Marnie, speak! Good girl.

All dressed up and no place to go

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:20:57 -0800

I've read a good number of books on sewing, over the years, including an 80s era edition of Vogue Sewing and while doing so has certainly been helpful, when it comes time to actually sew a garment, I'm often at a loss to remember which couture tips should be employed and how. I end up sewing garments just as the instructions tell me to, not that there's anything wrong with that. To be honest, though, I have tended to pass up patterns that require things like linings or boning or other more advanced construction features because I still feel like a real rookie at the whole process. What I needed was a good class but time and money make that a bit tough. Lucky me, Craftsy offers some online courses and one of them is all about making a well constructed, perfectly fitted, couture style bombshell dress. Yes please, and may I have some more?

The class was a lot of fun. I worked on mine over the holidays so I really didn't get the benefit of the direct interaction with the instructor. On the one hand, I was a little disappointed that I couldn't ask questions and get answers but in truth, even without that feature, I learned so much and the class was so comprehensive that I still think it was well worth the money and since I got the class while it was nearly half price (and as if this moment, it is still only $29) I really don't think I have much room to complain. I hear she's working on another class and I'll definitely check it out when it is available. For those of you who might want to try the class out as well, the largest size available for the pattern is only 39" at the bust (100 cm), though the instructor does walk you through a draping technique for fitting a fuller bust, it may not work for you if you are substantially larger, all over, than the largest size. She does make recommendations for other patterns, but you'll have to pay for those separately, which will increase the overall cost of the class. I went through the details of my project, over on Sewing Pattern Central. I talked about some of the construction details covered in the class and the modifications I had to make to the pattern. I don't really think I'll wear this dress much. My life involves a lot more pajamas and jeans than bustiers and boning. But I think I'll be able to take a lot of what I learned and apply it to other projects I sew. Of course, I had to have my quality assurance team inspect the work. Thea weighed in on the hem.

I think she's not impressed.

Celebration

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:32:03 -0800

Guests of honor

Over the last 3 weeks we had three milestones to celebrate:

Panda turned 11
We celebrated our 1 year anniversary with Darwin
And Leo and I hit 11 years together (eesh, how did that happen?)

So we celebrated all three, on Friday, with another trip to the coast. It seemed appropriate.

Here's to many more birthdays and anniversaries to come.

If the amish made video games

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:46:46 -0800

My brother's not amish, but he plays one in his mirror. Check him out here, talking about Trey Parker and Matt Stone like they are his besties. I'll admit it, I love RPG games, I love South Park, I think my brother doesn't suck. I'm going to buy this game if it's available in a format I can play.

Cercis

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:51:09 -0800

About 6 years ago, I designed Deciduous. I really loved the idea of the pattern, with it's organically shaped cables forming trees up the front. I've always known, though, that it would have a very limited appeal, being worked in an expensive yarn that's hard to substitute (cables on a tank top can't be worked in many yarns and still remain comfortable) in a style that may not be appropriate for many people's lifestyles and climate. I've had it in my head for a long time that I'd like to use those cables in a long sleeve garment using a yarn that's readily available, affordable and easy to substitute. It's been a long time coming, but Cercis is the result.

Cercis is offered in 12 sizes: 32 ½ (34, 36 ½, 38, 40 ½, 41 ½, 44, 45 ½, 48, 52, 55 ½, 59 ½)" 82.5 (86.5, 92.5, 96.5, 103, 105.5, 112, 115.5, 122, 132, 141, 151) cm It's worked in 4 easy pieces and seamed together. The pattern has tons of fitting tips, row and stitch counts at every step and every chart has a chart key on the same page. While the document is 11 pages long total, I've grouped information so you'll only need to print a few pages, as needed, saving you ink and paper.

In addition to releasing this pattern, I've decided to adjust my pricing model to be more consistent across the board. This means I've dropped the price of almost all my self published garment patterns (my Twist Patterns are not effected by this change.) Check out all the details of the pattern here Find the pattern on Ravelry here.

