Thinking about 2019...

Well 2018 came and went without a whole lot of documentation here as I had planned. And I only got about half the sewing done, and... yahda yahda. I guess about the only things I got done were in the music category: got a new guitar, got an amp to use in the folk guitar group when we play at the senior center, and started taking guitar lessons at Kline's.

So the other day my cousin asked me what my word for 2019 was going to be and I realized I had barely thought of that (all year even). This year was "follow-through" which I sorta didn't do much of...  so not sure where I stand for a word for next year.

And the last couple weeks I have had a cold, which meant a lot of even more down time than normal. I spent a lot of it in bed watching You Tube videos, at first about Japan then I found myself leaning towards to the community of polyglots that has made videos. I was watching one of them being interviewed and when she was asked what her hobbies were she said without hesitation, "learning new languages"... and BAM! I had a realization!

MY hobby is also learning languages! I always thought of languages to be a means to an end (travel) but today I realized I just like learning languages for learning sake too!

Over the years I have dabbled in French (marginally passable), Japanese (ok for daily conversation and travel), Italian (mostly forgotten but was ok when in Italy 9 years ago), German (way too long ago and all I remember is ich habe meine Uhr vergessen - I forgot my watch, which is a strange thing to remember I know!),  Spanish (mostly forgotten even though this city would give me a lot of opportunity if I want to relearn it), Russian (mostly in college years ago but now and then I try to relearn it here in Sac.), and when I travel I tend to easily pick up some basics (please, thank you, where's the bathroom, etc.). I don't consider myself a polyglot as I am not still conversational in all those languages but it could happen... and Sacramento has so many other languages that if I really wanted to I could add more... got me thinking...

I wonder if there is some way to incorporate my word for the year with my desire to learn languages and keep learning things? I guess I could make it just "learning" but I wonder if there is another way to express it? Thinking about it with more purpose now, stay tuned!

Off to my guitar lesson now!

Going to Japan in January...

I may have mentioned it before but if not, I am going back to Japan in January for another visit. Yes it will be cold in January, but nothing I haven't experienced before.

This time I plan to go to Tokushima (on Shikuko) for some indigo dyeing (aizome) experiences, then to Kyoto for more shibori, then on to Tokyo to go to the (huge) famous Tokyo International Quilt Show and some amazing fabric shops. I have wanted to go to the quilt show for many years and I finally decided to just do it! It is held at the Tokyo Dome (a baseball stadium) and is so large that everyone suggests going for 2 days! I can't wait.  And of course between all this, shopping for fabrics and cute sewing/stationary things and eating!!

I also look forward to getting another goshuincho (the book for the red temple and shrine stamps as seen above) and going to a lot of temples and shrines I have not yet been to. Out of thousands in Japan, finding 20 or so to fill my book will be easy!

If you have been to the Tokyo quilt show, please tell me how it was for you in the comments below!

Enough already! Sit down and sew...

Let's face it. I have a ton of fabric! Quilting fabric, garment sewing fabric, weird "what can I do with this?" fabric... I got fabric!! And I have been lazy in this summer hear (well ok, I'm always lazy, just using summer heat as my excuse) and haven't been keeping to the #MakeNine plan. I have only made 2 pieces of clothing and 5 other (computer bags for my sister and BIL and 2 vinyl front bags for my niece and nephew, shopping bag for my cousin) this year. Not sure if I ever posted pics of the bags so here they are...

So I woke up this morning with renewed sewing energy. Cleared off my desk first so I could type this and now will go clear off my rather messy cutting table and get to picking out a pattern! Oy! I do have a fair number of patterns to choose from but I want to make a light summery top I think first. Off to brave the mess...

RIP Phoebe 2004 - 2018

Goodbye Phoebe, sweet cat. We had to say good bye to you today. Thank you so much for finding us and choosing us to be your human family for the short 14 years you were with us. You will be missed.

Old stuff...

Things I had meant to mention in past blogs or just never got around to posting... a look back at the last few months.

A couple of months ago THIS appeared down the street from me.

