Back to work

Oh goodness me! It's fall, there is a crispness in the air, the leaves are turning and I have started baking again. I am also, as of today, back to work. Hooray!

For the last month I have been a bit of a gimp, suffering from adhesive capsulitis or frozen shoulder. The pain and lack of mobility have made doing my daily routines fairly difficult if not impossible. The real corker, is that I couldn't work in my studio. No stitchy happiness for me no siree!

However, I used this time wisely, letting ideas percolate away in my mind. I am slowly getting better and so grateful for that. I pulled out my supplies this morning ready to go! Ah, hello old friends, I'm back!

What are you up to?

Fresh Eggs are Here!

Well, exciting news friends! All three of our ladies are laying at last! We all discussed it as a family and we all did agree that there is nothing quite so wonderful as fresh eggs from your own back yard. Tis true. 

Why just yesterday, I was a'wondering what I could possibly eat for my lunch. You see I was quite famished and I had not yet made my trip to the market for the week. I looked high and low and nothing seemed quite right, nothing seemed to do.  Then I spied a slab of homemade bread and the last of the Summer tomatoes and took a quick trip out to the coop to see 2 little brown eggs awaiting me! Scrambled on toast with toms, honestly one of the best things I've eaten in an age! Pure goodness I tell you.

So, thank you ladies and hooray! You have my deepest gratitude and respect.

Smockery

I've long thought that I would like to be a maker of smocks. Long smocks, short smocks, art smocks, canning smocks, gardening smocks, smock frocks... all the smocks really. I would like to make them in cotton, calico, vintage cottons, hand dyed linens, toile, barkcloth, even gauze - why not? I might open a smock making shop, a Smockery if you will.

What makes a smock a smock? Oh details people! Certainly discussions could be had, definitions linked to, experts asked and theories pontificated, but that wont happen here. Nope! I'm just gonna call it a loose garment often worn over other garments to protect them whilst doing messy work. However, I do believe a smock is much more than that, and can be worn just because. I find wearing a smock makes me feel industrious and artsy, even if in actuality I may look like a frumpy mess. I call it the psychology of donning a smock. You may call it what you like.

The above smock was made from a "vintage" See & Sew Pattern by Butterick (with a couple of modifications). They did not call it a smock though, they referred to it as a "Jumper." You can imagine, what with the international nature of the interwebs, how confusing calling it a "Jumper" could be. Clearly, it is a smock, though I might concede to sheath, chemise, overdress and what not.

I made it from lightweight unbleached muslin and some vintage ribbon. It has hidden pockets, a sneaky pocket smock it is! I really like how it turned out, still needs a bit of finish work, but all in all I see potential. The down side is that it is not my size and I am now searching for an appropriately proportioned model so I can see what it looks like on a real human. 

Now, I'm off to dream of all the smocks I will make for the grand opening of my Smockery! 

Sewing in the past

I didn't mean to disappear last week. It was not by my choosing, but rather due to a house wide plague that settled in upon us. Terrible thing a stomach bug, no good at all! I'm happy to report that we are all back to standing on our feet and feeling like human beings again.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming:

I was having a rummage through my sewing patterns and took out a few of the vintage ones. Now, it's not just styles that have changed over the years, sizing and body measurement requirements have changed quite a bit as well. For instance, that sweet dress in the middle above is a size 18 US. and if it were a modern day pattern it would in theory be a little big on me in areas. The package says that for a size 18 the bust measurement guide says 38" and waist at 30", yeah, that's not gonna fit me. A current pattern (among the major US brands) has the body measurements for a size 18 at 40" bust and 32" inch waist. That's a 2 inch jump. Interesting.

These wont fit me either, but I kind of want to sew them up any way, how groovy is that pantsuit? By the 70's measurements were beginning to change on patterns. Still, while I wear a 12 - 14 generally, according to this size 14 pattern, I would require a 27" waist. I haven't had a 27" waist since my first year of high school. Ah well. Any one out there with a slim figure who wants a fabulous custom made jumpsuit?

