Have You Seen This Top?

I have a little bit of mojo going in light of the impending GCGSW, so I found this top lying on a pile of knit tops that didn't fit right and decided to save it. It previously had short sleeves which were too tight, and the armscye was biting into me in the back, but once I ripped off the sleeves, it sat better. Thus it became a tank.


Sad thing is, I have no idea what pattern I used for this. I held the Renfrew up to it, but it didn't match.


What a swayback - I look like I'm bending over backwards!


I couldn't find the remnants of fabric, so that precluded any nice bands. I just pressed under about 3/4" and stitched on the top of it. I didn't want to mess with the coverstitch all night, since I haven't perfected finishing seams yet, so I popped in my twin needle and was about 1" from finishing the hem when one of the needles broke - DOH!


Therefore, I popped in a single stretch needle and did a triple stretch stitch with one color, then the other color.


I'm happy to have salvaged something wearable, but I wish I knew what pattern it was, because I like the neckline. The hem is a little too snug.


Now I need to knit a black shrug so I can wear it to work!

Labor Day Helicoptering

The blogging is taking a serious backseat to work these days! I did have a couple of days off to enjoy the last dregs of summer with the family (It was 96 today, who are we kidding? I think I'll wear white next week!), and that entailed a helicopter ride we've been trying to do for months. The first time we tried it, the thing was broken and being serviced, which was not particularly confidence-inspiring, but all was well THIS time. Dean opted to stay behind as next of kin.


Hello, Alabama Pass!


So Drew wanted to head north instead of going along the beach with its predictable waves and condos, and guess what we found? A lady in the water! (You do see her head and knees sticking up like she's sitting in a tub, right?) Turns out that Barber Marina is owned by a billionaire who likes to have fun with his money, so he commissioned some sculptures to be scattered across his property.


Here's a giant spider behind the dry storage building. Lucas thinks it's to deter thieves.


And for some reason, in the middle of a forest where no one can see it, Stonehenge! The dirt road you see in the corner isn't even a way in, as it's blocked to cars. You'd have to hike in on foot to find this.


And then back over Robinson Island for a quick landing - what fun! We'd all do it again, and Drew especially enjoyed the banking turns with no door. Given that he's planning to go into the Air Force, he BETTER enjoy stuff like this!


Oh, here's a little vicarious flying for you:



And now to sewing, of course. My Mom and Jim gave me a gift certificate to Alabama Chanin for my birthday, which was right after my sewing weekend with Natalie - hooray! I bought another stencil, and this one is WAY bigger than my other one:





I also bought a couple of yards of teal fabric. I think I had a shirt or dress in mind when I bought it - can't remember now.


And yes, I'm still couching that skirt. Almost finished with the first panel. This thing's taking longer than the beaded Mardi Gras dress, but it's because I keep knitting with every spare moment I have. OH, and the big news is we're having a second GCGSW - Gulf Coast Girls' Sewing Weekend! It's in October, and we've picked up another doctor who sews, so we're scrambling to find an engineer to balance out the degrees - ha! Hey Pam, we'll take a lawyer, too, if you're free the weekend of October 11th. Some of us are tackling the Bodice Sloper class on Craftsy for this, but I also plan on whipping up some knit shirts in the meantime, since I never finished the Sewing with Knits classes. Wait, I think I have 2 lectures to give at the state medical meeting in 3 weeks, which also coincides with my college reunion-girls' weekend....dude, when will I have time for my sewing?!