yet moar wardrobe planning

in which our plucky heroine cogitates more on YLWC and other sewing plans...

Back in October, when the Year Long Wardrobe Challenge concept showed up on Stitchers Guild, it fit in nicely with my ongoing wardrobe refubishment efforts... So, looked through the Vivienne Files archives and sorted out what combinations of garments and accessories Janice has chosen, month by month for a year of wardrobe creation:

JAN - top, pants, cardigan, loafers, earrings
FEB - dress, shoes, scarf, necklace, clutch bag
MAR - skirt, sweater/top, scarf, watch, canvas shoes
APR - tunic, pants, shoes, earrings, necklace
MAY - tank top, cardigan, shorts, sandals, bracelet, earrings
JUN - summer dress, sandals, tote, earrings, bracelet
JUL - tee shirt, tee shirt, shorts, sandals, necklace
AUG - blouse/top, skirt, cardigan, ring, brooch, boots
SEP - shirt, pants, puffy vest, scarf, gloves, low boots
OCT - shirt, pants, sweater, tote, necklace
NOV - winter coat, hat, gloves, scarf, boots
DEC - dressy top/sweater, pants/skirt, bag + shoes + jewelry

For October, my plan was instead of pants, a pinafore from my wardrobe, and a sweater from my wardrobe, and to sew a shirt, which I did, the flannel shirt, which is in steady rotation as a new cozy favorite. I had hopes of also sewing a new tote bag, which may yet happen...

For November, my plan was to finish the rain capelet, to call my current winter hats and boots good enough, and to make myself a new scarf and gloves. I just finished yesterday the new grey linen cowl scarf with multicolor wool tiny tassel trim. It would be great if I also knit a pair of thin warm gloves, to layer under my Log Cabin mitts, but this month has mostly been all about sewing projects for other people. So, my next transit handwork ought to be glove knitting... and realistically about a day and a half should get the rain capelet edge-binding stitched on (I've been wearing it as an unfinished poncho for the last year or so) and a tote bag for October put together.

I've already figured out that for December, when the plan calls for "dressy" clothing and accessories, I am instead going to work on some special SCA clothing for me (for our big wintertime 12th Night event in January) I have no real use at all for modern party clothes, but a new historical/medieval dress, underdress, and accessories would be a treat, as a lot of my SCA clothing is at least ten to fifteen years old. Something similar to the new gown I made for Thora would make me really happy, so some time block printing fancy trim fabrics will be my next personal project... tune in next month as I try and fit it all in...

As far as SWAP, my only goals currently are to #1. finish the other blouse toile, for the bias front blouse conversion, and #2. start and finish the indigo pinstripe dress, which is intended as the Pre-2019 SWAP Dress Challenge" project that will also be part of my Winter 6PAC. The blouse toile has been cut out and is sitting waiting for my non-sewing projects to be completed...

Back in SWAP 2017, I duplicated a favorite pair of loose cropped knit leggings to fulfill the "bottoms" requirement that year. Those leggings have proved to be ideal as a cool season layer, and it would be a great idea to make some more... perhaps even include a pair or two in my SWAP 2019. As it heads towards winter, it is time to go check and see if there is any suitable fabric on the resource shelves!

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This dress and the "burrito method" of creating a reversible garment came up in discussion on SG. While I don't much need a reversible summertime mini-dress, making a pinafore in this way would be basically creating a layered pinafore with an attached slip. This could have some real potential for deep winter, or if using thinner than usual fabric...

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Gosh it looks like what I really need to do is spend some time every day doing some decluttering. Every month has seen more and more activity in the making things happen zone, and less and less in the sorting and clearing clutter zone. It would also be good to start on phase number next in the ongoing clutter saga, and start digging into the actual closed storage, like drawers and cupboards... Given all that is currently scheduled for this last week of November, that won't happen, as it is very unlikely to include enough time to fill five more grocery sacks of clutter to be removed. Aim for at least one more, and see how that goes...

