Journal Notes- Downton Abbey - Positive Ending Note

Getting ready to enjoy Downton Abbey, especially it's clothes, and hats.

What future pretties will I create, based on this BBC series?

Of course soon this show's historical scenes will be history itself.

Instead of being sad, I vote we focus on telling our own stories!

Ench By Sew-40: Year of Monkey Inspires Sewing

Click on this link in iTunes  to download the 40th episode of the Enchanted by Sewing Audio Podcast,  recorded in January of 2016. Or listen directly on the web by clicking on this link.

Kunghei fatchoy!*

The Celebration of the Year of the Monkey begins  just a little over a week from now. This month’s  “Enchanted by Sewing” show celebrates sewing inspired by the Chinese Lunar New Year

This episode:
Primero /First  - A brief introduction to the Chinese Lunar New Year

http://www.sftourismtips.com/chinese-new-year-san-francisco.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/12125631/Chinese-New-Year-2016-The-Year-of-the-Monkey-Everything-you-need-to-know.html

Entonces/Then: My audio notes from the show “China through the Looking Glass” a very popular textile and fashion show that ran  last summer 2015, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City

Y Tambien/And Also:  I include reflections on my own experiences with Chinese inspired patterns, textiles and fashions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheongsam

. . .

The American mid 20’th century musical “The Flower Drum Song” is a great way to get a sense of Euro-American people’s awareness of Chinese –descent communities in their midst. 

Chinese fabrics and styles, whether from history, stories, films or  a growing awareness of Chinese culture, have inspired elements in my sewing, since before I first put a needle into a piece of material.

Remembering where my inspiration to create and sew comes from, is just one more thing that keeps me…

Enchanted by Sewing


*In Cantonese “Happy New Year” is “Kunghei fatchoy “ (/gong-hey faa-chwhy/)

Samplers - Early Blogs

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, Textiles: Samplers

Seems a new idea

"Look at me, I was here."

Samplers were blogs too!

Shall We Dance ? Stanford Arboretum Cactus Friends

Alluring Stag Horn Cholla dancing withBeavertail Pkicklypear 

Shall we Dance?

On a bright cloud of music, shall we fly?

Shall we then say goodnight, and mean goodbye?

OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II;RICHARD RODGERS, The King and I

Between the Raindrops

Fungus - Stanford Arboreteum

Drought - since 2010

But now the mushrooms arise

Welcome El Niño!

Web Resources
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_29386958/el-nino-not-fizzling-more-storms-barreling-toward

I gotta remember to Stay-Stitch those sleeves! Muslin: M6076 - Princess Seamed Shirt - Pattern Work

I cut out the muslin for this princess-seamed shirt a while back. It's the same pattern, M6076, I first started using to create my sleeveless Western Winds shirt back in the early fall. Now I'm continuing to create a sleeved version. This pattern has multiple princess-seamed options (a princess-seam can end up in different spots on the garment) and lots and lots of instruction sheet ideas for getting a good fit. A really good basic pattern.

I'm not instruction sheet oriented - so I have a tendency to forget about stay-stiching! And then I wonder why the sleeve stretches out of shape when I go to set it in! Same deal with other curved seam areas. And it's particularly important when I'm creating a muslin/toile - because this is the time for getting the seams to come together right .

Set in Sleeve test - the outer line is stay-stitching (regular stitch line).
The inner line is a basting stitch for easing or setting the sleeve cap into the
armscye (the curved opening in the bodice)

I added two tucks in the front of the sleeve cap, because after I measured the alterations to the bodice (the armscye line), 

I found that there was too much sleeve cap. I want only about 3/4" more in the sleeve cap, than in the armscye. Also I took note

as to the center of the sleeve - so I only altered the front, the back looks like it has about the right amount of extra.

I must admit, this is not exciting sewing. In the past I always just went ahead and sewed up a pattern and hoped for the best. But I've learned the value of a well fitting pattern. It means I'll get this one pattern working for me - and then I can just zip through future versions, knowing they'll look and fit great and I'll reach into the armoire for them again and again.

I added a one inch seam allowance for fitting a muslin/toile.
Learned this from Lynda Maynard.
I used a double Clover tracing wheel for this - it has two heads.

