Paper Dolls!

 Back in November I got together with my childhood buddies, Annette and Allison. The three of us met as “first families” in Co-op City in the Bronx back in the early ‘70s. For 6 years we played together, walked to school together and had sleepovers. All the things that kids do (or at least did back then). Co-op City in its early years was a magical place for a little kid. 

We lived in the townhouses in section 2, Cooper Place. For those of you with no idea of what I am talking about, let me pause and give an overview.

Co-op City is one of many housing projects spread throughout New York City. Composed of 5 sections, there are townhouses with three bedroom duplexes and one bedroom garden apartments allowing for mixed generational living. The garden apartments held older couples while the duplexes housed families. There were also single core towers, double core chevron shaped buildings and triple core buildings similar to the building that I currently live in.

Much like my current home in the Penn South Co-op, there is a lot of green space and tons of places for kids to play. Our earliest playspace was the courtyard that separated our banks of townhouses. To get to the courtyard all we had to do was leave our townhouse. That’s it. No cars allowed. The Cooper Place courtyard is where I learned to play hopscotch, jump rope and ride a bike. We walked on stilts, used pogo sticks and, in the winter, had snowball fights. We could walk to school without ever crossing a street.

My friends and I started kindergarten in the community center and were the first, first graders in the spanking new educational complex.

We endured the experiment that was the open classroom and one of us even graduated from the high school, making her a member of the first set of graduates to go all the way through that set of schools. 

Over the years we drifted apart. I was the first to move as my family broke apart and was later reassembled in a different, healthier form. Next, one  went another off to the suburbs. The last of us remained, left as an adult and then returned to her childhood home as her parents aged in place.

During our breakfast outing back in November, we shared our memories of a childhood viewed through three different lenses. It was fascinating to see what the others remembered and what I forgot. 

Fast forward a few weeks and you find me trying to figure out what a retirement wardrobe should look like. I’m watching youtubes videos on capsule wardrobes and listening to podcasts on “finding your style.” Then I wander over to the Seamwork website and discover their “Design Your Wardrobe” course. No, I haven’t taken it but I have scrolled through the course materials. And what did I find? Paper dolls! O.k., not really but sort of. There are line drawings of different adult silhouettes and you can match up line drawings of the sewing patterns to go with your silhouette. Look like paper dolls to me!, 

(not the Seamwork silhouettes)

That immediately sent me down memory lane, playing with and making our own paper dolls and paper doll clothing. Happy memories of a time when our responsibilities were mostly limited to doing homework and practicing our instruments. When free time was spent playing in the courtyard or riding our bikes or playing board games. A simpler time that we can never return to but that will always put a small smile on our faces when we think of it.

Here’s to simple times and the memories they bring.

Who wants to play paper dolls with me?!

Ice Breakers!

 Ice Breakers

I am not a fan of ice breakers.  You might even say that, as a general rule, they annoy the heck out of me. I’m all for them when a group is meeting for the first time but after that, not so much.

For the last 3 years of my career I worked in a small office. When staffing was at its greatest we  had 7 members on our team and we all shared a communal office. This meant that we could hear what everyone else was doing unless they took the conversation into one of our other rooms. It also meant that when two people chatted casually, everyone else was essentially in on the conversation and these often turned into group chats with us getting to know each other pretty well.

What does this have to do with ice breakers? Well once a week or so we had a team meeting, a more formal gathering where the entire office could get a handle on what everyone else was doing. Great! I am all for having everyone on the same page. Except … every meeting started with an ice breaker. 

Yup, this small group would share some personal part of their lives each and every week in the form of an ice breaker.

Keep in mind that we were already living in each other’s pockets and all knew quite a bit about the others so sharing another tidbit should not be a big deal. But it was, at least to me. 

I have two main reasons for my dislike of the ice breaker in this situation.

