SoCal Cannonball Run. Day 108.

There were a few who took my fabric lust a little too lightheartedly, clearly not seeing the depth and gravity of the problem. However, one of you, my friend Jenson, got it, and offered a trip down to LA, as he had a press product launch to attend on the afternoon of December 14th, in Irvine.

Having made a number of glutten free sandwiches, acquired a case of water, apples and two bags of kettle chips, Jenson and I were in the car and driving by 6 am yesterday. My lead-foot worked to our advantage so that even with 4 bathroom stops—I drank a lot of coffee, then a lot of water—we pulled into Mood Fabric's Beverly Hills parking lot at a squeak after 11.

Oh great holy ground. I found you.

There they were, hanging from the ceiling. The store owner was there, and quickly pointed me in the direction of the McQueen silk charmeuse bolts. Amazingly beautiful, bold, intricate and, well, striking, I slowly pulled the price tag out of the round bolt. Expecting the DVF silk prices that I'd previously witnessed at Britex of $350 + a yard, I almost fell over when I read $50/yard. Pinch me, I must be dreaming.



They had very little McQueen left, but I did find another digitally printed silk charmeuse animal print that I felt like I couldn't live without. Wondering through the isles, Mood has more selection than any fabric store I have ever been to before, even despite it's small size. Upon discovering the Wool Wall, I almost peed my pants. Want pinstriped wool? Well, name the color of the wool, color of the pinstripe, thickness of the pinstripe, width between the pinstripes, and they have it, and here is the best yard, it's just about all between $18–25/yard. Wait, what?? Really? You can't even buy a wool remnant at Britex for less than $100/yard. And it just goes on, and on, and on ...

Wall-o-Wool:


After a phone call to my mother, concerned I was going to spend too much money—"Well, what did you go down there for, again? And, you haven't been spending any money on anything just in the hopes of buying one yard of one thing down there. 800 mile trip ... just buy the fabric"— I was all lined up to buy two yards of two McQueen prints, only to discover that there was only 1 1/2 yards of one of them, and other than the 1 1/2 yards hanging from the ceiling, that was it. Micha, the very patient gal that was helping me gave me all 3 yards for the price of two.I figure it is enough to working with other fabrics or leathers to make something seriously amazing. Micha told me that the FIDM students that had scheduled to come in that afternoon would be "literally crying" when the realized that I bought the last of their fabric. Sorry, but know it went to a good place!

All three of these prints are large prints, and were shot over a tabletop.

3 1/2 yards (for the price of two)




2 yards



1 1/2 yards (Not McQueen. It was in the Cavalli bin, but I am not positive it is Cavalli)




I thought about getting some wool for some of the projects, but decided that that should be another trip where I can spend more time, and know a little bit more about what I am doing regarding tailoring. So, I was reasonable and stuck to what I drove down there for.

After heading over to Irvine for the most disappointing product launch I've ever witnessed at Fox Head, Shift, we got back on the road, and feeling a little bonkers we got back home at 11:30. Totally worth the trip, and I can't wait to do it again. Biggest fabric selection I have ever seen, everything is high quality, and a quarter of the price I can get similar items up here. So organized, everything is clean, has a home, and is somehow easy so see. No searching for a needle in a haystack. Great staff, super helpful, and as I mentioned, patient. I love you Mood. I love you.

Miles travelled: 786
Total Hours: 19
Glutten Free Sandwiches Eaten: 3
I5 Bathroom stops: 6
Fabric Acquired: Priceless!

A Simple Hat.

As I have recently made a number of hats for the Holidays, I have come across a big problem. I have used a number of different patterns, but I have yet to find a good pattern, for a masculine hat that is sophisticated in its simplicity. So, I have made my own pattern.

I am sure that this pattern is similar to a number of others out there, but I did create it all on my own, based on what I wanted.





The way that Ramon likes to wear hats, he likes to be able to take the ribbed section and flip it up, or down depending on the temperature. This hat is made to be long enough to almost cover the ear with the ribbing folded up, and made to be very low on the neck, ear, and mostly likely over the eye-brows when the ribbing is flipped down.

