Sewing for Staging, Part 1

In case you haven't heard, we are selling our condo in Florida this season.  Hmmmm, where's the emoticom for sarcasm for that statement?  Most of my friends and readers are already tired of this obsession so I won't be hurt if you move on to a more creative, fashionable blog post from someone not micro-managing every decision just to get my desired final result....a sale.  But there is still some sewing going on here, albeit sewing that will benefit the new owner eventually.  
We are so lucky to have had a three bedroom place here for just short of ten years.  One of those bedrooms has been my large sewing space  and now we are busy turning it into a spare bedroom/office/sewing space.  My big cutting table is gone and a trundle bed from craigslist has been installed.  I can still cut out garments if I want to but I'll use my smaller sized cutting mat (we trimmed four inches off the width of the former one) and place it temporarily on the pub table in the kitchen/family room.  The ironing board will no longer be kept in place but folded up and hung out of the way when I'm not sewing.  
My next sewing will be a duvet cover for the new bed, a dust ruffle for the bottom trundle area and then accent pillows.  Projects like these make me glad that I collect fabric.  Everything is very neutral so that the artwork I eventually find and the accent pillows will be the highlights.  I also plan to make a coordinated sewing machine cover so that every day I tidy up and cover the machine but still have it available when I do want to sew.  

Fabrics being auditioned for duvet, dust ruffle and pillows

Thanks for all your good wishes and sympathy pains. Mr. Lucky and I have not moved out of a place in 28 years so this is a new adventure for us.  I'm taking it one day at a time and moving forward in tiny steps.  Thank goodness I have a hobby to turn to for fun and distraction when I feel overwhelmed and especially for friends who support and cheer me on....and even help whenever they can.  In the meantime, I'm cheered by stories that you or others online have made it through these types of transitions.

Stashing.....

My fabric purchases drop dramatically when I'm in Florida for six months since I don't have a "local" Fabric Mart Fabrics store to visit for one of their remarkable store sales.  (But there's 20% off the website now for those not near Sinking Spring, PA..Fabric Mart Fabrics)  But somehow I seem to do some stashing at the once a year Dillard's Department Store clearance sale (every sale item in the store is another 50% off.)  On January 1 there were dozens lined up and at 10am they rushed through the doors and ran to the purse section.  I heard that a woman pushed her way to the Coach purse sale stand with the electronic cords and just hugged all ten or twelve cords and purses in her arms.  I've bought wonderful purses there in the past....but I refuse be a traveling advertisement for your brand so acessories like Coach and Louis Vuitton merely make me smile and long for a royalty check.  However, in addition to a weakness for fabric, I have a serious weakness for shoes.  This year's sale was no exception.  I scored big time at very little prices....I mean, hey, $6o for those brown Ralph Lauren boots with the cool straps and the rest were far less.  Here's the haul:

No, I don't need boots in Florida but since we'll be moving back north later this year I think these will fit in very nicely with a fall and winter wardrobe back up in Maryland.  I dislike being cold and I can enjoy warm toes in wool socks while wearing something mildly stylish.  
And a few more to enjoy here and now:

I'll close with a picture from our New Year's on the beach....last Gulf sunset of 2012 and an enjoyable evening with friends.  

Last sunset of 2012

One of the special treats that I wasn't able to capture on film were the dozens of Japanese sky lanterns being lit and sailing upward on breezes out over the Gulf of Mexico.  A quietly magical way to bid farewell to a year that I was glad to see end.  Here's hoping that 2013 brings goodwill and good health for all of us.

Happy New Year

My end of 2012 delight has been to finally sit down for an hour or two and read through postings on my blogroll.  The holidays at our house this year were rather subdued since we are in the midst of a construction project that resulted in half the furniture put into the other half of the condo while new floors were installed in two rooms.  The delay right now is that the remaining edge molding has been caught up in shipping, what with two holidays in the midst of each week.  So our at home time has been jumbled and unsettling.  We have enjoyed  lovely times with friends, however, and just have to let go of our expectations for construction timeframes.  So it's been nice this morning to catch up on reading about holidays around the world among the sewing bloggers I so enjoy.  Whether it's warm weather in Hawaii, Australia or my own Florida or the chills of Canada, Europe and the stormy cities of the northern US, I do enjoy seeing the various ways humans celebrate and gather in community.
Despite our ramshackle living, I did get to some sewing while the construction was going on but not much exciting to post.  One of the results of an enormous amount of anxiety that has plagued me the last five months has been that I've unexpectedly lost about eight pounds.  (Trust me, for a foodie like me that's rather unusual and not a system I would ever recommend.) It's not much on someone tall like me but enough that my jeans with lycra could use some altering.  So my mindless work has been to rip out about five pairs of jean seams and remake them into a smaller size and even turn a few into narrow legged versions, making me feel a little more fashionable.  
However, you did not come here to read about renovations or tedious jean altering so I do have a new favorite knit cardigan pattern to share and a new year sewing project round up.

