The Happy Homemaker - Redux

SFGate: UCSF scientists declare war on sugar in food

2012-02-02T11:08:00.004-05:00

I heard about this research while listening to a morning radio show. I think this a very interesting concept. I clearly remember an historical tidbit from my nerdy college days: during the Atlantic slave trade, sugar commodities were labeled as poison when shipped...

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This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate.
The original article can be found on SFGate.com here:
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Thursday, February 2, 2012 (SF Chronicle)
UCSF scientists declare war on sugar in food
eallday@sfchronicle.com;Erin Allday, Chronicle Staff Writer

Like alcohol and tobacco, sugar is a toxic, addictive substance that
should be highly regulated with taxes, laws on where and to whom it can be
advertised, and even age-restricted sales, says a team of UCSF scientists.
In a paper published in Nature on Wednesday, they argue that increased
global consumption of sugar is primarily responsible for a whole range of
chronic diseases that are reaching epidemic levels around the world.
Sugar is so heavily entrenched in the food culture in the United States
and other countries that getting people to kick the habit will require
much more than simple education and awareness campaigns, the UCSF
scientists said.
It's going to require public policy that gently guides people toward
healthier choices and uses brute force to remove sugar from so many of the
processed foods we eat every day, said Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric
endocrinologist at UCSF.
"The only method for dealing with this is a public health intervention,"
Lustig said in an interview. "Everyone talks about personal
responsibility, and that won't work here, as it won't for any addictive
substance. These are things that have to be done at a governmental level,
and government has to get off its ass."
In response to the study, the food and beverage industries said in
statements that sugar cannot be blamed for high rates of chronic disease
in the United States and elsewhere.
Comparing sugar to alcohol and tobacco is "simply without scientific
merit," the American Beverage Association said. "There is no evidence that
focusing solely on reducing sugar intake would have any meaningful public
health impact." Altering biochemistry
Lustig has written and talked extensively about the role he believes sugar
has played in driving up rates of chronic illness such as heart disease
and diabetes. Excessive sugar, he argues, alters people's biochemistry,
making them more vulnerable to metabolic conditions that lead to illness,
while at the same time making people crave sweets even more.
It's sugar, not obesity, that is the real health threat, Lustig and his
co-authors - public health experts Laura Schmidt and Claire Brindis - say
in their paper. They note that studies show 20 percent of obese people
have normal metabolism and no ill health effects resulting from their
weight, while 40 percent of normal-weight people have metabolic problems
that can lead to diabetes and heart disease. They contend that sugar
consumption is the cause.
In other words, not everyone gains a lot of weight from over-indulging in
sugar, but a large proportion of the U.S. population is eating enough of
it that it's having devastating health effects, they say.
"The gestalt shift is maybe obesity is just a marker for the rise in
chronic disease worldwide, and in fact metabolic syndrome, caused by
excessive sugar consumption, is the real culprit," said Schmidt, a health
policy professor who focuses on alcohol and addiction research. 22
teaspoons a day
Americans eat and drink roughly 22 teaspoons of sugar every day - triple
what they consumed three decades ago - and most people aren't even aware
of the various ways sugars sneak into their diets, often via breads and
cereals and processed foods. Terms that identify sugars on labels include
sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, hydrolysed starch and invert sugar,
corn syrup and honey.
Ultimately, getting those sugars out of the American food culture is going
to require a massive shift in how foods and beverages are made in the
United States, the authors say. In the paper, they say that the Food and
Drug Administration needs to remove sugar from the list of foods
"generally regarded as safe," meaning they can be used in unlimited
quantities.
But the food and beverage industries have repeatedly denied that sugar is
the main villain behind rising rates of obesity, or the increases in
diabetes and heart disease. Instead, industry representatives say that a
complex cultural shift - toward a more inactive lifestyle and increased
calories overall - is to blame.
And not all scientists agree that sugar should shoulder the entire burden
for the chronic diseases afflicting modern Americans.
"When you get into this argument about sugar in the diet, you also have to
look at the type of food that has a high sugar content," said Jo Ann
Hattner, a San Francisco registered dietitian who teaches nutrition
courses at Stanford. "Those foods have few nutrients and little fiber, and
that's not good for you. So is it sugar itself that's harmful?" Good
advice: Eat less
That said, Hattner added, there's no doubt that people in general consume
too much sugar and that everyone could benefit from eating less - and
especially looking out for "hidden" sugars in their diets. Those sugars
are often found in processed foods like sodas, cereals and breads. Even
cookies contain much more sugar than they did a decade or two ago,
nutritionists say.
But while individuals certainly can make small changes to their diets to
eat more nutritiously, that alone is not going to effect major public
health improvements, Lustig and his co-authors said.
In their paper, they argue for taxes on heavily sweetened foods and
beverages, restricting advertising to children and teenagers, and removing
sugar-ladened products from schools, or even from being sold near schools.
They suggest banning the sale of sugary beverages to children.
Schmidt noted that those policies could nudge people toward healthier
choices - but only if, at the same time, healthier choices are made widely
available. Such policies have worked in reducing alcohol consumption and
smoking rates, she said. There's no reason they can't work with sugar too.
Lustig said he realizes that there will likely be heavy resistance to the
idea of largely removing sugar from American diets - and resistance not
just from the food and beverage industries, but from the public at large.
"Everybody yells, 'Nanny state, this guy is trying to control our food,' "
Lustig said. "But it's already being controlled. It limits consumer choice
when so much of our food is controlled by these industries. I'm actually
trying to undo the nanny state." E-mail Erin Allday at
eallday@sfchronicle.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2012 SF Chronicle

Cardigans! & JCPenney's New System

2012-02-01T13:00:00.007-05:00

During one of my trips into the office kitchen yesterday I spied a JC
Penney book. It was square and when I paged through it, the clothing
colors presented and the book's layout reminded me of my beloved Boden.
(Yes, the Boden that doesn't really love me back price and size-wise.
It's an unrequited thing...).

My mom used to buy much of our clothing from Sears and JC Penney when I
was growing up. Their clothing comes in a huge range of sizes - which
is good for the "non-standard" sized of us. Until recently, I haven't
bought new clothing for myself in over 5 years and when I started with
some small purchases recently, JC Penney wasn't really on the list.
Their clothing was usually just a little too boring for me.

But I really liked the book I saw yesterday. It seems that JCP is
having month-long special pricing on items and have lowered their prices
across the board to eliminate confusing and irritating sales. On one
page of the lookbook, I saw $12 cardigans. $12??! I am always freezing
at work and cardigans look better on me than jackets. I had to wait
until JCP updated their website today to find the cardigans in question.

This solid-color v-neck cardigan is available in 10 colors and is only $12 for the
entire month of February.

This patterned cardigan is available in 6 patterns and is only $15 for the
entire month of February.

These $12 and $15 cardigans are comparable to Boden's $78 v-neck cardis.

JCP's cardis are 100% cotton and Boden's are cotton blend. JCP also has
free shipping for purchases over $50 and free shipping to store always.
I know which ones I'm gonna buy this month...

Accidentally Tasty Lunch

2012-01-31T14:53:00.003-05:00

Since I’ve been doing some research on gluten intolerance, I think at least the Little Miss has symptoms of it too. So, no more sandwiches for lunch. And so I am making all the kids’ lunches now. I made chicken salad this morning, but we are out of mayonnaise and I didn’t have time to chop up the hard boiled eggs to add to the salad (they can just scarf those down for snack after school).

Soooo, I took the canned chicken breast and sprinkled it with some Hidden Valley Ranch dry seasoning, added some chopped celery and used plain yogurt to wet/bind it all. The kids got sent off with wraps and I made lettuce wraps with romaine leaves at work. UMMM UMMM UMMM! I hope they hated it so I can bring the rest to work tomorrow!

Of course, I didn't photograph it, but here's a lettuce wrap pic from the What Did You Eat blog.

A New Craftsy Class: Learn the Art of Couture Dressmaking

2012-01-25T10:47:00.004-05:00

I was greeted with this nice e-mail this morning. In my younger years I never had the patience for couture sewing, but at 50% off, a Vogue Basic Design pattern, and lesson discussion board access to the author and other students, I may just have to sign up for this class! The one other Craftsy class I took was quite good.

Does this email look a little quirky? View online.

Learn to Sew The Couture Dress
Enroll Today for 50% Off!

Susan Khalje will show you how to sew the most breathtaking, perfectly fitting dress. This is real fashion from a true expert in an invaluable online class. It comes with a free Vogue Misses' Dress pattern, which you can customize to suit your style. Susan Khalje is a highly accomplished designer and sewing instructor. For six years, she had her own show on HGTV and DIY.net. She's an author, and a contributor to top sewing magazines. Now she instructs this online Caftsy class, which is filmed in vivid high-definition and can be watched at your convenience. Enroll today for 50% off!

Learn it. Make it.

Receive the Vogue Misses' Dress pattern FREE (a $27.50 retail value) with the class.

Learn to make different versions of the dress for various seasons and occasions.

Fit your dress easily and flawlessly with a simple-to-make muslin.

Customize the pattern according to your taste.

Enroll today for 50% off! This offer is good until February 1st!

Watch when you want, however many times you want.
Interact with the instructor. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.

You are receiving this email because you opted in on our website or expressed interest in our services.
Too much mail? Manage your email preferences or instantly unsubscribe from all Craftsy emails.

Know how we can serve you better? We'd love to hear your feedback.
Craftsy 1553 Platte Suite 202 Denver‚ CO 80202 Toll Free: (888) 979–6769
Copyright © 2011 Craftsy All rights reserved.

I've Been Taking Photos...

2012-01-23T16:55:00.008-05:00

I started taking photos of my work outfits last week. And I’ve been using my mom’s digital camera. Now I’ve got to get them off-camera for downloading.

It’s been a bit tricky finding a place to set up the gorillapod for self-timed photos – the condo is still stuffed to the gills. It’s really something to see myself on camera. I am clearly the heaviest I’ve ever been. Oh, who’m I kidding? I’m fat. And that’s ok – I’m still going to take photos.

I did stop taking photos after Friday night. The Little Miss and I had a slight collision. While I was sitting, we knocked heads and she hit my glasses. I thought my nose was broken.

If the above is the result of wearing glasses, I think it’s time to get contacts again. My face hurts too much to put foundation on, it almost hurts too much to wash my face, but an oil-slick is not cool for work.

On other fronts, the Little Miss and I put an Ikea table together for the basement room. I’m impressed that DD took the initiative on Saturday morning to finish what I started on Friday night. Good job, Little Mama!

It snowed on Saturday. I mean no matter how much I dislike it, it’s January in New England - snow is to be expected. My sister had elective surgery on Friday and I wanted to go check on her, but the roads were too bad. I made creamy chicken vegetable soup from the QVC cookbook in the slow cooker. On Sunday the roads were better. The kids and I trooped down to New Haven to deliver the soup and check up on my sister.

And sadly, Etta James passed away from leukemia on Friday. And the front page of Yahoo had this Cyndi Lauper tribute to Ms. James:

Rest in Peace Miss Etta.

Vintage Snippet: A 1948 Beach House Stay

2012-01-13T16:04:00.003-05:00

Other bloggers have noted the scarcity of photos of women of color in vintage fashions. The Pinup Girl Angelique Noire posted this photo of a young black woman (presumably) on a beach vacay in 1948.

It was such a treat to see the photo this young lady! I could totally imagine the dress being sassy and covered with the cape. Maybe it was made from a 1948 pattern like Marian Martin 9094.

Or the full ensemble, dress and cape, made from Advance 5511.

Happy Friday!

Mama Needs...to Cook! Pork & Sweet Potato Stew

2012-01-11T11:00:00.002-05:00

It would be fabulous (& specious) for me to say that I'd hit the ground running with my cooking goals for 2012. I had grand plans of cooking ahead for the week. I made a dinner plan for the week last Friday and went grocery shopping on Sunday (after getting the car serviced on Saturday). Then I got tired… The kids had MCD for dinner on Monday night. But we were back on track last night! One of the recipes I wanted to try was a pork and sweet potato stew from Better Homes & Garden’s website. On Monday night, I cooked up 3 pork chops from the freezer with two small bullion cubes in the slow cooker. Before work yesterday, I added most of the ingredients from the recipe to the crock (I forgot the onion, used plain cranberry juice and added spinach), and left it on low. Dinner was ready when I got home!

The reviewers on BHG were right that the consistency is more that of a soup than a stew, but I don’t mind. This was very tasty! Who would have thought that pork chops, spinach, sweet potatoes, cranberry juice, celery, and garlic would be such a good combo? I thought the kids would enjoy this recipe more than I would – with the savory and sweet flavor combo: The Little Miss gave it a big thumbs up, the Little Mister (picky eater) gave it an initial thumbs down then came around to a thumbs up. The Little Miss and I both brought it for lunch today.

The recipe made plenty – enough for dinner for three, lunch for two and another bowl’s-worth that I packaged and froze for later. I will definitely make this again.

2012: The Year of Realistic Expectations

2012-01-04T13:35:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you and your families had a relaxing and joyous holiday season. The kids were pleased with their Christmas tidings and gorged themselves on reading their new book sets, playing video games, and watching the first 7 Harry Potter movies. They spent the new year weekend with their father – and I mostly spent it in bed. My BF and I went to see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol on New Year’s Eve. I really enjoyed it – it was definitely worth the price of admission.

