9010

Back at the sewing machine: Knitting Project Bag.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:29:00 +0000

Fabric from my stash, pattern: Grab Bags by allpeoplequilt..

Red beret, blue hair, fabulous.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:05:00 +0000

Vintage Cardigan - front finished.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 23:15:00 +0000

Toasted Coconut Shortbread

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 23:03:00 +0000

recipe by Smitten Kitchen

I made these for a dinner party and they were super easy and delicious.

To save even more time, I put the dough in a large ziplock bag and flattened it out with a rolling pin until it was an even 1/4" thick. Then you just zip up the bag, put it on a baking sheet and chill overnight in the refrigerator.

To bake - cut open the ziplock bag, turn the dough out and cut it into squares with a knife. Use a fork to pierce the tops of each cookie a couple of times.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:04:00 +0000

Vintage Cardigan - Right Front Panel.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 01:16:00 +0000

Bush St. & Scott St.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 23:32:00 +0000

December 31, 2011 will be the last day of my 365 project. What I've learned so far is that most of my 365 days is spent commuting to & from the office on a packed bus. Or, if I'm not actually on the packed bus, I'm walking to or from it which is really the only time I have to take a photo because it's too busy in the office and not that interesting anyway. Not that commuting is exciting, but I spend a lot of time doing it.

I'm always looking for pictures to take. This project didn't change that. What it did do, is highlight the fact that I want to be taking a lot more pictures, but there isn't time, so I need to figure out how to snap quickly & on the fly.

Yesterday, I was driving from Point A to Point B when I passed this building.

I was on a mission to do 12 other things, but life is short & all the rest of it so I made a quick detour around the block to see if there was a shot. That turned out to be a little more involved than I expected due to one-way streets, lots of fast street traffic, no parking and nowhere to double-park for a few minutes while I got out of the car and scoped out the situation. So I just took a quick photo of it from my car.

Today I did something I've done only rarely. I went back on foot to try to get a decent shot of the building. I walked all 4 corners of the intersection and settled on the one diagonally across from it.

The end result wasn't terribly exciting, but I'm sure there's a lesson in there somewhere that I'll work out on a mind-numbingly boring bus commute. I also took some shots with the Argus, because I'm still trying to figure out how that camera works. I have a growing log of Argus F-stops on my iphone.

Vintage knitting patterns.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 01:34:00 +0000

There's a lot of math with this one and the pattern is lean on signposts, but it's fun to see it come to life. As I knit, I see things I'd do differently next time - like the change the placement of increases and decreases and maybe do a ribbed border vs a garter stitch border.

I just hope it fits.

The Death Shawl.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 22:58:00 +0000

In early August, I went to Sea Ranch on the Sonoma Coast. We rented a house up there for a week and it was heaven. I could've used another 3 weeks of peace & quiet.

I decided to try knitting a shawl with some lacework. It was a lot of fun with the exception of the first 4 rows of the feather and fan border which nearly drove me insane, which is why everyone nicknamed it "The Death Shawl".

It still needs to be blocked, but life is moving very fast for me these days and frankly it was either block the shawl or take the photos.

There was no cell service at all up at Sea Ranch, which was great. When we got back into town a week later & my phone started going off with the buzzing & the ringing I wanted to throw it out the window. Instead, I changed all my ring tones so nothing sounds the same as it did before I went to Sea Ranch. It's the best I could do.

misc #40.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 03:30:00 +0000

'The operation was successful,' Dawlish said as though explaining to a child.

I said, ' The operation was successful but the patient died.'

'You mustn't ask for too much. Success is just a state of mind. We don't get called in until there has already been a failure somewhere. The trouble with young people nowadays is that they worship success. Don't be so ambitious.'

Moved!

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 04:26:00 +0000

I moved! And I love my new apartment!

There is nothing better than change and although I'm pretty exhausted right now, I'm happy. This move happened pretty fast, but that's because everything was (for once) falling into place and much more rapidly than I could process. I had no choice but to just go with the flow.

