Sunday betwixtmas

in which our plucky heroine has an unexpected visitor...

Early this afternoon, the doorbell rang! I practically jumped out of my skin, as I had been sitting and reading, but to my surprise and delight it was my friend Drusa (Kate). I'd not seen her in person in I don't know how long, certainly since before she moved away, so getting to exchange multiple hugs, and some porch visit time was really special. The knitted shrew I made earlier this winter was for her, as shrews are her special favorite animal, and she really likes it. And is enjoying the bonus Advent Swap treats. She gifted me with some homegrown eggs, and an assortment of her homemade goat milk soap. I am so happy she stopped by to visit!

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~ moar Advent Swap treats ~

an additional assortment of tiny treats, including a maneki neko bell, a lampwork pendant that is also a top, a crocheted/knotwork flower?, a star bedecked packet of rhubarb seeds, a hand painted gold star sticker, a box of red bead cubes that look like coral, and a delightfully painted mushroom depicting a tree in a floral landscape. That folks come up with such a wide variety of things that fit in 1¼" space never fails to amaze me!

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Today I found out that the Liberty-esqe fabric is truly Liberty lawn, and was a gift a number of years ago from my friend Cricket, purchased when she was in London. I shall treasure it even more, and enjoy adding it to my new sewing project. It will become the accent fabric for my teal plaid shirt

Speaking of which, Past Me cleverly downloaded all the many pages of the tower placket instructions and put them in a notebook, in the bookcase with the other sewing tomes. This will be everso useful when I get to that stage in the shirtmaking, since I have only ever made a tower placket once before,back in February of 2020, when I made the grey houndstooth plaid flannel shirt.

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Winter 6PAC Lucky7

dk neutral overlayer - dk neutral bottom - dk neutral coat - alt color overlayer - alt color bottom - alt color top - color link top-

- brown linen pinafore - brown jersey long janes - brown raincoat - teal linen pinafore - teal jersey long janes - teal floral blouse - teal/cream/brown plaid shirt

This is the current wardrobe sewing plan, subject to change as whim decrees, but this group of garments will be a very welcome and easy to integrated addition.  It's tempting to add accessories, a la Vivienne Files - thinking about an Alabama Chanin headscarf, or blue painted shoes to replace the pair that wore out...

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Thinking ahead to New Years, it seems like a good idea to do some cooking ahead. The menu is fairly set. Black-eyed peas, greens, carrot coins, and Sister Gigi's corn pancakes (an optional but delicious and appropriate addition). Since the big box of greens was on sale at GrocOut today, I will cook those today and freeze them. There may be room in the freezer for some of the corn pancakes as well, if I use frozen corn as an ingredient.

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 pairs underwear	vegetable steamer legs	fridge science experiments
2	knitted shrew	shrew eyes	yard waste bin
3	1 pair undies	Gamma bucket lid	recycle bin
4	2 alphabeast  drawings	one page of the embroidery transfer	recycle bin
5	1 alphabeast  drawing	daypack mended	recycle bin
6	phone pouch	cleaned keyboard	x
7	transit pass case	undie waistband	x
8	x	Otterbox case	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- a clear instructional tutorial for sewing a tower placket
- a surprise visit from Drusa
- "Digger", by Ursula Vernon

Time of Isolation - Day 2010

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine has a slow day...

beauty in the time of isolation:

When I was visiting my folks, and staying in a hotel, I tried to get out and walk each day it was possible. Which mostly meant an occasional walk round and round the hotel parking lots before it was time to drive over to the apartment. Behind the Other Hotel, there were these bright birch trees, growing in the ditch between the back of the hotel and the stone bluff. One day when I was walking, I found many curls of birchbark blown down to the asphalt path, though the trees themselves seemed unaffected and unharmed. I picked them up and put them aside to bring home with me, as a gifting from the trees, along with the pine cone I found in a parking lot. I plan on attempting some little woven baskets, if I can manage it...

