Fiberaddict's Fiber Fumblings

Because I've been a busy little Fiberaddict. :lol: I can't remember when I actually sewed up some of these, so I'll just post them. I do remember the order, so.....:rofl:

Anyway. Barn destruction still on-going. We have the office/tack room almost finished - 6 more floorboards to go. The plan is to then move to the roof...we'll see....

Because the husband got a job! Praise God! With Amazon...in the warehouse. He claims to not know/not believe the reports of worker treatment.....and he thinks this will give him an "in" if an IT position opens up. I've tried to tell him that the job market is MUCH different than he realizes....but he told me I'm stupid and don't know what I'm talking about. :sigh: Oh, well - he can't say he wasn't warned........(the kids and I have a betting pool going. Herself thinks he'll last 2 weeks, Himself gives him 6. Me? He'll last a few months, at least, just to show me how wrong I was. :bangs head:)

Moving on to more...pleasant things:

Knitting! I FINALLY finished my....April? socks! May I present the Lotus socks, by Kulabra Designs:





Yarn is Franklin Natural from Webs that I dyed up in Avocado and Lilac. I LOVE this pattern - it has haunted me ever since I first saw it; I just didn't get around to knitting it until now. The pattern is (what I assume to be) typical of Russian designs - it's the charts, only. The knitter needs to know the basics, and be able to plug the chart into the item.

I have started another pair - this one a basic Monkey - but have only made it halfway down the foot of sock #1. I've been sewing instead of knitting...

Sewing! LOTS going on here. We started last month with StyleArc's Clementine blouse. I made the first one for Mom:



Once I knew it fit both her AND me (our measurements are pretty close!), I grabbed my white linen and embroidered 2 more, 1 for me:





and 1 for her:





then I grabbed some Rayon and did another for me:



(for some reason the back of this one didn't show up....hmmmm. Oh, well - you get the gist! Same flowers, only in pairs - 1 at each corner)

Still in an embroidery mood, I dug thru the stash and found some blue voile....it became a StyleArc Melody:







While digging, I found some handkerchief-weight linen, so I decided I needed another Melody, but this time Celtic:



At this point, I figured I had plenty of tops, so I started to fill in the hole in my pants drawer. I didn't get photos of all of them, but...oh, well. I started with the much-needed StyleArc Emma shorts. I have 5 pair: blue, green/white plaid, natural, denim and pink, but only got a photo of the pink pair:



I then made up 3 pairs of StyleArc's Ethel Designer pants: Denim, Brown, and Green (the green is green/black iridescent, which is very hard to photograph)



The next items....well. Last year, since I was sitting a home so much, I spent a lot of time evaluating my wardrobe. I decided that I need to totally revamp it - graphic t-shirts just weren't "me" any more (I kept all of them......some day I'll turn them into a quilt.) Menopause has done a number on my body.....my weight is almost the same, but the distribution.....knit tops aren't flattering. At All. :sigh: So.....even though I am not a dresses-girl, I realized I really NEEDED a few in my wardrobe, for the hot, hot Summer days (this year, it's been a HOT Spring....:sigh:) It's been hot enough that I don't want ANYTHING around my waist....and it's only going to get hotter. Loose dresses that only touch at the shoulders/bust sound SO nice.....

I started with the Clementine dress. Since the pattern is set up for a VERY dropped waist (the waist sits at the fullest part of my hips - NOT a good look!) I chopped 4 inches off the hem of the top before adding the skirt. The fabric is Rayon I got with the Cashmerette Harrison Shirtdress kit I ordered on launch (before realizing that the payoff (the finished dress) wasn't - to me - worth all those princess seams. Live and Learn!







I like the dress....but. It feels too '80s for me, so for the next one I did a StyleArc Nova dress in a cotton I got from Supreme Fabrics before it got hit by a tornado (in 2017....I tend to let fabric age a bit. :lol:)





I sewed it up as designed, except I made a much deeper hem - 2" instead of 5/8" (I'm 5'4" if I stretch. StyleArc designs for 5'6". I didn't want an ankle-length dress.)

I.....like it, but.......the bodice is a bit......boxy. I thought I was done...but Herself needed to go to Hobby Lobby. While she was browsing, I hit the 50% off fabric...and this lovely cotton fabric jumped into my cart. It feels a lot like lawn.......

