Hi everyone,
Yes, I’m still trying to get a pair of shorts made from this pattern, but…
~ It’s getting my goat…
~ It’s raining on my parade…
~ It’s grating my cheese…
~ It’s bugging the daylights out of me…
~ It’s sticking in my craw…
~ It’s overcooking my grits…
~ It’s getting the best of me…
~ It’s ruffling my feathers…
~ It’s boiling my britches…
~ It’s making me madder than a wet hen… and I know a thing or two about that!!!
I don’t like it when I can’t figure out something… so I keep trying to see what I’m doing wrong! That’s why I’m spending so much time on these silly swim shorts or board shorts… (that’s a new term for me…) I guess it’s what surfers wear???
Anyway, I tried a second pair and they were red and navy and I just knew they were going to work… I even added little red eyelets to them and got the bow tied in front… the topstitching was done in red stitching to show them off… (It’s not finished)…
…BECAUSE I PUT THE WAISTBAND ON BACKWARDS!!! EEK!! Don’t be fooled from a distance…
So this afternoon, I picked a different fabric and thought they would make really fun swim shorts… I got my pattern directions and put them right beside my sewing machine… I read the directions OUT LOUD and followed along… doing exactly what they said to do… and this is how they turned out…
They are SO big in the waist, Russell can put his whole arm down in one side…
Look at all the rows of stitching I did… UGH!
Well, I wasn’t going to let that pair beat me, so I cut out another pair and just made the waistband taller. I decided I was just going to fold it over and do some topstitching and see what happened by doing it my way…
Here is my version of them… but look… I have them off center…(just on Russell) They aren’t crooked, I just need to move them to the left a little bit on his belly… his belly button isn’t lined up with the front.
As I was writing this… I realized, the shorts DID WIN… I have only made the plaid shorts that turned out half way decent…
Here are my 3 pair I could possibly sell…
…and here are my 2 pair that I could NOT sell…
I know that was more than you wanted to know… and if you don’t sew, it doesn’t matter to you, but I won’t give up… I’m thinking all these mistakes and tries are just giving me “practice!” For what, you ask? For when I get better! :o)
As I was looking at my pictures, and playing critic, I realized it’s very thick where you have to sew over the elastic to get that little square piece with the eyelet in it sewn on, so I need to work on how to make that better. Having a seam there might make it easier… Maybe add a side panel and do a front and back that way. Well, I could ponder this all day… and practically have!
Maybe I’ll go to the Goodwill and look at HOW the Swim Trunks are ACTUALLY sewn together… I have looked at them but only for some fabrics. hmmm… :o)
I’ll see you Monday,
Blessings, Jeanne
Well, Jeanne, you have certainly tried with this pattern, And TRIED!!
A couple of thoughts: Have you tried emailing the designer? Perhaps she can shed some light on what you are having trouble with. (I actually have done that in the past, with the A Cute Bag pattern from WonderWoman Quilts, and she wrote back to me….AND revised her instructions, AND gave me a copy of the pattern with them in, as well as giving several of my friends a copy! This was a few yeas ago, when we met her at Expo!)
The other thing would be to check the designer’s website, if she has one; there might be some corrections or clarifications available there that somehow weren’t included in the pattern.
Rosemary, you are a brave girl, going thru FOUR crowns in one day! That is way more than I could handle at once, I’m sure. I always have a rough time in the dentist’s chair, sometimes even for just cleanings, because I have a small mouth (contrary to what my brother used to say when we were kids!! 😂) and a highly refined gag reflex. Not a good combination when they are trying to work on your teeth!!
Anyway, I hope your mouth isn’t too uncomfortable in the next couple of days, and you’ll be back to eating “real” food in short order!
Jeanne, you have SO MUCH more patience than I have! Actually, the red plaid shorts look fine to me, but you say the waistband is backwards. What? It doesn’t look backwards to me! I do realize that you sell what you make, so that does make a difference in things. Since I just pose my dolls, if things look good in the front, who cares what the back looks like? 🤣
good morning 🥰
I just typed up a massively verbose comment and the internet tossed it out like a used kleenex!
Perhaps that is a good thing.
Jeanne, I would be screaming with frustration. I am impressed with your persistence!
I think the shorts look great. Did the pattern makers’ examples look better?
I think all of your results are pretty good looking! Good idea to go have a look at some “sweat shop, human examples” haha at the thrift store.
