A Pocketful of Instructions

Mr. Lucky and I are a little slow getting the Christmas decorations up this year but I did arrange this collection in my sewing room a few days ago.  Check out the cute stitching wintertime theme.   I purchased these figurines at JoAnn's more than a few years ago and I find it so disheartening that they seldom have any sewing themed ornaments among the other junk cheap c--p merchandise they sell. Oh well, I'm just glad they still have their terrific pattern sales and carry Burda patterns.

But a JoAnn's rant is not the purpose of my post today.  I've been doing a little catching up on sewing closet projects.  I've made my favorite jeans jacket pattern, Kwik Sew 2895  about a dozen times in recent years.  I don't use the chest pocket flap as shown on the pattern picture. First of all it's not easy to get that flap to stay flat and secondly it's next to impossible to get it to lie flat on a curved surface.  Instead I often use simple or decorated patch pockets.  On Wednesday I pulled out one of my favorite patch pocket designs which is in the Louise Cutting By Popular Demand pattern. By Popular Demand I enjoy this pattern for its great collar technique, wonderful sleeve and back yoke seam matching and cute pleated patch pockets (which come scaled according to the pattern size you use.)  But the jacket itself was just too boxy for me.  So I have modified my Kwik Sew pattern with all of these elements but forgot until yesterday to copy the pocket.  Louise's pattern instructions are so wonderfully detailed and practical that I swear Mr. Lucky could sew a beautifully finished garment...if he could figure out how to thread my machine.  I won't steal Louise's thunder but just give you some hints as to her step by step instructions to get this nicely rounded  cornered patch pocket onto my jacket.  

Her patterns are like having a friendly sewing teacher guide you through a project.  I may not use her patterns for garments but I use them for wonderful sewing techniques.  
Two recent updates with her pockets:
a Kwik Sew jacket

a stretch brown denim Magic Pencil skirt with a mini cargo pocket...perfect for some cash or a cellphone.

Switching gears, the last book I've read is by Ivan Doig who writes about his native Montana and the West in large, historical novels.   This one was a bit slow to read since he's an old-fashioned writer with elaborate prose and an emphasis on character development and historical research.  But I enjoy his books for their focus on the homesteading of the West and the peoples who came as immigrants to that land. This one is the last of a trilogy started with the beautiful book, Dancing at the Rascal Fair.  Now it's 1924 and while much of the action takes place in Montana there are sections involving the Harlem Renaissance, WWI, the Buffalo Soldiers and Prohibition.  My biggest mistake was reading this late at night before bedtime. Doig's prose deserve careful reading and I'm not sure my nocturnal habits give it its due.
Off to do some cooking for the entertaining we have planned in the next few days.  Hope that you have some enjoyable activities to look forward to in your life as well.