Here's McCalls 6444.  

McCalls 6444

I stitched it up in some orange poly knit that has been hanging in my stash for years, ever since Hancock's closed here in SWFL.  I tried a few other knit tops from similar fabrics but hated how hot and clammy they felt on me.  An open cardigan is the perfect use for this fabric, however, since it doesn't cling to me if the humidity rises.  

There are two more versions already cut out and stashed away for my "sewing while house selling" time starting sometime in February.  Only three pattern pieces means it's an easy project to start and finish in one sitting. I didn't even bother with a FBA and it seems just fine to me.

And now, for my own record keeping and enjoyment, here's my sewing tally for 2012:  15 tops, 12 skirts, 9 dresses, 5 pillows, 4 booties, 3 pants, 3 jackets, 3 cardigans, 1 nightgown, 1 quilt.   I"ll review my goals and thoughts on the sewing year at another time but it was encouraging to look back at my previous posts and feel a sense of accomplishment that otherwise is escaping me at the moment.  
And also for my own record keeping, here's the jumble of our lives for the last 12 days:

Living room piled with kitchen and family room stuff

Guest room filled with sewing room furniture and all the closet stuff

old floor removed

Former cutting table on its way to oblivion....but still in use until then!

Can you believe it....seven dry wall holes just to rewire one hallway in order to restore phone service to all the rooms in our condo.

Tonight we'll be taking a picnic for sunset at the beach followed by fireworks at 7:30.....yup, living in SWFL means that even New Years is an "early bird special."  Tomorrow I'll head out for some retail therapy at the wonderful annual Dillards sale, a department store that we don't have up north in the Baltimore area.  Since I anticipate that this will be our last Florida winter, I'm looking for boots and warm weather clothes for the upcoming year.  No matter where I am this year or next, however, I get to enjoy some wonderful friends, some great family and the happiness of sharing a passion with like-minded people around the world.  Happy New Year to all of you.
  

New Mock Up, Old Traditions

Ah, now I remember why trying out a new pattern is so frustrating.  It's a pain to work out the adjustments that you need on your own, transfer them to the paper pattern properly and then sew up another mock up.  I'm at the first stage in this Vogue pattern and with holidays and our construction project starting shortly, I'm packing it up to head north for sewing retreat help.  But here are the pictures of Vogue 1262 and I'd love your opinions.

I was quite unhappy with the pulls at both shoulders since that armhole is very tricky to adjust and I'd like to avoid it and/or a bust dart if I can.  Then I looked at the pattern picture and those sames lines are there so maybe I'm just getting too picky:

As for the back, I may extend those back pleats further down the back since I am narrow there but then add some width in the back side seam area.
I've sewn it up in an old sheet and haven't decided yet what I will use for the final jacket.  

In the meantime, I've had some lovely days with friends this week (which nicely counter balanced the infuriating experience with an acquaintance earlier in the week.)  Wonderful lunch with sewing friends on Wednesday and then a fun movie discussion night last night at our Cineclub gathering.  We watched Shall We Kiss?, Shall We Kiss?  a romantic comedy with an interesting perspective on our friendships and relationships.  We carried over the discussion about men, women, friendship versus physical attraction and romance all the way to the dogpark this morning and had many laughs and revelations along the way.  Last night we brought a plate of cookies and I thought I'd share the recipes with you.....and keep them here on my blog as a reminder to me in the future.  These are some of my favorites from The America's Test Kitchen Baking Book  baking cookbook

Molasses Spice, Mexican Wedding and Chocolate Chips cookies 

Molasses Spice Cookies (Adapted from Cooks Illustrated, January 2002 and America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook)

1/3 cup granulated sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces)
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (11 1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (I had whole allspice which I coarsely ground)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces)
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup molasses (about 6 ounces), light or dark

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir in cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, and pepper and cook until fragrant (about a minute). Pour the mixture into a large bowl and cool slightly.

4. Using a whisk, mix in the white sugar, molasses, brown sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla into the butter until smooth. To easily pour out molasses, I spray the inside of a measuring cup with cooking spray before measuring the molasses out. It makes cleanup a lot easier.

