04 July 2009
03 July 2009
Patchwork Tablecloth and Napkins
So, after about a month of work (most of which time was spent waiting for insanely huge shipments of rick rack), my patchwork tablecloth and napkins are completed. I'm very happy with the results, and the project has left me with a lot of attractive little remnants. What looked like a project that would be completed in an afternoon or two took a lot longer -- there is a lot of squaring up to do in this project (I think I can now safely consider myself an expert in that area), a decent amount of ironing between steps, and A LOT of pinning, sewing rickrack, then top-stitching, repeat. Repeat. I found these steps to be the most time-consuming but also the most fun and yes! relaxing! I'm going to make a set of these eventually for Josh and I in red, orange and pink -- the colors we tend to use in our kitchen / dining room. Though the original pattern calls for this to be done in blues, I also really think this would be beautiful in all whites.
01 July 2009
Why do I sew?
It's a question I've thought a lot about lately.
I learned to sew before I could read or write. My mother taught me my ABCs by having me crosstitch, then embroider them -- onto aida remnants. My grandmother was an interior decorator, and an accomplished seamstress. She made all of my mother's clothes when she was a child and teenager -- and the photos and examples I've seen of that work are truly impressive. She could make slipcovers for couches, curtains -- anything -- and often, she didn't work from a pattern.
My mother did not inherit her love of the machine. She was, however, incredibly adept at handsewing. By the time she'd gotten around to teaching me, she'd needlepointed, embroidered, and cross-stitched many a giant sampler for my grandparents and close relatives. Examples of her work are now something I covet and hope to collect.
So I learned to hand-sew first -- and I took to it fervently. While I have no real ire for trend-sewers (and love to teach beginners), sewing has always been a largely solitary thing for me. My mother would offer input, and then, my friend Emily learned as well. Throughout elementary, middle, and high school, we two were the ONLY people our age that I knew, who sewed. Through college -- it was the same story. I've taught many a friend how to sew, only to be reminded over and over that it's just not for everyone.
In 8th grade I took my first "sewing class," introducing me to the machine. It was not an easy introduction, and in many ways, we still have an awkward relationship, and I'd often just prefer to handsew things!
Over the years, as I've become more skilled, sewing has ceased to have almost any practical function. Now, I sew because I sew, in much the same way I read books. I consume fabric and needles and patterns. I alter them to my liking or I don't. I follow some of the instructions, disregard others.
I am often reckless in my sewing. In my grandmother's garden you see above -- I simply didn't measure the seam allowances. (I'm insane, I know!) Born to be mild, indeed.
So yeah, I sew probably because it's in my blood now. When I was about 20 I learned to knit and crochet. The first thing I ever crocheted to completion was a blanket for my new dog, Sal (whimper). After that, I took up quilting in graduate school, around the age of 25. It's come the slowest to me, partly because of the fucking machine, partly because I'm impatient and quilting doesn't reward you with visible progress as quickly as decorative sewing often does. Part of me thinks sewing might be a way to leave a trail behind me, but since I am pretty careless about where I leave that trail (most of my previous sewing projects are scattered about my mother's now defunct home, I would assume), that's probably not quite it either.
This summer, I'll go back to my mother's place, and collect all of our sewing projects, and then I'll photograph them. There will be the embarrassing ones from the 1980's, when sewing Precious Moments and teddy bears while watching Days of our Lives seemed liked the best idea on the planet. There will be the awkward phase, where I started to learn the weird stitches, the brief obsession with candlewicking Christmas tree skirts. There will be memories of things I did, just because I could.
You know, whatever.
Little update: sewing makes me incredibly happy. My mind shuts down. I don't have anything but the best feelings in the world about it -- I love talking to people about it endlessly, I love hanging out in fabric and craft stores, and I've found that people that sew are some of the best in the world. That shouldn't be forgotten, I guess.
The photo above is of my long-running battle with remnants, which I hate and feel guilty about. The rest of the set is here.
30 June 2009
Apple Seedlings
Growing little apple trees from seeds of the fruit isn't very hard. I just took about five seeds, washed them off, and then wrapped them in a damp paper towel, and put that in a juice glass. I stored the juice glass on top of the refrigerator (for warmth) and checked it for sprouts every few days, re-wetting as it dried up. It took about a week and a half for them to sprout. I have three sprouts in one huge pot from the five sproutlings I planted. Super cute and growing fast!
28 June 2009
After 9 hours, I'm still not done.
I was really looking forward to making this bag all week. Cutting all the pieces was pretty simple, but this was the first time I've ever worked with heavy weight interfacing, and it's kind of a bitch! It really makes working with the fabric tough, but definitely gives the fabric some attractive heft. There were a few things about the instructions I found to be perplexing, and the straps, once folded the requisite amount of times, ended up with THREE layers deep of the interfacing, so I had to undo, and cut the width of it down -- I didn't want my straps to be so thick. My sewing machine started acting up at the end of the night -- not surprising considering the weight of all that fabric, and a change of needle didn't seem to help. I didn't have it in me to start messing with the bobbin tension at that point (adjusting that while tired, I've found, can be disastrous), so I stopped for the day with just a bit of top-stitching left to do. The bag is a little more complex than it looks, it has a full, super nice, fitted lining with two deep pockets in it and overall I'm really happy with how it turned out -- I'm especially proud of my pleats, though I suspect the heavy interfacing has more to do with them than me. One lesson learned today -- all that ironing in between each step is well worth it. The bag looks really crisp and neat because I really took my time. There is a slightly smaller version of this bag as well -- I'm going to make one as a gift soon.
26 June 2009
Postcards to Pittsburgh
American Illustrators
Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966) used alternating layers of paint and varnish to create the shimmering fantasy lands in his popular illustrations for books, advertisements, magazines, and calendars. The color of his skies is still known as "Parrish blue." In 1925 an estimated one in four homes owned a Parrish print.
Interlute (The Lute Players), mural for the Eastman Theatre, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York, 1922
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23 June 2009
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