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I did not sew last night, I tried to knit only to discover halfway through a 400-stitch row, I made a mistake in about stitch 8 and now need to back up across the whole dang thing to fix it. The kittens (especially Calcifer) wanted to help, a LOT, and they also spent a lot of time dashing back and forth in the apartment. I wish I could capture the sound of their lil peets in the carpet, it is such a joyful sound.

I did accuse them of being menaces (they are), but realized that I was probably hangry, and also I promised to love them extra bc one fandom friend lost her cat yesterday, and another one is losing hers today. I wouldn't trade their fuzzy antics for anything.

I think I have a plan for the Scout dress. I have several yards of a chocolate brown cotton sateen which I had purchased with intent to make (at least part of) a Jedi outfit, but in looking through the directions of the dress, it talked about making a sash for all the merit badges and I remembered that I have all of my Brownies gear, sash and badges and pouches. The brown sateen would be an excellent background for that lol. When would I ever wear my old Brownies accessories, I have no idea, but it's cute and I like it. I should have some Girl Guide buttons saved, too. So that at least is decided.

I desperately trying to avoid printing out the skirt pattern as it's just SO BIG. 38 pages, which I know bc I thought if I just printed the hem and waist areas, could I get away with just filling in the middle with blank paper? The middles take up 20 pages, which the upper and lower parts are 18. I don't know if that's really feasible. Either way, I can start with the bodice. Do I just shorten the bodice and charge ahead, or make a mock up first? (Answered my own question, I will shorten it and forge ahead! #yolo!!)

overthinking is the only kind of thinking )

TMI: )

Two weeks until our concert!!!! I think I will dye my hair this weekend so it has a chance to settle before we go :)
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Cut a mock up of the Madeleine dress last night, out of the offcuts from a different mockup 2 years ago, and part of the skirt. It's a very busy print, but that is OK.

First impression: too long, as always, and the waist (cut at size 8) was too tight, although it did close. I pinned up the shoulders by the seam allowance, taking effectively 1.25" out of the bodice length. I even put on a real bra to make sure the bust fit properly. I had some gapping over my right (smaller) boob, and the armscye's were quite high now, I'll have to lower them...

Waitaminute. What if I tried shortening the waistline area of the bodice instead?

Pulled the pins out of the shoulder and tugged it down, tucking in and pinning about 2" around the front waist. The back was pinned to the zipper so I didn't test it there, but it was also too tall. I had my back length measured by a pro several years ago, around my belly button it is 16.5", but if you go with the oft-quoted "smallest part of your waist", it is 2" HIGHER than my belly button. I still had some minor gapping over the right boob which could be solved by stitching it 1/8" narrower, and I think I'd like to take the shoulder in 1/4" too. I tucked in the seam allowance for the sleeve but it still felt just a titch too wide.

Sadly, this dress pattern does not have a lengthen/shorten area marked, so I pulled out the Scout dress pattern (TY again [personal profile] danabren!) and lined up whatever marks I could (dart lines to princess seams, etc) to mark that line. Hmm perhaps I should try the less fitted shirt dress bodice first lol.

In around all that I was making and eating dinner, declined to do any laundry, dealing with my stupid uterus, and cuddling the kittens while attempting not to doomscroll about the LA fires. Haven't made a plan yet about what to do this evening but I'm sure something will come to me by the time I get home :)
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The weather has been on a roller coaster all season, so far. First snow was in November and since then we've had three distinct periods of Very Cold (but not Ridiculously Cold) with three distinct periods of Hey This Is Really Nice! The downside to these extremes are almost 30C weather shifts (-23C last Friday, +6C expected today), melting snow that freezes again and turns to ice, and potential freezing rain. Pick one and stick with it!!!

But going outside is much more pleasant when it is not Very Cold, so I will take this opportunity to leave the house to do my laundry. (As you may recall, the laundry room is in another building entirely.) I did a load of mostly "staples" yesterday (lingerie, socks, t-shirts, pajama shorts), today I intend to do sheets and towels, and then I have a load of "heavies" that I might attempt on Thursday. Not heavily-soiled, but heavy items like jeans and sweatshirts lol. Not committing to that yet, but committing to linens today because I don't have any clean washcloths and a stack of dishes to do. (It's dishes you might say, just use the one you have. Friends, I cannot remember when I grabbed it out of closet, and it is holding its shape when drying, plus I used it to wipe up a bunch of sugar glaze from my latest baking effort. It's past time.)

Yesterday I made pasta sauce while the laundry was drying, so I ended up running into the time that my local writing group was having an event, so even though I didn't get much writing done, I still tried. And then I put my laundry away! Crushing it.

