Seams About Right

Things are coming together at our house, starting with the least-used room in the house.

The guest room. Joanie left me the quilt we made together years ago, along with the Pine Tree Quilt we made with friends.

We plan to hang it in the guest room, which is now totally decorated in her palette. 

The bathroom remodel is almost done. 

I just need to make some curtains for the window, and we have some touching up to do to the paint here and there. The tub and enclosure are spotless. We also need to hang the little framed Navajo sheep rug, also a final gift from my dear friend.

The new toilet, hardly ever used.

This (see if you can find the iPad in the photo...or anything for that matter):

has turned into this:

Once the rug is shampooed, I'll set up Stanzi over by the bear house and move the little rocking chair into the room. (This used to be where my loom was.)

I've used the Elna for a few projects. It's a nice machine. I'm sure my DIL will enjoy having it, along with the cabinet. You may remember that I gave away my Kenmore and was planning on replacing the Elna with an inexpensive zigzag machine after we got moved, because I didn't think I'd have room for the cabinet. I had been busy researching the inexpensive new machines that are available and hadn't found one I knew I wanted until the latest Connecting Threads catalog arrived.

The girls, especially Vroni, my quilter, pointed out that Connecting Threads sells sewing machines. Among the selections was this gem.

The Eversewn Sparrow 15. It's a totally mechanical sewing machine, designed by Swiss engineers and made in China (of course), but it seems to be a nice little machine, and I don't think Connecting Threads would offer it if it weren't pretty good. I read the reviews, watched the YouTube video demonstrations and read the online version of the manual cover to cover (if an eBook can have a cover). I also learned that Bernina dealers and some quilt shops are selling the machines. I decided this was the one for me, as soon as we moved.

Then DH (ever darling and ever husband) pointed out that tariffs on Chinese goods are likely to make the price go up, so I had better order from existing stock. (Can we spell e-n-a-b-l-e-r?) So I did. My new baby is due to arrive today, but now I'm almost broke.

I plan to write a review after I've had a chance to try her out. She has a lot of features that sound and look good. I'll describe those when I write my review. I wanted a mechanical machine for economy, both of initial price and potential repairs. EverSewn has a whole line of Sparrow sewing machines, but this is the only mechanical one. They all seem to be highly rated.

Since I had finished the Viipuri Dress I was working on, I cast on the Kisu Takki cardigan, based on the Stavanger Cardigan. Here's my progress on the body.

Kisu is Finnish for kitty. It will have salivating kitties at the top, and the fish, as you can see, around the hem. I'm using a dark green as the contrast color at the hems. I wanted to test the pattern so I could make it available for a KAL (knit-a-long) on Ravelry in the fall.

Also begun is my weekly blog post of children's stories, The Doll Storybook. The first story is "Little Miss Crocker and the Spider." It came out on Friday. So far, people seem to be enjoying it, especially our grandchildren.

Daphne said she liked it because it shows you don't have to be afraid of spiders if you know they aren't poisonous, and that lets you play outdoors and have fun.

The next story is in the works. They will come out every Friday at 2:00 Pacific Time.

What's on my needles: The Kisu Cardigan for Jolena. I thought I had packed the Coastal Skies shawl, but I found it with clothes I had packed for the summer. Great almost-mindless knitting.

What's on my Featherweight: Still on its way to Bend or in storage somewhere.

What's in my hoop: Still the Spring Flowers quilt, no progress done this week.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi is still in hibernation. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished Rondo Allegro by Sherwood Smith. Great story. Now listening to The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams. Interesting so far.

What's in my wine glass: Concha Y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2016, the big bottle. Not bad for a cheap wine.

What's my tip of the week: When cooking dried beans in the crockpot, add a piece of kombu (dried seaweed) to the pot. It helps the process of softening the beans. It doesn’t have to be removed after cooking, as it’s entirely edible.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

Eye Candy

Now that I have your attention...

My friends from Common Threads honored me with a luncheon last week at Georgette's. I'm going to miss these friends!

Janet brought her project, a top from a kit from Davidene's to show, all done except for borders, etc.