One, we were meeting for a specific reason, we were all busy people, and I am a big fan of getting in and out of meetings quickly. Ask anyone who has ever sat through a meeting that I ran. I would give out the required information, take questions, comments, suggestions, and send folks on their way. In, out, done. An ice breaker takes up more time that some folks just don’t want to spare,.

Two, they can sometimes get quite personal. I have sat through ice breakers that have asked us to reflect on our lives and share the worst of something. Nope. Not happening. I really do not like reflecting on the worst of something in a public forum. I engage in enough self-flagellation in private without bringing these episodes out in public. If I wish to spend time going over them with another person I will do so on my own terms. As for the sillier ice breakers, well see my first reason. Yes, they can be fun but I’m usually present at a meeting to accomplish something and the silliness can take place in another context. Maybe when I do not have time sensitive tasks to accomplish.

This morning I was listening to, of all things, a sewing podcast. This particular podcast  always starts with an ice breaker. Yup, a podcast starting with an ice breaker. I’m not really sure why they use this term for their first few minutes but there it is. In the context of the podcast they seem to use a prompt provided by a listener and expound on it. O.k., interesting content but is it really an ice breaker? The hosts already know each other so my question is why call it an ice breaker? Is it breaking the ice with the listener or with each other? While I enjoy the podcast it always sends my mind to wondering why start with a named ice breaker? Other podcasts start with questions from listeners so why use this turn of phrase? Why?

So my question today is two fold. (O.k., it is actually two questions.) Give me your thoughts in the comments or on one of my social media accounts.

One:  Ice breakers: good, bad or either depending on the context. 

Two: Should this really be the term used for the start of a podcast with the same hosts for every episode?

Next time either Buzz Words or the first of many “wildlife” tales.

Putting on a Show!

 Putting on a Show!

When our kids were little they took great pleasure in creating “shows.” They would plan it out (I think) and then, with their cast of characters which included Lamby, Dumbo and many others of the stuffed variety, they would play and we would watch.

One of the most memorable included a turtle attached to a piece of yarn being pulled up a “wall.” The song that accompanied this act was called, appropriately, “Turtle up the wall.”

After seeing their first opera the language of “opererish” was incorporated into the show. Almost 20 years later this still makes me smile.

We encouraged this creative play and I always watched those shows and the many that followed both at home and, later, at school. Trips to see one in A Capela and the other performing Gilbert and Sullivan.

All of these performances have led to tonight and tomorrow night when Natan makes his NYC directorial debut tonight with a concert production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe. As a mother I could not be prouder!

Batya and I will be in the audience tomorrow, Saturday, February 11. Come join us!

Tickets can be purchased here: Iolanthe Tickets

Retired!

 New Beginnings

It’s official, I’m retired.

It has been a week now and it is still sinking in. All of a sudden I have time. I can just … be.

Really this is the first time in my life where I was not expected to be constantly busy. To be productive, to live according to someone else’s timeline.

There are a lot of things that I want to do but the urgency to squeeze them into specific time slots isn’t there.

This week I had to clean off the bed in my craft room and change the sheets. (Our daughter is coming into town this weekend and staying with us.)  It took me almost a week but it is done. 

Over the last few months the bed has become my de facto desk. I have a lap desk set up on it with my computer on top so that when I sew I can easily consult the pdf instructions without having the computer eat up my limited sewing space. Since the bed is a desk, that means that the bills and other papers that I didn’t have time to file and sort wound up intermingled with sewing patterns and scraps of fabric because, in addition to being a desk, the bed is also a great place to put projects-in-progress.  And my feet. (I’m currently sitting in my desk chair with my feet up on the bed and the lap desk on, well, my lap.) During the morning hours it is a lovely place to sit and bask in the sun. And, since I’m retired, I can do just that.

Now I still have a lot of other things to do in this room and in almost all of the other rooms. That said, I can do them when I wish. Slowly, quickly or, should I so choose, not at all. The last one is unlikely but it is an option.