Tonight I hope to sew a mockup of the Gertie dress bodice I printed off the other day. I'm intrigued to see how her drafts come together. I like that the high bust and full bust are included, as that should better fit my shoulders, but of course my waist is out of proportion to those. I'd also like to know why grading seems to assume that as you get wider, you also get taller. Ah well, I can work around that.

I also printed off a sheet from a 1961 manual about drafting a bodice block, and the manual goes on to show you TONS of things to do with that block to achieve different items. I've been eyeing this book for awhile now, so perhaps I'll get around to that in the near-ish future. There is a petticoat on page 38 that I like, which is so simple. I have fabric (poly taffeta, tulle, poly organza) that I purchased for a petticoat waaaaay back in my gothic lolita days, I can probably use that for a nice little oomph under these looks. When I find it again O_o
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First finished object of 2025: A knitted shawlette! I was doing a test knit so technically this is mostly-done-in-2024 project, but I did the last of the knitting on Friday night and cast it off on Saturday morning. Just need to block it (which I meant to do over the weekend, but my knitting friend wanted to see Wicked in theatres after watching it at home, and I was VERY AVAILABLE to accompany her).

I kind of lumped around the house the rest of Saturay. Picked up a projector mount stand for whenever I get around to that; it just screws into whatever surface so I might mount it to like, a lump of wood and clamp it to a table or something. Or if I ever get a dedicated sewing room again, to the ceiling. I have it and that's what's important! Worked a bit on another shawl and the socks, didn't sew anything and didn't cross stitch. Gosh, what DID I do on Saturday besides rest?? (to be clear, this is a very valid way to spend a day, particularly when it is as cold as it has been)

Sunday was the movie. I meant to start a project I could work on without looking at, but I didn't, and I immediately messed up the sock pattern so I just tucked it all away and enjoyed the movie. Didn't cry this time but I had chills all through the finale. When I got home, I had a sandwich and then took a 2 hour nap, and spent the rest of the day knitting and playing games.

Support your local library, friends! I was able to get Gertie's Charmed Studio book both as a book and an ebook, and the ebook granted me access to the included patterns. I know they have her other books too, and other books with patterns like both of Cashmerette's books. So now I am noodling on what to make and how to make it (the "how" more for the jacket; it's tailored but not as fully as a coat), and happily watching all of the sewing tutorials on her youtube.

2025 Plans*

Jan. 3rd, 2025 10:38 am
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*subject to change without notice. And let's be real, this is far from an exhaustive list, it's just some things off the top of my head.

Underdress for the Nicks dress (I kind of want this to be like Florence Pugh's white dress in the finale of Don't Worry Darling)
Mustard striped Vernon shirt
Blue floral corset cover
Work on the Victorian corset
Refashioning my first curtain-along gown
Always more stays
Wool culottes
Dressing gown(s?)
More tailored projects - I want to work on that Victorian suit I started 3.5 years ago, but I think I want a little bit more practice before I tackle the jacket.

Something that's been on my mind this past week or so, seeing various wrap-up posts on Instagram and resolution-type posts, is my personal fashion goals again. Also partly bc I saw a SUPER cute vintage pattern on IG, and partly because I was lamenting the lack of work-appropriate winter wear and the fact that both pairs of my new Costco pants are kind of short and the hem is coming out already.

One of my style descriptors that I picked last year is "mid-century librarian", so what I'm envisioning is like, woven blouses and cardigans and sweater vests with pleated trousers and pedal-pushers and gathered skirts and pinafores/jumperskirt dresses. To that end, I want to start exploring more of those shapes and fabrics and knitwear.

I saw Wicked on New Year's Eve (which was amazing; the finale had me speechless and sobbing) and I just want all of Elphaba's clothing, so I also want to incorporate some of those... I guess it could be called Dark Academia aesthetics? (googles) Yes, but with more colour! Of course, my winter palette suits it just fine, but come spring and summer, I like brighter, paler colours. Either way, I like those vibes.

I took a book out from the library with a knit shirt in it, and I think it might work in one of the fabrics I got from Sewing Friend M in 2023. It has some other patterns I like, plus I have the first book in the series that also has some pieces I would like to make. These patterns aren't *fully* the vibe I want, but they are a good starting point.
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I put (some of) this on Instagram, but I should put it here! And one day I should put the collected photos in a more shareable place! (Whoops, I forgot about Textilia...)

