Author Archives: Jan

About Jan

Musician and geek and Juris Doctor; lover of fine art and fine craft; mother and grandmother and significant other and friend. Passionate about sewing.

A Carry-On for Me

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This summer has been filled with carry-on trips. My mother’s memorial service near Asheville, NC, required a Saturday morning flight down and a Sunday afternoon flight back with a knit dress, a pair of heeled sandals, and my cosmetic bag tucked into a carry-on bag. The next weekend I flew to Dallas on Friday afternoon and returned Sunday morning—another carry-on trip with the same knit dress and sandals so I could play a half hour of old hymns for my girlfriend’s husband’s memorial service. And a fleece jacket and closed toe shoes so I could watch my firstborn son play … Continue reading →

Blessed Sewing Time!

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Finally! I was able to sneak fifteen minutes here and a half hour there over the past week and get a tunic top made, clearing one piece of yardage out of my stash. I’ve rescheduled my life for the next school year, and will have three weeks in a row mostly to myself in late July/early August, along with a two-day workweek throughout the school year. My goal for the summer is to reorganize my sewing room with a major declutter. But this accomplishment—the new top which I finished today—just whetted my appetite. That was sorely needed! The pattern is … Continue reading →

Bali Ready

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Am I ready for next week’s Bali Fiber Tour? No, I am not. I have several pieces of fabric to make into cute tops, and I think they will not be made before I leave. And you know how obsessive I get about my travel wardrobes. What happened, you might ask. Life and school happened. Back in March I had six mini-opera performances, preceded by several rehearsals. And I accompanied and played in the pit for seven performances of My Fair Lady in Sharpsville, PA. Then there was Cosi fan Tutte at YSU, which has taken part of five days … Continue reading →

En Français

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The good news is I finally found some time, amid all my music-making, to get back into my sewing room. The bad news is this garment will probably never be worn again after its two minutes on the runway. You may remember my posts in the past about my many enjoyable sewing experiences with my heart-of-my-heart grandson, Boston. Just to clarify: He now prefers to be known as Celeste and referred to with feminine pronouns. So here we go … I always feel elated when Celeste texts me and says she has a sewing project she wants to work on … Continue reading →

Keep Calm and Sew On

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I hate how busy I’ve been this semester. I’m preparing a full-length “Cosi fan tutte” for late April. A kids’ version of Cosi, with its own abbreviated score, will be presented the morning of that event’s opening. I have not yet seen the kids’ cuts, but know that I am the orchestra for that production, where I believe I’m only accompanying the recitative (but the entire score for all the rehearsals over the entire semester) for the full evening opera. A 45-minute opera for kids, Billy Goats Gruff, is to be presented today at Stambaugh Auditorium and then five times … Continue reading →

A Winning Tute

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The Jazzman and I have little travel pillows that I got at Bed Bath & Beyond. We like knowing that whatever the hotel (or cruise ship) has to offer, we’ll have a pillow along that we know and love. Before we went to Mexico last winter, I bought the 12″ x 16″ pillows and made pillowcases to fit them. They were both a gold cotton sateen. I silkscreened my name on mine; his had nothing to indicate it was his. And then it disappeared. His pillow and the custom made pillowcase are nowhere to be found. So before we went … Continue reading →

Quick and Shiny

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Somewhere two weeks ago I read a sewing blog where the writer talked about some fabric she purchased from NY Fashion Center. Of course I ran over there to see what they offer, and was blown away with this tie-dye web foil print spandex. Seriously, this fabric is not something I would ever have thought of sewing with. But a shipboard pool and a walk along the beach in Aruba were on my mind, and a little swim mini skirt from Land’s End was calling out for a coverup. While I waited for the fabric to arrive and while I … Continue reading →

Out With the Old, In With the New

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As most humans are wont to do, yesterday and today I have been looking back on 2015, pondering what I wish to change for 2016. Change? Almost everything! Last year was one of the hardest years in my life, with a few bright lights tossed in to keep me sane. It started on Christmas Day of 2014, when my brothers decided it was time for Mother to reside permanently in a nursing home. The task of cleaning out her apartment in the assisted living facility and deciding what to do with her now-unnecessary possessions fell to me. I had to … Continue reading →