“They’ll Never Believe We Did It Ourselves!”
(Jihad for Whitey’s)
DIY Hooked rug kit, advertisement in McCall Needlework, Summer 1947.
Quilts from the book “Shelter” (Publications), 1973.
Takou Chief Lying in State, Alaska. Prominently displayed with other clan ceremonial art of the deceased is a simple triangle pieced quilt. The body is covered with a button blanket. Winter and Pond photographers, ASL PCA 87.268. “Quilts of Alaska” June Hall.
A photograph of a crazy quilt from a book I found in a museum while on my honeymoon in Alaska…
Quilts Of Alaska: A Textile Album of the Last Frontier by June E. Hall
How to make a shirt larger sewing tutorial
This is a tutorial intended to instruct one on how to make a snug shirt a bit roomier and more flattering by improving the fit all around. As you can see in the before photo, there is tightness around the upper arm and the bust (causing that dreadful gaping of the buttons). And the hemline, waistline and bustline are all a bit too high for me! This project takes a fair bit of time, so I suggest doing it only if you are really in love with said garment.
My proposed solutions include adding ease by the addition of gussets under the arms, adding a band between the bodice top and bodice midsection seams, and dropping the hem by 2.5”. I found the perfect contrast fabric in my scraps stash, some soft burgundy corduroy that works nicely with the cranberry calico.
I cut two underarm gussets using a quilters template. These are 9” X 5.25”.
I cut a midsection band out as long as the front bodice is wide X 2”.
I removed the stitching attaching the bodice top to the bodice midsection. There are two rows of gathering under the bust that must be removed and reset onto the bottom of the contrast band. Also, I removed the bodice side seam stitches in their entirety and 4.5” of the sleeve inseam from the armpit towards the elbow.
I then pinned and stitched the gussets onto shirt sleeves and side seams, right sides together as shown in the photo above. One half of the gusset expands the sleeves, the other half expands the underarm/bustline. Next: stitch contrast band onto bodice top. I reset the gathers, then stitched the band onto the bodice bottom. Time to restitch the remainder of the side seams back together again. Since I had added length to the front of the bodice with a 2” band, the back hem of the bodice became shorter by 1.5”, as I used (two) .25” seam allowances to attach the band to the top and bottom. I then trimmed off this front 1.5” hem excess so both front and back bodice lengths met.
Last, I took out the hem and released all excess fabric. I was lucky and the shirt had a significant 2” double rolled hem ( you know, like in the “Old Days”). I stitched home made bias tape to the bottom edge, pressed it up and hand blind stitched the new hem edge.
“It’s Nice to Want Things #3”
Junk Jewelry Crab.
“It’s Nice to Want Things #2”
Antique Spider Web Quilt.
This might be my spirit animal
“It’s Nice to Want Things #1” Hand Embroidered Antique Chinese Mandarin Jacket.
You Can’t Have Everything. But you can document it. One of the newest nails-against-a-blackboard trends among those damn kids today or even adults for that matter (and it is predominantly a female thing) is to exclaim/whine “I WANT” or worse yet, just “WANT” while wiggling and pointing into a shop window or online. I scathingly detest this unabashedly bratty display. I just do! To me it is grotesque. We all want things. Actually, ( and I quote my dear friend Howard here) “IT IS NICE TO WANT THINGS”! Not in the impulsively-crave-material-things kind of want, in as much as in the yearning from the heart kind of want. Anyway, this somehow brings me to photographing all of the things that I see that are beautiful and that I see and WANT! but decidedly just to archive for artist reference, for inspiration and not to keep. xoxo
My friend Lauras’ grandmom’s handmade quilts. My favorite kind!