Vintage Stitchers met on Thursday at Julie's. Rebecca is working on her next block from the Borboleta BOM pattern from Hat Creek Quilts.

Barbara had her peacock masterpiece back from the quilter.

If you're a regular reader of my blog posts, you'll recognize this as Marilyn's palette.

It was fun seeing Julie's remodel in progress. Their kids, who have been living with them for six years, are buying their house. Julie and her husband spend most of the time either at Bear Lake (summer) or in Washington, close to St. George (winter), but they also spend some time in Park City. They are taking part of the upstairs and the loft to make sort of a mother-in-law's apartment. They figure they can use it for six years whenever they're in town, and the house will belong to the kids and grandkids.

This week saw a little sewing with the newly-service Elna. I made underwear for the two dolls still needing it. I used a girl's lace-trimmed sock, size large. The cuff was turned into a camisole, using Velcro strips for straps, and the toe became panties, trimmed with fold-over-elastic. I wrote up the instructions in a separate blog post.

Jolena needed a bathing suit for freestyle practice, and so I used the same method to make her one. Here's how it looks from the back, so much better with the fold-over elastic instead of the raw edges.

(The instructions for the bathing suit are also included in the same blog post.)

Now that Jolena had a bathing suit, she was able to participate in freestyle skiing training at Utah Olympic Park. You can see professionals do what the kids are learning here. Here was Jolena after her first day of practice.

She looks tired to me.

I took the girls to watch one day during the week. We used their usual conveyance.

They watched (or in Lotte's case, couldn't watch) from the bleachers as Lena tumbled through the air and splashed into the pool.

I caught some great shots by using the "burst" function on my iPhone.

Lotte came to see us after practice. She says the hardest part is getting out of the pool with her equipment.

My friend Ellen, whose grandson does freestyle and slopestyle said Lena's form was pretty good.

Note: See disclaimer at the bottom. People have asked me how I got the photos, and I said (joking) that DH threw Lena from the upper deck, while I took photos as she fell. We didn't do that. He provided me with some fishing line, which I used to hang her securely below the upper deck. Then as she moved slightly in the breeze, I took photos. I cropped, and in some cases tilted, the photos I liked, then edited out any fishing line if it was obvious.)

Lotte's Viipuri Dress is finished. Lena's yarn has sparkles, and I gave her a ribbon sash. Lotte's is more casual and has a skirt with M1 increases instead of YOs, so the holes aren't as obvious.

Other people are starting to make the Viipuri Dress from my pattern. That's always fun.

Sunday morning I came into the dining room to find the girls had taken over my dining table.

Me: Good morning! What are you ladies up to?

Mandy: We're teaching Lotte and Lena to play cards.

Me: What game are you playing?

Girls (all at once): Strip poker!

(I hope they teach the new girls all their little tricks. They're already down to their undies.)

I don't know for sure who brought strip poker into my house, but Vroni is the only one who didn't arrive her NIB (new, in-box), and she clearly is winning, so I suspect her.

I took the cards away and am setting my alarm for 1/2 hour earlier in the morning.

Not having had much luck getting a response from Götz to use the dolls in a book, I'm working on making my stories into weekly blog posts, tentatively named The Doll's Storybook, perhaps coming out on Friday afternoon. The plan is to have the posts suitable for children, so my grandkids can read them. Maybe I can work on the book idea after we get moved.

What's on my needles: Just finished the second Viipuri Dress for Lotte. Nothing new yet, but the next plan is the Norwegian-style kitty cardigan.

What's on my Featherweight: In storage.

What's in my hoop: Still the Spring Flowers quilt, a little progress done this week.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi is still in hibernation. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz. It was good, but a cliff-hanger. I know there's another in the series. Now listening to Rondo Allegro by Sherwood Smith.

What's in my wine glass: The last of a huge bottle of Frontera Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot. (I can't read the vintage.)