This time, I used the Clementine bodice (but hacked 6" off the hem to bring it to the Nova's length) with the Nova's tiered skirts. We won't discuss the screw-ups (i ended up piecing 2 of the tiers because I can't read, apparently), but I LOVE the finished dress:





I have 2 more lengths of fabric that I think need to become maxi/midi dresses - one is lawn, one is poplin shirting. I just need to get over the fact that *I* want to wear dresses first. :lol: StyleArc seems to design a lot of......loose fitting dresses, which works for me, even though they feel a bit.....um......how to put this.....frumpy? I mean.....I don't *feel* frumpy/stodgy/old-ladyish when I wear them, so that's a plus, but they *look*.....:sigh: I think I'm going to make some clips for the backs, to pull in the waist just a titch to give them a little more shaping. (2 alligator-type clips, connected by self-fabric covered elastic. 1 clip on each side seam, and voila! Shaping!)

I have the StyleArc Bob pants to sew up (similar to the Ethel, but longer) - and yes, StyleArc is my new favorite pattern company. Their patterns fit right out of the box, and right now that's what I need. The directions are sparse - but honestly? I prefer that. I HATE patterns that want to hold my hand the whole way - maybe I have my own preferred way of doing sleeves, so don't tell me I have to do it your way. And please, let's stop with the 20 pages of pictorial directions, with photographs of EVERY. SINGLE. STEP. Really, I know how to press a seam - you don't have to show me. Every seam. Really!

Herself has made 2 lolita dresses, but I'll save those for later. This post is long enough. :lol:

May thunderstorms. Or something like that. :lol:

No photos this month, because my April socks consist of one (1) sock and a partial leg. :sigh: I have a GOOD reason, though! We are demolishing a barn 2 towns over - the owner posted an ad on CraigsList for free tin. Since I have goats that think barn destruction is a sport.......yeah. I NEED tin. (Plus I need a Honk Hotel...the geese aren't getting any smaller!) (Although we did lose 1 to the dreaded bobcat. :sigh: The fledgling area is now wired on top, and I left a present for the cat in it's feeding area. I have NO remorse - my neighbor reported that his neighbor got cornered on her porch by the bloody thing, so....yeah.)

Anyway. A 30' x 60' barn, built in the 1930s or '40s. I've gotten enough tin so far to rebuild the "love shack" (the breeding shed) - which is now a small pile of rubble - and the buck barn. Maybe enough to rebuild the hay barn (both buck and hay barns are going to be moved; the current spot will become the Goose Garden. :lol:). I *think* I have enough for the hay barn, too - but there's still a lot to pull down. Fun, but exhausting times!

I haven't spent my down time just sitting, though. I just finished bra #6 for me; with the 3 I've done for Herself - wait, 4; the first didn't fit AT ALL - and the 1 for Mom, that makes 11 bras in 2 weeks. :blink: We all need them, though.....

IF you want to start sewing your own, take my advice - buy a kit for the first 1 or 2, to figure out the fabrics, then get thee to Fabric Depot post haste. I picked up a value pack of their medium-to-heavy weight powernet ($35; there's $90 worth of fabric!)(granted, you get a mix of colors - I finally have NON-white bras! :lol:), a yard of tricot, and....something else, for about $100. They also have great prices on elastics (by-the-yard) and rings and sliders. If you don't mind Aliexpress, you can get a 50 pack of closures for $15-ish - since most kits run about $30, you'll be saving a TON.

Also, I found out that the finding kits I have can be dyed with my wool acid dyes (even the rings and sliders!). :lol: I have PLANS, y'all! (I already made a Valentine's bra (red findings, white cups, red lace, white frame and back)and I just finished a Tuxedo bra (black frame and back (value pack), white cups and lace and findings)...and I have a Chocolate and Cherries set almost ready to sew (brown powernet (from the value pack), red cups, red lace and red findings). The tricot cups and lace dye pastel with acid dyes, but Rit now has "dye everything" bottles that, well, dye everything. :lol: I hate Rit, but......a little goes a long way.