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Thora gown	Earthboxes filled	bag to Goodwill
2	Isabel gown	woodchips moved	8# persimmons
3	chookhouse base	EF cardigan refashion	-
4	Marya cuffs	harvested persimmons	-
5	Marya front panels	dried persimmons	-
6	Marya collar	moar dried persimmons	-
7	grey linen gauze cowl	x	-
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

Saturday snippets

in which our plucky heroine makes steady if scattered progress...

Today one of the tasks is setting up the fourth go-round with persimmons in the food dehydrator. Thank you so much Bob and Sam for sending it my way! the pantry here now has several large jars full of dried orange autumnal sweetness...

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Finished the grey linen gauze cowl, and the wee tiny wool tassels add color (as I had intended) and are not at all itchy (as I had hoped)... a new addition to the accessory wardrobe, and the only part of the November suggestion for "Year Long Wardrobe Challenge" I've managed to complete. But there was a lot of sewing for other people instead...

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After an unknown number of hours (many) of stitching, the embroidered trim for the rubakha (silk undergown) for my friend Marya's elevation clothing is finished, and handed off to Kieran who is sewing the silk gown they will be attached to. There are five pieces: a collar, two front neckline panels, and two cuffs. All based on actual textile ornamentation from medieval Novgorod.

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Thora gown	Earthboxes filled	bag to Goodwill
2	Isabel gown	woodchips moved	8# persimmons
3	chookhouse base	EF cardigan refashion	-
4	Marya cuffs	harvested persimmons	-
5	Marya front panels	dried persimmons	-
6	Marya collar	moar dried persimmons	-
7	grey linen gauze cowl	x	-
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

gifty wishlist 2018 version

..in which our plucky heroine offers notes for Duchess Daegmar's Sekrit Santa gift exchange...

I've been participating in the gift exchange for a number of years now. Since most of what will make a real difference in my life are not things, but the gift of experiences, time, and the sharing of resources, rather than actual "stuff", and since I have spent the last several years doing major decluttering; it is actually pretty difficult to find objects that fit the requirements: "keep the exchanged gift either handmade and/or homemade, or if purchased to be $25 or less."

It seemed a good idea to provide both general guidelines to what I like and do not like, as well as a modest annotated list of assorted Useful and Delightful things:

Random wishlist notes:

I love handmade gifts, particularly those of the wooden, ironwork, glass or textile sort. Kitchen potholders are always welcome (my kitchen accent color is that warm red like tomatoes). My SCA life is mostly as a Norse style person, so narrow handmade trim for early period garb is always useful.

My favorite colors: The kind of blue that you get from indigo: nightsky and dark denim. The greyish color of natural linen. Taupe. Grey. Soft dull turquoise. The dark black brown of some kinds of undyed sheep wool. Bittersweet chocolate brown.

In general, food is not a Fjorlief treat. Our plucky heroine does not particularly like chocolate, and is very allergic to cherries and hazelnut. I particularly do not like scented things, and am very allergic to cedar.

I mostly do not collect things, in particular I don't collect acorn kitsch, even though the house is named Acorn Cottage...

Annotated wishlist items that are less than $25, in no particular order at all :

a piece or two of 1/16" x 6" wood to make more tablet weaving cards from - quarter sawn white oak, or walnut (not cherry because allergies).

These smaller pocket size DMT pocket diamond hones would be very handy both for sharpening knives, and for grinding down enamels.

Wake The Dead's combination of celtic style instruments and arrangements, and Grateful Dead songs, makes me really happy. Any of the three CD's would be a nice addition to the Acorn Cottage library: Wake The Dead, or Buckdancer's Choice, or Blue Light Cheap Hotel

This beautiful Rosewood seam ripper would be a lovely addition to my sewing box.