Yarns:

I chose to work with this specific yarn because it is very soft, and wonderful to knit with. I have realized that the softer the yarn, the more comfortable on the neck and forehead over long durations of time. Knit with the US size 7 needles, the tightness of the stitches provides generous enough elasticity and a lot of warmth in addition to the softness.

Color A:
Blue Sky Alpacas, Worsted Cotton, 613 Ink (Black), 1 Hank 150 yards, and this project used almost the entire hank.

Color B:
Blue Sky Alpacas, Worsted Cotton, 614 Drift (White), 1 Hank, 150 yards, used probably about 1/4 of a hank.

Gauge:
4.5 sts per inch on size 7 needles
OR 18 sts and 26 rows equals 4" x 4"

Needles:
US size 6, 20" or 24" circular needles, for ribbing
US size 7, 20" or 24" circular needles, for the cap

Large Hat, 24" in Diameter

Ribbing:

Row 1: With Size 6 circular needle, Using Color A, CO 96 sts using continental method, pm,

Row 2: On the next round, Join sides, being careful not to twist stitches.Work in k2 p2 rib, in the round

Row 3-20: Continue working in k2 p2 rib, in the round. Piece should measure 3.25"

Striping:

Row 21: Switch to Size 7 circular needle, working in stockinette stitch, k12, m1, repeat to end of round [110 sts]

Row 22–23: Knit even.

Row 24-25: Add in Color B, be sure to carry up the opposite color at the marker whilst. Knit even

Row 26–28: Switch back to color A, and knit even. (3 rows)

Row 29–37: Switch back to color B, and knit even (8 rows)

Row 38–40: Switch back to color A, and knit even. (3 rows)

Row 41–42: Switch back to color B, and knit even (2 rows). You are now finished with Color B and no longer need to carry it up. Cut the yarn, leaving at least 4" to weave back into secure.

Row 43–55: Using color A knit 12 more rows even. Piece should measure 8" from CO edge.

Cap Decreasing:

Row 56: K11, k2tog, repeat to end of round

Row 57: K10, k2tog, repeat to end of round

Row 58: K9, k2tog, repeat to end of round

Row 59: K8, k2tog, repeat to end of round

Row 60: K7, k2tog, repeat to end of round

Row 61: K6, k2tog, repeat to end of round

Row 62: K5, k2tog, repeat to end of round

Row 63: K4, k2tog, repeat to end of round

Row 64: K3, k2tog, repeat to end of round

Row 65: K2, k2tog, repeat to end of round

Row 66: K1, k2tog, repeat to end of round

Row 67: K2tog until you have only four stitches remaining. Pull 4 stitches carefully to inside of hat, and using a crochet hook, weave tail of yarn through the stitches, securing.

When I get a moment, I'll create the same pattern for smaller sized hats, as I know this one is on the larger side.

If you find any errors I would love to know!

Enjoy!

Snow Much Fun Holiday Party. Day 106.

We had a very, very small holiday part in our very, very small apartment on Saturday night. Ok, our apartment isn't that small, but with a few extra people in it, it feels as if it were sized for a mouse. For kicks I wore my sequin dress for the first 30 minutes. Great for feeling and looking shiny, but not great for running around, hosting, and helping Ramon cook.

The Damage:


Caroline's Amazing Cheesecake:


Our Holiday Flowers. Note the flocked pine-cone.


This was the first holiday part that my mom could come to as well. It happened on the same day that she had a previous engagement in our neck of the woods. So, both my sister and my mom hung out on Saturday and Sunday. My sister, a great assistant for party planning, and house cleaning was a great help wearing cute shoes. Ah, I love being able to see my influence.

During the cleaning I decided to try on my tailored shirt that I made for my sewing class. While it is cute enough, it's just my style and to be honest, it just doesn't fit me. The problem with making things for class for a standard size ... My sister tried it, too, and no go. I showed it to my mom when she arrived, and a match was made. It fist her AND she loves it. So, down the hallway she went. Thanks for being a good sport!



