Summer stuff

Random post of stuff I did this summer:

1.  Got a new dog after we lost our dear 14 YO Brandy.  Bear is a delight, but also a lot of work.  He's a year old and full of energy.

2.  Fell and tore medial meniscus in left knee.  Surgery being scheduled

3.  Went whale watching and saw 5 blue whales VERY close to our boat.  Magnificent!

4.  Volunteered every Wednesday (almost) at The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach

5.  Visited the Natural History Museum in LA. New exhibits are fabulous, especially the interactive nature center for children.

6.  Visited four dentists to treat my tooth and gum. Ended up with wan extraction and am recovering. Implant and crown to come.

7.  Shopped at Mood Fabrics in LA. Fun!

8.  Sewed with friends at a 5 day couture sewing event with Susan Khalje.  Very intense.  My jacket is about 3/4 done

9.  Listened to most of Team of Rivals--book about Lincoln by Doris K Goodwin.  Still listening

10.  Hosted DS#2 and the three grands for 10 days--Disney, Aquarium, beach, American Girl store, La Brea Tar Pitts, pool, etc. Busy and fun!

11.  Took eldest DGD to visit UCSB campus--our alma mater. She is a senior at an IB HS in NV, so UC schools are very spendy.

12.  Went to see The Butler.  Interesting juxtaposition to the Lincoln book.  So slow to make progress. I enjoyed the film. Very poignant and informative.  Made me remember driving through Selma in the spring of 1970 with my mom.  Eerie even then.

13.  Had several chances to get together with my sister and her kids' families.  Always fun!

14.  Lunched with HS girlfriends.  A stellar group of accomplished women.  Always a good time!

15.  Not much sewing, eh?  The dental issues apparently caused a low grade infection for weeks.  Just wore me out.  Half way through another course of antibiotics.  Ugh.

16.   Lucky to spend the days with my best friend.  Only a few weeks until our 45th wedding anniversary.  Amazing!

17.  Packing to go home to LV in a couple of days.  Yippee!

Trims and buttons and bags, oh my!

DH and I went up to LA today to seek out trim for my jacket.  Had a slight detour with oral surgery yesterday so I'm not on task to sew the finishing touches right at the moment.  Better to search for those detail elements so I am ready when I'm feeling myself again.

So, off to Mood Fabrics and then to F and

S.  I got buttons and some Petersham ribbon for waistband facings while at Mood.  F & S had trim!  I got some wonderful cotton Lycra shirting from Theory at the latter as well.  All good!

Works in Progress...Vogue 7975

Photos are of the shell and lining of a jacket I recently constructed (or at least got much of it constructed) during a 5 day workshop with Susan Khalje.  Amazing lady!  The muslin to jacket process takes days, but the fit and learning curve are worth it!  I WILL finish this jacket in the next week or two and will post photos of the final garment.  I need to make a quick (?) trip to Mood LA to see if I can find the right trim. 

I was amazed at the amount of fabric Susan took out of the front side panel of the jacket above the bust curve...about 1.5 inches at the widest part near the shoulder seam.  Yikes.  What a difference it makes!

So, just to prove that the summer wasn't a total waste sewing wise, here is the proof of my work in progress.  Fabric from my stash--unknown origin, but it is a lovely wool/silk blend and the colors are great for my coloring and my other wardrobe pieces!  These are phone photos, but the jacket and lining are visible!