Measurement Math

If you cannot measure it, you cannot control it.

~ John Grebe

Well, recent events have conspired to disrupt my sewing queue.  As you may remember - and I can barely remember because it's been so long since I've been able to do any sewing! - I was working on clothes for my friends' assorted babies & toddlers, when Ana asked me to try to sew her skirt this weekend.  

The main issue is size.  The smallest size on the pattern is size 4, and Ana is probably a size 0 or maybe -2.    ;)

One good thing - the pattern I'm using has elastic around the waist - greatly easing the challenge of fitting!  (Another good thing - it can worn at just about any level between the waist and the hips.)  

Anyways, she gave me the (circumference) measurement representing the line (somewhere between her waist and hips) where she wants the top of the skirt to sit.  I added 3 inches for ease and the side seam allowances, then divided that in half and used that number to modify the skirt yoke:  

You can see below how I just folded the pattern along the sides to get the length I wanted - happily, the yoke pattern is a perfect rectangle!  

Next up, the skirt panels - there are TEN!!!!!  Yikes!  

Anyways, I took the amount that I had reduced the yoke pattern piece and divided it by 5 to figure out how much to reduce each skirt panel.  Then I divided that number by 2 and reduced each side of the panel by that amount.  

Again the sewing gods were smiling on me, because the skirt panel pattern piece is symmetrical.  

As with the yoke pattern piece, folding in the sides of the skirt panel pattern piece worked, with the minor exception that I had to make a small snip where the pattern flares, to allow it to lay flat when folded back.  

Finally, just to make sure everything would be okay, I worked the math backwards - I measured the width of the side panel and figured out how wide it would be after I assembled the 5 panels:  

It turned out that it didn't work out exactly right the first time.  Thank goodness I checked!  Luckily, I still had the pleat size to work with!  The pleat width in the pattern was 3.5 inches - I played with the number in Excel and found that a pleat width of 3.25 will get me pretty close to having the yoke and the assembled skirt panels match in width.  

Phew!  

As I read back over this post, I see that some reference to good fortune occurs 5 times!  If you are going to try to sew something long distance - without being able to take measurements yourself or do any fitting - you aren't going to get a better pattern than this!  ;)

Now that I've got the numbers all worked out, it's time to cut!  Yay!  Actual sewing is occurring!  :)

Teaching English with Norman Rockwell

I paint life as I would like it to be.  

~ Normal Rockwell

One of the best investments I've made for my ESL class is a set of 11 x 17 inch reproduction prints by Norman Rockwell on scouting.  I use these images for all kinds of language activities in class - speaking, listening comprehension, grammar lessons, you name it...  

They are perfect in so many ways - full of concrete, every day objects and relationships - each is different, and yet there is enough overlap that I can pull a set of 3 or 4 images that have a lot in common.  

This summer, I am using the images to get my students to generate language and to reiterate two key grammar concepts that we have been studying all year - constructing negative sentences and questions.  

First, I break the class into groups of 3-4 students and give each group an image.  Then I ask each group to generate a series of positive statements about their image.  

Once the positive statements have been generated, we reconvene as a class and practice turning them into negative statements and/or questions.  

Here are some examples that my students generated last week, based on the two pictures above:

Image #1

There is a dog.

The boy is on top of the chair.

The man has exercise equipment.

The boy's pants are blue.  

Image #2

The boy is carrying two big bags.

Father wishes luck to the boy.

Mother says goodbye to the boy.  

The dog is happy.  

I'll leave it as an exercise to my readers to turn those positive statements into negative statements and questions...  ;)

It Never Rains...

Bring in ideas and entertain them royally, 

for one of them may be the king.  

~ Mark Van Doren

I've had this beautiful, pink, cotton pinstripe in my stash for a couple of years - just waiting for the right pattern to come along:  

Then, yesterday, I get my Burda Style magazine in the mail and find - not one - but THREE patterns that are all clamoring to be made up in a beautiful, pink, cotton pinstripe!  

One contender is this shirt dress.  The only thing I worry about is the vertical darts on either side of the center front - I'm not sure how well they'll work with the pinstripes...  

Another possibility in the dress category is this wrap-around summer sun dress.  The fabric is the perfect weight and I think I could keep the pinstripes lined up - although I do like the design shown here of a solid bodice and flowers in the skirt.  

Finally there is a blouse with a mandarin collar.  Unlike the model in this image, I don't really think it's a "prissy" shirt and would wear it buttoned up.  ;)

Why do ideas keep coming to the party alone, instead of bringing some free time with them?   ;)

Gratuitous Kitten Picture

There should always be one more cat than person, 
so everyone has one to pet, 
and I have two to myself.  

~ Jarod Kintz (This Book Title is Invisible)

Our Summer Has Started: It's Official!

"But if you have so much fun, then why don't you get together more than once a month?"

She looked at me like a wise old owl and winked.  

"Do something too often and it stops being special."  

~ Beth Hoffman (Saving CeeCee Honeycutt)

Plus, I'm half afraid that doing this more than once a month would kill me!  ;)

Yup, over the weekend we had the first of our monthly summer pool parties...  There were 9 children, ages 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 13.  How's that for a spread?  

My husband and I did have the assistance of 3 additional adults (2 moms & 1 uncle) - thanks goodness!  

It was your standard welcome-in-the-summer-while-celebrating-two-birthdays pool party.  I made homemade pizzas and cupcakes; my husband grilled burgers and hot dogs.  

I was busy enough that I didn't get any pictures of the kids in the pool - but one family brought a pinata - in the shape of a guitar in honor of my husband (one of the birthdays was his).  And I managed to get a couple of quick snaps:  

Here the 3-year-old and 5-year-old model the pinata.  

My husband got first shot at the pinata - we trusted him to keep his eyes closed!  ;)

The other birthday celebrant (13 years old) was up second.  

And his 11-year old sister went third.  

At that point, yet another urgent something popped up that demanded my immediate attention - I think I had to go inside to get plastic bags for all of the kids to hold their "loot" - and the camera was forgotten.  Sorry... :(

But don't worry - there are probably 4 more of these in my future this year - so there will be plenty of opportunities to see a pool full of kids enjoying a special day.  :)

It did wear me out - it was all I could do on Sunday to squeeze in my regular weekend chores between some serious naps...  I'm looking forward to the holiday weekend coming up - maybe I'll finally be able to get myself into the sewing room.  

Sewing Plans: Some Fabric Updates

Details matter, it's worth waiting to get it right.  

~ Steve Jobs

While I haven't made it into the sewing room for a while, I have made some small steps of progress on two of my current projects.  

First, one of the little girl dresses - I had been planning to use a bright pink fabric for the border (see here), but on further viewing, it wasn't a good match.  

So I went back to the fabric store and found the PERFECT border - red with white polka dots, just like Minnie's bow, dress and shoes!  ;)

Next, you may remember that recently I tried to lure Ana back into sewing by buying her a beautiful butterfly print, but she turned the tables on me and talked me into agreeing to make a skirt for her (see here).  And then she asked for a contrasting yoke on the skirt...  

Another fabric shopping trip (oh darn!) and I found this burnt yellow fabric.  What do you think?  Won't it make a nice combination?  :)

Fingers crossed that we all get some sewing time in soon!  :)

Gratuitous Kitten Picture

Cats sleep 

Anywhere,

Any table, 

Any chair,

Top of piano,

Window-ledge,

In the middle,

On the edge.  

~ Eleanor Farjeon