It’s been hot, 100F/38C, and our air conditioner broke just before the heat arrived. Today is a cool 90F/33C. I have been doing a bit of sewing, but I haven’t turned on the iron. It generates too much heat. And I can’t sew much because I need my lights, and those generate a lot of [...]

Since I have a minute to post … I altered Simplicity 5098, yet again, but this time I fit the pattern pieces on Buttina. I decided to use up a different fabric, so I switched to a “natural” colored rayon with big black symbols printed on it. It’s all cut and ready to go. I [...]

I put a counter on my blogger, and it tells me that 75% of my visitors are repeat visitors. I don’t know if I’m putting a cookie on your machines or just grabbing IPs. Anyway, because 75% of you are returning, I feel obligated to update my blog as often as possible and to let [...]

Things are not going well with the cheongsam/simplicity 5098. I don’t know what my problem is. I must be terrified that the top isn’t going to be big enough over the gigantic ones. The first one, the one in the picture, was too big, so I took out 1/2 inch from the full bust alteration. [...]

I love cheongsams; you know, those Asian style tops. I finished Simplicity 5098 fitting toile, the woven version. I’m pretty happy with it. I need to fix some of the alterations, but I think I’m going to really, really like this top. If anyone out there is considering the cap sleeve, I strongly recommend that [...]

I restuffed Buttina, this time starting at the top. This worked out much better. I had overstuffed her, and I decided to leave her squishy this time, like me. She’s really inspired me to get serious about losing weight, too. I finished the skirt from Simplicity 5633. It came out okay, but it wasn’t sufficiently [...]

It was so easy. Sure, it took us about 2 hours per person, including checking the instructions and a lunch break, but it was really, really easy. I highly recommend it. You can even see my belly button! We used dry cleaners bags, instead of t-shirts, and we added a grocery store veggie bag to [...]

I want to respond to the comment left in my blog about patterns being flawed. IMNSHO, that arguement still implies that there’s something wrong with someone’s body. The pattern sloper is based on a real person. Whether it’s the big4, who use a woman in her early 20s who is a perfect size 10, or [...]

I hate it when books call a deviation from the “ideal” figure a flaw. It be one thing if they said I had bad posture (I don’t) or I was fat (I am). If I believed in God, I’d say that all our bodies are the way God made us to be. But the connotation [...]

I decided to toss out the 2 tops from Simplcity 5633. Goosey wasn’t going to wear them, so the effort to hem them and put in that last sleeve would have been wasted. I’m still going to finish the skirt. I debating whether or not to toss this pattern after that. I bought this pattern [...]