The husband was laid off mid-March, so I've been dealing with a grumpy jerk (sorry not sorry) for the past 6 weeks. The barn demolition is helping....sorta...but STILL. :sigh: Himself is trying to balance the scales by being super-guy; he's been baking more, and he's about to build me a firewood rack. (He helped knock the love shack down, and helped me run fence for the does Sunday. If it would quit raining for more than a day or 2, we'd be working on the new and improved love shack.....:big sigh:)

I need to rest my wrist - I kinda overdid it today. I *really* wanted to get that blasted bra finished......the lace was a pain. Basting spray is wonderful, but.....:sigh:

I've been a busy little fiber-addict lately! I finished a hat for the gift box, have 1 sock almost done, and have started another gift-hat.....but the big thing is:

I have actually sewn 4 bras! 1 of them fits almost perfectly, 1 is slightly too big, 1 is.....well, the pattern is.....a disaster, and 1 is drying (haven't actually tried it on yet.) This was emergency sewing; last week I realized I had 1 working bra - and it was on it's last legs.

I went digging thru my patterns.....I have a.....um....few bra patterns. Most are for wired bras - I do NOT do wires. Nope - don't try to convince me, I have yet to find a wire that actually fits my bust. I've tried - back when I was working I spent a few months buying up bras from every vendor I could find that had my size, most of which had wires. Inevitably, the wires were removed within a month due to pain. :sigh: So. NO wires. I didn't feel like trying to convert these patterns to wireless, so I went shopping. (Before I go any further, I have sewn 2 bras before. I didn't finish them - 1 was obviously not going to fit, the other I misplaced the top elastic. Still, I have SOME experience.)

I found a source online who had pdf patterns. She had just released a new wire-free pattern....after a bunch of dithering, I plunked down my $17 and printed out the instructions. I spent a good 30 minutes measuring myself (every designer has her own system, and requires various measurements. No big deal, right?)....and then couldn't figure out WHICH file to print. I emailed her:


"So. I am a 40 F/G (let's go with G for now),with a bottom curve of 6.5". I go into Adobe to print.....and there is no 40 G. There are layers at 101, 133, etc......ALL of which have size 40. How do I KNOW what size to print?

I printed all of them, in color, and decided to cut just the 40. But...on the cradle, the colored lines do NOT match up - the bottom curve is no where near 6.5". I even cut the bottom curve out, laid it on top of the pattern...and it's off."

Her reply:

"Please follow the measuring directions on the Instructions. My patterns do not use standard Bra sizing for more accuracy.

The patten is based on a mix and match concept. You may need one size for the cups and another size for the cradle. So many of us do NOT have breast measurements that fit the RTW standard. Cradle size is based on your breast root trace - not ready to wear size.

You can be assured the patten has been thoroughly tested. Remember that the pattern has seam allowance included so the cut lines may not match but the sew lines will. Perhaps include a photo of the issue you are encountering? "

Not very helpful AT ALL. :bangs head: I finally figured out her...system: You have to take your HH (bottom curve) measurement, in CM, and remove the decimal. So, for me? I had to open the file named 165. That's not confusing, or anything, right??

:Sigh: It only got "better" from there. 1 of the pages in the pattern has to be printed landscape, the rest are portrait. I had to dig down into my printer options to find "Automatic page" so that I could just hit print.

Then I sewed it up. It......doesn't fit. The cups are loose and wrinkly, meaning they are TOO BIG. (And I went with what appears to be size F, not G, because I had feelings....) The band....oh my. The back band is 8" tall. The finished bra looks like something designed by NASA engineers on their days off - it's quite industrial.

It also damn near killed my beloved machine. It did NOT like sewing the elastic to the bottom of the cradle. AT ALL. It made all sorts of clunks..........and this is my beloved 1960's era Singer. The machine that laughs at 3 layers of denim. Granted, I am using what I have on hand, so this bra is 1 layer of lycra and 1 layer of light-to-medium weight power net......she has you double up the cradle, and enclose the seams of the back band - so at that point I am sewing thru 5 layers......of fabric that will NOT lay flat, even after being hit with a steam iron and clapper.

I went back to etsy and grabbed Merckwaerdigh's e-course on bra-making for $22. BEST $22 I ever spent. It's clear, it's concise, and when I emailed her to see if I could use it to make a wire-free bra, she quickly responded with "YES! Just make sure the cups go up far enough to contain all the tissue!".