These turned out really cute! I am assuming the front pieces are sewn on before joining the front and back, and then doing the waist band…. hmmm or doing the waist band first and sewing on the pieces, sewing over the elastic already installed?
Joy, did you get your doll yesterday? I hope she arrives today!
I feel great this morning. last night, I took a super warm shower and even washed my hair! and dried it and slept like a log!
My gums in front are a bit sore, and salt water or Peroxyl rinse will help that.
Do you remember the guy in NJ that wanted to bring his Support peacock on the plane? United Airlines put this out at some point: “Notice when flying with a support animal. Provide a letter from a mental health professional.”
I thought about the possibility of bringing support animals to the dentist… the trauma is pretty equal in intensity to flying, no? How about a donkey?
These are things I think about.
One would need a special dentist. I think donkeys are cute.
I have a sewing deficit. I did bring hand sewing to the dentist but did not feel like sewing after all. I will work on my huge quilt blocks today
I also have the last chunk of pages of my fathers squiggly tiny handwriting WW2 POW (civilian from Holland) to scan so my cousin and I can examine and figure out the dutch and I will translate it to english.
Jeanne, I hope George is feeling very good and healing nicely and moving around.
I hope all of you have a good happy week-end with sunshine and have some nice plans for the week-end.
Too funny, if my hubby had a support animal, it would be a donkey. He had to give up social media for Lent because he couldn’t quit looking at the donkeys.
I have great empathy for your dental work this week. I had the same last week. One zirconia crown and 4 old fillings removed and replaced. I had declared no more dental visits ever but I could feel the big crack in the crown. It has been vexing me for 8 years but was told it could not be removed. Never, ever get a zirconia crown, stick with the tried and true. I had jaw discomfort and shooting headaches all those years. It took visits to 4 different dentists until I found one to tackle the job. And in our small hamlet that I have many complaints toward. One more reason why I am here but missing home never gets easier.
I am happy your dental work went well and you are on the mend.
Thank you Debbie.
I appreciate your praise. I have horrible teeth and spent a lot of time at dentists over the years. Always humiliating too.
My current dentist I have had for 30 years and he is so kind and sweet. I understand completely about the troubles with crowns and repairs. I am fortunate my daughters have had perfect teeth all their lives. Really grateful we have better dentists. My dentist tells me my husbands teeth are hard as rocks! 🪨 😀
Now I remember why I stopped sewing. Thank you for the reminder. He is a good looking doll and I know you will manage this.
We finally have a beautiful and sunny spring day. I am sitting with the doodle dog while the whole family is in Louisiana for birthdays and funerals. I elected to do this so no complaints. This afternoon I will add the rest of my dolls to those dressed in green. It will be a flower garden in the doll cabinet!
Enjoy your weekend everyone! Good luck with those board shorts Jeanne.
Sometimes it is nice to just stay home… alone!
Have fun with your dolls.
Bonjour.Jeanne,vous êtes vraiment patiente,mais je comprends,que vous ne voulez pas rester sur un échec ! Quant je fais des culottes pour poupées,je monte le devant,puis les côtés et je ferme le dos en dernier.Si il y a un élastique, avec l’arthrose des doigts,c’est plus facile !!! mais c’est peut-être ce que vous faites. Courage,vous allez y arriver . En France,nous avons eu quinze jours de printemps à 20° et maintenant il pleut et nous avons remis les manteaux ! Belle journée pour vous toutes.
Georgina, je suis contente que tu aies eu du beau temps printanier pendant deux semaines. Les mois de mars et avril sont toujours si capricieux !
Bisous, Rosemary🥰
Well, the first thing I did was go back in the time machine to yesterday and read Anne and Rosemary’s later posts. Sure hope that Anne’s bro says he likes the quilt and was great hearing about Rosemary’s survival of the dentist.
