Wildthings--Sun Hat

I made a hat--using the free download patterns from Wild Ginger. I have their Pattern Boutique pattern making programs, but the hat was from the free downloads. I had lots of trouble with the sizing--and the crown was WAY too high for me. So I cut it in half--maybe too drastic a move. However, I have had the materials to make this for a year and finally just did it last night. One of the other volunteers at the Aquarium of the Pacific digitized the logo (with permission) and gave me the design. I just decided to put it together--had no directions. The screening is what you might use for windows or screen doors. I bought it at Sew and Vac, the Long Beach Bernina dealer (NAYY). Got the fabric there too. In spite of some difficulties with the size of the pieces, once I chose a size and got going, it went together easily.

I cut 2 fabric pieces for the top--circle--and one of screen. I basted them together with right sides of the fabric facing out. Then I stitched in concentric circles through all 3 layers to stabilize it. Did the same with the brim. I sewed the top to the rectangle that had been pinned together to form a cylinder--the "hat" part of the thing. Then I did the same with the brim. Voila, hat! I did have to pick the brim off, trim some off of the inside of the brim, resew. It was too small for my big head. I finished the edge of the brim with double fold bias tape and now I have a sun hat to wear tomorrow. It still needs grommets and a cord to secure it in windy weather, but it is a hat! Yippee

Ottobre Design 1/2007 styles 34 and 37 size 122

Finally! I finished the skort with some major adjustments. I mistraced the skort part (front panel) so I just softly pleated the pieces I had and made them fit the the facing piece from the pattern. I used a piece of grosgrain ribbon the same length as the facing because I thought it would be sturdier for a 6 year old dressing herself and not always patient :>). Also used ribbon to form the button loop to close the skort. I think the items turned out pretty cute in the end.

I used snaps (snapsource snaps size 16 in pink) on the front of the blouse and had nothing but issues with the snap press and had to remove them several times. I finally went to the local Jo Anns and bought a plastic gadget to install the rest of the snaps and love the way they turned out!!! I hope that DGD likes the outfit. The only change I made to the blouse was that I did not do the elastic shirring on the back. DGD is not here with me, so I thought this would give a little ease in fitting if needed.

It feels good to finish something and Ihope to do some sewing for myself this next week.

We will be celebrating my dad's 93rd birthday on Saturday so I may not have too much time until that little picnic is finished.

Testing a Link

I am going to try linking from my blog to the photos of our trip to Spain. That lets readers decide whether or not they want to take a vicarious vacation! Actually, the photos are NOT heavy on people, more focus on the sights. DH is the photographer--does a fantastic job IMO.

Let's see if this works:

Link to photos http://gpearsonphotos.smugmug.com/gallery/8474747_dG5XK/2/557226126_uEnwZ#557226126_uEnwZ

ETA second link

http://gpearsonphotos.smugmug.com/gallery/8566712_meg2j/1/564404632_XsGLp#564404632_XsGLp

Some Sewing!

Ottobre Design, Spring 2007, Design #34

I finally made the little Ottobre top for my DGD. I am debating between snaps and buttons for the front closure. So, still a work in progress. I cut out a skort from the coordinating strawberry fabric (same issue of Ottobre) but seem to have traced the skirt part incorrectly--so I may have to make up as I go along. It is shorter than the intended piece, but I think might work if I modify the pleats at the top. No more fabric to recut the right piece...So--here's a photo of the top! I made this at the beach this week. We are home for a long weekend so we can attend dance recital for DGD. Should be fun! More to follow!

Cooking, Not Sewing--Paella

We had paella in Spain--traditional chicken in Barcelona and seafood in Madrid. We wandered into a few shops that specialized in paella pans and grills but decided it would be a pain to carry a pan around for the rest of our trip and to try to ship it home. So, when we got home I went on the Internet and found a US vendor of all things paella. I ordered a "kit" to make my first paella and did so just before leaving LV for the beach. I made the chicken version--has chicken thigh, artichoke, tomato, garlic, garbanzo beans, rice, chicken stock, onions (didn't use cuz DH hates them), saffron, salt, and pepper. Oh, and olive oil to saute all of the above. Paella requires a special rice that is NOT long grain so that it will puff up as it absorbs the broth. Tasty! I also left out the red bell pepper due to DH's taste. We had enough for several meals, so I froze the left overs and hope to enjoy another meal when we are back in LV.

Getting Back in Gear

Here are the publications I got while in Spain and Portugal. This was a fun way to spend a few minutes in various cities as I spied the bookstalls. I got the first one in Barcelona.

I found the spring issue of Patrones as well as a children's issue. The children's magazine came from Granada. Very fun reading while in Spain.

I also found the Diana children's magazine in Toledo--didn't realize it was knitting at first, but I will enjoy it too!

Finally, in Lisbon I found the French version of Burda June 2009. The cover is different but the patterns included are the same. Another great thing about the French version is that the line drawnings are on the pages with the photographs of the garments!

this is also true of the Patrones magazines. Really small and not as good as the ones at the beginning of the instructions, but it is really helpful to see what the garment should look like--not always easy to tell from Burda photos!

I have not gotten back into the sewing swing of things as we are packing to go to the beach for the summer. We are just waiting for DH's permanent copy of his driver's license to arrive by mail, then we'll be ready to relocate for a few months. Unfortunately, he lost his wallet to a pick pocket in Madrid so we had to replace a few items when we got home. Luckily, no real harm was done and it did not stop us from having a really fun time.

We were on a tour with some time on the bus between venues. While the scenery was new and exciting, some long rides were a bit tedious so I listened to podcasts on my ipod. I caught up with Lori's (Sewforthnow.blogspot.com) podcasts and enjoyed being able to sew mentally while listening to the episodes. I thought I would listen to them at night when jet lag wouldn't let me sleep, but the topics were interesting and I got too involved. Defeated the purpose. So, thanks to Cidell and Trena (Missceliespants.com) as well as Lori for taking the time to provide us with this entertaining and informative format.