I know I shouldn’t be, but I’m frustrated with myself for my lack of productivity. I only completed 1 dress in the Plain Pattern Project with the second 85% complete and the third cut out. Moving to my mom’s condo and living with our stuff still packed (and on top of all my mom’s stuff) makes it tough for me to sew. But I have been crafting and working on refashions in the meantime. I’m glad I’ve been able to get some creative things done.

I cannot say that I am sad to have 2011 in my rear view. Last year was very difficult. But 2012 has begun, and I am working on becoming more realistic in my expectations of myself and my time/energy. There are two main goals I have in mind for the next 18 months and I’ve come up with a few ideas that I hope to chronicle on this blog:

Making an Effort

I’ve been trying to make more of an effort with my appearance. I hope to find a clear space in the condo to take outfit photos. And my trip to the MAC counter over the holidays may have (misleadingly) got me to thinking I can clean up pretty.

Taking outfit photos will be an interesting exercise for me because I really dislike seeing myself in photos.

Last year I started a private blog called “Mama Needs a Change”: Changing my relationships with food and money -- My journey to weight loss and financial freedom: Which are surprisingly more inter-related than I thought. I chronicled what had been a nagging need to change my lifestyle – mostly before my mom passed away. It’s now past a nagging to an imperative. Over the next week, I’m planning to import that blog’s content here and add to it with “Mama Needs a Change” posts about food and finances.

Sewing from scratch seems like a faraway dream with all that I have to do, but there are a few things I’d like to get done this year. I would like to make 6 dresses, and 2 pair of wide leg trousers for myself this year. There are some refashions/alterations I’d like to make on clothes (and shoes!) that I already have too.

And while this seems antithetical to my wish to sew from scratch, I’d really like to add to my work wardrobe. I ordered a few things from OneStopPlus that should be here next week.

Divesting/Condo-Cleanout

I’ve mentioned it here before, but my mom had a lot of stuff. Her condo is full to the gills with stuff. It is up to me to clean out the condo so that it can be sold (eventually). I’m giving myself 18 months for the cleanout: The kids will be finished with elementary school by then and I’ll need to make some decisions about where we will be next. But first, the veritable mountains of stuff in the condo need to be cleared. That includes *my stuff* (sigh).

I’ve got a lot to do by June 2013! I just need to take it 1 day at a time :)

Make Something Sunday: Holiday Slug-a-Bed

2011-12-26T11:17:00.004-05:00

With my mom gone, I'm having some *ahem* motivational issues. I get up every day and do what needs to be done, but preparing for Christmas moved sluggishly. My manic decorating (our tree and decorations met an unfortunate end in The Flood) and relentless Christmas music playing have gone by the wayside this year. It's also still quite crowded with stuff at my mom's place – no real space for a tree. I now see why my mom only had the tiny crèche…

But my kids needed some level of holiday normalcy – and that means a tree! So we made one, a window-mounted one! Our tree is a mass of snowflakes made from old Boden catalogs with the tree-shaped trunk pages made from Garnet Hill catalogs.

The kids did a great job making snowflakes and it was a great project to work on while watching Harry Potter #8. The "star" is a giant bow from Dollar Tree.

When we first worked on it two Saturdays ago, I taped green lights to the tree.

That did not work as the lights are too heavy for the paper. The lights are now relegated to a cute hurricane lamp to the side of the tree.

Total Tree Cost: $1 (for the bow/star from Dollar Tree)

Overall I'm pleased with the outcome and the kids have a tree. And, being the procrastinator I am, I made the cereal box gift bag for my sister's gifts yesterday (uh huh, on Christmas day). The velvet ribbon was marked down from $5.99 to $0.99 at Michael's last week. And the golden Christmas tree wrapping paper used as a cover ie from my mom's stash.

Vintage Coat Dresses

2011-12-20T15:57:00.010-05:00

The Vintage Patterns Wiki has a number of categories. One of the "dresses" subcategories is coat dresses. There are some lovely early New Look examples such as

Advance 7800 with the double row of buttons.

Gotta love the asymmetrical buttons, mandarin collar, and flared skirt on this McCall's 8585 coat dress.

The McCall’s 8609 coat dress is reminiscent of a wiggle dress.

I think it's wonderful that some coat dress lines are easily recognizable in later decades as well. It is especially helpful to know that since many of the earlier decades’ patterns are not within my price range, not within my size range, or not available at all. With a little adaptation, a more modern pattern can provide a very good retro result.

Advance 7800's double row of buttons and lapped collar are echoed in the 1970s Vogue 2606.

And the 1980s love of big shoulders and big collars is (*cough cough*) somewhat similar to the wiggle coat dress above.

Hooray for the wiki!

A New Pastime

2011-12-15T14:40:00.006-05:00

Now that I’m at a job where I sit at a computer most of the day, (my smartphone and) I have developed a new pastime: I look at vintage patterns on Vintage Patterns Wiki. I remember when Erin over at Dress a Day set it up. I finally have time to peruse the lovely images on there.

I know that lots of folks who love vintage are infatuated with the twirly, swishy crinoline confections from the 1950s. My body and 50s circle skirts only nod in passing. Not for lack of my trying, but I don’t think circle skirts do it for me. The 60s silhouettes generally make me look pregnant – not good when I’m not.

But the 1940s. Ah, the 1940s. I have spent a number of hours looking through the decade category. I think the 40s lines are for me: The pre-war knee length numbers on to the post-1947 early New Look frocks. I will know soon enough since I bought this lovely for a good price on eBay.

It should be here soon!

Pattern Alterations Continue

2011-11-22T18:05:00.002-05:00

** My kindergarten teacher was right - I'm a slow worker. **
The kids were with their father this weekend & I was able to take the cling wrap off MeToo and make flat pattern blocks from it. My left and right sides have different measurements in some spots so I made blocks for both sides. My (hopefully) next step is to transfer the markings from the cling wrap to the kraft paper blocks.
I was also able to take measurements for pants fitting. Since MeToo doesn't have legs, I enlisted the Little Miss to help me take measurements. She did a really good job and it only cost me $1. I used the measurements - and all the pattern fitting reference I have - to grade Butterick 4125's pants pattern pieces. Tonight I lenghten.
Sorry for the photo-less post. More (w/ pics) soon.

Awesome Tights Tutorials

2011-11-08T12:17:00.004-05:00

CRAFT Magazine's blog had a link to this fabulous tutorial today. Taking hole-y kids' tights, and cheap ladies' knee socks to make funky kids' tights. I know what I'm going to do with the Little Miss's outgrown tights...

Awesome kids' knee-sock tights tutorial

There are two other tights (ok, one is for leggings, but they'd be worn as tights...) tutorials I first became acquainted with through Wardrobe Refashion:

1. Carolyn's make your own tights tutorial. And I have some sheer stretch fabric in the stash just waiting for me to turn them into tights (for me!)

2. Elizabeth Abernathy's sweater-to-leggings tutorial. I've got a fuzzy blue sweater waiting to become leggings for the Little Miss. (Note: The tutorial is no longer on her blog, but the after pic is still on Wardrobe Refashion.)

A New Mrs. O Style Book Available 11/29/11

2011-11-07T09:09:00.007-05:00

I must get this book when it comes out on the 29th! I love Mrs. O.

Commander in Chic: Every Woman's Guide to Managing Her Style Like a First Lady
by Mikki Taylor

List Price:

$26.99
$17.45

$9.54 (35%)

Available for Pre-order

© 2011 Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Amazon, Amazon.com, the Amazon.com logo, and 1-Click are registered trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Amazon.com, 410 Terry Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98109-5210.

My Mommy Made This

2011-11-05T22:15:00.011-04:00

Snowstorm, power outages, school cancellations and all, the kids and I are moved into my mother's place. It still looks like 2 households jammed into 1 space, but we're no longer going back and forth.

My mom liked to buy things A LOT of things. So, every closet, drawer, and nook is filled with stuff. My mom also used to sew things. My sister and I are slowly going through things. In my perusals I saw a lovely grey knit dress my mom made from this 1990 Simplicity pattern.

While I love the basque waist (and the shoulder pads), my body shape and this dress do not see shoulder-to-shoulder (or chest-to-chest for that matter). I looked like a linebacker in a tutu when I tried the dress on. But, I knew it would look great on my sister. And it does.

She wore it to work the following Monday. My mother also had a lot of shoes and boots. My sister brought home a lovely beige suede pair: I advised her to wear them with the dress a la FLOTUS.

Image credit

I loved the Derek Lam dress as soon as I saw it. A grey princess-line dress with a handkerchief hem may make it's way into my wardrobe when things settle down.

Working Toward a Dress Sloper, Take 2

2011-10-27T14:01:00.009-04:00

Boy, I'm hard on myself. I'm having a tough time focussing on one thing at a time when 5 or 6 need to be done. On the homefront, the Little Miss and Mister started at a new school on Monday. It was just getting too hard to drive them across town and then double back to go to work. They seem to be adjusting ok. And I still have to move some furniture from the old apartment to my mom's townhouse - and call the Salvation Army to pick up the rest. My lease is up on Monday and I haven't heard 1 peep from the landlord since the great flood of '26.
Now, on to my slow progress on the sewing front. On Sunday morning, I added more measurement lines to the cling wrap and finished the measurements Sunday night before bed. I missed a few that B5746 called for (like hip length and arm measurements). I finally finished those up last night.

Many people suggest that seamstresses buy patterns based on their high bust size: I didn't know that when I bought my fitting shell pattern in 2007. I should have bought a 16 based on my high bust but bought a 20 based on my full bust.
After comparing my measurements to the Butterick's standard size 20 measurements, I've learned a few things - or had a few things made glaringly obvious.

I am short-waisted. Well, I kinda knew that already based on my work to adjust Simplicity 7924 early last month. If the measurements are right, my front waistline is shorter than my back.

I am asymmetrical. And here I thought MeToo was hanging askew. My left shoulder is higher than my right, my back lengths and shoulder slopes are different. The back upper bodice seems the most noticeable by measurement: my left and right sides are almost 1" different in that spot.

Except for the waist length and hip width measurements, I need to add between 1" and 3" to every body point.

I think it's really good that I'm working on this sloper. I should be able to customize any pattern after finishing this project.
Next up on the sloper front, I'm going to cut the clingwrap off MeToo and flatten the pieces out.

Working Toward a Dress Sloper, Take 1

2011-10-20T21:43:00.011-04:00

After all the hours I spent to get my first successful FBA right, I starting looking for a way to get fit right in a more systematic way. That's where sloper work comes in. I have wanted a fitted dress sloper for about 4 years. My own fitting work was initially frustrating and unsuccessful. I went so far as to put the call out for a local seamstress to help me make one. That was unsuccessful too.

Now that most of my clothing is gone, it's time for a new wardrobe –time for a dress sloper! The boyfriend wrapped me in duct tape earlier this year which yielded MeToo. She has been helpful for fitting but not necessarily for a sloper. Yet. I have Butterick's fitting shell pattern (the new number is B5627) and was doing some online research about its effectiveness, when I came across this review by Liana (hey, that's my the Little Miss's name, too!). Some folks have used clingwrap to make slopers.

I have clingwrap and I have MeToo. Sooo, I wrapped MeToo in clingwrap while sitting with the kids at bedtime on Tuesday. Wednesday night I used painter's tape, a Sharpie marker, and plumb lines (for center front and back) to mark out main fitting and cutting lines.

After taking this photo and before I went to sleep last night, I added shoulder seam lines. The painter's tape didn't want to stick to the clingwrap, so I put clear mailing tape on top of each line when I was satisfied with its position.

I still need to add side seam markings and would like to add the following measurement lines based on the 1986 edition of Fitting & Pattern Alteration: A Multi-Method Approach I got for 19.95 on half.com.

I hope to get good results from this exercise that I can then use with Lynda Maynard's e-book. (I bought that right after taking the PatternReview FBA course.)

A Recap of Self-Stitched September '11

2011-10-18T07:18:00.002-04:00

I'm proud of myself for doing SSS '11 and proud of myself for finishing the month even after my mom's death. I had a lot of repeats, but was happy to see how many me-made items I could wear.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

I wore the three necklaces OUT! I like the brown linen dress from vintage Butterick 4125 and my grey Butterick 5260 tunic, but my favorite item from SSS '11 are the shoes! Ok, and maybe the harem pants I've had since high school. The harem pants are on their third waist elastic! Who am I kidding, I like all the me-made items and refashions I wore last month.

I'm very self-conscious about having my photo taken so last month's pictorial was an ordeal for me. I have to say that I knew I was busty, but dang! And my face is pretty fat in these pictures...But all in all, I'm glad I got to participate.

Vogue's 2-Day Sale

2011-10-17T16:46:00.009-04:00

Vogue's having a $4.99 pattern sale today and tomorrow. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the added expenses I've incurred (I'm taking over my mom's mortgage and condo fees until everything clears probate). I don't think I can swing even $4.99 per pattern right now. But these two are just calling my name...

Vogue 8765

& Vogue 8633.

The lines for both dresses are pretty similar. I like how both have the sheath and flared skirt options as well. Maybe I can find something close to those in what's left of my pattern stash. The flood took out a number of my patterns. Thank goodness I stored most of my stash in the Stash Storage Sheets I made - even the few patterns I still had stored in sheet protectors were toast. My entire pattern collection could have been wiped out without the Stash Storage Sheets.

I hope to have my SSS '11 outfits posted here tonight too...

Goodbye Mom

2011-10-07T12:42:00.000-04:00

Now we have to get out of our stupor long enough to set a date for the remembrance service that my mom adamantly didn't want...

We have to do it though - there are a lot of people who want to say goodbye.