5. Stir in the flour mixture until combined.

6. Pour some white sugar (about 2-3 tablespoons) into a shallow bowl or plate. Take a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Then, roll the ball lightly in the sugar until well coated and place it onto the baking sheet. If the sugar doesn't stick, you can lightly moisten your hands when rolling the dough into a ball. Space the balls about 2 1/2 inches apart.

7. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 9-12 minutes until the edges are set and beginning to brown, but the centers are still soft. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through.

8. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack 

Mexican Wedding Cookies (Pecan or Walnut Crescent Cookies)

2 cups whole pecans or walnuts, chopped fine, divided

2 cups bleached all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon table salt

½ pound unsalted butter

(2 sticks), softened

1/3 cup superfine sugar (see note)

½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1½ cups confectioners' sugar for rolling cooled cookies

Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix 1 cup chopped nuts, flour and salt in medium bowl; set aside.

In work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process remaining chopped nuts until the texture of coarse cornmeal, 10 to 15 seconds (do not overprocess); stir into flour mixture and set aside. (To finely grind chopped nuts by hand, roll them between two large sheets of plastic wrap with a rolling pin, applying moderate pressure, until broken down to coarse cornmeal-like texture).

In bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed or by hand, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy, about 1½ minutes with an electric mixer or 4 minutes by hand; beat in vanilla. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula; add flour mixture and beat at low speed until dough just begins to come together but still looks scrappy, about 15 seconds. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl again with rubber spatula; continue beating at low speed until dough is cohesive, 6 to 9 seconds longer. Do not overbeat.

Working with about one tablespoon of dough at a time, roll and shape cookies into balls, crescents, rings or cigar shapes. Bake until tops are pale golden and bottoms are just beginning to brown, turning cookie sheets from front to back and switching from top to bottom racks halfway through baking, 17 to 19 minutes.

Cool cookies on sheets for about 2 minutes; remove with metal spatula to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Working with three or four cookies at a time, roll cookies in confectioners' sugar to coat them thoroughly. Gently shake off excess. They can be stored in an airtight container for up to five days.

Before serving, roll cookies in confectioners' sugar a second time to ensure a thick coating, and tap off excess.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Note: You can buy superfine sugar in most grocery stores. Or you can process regular granulated sugar to superfine consistency in about 30 seconds in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.

- Source: America's Test Kitchen

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Cook’s Illustrated May/June 2009)

I made mine slightly smaller and baked them for about 11 minutes.

1¾ cups (8¾ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons (1¾ sticks) unsalted butter
½ cup (3½ ounces) granulated sugar
¾ cup (5¼ ounces) packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
¾ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.

3. Add both sugars, salt and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand for 3 minutes, then whish for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use a #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet.

5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10-14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

Hope your sewing time is productive and your Decmber holidays of all traditions are a delight.

TNT Versus Something New

As I watch SWAP participants start to work out their wardrobe plans on Stitcher's Guild (where I lurk and seldom post) I recall about a half dozen years ago when I wanted to participate but didn't have TNT patterns in my repertoire.  I knew I would spend way too much time making muslins, adjusting and re-sewing patterns to ever make a deadline so I never joined in.  Now I have a slightly different challenge in my sewing life.  I have at least a dozen or more very happy TNT patterns and I have to almost force myself to start the muslin and fitting process with a new one.  I still don't participate in SWAPs since my simple daily life doesn't require a coordinated wardrobe....no one at the dogpark cares when I have shown up in the same seven hoodies and tops for the last 9 years:-)  I have used the SWAP concept when I did my travel wardrobe two years ago Travel wardrobe from 2011  so I heartily endorse the plan, just don't need it annually in my life.  

Long intro to say I'm starting that new pattern process with Vogue 1262
Once again, it was a jacket that I tried on at Sandra Betzina's October trunk show and I immediately fell deeply in love with it.  I have a large collection of ponte knit up in Baltimore just eager to turn into a few versions of this jacket.  But first I have to get through those initial steps.  I think I'll fit it here in Florida and then take it back north when I go up for the wonderful January sewing retreat in Winchester, VA.  

The Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Sewing Guild just opened registration and my check is already speeding its way northward.  I bought my airline ticket this summer and can hardly wait to be amongst the room full of happy stitchers once again.  But first, it's time to cut out, mark and make preliminary adjustments here.  My mind can get so far ahead of my actual work......  Here's hoping that this new pattern ultimately ends up being a TNT addition to my collection.  
Which do you prefer, TNT or new to you pattern sewing?

Old sheet about to become new mock up jacket