Graduating from a studio to a 1-bedroom means I'm going to have to buy some furniture now. I'm in the market for some key pieces and at the top of my list is a dining room table that can double as a worktable and storage for my sewing things. I don't have much of a fabric stash and I plan to keep it that way, but I've got to get the notions, thread, tools and all the rest of it stored neatly away. That means saying goodbye to the last of my cake tools because I don't want the sewing tools to have to compete anymore. The vintage cake carrier and milk glass cake stands in the photo above are staying though!

The building where I live now was built in the 1950s and the owners have kept it immaculate. There are a lot of period details, including an incredible brass door chime. I'll have to take some pictures of all the wonderful surprises in this apartment. It really is true that they don't make them like this anymore and I'm so glad the owners kept these small details intact.

A friend of mine sent me a link to an endtable at lushpad.com. It was there that I found (and fell in love with) this credenza and end table set--

I marked the credenza dimensions with painters tape in the sewing room (the end tables would go in the living room) and it fits perfectly. It was only after sending a link to Dennis the Menace that I noticed it's for local pickup only in Los Angeles. We have friends in LA who could go pick it up, but I still have to haul it up here to SF. I'm still weighing the pros and cons & logistics of making this happen. I figure if not this set, at least I know what I'm looking for now and something else will appear at some point in the future.

I want to avoid going 100% Mid-Century Modern with this apartment, but I think it would be great to own just a few cool pieces in this style.

misc #39.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Wed, 25 May 2011 05:28:00 +0000

Since all this business with moving began a few weeks ago, I've been making my way through some music. First-- I finally found *the* apartment and it was:

But there was a bit of competition for the lease & some seriously fancy footwork with the finances to make it happen:

Then I got the lease (don't ask me how I managed that), which meant I was really, seriously going to be moving from the place I've lived for a long time to a completely new place.

In 2 weeks.

Look- change was obviously not coming to me any time soon, so I forced it to happen myself. I'm getting exactly what i wanted (and then some - I can't believe I got this apartment!) but you can't help but reflect on the past a little.

and

Last weekend was music-free because some friends of mine came over and helped me pack absolutely everything up in these boxes which are great by the way. Green moving aside, the boxes are delivered right to your doorstep. They're all the same size and stack up really easily. No putting together with packing tape, no collapsed sides, no broken goods. You just throw your stuff in the box, close the lid & you're done. Why didn't someone think of this sooner? It was a long, exhausting weekend but due to the kindness of friends, we got all of my belongings over to the new place.

The movers are coming in a few days for the furniture. I've dealt with most of the loose ends of utility switch-overs and cable/internet appointments. It will all be over soon, so I'm currently in the--

--phase (Government Hooker!) because it's finally dawning on me that in a few days I'll be moving to a place that has TWO parking spaces. I can't believe I'm not going to have to drive around the neighborhood looking for parking anymore. This is a big deal, people & that's not the half of it. The place is enormous with tons of closets, big picture windows & a dining room that I can use as a sewing room.

YEAH.

DuBarry 21238

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Fri, 20 May 2011 03:38:00 +0000

Someday I will sew again.

There is life after moving, right?

misc #38.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Thu, 19 May 2011 05:59:00 +0000

Apropos of my upcoming move -> Winding down the old to make room for the new is not without its stumbling blocks. Or, as I like to say, dealing with complete and utter bullshit that I seriously don't have time for:

There was a communicating door in one corner of the room and from behind it came the third movement of the Mozart, which was working itself up to that frantic minor-key Turkish routine which I've never thought a good enough ending for such a great beginning; but then that complaint went for just about everything in my life.

misc #37.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Tue, 10 May 2011 01:23:00 +0000

She was still at the age when honour, bravery and loyalty outweigh result.

Drafting Sleeves.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Mon, 02 May 2011 01:14:00 +0000

Ugh.

I knew there was a reason I'd been avoiding drafting sleeves. What a pain in the ass. But since my bodice sloper is close to being completed, it was time to deal with the sleeves.

