Field Trip: Bayside Sewing With Susan

I like the color and buttons on
Susan's new purple shirt.
It's a perfect color for her.

My sewing buddy Susan and I, haven't had a chance to get together since she moved from Half Moon Bay to Discovery Bay several months back. Yesterday I took the day off to go and visit her, and get in some buddy sewing time. I blogged a bit about the trip itself in my Windmills In My Head posting in my Postcard from CA blog, 

I'm embarrassed to tell you how much sewing goop I took along. No, I never did use my sewing machine or even shift the contents of three of the receptacles I dragged into Susan's wonderful sewing studio in her great big house. Not only does she have a wonderful big area to sew in, she also has a walk in closet where I observed a goodly fabric inventory hanging up along with her wardrobe. Though I don't think of myself as an envious person, I wouldn't turn down the opportunity for that kind of sewing space and storage if they came along!

And I love the cuff!
Hummmm where could I do this?

I'm not sure where six plus hours went. I know we talked non stop. I showed her my bustier and she showed me her numerous recent creations. I did some fix up sewing on my bustier and worked on a straight denim, elastic waist skirt. Susan pinned my hem in place and advised me on a couple of fit issues. In between helping me out she sewed on a new shirt project.

How many shirts had she finished? Six or more? Plus two pairs of cropped pants (those blue ones she's wearing above were one pair). And more than one darling little girl dress for granddaughters. What she's gotten done in the same amount of time as I spent sewing away at my bustier, really reinforced for me my desire to turn out as many shirts and pants as possible. Because it's fun looking in ur closets and being able to imediately pull out practical, attractive, well-fitting clothes that we really wear day in and day out.

I wish I'd thought to photograph all Susan's new shirts to show you.

Construction is great
But not a Susan garment

We also did a post-mortem on some of the projects we'd created for our classes at Cañada. What are we wearing and which not? Susan has decided she's not a big fan of knits, but I still am. While admiring her wardrobe space, we found a shirt she'd created for the "Designers Details" class Susan took while I was taking the "Intermediate Construction" class. The shirt turned out great, but she doesn't wear it. I think it's just not her style. 

I'm partial to the collar bits
Might be nice in linen...

Gotta love that collar detail, however. I think that would be nice executed in linen, with all the bits in the same fabric.

Visiting with a buddy who also loves to sew, and sewing together,  is the kind of field trip that keeps me...

Enchanted by Sewing.

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Web Resources

Windmills In My Head http://postcardfromcalifornia.blogspot.com/2014/05/i-early-moonrise-over-windmill-farm-i.html

My No 1 Ladies Detective Agency Shirt http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/03/no-1-ladys-detective-agency-shirt-b5526.html

CA Romance Dress 1 http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/06/sewing-up-california-romance-vogue-8810.html

CA Romance Dress 2 1http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2012/08/romancing-dress-part-3-dress-comes-to.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_Bay,_California

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento–San_Joaquin_River_Delta

Altamont Pass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altamont_Pass

Altamont Wind Farm Windmills are dangerous for local birdlife, but progress is being made http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Altamont-Pass-turbines-kill-fewer-birds-4230640.php

Windmills In My Head (San Francisco Bay Area Field Trip)

I  enjoyed an early moonrise over the Windmill Farm
 as I drove on Vasco Road, through the Altamont Pass
on my way home from  Susan's house.

Took a day off yesterday, to go see my buddy Susan. You remember Susan right? She's the sewing buddy who fitted my No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency shirt, and my CA Romance dress. Susan and her family have recently moved to Discovery Bay.  Her house there is huge, by my two bedroom cottage standards. Her bedroom is more like a studio, perfect for a sewist!

Though people do  commute into San Francisco and the Silicon Valley from Discovery Bay, it's a pretty long haul from the Penninsula. I spent about two hours driving each way, managing to miss the commute traffic, but getting lost twice.  Once I was through the congestion of I880, south of Berkley and Oakland, and transitioned onto I580, the landscape began to calm down.

Once off I580 onto Vasco Road, it was clear I was heading into land that has maintained it's agricultural roots. The area has still got plenty of working farms, farm stands and narrow two lane roads, and the Sacramento Delta is a hop skip and a jump away.

I'm not sure what the key crops are in the fields just beyond Susan's house, but it's pretty clear that energy is a year round, all-season product in the Altamont Pass Windmill Farm.

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Web Resources

Field Trip: Bayside Sewing With Susan http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/05/field-trip-bayside-sewing-with-susan.html

My No 1 Ladies Detective Agency Shirt http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/03/no-1-ladys-detective-agency-shirt-b5526.html

CA Romance Dress

http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/06/sewing-up-california-romance-vogue-8810.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_Bay,_California

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento–San_Joaquin_River_Delta

Altamont Pass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altamont_Pass

Altamont Wind Farm Windmills are dangerous for local birdlife http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Altamont-Pass-turbines-kill-fewer-birds-4230640.php