I used the same fabric on #1 as I did on the disaster. The cups are a bit too big, so Mom gets to try it on. I then switched to a different knit (sort of a thin t-shirt type, I think), with powernet in the cups, sizing down 1 cup size. Wonder of wonders, it FITS. Almost perfectly - the bridge isn't flush with my sternum - but a quick web search informed me that on wireless bras that's not unusual. :happy dance:

This morning I made another - this one I used cotton lawn (woven) on the cups and cradle, and lined them with swimsuit lining (I know, but it's what I have on hand. I have about 1.5 yards of the powernet left, and I NEED that for the back and for lining the cradle.) A quick try-on showed it fits, but I didn't take the time to evaluate it - I had spray-basted the lining to the cups and it was too stiff to get a good fitting.) My goal is to perfect the fit, then knock out a few more. I have 4 more finding kits (I bought a bunch from BraBuilders.com at the beginning of the year - $7 for all the elastic, straps, sliders, rings, and hooks and eyes you need for 1 bra is NOT a bad price!), and 1 kit. I don't want to touch the kit, though, until I KNOW I have the perfect fit.

Next month I hope to have enough "spare" funds to hit Fabricdepot.com - they have the best prices on powernet and stabilized tricot I've found. I'll be able to whip up a few more bras, then in January I can pick up more finding kits and get them finished, THEN I can start on perfecting Herself's fit.

Bras are relatively easy sews, and fast - I can go from picking out fabric to dropping the finished bra in the washer in 3 hours - including waiting for the basting spray to dry a bit before sewing! A bit fiddly, but nothing too difficult. The hardest part - so far - is getting the fit right.

Sorry about no pictures....but I'm not really comfortable showing the entire world my underthings. :lol:

Because machine embroidering is FUN! :lol:

I forgot to give the details last time, so:

Pattern is Style Arc's Melody blouse. It's very similar to the Twig & Tale Breeze, but it has a back yoke, and it's looser all over, with a hi-lo curved hem. The sleeves are supposed to be 3/4 with elastic, but I *hate* elastic (it's a necessary evil in undergarments, but outer clothes? I prefer gathering and cuffs/binding, thank you very much!) It's supposed to have a collar, but I like the look of the stand by itself.


Fabric is another piece of the Irish Shirt-weight linen from Fabric Mart, this time in lavender. It's gorgeous fabric, and the motifs seem to fit. Herself picked out the embroidery thread - she has a good eye for color.








The front embroidery came from Royal Present embroidery They have *beautiful* stuff, and an etsy shop - the files are actually cheaper on etsy than they are on their own site, for some reason. Most of the files are larger - at least 5"x7" - so you have to make sure your machine can handle it. The back and cuffs came from Emblibrary - I LOVE their stuff! They have such a huge selection, and the prices are competitive - especially when they run sales!

I need to work on some household stuff next, while I wait on bra straps and elastics to come in. Fun times! Machine embroidery is addictive stuff, I've found - I have to keep telling myself that everything does NOT need embroidery on it. :rofl:

on craft stuff. I, um......got a bit busy in the Studio last week, and now have 3 new shirts. :whistles innocently:

Real quick: Loki is healing. He's still a bit ouch-y, but......we think he kinda likes the attention. Sometimes he'll walk normally, and jump on the couch and bed with no problems, other times he's limping and whining. Now, I've BTDT, so he could still be hurting, but....it's funny. I took him off his pain meds 2 days ago - I don't like giving too many, and I like to keep the extras on hand. (IF he were really hurting, he'd get meds. I'm not a horrible person! I just don't like the side effects.)

( Cut for friends...not quite as pic-heavy as last week, but still... )

1. Duncan is 2!!!!! Silly boy cut himself last week - I was treating him, but yesterday he didn't eat. :sigh: Took him to the vet (not our usual - they were booked.) - he's fine, just a little sore. The cut looked good - I think he just wanted to go for a car ride. The trip to Dairy Queen on the way home didn't hurt - nor did the Hunger Buster Jr. he got. :lol:

2. Did a little digging...seems that last year, in Texas, 11,000 people died from the flu. This year, in a "pandemic", not quite 4,000 have died from the "super deadly novel coronavirus". Um....yeah. These numbers are from the Texas State Health Department - make your own conclusions. (Because honestly, you can extrapolate. Texas can't be an outlier - not when we're "2nd in the Nation for new cases!" - so you can bet most other states/countries numbers are pretty close to the same.)

3. Sewing! Been hitting it out of the park, lately. I finally got brave and started embroidering some new shirts - I have 2 (pics forthcoming!) that turned out WONDERFULLY well and fit my style. I've always leaned BoHo, but squelched it because it's not easy to find at a price point I can afford. Now? Sky's the limit!

