SILKS - what to do???

i friend gave me 4 square yards of Thai silk last year. They. are. gorgeous.

but each one is a square. a yard, in a square, of these luscious colors. they would be good for some fancy person's throw pillows, but i am not that person.

here's what i'm thinking:

1) bloomers- one color front, a slightly different color for the back. will that look like i peed myself?
1a) then i could use another square or 2 for a cinnamon cami (ps there's a local shop that carries Colette! wooo. next to the cafe with the donuts...)...but will that become the silk merchant hillbilly look? the colors are nice together, but this is getting a little coat of many colors for a boudoir set, ya know.
2) uhhhhh

 isn't that color nahhce with my nails and pallor?

how do you know when it's time to cut something you've been holding for so long? I want to wear this gorgeous fabric. but maybe i should wait until my chops are up to it? but the shape is so weird, they'd just become a patchwork lining or something...or..help?

here's a favorite washing instruction:

I would like to know who is enforcing this fabric care regulation ;)

ok people - what should i do with this stuff? I'm headed to the fabric store this afternoon, so notions and additionals are all possible....holler! xo R

i finished! a week ago?

Hi! i finished the coat! it's exactly the color scheme I wanted, and the styling is good, but it's way too big.

see? some of the seams are straight! stitching in the ditch (burgundy thread) is not a strong suit.

I'll make a muslin for a complicated project like this next time. I'm really tempted to tear the whole thing apart and take it in, i'm also tempted to just start fresh with another fabric (like wool!). but mostly, i'm excited about a spring wardrobe (even though it's been freezing and I've had the stupid FLU), so i'm looking for dresses and tops patterns for now.

Here is the jacket! I think I'm violating some rule of the sewing bloggers with bathroom mirror pictures, but i'm a n00b, so sue me.

I love the fabric. swish swish swish is it olive or brown? i couldn't tell so i used a contrasting thread & zipper. All told the fabric and MESH lining (so sporty) cost maybe 45 bucks, and i used a zipper that i think came from my mom! total for the jacket is about $60, which went to 1) independent designer and 2) local fabric shop. woo! And it's an excellent price for a good looking rain jacket with a hood...but oh lord it took at least 40 solid hours of work, partially because i had trouble understanding the directions and partially because it had been so long since I sewed something so involved and actually stuck to the pattern...

i'd definitely make it again! with these changes
1)  in a size 6, with the famed FBA. i wayyy overcompensated for the big hips small bust shape of the jacket by making it 8 on bottom and 10 (!) on top. yes, this is why muslins are popular.
2) definitely include pockets. i think on seam (thanks, Amy) is the best option. what with the welt and patch pocket options that popped up in the sewalong, i skipped them out of indecision. But  now that the thing is on my bod, I keep reaching for the nonexistent pockets. (poches!)
3) get the proper zipper length for the hood pocket...heh . you can't tell me what to do!
4) line the hood and collar with fleece / fur / flannel -- something cozy.

5) mesh is easy to work with! way easier than i thought-- but it does reveal the elastic. so know that!
6) get ball point needles. CHECK. I had no idea these existed.

This process also prompted me to get a dressform - here she is! her name is ladyfriend.

i'm been sewing furiously as I avoid my problems (do you recognize that atrocity of a t shirt? its pattern is very hot right now and boy did i blow it!). more photos to come!

things to do

1) write press release about racism & inequality in the US. UGH
2) apply for financial aid oh wait that requires
3) do taxes UGH
4) get the damn mouse out of my house BLECH
5) replace upholstered furniture. RILLY?!?!? how?!?!?
6) do a huge pile of dishes
7) get more sleep (how????)
8) oh yeah, exercise
9) read that book! it's so good. it's also overdue. UGH (but omg getting that link led me to this yay!)
10) make a coat! that's so much more fun. And hence my current zombie state.

humpday!
xo bex

um, what?

i'm damn lucky there's a sewalong going on when i'm trying to make my dream raincoat, the Minoru jacket! I just read three pattern testers reviews and they all raved about how a really good beginner could ace this jacket- but i'm on my way to having a total meltdown about how to install the lining and the collar interfacing/lining. yes! i'm a beginner. I have been sewing for 20+ years, though, so while I don't know the terms as well, i know how to trick things together.

Dear Tasia-
1- I love this jacket- but where the heck is the part where the second piece of the collar gets inserted??
2- Using a mesh, like you thought you might in one of your many iterations, and I chose to do - means the waistband elastic will show. yich! (note to self- do not take on hard fabrics like mesh!!)
but most of all- 3 there need to be WAY MORE drawings of the lining-into-jacket section (boxes 17 and beyond?), and placing that final collar piece, which seems like the part that makes it all come together (is that supposed to be understood in "stitch in the ditch along neck seam"??)...but i'm just guessing, as I need to wait for the sewalong to catch up with me!

i should take photos, eh? my olive coat isn't participating in my dark house...maybe tomorrow!

Dear Tasia -I just reread it again. for the 15th time. this time i got it. i will sew the collar in tomorrow...i think it would have helped if directions in 17 were broken out to indicate what a large amount of sewing that is- the little hook gets more room! and thanks for rolling with me. :)

quick cooks: leeks and brussels sprouts

slice 1 fat leek - include some green! and 5 fresh, tender 1.5-2" brussels sprouts in the food processor. they'll be ribonned prettily. leave them to rest for 4-5 hours while you cut fabric and listen to an audiobook (optional).

then, chuck em in the cast iron skillet with a drizzle of olive oil, dash of heirloom tomato salt (tomorrow's recipe may be "fresh compost with heirloom tomato salt" because that stuff makes everything spectacular), dash of red pepper flakes. stir. eat. marvel at the fact that you purchased and cooked brussel sprouts without being coerced.

today's post was inspired by farmerbrown's bs+kale mash, on which they rest their catfish. i <3 u, farmerbrown!

raincoat! and joining the sewing bloggers

I've been looking for a proper raincoat for months. Years, maybe, but in a concerted way this winter. But they're all off. and none of them are as cute as they should be, for as much as they cost.

enter Sewaholic- the designer of this fabulous little number had the same problem, and she designed her way around it. i'm trying to jump on board.

so far, i've ordered and received the pattern. Action! (usually i just keep shopping, while stalking the pattern at the same time. result- nothing. but yay! change!)

i also shopped fabric online, then went to my local [lesbian] fabric shop, coupon in hand, and bought a beautiful pair of fabrics for the jacket and lining. now i'm getting scared...because seriously, this thing could be fabulous.

today, i spent 5 HOURS laying out and cutting the fabric. no, really. also i laundered them last night, so woman hours in this thing will make it very "dear", but i'm still under retail with supply costs....in a happy twist, after striking out with zippers at the store, i came home to find a zipper that coordinates nicely and may have been inherited from my mom's sewing table. sweet. still need another for the hood pocket. oh and some interfacing.

ok, i'll share photos for my own sake, but the light is terrible right now! if only i had it in time for marin and the chilly morning ahead of me.

xoxo
r

see that ugly widget?

i used that ugly green widget down there to recycle two vacuum corpses earlier this month. that thing is great! hint: BEST BUY takes your e-waste, no matter how big, no hassle. (#win?)

the little green widget doesn't tell you what the people on craigslist want (guitar yes, "midcentury" stereo cabinet no) or what the people in your neighborhood will pick up from the yard (stroller base yes, despite dirt, grime, and age; crib bumpers no, despite excellent condition and designer label), but maybe you can figure that out on your own.

Reduce! repurpose! recycle! sorry, i'm weird from sewing all day. R