Living on pins and needles

Tunisian Crochet, or Afghan Stitch

2012-01-16T02:23:00.001-05:00

Lots of pictures today!

The Afghan Stitch used in Tunisian Crochet (click this link to see a picture in a previous post) is really easy to do. It is a cross between knitting and crochet using a long straight crochet hook that looks like a knitting needle with a hook on the end.

Here is a picture of my "F" hook:

The hook is long for Tunisian crochet because it has to hold the fabric during stitching, like a knitting needle. The fabric created with this stitch makes a fabric that is more solid than normal crochet.

You start by making a chain of the required length (my pictures, as always, are left-handed)

then you pick up loops in each of the stitches across the chain row

When you get to the end of the chain, you stitch off the loops by pulling the yarn through two loops at a time, like the top of a crochet stitch. You do not turn the work at all.

The stitch looks like a row of chain made through the loops

On the next row, you use the vertical loop of the stitch from the previous row to pick up the next row of loops.

Be sure that you pick up loops all the way to the end of the row to keep the edges square.

If you practice with a second color, it makes it much easier to see how the stitch is formed.

As you pick up the new loops, the chain row slides down the back of the loop, filling in the fabric.

The rows of loops create lines up the front of the fabric.

The back side of the fabric looks like rows of purl stitch in knitting

It's really easy to follow the vertical lines the stitch creates

The pieces curl like crazy until they are attached to another piece or edged. They have to be trained flat.

There are lots of variations to create many different textures and looks.

I hope you try this stitch.

Woo Hoo!

2011-09-26T01:43:00.005-04:00

"The Fields" just won Best Picture at it's World Premiere at the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival!

My first feature film credit, as Assistant Costumer.

Cloris Leachman in the apron I was tasked to make for her. Cotton calico, reversible to navy in the same pattern, aged to perfection by our wonderful Costume Designer, Gina Scarnati.

Here are links to the trailers:

Trailer #1

Trailer #2

(I still don't know how to get the pictures to show up on these links!)

My 2nd film credit, for Wardrobe and Continuity, was for my son Jeff's 1st film "Total Rewrite", last year's

Project Twenty1 entry. The film was nominated for 4 awards and won a coveted "Audience Choice" award! Not bad for his 1st film! Project guidelines: Film must be made in 21 days- written, filmed, edited, rendered and submitted- during the 1st 3 weeks of August. The element of the year, "Between the lines", must be featured in the film in what ever way the artist decides.

You can watch the full film here on youtube: Total Rewrite

My 3rd film credit, also for Wardrobe and Continuity, is Jeff's Project Twenty1 entry for this year,

"The Fairy Prince...?" which will premiere next weekend, Oct. 2, at 3pm at the International House

in Philadelphia, PA. This is Jeff's 1st independent production.

This year's element is "Start with a crash". Can't wait!

This time I also made a custom suit for one of the characters, Prince Percival, on the left in the picture.

40 hours for this suit. Here's a link to the Trailer, on youtube:

"The Fairy Prince...?" Trailer

Nice to have a life goal accomplished .....

Update, 10/5/2011...."The Fairy Prince...?" was nominated for "Best Writing" (Screenplay by Jeff Orens!) and "Best Film" !!!! Way to go, Jeff!

Score!

2011-05-15T22:33:00.004-04:00

Isn't it great when finding something like new dishes can make your day?

I've been looking for new dishes for a long time. Nothing was jumping out at me at all. Then I saw these at Target and kept going back. Went back today to 4 different targets to get 3 boxes. Finally!

Stoneware, hand painted with resist glaze; slightly greenish beige on top, a very dark blue in the 'cracks'. The back is brown with a little red and terracotta peaking through at the edges. No two are exactly the same.

Missing Bag

2011-04-17T21:47:00.000-04:00

Nicole Mallalieu, a very talented handbag designer from Australia, and author of the new book "You sew, girl", named for her blog, was devastated to find that someone had stolen her sample bag from her booth at the Australasian Quilt Convention booth in Melbourne yesterday, where she was introducing her book.

I will never understand why people have to take things that are not theirs. Makes no sense to me. If you happen to see this one-of bag, drop Nicole a note.

Antique Bonnet

2010-09-21T00:50:00.001-04:00

Thought you might appreciate this piece as much as I do.

This baby bonnet was brought home from NW Pennsylvania when we cleaned out my Husbands Aunt's home after she died. She had done needlework all her life and so had her Aunt, who raised her.

The stitch is very small, made with a steel hook, and very detailed netting stitch with 3 dimensional Irish Crochet Flowers. It was tied with a 1" wide satin ribbon, which had disintegrated too far to save.

Pretty, isn't it? Beautiful handwork is so much better than mass produced!

At my house....

2010-08-30T01:51:00.003-04:00

"the one who seeks to pluck the stars
will miss the jewels at his feet"

(from "the Power of Love" on the album "Tao" by Rick Springfield )

Leaving Mass today, I found this butterfly wing on the ground.

How beautiful, and new to me. I don't remember ever seeing this type of butterfly before. The colors and pattern are just fabulous! I picked it up and turned it over, and to my surprise, found that it was the back of a common Monarch wing. Who knew?

As my Father would have said. "Just another one of God's throw-aways", meaning that it will soon be gone, so enjoy it now, like a sunset; there will be another one tomorrow, but never the same one.

I still miss him every day! Appreciate today while it's here!

I wish everyone a good and happy school year! I'll be starting over again this year, as I change to middle school, grades 6-8. All foods classes, though. No sewing classes :(

2 new private sewing students start this week, though!!!

Enjoy!

What's happening at your house? Jump over to Lou Lous and play long!

To my Australian friends, have a wonderful Father's Day!

Hip to be......rectangle?

2010-08-19T00:32:00.003-04:00

In my Creative Space this week... Updating the Granny Square.

The humble, and ever-evolving granny-square. Back in style!

Why even bother to update it?!?

Well, after making so many straight forward, plain, knitted and crocheted, 7"x 9" rectangles with my beginning students for Warm up America! afghans over the years, one of my students decided she wanted to make her block as a granny square, but was confused about how to go about it. We were just not happy at all with adding bands to 2 ends of the squares; it just looked bad.

So, how would you do it? You could add more stitch groups into the center ring, rather than the usual 4, but that only made the center pull wide open. You would still need to hold the center of the ring together between the sides that each had two, or more, stitch groups somehow, or it would end up as a ring, not a rectangle.

So, how do you keep the same look, but stretch the pattern into a rectangle?