3a. My new favorite top pattern is the Twig + Tale Women's Breeze shirt. Kinda peasant-y, kinda flowy, and a perfect canvas for embroidery. My first one is linen with bluebonnets; the 2nd is a cotton/ramie chambray with hummingbirds and flowers. I'm going thru my files to find more......this is fun!

3b. Although my machine isn't quite with me. The automatic needle-threader decided to die violently on the 2nd motif on the front of shirt #2. Not a huge issue - I can manually thread the needle - just an annoyance. 25 thread changes weren't fun......but do-able. Himself looked at it, but it's FUBAR; I'm not sure if I want to go to the hassle of trying to get it repaired now, or if I just live with it (probably live with it. Again, it's not a big deal.)

4. There is currently a possum in my chicken feed can. I noped right out of there - the kids will handle it. The chickens got goat feed this morning......that's farm life for ya! :lol:

5. There is no 5.

6. Been reading.........did you know that masks are big in the occult? And that symbolically they silence people? And make them into "others" (think cyber-bullying, and how people act differently behind a screen than they do in real life.) Putting that together with the Reality of Duality........folks, I think the Mark of the Beast might not be what the church has taught - it might be symbolic and NOT physical. This guy takes a few hundred words to say it, but it's worth reading.......if you have ears to hear. Yes, it's wordy....but I think there's a lot of Truth to it - and it's sobering. And worth considering. (And Anonymous, I don't care that you don't agree with me. Just.....don't read me. No one is forcing you to, right?? (OR...are they?????:wink:) Just move along......but you might want to check out the link. You might learn something.)

Gotta skitter - got to buy grain, evict a possum, and get a new shirt cut out. And find some linen for shorts/pants......I've just about replaced all my cheap, store-bought blouses (NOT my t-shirts, though. Those I'm keeping. :lol:) with nice, natural-fiber ones. (Ramie.....is a bit problematic. YES, it's "natural", but...only through man-made means. :sigh:) I need pants......so that's next up. I think Cashmerette's Calder pants fit the bill...we'll see.

and HOT!

So. A couple of weeks ago, Himself and I were out walking. I saw a pile of something on the side of the road - we have a lot of illegal dumpers out here - so we slowed down to take a look. It was a pile of granite cut-offs; they were about 1/2" thick, and there were a TON of them. I took a pic and texted it to the husband with the caption "I can use these as a path?"

He called and said "Yes. We'll pick them up when I get home."

Turns out, there was enough there to fill the truck bed up to about the half-way point. :blink:

Two days later, he stopped at the local new construction home division, and got permission to clear out some of the brick debris pile........despite being photographed and reported by a resident, we came home with 2 truck loads of broken brick and Austin stone. I mean, I GET it, we were picking up bricks...but I deliberately wore my loudest and brightest tie-dyed shirt, we were gathering them IN THE MORNING, in daylight, and we weren't trying to hide - we had permission!! :sheesh!: Guess the lack of face diapers made us suspicious. :shrug:

Anyway. We currently have a path from the back porch to my Studio outlined in brick. We filled it in with cushion....dirt (old compost from the buck barn), and will be placing the granite in the next few days. Our only expense (besides gas and sweat) is $12 for the Liquid Nails (holding the bricks together in bunches of 6 or so) and $7 for the landscaping fabric. Not to bad!

In the Studio - current project is a new set of shorty overalls for me. Fabric is from IKEA, of all places! I have the front done, just need to get the back sewn up and the whole shebang assembled. Then it's another shirt for Himself, and on to shorts for me.

Not a lot else to report.
oh! A hen hatched out 5 chicks; they're currently in Herself's Studio. Fun times!

With Himself getting into sewing, I knew I needed to reorganize my Studio. He'd agreed to help, but I have to wait on his depression......so for the past 3 days, I've been working on my pattern problem. Since I know there's a LOT of new sewers out there, I figured I'd whip up a post - it might help someone else (even though I think I have a readership of 3. 2 of which are family.....:rofl:

For the past....century or so, patterns have come on paper, purchased from (usually) a fabric store. JoAnn's (and to a lesser extent, Hobby Lobby), has been famous for running sales - usually once a month, for one week, particular companies were put on sale for $1.99/each.....which is a HUGE savings. (Paper patterns tend to run any where from $9.95 - $20.00+ - being able to snag them for $1.99 each is a Big Deal!)

