in which our plucky heroine stitches on some snaps...
No cardigan photos today, but soon... I finished the last steps on my scrappy collage cardigan, and stitched the snaps to the fronts. Also took in a bit on the sleeves on the front side, to help them curve nicely in the same direction that arms curve: forward. There were some odd sleeve wrinkles that disappeared once I did that. I am pretty happy with how it turned out - it is more of a special occasion cardigan than my usual workaday clothing, but one never knows, there might someday be a reason to wear something fancy?
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More Drawvember...
Saturday's prompt was "yellow"
These golden grapefruit were the first thing to catch my eye. The skins get frozen and saved to be turned into candied peel, which then will become part of the winter holiday fruitcake.
Sunday's prompt was "pyramid"
rather than the most obvious, I went with a variation on a medieval diapered background motif. As I began inking it in, I decided that I liked the off-center opening, and turned that into a larger pyramid.
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Saturday was the second harvest of persimmons, 15#, so added to the 25# earlier, a total of 40 pounds this year, not counting the depredations of the squirrels. Once they finish ripening, (there are persimmons all over Acorn Cottage right now) they will mostly get turned into sliced dried fruit; there is still a bit of last years slices in the pantry, which were saved for holiday fruitcake this year.
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The grey canvas doesn't shrink much at all. I marked out a 10" square on a larger piece, serged the edges, and ran it through the washer/dryer. In one direction it shrank 1/16" and in the other a scant 1/8". Depending on how much ease is allowed in the chore coat pattern, that isn't enough to bother me, and not having to somehow stuff four yards of Very Stiff fabric into the laundry machines is all to the good. Somehow, I doubt that Carhartts pre-washes their fabric. The finished coat will also not be washed that frequently, and can be air dried rather than power dried...
in the interest of thinking about sizing/ease for the chore coat, these two blog posts seem to have good information:
There has been some discussion over on Stitchers Guild about capsule wardrobes vs formulae vs uniforms, inspired by
this blog post and the ongoing interest in planning, especially at the beginning of SWAP. I decided to iterate my own current wardrobe recipe, not quite a uniform, but close...
my wardrobe formula/recipe:
colors: indigo blue, grey, black, chocolate brown, accent of turquoise/teal
fabrics: natural fibers, dull to medium textures, low contrast, medium to dark value
pinafores: solid or solid-ish colors, sometimes with decoration, sometimes with edge binding accents, pockets
dresses: solid colors, stripes, 3/4 sleeves, sometimes button front, pockets
blouses/shirts: stripes, florals, conversationals, solid-ish, button front, varied collars
long sleeve knit tops: solid, small patterns, stripes, sometimes with AC embellishment, sometimes with sleeve decoration, sometimes turtleneck
popover dresses: rayon or soft drapey fabrics, batiks, various patterns, subtle solid-ish, pockets, sometimes decorative necklines
leggings: loose calf length solid color knit with wide elastic waist, sometimes decorative bottom edge (worn in cold weather)
slip/underdress: sleeveless top attached to a woven or knit skirt, sometimes decorative bottom edge (worn in cold weather)
The basis of my everyday wardrobe for most of the year is the pinafore. Under that, either the dresses, or a blouse/shirt, or a long sleeve knit top form a basic outfit. The popover dresses, worn by themselves in the heat of summer, can also step in under a pinafore. The knit tops can be worn as an inner layer under dresses, blouses, or popovers when it is cold. The leggings and slips are worn during the cold seasons. The everyday dresses can be worn alone if the weather is moderate, and the popover dresses are for the heat of summer
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A number of years ago
I made an overall-style pinafore from some Very Heavy black denim. The fabric was so robust that the skirt edges sometimes bumped into things, but it was very fun to wear. Which I did, until the pocket edge caught on something and tore right down the skirt for about six inches. The poor pinafore then sat in the cupboard for several years. I decided today that utility mending was the way to fix it, as there is no way to make a tidy enough mend for it to look "nice", but that the robust fabric is well suited for a few years at least of doing chores, particularly outdoor ones. Another small piece of black denim was serge-edged, and slid underneath the tear, and then several rows of zig zag stitching closed up the problem area. A much better and quicker solution than hand mending, which is my usual wont, but not appropriate here...
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November SMART goals (x=extra)
| # | THINGS MADE | THINGS FIXED | THINGS GONE |
| 1 | three sketches | necklace pegs | - |
| 2 | 2 more sketches | cardigan sleeves | - |
| 3 | scrappy collage cardigan | harvest 15# persimmons | - |
| 4 | x
| patched overall pinafore | - |
| 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 |
today's gratitude - Jess and Chris both RSVP'd for Saturnalia, so it won't just be me and Thora and Isobel! (Saturnalia is my annual natal day shindig)