In the last week I have slowly and intentionally practiced with my new serger/coverstitch machine. For those not in the know, it is a machine, a little bigger than my sewing machine, that allows me to sew with much more professional looking seams and hems. The new machine is now occupying my sewing table and the sewing machine is on the floor waiting for me to clear off my desk (not the bed-desk but my actual desk-desk) so that  I can use them both on the same project without having to switch them around.  The desk desk is currently occupied mainly with my daughter’s violin and another lap desk (they multiplied during lockdown.).

My new machine was my retirement gift to myself. So far I have made 2 pairs of workout tights, two pairs of flare leggings, two double layered hooded blankets and a dress. I have also used it to repair a couple of items where seams had popped open. So for someone not doing much this week, I’ve actually done quite a bit.

Past projects have either been rushed through in a weekend or taken a couple of weekends to complete due to time constraints, Yes, the blankets were over a month overdue but I am hoping that, with time on my side (and the presumed ability to actually decide on the fabrics) that I will be on time for the birthdays next year. (Sorry L & L!)

What else have I been up to this first week of retirement? Well I worked out 6 out of 7 days, 5 barre classes and a rowing class. All in the morning! No more late dinners! I also finished another project which has a looming deadline and made progress on some knitting. And finally, I took time to sit with a cup (or three) of tea and just read.

#noregrets

And so it Ends

 All good things must come to an end. All bad things too. Also all mediocre things. Basically, everything has a finite lifespan.

My career as a New York City educator has been all of those. There were times when it was wonderful, horrible and meh. Those times, however, are just about over. This blog post is a series of reflections and recollections so it might be a bit long. I’ll try to keep it light … or at least mix in more light than heavy.

My path to my current position has been circuitous. I have 2 degrees in biology and none in administration or education yet here I am, 35 years out of college, having taught and administrated for three decades.

I’ve worked as a lab assistant, a classroom teacher, a test coordinator, an administrator, and a supervisor, sometimes all at the same time.

I’ve had colleagues (and students!) give birth and pass away.

I’ve run after school programs and worked Saturdays. 

I’ve seen the best and the worst that this school system has to offer. I try to focus on the best, but it is the worst that is causing me to retire now instead of later.

The New York City public school system serves roughly one million children. The support system that is the theoretical backbone of this system is broken. With every new Mayor comes new initiatives. The old ones are either entirely dismantled or deprived of resources and left to wither. New programs are started without regard to existing programs that already do what the new program is designed to do.

Schools are bombarded with the idea of the day to implement in their classrooms, without regard to yesterday’s idea, on which they are still working.

My favorite example happened many years ago when I was tasked with attending the monthly meetings for the coordinators of English Language Learners. (These students are currently known as Multi Language Learners, MLLs, or English as a New Language students, ENLs.) 

The first meeting I attended was great. I learned a lot about how their corner of the DOE worked and had my eyes opened to many things. The second meeting was also great. We were introduced to a specific theory of instruction and shown how this model could be implemented in our schools. Then we were asked to figure out how we would do it ourselves. I was all in. I brought the concept home and our school dove in and adopted this as a major strategy in all of our classrooms. Then I went to the next meeting, and the next … and so on and so on.

In each subsequent meeting we were introduced to a new philosophy of education for ELLs and asked how we would implement it.

Now remember, my school and I wholeheartedly bought into the first strategy so we were not looking for another. We had purchased books and sent teachers to off site training. Why were we being asked how we would implement the next five programs? How many programs can a school run for one set of students? (No sarcastic answers, please, I probably have them all on the tip of my tongue.)

Wash, rinse, repeat. This is how my 30 years have gone. One initiative after another without giving the first one enough time to prove itself. Mandates from the city, state and federal levels, some of them contradictory.

Meetings upon meetings without meaning.

