tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57685157480913875972012-01-22T11:02:37.430-08:00Suo ergo maledico (I sew, therefore I swear)luckylibbethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907614465006921461noreply@blogger.comBlogger151100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768515748091387597.post-49395706614295261352009-04-14T09:14:00.000-07:002009-04-14T09:17:12.082-07:00

I received Mrs. X's actual sloper via snail mail yesterday. Today I will re-visit the McCall's pattern she chose and see how close I came to altering it to fit her.

luckylibbethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907614465006921461noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768515748091387597.post-74402582843962161052009-04-07T09:18:00.000-07:002009-04-08T10:29:31.243-07:00

I did it! Andrea's dress is finished except for the hand finishing. Talked to her on the phone and it sounds like she's happy - photos on her will be in two weeks when she comes home for Russian Easter on April 19 (one week after regular Easter).Kulich and Pascha recipes will be here before. I'm a big advocate of ethnic cooking! And my husband the Russian says I cook better ethnic food than his

luckylibbethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907614465006921461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768515748091387597.post-30315743822672312542009-04-04T14:01:00.001-07:002009-04-14T09:17:59.924-07:00

In the last two posts I talked about my sloper and how I use it to address my own particular fitting problems. But after an e-mail conversation, I learned that the PatternReview member who initially contacted me - let's call her Mrs. X - has quite different fitting challenges.She is trying to alter McCall's 5138, which is an excellent choice for a first pattern to alter to match a sloper. The

luckylibbethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907614465006921461noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768515748091387597.post-30149549978962065512009-03-24T11:29:00.000-07:002009-03-24T22:03:09.841-07:00

Most experts on pattern alteration recommend altering the back first, but I always alter the front first. Why? Because it's harder for me. I find altering the back way easier, so I save it for my reward after finishing the front.As with the front, start by analyzing the dart control. In this case, it's much simpler than the front: a single waist dart and it looks like the shoulder dart is

luckylibbethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907614465006921461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768515748091387597.post-42366330962438150712009-03-11T09:18:00.000-07:002009-03-23T22:32:55.536-07:00

A member of PatternReview asked me to explain how I use my sloper to alter patterns. I can't 100% vouch for my method, as I'm totally self taught and not an accredited expert, but it certainly works for me.I'll start by explaining some terminology. Many sewists have drafted a moulage, which is a very basic top with side and waist darts that has absolutely no wearing ease at all. It fits like a

luckylibbethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907614465006921461noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768515748091387597.post-83776271217844728942009-02-27T17:52:00.001-08:002009-03-23T13:16:09.495-07:00

My sister sent me a list of what the BBC considers the best 100 books. I beg to differ on some of their selections - the Da Vinci Code is good entertainment but definitely not LITERATURE. And I guess it's understood that it is literature that has been published in English, even if this was not the language in which it was written. Apparently this list is making its way around Ravelry and

luckylibbethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907614465006921461noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768515748091387597.post-5344045927248892252009-02-17T20:55:00.000-08:002009-02-17T20:59:21.419-08:00

Johanna posted today about why she sewed. Got me thinking ...but I have to ask my mom to clarify some details since my memory is notoriously unreliable. I remember things the way they should have happened, not the way they actually did.Yeah, I'm sewing, just not ready to talk about it.

luckylibbethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907614465006921461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768515748091387597.post-19001768165728468432009-01-14T17:09:00.000-08:002009-01-14T23:24:43.876-08:00

Well, my next post was supposed to be a tutorial on a waistbandless/faced fly zipper ... but it isn't, although I did use the technique, and I will write the tutorial to supplement Kay Y's excellent version. Promise! I also need to work on my Design History knockoff. I got so far as to draft a front pattern, then decided draping might be easier, then the holidays got in the way - yeah, yeah,

luckylibbethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907614465006921461noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768515748091387597.post-7986184922536230502008-12-08T10:45:00.000-08:002008-12-08T10:58:49.898-08:00

I've never tried a fly zipper with a facing rather than the traditional waistband. Somehow I couldn't wrap my head around how the top of the zipper gets caught so you don't lose the pull.Over the weekend, I sewed two samples following Kay Y's tutorial. I got very confused at a couple of points, specifically how the facing gets attached to the fly extension, and also how the facing gets sewn to

luckylibbethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907614465006921461noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768515748091387597.post-12350732050265192462008-12-02T14:12:00.000-08:002008-12-02T15:49:15.722-08:00

Me-FrontDG-FrontI think I'm finally happy with her.She's still a little larger than I am through the hips, but she's just a tad smaller in the upper chest. And I think I got the shoulder slope right.Me-BackDG-BackBut it definitely took more work than I had hoped.After doing a LOT of research on the web over the weekend, I decided that truly drastic surgery was needed.Yesterday, while I was out

luckylibbethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907614465006921461noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768515748091387597.post-43088238896268908602008-11-26T21:25:00.000-08:002008-12-03T21:17:15.565-08:00

MenuAppetizersWarm Artichoke-Crab DipVegetable tray with sliced bell pepper, cucumber, bell pepper, baby carrots & radishAssorted CrackersSmoked Nova SalmonNeufchatel cheeseMain DishTurkey withBread Stuffingand GravySide DishesMashed PotatoesBaked YamsPetite PeasMixed Green Salad with Olive Oil, Lemon and Basil VinaigretteWhole Cranberry - Cherry RelishDessertsIt wouldn't be a Pouschine feast

luckylibbethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907614465006921461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768515748091387597.post-83272211188493638052008-11-23T20:46:00.000-08:002008-12-02T14:49:45.499-08:00

I gave up on my UY dress form, aka Doppelganger, aka DG during the month of October while I worked on my entry for PatternReview's annual Costume Contest. Different post to come later on THAT one!But with November, I tried another tactic to muscle her into shape.Nylon strapping.I bought 5 yards of it at JoAnn's with my mailer 40% off coupon, and used swimsuit bra hooks - salvaged off the kid's

luckylibbethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907614465006921461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768515748091387597.post-54365680765454974782008-11-22T13:07:00.000-08:002008-11-22T13:10:40.670-08:00

My next project - recreating this Design History shirt. Sherril Miller recently posted a tutorial on converting a TNT tee shirt to mimic a Cold Water Creek shirt, which got my juices flowing.

luckylibbethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907614465006921461noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768515748091387597.post-17967434709558195712008-10-17T10:34:00.000-07:002008-11-21T21:25:58.529-08:00

I'm going to call her DG for short.From Merriam-Webster online:Function: nounEtymology: German Doppelganger, from doppel-double + ganger-goerDate: 18511. a ghostly counterpart of a living person2a. double 2b. alter ego 2c. a person who has the same name as another.The Uniquely You dress forms are made of squishable foam. In theory at least, through altering the cover that comes with it, you

luckylibbethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907614465006921461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768515748091387597.post-44946372269913442582008-10-05T15:25:00.000-07:002008-10-05T15:26:23.602-07:00

I'm a Mandarin!You're an intellectual, and you've worked hard to get where you are now. You're a strong believer in education, and you think many of the world's problems could be solved if people were more informed and more rational. You have no tolerance for sloppy or lazy thinking. It frustrates you when people who are ignorant or dishonest rise to positions of power. You believe that

luckylibbethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907614465006921461noreply@blogger.com0