It's Been a Difficult Week...

2011-09-29T13:01:00.000-04:00

And I thought the worst thing that would happen was that my phone was off for repair. The kids and I came home on Monday to a 50% flooded apartment. The people upstairs had a flood and it leaked down to our place. Thank goodness all of the damage was to my things.

But then Tuesday came. Since I'm working full-time now, mother had been picking my kids up after school. She wasn't waiting to pick them up on Tuesday. My daughter called to let me know. I called and got no answer. So I asked my boyfriend (thank goodness he lives in town and was home) to go to my mom's and see if her vehicle was in the drive. It was; and when he rang her doorbell, my mom's doggie barked and barked without my mom shushing her. I left work and came to my mom's condo.

I have a key so we walked right in. I found her lying on the floor. My mother is gone - she had only turned 60 in May. I am devastated yet still in shock. I have to write her obituary today.

Using a Smartphone to Blog is Frustrating

2011-09-27T08:58:00.000-04:00

I dropped my phone and the screen cracked too much for me to use it. (*Sigh*)

Thank goodness I paid for GeekSquad black tie protection up-front. But now I have to wait for my phone. I miss it like a good friend.

I have been keeping up with SSS – taking photos but not posting. I hope to get them up soon.

Self-Stitched September Day 7: Painted Shoes!

2011-09-08T09:02:00.000-04:00

I didn't wear anything I sewed today, but I was so stoked to wear the shoes I painted! This was my first attempt at embellishing shoes.
It is hard to find nice pairs of size 11 shoes at thrift stores so when I did, I bought them. "Them" being these pink Via Spiga leather kitten heels.

I am not a fan of pink but have wanted kitten heels a la FLOTUS for a while now. But what to do with the Pepto pink shoes?
After some Internet searching, I came across Sassy Feet! I ordered the book (there's a new book coming out this month!) and paint starter kit. I'm reply glad I did!
I started out using the pearlescent turquoise: it took 3 coats to cover the pink (I painted while watching a movie). The turquoise alone was B.R.I.G.H.T. I used black lumiere and the fan-shaped brush to randomly pattern over the base color.
Then there was the issue of the buckle. I strung thrifted seed beads onto beading wire I had on hand, then wrapped the buckle in the strung beads.
And here's the finished product. I'm pretty pleased with myself!

The Little Miss got in on the shoe painting act too. She painted her sneakers for school. She chose to use paint from Martha Stewart's new line at Michael's. I thought she would choose one of the many pinks available, but she chose ... Turquoise *lol* She did a great job!!

Little Miss's sneaker - before

Little Miss's sneaker - after
Painted with Martha Stewart Acrylic, laces with Lumiere

Self-Stitched September Days 5 & 6

2011-09-07T14:23:00.000-04:00

Day 5

Poncho: Me-made (yes, a repeat already!)

Jeans: Refashioned – bootcut to skinny

Monday was half-price day at the thrifts so my mom marshaled me and the kids out of bed at 7:20 a.m. (it’s not even a school/work day!) to check out bargains. We went to two Goodwills (Clinton and Middletown) with my mom and had lunch at Price Chopper instead of McDonald’s. Everybody was happy and I got coffee to keep me awake! 7:20 a.m. , really?

I just threaded a brown ribbon through the coming home poncho. It feels like early October, not early September here so I’m glad I had the poncho. I turned the jeans from bootcut to skinny last year and have gotten good wear out of them. They were too short as bootcuts but perfect for the ~~streetwalker~~ 80’s skinny jeans look. And the label says size 12 – so I’m going to hold onto these for as long as I can! *lol*

And yes, that’s a snood/hair net. Is it a snood or is it a hair net? At the beauty supply shop, they call it a hair net and charge $1 for it…

Day 6

Dress: vintage Butterick 4125 (1975) in brown linen

Belt: Notre Dame Church Tag Sale/Flea Market (Durham)

Shoes: Thrifted

I finally have a pic of me in this dress. This is version 1 of my Plain Pattern Project dress. Sorry the photo is from the end of the day, so the wear wrinkles are in full force! I was glad to wear the belt with it this time around and liked how the dress looked with the waist cinched.

I always think the second or third wear of a sewn garment tells the best tale. The mandarin collar decided to turn under (like a, um, collar) and lay flat against my neck. I didn’t mind that look at all, but I’m going to have to keep that in mind for PPP version #2.

I got the belt for $1 from the church’s monthly flea market. It was priced at $3.75, but because of the peeling synthetic surface, the seller knocked it down to $1. I like the color so I wore it in its natural, peeling form yesterday. Nobody noticed. J

Princess-Seam FBA Progress

2011-09-04T00:50:00.000-04:00

On the princess-seam FBA front - I have made great progress! I'm working with OOP Simplicity 7924, which is the pattern I used to make my high school graduation dress.

I have a love affair with this pattern and Simplicity 8345 (which sadly got destroyed in one of my adult house-moves) and made at least six different versions of these princess-seamed dresses. Instead of using the princess-seam fba instructions, I added 5" to the bust using pivot-and-slide. I wound up adding too much to the bust.

And, looking at the muslin on MeToo, my short-waistedness was glaringly obvious. MeToo's hanger is off-center and that makes her a little lopsided...
MeToo and I had some real fun marking the muslin and taking in the excess. It's very liberating to write on fabric with a permanent marker! I wound up making a 1.5" short-waist adjustment.

I'm ready to cut out the wearable fabric! And just in time - the twins' father is getting married next week and invited me and my
boyfriend to the wedding rehearsal and wedding! Stay tuned.

Self-Stitched September Day 3

2011-09-03T23:51:00.001-04:00

Yay, the kids are back! Boy am I wiped out from all the driving last night and running around we did today!

Skirt: Me-made, M5431 Slip (not pictured), white camisole, jean jacket, & yellow canvas shoes: Thrifted

I finally got the chance to wear the M5431 skirt I made last September. And I'm pretty pleased with how it looks. I sewed view C in a straight size 20 in quilting cotton I purchased from Affordable Fabrics in Rocky HIll. I topstitched the waistband and hand-sewed topstitching around the back zipper.

Everything else in today's outfit was thrifted. The shoes were a great find at GW Outlet last year: never-been-worn L.L. Bean canvas slip-ons in size 11! Ok, they are yellow, but I can live with that for now.
Let's see what tomorrow holds in the way of self-sewn goodness!

Self-Stitched September Day 2

2011-09-02T16:35:00.000-04:00

Sweater: Refashioned

Necklace: Refashioned

White Tee: Target, 5 years ago

Denim Crop Pants: Thrifted, GW Outlet

Shoes: Parade of Shoes, 10 years ago

This SSS challenge is helping me get off my refashioning duff!

I love this sweater. I love the color and the shape. I got it for about $10 on clearance from Chadwick’s about 5 years ago. Because it was on clearance, I ordered what they had (an XL which should have fit). I used to swim in this sweater – and would put a belt or ribbon tie around it for shaping. Here is the original on MeToo:

I repositioned the buttons to turn this into a wrap-style sweater and I’m really pleased with the result.

After wearing it for hours now, I think the buttonholes need mini episiotomies (*ahh, the painful memories*) to stay closed.

About 2 years ago, I bought a $5 vase-full of ugly necklaces from Goodwill. The necklace I have on today used to look like this…

After dunking the pink necklace in the bucket with my jeans-dyeing experiment and restringing it with another Goodwill necklace (and some pink glass beads from the GW Outlet), I came up with this:

This necklace is awesome now! And I’m proud of myself for finally tying off the fasteners well.

The scoopneck on the white tee is a tad too low for work (and the cotton too thin to wear out anywhere!) so it’s perfect to wear under the sweater. I bought the denim crop pants in June during one of my trips to the Goodwill Outlet – they had never been worn before and were less than $1 in their by-the-pound pricing. I think they are seriously too tight, but the kids and boyfriend like them. And I have fulfilled the denim Friday peer pressure at work while looking sharp for dinner with my bff tonight!

Updates and Self-Stitched September Day 1

2011-09-02T00:08:00.002-04:00

Hurricane Irene came through and we fared well! We never lost power and only had some tree limbs down. Too bad the first two days of school were cancelled. I had to take the kids back to their father on Monday night because I had to go to work (I'm still on probation at work). There was a lot of crying during the hour drive down, but at least I know they are supervised at their father's. But I pick them up (again) tomorrow night! Yay!

Today is the first day of September & the first day of Self-Stitched September! Today's outfit is an ease-in entry - not all made from scratch. At least the colors coordinate!

Dress: Refashioned
Slip (not pictured): Thrifted
Poncho: Crocheted by me
Shoes: Payless
This dress was on sale at Kohl's two or three years ago. I loved the color combo but the store didn't have my size, so I bought a 1X. 1X is too big for me and so this dress has been hanging in the closet since I bought it. I did a simple refashion on this dress to make it wearable - I took about 1.25" in on the side seams to the waist (yes, it was even bigger than this). Today was the third time I've worn this dress. I've gotten compliments each time I've worn this dress, but I'm not sure I love it. The empire waist seam sits too high on my bust and I'm not sure I love the a-line hem sitting above the knee on me. This may have a new life as a skirt soon...
The poncho is the famous Martha Stewart "Coming Home" from prison poncho. I crocheted this lovely piece in 2005 from acrylic yarn from Ames that I had squirreled away from high school. I usually wear this with jeans but my office is like the frozen tundra so I always need something to cover up.

Vogue Patterns Magazine October/November 2011

2011-08-25T14:12:00.001-04:00

In my e-mail inbox this morning was the October/November Vogue Patterns Magazine notice. I usually skip right over this notice, but I’m glad I opened it today! I like the featured cover article about grey. I’ve been dying to try out a grey dress after seeing two of Michelle Obama’s dresses (the Derek Lam dress and the Narciso Rodriguez wrap dress that reminds me very much of V1239). But there are 2 other articles I would love to lay my covetous eyes on: “Beyond Vintage” and “Hidden Treasures.” Based on the synopsis in the promo e-mail, “Beyond Vintage” has the magazine staff making vintage Vogue patterns more up-to-date and “Hidden Treasures” is a “guide to finding materials for your next sewing project in thrift stores.” (quote from the e-mail).

I have seen blog guides to sewing with thrift store finds, but many of them are for teeny-tiny girls or young women. I’m hoping to see what treatment VoguePatterns gives the topic. And, armed with my trusty 40% coupon, I’m off to Joann’s this tonight. Does anyone know if Joann’s accepts coupons for magazine purchases? I didn’t notice magazines on their exclusions list…

Self-Stitched September 2011

2011-08-24T13:41:00.000-04:00

I, JuliN of The Happy Homemaker - Redux, sign up as a participant of Self-Stitched-Sept '11. I endeavor to wear at least 1 item I made (sewed, refashioned, crafted) and/or altered each day for the duration of September 2011.

http://sozowhatdoyouknow.blogspot.com/2011/08/self-stitched-sept-11-join-me.html

Wow, I finish sewing 1 dress and get all excited! I think the challenge will be good for me & I have a number of things I have refashioned that can make their way out of hiding and into the light of early fall! (Sadly, I must face facts that summer has been over in my neck of the woods for about two weeks.)

FBA Class Update - Pattern #1

2011-08-23T14:26:00.002-04:00

I finally got a full bust adjustment (fba) right! I’m thrilled! This post is about my process working with vintage Butterick 4125. Once my kiddie photographers come home full-time, I will have snaps of me in the dress.

Pattern Manipulation

This was the first pattern I have worked on using the fba process I learned through taking the bust adjustment class through PatternReview. Before working on the fba, I sized up the pattern (it was a size 18, bust 36) as needed and (I thought) added 4” to the length.

For the fba, I did the exercises for a side bust dart first. Then I asked about my pattern choice on the class board and worked on a paper tracing of the dress (I made a horizontal cut at the natural waist of the pattern and worked on only the top half). After working on the paper tracing for a bit, I figured out that the pattern has a modified dolman sleeve and therefore the side bust dart would not work.

Thankfully, another class participant talked about making a french dart. A french dart, what’s that? Thank goodness for the Internet – I googled it. And then I tried it. The first dart I made was HUGE! So, I turned the 1 dart into 2 and tested my two new darts with soil separator. Everything looked to be a go, so I drafted the pattern onto my standby – clear painter’s dropcloth.

Sewing

7 hours of pattern manipulation later…I was ready to get on with sewing the fashion fabric! (I’m a slow worker – especially when I’m falling asleep over the work!) Sewing the dress was pretty easy. It is just a front, back, front band/facing piece, and neckband. I left off the sleeves for this first version. I used some brown linen I had in my stash (Color = “Potting Soil” from Joann’s sometime in the last 2 years). After sewing together the front and back, I found that I forgot to add 4” to the length in back…oh well. I lopped off the added length in front.

The neckline instructions include topstitching instructions (which is shown on the tunic view only) so I blindly followed the instructions and wound up with a topstitched front band. I just added topstitching to the cap sleeve and hem to complete the look. I actually like it now.

(Plain Pattern Project Dress #1) The Verdict

I was so pleased with myself for finishing a wearable item, I wore the dress to work last Thursday! The fit’s not perfect, but I thought I was super-cute – lol! I wore the dress without a belt or sash and it looked more like an a-line shift. MeToo (my duct tape dress form) modeled for me after work.

I do have to change the angle of dart #2. I just have to remember that with darts, all roads point to the bust apex…though the darts do remind me of arrows that way. I also have to remember to add the 4” in length for my next dress!

Next up, working through the princess seam fba!