Well, after a few trys, I think I came up with a good method of turning a granny square into a granny rectangle, which provides the original effect of the granny square (above), but makes it a rectangle, of any length you like.

What do you think? I think I got it right!

Now, I need to plan the afghans with all these little squares and big rectangles!

Still need to make lots of blue and green squares to add to this bunch of yellow and pink.

Here is my original afghan plan, before the rectangles were available,

and my original stitch diagram for the starting row of the rectangle, which is very illegible here!

I'm going to have to find the paper and rewrite the instructions so they are legible; they didn't photograph well.

I'll write a tutorial as soon as I unearth the directions. Now to try a Triangle!

Happy stitching!

Check out the other creative spaces at Kootoyoo!

At my house...

2010-08-16T01:01:00.005-04:00

At my house today, I'm still unpacking from a movie shoot this week with my son. I was hired on to be the wardrobe and continuity department for his 10 minute short film for the Project Twenty 1 film festival in Philadelphia, Pa. We shot on Tuesday and Thursday, and I'm still not unpacked; I don't want to jinx it as they edit this week. Have to be ready to reshoot if needed.

Project Twenty1 is a contest for independent filmmakers from all over the world. They are given an element on day one, and they have 21 days to write, make and submit a 10 minute movie. This years' element is "between the lines" and the deadline is Aug. 21. I'm not allowed to post anything about the plot till October(!), when all the films are screened!

In the photo, Jeff is the one in gray, crouched down in the left of the picture. Handsome guy, and a good actor, too. He wrote the screenplay, from the story he and the Director, Jason (holding the Boom), wrote the day before. He is also Assistant Director on the film. No title yet.

[MARK C. PSORAS/THE REPORTER Drop the HAT Productions team members, from left, Jeff Orens, Mike O'Donnell, Tim McCombe and Jason Heffner shoot scenes for their film at a location in the Lansdale Business Center.]

Also in my house today, my beautiful daughter, Jennifer, Surgical Nurse, turned 29 today!

But, with her schedule, I didn't even get to see her for this birthday. Evidently, seeing Sir Paul McCartney is more important tonight then coming home.

Hmmm, I probably would have made the same choice, if it were Rick Springfield.

Happy birthday, Jenny!

What's up at your house? Play along at Lou Lou's

Color choice

2010-08-06T13:11:00.003-04:00

I've narrowed it down to four colors. The rug is gray, but seems to be to the blueish side. Now comes the big choice. Which would feel more soothing in a large room?

Color Palettes

2010-08-06T01:28:00.004-04:00


Emeril's Watermelon Salsa	OK, I know that this has nothing to do with sewing, but it has everything to do with color palettes. This just looks light, delicate and absolutely summer. Watermelon, peach, kiwi, red onion (yup), red and green Thai chilies (yup, yup), and fresh mint. I put it on small slices of Angel Food cake. It came out just as great as the recipe sounded, enough so that I had to take a picture to prove it! I think next time I will make the angel food as muffin tops. They need to be stiffer and hold the salsa. Try it, you'll love it!

My Creative Space- is ReDecorating

2010-08-06T01:19:00.003-04:00

Well, what do you think of the new web background? Too green?

I was getting too tired of the full white screen and blogger came out with a tool to format the view that was easy enough for me to use! That's a good thing.

My youngest moved out into her own home 2 months ago, and now that her room is cleared out (well, mostly) we are in the process of painting the smurf blue walls. Primer went on today. Now to pick a color.

This room will now be a combination workout room for us and a fitting room for my clients. No more fittings in the living room and clients putting on wedding gowns in the bathroom. Woo Hoo!

Here's a palette posted on Pantone that I like. I like the the first color in the strip, but its very close to the color in my hall and living room. Maybe that's too much? But the hall is right outside the bedroom and connected to the Living Room, so maybe it would work? Gotta go pick out paint tomorrow.






Hotel Monteleone

My Creative Space....

2010-06-24T17:10:00.003-04:00

...is just a little hot today!

Thank God for air conditioning and a basement studio!

I don't think my car has registered this temp. before!

Working on pattern placement for 4 sofa cushions.

The catch is, there is only j-u-s-t enough fabric to cut them out with the 1/2" seam allowance,

but not for design placement.......

...to be continued!

Check out Kootoyoo for lots of Creative Spaces!

Estimating Yardage

2010-06-22T21:27:00.001-04:00

You are in the fabric store and you find that perfect piece of fabric, but you just don't know what you re going to make from it, and the cost will not allow you to just buy 5 yards. So what do you do?

On the Ikat Bag blog today, LiEr wrote an excellent tutorial about how to estimate the yardage needed to layout different patterns, when you do not have a yardage chart to go by. She does all her pieces by custom draft, so estimating is a very important skill.

It's also important for those who sew with patterns because if you find that perfect piece of fabric, you need to be able to make a smart decision about your purchase.On a side note, commercial patterns can also be a good resource for this. If you know what you want to make, you can find a similar style in a pattern catalog and follow the yardage chart on the back of its pattern envelope to estimate the fabric requirements.

Never forget to allow extra for pattern matching, one-way layout, shrinkage during fabric pre-treatment, and sizing alterations, especially length added to all pieces.

Enjoy. I did.

French Seams, part 2

2010-05-30T19:01:00.005-04:00

Ok, finally, here is part 2 of the French seams.

Once you get used to regular french seams, there will be times that you will want an enclosed seam that is just a little more stable. On straight seams, this variation is just the right thing.

I learned this version in an industrial sewing machine class taught by Claire Schaefer. This one is called a drapery french seam, because it is meant for use on straight seams. It's also good for skirt seams in sheer fabrics, side seams, or any other place where there is not an extreme curve in the seam, like a princess seam.

First thing to do it to sew the seam Right Sides Together on the correct finished seam allowance, in this case 3/8", exactly the opposite of a normal frenched seam.

Open the seam and press as usual.

Press the seam allowance toward the side that will enclose the seam, in this case, the solid fabric, and wrap that fabric over and around the seam allowance, enclosing it snugly.

This pin is showing where the seam will be sewn on the underside, after the seam allowance is wrapped.

Roll the fabric over the edge of the seam allowance and press it in place.

You will not even need pins to sew this.

Place the covered seam under the foot of your machine and "stitch in the ditch" of the seam. Your needle should run right between the two fabrics.

Press the seam as you sewed it, then press it open.

Here it is from the front and from the back. It creates a very nicely finished, durable seam. I pressed it toward the more opaque of the two fabrics so it will not show through.