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Oooh, my new teal linen arrived. That was fast, I ordered it Tuesday, and it was on my doorstep Thursday midday! And then, today, the teal cotton jersey showed up as well. I'm going to have fun planning wardrobe projects for the coming year. The lopi yarn I ordered at the beginning of the year, intending to make a lopapesya cardigan, includes a lovely teal as one of the accent colors. The floral blouse I made last year will coordinate, as will the one I made in Trios cotton lawn.

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Planning a 90th birthday card/book for my father... rather like a zine, actually, but put together with a Coptic binding for durability and ease of opening. The whole project would be easier if I had a functional printer here. I don't really want to go to the copy store. Instead, I am going to ask my family members to go old-school style and mail me their comments and words for inclusion in the book.

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Quince jelly has two ingredients, fruit and sugar, just like citrus marmalade, which is its descendant. Though in the case of jelly, one strains out the actual fruit and leaves just the juice. The only other ingredient is sugar. I am tempted to try making a quince marmalade, if I can figure out how to grate the quinces.

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	roses kerchief	leather thimble	recycle bin
2	6 jars persimmon ketchup	teal popover dress	yard waste bin
3	6 jars pickled beets	-	-
4	5 jars pear chunks	-	-
5	8 jars quince jelly	-	-
6	-	x	-
7	-	x	x
8	-	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 - Podcasts - so useful as auditory companions when doing other chores that don't allow handwork. Washing dishes is much more pleasant when it is accompanied by music and interesting conversation. The most recent one I found  and enjoy is Katie Green's "The Green Bean Podcast".

time for teal and turquoise

in which our plucky heroine throws caution to the winds (metaphorically) ...

The Saturday morning Zoom meetings with my online sewing pals from SG is just about the most delightful thing in my current life! Something about the focus on our creative lives with others who are interested in the same thing lifts my spirits in a way that nothing in the current reality does.

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considering sewing for myself:

In a fit of extravagant self indulgence, I madly ordered three yards of teal linen for a new pinafore, and two yards of teal cotton jersey for a cardigan jacket. I blame it all on our discussion about wardrobe sewing last Sunday. I don't need any new clothing other than a raincoat... but it would be fun slowly create a few bits that will coordinate well with my uncharacteristically bright tie-dye top.

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Did some cooking this past weekend, for meals to send over to my dear SR, who is recovering from major surgery. I made a quince crisp, two quiches, and a tuna noodle casserole. My new oven works really well! Am about to start on preserves and jelly with the quinces, some canned pears with the bag of bosc pears that came with my milk delivery, and making space to set up the dehydrator for the multitude of persimmons. Oh, and a bit of pickled beets, inspired by the salads at The Fishwife, back in the Before Times, when restaurant eating was less fraught.

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My trip east and back, the reason for which would have been a challenge even in the Before Times, seems to have disrupted my already tenuous emotional equilibrium. I've always been somewhat fearful of crowds, of unknown people in general, and the pandemic, with the necessary isolation and potentially deadly consequences of human contact, has exacerbated my reactions. I know of nothing other than "compound tincture of time" that will allow my nervous system to uncurl from the small reactive ball of fear it currently is.

This week I attempted to take care of needful (and a few desired) tasks, shopping to restock the pantry, the freezer, and the spice shelf. I double mask when I go into public spaces. Penzeys was just right, only one other shopper, and lots of space. A trip to Costco was overwhelming, though folks were mostly all masked, and afterwards all I wanted was to be at home, take a shower, and lock my doors. The next day (yesterday) I rode transit across town, to drop off some of my no-nightshade ketchup at a friends house, and the trip there and back again was just waaay too much for me. The busses no longer have seats blocked off, so people are sitting close together, and not everyone wears a mask correctly, even though the rules are clearly posted, and there is a mask dispenser when you board. I actually got off the bus home once it was within a mile of home, and walked the rest of the way.

