How to re-hang a Stag Horn Fern
15 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in garden, Musings, What I do when I am NOT sewing.
I am the infrequent gardener. Sometimes I am in my garden everyday: pruning, weeding, deadheading and watering, then on other days? I am nowhere to be found. I chastise myself for not spending more time in the garden like I should, but like so many other activities in my life that I should do or I should support or that I should participate – my gardening chores do get neglected.
So recently when the stag horn fern that hangs from a tree in our backyard cracked open like an oversized egg, I really wasn’t sure how fix it. Or even if it was fixable?
I made a few phone calls and found someone who would come and take the broken portion off for me. In the past, when one of my stag horns fell off a tree, a mutual friend agreed to take the bruised plant. After much swearing and a little bit of blood, we got it into the back of his truck. That stag horn fern is now happily and healthy hanging in his back yard.
However, this would not be the fate for this stag horn fern. This stag horn fern was to be saved – at all costs! I didn’t make this decision. So I stepped back at let the ‘Big Guns’ handle the situation.
First, the necessary tools were assembled:
There was much discussion about how the broken side was going to be ‘reattached’:
A few notable documentations photos were necessary:
Of course, a break time was in order (and may have been required by Union regulations?)
Finally, after much ado, the most important tool was engaged:
The stag horn was hoisted back into the tree and its broken side wired closed:
And now it’s all better:
In fact, it looks even better a few days later than this photo. The leaves are perking up it has reoriented itself in the tree – in other words, it is not hanging so crooked.
Thank you to all the fine gents who did this for me: my darling husband and two of my brothers.
There was neither blood nor swearing during the rehanging of the stag horn fern–perhaps a first around here 
On a side note, you may be wondering how in the world I got a stag horn to grow this big! Well, I didn’t. I inherited this stag horn from my grandfather (who was a citrus rancher). No one knows exactly how old this stag horn is; however, I do remember it at the citrus ranch in the lathe house, where my grandfather grew an assortment of flowers and pants.
And that my friends, is how to rehang a stag horn fern!
Perhaps you’re wondering how I got it into the tree in the first place? That’s a story for another day.
Out and about on Saturday
01 May 2012 1 Comment
in Musings, Sewing Failures, What I do when I am NOT sewing.
Last Saturday was a ‘red letter’ day. First off, the Spring Antique Fair was held. This gets better and better each year, with more and more vendors, food trucks and people.
I bought buttons:
I already have LOTS of buttons, but what’s a few more for my button box?
But more important, it was the first time in a long time that all of us (my blood siblings and non-blood siblings) got together.
It is a rare sight to have all of us in one place at one time, and, have photographic evidence of it!
At the Antique Fair I saw this vintage dress. I didn’t bother to even look too much at it because I knew it wouldn’t fit me, but maybe if I am so motivated – SNORT! Yea! Right? I could recreate it.
But most of all, my youngest brother – the one in the middle- purchased these chairs.
The owner was going to charge us rent since we were sitting in them. They are comfy and best of all they fit with my brother’s mid-century attitude!
My last three sewing projects I have given up on and are now in a pile on the floor of my sewing room.
Not sure if I should:
- Try to salvage them
- Try and salvage the fabric at the very least.
- Give up sewing and take up oil painting – Yea! Right!?
Well, this is still under discussion and swirling around in my head. So I will leave you with a picture of my garden. I’ve posted about my rose arbor before, but I always love it when my Cecile Brunner rose comes into bloom. Enjoy!
Gone again?! No, not really.
24 Apr 2012 2 Comments
in Musings, What I do when I am NOT sewing. Tags: musings, my life
Okay! So I have been busy. Busy doing other activities besides sewing, but a little bit of sewing, too.
First and most importantly, we had new windows installed in our home. I know for some new windows are a big bleh! But for others, like me, they are a dream come true.
We live in an old house – not as old as some around here, but old enough. The windows were not maintained at all by the previous owner and although we sanded, patched, spackled and painted there is only so much that can be done. So we bit the home- owners’ renovation- bullet and had new double hung windows installed.
So while this was going on my sewing room was used as storage and my two indoor cats were locked up in the kitchen – howling!