Another year I was given the responsibility of supervising physical education (yes, gym). I took it seriously and set out to learn all I could about effective p.e. instruction. I learned from my own staff and from more senior p.e. supervisors. And, I attended monthly meetings. Unlike the ELL meetings, the p.e. meetings taught me little that I had not already learned on my own. These meetings were painful. The person who ran them would tell endless tales about himself, repeating the stories over and over each month. When I called him on it after the 5th month of this I was told “not everyone has been here before.” Yup, he was retelling these pointless stories about himself because he thought he had a new audience (he didn’t, it was the same group from all the other meetings). I was told that if I didn’t like it, I could leave. I did just that and never returned. Later I apologized to my principal for opening my mouth and getting thrown out of the meeting. She, fortunately, laughed.

Do I know how to fix it? Nope. And, I admit, I am tired of fighting it. I am tired of being told that we have to do it “this” way. That my way, though more efficient and logical, is now how they want it done. I am tired of people building careers on the backs of our city’s children and breaking the backs of our educators.

The system is broken and, before you tell me that it is my responsibility to try to fix it, stop. I’ve tried. I’ve tried, my colleagues have tried, my husband has quite literally fought city hall.

Long gone are those days when I played school with my friends. When I created “worksheets” of math problems for my dolls. When I saved copies of old biology tests for “when I became a teacher,” and then later, actually, for the next year’s class.

In the rearview mirror are the days of budgeting with “units” instead of dollars (yes this was a thing in NYC and it kind of made sense, of paper report cards and cardboard train passes. The Delany card (almost exclusively a NYC thing) has been replaced by electronic attendance systems and does anyone even use chalk any more?

The dreams have been broken but I am emerging whole with a desire to do good things but, in another space. Time for the next chapter.

Comments are encouraged! I would love to hear your thoughts on these issues and how you are dealing with them in your part of the world! Comment here or email me at squid.knits@gmail.com.

Latkes!

 I take a modern approach to cooking -- I let my husband and son take care of it. Except, except for certain holiday foods.

For Chanukah I firmly take the frying pan in hand and make the latkes.

Latkes, for those of you not in the know, are fried potato pancakes and one of two traditional foods during Chanukah. (The other food is jelly donuts, I buy those.) Every family has their prefe
rred latke recipe and by recipe I mean "loose set of steps" by which they create these oily delights. 

Some put in an egg or two, others include matzo meal, flour, or other starch. Yet others choose to purchase theirs, ready to reheat for a crowd. There is no right or wrong way to make latkes. But mine is the right way -- at least for my family.

This morning I woke to a message from my daughter asking what the ratio of potatoes to onions was and, do I use salt and pepper. After I finished my first draft of this post I was asked "how many potatoes per person." I laughed.

I thought for a moment and replied (8 hours after the message was sent) 3:1 ish, and yes.

That's it folks, that's my latke recipe. Roughly 3 potatoes (medium size) to one similarly sized onion. I think. Then grate them all using your preferred grating method (I use the large hole grating disk on our food processor) to create large, wide, shreds, place in a strainer or colander to drain for a bit (10 to 30 minutes) sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper and fry.

To fry, heat about a quarter to a half inch of oil (1 cm for my friends who use the metric system) and take a generous pinch of the mixture (I use the tips of all fingers and thumb) and drop in the oil. Repeat. Leave enough space between the latkes so that the pan isn't too crowded. Do not press. Fry until the latkes release easily from the bottom of the pan and flip. (The latkes, not your body, that would be dangerous in a kitchen with hot oil on the stove.) The latkes are roughly 2 inches in diameter and about a quarter inch thick. (5 cm and 1 cm)

When the second side is nicely browned, remove the latkes and drain on a double layer of paper towels. Keep going until either you are tired of frying or you run out of the source material.

Eat with sour cream or apple sauce and try not to think about the layer of oil spatter in the kitchen.

Happy Chanukah!

Joy!

My current status is causing joy among my friends and that makes me happy.