About...5 years ago? 10? Independent pattern companies hit the scene with print-at-home pdf patterns. I looked at them, and bought a few, but......seriously, why pay $7.50+ for a pattern *I* had to print myself, when I could hit JoAnn's and get a ready-to-go pattern for $2? It didn't make sense to me, because SURELY it cost a lot to print at home, right?

Um.....no. I am ashamed to admit I never did a cost analysis of pdf patterns before Wednesday.....because it never crossed my mind. I mean, I had hauled some files to Staples to print them, because - surely! - it was cheaper to print wide-format and skip the expensive and time consuming step of taping all those (expensive!) pages together.....Staples charges $7.50/page. Or did - Herself bought a plotter for us (which I still need to get up and running; I think I have the correct drivers now on my gaming rig. :shrug: It's actually moot - you'll see...) and we haven't been back to Staples since. (Organization is coming up, I promise!)

OK. So.....I can buy a pdf pattern for $7.50 (or less!). A pack of paper from Wally-World (the closest place to me that carries copy paper) is $3.97/500 sheets. That breaks out to $0.00794 per page. Um......I don't like "messy" math, so let's round up to $0.01/page, to keep it easy. The typical pattern that I buy is 50 pages (36 or so for the actual pattern, the rest is the instructions. YES, I print the instructions; I want them on hand for note-taking, plus you never know when a small company will go out of business.) So: $0.50 to print the pattern....since I rounded up, and since pattern pages don't use a lot of ink/toner, I think we are probably safe in assuming the ink costs are built in. I did a quick online check; regular office printing runs about $0.03/page......again, patterns don't have that much printing per page.

Cost so far: $8. Now we need to tape that sucker together! Scotch brand tape runs $6.47/4 pack (at my local Wally-World) - that's $1.6175/roll. I usually buy generic, but let's run with this. I can usually tape 2 patterns together per roll, so that's $0.80875 in tape per pattern.....let's round up and our total for a print-at-home pdf pattern is $9.

******* $9.00 ********

I won't factor in the cost of tracing paper, pencils and time, since I trace ALL my patterns off as a matter of course. That way the original is safe, and I don't have to reprint it if I decide to change something, like a neckline, sleeve, or length.

ANYWAY.

I have spent the last 3 days sorting my patterns into storage boxes, both paper and pdf. I also took the time to update my pdf organization...which is the main thing I wanted to post about. I have...a LOT of pdf patterns; most free, but still. That's a LOT of files to keep track of.....what's the "best" way to go about it?

Some people use a filing cabinet; the patterns go in there while the envelope/picture from the pdf go in page protectors in a notebook. Works, but......how do you know what you already have when you are looking a patterns in a store/online? You *could* carry a small spiral notebook around, with all your patterns hand-listed.........but that's a LOT of work.

Some people use OneNote. I looked at that......but it didn't click with me. It makes little sense - it might work for you; it does for a lot of people. I needed something else - what I wanted was basically Ravelry, but off-line. Bonus points if it works on both mobile and laptop! Oh, and it HAS to be Mac-compatible, since I am (mostly) Mac-only. (The gaming rig is nice, but......gaming. And some work. Mostly gaming. Plus my phone is Apple, so....yeah.)

What I ended up with is Tap Forms, a database that also has an app. After a LOT of work, I ended up with 2 databases - the mobile version is a list of all my patterns while the laptop version has the actual files attached. (Plus the laptop version has all my knitting pdfs, all my :sob: weaving pdfs, AND finished projects. Plus blank forms for spinning and tatting, so that all my fiber-crafts are saved in 1 spot. It's....nice. VERY nice. If I could figure out how to link the pattern entry to the finished project entry, I'd be set, but so far that's eluded me. :shrug: It's not necessary, really - it would just be nice.)

While I sorted my patterns in the Studio, I made sure they were on my phone. When I got back to the house, I sat down with the laptop and made sure most of the pdfs were also on my phone - I left off some of the free quilting patterns, and a lot of the free apron patterns. I don't care if I download them again - they're free!

All my paper patterns are in, with photos of both the front and back of the envelope - no more guessing on fabric type and amount! (The pdfs are set up the same way...mostly. If I haven't printed them yet, I don't have photos. :shrug: I tend to print them before buying fabric, so....it works for me.) I have tags, so if I do happen across some awesome fabric that HAS to become a hat/shirt/whatever, I can pull up the patterns that have that tag. PLUS - no more duplicate patterns!

