Moving Right Along

Yesterday I sewed the side seams and hemmed the new top. First the hem. This pattern calls for a 1 1/4" hem, with the 1/4" turned under and the edge top stitched. I am going to use a decorative stitch along the hem so opted to save steps (and thread) and use some "Stitch Witchery" to secure the hem. It also adds stability to that area for the decorative stitching.

It turned out to be a much better stabilizer than the one I used around the neckline. My decorative stitches at the hemline are nice and crisp. I am finding the metallic thread to be rather temperamental. It breaks easily, and did so 3 times across the front hem and once along the back. I am getting very proficient at figuring out how to match up the design when restarting. You really can't tell where the breaks happened. Next up, the side seams. Again, this is a very thin woven fabric. I need strong seams. I also need to finish the raw edges so they don't ravel. The bottom of the hem has side slits, too. Hmmmm....I had an idea in my head of the type of seam I wanted but could not find it listed in my sewing books so am not sure what this type of seam is called. If you know, please leave a comment. What I did was to turn the seam allowance over, in half, on the inside and then top stitch 1/4" away from the seam on either side. I continued this seam down along both side slits. I think it adds a nice design element while making strong, tidy seams.

right side

wrong side

Today I will tackle the lining. I want the lining to stop just before the side slits and have a very narrow hem. I believe I have some special feet designed specifically for that purpose. I am also going to attempt a "new to me" seam, called a baby seam, which is very narrow and great for thin fabrics.

A Summer Sewing Project

I apologize for not posting very much this summer. Beekeeping has been keeping me very busy. I started the season with 2 hives. One was sick and I wound up losing that queen. Then my strong hive swarmed. First to a spot high up in my next door neighbor's chestnut tree, then they moved across the street to a lower tree and I was able to capture them. Now I have 3 hives. The hive that threw the swarm also wound up queen-less so I have purchased 2 new queens this year. The hives are back on track but for some reason they are not taking to the new shallow supers or the yellow rite cell foundation.

Now that the bees have settled down I can turn my attention back to sewing. I don't have the concentration for an involved project but I would like to make some easy, cool clothing items for the summer. This prompted me to look through my stash and I found this fun piece of cotton that I had picked up at Jo-Ann's during one of the "50% off the clearance fabric" sales. I took all they had left, which was only 1.75 yards. The colors are teal green and blue. The fabrics is sort of tie dye/batik/camo-ish.

I looked through my patterns and found one for a pullover t-shirt top that only requires 1.75 yards. Perfect. It is Butterick 3383 and I am making view E. Scoop neck, 3/4 sleeves....not even any darts. I was worried about it fitting since there was no zipper or buttons and no shaping to speak of. I made a small muslin, just the front and back, to slightly below the armholes (no sleeves), and tried it on. The only modifications I made to the pattern were to move the shoulder seams back 1/2" at the neck edge, shorten the sleeves 2" and grade the pattern from an 18 at the top, to a 16 at the hem. The pattern just barely fit on the fabric. There was no way to try and manipulate what part of the fabric design would end up where. That is the front piece in the photo, above. I am glad those big light rectangles ended up where they did. It could have been much worse. The machine in that same picture is my Kenmore 1914. Probably the nicest machine Sears ever sold. I found mine for $20. I had to drive all the way to Whidbey Island to fetch it, and it had been badly abused. But it came with every single attachment including the monogrammer, buttonholer, design cams...etc...It needed a bit more help than I could give it, so I paid our local "old sewing machine guy" $50 to give it a thorough going over and a new belt. A $70 total investment for a machine that usually sells for $200 or more. Yes, I am really happy with that purchase.

Back to the tunic project. Since this is a very easy pattern I decided to spice it up a bit and experiment with some techniques I'd been meaning to try. This top calls for a bias tape facing around the neckline. The colors of bias tape available at the fabric store is extremely limited. What a great opportunity to finally learn how to make my own bias tape. I ran over to Jo-Ann fabrics to pick up a 1/2" bias tape maker (which just happened to be on sale for 50% off!). The Clover bias tape makers are supposed to be the best, so I bought the 2 sizes they had in stock. There are a bunch of online tutorials for making bias tape. I opted to use this one which shows how to make a continuous strip of bias tape.