Yesterday evening, I needed to pick up a few additional things at the local grocery, as Costco had had no cider vinegar. While I was locking up my bike, a houseless woman came up behind me without my seeing her, and startled me mightily by asking me something. I am embarrassed to say that I screamed, and even more so that I couldn't stop loudly telling her to please go away and leave me alone. I never react well to being startled by someone behind my back. I couldn't stop shaking after that, and the aftereffects of the adrenaline took several hours to dissipate. I am sure that the woman herself was harmless, probably just wanted to ask for a handout of some kind, but at this point, I don't want to be near any humans at all that I do not already know and love.

My pantry and freezer are now fully stocked up, and for any perishables, I can order them through my milk delivery service. I think I will take a sabbatical from any close contact with people, for at least a week or two. No going into a store, no public transit. Sort of a reset, hopefully...

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	roses kerchief	-	-
2	6 jars persimmon ketchup	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	-	x	-
7	-	x	x
8	-	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 -  vaccination, which most likely allowed me to escape viral harm while traveling...

transmogrification

in which our plucky heroine does a happy dance in the health and beauty aisle...

It was warm enough to ride my bike today. I stopped at the big straight grocery store to get some matches, since neither the local stores or the local drug store had any! The big supermarket only had the tiny boxes, and no big boxes of kitchen matches at all. And no canning jar lids (I always check). I then went to my local New Seasons to share my completed project with my friend who gave me the shirt:

~ creativity challenge ~

My friend Aeolus gifted me with a gorgeous tie dye tee shirt, which I decided to turn into a long sleeve knit top. The project took about a week+ of somewhat obsessive spare time hand stitchery to complete.

The front and back of the original tee shirt were transfomed into the long sleeves, with pieces of the front and back fitted into the neckline spaces, (photo shows the original vee neckline at the bottom edge, filled with assorted jersey pieces prior to hand stitching) so as to be large enough for the sleeve pattern pieces. The neckline binding, removed from the shirt, was just enough to bind the cuff edges of the new sleeves...

The body of the new transmogrified shirt was made from teal cotton lycra jersey. My plan was to use the rest of the tiedye jersey to decorate the neckline area to create a more gradual transition between the colorful sleeves and the plain teal fabric. I used more scraps to bind the neckline edge, and the bits of jersey from cutting away the sleeves was pulled into cordage to create the stems and vines. Aside from serging the body of the shirt, all the piecing and applique work is done with hand stitching, as was the fill on the ends of the sleeves (former neckline)

>

stitched a tiny sample to make sure that my idea for leafy vines was going to turn out the way I imagined

The completed front, designed to fit nicely in the neckline of my everyday pinafore

There were enough leftover pieces of colorful jersey that I added some leafy vines to the center back

I had to go show my finished transmogrification to my friend who created the beautiful and colorful dye job. They were quite delighted, and suggested that we might have to collaborate again sometime in the future!

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Tiedye top	sample leaf and stem	yard waste bin
2	-	pruned Japanese maple	recycle bin
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	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 - possible movement forward on one of the many Aged Parent issues. We are trying to arrange for a cleaning service to do regular housekeeping for them, and if they agree to it*, that will definitely improve their quality of life...

* the big issue is that they really do not want "strangers" in their home, a challenge that has become much worse because of aging, the gorram pandemic, and my mothers dementia. There are no easy answers, since my father is still of quite sound mind, although becoming more frail as the years go on...

Sunday stitchery

in which our plucky heroine takes a slow sewing break...

Still stressed about Aged Parents stuff, indeed just found out some more troubling information today that us siblings will be trying to deal with. My back still hurting, though riding my bike seems the only thing that lets me move with minimal pain. I'm still trying to commit to ordering a new stove, and cogitating on why I find it so very difficult to make that kind of "push the button on purchase" choice. If all goes well, my hope is to finally have a new and functional stove by wintertime.