I had heard of them in other neighborhoods and was happy to see one appear in mine. It is still there and yet undamaged, a couple of months later! I already brought a few books I no longer wanted and left them there. Maybe I will go walk down and take another look to see what is there today.

And I think I had talked about this being one of my projects to help my sewing. I had measurements here and there but nothing very recent so I made an Excel chart for myself with all the sewing measurements I could think of.

Maybe down the line some pattern will have another measurement to add but I think this will help me figure out my pattern size and adjustments well for now.

Of course if I eat too many of these luscious French pastries from a new bakery here in Sacramento I will have to take new measurements!

Multi-faceted Sunday...

It was a busy week at Lake Rhonda...

Little bits of a lot of things...

Found a pattern for my Hawaiian shirt. Got matching thread, now to get sewing!

A few weeks ago I had my old (like from when I was in High School old) guitar restrung with the intention of playing it again. I even went out and got a guitar stand so I could have it out and handy for practicing! Last week I finally went to the ACC Monday night guitar group and had so much fun! So now I have two instruments to practice!

A couple of weeks ago I also started a Japanese calligraphy class at the Belle Cooledge Community Center not too far from my house. I got there a little early and one of the older women who was setting up came up to me and asked "Are you here for calligraphy?"
"Yes" I replied and she gave me a funny look.
"It's Japanese calligraphy you know" she said.
And to either put her at ease or throw her for a loop I answered. "Daijobu desu". (that's ok)
She started for a second then replied back to me in Japanese and we chatted for a couple of minutes in Japanese. Then she put her arm around me, laughed and said "You'll do fine in here then!". When she introduced me to the teacher a few moments later she told the above story and we all had a good laugh.
Then I was immersed into 2 hours of Japanese and learning beginning steps of calligraphy all at once. My head felt like it would burst but I was so happy? I hadn't spoken that much Japanese since my trip last year!

Last week I decided to try the pen version instead of the large brush and because it is better for kanji (character) practice, I will do that style first for a while.

And I decided to relearn Japanese kanji on my own again. I gave myself a little pretest to see how many of the 1st grade kanji I could remember (I used to know all the 1st and 2nd grade ones, oh 35 or so years ago!). The red is what I didn't remember! But as soon as I wrote them again, some I remembered easily, others I had totally forgotten. Will be an interesting study this time around!

Like I said it was a busy week here! Oh and I started an exercise class also at ACC before my Japanese class on Mondays. Had to have Andy go out into the garage to find my old light weights to bring to class next time. I am so weak! I watched the 80 year old ladies do the exercises sets with no problem and I was huffing and puffing! Yeesh!

Trying to find a pattern...

Years ago it was easy to find a camp shirt pattern, you know, the easy to make comfy short sleeve shirt that is great for summers. Now, for women's patterns anyway, so hard to find -- must be out of fashion! Like I care! So I will have to go to JoAnn's and scour the pattern books to find one so I can make an aloha shirt out of the purple fabric for the CCC Ukulele group when we do a gig.

Ok that sounds way too professional -- we just play around at residential homes and a few other shows, like last week's ACC Big Day of Giving performance. There are some seriously good musicians and singers in the group then there are a few of us (me for sure) who just like to hang out in the back and strum. I am a total uke newbie -- just started it last year, but it is so much fun! You can see me hiding in the back by the window! LOL

Down to the wire...

Remember how I was going to make one garment for me each month in the #MakeNine2018 challenge?

Well I finally made it!

Decided to copy a tshirt I really liked, dolman (as opposed to set-in sleeves), loose fitting. So I had found this jersey at the little fabric shop near me (Hi-Fashion, link in the tab above) and decided to try using it. This was the first jersey I had sewn in a garment for myself (or at least in recent memory) so it was a little bit of a learning curve.

But I got to use both the serger and my regular machine for it (although it wasn't til I was done that I remembered I hadn't put in a stretch needle! Yikes!).

And it turned out pretty well I think for a first try:

All the hems are folded over hems, no neck facing so it was pretty easy. So now I have 2 tops, one a month in my new #MakeNine2018 challenge for myself!

If any of my old sewing pals are reading, feel free to post a photo of what you have been sewing in the comments below!