Cassandra Stays
Jordie bralette (no photo ever, it's sheer lol)
Black poplin Patina blouse
Blue & white plaid sleeveless Bruyere shirt
Green wool Seatoun skirt test
Blue floral Ettie petticoat
Green silk embroidered mitts (machine embroidered, hand-finished)
White twill Rilla corset (WIP; needs binding)
Green striped Seatoun skirt (WIP)
Green silk brocade open robe
Remade Shay dress bodice and reattached it + added sleeves
Brown striped Elsie blouse (WIP)
Blue striped silk Nicks dress (i am SO SCARED of wearing this; also it needs an under dress)
Red Sorbetto blouse
Brown Mitchell trousers (WIP)
Bibs for my neighbour
Clematis wristlet
Maxine tote x3
Sock Sacks x3
Cat doll + blouse, bloomers, dress and apron
SO MANY HOURS OF CROSS STITCHING. SO. MANY.
6 pairs of knit socks (my goal was 12, but I made 6 pairs in 2022 and 2023 COMBINED, so this was a vast improvement)
FINISHED crocheted baby Yoda from 2019!!
The majority of 2 Rainbow Cat Barf scarves
Frogged 1 project
Started some knitted/crocheted dolls
Emotional support chicken (named Rusty)
Started 2 shawls

I think that's everything. I went through my photo gallery to see what I might have missed, but aside from a couple things that I know I didn't photograph, I didn't find anything else.

I'm tinkling with ideas for upcoming projects, but I'll put those in another entry since we all know planning is the mostest fun!
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Side track: I mentioned my possibly inactive yeast in the last post - I check the jar, and it was best before around the time that the kittens were born, and they are almost 2 years old (laugh-crying emoji)

Around this time last year I was ankle deep in stay-making, so to continue the theme this year, I am once again ankle deep in stay making.

Regency stays

Cut the mock-up of the long stays in size M. The fabric is a thick twilled cotton something, I think actually too heavy for stays. I used the pink thread I'd sewed the short stays with, and it blended in so well that it was really hard to see. I left the front gusset seams open and cut the side gusset slit open. Stitched on my lacing strips and got laced in (rather poorly, my cord wasn't nearly long enough) and tucked the paint stick down the front to mimic the busk.

Needs more room in the back hip and across the front belly. I laced down tightly to get an even gap and that was not ideal. The first gusset area didn't gap much, though the side gusset did. The front got a big ol' wrinkle right at the waist. The bust dug into my belly and though it wasn't uncomfortable for the few minutes I wore it, I can't imagine it will be at all fine when I've been wearing it for a few hours.

Victorian Corset

Put this one back on to test the length again, and it is good. I will be dropping the upper edge half an inch, tested by removing the pokey boning and moving my arm with the edge as-is and with it tucked under, and I preferred it tucked under. I think I still need a little room in the hip, as the side-back waist area was a little wrinkly. I knew this was a problem before, and I was considering adding a gore there. My seams have already been cut, so I was thinking of putting in a gore/gusset.

Edwardian Corset

Tried this one on too for assessment. Hard to tie up as the cord was extremely slippery and by then Calcifer was "helping". The bust is SO big but the waist is snug and the hips need more room, so this needs further thought. I can use the Victorian corset or even the Rilla corset in the mean time (you know, for all of that Edwardian costuming i'm about to do (eyeroll)) This is the Black Snail pattern, so I need to assess if I can adjust this any way, or go for a different one entirely.
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Another sleepless night where I woke up after I should have left for work already *yawwwwn*. Calcifer did the thing where she darted out in front of me as I tried to leave the room and then stopped dead and hesitated, making me almost step on her. Kitten, move your adorable fuzzy little BUTT RIGHT NOW.

Friday was a total write off, but I did cut out and stitch a mock-up of the short stays. I cut an XL body and XXL gussets. Just holding it up on me, the back was overlapping, so the next day I stitched the seams another 1/4" in to approximate an L. Even put grommets in! That was much better, but the backs still touched and it was a little loose, over all.

Saturday I woke up and I felt like I needed to do some running around. Namely to pick up my brain meds, as I was nearly out of one and totally out of the other. Then I went to the thrift store bc it was literally 2 blocks away, where I found the case of a 1950s Singer buttonholer, which had a few of the dies and the plate cover, but not the attachment itself. Someone had opened a bag of thread and stuffed the bag and a few spools inside. It was the green case so not the one I need (I think; I've seen that the pink one has the slant shank attachment. I already have 2 1940s straight shank attachments), and I left it behind. Then I went to the grocery that was nearby rather than the one I normally go to, partly because I wanted to price-compare. A lot of the things I wanted were only slightly more expensive than the other store, sometimes by a matter of cents. It was fine, and suited my needs and energy levels. DONE.

At home, I forget how it happened but I found some strips of coutil that I'd cut for the Victorian corset I made in 2021 and I wondered where the remainder of the fabric was. There wasn't enough for a full corset or stay, but there would be PLENTY for a short stay! So I moved some boxes, which got the corner where I wanted to put one of the sewing machines open, moved that, found the fabric, reorganized the boxes, went and cut the short stay. I took a bit off my L pieces to approximate an M and cut XL gussets. Then I went and TOOK MY TIME (gasp who am i!) to SERGE THE RAW EDGES (GASP) and stitched away.

