Merry Christmas!

 From our home to yours, we're wishing you a happy, healthy, safe, and wonderful Christmas, and an exciting, delightful. and prosperous New Year!~

Cheers for a bountiful sewing year with everything returning to normal.

More of the planning and my life

 It's been an interesting summer! I have only gone out to the doctor and the physical therapist. I know that many folks are having such a hard time this year with social distancing and lockdowns, Fortunately for me, I'm kind of a hermit anyway, and as a reader, sewist, crossword puzzle and computer games player, in general, it hasn't bothered me too much. Plus, between Amazon Prime and on line fabric stores, I've probably had a bit too much fun with shopping. 😲

I do miss my family, and we are fairly devastated that we'll miss a granddaughter's wedding in California, but we can't take chances with Covid, and my wonderful husband would have to miss three weeks of work. One for travel and the festivities, and two for self-quarantine. He is quite happy with his current job, and if we did that, he'd be out of work permanently. When you're in your seventies, it's not smart to give up a job you enjoy. They're too hard to find. As of today, they are showing 513,000 cases of Covid in the U.S., and we're going to hit 200,000 deaths. Since we're in the "prime" category for the disease, we don't want to take any chances!

The forced isolation has allowed me to complete not only all of my Continuing Education for income taxes, but has allowed me to "level up" three certifications with my company. Next year should be a really good year and allow me to do a lot of the more complex and interesting tax returns that come in.

I've also been planning my new wardrobe for tax season. As shown in the last post, I have two mini capsules, one in blues and one in gray. I have additional fabrics to go with both, that will be posted before too long. I'm trying to do a mixture of stash fabrics and new, as well as new and older patterns. It should come together nicely.

I also have a LOT of brown fabrics as it's always been one of my go-to colors for a neutral in everything from beige to bittersweet chocolate, including taupe, camel, and various iterations therein. So as I start working in that vein, I have of so many fabrics to choose from and try to mix and match. My first two follow. 

Brown Capsule #1

This grouping will be more fall-winter than the next one, but the blouse is definitely an all season fabric here. The wool for the jacket is new, and hasn't been shipped yet. As you can see, the shirt fabric is from stash, not super old, but well seasoned. The wool flannel for the trousers, (along with a lovely cotton voile not yet shown) are from Sew Much Fabric, purchased in August of last year. The Deer and Doe jacket pattern is a fairly recent purchase, as I love the neck edge sans lapels but with a bit of interest. I won't use the back, because it has a peplum, and will adapt to a standard shape. I'm not a fan of peplums on my body. The Sorbetto was the first PDF I ever downloaded, and have had it since September of 2016, when it was offered as a free pattern. 

Brown Capsule #2

This goes in a slightly different direction. The jacket is a blend- possibly rayon and wool purchased from Sandy Scrivano at a seminar at the Santa Rosa chapter of the American Sewing Guild in the late 1990s or very early 2000s. It's got a camel and a blue subtle check on a beige background. The blue is a cotton, that I don't remember buying, so probably old stash. The pants will be from a June purchase from Vogue Fabrics, called  "Neutral Crinkled Woven Linen-Nylon blend." For now, the jacket is a Butterick pattern first made in 2015. The blouse pattern may change when I see how a collared shirt lines up with the shawl collar of the jacket. The pants are my standard TNT. Pretty much a uniform for me.  

I have a piece of taupe wool for trousers on which I'm still debating coordinates, and many pieces of t-shirt fabrics and blouse fabrics for "pops of color" as well as a Ralph Lauren cream silk of which I bought 5 yards when on a fabulous sale.

I also have a black and eggshell 60% silk, 40% wool blend basketweave, purchased 01/07/2010, out of which l'll be making a Closet Core blazer with to go with some black wool or linen slacks. And given time, so very many more. 😁I'm excited about a whole new wardrobe!

I'll be looking at lots of other capsule components through the fall prior to getting started sewing. I'm planning on starting in earnest at Thanksgiving and running through the first week of January. Wish me luck!

How are your sewing plans coming? 

Wardrobe planning and a new knee!

 I have a new knee! Surgery was August 4. Since then, it’s been a lot of resting, pain relievers, ice and physical therapy. I’m on the road, but still using my walker. It’s a security blanket for both Dale and I! He’s so worried that I will fall and break something, and he’s pretty much a nag. It’s usually easier to go along with him. 😍

 During my convalescence, I’ve been working on a work capsule wardrobe. I’ll start sewing probably mid-November, and do production sewing to get things done by the first week in January.