Thriftin' ain't Easy but Somebody's Gotta do It!

2011-08-09T08:59:00.000-04:00

I never knew how much work it was to be a weekend parent – the commuting for the handoff alone exhausts me! But, summer vacation is over in three more weeks and the twins will be back home with me. Yay!

We have been thrifting up a storm when we are together. There is a GW Outlet about 20 minutes from home that we've been going nuts at for over a year. I love the "treasure hunt" aspect of it and the kids love the sheer volume of things they can get for a little! Most of my fine fabrics (silk, wool, leather) and upper brand name items (some with the store tags still on them), and a lot of our furniture is from the Outlet. Most items are by the pound money or very cheap individually (25₵ paperbacks, leather coats for $4, luggage and other bags for 99₵, toys by the pound…).

The kids and I went off to the Goodwill Outlet ~~last weekend~~ (oops, two weekends ago now!). It was an awesome day of thrifting! The Little Miss needed new sneakers and a lunchbox for school. I told her we had a $10 budget for both items and sent her off to find some sneakers. She found a pair of Easy Spirit sneakers that fit and she liked. Then she called me over to help her find a lunchbox. I usually look in the clothing bins, but off I went to help her find a lunchbox. We found an old-school plastic Care Bears lunchbox. Mission accomplished for under $10.

Bins & Bins of Stuff

While looking through the "stuff" bins, I came across a pattern – which happens sometimes. But when I dug a little more, there were more and more patterns – vintage patterns! All together, I found 59 patterns – mostly vintage, in the GW Outlet bin along with a Coats & Clark A-Z sewing book. I was totally geeked by this time. We found a few other good things – craft supplies, a couple of toys for the Little Mister, some videos, and a few clothes – on our trek. Total = $27.

This past Saturday, we did it again! But this time we (me, the twins, their soon-to-be stepsister on their father's side, my sweetie, and my mom) went on a caravan trip to the Notre Dame Church tag sale in Durham. The church holds a giant tag sale/flea market the first Saturdays between May and September. Flea vendors' prices can vary, but the church's prices are super low. Bags of clothing are $2+, glassware, costume jewelry, toys, craft supplies, small appliances, linens, and more! I found more patterns, most of which are vintage! I also got a good-sized box of sewing supplies, a weaving loom set, a skirt for me, a corduroy skirt to refashion and two waterfall art prints for just $5! The kids got stuffed animals, rings, sunglasses, and a scooter for less than the $5 each I gave them to spend. My mom got a ~~self-inflicted torture device~~ exercise machine for $6 and my sweetie found some vintage sports cards and Pez dispensers for less than $10 total. We spent more on food and drinks than on items we purchased! We had a great time!

On the sewing front, I worked through the FBA class hosted by PatternReview and think I got the vintage Butterick 4125 adjusted properly. I cut the fashion fabric out last night – fingers crossed that the sewing goes smoothly!

Special thanks to my little photographer!

It's Not the Mojo...

2011-07-27T15:46:00.000-04:00

It is time for some truthtelling. I have not made a successful garment from scratch for myself in almost 10 years. I remember a time when almost all my clothes were me-made and I loved it. At 5’11”, I lengthened almost every pattern out of necessity and I was totally comfortable sewing size 16 patterns which fit me and worked out fine for my D-cup bustline.

Well here I am, 9 years A.T. (After Twins) and I feel stuck. The items I have attempted to sew for myself have not worked out well. At. All. I got fitted for new bras two weeks ago and I’m now a (*gulp*) G-cup. Getting patterns to fit me now is no longer just a matter of lengthening pieces. Just cutting out larger size patterns have led to some serious wadders. My attempts at FBAs have not worked well either. I have become frustrated. And my flat pattern measurement work and pattern grading failures have made me feel like a fat cow. (Which may or may not be true…Ok, Steve, I know I know. I’m not fat…)

Yet hopeful. I remember having great success with sewing (years ago…). I designed and sewed my own prom dress for goodness sake! I loved having the ability to control how my wardrobe looked by color, style, fit, and fiber content. And as (an erstwhile) lover of Boden’s style but not their prices, I really miss being able to “get the look” for much less!

So what am I going to do about all this? A couple of things:

1. I’m going to accept my size and proportions. If my bust measurements are truly (*ahem*) 38 upper and 44 full, I am going to accept that and move forward. If I need to grade patterns I love that don’t fit my measurements I will do that too!

2. I’m going to get the FBA down! I signed up for Sarah Veblen’s Bust Adjustments course on PatternReview. Fingers crossed that I can get this right!

I can’t go out with a completely pic-free post. Here’s a shot of my long-lost ~~body~~ prom dress.

PatternReview FBA Class

2011-07-26T20:22:00.001-04:00

First Attempt at Henna

2011-07-19T21:26:00.010-04:00

I can't believe I'm busier without the kids than I am with them. I'm getting used to the new work schedule, but I'm still a little tired by 8pm. And I've been driving to and from New London for the kids every weekend :).
I've been modifying patterns, but haven't gotten to sit at a sewing machine. But I did get to henna my hair for the first time. I'm really pleased with how it turned out - all my grey hairs are covered!
The Little Miss liked it so much she wants me to henna her hair too.

I've got more grey hair than my mother!

Very pleased with the results of Henna Hut's red/dark red mix

Gertie's Bombshell Dress Online Course

2011-07-08T12:01:00.000-04:00

What a great find in my RSS feeds this morning! Gertie has developed an online bombshell dress course and it's only $30 when accessed through her website.

I can't wait to purchase this course tonight! Instead of the burdastyle pattern, I may use one I already have, though...

Cereal Box Notebook Cover

2011-07-07T10:46:00.001-04:00

D.M. rendition of "Soul's Flight" - poster size

The Backstory

Now that I am back to cubicle life after 5 years on the road, I need to keep track of my daily tasks. I know some folks like a spiral-bound, but I prefer a nice composition notebook, but they look so generic.
In my last cube-life job, I had gotten a laminated Niagara Falls poster from posters.com to decorate one of my ~~cell~~ cube walls. I packed the poster away in its mailing tube during the last house move. Or so I thought. Instead I found the lovely “Soul’s Flight” by Keith Mallett knock-off that D.M. made me some years ago. I love it, the woman is beautiful, the African prints are great, and it has BUTTERFLIES! But… it doesn’t match anything in the new apartment and is too big to decorate my new cube…as a poster.
BUT, it could become a cover for my work composition books! And here’s where the cereal boxes come in…

The TutorialMaterials Used1 brown paper shopping bag (or recycle some wrapping paper or kraft/packing paper – which is what I used)
1 composition notebook
2 empty cereal boxes
Glue (I used Elmer’s Glue-All for regular gluing and decoupage)
Clamps (optional)
Duct tape
Artwork
Clear Contact paper

Instructions

1. Glue 2 cereal boxes together on their short sides. Depending on the glue you use, you may need to clamp or press down on the glued sides with heavy books. I did this last Friday morning and it dried while I was at work. (Note: Make sure it’s a thin bead of glue or you may be prying some of the cereal box cardboard apart to get it to lay flat. Ask me how I know this…).

2. Make a paper bag bookcover (like in the olden days for school books!) for the notebook. This cover will become your template. I always used to make my paper bag bookcovers with wings – instead of having one long line of paper bag. Do whatever you’re comfy with. Crafting a Green World has a good tutorial if you’ve never made a paper bag bookcover before. This step only takes a few minutes.

3. Back to the cereal boxes: When they’re dry, press them out flat. You should have one long expanse of thin cardboard to work with now. Take your paper bag template and trace it onto the cereal boxes. I used the cereal boxes existing scoring/folds as the spine of notebook cover. Cut out the traced notebook cover.

4. Use duct tape to reinforce the moving parts of the cover.

5. Determine the placement of your artwork on the cover. Cut out your desired design.

6. Start gluing!
a. For the gold background, I decoupaged (3 parts Glue-All/ 1 part water & a sponge brush) cut pieces around the cover. I made sure that some of the gold paper wrapped around the edges of the box. I then used the clamps again to get the paper to stay put while drying.
b. Once the background was dry, I placed the rest of the artwork in various places around the cover. I had to decide how to get the woman on it without ruining the marker work. I could have used spray adhesive, but I used the Xyron I bought ages ago and rarely use. The Xyron is great! But spray adhesive would work fine.

7. Take the paper bag template and cut a full piece of clear Contact paper the total length of the template.

8. Once your gluing work is complete – and completely dry – cover your work with the Contact paper. Be careful as this can be tricky with a large piece! I peeled away small pieces of the Contact paper’s

backing at a time and smoothed it onto the cover along the way. I used my boxcutter (*shh, I’m a bad crafter with no X-acto knife*) to slit the Contact paper at the notebook cover’s wings. I folded the excess Contact paper to the back side of the notebook cover.

That’s it, your notebook cover is done! Put your new cover around your notebook and enjoy your handiwork! (Note: Your notebook cover may need some “coaxing” to flatten. I sat on mine…my extra weight is finally good for something ;))

Make Something Sunday

2011-07-05T13:27:00.002-04:00

I'm on lunch at work but couldn't wait to post my new composition book cover. I'm so excited about how this little lovely turned out! Who would have thought it started out as 2 cereal boxes?
I hope to post a tutorial tonight!

Stop Eating Your Way Into Debt!

2011-07-04T12:33:00.001-04:00

Stop Eating Your Way Into Debt!

The Twins' Birthday Weekend

2011-06-29T16:08:00.001-04:00

I can't believe the time has gone by so fast: It's official - Frick and Frack turned 9 on Sunday! They are halfway to legal adult status and one third of the way to moving back home!

Of course, the kids wanted a birthday party, but the venue was an issue. They wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese (*again*) this year. I was going to do anything I could to avoid that. Before I got this new job, a pool party at the town park looked like just the thing...until the Little Mister gave his reasons for voting for C.E.C. "It's air-conditioned, everybody likes it, and they even provide a cake." He made all his points while ticking off the reasons with his fingers! His logic made me proud *sniff*.

But, I hate C.E.C. and looked for a way out of having their party at that kiddie casino. Before DS gave his reasons I was looking at Quassy amusement park again, a New Britain Rock Cats tailgate and game party, and Hubbard Park as options. No ac in any of those places. Then I thought about the Peabody Museum. It would be perfect! And a perfect finale to 8 years of working at Yale.

And it was perfect! The venue included two party hostesses who handled all the activities - one of which was a scavenger hunt in the Hall of Dinosaurs. I provided the food. Modern Pizza, which is sublime and these:

I was inspired by The Domestic Diva's post about push pop cakes instead of cupcakes. Domestic Diva has links to container vendors in her blog post. I chose Laguna Wholesale because they offer *Free Shipping*. I ordered the containers a week before the party and they arrived by Wednesday! These were great! I made brownie/french vanilla and lemon cake/lemon raspberry kinds. By far, the brownie type tasted better. And of course, the cake and brownies were made in the slow cooker. It was so funny to see everyone's mouths hanging open when I told them I made them in the slow cooker!

I didn't get any pics at the party because I was playing hostess (running my mouth). Their father took the above blurry pic of me and the twins with my phone. The push pop pic was from after the party (and after an *ahem* helpful family member packed them upside down). They held up pretty well and the leftovers are in my freezer.

And now because of my new job, my 9-year-old "babies" are with their father for the entire summer! He and his fiancee whisked them away right after the party. While I miss them, I think I feel sewing mojo coming on...

Make Something Sunday

2011-05-25T12:33:00.000-04:00

...post it Wednesday! I went to my younger cousin's baby shower on Sunday. While I usually bring diapers, because Lord knows babies go through TONS of diapers, I thought a jazzed-up presentation would be great. A diaper cake would be too precious for my cousin, so I hunted around on the Internet. Hurray for the creative souls who post on various sites! Craftipatti gave great instructions for how to make a motorcycle diaper cake.

It looked great and was a big hit! I did tweak Craftipatti's directions a bit, though. I substituted the pair of baby booties for a felted cardigan cuff from a previous project for the handlebars. What a cool project this was!

Pipecleaners + Jello = Spiral Curls!

2011-05-14T16:42:00.001-04:00

5/16/11 - Ah, finally at a desktop. I've added links below.
I've been trying to add some "girly" to my appearance - getting out of jeans and sneakers, doing more than pulling my hair back, and even *shock-and-awe* putting makeup on. These developments are almost revolutionary on my part. Growing up churchy, I never experimented with trying to look attractive. Doing in-home social work for the past 5 years hasn't motivated me to channel my inner girl (or inner drag queen, depending on your perspective on 6ft. "girls") either. I've got a lot to learn.

Enter the internet. The web is a never-ending source of new information! I started my and DD's locs with Cherie King's Bradelocz ebook. The Little Miss's are almost 5 years old and mine are 4. I did a bantu knot set two weeks ago. The knots are uncomfortable to sleep on and uncomfortable to wear running errands. And the curls fell after 1 day. *humph*

I needed to find a nonchemical way to get the set to hold longer. The Fedora Lounge forum mentioned sugar water, honey, flaxseed gel, and...Jello. I had Jello in the kitchen cabinet. A little more searching and I found a Jello setting lotion recipe on Imitation of Vintage Life (her finger waves look great).

Bantu knots weren't gonna cut it this time. Twist-out? Braid-out? There were web discussions on using pipecleaners for spiral curl sets (Youtube doesn't work on my phone). We're a crafty household - we've got pipecleaners!

