Favorite Things Friday - Parks and Recreation

Entertainment Weekly scooped me on my favorite thing this week.  That's okay though, now I won't have to scour the internet for photos to swipe for a Favourite Things Friday post.

I won't blather on about why I love Parks and Recreation, the "Smartest Comedy on TV," I just do.  It's witty and it cracks me up.  I love every single one of the quirky characters.  

Especially Ron (Freakin') Swanson: 

Contrary and inappropriate, but he owns it.  Deep down, he's a lover, not a fighter.  He reminds me of someone I used to know, right down to the mustache.

If you haven't watched Parks and Rec, check it out, Thursday nights on NBC.  I usually catch up on episodes On Demand.

Happy Friday!

We Have a Winner!

Thank you all for your sweet comments on my one year blog anniversary earlier this week!  I'm so glad you enjoy visiting this little spot in blog land.

And now, it is my pleasure to announce the winner of the $25 Hawthorne Threads Gift Certificate giveaway. 

I counted 24 comments as entries (Kit asked to be left out of the giveaway; I double-checked with her to be sure).  

Random Number Generator picked #15, which is Janice, who blogs at Prayers, Patchwork & Pop-Ups.  

Congratulations, Janice!  Your gift certificate is on its way.  I hope you find some great stuff to blow your fabric diet at Hawthorne Threads!  Happy shopping!

Does This Post Make My Butt Look Big?

It has been a much busier than usual work week for my fingers at the keyboard, and ugh.  All this work is cramping my style.  Kicking my butt.  Also?  Making my butt larger.  I didn't measure, but I swear I could feel it expanding as I sat on it all day.  Okay, that's kinda gross.  I guess the plus side (and I don't mean my rear end now) is that I have earned a little extra to cover my recent fabric buying spree.  I think that's called karma.

While I sat here working at the computer all day, my mind did wander.  Often it wandered to mulling over the fitting issues of the men's shirt I'm sewing along on. 

Let me stop here and tell you something very important that I have learned so far on this Men's Shirt Sew-Along.  Are you ready?  Here it is.

If you're thinking of sewing a men's shirt for yourself, you need to perform this test first:   Look down the front of your pants.  If you can answer the question, "Boxers or briefs?" go ahead and sew yourself a men's shirt.  If not, BUY YOURSELF A WOMEN'S SHIRT PATTERN, ALREADY!  And preferably one from the current century.

Trust me on this one.

Anyway, tonight I cut out another muslin, Muslin #2, as it were.  I am not even going to show you how it looks because it's just fuglier than heck—I had to use two different fabrics because I ran out of the vintage sheet, so the sleeves and collar are from a different but just as crazy-grandma-looking fabric from stash.  Then, instead of walking on the treadmill this evening, which I should have done after all the butt growing today, I sat some more, this time at the sewing machine, sewing enough seams on Muslin #2 to be able to try it on and assess the fit.  Verdict:  Better in some places, different issues now in others.  I got rid of the gathering below the yoke and that part looks much better.  Except now I can tell that I apparently have a sway back (the old mare ain't what she used to be), so I have to pinch some fullness out of the shirt back horizontally.  And speaking of the back side, guess what?  I could use a bit more room across the seat.  Go figure.

I apparently also took a little too much out of the sleeves on Muslin #2, because now it's a bit tight at the sleeve cap.  I really don't know what I'm doing with the sleeves.  In fact, I'm sort of making it all up as I go along on this shirt, period.  Speaking of which, check out the very unscientific method I'm using to adjust the collar.

The collar on Muslin #1 is big and wide and pointy and kind of scary.  Other than that, it's fine.

I wanted the collar a little narrower, so I grabbed the painter's tape and taped off the shape I envisioned for it.

Then I drew inside the line of the painter's tape in pencil.

Tonight, I placed the collar pattern piece over the actual collar and transferred the pencil line to the pattern piece. 

Then I traced a new pattern piece based on the new shape and cut it out.  I'll sew it onto Muslin #2 tomorrow.

If the new collar works out, I'll do a happy dance!  

I've heard it can make your butt smaller.


PS - There's still time to enter the giveaway. I'll draw the winner tomorrow at noon.

Kicking Off Year Two!

Tomorrow, February 8, is my one-year blog anniversary.  I know I said yesterday that it was today, but what can I say, I flaked.  Probably addled by all the Super Bowl hoopla (and a Packers win!) that I didn't double-check.  Yeah, that's my story, mm-hmm.  Anyway, it doesn't matter; close enough for rock and roll, as they say.  You're here, I'm here, so let's get the party started!