Last night I joined fellow educator-knitters in our weekly, virtual, EduKnit Night, hosted by the fabulous teacher-librarian, Lisa Noble. When I entered the chat I was immediately queried “How many days?!” Following some quick and verbalized math … “what’s today … o.k., 31 minus today plus another 31 … 49 days.” Lisa quickly realized “one less than fifty,” and Melissa countered with “exactly 7 weeks.” Again Lisa, “it’s a perfect square!” All three of us were laughing and smiling as the next member joined the chat.

“Joy, we are bringing Joy today,” Melissa shouted out as each new person joined the chat. And as the group grew, the recitation of: “49,” “perfect square,” “one less than fifty,” and “seven weeks” became a chorus, with me laughing, almost hysterically, in the background.

In a year in which classrooms all over are tense and tight, the educators in this lovely little community chose to take a night to embrace Joy.

“If we bring a little joy into your humdrum lives, it makes us feel as though our hard work ain't been in vain for nothin'.” Lina Lamont, Singin’ in the Rain: 

Counting Down (reprise)

 I know, I know, it's been a while since I've blogged. Life took over and, when life is on the tougher side, I tend to not want to write publicly. The fear that I will say something that will upset someone is ever present so, when my brain is in a somewhat negative space, I try to avoid sharing.

I also prefer to write in the morning when, warmed up by the shower, my thoughts are flowing most freely.

Usually I do not have the luxury of writing in the early hours so the words go unwritten.

Today, however, is the exception and, I hope, soon to be the rule. You see, I am counting down.

In a little under three months I hope to be retired. A lady of leisure, a lady who lunches or, at least, a lady who doesn't commute and follow someone else's rules and requirements all day, 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year.

I could give you a number but by the time you read this, the number will have changed, shorten, shrunk and maybe disappeared all together. And all that follows is fresh content.

Fingers crossed!

Counting Down

I have a friend who is always counting down. She has count down calendars for everything including, I think, her retirement which is still a few years away.

As a general rule I don’t count down. It isn’t usually productive for me and often serves to reinforce just how much longer I have to go making me that much more depressed. So, I am not counting down to retirement. At least not actively. As of this writing it is a little over 10 months away. That’s as close to a count down as I am getting right now. A lot can happen in 10 months, including a shortening or even lengthening of this timeline. So, not counting down.

I am, however, counting toward other goals. 

After each rowing session I estimate how many more sessions I will need to get to 600,000, 750,000 and 1,000,000 meters. As of today the counts stand at 2, 23 and 59.  All of these counts will shrink as I get closer and … might even shrink more than one session at a time depending on how many meters I row each class. (Counts estimated based on a minimum of 7,000 meters per class.)

I am also kind of, sort of, counting down (up) to my 500th class at Bar Method Noho. For all the years I have been doing Bar Method, this is the closest I have come to 500 classes at a single studio. My count as of today is 431. A rough, in my head, calculation has me taking my 500th class sometime this summer.

These are positive goals. They are measuring my pleasure. My strength. My aspirations. They are goals that can be reached sooner rather than later and can be sped up if I so desire.

Here’s to counting the positive and (trying to) ignoring the negative.

Now to accomplish some sewing goals!

Making Mistakes

 Making mistakes

As a general rule I am not afraid of making mistakes. Whether it is a cooking mistake, a sewing mistake or a knitting mistake, I take it with aplomb and the attitude that it wasn't a mistake, it was a learning experience. (Except for cooking, I don't view those mistakes as teachable moments but rather excuses for why someone else should cook for me.)

Take for example my latest scarf project. I joined the "As You Wish" mystery knit along because it was from a designer I like and paired with yarns from a dyer I adore. I cast on Tuesday night and over the course of the next few days made a fair amount of progress. I also made a fair number of mistakes. 

The first mistake was not watching the video for the first special stitch. I got cocky and figured I was doing it correctly from the written instructions. Feel free to laugh.

I persisted, however, figuring that no one really looks too closely at the stitches.

Finally, a couple of inches later and an entire color change, I gave in and watched the video. Oops!