I tried it on my hair Sunday night and wore the pipecleaners to work Monday and I got a bunch of compliments. I had curls on Tuesday and they lasted till I washed them out this morning. Yay!
Sadly, I didn't get pics of my hair. Soooo, I had to experiment on the Little Miss's hair! And I got pics!

Slow Cooker Chocolate Croissants

2011-05-05T10:14:00.001-04:00

I have been a fan of slow cooking since college. Baking in the slow cooker is new territory for me though. This lovely experiment worked pretty well!

All it took was some leftover chocolate (how any chocolate escaped scarfing in this house I don't know), crescent roll dough from the fridge, and a greased crock set on high for 1.5 hours. 1 package of crescent rolls make 4 chocolate croissants.

I used a vintage round Crock-Pot and vented the lid. The pastries closer to the edge browned more than the one in the middle. The kids didn't care - I could only get 1 pic before they finished these two off!

Refashioned Flower Headbands

2011-05-01T14:29:00.001-04:00

I made these two embellished flower headbands as a birththday gift for one of the Little Mister's classmates. The bear was the only willing model who wouldn't leave stray hairs on the headband.

I found great links to inspiration photos and instructions at Make Hair Bows and More.

For the first headband, I used denim from an old pair of my jeans, embroidery floss for the crochet flower, and a bead from the Little Miss's collection.

For the second headband, I used scraps from an old skirt for the fabric flower, embroidery floss for the crochet flower, and (*wink wink*) a few more beads from the Little Miss.

The headbands were super cute! I just wish the Little Miss would wear headbands...

I'm im Love! Vogue Summer Dress

2011-03-25T12:56:00.000-04:00

I got Vogue's summer collection email and the Chado Ralph Rucci V1239 dress below just grabbed me. Wow!

V1239 | Misses' Dress and Belt | Chado Ralph Rucci | Vogue Patterns

Of course, I have nowhere to wear a dress like this, but now that I got the bf to wrap me in duct tape, I might be able to fit this dress to my body properly. C'mon back Vogue Patterns sale!

An Update - Sadly, No Sewing

2011-03-16T13:18:00.000-04:00

There has been a lot going on in this neck of the woods. I got in touch with a really nice woman who gave me some style advice - which I took. I have used a few of her suggestions, and placed my second Boden order for me. Sadly, work has been so crazy, I haven't sewn anything for myself...

But here are pics from items I ordered. I was surprised at how good I looked in purple, but the fabric was so thin, the purple dress had to be returned.

2011 Planner Time

2010-09-29T09:22:00.002-04:00

It's time for me to look for a planner for next year. With the work I do, I need a handheld planner, *gasp* an actual PAPER planner. While I short of like the one I got for 2010, I miss the one I had for 2009. My 2010 planner is trade paperback size, has daily planner space on a two-page spread, and space for notes. 2009's planner was letter size, with two-page spread daily planner space, room for notes, and tabs delineating each month. I covered it with teal fabric and was in heaven.

Ok, so I'm a little anal with the planner thing.

Before I looked at the big box store offerings, I thought I'd see what Etsy had to offer.

An Artful Agenda has this whimsical 2011 planner. It features daily, full-page art.

MyLavendarCottage has a lovely 12-month planner that can begin with any month you choose - and the months are tabbed!

I'm almost in love with this handwoven 12-month calendar by PriaVanda. Sadly, no monthly tabs. The ribbon weaving is so pretty, though.

PHOGLIe carries 2011 planners with original photos on the covers. The paper is beautiful and the photos unique. The planner with the photo of Venezia, Italy is my favorite. If only it had hourly appointment spaces and tabs...

I hope I find something to my liking before I run off and make one of my own using printed Outlook calendar pages.

Radio Silence

2010-09-17T10:46:00.002-04:00

I am jonesin' to update, but my laptop is out of commission for a bit. And my work computer is a dinosaur with no photo viewing capability. Soon, I should have the rest of the Little Miss's back-to-school wardrobe up!

Green Convertible Skirt/ Tunic Dress

2010-08-15T16:10:00.006-04:00

One UFO down! I started working on Butterick 4722 for the Little Miss around this time last year. She wanted a 3-tier peasant skirt and none would fit around her tummy so off I went to make one for her.

When I tried the unfinished skirt on her it was too long. So there the unfinished textile confection lay, neglected and alone.

But alas, the 3-tiers of green print have found a new lease on life as a convertible garment!

I put the review up on Pattern Review.

Back to School Wardrobe, Part 1

2010-08-08T13:22:00.011-04:00

Oh I am so excited! The kids are going back to school at the end of the month and it's time to start getting the Little Miss's back to school wardrobe ready. I've finished a few things for her.
I bought these adult-size 14 capris at dollar day a while back. I took in the sides, added an adjustable elastic waist, and took up the crotch a bit. She doesn't love the capris, but she does love a photo shoot!

Next, I took these super stretch (and seriously tight) bootcut jeans and made them into skinny (and still seriously tight) jeans for her.

The capris and jeans are topped with thrifted tops. All three came from the thrift outlet and were less than 1.00 each.

Finally (so far) here is another thrift outlet find: an adult sized batik print surplice-top dress with an elasticized waist.

I took off the bodice, shortened the armholes 1.5" and tightened up the front bodice.

She has an thrifted Aeropostale rib tank under the dress. The leggings were a thrift find from last year - and they still fit! They developed a hole on the left thigh, so I darned the hole and then cross stitched a heart over the spot.

Here's 1 more: a very cute thrifted dress.
The tag says it is a size 14 and the cotton is so crisp it is clear this dress had not been worn. Not bad for 2.00.

The Little Mister is much easier to fit so I just thrift for him. He has taken to being the photographer for his sister though!

Wow, I have been busy. I also got a chance to make a card keeper for my 2010 Mother's Day cards. I used scrapbook papers, an divided file folder from work, and p-stash storage sheets to hold the cards. Now the kids want them for their birthday cards.

Some Adjustment Still Needed

2010-08-02T12:32:00.012-04:00

*Sigh*. Gone are the days when I could take a pattern, cut it out, sew it, and all would be right. Getting a proper FBA has been frustrating for me. While browsing online fashions a while back, I came across this silk dress with obi belt by TrashyDiva.

I was in love. But of course, the design didn't come in my size. So I thought I could franken a couple of patterns I already had: McCalls 5094 and 5137. I liked the midriff and skirt of 5094 and the bodice of 5137.

I balanced the pattern proportions well enough to get the bodice and midriff attached without too much fullness... BUT the FBA just wasn't full enough.

It looks like i need to add at least another 3" of depth to the bodice. I had to chuck the sleeve bands before I took this photo; I think I should shorten the kimono sleeve even more. And maybe chuck the color contrast skirt band as well.

This one needs a few changes. I'll come back to it when I'm not frustrated anymore.

Luckily, since my social life has taken an odd turn toward the busy, I used the fabric from this failed bodice to do a bodice muslin on New Look 6774. And it came out perfect!

Finally something for the boy

2010-07-22T17:29:00.006-04:00

This is a simple, no-sewing required refashion. The Little Mister needed shorts to take to his pop's. I had admired Boden's sweatpant shorts and he happened to have 3 pair of hole-y sweatpants. Out came the scissors! Except with the blue pair - which he just wore to death, I used a pair of his knee-length jean shorts for a guide. But there were still a couple of holes higher up that needed patches. The Little Mister decided he wanted skulls. He traced the pattern from a hooded sweatshirt I bought him months ago. A little Wonder-Under, backstitching, and freehand embroidery later, voila! He was so pleased with them he took off the shorts he was wearing to put the blue ones on.

Daryl Hall Concert

2010-07-20T16:02:00.004-04:00

We are in the midst of summer here and that means – outdoor concerts! Last Friday I took the kids to the Daryl Hall concert and it was great. There was a really big crowd. He did some of his solo songs and then worked his way to Hall and Oates classics. And he did 1 encore ending with “You Make My Dreams Come True” (The theme for his web show Live from Daryl’s House).

It was a fabulous time – the weather was perfect and the kids got to hear what I play in the car so often live.

I even got a chance to work on a cross stitch project I’ve had for ever so long. This was the first time the Little Miss saw me working a cross stitch and she wanted one. So off we went to the craft store to get her a stamped cross stitch pattern. It’s a turtle on a glow-in-the-dark background. She’s been working really hard on it. And the p-stash sheet has been perfect for her to keep her project together. She even keeps her scissors in it and the scissors don’t puncture the sheet!

And the giveaway continues! If you would like to receive a sample 5-pack of p-stash storage sheets, message me with your mailing address at twiinsmom_ct at yahoo.com.

Bottoms Up!

2010-07-15T14:40:00.003-04:00

*Argh* All of the blogs I was following are no longer in my list. I will have to fix that...

I finally got around to working on - and posting - refashions for me. These are a couple of simple refashions: a size 22W pleated cotton skirt I got from dollar day a few months ago and a pair of mens jeans I found at the thrift store outlet.

I just took in the right side seam on the skirt. The zipper is on the left so I couldn't take it in evenly.

I put a dart in the back waist of the jeans and put 6" cuffs in the legs to make capris. I know the big cuff is (*cough*) trendy, but I'm not sure I love it. I think I'm going to just cut and sew the legs.

On a side note - It is amazing how BIG I look in the photos I took this week. I totally think I don't look that way in person but they say the camera never lies...

I've Taken the Pledge!

2010-07-04T18:08:00.002-04:00

I, Juli of The Happy Homemaker - Redux, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 4 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings!

Yay! I finally got picked for Wardrobe Refashion! I'm working on a skirt on got from dollar day and hopefully will get to post tomorrow.

They're 8!!

2010-06-26T14:47:00.005-04:00

5:30 a.m.

It was 8 years ago today that I was into my 5^th week of premature labor and on “bed rest” when my water (finally) broke. It was still 5 weeks too early, but the twins were coming!

Based on the many many ultrasounds, Baby A was significantly smaller than her twin brother. She was Baby B before birth, but who’s to quibble now? She was born at 5:37 p.m. and weighed in at a whopping 3lbs. 12 oz. Her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck twice and her birth Apgar was 2. Oh my poor baby.

But she’s a born fighter that one. 11 days in the NICU and home with the same contraption her brother had come home with; a heart monitor. There were a few other complications down the line and talk of significant areas of her brain having died off, but you’d never know it now.

She learned to ride a two-wheeler all by herself this year. She took swimming lessons and seems to be getting the hang of it! And she hula hooped all by herself a few weeks ago. Yay for the Little Miss – my 4’8”, 120lb. Little Miss :). (She’s built like her defensive lineman father – sorry Mama genetics roulette strikes again.) My upcoming 3^rd grader reads better than a lot of 6^th graders, is quick, engaging and funny. And beautiful okay maybe I think that because she is mine…

Baby B came onto the scene 4 minutes after his sister. He breezed on through where she had to struggle. He weighed in at 5lbs. 8 oz. and was only in the NICU 7 days. Normal Apgar, no umbilical issues.

He rode a two-wheeler perfectly from the first time he got on one at 5. He catches on to sports easily and has a quick mind like his sister. (He could focus on playing the sport at hand instead of socializing with his neighbor but he’s young yet.) And would rather be off studying bugs anyway. Some days I look at him and realize what a handsome young man he’s going to be and what trouble I will be in for then.

I can’t believe they are 8 already! I don’t know where the time went but some days I’m glad it went – taking care of twins on my own has not been the easiest thing. But it has been totally worth it. Every daycare payment, every abdominal stretch mark, every time I had to set a “good example” and not eat candy for breakfast, every career downshift, have been worth it.

Happy 8^th Birthday Faces. Mommy Loves You!

Back in the Saddle!

2010-06-12T12:58:00.008-04:00

Since the move, we haven't had internet access at home which has seriously hampered my blogging. I have been creating things, though.

I crocheted hats and neck warmers through the winter and have been refashioning things for the Little Miss. The best (okay, to be honest, the one I took photos of) refashion was her Easter outfit. It was a little chilly here on Easter so I started with a thrift wool-blend cardigan, one of my old cotton sundresses, and some green ribbon. I replaced the grey flower ribbons with green crocheted flowers. I used Teresa from Crochet Mania's pattern. For the dress, used more green ribbon for a faux empire-waist, shortened the shoulder straps and cut a foot off the bottom of my old dress. She was thrilled!

I can hardly believe the school year is almost over for the twins. This year has been the first when I have worked part-time; it is great to be able to be with them and not have to worry about childcare.

Being at home more has given me time to work on a sewing pattern storage idea I have had as well. I've come up with a reclosable, heavy-weight pattern storage sheet: P-Stash. I'm giving away 5-packs to 100 people. Cennetta and Amy, as my two blog followers - would you like to me to send you each a free 5-pack? E-mail me and I will get them right out to you!

Too busy to blog?

2009-12-22T10:55:00.002-05:00

I have been so busy for the past month that I haven't had time to update my blog. We are moving house! I hope to have everything done by the end of the year and settle into our new digs. Alas, the move is slow-going, so time will tell.

I haven't been sewing, but I did make a dress from two sweaters for the Little Miss's holiday concert. She wants to wear it on Christmas so hopefully I will get a good photo of it then.

Make Something Sunday - Mirror Mirror

2009-11-09T10:29:00.004-05:00

I have been lusting after a mirror in my mother's house for a couple of years now. When she replaced the mirror with two framed art objects, I saw my chance...

This plastic mirror has always reminded me of a ship's porthole. It was originally off white; my mom spray-painted it a dull hammered silver/nickel.

