Category Archives: Garment Sewing

A Cool Top for a Hot Climate

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You know how I get when a trip is upcoming; I want to sew-sew-sew and wear all me-made garments on the trip. For my upcoming trip to Bali, the travelers on the tour have been warned to be prepared to be dinner for lots of mosquitos carrying lots of “bugs.” I’m taking a strong DEET mosquito repellent spray, plus mosquito repellent wipes, plus a repellent with eucalyptus oil, plus a product called Permetrhin that you spray on your clothes before traveling. Here’s the description of Sawyer Permethrin Insect Repellent Spray: “Permethrin, is a synthetic molecule similar to pyrethrum that is … Continue reading →

A Second New Top for Vacation

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Our flight to Mexico was scheduled to leave early on the morning of January 2; we would drive to Cleveland on the afternoon of New Year’s Day to stay in a hotel near the airport. I had packed on New Year’s Eve. That meant I had the entire morning of New Year’s Day to sew one more top for Playa Maroma. I dug into the stash and grabbed a poly knit I had picked up several years ago at Fabrix in San Francisco. It was not a “me” print, although I’m not sure the real “me” print exists. I’m ambivalent … Continue reading →

Courtney Top for Mexico

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Vacation plans always make me want to sew. Surely I have some nice piece of fabric in my stash that will make me feel chic on vacation. And this trip was no exception. We’re on a week’s snow escape vacation, and judging by all the weather reports from NE OH, we timed it perfectly! Two nights before we were to fly out, I dipped into my stash and found a silky rayon I purchased several years ago at Fabrix in San Francisco on a shopping trip with Shams. Then I dug into my StyleArc pattern stash and Courtney called out … Continue reading →

A T-shirt Fit for a Gala

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While we in the opera program at YSU’s Dana School of Music were preparing for our spring opera weekend, the program director, my boss Dr. Yun, asked if I would accompany the trio from Mozart’s “The Impresario” for an upcoming gala. The event was sponsored by YSU’s College of Creative Arts & Communication, of which Dana School of Music is a part. I put it on my calendar and promptly forgot about it. The three weeks leading up to opera weekend are the busiest of the year for me. I don’t see my guy except when he’s sleeping and for … Continue reading →

Winter = Resortwear

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Let the record show that I wrote the first few sentences of this blog post on January 2, 2017. Today is March 1. Vacation and a Sondheim Revue at the local playhouse and two Saturdays of playing for auditions for incoming freshmen at Youngstown State University and preparations for the April YSU opera performances have kept me very busy. So let me begin again: If you’ve read my posts around any vacation, you know that vacation for me means the necessity for new MeMade clothes. Tonight I finished the second piece that will go in my suitcase. So far I’ve … 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 →