Did I rip out my work and redo it? Nope. I soldiered on using the galloping horse theory of crafting.

Then I started the next section and immediately messed up the stitch count. 

Did I stop and rip it out then? Nope! I just fiddled with increases and decreases figuring I’d get the correct number eventually.

This morning I spent a delightful couple of hours on this new section. I did watch the video for the newest stitch (wasn't going to make that mistake again) and kept going. Lost in the book I was listening to, trying not to cry, I knit and knit, changing colors and slipping stitches like a pro.

And then I actually looked at the front of the piece.

D'oh!

Did I rip then? Sort of. I started pulling back a few rows, determined to not start over. But the yarn was sticking to itself and eventually I came to the realization that if I was ripping back this much, I might as well start over. 

And this is why my new scarf looks like this (not a spoiler).

Time for lunch.

I'll start over later.

Sewing for My Siblings

 Sewing for My Siblings

As you might have figured out by now, I am a little obsessed with sewing. 

When I sit down with a pattern it becomes a puzzle which I have to figure out. Knitting fills the same need but more slowly. The speed at which I can finish a project is just so much faster with sewing.

And this is where I ran into a problem. My dresser is full. But I still want to sew!

So (sew?) I turned the problem over to my family and offered to sew for the cost of the fabric. I sent a few links for fabric out to my siblings and my oldest nephew and told them to go for it.

(I sent a similar message to my kids but it just said to choose what they wanted without cost. Yes, I still feel the need to (mostly) clothe my adult children.)

The first one to take me up on the offer was my brother Mike. (Yes, I married a Mike and have a brother Mike. Yes, it makes things a little confusing at times but such is life.)

Mike and his wonderful wife Maria immediately had a challenge for me. They want a golf cart seat cover. They sent a wonderfully detailed schematic, told me that terry cloth would be great, and then chose some fabric for golf clothes – a shirt for Mike and a matching skirt for Maria.

My youngest sibling, Amanda, piped in with a desire for some workout gear and ultimately chose a pair of shorts in a stretch woven.

My daughter asked for a couple of boat necked, long sleeve, tops to go under her new her-made sweaters. When asked, my son said “sure” to getting a couple of new tee shirts in the same fabric.

And so it starts. I spent Saturday and Sunday making up the Be Dreamy dress for Batya and it is hanging out, waiting for her to come over so I can hem it. (This was already in the planning stages and the fabric had been sitting around for a few weeks.)

Last night I did the math and made a plan for the golf cart seat cover, figured out the right size shirt for my brother and bought the pattern. Now I have a polo / henley / tee shirt pattern in my stash which my spouse is eyeing.

Today is a lovely federal holiday and I plan on sewing all day long. My plan coming into the weekend was to get all of the “have to do” stuff out of the way so that today could be a “me” day.

That included not leaving the house. I may revise that because the weather is wonderful so I might get out for a walk.

But maybe not.

**Definitely not as evidenced by this completed golf cart seat cover. Fabric is Camel Bamboo Terry from Knitfabric.com. **

Darn!

 

Fast fashion is not my thing. 

My wardrobe is fairly limited and contained. No, I am not a fashion minimalist but I am a deliberate shopper. As a general rule I only go clothes shopping when I need something specific. Then I go in, find what I need and get out -- as quickly as possible. I do not bargain hunt, but rather, keep fewer items in my closet. I tend to buy classic styles that I can wear year in and year out. Where I veer from this path is in my hand made clothing. Here I will be a bit more daring as I try out patterns, often, to just learn a new skill or method of construction.

When things wear out I try to repair them but some things are not worth the time. Socks for example, I never catch my socks in the wearing out stage but only seem to realize there is a problem when a big hole has appeared. By then, the effort involved in repairing it is almost as much as the effort that goes into knitting a new pair of socks. I tried darning socks for a few months but after repairing one pair of socks only to immediately burst through them in another area, I went back to the Yarn Harlot's method of darning socks. I hold the sock over the trashcan and say "Darn!" as I drop it in.