I'm not a fan of silver. So I rubbed some leftover teal craft paint over the silver finish. Then I brushed some green metallic craft paint over it. Finally, I used industrial glue to attach some clear flat-sided accent marbles from the dollar store to the outer edge.

Here it is hanging in my office. It looks pretty good and all for less than $5! Thanks Mom!

Make Something Sunday

2009-11-04T18:35:00.001-05:00

I did start this post on Sunday...but then misplaced my digital camera USB cable. I found it on Monday and then got caught up with work/home...

DD needed a kit for school - just some post-gym class clean-up items. I wanted to use something she already has and I wanted it to look cute. During one of our trips to the GW outlet, the Little Miss picked out this lunch box:

I let DD pick out the color scheme and papers she preferred to decorate her kit. I let her trace the lunchbox top and color the letters for her name. For protection, I covered the altered parts with contact paper.

Other than chicken soup, that's the only something I made on Sunday. I haven't been doing much sewing, but I did add crochet trim to a sweater ...

Picture Day Dress

2009-10-19T19:36:00.005-04:00

"Mommy, I want to wear a dress for picture day," the Little Miss informed me.

Second grade picture day was this past Wednesday. And winter decided to come early to New England so my plans of an Indian summer dress made from Simplicity 2689 went away as the frost came on.

I came up with this instead. The dress was made from a thrifted men's sweater ($1.00) and corduroy fabric from a less-than-successful sewing project.

First, I cut the ribbed bottom off the sweater. Then I cut down the shoulder area and sleeve length. I then took in the side seams a little. Finally, I added 6" of corduroy to the bottom. The corduroy came from the failed McCall 3077 project.

My favorite part of the outfit is the cowboy boots. $3.00 at GW!

Sorry for the poor pic...I have to take a better photo next time she wears it.

Vintage Fabric - Butterick 4970

2009-09-13T21:41:00.002-04:00

Vintage Fabric - Butterick 4970 001
Originally uploaded by HappyHomemakerRedux

Here is the other Butterick 4970 tunic I made for the Little Miss. She wore it to school last week. And just in time since it is about to become too cold for her to wear it...

I used a vintage green cotton print for the body and a vintage yellow blend (no clue what it is) fabric for the yoke. I, ahem, acquired these fabrics from my mother's stash about 2 years ago.

This was actually the first tunic I made for the Little Miss. I had to add fabric to the sides seams on this one...

The print is great; the additions at the side seams are barely noticeable.

It was like pulling teeth to get her to take a photo of this. I had to catch her after school - hence the "I need more lotion" ashy look to her ankles! BTW, her capris and the loafers I love were each a cool one dollar at the local thrift store. Yay!

Finally a Sewing Success!

2009-08-31T21:09:00.013-04:00

2009 has not been a sewing-friendly year for me. I have discarded a lot of projects because of fit issues. BUT, just when I was about to pack it in, I had a success!

I have had Butterick 4970 for about a year now. It is a Flirt Girl pattern and one of the few larger size girls' patterns. There are a lot of patterns for toddlers and little girls, but very few after size 6...

Little Miss wanted to wear a dress the first day of school. I wanted her to wear something gym-day friendly. We met somewhere in the middle - She wore a tunic with leggings.

I am especially proud of this tunic because it is my first sucessful refashion! The Little Miss's tunic started out as these...

Now on to the review.

Pattern Description: Girls’ pullover dress with yoke neckline.

Pattern Sizing: I bought the 12-14-16. I had to make some modifications to the pattern (see below).

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Sort of. The tunic was based on the View C dress. And the gathers were less noticeable than in the pattern drawing.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, the instructions were easy to follow.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? This was a pretty simple pattern. I liked the fact that the yoke neckline is still on point fashion-wise. I also liked the fact that there are only 3 pattern pieces for this view.

I did not like the printed instructions for the yoke construction. The printed instructions kept mixing up the yoke and the yoke facing. Hmm, or maybe it was me…? It's been a while since I followed pattern instructions.

Fabric Used: The tunic in the photo is made from 100% recycled fabric. The yoke is from a sweater tank and the tunic body is made from a women’s linen button-down shirt. Total fabric cost - $3.50.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I shortened View C by 3” to make it tunic length. (Although I did have to argue a lot with the Little Miss to get her to wear it with leggings.) The tunic posted here is the second go with this pattern view.

For the original, I cut a size 16 in the tummy and 12 everywhere else. That didn’t quite work. I wound up adding 3” to each side to give the Little Miss some wiggle room. For this version, the shirt’s side seams just fit the expanded pattern. The shirt buttons and pocket made for additional design elements on the finished tunic.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I’m not sure if I would sew this again. I might use the neckline again to morph another pattern. This was an easy pattern and would be good for beginners.

Conclusion: View C of this pattern goes together quickly and looks good in a variety of fabrics. Including recycled fabrics.

The Little Miss got a lot of compliments on her first-day-of-school outfit. Even from the teachers! I really enjoyed using the recycled women's tops. And thank goodness I sewed down the buttons! The Little Miss kept trying to unbutton the thing all day...

Summer Vacation and the Beadin's Fine!

2009-08-01T06:37:00.011-04:00

Now that the twins are 7, I thought it was the right time to teach them some useful skills – I mean reading, writing, and arithmetic will only take them so far.

DS loves cameras and so I dusted off my old (very old), neon green 35mm and presented it to him. We then trooped off to the library to get a kids photography book. DS did not take too kindly to the lessons...he went back to his Gameboy within a week.

Ah, but DD did not disappoint. She loves to make things, but the thought of handing her fabric, shears, and access to a sewing needle of any sort gave me the willies. Sooo, I thought she might take to jewelry making. The Little Miss already had some kid’s jewelry-making kits from holidays past. So we got a book and got going.

Things didn’t go quite as smoothly as I hoped. DD’s motor skills needed more fine-tuning than I thought. She couldn’t manipulate the beading string straight away. So, we started smaller – actually bigger. The Little Miss started beading with pipe cleaners at first. She really got the hang of it.

Then grandma saw some of DD’s pipe cleaner jewelry and commissioned 2 ankle bracelets. Here are DD’s creations made to order for grandma:

The white and clear beads on both ankle bracelets were recycled. I’m really impressed with how much her fine motor skills are improving. And of course, I had to practice with her…and made 2 necklaces from recycled materials as well!

And DS, who was not interested in “summer enrichment” at all, suddenly changed his tune when grandma paid his sister $10 for the two ankle bracelets…

Altered Clothing - Where Have I Been?

2009-06-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

My sewing endeavors have been (ahem) less-than-successful for months now. The grey Chetta B dress - much too wide in the shoulders. The green tiered skirt I was making for the Little Miss -too long. And then there was the McCall 3077 debacle... I shortened the sleeves and the hem, and altered the dress to fit DD's more child-like proportion, the simple, empire waist dress turned into this...

This is what I get for trying to fit a junior size dress on a 6-year-old girl. It is a perfectly nice pattern, but no good for my daughter. I can either mail the to someone who wants it (hint hint) or ship it off to Pattern Rescue...

I'm beginning to lose my confidence and was about to hang up my sewing hat for good. But then I browsed through the magazine section at Borders and saw Altered Couture's latest issue. I was really taken with the upcycled girls' dresses featured in the issue. And I thought this is something I can do - and not mess up too badly.

Especially since I've been thrifting/recycling clothing for years. You know, turning jeans into skirts, putting darts in store-bought dresses to make fit better, taking in side seams of sweaters, and the like. Even before last Sunday's brush with Altered Couture, I turned one of the Little Miss's dresses into a tunic.

As you can see, there was a ginormous hole in the side of the dress. But I was loath to toss the dress. So, I shortened the dress, added a slight ruffle at the bottom edge and instant tunic.

She's already worn it 3 times since I've shortened it.

Wardrobe Refashion is great. People who accept the challenge can pledge to buy only "preloved" items or make their own clothing for a given period of time. They even have a Flickr group!

Which is how I found Brenda Abdullah's work!

Her pieces are just beautiful. And it is so inspiring that she uses recycled materials in all of her work. I want to be like her when I grow up!

Finally, the twins and and I also went to a children's arts festival street fair near a local university last weekend. We had so much fun and I kept looking at the artful clothing the adults and the children had on: I got to thinking that I have been chasing a standard that is not my own and need to pursue personal authenticity. Incorporating recycled/thrifted items into my sewing? We already go to the thrift stores so often I know when the discount days are...We'll see how this works out.

The Decoupaged Kitchen Table - Love & Leopards

2009-04-20T03:23:00.012-04:00

Note 1: I am a terrible blogger. 6 weeks between posts is terrible. Thankfully, I'm a better mother. The Little Miss fell down some stairs and sprained her ankle badly last month. I spent the rest of March carrying her up and down stairs and coaxing her to walk - first with crutches, then without. She's walking again - YAY!

Note 2: I'm hoping this post comes out okay. My laptop is broken and I am posting using the kids' ancient PC (and learning new tricks for MS Publisher)...

I live in an old, small house. I love the fact that it is old; it was built in 1865. I don't love the fact that it is small; 875 sq. ft. of living space (including the basement and enclosed porch). Yeah.

The first table I bought was MUCH too big to fit in the house. But I kept it thinking I could work around it. I really couldn't and finally got rid of it. We were in the market for a new table, but it needed to be small and I needed to afford it. It is too bad that I like furniture from places like Horchow and Thomasville, but so can't afford to buy from them. Then I saw this dining set at the local Goodwill Outlet (yes, Goodwill has outlet stores too!):

I didn't have my camera when I first saw this in the outlet so I had to snap these after I lugged everything home. The set cost $39.99 and looked disgusting at first. The laminate table top was dirty, the far left corner was chipped and broken off, the metal table legs were missing the screw-in stabilizers at the bottom (and they were shiny metal, ugh), and the chairs, well you can see the photo... But I saw the potential for both the table and the chairs.

I've never decoupaged anything before, but I thought it would be a neat thing to do to the table. I have a gallon of Elmer's glue at home for kids' projects and JoAnn's was having a sale on scrapbook paper (5/$1). I bought two different color schemes and finally decided to go with the black-and-off white motif. Here are the papers I decided to go with:

I was a little nervous about the leopard at first, but I really like it and hey, it's only paper. I especially liked the "I Love You" paper because sometimes I forget to tell the people I love that I love them. Everytime they sit down for a meal they can be reminded even if I forget to say it.

What I Did

First, I scrubbed the table. Then I primed it with Kilz 2 (2 coats) - I used the spray can. Then, because I was worried that the primer might show through at some point, I painted the top of the table with 1 bottle of Craft Smart acrylic craft paint from Michael's (Color Aqua). I then measured and marked the table so that my lines would be straight. I then laid out the papers to see if I had enough and what looked the best. Next came the glue! I used a completely nonprecise mixture of glue and water...I glued down the Love layer first:

Next came the Leopard layer. I used large binder clips to mold the paper around to the underside of the table. Oh, and the underside of the table was gross (old pencil and crayon marks) so I painted that as well.

Once both layers were down, I put a final coat of glue over the entire thing. Once that was dry, I had to move the table top (it wouldn't fit through any doorway in my house with the legs on) without damaging the paper. The table top is heavy so I couldn't carry it the whole way. Thank goodness for empty Capri-Sun packaging! I opened out two packages and placed them under one of the short sides of the table and slid the table into the kitchen. I reattached the spraypainted table legs (with new screw-in stabillizers) to the table.

Then came the polyurethane. I put 5 coats of water-based poly over the paper. I sanded between each layer as recommended. Here is the finished table - with the chairs from the other dining set (I painted the other dining set black).

I think I like these chairs better...

Conclusion

I am pretty pleased with how this table came out. This project, including the table and chairs cost under $100, which is even less than something I could have picked up at Ikea. Other than the table and chairs, the polyurethane was the most expensive item at $17 (& I only used about 1/4 of the quart container). Paper is a completely different medium than fabric. Glue and water are messy (duh!). And Christopher Lowell is right - "You can do it!"

N.B. - Horchow has a cheetah print chest on sale for a little over $1400...

Black Beaded Necklace

2009-03-05T21:30:00.006-05:00

As versatile as pearls, with a little more funk, I love black beaded necklaces. My last black beaded necklace became a child casualty. Sooo, I have been searching for a simple black beaded necklace. Within my budget...

And handmade.

I was perusing Etsy today and saw a nice simple black onyx necklace that would be perfect...

This piece is being sold by Kenton Beadworks. It is wonderfully simple and versatile. And well within my budget ($35).

But - since I was already on Etsy - I kept looking.

thePinkAcorn has this lovely necklace for sale:

While it isn't fully beaded, it's a very striking piece. And affordable ($30).

At a little higher pricepoint ($50), PaintedHorse has this great lava choker - check out the phoenix etched into the carnelian focal bead!

And then I should have stopped looking. But I didn't stop, and came across this showstopper by OneHipMom:

This necklace is not quite as affordable as the others ($119), but it is beautiful.

Should I be practical? Or should I splurge?

UFO Spotting

2009-03-03T15:10:00.001-05:00

I am the queen of the unfinished project. The Chetta B dress still needs final hemming.

The Little Miss wanted a tiered skirt. Which I happily started...and it just needs hemming...

Then there is the mother of all UFOs. This jacket/top was originally supposed to be a maternity top.

Yeah, the twins will be 7 in June. The good thing about it is that I've held onto it so long the fabric is back in style. All those years ago, I got stuck on the french cuff.

Since then, I've moved 3 times and have no idea where the really cute black buttons I bought for the front went. The original pattern, a McCall's, is somewhere at my dad's house (one of the move pit-stops). If I ever finish it, this can be a belted jacket. As you can see, it just needs H.E.M.M.I.N.G.