On the horizon

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 09:44:14 -0800

I feel like I'm on a designing kick right now. I just released two patterns for Twist, I have yarn for two deadline projects, due to publish next spring and I just sent a new design, Cercis, to my tech editor to be self published.

I took some pictures of Cercis this weekend, while we were at the coast. I thought I'd share my favorite outtake. It's useless for actually seeing the sweater but it has everything I love; my pack, haystack rock, a bright sunny day, knitting and the ocean. I hope to have this pattern ready for release in the next couple of weeks. Until then, I have some designing to do.

Cathedral Windows Hot Pad

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 20:09:31 -0800

In the short time that I've been quilting I've learned enough to know that I have a lot to learn. I'm still really bad at it but I've been obsessively scouring the internet to bolster my skills.

While I've stuck with simple quilts so far, there's one slightly more advanced quilt that always catches my eye, the Cathedral Windows pattern. The first one I ever saw was here (youtube video). Amazing, right? But jeeze o pete, that's a lot of handwork.

Then I found this tutorial on the Moda Bakeshop site and a whole bunch of the handwork was taken out without losing a lot of what makes the pattern appealing to me. I tried the technique and ended up making this and while I liked it, there were a couple of things about the pattern I didn't love (and I really needed to work on my top stitching).

So based on the techniques I saw online and a few things I wanted to change slightly, I came up with this variation. The one I'm demoing, (shown above) doesn't cut off the edges of the windows around the edge and can be adapted to any size you like. It also has batting behind it, for a little more dimensionality. This could be easily adapted to a table runner, lap quilt or wall hanging. For bags and pillows, you could leave the backing off, if you wanted to.

Supplies

Fabric

1 - 14" x 14" backing piece (shown in white)
1 - 14" x 14" piece of batting. If you plan to use this as a hot pad, use 100% cotton
1 - 14" x 14" piece of border fabric (shown in Moda Cotton Blossoms 55005)
4 - 9.5" x 9.5" for windows (shown in white)
1 - 5" x 5" or 4 - 2.5" x 2.5" square(s) for window panes (shown in Moda Terrain by Kate Spain in 27092-13)
Binding fabric (Shown in...heck if I know)

Other supplies

Sewing machine
Thread
Rotary cutter/ruler/mat
Marking tools
Pins
Hand sewing needle
Point turner
Iron and ironing surface
Hand sewing needle

Optional

Basting glue
Water spray bottle
Spray starch
Scotch Guard

All images may be clicked to view them full size.

Theano and Zosia

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 07:58:43 -0800

The new Twist Collective is live. I know I say it every season and I mean it, I am honored and humbled to be a part of such an amazing magazine. My two patterns this season are Theano

And Zosia

As always, I'll talk more about the designs in a follow-up post. For now, go see everything in this beautiful edition, including all the amazing articles.

So how do the pups get along?

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 22:30:10 -0800

Fine, just fine.

When the people are away

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:09:27 -0800

When we aren't home, we set up motion sensitive cameras around the house that automatically save photos, whenever there is movement, to a server. Leo also gets a message on his phone and can view the photos remotely. On the off chance something horrible happens while we aren't home, we'd have a heads up and loads of pictures to reference. Good stuff. The Doodle-boy has been getting into a fair bit of trouble lately so we decided to train one of the cameras on the kitchen.

Yah, he's looking for trouble. I guess we've gotten good at securing the provisions in the kitchen. As you can see, he turned up empty handed in his investigation. Confident that we had thwarted D-dog's attempts at mischief, we returned home to unload our groceries, the smell of hubris wafting about us. We opened the door and the mud room was littered with blue and white confetti, the tattered remains of one of these:

Found here.

It once held 6 pounds of senior formula dog food we'd just bought for Panda. It now held about 1.5 pounds of slightly slobbered upon kibble. Darwin tried to jump up to say "hi" to us but he was carrying some extra balast and wasn't as spry as he normally is. Thea was groaning, waddling slowly through the house, too uncomfortable to lie down but not much more comfortable standing up. Panda refused to come out of the bedroom, though her bloated belly suggested she hadn't been a mere bystandard, this time. It's about 4 hours later and if Darwin had a watch, he'd be tapping it and asking us where dinner is. That boy is a handfull. I'll tell you this, though, there's no risk of my becoming a dog hoarder any time soon.

