Category
work in progress
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06.20.09Day Three of Letterpress – Now Our Feet Really HurtLots of fun printing today in day three of four-day letterpress workshop. Josh had a few minor "issues" to deal with--his type wasn't as cooperative as he had hoped. I hopped onto one of the printing presses first thing (nerds that we are, we went an hour early) and printed up the text for half of my postcards. I also worked on some photopolymer and did some lino-cutting. A busy, full day. One of the highlights was just watching all of the folks who'd never letterpress printed print their work for the first time--everyone was just so happy! Tomorrow, I'll ...
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02.06.09Letterpress Class – Week 1[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Some of my favorite images of letterpress type from around flickr. The lead and wood type is so beautiful in and of itself. (Click on the photo to get the links to the originals.)"][/caption] I've wanted to try letterpress printing for ages and ages. I remember back when I was a kid we went on a school trip to some historic site or another and someone was printing on a old printing press and thinking it was absolutely amazing. I think it appeals to me much in the same way that sewing and screenprinting does--there's something simultaneously ...
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12.18.08Snowed In[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Notice that the dog has kicked off one of her booties? She really regretted that once she realized how cold the ground was."][/caption] Ugh. It's been frigid here in Portland, and we've even had a dusting of snow--a rare sight, for sure. So we've been stuck in the house (with the notable exceptions of Josh going to work for a few hours each day and venturing out to the Blazers vs. Kings game last night). You'd think that would help with the final push to get all of our holiday gifts finished and shipped. Yeah, you'd think. ...
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10.14.08We’re Still Here!We both just managed to each have a case of what will now be referred to as "The Worst Flu Ever." First I was sick, and Josh was so wonderful taking care of me, and then I started to get better and Josh got hit with it even worse that I. But we're on the mend, and will hopefully resume our regularly scheduled programming here at Sewer-Sewist shortly. Meanwhile... Before our untimely case of the flu, I was busy being frustrated with my attempt to make this lovely kimono-style robe from a Burda World of Fashion from this spring. It's adorable, right? ...
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09.16.08Wear a Dress Week & Another Amy Butler Lotus DressI certainly love the Amy Butler Lotus dress. So much, in fact, that I'd planned on wearing this version in celebration of International Wear a Dress Day/Week. Except, when I got dressed this morning, I decided that I really wanted needed to wear these shoes. Which don't really go with my pink dress. At all. If I didn't happen to have a meeting today and therefore be required to present an illusion of professionalism, I would have just worn the aqua shoes and pink dress and said "to hell with it." So, I pulled out my black stretch twill version (and I've got ...
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07.05.08Pintucked PreviewCan I just say, I am so incredibly excited about how the shirt I'm making for Josh is turning out?! Seriously, each time I make something for him I learn so much and really feel like I can justify my "Advanced" skill rating that I gave myself over on Pattern Review. This project not only has pintucks, it's got a banded collar, cuffs, sleeve bands, a narrow hem AND an interesting yoke... Anyway, I'm so thrilled out the progress I'm making I thought I'd give y'all a little preview. Oh, and I found the PERFECT buttons today when we went over ...
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06.24.08Pintucks > PleatsThis is about the only math I remember, the ">" sign, meaning "greater than." (Yes, the world breathes a sigh of relief that I was a liberal arts major and not a rocket scientist.) I cleaned up the horrific mess that was on our, er, dining table (which sees more thread, needles and fabric than plates, cutlery and food)... (I'm thinking the dire situation with our workspace may have been adding to my creative funk caused by my impending unemployment. Just maybe... I'm also thinking it would be a brilliant competition to see who could name the most items in this picture. ...
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06.20.08Not AWOLRosanne was the first of you loyal readers to notice that I haven't been posting much lately and ask what I've been up to sewing- and crafting-wise lately. Josh has certainly been making, and posting, a lot more stuff lately. But I promise, I haven't gone permanently AWOL. In fact, I started what I think will eventually be a really fabulous dress, the HotPatterns Metropolitan Coat Dress (the shorter, short-sleeved version). It's a great dress, huh? I'm making it in another fabulous fabric from Bolt---this one's a smoky blue cotton with a bit of stretch (hooray for stretch!). I think it's European, ...
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05.27.08Book Review PreviewThis is just a quick preview of a book review I've promised I'm going to write---the fascinating Alabama Stitch Book. I buy a lot of sewing books (and more recently lots of print making books, too), but I hate to review them until I've actually made something out of the book. Looks of books are lovely to look at (such as Amy Butler's In Stitches)---which has lots of merit as inspiration, but it takes a special one to be truly useful (such as Sew What! Skirts). In order to really know if a book is useful, I just need to ...
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02.27.08Back PocketI recently had a moment of weakness and was once again tempted by HotPatterns' sewing patterns that promise high fashion and really long legs (if you've visit the HotPatterns site, you know what I mean). I'd had my eye on a couple of their patterns for a long while (pretty much since my original HotPatterns purchase last year) and finally decided that they're never going to have another sale, and I was going to have to pay full price (long-time readers will know that this is a rare occasion indeed). These were my two picks (great restraint, just two): The "Biker ...
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02.10.08What’s going on?!Something strange is going on in our little sewing world here. First, Sarah just keeps fighting with every single project that comes down the pike. Case in point: Sarah's first attempt at Amy Butler's Lotus Tunic/Dress. A lovely, straight-forward pattern that has all the makings of a real winner. All the fitting issues were worked out. It was lookin' good. Except one small thing. The fabric. It was a wool "melange" that we got at the Woolen Mill Annex during our little field trip last month. Pretty stuff, a beige and black herringbone with a blue and red windowpane woven into ...
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01.20.08Ready for the runway?Well, I guess if I really were a contestant on Project Runway, this top would be ready for the runway... Just use the glue gun on the hem (this never fails to enrage me when they do it on the show---I scream, "Put down the damn glue gun and sew your stupid hem!") and call the unfinished arms an edgy/youthful design element and I'd be ready for Heidi, Nina and Michael... I'm working on a quick project, one of Simplicity's new Project Runway-inspired patterns, this one being number 3535---a lovely top/tunic/dress thingy that's pretty much identical to a style I was ...
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01.13.08No Pain, No Gain?from sarah the sewist I spent a lot of this weekend working on Amy Butler's lovely new pattern, the Sophia Bag. However, this pattern has officially kicked my ass. Or at least my fingers. Yep, that's my index finger---one of the many victims of this little project. As of this evening, I have had to stop bleeding on my fingers three times, and suffered a couple of bruised finger tips. I never knew that you finger tips could actually bruise! I believe about half of our pins are now toast as well. Yes, I'm feeling sorry for myself. No, I'm not apologizing for ...
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10.09.07Shear(ling) Lovefrom sarah the sewist Josh's birthday is coming up next month, and since he made me such a fabulous gift that I know was a real labor of love, as well as a major pain in the butt, I feel compelled to make something for him that's he's going to love as much as I love my gift. Plus, my husband's just generally awesome, and he deserves something special. When our latest Burda World of Fashion magazine arrived, Josh was thrilled because it actually contained three men's patterns. He was immediately taken with the snazzy faux shearling fisherman's coat. (You can check out ...
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10.03.07More Than I Can Chew?from josh the sewer I think is would have been appropriate to start this post with "Dear Diary" because it is really whiny (or whingy in Ireland), many apologies. Piles, that is where I am (or "piles and piles of demo tapes by the miles," if you want to quote an obscure lyric or two). I think I thought (sounds clumsy, but it is really the best description) I was ready for Burda Pattern 8135 and my attempt at making throwback sportswear. I am having trouble easing the fabric into the curve to make the contour (the Sewist just articulated ...
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10.01.07Oops!from josh the sewer The dog and I got a kick out of this. The Sewist accidentally mixed up the back piece and one of the arms on her current rain coat project. She did fix it quickly, though I thought it would be much cooler to leave it with the trunk opening. I am sure she will have more to add shortly. We sewed quite a bit during this rainy and cold weekend. I am working on another pair of pants (this a pair of jeans made out of velveteen, I love Bolt, because I always find the ...
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09.24.07In the Trenches, Part 2from sarah the sewist I'm making good progress on the Indygo Junction Trench Topper that I'm sewing as part of the Trench Coat Sew Along on Pattern Review. It's been fun being motivated by knowing that others are working on similar projects at the same time (and I feel a bit of extra pressure for it to look extra-fabulous); however, this project has had some silly problems. First, the ones that are beyond my control: the sleeve markings are screwy on this trench coat---basically, there's no way to tell which side of the sleeve is the front and which is the back; ...
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09.22.07Whale of a Jacketfrom josh the sewer I have working on another big fall project. Earlier in the summer (and summer lasts for about 4 more hours as I write this), I found this St. Louis Americans jacket that I really wanted to replicate. The Sewist and I decided to use Burda Pattern 8135 and gray corduroy. For the trim I found braided, folded-over cording in navy blue. This project is not going to be solo, it is by far the hardest sewing project I have undertaken. The pattern has twenty some pattern pieces! Instead of doing a straight replica ...
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09.18.07In the Trenchesfrom sarah the sewist The Pattern Review Great Trench Coat Sew Along has proved just the motivator for me to start planning and working on some fall jacket projects. I'm working on the Indygo Junction Trench Topper in view 1, which is a lovely, princess-seamed (woo-hoo! my fave--I love princess seams!) trench coat. I'm creating a light weight cotton jacket that should serve me well this fall---particularly in my insanely cold office building (my fingers literally turned blue one day and I thought I was having some sort of circulation episode, but it was actually the a/c---I wish I was joking). The ...
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09.03.07It’s Labor (of love) Day WeekendHere at Casa de Sewer-Sewist we're celebrating the long Labor Day weekend by juggling a bunch of different works in progress. There's nothing like a three day weekend to encourage you to start more projects than you can finish. There's something about that extra day to make you overly-ambitious. Anyway, Josh is slogging along on another pair of Simplicity 3891 pants. (The photo at the top of this post is Josh working on these pants, by the way.) This time, he's tapered in the leg so it's shaped more like a boot cut pant rather than the exaggerated, ultra-wide cargo leg ...
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08.19.07Perfect Princess?from sarah the sewist I'm nearing the home stretch on a shirt that may very well be an almost perfect dress shirt (for me). About a month or so ago I sucked it up and bought three Hot Patterns patterns that I'd had my eye on---this was during their buy 2, get 1 free deal. I chose three that I thought would be very good basic wardrobe pieces: Plain & Simple Princess Shirt, Classix Nouveaux Raxor Sharp Pants and the Deco Vibe Cocoon Coat. They're each from a different one of Hot Patterns' (very cleverly-named) lines---so I could get a feeling of ...
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08.16.071908 Americans FabricLast weekend we found the right color and drape of fabric for Josh's 1908 St. Louis Americans jacket. We considered going more authentic, but the right color, weight and drape of wool flannel is just too expensive for such an experimental project (have we mentioned that we're kind of cheap?). Instead, we found a stretch corduroy that's very fuzzy and really has the look that we want, even though it's not straight up authentic. This is as far as we've gotten in the project. We'll keep you posted. A big "thank you" to Nancy of Sew West for her input on the fabric. ...