It is... OK size wise. I can lace it pretty snugly and still have a gap. I only have that one perfectly sized spiral steel and no short-enough straights, nor any sturdy enough plastic bones. I found one singular cable tie that is considered heavy duty without being the REALLY heavy duty type, but only enough for a couple of the seam channels. I did put the heavy heavy duty one in the front as the busk type, but I had bent over to get a dress out of the bin and that little bit immediately got pinched as my tummy moved. That was not a mood and makes me think a long stay will be more ideal in terms of getting the *perfect* silhouette. I need to add the boning before I can bind it, and it was rather late in the evening by then, so I put it down for the time being.

Also had pulled out aforementioned Victorian corset and changed many of the not-heavy-duty cable ties for straight steels and tried it on. I was sitting down, which helped to immediately adjust the bottom edge. The pattern was Truly Victorian and has a straight bottom, which would work OK if it was much shorter than it is but on me it is much too long. I pinned the adjusted edge in place and stuffed the bust improver in the front, which filled out the bust area and made me giggle. I love ridiculous underwear. Will need to use shorter steels in those channels now too, but that is a project for future me.

Yesterday I got up SO LATE after waking up far too early, and decided to bake! I made orange cranberry bread (but I took it out too soon, so the structural integrity is lacking) and bread. The orange loaf is delicious, the bread did not turn out well and I'm not sure if it's because I had too little batter in too large a pan, or if my yeast didn't activate. It is very old by now, so I will get new yeast and try again. The resulting loaf was short and dense, but tasty and edible. That all took 2 hours, so by the time I was done, I was DONE. I pulled out some really thick cotton canvas to make a mock up of the long stay, but decided (with Calcifer's help) that I should wait until I could print off the M pattern.

I am trying to think of my winter slow-down in an intentional way, so I decided that I was very productive already (two baking projects AND a pan of dishes AND scooped the cat box) and I would now rest. I put on a show and knitted until dinner time. After dinner I took a shower and laid around in bed, where I was awake until 3am and then slept through my 6am alarm and was late for work, whoops.

Tonight I hope to cut another mockup. I'm curious to see how the M body will work with the gussets (which I will cut open but not place yet). Get my show on again and knit some more. Cross stitch. A nice cozy end of December evening <3

*blink*

Dec. 27th, 2024 07:57 am
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I basically didn't sleep last night. My list of grievances is long, including ambient lighting thanks to low clouds full of moisture (it was starting to snow when I left the house), my neighbour's porch light shining in at JUST the right angle to not be blocked by the blinds and in the direct middle of the head of my bed, AKA prime Face Shining Into spots across the entire thing, hot flashes and shedding of clots, my hair and every little bit of fluff touching me, my bedsheets being Too Wrinkly, and my pillows being Too Tall and Fluffy. It is going to be a very, very, VERY long day.

I first wrote Saturday bc Wednesday felt like Saturday! Did all my driving about, and our friends got a new puppy!! They had one dog, Darcy, left after Charlotte passed in September, and he is 11.5. They thought he was lonely (he probably was, he'd been part of a pack for the vast majority of his life) and the universe said hello, would you like this doggo? His name is Watson (as in Dr John Watson), he is 10 months old, and he is a Cavalier King Charles spaniel just like Darcy! His family had three kids, the youngest being 3.5 years old, and they were on the go a lot and felt like he needed a home that better suited his energy levels and social needs. From everything my friends said, the family really was trying their best! The kids were sad, but the parents had explained to them why Watson needed a new home and they wanted to find the BEST home for him. I guess they had talked to a few other people, but when my friend called, they talked for 5 hours. She has a home-based business and is home all day all the time (summer might be tricky with the markets she does, but that's a future problem), they have a Cavalier already, and if that wasn't enough, Watson's birthday is three days before hers. It was SO WONDERFUL to have a puppy in their house again! He was already taught some excellent manners and they still had all the BarkBox toys that the older dogs just weren't interested in. Watson had been there for a whopping 48 hours and he was a little unsure of us to start, but took everything in stride.

Yesterday I lumped around the house, including "pangolin"-ing in an effort to not spend my *entire* day trapped under the kittens. Ended up cleaning off the table so I could tape together some patterns not on the floor. I tried to knit but every time I just picked up the bag, suddenly they were RIGHT THERE. I am SO ANNOYED that on a row I counted three times, I had 2 extra stitches so I increased 2 less on the next row, only to get to the end of the section and discover that I'm now 2 stitches short. Played video games for a bit. Had a nap, RIP my sleep schedule!