If you can see in the picture below, what makes this different from a normal French seam, is that the cut ends of the fabric are not turned and pointed toward the surface of the garment. They are pointing inward, just like a normal seam. The other difference is that the cut edges are wrapped with a solid piece of fabric, rather than rubbing against a seam that is running down the inside of the seam allowance, that can be rubbed raw, allowing the seam allowance to pop out and fray to the inside. Very nice.

All you have to do to make this seam finish work, is to remove 1/4" of the seam allowance from one side of the seam, and add it on to the other side.

For example, with these two fabrics, one was solid, the other was a rather open weave. I just cut the open weave with 1/4" less seam allowance on both of its sides, or 3/8"wide. Then I cut the other, solid fabric, 1/4" wider on each side, or 7/8" wide. That allowed me the correct amount of seam allowance on the solid fabric to enclose the seam allowance of the open weave fabric, and still have the skirt seam line up with the bodice seam. You just match up the cut edges of the seam and sew at 3/8", the corrected seam allowance.

It doesn't work on curved seams, because there would be too much fabric to wrap around the seam allowance and it would all bunch up.

Happy Seaming!

An Old Afghan

2010-05-16T17:07:00.002-04:00

Received these pictures from my daughter of an afghan I started in college and finished for her when she moved out of her crib into her bed when she was about 2 and 1/2. So, I guess it took about 6 and 1/2 years!

I remember seeing this afghan in a magazine, Family Circle, I think, but it could have been Woman's Day. I wish they still published the sewing and needlecraft patterns. The pattern was from Gloria Vanderbilt of an afghan she had when she was a child. The blocks are made up in running strips of afghan stitch (or Tunisian Crochet). They are individually edged in single crochet, and joined on the diagonal, then the whole thing is edged in single crochet. The flowers are just cross stitched on the afghan blocks, which are fabulously easy to use for embroidery!

The yarn came from shop that carried remaindered yarn by the pound. What a great deal that was! I just had to unravel the pieces (a fascination of mine. Never met a knot I could leave alone!) and wrap them into small balls. I used to stop in on my way home from class to see if they had anything new in the bins. The only skeins I had to buy were for the black, because I wanted it all to match.

The hardest part was setting up the pattern of colors on the blocks, as the strips were set once they were made. I could change the order of the strips, but not the order of the blocks. If I remember correctly, I charted it out on graph paper with color pencils. Now I'll have to go look for the pattern and the chart. I know I still have them! If I find them, I'll post them. The only part I didn't like was weaving in all the ends. That was a royal pain!

I still like this one! I'm glad she does, too.

Off to his new home...

2010-04-17T00:45:00.003-04:00

This guy is on his way to a new home. He is a gift for a recent widow, made from her late husbands' shirts and ties, from their daughter, for Mother's Day. Awwww........

Pre-planning

2010-04-15T23:26:00.003-04:00

When we bought our house, I could not figure out why the previous owners had these tall, leggy plants growing up and starting to cover the windows.

UNTIL, the buds appeared and these LILACS started blooming just outside my kitchen windows over my sink!

The smell is incredible when you walk past the open windows! For 3 weeks we have this wonder to look forward to, unless, of course, we have a terribly hard downpour for days.

If I had just hacked the leggy stems off when we moved in, I would have had to wait years until they were this tall again, but, I probably would never have understood why they were that tall without experiencing it in the first place.

I always think I waste too much time thinking things over and over before I start working on a sewing job. But, what I find is that I do not make the mistakes I would have made if I had just cut into the fabric right away. By taking the time to think it through, I have cut, sewn and completed the item in my head many times before I have picked up the scissors. I cannot tell you how many problems have been averted by doing this.

The flip side, though, is that I am encouraging my lifelong procrastination habit, like I am doing now, but writing this post, instead of sewing my current job! "I will start no project before it's time". I find I must have a dead-line in order to actually start a project! This stinks!

Enjoy the fruits of your labors, whatever they are!

Apron Giveaway!

2010-03-11T00:55:00.001-05:00

What could be better than a list of over 200 ways to make it a little more enjoyable ( I LOVE #230! me, too!) to do your household chores? How about a chance to win this great apron, or ironing board cover? How cute!

This photo is from City Chic Country Mouse and featured on the Bright Lights Site. Other giveaways are up as well. Be sure to post by Sunday, 3/14 if you want a chance at either of these. Good luck!

French Seams

2010-03-07T03:01:00.005-05:00

French Seams are a really useful, low tech, high quality seam

and finish in one.They take planing and precision, but are not

difficult to do, and with practice, you can make a really nice

quality seam.

This is a great seam for soft or sheer fabrics that tend to ravel,

show through, or are highly stressed. Practice by starting with

a stable fabric, like a nice cotton. Don't start with that beautiful

sheer silk piece you just love; you will hate it one minute after

starting!

Here is a step by step tutorial to help you out:

Set a gauge on your machine. If your machine does not have gauge marks on the throat plate or machine bed, measure from your needle to the correct measurement, and mark the placement with a piece of masking tape, squared to the needle. Use your foot to square the tape. The first part of the seam is sewn at 1/4" (when using a total of 5/8" for your seam allowance) and 3/8" for the second part of the seam.

Place the two pieces you will be joining wrong sides together, match the ends of the seam and place under the foot lined up with the 1/4" gauge mark. On my machine, that is just inside the edge of the pressure foot.

Sew the right side out seam 1/4" from the edge of your fabric.

Press the seam as sewn to set the stitches into the fabric.

Open and press open on the wrong side.

Flip over and press seam open from the right side. This will help the stitches roll to the edge, rather than to the side in the next step.

This step will not be possible, or prudent, with some fragile fabrics. Instead, just press the seam, covered with an organza press cloth, first to one side, then to the other.

Fold the fabric wrong sides together, encasing the seam.

Roll seam to the edge of the fabric. It should be between the layers at the edge, not on the top or the bottom.

Press seam at edge.

Sew second part of the seam at 3/8", the remainder of the original 5/8" seam allowance. This encloses the 1/4" first seam, leaving a very small space between the seams, so if your fabric frays badly, be sure to trim small sections as you sew, or you will have all kinds of "stubble" poking unattractively out of your seam. Ask me how I know!

Press as sewn.

Press open.

Seam complete.
Totally finished on the inside!

Looks like any normal seam, but remember that it does stiffen the fabric at the seam.

For most uses, this tutorial would stop here. but with a fabric like this print, if there was no gathering, and this were in a highly visible area, I would want to match this fabric, but it's a french seam! How would you do that?

First, cut out only the 1st side. Fold back the full 5/8" seam allowance and press.

