What a Wonderful World

My very favorite song:

I can't think of any other song that makes my heart sing like this one does.

Pipelines

No, not this kind...

This kind...

When Cody and I first met, I had just turned 18 and was working the breakfast shift (as the only waitress) at a diner in a little bitty town. Occasionally, I went to class at the local college. Cody was working on a natural gas pipeline in the area, staying in a hotel in a couple of towns over. He had just broken out (learned to drive) a side boom.

His boss and my boss decided that we would make a good couple. His boss brought him in for breakfast one morning to meet me. Cody didn't leave a tip. Never was sure why I agreed to go out with him, esp. after he stood me up the first night! He called me the next morning, apologized and asked if I wanted to go out that night. It was Halloween 1990.

We dated, moved in together...

Taken at the Raine Frog Festival while he was working on a job in Lafayette.

and eventually married.

February 1, 1992

Good grief, that man is handsome! Still is!!!

Over 20 years later, he's still working on pipelines. He doesn't drive a side boom any more. He's more in the managerial side of things now. He sent me a video this evening that I wanted to share with y'all. I thought it was pretty neat. It's a video of pictures from pipelines taken in the 1930s, maybe some from the 40s. Starting at about 6:20 you see earlier versions of the side boom pictured above. Actually, the picture that it shows right now is one.

Cody sent it thinking that I would want to send it to my granddad - he pipelined here in the states and overseas in the Middle East during the 50s, 60s and 70s, maybe the early 80s (I can't remember when he retired).

My Aunt Jennifer will once in a while tell stories about going to Egypt to visit with Grandaddy during summer. A man once asked if his son could marry her. She was around 6 and blonde. She wouldn't have been the boy's first wife either.

Okay, that's it for my meaningless post of the day. Has nothing to do with knitting or sewing (other than it's what supports those two hobbies!)

Y'all have a great day...

Anthropologie Knock-Off Twist Top - Part 1

I promised Beangirl that I would cut up a shirt that I had bought from Anthropologie. It's a great t-shirt with one minor flaw (IMO). You'll see as we go...

                                                                            Source: anthropologie.com via Bean on Pinterest

See how high the neckline appears on the mannequin? I guess if you aren't a petite (and by that I mean short, not skinny), this neckline is fine but if you are short? That neckline? Ends up showing everything you got plus a bit more. Love the tee, love the twist. Don't love the unintentional plunge.

Front view.

The red lines show a seam line.

Back view.

View of the shoulder seam.

View of the overlap in the back.

So let's start cutting and measuring. Please remember that my shirt is an XL! Also, please remember that my photos are taken as I cut the top apart. You might want to start at the bottom and go up? Maybe.

I've drawn two lines across the back (click to enlarge). The first, going straight across the back, is 19". The second line that curves upwards is 24" from side underseam to side underseam.

From the side underseam to where the back shoulder piece starts is 4.5". From there the back shoulder piece is 8.75". You have in enlarge the photo but there is a green line that shows where the other back shoulder piece overlaps at (about 1.5").

This the back shoulder piece ungathered - please remember that this does not have seam allowances! The top is the shoulder seam (10") has clear elastic sewn into the seam that gathers the shoulder to 8.5", the bottom (15") is gathered to fit the bottom back (8.75").

Now, onto the front!

They tacked down the roll.

The top is sewn from the left underarm for 12" and then the top piece is twisted four times - to the wrong side, right side, wrong and then right. Then the 4.75" seam is sewn to the right underarm.

Here is the top and bottom fronts completely cut apart. There is 1.5" serged and then folded under before twisting the top piece.

The blue line indicates the neckline - it is cut straight along the top of a blue stripe but the fabric is curling. The red lines are the shoulder seams. I'll let you figure out the bottom - that's why I put it on a cutting mat with grid!

One last thing. Except for the side seams, and the seams along the front which are serged, the seams are bound. The neckline along the front has a line of stitching about 1/8" from the edge. I guess that's to keep the neckline from stretching too much?

Is that enough info?

Hallelujah

I woke up this morning in the mood to sew. I haven't felt the want-to in months (I blame all those school uniform shirts that I had to sew... and sew.... and sew).

I wanted something simple and sweet to get me started. Something that I could finish TODAY. I choose to make Debra a dress from a pattern that I've made several times and I knew was cute and easy. The dress, Ava Tie Top, is by Izzy & Ivy Designs. It features shirring around the bodice, a contrast tie and ruffled shoulder straps. Too cute! The first time that I made this was for my local quilt store - I shortened the dress into a top and made leggings with that ruffled fabric that was so popular last year.

My fabric for this dress was originally intended for a tote bag, but well.... y'all all know about the plans of mice and men? Yeah, it didn't happen. I love this fabric! It's a swimming pool blue with frogs on it!!  Fun, fun, fun for summer time!!! (Enough of the exclamation points!)


My only complaint about this dress is that I don't think it's full enough around the bottom - I guess I'll see how it does when she runs around the playground this week. I also wish that I could find the giant brown rick-rack that I bought a couple of years ago - it would be perfect around the hemline. If I don't find it, I guess that I'll have to order some more because, really, it would be perfect.

How to get an almost 3 year old to be still?
Bribe her with candy!

Excuse the dirty face. She was playing while eating. I take my pics when I can.

I am doing some knitting. I'm kind of working a Nautical-themed summer wardrobe. My first piece is an orange and white striped tank top with a serious plunge in the front. That's okay because no matter what I'll have a 3/4 length sleeved t-shirt on underneath.

Jordan Paige via Flickr

The top, #13 Nautical Plunge, is by Jordana Paige from the Knit Simple Spring/Summer 2006 issue. I'm using Louisa Harding's Nautical Cotton in White and Plymouth Yarn's Grass in Orange. So far, I've knit the bottom front and have cast on for the back. The pattern calls for the ribbing to be knit on size 3s and then change to size 4s for the stockinette-stitch stripes. I ended using size 2s for the ribbing and the called for size 4s for the body. The ribbing flipped up on me when using size 3s.

It's not much to look at, but I wanted y'all to see the colors.