NYC Haiku: Stopoff at the Natural History Museum

Ostrich's Call Out

From Subway Walls at 81'st

Train to the Museum!

Embellishment Inspiration: Personable Lions - Antique Printed Fabric

 These charming lions were block printed on cotton fabric, in Iran,  sometimes between the 10'th and 11th centuries. Eventually traders imported block printed fabric on to other lands and  Europeans were inspired by the use of wooden or metal blocks, to print on fabric of their own. 

I think this design would make a charming modern fabric. A quilt for a child? Definitely! But also I can imagine borrowing this pattern for patch pockets, tote bags, or miniaturized for a border print on a skirt hem or shirt cuffs.

Web Resources: Fashion and Virtue

Textile Patterns and the Print Revolution, 1520–1620

Neighborhood Memories: Good Things Come in Threes

Over the winter holiday, mighty fine neighbor Mark,  fixed up this vintage three-wheeler for use as a Kid-Mover.

Plaid Tidings: My Husbands New Nightshirt (M8379)

In my November and December podcasts, the theme was plaids and tartans. 

I'm in the mood to sew more than one this winter season. Hope I can make that happen

My husband's nightshirts were wearing out - he usually needs one or two new ones about every two years. Since the last ones I made him, I've misplaced the pattern. I found McCalls 8379 on the web. It seems to be out of print, but there are probably still many available the same way I found this one. I liked the front tuck and simple neckline. 

I got the side seam plaids matched, but since I quilted the pocket, the flannel in the pocket tightened up quite a lot more than the flannel in the front of the garment. So the plaids didn't match up when I laid the pocket down. My husband doesn't care! He's glad to have a place to put his iPod or reading glasses when he's hanging out on a Sunday morning reading the paper.

He likes it!

Cauliflower Renaissance at the San Francisco Ferry Building, Farmer's Market

Cauliflower Romanesco is a real fantasy vegetable
Read more about this darling crucifer

Cauliflower dates back to the 1600's. It was a favorite of Louis XV mistress, the Comtesse du Barry. the  Like broccoli,bok toy, and brussels sprouts it's a member of the cabbage family - often called the crucifer family.

Brassica oleracea var. botrytis
Purple Cauliflower? Read more

Ench By Sew-39: Plaid tidings’ to you and all of your kin! Part 2 of Tartans and Plaids (Winter Holidays Mini-Cast)

Newly togged out Katie Rose is an Engel-Puppen doll

Click on this link in iTunes  to download the 39th episode of the Enchanted by Sewing Audio Podcast,  recorded in December of 2015. Or listen directly on the web by clicking on this link.

Plaid tidings’ to you and all of your kin! During the winter holidays, plaids and tartans look so festive. Dolls are the perfect plaid-sewing partners, because sewing for a doll, gives me the motivation to engage in some sample sewing. And at this time of year they remind me of  dollies, and doll clothes that were sewn for me, at this special time of year – like the mini wardrobe of Barbie clothes my aunt gracie sewed and sent me one winter holiday, as well as the red courderoy jumpers and dotted slip dresses, Mama made for our Chatty Kathy dolls, as well as for me and my sister Trisha in the winter I was 4 (with matching girl jumpers).

K.R's green plaid jumper is based on an
 American Girl free doll clothes pattern in "Mollie's Pretty Clothes"

The doll featured in this sewing project is Katie Rose. K.Rose is an Engel-Puppen doll. (Engel-Puppen doll link - has history of these dolls)

Sample sewing may not sound very exciting, but sewing an 18” (think American Girl sized) plaid doll’s dress gave me a chance to – in a very limited amount of time - practice my pattern cutting out skills for plaid fabric, as well as experiment with a new-to-me technique for improved  plaid matching

This  show is all about technicos/techniques.

My goals with this doll’s dress were to work on:
Primero/First)Careful layout of multiple princess-seamed bodice pieces - definitely less nerve racking for a doll, and gives me confidence to work on the red plaid princess-seamed shirt I’m muslin’ing - as well as the plaid nightshirt I’ll plan to be making soon for my husband.
Entonces/Then)I tried Fusible Thread to decrease slippage during sewing (a new-to-me technique for enhanced/ improved  plaid matching).  Also useful /good idea for sewing on patch pockets  

I used crafster to look for help regarding my challenges with fusible thread.
Response from ~T Read more: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=442125.0#ixzz3ufLODkuJ
https://www.byannie.com/shop/product/fusible-thread/

“She calls for low heat, so I am guessing you just had the iron too hot.

