rostitchery

DONE

vanderbilt opera theatre's "the marriage of figaro" opens tonight.

this is the final moment of the show.  it is not a great picture, but they are not great costumes either.  :)  

i made all the patterns using wild ginger software patternmaking programs:  boutique, tailor made, child's play, even the free wild things program!  i'm talking about:  8 frock coats, 10 breeches, 9 vests--8 different dresses, underskirts and overskirts, including one that i made overnight when the original was struck from the show the day before the first dress rehearsal--2 cloaks, one with calash hood and one with a wired hood--4 corsets--and 1 banyan and nightcap.

this is my swan song.  i'm not doing costumes for opera anymore.  at least not for a long while.  

i can't say "never", because i promised ella that if i am ever invited to design a pocahontas opera i will accept.

but it is time for me to get back to what really matters:  my family, my home, my life.

i'll post more details about the patterns in a few days, after i've had a rest.  :)

corset rant

in case you missed it:  the winner of the guessing game about my project is "heather"--who guessed correctly that i am making costumes for mozart's "the marriage of figaro" for the vanderbilt opera theatre!  the stage director hired me to work free-lance on the show!  but instead of designing from scratch i am making reproductions of real clothing from the period as represented in the paintings of thomas gainsborough and sir joshua reynolds. 

heather, send me your address by email, and when the opera is completed i will send your prize--a patchwork bag made from the fabric used to make the costumes!  i think you will like it--the fabrics are gorgeous.

and now to the rant:

i am convinced that if there had been sewing machines in the 18th century, there would not have been corsets.

for "the marriage of figaro" i made four, 18th century corsets.  originally i had considered using butterick 4234 but after looking it over, i found enough errors that i decided to just make my own patterns.

corset making is not really that hard--they are mostly straight line sewing--but they are not quick, especially 18th century corsets.  even making only half-boned models, even working assembly line to cut fabric and cut bones and sew channels and set grommets, each corset took about 10 hours.  

not to mention that wrestling a partially-boned corset thru a sewing machine is akin to sewing a slipcover with the chair still inside.

and then you have to put binding on the edges, which is like saying, "and then you will step into hell".

first i tried binding them by machine, because i have bound probably hundreds of things big and small by machine and managed to do it quite easily.  not these damn corsets.  the top and side edges were not too bad--even the curves were manageable--but then there is the bottom with all those tabs and slits and i might as well have just sewn with my feet because it was about as coordinated a process.

so after first trying to sew the binding the way i always do--with the wider side on the bottom and going all in one pass--i tried sewing it in two passes--sewing down one side then flipping over and sewing the other--and even that was a PITA (Pain In The Asterick) and finally i just ended up doing it by hand, breaking four sharps and three betweens in the process and stabbing myself at least twice that many times and going blind by virtue of trying to do the impossible.

each corset takes about 6 yards of binding, so based on that it should have taken no more than 10 minutes each--instead it was AN EIGHT HOUR BLOOD-LETTING ORDEAL.

so gayle, when you see the corsets, that's why the bottom of each of them looks so different from the others.  :D

that is a peek into the life of a period costumer, most days are a version of this, except with nicer fabrics.

i'll post pictures of said corsets when they become available.  and now off to ingest a medicinal dose of dove chocolate.

old times nightgown

ella wanted an "old times nightgown", meaning something like what laura ingalls would have worn (we are on book four of the little house series--yes, i know technically it is book five but we skipped farmer boy until later).  so yesterday i took some time to make a nightgown for her from some stash.  (please forgive the poor quality of this photo--i keep thinking i need to make a little mannequin in her size, and here's proof of that).

i wanted the speed of a peasant dress with the fit of a set-in sleeve, but i didn't want to make the pattern from scratch because i am doing a lot of that lately and i just wanted this to be a fun, quick project.  so i went thru my stash and found the perfect pattern, mccall's 4547, which happens to be what ella calls an "old times outfit".  it includes a pattern for a chemise that fit the bill perfectly.

the pattern instructions are written for use with woven fabrics but i chose to use a soft knit that i found last winter at joanns--sorry internet, i like joanns, most of the time.  but i refuse to put a drawstring in a neckline, especially on night clothes, i don't care how historically accurate that is, so i chose to ignore that and make an closed casing and elastic.  the construction sequence i used was:

1. join shoulders on the serger, then topstitch the shoulder seams flat on the sewing machine (top stitching adds stability to the seam that bears all the weight of the gown).
2. fold down the neckline casing and stitch in place with a narrow, short zig-zag on the sewing machine (this preserves the stretch in a knit fabric--totally not necessary on this neckline since it will already have stretch built in, but i needed this stitch setting for the hems and i didn't want to keep resetting the machine).  leave a place open in the back to insert elastic.
3. set in the sleeves on the serger--don't waste your time pinning--just serge with the sleeve on the bottom and stretch the armscye to fit.  i promise, it will work.
4. serge the side seams closed.
5. serge finish the sleeve hems and skirt hem.
6. hem sleeves and skirt using the narrow short zig-zag stitch from step 2.
7. insert elastic in neckline, zig-zag the casing closed, add a tag so the child can tell front from back.

if you don't have a serger, just do the whole thing on the sewing machine using the narrow zig-zag, and don't bother finishing the edges--the knit won't fray.

this was the fastest thing i've made in a long time--less than an hour from cutting to wearing.  

she loves it!  so much so that i already made another.   behold, the old times nightgown dance:

the long johns underneath are because it got COLD here last night!  yippie!  i pray this is a sign that snow is in our future this winter.  also, she does not wear eyeglasses, she was wearing mine for fun.

i plan to make more of this design, adding embellishments and different sleeve designs so she can wear them as dresses.  tiny versions of this might just become my new go-to baby present.

i highly recommend this pattern, it fits well and sews together accurately.  the only error i found was in the notches on the side seams but that is so minor it isn't worth mentioning except that i don't want some beginning seamstress to think she was the one who messed up.  and i do believe a beginner could manage this whole pattern package--after all, mothers and daughters on the prairie were sewing these things, by hand, without so much as one website to guide them.  i'm pretty sure a modern seamstress with access to the interwebs could do it too.

and now, back to the project!

neck deep in "the project"

so sorry for falling off the face of the blog, i am submerged in the project but so far no one has guessed what it is so i'm back with a few more clues.

 

start guessing!  whoever guesses first gets a surprise gift from me, having to do with this project.  feel free to guess as many times as you like, and feel free to invite your friends over to guess too.

i'll be back soon with actual details, and soon i'll be starting my advent project!  so don't give up on me, i'm just swamped right now but i'll post more regularly after the rush is over.

guess what i'm working on

 

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sorry to be gone so long--life and summer and what not.

so--this is what i'm ordering this week--guess what it's for:

• a pinking machine

• a covered button/eyelet machine

• 200 extra heavy duty, 40" long cable ties

• 500 feet of cotton cord

more hints to follow, as the purchasing continues.

the first person to guess correctly will get a gift having to do with this project but i can't tell you what it is, because that will give away the surprise.  :D 

liberty

 

celebrating our liberty and standing in solidarity with those who still fight for theirs.

creativity: sacrifice

IN SUPPORT OF THE PEOPLE OF IRAN

AND THEIR STRUGGLE FOR PEACE AND DEMOCRACY.

"the important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become."

Charles DuBos, french critic of french and english literature

 

 

easy art quilts for babies (who, incidentally, do not appreciate art, but their mothers do)

since the only things i'm making right now are patterns and ice cream :)  i thought i'd share some things i've made in the past and show you how to make them too.

when i was pregnant with ella i had three friends who were pregnant at the same time--we formed the pregnant girls club and spent most of our free time sitting around a coffee table with our legs propped up and talking about crazy stuff like how utterly delectable crushed ice had become.

that summer i made baby quilts for these three friends and about a dozen for project linus.  all the pictures in this post are very poor quality owing to the fact that the digital camera i had at that time was already about 5 years old and my photography skills were equivalent to my skills as an astronaut.  but i think you'll get the idea.  most of these pictures are quilt tops in progress (you'd probably figure that out without my help).

these quilts were all made using stash fabric and the exact same piecing technique:  instead of cutting the half square triangles (HSTs) the traditional way--which for those who have not made them, the traditional way is to cut little squares and sew them together diagonally and then cut them apart one by one--i cut long strips of fabric and stitched them together on both long sides, then i cut the triangles en masse from the strips (click to enlarge):

 

using this method the edges of the squares are on the bias and the center is on the straight grain, whereas in traditional piecing the diagonal is on the bias and the edges are on the straight grain.  i know what you quilters are thinking:  bias edges = bad, wavy quilt.  NOT TRUE!  bias edges are your friend, you can make them do all kinds of neat things like stretch out or shrink, and for all i know they can even be taught to juggle.  anybody who makes clothing sews bias edges on every single garment and things usually turn out just fine. :D  once the thing is quilted it will be nice and flat, i promise.

