31 October 2012

No trick-or-treating for me

I have to work tonight. I could dress up in a halloween costume, but really could I be anything scarier than I already am--a law professor?

Paperchase

Pretty scary.

28 October 2012

Hi Everybody, Remember Me?

I remember all of you and read your blogs pretty regularly, but a perfect storm of circumstance has prevented me from posting. Speaking of perfect storms, I'm thinking good thoughts for all of you in the northeast US and southeast Canada as the evil Sandy heads your way. Stay safe and warm and well supplied with thread, fabric and wine! Power up your hand-cranks and treadles!

The great thing about teaching is summer. The downside to teaching is, summer ends. I've been up to here in learning Remedies and Civil Procedure and planning lessons re: same. Especially Remedies--this is basically a law school course that covers a piece of every area of substantive law: contracts, torts, real and personal property, intellectual property, construction law, environmental law, animal law, etc., plus arithmetic (it's about what relief successful plaintiffs can hope to recover in a civil action in court). It's a great course and I love it, but only the omniscient are truly prepared to teach it; me, I have to keep working at it.

But I have been sewing, just not very successfully. I took one more crack at Vogue 8508, taking in the side seams, shortening it by a foot, and installing double-ended vertical darts in the front and the back as suggested by Peg. Then I wore it to work (including cycling to and from) with a wide stretch belt around the high waist and declared it a success. In hindsight, I don't like the dress on the pattern envelope that much. What was I thinking?

I also made a bright orange Renfrew of performance knit which didn't turn out well. It rides up so I wind up with peaks rising from my shoulders in the direction of my ears. I should photograph it and show you so you could help me, but somehow taking a picture of myself in an ill-fitting tee so the world can see it keeps falling off the top of my to-do list. Meanwhile I'm turning out UFO's at a pretty good clip: a half-done Sencha of gauzy plaid shirting, a Simplicity 2520 skirt in grey double-knit that was looking good until I stitched down the yoke facing and it got all twisted. I need to try it again using a walking foot, I think, but first I have to remove all that in-the-ditch stitching holding it down.

I wish I had a sense of my own style, or even a little bit of good taste. I always have a theory when I start a garment, but even when I sew well I seem to end up with random bits of clothing that I can't wear. Or Vogue 8575 in polyester knits, which I wear almost every day.

But I have been thrifting with some success so most days I'm able to go to work fully clothed. I love this men's silk shirt I found yesterday (when all of my fellow shoppers at Goodwill were assembling Halloween costumes):

IMG 0638

And a couple of skirts which I should shorten but for now I can say I'm up with the whole maxi-skirt trend:

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Oh, and this Prada knock-off that ran me $2.70. But it's a really nice bag--nice suede leather, great color, sturdy. I always thought knock-offs were trash, but this is a very good purse--it's just not a Prada. I can live with that. It's not like it cost me $3000, 0r $300 or even $3!

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So, thanks for checking on me The Perfect Nose and Far, and all you sweethearts! And thanks for the award,Amity--I'll get to it shortly and I'm loving your creepy Wedding posts!