So here is the #MakeNine2018 tally so far:

1.             Scout Tee -- MADE. March 2018.

2.             Purple fabric Hawaiian top (for the CCC Ukulele group)

3.             Knit tee shirt -- MADE. April 2018.

4.             Sun Dress

5.             Shorts

6.             Long pants lounge wear (for around the house)

7.             Knit Top with ruched sides or sleeves

8.             Vest with separating zipper

9.             Woven fabric Shirt with buttonholes and buttons.

Saying goodbye to old shirts...

I have a lot of shirts in my closet. And I wear many of them but there have been a small group off to the side that I have not fit into or worn for many years and today I decided to purge my closet of them.

As you can see they are mostly Hawaiian shirts and have been over the years some of my favorites. But most of them don't fit any more (how did that happen I wonder as I eat another piece of pie), and one of them was always way too big and just looks silly on.

So I decided to pull them out of the closet this afternoon. I tried each one on again (just to be sure I hadn't suddenly shrunk and they would fit again) and then put them into a bag to deliver over to the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services organization where I drop off all my old/used clothing. I feel it is better to take things to a local place where I know the items will go out to those in need.

Goodbye old shirts...
Hello room in my closet now for the shirts I will be making this year!

Added to pages (above)...

For reference, added the following info to the tab LOCAL FABRIC STORES:

Stores near me that have apparel fabrics:

Mihn Phat   M-Sa 9-6, Su 10-6   (916) 391-2288

6428 Stockton Blvd. at 47th Ave.

Sacramento, CA 95823

Hi-Fashion Fabrics  M-Sa 9:30-6, closed Su.   (916) 451-5648

4106 Franklin Blvd  (couple blocks south of Sutterville)

Sacramento, CA 95820

World Class Textiles  Su-F 10 - 7, Sat 10 - 5   (916) 455-4040

4701 Franklin Blvd.

Sacramento, CA 95820

Stores near me that are primarily quilt shops:

• Country Sewing Center (Elk Grove)
• Fabric Garden (Sacramento)
• Quilter's Corner (Sacramento)
• Runs With Scissors (Citrus Heights)
• Thistle Dew (Fair Oaks)

Other fabric/craft stores near me:

• JoAnn's 

Getting organized and sewing...

Aside from being in a teeny tiny room to sew, I have way too much stuff underfoot which makes it difficult to move around. We recently put in a wider ironing board too which narrows the space to come into the room. I have been pouring over Instagram and Pinterest for ideas on how to reorganize my small space. Slowly but surely...

On another note, a couple of weeks ago I finally started making the pillows for the new grey sofa we got. We had gone to Berkeley to Stonemountain and Daughter and Bay Quilts where I found some delicious Japanese fabrics, some for clothing and some for making pillows. Then at IKEA we found pillow inserts so I just had to start sewing!

More to come with those!

Then last week I went to one of the small Asian fabric shops near me, Mihn Phat Fabrics, and found these lovelies! The middle one is jersey and the other 2 are a cotton/poly that feels and drapes like rayon. Cheap too! $4 or $5 a yard for 54-60 inch widths!

I have started making that same Scout Tee top (from last post) in the right hand fabric. This time I am making the sleeves more open/flouncy and the whole top a little longer.

Then yesterday we had to go to the Roseville Costco so I could get glasses frames for my new prescription. The Costco near me didn't have any small enough. Apparently I have a small head with eyes closer together so I need a size 49 frame. Anyway, since we were going to Roseville anyway, we also went to a Wearable Art pop-up shop that was being held in the Lincoln Public Library. I found this cute bag which had been a class sample for one of the talented women in the group (Mary Boalt). Picked it up for $7. The style is awkward so I won't probably use it much but since I had been wanting to paint and mark on cloth more, it gives me a lot of ideas on ways to paint on canvas then make it into something. Next week I will be at my art friend Leslie's house and we are going to play with painting on canvas. Nice inspiration!

If any of my old artsy readers are still around, I would love to hear what projects you have been working on lately! Feel free to leave a comment/photo in the comments section below!

