Avocado Project -- Meet Buck and Austin

The Avocado Project continues, and there's been a new addition. As Meg mentioned in a comment, and as I've read elsewhere on the interwebs, it's quite possible that you need 2 avocado trees to produce avocados.

The first avocado seed "toothpicked" is the one on the right, and in honor of it's growing vessel, I've named it Buck. It's obviously not readily apparent, but the cup is from a high school sporting event at Westminster, a private school in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. Ah... now of course you get it.

Here's how Buck is progressing...

Hard to see, but the crack is larger, and deep in the center, there appears to be a tiny root.

The second seed was "toothpicked" 2 days ago on Friday, almost 4 weeks after the first. I'm calling it Austin. For far more obvious reasons.

Austin hasn't made much progress...

To chronicle their progress, the previous progress pictures will be consolidated into a collage.

So the progress up til now (Buck only):

Hummingbirds Complete

The Hummingbird Sew Along is continuing on its steady pace, as I pop in now and then to check up on the goings on, and then make my green top and "orange"* skirt on my own. *the "orange" refers to the style of skirt on the pattern, a la "view B", and obvs not the actual color of skirt that I made.

Here ya go:

The top is super easy to make. Except when you choose a lovely, but soft and tissue-like jersey that was like sewing with kleenex. You can't see it in the picture, but my top stitching around the neck and sleeve bindings is terrible. I used my coverstitch machine, which I clearly need to practice with way more.

I hemmed the peplum, using my regular machine, replacing the regular needle plate with a straight stitch needle plate which helped immensely!

For the skirt, I had originally planned to use some blue twill from my stash. As I just washed it today, that obviously didn't happen. What did happen was that I was perusing my closet, came upon a dress that I made 2 years ago, but rarely wear because I hate the bodice. But I love the fabric, the floral border print you see above.

The dress:

The full skirt provided an ample amount of fabric, but I did need to cut upper front side piece from some saved scraps. Bonus... it was already hemmed!

And so this happened:

(I tucked the top in, so that you can see the skirt better.) I did fall smack in between the 40 and the 45, so I went, as advised, with the 45. When I did the try on, first pinning, then basting, I ended up with an 1-1/4" seam allowance (about 1-1/2" at the waist. I'll adjust my pattern pieces accordingly, keeping in mind that my twill has no stretch, and my hopefully soon to acquire black ponte knit might have a little more.

Oh, and I think I would like just a smidge more length when I make this version.

Life Updates and the Avocado

I confess that I haven't really been sewing. Of course, lots of us don't sew 24/7 because life (and sometimes death) gets in the way. I quite enjoy sewing blogs that give me a glimpse into more facets of the writer's life than just stuff they make. But, if you're only interested in stuff I make, then wait until the next post. Otherwise, read on.

I think I'll start with today and move backwards. Today is Father's Day! Happy Father's Day!

My Dad

Mitch Mayborn, 1936-1991

Father of my 2 Children

 

Roland Behm, still alive and well

Some sad news. This is the death part. Sadly, on June 1, my uncle died. Ward was my dad's younger brother, and he became very ill in March, and never recovered. I feel fortunate that I was able to fly to Dallas and attend the memorial service, and see my aunt, cousins, and the rest of the family. This is a sad day for my cousins.

The Avocado Project

I have this thing with growing avocados. Well, at least attempting to grow them. I successfully grew one a few years ago, that lasted a few years, and then it met with an untimely death. The last one only lasted a few months. I am undeterred though. I started another one on June 1, and I plan to photograph it's progress all scientific-like. If any of y'all have this obsession, or experience, feel free to chime in with any tips.

Finally, future sewing. I do plan to at least attempt the Hummingbird Sew Along. I have pattern and fabric. I've put the button on the side bar. Surely, I'll find 30 minutes!

The Sew Along