6.22.2014

Hiraeth


I found this posted to facebook. What a neat word. It was a fitting follow up to a post my daughter recently added where she shared photos of her childhood home. She said she felt sad when she looked at a group of pictures in a photo album that had pictures of the house and yard.

I felt the same way at the end of my marriage when I realized that I was not grieving what I had lost, so much as what I had never had in the relationship. I feel it more though about the home we had to sell. The back yard was much larger than you would expect to find from the front and was surrounded with large evergreen trees, apple trees, lilac bushes and red sumac.  In the side front there was an overgrown hedge fence that provided a cool afternoon shade. A large cottonwood tree graced the backyard with shade in the afternoon and it felt like a private sanctuary.

There were poppies that bloomed bright orange for a couple of weeks in the spring. The breezes made the flower heads bob and sway and they were a sight to behold. Occasionally I drive by to see what has become of the place. The current owners have cut out most of the trees, dug up the bushes and abolished the poppies. It has a properly manicured lawn now and lacks the personality it once had. Still, hiraeth perfectly describes how I feel about the time I spent there.


6.07.2014

Pinterest Blue Tape Pattern Test Sew

Review of the results for the Pinterest 3M Blue Painter's Tape pattern.


Pattern  pieces cut out
The sleeve of this shirt has a rolled up cuff so the only update to the pattern I needed to make was to include the cuff facing and hem.  You can see it above at the bottom of the sleeve pattern.  Also in this photo are the two front pieces on the left with two strips for the button and button hole bands on the left, the sleeve, collar and collar stand pieces in the center and the two back pieces on the right.

Construction steps for this shirt are listed below. I put sew the collar and collar stand at 7 and 8, but you could do this right after you interface these pieces, then they will be ready when you get the front and back sewn together at the shoulder. 

1. Interface the collar, collar stand, and button bands
2. Sew the button bands to the center front pieces
3. Sew the center fronts to the front side pieces, press then serge seams, top stitch seams down at this point if desired.
4. Sew the center back pieces to the back side pieces
5. Sew the center back pieces together, then press and serge seams, top stitch seams if desired
6. Sew front pieces to back at shoulders
7. Sew the collar, trim/grade seams, turn and press
8. Sew the collar stand to the collar, grade seams, turn and press
9. Sew the collar stand to the shirt, trim, grade seams, then hand stitch the inside of the collar stand by hand.
10. Sew the notch at the bottom of the sleeve,snip,  turn press to get smooth v-notch at the end of the sleeve
11. Sew the sleeves to the shirt, making sure the front of the sleeve and the back of the sleeve are positioned correctly on each side.
12. Sew the side seams matching seam placement under the arm and sewing from the bottom of the arm to the end of the sleeve, including the sleeve self facing, then again from the under arm to the bottom of the shirt on both sides. 
13. Roll up the sleeve facings, press again, fold in the hem and sew this hem around the sleeve.
14. Hem by rolling up the bottom of the shirt and pressing the raw edge inside this fold. About an inch or slightly less for this hem.
15. Mark and sew button holes on the right side of the shirt center front button band cut button holes open carefully.
16. Mark placement for buttons, sew on buttons.

Once I had the sleeves and collar on the shirt I tried it on to be sure it fit.  I ended up taking it up about 3/4 inch at the shoulder. But this was a minor adjustment for a good fit. 
Original Shirt
Test Sew, new shirt

I would call this method of copying a shirt a success. It works well for cotton and sturdy woven fabrics. The print on the fabric makes it hard to see the seams. Now I need to make a pretty one with the front tucks in a favorite color, maybe purple. Thank you Pinterest poster for this idea.  I don't think this one will be a "nailed it" failure.