Other activities have been my estate sale shopping. Now normally I do not go NEAR estate sales, garage sales, flea markets, jumble sales and the like. Why? Because I have no self-control when it comes to old sewing items, notions, fabrics and such. I have this fear – irrational, perhaps? That I am on the slippery slope to becoming a HOARDER! I don’t really think I am a hoarder, but I surely don’t want to end up as one.
This particular estate sale had buttons. Now, I have more buttons then I will ever use already in my stash. I have been TRYING so ever hard to use up my fabric stash before buying anything new and using up my buttons, too. In fact I have three blouses done (which I haven’t blogged about where I have used stash buttons) however . . . . . I bought more buttons!
There was more, but I restrained myself and only bought these. A friend of mine loves anchors so my plan is to give her half of them and the other half I am planning on using . . . maybe . . . someday 
Also, the exhibit at our local Museum is up – it all about aprons. While I pressed the aprons before hanging them I took these pictures.
The sewing on them is just amazing.
I would guess that the sewists that made these would never have thought that at some time in the distant future their hand crafted apron would be hanging up in a Museum.
All the aprons are ‘well used’ or as one docent once told me ‘well loved’. I was at the Museum yesterday and several people were ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ over some of the aprons. Of course the guys were more impressed with the old hand cranked washing machine (sorry no pictures of that!)
I do have several sewing projects to post here and reviews to write up on PR, but what slows me down is my lack of computer skills. Ouch! I hate to admit that. I’m still struggling in linking pictures from Flickr to PR to back to here and then over there and then here again . . . well, something like that. I know I just need to buckle down and grunt through it and figure it out. Really? Can it be that difficult?!
I’m back to sewing!
25 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
And, I’m back to blogging. Yeah!
And, it’s raining. Very wet outside.
I have finished two PIGS (projects-in-grocery-sacks). Yeah!
I have started two other projects and am attempting to mend some other garments. Ugh!
I recently attended (and volunteered) at the Glendale Quilt Show (which is held in Burbank) since the ASGLA had a display:
I just helped set up the display (I brought 4 of the dress forms) and then, of course, helped to take it down. While there I did do some shopping in the vendor hall.
Besides a few notions, I purchased these patterns, felled wool and some Japanese cottons:
I am almost done with one of these purses. I have finished all the hand work and now just have to sew it all together. SO close to being done…..I just need that last push or this project will end up becoming another PIG. Oink!
I spend a lot (probably too much!) time surfing fabric sites on the internet. I’ve been pretty good on not buying anything, although, I have been known for leaving fully loaded shopping carts in fabric websites across the information highway. So, to satisfy this need I have (or had) besides empting the entire content of my wallet in the vendor hall at the Glendale Quilt Show, I purchased this Icon Shirt kit from The Sewing Workshop:
Now I must be perfectly honest here: the style of this shirt doesn’t really thrill me. Not sure if I like the uneven hem lines (sorry TSW family & fans) however, the fabric does! It has big circles of mustard yellow, grey and off white. Big. Huge. Polka dots! I love polka dots (just look at my kitchen table cloth).
Yes. Yes. Yes. I know. I could have just bought the fabric, but I thought . . . Well, why not the pattern, too? It comes in a kit. Pattern. Fabric. Buttons. All inside a great zipper pouch to store the pattern in once I am done sewing the blouse. I should try and sew something different. Shouldn’t I?! This is definitely unique and, I do like cotton blouses for summer – so why not!
The sewing stars must have been in total alignment on this one because after I received this in the mail, sure enough the pattern was reviewed on Pattern Review. And, a good review, too.
So far I have traced off the pattern and am attempting to put muslin together to test the fit.
I also have stocked up on some patterns from the last pattern sale at JoAnn’s.
The Vogue pattern 1234 (on your right) I have already sewn but have not blogged about. The dress is currently hanging in the closet. It is much too long so I need to shorten it. I should add it to my mending pile.
So the conclusion to this rambling post . . . I think I should get back to sewing!
Thank you! Thank you!
13 Mar 2012 2 Comments
in Musings, Uncategorized, What I do when I am NOT sewing.
I’m a tad bit overwhelmed!
Thank you to Sew Barbie for nominating me. And, I apologize for taking so long to respond. I’ve been out of town and I am just now getting my act together . . .
