I figured it out!!!

One aspect of sewing that I love is the challenge design or construction goals sometimes present. (If it were easy - it wouldn't be as much fun.) A vest I am making for David's Aunt Neno has presented some challenges.
You may remember the beginnings of this vest in my post about slopers. (vor langer zeit!). I got a little side-tracked for a while, but I am back.
This past weekend, I set about cutting out the vest in earnest. I had all ready ascertained that I didn't have enough fabric to construct the vest in toto of the tapestry Aunt Neno wanted, but we had worked that out. She selected a camel-coloured suede for the back. That should have worked, but, alas, the fabric was only 20 in long, whereas the sloper pieces were 26 inches long. I considered piecing the fronts near the shoulder, but the fabric is so thick, I knew a seam would be bulky, and that is a bad place for bulk.
So, I attempted to turn it sideways. The pattern is obviously intended to go along with the straight grain, and I really didn't care for the way it looked sideways. To me, it looked obviously askew. Of course, I had been looking at it straight-wise, so mayhaps my eyes were biased.
I played with the sloper pieces, considered many creative design ideas, and eventually decided that, since the pattern is quite large (it is actually upholstery fabric), it might look okay sideways if I carefully matched the pattern across the chest.
Remember my mentioning that I didn't have enough fabric in the first place? * * s i g h * *
It took some carful consideration, and not a little colourful language, but I eventually realized that the pattern was left/right (actually: top/bottom) symmetrical. Viola!! All I had to do is turn one sloper piece in the opposite direction from the other, and I had enough fabric to match the pattern across the front. Yippee! [See the picture on the left.]
Sewing the shoulder and sides seams shows the proof. [Pic at top]. You can't tell from the pictures, but the lining is constructed, and attached, WS together. All that remains is to attach the front plackets for buttons -- I don't care to do buttonholes in so heavy a fabric, so I am leaving openings in the seam that attaches the placket to serve that purpose -- and bind the edges all around, sew in my label, and I am done. I say that as if it will appear momentarily, but in fact, with a holiday trip to spend Thanksgiving with family in the next few days, don't hold your breath!!

of helmets, protecting personal freedoms, and such

Still not sewing much, but the ironing pile is diminishing significantly. I have stopped doing laundry, so as to catch up.
Last week my son, James, was involved in a motorcycle accident. (When you drive a motorcycle daily in Houston traffic, it's only a matter of time.) His wrist is broken, and now plated; his ankle is now broken, and pinned. He has all ready endured surgery, and now anticipates a lengthy recovery period. However, his head and face (such a pretty face!) survived unscathed, while his helmet did not fare so well. James wears a top-quality, full-face shield - always! My boys do not always adhere to everything their mother teaches them -- but this is one instance in which I am profoundly grateful that he did. Even my rudimentary knowledge of Physics is sufficient to tell me that hitting the ground at as little as 20mph would be sufficient impact to cause serious damage to skull and brain tissue. Because James was wearing his helmet, he escaped likely death. [actually, as my doctor/daughter reminds me: "There are worse things than death." Too true.]
Both my boys, my husband and I ride. My sons ride motorcycles exclusively, while my husband rides his mostly to work, and recreationally. Of course, when I say recreationally, I mean: David frequently loads his custom-built trailer with Dutch ovens, camping equipment, food, and pulls it with Big Red (his Yamaha Roadliner 1900) all over Texas and ArkLaTex teaching Dutch Oven cooking. I ocaissionally ride to work, if the weather's nice, and I'm not hauling much stuff. I work 4 miles from home. We ALL wear helmets.
Over on Facebook, a mini-discussion has started regarding the legal requirements for wearing helmets. Here in Texas, there is no such legal compulsion. Motorcycles operators are free to choose to protect themselves or not. Texans love their personal freedoms, and resent Big Government telling them how to conduct their lives.
While I would not so much as put the key in the ignition of my bike, and back it out of the garage without wearing a helmet, I support Texas' lack of helmet laws. Why?
Because anyone who is not smart enoug to wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle, doesn't have enough brains to be worth protecting. Let's get them out of the gene pool.

