Bye-Bye, Miss American Pie

That does it. I'm moving to Japan. Or Canada. No, it's not Obamacare. It's the fact that Americans love Tim. They sent Didi home tonight (despite the 50-60 phone calls I made on her behalf). And I know it wasn't good last night, but she knows where she belongs and she sang Rihanna tonight for her desperate begging song, but they didn't save her. They're probably saving the save for Crystal or Lee or Casey. So they sent home a cute blonde with such an interesting voice so we could keep watching 2 boring people (Tim and Katie) with no personalities. I mean, even the Ford commercial was boring tonight. And I think they got the memo about how boring everybody is because there was no group song tonight. Just P-Diddy with his gyrating women singing, "Hello. Good morning." Really very catchy. And Usher's song was boring, but at least he can DANCE, so that saved the whole hour.

Alright, off to pack my bag. Oh, and I'm not done yet with the jeans - still have topstitching/carriers/hemming to do, but I sew on them a little every night then wear them till bedtime - so comfortable! And I can even do a little "scratching" (like a DJ on a turntable) with these pocket zippers to go with my dancing - how hip is that? (Yes, very!)

Ultraman to Save the Day!

I squealed in the bookstore - who remembers Ultraman??? Scott, you'll remember we watched this every afternoon - he fought Godzilla and other Japanese monsters. He looked like steel, but was actually more like polyester when he moved with unsightly wrinkles. He did some karate moves and flew through the air, and he shot lasers from his eyes. What was the thing on his chest for - it blinked when his time was up or he was in danger or something. Tracey, I bet you don't remember it, do you? I may go back and get it - totally awesome! We now return to our original programming.

What I Was Trying To Say....

It has come to my attention that the previous post made very little sense to some readers and even suggested that the Mad Cow may have taken over completely. It was simply an homage (a reference to, an allusion if you will, and I do believe I spelled that correctly for this use) to several children's books by Laura Numeroff which were quite popular at my house. It WAS indeed a stretch to think that "If you give a club a sailboat" would remind anyone of those books, but, in fact, I had my children read the post and they "got it" after the first sentence.

At least my sister-in-law got it - well done, Elizabeth!

If You Give a Club Some Sailboats

If you give a club some sailboats, they'll want to meet up together in a quiet bay.

You'll tell them not to run over the nice man with his son in the tiny sailboat with the blue sail, because the man's wife is a famous sewer who has connections to Sandra Betzina.

They will ask what there is to do there, and you'll suggest they have wine and cheese and spend the night. This will remind them that there's a basketball game on, so you'll have to get them a TV to watch the Kentucky upset (but how nice for West Virginia to win after 51 years).

When they wake up, they'll ask you what the dinghies are for, and you'll tell them to putter over to a little island for brunch. (Most likely it's brunch. But it could be that they're an odd boating cult sacrificing a goat to hold off the rain. Then we'd have to call this "If You Give a Cult a Goat." Or maybe someone is a famous sewer and is doing a little demo on plackets..."Do you see?")

They'll ask you what they should do next, and you'll remind them that you gave them sailboats, so they should do just that.


And I didn't make it to the church on the beach that I was going to visit because I got up too late, but God smiled at me anyway. That's what I think when the sun shines through a tiny hole in the clouds like that, or when a tiny bird poses for a picture next to me.


Now why did I spend an hour making this sound like a children's book - I've got jeans to finish!

I've Got a Fever...

And the only cure...is more Sandra Betzina. I'm totally obsessing now. I've worked out that we'll have a class at our vacation spot. I'll host in return for free tuition, and we'll blow up some air mattresses to fit everybody, but of course she gets the master suite. We'll have to push the den furniture out of the way and bring in some long tables for everybody's sewing machines (hmmm, not enough outlets), but there's a step up to the kitchen so she can set up there for demos. Now Sue the shop owner can bring bolts and notions to sell, because the nearest fabric store is an hour away. And you can pay an extra $10 if you want to enjoy the sunset cruises (gotta cover gas for the boat!) and we'll eat out in our new duds or bring in some boiled seafood if we're going to sew through the night. And this'll only be a weekend thing, so the kids and husbands and employers should be okay. And maybe Sandra would like to bring her husband and enjoy the beach, so maybe she'd lower the fee a little.