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~ creativity challenge ~

Having stitched together the shirt, I've now chalked in the design for couching and applique across the center front panel. My thought is that using the remaining tiedye fabric would blend the vivid and beautiful colors more evenly around the neckline as a smooth transition, as well as use up as much of the gorgeous dyework my friend Aeolus created as possible. I will likely also add some leafy vines across the center back panel as well

decided that stitching up a sample leaf before diving in to the entire shirt would be a good idea, to test out how the interaction between the various parts (jersey cords couched in place, and jersey leaf shapes whip stitched in place) would best be handled... I am very glad to see that careful stitches will yield a result similar to what I envisioned at first thought!

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~ creativity challenge ~

Day 7 of the 30 day challenge, day 2 of Scribetober ("knot"). Today is day 3 ("vessel") and I didn't manage to draw when I first got up, so will take some time after cooking dinner, instead. Not sure how "creative" this is, but even with George Bain, I find doing any kind of Celtic knotwork really hard.

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beauty in the time of isolation:

look at these beautiful tiny eggplants, which were a successful grow on the front porch, and are about to become part of dinner!

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	-	sample leaf and stem	-
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	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 - we have had some really lovely autumnal afternoons, riding my bike is the least painful activity, and I have been enjoying that option. It always makes me feel young, in a good way!

not exactly a huipil...

in which our plucky heroine has a tiny new idea...

So, while laying in bed this morning waiting for my SI joint to stop hollering at me, gradually waking up, I started thinking about the two online challenges: SWAP on Stitchers Guild, and Spring/Summer 6PAC on The Sewing Place. It occurred to me that rayon huipil-style tops (like my popover dresses, but shorter) would be a Very Simple rectangular construction garment that could both fill in the gaps in my plan, and also provide a "canvas" for various surface design embellishment...  such simple tops would make good use of smaller yardage pieces, could be color blocked, and allow me to indulge my enjoyment of stenciled or blockprinted decoration, or embroidery, or AC reverse applique, or whatever...

#	SG SWAP		#	TSP 2 3PAC's
1	grey chore coat	➛	1	grey chore coat
2	grey linen pinafore	➛	2	grey linen pinafore
3	grey blockprint rayon top	➛	3	grey blockprint rayon top
4	grey cloud collar top			-
5	grey/black flannel shirt		1	teal/blue linen pinafore
6	grey chambray dress?		2	indigotiger rayon popover
7	grey knit leggings		3	teal/multicolor rayon top
8	blue brown horses blouse
9	grey/black/blue dress
10	grey black wool capelet
11	black corduroy pinafore

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Earlier this week took a few afternoons to work on block printing a bunch of postcards, to send off to the folks participating in the sekrit valentine swap... this time I tried several different acrylic paints as print ink, wanting to use what is here on hand, so the colors vary from cobalt blue to a sort of metallic blue/grey, as I gradually mixed in more metallic copper with the blue paint. The back of the postcard, where the message and address goes, I stamped with a vintage commercial rubber stamp I've had for decades, in the very center it says in wee tiny letters around the shield "the mark of originality"...

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	-	restrung grey beads	-
2	x	-	-
3	x	-	-
4	x	-	-
5	x	x	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	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 - I am grateful for the break in the rain, and for the floral signs of spring here and there, despite the howling of the wind at night...

item # 3 of six

in which our plucky heroine sews like the wind...

in addition to all the sewing for Blue Cedar House, I recently finished a new Everyday Dress for me. I had a lot of fun changing the directions of the striped fabric, bias on the bodice fronts, horizontal on the collar, inner button band, and back yoke, vertical on the bodice back, outer button band gores, and sleeves. The vertical stripes on the gores form chevrons where the seams meet. I played with various options for the place where the button band and collar met.

I had been saving this striped black/grey/blue fabric for some years, and somehow there wasn't quite enough fabric... I laid out the pattern pieces and determined that if I made the skirt panels a little shorter, changed the collar to a straight band convertible collar, cut the button bands from scraps in two different directions, and pieced the pockets so that only the area visible was from the striped fabric, I could still get a wearable dress.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	blue floral blouse	backyard clothesline	dead rope
2	charter #3	boombox cord plug	bag yard waste
3	batik popover dress	weeds gone front yard	bag yard waste
4	charter #4	weeds gone back yard	yard waste bin
5	Laurel enamel	weeds gone side yard	yard waste bin
6	Aesa wool gown	apple tree mulched	yard waste bin
7	stripey everyday dress	4 sewing shelves sorted	bag to Goodwill
8	x	new serger needles	-
9	x	rulers cork reattached	-
10	x	gussets added to shirt	-
11	x	neckline adjusted	x
12	x	bike brakes tightened	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - sleep when tired...