I vow to finish the Butterick dress tonight! Right after homework, and dinner, and dishes...Oh and bedtime for the twins. Now I know why I'm the queen of the unfinished project...

Busted!

2009-02-06T21:22:00.002-05:00

I am starting to remember why I stopped sewing for myself after I had the twins. Pattern alterations are tough! My first attempt at an FBA was, well, a bust. For the past 4 nights, I have been wrestling with the FBA. I thought I would practice a full bust adjustment before tackling some of the more extensive alterations I will need to make on the vintage patterns. I chose a pattern I have had for over a year which has gotten great reviews from other sewists - Butterick 5030.

I thought I would try the slash and spread method and that didn't work.

Then I thought I would try an improvisational pivot and slide method and that didn't work. No need for a photo; the results looked a lot like the above...

Maybe I should have started my flat pattern alteration career with an easier pattern...Butterick 5030's wrap bodice did me in.

I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I read my scanty reference books, read online tutorials, and looked at others' blog posts on the FBA (Cennetta, your FBA work is phenomenal! I don't know how you do it!). But nothing worked for me. I think I need to have someone to show me how to do alterations live.

Last night, I alternated between staring blankly at my alteration attempts and the computer. I finally dragged myself to bed vowing to retreat to making clothes for the Little Miss.

But today I came across this. Nancy Zieman's Pattern Fitting with Confidence might be just what I need to solve my dilemma! I ordered the book and dvd right away and eagerly await the delivery.

My mother used to watch "Sewing with Nancy" every Saturday afternoon. Nancy demonstrated the pivot and slide technique countless times on her show. And (bonus!) there is a short video demo of the technique on Nancy's Notions website as well.

For now, I think I will retreat to easier projects for the stash contest. The Little Miss might benefit from the wait after all.

Pattern Adjustments Needed

2009-01-29T13:51:00.000-05:00

I am almost finished with the Chetta B dress. I should have the hems and review done by the end of this week. I have to admit I am slightly dismayed at the results.

The proportions of my figure have changed a lot since I had the twins (and of course there is also "The Spread" to contend with). I am glad that I worked with my larger patterns first because some major slicing and dicing is going to have to take place to get the vintage patterns to work for me.

It's been so long since I sewed for myself that I forgot how much I dislike doing pattern adjustments. I used to have a few to do - now it seems like I have to do major surgery to every pattern I want to sew.

In the olden days, I did what my mother showed me how to do -- add to the seam allowances or lengthen something at the end. But the seam allowances are not the problem and I've got lengthening down to a science. No, I have to master the full bust adjustment. And I have to make patterns larger.

Sincerely Yours, Kate has a way with words. I decided to go with her tutorial on the much-needed FBA.

I got Power Sewing by Sandra Betzina(Webster) as a graduation gift from my high school sewing/clothing design teacher. The book is just chock-full of really useful tips. There is a great tutorial on upsizing patterns that I will have get to work on.

And once my brother and his stuff are gone [by the weekend] I should have plenty of room to spread out and start adjusting these patterns. And then maybe I'll get to sew some more things.

The Grey Tunic/Dress (Butterick 5260)

2009-01-28T19:33:00.002-05:00

It's been over six years since I've sewn something for myself. And with the current crowded state of my household, Butterick 5260 seemed to be easy enough for me to do to get back into sewing for myself.

I wound up wearing it to work yesterday. Even though I made it dress length, I wore it over a pair of black pants like a tunic.

My daughter loved it and said she wanted me to make one for her. One of my coworkers said it made me look "more streamlined." I tried a belt with it last night and my son said he liked it better that way...I'll take the compliments where I can get them. On to the review!

Pattern Description:
(from pattern back) A-line, pullover tunics A, C or above mid-knee dress B is fitted through the bust, has neckline variations (with or without collar) and below elbow or long sleeves. All garments are narrow hemmed.

Pattern Sizing:
The pattern goes from XS-XXL. I used size ZZ (Lrg-Xlg-Xxl). I cut an Xlg.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
For the most part, it did. The neck is much “floppier” than the pattern drawing makes out. If you want to achieve the shorter scrunched look of the pattern drawing, make the collar piece thinner when cutting. I’m okay with the neck because I like the mini-cowl look (read: I have a big head).
Were the instructions easy to follow?
The instructions were super easy. With only 4 pieces (front, back, sleeve, collar), it’s hard to go wrong. I did sew the side and sleeve seams all of a piece.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I really like how easy this pattern is. There are only a few pieces which come together really well. All views of this pattern have a very Eileen Fisher feel to them.

Personally, I disliked how slight the waist definition is – Amy-may had it right about the need to give the dress and tunic more waist shaping.
Fabric Used:
I used a soft grey knit I’ve had in my stash since the summer. I got it from my favorite &1.99/yd fabric store, Affordable Fabrics in Rocky Hill. It feels like a polyester knit and I chose to use the “wrong” side of the fabric – so the dress is smooth on the inside and cozily fuzzy on the outside.
Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
Other than making view C dress length as opposed to tunic length, I changed nothing (this time).
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I am definitely going to sew this again. I’m going to sew another in tunic length (and add a hood). I would definitely recommend it to others; it is an easy-to-sew pattern that sews up a comfy dress or tunic.
Conclusion:
This pattern is great for beginners. And such a simple pattern is pretty much a blank slate for design – with some modifications you can really make finished product your own.

Larry misfires on advantages of being black- The New Haven Register - Serving Greater New Haven, CT

2009-01-27T14:27:00.000-05:00

Larry misfires on advantages of being black- The New Haven Register - Serving Greater New Haven, CT

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Presentation on African-American Women and Obesity

2009-01-22T16:24:00.000-05:00

Antronette Yancey of UCLA's School of Public Health presented at the University of Connecticut in 2006 on black women and obesity. Link

Integrated Intervention the Key to Health

2009-01-09T10:28:00.000-05:00

Or at least that is my interpretation of today's New York Times Opinion article entitled: 'Alternative' Medicine is Mainstream.

DIY Abortion: Culture, Immigration, and Insurance

2009-01-05T10:48:00.000-05:00

This article published in today's New York Times highlights some of the cultural and psychological aspects of abortion. It also hints at the multifaceted impact of a lack of universal healthcare. And the fear undocumented immigrants live with.

It's a Crying Shame

2008-12-18T12:16:00.001-05:00

I look like a makeover "Before" just waiting to happen.

My winter wardrobe has dwindled to nothing in the past couple of years: I have one pantsuit, no dresses (for shame!), a few work-appropriate sweaters and about 3 pair of trousers. My summer wardrobe is just as bad.

That idea was hammered home on the way out yesterday when my son commented on my work ensemble: "Mommy, what happened to your chest? It wasn't that B-I-G before..."

In truth, since the blessed arrival of my twins, the other twins have been much more um, prominent. I guess the coral pink silk turtleneck I wore to work made them more so. I couldn't change clothes and didn't have a jacket or a cardigan to cover up the twins, so off to work I went.

Of course, my wardrobe inventory above does not include the three pair of pants I bought to begin my new job last month. One pair of trousers and two pair of chinos (one black, one khaki) from New York and Company. While all the pants are long enough (not something I can say of all my other trousers), not one pair fit anywhere else! Either the waist is too big or the thighs are too tight. Nothing ruins an outfit more than leg wrinkles on the pants.

I guess I had better sew something. I have plenty of patterns; I have lots of fabric. I just need the time: time to alter the patterns and time to sew. And I will have 9 consecutive nonwork days to sew! BigIvyBlue has a lovely paid recess coming up and I'm going to plant myself in the basement at home to sew! And I've decided to start with Butterick 5260 .

I'm going to lengthen view C for a dress and make view D. Because it has so much ease, I shouldn't have to alter this pattern at all!

Since I need dresses and pants (and a new coat, and hat and gloves, and skirts, and jackets...), I thought I would finish altering my vintage dress patterns and sew them up along with Butterick 4976 .

I would also like to alter the McCall's 4926 pants and see if I can get at least 1 pair of chinos that fit me.

I would also like to make a wearable muslin dress and jacket using Vogue 8532 and 2752.

I'm hoping to model for "After" by the time I return to work on the 5th!

Letter to Santa

2008-12-16T09:12:00.000-05:00

This Associated Press article about a 9-year-old Texas girl's letter to Santa made me think. I am glad that the (alleged) perpetrator has been arrested. And I am glad that the contents of her letter to the mythical Santa Claus was taken seriously by school officials. But, for the 4 years that this (alleged) molestation of the girl and her sister was taking place, why didn't anyone notice? And did she, or her sister, try to reach out for help before without success?

A World Without Brown

2008-12-05T10:16:00.000-05:00

(Reprint of original September 9, 2007 blog post.)

I'm a parent and I take my job very seriously. In the cycle of socialization, I am my children's first teacher - it is my responsibility to show them who they are, who they can become, and what the world will expect from them. It is up to me to craft their worlds to reflect their beauty, strength, purpose, and potential. Knowing what the outside world will try to inject into both my brown treasures, it is MY JOB to engineer the best foundation I can for their self-concept development. They are the main reason I control who I invite into our home -- physically and through media. Cable/satellite television in our house is a fuzzy memory for them. We have a very brown-skin friendly (not brown-exclusive) home with artwork, books, music, and video selections highlighting brown folks and their contributions to society. Anything that I feel is offensive (or, my favorite word, "inappropriate") does not make it into this house. This is our haven, our home -- and I'ma keep it that way.

My son is knobby-kneed, skinny, inquisitive, thoughtful and affectionate. He currently wants to be an entomologist. I hate bugs but have already planned a summer trip to the entomology department of a New England university to encourage his interest. He has a ball identifying the different types of beetles he finds in our yard (ugh!). He also picks up the rules to sports and games quickly and is actually really good at everything he tries.

I've jokingly told friends that my daughter is one of those girls I would have just hated when I was a kid. She has a beautiful smile and great eyes and is more "bootylicious" at 5 than I've ever been. She is outgoing and popular with adults and her peers. About two months ago, she even got 10 strangers to sing along with her at Kohl's one day. She's been sight-reading for over a year, can out-logic some adults and taught herself to count to 40 in Spanish a couple of days ago with very little help from me. Oh, I would have been eaten alive with jealousy if she had been in my class...

They're twins. They're 5. They just started kindergarten. And it is my job and my pleasure to make sure that no one tells either one of them that they cannot be or do anything they want to - even them. It is my job to make sure that neither of them feels less than any of their classmates or peers because of the color of their skin, the texture of their hair, or the size of their lips. You get the picture. So that's why this whole "I want white skin" bothered me so much. Hadn't I been doing everything I could for these approximately 1900 days of their lives?

Anyhoo, since my daughter revealed her feelings to me - she said she wanted white skin because all of her friends at her then-preschool had white skin - I have stepped up my "teaching moments" game to make her proud of her brown skin. While applying sunblock for a day outdoors, my daughter kept referring to it as suntan lotion. I said, "No sweetie, it's sunblock. Suntan lotion is for people with lighter skin who want to get brown skin like you have."

She responded with, "I don't like brown skin." This devolved into a conversation about how if she didn't like brown skin she doesn't like (insert family member name/title here)'s skin. She responded that she liked everyone I named plus a few others' skin, but not her own brown skin. I told her as I've told her since infancy that she's beautiful, her skin is beautiful, blah blah blah. That "teaching moment" didn't quite work out the way I planned.

Ah, but tonight I hit the jackpot! There we were in the grocery store, doing what people do in a grocery store. I was getting irritated with the twins' bickering and chatter and was looking for some purposeful distraction for them. I looked into the cart and noticed all of the brown things we had in the cart. Mommy "teaching moment" time. I looked at them and said, "Can you tell me all of the things that would be gone if there was no brown?"

Immediately, my daughter says, "There would be no you, or me, or my brother" (forgive me, I haven't thought up cool pseudonyms for them yet).

I said, "There would be no us, but what about things that aren't alive. What things in our cart wouldn't be here if there were no brown?" So both kids proceed to tell me all of the things in our cart that would be gone if there were no brown. My son even said the bananas would be gone. I disagreed because the bananas were green. He then pointed to the brown top part of that holds the bunch together. About 75% of the food in our cart, including every single treat/dessert that they love, had brown in it and wouldn't be here without brown.

I then said to them while walking down the store aisle, "Wow, brown is a pretty important color. Look at all the things that wouldn't be here if it weren't for brown." My daughter, who walks down the aisles with me because she is too big for the cart, turned around and hugged me tight around my waist. Her head was turned toward my back with her face tucked under my arm. I heard thank you, mommy, but I'm almost positive that was my own imagination/spirit.

I'm a parent. And I did my job today. Only about 6,500 days to grow...

Requiem for a Mammy

2008-11-18T15:08:00.000-05:00

"You can't solve any problem with the same mind that created it." - Wayne Dyer

What’s her problem? ? Doesn’t she know how she looks to other people? Is she just stuck on stupid or something? You’d think she’d get it by now…

Ah poor Mammy. She is maligned, misunderstood even. But is she really misunderstood? A very good summary on the origin of the Mammy stereotype has already been written. My question is – if being a Mammy is so terrible, why do so many of us still exhibit mammy-like tendencies? Perhaps it is because the Mammy stereotype, like most stereotypes, is a set of generic characteristics on steroids. Below are some of the traits that seem to describe Mammy best. As you read, please keep the following idea in mind: People do what works. Even if a behavior is destructive, on some level there is a payoff for that behavior.