I do know Sew Barbie outside of the blog world and she is an amazing sewist! And, has the most adorable little poodle I have ever seen, too! So, thank you. Thank you.
According to the rules of this award I am to add the badge to my blog (and I will, I promise, once I figure out how to do that). I am also supposed to award this to 15 other blogs, which may be a bit difficult since I think that some of the blogs that I read have already, received this award but I will list some of the blogs that I like and why:
Did You Make That? Blog www.didyoumakethat.wordpress.com
A great blog to read. She is a talent fiber artist who lives in London so all of us anglophiles get a chance to live vicariously through her blog.
Catherine Daze’s Blog www.cyberdaze.wordpress.com
She sews all those great garments from Burda Style and explains all the nuances of the construction processes and also lives in London.
MezzoCouture Blog www.mezzocouture.wordpress.com
She sews beautiful garments especially from Burda Style. I always love to see what she has created because she has a great eye for color and style.
Of course, this is just a sampling of a few of the blogs that I read. There are SO many great blogs that I can’t always get to all of them on a regular basis. And, I have not learned all the inner workings about my own blog yet.
And, finally, I need to list seven random things about me:
- My hair started to turn gray when I was in high school and I completely stopped dying my hair when I turned thirty so subsequently I look much older than I am.
- For our first date, my DH made me dinner (homemade pasta) and took me to the Alex Theater in Glendale (near LA) to see Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Basil Rathbone in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). I knew right then I had to marry him: he loves to cook and watch old movies!
- I was a competitive swimmer all through grade school, high school and college.
- I have had braces on my teeth twice in my life: first time was in high school and the second time was just a few years ago.
- My brothers and I own our family citrus ranch (lemons/mandarins/avocados) however; I never ate avocados until I was an adult.
- My DH and I are child free (or child less depending on one’s perspective) not by choice but by biology.
- My other hobby that takes up my time and that I can be consumed by is drawing.
So thank you Sew Barbie for this award. As to my sewing, I do have a couple of garments done. One garment, a dress I just need to remove the tailor tacks and then I can get some pictures of it. Also, I have more pictures to share from our current exhibit at the museum where I volunteer. But, most important is that I have been VERY good about not buying fabric. REALLY GOOD about not buying fabric. In fact, SUPER GOOD about not buying anymore fabric. I have been diligently sewing up my stash. So I might just treat myself with a trip downtown to the LA fabric district. All I need is a little arm twisting and I’m there!
All Quiet.
24 Feb 2012 2 Comments
in What I do when I am NOT sewing.
My sewing machine has been quiet this past week since I have been busy doing my volunteer work.
I volunteer at the local museum in the Textile Department. I am currently putting together the next exhibit.
My favorite garment for this exhibit (so far!) is this dress:
What I think is neat is the tie on the neckline.
This garment is handmade (home sewn) and has a metal zipper in it, so it is quite old . . . well, perhaps not as old as some garments in the collection, but probably older than me.
I can image that it was a party dress sewn up for an evening under the stars. I think the woman who wore it must have been a brunette with upset hair with a tiny bow. She probably had a little green purse with a gold clasp where she carried her pink frost lipstick. Her date, in his dark suit with a crisp white shirt and a black tie, undoubtedly drove a convertible and tonight was their last starlit celebration for the summer.
So why the apron? You may be asking . . .
The upcoming exhibit is all about aprons so all the dress forms that I will be dressing will have aprons.
This apron looks just too pretty to use.
This is my rendition of a Quaker – the city was started as a Quaker Colony so I try – if possible – to always include something in the exhibits about the Quakers (a.k.a. Society of Friends).
Other aprons will also be on display too, and, in June, will be our annual Tea & Fashion Show, which also will be about aprons.
I spent yesterday ironing a stack of aprons and the handwork on some of them is just exquisite. I’ll share some pictures soon. I know the garments look a little wrinkled – I’ll steam them once I get the dress forms out into the gallery, it is too crowed to do that in the Textile Room.
It all seems overwhelming right now, but somehow I always end up getting it all done. If there is anything I learned from sewing is that a really good garment (like an exhibit) is not completed in one big step but rather many, many little tasks must be completed in sequence in order to get to done
Am I blogging? Or bragging?