This is totally working in my head - are you in?

Oh...uh, well then we'll just find a way to all meet up in San Fran!

And yes, I typed this whole thing on my iPhone. Told you I was obsessed.

I Love Me Some Sandra Betzina!

I'm heartbroken that this was the last day, and I didn't get there as early as I wanted because of work, and I had to leave early because we're going to the beach, but I had such a nice time anyway. Check out that zippered back pocket. I'll get more pics later because we're literally leaving in 10 minutes, but I was just so jazzed to have a picture with her. I spent a long time on that pocket and ripped out topstitching once, but I finished them both and now just have to waistband/yoke the jeans and baste them together to check fit.

Just to share how helpful she is, another lady spent a long time making a tunic top to wear with leggings, then thought she looked pregnant and didn't want darts or princess seams or anything Sandra came up with to make it look better. So Sandra went through all her patterns to see if there was any bodice she liked, and when there wasn't she went to the Kwik Sew patterns till they found something. She then measured her up and made adjustments to the pattern pieces before the woman left for the night. Now that's just wonderful. She also offered to help us fit any pattern we wanted, didn't have to be Vogue.

So, more pics Sunday night, and dammit I forgot to take my book to get her to sign it! Saaaaannnn-draaaaaaaa!!!!!

Day 2 of Sewing Camp

Giddy with excitement, people! Yesterday was okay with the fitting, but I was nervous about keeping up with everybody and having to make a muslin out of pillowcase fabric, etc. Here's the muslin, which had some issues. I'm holding out the hip area where she widened the seam, and I think you can see the marks on the crotch where we widened the fly.



And if she saw one wrinkle on that left leg I'm impressed, because I see a bunch. But we added to the "hook" on the back crotch seam and extended that to the knee for the wrinkle.



So today I came home from work and cut out everything and interfaced it before I went in so I could get straight to sewing. And just how awesome are my pockets? (Bitchin' pockets, Sister, testify!) She made me hold them up and someone asked if I used a twin needle or was that just some fine stitching (DAMN fine stitchin'). She "encouraged" me to pick out some fun cotton print for the lining instead of the white stuff I brought from my closet, and what a great idea. I had just told my mother I hated that fabric when we were in there the other day, but I think it's the cutest pocket lining for some reason. So I was slow as Christmas doing ALL those pockets, but it was really fun and came out so nice. (I am so hyper right now, sorry!)



So I left at 9:45 PM (I did take 45 minutes to meet Dean and the boys for dinner, during which time they had to hear about how famous she is and how lucky I am and how awesome my pockets were). Tomorrow I'll try to head in about 1 PM and get these bad boys finished. Now could you vote on whether the back pockets should have zippers or not? It calls for a zipper at the top of each back pocket, and I don't know if that's too gimmicky or not. She did tell me that Vogue wanted more jeans patterns from her after her first one, so she stood outside Versace and sketched the pockets on the $900 jeans in their window. Too cool....makes these seem relatively cheap at $350. (Dean said this would be the most expensive jeans I ever had.)

And if you're still here reading my manic ramblings, I actually loosened up more tonight after that beer at dinner (just one), and got to know these women better. They told me the San Fran. retreat is a week long for 10 women, and you stay and sew in a hotel with meals pretty much provided, plus happy hour, so you can drink and sew all night long if you like. Then they fabric-shop all day Saturday and go back to HER HOUSE for dinner. And they might spend the night there before flying home on Sunday, but I could be confused. So cool...this is so awesome...

Day 1 of Sewing Camp

Well, I love Sandra Betzina! She shook my hand, asked me what I was going to make, and promptly lifted my shirt to measure my waist. (GET to know me...and my stretch marks!) I do love a woman that can squeeze 2 inches off my usual waist measurement. She recommended I do a pre-test of the jeans, though, so luckily the shop owner had a bolt of what another lady said looked like "grandma pillow fabric" for me to use since I just brought my stretch denim. I stitched up a muslin, which was a little confusing what with pockets, side panels, and upper side panels all included in the pants front, and then of course I had to add the waistband and yoke when I went to try the muslin on and the back came halfway down my butt - doh!