My first year of blogging has passed faster than Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings.  Sorry, I couldn't resist a little football metaphor there. 

I posted twice on my first day (here and here).  I was a bit nervous and excited about starting a blog, as most of us probably were.  I'm so glad I took the plunge, though, because I've met some wonderful people and learned so much!

Thank you all for reading, commenting, encouraging, sharing, and inspiring.  You are a talented, generous, and clever lot!  Some of you make me laugh on a regular basis, and I especially heart you for that.

So I thought I'd have a little giveaway to celebrate the past year, as well as kick off year two.  How about a chance to win a $25 gift certificate from Hawthorne Threads? 

I recently bought this stack of half-yard cuts from Hawthorne Threads and couldn't have been happier.  Total cost was just under $25.  What a great deal!  They have a great selection, fast service, low shipping costs, and responded to an email question very promptly.  Click the link and explore what they have to offer, and be sure to check the sales!  (I am not affiliated with them in any way, just letting you know about my experience.)

All you need to do to be eligible to win is leave a comment on this post.  That's it!  If you'd like, you can tell me what fabric you might buy if you win.  Just be sure to leave a contact email, if it's not visible in your profile.  I'll draw the winner on Friday, February 11 at noon Central Time.

Thanks again for helping to make my first year of blogging so awesome!  Come back again soon, and good luck!

P.S. - Elizabeth at Such a Sew and Sew is also having some giveaways this week, sponsored by Abbey Lane Quilts.  Be sure to check it out!

Sunday Sundry - Vol. 26

It's Super Bowl Sunday, and I have just three words—GO PACK, GO!

It's a beautiful (albeit gray) day in the neighborhood...
We are doing our part to maintain the frozen tundra image of Wisconsin with the blizzard of last week.  On Saturday, I had a chance to thank my neighbor personally for snow-blowing me a path along his side yard.  I also took some pictures to show you what a difference that makes in my 100-yard commute to work.

Here is the beginning of the path.  This is an empty lot, basically, with no sidewalk.  The snow is not deep until you round the curve and head west.

Now you can start to see the cut he made through the snow drifts. 

And here I've turned around so you can get a glimpse from the opposite direction, facing east.  In the five years I've been trudging this way to work, this is the most snow I've ever seen there.

The only problem is that at the end of the neighbor's lot line, the groomed path ends, and I have this obstacle to contend with...

...a snow mountain, courtesy of the guy who plows the parking lot.  I'm guessing it'll be mid-April before this thing disappears completely.  Meanwhile, I have to get to the building on the other side.

As I turn left (south) here, this is the view...more snowdrifts.

But there's a fence (and this is why I can't just cut straight through my backyard to go to work).  The snow is the least deep right next to the fence.  You can see my footprints from when I walked home the other night.

It's only knee deep in those footprints (I have long legs, so that's basically two feet deep). 

I have no idea why my lower leg looks deformed in that picture; I just stepped into one of the old holes.

So there you have it.  I kind of like this commute, snowdrifts and all! 

I Believe I Can Fly...
At least it looks that way, as I'm standing in my kitchen after trying on the muslin for the Men's Shirt Sew-Along.

It's missing the collar and cuffs (and pockets and hem and buttons), but I wanted to get an idea as to how it was going to fit.  Obviously, this is a men's shirt pattern, meant to fit more of an inverted triangle upper body physique, whereas the sand in my hourglass is mostly at the bottom, if you know what I'm sayin'.

I'm not sure how to fix the bagginess in the back, or if I should even worry about it.  I think the sleeves may have to be taken in, yet I want to allow room to wear a shirt underneath, because the plan is to wear it open, jacket style. So I'll probably go ahead and put the cuffs and collar on and then reassess—and, oh boy, the size and shape of that collar scares me. 

Elvis's mama called and wants her collar (and her sheet) back.

Here's what the front looks like, so far.  And no, I'm not that much taller than the fridge, it's just the perspective (standing closer to the mirror than the cupboards behind).

In the days ahead, I'd like to do a more thorough post about the construction of this shirt and some things I've observed in sewing from a vintage pattern versus a contemporary one. 

Until that riveting post (hee!), be sure to come back tomorrow, which will be my one-year blog anniversary.  I don't want to spoil the surprise, but it rhymes with shmivaway!