Sunday snippets

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:

Ease in Patterns and Blocks and Ease Levels
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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)

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine focuses outward a bit, finally...

Wednesday and Thursday prompts of Drawvember, plus today, all seemed to relate somehow. Some vaguely heraldic designs, with faces were a good step back towards daily drawing... sun and moon and cloud:

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Some excellent fabrics arrived yesterday... I ordered two different options for sturdy garments, a 12 oz canvas (the same weight that is used in Carhartts), and a 12 oz Bull denim, both in what was described as a "charcoal grey". The colors seem more like two different hues of medium grey to me, but perfectly acceptable, and the quality of the fabrics, though listed as "seconds" have no flaws that are apparent to my careful eye. The canvas has a much stiffer hand than the denim, as should have been expected, given the difference in structure between tabby weave and twill. "Big Duck Fabrics" is a new to-me-source, but is going on my list of Useful Trusted suppliers

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SWAP plans are solidifying for what garments will work together well and I'm getting a clearer idea of what I hope to make (always subject to change...) My two garments that will be wearable with each outfit will be a grey chore coat and a grey wool herringbone capelet.

I'm going to make a grey linen pinafore, and my other pinafore will be my already made black corduroy pinafore. My other "already made" garment will be my stripey black/grey/blue everyday dress.

I'll make two more dresses, one in a black/cream mini-stripe, and one in a black/white chambray. (Both will be overdyed, one in grey and one in brown). All three of the dresses can be worn with either of the pinafores.

In addition, a shirt from grey/black gingham flannel, a scrappy/collaged grey knit top with cloud collar embellishment*, and a light blue print with horses in cream/brown will get turned into a blouse. All the tops can be worn with either of the pinafores. The last of the eleven is waiting on further inspiration/clarity... could be grey knit top (not sure about that one, as my drawer for knit tops is getting pretty full!), or grey leggings, or a grey Polartech pullover, or even a pair of grey denim overalls if I feel adventurous in both senses of the word. (I've not made overalls in at least ten years, and my prior pair is long worn out...)

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	three sketches	necklace pegs	-
2	x	cardigan sleeves	-
3	x	harvest moar persimmons	-
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

today's gratitude - being well and sturdy enough to still ride my bike around the neighborhood, and it was a lovely not too cold not too hot day without rain, so that was all good. Plus my favorite cashier D gave me a handclasp today.

* the (hopeful) scrappy collage knit top will be part of a twinset with the just about finished cardigan. I picked up Big Snaps for the cardigan fastening, and should get them sewed on over the weekend...

Monday music and musings

in which our plucky heroine is wearing many layers...

this made me giggle, and sort of want to get up and dance!

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it is pretty cold here, though not like places in the Midwest. Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be adapted to the colder weather, but in the meantime, it is double puffs on the bed, and double heat packs in the microwave before bedtime. It seems like making some warm scuffs to slip feet into on arising from the cozy nest would be a really good plan, as my "house boots of double thick wool are nice and warm, but a bit convoluted to put on when barely awake...

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SWAP moderating is going well so far, folks seem to like The Rules formulated for this year, and there have only been a few fairly minor questions. Yay!  As far as my own SWAP plans, figuring out what to make with the fabrics on hand is the current puzzle. Pulled out all the grey fabrics, which turned out to be rather a lot:

• grey heavy linen
• grey duck canvas
• grey wool herringbone
• grey polartec
• grey/black houndstooth flannel
• grey hemp jersey
• grey denim
• grey chambray
• grey/black stripe 
• grey cotton jersey
• grey random knit stripey scraps

The scrappy collage cardigan currently in process may not be included, as it may not work well with enough other garments, though it certainly will function as a fancy midweight cardigan. Going give the remaining stripey knit scraps a good looking over, in the hope that there is enough to pull together a coordinating knit top, for a kind of "art teacher" twinset that I was thinking about yesterday.

For sure, I am going to make a new pinafore from the heavy grey linen, and a "barn/chore" coat from the grey canvas will be my "goes with everything" piece. The herringbone wool will become a capelet, the houndstooth flannel was always intended for a shirt, and the hemp jersey will become some flavor of knit top. There is enough of the grey chambray to make a dress. Plenty of options for moving forward anyhow. Am considering adding the grey/black/blue stripey dress from earlier this year as one of my "sewn before SWAP" garments, since it really fits with the rest of the plan.

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There are two palm trees just outside the dog wash and daycare near here, so I took that as my subject for today's prompt - #4 - palm tree

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	three sketches	necklace pegs	-
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

today's gratitutude -  the bus service here is pretty functional, and today was dry and sunny, so an errand to one of the Big Box Stores in the land of Giant Malls, which I normally avoid, were doable!