I always loved this pattern. When it first came out I lived in Sydney, where on the coldest day of the year a determined knitter might wear fingerless gloves, but she’d kind of wish she hadn’t. So I didn’t knit them for years. But now in New York in the fall, gloves are not only manageable, they’re actually quite nice. I hear that in the winter I’ll even want them with fingers!
The first step in sewing together a pair of jeans is to sew down the patch pockets in back. You just cut out the shape of a pocket, leaving your standard seam allowance on the sides and bottom and double allowance on top. Fold the top of the pocket over twice, press, and sew down. Fold over the sides and edges and press. Pin the pockets to the back of the pants, being careful to line them up so the two sides are symmetric. Sew along the edges.
One of the highlights of the Berkeley Botanical Garden is a little hot-house packed with orchids and other tropical plants. There are spiny Venus Fly Traps, delicately curling ferns, and brightly colored Lady’s Slippers, and the epiphytic ferns and orchids hanging from the ceiling give the whole room a wonderful look.
Last weekend Prima and I went to the Berkeley Botanical Garden to take some photos for her shop. As soon as I saw this top I knew I wanted to photograph it by water, and the garden’s Japanese Pool was the perfect place. Peaceful and green, with stepping-stones and lily pads. Prima’s favorite photos from the shoot can be seen in her listings for the pants and the blouse.
My sister Rosie spends most of her day around toddlers, so she tends to wear jeans and shoes she can run in. What she really wants to wear is high heels and crisp wool skirts, so when she presented her research at a conference this spring, she was happy to have the excuse make herself a new skirt. She settled on this gray suiting wool and simple a-line shape, with a narrow waistband and an invisible zipper. The sweater she’s wearing with it is a long sleeve version of the Shaped Lace Tee from Knitting Lingerie Style, which is probably my favorite knitting pattern. A pair of simple lace stitches with just enough going on to keep it interesting, and a beautiful finished product.
I spent a quiet Sunday afternoon lying in the grass watching the clouds and taking a few pictures. It’s been a while since I had a real day off, and it was lovely.
I’m wearing my picnic dress. There are instructions on how I made it here, but it’s not the most detailed tutorial. Feel free to ask me about anything confusing.
It’s finally warm here, after too many rainy weekends. It was also my first (relatively) quiet weekend in a long time. I delivered the swimsuits and am one dress away from being able to sew for myself again. I went to the fabric store with Rosie and picked out the material for my summer pants. Very excited!
The pattern for this top comes from Lace Style. I think it was my second lace project, and the first to come out like the sample. I used crochet cotton held double (as the pattern recommends). The original pattern has smaller lace repeats at the top, which I skipped. It might make for slightly more interesting knitting than an entire top in one simple pattern, but I prefer the look with them all the same. It was a quick knit, a great project for someone new to lace.
A couple of nights ago we had the most beautiful sunset. It was raining lightly, but the sky to the west had cleared and the sun came through under the clouds, turning the rainy city gold. I wish I were the sort of photographer who could capture that beauty for you, but my photos never come out very well without people in them. I tried anyway.
Saturday morning was sunny and blue. I put on my summer skirt and set to work on the huge pile of unsewn swimsuits on my sewing table. By the time I decided to take a break, it was gray and rainy. No good for going out in, but rather nice light for a few pictures by the kitchen door.
If you are considering making a very full pleated skirt like this one, do yourself a favor and hem it on the machine. I must have spent three hours hemming this, and while it looks quite nice, it’s just not worth it. I do like the look of a high waisted yoke and a full skirt, but this one is not going in the shop. Maybe a machine hemmed version.
We interrupt our ongoing swimsuit tutorial to admire my mother’s roses again. I’ve been wanting to take these photos for weeks. I tried to do it as a self portrait with tripod and remote, and I’m fairly happy with how that came out. But these are closer to what I imagined. It’s much easier to take pictures of someone else, where you can see the picture through the view finder and not just in your imagination.
Prima’s wearing the under dress for a regency costume she made. It is available in her shop.