 I’m trying to do quite a bit of stash busting, but have also been buying some specific fabrics too. First collection will be jacket, top, and slacks in navy. The jacket can also be worn with the grey capsule. Best picture of actual colors with plan:

Capsule with colors not true, including denim blue wool:

 

I’ve also got the gray capsule put together for the second batch. I have some gray tropical wool on order that will be here this week, but I took a photo with some linen that can make a spring addition. There is also a picture of the two pair of existing charcoal and gray wool slacks that I will see if I can have professionally altered. (As of now, I’ve lost 4” in my waist and hips, and doubt I can do it myself.)

 

Gray capsule fabrics

Slacks to be altered--charcoal and lighter gray

Today and tomorrow I’d like to put together another grouping with the denim blue wool as well as a brown capsule, and look in my stash for another gray for an additional jacket.

 If you’re in the US, have a wonderful Labor Day. Everyone, stay safe, stay healthy, and keep sewing.

 More to come.

 

 

Where I am now.

Life Changes are happening.

It's been one heck of a year, hasn't it! As the year progresses, it seems like one thing after another arises to put a monkey wrench into the works. Yet, I am making progress.

After my second fall earlier this year, I finally got the message. Since I intend to live to 104, I needed to concentrate on my health. So I have been doing so. 😁

It didn't take a genius to realize that healing after the knee replacement would be more rapid if I eliminated some of the excess I have been carrying for way too many years. Although I am mortified to admit the truth, I had packed on about 90 excess pounds due to stress, health issues that caused additional stress, and injuries that not only added to the stress, but also brought on osteoarthritis. Feeling overwhelmed, I would start one program or another, only to get discouraged and quit after a week or two.

Towards the end of tax season, after winding up on a walker due to a particularly bad fall, my brain finally got the message and I got onto the health bandwagon. Eating right, and the physical therapy started the ball rolling, and it will continue probably until the end of this year, and afterwards once I reach my goal. I definitely don't want the yo-yo weight plan as I'm well aware that's harder on your body than anything. To date, I'm down 47 pounds since I arrived in Las Cruces, and I fully intend to lose the other half before the end of this year. That's somewhere around eight to ten sizes on my body!

My left hand is healing, and after 6 plus weeks I have much more use than I did, however, I'm still stiff and doing my exercises daily. Tomorrow I go in for my left knee replacement. That will be a bit longer recovery, and a much more painful one. If all goes well, they estimate about three months. Once that is healed, I'll be looking at my right hand surgery. I need my hands for tax season, so that comes before the right knee. At this point, I'm anticipating right knee will be done in 2021.

As I said in my last post, I haven't been able to sew at all, so I have been kind of planning my new wardrobe. Losing 90 pounds means a new wardrobe from the skin out. I hope to do my panties and bras from stashed fabric, with matching sets, and then also a new work wardrobe as well as a casual wardrobe.

First up will be to redo my sloper based on new measurements using the Suzy Furer Craftsy class. I'm so pleased they continued Craftsy! That came in so handy with making my clothing from the time I completed it until I could no longer sew. With narrow sloping shoulders and big everything else, it was a Godsend. So that will be up first. Then, I will be moving on to a hopefully coordinated, curated capsule wardrobe

Although I don't post often, I am a lurker on lots of blogs and I also follow many Instagram accounts. Last Friday, I was browsing Instagram and found the upcoming Seamwork Design Your Wardrobe class. After some investigation, I subscribed to Seamwork and signed up for the class. Even though in theory I have been using the SWAP ideas for multiple years, as well as following Nancy Nix Rice, and the Vivienne File, I figured a little more information wouldn't hurt and my refine things a bit more.
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.I'll be working out my new wardrobe over the enxt several months, and hope to have a great outcome to show!

Keep sewing, keep happy and healthy, and I'll be back!

Catch Up Time

At the time of my last post, I was attempting to trace the Linda Tunic from Angela Wolfe but having lots of problems with my hands. I have also been waiting to have knee replacements since last September. The hand problem started in January and has been going steadily downhill.

By the way, if any of you are Orthopedic Surgeons, specializing in knee replacement, there is a need for your services in Las Cruces, New Mexico!

I scheduled my appointment right after Labor Day last year. First available appointment was April 22. As we all know, surgeries have been deferred. And to complicate matters further, my doctor’s former group closed, so he’s with another group now. The other highly recommended knee replacement surgeon has a one year waiting list just to see him for a diagnosis, and when they restarted “elective surgeries” on June 1, I have heard he had a backup of 150 patients. Not sure where I am on the list for my doc, because his former practice didn’t forward my records, so I wasn’t even on the list until Monday. SIGH!