Sweaters, however, are another story.

My son wears handknit wool sweaters 12 months of the year. Don't judge. He's an adult and knows what he needs to wear to be comfortable.

All of this wearing leads to the inevitable wear and tear. Mainly the elbows. These I mend.

The most recent victim of elbow wear is his Dust Puppy sweater. Originally knit for my husband, Dust Puppy has been around for probably about 20 years in it's current incarnation. (It was originally knit several sizes larger but Mike then lost a lot of weight and I reknit it.)

All that is to say that it's kind of surprising that the elbows are just wearing out. One sort of gave way a year or two ago and the other one I noticed just before Thanksgiving.

Usually I do my best to just duplicate stitch over the worn areas and bring them up to strength that way. I keep some left over yarn from all of my hand knits just in case I have to do a repair. Unfortunately, Dust Puppy was knit so long ago that I no longer have the yarn I made it with.

So I got creative. Follow along on my darning tutorial to see how!

---

Step one, identify the worn area.

 

Step two, out line the area to be darned. Usually I use the same color yarn but, as I said, this time I got creative. I used a blackish sock weight yarn left over from a sock weight sweater. I also usually darn in a square but circles are good too!

Step 3, run "warp" lines vertically from one edge of the outline to the other. This provides a matrix for what comes later.

Fill in any gaps that seem to be too wide. (This is a personal decision.)

Step 4, duplicate stitch over as many of the encircled stitches as you can. I either work vertically or horizontally or ... both. Yup, I play fast and loose here and just go into the next stitch that feels right at the time. Use the warp threads to help you figure out where missing stitches should go.

Step 5, once you get to an area with actual missing stitches, start weaving. Using your needle, go over and under the warp threads, filling in the area until you have a nice dense patch over the sweater wound. (O.k., it looks like I didn't get those photos so please use your imagination.)

Then I got creative. Using a sparkly black sock yarn I crossed over the area, back and forth on the diameter. I started dividing it like a pizza and then kept splitting the pieces until there was no evidence of the original grey yarn.

The end result ... a mini Dust Puppy (rear view).

Thank you for joining me in my first, rather scattered, tutorial. Tune in next week for more fun!

Leggings: A Learning Journey

Eight Ten pair of leggings (workout style). (Pattern links at bottom of post)

That's how many I have made since my love affair with me-made workout gear began.

With each pair I have gained valuable skills and confidence.

Some have provided valuable lessons.

Yet others have shown me the risks of choosing colors on line while still knowing that I do not have the greatest color sense in the world.

And another two pair taught me that workout tights can also be skirts! (There are attached bike shorts under the skirt.)

And yet others have proven that it is difficult to know what a fabric will feel like when bought on line. (The pair below are not my faves when it comes to working out.)

It was this pair (below) that convinced me that it was time to start learning how patterns are actually drafted.

They look good and feel great (fantastic workout fabric)  but I have some issues with them. First off, they are a little to long and hence a bit baggy at the ankle. This was my fault as I went for the "tall" version of the pattern without reading carefully and looking for what height the regulars are drafted for. Turns out I am kind of in between the two. Figures.

Second, when working out, they gather in ways that I think might be a result of a fit that is not perfect, and while I am happy wearing "not perfect," I still want to get closer.

---

Several weeks ago I reunited with a a workout buddy who has problems getting workout gear that fits correctly. I took this as a challenge. Asking if she would be my test subject, I got some basic measurements and, using the pattern I'd purchased for the Kracken tights, gave it a couple of tries.

On the first attempt I over thought it and
used some basic knowledge gleaned from the Made to Measure leggings class to try to adjust the purchased pattern. The end result was too small. Then, comparing the basic measurements to the actual pattern I decided to make it up in the smallest size. Too big.