Place pressed piece on top of fabric and determine the direction of the design. Rotate piece so both are in the same direction.

Compare patterns and find matching ones.

Move the piece around until the pattern matches perfectly. Try to be as conservative in your layout as possible so you waste as little fabric as possible. Also think of other pieces you will have to layout so you have enough fabric to cut what you need.

Lift the edge of the top piece to expose the edge of the pressed under seam allowance. Pin through both layers to hold the fabrics together and keep the pattern matched.

Carefully flip the fabric over and finish pinning the seam allowance. Flip back and double check that the pattern is still matching, then fold back right sides together and cut the second piece, using the first piece as the pattern for the second.

Reverse the pieces right sides out and sew at 1/4" with edges matching.

Press as sewn, then press open, being sure not to flatten the seam crease.

Fold right sides together, roll seam to edge. Press.

Sew 2nd part of the seam at 3/8".

Open and check pattern match.

Ok, this is too deep at 3/8", so I will rip it out and re-sew it just below 3/8".

Ripped and re-sewn at a scant 3/8". If you can see it, the needle is just inside the first row of stitches.

This is much better. I probably could have moved over even a little more.

Press as sewn.

Press open.

Done and Matched.

Left- Unmatched

Right- Matched

Which you choose to do depends on your final product. A gathered skirt, in these flowers, does not need to be matched, but if it were in an uneven plaid, it would really need to be. The seams of a bodice would look so much nicer if you took the time to match your pattern.

Shortcuts

2010-03-04T02:46:00.004-05:00

So, I'm working on a job and had to pre-wash fabrics. No problem. I tested swatches first, as I should. They washed well, even stayed pretty flat, which was a bonus. So far, so good.

Then, of course, I forgot to serge the ends before I put the yardage in the wash. Here is the result with 2 of the 3 pieces:

Moral of the story: Shortcuts usually aren't!

Matching Plaids

2010-02-26T20:45:00.010-05:00

The thought of matching plaids strikes fear into the hearts of many
sewers, but it is really not that hard to do.

Over the holidays, I had to quickly replace my families Christmas
stockings because someone, who shall remain nameless, decided
while packing up last year, that it was time to throw them out.
That didn't go over too well.

Well, I had to find something to use, and thanks to my remanent
addiction, had a bunch of cotton flannel plaid pieces that would
work. I needed 6, and I found 6. I used muslin for the linings,
and channel quilted the flannel to the muslin along the prominent
stripes. I found a nice piece in dark red and dark green fabric to
use for the cuffs, which I have not shown here, because I need
to rework them before I'm willing to photograph them.

Here is a very easy way to match plaids:

Open out your fabric flat.

Lay out your pattern, being sure to
leave room to cut the second piece,
reversed, and matching (this will be
discussed later).

Weight or pin, and cut out the first
piece.

Remove the pattern and mark the
right side (a safety pin works well.)

(I cut out 6 different fabrics, so the fabrics in the photos will
change, depending on what I photographed in which fabric!)

Lay the remaining fabric out
flat, and lay the cutout piece
right-side down on the face
up fabric.

Move the cutout around until the plaid matches at the cut edges
all around the perimeter.

(The cutout piece and the fabric are now right sides together and
will produce a mirrored pair. One of the best things about a
woven plaid is that if you forget to flip it over, it doesn't matter,
both sides are the same!)

This is an EVEN plaid. The pattern
and the spacing are the same to the
left and right along the same grain,
either the lengthwise or the crosswise,
but the different grains don't have to
match.

Can you see the edge of the cutout
piece on top?

How about now?

If the lines in the plaid do not match
up between the pieces, rotate the cut
out piece until they do.

When you are happy with the way it matches, pin or weight the
cutout piece to the fabric and cut out. The best part about woven
plaids is that you don't have to check the grain; it is already lined
up perfectly!

If the lines only match up in one direction, then you have an
UNEVEN plaid, and you have to lay things out in a different way.

This layout would have
worked if I had flipped the
toe to the other side, where
the fabric is longer. I wish I
had seen that before! You
need to plan how you will cut
both pieces before you cut the
first piece. When I cut these, I
didn't pay attention to the
direction the second piece would have to be placed to be cut out.

The only way I could cut this
Green/Red/Black/White plaid
was to line up the extremes of
dark and light. That doesn't
look too bad. At least it
doesn't jump out at you. The
smaller red and white lines do
not connect, but they do match with each other.

Another way a plaid can be UNEVEN is by a change in size of a
matching stripe pattern between lengthwise and crosswise grain.
Even though it looks the same, it will not match up. You can tell
if it will match up or not by folding one corner of the fabric back
against itself at a 45 degree.

On this Blue/Gray UNEVEN plaid, I
could not lay the second cut in the
same direction as the first. If I wanted
to piece the heel or toe, or put patches
on them, this would have worked, but
I wasn't planning to go that way.

Turning it crosswise would defiantly
not work. There was nothing that
would match up. But if I would have
played with the layout before cutting
the first piece, you can see that I
would have been able to cut both
pieces out in this direction.

This was the final result. Again, I
matched the extremes, the dark and
light bars. I had to ignore the interior
stripes, work with the "big picture"
and follow the 20ft rule: If you can't
see it from 20 ft in a few seconds,
then don't worry about. For stockings,
I am willing to follow that. I usually
don't.

Not bad. Again, the micro lines don't
line up, but the macro lines do.

Ready to sew back to front!

Don't be afraid of plaids! They really are quite friendly.

My Creative Space

2010-02-16T01:33:00.018-05:00

I am going to try to play along with the My Creative Space idea over at Kootoyoo.

My space is an absolute mess! I am in the process of totally re-organizing my studio because I couldn't find the top of my cutting table, and I need room for 3- 10 year olds to cut out their projects. The fabric had taken over! Here are some shots of my basement studio during this upheaval-

These desks are my main work area.

Thread storage and machine supplies on the wall by all the machines. This had to stay organized or I would never get anything done!

The empty wall space here was covered in a floor to ceiling shelf filled with fabrics and bins of yarn, ribbons and other materials. The shelf, and all it contained have been moved into a new area of the basement, where I get to have a fabric room! Wa-hoo!

I thought these black bins ( on the wall over the industrial, above) would be a big help, but I hate them. Even though they are labeled, I can't see what is in them. I need to get more clear boxes, like the ones the threads are in, so I can see things.