As to Jeanne’s board shorts pattern, I do like it. Especially, those first in green and plaid. Poor Russell looks mighty embarrassed that his arm fits down the side of the latest pair. Is it possible that the denim trim was the stretchy stuff that they make jeans from now? That could account for the changes in the pattern. I think this is a great pattern even though I would never be able to make anything as nice as what Jeanne has produced. A trip to Goodwill might be a lot of fun. I can just picture Jeanne looking at all of the men’s sportswear. 🙂
Here, a new girl has arrived. Such a strange arrival for her. After I caught a shower yesterday morning, I came into the dining room and there was a doll box propped up on my chair. Other person found the box I guess when he went out to pick up the paper. All he said was did you get a new doll? I said yes, and her name is Sugar. And that was it! Not another word and no further mention of her. I didn’t even put her in the secret place, but parked her by the couch for opening. When I checked my tracking, the package had come all the way from the south SF bay and then sixty miles north here and arrived at 7:30AM. Wow, that was a speedy trip for her. All I was able to do though was open the top box flap, because I was pretty tired when I got back to it later. I started in on the weeds after the shade arrived and worked almost two hours straight pulling weeds. I managed to get the brick walkway done. Yay! So, plan to be back on the yard again today. It is drying out very quickly and some weeds are impossible to remove already. Winnie, the pup nextdoor hasn’t forgotten where to go to recieve her milk bone treat. Had to tramp through weeds to find the little hole in the fence where I give her the bone. As I was talking to Winnie, I noticed that our neighbor has the same weeds growing lushly in her yard. I did feel slightly better as I surveyed the green swath of lushness that still needs work in our yard.
Keep up the good work Jeanne, on the swim outfits.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone. 🙂
Joy, yippee!
I hope you opened your doll and you are hugging her.
I am sure she is thrilled to be home sweet home!
Superb work on the yard weeds. If you put down weed prevention, well, we still get seeds from the neighbors weeds.
At our other house, we are surrounded by weed yards. They are green… but they do take over and invite some really awful weeds.
Have fun with the neighborhood pets! They must enjoy your presence outside!
We got back from the Y and the grocery store and taking 4 huge bags to the Goodwill. I have collected table clothes from the fifties and also lots of old bedspreads from the 40’s, the kind you used to see for sale hanging out side as you drove down the roads. I can’t remember what they were called, but they were so pretty with the lovely flowers on them. I cut up some to make pillows for our porch swing, but still had a lot of them.
Jeanne, that pattern must be really strange if it gives you so much trouble. I hope you get things worked out, but they looked fine to me, except the one big enough for his arm down it. I am sure you will work it out…have a nice weekend!! Hope George is feeling better every day.
Hope all of you have a good weekend.
Are you thinking about the old candlewick bedspreads, Sissy? At least that is what we called them.
yes, I think here they are called Chenille, with poofy raised designs? Or I was thinking of some others like Damask bedspreads, I have one in sage green.
So many lovely things from the days of olden, were so nice and beautiful and perfectly made.
Oh, I can picture the chenille bedspreads. I’ve seen a number of things made from them. Including cute jackets and great outfits for the Connie Lowe dolls. I’m glad that you made some porch cushions. I’m sure that they are lovely. 🙂
Good morning everyone. Today Sam and I are going to our Alice’s Wonderland class. Technically this should be made from Liberty fabrics. I don’t have any of those so I am using scraps. I watched a video online of someone who bought the fabrics. It takes 120 9×13 inch pieces and the box she bought the fabrics were all that size and they were all labelled like the ones in the book. It cost $500US! That is nearly $900NZD. And you still have to buy background, backing and batting! That would be a seriously expensive scrap quilt (which is what it actually is).
My quilt for my brother is finished but I haven’t photographed it yet, will send a photo of it on my bed (which is where I wish it was staying, lol).
Have a great day everyone
Anne, I was just looking at quilt kits, (as if I do not have enough sewing to last 5 lifetimes) and there are some really beautiful. The Tilda fabric and the Liberty Fabric is really expensive!
All fabric is expensive now. I am so glad you are using scraps.
It will be a memorable quilt. Have fun!
My knees are still trembling after reading of Rosemary’s dental visit. I’ve been listening to my hubby talk about getting implants for the past few years and realized it’s not for me. He’s gone through a lot. He had to replace so many teeth because of blood pressure meds destroying his teeth. When I met him he had all his teeth and they were lovely. Now he’s had them all replaced. My sisters are my half sisters and our mom and their dad had bad teeth. I must have got my teeth from my dad, who I know nothing about, because mine have held up with little in the way of dental care as a child. I’ve lost four over the years but the rest are still here and going strong.
Sorry you had to go through so much to create the board shorts, but I think they are all cute. Hopefully you have found the best way to do them.
So hard to believe some are still experiencing snow, but that may be why our temps are in the low 60s for Monday and Tuesday after being in the mid 80s over the weekend. Fronts are still coming through but higher in temps than the ones in January and February.
Barbara, I am happy you have great teeth, especially after seeing what your husband has gone through. Implants are pretty rough,. I have a few molar implants. I am always envious of those that have great teeth. I have gone through dental drama since I was a kid.