Little Birdie

Suddenly it seems that after a long period of treading water, exciting things are starting to happen. There has been some sewing going on lately, usually late at night into the small hours. Also, a bit of studying (nice to get the brain fired up again), and preparation for a new job starting next week.  

Beaky, our family blackbird died the other week aged (at least) 8 during an intense hailstorm. The average age for blackbirds is about 2 1/2 years. He was looking after one of his newly fledged chicks until he died, a task we took on which entailed chopping up earthworms. Chicky (officially called Ollie) is doing well and visits the back door for snacks of blueberries and cheese. S/he can dig up his own worms and grubs now. 

Ollie

Until I started keeping the company of blackbirds, I couldn't really tell one bird from another. They all seem to look pretty similar, especially at a distance. But Beaky had a bright yellow-orange crooked beak and an idiosyncratic way of moving so he was easy to spot, and the more I watched the birds in our garden, the easier it was to tell them apart. Sometimes he would sit with us and sunbathe in that funny way birds do with their beaks open and their wings stretched out. He and Mr K spent most dry mornings having breakfast together at the bottom of the garden. 

It got me thinking about a statement I heard when I was doing some work training years ago -"all behaviour is the communication of an unmet need". I don't know if Beaky sat with us because he just liked to hang out with us or was there another specific purpose - to show other birds he had big friends who'd look out for him, or to keep us sweet so we'd continue to provide him with snacks... if the statement can always be proven, how do qualities like free will or altruism fit in - I suppose they don't..? Do we ever do anything purely as an abstract or ultimately non self-serving act? I hope so, I don't want to accept a mechanistic explanation for everything we do. 

It has been strange in the garden in the evenings; Beaky's son Frankenbird leads the evening song from the roof of our house and appears to be top bird now. The birds seem to fight less, maybe because in Beaky's absence they each have a bit more territory. The swallows are nesting in the garage, forgiven for crapping all over our bikes and the lawn mower because they are such amazing acrobats and come back to us every year from their exotic adventures. 

Back to the sewing then...the impending new work role means no more turning up for work in manky old jeans. I am going to have to look a little smarter; I might even have to get a proper hairdo. I have bought myself some sensible new work shoes that remind me of the pastry lids on scotch pies. My younger self would have been horrified to even contemplate wearing such ugly shoes but man, they are comfortable!   

Scotch pie

I have nipped in the waistband of last year's sewing challenge trousers to improve the fit and have them in wearable condition for work. I've also been involved in a sewing bee at work, on the right is a picture showing a wee detail of a background I made for others to embellish. I used bondaweb, three different fabrics and some sharp scissors. Other people have subsequently added a ship and some breakers to it using applique and stitching. 

Next month will be busy as I settle into my new job and get started on my next course assignment. I'm hoping there'll be time for a quick sewing or knitting project. A friend is due a baby in July so I should get something on the needles quickly...


Not much info to share on the new job yet. I will find out more when I get there, but it sounds like a bit of an adventure - still social care - but with more out-and-about activities and some research. Sensible shoes will come in handy.

Till Victory

Fashion newsflash: are the big cities the happening places where new trends emerge? Not necessarily. The creative deviants who inform fashion and cultural developments are creating and deviating in unlikely corners of the planet. 

The look for S/S13

 Observe the sock and sandal combo in this picture (left). An emerging look for the debonair gentleman who values comfort as much as looking stylish, it accommodates the busy man who hasn't time to ratch through the laundry pile to find a matching pair of socks. It has been reported in The Guardian as a key component for Spring/Summer 2013 menswear collections.

These were spotted in rural Southern Scotland at a garden "event". I am also aware of a surfer on the East Lothian coast who has been in the vanguard of this look for many years, and he may be heartened to know that soon those who previously scoffed at his choice will be rushing out to remedy this fashion oversight. 

This month's distractions/excuses not to sew have been the Olympics, visitors, domestic chores (as ever) and intermittent garden events (rare sightings of sun). The Olympics have been exciting and I've been intrigued by sports I didn't even know I was interested in. It's amazing how much effort people put in for such a fleeting opportunity to prove the level of their ability at their particular discipline. In sartorial terms, I have concluded that yellow is not a forgiving colour for lycra, especially for the men.  

Vogue 1051 - view A (right)

So I've been putting off making these trousers (see right) for months now, and with good reasons. It's years since I made a pair of trousers and over the past few months I've been repeatedly faced with the fact that I am no longer a classic Vogue shape, and probably should cut my own blocks (a bodice one at least). It's unlikely to happen any time soon!