It's really important to recognize, and work with, your idiosyncrasies when you are putting money into storage organization. I have learned the hard way that baskets, and other cute things just don't do any good for me. Lesson learned. If I had paid more in the beginning and gotten the shelving I really wanted, something that was very flexible and easy to rearrange, I would have saved a lot of cost in redo's, and down time while re-arranging, and my walls would not look like Swiss cheese! Also, I would have saved the cost of re-buying items I know I have, but can't fine. I'm doing this on a non-existent budget, so what I have has to work.

Too many things piled on top of other things. When I was laid off from my teaching job last year, so much stuff that I had brought to school had to come back home with me, and I have not been able to find space for it all. That's on top of all the stuff that has just never found a home when I was moved into the basement in the first place.

For the last week, I have been working on wrapping all of the fabrics onto half bolts (just a long flat piece of cardboard) and moved out of the studio (Thank God!!!) into a new area of the basement where I am making a fabric room- pictures are clockwise around the fabric room-

Yarn and ribbons in bins. These are the shelves that were on the wall in the other room (above and below, left).

Fabrics waiting to be wrapped onto bolts. The book shelf is temporary, until I figure out what to do with the pieces that I can't wrap on bolts.

The result of 5 days of wrapping fabrics on bolts! This is the start of a beautiful fabric room, where everything is visible all the time. I've rearranged the shelf arrangement on these shelves at least 4 times. A ratchet is a wonderful tool! So is a power screwdriver.

More bins with quilt parts, and a rack for rolled fabrics, finally! I have to thank Sewloutions for the idea of horizontal storage for rolled fabrics; also for the inspiration to get this started. I was just so bogged down with stuff that I wasn't getting anything done, until I saw her post on her studio redo. What she has done with a small space is just wonderful, and extremely usable. I have the space I need for classes, but had no available space to do it.

My plan is to have this finished by the end of the month. Posting this is my way of holding myself accountable to someone other than myself, and I thank you all for that. I will post new pictures when I am done.

How do you store your fabrics? And, even more important, how do you sort the fabrics? Color, type, use? I am open to all suggestions!

Interview with Pamela Ptak

2010-01-24T00:17:00.005-05:00

(photo from Lifetime tv)

Here is Pamela's exit interview from Blogging Project Runway. It is a fabulous interview that showcases just how special she really is. Make sure you listen all the way to the end!

OK, Project Runway Judges officially stink

2010-01-21T23:29:00.008-05:00

This bites the big one. Here is the rant:

I have always thought that the judging on Project Runway was haphazard. Now they have proved it. I'm tired of them keeping poor garments and kicking off outfits that were obviously better and should have been safe. There were at least 2 dresses- Ping's and Jesus's-that should have scored lower than Pam's. I don't get how she was the one kicked off. I am very tired of them rewarding poor construction and fit one week, then using them as reasons to pick on someone the next week, ignoring the challenge parameters one week, and enforcing them the next.

How about some consistency here, guys? This is the 7th year, for goodness sake, not the first. Two of the top three had major fit problems in the bust, and Heidi says she doesn't mind? Every other time she lets people have it when the bust doesn't fit because of all her years with Victorias. Either it fits properly or it doesn't.

Now, I'm not saying they should have picked my friend to win. I've done a lot of evaluations and I know that there are a lot of variables in what they are looking for, and I am tougher on the people I'm close to than I am on people I don't know, because I know what they are capable of.

So, since they determined the bottom 3 were Pamela, Ping and Jesus this week, then here is how it should have gone, based solely on their comments:

Ping's had no style, showed the butt, and excentuated the hips, which is what they complained so badly about with Anthony's dress last week, and they had nothing they could compliment her on. She couldn't even justify it. They also said she didn't get the challange. She should have been out. (She, however is one of the spacey, interesting ones, and that gets attention, so of course she will stay. Remember the one they thought was a space cadet who spit marked her clothes? And who can forget Santino and Wendy. This is reality tv.)

Jesus's was covered in other fabric, they didn't like the colors, style or construction, and said he didn't follow the challange. In my opinion though, the bodice fit was spot on, especially compared to #1, (gapping under the arms) & #2 (gapping at CF very much), but they had good designs. I would place him 1 up from the bottom because the fit was better than Pings, but I would have understood if they had kicked him off because he kept so little of the required fabric showing, and Pings was all burlap.

Pamela's should defiantly have been safe. They thought it fit too tightly and was short; I've seen them rave over dresses that fit tighter and were way too short. They loved the dying, but didn't like that it looked like denim. They didn't like the style, but didn't tear it apart as much as the others. They thought the construction was good, though they didn't like the fit over the butt. She should have been safe.

Is that impartial enough?

OK, Rant over. Now maybe I'll watch it impartially again. Maybe. Pamela's like family; I won't forget this. Pamela,you showed grace under pressure and were a true inspiration!

Project Runway, week 1- Pamela Ptak

2010-01-21T20:47:00.008-05:00

Comments From Pamela Ptak in a chat on
www.leighvalleylive.com
last friday after the premiere of season 7....

On why she wanted to be on the show......One of the most important reasons I did this show was to be an inspiration. ..to show that you could be NICE, and talented and create great pieces and succeed. I want everyone to go after their dreams. That's the most important thing to me.

On the pink dress, after a picture of it was posted...... I have been missing seeing that dress. I loved it so. I heard an audible WOW gasped from behind me when she first walked out...that was Seth. He's an awesome guy and I have to say a generous one. He tried to be kind to everyone.

...... This dress had some VERY special features. It is two complete dresses. One is hot pink. the other is navy. It is FULLY reversible & perfect on both sides. I hand sewed in the invisible zipper on the one side and then hand pick stitched it on the other so you can zip it up both ways without seeing a smidge of the zipper. I am very proud of it & it fits my aesthetic.

...... I don't know if anyone knew? If I had been in the top three or the bottom three, people would definitely have found out becasue I would have asked my model to show it reversed.

On not seeing as much of the work being done on the show now...... I really love when they show the workmanship also. You can see in the still shots shown in some papers that Lifetime did take shots when we were working. I think sometimes the contestants don't keep their hands out of the way of the camera.

...... If anyone wants to see more of my designwork, go to www.PamelaPtak.com

On the attention she has received since being on the show...... I have had such great response from this. I am having garments from my spring summer 2010 collection (shown in NYC last Sept) appearing in 2 Philly magazines this spring.

..... You each have something you were meant to be or meant to do or meant to say in this world. Be it. Do it. Say it. And don't worry what people think.

Reporter Kelly Huff, The Express-Times, Easton, PA: If you know any friends of Pamela or fans of the show that couldn't make our chat this morning, feel free to send them this link http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/entertainment-general/index.ssf/2010/01/talking_fashion_with_pamela_pt.html
so they can get all the details of Pam's Runway adventures.

I LOVE this last one:

Quoted in the same paper the day before the show in a full page story on Pamela....."There’s nothing I can’t do when it comes to sewing," Ptak said. "Once you’ve been a brain surgeon, you’re not afraid to stitch a cut after having the highest training. When someone says a job can’t be done, I ask them to hand it to me, and I hand it back finished.”

Color Scheme Designer

2010-01-12T17:50:00.003-05:00

Here is a great color tool to play with! There are many options beyond the normal mono and complimentary. It also allows you to play with hue saturation and lightness tools, among others. Enjoy!

Gourmet Crochet: Variations on a theme mystery afghan crochet-along

2010-01-11T00:23:00.003-05:00

Gourmet Crochet: Variations on a theme mystery afghan crochet-along

My first attempt at posting a link directly from another blog. Hopefully successful. Welcome to the new year!

This link is to the blog of a wonderful crochet designer. I say wonderful because she does quality work, not crafty work. Now there is nothing wrong with crafty, but what I want to crochet is quality; antique, high end and couture work, to me, is quality.

I will be working along with this CAL (crochet-a-long) and, as soon as I get my camera fixed, will post photos of the blocks as they progress.

What will you be working on?

Who will win Project Runway Season 7? Pamela Ptak!

2009-12-18T02:54:00.012-05:00

I'm not even going to wait until the new season of Project Runway starts to tell you who I expect to win! Pamela Ptak will run away with this, if the judges have any sense at all! (they don't, always, though) I was so excited to hear that she was chosen. She is one of the most talented, honest, and giving people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Pamela is a true artist, and her quality of work is phenomenal! Her presence will raise the quality of the show tremendously! I wish her all the luck in the world. GO PAMELA!!

This great Garrett Hothan photo of Pamela is from her website
www.ptakcouture.com Take a look at her wonderful work. She is also a fabulous illustrator, painter, photographer and writer. She has written a book on developing and arranging a portfolio, "Fashion Portfolios 101: Presentation Techniques for Independent Designers & Dressmakers" that anyone with work to present, in any subject, should read.

Can't wait for this season to start! January 14th on Lifetime.

A great day for web surfing!

2009-10-21T12:54:00.009-04:00

Wow! the web is great for surfing today!

photo from http://clutterpunk.blogspot.com

Another great tutorial, this time on thread sketching.

How to fold a fat quarter

2009-10-21T11:45:00.008-04:00

(photo from http://kootoyoo.blogspot.com)

This is such a great tutorial on how to fold a fat quarter (a 1/4 yard of cut fabric, but cut as 1/2 of a half yard of fabric. Usually measuring about 18"x22", hence a "fat" quarter, as opposed to a regular 1/4 yard, 9"x by 45") that I felt it really needed to be shared. Enjoy! This looks like a great blog!

Up-close Couture

2009-10-03T12:25:00.011-04:00

Here is a great short video of a couture runway design being created in the Chanel and Lasage ateliers (workrooms). The video shows some of the process of draping on a form at Chanel, and the process of creating a custom tambour beading at Lasage, then ends with the finished design on the runway. Be sure to enlarge the video so it fills your screen! Enjoy!

Thanks to TheSewingDivas for this link. I love reading this blog, when I have a few spare moments.

Geometry and Sewing

2009-04-12T23:39:00.010-04:00

Ok, this is just NOT fair! This is positively addicting! If you are geometrically inclined, don't go here if you are in a hurry to get off the computer.

http://woodgears.ca/eyeball/index.html

I actually got a few zeros! Alright already, I also got a 53. Oh the shame of it! Be very careful with the finger dragging and releasing. It got me a few times. Also, your angle of view will change your perspective. Try it a few times to get the feel of the control functions before you start worrying about your score.

Enjoy, but don't blame me if you get no sleep tonight! Actually, you can blame Judy Martin, quilter extraordinaire! This link came from her newsletter, which is just fabulous!

Geometry and spacial concepts are such a large part of sewing. This will definitely help you teach your eye.

Cutting with Tissue

2009-04-04T23:23:00.007-04:00

I just learned a wonderful way to cut terribly slippery fabrics, or any fabric you want to control, really- well, honestly, I knew of it before, but had never tried it.

Using wide rolls of tracing paper- available from art or drafting supply stores- place a layer under the fabric, place patterns on grain, stab pin patterns thru fabric to stop shifting, block cut the pieces, then finish cut all pieces with precision. It makes it so easy to control each piece. You can spin them around to clean cut all edges without the fabric going off grain.

It also makes cutting out a previously cut pattern so much easier if you first place a piece of tissue between pattern and fabric so that the new tissue sticks out past the cut edges of the pattern. This allows you to cut on clean tissue, not cut tissue; big difference!

Try it; you’ll love it! I’ve been sewing for over 40 years (Yikes!) and this was as revolutionary as a rotary cutter! There is cost involved in “wasting” the tissue, but the frustration avoided and the preservation of fragile fabrics is well worth the small cost.

This technique came from my pattern-making Professor, Laurel Hoffmann at Drexel University. (Professor Laurel Hoffmann’s Fashion Engineering Certificate Program at the Richard C. Goodwin College of Professional Studies at Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA.) http://www.laurelhoffmann.com

Give-a-Way!

2009-03-02T13:34:00.004-05:00

I saw this blog post and figured it would be fun to play - so I'm in!

"The first three people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It’ll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it’s going to be.
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who do the same on your blog. The first 3 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it! Who’s in?"

Reading Aran Cable Charts

2009-01-10T23:26:00.027-05:00

OK, here’s a really, really long post to make up for the time I’ve missed…

On one of the internet needlework digests I read, the following question

was asked about reading a chart to make cabled knitting patterns. I’ve

wanted to write this explanation for a long time, so it was great to have

a reason to do so.

Q: “I received a copy of the Great

American Aran Afghan book, and have

been reviewing it in order to choose a

beginning pattern. My problem is that in

spite of the 'knitter's school' material in the

back and the charts around the pages,

there are no clear explanations of what the

cable charts MEAN....This is very

frustrating. Each can be so different from

the others, even when one is only

increasing by one stitch in the cable.

Can anyone help me?”

(http://www.stitchesmarket.com)

A: Here is a tutorial on reading cable charts:

Because there are a lot of right and left directions in this tutorial, to

avoid confusion, I will refer to direction by left or right and the knitted

piece by RS (right side) for the front or face side and WS (wrong side)

as the back, or wrong side.