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

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.

Tweedledee completed

in which our plucky heroine succeeds in planning for warmth...

although warmth is not yet needful... I've had the pattern for the mini-poncho printed out for years, long after the site disappeared and the designer discontinued it. Even more surprisingly, there are zero other reviews on Ravelry, so it must not have been a popular concept. Indeed, the pattern calls for making up the garment in pieces and stitching them together, rather than in the currently popular top down all in one go method. I prefer to make up knitting in pieces, at least for adult garments, as otherwise one is required to tote along a vast mass of wool if taking knitting anywhere, which I do.

Knit in pieces is much less cumbersome, but makes up for it by having to faff with all the loose yarn ends as part of the finishing up process. There were, I think, about 14 sets of yarn ends I had to darn in, each set consisting of three individual strands, since I knit three different colors of yarn together to make a nicely bulky and visually tweedy fabric. The grey and brown combined with the misty turquoise to make one of the subtle colorways that I love, and that will coordinate with almost all of my cool weather clothing.

Nonetheless, I am quite pleased that I finally knitted it up, as it should be a most Useful Garment as well as part of my autumn 6PAC efforts:

not yet sketched are my hopeful attempts to create a useable woven top pattern

Next up for my personal sewing will be working on a toile for the Tabula Rasa pattern, in an effort to come up with a TNT pattern for making self some woven blouses, to add variety to my wardrobe. However difficult the process, I know that once I succeed, it will make me very happy to begin to sew up the assorted fabrics I have set aside for the project of wardrobe refurbishment

Saturday snippets

in which our plucky heroine braces for the return of hot weather

Though hopefully not as bad as earlier this year! NOAA has us forecast for not only an incoming heat wave, warm nighttime temperatures, but also the return of "patchy smoke" by Sunday night. I know it is much worse in the fire zones, but I am still not happy about this...

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In the middle of the week, Farbjorn came down here from Blue Cedar House to help with a long delayed housey project, the building of a sculptural lighting fixture to bring more ambient light to the living room, which, with no overhead fixture, sorely needed it. Here he is attaching the panel to the ceiling between the front door and the living room; the lights will end up helping to define an entryway space, as well as making the whole room a lot brighter.

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There has been slow if steady progress on my first autumn 6PAC garment, the knitted mini-poncho that I am calling Tweedledee, since the combination of three colors is a warm greyed-turquoise tweedy combination. I have finished the back half, and am now well into the front half. I find it hard to believe that no one has ever posted this pattern to Ravelry before, and that it was so unpopular as to then be discontinued entirely. I guess that the current trend in knitting is everything from the top down, and all in one, while this is knit in pieces and then seamed together. When I finish, I will send a message to the designer, to let her know how much I have enjoyed knitting it. I am certain that it will prove a most useful garment when it cools down again, as it must... eventually...

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earlier this week, I forgot the name of the fridge, and called it the "cold room"... apparently I am not the only one who does things like this:

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine thinks small...

because thinking large feels so very hopeless. I am appalled at the hatred and violence that is erupting all around the country I live in. I message my elected officials to add my own small voice towards the direction of sanity and kindness, but mostly just feel helpless and terrified. Sewing, or crafts, or the creation of beauty feel in some ways ridiculously privileged, but also are my only candle to light against all that assails our common humanity.

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In less than a week, a major total eclipse of the sun will transect the USA, and actually come quite close to my own city cottage. There are people coming from far up and down the coast to central Oregon, and even my own nephew is traveling north from Los Angeles for the celestial show... I have never seen totality before, and this is probably the only chance in my lifetime to have this experience.