She also describes another technique for using it with aluminum foil as your pressing cloth..letting that cool and peeling it off, to create a design on fabric. Like a dimensional paint overlay technique?

You Craftsters always inspire me to hunt for new ideas   

I Goggled 'Fusible Thread Instruction' for this one. There are more on there as well.

~T”

I love using succulents all over the house during the festive season.
This simple arrangement provides the perfect place for Katie Rose to hang out.

American Girl Doll Clothes Patterns - Free http://www.agplaythings.com/AG%20Patterns/DollDressPatterns.html

More Plaid Web Resources

http://moviestarmakeover.com/category/classically-ladylike/

http://moviestarmakeover.com/category/myrna-loy/

http://www.pendleton-usa.com/thumbnail/Home/FABRIC/PLAIDS/1721/c/1828/pc/1816.uts

Windy with Rainbows: Part 4 - Off-Leash - Legal- and on to the Golden Gate Bridge

We stumbled on Crissy Field Beach  having no previous idea it's a legally off-leash dog beach! Yes, you need to pick up after the pooch, of course. This meant a delay in reaching the bridge, naturally.

But we did make Fort Point, and back again. 

All in all, we walked 9.5 miles (not counting major romping time at the beach). You could make it much shorter by leaving out walking the other way to Ghirardelli Square, or by parking nearby the beach - where I actually saw parking.

Limited food access on a Sunday. We stopped off mid afternoon at the Marina Safeway, which was a few blocks from where we parked on Bay.

Windy with Rainbows Part 3: Along the Marina headed for Fort Point/Golden Gate Bridge

Wind and Rain as we walked along the Marina, headed for Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge,  got us in the festive spirit! 

Windy with Rainbows Part 2 - San Francisco Fort Mason along Marina Green

 View of the Golden Gate Bridge looking across Fort Mason - walking back from Ghirardelli Square

The Marina 

What's a Marina?

Festive Season along Marina Green

Windy with Rainbows Part 1- San Francisco Ghirardhelii Square

 Though it was a mighty wet Sunday, Jasper and I enjoyed a long day's walking. We started out, by parking on Bay above Fort Mason and walked through the park, down the hill (out on the wharf it was too rainy for photos - exciting for a pooch though!) and across the road to a festively decorated Ghirardelli Square. More trip  - next posting.

Goof! Plaids and How NOT to Match 'Em!

Hand basted the seams with fusible thread. All nicely lined up!

So back in Beginning Sewing Construction I learned about fusible thread. Apparently a great way to use it is for basting plaid pieces together to avoid fabric slipping around when you machine stitch.

You can see the stitches, because not yet fused

Thought I'd test the technique out on a sample doll's dress, as practice for upcoming plaids and tartans sewing projects.

There must be a secret to the actual fusing, because all that happened was, that when I pressed the basted seams, the thread fused onto one of the seam lines, and disappeared from the other. I would have been better off, simply basting with regular thread, before doing my machine stitching.

My lovely fusible basting thread melted into the fabric, but didn't meld the seams!

Onward and upward. This is the reason we do sample sewing!

Posted in Crafter.... http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?board=391.0

Holiday Planting and Beyond! Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Packs a Red Punch

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is giving my succulent ball just the punch it needs for the holiday season - and beyond.

I got this lovely stuff - and quite a lot of the other succulents - at Succulent Gardens in nearby Castroville. It's a fantastic nursery - and right now they have free shipping. So guess who just ordered more of these darling little red guys?

Care and Prep - This time through I soaked my moss ball in fish emulsion (I think Braun makes these balls). Will see how that works out. Going to water between the plants with a spray bottle once or twice a week, once it dries out.

No, I'm not done yet!

Pismo Beach - Fall Camping with Cousin Martha

Cousin Martha and I camped for two nights at Pismo Beach in San Luis Obispo county, the week before Thanksgiving. Overwinter Monarch Butterflies, a very happy dog, and a heavenly beach,  made it a trip we're dreaming about repeating as soon as possible.

Jasper-The-New-Pooch had never seen a tent before. He's a little uncertain