(ok, if you insist:  to avoid bias edges on your HSTs, simply cut your strips on the bias--when you cut your triangles they will have straight grain edges.  but beware--stitching long strips of bias is more iffy than sewing short edges of bias-edged squares to each other.  it will also take way more fabric to get the same number of triangles.  but do as you wish.  i'm just saying).

in making these quilt tops all i did was make piles and piles of HSTs then i laid them out to make a design after the fact. each quilt was different, i just played around with the HSTs until i had something i liked.  most of them were made as mazes (this was linda sue's quilt top):

some were made as echo designs (this was holly's quilt):

once i had a layout i liked, i pieced it together and then used any leftovers on the back as filler:

for brenda's quilt top i used strips that were a combination of two or more more narrow strips, which gave a more complicated final look but was as simple to make as the others.  since these strips were smaller, i added a border to make the quilt the size i wanted (the quilt inspector to the left is bea, who still inspects quilts long after they have been finished and are on the bed):

i first saw this method about 7 years ago on a website that i cannot find now, it is either long gone or long buried beneath the mountain of other websites that have been published since then.  and naturally someone has now invented a tool that is supposed to make this job easier--the wonder cut ruler--but you don't have to have that--i didn't.  the only thing the ruler does is guarantee your triangles will end up a specific size.  if you are willing to use whatever you end up with, you can just cut your strips and triangles without it, they will all still be the same size as each other so they will all fit together no matter how big or small they are.  and once your triangles are cut, you can use them for any other quilt design, for example you can mix them with nine-patch squares and create a completely different look, even traditional if you wish (this quilt was for a couple we worked with at vandy who had their first child that same summer):

now for the very complicated math:  i cut 6" wide strips simply because i had a 6" wide rotary cutting ruler.  when i had cut the triangles i measured them and made nine-patch squares to match.  no pre-planning for me, that would have required me to figure out something in advance and i'm not always in the mood for that.  besides, the beauty of these quilts, to me, is the serendipity, which seems the right approach when making a quilt in celebration of a new baby.

guess whose baby is the only one i didn't make a quilt for?  mine.  :D  but in an ironic twist, i have made her many pairs of shoes.  from a dancer that is probably not terribly surprising but it is just another example of how motherhood warps a mind. 

creativity: waiting

"you can't wait for inspiration. you have to go after it with a club."

jack london (1876 - 1916)

attention, internet: I. MADE. BUTTER.

you heard me.  butter.  from scratch.  in my own kitchen.

and it was ridiculously, insanely, embarrassingly simple.

start with whipping cream.  use the whisk on a stand mixer, the beaters on a hand mixer, or a regular old hand whisk if you are old school but really, i recommend just buying butter if you are not using a tool that is plugged in.

wrap the bowl in plastic, so you don't end up crying over spilt (or in this case, splashed) milk.

then do what everybody tells you not to do:  whip the daylights out of the cream.  while all that whipping is happening, put a strainer in a bowl and lay a clean dishtowel in the strainer. 

the cream will go thru the whipped cream stage (some of you will be tempted to stop here and taste it--resist), then the clotted cream stage, and just when you think you are wasting your time, it will turn pebbly, and it will separate, and it will start splashing (aren't you glad you wrapped the bowl in plastic?)--then magically, before your very eyes and in less than 10 minutes, the butter will stick to your whisk and the buttermilk will settle in the bottom of the bowl.

behold:  butter!

scrape the butter into the dishcloth/strainer/bowl set up, then close the towel and squeeze the butter hard, mush it up to get out all the buttermilk, then open your towel and admire your buttery accomplishment.

