Wombat Central!

Yesterday I:

Got up and made James's lunch, plus strawberry & Banana smoothies for breakfast Threw some clothes on after shoving him out the door for the bus... Started cleaning the bathroom Discovered the boiler wasn't giving me hot water... Rang the boiler people Rand Alan just to let him know and ask what the symptoms he'd encountered when it failed to come on at the weekend were... Rang the Inland Revinue re taxable earned income from emplyer vs income earned as self-emplyed dressmaker... Fielded call from boiler people saying man would come some time that day, but they knew not when! Tidied living room a bit... Disinterred boiler cupboard from heap in corner of bedroom! Let boiler man in! Let customer in! Let boiler man out! Fitted customer into toile. Post came with customer's other pattern... We decided this late one was the way to go, so... Looked at swatches of fabric and made final colour selection Discussed pattern alterations and yardage... drank coffee! Let customer out! Had sandwich Cut out bits of pattern back, with alterations... Covered conservatory in waste paper! There will be 10 bits to this pattern! ARGH! Rang friend with shopping list! Let James in from school Let friend in with shopping Second customer couldn't make fitting due to pressure of work, so put off until today (and she was deeply embarassed at the short notice , which isn't her fault: she works for the police, and was involved in a grievance hearing dropped on her at 8 am!) Cooked dinner... Got friend to countersign passport application and photos for James... Filled in passport application and sealed it up with cheque and old passport. Cut out rest of back of pattern, and drew front... Watched a bit of telly, and went to bed!

Today I need to:

Cut out the rest of the pattern Write the amendments into yesterday's customer who did get here's contract ready for Friday Get her fabric yardage and costs finalized... Finish cutting her pattern for frock version II Cut her fabric and get sewing Get to the post office with the passport and about 40 invitations I need to post!

I think I'd better start by getting dressed and having some breakfast... Nope! I'll have breakfast first, then shower and dress... after finishing that pattern off, coz it's nagging me!

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX
Loading thread data ...

Done! :)

Pending... Tonight!

Done! :)

Later - but I have moved the cutting table into Bias Cutting Mode! :D

Off to catch bus into town in 20 minutes!

Done all that... And put three loads of washing on the line to dry and another through the machine. Thank God for sunshine to dry the clothes! I get mean about putting the dryer on at this time of year, for anything other than towels, which tend to bake hard into towel shaped boards! And thank goodness the boiler man came yesterday! The place was starting to look like a rag heap. Now it just looks like a Chinese Laundry! :D

I also cut out a skirt for a customer that needs to be done by Friday. It's that Issey Myaki one. I'm bigining to think this is the perfect skirt pattern! Suits everyone, no matter their size: the first customer that had it was a larger lady - the scarlet dupion one on the web site - and I've made it twice for me (stretch denim and pale turquoise poly suede), and now this is another silk dupion one for my pettite customer with all those yards of bitter chocolate silk! :) I've made three finished versions and two toiles, so this is now a well known pattern and goes together like magic! :)

I just need to squeeze in some alterations on a toile for another lady, and I'm up to date!

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

You forgot to put in time to breathe Kate!! My day is full, statues are calling proformas are screaming and the accounts are desperate as the French self assement needs to be in in 10 days, but that is just.... well deep sigh of admiration for your organisation. Claire in Montréal France

formatting link

Reply to
claireowen

Hi Kate,

What pattern number is it? And is it still available? I could do with making some versatile skirts for business travel that look good for meetings and evenings and this looks like it might well be just the job.

Thanks

Lizzy

Reply to
Lizzy Taylor

Hi again,

You make me quite breathless Kate with all that you achieve. Hope all has gone smoothly today and that you are feeling a bit more limber again.

As to the pattern - I think I found it - Vogue 2796 and still in print.

formatting link
can I ask for some advice please :) ? On the "back" of the patternenvelope it recommends knits, yet you say you are making it in silkdupion - what alterations do you recommend for the woven fabric ratherthan the stretch?

From chilly Lancashire,

Lizzy

Reply to
Lizzy Taylor

Golly, Kate, you make me dizzy by the sounds of all you do! You are a whirlwind.

Sheila in Calgary

Reply to
Sheila Heinrich

I can multi-task on the breathing - am a girlie, after all! ;)

Tax form also needs doing, but I have a 'stay of execution' on that one: they forgot to send the right supplementary pages! And it really doesn't need to be in until September. Luckily I can fill it in on-line (but I want paper copies of the pages anyway to keep a record of what I tell them!) and they will work out how much they owe me... :D

The bride's fitting was great this evening, and next week I get to cut the REAL fabric and play with the scraps! I need to experiment with a hem finish and beads. Fun stuff!

I have an 'unreal deadline' for some of the work: the week starting with the May Bank Holiday is the week the decorators are coming in from the insurance people to redecorate the hall and stairs after last October's inundation by severe rain! So I cannot cut or sew anything that week, nor can I have customers coming for fittings as access to the hall & stairs will be restricted by decorators peeling and replacing wallpaper! Oh joy... I remember the mess last time this was done. UGH!

I'm off to bed so I can do the work on tomorrow's customer's toile before she gets here at 10 am. Alan will be home about midnight, and I want to be asleep before then!