However, in the meantime, I was given a referral for physical therapy, which is what I have been doing for the last couple of months. Two days a week with the hand therapist who informed me I needed carpal tunnel surgery in both hands. Two to three days with the physical therapist in the pool for my knees. The good news is that my legs are much stronger, as is my balance. I haven’t had my leg collapse causing a fall since April. (My newly acquired walker, loan from a friend, helps with that!)

Bad news is that the PT didn’t help my hands at all. I’m now at the point where I can barely hold a fork or a pen, and my handwriting which was always good isn’t even legible to me. I can’t hold a book, put on my own bra, button or zip anything, chop vegetables, trace a pattern, insert a pin,etc., etc. It has been a very tough time for me as well as my husband, who has had to take up the slack. He's been doing all the shopping, helping me to dress, driving me to therapy, and so much more.

Good news! I saw the hand surgeon on Monday, and am scheduled for my first carpal tunnel surgery on Friday, the 19^th of June. It’s outpatient and normal recovery time is 3 weeks. At the two week point when they remove my stitches, they will schedule my second hand. WOO HOO!  Can’t wait to have my hands working normally again!

While the “scheduler” was handling my surgery appointment, I asked if she also schedule my knee surgeon’s appointments. She asked why, I responded, and she said no, but her office mate did. I was able to ask the office mate where I was on the list, at which time I found out the other office hadn’t forwarded my records, so I wasn’t on the list. She immediately put a request in for the records, and when they arrive, I’ll get on the surgery schedule.

Thank goodness, it looks like "God willing and the criks don’t freeze over," I may get all my issues handled this year! With surgeries needed for both knees and both hands, it's been a tough year so far.

That said, I’ve been told I won’t be doing any typing after each hand surgery, so it will probably be the end of summer, or fall before anything much show up here again.

I’ve been virtually sewing through all your blogs and Instagram posts, so I’ll keep that up. Stay safe, stay healthy, and keep sewing!

Update

My hands have been numb since January. Finally found out the numbness in my hands is due to pinched nerves in my neck. Numb fingers makes for lots more typing errors, and makes it extremely difficult to sew! I’m trying to help it along with seated yoga, chiropractic, and massage. But it’s just going to take time. Add to that working in the income tax business, and sewing is almost non-existent this first quarter of 2020.
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Because of the numbness, buttons are extremely difficult. I made a pair of pull on linen pants that should have taken a day and wound up taking a week or more, Sigh. Not a bad wardrobe addition though. I modified my TNT Burda pattern for them. 

After working in them all day...

Also need some pull over tops that aren't tees for work. Started tracing off the Angela Wolf Linda Tunic. I think it will be perfect. 

With the numbness, it's slow going, but I have high hopes.

More later!

Le's do what we can to help!

From Forbes 3/20/20:

Calling All People Who Sew And Make: You Can Help Make Masks For 2020 Healthcare Worker PPE Shortage

Joost De Cock (Old Dutch for “The Cook”) started the FreeSewing Open Source Project from his home in the Netherlands to provide free sewing patterns. Recently, his wife who is a surgeon started seeing potential shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE). Joost knew what to do, so he posted it to FreeSewing in late February. People thought he was being silly as a handmade mask would never be used by professionals. (I love the brand for FreeSewing.org, by the way.)

But he was onto something when he posted: Calling all makers: Here's a 1-page PDF facemask pattern; Now go make some and help beat this thing. I took inspiration from Joost’s call for help in the writing of my headline

If you think that a handmade N95-type mask cannot be used, think again. Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a place for them — in times of crisis, like the one we are in right now. On the CDC page: Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of Facemasks, they explain that as a last resort, a homemade mask is acceptable. Frankly, we are at that stage right now. Here’s how they explain it in the Crisis Strategy section, When No Facemasks Are Available, Options Include: 

“Healthcare personnel (HCP) use of homemade masks:

In settings where facemasks are not available, HCP might use homemade masks (e.g., bandana, scarf) for care of patients with COVID-19 as a last resort. However, homemade masks are not considered PPE, since their capability to protect HCP is unknown. Caution should be exercised when considering this option. Homemade masks should ideally be used in combination with a face shield that covers the entire front (that extends to the chin or below) and sides of the face.

This is one small way we can help when we are sheltering in place!