In The Queue Wednesday

I'm still on the topic of Christmas shopping with my nieces for fabric and patterns. My younger niece (8 years old) wasn't able to shop with us, but her big sister and I picked out patterns and fabric for her.

Her big sister thought that she'd like this skirt (view A):

In this corduroy fabric:

I think it's going to be really cute! I don't know if I'll add the flower or not, but I'm definitely going to pick up some pink ribbon for the trim.

Sadly, my sewing machine is STILL at Sears for its tune-up. :(

But, don't worry, I'll get to it. It's in the queue...

Monday Morning Quarterback: Give-Away Winner

Drum roll, please!

And the winner of my pencil roll pattern give away is: Dawn

Congratulations! Please send me an email (gwendolyn_campbell@hotmail.com) with your mailing address, and I'll drop that in the mail to you ASAP.

Thank you to everyone who commented! I'm sorry I don't have enough copies of the pattern to send one to each of you.

Parting Shot: My friend and co-worker Natalie models the blouse I made for her birthday last Fall, using fabric that she fell in love with on our trip to New York City:

Photo credits: motorpsykhos and Natalie's husband respectively.

Weekend Project: TENS Case Project

The two enemies of human happiness are pain and boredom.

Arthur Schopenhauer

One of the projects that has been in my queue for a while is to make fabric pouches that my friend, M, can wear to hold her TENS machine. She has chronic back pain, and the TENS unit sends a small current through electrodes on her back. Apparently pain is primarily an electrical transmission along nerve endings and this small current disrupts the pain cycle and may bring some relief.

This is one pattern that I completely made up on my own, using the measurements of her TENS unit that she emailed me. It was a bit of a challenge, because I didn't have an actual unit that I could test myself, and she lives in the UK! But, with some iterations, we worked out a pattern that suits her reasonably well.

She visited last May and we went shopping for some fabric for more pouches. Here she is in Joann's:

Here is the basic pattern. I cut two of the main piece to make it lined, and the small piece is a flap that gets doubled over. It's a pretty standard approach to making a fabric pouch, but I'll show you some pictures and discuss the special features that we added due to our preliminary experiments.

Originally I put in 2 windows - one for the on/off switch on the side and one to allow her to read the digital display on the front. But she decided that she doesn't really need to see the digital display, so I've quit putting that window in. Putting the switch window in is a bit of a nuisance - I cut it kind of like a bound buttonhole and iron it open.

My original version didn't have a flap - her belt attached through the back of the main pouch. But she felt that it was insecure, and was afraid that if she leaned down to pick something up, the TENS unit might fall out. So, we ended up adding this flap (for the belt to pass through) above the pouch itself. That puts the center of mass of the unit lower and allows it to swing forward if/when she leans over.

Making the flap:

This shot shows where the flap gets added to the pouch:

This shot shows the flap, inserted between the outer layer and the lining:

In addition to adding the flap, another detail of this pouch that we had to work out over time is the top stitching. This top stitching isn't just for appearance's sake. The original pouch didn't hold its shape well, and the TENS unit tended to slide around inside of it. This was a problem because often the switch didn't line up with the window. I got the idea to "force" the shape of the pouch into a rectangle by adding the top stitching, and it works!

And the third feature that we worked out over time was adding an elastic strip along the outside back of the pouch, to hold the extra length of wires between the unit and the electrodes, so that they don't dangle all over the place.

Here are the three new cases that I made over my Christmas holiday:


Note the buttonholes in the flap, to allow a belt to be threaded through... Here she is modeling one of the pouches that I made during her visit last Spring:




And here she shows off the back, with the extra wires tucked into the elastic:

I dropped the new ones in the mail on Monday (5 Jan) as a belated Christmas present. And another project from my queue is complete! Yay! :)

Friday Confession

I'm not the world's most conscientious person when it comes to transferring marks from pattern pieces to fabric.

When I took Home Ec. in high school (back when it was required of all girls and forbidden from all boys), marking was a big deal. We dutifully transferred every mark using tracing carbon paper and a little rolling wheel. It seemed to take forever and I hated it.