And this pattern was different from my other pants because you put a waistband or back yoke section on 4 separate pieces, instead of sewing one big long waistband on the final pair of pants. Anyway, I came out and she promptly drew on my crotch and thighs with a marker (well, you know, the muslin, not my actual crotch and thighs). And that wrinkle on the back leg that goes to the knee means you need another 1/2 inch or inch of fabric on the inner leg. She just sketched up adjustments real quick on the pattern pieces without measuring a thing - stunning! I'll try to get a picture of it before I cut it out - didn't get to that because she showed us some of the new garments of hers coming out this year. There is an awesome jacket that reminded me of Amanda's coat with the asymmetrical collar, except this one has zippers.

Anyway, I left at 7 PM and the other 6 ladies were still going (because all of their children are adults, thus no guilt about not being home in time for dinner), but I hoped to cut the pants out tonight at home. Alas, dinner needed eating (thanks Jim for babysitting!), dishes needed loading, clothes needed washing, Idol needed watching (why, America, can we not send Tim and Katie home?), children needed tucking in, wine needed drinking, and a post needed writing. And here we are...do I really feel like laying out the most pattern pieces of anything I've ever made in my life? I think not....more wine!

Germs Will Save Us!

I'm soon heading to "sewing camp," as Dean has named it, but I ran across this and wanted to reassure Lynn from Living the Spacious Life that her daughter is fighting off future strokes and heart attacks by licking dirty windows! I get a daily digest of cardiology articles in the news, and this astounded me:

The Chicago Tribune (3/24, Channick) reports, "Analyzing data collected from thousands of children over two decades in the Philippines, researchers have concluded that a healthy dose of germs and pathogens during infancy reduced cardiovascular inflammation in adulthood -- a precursor to heart attacks and strokes." The study's co-author said, "I hope this research will promote some thinking about the potential cost of a zealous public health effort to promote hand washing and hand sanitizer use."

I think this proves my point that you can find a medical study to defend any behavior your want. They're WARNING against being sanitary because you may pay for it later with a stroke or heart attack! (That is, if you live through your swine flu first.) And the day before, they put out another study showing that moderate drinking is good for your heart...so if I get cirrhosis because of my 2-glasses-of-red-wine-a-day habit, I'm blaming a cardiologist!

Karate and Betzina

Lucas learned a new kata tonight and was so proud to do it with Drew, and I just think it looks cool when they're kind of synchronized. Tracey, he wants to know what rank Parker is (it's turned into a competition now).

I had a lovely day shopping with my mother for the shirt fabric and jean notions for the Betzina retreat starting tomorrow - aaaagghhhhh! I'm so NERVOUS! My mom said to be sure and tell her I'm just a beginner, and everything'll be fine. (In my childhood her advice was, "Do your best and that's all you can do," and now she wants me to tell the woman I'm not very good?)

I'm sweating how to get all my sewing stuff up to the shop - this is worse than packing for a ski trip. I did buy a cool little case at Hancock's on sale for $19 that holds thread, scissors, bobbins, etc., and holds books or patterns on the outside, so I'll probably load that thing up. And they told me they have 2 irons, so I won't look like an idiot carrying that in there. But I DO think I should walk in dragging my dress form, just to start things off right - haha.

And I can't forget all my tracing paper, chalk, rotary cutter, and clean underwear....you know, since we'll be doing fitting stuff. This is going to be really embarrassing. I can't wait to let you know how it goes tomorrow. It's 2 pm until and it goes for 3 days, so the posts may be late. Ooh - I need to take pictures! Think she'll let me do that? I didn't even think about that - we'll have to see...

New Church, Take 1

So the boys and I tried a new church today. (I know, Mother, stop crying, there's hope for us yet.) This one was Baptist! Ooh, I haven't been to a Baptist church since I went with my friend Janet and watched somebody get dunked...I mean immersed. I'm Presbyterian, so I was expecting something very different, but it was actually quite similar. I knew all the songs we sang, and there was no recitation of unfamiliar creeds, which actually surprised me. We Presbyterians say one and sing the other, and visitors have to look it up real quick in the hymnal - sorry! Oh, and we didn't say the Lord's Prayer today - surely that's not just a Presbyterian thing...huh. There's always that nervousness about whether to say "trespasses/those who trespass against us" or "debts/debtors." But there were no unknown chants or postures today - phew!