While at Jo-Ann's I noticed they had Gutermann thread on sale for 40% off. I picked up some of their decorative metallic threads. This tunic is going to be rather plain and I want to add some pizzazz with fancy threads and decorative stitching. Here is the neckline. My shirt has its own jewelry!

I applied the decorative stitching using the Kenmore 1914 and one of its design cams. I will add the same design to the cuffs and hem. As you can see in the first picture, this fabric is very thin. I like to leave some things (like my lumpy body) to the imagination. I will be adding a lining to this top, even though the pattern does not call for one. This is how far I have gotten. Now back to work.

Free LIMERICK HAT Pattern

I am offering this pattern for individual use, only. Please do not use this pattern in any way, to make a profit, unless you have my consent.





Limerick Hat

by Roxi Willoughby

Experience Level: Advanced

Sizes: teen/adult

Materials:
300 yards worsted weight yarn
Size 6 straight or circular needles
Size 8 straight or circular needles
Size 8 double pointed needles
Cable needle
Circular ring marker
Darning needle

Gauge: 10 sts/14 rows=2” in St st using smaller needles. Your row gauge is more important, in this pattern, than your stitch gauge.

Special Instructions:
C6F: Transfer next 3 sts to cable needle and hold them in front of work. Knit next 3 sts. Knit 3 sts from cable needle.
C6B: Transfer next 3 sts to cable needle and hold them in back of work. Knit next 3 sts. Knit 3 sts from cable needle.
W&T: Move working yarn to opposite side of work (if you are knitting move the yarn to the front and if you are purling move the yarn to the back), slip the next st to the right needle, again move the yarn to the opposite side of work (if you are knitting move the yarn to the back and if you are purling move the yarn to the front), return the slipped st to the left needle and turn your work.
K next st tog with wrap: From front of work (the knit side), insert tip of right needle into the wrap and the stitch at the same time, sliding sts onto right needle. Transfer both the wrap and st to the left needle and knit them together.
P next st tog with wrap: From the back of work (the knit side), insert the tip of the right needle into the wrap and pull it up onto the left needle. Purl it together with the st it was wrapped around.

NOTE: When knitting the brim and cabled band of this hat, you will be slipping the first st of each row purl-wise, and knitting the last st. This will create a nice edge that looks similar to a crocheted chain. This edge will make it easier to see where to sew when assembling your hat. It will also make it easier to pick up the sts for the crown.

Brim
With smaller straight or circular needles, CO 30 sts.
Row 1: P.
Row 2 (W&T row): Sl 1 pw, k22, W&T, p16, W&T, k16, k next st tog with wrap, k6.
Row 3: Sl 1 pw, p22, p next st tog with wrap, p5, k1.
Row 4: Sl 1 pw, k to end of row.
Row 5: Sl 1 pw, p to 1 st from end of row, k1.
Repeat rows 2 thru 5, until you've worked 35 W&T rows. If you turn the brim to the wrong side, you'll be able to see the little bumps where you've work the W&T. This makes it easy to count. You should end up with 35 of those rows. BO. With RS together, and holding the CO and BO edges together, sew the back brim seam. Set the brim aside.

Cabled Band
With larger straight or circular needles, CO 28 sts.
Row 1 & all odd rows: Sl 1 pw, p to last st, k1.
Row 2: Sl 1 pw, k to end of row.
Row 4 (first cable row): Sl 1 pw, k1, C6F, k6, C6F, k8.
Rows 6 & 8: Sl 1 pw, k to end of row.
Row 10 (second cable row): Sl 1 pw, k7, C6B, k6, C6B, k2.
Rows 12 & 14: Sl 1 pw, k to end of row.
Work rows 4 thru 15 until you've worked 13 of each of the cable rows.
Then work rows 4 thru 13. BO. With RS together, and holding the CO and BO edges together, sew the back cabled band seam.