This is a beautiful example of

an Aran sweater knit from an

Alice Starmore pattern, "St

Briget" by Sarah Peasley of

Michigan. Photo from her

website,

http://www.sarahpeasley.com

Knitting an Aran pattern can be intimidating, but once you've worked

out the directions, they tend to be relatively intuitive. The pattern is

almost easier to work without a chart after a few repeats. As with any

new skill, it is important to try the stitch by making a sample before

making the real piece. Samples are a great way to try new techniques.

Directionality: The main thing that you have to keep in mind about any

cable chart is that the chart is always showing the RS (front or face) of

the piece. You will be alternately working on the RS (front) and the WS

(back) of your work, but the chart will always show the RS (front). So,

if you are on a RS row the markings will mean one stitch, if you are on

a WS row, they will mean the opposite stitch. Because the chart does

not show the WS, you have to read the chart backwards for the WS

rows. I hope that makes sense.

Everyone who writes or publishes patterns uses their own symbols but

if you look for the key, they are usually very easy to follow. For

instance, some charts use a dash (--) in the stitch box to mean "knit on

the RS, purl on the WS",and a vertical line ( | ) in the box to mean "purl

on the RS, knit on the WS).

It's up to you to know which side you are working on. This specific

XRX book uses white blocks on the chart to mean "knit on RS, purl on

WS" and shaded blocks to mean "Purl on RS, knit on the WS". It makes

the charts less cluttered to read; the cabling patterns are clearer. So if

you’re on the RS of your piece and you have a white block on the

chart, you would knit, if you have a shaded block, you would purl. If

you are working on the WS of your piece and you have a white block,

you would purl, and if you have a shaded block, you would knit.

The chart reads from the bottom up, so a right-hand knitter would start

row 1 on the RS of the piece and work the 1^st chart line from right to

left. A left-handed knitter would start from the left side of the chart

and work line 1 of the chart from left to right on the RS of the piece.

Line 2 is worked on the WS of the piece in the opposite direction of the

chart (reading it backwards). You will be doing the opposite stitch for

each block; if it was knit on the RS, it will be purled on the WS. A

right-hander would read line 2 of the chart from left to right, while

knitting from right to left on the WS of the piece (because you turned

it after row 1). A left-hander would read line 2 from right to left, while

working from left to right on the WS of the piece.

This is a 3D process. It would be easier if you had the chart on a trans-

parent paper and when you turned the work at the end of the row, you

could turn the paper over too. Then you would be on the WS of the

chart as well as the WS of the piece and you would always be starting

the line on the same side and knitting in the same direction that you

were reading. But, since patterns are not on transparent paper, you have

to read the WS rows in reverse.

It becomes pretty easy, after a few rows, when you start to see the

pattern appear on the knitting because you have the surrounding

stitches to guide you. You will be able to see if something doesn't

line up.

Horizontal: Each chart controls 1 part of the pattern design over a

certain number of stitches, and the charts may be worked one right

after the other, or they may be separated by columns of knit or purl

stitches. The “pat arrangement” (pattern arrangement) chart is shown

on the first page of each pattern in this book, and tells you the order

that you would work each pattern across the block, or piece, and how

many stitches for each chart or pattern.

If you refer to the Levy block, the 2^nd block in the book, it tells you the

block pattern is 3 garter stitches, followed by chart A over 17 stitches,

followed by chart B over 36 stitches followed by chart A again over 17

stitches, ending with 3 garter stitches. That shows that you have a

symmetrical block pattern, centered on chart B, that totals 76 stitches

across.

Vertical: When you are working these patterns, it’s important
to realize that, in most cases, the charts do not match up by
row (line) numbers. Wouldn’t that make for a boring design
if all the different elements in a pattern were the same height?
It’s important that you write out a chart for the whole block
or pattern so you know which chart lines will be done together
on which rows. I find it is less confusing if I refer to a “row” as
all the stitches that cross the entire block from one side to the
other. On the charts, instead of rows, I call them “lines”.

Using the Levy block as an example again, chart A is worked over 30

lines (rows), while chart B is worked over 28 lines. Up until the end of

line 28, the charts will all stay together as you work your pattern,

A-B-A. From line 29 on chart A you will pass to line 1 on chart B, then

back to line 29 on chart A. The next row will be made up of chart A line

30, chart B line 2, chart A line 30. The following row would contain

chart A line 1, chart B line 3, and chart A line 1, and so on.

The pattern notations for cable stitches can be confusing, but once you

know what you are reading, they work well. Cables have direction, so

you have to know if you are cabling right or left. If you do a left cable

across 6 stitches, the diagram will show a 3D “x” stretched over 6

blocks in one line.

The diagram shows a solid bar tilting to the left over a broken
bar leaning right; like a bridge crossing over a road on a map.
The solid bar represents the stitches that will be on top, toward
the RS, the broken line designates the stitches that will be
underneath, toward the WS. That means that on the RS of the
piece you will see the cable bar stitches moving up to the left.
You cross the right 3 stitches overtop of the 3 left stitches as
you make them. When cabling, you need to think dimensionally,
rather than flat.

(6 stitch left twist cable pattern is shown in this photo from

http://www.knitting.co.nz/site/page_affix/toaffix_learntoknit8/)

If you are knitting right-handed, you come

up to the stitch on its right side. The next

6 stitches are used for the cable left. You

slip the first 3stitches, which will be the RS

of the completed cable, from the left needle

onto a cable needle and drop the cable

needle to the RS of the piece.Knit the next 3

stitches from the left needle, then put the 3

stitches from the cable needle back onto the

left needle without twisting them. Knit those

3 stitches. This completes your left cable

over 6 stitches. A right cable is worked in just the opposite manner.

You slip 3 stitches onto the cable needle and drop it to the WS of the

piece, knit the next 3 stitches, put the 3 stitches from the cable needle

back onto the left needle, knit those 3 stitches. Now the cable on the RS

will be going up to the right.

If you are a left-handed knitter, you will be starting on the left hand side

of the cable. The cable is made over the next 6 stitches. You slip the

first 3 stitches, which will be the WS of the completed cable, from the

right needle onto a cable needle and drop the cable needle to the WS

of the piece. Knit the next 3 stitches from the right needle. Put the 3

stitches from the cable needle back onto the right needle without

twisting them then knit those three stitches. This completes your 6

stitch left cable. A right cable is worked in just the opposite manner.