As for Knitfest 2010 ... things *could* be going better. I got 1/3 of the way through a project only to realize that it, well, just wasn't going to fit. Having carefully and extremely securely tying the ends of the 3 yarn balls together that I had knit through by the time I realized there was a severe problem, the item was frogged, resulting in one giant yarn ball:



The next project that I have started was going well until I got out my cable-knitting needle at 10:30 last night, only to discover that it wasn't in the drawer where it should have been. Instead it was between the cracks of the couch, after having been thoroughly chewed by big [bad] kitty. So, back to the yarn store I must go to acquire a new one. I really must learn to be more carefully as kitty's affinity for the knit arts is more extreme than I though. I shall not misjudge it again!

So, to the sewing room I go this afternoon! I need a break from knitting.

LA or Bust. Day 102.

Knitfest 2010 in progress, I had my first success of the knitfest season, I finished my grey Hermione hat this morning. I had very little left to do after last night. I had a few more decreasing rows, and then I needed to weave back in all of the ends. Turns out that when I did the pattern before, I actually didn't f* it up. I followed it correctly, and it just a short hat. I like a hat that covers my ears. So, I added in an additional cable—8 additional rows in sequence—and it is absolutely the perfect size now. I am also glad to know that I can, in fact, read a knitting pattern.



I actually spent most of the day not knitting, but working on my McQueen dress pattern. I am making great progress drafting the pattern. Some successes, some failures, but it is a really great learning project. I *may* start cutting fabric for it tomorrow, though I won't be holding my breath. My construction of the dress will be different in the back, mostly because I can't find a way to get the back in one piece, instead of panel. I keep watching the video (3:20) for clues. I can see that there is beading in there, too. Maybe I'll get to that, but maybe I won't. I have so much to do, and the back/side panels on this dress ... I have no idea how to draft those, so I think I am going to do something truly scary, draping and cutting them on the form...



I also learned some very interesting information yesterday from one of my classmates. Mood in LA currently has Alexander McQueen fabric from the Plato's Atlantis Collection, Spring 2010 collection. I almost peed my pants. Trying to suppress my excitement, for fear of looking even more like a giraffe in respect to my classmates, and succeeding and subduing, I now haven't been able to stop thinking about this morsel of wisdom. I feel obsessed. I have been thinking about almost nothing but McQueen for a week, as I have been working on my final project, and now my dress. He is already on my mind, constantly. Questions wondering in and out as I work. I often find myself curious as to how much he handled the different pieces in his actual runway shows. I am sure he worked with some more than other, and there were many he could hand off to fellow seamstresses (seamsters?). But which ones did he labor over all night?

So, now I am thinking that it must be time for a road-trip. A road-trip for fabric. It's only 350 miles. Maybe I could hop on a cheap southwest flight, rent a car for a day. Wait, this isn't normal. I can't even afford this stuff. Well, I don't really know that, I just assume, as the designer DVF remnant and Britex was a cool $325 a yard, I expect Alexander McQueens prints to be in the same ballpark. But, just imagine all of the things that could be done with it. I know that I have and addictive personality, but I seriously feel like Britney Spears obsessed with looking for herself in yet another useless man, instead of looking insider herself to find answers because it's too hard to do, and too hard to stop. Priorities definitely askew, I don't care.

Wait! I have a trip to LA in January. I'll be down there for about a week. I doubt I'll have time to make it to mood, but if I plan ahead ... can I even wait that long?

AAaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! Anyone want to go to LA before Christmas? Yes, it is a long way to drive in a car without cruise control. Oh, right, it's not a car, it's a BMW, but still. TOTALLY WORTH IT.

You see the problem here?

Perhaps some fine Kentucky Bourbon from Buffalo Trace, and some baby alpaca to knit will calm my mind from my McQueen FRENZY.

For a reference to the fabric that I speak of, it is here:
Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


Finale:

Finally Done. Day 101.