I did everything you're supposed to do with measurements, ease calculations, squaring lines, using the french curve, etc. and I produced a very nice looking self-drafted custom sleeve pattern:

that produced a sad, sad, ill-fitting sleeve. And that's putting it mildly. Even the wrist didn't fit.

If I ever manage to recover from my disgust, I think what I'll do next is find a manufactured sleeve pattern that fits reasonably well and then try to alter it.

The only encouraging thing about this project is that I decided to try hand basting the sleeves into the bodice and I think it was a lot easier doing it that way because you have more control.

So there's that.

Falafel Burger with Tzatziki.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Mon, 02 May 2011 00:26:00 +0000

In a food processor:
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 egg

Process till smooth and combined, but not pureed.

In a medium pan:

Saute 1/2 cup of finely chopped onion and 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil until onion is translucent. Add 1 tsp each cumin and curry powder and stir until fragrant.

In a medium bowl, combine garbanzo beans mixture and onions. Add: 1 Tbsp whole wheat flour, 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt. Make 4 patties, put on a plate and refrigerate 30 minutes.

In 2 Tbsp olive oil, fry patties about 3 minutes per side (or until golden brown) and heated through.

Tzatziki

1 english cucumber, peeled and pureed in a food processor. Drain in a mesh strainer over a bowl for at least an hour. Mix cucumber puree with 1/8 cup olive oil and add:

1 cup greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Scottish Bannocks

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 03:35:00 +0000

It's been a little over a month since I gave up flour and white sugar. The first 3 1/2 weeks were cold turkey- totally gluten-free and no white sugar - but now I'm allowed the occasional splurge of flour or sugar.

There were moments during the cold turkey phase when I thought I might kill someone if I didn't eat a piece of bread, but that's passed for the most part and it's really not that bad.

I finally tried one of those gluten-free oat puck things that you see wrapped up in Seran and stacked on the counter at markets. They look like they've been there forever and they taste like it too. I was thinking there has to be a better way with these. So far I haven't come across any kind of recipe for them although truthfully I didn't try very hard because while googling 'oat cake' I came upon a recipe for Scottish Bannocks which are nothing like the stale oat puck.

First, you mix some oats, a tiny bit of wheat flour and some buttermilk or yogurt in a bowl, cover it and let it sit on the counter for 8 hours. I did that this morning.

When I got home from work this evening, I added melted butter, salt and baking powder to the oats mix and then rolled the dough out with a pin. The dough isn't that sticky so it was easy to roll and I didn't need to use any additional flour. I was able to get 17 bannocks with a 2 1/4" cutter (I just grabbed what looked like the right size from the tin but next time I'll use either a 2" or 2 1/2" cutter).

Bake at 325 for 25 minutes or until golden.

Here they are in all their interesting glory- crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The flavor is most definitely earthy and there's a tang from the yogurt.

Serve with honey, jam, cheese or I don't know what else. I'll have to get back to you on that.

They're probably not for everyone, but I can also see how they would be the kind of thing that grows on you which is where I stand at the moment. They're pure in ingredients and oats are excellent for you so I plan on experimenting a little more with this recipe.

Bodice fitting progress: Advance 4328

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 03:21:00 +0000

I re-drafted the pattern pieces again, using what I learned from the previous version of this blouse. I decided to get rid of the double tucks on the lower edges of the front and back and replace them with diamond darts from my bodice sloper pattern.

The bust might be a little too big but I'm not going to alter it right now because I'm pretty happy with the results so far. I'll be sewing yet another one of these so that I can fine tune and make it more close-fitting.

I reversed a couple of the pattern instructions for sewing the notched collar, so it was a lot easier to deal with this time. I also decided to put the gathers back into the back yoke. Just a few to make it more feminine.

Self-Drafted Skirt.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 02:40:00 +0000

I've been getting a lot of wear out of the self-drafted skirt. The wool suiting and Bemberg lining are luxurious and make a world of difference in comfort. I love wearing this skirt. Now I need to sew a more appropriate blouse to go with it because the one I'm wearing in the pictures isn't tailored enough to cut it.