Hat Crown
With dpns, pick up 84 sts along one edge of the cabled band.
Rnd 1: K, placing a st marker at the beginning of round.
Rnd 2: (K12, k2tog) repeat around.
Rnd 3: K
Rnd 4: (K11, k2tog) repeat around.
Rnd 5: K
Rnd 6: (K10, k2tog) repeat around.
Rnd 7: (K9, k2tog) repeat around.
Continue decreasing in this manner, knitting one less st before the dec each rnd, until 12 sts remain.
Next rnd: K2tog around. Break yarn, leaving 8". Using a tapestry needle thread yarn through remaining 6 sts. Pull tightly and fasten off.

Finishing: With RS tog, sew opposite edge of the cabled band to one edge of the brim. The cabled band is slightly wider so you'll need to ease it onto the band evenly. Fold the band in half, WS tog, and whip stitch it over the inside seam. Weave in ends.

ABBREVIATION KEY:
BO = bind off
CO = cast on
Dec = decrease
Dpn = double point needles
K = knit
K2tog = knit 2 stitches together                                                      
P = purl
Rnd = round
RS = right side(s)                                
Sl 1 pw = At the beginning of every row, with the yarn in front of work, slip one st, move yarn to back.
St(s) = stitch(es)
St st = stockinette stitch  
Tog = together
WS = wrong side(s)
           

Copyright November 2008 - Lamb’s Ear Designs. All Rights Reserved.

Please respect our copyright. Thank you.

2013 Chicago Pipe Show

My husband and I just got back from attending the Chicagoland International Pipe & Tobacciana Show which was held at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, IL. This was our 4th time attending and we had a lovely time, as usual. Pipe smokers attend from all over the world. It was nice to see old friends and to meet new ones. My main goal this year was to buy some decent tobacco, namely my beloved Kingfisher. I did manage to scoop up 3 tins of Kingfisher which was no easy feat as it is no longer imported into the US and it is rather hard to come by. Here are the tobaccos I bought to add to my stash.

From Cornell & Diehl I bought 2 tins of Sunday Picnic, and one tin each of Autumn Evening and Exhausted Rooster. From Iwan Ries I bought 3 big tins of Orlik Golden Sliced and a tin of the new Frog Morton, mainly because it has bits of oak from whiskey barrels in it. I found that rather fascinating. That wasn't all the tobacco I brought back, though. These were free, my favorite price.

4 tins were gifts from friends, and the 2 Sutliff blends and the stuff in the baggie were samples from vendors. Now my tobacco pantry is nicely restocked. That wasn't all the swag I brought back. I bought these cool playing cards which feature all different kinds and shapes of pipes.

This T-shirt was free from smokingpipes.com. They were extremely generous this year, giving away both mens and womens t-shirts in all different sizes, as well as posters and pins. I need to go tell them thank you.

I also participated in the silent auction because, well, I love auctions. I won 2 pipes. This little meerschaum pipe had to be mine because it is the spitting image of my husband. If he wore grapes on his head. You didn't know I am married to Bacchus, did you?

Here's a close up shot without a flash, to show detail.

I also fell in love with this little stylized volcano. I thought it was a very feminine looking pipe with the rounded scallops on the top of the bowl and the shank.

I am already trying to talk the husband into returning next year. It is the type of vacation I truly enjoy, even though I really dislike flying.

My Bargain Norwood Loom

A couple of days ago I was out running errands when I noticed a flyer for a yard sale tacked to a telephone pole. It was close to my home and I hadn't stopped at any sales yet this season, so I turned around and headed back. There were 2 small signs taped to a vehicle in front of the house. I almost missed it. Went inside and looked around. There wasn't much left in the home. It is being foreclosed and the owners are also divorcing. They seemed upbeat and still the best of friends. Anyway I am always looking for sewing items so asked the lady if she had any. No, those things went to her new apartment as she is keeping them. However she did have a loom. Well, I really don't need another loom. I have 2 floor looms already. But maybe it was a table loom? I sold my table loom and rather miss it. No, she informed me it was a floor loom. Curiosity got the better of me and I headed out to the garage to have a peek at it. I immediately recognized it to be an extremely well made loom, of nice solid cherry wood. It was very wide (50" weaving width) but folded up nicely. No, I don't need another loom. I just recently sold my lovely barn frame loom, Agda. Still, I had to ask the price. She thought about it a second and said she couldn't sell it for less than $100. $100!?!!??? Heck, you can't hardly buy a used rigid heddle loom for that. No, I didn't need another loom. But this was such a good deal. Too good, in fact. Rather like an offer I couldn't refuse. I thought if nothing else I would buy it, clean it up and re-sell it. I told the lady I would go home and ask the husband if he would mind another huge loom in the living room. I also needed his manly gorilla strength to get it home. There was no way I could stuff it in the Outback. It would have to be partially dismantled. Long story short, we had the thing in our home within the hour. We had to make 2 trips to bring it all home, but they lived just around the corner. Now I need to clean it up and get it put back together. Here are pictures of the loom from the lady's Craigslist ad. This is exactly how it looked when I found it.

