Little extras

I found this nifty tutorial sheet when I dug into my new french curve ruler:

Is this standard with all rulers? What a golden nugget of info! I feel like this is the kind of little extra that just brightens my day :) This is the Project Runway edition 4 in 1 ruler that BigBox sells- regular $19.99, black Friday price: $7.99.

And perhaps you'll recall the PR lined jacket un-contestant? I added a little extra buttonage.

(notice that little guy in the corner of the pic? He's waiting for me to turn my back so he can run to my sewing machine and play with dangerous things...)

I'm showing on Lizzie, because Beth is currently having a little extra stress on the side seams- much like her real life counterpart.

I'm going to cover the whole thing in masking tape. It doesn't give like the duct tape. She's already expanded like an inch and a half everywhere.

Speaking of PR contests, I was thinking that my wardrobe could use a little extra oompf in the coordinates department. I also notice that there is an "endless combinations" contest running right now, and there's nothing like a PR contest to get that little extra motivation.

So to do all this sewing, and get all these presents done, all I need is a little extra time :)

Trials and Tribbleations

and a PR Lined Jacket (un)contestant.

I finished the jacket and posted my review with a whopping 20 minutes to spare (phew!). I double checked the contest gallery, already had my first comment (thanks Karen!) and collapsed into bed. I awoke to find myself in the gallery, one of the last entries :) And then, suddenly, I was gone from the contest gallery. hmm. I have no clue... but I'm so thrilled with my jacket!

I love the way it feels, but looking at it now I wonder if it's a bit small across the chest. Not bad for $12 and a month of work.

Unfortunately, the frenzy of work on the jacket left me with an invasion of tribbles.

And do you remember SATs? Try this:

Toddler with lollipop is to sewing room as _________ is to Japan.

The answer would be Godzilla, folks. That's right. While I dash like a fool trying to stash dangerous objects - to protect the kid, ha!- he wreaks havoc. Next time I'm going for the silk first.

Full speed ahead with Milly's muslin.

And I'm torn- blog about nothing, and post often? Or wait till there's something to say sewing-wise, which happens infrequently, to put it politely. I always love seeing new entries on other people's blogs, sewing-related or not. I just don't know if I you want me to be that.... chatty :) And to be honest, I'd much rather sew than blog -woohoo!

Don't look down.

Especially at Metro Textiles. On a recent trip with Karen and Carolyn to see the endearing Mr. Kashi, I was overwhelmed by the wall-to-ceiling rolls of fabulous fabric. I already had a significant pile accumulated and I was trying to avoid another find by looking down at my feet. Well don't you know in Metro Textiles, all the goodies are on the floor! The 2.5 yard remnants that in the mad rush of squeezing bodies through Kashi's store fall helplessly around his cutting area. Half of what I left his shop with was a floor find. Like this beautiful pumpkin silk shirting with fine striping throughout-


It's the beautiful hint-of-blood orange that looks great next to berries, and it's my color of choice recently. It's also so buttery soft... I'm going to use it as the lining for my entry in the PR jacket contest- Butterick 5145. I plan to do view A, the short jacket, with the collar of view E (is that mandarin?). The fantanstic metal buttons are a find from Pacific Trims, another of our NYC stops. The jacket fabric is an IKEA cotton velour(?) drape that I rescued from Village Thrift. It laundered beautifully :) No muslin fabric for Milly's dress yet, but the dressform is coming along...