I find this sewing themed panel simply delightful, and in the "mushroom" colorway, it would be a treat for sewing room artwork

...more spendy wishes
(not for sekrit santa swap)

It would be a very good addition to the infrastructure here to acquire an extension ladder. One that is long enough to reach the gutters, or the attic hatchways, and strong enough for someone that weighs over 200 lbs... must needs do a bit more research as to what would be suitable

new mattress - my current mattress, while not terrible old, has become terribly topographical. I had the chance to sleep on one of these Casper mattresses in the guest room at my friends house, and it was excellent! (slept through the night, didn't wake up all achey and contorted) My friends have had one in their own bedroom for months now, and it seems to be holding up really well


I will be adding to this list as I think of possible things that would be both useful and beautiful additions to my home and life...

gratitude attitude

in which our plucky heroine is grateful...

that I'm still here, six years a survivor... basically that is at the heart, because not everyone gets to live, or to live this long.

that I've been fortunate in the family I grew up with, for the continued effort to focus on the connections between us rather than the differences, and especially for my dear parents being still here and still coherent.

that I have been truly blessed with the circles of friendship I connect with, some new, some over many years, some over the electronic world, all of which foster common ground.

and that I've been able to make a home here at Acorn Cottage that supports what I do, that allows me to share my skills and knowledge with others, and that enables me to practice the noble virtue of hospitality to those in my garland of friends and family who find their way here.

I never take any of this, or all the corollaries that follow from these, for granted. For shelter, for clean water that runs from the tap, for air to breathe, for health and breath and mobility, for the heart within that doesn't give up, that still loves and reaches out, may I never fail to count my blessings...

something like fringe benefits

in which our plucky heroine eschews pompoms...

...in favor of tiny tassels, which are much easier and quicker to make! A while back I fell in love with the concept of a scarf with multicolor "bobble" trimmings. It all started when I saw this designer scarf which reminded me of my pom pom cowl, that whimsical and useful accessory made in 2012, but sadly no one makes multicolor pom pom trim in any kind of appealing colors. (I assume that the designer scarf has handmade pom poms attached individually) So, that concept went to the back burner, until one day this Tiny Tassel Tutorial turned up... It occurred to me that another linen gauze cowl would be a perfect accessory to coordinate with my 2018/19 sewing challenge garments as well as the rest of the wardrobe, and would pay homage to the inspiration without slavishly copying it.

Whilst out and about today, I had cleverly packed up this project as transit handwork, but somehow forgot to include the 5mm knitting needles that are the suggested spacers. A handy fallen twig, and a bit of whittling made shorter spacers which are actually easier to use than the long double pointed knitting needles. EDC for the win! (what do folks do that don't have a pocket knife, or multitool, or stuff like that?)

kibbles and bits

in which our plucky heroine travels North and comes home again...

Last weekend was the Glymm Mere Baronial Ball, which turned out to be a pleasant combination of music and dance performances, local history and stories, and comparatively low key social time. It was a little odd having an SCA event in the hall of a regional gun club, as the denizens seemed to be slightly bemused to be sharing their space with many oddly dressed folks. The usual painted banner decorations branches decorate rental halls seemed right at home with the many mounted animal heads that ringed the upper reaches of the room. My old friend Goran came all the way up from southern California for the event, and it was wonderful to see her, and also to have another chance to hear her sing, her voice is extraordinary.

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While up there I stayed with B & K, and it was the first time since moving out almost fifteen years ago that I slept in what was once my bedroom... I still like my painted frieze from years ago. They sent me home with gifts of a whole sweatersworth of black worsted wool yarn, and a linen oxford cloth duvet cover, both from The Bins. The duvet cover, a slubby navy/white fabric, will be likely transformed into a new dress for me, possibly with a slight overdye of indigo, grey, or teal to tone down the contrast. In addition, B's brother backed William Whiteley & Sons (Sheffield) Ltd's Kickstarter, and gave one of the shears he got to them and for some unknown reason decided to give the other one to me! It is quite huge and splendid, yet fits even my tiny paws well!