Now, I'm a bit more cavalier. I "transfer" marks along the periphery of each pattern piece by taking tiny snips into my fabric (anything smaller than the seam allowance works just fine). I don't do any other markings until I get to the point in the construction when I need them. Then I typically use pins. Sometimes I use tailor's chalk or a fabric safe ink pen.

What I NEVER use is my old high school nemesis tracing carbon paper and wheel!

How about you? How religiously do you mark your fabric? What tools do you use?

Photo "credit" clearly goes to me. Sorry for the blurriness!

Talk Back Thursday

Thank you so much to Joanne, Miss Linda, Amelia, Mamafitz, Becky, Myrosia, Summerset and Elaina for "talking back" to my confession last Friday! I confessed that I'm not much of a "resolution person" and haven't made any for the new year.

Almost everyone reported that they avoid making RESOLUTIONS, but many people do seem to at least think about some goals for the upcoming year.

Some of the goals are on the abstract or general side - like Joanne's goal to be "open to possibility" or Miss Linda's goal to "persevere". Mamafitz also reports that she typically sets general goals, like sewing more dressy clothes.

Others are more concrete. Amelia says that she'll set some goals to be accomplished in 2009 AFTER she finishes a 5,000 piece wedding quilt! Yikes, that sounds like a pretty big goal in and of itself! ;)

And Becky would like to learn how to make jeans that fit, although she isn't going to obsess over it. She prefers to work on those things that inspire her at the moment.

She's not the only one who feels this way - Summerset and Elaina both report taking things as they come, sewing based on inspiration and/or need, and not feeling guilty if they don't get around to something.

Finally, Myrosia grew up in a country that doesn't have the tradition of establishing New Year's resolutions, and so she takes the quite reasonable position that she makes changes in her life when they are needed, not on a particular date.

You all have got me thinking that taking stock once in a while is a good thing to do, to make sure that you are following your heart - challenged and inspired, learning and growing. Setting goals to help move forward can also be good. But setting resolutions can turn a love affair into a chore and it can become the equivalent of setting yourself up for disappointment and failure.

Thanks again to everyone for taking the time to talk to me! You always make me smile and give me something to think about... :)

Photo credit: kafeole

In the Queue Wednesday

As you may remember, I took my nieces shopping over the Christmas holiday to select patterns and fabrics for their gift outfits. Last week I showed you the top pattern, fabric and trim that my older niece selected. Thank you to everyone who reassured me that this is just exactly the kind of outfit that most any 12-year-old would love!

To go with the top, my niece selected the white pants (view C) pattern:

And she selected this shiny pink spandex fabric!

I think the one thing that we can all say for sure is that her parents will never lose her in a crowd! ;)

My sewing machine is currently at Sears, getting a tune-up, but don't worry, I'll get to this. It's in the queue... :)

Monday Morning Quarterback: Gift Reveal and Give-Away

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for!

One of the great mysteries of all times will be resolved before your very eyes!

What Christmas gift did I make for my friends, using the fabrics and ribbons that they selected and only my bare hands and cunning wit?

Oh, okay, maybe there was a sewing machine involved too... ;) Party poopers! In any event, I give you: pencil rolls!

Now, before you look askance at your computer screen and think "What kind of a dumb gift is that?", let me fill you in on the back story...

Every day at lunch, we work cryptic crossword puzzles together. Those puzzles are difficult and we definitely use pencils, not pens. We've been doing this for a couple of years, and over time we have gotten to be quite the connoisseurs of pencils. Whenever one of us goes on a trip, she always brings back souvenir pencils for everyone. So, lame as it may sound, pencils are kind of a big deal for us.

In addition to making the pencil rolls, I also ordered pencils for each person, inscribed with their names and in a color to match the roll. Here are the individual rolls.

Susan:

Allison:

Natalie:

Christine:

Wendi:

And one for me:

And now for the give-away. Under the circumstances, what better gift than a pencil roll pattern? I purchased this from Pink Chalk Studios, but ended up working out my own pattern version before this one arrived in the mail. Hence, it has never been used (not that it matters with this pattern).

Leave me a comment telling me who you'd make a pencil roll for, and I'll randomly select one person and get this right in the mail. Good luck!

Weekend Project: More Christmas Gift Modeling

Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present and future.

Gail Lumet Buckley

My nephews model the shirts that I made for them for Christmas:

Check back on Monday afternoon to see the gifts that I made for my friends at work, and for a give-away!

Friday Confession

Welcome to 2009! The start of a new year is the traditional time to reflect on the past year and plan for the new. Several bloggers have already posted interesting and impressive summaries of their efforts in 2008 and lists of their goals for 2009. So, I'm a little ashamed to admit that I don't have any sewing resolutions for 2009.

In general, of course, I expect to keep sewing and I hope to get better.

But I haven't set any specific goals, like learn how to do x or sew my first y...

And I do know that specific goals are much more likely to be accomplished than vague aspirations. So I'm thinking that maybe I should... :(

I guess I'm not really a New Year's Resolutions kind of person, and they often feel more like burdens to me than inspirations.

How about you? Do you set goals for yourself and your sewing each year? Do they inspire you? What are you hoping to accomplish in 2009?

Photo credit: Angela7Dreams

Talk Back Thursday

Happy New Year!!

Here she is - my favorite Christmas present - possibly of all time! We picked her up on Wednesday morning. I think she could use a little loving care after being stored in a garage for a while - I've got some very fine sand paper and lemon oil to pamper her. But beyond that, she looks to be in great shape!

After some consideration, I've decided to keep a separate blog on my weaving adventures. I could make a plausible sounding argument about how the two blogs might appeal to different audiences, etc., but the true reason is that I came up with a blog title that I can't resist: Looming Disaster: The Misadventures of a Newbie Weaver. I couldn't pass that up, could I?

I hope you'll visit me there sometimes. I'm tentatively planning 2 posts a week - one on weaving and one with a question for more experienced weavers.

Speaking of regular posts, thank you so much to Elaina, Miss Linda, Vicki, Eileen, Natalie, Claire and Wendi for talking back to my "confession" last Friday! I asked about favorite Christmas gifts for 2008.

Despite the economy, it seems that Santa was both generous and insightful this year.

He knew just when to give electronics - like a GPS to Claire and an iPod to Natalie.

He knew who has a sweet tooth - and brought mint truffle Hershey kisses to Elaina (although apparently not enough of them!).

He helped Miss Linda continue to decorate her beautiful apartment with a gorgeous Lenox figurine.

He brought some sewing inspiration in the form of a Vogue pattern catalogue to Eileen.

As for Wendi, he decided to let her shop for her own new clothes - he figured that she deserved the shopping fun after losing weight!

And, while he may have overlooked Vicki, that is okay, because she loved everything that her daughters gave her!

Thanks again, everyone, for taking the time to "talk back"! :)

In The Queue Wednesday

Christmas came just in time - I was running out of new projects for my Wednesday posts! But my nieces rode to my rescue!

As usual, I scheduled a shopping trip with them to Joann's for their Christmas gift outfits. Unfortunately, only the oldest could go (12 year old), but we picked out fabric and patterns for both of them.

Now, remember that I let them pick whatever they want - no (fashion-based) censoring at all. My thought is that this is the beauty of sewing - you can get exactly what you want.

My oldest niece picked this Simplicity pattern and asked for view A - the long top or short dress:

Very cute, right? Now, for her fabric, she picked the following stretchy, spandex-y fabric:

Wow - kind of bright, huh? Can you guess that she likes pink AND shiny stuff?

Of course, she also got to pick the trim. Lace? Ummm.... no.

Try faux leopard fur:

Did I mention that I let them pick out whatever they want?

This is going to be quite a top! And wait until next week, when I show you the pants she picked out to go with it!

One thing for sure, her parents won't have to worry about losing her in a crowd... ;)

I'm going to try to get to work on this pretty quickly. In any event, don't worry, I'll get to it. It's in my queue. :)

Tuesday Thoughts: Ingredients of a Special Christmas

1. Good gifts - my Mom and Dad model the shirts that I made for them:

2. Good food - our Christmas turkey:

2. Good company - my Dad, my husband and Annie visit:

3. New games - my nephew Jared plays a variant of Dance Revolution:

4. Old games - Jared plays a round of Speed Scrabble:

5. Beautiful music - my Sister and my Mom play recorders:

6. More music - my Mom and my Husband:


7. Cold, clear night skies - Jupiter and Venus visible beneath the moon:

I hope that you and yours had a wonderful holiday!