The laptop version is basically the mobile version, but with a few less details. I don't have a listing for "box" for example (which tells me WHERE the pattern is located in my Studio; if it's blank then I haven't printed it off yet), nor do I have the fabric requirements/recommendation. I do have the actual pdf attached - which is NOT on the mobile version. I also have any embroidery files attached (on the laptop) for things like plushies - it makes it easier to find them/remember I have them. (Embroidery files are also housed on a separate USB stick, for use at the machine. I don't want to have to haul my laptop out every time I want to embroider something. :lol:)

Himself came out today and started brainstorming a more efficient setup. The serger has been moved, as has my full-length mirror. The embroidery machine desk is going to be replaced with a 4x2 kallax - there will be room for a 2nd machine, should we decide we need one! (Right now, no - but the idea has been floated; the current machine for bags and things, and one with a larger hoop for clothing. I'm in no rush, but having space already set up will be nice.) The current desk will be donated. There's just enough room for a new desk for his machine, where the serger was - we're just waiting for Ikea to reopen so we can give them more money.........every day they are closed is another day I might go to Home Depot instead. :hint hint:

That's where we are right now - my Studio is all 6's and 7's right now, but will be put in order tomorrow. I have a blouse cut out (Love Notions' Rhapsody blouse with 3/4 length Bishop sleeves), then I need to make up a new shirt for Himself.

The husband wants to go get dinner - gotta skitter!

Let's see.....week before Easter, we took the aunt shopping. Got home, Himself and I went for a walk, and Herself ran out to get us - she found a dozen newly-hatched chicks! Helped her get the brooder set up....fun times!

Then, last Sunday (Easter), she came in....with 4 still-wet kittens. She had been cleaning the nesting boxes and had heard something. Went to investigate; in the milkroom (not currently in use, for rather obvious reasons), in the old grain bin, was a dead(!) possum with 4 newborn kittens on top of it.(ewwwwww!) I had her set up a bucket to put them in, next to the can......and we watched. For 24 hours. No mom ever showed, so we brought the 4 wee ones inside, added the heat rock from the lizards' habitat, and tried to keep them alive.

Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful. The last one died yesterday - we kept it alive a week, which I guess is something. :sigh:

Anyway. I've been spending a lot of time contemplating my wardrobe. I have sewn a LOT of dresses over the last few years, but I never wear them. Dresses, to me, are - well, Dress-Up, not everyday clothes. I started looking at all the sewing books/patterns I've bought/bookmarked over the past year, and I realized that I really, really like the Lagenlook.....look. :lol: Slouchy, loose-fitting pants under tunic tops, with (a few!) ruffles. I discovered the Tina Givens patterns (freebies!) I had downloaded, and decided to sew up a pair of Plinka pants.

I. Am. Loving. Them! I now have 3 pair, and a pair of Phoebe pants hanging in my wardrobe. With fabric on order for a few more pair.

I have weeded my wardrobe, and am down to a few tunic tops that I love. (Guess I kinda/sorta Marie Kondo'ed my wardrobe......heh.) I have the patterns for a few more, and will be sewing them up soon. I don't plan on over-layering things, but a swingy tunic over the plinka's is a cute outfit.

I seem to lean more toward the Japanese take on Lagenlook instead of the German/American version - I am not interested in 2 or more "slips" on top of a skirt on top of the plinkas; I like the tunic-over-pants look. It's comfy, it's breezy, and - because the Plinkas are so....wide-legged, it's still swishy! :lol: The Phoebe pants are still wide-legged, but no ruffles - I'm planning on wearing them with "louder" tops, and the Plinka pants with more subdued ones. Maybe........I mean, I'm finally over 50 now, so why not? I might even start wearing Red and Purple together - on purpose! (only, not really. I don't like a lot of red....)

I discovered Adelica Patterns over the weekend - simple items, good prices, kinda lacking on instructions. Still, for $4.50/pattern, it's not bad - and, for me, the sizing is spot on. (They're on Etsy as well as their own website.) Today I bought the StyleArc Jules Woven tunic - I have some lawn that *needs* to become this.

