Days of Hands

Due to icy conditions on Tuesday, I stayed home from work and got a little sewing done during Owen’s nap.  I cut a pair of pants out of some gorgeous brown suiting last weekend when I cut the brown skirt from the previous post.  I took advantage of the two hours I had free to get them started and I’m very happy about how much progress i managed to make.

The front pockets and the fly are completely constructed and the darts are sewn on the back pieces.  This is only my second fly, and it went together even better than the first! 

The pattern is Simplicity 4366, which is unfortunately out of print.  I will be using it often and you may get tired of seeing it here, but I spent a lot of time fine-tuning the fit and making mock-ups.  I’ve got lots of ideas on little design details and alterations to make sure that I don’t end up with a dozen pair of cookie-cutter pants, so hopefully you won’t get bored.

Check out that awesome kick!  I used the funky cotton print for the facings, bindings, and pocket bags.  Now I just need to find another couple hours to sew up the legs and add the waistband!

A dear friend of mine absolutely hates posts without photos.  And if I tell her about something over the phone, she has laughingly told me that she can’t share my excitement or enthusiasm until she gets to see “peekshures!”  Hey.  I totally understand…  here ya go.

Simplicity 5914, six-gored skirt with side zipper and self drafted tab details.

Here is a closer shot of the details, if you can make them out in the poor light.

I have made all the view of this skirt pattern now, and use it as a block for my own design too.  It does require a little bit of alteration because for some reason the front and back are shaped the exact same.  I don’t know about you, but my front DOES NOT look like my back, thank goodness.  It’s an easy fix though.

McCall’s 5138, and this one is kind of a dud, despite my best efforts.  The fit isn’t that bad, but I want to tweak a few spots and there’s something weird about the front facing when it is on me.  I’m going to fiddle with it a bit.

One thing that DID work out was the hem treatment.  Rather than try to turn a narrow double hem up on this very curvy line, I made satin bias binding to finish the hem.  I hand stitched the inside and the finished result is spectacular.

Seriously poor photos, but photos nonetheless.  I was stuck inside due to the ice and snow, and of course I didn’t have any natural light coming in when I got home after work.  As soon as the ice is gone, I’m probably going to wear one or both of these pieces anyway, and I’ll bribe someone to take a picture as I model in better light.

Again, I’ll give you a promise of photos to come, but I had a full day of sewing yesterday and finished two new garments.  I’m feeling very proud and excited. 

On Saturday night I cut out a new pair of slacks from a gorgeous brown fabric that has been in my stash since 2003.  I was thrilled to see that I had enough left over for a gored skirt so I cut that out too!  I prepared all the pieces for the slacks with interfacing and markings, but then set it aside in favor of the instant gratification of the skirt.

The pattern is one I’ve used quite a few times before, and is simply delightful.  It only needs a slight alteration to fit and looks so flattering.  I added some flair with a few self-drafted details and hung it up in my closet.

After spending all that time hand sewing the blind hem, I was on a roll, so I grabbed the white button down blouse that was waiting for its hem to be turned and took my time with that.  I had added a satin bias binding to the hem in order to finish it, and hand sewing that into place required hundreds of tiny, close stitches.  It was TOTALLY worth it. 

Seven button holes later, I carried my shirt into the living room and sewed on the buttons while watching some tv.  Of course, I ended up sewing them all on, taking them all off, and then re-sewing them.  I had them in the right place, but the buttons were on vertically and the holes were horizontal.  Oops!  If I had sewed them on with a proper thread shank, it wouldn’t have mattered, but I thought I could save myself some time.  Hear that?  That’s Murphy’s law.

So now I have a brand new knee-length skirt and a lovely short sleeved white blouse…  and the weather has turned icy and grey.  Murphy again.  I wore a pair of blue slacks and a turtleneck sweater to work today.  Well at least I can say that I made these slacks!

Here it is!  Please excuse the poor photo; the sun had already gone down by the time I got off work and black is hard to photograph to begin with.  This cropped vest is made of satin-backed shantung and is my own pattern.  It is fully lined in the same fabric and has a single large black button closure.  Originally it had a round neckline and I just didn’t like it.  The fabric didn’t have enough body for the pattern, I had an odd bubble along one of the princess seams, and the fit was a little off.  I had decided that it wasn’t worth finishing.

But then after finding this white shirt on a clearance rack, I got to thinking about how I could salvage my cropped vest.  I turned down the front to make lapels and secured them with a few stitches, and started to get excited about this project all over again!