In the evening I cut out a mock up for the Redthreaded Regency stays, in the short version to start. I definitely need to make them for real, because I have precisely TWO spiral steel stays in precisely the correct length for the seam they're meant to go in. I started with an XL body and XXL bust gussets, and while I like the gusset depth, I will need to make the L body as the XL just touches in back without me putting in grommets or proper lacing, held over a tank top and overshirt. The long stays will need more finagling particularly through the waist, and I didn't want to fuss with that just yet.

Very glad today is the only day left in the week and I have very little to actually do. The brain power is non-existent.
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[personal profile] danabren bullied me into working on the skirt last night, so I have the waist seam covered with bias tape now. I was going to start adding hooks but then decided that I should eat, only I couldn't decide WHAT, and by the time I did (basically a quesadilla filling on tostadas), it was so late that I knit a bit (and had to take it all out bc I missed *one* stitch right at the start. "This is ok, this is fine, it'll just be off by one row!" said I, and kept knitting, but it was lies. So I ended up taking out the three rows I had just done and putting it away.
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Absolutely nothing done on the weekend, I was feeling very run down and sitting up on the couch felt difficult, so I put myself to bed and stayed there. A little cross stitching completed over the week, the interior belt is now sewn on to the skirt, and I started a test knit. That's it, that's the post!

Kinda lies too, I have Wednesday/Thursday off, although Wednesday being The Big Holiday (tm) day, I am always running around. Friend is having me look in on her cat, M and I are going to our friends' house out of town, and I'll try to make time for my aunt and family too. But Thursday! Thursday will be for glorious hiding at home and ignoring my responsibilities for one more day.

I was watching sewing videos on the weekend and I just want to sew something. The skirt is boring me right now even though really, it's almost done (needs the waistline covered, hooks sewn on, hemmed, decorative buttons, and an exterior belt). I just pulled a paper from the plastic cup and it looks like Redthreaded's Regency stays are up next!

Boo-urns

Dec. 18th, 2024 09:52 am
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Tire appointment went OK I guess. They brought me the tire to show me that the inner coating had detached and turned to dust, so they couldn't repair it. And since it's best to change tires in pairs, not to mention the other front tire had a bulge on it and has since April 2022, I opted for new tires. The invoice did note a bead leak so the facebook consensus was correct, it just wasn't something I could do anything about. Alas!! I was holding onto a chunk of cash for bill payments that thankfully aren't due until the end of the month/early next month, so I did have enough money to cover it. But wow that wasn't how I planned to spend the afternoon.

Afterwards, I finished my grocery shopping and went home, where I had a nice nap under the kittens. Evening was baking show, cross stitch and tostadas for dinner. I am hoping my new tires will handle snow and ice better than the last ones, but since the last ones were "not at all", that bar is very low lol.

Today I have therapy at lunch, where I plan to talk about my Plan with a financial company for debt relief, and then this evening I have a meeting with said financial company to discuss said debt relief. I am wondering if I should just plan to get some take out for dinner since this is a lot of emotional labour for me. I'll think about that, since the $80 I planned for the tire became nearly $400.
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Hooray! A weekend where I didn't have any plans and was feeling quite well! What amazing things could I accomplish with all of this FREE TIME?

Well first the TMI stuff. Body started its monthly evacuation on Friday, and then on Saturday decided it wanted to evacuate everything, so at least I got to stay home with my own toilet to deal with that. Dad asked me if I was going to the social group's holiday party, but it was the first I had heard the actual date. My aunt hosts, and she's really good about informing me of an event to which I am invited, meaning, the presence or lack thereof of my other parental unit, so me not knowing the date meant she was going to be there. Nope, not going thanks! Still not in a place where I can be passingly polite with her.

New coffee maker is great, just need to figure out how much coffee I can drink vs how much coffee to make. It's a rather basic machine so it has one single button and turns itself off after 40 minutes. Suits me just fine. Yesterday the last cup was rather cold already, so I made a "sweet cream" and declined to attempt foaming it (I have a maker, but it seemed like a pain since its a whole device and not just a little battery powered foamer), but it was real tasty! And since I drink Starbucks coffee at home right now (I have SO MANY packets) it was just as good as anything they'd serve me. Ha!

Other than that, I placed the pockets on the striped Seatoun skirt, added the slot seam front, attached the plackets (couldn't do the front the way it was described, it showed the hooks between skirt and placket and this fabric is FAR too thick for that), stitched on the back and prepared the waist for attaching to the belt. Needs more adjusting before it can be sewn. Summer Stroll got worked on quite a bit, I have finished the basket of flowers, minus a few pinks and a couple greens. No knitting because I forgot where my sock project was, and the two other projects I brought out were promptly inspected by the kittens. Ah well. So of course I want to cast on MORE projects instead of finishing the 6 I have going, not to mention all of the long-term WIPs I've been ignoring since the beginning of the year. The book nook kit is nearly done now, just need to do the electrics and the remainder of the decor which will be placed/glued when I no longer need to place the kit on its side.