20 Feb 2012 6 Comments
I haven’t been the best ‘blogger’, in fact I have been pretty lousy at it. And, as, much as I would like a premier blog, I would much rather read other blogs than write my own.
I am more of a reader than a writer – okay that’s a DUH!
But also I come from the view point that it is not proper to brag about oneself or one’s accomplishments. I mean, I am sure I do brag about what I have done – don’t we all! But, talking about my latest sewing project, “Hey I made this!” to writing about it is different. Somehow writing about it and sending it out into cyberspace seems so much more permanent than me “yada yada yada” with some friends.
Ironically, it is other sewist’s blogs and their sewing accomplishments that I love to read and find inspirational – so this internal dialogue I have with myself: blog vs. brag conflict may rage around in my head with no resolution. As a result, my blog may languish in this sort of half way to being great to almost being forgetful.
But in the meantime, let me brag a little bit . . .
Vogue 8499 Marcy Tilton Wearable Art
I recently made these pants – View B. And, even though, I have several garments made that I haven’t blogged about I am writing about this project because I have pictures of me wearing the garment (where as the garments I don’t).
So anyway . . . the best part of choosing an ‘older’ pattern is that you can glean a lot of information from the reviews on PR. It’s like being the last one picked in PE – at the time, it seems so traumatic not being the first one picked or the first one to sew up a brand new pattern and getting lots of reviews, but actually I think it is better not being first.
Being picked last in PE was good because no one expected great things from me out there on the kickball field – Horray for mediocrity! Same with waiting for the newness of a pattern to pass. By waiting to make this, I was able to read through all the reviews on this pattern and learn from other sewist’s struggles. I discovered that these pants run large, extremely large. And that the waist band is wonky to construct. Also, I was disappointed to find that there are no finished measurements for any these three garments on the pattern pieces nor on the Guide Sheet – Are Vogue and Marcy Tilton trying to slip one by me?! Or are they just being mediocre?
Needless to say, I sewed up muslin in straight size 14. Wow! Jumbo size! I could fit another person in the pants with me. Of course, it would have to be a really handsome guy and since DH flatly refused to participate in such nonsense, I reworked the pants pattern and removed most of the ease for a simpler silhouette.
(Yes, first time I have posted a picture with my head not cropped out!)
The fabric is from JoAnn’s (I think?) I have put myself on a very restrictive ‘informal’ Fabric Fast and am getting down into the depths of my fabric closet. And, so I am not all too sure where I got this light weight denim from, but probably JoAnn’s.
I decided to topstitch the pants, which meant LOTS of topstitching thread, which for some strange reason I had in my stash. Well, after I completed the pants I realized that the topstitching thread is for another project that has been sitting undone for months (maybe years) now. My brother’s Leisure Suit. Oops! Now I’ve got to get more topstitching thread for that project.
Even though it looked like I had enough material for these pants – I didn’t. So I pieced the back panel down by the ankle. I topstitched the seam – just because I thought it would look neat.
The waistband instructions are a bit off beat but the waist band it actually very comfortable. But if you were making them I would pay close attention to that section or modify the waistband to a sew on casing instead.
Ultimately I like the pants, I think I would probably sew them again in some other fabric. They are comfortable (very important!) and stylish (unique) and actually pretty easy to sew up. And, best of all. I have a picture of me wearing them!
Fearless Sewing! I think not.
14 Feb 2012 1 Comment
in pattern review, patterns, Sewing, Sewing Failures
So my first attempt (in a very long time) at fearless sewing a.k.a not sewing up a muslin was somewhat a failure . . . not a totally failure, but not a great success.
I sewed For Vogue 8693.
I was in a hurry (Never good). I was tired (Even worse!) I wanted instant sewing gratification (Instant sewing – an oxymoron?!) So I decided to wing it and not make a muslin. Instead, I did some quick flat pattern measurements and decided that I needed size 12.
I also read through all the reviews on PR (which there are not many and none are very extensive).
However, I neglected to measure the width of the sleeve- Argh!
The sleeve is VERY narrow, so much so that I can really only wear this with a sleeveless T-shirt, camisole or a short sleeve T-shirt. Hey, I don’t think I have big, robust upper arms (maybe I do?) but this pattern definitely has very narrow sleeves.
Lesson learned? Make a muslin!