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Beth's apprentice Quillemette very kindly provided transportation there and back again; she and I had good conversations, mostly about dog behavior and house building (she and her husband just adopted a big rescue pup, and are planning on building a new house on the land they bought in Winlock. After we got back to Acorn Cottage, the traffic on I-5 was horrid, so she suggested a trip to Ikea, which enabled me to acquire many large cardboard pieces, which will help weed-block the backyard when the rest of Mt. Chipmore gets moved to become moar mulch...

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The ankle brace prescribed by the foot doc is problematical, as it does help the ankle pain, but is creating swelling up and downstream from the brace. Doc thinks that I have tendinitis inside the ankle, which may be, but my lympedema is not happy about tightly bracing the ankle with laces and velcro.

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The next sewing project for me will be this dress which will be part of my SWAP 2019 (the "sewn before official start date but after rules posted" garment).  I definitely need dresses to wear under pinafores; the weather here is getting colder... The plan is to adapt my everyday dress pattern to have both a button band bodice and a peter pan collar. This will require drafting both of those additions, as well as raising the front neckline. It will be fun to play with stripe directions using the pinstripe indigo cotton fabric.

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Thora gown	Earthboxes filled	bag to Goodwill
2	Isabel gown	woodchips moved	8# persimmons
3	chookhouse base	EF cardigan refashion	-
4	dried persimmons	harvested persimmons	-
5	Marya front panels	dried persimmons	-
6	Marya collar	x	-
7	x	x	-
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

Tuesday tidbits - mostly good

in which our plucky heroine stays warm...

Yesterday I finished the flannel shirt for my October wardrobe piece (6PAC + YLWC*). This is one of several attempts currently underway to sort of some kind pattern for a woven fabric top, my perennial and many years long challenge... It is quite cozy and comfortable (even a bit loose, as I have lost some weight in the last several months) and will look well with most of my pinafores, and can also layer a turtleneck knit top underneath when it is really cold. I am quite pleased with the collar shape, given how simple this was to put together. The rounded lapel and collar ends are echoed in the very slightly rounded sleeve ends, which rather than a button cuff are simply pleated into a fixed narrow band.

The pattern I'm using, based on a shirt jacket I made years ago, has very dropped shoulders, which I don't really like, but is so loosely fit that they don't cause mobility issues. folding out about a half inch in width from the sleeves may smooth out the slight gathering at the dropped shoulder seams, and make this pattern easier to put together. The other thing I will change in the future is to lengthen the bodice. While it works well as my desired length for cropped jackets, and is long enough to fit properly under my pinafores, it doesn't have quite enough weight to not try and creep upwards when being worn, which a bit more length would take care of...

My next attempt at a woven top will be based on my everyday dress, which has a bias cut front and narrower shoulders, it will be interesting to compare the results

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Sigh, persimmon ketchup is a fail... compost without guilt. I am not sure if persimmons are unsuited to substitute for tomatoes, or if the recipe from Food In Jars called for too much clove for my preference, or if simmering it overnight in the crockpot was a mistake... The result tasted vaguely like pumpkin pie, but then made my mouth numb, which was quite alarming until I remembered that cloves do that, and that I was not about to go into anaphylactic shock! OTOH, the dehydrated persimmons seem like they will make good treats for folks, and certainly will likely store well in the pantry

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thinking about a new black denim tote bag, possibly based on the concept of the knitters backpack, a tote bag being the other October YLWC piece that I could really use; and finding yarn to knit fingers onto one of my pairs of log cabin mitts from last year, to create gloves (gloves, a cowl, and possibly finishing up my rain capelet being the pieces from November YLWC that I have planned...