First off. I would just like to inform you that Knit-fest 2010 has now begun. I know what you're thinking, "hasn't it already been knit-fest 2010, for, well, about a year?" I am sorry to inform you, but there has just been knitting, not knit-fest 2010. Since I have finished my final project, I am off and running on my knit projects for Christmas. There are a lot. I am getting out the pain-killers for my wrist, but it will all be worth it in the end. I am to be finishing a hat (for myself) tonight. I know, i know, I should NOT be working on a project for myself, but it is so close to being finished, and my ears get so cold when we go out for walks in the evening. Mmm, that makes me sound like an old lady?

Today my final project for my pattern making class was due. Over the past week I drafted the pattern and made two test muslin garments, the first of which I took into the sewing lab on Thursday for a test fit, and the second I took in on Monday during class. I started cutting and sewing the final garment on Monday night, and finished it yesterday.

I decided to make a piece that is a stepping stone to a McQueen dress that I am [now] working on. I have velvet hanging up, and ready to go. Sadly, I didn't buy enough of the black and gold print, and so I'll be headed back to the fabric store on Friday to get more of it. I hope that there is enough left. Ugh. I haven't ever run out of the fabric that I needed before.

The pattern for the McQueen dress that I am drafting for me, not the final project, is intimidating, but working on the final has eased a lot of my worries, and my pattern for my dress is now coming right along.

Constructions Woes
The fabric that I chose for the red panels, was inexpensive, slippery and quick to unravel, making construction more time consuming and problem riddled than original planned for. After making 5 sleeves, I finally gave up, altered the pattern, to make two more that better suited the qualities, or lack there of the fabric I had chosen. I still had to make three more sleeves before I was able to construct 2 that were worth of sewing into the dress.

Construction Successes
I am very happy with the print that I chose for the center panels. In working with the print I was able to get it to line up almost perfectly for the zipper at center back, a feat that I had never tried, and thus never accomplished before. The weight of it worked to my advantage as it provided a solid, rigid structure that the red fabric needed.

My final project, shot with iPhone camera (sorry for the crappy pic)


The inspiration, and the dress I am [trying] making for myself, now

Threaducation. Day 97.

I've spent the last two nights at Eddie's Quilting Bee taking an introductory class for my Bernina. I missed the first class, because I was an idiot, and didn't bring all of the required supplies, ie. my Bernina. Overly adopting the personality of my hair color in stereotypical fashion leads to much embarrassment and feeling like, well, an idiot. So, I rolled over to the next class, and I am really glad that I went.

The first night was spent going over threads and needles, how they work and why they are different. Before the class I didn't really think that there could be that much different between the tools, and, to be honest, I didn't really even realize that thread came in different gauges. Sure, some of it felt thicker, and some thinner, but, it's thread, right?

Thoroughly and well explained I now understand why you use a "jeans" needle on woven fibers, and a ball-point on knit fibers, and what the different numbers mean in regards to the fiber your working with.

First of all, the sizing gives both the US and EU sizing of the needle, and The larger the number the bigger the needle.

For Woven fabrics- ones that make a noise when pulled taught quickly

Shmetz Jeans Needle - Blue Tips

A "Jeans" needle is missleading, as it is for woven fabrics, not just denim. In fact, most "Jeans" needles you would not want to use on denim, as they don't have the girth for the fabric. The number lable for the needle, i.e. 80/12, 100/16 not only refers to the size of the needle, but the higher the number the more open the weave of the fabric. So, for denim, canvas or linen, which you can clearly see the weave of the fabric, and because of the thickness/density of the fabric you'd want to select a larger needle, like a 100/16 or a 110/18. For general cotton, depending on thread count, you'd be safer in the range of an 80/12.

Shmetz Quilting and Topstitch - Green Tips for the quilting, The topstitch needles have no color on the flat shank.

Both of these are intended to go through several layers of fabric, and will require a thicker thread. The size of the topstitch needle is 100/16 and is intended for specifically that. While the needle is thicker, as indicated by the larger number (100/16), it also has a larger groove or scarf for the thread to be protected by as it goes through all of those layers of fabric.

