It Takes Courage

"What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage!"

..........The Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

What makes a sewist put buttonholes in a garment? Courage! Especially when she  hasn't done so for 30 years. Today I finished up a vest I started last weekend for S. I used to have a mantra, "No zippers, no buttons, no tears. No zippers, no buttons, no tears. " Well, last Christmas I made Christmas dresses for S and T........zippers. After all going well, I went on to put zippers in the flower girl dresses for S,T and A to wear in Heidi and Dan's wedding.

I skirted the buttonhole issue with a no-button vest for S last year. When I picked up a great piece of music-themed 100% cotton Robert Kaufman at JoAnn's, S knew she wanted a vest. She headed to her pattern box, pulled out New Look # 6914 and pointed to view C........not only a lapel collar, but buttonholes. I drew a deep breath and knew I could tackle this.

In the end, all went well. She wore it to town today and before she even got to the car, a neighbor told her she liked her vest! Good enough for me!

Challenges and new things I did on this pattern.

1) I removed the princess lines in the front and back. I really didn't want to chop up the fabric's print.

2) Had to do some adjustments in the bust. This is a Miss pattern. Skylar is on the top side of Girl patterns and can also wear Miss, if I remove the bust allowance. Because she was at school when I started it, I didn't do much fitting. I see know I needed to fold out some of the fullness at the armhole.

3) First time I've pre-shrunk my fusible interfacing. Never thought about it before. Thank you, Brook.

4) I am also pre-shrinking my fabric three times before sewing. Thank you, Margaret. Some ladies just purchase some darling 100% cotton knits. In the first wash, they shrunk 30%.WOW! Can you inagine the disapointmnet of sewing something darling for a gift, only to have it ruined in the first wash? I am committed to always pre-shrink three times. Margaret does a more scientific method. She measures her fabric, washes it, then measures again. She repeats this until she has all the shrinkage out. I am not that patient. Three times through the washer and dryer...it is what it is......I start sewing.

It has been a long time since I last blogged. Guess I lost my enthusiasm after the Christmas rush. My favorite sewing pattern magazine, Ottobre, has a contest going and it has encouraged me to get back to blogging.

All the patterns I sewed up last fall/winter were from Ottobre. They have a truly marvelous selection at a wonderful price. I love them and wish I could sew even more of them. My job keeps getting in the way. Mind you, I am thankful to have such a wonderful job right now, but I do love sewing more.

Check out http://ottobredesign.blogspot.com/ . Order an issue or two. I promise you won't be disappointed. For an added inspiration to visit their sight, I'm posting the cover of the newest Women's Magazine. Click the link above to see all the wonderful ways to wear this shawl. Maybe this is the beginning of a "units" line, similar to that of the 70s? Whoo weeeee.