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I am really looking forward to actually sewing some clothing for me this quarter. I've been looking through my wardrobe and trying to figure out what I need...

Following the Useful Guidelines suggested by our intrepid inspiration Elizabeth, my first garment will be a knitted "mini poncho", that will cover my neck and shoulders but leave my arms free of constraint. I bought wool in three subtle heathered colors, to knit together in an approximation of extra-bulky yarn (the pattern offers this as an option). The grey heather, the brown heather, and the aqua heather combined knit up in a sort of warm blue/grey tweed, and on size 11 (8mm) needles, will be a quick enough knit to actually get finished by the end of October!

The second, which will fill a definite gap in my wardrobe, will be the Alabama Chanin/Gudrun Sjoden inspired cardigan jacket I keep hoping to make... this time it will be one of the first two pieces, since it will coordinate with everything in my closet. (navy top layer, brown under layer, black stenciling, grey stitching) And I know that in a month or two some light warmth will be welcome, even if now the idea of layers makes me want to reach for some ice water...

I am not certain yet what else to add in to my 6PAC. It is still really the heat of summertime here, which tempts me to make another popover dress, since that is the part of my wardrobe that is still very scant. I think I have one partially cut out in some dark indigo rayon, which would be wearable now, and wearable later underneath a pinafore...

One more pinafore, the already cut out jacquard denim that didn't make it into SWAP, would be useful this autumn. There are a number of blouse lengths in my stash of woven cotton that could coordinate well with my pinafores, an indigo midcentury floral, and a cream/brown mushroom in particular, but I would need to buckle down and work out a good TNT pattern for a woven top/blouse. Hoping to find the mojo to actually muslin the Fit For Art Tabula Rasa jacket, which has proven so successful for other folks as a woven top and/or jacket pattern.

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Saturday snippets

in which our plucky heroine makes ragged progress...

springtime is on the way - the hellebore flowers are such a pretty sign of the changing seasons... I really would love it if my front garden could have some of the speckled ones, and the greenish white ones, as well as these pink flowers on the single hellebore in my garden..

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Cutting the new stencil - I decided that a new Alabama Chanin style cardigan would be a good wardrobe addition. That means some new stencils, since I get bored with using the same designs, and I like creating or choosing motifs just a little different than what is commonly seen. I am trying out this new mylar from the art store that opened up a few blocks from here, and hoping it is not too thin to work well, since it is thin enough that it is really easy to cut!... I'll be doing some trial stenciling first, before starting in on my actual garment fabric. For the striped sleeves, I can just lay out strips of masking tape, which is even easier than using a cut stencil.

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My new pinafore - grey corduroy, worn here with a teal batik stripe everyday dress (also new this year, but not for SWAP). This pinafore will be a good transition piece into spring; the darker colors seem more wintery to me, but this one will coordinate with future blouses and everyday dresses in paler colors. I have some striped grey and white set aside for a springtime dress, and some fun conversational prints for once I get a TNT blouse pattern.

Really, the hemline is level, but the camera lens makes it look very lopsided. I am enjoying stitching up my "sewing kits", and dividing up the cutting out from the sewing up seems to work well. I enjoy sewing, but really dislike cutting out for some reason...

Now I need to focus on getting the knitwear components cut out, two new tops, two pairs of petticoat pants, and then the pieces for the reverse applique shirt jacket. Once all of those "kits" are prepared, I can return to the fun of adding new garments to the wardrobe.

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Something to listen to - pick up a teacup and take a moment...

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	grey pinafore	x	-
2	2 stencils	x	-
3	-	x	x
4	-	x	x
5	-	x	x
6	-	x	x
7	-	x	x
8	-	x	x
9	-	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x

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Tuesday tidbits... a 6PAC+ sewing plan

so here's the story from our plucky heroine...