You are what you eat

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 18:24:37 -0800

Alternatively title: Karma's a b**ch.

My guess is he still thinks it was worth it.

Lesson learned

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 09:16:36 -0800

Yesterday, I roasted a 5.5 pound chicken.

Leo had a drumstick and I had a little piece of the breast. It was too hot to put in the fridge so I tucked it far back on the counter while we ran a quick errand. In particular, I picked up some tortillas, salsa, avocado and cheese to make some roasted chicken soft tacos for dinner. Sounds nice, huh?

I can only imagine how this all went down. The little guy must have leaped 4 feet off the ground, snapping as far into the counter as he could, until he got ahold of the dish the chicken was on. The dish was on the floor. The garlic cloves that were in the cavity were everywhere. There was a small piece of breast left and the boy had it in his mouth, a couple discarded ribs littered the floor and pretty much nothing else. D-dog looked pregnant and absolutely as happy with life as an overstuffed dog could be. Panda was hiding in another room and Thea was licking the grease off the floor. To top it all off, the boy piddled all over the living room, later that evening and Leo had to get up 3 times to let him out, during the night. Dogs are fricken awesome. He's feeling fine today.

The moral of the story? Darwin may look small but there is no spot in the kitchen that he can't reach if the smells are good enough. Also, it's impossible for me to stay mad at a cute dog.

Math, science, history, unraveling the mystery...

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 05:40:41 -0800

...that all started with the Big Bang (Theory).

Leo and I haven't had cable television for about the past 5 years. There was so little we actually wanted to watch that we weren't really getting our dollar's worth. We do have Netflix and Hulu set up and, of course, all 3 of the local PBS stations, and that works fine for us, however we are somewhat reliant on other people to let us know if there's anything we should be watching on Netflix, and it was my parent's suggestion that we watch The Big Bang Theory, that ultimately led to my most recent Twist Collective design, Doppler. Maybe I shouldn't admit that. The show isn't known for it's cutting edge nor stylish fashion and this clip that spawned my design may make you wonder how many glasses into a bottle of wine I was when inspiration hit. Nonetheless, after seeing this costume, I had this idea of a men's sweater, with an asymmetrical ribbed pattern that radiated out from one shoulder. To be honest, from what I've seen, men's garment patterns don't sell quite the way women's do. It could be that they generally require more yarn or that more knitters are women and only knit for men on occasion. It could be that men frequently prefer garment styles that are a bit boring to knit. Or it could be something else altogether, but regardless, it seemed to make sense to offer this pattern both for men and women.

My original submission sketch and swatch

After talking with Kate, we decided that not everyone would be keen on the turtleneck so a second neckline option was in order too. This meant that the final pattern offered 11 women's sizes, 12 men's sizes and 2 neckline options for each. Now that's a-lotta-pattern to write. The tech editor may never forgive me.

The garment is worked from the bottom-up, totally seamlessly, including the set-in sleeves, and once the set-up row for the ribbing is done, the stitch pattern is established and you can just knit away. It was a lot of work cranking out two full sized garments in just over a month, but I managed to pull it off with enough time to get a few shots. Leo looks mighty good in the men's version.

But, I think I give my handsome guy a run for his money.

I hope that people who knit this pattern will find it a great wardrobe staple. The two Blue Moon Fiber Arts yarns were both a joy to work with and next to the skin soft as well. Check out Doppler and all the other great designs in this season's edition of Twist Collective

Interview at the Designer's Studio

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 12:00:51 -0800

Exactly 3 years ago today I posted an interview I did with Faina Goberstein and Dawn Leeseman about their book Casual Elegant Knits. Their blog tour was my first chance to get to know Faina, but it hasn't been my last. Since then, she and I have both contributed to the book Knitting in the Sun and Twist Collective. When Faina first asked me if I'd do an interview for her ongoing Designer's Studio series, I agreed and then promptly got overwhelmed with other things and dropped the ball. Luckily, she gave me a second chance. The interview is now live and you can read it here. Don't forget to check out all the other interviews and if you find any interesting, consider leaving Faina a comment to thank her for all her hard work.

