Son Kyle recently (oh, around Thanksgiving) asked me if I could fix the zipper on his Mountain Hard Wear jacket. The pull was gone and some teeth near the bottom were completely broken off. I said, maybe.
My first thought was, heck, I'll just get him a new one. I hadn't bought the current one, as it was a gift from an ex-girlfriend. Actually she didn't buy this one. She bought him a size large. He traded the large with a friend who had a medium but wanted the large. Kyle wanted a medium. Confused yet? But in the bargain, he got the one with the broken zipper.
Anyway, back to my first thought. I discovered those babies are price-y!! Certainly more than I wanted to spend, so repair it was. I bought a separating zipper from Sew True Supply which wasn't quite as long as the coat's, but very close. After doing some research (i.e., I zipped the half of the new zipper to the good half of the old zipper), there was a good chance I would only have to replace half a zipper.
Step 1 then... rip out the old one. As I ripped, I took pictures so I could remember what it looked like. I won't bore you with those, but if you're doing something similar, it's a good, and pretty obvious, way to have a record.
Here it is, sans zipper:
See the "fur". Yep, it was lots of fun to rip that sucker out, especially around the collar and the hem.
OK, then it was just a matter of sewing the new one back in. Boom, sewed it in, just like that. Zipped it up and whoa! There are seams at the yoke and collar that kinda sorta should really be lined up. Whoops. Starting with the yoke seamline, I picked out the stitches around it so that I could finagle it back into lining up. The fabric is stretchy so it was pretty easy. Then I did the same thing by the collar seamline.
You insert the zipper first sewing right sides together, then flip it back and topstitch it folded back. Does that make sense? I did the ripping out, lining up before the final topstitching took place for also obvious reasons.
Finally, the last spot to give me a little trouble was the little piece of fabric that I'm calling the neck guard, up by the collar. Putting it back in was a bit of free style sewing, but if it's not in correctly, no one can tell.
I'm not a huge fan of clothing repairwork, but this is one case where it really, really paid off. The new zipper is about 1/4" shorter than the old one, but again, it doesn't affect, well, anything. Kyle is warm and toasty once again!
We had gorgeous weather today, and, since I couldn't think of a reason not to, I tore myself away from some sewing to take a hike with Roland. He's really been into hiking lately (a New Year's resolution?), and since we live ridiculously close to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area it would have been silly to decline the invitation.
If you click on the link, and then click on "view map", we were hiking in the Palisades area. He's been trying several routes. The other day, we stopped at an overlook, and I snapped this:
[I used my Instagram app, and am really having fun with the filters, so that's why the picture looks as it does.] Do you see the mid-rise office building in the background. Yep, the area is really more city than country, but we're so lucky to have this area.
Today, we took a different (and much steeper) route, starting at a higher area and working our way down to the river (and, yes, we had to go back up, too). Everything looked pretty much like it does in the picture above, until we encountered a stand of bamboo. Very strange and green, and we felt like perhaps we were in a different country.
From the hike, we headed to Lowe's to pick up some paint chips for the sewing studio. Painting this week, I hope! And a little sewing, too... there is a minoru jacket sew along after all!
I haven't done any sewing lately, though I did cut out a blouse. I still need to take my serger in for repair, so my slip is currently a UFO as well. I walk into the sewing area in the basement and it is a M.E.S.S. Never mind though because in a couple of weeks, the entire area will be emptied out so we can fix the sagging kitchen floor before we remodel the kitchen.
Yep. So much organization and cleaning out to do, and at the moment it has me a little overwhelmed. What did I do today about it? I went shopping and out to lunch with a friend. Ah, yes, the old avoid at all costs technique. I did get some super cute shoes for $22! I'll take a picture soon, I promise.
In the meantime, I didn't make too many Christmas presents. OK, I only made one. And it's a cowl I knitted for a friend of mine. She's a huge Ohio State fan (a former cheerleader), and a huge Atlanta Falcons fan, as as luck would have it, they have the same colors. For pattern info, I'll have to direct you to Tasia's Sewaholic blog where I got my inspiration.
Meet the Ohio State/Atlanta Falcon Honey Cowl:
It's a mid-length version, and is really a little tight if it's doubled. Possible, but tight. And it's chock full of mistakes. Luckily, no one can really find them. Not even me. Well, maybe someone can, and there is one glaring one, but well, there you go. Oh! I got the yarn on Etsy at Huckleberry Knits, and it is gorgeous!
I do enjoy knitting, but I am really slow, so my projects are a bit few and far between, but there is almost always something in the works!
The Blue Gardenia, that is. The time is especially good right now for heading over to see what Denise has on sale! But don't delay! The sale runs now until 11:59 PST January 15. You have to buy 3 or more patterns, but it's 35% off! What a deal... the Blue Gardenia ... don't miss it.
After I do some shopping, I'm going to start with some interior design. With my son moving into a rental house, he needed a bed, and the extra queen size that was hanging out in my sewing room is heading south. And that leaves me with the opportunity to move out of the unfinished part of the basement, and into an actual finished room.
Here's the before picture:
You can see in the lower right hand corner, where my sewing machine table is, and behind the door on the left edge... my ironing board, and a dresser that Kyle is also taking with him.
Lots more will be happening in our house, so occasionally, some other interior design projects might be mentioned. New kitchen, anyone?
But back in this little corner of mine, I'm first going to declutter and then repaint, color still to be determined...
It seems that I haven't been doing any sewing lately, but that's not entirely true. I have made some progress on my Ruby Slip (click the badge in the sidebar for more info). Slow progress. Like perhaps, I have turned on my machine for 10 minutes on a couple of days.
Still, the skirt part is cut on the bias, and it has to hang, right? I'm loving my lace bodice part. My lace wasn't quite wide enough, but realized that the only piece affected was the bodice side, so I used Chris' method, and just added a little bit. You'd have to get really close to be able to tell.
Today, I was going to hem the skirt, after I serged the side seams. I changed the thread to gray, and have finally come to the conclusion that I need to get my serger serviced. The tension discs for one of the needle threads just will not hold the thread, and that makes everything go wonky.
Perhaps that will force me to cut out a new blouse project, and fix the zipper on Kyle's jacket this weekend.
If your New Year's resolutions include losing some weight, or eating healthier, than this recipe is not for you. Thankfully for my NY resolution to just those very things, I made these right after Christmas, and sent the leftovers packing with young, thin people.
Nevertheless, in spite of a major mistake in following directions on my part, they were (and will be if you make them the right way) delicious!
OATMEAL CARAMEL BARS
1 (14 oz.) package caramels
1/3 c. milk
2 c. flour
2 c. regular oats, uncooked
1-1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 c. butter or margarine
1 (12 oz.) package chocolate morsels
1 c. chopped pecans
Combine caramels and milk in a saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramels melt. Set aside.
Combine flour, oats, sugar, soda and salt. Add eggs and butter, stirring until mixture is crumbly. Press half of mixture into a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan.
Bake at 350 deg. F for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate morsels and pecans; pour caramel mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle remaining crumbly oat mixture on top. Bake at 350 deg. F for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. (they cut better if they have been refrigerated).
These are very rich, and just a small bar is enough... think cutting that bar in the picture into 3! It will serve a lot!
Some sewing has started to happen, and I'll have a ruby slip update tomorrow!
Boy, that's an original title. I've been reading blogs on and off all day, and really enjoying the wrap ups of last year, and the plans for this year. Some of you are really ambitious! And some of you really did a lot of sewing last year!
I haven't added anything up. I made a lot of things, and have some favorites, and some that were not as successful. And a couple of things that I haven't worn at all.
But, today's post isn't about sewing. It's about art and the process. I think that sewing is definitely a creative process, and it's one of the things that I have been able to do at least fairly successfully most of my adult life. It just comes easy to me. And this year, artistically, I decided to stretch myself. In December, a friend, pointed me to a possibility for an art workshop of sorts on Etsy. 366 Pages, a yearlong, online, mixed media journaling workshop. After briefly contemplating, I leapt in (sorry). If you check it out, it's not too late to join. And what a deal! $20 for a year of encouragement, ideas and fun.
OK, the promotion is over, and I've done my first day's journal entry.
You will have to click on the picture to learn a little more about it.
And don't worry, this will stay a mostly sewing blog, with Wilma still making some appearances with a recipe on Wednesdays, and the occasional post about family or dogs. I may put some kind of flickr slideshow thing-y here, but that's still TBD.
Finally, I'll leave you to ponder on the size of my ironing basket when I tell you that my #1 resolution right now is to iron everything in said basket before the end of January (and hopefully sooner).
Here's to 2012!!!