Butter was brought out for baking, but I didn't touch it. Getting my dishes done enough so I could clear off the counter was just not happening until last night. Perhaps tonight.

Tomorrow I have an appointment to get my tire looked at. Facebook consensus was that it has come unseated from the rim and needs resetting so it stops going flat. Wednesday I have therapy and an Important Appointment (tm) in the evening to maybe get some crap sorted out. And I would like to get back to the store to finish my grocery shopping, I attempted it on Saturday but the store was very peopley so I peaced out pretty quick.
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I sat down on the couch on Friday and... took a nap. I was SO COLD. When I woke up, I moved to the bedroom and buried myself under layers of blankets. I'd eaten my snacks at 4pm and by then I wasn't really feeling like eating would help, so I didn't.

Saturday I woke up with a migraine. Possibly bc I was hungry/dehydrated. GEE I WONDER WHY. Took some drugs and went back to sleep. By the time I woke up at 1pm I was feeling sort of ok. Tried plain toast with butter and a cup of tea but stayed in bed all afternoon, and by the evening I was feeling stable enough to wash some dishes and make cream of mushroom soup. Still tired though, so I moved my stool over to the stove so I could stir while it cooked hehe. It's not silly if it works!

Sunday feeling much more like myself. I tried to make a cup of coffee, but the Keurig made a funny noise and died. And perhaps had a burning smell? It is living on the floor until I can take it out. It was a $250 machine that I paid $20 for, so it served me well over the last 16 months. But now I need a new machine, and I think I'd like to get a full on drip brewer, a little 5-cupper if possible. In the mean time, I have other options (French press, v-cup drip; trying to use the Keurig basket with boiling water was a complete waste unless you like to chew your coffee).

Decided how I wanted to make the pockets on my striped skirt, and then ACTUALLY SEWED SOMETHING!!!! So, the pockets I drafted on VIBES and was very blase about adding the seam allowance when I cut them out. Shoulda drawn it on, alas. They've been pinned with the box pleat for over a week. Did I just turn the edges under? Line it? The book suggested that pretty much every pocket that wasn't a collection of straight lines should be lined, so OK I'll line it. Would I line the entire thing, then pleat it? Or line it with the pleat in place.

I chose the latter. And since I was so "meh" about the seam allowances, I do not have symmetrical pockets, nor mirrored versions thereof as I cut the fashion fabric the same side up lol. The depths to which I do not care. Then I basted the CF because the book gives very clear directions about how to do a slot seam and CF placket. Went to go place the pockets and thought you knooooow I should mount this on the belt for best practices. Made the belt, reached the point of adding in boning and ran out of bobbin thread, so called it a day.

Then I thought I'd do some other things I've been putting off, like getting the screw out of my exterior door jamb so I can use the damn thing and laundry. Got a bag together, got a screwdriver and prepared myself... only to realize almost at the last minute that my friend still has my actual keys, which have the laundry room key on it, and I have the copied set, which doesn't. DAMNIT. Well fine, I'll try and get this frame out of the door to replace it with the glass since it's not cold enough to freeze your Winnebago out. And discovered that I couldn't, because it was painted shut in the summer. I tried to break the line with a knife and bang it out, but she is STUCK. Fine, it is what it is. Didn't even consider that might be a problem, so I probably should have looked at that earlier in the fall! Oh well.

Put a LOT into the cross stitch over the weekend and the new photos are up on Flickr. I reached a point height-wise where the remaining upper fabric, even clipped up, is in danger of being stitched, and I'll need to move it to the right again pretty soon. I did nearly stitch that little flap when working on the flower basket. I also discovered a missing square on the pattern, which was also missing in the PDF version I bought lol. Well, I'll just fill it in as I see fit.
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Monday: Woke up feeling kinda meh, which got worse as the day went on and by 10:30 am I was miserable and also fairly sure of what caused it. Went home at noon and collapsed into bed. Weather: warming up from -15C to around 0C.

Tuesday: feeling better, so went back to work. By end of day, feeling BLEH again and stayed in bed. Weather: warm! 5 or 6C! (Weather app said it was 5F and 24C, which I am quite sure is the wrong way around lol)

Wednesday: morning was BLEH, four cups of coffee was definitely the wrong choice, got my blood work done ahead of my appointment. Around 4PM I suddenly felt amazing, bring on the WORLD!!! I can take it! Made a sandwich for dinner and did one pan of dishes, and body said FUCK YOU, spent the rest of the day flat. Weather: snowing in the am and into the afternoon, around -10C.

