Super: July 2015

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Flashy hot tub suit

I would like to tell you the story of a boy who loves bright colors, who knows what he wants, and can be a wonderful/terrible/delightful helper at the fabric store. He is the reason I have 3 spools of that useless but shiny metallic thread, and he is the designer and enthusiastic wearer of this amazing swim ensemble:

THE DAY BEFORE our river getaway, I went to the store for elastic (to finish my own last minute bikini). He came along. He saw this stuff on the shelf (we weren't supposed to be in the fabric section but I told myself swimsuit lining was a "notion"). I bought it. You can do like 35 swimsuits from a yard of fabric, you know?

$11.00 of happiness

I didn't make any of those swimsuits....yet. Because when we got home he told me how he'd design his own - a shiny stripe down the back, and the shorts with different panels of shiny/bright pattern - lightweight spandex leftovers from running pants I made for a friend.

I had to make it.

I used this pattern for the bottoms, getting SO FANCY that it's fully lined and reversible (and for modesty).

shorts in process - yes!

I used this pattern from this book for the top. CAKE.

The "back stripe" he requested turned into a back panel for time saving.

I mean, sort of. You know that feeling when a project is awesome and you're kind of winging it and really short for time butSUPER excited? I often think "uh oh I'm about to make mistakes"...this time I misclaculated the neckband, making it longer or maybe exactly as long as the neck opening. Duh.

top front

He wore it every time he got in the hot tub, which was daily. He would not wear it kayaking, running around, or ever near the river. Sense of occasion is strong in this one.

happy llamas abound!

Obviously it was a hit.

after and before fabric samples

The fabric did not hold up so well to constant chlorine abuse; let's call it a fabric test. A fabulous, crowd pleasing, super flashy fabric test.

What are you wearing and shining at your people?

xo bex

Monday, July 20, 2015

Reading: Rain

I picked up Cynthia Barnett's latest "Rain: A Natural and Cultural History" expecting to learn a few choice facts and then quit reading midway through (don't hate!). See, I have great ambitions to read lots of science texts. In reality I manage 3-4 half nonfiction books per year...petering out after too much dense text, terrible editing, or just general fact fatigue.

But this reads like a novel - it's one of those rare popular science books that's edited for great storytelling, loads of cultural references, and solid science (here are some others). I'm happy to know about Cynthia Barnett, too, who's an excellent environmental writer obsessed with water, water policy, and the American West.

Stories inside include: The pervasive many-cultured "myth" of Noah's flood, how witch trials in Europe coincided with major climate change, and other great connections between rain and the people it nourishes. Super juicy. Super good for cocktail conversation, general education, and for me, for classroom anecdotes and climate lesson jumping-off points.

For sewists, learn about the development of the first waterproof fabrics, their elevation to couture wear, and return to the grimy-fingered Scots who invented it. And functional umbrellas of paper, too - how have we forgotten those?!? Also, of course, the PNW climate and grunge.

I was hoping reading it and putting my mind on rain would bring it to California. But there's only one of me...so if lots of others read it we'll will the clouds to break? Nah, it's a real science book so there's no recipe for a rain dance. Worth the while though, absolutely.

A side effect of seeing the book cover around the house is this earbug, which I share for you with love.

For more: http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/2015/04/smart-reads-rain-natural-cultural-history/

P.S., I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. (you can get great books there too!)

Thursday, July 09, 2015

Mini hudsons

These are the Mini Hudsons from True Bias in a size 5. I extended them to 7 length to balance his little body and long legs. At this point, they didn't have ankle bands (yet). Elastic was 20", should be more like 16-17". He's so narrow!

I bought drawstring elastic at the notions shop to use for these - it's not how they were designed and the elastic was a bit of a challenge to secure without making the drawstring "fixed". I worked it out. :)

He hated them when he saw them; I think because they're gray. Proud mama taught my boy to loove color! Well and also it's WAY too hot for french terry pants right now.