 

pour the milk into a container, you can cook with it or drink it, although for this occassion i recommend you drink something bubbly to celebrate.

at this point in the story my family and friends are thinking:  ro, you've lost your mind--you don't even like butter.  true dat.  but i do use it in some recipes, and rudi and ella like it, and besides, the lovely ladies at little house in the suburbs told me it was possible, and frankly from now on i'm just going to do whatever they tell me to do.  they haven't let me down yet.

creativity at the ground level

there is a whole different kind of creativity that has called me for a long time now--an impulse to live the life i have now more fully, to embrace with enthusiasm the being at home-ness that is my life today.  it is very different from the chase i have been in all the previous years of my life--and yet being in it, right in it, i have learned how much there is in this kind of life to appeal to the one thing in me that is consistent across all times and places:  my urge to bring something new to life and by doing so, to bring something special to the lives of others.

this year, it lead me to do something i've wanted to do for almost 20 years--i've started a square foot garden.  my wildly-ambitious intention is to provide my family with daily fresh veggies during the summer and hopefully preserving the excess to help provide for us over the winter--all the while spending time in touch with the child and the land we have been so generously blessed with.

what finally convinced me that this was the year i could make it happen was a post on the wonderful blog little house in the suburbs--it was a plan for a beginner's garden that could be planted in a day.  that sounded manageable, and i set out to find what i needed to make this miracle garden happen.  within a few days i had been given or had traded for nearly everything i needed for the garden--boards to make the raised beds, ready-to-plant seedlings, and even some compost.  i had seeds saved from past failed attempts to garden in the backyard that time forgot, and i bought some "fencing" to hopefully keep out the dog that will not be taught.  in just four hours and with some help from rudi and ella, i had not one but two square foot gardens all done.  we put the gardens in the front yard, which is the only place in our yard that gets enough sun.

 

this is the beginner garden, but i'm calling it my italian garden because if all goes as planned, we'll have pasta sauce and pesto sauce and pizza sauce and who knows what other saucy things as well:

this is the squash garden, which i briefly called the squashed garden (you'll understand why in a moment):

we finished them last wednesday, around 4pm. 

at around 4:30pm our dog sprinkles, who i love in theory but who i have a "difficult" relationship with in practice, completely trampled the squash garden and scattered the seeds of most of it.  i was so angry that i threatened every kind of awful thing and scared ella to tears for love of her pet and learned the first lesson in gardening humility which i will write about on my other blog because it doesn't carry this story along.  :)  ella and i did our best to get things back to the way they were, we propped up the broken plants with mounds of dirt and tried to find every little radish seed and every little chard seed and put them back in their rightful place, and then we folded our hands and prayed, right there in the garden, that our little babies would be ok.

the next day, i read a recent post by a friend of mine who lives more or less completely off the land, in which she said she believes you can plant early or you can plant late, but everything still seems to come up at about the same time, so i felt ok that i hadn't gotten the early start that most gardening experts suggest.  ella and i have gone out every day to water each plant and seed by hand, carefully, so as not to disturb them. 

this is what the gardens looked like yesterday, around 4pm, 7 full days since we planted them:

 

italian garden:

 

squash garden--it's alive!

 

don't be fooled by all the "open space"--there's so much going on, i can barely believe it:

 

do you know what that is??? that's the beginning of a pumpkin patch!!!  and look, there's a forest of bush beans!!!  ella calls these praying beans, because when they emerge they look like they have their heads down and hands folded in prayer:

and there are pole beans too, with sunflowers in the middle for them to climb (i didn't have corn to plant which the garden plan called for, but i always have sunflower seeds), and already, in just seven days, there are little baby tomato flowers!

and get ready to "aw", there are even tiny little chardlings with tiny red stems:

i am SO SO SO EXCITED!!!  i am forever indebted to little house in the suburbs for generously giving the world these simple garden plans for those of us who don't have the know-how to do it on our own.  thanks to her, i have a chance of success.  please go visit her blog and give her your undivided attention, you will be glad you did.

today, as i look over my little gardens and see yet another version of the miracle of life unfolding right in my own yard, i am puffed up with a feeling that is very close to self-respect.  if i can shepherd that little pumpkin seed all the way to the jack-o-lantern stage, i will feel like superwoman!!!