Thursday: Tummy still mad but not too bad. Ate lunch with the Latinx employees at their holiday potluck which was held in our space hehehe. Tummy was not mad about that! Went to my appt, back to work for a hot minute, and then home, where upon walking in the door I decided I would like to lay down for a bit, had a nap, and then spent the rest of the evening dying. WTF? Weather: WARM. Above freezing again. Roads are sloppy messes, buses are tossing oceans of dirty water up the sidewalks, non-cleared areas are compressing and will be dangerous as they refreeze.

Today: Tummy is STILL MAD wtf? Is this even the same issue as Monday? Have I been extending the pain with what I've managed to eat, which, it needs to be said, is VERY LITTLE? Is it environmental? EGADS this needs to stop. I expect today to be a quiet work day followed by another quiet evening where I might manage another thread into my cross stitch, or perhaps some knitting. Maybe. Weather: Warm again, expected high of 4C. So, another sloppy day.

No plans this weekend beyond "not dying". Skirt is all cut out and just needs making up. I was reading that book I linked a couple posts ago and it talked about a high stomach and lowering the back piece a bit to allow it to swing backward. I think I shall try that, it would give a similar effect to a swayback adjustment. Hmmmmm.
totchipanda: (Default)
Thank you everyone for your kind and encouraging words about my upcoming appointment <3 It got moved to a little later in the day today so I have a little bit longer to be anxious about it (and about making it on time).

My tummy is still a little upset. I say upset, but I don't mean like, nauseous. It's more like cramping, and my intestines weren't too please either. It started feeling better yesterday afternoon but it did NOT like the sandwich I made for dinner (literally bologna and cheese on toast with mayo and mustard, tomatoes on the side, no other veggies or seasonings) and I spent the rest of the evening being flat with a kitten on my tummy.

I put one whole thread into the summer stroll last night, and I am kind of dying inside that I can see it better (particularly the light threads on a light background) without my glasses on. Does this mean I need reading lenses? How does one even know what kind of reading lenses to get? Woe, woe etc lol.
totchipanda: (Default)
More snow on the weekend so I didn't get out of the house. I just don't trust my tires (both for air holding and their ability to grip snow, which has always been "zero"), nor could I be certain it would even start (really gotta replace that battery). The downside is that I am down to the literal dregs for groceries; I ate leftover potatoes with eggs on Friday, the last of the pasta on Saturday, and a salad on Sunday (if by "salad" we mean sliced tomatoes and lettuce with dressing. NO cheese, no crunchies, no nothing else). Lunch today is a frozen soup. I did my budget on Friday and hoo boy it is BAD. Whoops. Regardless of how I feel about eating, the cats have one more portion of wet food left so either today or tomorrow, I need canned cat food.

Friday night and Saturday, I sewed a cat doll and her clothes! I skipped all sorts of closures except the waist elastic in the drawers. She is so cute! I perhaps should have started with a less fluffy faux fur, or perhaps no fur at all, as she rather looks like a guinea pig. Still heckin cute though!

Sunday, I trimmed the remaining seams on the Mitchell trousers with pinking shears and stitched the cuffs. Just needs closures now, a button and a hook and bar that I currently have none of. Then I oiled the machine since it was sounding a little loud, including the bobbin race.

I made cookies in the afternoon, taking advantage of gap in the time when the kittens wanted to sit on me, and cut out the Seatoun skirt while I waited for things to bake or cool. The dough was quite sticky, so I put it in the fridge while waiting for the oven to heat up, and that worked nicely. The recipe said "two tablespoons" of dough per cookie, to get 22 cookies, but I think it should have been two TEAspoons. They are quite large, but evenly baked and yummy!

One thing I should have done for the skirt is added a bit more room at the front, as it was quite tight on my first version. I cut pockets and plackets out of the offcuts from where the skirts couldn't lie directly side by side. Just need the waist band yet (will cut once I have the skirt ready for it), and I still have a good chunk of fabric left over. It'll make a great bag.

Spent the rest of the weekend cross stitching. FInished one border box aside from the thread I don't have, then picked up A Summer Stroll again since, as with the summer, the kittens want to be ON me and don't seem to care about the stitching in the same way they care about knitting. I worked a little on a sock and neglected to put it away, where they of course carried it off under my bed. I've decided that this is the last sock I am making this year, as a local dyer hosts a NYE cast on that I intend to take part in. I'll feel better about it if I'm not struggling to finish another pair in time to free up my needles.

It's starting to really sink in that I don't have holiday work this year... I'm less stressed but also what do I do with myself??? I have EVENINGS without stuff to fill them?! What is this!