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

This one:

formatting link
some reason it's in the Dresses section - right next to the multi-layered one I'm doing for the MoG customer!

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

That's the one!

None! I made a toile for the petite customer, cut according to he measurements as a size 12, as if for the knit, and it fits perfectly with exactly the amount of ease needed! Same when I did it for the much bigger customer last summer! :) My own skirts are made from a stretch denim (cotton with 5% Lycra) and a stretch suede, both woven, and it's a treat with them too. My skirts are slightly too big at the waist cut size 14, so I nip them in to about a 12 when I sew them up.

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

I'm a bit like a war zone: nothing at all but yards of boredom for weeks, and then madness breaks out all over the shop!

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

That outfit is really outstanding. It will make a nice one to wear to the wedding I'm attending late this summer. Now what fabric in what color? Decisions, decisions. Emily

Reply to
CypSew

I get a case of the vapors just reading all that! ;-)

Beverly

Reply to
BEI Design

SniP

Gad Kate!! Glad you like being busy!!! LOLOLOL

Pat in AR.

Reply to
Pat in Arkansas

Well, so far I can tell you it looks great in scarlet dupion, pale turquoise suede, denim, and bitter chocolate dupion! :D I'll try to get a few more pix up on the web site.

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

I just leave a vapour trail... ;)

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

I'm having my first cup of tea of the day, then breakfast, then I need to alter a toile for 10:30. Plenty of time - it's only 20 to eight! I think I'll get showered and dressed first!

Then the rest of the day runs:

Sew silk skirt cut yesterday sew loony bias cut 5-layered thing cut yesterday! Thank god for sergers! make lasagna! (meat sauce is made, so I just need to make the cheese sauce and assemble it) get hair dyed go swimming! Go to WW.

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

Thanks Kate. I shall lay my hands on that and have a play when I have time and space to do so. Work is like a madhouse at the moment so the decorating at home is on hold until the rush jobs are shipped.

Lizzy

Reply to
Lizzy Taylor

formatting link
> For some reason it's in the Dresses section - right next to the> multi-layered one I'm doing for the MoG customer!>

The multi layer one looks "interesting" - and looks like one where I'd say thank goodness for sergers.

Lizzy

Reply to
Lizzy Taylor

formatting link
>>> For some reason it's in the Dresses section - right next to the>> multi-layered one I'm doing for the MoG customer!>>

Mmmm, yessss...

I've cut the toile out of left over curtain voile! :) It looks a tad bridal! And yes, the serger is a blessing! The silk chiffon the real thing will be made from is cobweb fine, and I'll seam that with a 2 thread rolled seam to keep it as light as possible!

You make the 5 layers up like separate dresses and stack them together, with the innermost flipped in like a facing, as far as I can tell. Both simpler and more 'interesting' than it looks! But no zip to worry about! And the only thing that keeps it decent is the 5 layers over the body!

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

Buttons

formatting link
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!I'm going to have to copy some of your posts in this thread for somefriends of mine - they say *I* make them dizzy!!! I do barelyanything compared to you!! LOL Just make sure you take time foryourself.

I have a prom customer coming over "sometime this morning" after they get the stitches out of her foot at the hospital >. SO far this morning, I've assembled all the large blocks for the 3rd signature quilt, gotten all the sashing pieces sewn together, done a load of dishes, and folded the last load of clothes that got washed yesterday. I can't go back to the sewing room and speed sew anything because I won't be able to hear the doorbell, so I'm checking emails and stuff for a while.

Today, once customer leaves, I have to get my allergy shots, hunt and purchase the supplies I need to make removable straps for the prom dress (just some hooks, but I don't know if the stores around here have the small ones that I need), grab some stuff for the dog, call the party place to see if I can get the balloons for Thomas' birthday party in the morning instead of the afternoon (tomorrow), get the table decorations and plates/flatware loaded into the van so that I can drop them off when he has class tonight...can't forget the goody bags (oh, his party is at his karate dojo..pretty cool), try to find some way to get in touch with the people that were invited....so far, out of 28 that were invited, 7 have RSVP'd saying they would be there, and 1 said they wouldn't.....I'm going to plan on at least 10. Apparently people don't understand the concept of RSVP anymore .

We are having pizza, juice boxes, and cake....unlike most parents, I refuse to send home goody bags filled with candy, so the kids at the party will be receiving a ninja rubbder duckie, a ninja notepad, and a rubber bracelet with different words and the corresponding symbol.

But, back to today...I need to press out the large blocks, attach sashing, and get the rows all sewn. Then I have to slice and dice some more fabric so that I can attach the rows to each other....then figure out the borders and backing, check to make sure i have enough batting (I think I do, but want to check because, if I'm going out once today, I may as well get everything that I need in 1 trip, right?).

On patternreview.com, they are getting ready to start several contests that I was going to enter - sewing for men, home dec, and SWAP. I will be doing the SWAP (sewing with a plan) for my DD as she needs summer clothes that actually fit her - purple and pink, all interchangeable/mix-and-match. I need to finish up a tote bag for our niece, get to work on the shirts for SMC, and cull out some more patterns and fabric that I no longer have a use for.....

good thing the laundry is taken care of, dishes are done, and floors were vacuumed!!

Larisa

Reply to
larisavann

InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.