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Thora gown	Earthboxes filled	bag to Goodwill
2	Isabel gown	woodchips moved	8# persimmons
3	chookhouse base	EF cardigan refashion	-
4	dried persimmons	harvested persimmons	-
5	x	x	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	-
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

*YLWC = Year Long Wardrobe Challenge

piles of persimmons

in which our plucky heroine is overwhelmed...

the first 8 pounds

My hope had been to leave the persimmons on the tree, as it is so very lovely to see the ripe golden orange fruit still hanging on the branches after the leaves fall. But wherever that happens, it isn't somewhere with the intense squirrel predation that we have here. Whilst picking some of the astounding quantity of fruit that is the first real crop on the tree, it became apparent that the bushy tail tree rats had discovered a new sweet treat. So, in addition to the thirteen pounds already picked (some of which is in the crockpot on the way to becoming ketchup, and some of which is in the dehydrator) there are another thirty-two pounds of persimmons neatly lined up in rows on my folding tables in the sewing room.

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Took some time out today to work on the unfinished flannel shirt  (month of October YLWC* project). I figure that if it works, I am ahead one piece for the winter 6PAC, and catching up with where I want to be as far as warm winter garments, and if it doesn't work out, it will still be good as a pyjama top...

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Thora gown	Earthboxes filled	bag to Goodwill
2	Isabel gown	woodchips moved	-
3	chookhouse base	EF cardigan refashion	-
4	x	harvested persimmons	-
5	x	x	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	-
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

*YLWC = Year Long Wardrobe Challenge. Yet another of the interesting things I participate in for encouragement and camaraderie when sewing for myself. (Based on how Janice over at Vivienne Files does a series of once a month posts, of putting together a whole wardrobe using a particular scarf as inspiration for the various colorways. Of course, I don't dress like that, but am taking the idea of filling in the gaps in my own wardrobe as a way to play along, and using the same knit-by-me Solitary Foxen scarf as my colorway guide as I have picked for SWAP.

to protect and comfort...

in which our plucky heroine has a stitchy sort of day...

In the morning, helping Topaz sort out the best way to create a keyhole neckline, and a few other mysteries from the project she needed to work on, reminded me of how much I enjoy one on one teaching. Must find a way to do more of that...

Then it was such a crisp autumnal day that the only thing to do was to take a bike ride running errands in the sunshine... at the art store, while it didn't yield the water soluble paper that I hoped to replace my tracing paper with, in talking with the clerk, we came up with the idea to use tissue paper instead. I've been using tracing paper for transferring embroidery designs, in that I draw or trace the desired motifs, then stitch right through the paper. Removing the tracing paper is very annoying, as it is strong enough that it is difficult to tear away, and it takes forever to pick out the remaining bits with tweezers. Tissue paper is nowhere near as robust, but based on my efforts this evening, it will hold up long enough to do the job, and is much easier to remove, even though tweezer work is still needed...

motifs from archeological textile finds from Novgorod

worked on Marya's rubakha collar patterning and began stitching the embroidery (golden DMC floss on red silk... took about three hours for 2 motifs, 13 more to go, so about another six or seven hours at least. All the rest of the pieces still need to be backed with plain fabric to protect the back of the embroidery, and to make the pieces more comfortable to wear, as metallic floss is scratchy.

embroidered motifs are about 1" tall

just a few Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine enjoys a bit of handwork, and just a bit of fiber fantasy...

There may be some sweater knitting once all the holiday projects have been completed... Fringe Association will be doing a "steekalong" starting in January, and I was quite taken with the fetching example "Sólbein", knit at an open gauge in Lettlopi. The yarn comes in so many colors it is hard to choose a favorite combination; I had fun playing virtual swatch collage to try and get a sense of which colors worked together in a way that pleased me, and coordinated with my wardrobe... no surprise, but I'm thinking that a gradient of indigo-blue would be a good addition to the wooly cupboard, as I have nothing in that colorway for outerwear.

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Am making good progress on the Eileen Fisher cardigan refashioning project, which is turning out to be easier than initially thought. I bought some wide ribbon that was as close a color match as I could find at the local fabric shop, and carefully hemmed it in place over the turned up edge of the back cardigan piece...