Maternal – Mammy has always been a motherly figure. Mammy is maternal but never a mother. In the antebellum South, she was the wet nurse, the nanny. Mammy was able to be a motherly figure to all but her own children. As a wet nurse, she was expected to give the nourishment meant for her own baby/(ies) to Master’s. Mammy’s time, energy, and even her life-giving essence were used to succor someone else’s family. Modern rich families now import their mammies from the Caribbean (among other places around the world). These mammies’ children are a distant memory, so far away that the hiring families can pretend they don’t exist. Mammies were never allowed to care for their own children, nurture their own dreams, or feather their own nests.

Asexual – Mammy’s image is always that of a fat Black woman: she is obese, rotund, and sexually unappealing. Why? Could Mammy’s weight gain be a way she tries to protect herself? I have observed that some sexual abuse and rape survivors I have worked with unconsciously begin neglecting their physical appearance as a means of protection. One woman even said to me, “If I don’t look good, no other man will hurt me.” If Mammy came to life during slavery times, could Mammy’s fat, asexual presentation have been a way she tried to avoid sexual violation? There is only one problem with this protective device; it doesn’t work. Rape and sexual abuse don’t have anything to do with how a woman looks. Issues surrounding sex and power cohabitate in perpetrators and anyone can be victimized. Don’t let the fat fool you into thinking you are safe from harm.

Meager – Mammy’s life is constrained by lack. She focuses on scarcity and tries to hold on to what little she perceives she does have. Or, with a meager mentality coupled with her maternal nature, Mammy may actually not have much, but she has been trained to sacrifice what she does have for someone else. In all seriousness, for some women scarcity is a reality – some women have to choose between providing food for their children and eating herself. Women who struggle to meet their basic needs are not the ones I’m writing about here – but sadly there are plenty of them. I am writing about the women who hold onto the idea that there is not enough and will position themselves poorly based on that idea. There are not enough “good” men to go around, so (I will wait for Junebug to get out of jail/ I will keep sleeping with Robert even though he’s married/ I will focus all my energy on “the Lord’s work”). Last hired, first fired – things are bad everywhere – I better keep this piece of a job so I can keep a roof over my head. I know it’s dangerous, but if I move out of the neighborhood, (I’ll feel really uncomfortable/ I won’t know anyone/ I won’t be able to find my way around): I better stay right here.

Mask – Historically, up until the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, Black women (and Black men) had to “mask” their true selves as a way to protect themselves. In the past, these public masks would “come off” in safe venues. In a speech at my school, social worker Gary Bailey likened what I call the mask to having a marble façade. If Mammy’s mask is on just right, the everyday microaggressions that can “chip away at the marble,” never touch her real self. The only problem with the mask is, if you are never in a place you think is safe, the mask never comes off. And if the mask never comes off, what happens to your true self?

You-focused – Mammy is trained to focus on others. You are much more important to me than me. If Mammy, taking care of Master’s children, ever started to rebel from her focus on someone else’s children, where would she be? If Mammy did not try to “save” her Black men(husband, son, cousin, whomever) from the night riders, he might be lynched.

It is too bad that in the course of these seemingly-necessary historical activities, Mammy was never able to focus on her own children or her own safety. The brutality visited upon Black men through lynching was horrible, and we can read about and see the photographic evidence of that brutality. But what happened to the mammies who tried to “save” and/or “protect” Black men from the night riders? How many you-focused mammies were raped and tortured for trying to “save” and/or “protect” Black men? And with all of Mammy’s energy going to others, who tended to her when her body was broken, when she was in pain?

I do not consider myself a mammy by any means. But at different times in my life, I have exhibited some of the tendencies listed above. When I first started reading about Mammy on other blogs, I felt self-righteous. Puh-leaze! That behavior is so pathetic. I’m nothing like that. At some point, I started to feel defensive.

In my younger years, I spent a lot of time defining myself against others: I adopted some of Mammy’s tendencies as protective devices. As the “token” Black kid in all my classes, I did not want to be identified with the seemingly hyper-sexual rumpshaker chicks on music videos. In high school, I remember the drummer in band reciting the lyrics from Sir Mix-a-lot’s “Baby Got Back” while I was walking down the hall alone one day. By that time, I thought I had my smart girl, asexual mask firmly in place. But it wasn’t really a protection – I still felt insulted and violated.

Finally, I have made a number of you-focused decisions. I would impede my own progress because I was worried about what others around me would say or think. Below is one situation in which my you-focused decision-making held me back.

At one point in high school, I was part of a statewide student lobbying group and this one of the other participants and I hung out a lot. I’ll call him Luke. Being fairly self-effacing, I have a tendency to underestimate my impact on other people or my importance to them. Anyway, I did not attend a group meeting one day and I called my friend Sunni to see how things were going. In the course of conversation, Sunni said to me, “I think Luke likes you. He’s been asking where you are and seems kinda bummed that you’re not here.” Luke likes me!? What am I supposed to do with that information? How would it look if I went out with blonde-haired, blue-eyed Luke? I pretended Sunni never told me that.

Fast forward about three years. I was sitting out in the hall at the beginning of my fourth semester at university. I was early for class and minding my own business and look up to see… LUKE. He had just transferred to the school after obtaining a culinary arts degree elsewhere. We’re happy to see each other, hugged, chatted for a while, and exchanged numbers. We both lived off-campus and during a phone conversation, Luke invited me to his apartment where he would cook for me and we could listen to some jazz. But Luke was still blonde with really light blue eyes and I was still a Black woman on a really white campus (as a matter of fact, I was bald at that time – I had just shaved all my hair off for the first time). I turned Luke down on his offer to cook for me because I was afraid of what other people would think if they saw us together. It is definitely a mammy-like tendency when what someone else thinks can constrain your life and behavior! Luke’s roommate was in class with me about two years later and told me that Luke still talked about me all the time.

One thing about life, it presents you with the same tests over and over again until you get it – OR NOT.

(Excerpt of original January 27, 2008 blog post)

Brown Bagging It

2008-11-11T16:04:00.002-05:00

My limited funds and persnickety taste buds are conspiring to make me cook all the time. Now that I've graduated from school and am back to a steady work schedule, I have (gasp!) started to cook again. I cook for the kids, get their lunches ready for school and neglect to feed myself in the mornings - or pack my own lunch. The situaton came to a head yesterday when I went to the hospital cafeteria for breakfast. I got the same breakfast I had made for the children that morning (1 egg, 1 sausage patty, 1 orange juice, and a slice of bread). With my employee discount, it cost $5+. That doesn't even include the lunch I had to get - another $5. A loop of Chris Rock's early bit - "Good Lord that's a lot of money" is playing in my head at this point. Since eating at home is not an option in the a.m., what do I do? How can I carry my breakfast and lunch to work in style?

Cool hunting had a very nice grown up countdown of lunch-toting equipment. I especially like the nesting lunch pails, but metal cannot be put in the microwave. The plastica Bento box looks neat too, but what happens to it when leftover ziti is brought to work and heated?

The best solution seems to be the Mr. Bento stainless steel lunch jar. I'm going to read some reviews and see about ordering one tonight.

The conspiracy to make me cook continues.

Daycare or...

2008-11-08T13:13:00.000-05:00

I came across a Yahoo News article on the economy's effect on daycare today. I found this article to be especially striking because it is so real - I have talked with clients, friends, and even felt the squeeze myself about the cost of childcare and the hard choices parents must make to keep their families together.

Personally, it is my fondest wish to have a job that would both pay enough for me to sustain my family and allow me to be home for my twins. LOL! Realistically, I had to give up the direct service/social service social worker career path so that I can sustain my family financially and emotionally.

My situation is slightly different from the people profiled in the article because it focused on low income families. This is not an issue that only affects "low income" families, or "under-educated" parents, or similarly stigmatizing, derogatory labels. I am a well-educated homeowner with a federally recognized middle-class income - and I still struggle with daycare costs. While I commend the AP writer on highlighting the issue, I believe that it is much more pervasive and class-crossing than the profiles would have us believe.

The Coveted Pattern

2008-10-03T09:23:00.007-04:00

My apologies for such a looong silence. I have a new job and a broken laptop so my delusions, ahem, dreams of sewing and blogging about my sewing were hastily shoved to the back of the priority line.

But, my boss has changed the dress code at work and I now rue the day I threw out all my business attire for social worker-gear. I need business clothes on a non-profit budget; it's time to get sewing!

While flipping through the October Elle, I saw this lovely Michael Kors dress -

The neckline on this dress is just fabulous (insert rapturous sigh here). Then, Vogue sent out their Winter/Holiday collection promo email with this dress -

With a little tweaking to eliminate the collar, Vogue 8532 will be the coveted Michael Kors dress. I must make this dress for my work attire right away. It's too bad I just missed JoAnn's and voguepatterns.com's latest pattern sales. Is 8532 worth it to (heavens) go out and pay full price?

Happy sewing!

Where's the Vintage?

2008-05-31T22:48:00.013-04:00

Ah, so much for the my entry into the Vintage pattern contest. Earlier this month I had ordered 3 lovely vintage patterns from Lanetz Living.

There is no date on the Marian Martin "1970's mail order dress" - that inverted pleat is so neat. The Simplicity shirtdress (with a front zipper!) has a copyright date of 1976 - sigh. And the pattern I bought for DD, McCall's 3077, is much too easy to enter into the contest, although I have gotten around to the pattern alterations on her outfit.

I also ordered 1 pattern from eBay. Sadly, it has been 27 days since my eBay order and I have yet to lay my hands on the Vogue 1060 - the Vogue Americana Anne Klein pattern - I ordered.

It was the sleeves that got me - hopefully the pattern will surface...

Even though I don't have an entry in the contest, just entering got my creative juices flowing! I should be able to knock out The Little Miss's dress and smock this week and hopefully talk a friend into turning beads into buttons for the mail order shirtdress. Work got in the way of my pattern alterations, but that's okay. I will make time to sew in the coming weeks.

Happy Sewing!

Degeneration of a Hairstyle

2008-05-25T09:52:00.009-04:00

Karen had a vision of how her bridal party's hair should look. I got my locs styled (and my loctition decided to cut them! while she was at it) two days before the ceremony. The Little Miss only wanted to wear twists at that time, but Karen wanted her to hair to be pressed and curled for the ceremony. It was a nice idea in theory...

Karen made a hair appointment for the rest of the wedding party. The appointment was the day before the wedding and The Little Miss's hair looked great right after it was pressed and curled. She looked fab...

But August humidity does not treat natural hair kindly. Here she is at the rehearsal dinner (I don't have permission to post Karen's image online)...

By the time we woke up on the morning of the wedding, The Little Miss's hair was a D.I.S.A.S.T.E.R. I didn't have time to braid her hair so we left the flat twist in the front and tried to make an afro-puff crown at the back. By the afternoon reception, The Little Miss's hair just was what it was - and she wore it well. The twins both had a great time at the reception.

I started her Bradelocs two weeks later...

Little Miss Flower Girl

2008-05-22T22:24:00.018-04:00

I have not sewn for myself in ages. Who am I kidding? I haven't sewn at all in ages. But, I did dust off the old Kenmore to make DD's ("The Little Miss") flower girl dress.

You see, she was the flower girl in my best friend Karen's 2006 wedding. Karen is also their godmother and thought it would be cute to have the twins in the wedding - DS ("The Little Mister") was the ring bearer. And I was the maid of honor. I am so glad I bought them Gameboys for that weekend!

Karen chose a beautiful ivory wedding gown and very nice two-piece, strapless periwinkle bridesmaid outfits. The Little Miss has always had a bit of a tummy and the flower girl dresses she tried on made her look like a marshmallow. Even though Karen really want The Little Miss to wear a dress similar to this one,

I knew that wouldn't work quite the way Karen envisioned. So we chose to make her an ivory and periwinkle dress from McCall's 4763. The Nordstrom dress was $110. I spent less than $40 on this project, including pattern, fabric, and notions.

Alright enough backstory, on to the review!

Pattern Description: (From pattern back) "Lined, ankle length dresses have tie ends in back; view A has contrasting front band and bow; view B has contrasting overskirt and tie ends."

Pattern Sizing: The pattern comes in both toddler and big girl sizes. I made a size 6 for The Little Miss.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes. I made view A.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, the instructions were easy to follow.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked that the pattern is a basic special occasion style with pretty simple instructions. I made two identical dresses because was a little anxious that The then 4-year-old Little Miss would ruin her first dress before we took photos. The Little Miss is an inveterate tomboy - prone to ruining clothes seemingly just from breathing. I completed both dresses pretty quickly - it took less than 1 day from start to finish even with Mommy interruptions.

I am a lazy sewer, so I didn't particularly like the need for a lining. But the lining was necessary and welcome in the end. I was also a little frustrated with the fact that the front and back "sash" did not align perfectly when following the pattern markings. Or maybe I did something wrong...You can see the lack of alignment here:

The Little Miss dancing with Auntie Cali

Fabric Used: I used two colors of satin fabric which I bought on sale at my local JoAnn Fabrics (which has since closed). I used muslin from my fabric stash for the lining.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I changed the length of the skirt to accommodate the tummy/height ratio. I also made the back sash narrower - it is pretty wide for a small child's dress.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? While I would not sew this pattern again - dressing up don't go 'round here much - I would recommend this pattern to others.

Conclusion: You cannot go wrong using McCall's 4763 to make a simple, economical child's special occasion dress. McCall's patterns go on sale routinely and this pattern could work with almost any special occasion fabric.