ANOTHER PARIS PIECE!

Lots of time in my studio, working on my raincoat for Paris. I used that gorgeous red/black cross woven taffeta I wrote about last time...

gorgeous to look at, a bear to sew on. Because it's nylon, it doesn't take a nice press, so crisp edges are not possible. But....I'm very pleased with it!

I used Vogue 8934, Marcy Tilton's shapely "cocoon" coat, but used the collar and detachable hood from Waffle Pattern's Tosti Jacket.

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I made it sufficiently roomy, to allow for layering over jackets and vests

I hadn't ever made a detachable hood, so I got to learn a new technique, and also learned how to use my new Goldstar Heavy Snap Press Machine.

I

I'm wearing my birthday present from Dave, a wonderful necklace from Kathleen Nowak Tucci, made from Harley-Davidson inner tubes and stainless steel brake cables (!)

Cool, isn't it?

While I was working on the raincoat, I listened to The Atomic Weight of Love, by Elizabeth Church, which I loved, and Don Delillo's newest book, Zero K, which was just ok. Both are on Audible.

I'm still getting almost daily pictures from the dog breeder...the puppies are alost 3 weeks old, their eyes are open, and they're SO CUTE.

I will be joining the Visible Women on Patti's website this afternoon...come on over and take a look!

TTYL...

MIA in MAY!

It was never my intent, but I seem to have taken the month of May off! The last few weeks have been busy with houseguests and family, a little sewing, and some cleanup in the studio.

I drove down to Los Angeles for the day, to celebrate both Maggie's birthday and Mothers' Day. We enjoyed lunch at a new restaurant downtown and caught up on news...(and took selfies)

I spent several days on what was to be a  new jacket, from a new-to-me Independent pattern designer

I used a fabric I have sewn before, a four-ply Taslan in a particularly beautiful

gray (you can't tell from the picture, but it has a little green in it, just enough to make it interesting)

HOWEVER...my attemps at using this fabric have been, for the most part, failures. It has no stretch whatsoever, and except for a pair of loose pants I made for Joan many years ago, I have struck out. As I did on this jacket. Pattern to fabric matching not so good!  I abandoned the wadder in my studio and left for a week!

Our grandson Caleb and two of his buddies from Iowa made a quick road trip

after finals and before summer jobs to visit us. They were such fun, lovely boys/young men, we really enjoyed their time with us. They went to the beach a lot, to nearby Vandenberg Air Force base to see the missile launchers, and to

Morro Bay to do some kayaking. (Hey, it was early in the morning!)

Maggie and David came up to see the boys and we had a "farewell" dinner before they left...

My friend Joan returned from a glorious plein aire painting trip in Tuscany with
a side jaunt to Menorca, and we had dinner to catch up.

Then, my dear friend Willie came by for a few days en route to her family in LA,
and we, as always, had much to catch up on...

So...back to our "normal" life...I am making a raincoat for Paris in a beautiful

cross-woven red/black taffeta

using V8934 but trying the collar and detachable hood from the Tosti jacket above.

Wish me luck!

ANNNNNND:  This woman I know has a Blue Roan English Cocker Spaniel named Karma,

who gave birth to SEVEN little boys a week ago...6 of them blue roan, one blue roan and tan...

and I get a picture every day of the pups and see how they're growing...ANNNNNNNND
one of them has our name on it...stay tuned!

I'm off to VISIBLE MONDAY to join up with the highly visible women who frequent Patti's site...come take a look!

TTYL

GEORGE WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY!

I grew up calling February 22 "George Birthington's Washday" and thinking it so funny...obviously, this was before "Presidents' Day".

I finally got to work in my studio and made a wonderful, lightweight coat. It might even be called a raincoat, except we never get any rain...

Both the pattern and the fabric for this coat came from Marcy Tilton...V8934 and

I've had my eye on this pattern since it came out, so when I found this yummy pewter crinkle, I knew the combo would be pleasing.

The pattern has darts at the bottom to bring the silhouette in a little. I'm very
happy with it...the weight is perfect for my kind of climate.

I added snaps to the front and used some buttons I had made some time ago for a different top...

and it goes perfectly with a pair of Aerosoles I've had and loved for a long time.

I'll bet you didn't know I belong to a Bean Club...Rancho Gordo's Bean Club, to be specific. They sell the most wonderful heritage beans, and I get a delicious assortment every three months. I made this bean dish last week and I think it's going to be a TNT recipe (tried and true, just like a pattern!)

The dish is called "Spicy Beans and Wilted Greens" and the recipe is from Epicurious, linked above. I had turned my friend Willie on to this source for beans and she sent me a Valentine in thanks...

She's so clever!

I am absolutely thrilled to have been chosen as "Star Blogger" for the newest issue of Vogue Pattern Magazine, April/May 2015. If you subscribe, it's on pages 12 and 13. If you don't, here's a glimpse of the column...

It's amazing what has happened to the world of sewing with the internet and blogs!

I am linking up again with Visible Monday on Patti's site, Not Dead Yet Style.
Come on over a little later today and admire all the visible women!

TTYL...