I was also surprised that when it was offering time the men just walked around the aisles looking sheepishly at people. What? The boys each had some money and I had my "Visitor - Call Me!" card to put in the plate, but I didn't realize I was supposed to flag someone down, so we just held onto it all. How laid back!

And everyone was so friendly - people actually told me their names and invited me to join them in their pew next time, and Drew got invited to Sunday school by a friend - nice! Very different from an old church I used to go to for years, where a lady in the Sunday school class I had been in for 2 years asked me how long I had been visiting.

So thumbs up to the Baptists at this church. Next is either this one again or a non-denominational one down the street which has about 25 members - we might cause an uproar there. This one today had 82 members...singing in the choir!

Sunshine Award - What?!

Thanks to Gwen for this award, which has brought so much traffic by today! Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Pass on the award to 12 bloggers and provide a link.
3. Let them know they received the award by leaving a comment on their blog.
4. Link to the person who gave you the award.

I'm just now finding all these wonderful blogs, so I'll do what I can:
1. Erica B.'s - D.I.Y. Style! - She's a fellow Alabamian and a master sewist who makes the most beautiful clothes.

2. Kadiddlehopper - KID, MD is of course well-known to all of you probably, and she already got this award, but I wanted to give her a shout-out because she's been a big supporter, and is a fellow doctor!

3. Kitschy Coo - Amanda drafts and sells her own patterns, and writes very entertaining posts as well.

4. Knitters Delight - Susan makes awesome clothes and takes the sexiest pictures in them!

5. Living the Spacious Life - Auntninn just started her blog recently and has very funny stories to tell.

6. Pammie and the P's - I just found Pammie's blog - she has tons of pictures and is funny too.

7. Skippedydoodah - Skip has a killer sense of humor and is an awesome writer from the UK.

That's it - I guess you see that I'm following funny bloggers who sew. Now I'll get to notifying everybody, but I've got to eat dinner first. If they're like me, they'll know by the traffic jam that something's up. And thanks to Gwen (and KID MD who gave me an award last month) for the support and linking me up to other sewers who have fun!

Fitting Help? Split the Blog?

Well the party was a great success. About 50 neighbors showed up and met each other, drank gallons of wine, raved about Dean's gumbo, and promised to do it again soon. A wonderful time was had by all. And today I worked on the 2nd pair of pants. But before I get into that, I wonder if I should do 2 blogs like some other people do - one for sewing stuff and the other for my smart-ass observations on life in general. I don't want to bore the non-sewers, and I don't want to offend the sewers. Please comment if you have an opinion. That means you, Scott [my brother] - I don't want you to have to read about crotch seams.

Now the first pair of pants was almost perfect and didn't need any serious alterations. This pair is a more stretchy polyester-ish fabric and I have some questions. This is just basted and not waistbanded or hemmed, obviously.




Why do I have indentations right where my underwear hit my leg? I know I myself have a valley between the high hip and saddlebag (lovely), so does this necessitate Spanx? I even tried Betzina's tip about interfacing the side seams to smooth out bumps, but it didn't help. I have this on the other pants, but I choose to ignore it. (ba-bye non-sewers, didn't mean to gross you out - hope to see you back soon!)

I also seem to have too much fabric on the back legs - should I take larger seams to fix that, or is that crotch seam issue? It's hard to figure this out without a dressform to put them on.

And the Betzina retreat starts Wednesday - I'm so nervous! I'm making jeans of all things - now do you go in a dressing room to try them on for fitting issues? Does this mean she may see my stretch marks and underwear? (Does this mean I can't sew in my underwear in between fittings like I do at home? You know you do it too!)

Party Preparations and Fabric

Well, we're co-hosting a little party with the neighbors for the block this evening, and Chef Dean spent at least 8 hours yesterday cooking pasta salad (with sausage and tortellini - yum) and seafood gumbo. Who knew the refrigerator could be arranged like this? It was like Dinner Impossible - there are 80-90 invitees, so Dean quadrupled his gumbo recipe and had to mix the salad in a big cooler (properly washed first, of course). I wanted to get a timer out and do a big countdown like on the show, but I didn't really want the yelling that they also have...