Back to the trousers then... I tried view A from Vogue 1051 in a medium weight denim. This was a fairly easy pattern and I especially enjoyed making the pockets. 
I've not done anything like that before so it was a good challenge and I think the pockets turned out quite well. I used a red lining which you can't see, but I know it's there. My notebook came in very handy to get the right settings for denim (previous project) for the overlocker - saved a bit of time and thread.

Pocket detail

Might replace this with picture taken in natural light without snazzy carpet...

However, the trousers don't much resemble the garment worn by the slinky glamourpuss on the pattern envelope. I made a size 12, and they made my arse look like it needed its own postcode. There was a lot of fabric in the legs, particularly from hip to knee. I made some adjustments to the crotch to remove excess fabric which has slightly improved the look of them. On the model, the trousers look like hipsters;  these sit quite high on the waist for me, but then I don't have model proportions. I'm still not sure about the hem length, I might shorten them a little. I'll probably come back to this pattern now it's been amended. I think I've made some kind of progress lately, but still have a long way to go...  

Vogue 8701 Jacket

It's well past past my deadline. Now I really need to be cracking on with something for Kath's wedding.I do have a pattern that I'm not fully settled on but it doesn't look too difficult. My alternative is to sort out the trousers pattern I've just been using and pair it with this jacket. A bit difficult to see beyond the loud check fabric. I'm not in love with it though, so I will keep looking for jackets that are not too complicated. Suggestions are welcome!  

Going by the past seven months, it's unlikely I'll get something wearable for this wedding within a month. At the very least, I'm going to dedicate what's left of August and September to it. Kath is coming down so we can fit her for her wedding outfit. She'll have lots of ideas and plans, and positive sewing energy. I'm hopeful that should help get me inspired too.

The Model

On time at last!  Here it is, a Burda 8281 skirt (view a) completed by Beltane just before midnight:

Burda 8281(a) skirt in lightweight denim

The hem is only tacked at the moment, so am I cheating by defining it as a finished garment? Probably. I did have time to finish it last night within my deadline. But I'm swithering about what colour thread to use and how many rows of stitching (I was thinking two rows, Mr K suggested three). I figured attempting a handsewn invisible hem on denim could get a bit ugly so it will only take a minute on the machine once I've made up my mind.

At some point, I'll add a picture of the skirt as modelled by a real human. It doesn't seem to matter how I adjust my trusty dress form, I can't present finished garments well on it. In spite of the perky conical boobs (unlike any I've seen on a human) it has been a handy item for dressmaking over the years. It was an 18th birthday present and back then, it was set 1" up from the narrowest waist setting to 25". Twenty odd years and a baby later, I've had to crank it up to 28". I had a look at the new version - the fabric's a different colour and the bust doesn't look quite so pointy (maybe that's the illusion of a different colour). I think I'll get a few more years out of my old dummy. 

Supafit dress form

Once, I decided not to bother with the dummy and its pointiness when, two days before my wedding, I thought it would be a good idea to adjust one of the bust seams of my dress. With an 8" mirror tile as the only reflective opportunity in my flat, no one to help or advise on what I was doing, and a pointy-breasted dummy seemingly mocking me in the corner of the room, this turned out to be a really-not-good-idea at all. After hours of a tacking-sewing-unpicking routine and trying to angle that tiny mirror to get a proper view I gave up. Somehow, either the power of the Force or sewing elves working through the night sorted it out while I slept. Whichever way it was solved, it looked fine in the end.

I made such an arse of the last skirt, so I'm relieved that this one has turned out ok. I like the fit. I'd like to do a few more of these, possibly a couple of centimetres longer and with some applique or embroidery on them. It's a quick and easy make (when I can actually get near the sewing machine).

Snazzy Lightning vintage zips

Last time I was at the sewing shop I picked up a few vintage Lightning zips. I don't usually go for metal ones but the packet promised "permanently coloured teeth" with money back guarantee and charmful packaging offering a special offer booklet from their Publicity Dept. for 6p in stamps (bit late for that one). There was a whole box full of them in bright colours. I thought 3 was quite a restrained purchase, but now I know they're there, I'll probably "have" to go back for some more...


In other activities, we have been doing a lot of speedy racing in the dining room. It can get perilous where small cars and busy patterned carpet meet, and there have been a few unfortunate crunches underfoot. So far the Lamborghinis and Porsche have escaped any damage. So we have now introduced a parking system: