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Aug 18, 2010

It's 3 o'clock in the morning...


Friends, once again I must apologize for my pre-dawn stream of consciousness.  Don't ask me why I am awake at this ungodly hour, but I have learned that if I am, it's better to just get out of bed and start my day than to toss and turn in the darkness, thoughts of my next blog post filling my head.  I have Freddy here curled up on the sofa next to me, so off we go....


I am still waiting for my Liberty Art fabric to arrive.  That's the pattern above and I'm trying to recall how large those "lozenges" are.  Somewhere online I'd found an image of the fabric with one of those little rulers at the bottom showing the scale of the design, but I haven't been able to relocate it.  I am hoping the image above represents say, five inches of the pattern and not a yard, otherwise that Burda dress is going to be rather hard on the eyes.

I did receive a very special package in the mail yesterday, however:







I am so excited about this men's tailoring book by Roberto Cabrera and I know it's going to help tremendously with my suit project.  You do remember it, don't you?  While I got distracted there for a while, please don't think I have forgotten my much-heralded-and-as-quickly-sidelined suit project.  In fact, I am thinking of announcing an official MPB September Suit-a-thon just to raise awareness.  (Won't you help create a suit today....Please?)  What do you think?  

And while we're on the subject of you...

I've noticed that when I post a blog entry, the very first readers tend to be the editors, the ones who'll alert me to the difference between bespeckled and bespectacled or discrete and discreet, usually early enough for me to avoid large-scale public embarrassment.

After the editors, come the continuity experts.  Their job is essentially to comb for any inconsistencies.  Is there a beginning, middle, and an end?  Does what I'm saying make any sense at all?  Will anybody get my jokes? 

Next come the critics.  They read my entry and focus on the content: Am I alienating the Aussies?  Have I been mean to anyone who doesn't deserve it?  Can you see the outline of anything you shouldn't in my latest pants project photos?  Their comments usually arrive via personal email.

Finally, we have the sewing police.  They're the ones who remind me -- publicly and occasionally in caps -- that a Forties dress should not have serged seam allowances -- on the outside -- and that no self-respecting tailor would baste with anything but dental floss.  They have so much knowledge to share and, if we're able to swallow our pride a bit, they can educate us all.

Friends, it takes a team to keep me at my absolute best, day after day. I couldn't do it without you.  To think that Emily Dickinson had only one editor...or was that Janice Dickinson?

Oh, yes, then there's the fans...

They're the ones who stick by me through thick and thin, the vast majority so bleary-eyed and over-caffeinated they don't even notice whether there's a lack of basic subject/verb agreement. They're here primarily to see pretty pictures of cute dogs, Cathy in my latest creation, and me in silly get-ups.   They're the ones who make it all worthwhile!



And speaking of fans...

I forgot to mention that on Monday I had the the good fortune to spend a few hours with Mainely Dad and his posse right here in NYC.   You'll recall that Mainely Dad -- let's call him Duane shall we?-- is the gentleman who sewed himself the amazing Japanese pattern book toggle coat and turned me on to "The Bishop Method of Clothing Construction."  He, his partner Brian, and his two endlessly patient adult children were in town on Monday and we all met up for coffee and a little fabric shopping -- what else?



I won't lie: I think Duane et al. were secretly hoping to meet Cathy, and I could sense a bit of disappointment when they realized it would just be plain old me, fresh from the City pool and still smelling of chlorine.



Duane needed to buy buttons and lining material for his next project, a men's topper-style coat.  If there's one thing I love to shop for, it's lining material, and we visited some of my favorite fabric stores, including Truemark on Seventh Ave. and 25th St., and H&M on 35th St., where Duane found something to his liking among the six hundred possibilities available.

If you want to find out which fabric he chose -- please, not the heavy poly satin, Duane! -- you'll probably have to visit his blog, which I link to again in hopes of a formal invitation to his weekend house in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and which he really needs to update someday soon (the blog, not the house).

Dear readers, I'm afraid the caffeine is starting to wear off.   I think it's time to either go back to bed or refill my moka espresso pot.  Editors, Continuity Experts, Critics and Sewing Police, it's in your hands now.

Fans, should you ever visit me in New York, please let's shop for something other than three yards of nylon acetate.  How about some stretch lace?

Have a great day, everybody!

43 comments:

  1. Today, if I hit the button soon enough, your first comment will be from a plain ole fan, applauding madly from her six hours ahead in Italy . . . I'm afraid your insomnia is always to my benefit. And, if I could, I'd rather do a flea market/Salvation Army combing with you . . . if I ever get to NYC again (actually home turf -- born at Lenox Hill Hospital). Hope some kind of deliverance happens today ; ).

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  2. Ha! Another fan! But for the most part I think your order if things is correct! I'm in for a suit-a-thon, if I can join, jackets are in the plan anyhow! Ooohhh! A photo gallery of just suits!

    Rest well!

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  3. ha ha ha ha funny post ....
    I would love to shop with you someday. I am already starting a list of what I want, next time I go.

    Actually, not just a funny post, but educational, too!

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  4. hope you managed to get some sleep! Dental floss? Who knew?

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  5. How can you be so humorous at 3:00 A.M.? Thanks for the info bits. I do think that I will stick to my ordinary basting thread.

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  6. Every post makes me laugh :) No editing- just another fan!!

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  7. Hee hee Fans are winning!
    You poor thing up at that time of the morning. I agree though, getting up is better than tying yourself up in knots with the sheets.
    I bet it was fun meeting Duane.
    Happy day to you

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  8. Oh, I'm sorry for commenting on the "bespeckled"! I thought it was funny when I read it and couldn't help but say something since the whole phrase was "bespeckled librarian" and I was a librarian (with freckles). And yes, I've had the sewing police visit me too.

    Other than that time, I think I still rank as a fan.

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  9. Any scurrilous claims that Aussies have been offended have been posted by New Zealanders. Aussies pride ourselves on *never* being offended. We call our dearest friends 'you bastard'.

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  10. I thought I was in the fan group, but now I'm not sure since I have given you sewing advice. I hope it hasn't been too police-y. Oops. And I do get all of your jokes. That's one of the reasons I am a fan. :-)

    How fun to meet up with Duane, et al. (I used to go to Asbury Park a lot as a kid.) One of the perks of being a NYC sewing blogger ... eventually, everyone ends up in your neighborhood. Lucky Dog - and I don't mean Willie or Freddie. ;-)

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  11. Debbie, the groups themselves are not mutually exclusive, though don't you actually wear a badge and carry a night stick? LOL

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  12. Ah, the sewing police! What would we do without them? I hear you on the "swallowing your pride" bit. Pride, I haz it.

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  13. Up against the wall, Peter, and spread 'em!!

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  14. I am so happy that I fall into the fan category! Whats next after fans, groupies maybe?

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  15. Just a fan here. Love your blog, love your creations, love your attitude!

    Hate waking up at 3 AM and being WIDE awake.



    Mermie

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  16. After fans come stalkers, I believe.

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  17. I'm an I, not an E, so if I came to New York, we'd have to do something that required little eye contact. I think this disqualifies me as stalker as I would need eyes to do that.

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  18. I was the one who pointed out that you meant to use "discreet." Just trying to make you look good, pal!

    And I hope you know that those "Moka" pots don't make real "espresso," which requires an espresso machine. They do, however, make good coffee.

    I'm very glad you bought the Cabrera book, which I and others recommended. I think you will find it a worthy addition to your garment construction library.

    Was one of the photos taken at Paron? Truemart Discount Fabrics has never looked that tidy.


    ***

    I enjoyed this article in the New York Times:

    "Ms. Checcucci is a tailor who hand-sews 90 percent of the garments she makes. 'Cut is everything,' she said, leaning over the cutting out table in her atelier, her scissors poised above a length of cloth mapped with chalk guidelines. 'It means knowing how to design the paper model from which the cloth will be cut, and this implies the ability to measure a person not only as regards size, but also stance. The jacket I make for a straight-backed man will not be the same as the one for a person of the same size with sloping shoulders. Only once the cut is perfect can the needle work begin.' "


    A Return to Basics, One Stitch at a Time


    By KATE SINGLETON
    Published: August 9, 2010

    http://tinyurl.com/florentiantailor

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  19. Haven't commented for ages but love your posts and am definitely a fan!

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  20. When I give sewing advice and suggestions about resources I'm sincerely trying to help others avoid mistakes (as well as refresh my memory). I've learned a tremendous amount by taking a few classes at FIT and through wide reading and exploration of the Garment District over the past couple of years.

    Unfortunately, I don't have a decent workspace so I don't sew as much as I should. I'm still working on that, as well as getting a dressform. Yesterday, I read another article in which a home sewer made a duct tape dressform. It's a waste of time.