I went to Britex on my lunch break today to look at their fabric remnants. Afterwards, I went downstairs to the suiting fabrics to get some lining. The gentleman cutting in suiting looked down at my skirt.

Did you get that fabric here?

I told him that I did.

I thought it looked familiar!

Then he picked up a bit of my hem to check out the ribbon trim and said Is this--? It is! Hand sewn. Great job.

Made. my. day.

If you can't fix Advance 4328...

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 06:18:00 +0000

alter it beyond recognition...

I'd forgotten that awhile back I modified a bodice pattern piece into a bodice sloper. So I dug it out and laid it on top of the Advance pattern and went to work. It was a lot of work and the blouse doesn't look a whole lot like the original pattern, but it fits damnit. It still needs sleeves but I don't know if I'll bother. This blouse won't ever see the light of day in public because the fabric is ruined from all the stitching and restitching.

Before and After

And I was able to confirm a previous suspicion about my dressform with this project. The shoulders on my dressform are broader than mine. I noticed this before with the Simplicity 1538 pattern. It took a lot of adjusting to get these blouses closed/buttoned on the dressform. As a result there's some pulling and gapping of the fabric when it's on the form that isn't there when I'm wearing it. The form is good for the initial pin-fit but I put it on me for fine tuning.

A word about the collar. I do not like sewing collars. Especially notched collars. Because if you don't get all the folding, sewing and turning back out perfectly measured on both sides, or even if you do but for reasons unknown you end up with a big flappy notch on the left side and a perfectly fine notch on the right side, it's totally obvious.

Probably the best part of this exercise is that I really got to know the Juki F600 and she just keeps getting better. I tested out the automatic buttonholer--

You stick the button in the back part and slide it closed. The buttonholer automatically determines the size of the buttonhole.

I basted some facings for the buttonholes first

And then sat back and watched the machine make these keyhole buttonholes

Muy fancy.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 03:57:00 +0000

OH COME ON.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 03:44:00 +0000

Here it is basted together for the first fitting

WTH? There are so many issues I don't even know where to start. And the pattern is my size!

For the hell of it, I ripped out the basting on the right side and made these quickie pin-fit alterations:

Added bust dart
Took in the side seam
Replaced deep tuck at lower front with a smaller double-pointed dart at waist
Temporarily (or maybe not) lost the gathers at the shoulder seams
Deepened, moved & altered shoulder seams for sloping shoulders

I would also have to completely redraw the armscye which means messing with the sleeves as well.

The question is not can it be done? It's do I even want to try?

I think no.

Argus C3 (1950) - 1st set of photos.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 04:01:00 +0000

Trippy double-exposure

Top 3 pics are of the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute in Las Vegas. It was Dennis the Menace's suggestion that we go there for pics.

Next two are of the Las Vegas World Market Center which is across the street from the Brain Institute-

And remember the clouds I was trying to capture last weekend?

Didn't happen--

I changed the shutter speed, but shouldn't have. And I'm sure that's not the only thing I did wrong.

Now I have to research shutter speed and aperture (and film and light conditions and all the rest of it) so I can figure out what I what I need to do differently next time. Can't wait to take this camera out again.

Brownie Reflex - 1st set of photos.

noreply@blogger.com (9010) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 03:40:00 +0000

After all that, it worked. I can't believe it, but it did.

Composing shots on this camera isn't easy. The viewfinder is distorted, sort of like one of those old-fashioned TVs with the curved screens. I had no idea how much of what I was looking at through the viewfinder was going to show up in the resulting photo and it was hard to gauge distance or depth or whatever the proper word for what I'm talking about is. Plus, you're looking at a mirror image which you have to ignore and your only means of focusing is swaying from side to side or taking a step forward or backward. So these photos are great from the standpoint that there is something to look at, but not great otherwise. Composing issues aside, I'm still impressed. The camera is 70 years old and I was convinced that the amount of film wrangling I did in that changing bag would've eliminated all hope of producing even a single picture.

**Vegas

**San Francisco