Didn't sleep last night. Am so very very very tired.
totchipanda: (Default)
I took a shorter break on Tuesday so I could go home earlier, changed into comfy clothes, grabbed the sweater bag, and went off to blood donation. Which I couldn't do, bc my iron was too low. Stopped at a gas station on the way to my friends' place to discover that the one tire was completely flat, and WOW driving is a lot easier when it's not! Guess I better replace those soon (facepalm).

Dancing is now over, and my girl took second place. Enjoyed it all! Sweater was knitted and I was supposed to drop down a needle size or two, didn't have it with me, carried on anyway, maybe messed up the ribbing pattern bc my friends don't have lights that are suitable for sitting and watching TV with, so I was knitting in the dark. I'll check it tonight or tomorrow.

Earlier this week I made some lil project papers with lists of supplies on them, and then folded them up and put them in a lil plastic cup to pull from at will. It's mostly historical pieces, so I definitely want to add some modern things in as well, but for now it will do. This is to help me not lump around for three solid months, working on projects I WANT to work on can only be good! I tipped the cup when I was putting it away and the last paper I collected was "Seatoun skirt", of which I purposely bought striped fabric for pre-October. So earlier this week I patterned out the pocket shape I wanted for that, and it will be my first project.

Link: 1922 book on skirt making, which includes several pages of pockets (no measurements, a whole lot of "size desired") and the clearest directions I've seen about these stupid interior waistbands that no modern pattern has ever made sense for me. (Pg. 14)

Weekend is looking to be very chilly, and I have no plans to go anywhere besides an errand or two. Plans otherwise include nomming, cuddling with the cats, cross stitching, knitting, baking, napping, and reading. Subject to change without notice. I should play with the Cricut this weekend...

BRRRRR

Nov. 26th, 2024 10:10 am
totchipanda: (Default)
We got absolutely dumped on on Saturday, a good 5" judging by the layer of snow when I unearthed my car. Roads are still utterly gross, I drove a whole kilometer and then went home lol.

Weekend was spent cross-stitching while it snowed. I got a good bit of the first box and border done. Will have to start an album for this one too, no photos as yet ;)

I purchased a PDF of a Japanese sewing book for a whopping $4.50 US which I'm pretty sure is a non-authorized scan but I don't regret it lol. I still want to get the physical copy, it's just $$$ to ship. The book is Dress Up Cat and it's so stinkin' cute!! My prints of the patterns are a little larger than intended, but it's fine for now. I can't wait to make an army of cute little cats in cuter little clothes.

Friday I went to see the new Gladiator movie, and it was good, very much in the spirit of the original while not being a complete rehash. Pedro was not in it nearly enough. I brought a sweater knit, which is a whole lot of plain knitting with two whole purls, and I finished one ball of yarn and started the next. No regrets.

Tonight is the Dancing with the Stars finale, and it is SO FREAKIN' LONG. 3 hours! Still pulling for my girl Ilona. Sweater knitting is back on the menu.

Since it was snowing on Saturday, I rebooked my blood donation appointment for today, completely forgetting about DWTS. Debating if I want to do it and then do DWTS, I'll be finished around the time it starts, but I won't have any crafting with me at all. Sweater is at home, and my work socks are on hold bc I ran out of yarn! IDK if I can sit with the former roomies for that long without something in my hands. Maybe a trip to the dollar store is required... I should have grabbed something before I left this morning lol. Esp with roads as bad as they are, I don't necessarily want to drive. Decisions.
totchipanda: (Default)
I forgot to say, I have to restart my barely-started 30 yard challenge. The store I got my striped fabrics from is having a sale and they had white voile for a good price even before the discount so... I bought it. It's for a regency "little white dress".

So that means I need to get going on my replacement stays. K sent me home with the pieces cut out for Fig Leaf's transitional stays, and I did baste them together the other night. They are too large, as I expected. I need to try them on a little more appropriately to assess the fit -- IE; with a shift and while standing, not sitting on the couch in a t-shirt while trying not to disturb the cat on my lap.

In talking with my therapist the other day, I told her how I was all fired up for sewing projects, and she suggested that I make a list along with the supplies needed for each one so that I don't get hung up on "well I want to make X but I'm missing Y item to do it". I think that's a great plan and I intend to start it very soon.

Weather has become distinctly winter-like this week. Temps today around single-digit F (for the Canucks/Europeans, -13) and its been snowing, with more expected later today. I have THINGS TO DO outside the house but also... can I make it work for a couple more days. I have lots of soup in the fridge and I have discovered how absolutely delicious toasted or fried corn torillas are. Maybe I can make it through the next few days without needing to make special trips.

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