Tag, I'm It!

Sigrid of Analog Me has kindly tagged me for this award,

for which I am very grateful. Thank you, Sigrid! The rules are:
1. Thank the person who gave the award and link back to them in your post.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass this award along to recently discovered blogs.

So, things about me. Hmmm.
I attended 8 schools before I graduated from 12th grade, and neither of my parents was in the military.
I got better grades first year in law school than my classmate Elena Kagan. (So much for grades!)
I love to sing but don't know how to harmonize.
I first met many of my closest friends online.
My first full-time job was writing and editing a textbook on restaurant sanitation.
I want to be composted when I die.
I'm not ready to give up climbing trees.

And now to tag new "winners:"
Fuzzy Lizzy of The Vintage Traveler;

Anita of A Summer Gypsy Sews; and

Kyle of Vacuuming The Lawn.

And finally, a picture of my cat.

How To Dress For The Revolution

Vogue Options 8575, of course. Here I am attempting an action shot and nearly running down DS in the process.



I actually never ride without a helmet, but here I'm wearing my National Lawyers Guild Legal Observer hat because my plan for the day included checking out the Los Angeles version of Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Los Angeles. I didn't get to City Hall until around 7 p.m., having put 25 miles on my bicycle and a delicious roast beef sandwich from the Coffee Table Bistro in Eagle Rock into my stomach, but the revolution was still going strong when I finally arrived. (Obviously, when the revolution succeeds I am toast!)

As far as I could tell I was the only Legal Observer there but that was not a problem: our role is to insure that any police interference with free speech is documented by careful neutral witnesses. There was nothing to Observe because the LAPD had agreed not to bother the protesters unless there was trouble, and there is seldom trouble at a demonstration until the police show up. This group is particularly orderly (anarchists notwithstanding), making a really serious effort to entertain all views and operate by consensus. They have about a dozen committees (I listened to them report at a general assembly) including one working on a list of demands. I love them all!

I spent a couple of hours wandering around talking to people. I spoke to several old Baby Boomers quietly taking it all in who told me they had been waiting their whole lives for something like this. As have I.

Curb Alert: Cat!

First one takes him. Just be sure not to leave any liquids within 500 yards of your sewing when he's around.

A Dress That Works (For Me)!

So my plan all along has been to make dresses that look presentable but that I can wear while I commute to work on my bicycle. I do wear the lycra shorts (below-the-knee-length) but I no longer have the superhero physique to make them look good (if I ever did) or even decent. A pullover knit dress is just the ticket and now I've made one.



I'm gorgeous, am I right? I'm in the subway station because I cycle from home to the subway, then take the bicycle on the train to park it at work. Where I substitute proper undergarments and shoes but wear the dress through the day if possible. Fortunately I teach "sage on the stage" style and no one has to get too close to me.



The dress is Vogue Options 8575 Here's a review:

Pattern Description: Pullover dresses in two lengths with partial self-faced, gathered bodice, lapped bodice front, princess seams front self band, tie ends, side bodice variations and gathered skirt. I made view A with mid-arm kimono sleeves.

Pattern Sizing: Size FF: 16-22. I graded from the 16 at the top to 22 at the bottom. I could have gone smaller.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Pretty much.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like the shape and the princess seams. I actually like the fact that the tie ends are so long (as mentioned by another reviewer) because I can wrap them all the way around and tie them in front, which avoids the droopy tie look in back.

Fabric Used: I used a poly-cotton (or maybe just poly) jersey from Michael Levine's in Los Angeles.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I tried to adjust the lapped bodice to be more modest, but it's still too low and I have to wear a cami under it. Someday I'll get that right. I also had to take in the sides because sizing it according to my measurements resulted in it being way too big.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes and yes. Next time in a smaller size.

Sad.

My four brothers and myself in, I think, 1962.



Chuck, the second from the right, died of brain cancer at the age of 24 in 1982. Now Rick, the second from the left, is also dead two weeks short of his 58th birthday. He was found dead in his apartment where he lived for over 30 years, since moving in as a student at Kent State U. in 1978. Cause of death is still pending; my guess is carbon monoxide poisoning from charcoal grilling inside the house.

Rick was different. He had cut himself off from his family. He hadn't had a telephone for years. I went to visit him a few years ago and he was cordial but wouldn't let me in. He didn't empty his mailbox for weeks at a time, so mail to him--from our mother, for example--was returned to the sender. He disconnected the electricity from his apartment and took out the meter. He had a job and was never late with the rent. His old beater of a car was registered and insured. His living room looked like this.



Yes, that is a shopping cart overflowing with books. Not scavenged books. Very carefully chosen books of philosophy and literature and Celtic mythology.

He loved the out of doors.



Now his remains are buried here in a beautiful nature preserve cemetary destined to become a hardwood forest.



To let the light in I guess you have to let some of the darkness out.

We Have A Winner!

I know all three contestants have been on pins and needles (how appropriate, right?) to see who would win my vintage Singer attachment giveaway. Well, the waiting is over, the random number generator came up with number 2 so the winner is Tors, of Girl Meets Wolf! Hooray! This is only fair, and restores balance to the universe, because I won a contest on Torie's blog (when it was Welsh Pixie) and have been using the bright handmade bag I won to hold my knitting (and unknitting and reknitting ...) lately. But I didn't cheat, I really did use the random number generator, although I'm too techno-lame to publish the proof here.

Now, I think vintage Singer attachments are the greatest thing since sliced bread, but maybe the thin turnout for my giveaway indicates they are an acquired taste? I'll try to come up with something of more general appeal for my 100th post. After I come up with 29 more posts, of course.

Can't have a post without pictures, so here's my grandmother:

and my generation of her descendants from our recently concluded family reunion.

Learning All The Time

One of the wisest things I've ever read about teaching--especially teaching law--is that it is very good for a professor to take lessons in something difficult in one's spare time--a new language, piano, auto mechanics, etc. The idea is never to lose touch with what it is like to be utterly bewildered and unable to master a new skill despite great efforts to do so. I think sewing might fit the bill for me. Today's example: I have now made Simplicity 2580 three times, each time using the same traced version of the pattern, each time without major mistakes. The only real difference among these three versions is the fabric:

Opus 1: a hearty cotton jersey:
Does she have her hoodie on back to front?

Opus 2: a much thinner, limper cotton-poly jersey:
Look! That was supposed to be a cowl neck! Who knew?

Opus 3: silk jersey from yesterday:
This one's only decent because I tucked it into my bra--otherwise it sags below my underwear.

So, just as when my students ask me a question about law and I answer with a question, the answer to "will this fit?" is "what are you making it out of?"

Sigh.