Thursday, October 14, 2010

Sewing change of venue and Red Bravest Dragon jacket

For the record Esme was very good at our meeting this morning. She got a lollipop just as we sat down in the office and she played with her book, markers and a notebook and a paper dog I had made her. Except for being a terrible dictator to little baby kitty she has been a VERY good girl today. Cross your fingers - don't jinx that one ;)

For the past few nights I've been sewing in the kitchen downstairs - and haven't moved the sewing machine back upstairs in between. I'm about to do it for a permanent change - move the Singer table down there and sew down there all of the time. Esme can amuse herself in several ways down there and it is a more central location to what she is doing than the sewing corner is upstairs now.

The red fabric (labeled 'The Bravest Dragon' on the selvedge) went into a project for myself, another housejacket from the same altered McCalls pattern. I used the same alterations as last time but omitted the stand-up collar. It was altered from a size 14 sleeve and a size 10 body then those two items worked together to meet in the middle with more room in the arms and back shoulders. The grey fabric is what one fellow blogger calls 'television' (see right through it) with the red fabric trimming the facings and cuffs. It is very Japanese compared to the last one - with large sweeping cuffs. I'm not really sure where all the differences came from... sometimes that just happens. I think it actually might be a good enough job to wear it over a tshirt into work tomorrow... just until I switch out to my usual work zipped hoodie. Esme could care less that Mumum made herself a shirt... she didn't want me to use her buttons on it *ha* she wanted all her buttons to herself.

I think this jacket took about four hours. I was working on it for a good while before I went to see Grandma and Grandpa at six, and then it took me not quite until 8:30 to finish up the last sleeve and bottom hem. Hope to get pictures tomorrow and will post them here. go here for pictures!

Also a side note: Several times while I was sewing tonight I was thinking : 'I wish they made a LEFT HANDED sewing machine'... where the controls were on the left and the needle and fabric 'open working space' were on the right. I'm sure they probably do. I'm not sure why I think it would be any better for me, really.... but everything I put up on the machine seems to be 'backwards' from the side I want facing towards the outside of the working space, and I have to turn it around funny to get it in a good position to sew. I wonder if I'd just have the same problem half the time on a left-handed machine... since I'm actually ambidextrous :)
hmm....

I just looked it up. Sewing machines are actually left handed by nature - so I'm using the left-handed version and wanting the right-handed version for the first time in my life *ha*. Sewing machines used to be right-hand crank according to this article that is why everything else is done on the left-hand side. I'd rather have the controls on the left and the working space on the right. Apparently, I'm not the only one!

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