Once that was done, the sides stitched to the back, and about half of the bottom front edge seam closed up, (as much as can be done by "burrito-ing" the cardigan into the fronts). Hard to explain, and only figured out what to do after the fronts were partially opened out... The rest of the front bottom hemline has been gently pressed in place, an hour or two of hand stitching will close it up and reinforce the buttons, et voila - a new-to-me cardigan!

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Thora gown	Earthboxes filled	bag to Goodwill
2	Isabel gown	woodchips moved	-
3	chookhouse base	EF cardigan refashion	-
4	x	x	-
5	x	x	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	-
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

the Upson Downs

in which our plucky heroine attempts to navigate the upson downs...fortunately more ups than downs, but still...

I'm no sort of a carpenter, and I don't even play one on teevee... but slowly I am building a modular chicken house. Last night I was able to finish attaching all the diagonal bracing and the raised edges, so that the first part, the base, is completed!

This is the base, currently upside down on the big worktable; Heather very kindly cut all eight of the diagonal braces for me this afternoon using my little handsaw miter box. This will be a tall-legged base (the better to use a wheelbarrow to clear away the used bedding), which will support the second module, the actual chicken house, which will have a 1/2" hardware cloth metal mesh "roof" to protect from varmints and allow ventilation. The third module, the roof, will be a wooden structure supporting corrugated fiberglass roofing, for light transmission. The three parts will fasten together, probably with snap hooks or carabiners, and when the time comes to move the house to a different part of the yard, can be unfastened and moved as modules, much lighter to deal with than the current chicken house which takes at least 3 or 4 people to shift

Fortunately, I have a few basic clamps, which allowed me to properly complete this part of the project. As it became more 3-D it got to where I couldn't just use gravity to hold the pieces in place so I could pre-drill and screw them together. Obviously, this is part of why *real* woodworkers have lots and lots of clamps

This is my favorite part of what I did... the two angle braces for each leg sort of intersected, as is visible in the previous photo, but the sharp end of the one stuck out above the edge of the other, which would have made it potentially painful if picked up just wrong. So, I deployed my trusty japanese pull saw and just sawed the corner off the pokey end. Good enough is better than perfect!

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While tidying the sewing bits prior to the last two days of wood-butchery, the missing embroidered hat topper for Kestrel showed up in a bag of miscellaneous notions, which gives me the idea to actually finish putting the enlarged hat together, since the weather has become much colder all of a sudden. Surely small kiddo could use a layered wool hat again.

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Yesterday yielded a pleasant surprise... I was rummaging around and found a thrifted EILEEN FISHER boucle wool cardigan! It is a very dark brown/almost black, and basically fits me, although it is too long in the body. I am considering using it for my RTW component for SWAP, if I can figure out how best to remove about six inches from the lower torso. I guess at just under 5'2" I'm somewhat shorter than her target demographic. Cutting off the bottom would also remove the pockets, alas, but I think that the proportion of shorter jacket over my longer skirts would look better.

I'm planning on retaining the neckline, as it has a very functional convertible collar, I like the buttons, the sleeves are just the right length (really surprising given my short little dinosaur arms), etc. I need to shorten the cardigan by about 6 1/2" as the only difficulty is that the jacket comes down to my hips, which are wider than that of the target demographic, particularly for a size M!! and that the jacket fronts are doubled, rather than simply put together with a facing.

here is the original cardigan:

and here is how it would look shorter:

though of course, it would be a bit less bunchy in the shorter version once it was actually shortened instead of simply having the excess folded up inside, which adds another two layers of boucle to my midsection... IMHO, the shorter length comes closer to approaching a 2/5 to 3/5 proportion between upper garment and lower garment, which seems more attractive and less dowdy.

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while riding the bus, when I ran out of embroidery to do I entertained myself by planning out the intersections of SWAP 2019, the Winter 6PAC, the pre-SWAP Dress challenge, and the 2019 Wardrobe Challenge. Which is not as crazy as it sounds. I decided a number of years ago that I'd only sew things I needed, so these are all either wardrobe improvements or test garments for the former.

