A heartbreaking work of staggering genius?
No, not really. Heartbreaking. Staggering. Mess.
Okay, so I’m being a bit melodramatic here. But I had really high hopes for finishing up my Taffy for the great parade over on Esplanade Erin and Street Sarah today. Between the film festival, my touch & go serger and this chiffon, that ain’t happening, folks. Definitely thought I’d make it for a Tardy Taffy Tuesday post. We’ll see.
As it stands, serger 3, chiffon 1, Lav 1 (yay for nailing the neckline fit!). Serger tails (misspelled on purpose, peeps)… you did the loveliest of rolled hems, my dear. On my polyester muslin. Yet on the silk, it’s several inches of beauty, followed by a few of the ugliest stitches you’ll never see in public. Chiffon, I broke down and made you into bias tape (not the look I wanted). Finally happy to have finished the neckline, a quick press, onto the rest. What’s that fuzz? Oh, just where the shifty tape had worked out from under my needle for one measly inch at the center front. See, I do a lazy man’s bias tape treatment: folded/pressed, stitched down, then folded over and topstitched. Usually works a charm. Highly unusual, this blouse. I’m no stranger to silk, yet for some reason this simply isn’t coming together for me. Probably because I set a deadline, then went off and did a million other things!
Maybe this is a good time to catch up with everyone else :)
Oh, and isn’t this cute… R running a Joyce 10k in a Kerouac 5k shirt. Which makes total sense, if you ask me. There were people scattered along the route in period costume, reading Joyce aloud. You know, to really pump those runners up. I wonder if there are wolves set up along the trail of the Jack London race to get you moving.
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BEST BLOG POST TITLE EVER, FRICKIN” LOVE DAVE EGGERS!!!
Now that that’s out of my system, sorry to hear of your sewing battles, reminds me of the time i tried to make a fancy flouncy skirt to wear for christmas – on christmas eve night, resulted in me crying over my overlocker which did not appreciate switching from a normal bottom weight fabric to a single layer of slippery organza, ah the memories ;-)
Interesting (?) fact about Joyce – did you know that Dubliners just came out of copyright?! although that is possibly just here in said Dublin, cos i know copyright laws can vary. Anywho, go Ryan with his 10k :-)
Ha! Last-minute inspiration takes hold, and watch out carolers and reindeer! Looks like it’s in public domain here, as well… interesting, indeed. First 10k race (he runs that distance, but casually), and I was super-proud of him :)
Oh no! I feel your pain with this blouse. My muslin was a NIGHTMARE!!! Everything that could go wrong with it went wrong. I can’t wait to see your final version tomorrow though! You can do it! :)
Yours is super-cute! I wish all the trouble took place in the muslin. That was a breeze, a quick fitting issue, and done. Go figure :)
I’m forming a club…I hate Collette patterns. Shame I might be a membership of one! Your blouse will be pretty so persevere!
Haha! Well, this is totally an argument between my fabric and machine, and I’m trying my darnedest to mediate.
Gah! I’m so sorry about this! Super bummer!
I wanna run the Kerouac 5K! That sounds so fun (somehow I feel like I would slog through a Joyce 5K… it would be the only 5K that felt like a marathon! English major jokes. Never funny.).
I love the Kerouac 5k! Did it a couple years ago, but just cheered on last year. It cracks me up, because I can’t imagine JK actually endorsing a road race (though I know he was quite fit early on), unless it involved illicit substances. But Lowell needs something ;) We were joking about the Joyce race, that it would be a marathon that you kept starting, never finishing!
Oh dear, I came over here to marvel once again at your awesome moto jacket and saw this post. Beastly serger! I always faint a little when I start serger runs on sheer material for this reason. (And I love your title… incredible book, I couldn’t put it down so I read it twice in a row.)
I’m trying my tough love tactic once again… last time I spoke badly of it, the subsequent seams were so dreamy. Superstitious, breath-holding sewing :)
(This is where I shyly admit to not actually enjoying AHWOSG. That was a decade ago, so maybe it deserves another reading at this stage in my life.)
Haha, I know the feeling, when I get all “whatever”, the machine thinks it can get away with stuff.
I think I loved that book because he is my age and I did something really similar at that time, and remember the magazine he started and all that. It was like reading a bit of my own autobiography. But I know others who didn’t like it, the writing style is definitely kind of speedy.
Been there with the serger! It’s a love/hate relationship!!!!
But wait, don’t you have the fancy BabyLock? Does this mean I can’t blame my cheap serger? That it could possibly be user error? Gasp!
I had my serger for 2 days- broke a needle and then it wasn’t right from then on. I tried for weeks to get it to go and finally took it in- worried they were going to tell me “you’re doing it wrong, that’s why it’s not working!” I found out that the machine came to me broken, they fixed it and now it’s awesome- but I did spend several months hating it. It is STILL very intimidating and I don’t know how to use all the fancy stitches and feet yet!
Love your blog by the way!
Wow, you’ve given yourself quite a task there lady! I think we all fall victim trying to do too many things at once. Good luck with the completion of your blouse
Maybe if I sewed in a fancy lycra jumpsuit & cape, everything would go as planned :)
Oh No!!! Frisky chiffon… such a bummer. Sometimes the sewing gods are just trying to tell us it’s not going to happen… better to just set in a drawer (let it THINK about what its done) and enjoy a glass (or bottle) of wine.
And oh my god who schemed up the James Joyce run?? Seriously? They read Joyce aloud while they run?? That would motivate me to punch some faces… But wolves for the Jack London!! Hahaha!! Totally cracked me up… it would make me run faster thats for damn sure…
Noooooo!!! Ugh. That’s the worst. That’s such a pretty color, too!
I might be with Gail. I’ve only tried the Clover’s, so maybe I should make a dress or two before I write off Colette? Hmmm.
That chiffon is an amazing color. I can’t wait to see it in person! Hint hint tomorrow hint.
You still have time according to Sarah! I haven’t finished mine yet either so don’t feel bad… and I’m not even attempting to rassle with bias binding on this one LOL
I’m rooting for you… I know you can do it :D
bummer about your taffy. I’ve been giving that pattern a sidelong glance for a while, but something about the dimensions bothers me.
Oh, and I didn’t like AHWOSG either. I liked the story, but found his style too verbose in that book. Though I’ve enjoyed a couple of his others. In any case, a great title for a sewing post!