Finally, I decided to try actually drafting the pattern using the Made to Measure leggings class. Since I am still waiting for my friends measurements I decided to give them a go with my own.

Not too bad.

The fabric is not something I would choose for leggings -- it is a bit too thin and has a bit too much stretch (100% horizontal and 50% vertical) and, using the yoga waistband, they were way to big at my waist -- matching my actual measurements instead of being more compressive, something that does not work in this fabric even with a compressive lining. I took a dart in each side of the waistband and will give them the workout test this morning.

My next steps will include making them again in a more suitable fabric (the first attempt was meant to be just that, an attempt using left over fabric from another project (yes, I over ordered and got a pair of "mommy and me" dresses (for me and my adult daughter!) out of the fabric before making the leggings).

I also want to compare my drafted pattern to my purchased patterns and see how they compare. The ultimate goal is to use my personalized pattern to alter purchased patterns and learn how to make the correct alterations. 

Once again, a learning process.

Pattern Links:

First, Second and Third Attempts -- Inspire Tights

Pockets!  -- Spark Tights

Sports Skirt -- Rally Skirt

Kracken Tights -- Simpaticos

Made To Measure Leggings Class

Kracken Fabric - Sew Dynamic Fabric

Slowing Down

 Slowing Down

I have a hard time holding back when I get an idea I really want to try.

For example, last week’s post. Go back, read it, comment and then return. I’ll wait …

I want to do it. I want to try to start my own semi custom, small batch, sewing business.

Now! 

Friday I was *this* close to stopping at the Spandex House (yes, it is a real place) and getting fabric for a sample first make.

Fortunately I got distracted and went home instead.

I need to slow down. I know that I do. My retirement plans are still up in the air and things at work are changing rapidly due to our new Mayor and Chancellor.

Also, I need to build my skills. I’ve only been at this clothing sewing thing for about a year and I know I still have a lot to learn. Yesterday, for example, I finally managed several good hems with a twin needle. (You know, the double line of stitching on the hem of your tee shirt – that. It’s not as easy as it looks.) I used some cool Kracken fabric from Sew Dynamic to make tee shirts for Mike and Natan and tried the twin needle out on them. Not perfect but not bad either.

Lessons learned from these shirts: 1. I need a little more than a yard of fabric to make short sleeve tees for each of my guys. I thought I had enough for Natan’s sleeves and discovered, after I had cut them and was ready to attach, that one was missing the top part. I improvised a fix and moved on. Mike’s shirt has contrasting sleeves and neck band. 2. I need more practice on twin stitching the neck band down. 3. I need to check each piece for issues before I sit down to sew it up - turns out one of Natan’s sleeve was missing its top. I sewed another piece of fabric on and made it work. Now I have ideas for color blocking sleeves!

In addition to needing time to build skills, I have several projects that I have fabric for and need to make up. These include, but are not limit to, a long black dress for Batya to wear for performances (Riverside Orchestra), multiple camisoles for me from the left over fabric from the quartet of tee shirts I made for Natan a few weeks ago and … pillow cases.

For the master bedroom we own two sets of bed clothes. That translates to two fitted sheets, two duvet covers and a passel of mismatched pillow cases. When one sheet wears out I replace it with the least expensive, same fabric content, option I can find on Amazon. That means that my bed is a mixture of different colors. No, I do not care if everything matches.

What I do care about is the fiber content. Many years ago I bought a set of linen sheets on sale. I never looked back.

So, when one of Mike’s pillow cases wore out last week, I decided it was time to make my own. We went to Gray Line Linen and purchased enough fabric to make a few pillow cases. In a color which neither clashes nor matches the rest of the bedding.

So, to summarize, I have plenty to keep me busy. And yet I am anxious to get started with the next part of my journey through life.

I am going to do my best this week to focus on what I have now instead of what I think I want next. Next is still far away and I need to live in the here and now.

Let’s see what happens.

Post Script: Here are three of the five pillow cases! Now to cast on a sweater …