Wardrobe Challenge: October - black/brown stars flannel shirt test for SWAP woven shirts (I have no woven shirts/blouses, and getting this sorted out would give me a new TNT pattern), and maybe a denim/leather knitters backpack sort of tote bag; November - finish my rain capelet, and a pair of handknit gloves. Pre-SWAP Dress challenge: make an everyday dress from the indigo pinstripe fabric, and for the new technique, draft and add a peter pan collar, and add a button band to the center front of the bodice (all my old everyday dresses are worn out, so I definitely can use some new ones, and this dress will actually be my "sewn after the rules but before SWAP sewing" garment. Winter 6PAC: black/brown flannel shirt, black rain capelet, indigo pinstripe dress, brown knit top, brown corduroy pinafore, and taupe/teal feather print knit top. (the last two are also part of SWAP, and if I sew them towards the end of 6PAC, that will work with the SWAP timetable..

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Dental FU, or why our plucky heroine is madder than a wet hen, in fact I am FURIOUS! I just got fired as a patient at the OHSU dental school. The student I had, in consultation with his faculty, decided that since I am phobic about novacaine injections that I am not a good candidate for having my dental care done there, despite the fact that previous dental students were willing to either do the cleaning without novacaine or to work with me on handling the injections in a way that was less of a problem. I am particularly furious because I was not included in making this decision, or allowed any comments. Right now I am just SO MAD... I mean, last week they called me to make sure that I transfered my OHP/Medicaid to the dental school, which I did, and now I am being shut out? Plus the few suggestions that they gave me over the phone are for places that do not even accept OHP? I need to be a bit more calm before I ask to talk to the patient advocate office. I am not sure what the next steps will be.

What makes me most angry is that I *explained* to the student exactly what the former student figured out about how to give me the novacaine in a way I could tolerate, and he ignored my information and request. Former dental student figured out that if the novacaine was injected more slowly and gradually, taking several minutes per shot, so that the numbness spread out before the needle is moved deeper, that the whole process was not agonizingly painful. It takes longer to give each injection that way, but it makes all the difference. There were four injections into the upper left quadrant of my mouth. I felt each one, and they were not given slowly enough to pre-numb the tissue prior to further insertion. If at the beginning they had told me that I was going to get four injections, that would have helped me mentally prepare, at least a little. Plus even though I told them prior to my appointment that I wanted to have nitrous, the student asked me again if I needed it, and wasn't I willing to try doing without. The whole thing was just SNAFUed. I have had deep cleanings done without any novacaine at all, and while it wasn't "fun" it was tolerable, and certainly not traumatic. I had nightmares for two nights after last Friday.

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Thora gown	Earthboxes filled	bag to Goodwill
2	Isabel gown	woodchips moved	-
3	chookhouse base	x	-
4	x	x	-
5	x	x	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	-
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

catching up...

In which our plucky heroine enjoys Useful Company... (Young Heather came down for the weekend and worked on the yard, while I sewed like the wind in the sewing room)

But let's back up a little bit. Thursday last was Chipdrop Day! At last, after signing up last spring, a load of wood chippings finally arrived. About the size of a small automobile, and I am glad it didn't arrive on October 31st, as it is currently sort of blocking the front walkway. Mulch on the hoof as it were... there will be much work with shovel and rake, burden cloth and wheelbarrow ahead!

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Thora's gown is finished! I am acting here as a dress stand, Thora is quite a bit taller than me, and there is actually also an underdress that has a wide band of the same golden printed fabric bordered in madder red linen, which will show below the hemline of this gown, which will be calf length on her... All the various decorated fabrics were hand printed in multiple colors, using blocks that I hand carved. This was a vastly complicated project, but the results seem worth the effort. Some of the motifs on the printed fabric reflect Thora's personal heraldry and the household badge, as well as various historical textile motifs and designs. The beautiful shot silk cuffs started out as fabric from her wedding gown.