I also wish I had time to whip up a cute top to wear since my stash is growing (I've picked up bad habits from you sewing women), but, alas, party preparations come first. This rayon lycra knit is my favorite but I haven't settled on a pattern yet. Something with 3/4 sleeves for sure; maybe that Jalie top Katie did that looked really nice.

And this tie-dyish purple stretch woven feels like buttah - so soft and $4.99 at Fabric by the Pound.

And finally, this pink print grabbed my eye a couple of times in Hancock's so I finally bought it - but there was only one yard left on the bolt for $2.99 - DOH! Guess it'll be a T-shirt. (Tracey, if you like it, it's yours - may not be wild enough for you though.)

Okay, off to see if the purple Cougar shirt might be appropriate with jeans for this party since it's not so cold today....

More Roadside Fun

So we were stuck in rush hour traffic the other day and caught this. Not one but TWO "Critter Control" vans were making a house call. I'm not sure exactly what this company is all about, but they have a raccoon painted on the side of their van. Seeing one truck didn't draw my interest, but when I saw the second one parked behind the bushes I got the camera out. As we inched forward, I could see men bringing large black garbage bags out of the house....and they were wearing....Hazmat suits! What in the world? I really needed a picture of that, but traffic was moving and Lucas couldn't get it (you didn't think I'd take pictures while driving did you?).

Now we had squirrels in a previous house, and I remember the moment when I found that they'd chewed through the ceiling into Baby Lucas's closet. I pulled something off the top shelf in there and bits of plaster and insulation rained down on my head. Aaaaaaaggghhhh! After that I'd turn the baby monitor up really loud, half-expecting to hear, "Hey Lady, we've got your baby...bring us the Honey Nut Clusters or else!"

That squirrel infestation went on for months before Dean finally triumphed over them (after he met one up close and personal on a ladder - howdy do!), so I feel for these people if that's what Critter Control is there for.

On the other hand, why do you bring out bags of material dressed like that for squirrels? No, I'm thinking it was something more sinister, and probably worthy of that rodent reality show I watched a couple of times on Discovery. Or hey, maybe their gerbils just got out!

What Gives, America?

Ooh, I just want to quickly say that I don't know what America is thinking! Why did Lilly get sent home last week, and why is Tim still with us this week? I would've sent Tim and Katie (? - the 17-yr-old brunette) home - she is so white-bread boring and Lilly was so multi-grain interesting with such a cool voice! The other blonde should've stayed too - much more interesting than the brunette. And Tim just can't sing, but he's got 9 brothers and sisters, so maybe their network of friends is what's saving him. Lilly, if you're listening, I'm sorry sweetheart - I voted for you 4 times and thought that would do the trick....I failed you!

Goodbye, Peter Graves

Oh, we'll miss you Peter Graves. Lucas recognized him on the news last night before they even mentioned Airplane. And I was kind of shocked that they actually put the clip about gladiators in there! (Of course, it was more benign than some of the others, but I was holding my breath, though the kids have already seen the movie.) If you don't remember, here's a little clip:

Have You Ever Seen A Grown Man Naked? sound bite  peter graves sound bites

That came from an awesome website with more audio clips (entertonement.com) should you ever need one, by the way. We may have to pull Airplane out and watch it again - such great lines (and don't call me Shirley!), but some are a little risque. All of that stuff was over my head the first time I saw it in Birmingham with my family. I literally FELL OUT of my chair at one point because I was laughing so hard. One thing we Arnold children pride ourselves on is being able to quote lines from Airplane at the drop of a hat.

And one day when I asked Drew what he was making and he replied, "Well I can make a hat, or a brooch, or a pterydactyl," I just beamed with pride.

Betzina plans

So this is what I got for the Betzina retreat - the shirt got great reviews at patternreview.com for the most part, although one person commented on the tiny sleeves. The jeans also got great reviews, although I plan to leave off the back pocket zippers and all those buttons on the front pockets. (Though the hottest kindergarten teacher in school wore jeans with zippers on the back pockets last week - maybe I should take a lesson....but she weighs 95 pounds and is 36-24-36, so it won't look the same on me.)