Her closet has been looking more and more empty, while the shelves of fabric stash, with no new denizens , are looking more abundant in comparison. An upcoming family gathering will be a good reason to add some new clothes to her current overly limited wardrobe. It will likely still be quite warm, so a mixture of mostly breezy summer dresses, with one or two layering pieces, should prove both easy to pack and easy to wear. Adding in a dash of unexpected color will help distract from the weight gained over the last several years - it's about being a survivor, not about being a fashion icon, and the people who love her best see her most truly, so why not give them something new to look at...

My 6PAC plan: An assortment of new, basic, printed rayon popover dresses. (One dark indigo/brown swirl batik, one faux-shibori double border print,* and one multicolor "bohemian" stripe.)  I have one more popover cut our waiting to be stitched, from a dress length of celery green floral rayon (what was I thinking?) that (with an eventual quick dip in the indigo vat) will turn to a nice subtle teal/turquoise. One black jacquard rayon popover, for more "dressy wear" This is already cut out and ready to sew, in a combination of floral and geometric textured jacquard fabrics, and with an elaborated yoke with embroidery, black sequin trimmings and narrow dark blue micro pleated trim.

These dresses are comparatively fast and easy to sew, all straight seams and all pattern pieces triangles and rectangles, a wardrobe staple to live in when the weather is warm. I initially developed this pattern by combining my knowledge of ancient garment construction with this contemporary Japanese pattern Nani Iro dress diagram

(Also, one cotton everyday dress in medium blue batik stripe; this dress is already cut out and ready to sew. One jacquard cotton denim medium blue pinafore, with the edges bound in multicolor ikat; this is cut out and ready to sew.)

:::

* another view of the faux shibori rayon... showing half the width... there is a mirrored border on the other selvedge. After much thought, and experimentation in the mirror, have decided to have the light colored squares run up the side front next to the narrow center panel, with the sides shading off into the stripey section, and use the central "plaid" area to cut the assorted gores.

Am considering the possiblity of maybe block printing the narrow center panel to add yet another pattern to this popover dress.

stitch and swim

in which our plucky heroine gets into hot water...

... well warm-ish water, actually. Wednesday afternoons are the Free Open Play Swim at the local city pool, and it seemed like a good chance to check out the pool. It was surprisingly not jammed with people; while the shallower half had lots of children, and parents and babies, the deeper half had plenty of room. I ended up walking back and forth in the water for about forty minutes, and it was actually pleasant, almost fun.

Afterwards, I asked at the front desk to get information about the assorted options and fees. A three month pass covers all admission and classes except swim lessons, and since I learned to swim as a child, lessons are redundant. I am going to apply for financial aid to help get a city pool membership... if I can go there more often, it will continue my journey to recovery. The PT guy was even willing to write me a letter if that would help!

Speaking of which, I did well at PT today, and have a new set of exercises to be done in water, when I can return to the pool for next weeks free afternoon. They even laminated the exercise description sheet for me, so I can take it poolside! The physical therapist was very encouraging both about my progress so far and about my attitude.

:::

It is that time of year again, when the turning wheel of evjc and Stitchers Guild starts another seasonal 6PAC. Looking through my closet the highest priorities are a few everyday dresses, two new not-black pinafores, and maybe some raingear... so, an Autumn 6PAC for me would look like:

• rain shoulder-capelet in black Gore-Tex
• pinafore in indigo denim
• pinafore in brown brushed twill
• everyday dress in indigo pinstripe
• everyday dress in brown/black ikat
• popover dress in japanese double gauze

I have so much sewing I need to do for me!!! this only skims the surface, I need six everyday dresses!! I need five more popover dresses!! I need a raincoat! And I'd like a new cardigan sweater, maybe a new rainhat, and some leggings for the winter that will surely come someday... Step by step will see the eventual refurbishment of my wardrobe. For my own memory jog, here is the overall grid plan for my clothing - and here is the plan from last autumn, including my wardrobe mission statement.

Love who you are, not who you are not... I can have pretty and useful clothing, I can put effort into my workshop tools and infrastructure because if I believe in me and belove in me!