It's possible that the poncho would fit and the cape would totally work. Everyone should have a cape in their wardrobe, am I right? Fortunately, the Big 4 pattern companies here in the US have now reproduced a selection of their vintage patterns in modern sizing and larger sizes as well. Of course I have yet to see them put out that pantsuit pattern.

I actually have plans for sewing up another vintage pattern that I found in my stash. It wont fit me either, but I think it might lead to some groovy inspiration.

Happy Monday all!

Dottie Angel Frock - for smalls

Instagram and the interwebs are abuzz lately with #DottieAngelFrock. Simplicity has taken Tif Fussell"s frock design and put out pattern 1080 so that all of us can make our very own Dottie Angel Frock. I must admit, I am so excited for her, but it took me awhile to get the pattern myself. I wasn't sure how I felt about how I might look in it. I love it mind you, I just didn't know if I would love it for me. So I got a little sneaky and decided to try my hand at making a version for Pony Girl.

 Before the pockets

I used some Alexander Henry fabric that I've had in my stash for a couple of years. I just love it, and it's a bit different. I started out by tracing the size small. I was going off of the waist measurement and wanted to make sure it was roomy enough. I found that I could have done the extra small and been fine. I cut out the tunic length and made a few alterations to the pattern.  I will tell you that I didn't really follow the instructions, I just followed my own weaving way, like I do.  So, this isn't an actual review of the pattern, just my take on it.

I made changes to the front tucks to gather up a bit more of the ease and sewed the arms a bit willy-nilly. The one thing I forgot to consider in my rush to make the dress, was the neck line. Next time I will cut it to better fit a small person, or add a bit of elastic 'round it. I ended up making some gathers at the shoulder seams before I added the cotton lace.

I thought that the pockets that are part of the pattern were a bit too large for the small person version, so I just whipped up a very simple version of my own. Though I would make a few more alterations next time (there is certain to be a next time), it is adorable on my girl, I love it! I am even getting up the nerve to sew one for myself and see how it goes.  This really is a great frock and quite easy to work up. If you would like to see more stunning versions of the dress, just head on over to Instagram and search the hashtag #dottieangelfrock, there are so many clever makers out there. I bet you could find quite a few on Pinterest and other parts of the world wide web as well!

We are on the tip of a long holiday weekend and headed to the ocean for a couple of days, I'll be back next week. Have a grand weekend my friends!

A trip to Bountiful - via the garden

In my last post I mentioned a busy life, there is always something that needs doing and I think we have that in common. We all have our own busy and pressing matters, to-doing, running hither and yon, etc. Part of my busy this Summer was the garden, not bad as pressing matters go really. Ultimately satisfying and very delicious, still sometimes you just can't figure out how to get it all done. You see, when a garden comes on, it often comes on all at once!

This Summer we had record breaking heat, which resulted in our first bumper crop of tomatoes in years. So far we have harvested about 50 pounds of heirloom tomatoes from 3 plants. Amazing and so tasty, yet a bit overwhelming. Oh but look at those beauties! Nothing like a fresh tomato from the garden. Oh, and the chilies, good gravy we have roasted a lot of chilies this summer!

We also grew tomatillos, An experiment really - that ended up combining nicely with the chilies to make some tomatillo salsa. Oh Summer in the garden...

And now we have figs. So many figs! Our tree is drooping under the weight of their sweet soft goodness. I have been inviting passers-by to help themselves as I still have fig preserves in the larder from last year. Figs coming out of my ears I tell you!

Lastly, our new brood of backyard chickens have at last laid an egg! A teeny tiny egg sure, but no less exciting. I haven't sussed out which one is the layer of said egg yet. So looking forward to having fresh eggs again. Hooray!

So concludes this episode of "In The Garden." Are you growing anything?

In my next post you might actually get to see a spot of sewing, will wonders never cease?