My final obstacle was the buttonhole, and the fact that my sewing machine’s automatic buttonhole setting is out of commission.  I still don’t know what to do about that, but I managed to finish the holes manually.  And since I managed to get the buttonhole in this, that means I don’t have that as an excuse anymore and will have to go ahead and finish the other vest and blouse hanging in my sewing room.

I am wearing a new creation today that I just finished last night.  I’m actually extremely proud of it, in spite of the fact that just days ago I said it wasn’t worth finishing. 

But then I got a new shirt and had an inspiring moment…  I changed the shape a bit and that added some interest, and suddenly I could overlook the minor imperfections.  So I took a few hand-stitches, sewed in a buttonhole, picked out a button, and wore my new garment to work today!

The title to this post…  yeah.  I’ll have to beg someone to take a photo of me or spend some quality time with the self-timer and a makeshift tripod.  “Quality time” in this instance being Owen-free time.  Trying to take a photo of yourself is hard to begin with… infinitely moreso with a small person in the room!

Today is the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the court decision that stated (among other things) that the right to abortion was covered under our existing right to privacy, and was therefore legal.  In the last 36 years, this decision has remained a hot topic of debate.  Extremists on both sides have fueled a culture war with all-or-nothing, black-and-white rhetoric.

I was born after this historic decision was made.  I have lived my entire life in a place where abortion is legal and relatively safe.  I have never experienced the reality of back-alley procedures or dangerous and desperate acts that pro-choice proponents like to cite.  I have had access to birth control, condoms, and abortion.  I have always felt in control of my body.

Even having grown up in this environment, I was constantly aware that there was a rather large number of people who didn’t believe that I should have this control or these choices.  It scared me, and still does. 

This is not a black and white issue as many people would like to make it out to be.  When I was 5 months pregnant with a very wanted, much loved baby boy, I learned through unltrasounds that he had some very serious medical problems.  I was told he may not live, may not walk, may be severely mentally handicapped, may not even have a brain.  If he did survive the birth, he would need immediate surgery to survive his first week.

And I chose to carry the child to term.  I had to cut my five day work week back to three in order to drive an hour away twice a week for fetal monitoring.  I spent lots of time learning about our options under the current medicaid and medicare programs, as well as other state programs that could help with everything from developmental therapy to grocery money.  In some cases, I had to fight very hard to get the assisstance that I was entitled to under the law.

I was incredibly lucky that I was able to take so much time off work, to have the transportation to get to and from all the offices and hospitals I had to visit, and to have the support of a large family all around me.  Their support, physical, emotional, and financial, made it possible for me to make it through a high-risk birth, three surgeries, and after 14 short, glorious months, a funeral.

And I’d do it all again, too. 

I could have aborted my pregnancy.  And there were quite a few people who thought that I should.  I’m pro-choice, all the way down to my toes, and faced with my personal choice, I chose to carry my son to term and accept the higher costs and responsibilities that come with high-risk babies.

Years later, faced with an unplanned pregnancy by a man I had only been dating for a few months, and many miles away from friends and family, I again chose to continue the pregnancy.  I’d do that again too.

Do I believe that every woman should keep every pregnancy regardless of medical, financial, or personal circumstances?  Absolutely not.  Would I ever choose to get an abortion?  Probably not.  But I get to make the decision for myself.  And I will fight for that right, and am proud to celebrate 36 years of Roe v. Wade.

Well, here it is finally.  The first day of a new American presidency, and the first day of my new blog layout.  I figured this was a good excuse to quit testing and playing with the new software and go ahead and really USE it.

I like that this will make it easier to update my sadly neglected webspace, and hopefully streamline the navigation for my visitors.  I’ll be reorganizing content and moving things around just a bit, but the next “big” change will be when I have enough time to figure out how to design my own theme.  In the meantime, while I didn’t create these graphics, I’m madly in love with the colors.

I’ve got some great projects going right now, and for everyone who is wondering whether I’m still quilting, the short answer is no.  (Did I just hear gasps of horror?)  I don’t have much time for sewing right now since I went back to work full time and still act as full time momma, and so I’ve been sewing needful and useful things rather adding to the pile of unfinished quilt tops. 

Going back to work meant that I needed a work wardrobe…  and fast.  I whipped up a few things and purchased a few, but I “rediscovered” a couple of facts.  1. I love sewing garments and they are instant gratification compared to a long-term project like a quilt.  2. Purchasing clothes that actually fit is expensive (or impossible).  I used to sew work clothes for myself years ago, and enjoy it even more now.

It’s true what they say…  you can do anything you want, but only one thing at a time.  Give me awhile, and I’ll be quilting again!