The little closure is pretty worthless, too. Yes, it looks great: it is a neat button, but I ended up sewing a snap in the jacket in order to keep it closed and have it hang well on me.
I knew going in that I didn’t enough fabric to match the plaids, so I matched the right and front, but put the sleeves on the crosswise (I think that’s what I did) so the sleeve hem would just be the selvedge.
I also, tried to put the back pieces on the bias but it didn’t work, so I ended up sewing this strip up the back.
I am hoping that anyone who sees it will think, ‘Wow! What a design feature’ and not ‘Gee! What an idiot! She didn’t even match the plaids.’
Especially on the flange.
No matchy- matchy.
Would I make this again? No. However, it is a nice light weight jacket, which I have worn several times since it hasn’t really gotten too cold here.
No fearless sewing for me. Fear the pattern! Make a muslin!
Where have I been?
04 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
So what do you do when your hard drive crashes?
Argh!
Sew. Of course!
I sewed three pairs of jeans. I had planned on participating in the Pattern Review Jean Contest, but now I have lost the enthusiasm for it. My jeans are really just pants: no rivets, no metallic fastener in the front – Sorry! forgot the proper name of that – and no metal zipper in the fly nor even a fly front, just a regular ole’ nylon zipper from JoAnn’s. But they are made from denim so I am calling them jeans. I really don’t feel like sewing up another pair for the contest even though I have two more pieces of denim yardage lurking in my fabric closet.
Besides jeans, I have also sewn five pairs of Yoga Pants.
Here are only three of them, the other ones are in the laundry basket. Why five pairs? Well, the Neighborhood Group that I host for the ASG is doin’ Yoga Pants so I have made them up in several different styles and besides, these pants are super comfortable and super easy to fit and sew – Yes! I sew them on my sewing machine . . . no serger required.
I haven’t reviewed either of these projects on Pattern Review – as of yet. I keep thinking I should and then I always find something else I would rather do – like sew.
I did go snow skiing (last month) in Mammoth although I don’t have any pictures to share (they were lost with the hard drive crash) but we did stop at Schat’s Bakery in Bishop and I loaded up on bread and cookies. Yummy!
2012?! What are you kidding?
03 Jan 2012 2 Comments
in Musings, What I do when I am NOT sewing.
Okay. I’m joking. I do know that it is now 2012; however, the New Year always seems to sneak up on me. I foolishly assume that the week between Christmas and New Year’s I can pretty much do whatever, but that of course hasn’t been the case. Not this year – not ever! Tomorrow, is for us, at least, the start of the New Year – everybody will be back to work and school will be back in session – well, at last for some.
This year I have decided to make just a few resolutions – let’s see if I can keep them. Ha! Let’s see if I can remember them by February!
- Walk more. Essentially exercise more and walking seems to be the exercise that I like to do the most. So much so that DH bought this handy reflective vest for me to wear since my choice of hour to walk is 6 am.
Reflective Vest
- To sew down my fabric stash. No way am I providing a picture of my fabric stash closet – it is a mess. Sure, I may need to buy a few pieces of yardage, but I really need to sew up what I have.
- To do art everyday. Okay, maybe I won’t be able to do art everyday, but I am going to try and do art every week at the minimum. I have done a few pictures in my new sketch book.
1st page of my new sketch book.
Last week, I met up with a friend and we went Uptown and sketched. It was fun. I had forgotten how great it is to be outside sketching with someone else (who likes drawing as much as I do).
Post Office
This is the Uptown Post Office. I’ve sketched this one before. Unfortunately, this post office is scheduled to be closed. It would be a huge lost to the Uptown community.
Originally the California Bank building
This is another old building. At one time it was California Bank. Now, Starbucks sits in the corner and another restaurant resides on the first floor and a banquet facility is upstairs. I really didn’t capture all the architectural elements of the building. It was getting late and my feet were cold.
And finally, my last resolution is:
- Work on our house. Ugh! This one is going to be difficult. There are so many things to do on our house: paint/wallpaper the kitchen/wallpaper the hallway/paint the bathroom/new windows . . . the list goes on and on.
- And, I guess I should add: To blog more! I have several garments that I have made (and have been wearing, too) that I haven’t even blogged about yet.
So, that is how I am going to affect some positive change in my life. I hope.
Happy New Year!
