Janet is Closed

Nicole Sauce, who does my favorite Living Free in Tennessee podcast, has a policy of taking time off periodically and telling people that “Nicole is closed.” Janet is going to be closed this week. Except for a few previously-scheduled commitments, I am not going to be available to solve problems, manage projects, or head off emergencies. If I don’t answer phone calls or texts, that’s why.

I spent yesterday afternoon tracing a stack of patterns in preparation for a marathon sewing session. I will start with the apron order. After that, it’s the lounge pants from New Look 6689:

The Renee ponte pants fit well, but I need to make a few other pants patterns to better understand crotch shaping and potential adjustments to that area. The top is nice, too, but it’s further down the priority list.

I’ve got the Love Notions Laundry Day Tee traced and ready to make. I joined the Love Notions pattern support group on Facebook and that has provided a wealth of fitting information, as have the patterns themselves. The patterns come with a full bust pattern piece, so I don’t have to do the full bust adjustment myself. After the LDT comes the Love Notions Tessa Sheath dress. I still have a couple of yards of that summer ponte in a lovely periwinkle blue that is earmarked for that pattern, although I plan to make a muslin first to make sure the length is good.

I scoured the clearance bins at Joanns the other day and came up with some slinky, sparkly dark green Lurex stretch knit—it sounds hideous, but made up into the right top, it’s going to be spectacular, I think—and I’ve got another New Look pattern to go with it:

I bought this one because I wanted to see how the cowl shaping compared to the Easton Cowl pattern. The basic design is similar, but this one has some additional shoulder pleating to help drape the cowl. I will not be making those flutter sleeves, ick. Sewing the Lurex may prove to be a challenge, but I have to try. If this works out, it may end up being my holiday outfit, and kudos to me for not waiting until the last minute to make something.

This is all part of the educational process. If I am going to be teaching clothing classes, I’d better broaden my experience.

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My refrigerator has some new artwork:

Our renters have a little girl who is a quite a firecracker. She was selling pictures the other day at a stand in her yard, so I went over and bought two of them. Please note that she signed her name in cursive, and she just finished kindergarten.

WS had his lemonade stand set up during the garden tour, so several tour guests came to my garden carrying their drinks. His lemonade has quite the reputation—you can choose to drink it plain or have raspberries, strawberries, or huckleberries added to it. I’m partial to the strawberry version.

And I am making progress with the little rooster. He decided that if the hens could eat scratch grains out of my hand, he could, too. I’m waiting for him to start practicing crowing. That should start any day now.