    So many times during my on-and-off again attempts to learn to sew I was told that things were "easy" when they weren't, or people acted as if they were self-evident. (I've also had some excellent, incredibly encouraging teachers and tutors.)

    I think all disciplines should be taught intelligently and well.

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  21. Anon, you should know I really do appreciate the advice and try to heed it -- most of the time! ;)

    Introvert Cherri, you could just pretend you didn't know me.

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  22. Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh dear! I am a member of the sewing police! At least when I choose to comment...not sure what that says about me... But first and foremost I am a HUGE fan!!

    Having recently retired from emergency services, I DO have a badge! So, I am Debbie Cook's back up. Now...."Up against the wall, Peter, and spread 'em!!"

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  23. As I like to play junior tailor, with my open thimble and all, I simply had to order basting thread from Atlanta Thread Company. It has the weirdest consistency, but it does resemble that of dental floss, except thicker and more brittle. As it was the only thing I was ordering, I had to buy an enormous spool of it.

    One day I'd like to try some basting thread from Maison Sajou. http://tinyurl.com/sajoubastingthread

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  24. Alienate the Aussies... pft, you ARE funny. We love you and are all ready to hand over your honorary citizenship papers whenever you'd like to come to Melbourne to collect them. :0)

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  25. Debbie & Doreen: The Real Sewing Policewomen of Blog County. Think Bravo will bite?

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  26. It's not too late for the fans to check in, right? ;)

    Sounds like a fun shopping outing. If I can ever convince my husband to plan a trip to NY, you're on my list of sewing bloggers that I want to meet up with and shop for goodies. Although, with the way things are going, that might be in another decade. Hmph.

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  27. I fear I'm of the stalker variety.

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  28. I only comment occasionally; but now Im worried which heading I come under ;) Sometimes the best work is done in the 'wee small hours' I was awake with my dog v early as a BIG (hand sized spider) scared him!!!!

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  29. I definitely consider myself in the supporter group. (I try to avoid fanaticism at all costs.) But that said, if you ask a sewing question and I think I can help, I would be remiss in supporter duties by not answering. Can that be changed from Sewing Police to Sewing Peace Keepers? Just cos I am having a Farscape moment today?

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  30. Also can I point out that you have awesome fans, editors, police, etc. too? They have great advice and are fun to read.

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  31. One more post then I will leave you alone for today

    http://quilthome.com/product_info.php/cPath/38_831_832/products_id/7489

    You can view your fabric in three different scales. No the lozenges are not ginormous. Should be swell. I rather fancy the black mourning cloth version myself. (For quilting, not clothing.)

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  32. I love giving advice, so maybe I'm sewing police too!
    Funny how some people appreciate it, yet others have their ego or pride dented!
    Personally I would have loved all the free advice on blogland when I was learning to sew, but I think they were still inventing computers then ;)

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  33. I'm late for the party but I'm a fan. I'm learn so much from you. Muah!

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  34. I like Kaffe Fassett. I remember when he was primarily a knitter, but why is that design in the "Paisley Collection"? That shape is not what I consider to be paisley.

    Wikipedia article on paisley:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paisley_%28design%29

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  35. Peter, what IS the difference between discreet and discrete? Oh, well, definitely a fan! Sometimes I get to laughing so hard (like when Cathy had a "scare" a few weeks ago) my husband is ready to commit me. When next I come to NYC will be no nylon acetate on my shopping list. Probably no stretch lace either, is that ok?

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  36. Who cares about all that other stuff-- DID YOU GET THE SCOOP ON DUANE'S TWO (COUNT 'EM TWO) PARTNERS?????

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  37. Hey Peter,
    I had being watching your post for quite some time. I have to admit it is much fun to see and read it. Love Cathy’s stories and the fun way you bring to sewing. Keep up the good work, and can’t wait to see the progress with the suit.

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  38. You're sewing a suit? :-) I'm certainly far from qualified to police any sort of sewing activity so perhaps I'll remain un-categorized for the time being although I do enjoy pretty pictures of cute dogs.

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  39. I have some sewing knowledge to share. Right sides together! AMHIK

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  40. Valerie, let's leave my log out of this, shall we? ;)

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  41. LOL, I love the comment hierarchy. I pretty much assume that if someone on the internet wants my opinion they'll give it to me, and try to stick to the "fan" designation. I will not be sewing anything with dental floss.

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  42. Oh funny. How about those who don't comment because your post has left them speechless?

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  43. The Bishop Method! That's how I learned how to sew - along with help from Mom.

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