Ooof, there aren't any pictures in this post. Time to remedy that with some non sequitors. Puppies at play.

Click through to get to embiggen

And check out quilt numero dos.

I like big projects and I cannot lie.

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 19:55:50 -0800

Yup, I just paraphrased Sir Mix-A-Lot in my blog title. That's the sort of classy content you've come to expect from my blog. But it's true, I've knit a lot of hats and mitts and an occasional sock in my time, but those projects don't really interest me. I like something more involved like a sweater or a shawl. Those projects, like a good novel, take so much time and thought that they start to become intertwined with my memories. Stephen King's The Stand will be forever mixed into my memory of the summer my best friend went away to camp while I stayed behind, so too, do my biggest projects feel like a milepost. I've had my sewing machine since April -- less than 5 months -- and even taking time off to travel for work, and complete some deadline knitting, I've made around 30 sewn projects since then. Finishing a project in a day has some real charm, especially when I love wearing what I've sewn, but I've been craving something more involved and I like nothing if not a chance to dive into the deep end of the pool towards an inevitable belly flop. Enter my first(ish*) ever quilt.

This particular quilt pattern is called a Disappearing Nine Patch and I learned about it from this YouTube video.

Despite being a ridiculously basic quilt pattern, you can see that my seams are all misaligned.

And let's not even get started on my attempt at mitered corners, or how 1/3rd of the blocks are oriented in the wrong direction. It's all such a mess that I ended up opting to finish the quilt with ties instead of machine quilting. But, you know what? I don't care, I loved making the quilt, I loved the colors in the fabric and devoting several days to the project. (I got the fabric here after Wendy tweeted about the shop.

The end result is laughable in a lot of ways but I'm so excited to start my next one with the hopes of someday building up the skills to make something beautiful to use on our bed (where it will be promptly destroyed by the three dogs who have free rein of the household.) If I had one suggestion for a new quilter, it would be to use fabric you love looking at. Making a quilt isn't inexpensive, and your first attempt is likely to have some mistakes but if you just adore the fabric, you will still have something you love, every step of the way. Also, try to ignore the peanut gallery

Everyone's a critic

* Back in maybe 1998, I made a small quilt top, but whatever it was that I knew then, which wasn't much, has long been forgotten.

The Piddle King Turns 1

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 08:08:31 -0800

Actually, of our three rescues, we know the very least about Darwin. When we got him, the foster home thought he could be anywhere from 4 to 6 months old and they seemed sure he was part Border Collie (since the rescue was for BCs) but they were told he was mixed with Dalmatian. Well, if he's half Dalmatian, I'm half giraffe, I would bet money he's got some black lab in him. Wait. what were we talking about?

The beatings will continue until morale improves

Ooooh, right, Darwin and his birthday. So, after we brought the little beasty home, we took him to the vet who checked his teeth and gave us her best guess on his age and I used that to pick a date for Darwin's birthday. For those of you (aka, none of you) who want to mark your calendars, August 12th is the day. Darwin's been a handful in the past 8 months. To say we get a lot of use out of the carpet cleaner is an understatement, for sure. We're still working on some of the residual emotional problems he has as a result of his living conditions before we got him, but boy does he make up for it in other ways. Little D is sweet, loving, snuggly, smart, a quick learner and eager to make his people happy. We may have a long way to go, to undo his past, but it won't be because he isn't willing. I feel like I've gotten off on a tangent, was there something I needed to do?

Oooh, right, the birthday dinner, you guys are still waiting for that. Sorry. So in honor of the little guy being approximately one earth year old (give or take) and because he's my sweet little doodle butt, we grilled up three small steaks, added a dollop of fresh local berries and had ourselves a birthday celebration. So without further ado...

Happy Birth-ish-day, Darwin!