I've also made a couple of sun hats - 1 for me (using some leftover linen so it matches a pair of Plinkas) and 1 for Himself (using canvas from my Studio couch slipcover.) We'll wear them on our walks. Herself wants a (few) hat(s), too, so I'll be busy. :lol: That's good, since the world's gone mad.

(I am seeing signs this is winding down - there were a couple of mass-shootings over the weekend. False flags, of course- what, do you think that all the mass-shooters actually obeyed the quarantine? Not. This would have been the ideal time to go shoot up grocery stores, since that's the place most people are congregating, but oh, no - they stayed indoors like model citizens.:snort: The media needs to find a way to exit this gracefully, so they conjure up stuff. Oh - all you Trollus Langleyites that have started appearing in my comments - give it up. My blog is honestly NOT that popular, nor do I want it to be. I can do math, thanks, so I know the media is lying. :shrug: I really don't care if anyone else believes me.)

So. Got the new embroidery machine on Monday, but it was too late by the time I got home to try it out. Same thing Tuesday (see, I can't go to my Studio if I get home and Suki is out. She goes nuts, runs out the pet door, and attacks any dog that goes out after her. She ONLY does this if *I* open the door to go outside. It's weird. Anyway, my Studio time is in the mornings. I shower, feed the dogs and lock her up, then go out to do my thing. She gets let out at 2-ish, and I am stuck in the house form that point. If I HAVE to go out, she gets locked up until I either get in the Studio, when a kid will let her out, or until I come back inside. Sucks, but what do you do?) - so, today, I got to put the Brother thru it's paces.

Let me cut to the chase - if you are thinking about maybe getting into machine embroidery, buy a Brother. I can't speak for the combo machines, but if they are anything like the stand-alones, they are *awesome*.

I set it up, flipped thru the owner's manual (it's a bit different from the Singer), then hooped up some cotton, plugged in my USB, and let her rip.

It. Stitched. Out. PERFECTLY.

Next up, fleece. The thread got caught in the bobbin slit (not the machine's fault - I should have turned the bobbin so the slit was on top. My bad!), then I broke a needle because I didn't push it up far enough. I got things sorted, and it Stitched. Out. PERFECTLY.

The Singer? I think, in the almost 3 years I've had it, and the 15 or 20 projects I did on it, I only managed *1* perfect stitch-out. *1*. EVERY other project has had something borked - usually skipped stitches or bird's nests.

Now, granted, when I ordered the machine Friday I added in a box of 24 pre-wound bobbins - but that shouldn't make that much of a difference. I also added in the extra hoop package (4 hoops; 3 of which are "new" sizes) - for a grand total of $687, delivered. The dealer wanted $1200 for (basically) the (same, almost) machine. (since I can't use the software or the classes.) For another $18 I got a repositionable hoop, so I can do projects that are too large for the machine (I'll have to use Embrilliance to split the designs; no, I have no clue. Still - Singer doesn't offer other hoop sizes for the machine I have...........you are limited to the 2 that came in the box.) The Brother only came with 1 hoop (5x7), but the machine had no problem dealing with the smaller (4x4) hoop I put on it this AM - it stitched it out like it came with it. (I can't sew anything larger than 5x7 without splitting the designs, even if I add a larger hoop. The machine simply can't fathom a larger embroidery space. No biggie - most of my planned projects are in the 4x4 range, to be honest. I don't think I need a larger hoop - the repositionable one was a good price, and I was in a spending mood. :lol:)

AND! Every hoop I have has a plastic grid to aid in alignment. I have gotten used to marking my fabric, then using a ruler to try and align my mark to the center of the hoop. I don't have to do that any more!! Also, this machine tells you how long it should take to stitch out the design - which is cool, because I can plan my other projects around that - I knew not to start any complicated sewing, because I only had 13 minutes before the embroidery was done. How cool is that?

To say I am happy is an understatement. I'm going to spend some time converting all my embroidery files to .pes (from .xxx) so that I can use them on the Brother. The Singer is currently boxed up, waiting instructions from Asurian. I'm also back to browsing the embroidery sites - something I haven't done in a good long while. It was hard to get excited when I was dealing with a finicky machine.

I hope the honeymoon lasts - so far, this is great! It's such an improvement over the Singer - and no, it's not just because I am upset at the damage. 2 perfect projects, right out of the box is a big deal! I'll try to do an in-depth review in a week or 2 - or after tax season :lol: - but as of right now, I highly recommend Brother embroidery machines.