilotJ parking lot with lots of truckers who were sacked out in their cabins (which are often quite comfortable.)
They keep their engines going in a low-use, and it has a heater, a small fridge, a TV, a place to work, and a bed. Most places like Pilot J, Flying J, or Love's cater to truckers and build showers in their stops so that the truckers can take a quick shower,
return to the truck, cover the windows, turn on the low-idle generators to keep them warm or cool, and they're ready for the next day - well, of course, that's after a good amount of food to eat on the road. These places do very well catering to the truckers and they are always looking for ways to improve their appeal to that trucker market. But most of the time these places are calm and the truckers (men and women) are simply looking for some place to get shut-eye and get up and on
the road the next day. I felt completely safe there, so we settled in for a night of boondocking, which we hadn't ever done- another
adventure. For those who aren't sure what that is, it's camping without hookups, water, sewer, or electricity. I've always subscribed to the adage that extending the slides w/o full power can damage that mechanism, and if there's anything that can scare an RV-er faster, it's either not getting the slides back in or having them out just a bit, Messing up that mechanism can cause a ton of problems and that's something we didn't need.
The upshot is that we met many
fine people along the way. We spent the night in a well-lit PilotJ parking lot along with many other truckers. I couldn't have felt safer. Then, the following day, we called a fellow, recommended to us to help us get that last flaming lug off. He was a real gentleman and charged us such a fair (cheap) price that we tipped him big! He gave us the name of a great place in the nearest town, who went out of their way to ensure we were taken care of and sent on our way.
Even though we were a day behind schedule, we felt safer and had new friends. That's a lot of what RV-ing is like for us, and honestly, we've never met any nicer folks.
The other brilliant thing I did was make some of my famous White Bean and Chicken Chili for the road in space-saving
handy square containers. The first night we're in a park and have all our hookups, I'm fixing the left-over chili and loving it again. This recipe from a friend seems like the first thing we fix when the weather turns cold. It's one of those soul foods, but it's actually good for you too.
We arrived at our site a day late but were glad to be here. This particular park has an astronomical observatory, and I can't wait to see some of the sights from the stars.
The air in Arizona, where we are, is very dry and stable - like there's one humidity and one temperature range, and therefore, the atmosphere is perfect for astronomers. I'll include the first pictures when they open the observatory up. It's getting a cleaning and refurbing, but we're told it will be open shortly. Maybe in time for a Christmas star or two!
This all took place starting Thursday night and all day Friday, so forgive the missed message last week.
Traveling is such an adventure!
The great thing about doing all that prep work and thinking through all the problems
is that, when it comes to finishing, it's a breeze. It was much faster than I thought. And that's the way I like the finishing work to go.
Taking out and putting back in finishing work, can really tear up a garment. This was always my biggest problem. Making the finishing work...well, "finished!" It wasn't exactly like I wanted it, and I'd take it out about 3 or 4 times, and by that time, the fabric was pretty worn out. The truth is that I was acting
as though folks would be examining with some microscope to make sure that the stitches were all EXACTLY even and that the work looked beyond reproach. The excellent RTW work of the '50s, '60s, and '70s didn't have to finish work that well, and I was expecting something unrealistic. Fortunately, I grew out of that. And like my mentor used to say - "On a galloping horse, they won't notice!"
I'm delighted with how this came out, and I even like the drapiness of the collar, which is about as drapey as I could get and still has a little bulk around the neck. This is going to be a light-weight sweater to wear to throw on when I'm slightly chilled.
I have heavier sweaters for those blustery cold days that will be a lot warmer. I have a great turtleneck that is not bulky that will look fabulous with this top. This collar came from a Simplicity pattern that I've been adoring for a long time.
It looks great, but the pattern is cut a little boxy. To make it work, you have to mess with the lines of the pattern. Plus, it's made to work with a more stable and heavy fabric than what I'm using. I wanted the drape in this pattern, and I knew the hood
would be more like a draping hood than the stiff one in the pattern picture.
That's fine, but while I'm still experimenting with the drape of that collar, it's essential to realize that there will be a learning curve not only with what the fabric can and will do but also with my expectations. This is one of the primary reasons I will only use my core pattern when experimenting with a feature on the pattern. I know that core pattern looks good on me, no matter
what sort of crazy idea I may have. This rescues this from becoming a complete mistake and a throw-away. The pattern takes some work and many iterations, but once you have that look that works for you, that's it. Let the variations begin!
This has been a fun exercise into the "learning" process. As I mentioned in
the previous newsletter, learning never stops - especially for artists. I had this crazy idea about the buttonholes because I wanted to top to "kiss" in front, not overlap, but I didn't want a zipper. I had purchased this ribbon to do something with this idea. I liked the color of the ribbon, and the grosgrain is so adaptable that it was an easy choice. But execution became a "let's learn how to sew all over again" exercise. It seemed every time I tried one idea or
another, either the execution was off or something was haywire.
These are excellent projects for sewists because they allow us to fun the full gamut of problem-solving. And it's that problem solving that keeps our mind active and sharp.
For those of us who have a Growth Mindset, the world is open to us. For those who think like a Fixed Mindset, the world is closed, but only by limiting themselves, not their mental ability or IQ. Once you understand, you can learn anything - no matter
what age - the world is much easier but more fulfilling. I guess that's why I'm always looking to experiment with a new idea. Even though I know it will be fraught with problems and puzzles, but it's so rewarding to have a new look or feature to my clothing.
The funny thing is that most folks don't know I sew, and yet I always have on something appropriate but not flashy or attention seeing, unless it's something like this...
.,..that is screaming couture or custom, which is basically how many very wealthy people dress—most of the time, it's not showy, and yet it's something they have never seen in a store. Hardly anyone notices unless it's specifically pointed out.
And
really, isn't that the fun of what we do - it's always unique but rarely looks distinctive, and yet it can not be bought!
The SewingArtistry Resource Library is designed to contain information to not only make your sewing better, but to aid in you fitting and flattering your shape, size and style. Check it out.
Look for future classes coming in 2024
The Core Pattern Shirt, (one of my favorites for woven core pattern that you can make into a myriad of different
garments),
Basic Knit Top (core pattern class for knit basic tops, shells, tees, dresses, and tunics)
|
Tracking a fashion trend isn't all that hard after seeing a few of them.
Living from Mid-Century Modern through Twiggy...
It's worth the time to look at these styles, particularly today as
there is a group of that wants to look....
This is the way fashion used to be -- pretty, flattering and I can't wait to make some of...
NOTE: There are some folks who can't get my email, or it's sporadic, or something is hinky. I will always respond to any of you who send a private message, whether it's about the topic of the week or something else. If you don't get anything
from me, it's probably because the support@sewingartistry.com email is blocked, and even a private message can't get through. In that case, I'm on Instagram often, and you can always PM me at @sewingartistry.
As a precaution,
please ensure I'm in your email Address Book and check your spam, junk, and trash folders. Some email clients get extra excited when they see emails coming into the Inbox that go to many other receivers. They automatically think it's trash or spam, and it never makes it to the Inbox. I must constantly check my spam and junk folders to ensure I'm getting the emails I subscribe to.
To view in browser along with past emails, click here. We respect your email privacy. |
|
|