Slip 3 stitches onto the cable needle and drop it to the RS of the piece,

knit the next 3 stitches, put the 3 stitches from the cable needle back

onto the right needle, knit those 3 stitches. Now the cable on the RS

will be going up to the right.

Check out this page for an example of the symbols:

http://www.yarmando.com/wash_aran.html

You just need to know which direction the cable is going, and which set

of stitches need to be to the RS and the WS. Cables can be made of any

number of stitches, evenly or unevenly split. You could have 1 over 1,

3 over 3, 3 over 1, 4 over 2, etc.

Charts will either place empty spaces below an increase block, or above

a decrease block to hold that space open, or they will change the

number of blocks in the line to accommodate the change in stitches. It

changes the shape of the chart, but the pattern keeps the same width.

This allows for making bobbles, or one set of stitches getting bigger

while another set gets smaller on the same line.

There are a lot of different symbols for different stitches, but if you

take the time to work them out in samples, you will be able to work

any chart and have it come out great!

clothing connections

2008-11-18T23:59:00.006-05:00

It amazes me how a piece of clothing can hold years worth of memories.

Tonight, I was watching Law & Order: Criminal Intent with my daughter. It was a re-run about the murder of the female leads' cop husband nine years earlier. While she was looking through the stored evidence box, she pulled out his uniform shirt, held it to her face, and broke down.

That scene reminds me of so many other well written scenes that, with or without words, allow all the feelings associated between people to be related intensely through a piece of clothing.

Here are some of my favorites. Sorry, you're going to have to watch them to get the stories; I hate to be a spoiler!

Message in a bottle: A quiet widower still has his wife's art studio set up two years after her death, down to the slippers under the chair. His new girlfriend explains that her mother kept her father's shirt draped across the back of the bedroom chair for years after his death and that it might still be there, for all she knows. She accidentally leaves a glass of water on the studio desk while looking at the artwork and he gets upset that things are moved. While putting things back, he knocks the glass of water over and it spills on the slippers. This causes him to snap at her as she tries to help him.

Sommersby: This scene cannot be described as it would definitely be a plot spoiler, but it concerns a shirt that a young wife made for her new, uncaring husband, and how it's re-emergence into their life signals a major change in their relationship.

Hope Floats: After her mother's death, a young woman is going through her mother's closet to find a dress. She pulls one out, looks at it, holds it to her face to breathe it in and falls apart. She wears the dress to the funeral and you realise she has "put her mother on" for strength and fortitude.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants: a pair of jeans follows four young girls through their experiences. They each pull some sort of courage and connection from the pants.

27 Dresses: About a woman who has been a bridesmaid 27 times. The whole movie addresses her feelings associated with the dresses and the brides she wore them for. It also goes into a family wedding with her Mom's wedding dress and how it effects her. Big spoiler, so no more info.

I can't close this topic without mentioning my favorite song about a piece of clothing, "This Shirt" by Mary Chapin Carpenter. I remember the first time I heard it. It came on the car radio, the night before Easter while I was pulling into a grocery store parking lot. I couldn't turn off the car, or move, until the song was over.

Some feelings are just too powerful. Whether triggered by an item, image or words, a piece of clothing can create a connection between people that it is impossible to explain, or sever.

True Beauty

2008-11-16T03:13:00.016-05:00

This beautiful piece had been
attributed for years to Audrey
Hepburn. It is actually the work
of Sam Levenson:

For attractive lips, Speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, Seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, Share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, Let a child run his or her fingers through it
once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed,
revived, reclaimed and redeemed; Never throw out anybody.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at
the end of your arm. As you grow older you will discover that
you have two hands; one for helping yourself, the other for
helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the
figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because
that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty
in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she
lovingly gives, the passion that she knows.

And the beauty of a woman, with passing years only grows!

Dove has put out a great little film for their Campaign for
Real Beauty that everyone should watch. It quickly speeds
a model through the makeup and and publishing process
so you see the progression from real person to billboard.
It's called "Evolution"; A real eye-opener. Another one to
watch is the new one called "Onslaught"; it's even more important.

http://www.dove.us/#/features/videos/default.aspx[cp-documentid=7049560]/

Higher level Math

2008-11-09T03:02:00.005-05:00

I've never thought I was good at math; perhaps it's because I'm not! I could always figure it out better if the math was working with something real. No, I don't mean word problems, necessarily. I never did have to know at what time two trains leaving different stations, at different times and speeds, were going to crash into one another! I must admit that I did like to do the money problems, though; they always made sense to me.

Today, while I was looking on the web for a sewing company I had found a few years ago, I came across this site instead: http://www.dimensions-math.org/Dim_regarder_E.htm

If you loved Spirograph as a kid, as I did, then you might like this. It makes a lot of sense of ideas like the 4th dimension- which I could never get- using 9 very good, sequential videos, which are available to view on-line free of charge.

It's amazing how having visual models that move clears up a lot. I still don't understand the equations; I don't think I ever will. Graphing usually did make sense. With no connection, the numbers never make sense to me.

I have always done well with space planning and 3 dimensional space, rhythm, harmonies, color relationships, place value (like the pattern made by three coins- "threeness"), etc., but putting math equations on them is still a process, so I usually avoid it all together, because I can.

Sometimes, some people just need to see things presented in a different way. Seeing the same thing in the same way, hearing it said over and over with the same words, will always produce the same results. If it didn't work the first time, it won't work the 51st time. You have to hear or see it in a different way.

On Design...

2008-11-07T00:35:00.009-05:00

I’ve been staring at this block for quite a while with no
idea of what to write! Well, baby steps, right? At least I’ve started!
(I’m sailing!) One step at a time.

While most of the posts to this blog will tend to be sewing related,
there will be random bits that just pop up, like this one:

(Photo from http://www.reuters.com/)

The 2008 Olympic Stadium: I love the way the torch was
integrated seamlessly into the design of the top wall. It looks
like a steel ribbon was peeled back and curled up. Effortless.

Actually, I guess it would be more accurate to call it “looks like
it’s effortless” design. It takes quite a lot of work to make a
good design seem effortless.

I always worry when a customer calls and says they have “a
really simple dress” or “a really easy alteration” that "won't
take me any time at all."

In reality, simple, clean design does take time and patience.
Any part that is not perfect will stick out like a sore thumb.

Simple design should feel as good as it
looks.

This is Carrie's LBD in it's original
form, with a red lining. Simple, clean,
fun. Just right! (Don't you love pictures
taken on disposible cameras in school
gyms?) I love this shot.

Anyway, welcome, and please check
back. I’ll get used to this soon, I hope!