Hashtags and sewing...

Talk about Full Circle... when I was very young I used to make doll clothes at my grandmother's house (I think I grew out of that one quickly), and then in junior high and high school made a lot of my own clothes. A purple mini-shirt and a brown velvet maxi-shirt come to mind immediately although I know there was other stuff I sewed back then as well. Just cannot remember anymore!

Then, a few years ago, and I decided to start making my own clothes.

 

I posted about the washi top HERE. I have worn that top several times and am happy when people compliment me on it. But then time passed and I didn't sew much else (aside from a little quilting and home stuff like placemats).

Flash forward to now and I have rediscovered not only my excitement about wanting to sew but also how motivating a few YouTube and Blog challenges can be! Enter the hashtag! While watching some random YouTube video about sewing, the idea of #2018MakeNine (also labeled as #MakeNine2018 in some blogs or videos so I am just using both) came up. Again. Then again. So I looked into it and discovered a whole world of people determined to make their own clothes this year.

I searched YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram... all with those hashtags and found all sorts of ideas, explanations, and some cool clothes people were making. I decided to jump onto the not too fast moving train and just start in, even though at the time it was mid-March. But luckily, making 9 items within a year's time was still easily do-able.

One of the things people were doing however that I had not done was to plan ahead. What were they going to make in their Make Nine? So I spent some time this weekend thinking about it and came up with two ways to think about it. I have a list of the 9 items I want to make and along the way, came up with Ten Techniques that I want to re-learn or learn for the first time. A lot of sewing for me is review because way back when (teens and 20s) I learned how to do most things, but then just let it all go. So I am finding once I review a technique it comes back to me easily.

I still do not have specific patterns attached to my list of Make Nine but at least I know what I want to make. Here is my list of #2018MakeNine more or less in the order I want to make them:

1. Scout Tee -- MADE, photo below!
2. Purple fabric Hawaiian top (no specific pattern, just what I want -- for the CCC Ukulele group)
3. Knit tee shirt
4. Sun Dress
5. Shorts
6. Long pants lounge wear (for around the house)
7. Knit Top with ruched sides or sleeves
8. Vest with separating zipper
9. Woven fabric Shirt with buttonholes and buttons.

This is the Scout Tee top I made for my first #2018MakeNine.

Here are the sewing techniques I want to work on this year:

1. Sewing in a knit facing (round collar)
2. Sewing a knit V-neck
3. Sewing a woven fabric V-neck
4. Fancy seams: French seams, Hong Kong seams, Flat fell seams
5. Using the twin needle for top-stitching
6. Sewing darts
7. Ruching (gathering)
8. Making buttonholes
9. Sewing a blind hem on both sewing machine and serger
10. Using zippers in clothing: separating, invisible, pants closures.

I am sure more will be added to that list as I stumble upon something new!

Word for 2018...

It didn't come easily this year.

For starters, I looked back to 2017 and realized I really had not focused much of my life around my word for the year or my CDFs... HERE is the explanation for all that.

Time to refocus and get an idea of what might work for me in 2018.

So I started making lists of possible words: change, observe, finish, regroup, see any pattern here?

My husband suggested ENGAGE complete with GIF of Picard from ST:TNG but cute as that was, it isn't the engagement (or starting) part that stops me... it is the continuing part.

Then it came to me... just like you have to complete a swing in baseball or golf, or keep the pool cue going in pool... you need follow-through. I don't completely understand why in sports but I see it is a major part of what I lack in projects getting done.

FOLLOW-THROUGH.

I never have a problem getting excited about the start of a project but often once that initial energy wans, I am left with yet another unfinished project. Part of my intentions for this year is to get things done, finish projects...

So a few days late this year, but I have found my word: FOLLOW-THROUGH.

And, in keeping with what I have been doing for the last few years, I came up with some Core Desired Feelings (CDFs). These are also explained on the link above from last year.

My CDFs are once again repeats with a couple of changes:
In 2018 I will be:
UNCLUTTERED
MINDFUL (INTENTIONAL)
HELPFUL
PLAYFUL
ACTIVE