And I got my stretch denim from fabrics.com, but Dawn was right - I didn't read the label well and ended up with the polyester stuff that drapes so nicely. I have the real stuff coming tomorrow - they're fast! Haven't figured out what fabric to use with the shirt yet...

Weekend At-traction - Get It?

Beautiful weather this weekend - warm enough to lay out in the sun and get a little pale (I don't tan, I just go from deathly white to pale to burned in about 20 minutes). Of course, I now have to do "home traction" twice a day for 20 minutes, in addition to rage-inducing steroids and a sleep-inducing antidepressant which works for neuropathy, so I'm like an angry drunk much of the day - woohoo! We had a great dinner Friday night, followed by some traction. See how my neck is stretching out - can't you feel that disc slipping back in place?


And Saturday it was great to sit outside and wave at passing boaters since the weather was so nice. (No no, I'm not caught in a gill net...keep moving, you're creating a traffic jam...please put your cameras away...)

We had a delicious dinner Dean cooked Saturday night before going to a little neighborhood party. Luckily they had dimmed the lighting for the band, so I don't think anybody noticed the marks on my neck from the traction.

So anyway, I was going to show you the patterns I picked for the Betzina retreat but the Vogue site is being temperamental, so I'll try again later. Hope everybody else's weekend was as great as ours!

Am I Drooling Yet?

Well the aching neck and numb hands/feet continue, and the MRI showed.....a protruding disc compressing the spinal cord - tada! So Dean advises me not to wear white pants in case of sudden loss of bladder or bowel control which can come from spinal compression. (See, I KNEW uncontrollable flatulence was around the corner!) He's referring to this video clip posted by friends on Facebook - this does have 2 foul words at the end (even in German I understand sh*t and f***). Mother, you may want to pass on this, but Scott and Tracey, you'll want to see it. Really just so embarrassing for the poor reporter.

Anyway, I'm wondering if they DO have to do surgery to remove the disc, would they charge extra to split it in two and do some implants for me? You know, like fattening your lip up with fat from your hip. I see real possibilities here...making lemonade out of lemons, you know...not really melons by any means...exactly how big is a disc?

And here's a SNL clip for my brother - just a short commercial.

Let the Fashion Show Begin...

After I sew something I always have to try on everything in my closet that might possibly go with it. And Gwen didn't really think I had pink pants probably, but these are my wonderful pink jeans from Academy that I've had about 10 years. Dean made me quit wearing them....because they're pink.

And I guess this next one is definitely ho-ish. I LOVE my pointy scaley shoes and have never put them with these pants - fabulous! Definitely a different top though. Or else I can go wait out by the curb for Richard Gere to drive by...

And, uh, these shorts are not working for me. Especially with those shoes.

Well here's a thought, how about throwing this on over a bathing suit and getting some lunch! I think this is the winner. (Again, only a beach shirt - not in Mobile.)

I'm the King of Candyland

Well I welcomed back 7 year old Lucas tonight from his travels, and upon seeing my new shirt he said it looked like something I should wear if I was the king of Candyland. Alrighty then! Definitely for dinners out at the beach, not EVER to be worn in Mobile - that would NOT go over well. I got a stunning invisible zipper in it and just have to hem it, then I shall grace you all with pictures of my ice-cream cone shirt in action.

Tomorrow I'll show you what I picked out to make for the Betzina retreat - jeans and a button-up top - I doubt I can get all that done in 3 afternoons, but I got pants and a top done in a weekend - woohoo!!! This is the most sewing I have ever done and I thoroughly enjoyed it - no burnout. Alas, back to school and work tomorrow and karate and scouts all night long, pooh. It was fun while it lasted...

Sewing Retreat Comes to a Close

Hello - what time is it? I got the mojo again while shopping for a movie and bought some more pants fabric ($24 for 2 pair of pants - unbelievable!), then came home and worked on another Burda shirt. Lucky thing I forgot to get a zipper or I'd be up there now putting that in!

Alright, it's a ridiculous fabric from fabric.com, but it was so cute and on sale so I got it. I'll wear it to the Ron White show, or at the beach sometime. This is another "pink ho shirt" that my husband will not like, but it's drapey, so I won't look as pregnant as the woven (see top left review currently).