Apparently this is a much sought after loom. Norwood looms are no longer made of cherry and this older style loom is much better made than the Norwood looms currently produced. It has a sectional back beam and chain tie ups. It came with the original manual, extra heddles, a Glimakra swift, warping board and 2 Leclerc shuttles with bobbins. This was my best yard sale find, ever.

Disappearing Queen

Today it got up near 70 degrees F. Perfect weather for a thorough hive inspection. The numbers in my Italian hive have dropped dramatically. The last time I had that happen to a hive I found out they were queen-less. My Carniolan hive is bubbling over with bees. Today's plan is to harvest 4 frames of brood and a couple frames of food from the strong hive. Here is what I had to work with:

The hive in the middle are the Carniolans. To the right are the Italians and to the very left is a box for starting a brand new hive.

I went into the strong hive first. It was easy to harvest brood since the queen had filled up the top super with babies. I double and triple checked the frames I removed, trying to make sure I wasn't also removing the queen. I'm still not 100% positive I didn't. It's like a shell game. Which hive has the queen? The Carni hive looks great. I had to remove their usual oodles of drone comb from the top of the frames and I did not see a single varroa mite anywhere on the larva. That is very good news. At least I am doing something right. 

Then it was time to crack the Italian hive. I swear, that hive can't catch a break. First Nosema and now, as I suspected, they are without a queen. Where did she go? She was there not too long ago. I definitely saw brood when I inspected for the first time after the winter. Who knows what happened to her? And why didn't they just make a replacement? There are queen cups scattered all about the hive but none appears to have been capped. Again, who knows? My fingers are crossed that they will figure out how to make a queen from the 2 frames of brood I just gave them. I tried to buy a queen from Miller's Compound in Roy but she won't have mated queens for 2 weeks.

My last task of the inspection was to try and start up a third hive using 2 frames of brood and 2 frames of food (pollen and honey). That went into the box on the left. Here is what I had when I was finished:

Now to leave everyone alone and let nature take its course. I'll give them time to produce queens, get them mated and start producing brood. Then we will peek back in and see how things are going. I leave you with a picture of this young fella who got separated from his hive.

May all your hives be queenright!

Busy With Bees....Now Some Sewing

Sorry I have been so quiet. I have been scrambling trying to figure out the best course of action to take for my bees this spring. Since discovering the varroa mites I have applied 2 applications of HopGuard, 9 days apart. I was shooting for 7 or 8 days but the weather didn't cooperate. I figure as long as it was somewhere between 7 and 10 days I'll be fine. I will apply one last dose in another week. The screened bottom boards with varroa trap drawers have been ordered, along with nine 8 frame shallow supers. I recently sold one of my spinning wheels so now have the funds to order up the rest of my bee supplies for the year, to include frames and foundation for my new shallow supers, a pollen trap, and a third screened bottom board to use for the new hive I plan to start from a split off the Carniolans. They have proven much gentler than my Italians plus they didn't have the awful dysentery issues that the Italians did. I want to keep those genetics going. Now that things have settled down with the bee girls I had some free time to sew my son's birthday pajama pants. True, his birthday was February 24th. Here they are, better late than never.

A close-up of the mock fly.

It isn't easy to find pajama flannel designed for grown-up guys. This son has always loved spicy food so the jalapeno print is very appropriate. I think PJ bottoms will be my go-to gift from now on. They are quick, easy, and useful. Once I have the pattern tailored to the individual I can sew a pair in a day. Next pair will be for my husband. He's put in his request.