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Isabel forepart apron is also completed, and she kindly agreed to bring the rest of her Viking Age clothing with her this weekend, and to act as a model so I could take a picture of her new forepart apron "as worn". The trillium flowers are part of her personal heraldry, and the new decorative apron will add  touch of elegant formality to her SCA wardrobe, just in time for some of the indoor events this winter.

Heather (Isabel) has done an incredible amount of work this weekend in my yard... She hauled 16 loads of chips into the backyard from Mt Chipmore in the driveway, raked and leveled them over the worst of the anklebending divots, thereby making the middle of the yard much safer for walking on... and carried each of those Really Heavy cement pier blocks from the side yard (one at a time, as they weigh over 65 pounds each) to create a raised platform for my planter boxes. The Earthbox planters, now raised up for ease of accessibility, are in the part of the yard that gets sun from dawnlight to midafternoon, the best part of the yard for gardening...

I am impressed and pleased! Sunday the planters were filled with fresh amended soil, so that they can become next year's garlic beds. Astonishingly all those wood chips barely made a dent in Mt Chipmore. It will probably be possible to really, if gradually. create a much smoother backyard zone It was worth waiting all those months for Chipdrop to finally get me some chips, and once we manage to get them all into the backyard and other areas that need mulched, I intend to put my name on their list again.

And we got a good start on the base of the new modular chicken house, so that I have both a plan for going on ahead with that project, and some of the components ready to hand. Heather sawed out all the diagonal bracing for the base, so really all I need to do is drill a bunch of holes, and carefully assemble the leg components. Well, and think about what will be needed to assemble the actual chicken house, and the complicated roof structure. (I've a clever idea about how to make the roof)

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Woe and alas, on my trip to the dentist on Friday, the nitrous did not help anywhere near as much as it did the first time. I had four shots of novocaine and I felt every injection, and there was much crying, and shaking from the pain, and even some small yelps screams. I Hate It SO Much, and I hate being so phobic and reactive about the novocaine (I've no issues with dental work in general). So, they only were able to clean about a quarter of my mouth this time, and there is a whole 'nother quadrant left to go. I don't think I could have held still for any more injections. And then all Friday night I had terrible nightmares about the same thing all over again.

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Thora gown	Earthboxes filled	bag to Goodwill
2	Isabel gown	woodchips moved	-
3	x	x	-
4	x	x	-
5	x	x	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	-
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

thoughts on a Thursday afternoon...

in which our plucky heroine...

Applying the scientific method, my doctor suggested that I stop taking the new medication for a few weeks (which I began about the same time the problematical symptoms began almost two months ago). If the symptoms abate, then we have one sort of data. If there is no change, then we have different data. I like this sort of thinking. Fingers crossed that the symptoms will go away as the med is flushed from my system, as option 1 is much simpler to deal with than option 2.

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I've not spent the last few days just fretting about my health, I have dived into getting stuff done, and have been sewing like the wind for my Blue Cedar House pals, and for my mom, and for me... Decorating the undergown for Thora is finished, and now the embellishment of the fabric for her overdress is happening. I made a simple striped T shirt for my Mom, duplicating the one that she sent me, and it went in the mail today back to her home so she can let me know if it fits!

I also made myself a knit top, using a remnant of cotton lycra, in a black on grey printed plaid. The printing itself had some flaws, which will be hidden under my pinafore when worn, and since there was just under a yard of fabric, I had to do some clever piecing to get all the pattern pieces to fit. Alabama Chanin hand stitching turned the piecing into a design feature, as I appliqued a band of enough fabric to make long sleeves instead of three-quarter, as well as hemming the neck and cuff edge bands by hand. Isn't that wee little scissors adorable, the blades are just under 3/4" long. The inner edge of the grips is subtly curved, enough that they are quite comfortable.

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	x	-	bag to Goodwill
2	x	x	-
3	x	x	-
4	x	x	-
5	x	x	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	-
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x