Lucky thing I don't have to take anybody to school tomorrow and can sleep late! And this shall be known as my Oscar shirt since that's what was on TV. (Yeah, they didn't have 2012 so I got the Time-Traveler's Wife, which was an awesome book, but I didn't watch it yet. And it's not Nicholas Cage, it's John Cusack - even better!) I thought Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were awesome - loved the skit about Paranormal Activity that they re-enacted. And who can make a joke having anything to do with Precious, but they pulled it off.

Now I realize the front of the shirt looks like the back - there's no suggestion of boobage in that picture. (Hey, the dress form is so realistic!) But I think it really will be cute - I just need to go to bed now...

Ooh, and I just learned from looking at that picture that if I'd flipped the pattern piece around the stripes would match up exactly on the back, as opposed to mirror image...and I was so proud of myself for having browns match browns and pinks, pinks.

I'm Petering Out Now...

Well, got the pants hemmed, labelled, and ironed. What next? I was going to go back to Hancock and get more pants fabric, but I have 2 slinky silky stash things that I want to make shirts out of, and that sounds more fun right now.

In other news...we've got Ron White tickets - WOOHOO! (He was part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour with Jeff Foxworthy, for those not familiar.) I think he's hilarious in a very warped way, but the freaky thing is that he could be the brother of my Dad's best friend Ron from Sylacauga. (Hey Babe...that was for you Tracey.) My favorite bit was some story about being in a crash in Mexico and having to get a steel plate in his head, and the doctor told him he was lucky to be alive, but to be careful.....this plate is hot.

Anyway, off to Blockbuster to get 2012 with Nicholas Cage - I didn't get to watch much TV last night since I was knee-deep in pants, but nobody's coming home till tomorrow and I'd like a little entertainment. (Oh, aren't the Oscar's on?)

Second Day of Sewing Retreat

Wow, the sewing retreat ran long last night! I got the waistband done and tried out my Brother PC-420's buttonholer for the first time last night (at 11 PM while watching Saturday Night Live). Things have changed since the last time I made a buttonhole. I can't remember how I used to do it, seems like you measured the button and did a calculation, or maybe there was just a standard buttonhole size. Well NOW you slide the button into the foot and it automatically measures it. When I attach the foot, I pull a little lever down from the underside of the machine and hook it to the foot, and it tells the foot when to change directions. I feel like an 80-yr-old learning to use a computer for the first time. (I feel 80 mostly because the crick is back in my neck.) And then it'll sew on the button for you - how awesome is that?

So it was almost 1 AM when I went to bed. And Jakey is having a rough time, I guess because everybody left and he thinks I'll disappear next. He stays within 10 feet of me at all times and won't even go out in the yard unless I walk out there with him. If I stay on the porch, he stays on the porch. Such an insecure doggy...he also finds the sewing retreat very boring.

Just Taking a Fitting Break...

Holy S***! Look at these pants! This IS the most fabulous pattern ever known to woman! The pictures suck because Drew has my camera in DC, so I can't adjust lighting or anything, and don't you love the "Lynn to infinity" effect in the mirror. But I'm so happy - what a well-spent afternoon! Now of course they're only basted and not hemmed or waistbanded, so I've got to get crackin' again. I just wanted to share the joy that's deep in my heart...and on my bum...sorry.

Let the Sewing Begin...

Ahhh, back from the hospital, leftover pulled pork from The Brick Pit in my belly, now to begin sewing the fabulous pants that will fit well and look a smidge sexy, but will still be appropriate to wear to work. The children and husband are safely at their destinations and having fun, so let the sewing retreat begin.

Speaking of sewing retreats, I perused the available patterns for the upcoming course. I assume you must use her patterns, but I didn't ask. But if the patterns aren't included in the price then it looks like you could bring whatever you want, huh? Anyway, here's one I would wear, assuming the hem doesn't make my hips look a mile wide. (Is that fair really? They ARE a mild wide, it's not the pattern's fault.)

But now look at this - where would you actually wear these pants? In my particular situation it looks like an arrow that needs a sign: "In case of avalanche, fat stores are located here."

Again, ANYBODY who's ever been to a sewing class, please give me some advice on how it works. I did find out that I bring my machine and "basic sewing supplies," otherwise I rent a machine for $5/day. Interesting...