. . . and sometimes, cooks

When I first started this blog, I promised that topics would not be limited to sewing; and, yet, thus far, they have. Today, that changes.
The truth is: I haven't done much sewing lately. As the result of the snowball effect of wedding preparations on my sewing room; now that the wedding is over (it was lovely, by the way), I cannot get any sewing done, until I diminish the HUGE pile of ironing that is all over the ironing board, sewing table, sewing chair, etc.
But not today.
Today, although Saturday -- a typical day to catch up on all neglected things domestic -- I am felled by a hideous virus. [I dare not name it "flu" lest it knows the power it has over me.] Symptoms include, but are not limited to: fever, irritability (I know it's not really the sickness making me bitchy -- I just like having an excuse), body aches and congestion! It is for the latter that I offer the following recipe for a real, honest-to-goodness, down home Texas Chili, loaded with vegetables (for the anti-oxidants), and aromatics (for the congestion). I give you:

Sarahbelle's Snot-Bustin' Chili

Please note: all amounts given are approximate -- I don't actually measure much, here -- and should be considered a jumping-off point for your own tastes.

1 medium onion
1 poblano pepper, roasted
3-6 cloves garlic
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb. coarsely ground buffalo
1 lb. fresh venison sausage
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin powder
1 heaping tsp Lawry's salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 10oz can Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained
1 15oz can stewed tomatoes, drained
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can Jalapinto beans, drained
1 15oz can pinto beans, drained
1 15oz can dark red kidney beans, UNdrained


If you have an electric coil stovetop, the poblano can easily be roasted by turning an element on 'high' and placing the pepper straight on. Turn as soon as one side starts to smoke. If you have any other kind of stovetop: a cast iron skillet should be placed on the element, and the pepper roasted in it.
Place the peeled onion, peeled garlic, and roasted pepper in the bowl of your food processor with chopping blade. Pulse a few times until desired size.
In a large, deep cast iron skillet heat oil until it begins to smoke. Saute chopped veggies in hot oil until onion is translucent, and pepper is limp. Add meat, cook until browned. Drain meat. Season meat mixture with salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin. Transfer to slow cooker. (Note: In the absence of a slow cooker, cook it all in a 14in blackpot. [cast iron Dutch oven] In fact, the chili is excellant cooked outdoors in a Dutch oven, over coals.)
To meat mixture, add beans, tomatoes and tomato sauce.
Cook on 'high' for 20 minutes.
Stir. Taste. Add more seasonings, as desired. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer as long as you like, it's basically done now, but time will only improve the flavor.
Serve with grated sharp cheddar, chopped scallions, or sour cream.
Wonderful with cornbread, and iced Dr. Pepper.
If you see someone eating this with crackers, and red wine -- know that that person is a Yankee. Serve him/her an extra bowl of chili with your pretty smile. One deserves credit for trying.

Moving on

The Wedding Gown is finally done, and in the mail. I shall post pictures next week, after the wedding. Now: I need to (hurriedly) sew my outfit!
I decided to wear a skirt that I made 3 years ago that I don't get to wear all that often. I am making a new blouse to wear with it. The skirt is my own design, made of a teal silk/wool gabardine. The design/construction of this skirt was precipitated by an article in a prestigious sewing magazine about replacing back slits with pleated insertions. The article warned readers to only attempt square or rectangle pleated insertions, as triangular pleat inserions couldn't be done. Oh, really? To be fair, I started off with a rectangle, pleated it, marked the triangle I wanted, basted the markings and serged off the excess. Still, I got a pleated triangle.
The blouse is to be made of an eggplant-coloured silk charmeuse. I plan to use La Fred's new design: Athena II. I have made the original Athena twice, and love the simple lines, and interesting details. Here's one: the sleeve is a classic Chanel-style eased into the armsceye at the top, but is squared off in right angles at the bottom of the armsceye. Warning: do not attempt the afore-mentioned French seam construction with this sleeve. Trying to get perfect right angles on the second stitching is nearly impossible - if it's not a sharp angle, it ruins the effect.
Now that I have thrown down the gauntlet, and said it couldn't be done: someone, please, prove me wrong and do it. I should love to see how it is done.
A word on the fabric(s): a few years ago my husband was working in Iraq, and I joined him in Dubai for some R & R. We saw some great historical sites, rode camels, ate wonderful food, and went shopping. The best bargains were to be had in the Souks. The ancient market place, where dickering rules, but not with women. The very traditional male shopkeepers would lose face if they bargained with a woman. I set my feminist sensibilities aside, and let my husband do the dickering. Later that night, when David calculated the prices for my Customs Declaration forms, I realized that I had paid the US equivelent of $3-4 /yd for the same quality silk I was paying $28-35/yd for in Houston. We went back to the Souks and bought more fabric.
This piece is the last intact piece of fabric from that shopping trip, and I think you all agree, that this can only mean one thing: it's time to dust off the Passport, and search Expedia for good prices on flights to Dubai. Right, Honey? Honey? I'm sure he agrees.
Who want to watch my cat?

French Seams -- American Style

For the uninitiated: French seams are a beautiful seam treatment used for very fine and sheer fabrics that might ravel, weaken with use and/or show through sheer fabrics. It is a double-stitched seam that encases the seam allowance in itself.
The traditional way to construct one is to sew the pieces wrong sides together, then trim the seam allowance very close to the stitching, turn to right sides together, and stitch again. It does produce a beautiful finish, that is quite strong, while appearing very delicate. The process takes 3-4 times as long as a traditional 301 butterfly seam, and is a bit tedious.
Not anymore!!!!!
Thanks to a serger method for making French seams that I learned from Serger Secrets (ISBN # 1-57954-464-9) I now whiz through French seams!
Here's all you do:

Using your serger, serge the wrong sides together with a narrow rolled hem, leaving a 6in tail, fore and aft. Then, on your sewing machine, equipped with a zipper foot, stitch right sides together, holding the serger tails taut. Viola! A very narrow, strong French seam with NO trimming. [I can't tell you how many pieces of thin silk I have had to re-stitch because I trimmed a tad too close!] Beautiful, non???

Bodice -- done!

It's done. It's finally done. I think it turned out lovely, although, of course, Kali has final say. We meet for a fitting next weekend, so there may yet be some 'tweaking' to be done, but, for the non, I am moving on!

The last bit required attaching the lining (sans sleeve lining) to the bodice at neck and bottom, and attaching each sleeve lining to sleeve at hem, then pulling all three pieces through, pressing, and then my least favourite part of any construction project: hand work!!! I whip-stitched the lining to bodice at the 2 CB's (loops on the outside), and then whip-stitched the each sleeve lining to the bodice lining at each armsceye.
It will ultimately need more pressing, but I think it turned out lovely.
Now: on to the other lining, or: the inner bodice attached to the skirt. There's a little work involved in this.
Report to follow.

My Purse -- revealed

Over on my younger daughter's (Varina) blog, she posted a note about purses being the true window to a woman's soul.
http://varinascostume.blogspot.com/2009/09/windows-to-your-soul.html

She's a great writer, with some interesting insights into the world and its inhabitants. Ergo: I have decided to follow suit, and bare my soul, as it were.
No pictures, however. I can't find the camera, and, while I am willing to let you know what is in my purse; I am unwilling to have you see the effort it takes for me to actually locate anything usable.

The current purse is a warm pink Sigrid Olsen hobo, lined in bright green silk. It is, however, a little too 'spring-like' for the cool weather we have finally gotten, so I shall be changing to a Fendi teal baguette, or an olive croc envelope soon.
The contents:
In 3 small inside pockets:
1) cell phone
2) business cards in gold case
3) foundation stick (Laura Mercier ) and small bottle of essential oils (Rosemary, Lavender, Geranium) that I sometimes put in diffuse in my car.
Zippered pocket in lining:
1)Passport (U.S.)
2) Keys to my office
3)defunct credit dard that needs to be shredded
Makeup bag (yellow leather with pink piping -- a La Mer GWP):
1) Compact (Benefit)
2) 2 lipsticks (Mark - Dew & Peachy)
3) 2 Lip Glosses (Stila - bronze & rose)
4) Lip Balm (Clarins)
5) Hand Cream (Cream de La Mer)
6) tweezers
7) 3 emery boards [you'd think form that, that I actually take care of my nails]
Tin of Altoids - Cinnamon
Bottle of Tums for Kids (they're cherry-flavoured)
Bottle of naproxen Sodium
Day Planner
Receipts form various grocery stores and restaurants
Towelettes (4) from Buffalo Wild Wings
Keys to the Armory (oops! that should have gone back to the Commissioner's secretary last week)
3 ball-point pens (2 blue, 1 back)
Black leather tri-fold wallet:
1) Cash: $15.73
2) Loyalty cards:
Starbucks
Sam's Club
Kroger
CVS
Hancock Fabrics
Jo-Ann Fabrics
High Fashion Fabrics
Ulta
Sephora
Membership cards:
Blue Cross
Medco (Rx)
Central Market Foodie
American Sewing Guild
Dillard's Hosiery Club
Houston Museum of Natural Sciences
Sammy Brown library
Credit Cards:
USAA Debit Master Card
First State Bank Debit Card
Capital One Master Card
Dillard's
Neiman Marcus
Identification:
TX Driver's License
US Military ID card
Texas AgriLife Extension Employess card
University of Texas Student ID card
Voter's Registration card

That's it.
So: what does my purse say about my soul??