Shmetz Microtext Needle - Top flat shank is purple

These are very sharp for woven fabrics, and are intended for very high thread count fabrics such as silk, satin,and taffeta. The sizes of these needles are 60/8, 70/10, 80/12

Shmetz Embroidery Needle - Flat shank is red

Intended for embroidery thread only. Embroidery thread is super thin allowing you to get more thread in one area. Often, you will use an embroidery thread through you needle and a thread of equal weight, but less expensive in your bobbin, as it appears on the underside of your piece.

Shmetz Metallic Needle - No color on the flat shank

Intended for use with metallic thread only, and it is specially designed to help protect the weakness of the metallic thread / work with, not against the flaws of metallic thread that allow it to break more easily.

Shmetz Leather Needle - No color on the flat shank

Used with leather, vinyl, or plastic. It has a coating, like Teflon to keep it from sticking. However, if a leather needle isn't doing the trick on your leather you can get a titanium needle!

You'd also want to use one of these for sequins ... gosh, would have been great to know that before.


Much more info, of course, on the Shmetz site.




For Knit and Stretch fabrics - ones that don't make a noise when pulled taught quickly.

A needle that is too sharp will distort the fabric, as it will pierce holes in the fabric, causing it to deteriorate. Thus, a needle with a ball-point is used to "move" the fibers, instead of piercing through them.

Shmetz Stretch Needle - Yellow flat shank

Used on a more open weave knit, lower thread count.

Shmetz Ball Point Jersey

Used on a higher thread count, more closed weave knit

Universal Needles are neither really sharp nor ball-point round ... they are in the middle, and can be used with woven and knit fabrics together, or on something like linen, with really big structure. They are the compromise needle when woven or knit needles aren't appropriate.

And then there is ... the Twin Needle! which are two needles, side by side on one shaft. You'll need to be able to place to spools of thread, know how far apart you want the needles, what size you want the needles and if you are working with a woven or knit fabric.

So, onto the thread.

First off, you should be selecting a polyester or cotton (or other variety) of thread that coincides with the fabric you are using for the project. Don't use polyester thread on a cotton fabric, as the fabric is weaker than the thread, and vice versa.

Unlike the needles, the higher the number of the thread, the more easily it will break and the thinner it is.

Cotton Threads

60/2 - This is a size 60, 2 ply thread. It is very thin, and can be used for really light seams, pin tucking, and on very light fabric.

50/2 and 50/3 are 50, 2 ply and 50, 3 ply. This is pretty standard for most garment sewing. 2 ply will be better to use, but 3 ply may be preferable for topstitching.

40/3 and 30/3 you'd want to use with a topstitch needle and on thicker fabrics

Polyester Threads

There are three types

1. Embroidery, 40/3

• use with 60/2 ply in the bobbin

2. All purpose

• Can't use this on cotton because it is too strong for the fibers


• This will work on blended fabrics

3. Decorative

• Ok on both polyester and cotton fibers

So now, standing in front of the thread spools I feel ... overwhelmed.

I don't feel overwhelmed standing in front of the presser feet, though. On Thursday night we got to try out a number of different feet and features on our Bernina's. Let me state again, just how freaking much I love my Bernina Aurora 450 !!!!!

At the end of the class Santa may have purchased these two:

1. Button Sew-On Foot #18


2. Ruffler #86


This thing is amazing, and looks like a locomotive engine on my sewing machine, which for some reason, I think is the most fantastic thing ever.


Thank you Santa! I see these coming to a stocking near me.

I am making really great progress on my final project for my patternmaking class, but now I will not be able to get any more work done over the weekend as I have other obligations, which also included staying up until 12:30 last night making bakes beans from scratch on the grill. In case anyone is wondering, it is, in fact, freezing outside. However, the bean recipe is so good that it makes our entire courtyard smell of yumminess.

I also attended a preview for the draping class next semester.



It seams like fun, but a lot of work. So I need to spend some time thinking about my priorities ... maybe I should just take more classes at Eddie's Quilting Bee since I learned so much there in so little time! If you have never taken the time to learn about your machine, I suggest you take a day off from sewing to do it!