Tablecloth skirt completed

I finished my version of Sham's tablecloth skirt. Sham's instructions are excellent and it went together very easily. Unfortunately as I suspected it isn't as flattering on me as I would like, oh hell it isn't flattering at all.

I look as big as a dining table in it. That seats twelve. 8-)

My choice of fabric could be better as well. The fabric feels very light, but this skirt uses a lot of fabric and even light fabrics can feel kind of heavy when there is this much of it. The fabric looks far more interesting close up, from a distance it has the look of homeless bag lady. Not surprisingly this is not the look I was going for. I made a drawstring waist (with 18 inches or so of elastic sewn to the ties), as I intended this to be a casual skirt for hot summer days. This has the added benefit of getting smaller with me as I lose weight ( okay I am dreaming here).

I have also learned that as much as I like funky clothes on other people, on me I prefer a slightly more conservative look. I don't consider this a failure, I will wear it this summer, probably mostly at home. Where no one will see me.

close up of fabric, it is 55% linen and 45% cotton

drawstring waist

Hello All!

This is the sour cherry tree in my backyard. I am posting this because it is a sign of spring.
See the bud? Yes. You do. It is so a bud. Shut up.

I got some good news today! I was tested for Celiac disease and I got the good news today! I don't have it. I am certain that I have a sensitivity to wheat/gluten, however. It won't kill me though. So I can indulge occasionally should the mood strike.


Apparently there was something wrong with my blog, and some people were unable to post. This upset me greatly as the comments here are one of the few joys of my life. Kidding, I am not quite that pathetic, almost but not quite. I do however really appreciate any and all comments I receive, and now thanks to Jilly, it is fixed. Or so it seems. If you want to comment and you are unable to please please please email me at ellecsews (at) gmail (dot) com and let me know.

Have a good weekend. Get sewing. Like me.

Vortex of energy

I had the strangest experience today, and I felt certain all ten of you who read this poor excuse for a sewing blog (thank you all for returning again and again) would be dying to know all about.

I was in my tiny little clown car (Smart car, his name is Reuben) driving to Costco to buy chicken breasts for one of my dogs who has to be on a special diet. Which I cook. This dog is prone to pancreatitis and calcium oxalate bladder stones, both of which are painful for him and us. So far this has cost us $1200 in vet bills. This is also the dog that doesn't even like me. All of this has nothing to do with the story, it is simply to demonstrate how I am an excellent dog guardian and therefore a wonderful person.  Anyway I was driving by the major shopping mall in my small city, when a vortex of energy suddenly appeared out of nowhere and sucked me and my car into the parking lot, I believe I lost consciousness for a moment because next thing I know I am at the checkout holding this book. I know it is hard to believe, but I had no intention of going to the bookstore, let alone buying a book. Really. I mean it. Stop judging me.



One of the strange things about this event is this bookstore rarely has any good sewing books. For instance they still haven't got the Colette Sewing Handbook. There were not one but TWO Japanese sewing books to choose from. The unconscious me chose this one. I love this book, the clothes are clever and well designed. Never mind the fact that the further away one gets in appearance from being a young. slender, attractive, Japanese woman the less likely the clothes are to look good on one. Let's see, middle aged, a little more than plump, used to be told I was attractive (haven't been told that in a while years), northern European descent.
Oh well, eventually I will make some of them anyway.
I love this book.
My precious. MY precious.

Finished the scrubs!

Finally. Now I can sew stuff for me. Yippee!

I mentioned in a previous post that I made a mistake cutting the fabric for one of the scrubs, I believe I managed to make my fuc booboo part of an interesting design. It has turned out to be one of my favorites. Strange how that happens. Anyway, I cut the back of the top too short. I have the pattern for scrubs on cardboard so I don't have to dig out a pattern and press it etc every time I sew a scrub top. The cardboard doesn't come long enough, so I just add 3 inches to the bottom of the front and back of each. For this top I forgot, and much cursing and foul language ensued. It finally came to me to get some plain black cotton and add a border along the bottom and the sleeved edges. It doesn't look like I fuc screwed it up, does it?

I just love how this one turned out.

And here is the completed Superman scrub.

This one is so perfect for The Husband. Left to his own devices he would eat exactly like a four year old, so this fabric is ideal, and loud. He likes that too.

This is a close up of the fabric-notice on the right side, the almost perfect pattern match on the pocket.

It is a happy print, isn't it?

Now I get to sew fun stuff for me. I think I will make The Tablecloth Skirt next. I was going to make it from taffeta, but someone fell in like with it and I gave it to her. I have since found an interesting linen and cotton blend in black and white, it was only $5 a meter, so I bought 6 meters of it. It's a lot I know, but I really like it. Anyway, wish me luck. Photos to follow.

Instant gratification. Almost.

I have had a project in my mind for a couple of weeks now, but time has not been cooperating. I was going to make a top and dip dye it, but I was grocery shopping and they had t-shirts for $8, so I bought 2.
What the heck.

I volunteer at a assisted living facility and once a month or so we do a tie dye class. I always tell everyone if they have something in mind and they want their t-shirt to come out exactly the way they see in their minds eye, to leave, cause it ain't ever gonna happen. I am telling you all this because my t-shirts didn't come out quite the way I wanted them to. Don't you hate it when you have to live with your own advice? Sucks.

I like the colour on this one, but the pattern not so much.

I like the pattern, but not the colour. 

I will wear both of them, maybe just around the house, but at least I didn't spend much $$. If anyone is interested in how to do this, let me know and I will try to come up with a tutorial that is understandable.