What's my tip of the week: A recipe, easy and healthful:

Tofu Mac And Cheese

Ingredients

• 12 oz whole wheat macaroni• 1 12.3 oz pkg silken tofu (I like Mori-Nu)• 2 eggs• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt• 1 cup milk• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese• Salt and pepper

• 1 cup bread crumbs• 2 tablespoons olive oil• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions
1) Start macaroni cooking and set oven at 300°.
2 ) Blend tofu, eggs, yogurt, milk, and cheddar cheese in blender (along with a small amount of salt and pepper) until smooth. Drain macaroni, return to cooking pot and add tofu mixture.3) In a large skillet add butter over medium heat with the bread crumbs and red pepper flakes. Cook until crumbs are lightly browned.
4) Dump drained macaroni/tofu mixture into a 9 X 12 casserole dish coated with cooking spray.
5) Top with seasoned bread crumbs and bake for 30 minutes.

Serve with salad or vegetable.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

Gotz Doll Underwear and Bathing Suit from Socks

For Happy Kidz, Hannah and Little Kidz.

Camisole 

1 girls' or women's sock 9" from toe to heel and 8" around foot (4" measured flat), Velcro, cut 1/4" wide.

Cut soft side of Velcro 4” X 1/4” (or cut in half lengthwise). Make 2.

Turn girl’s sock inside out with cuff folded over. Zig-zag along folded edge. Trim foot section close to stitching, leaving cuff with hemmed edge. Sew one end of one strip of soft velcro to the part of the cuff you want to be the front, soft side against the cuff. Sew one end of the other strip 1 1/4” away, or 2” stretched, also on the front. Sew small pieces of the hooked side to comparable locations on the back. Done!

Panties 

(See photos in bathing suit instructions for tutorial. Panties are made the same way in the crotch.) 

Cut fold-over-elastic 8 1/2” long for waistband
Cut fold-over-elastic 4 1/2” for leg opening, make 2.

Cut toe of sock off 3 3/4” from end of toe (more or less depending on how you want it to fit). Zigzag around cut edge to stabilize. The little toe seam will be in front. Here's the little toe seam:

Waistband: Take the 8 1/2” strip of fold-over elastic and find the center of it. Place it with the WS against the RS of the center front, extending above the finished raw edge. Pin so that the midpoint is in the center front and the two ends overlap by 1/4” - 1/2” in back. Sew in place and finish by sewing the ends together up to the top and lock. Turn to WS and trim raw edge close to stitching, being careful not to catch RS when cutting.

Fold over with the little toe seam in front. Place a pin 3/4” up from toe and another one 1 3/4” higher. Cut an oval opening through all layers, from one pin to the other. Cut toe open at seam. (See instructions for bathing suit for photo of how this is done.)

Turn WS out. Place WS of cut edge of one leg hole on WS of fold-over-elastic and pin, with cut edge as close to middle line of elastic, pinning as needed so the stretch is even from one end to the other. Sew with narrow zigzag stitch as close to cut edge as possible. working carefully around the sharper curve at the crotch. If you have to rain the presser foot, be sure the needle is down. Turn elastic to RS over cut edge and sew down on right side with the narrow zigzag stitch. (If you must use a straight stitch, you will need to stretch as you sew.) Repeat for second leg hole.

Pin crotch seam closed, RS together, making sure the beginning and end of the seam is perfectly matched. Sew closed using a straight stitch and 1/4" seam allowance. Trim corners of seam and finish with zigzag.

Bathing Suit (with modifications for Little Kidz in parentheses sock size S)

Cut fold-over elastic: 

Bathing suit front: Cut 1 at 3 1/2” (2 7/8")

For back and straps, cut 1 at 14" (11 1/4") 

For leg holes, cut 2 at 5" (4 1/4")

The leg holes of the bathing suit are made the same as for the panties. 

Fold sock in half, matching ends of toe seam, so you have four layers. Measure 3/4" (1/2") from end of toe and place a pin on double fold. Place another pin 1 3/4" (1 3/8") further up the sock from the first pin, but on the same side.

Cut small half ovals from one pin to the other, cutting through all four layers.

Cut open along toe seam as for panties. Trim toe seam away.

Place WS of cut edge of one leg hole on WS of fold-over-elastic and pin, with cut edge as close to middle line of elastic, easing as needed so the stretch is even from one end to the other, and pin in place, with the FOE extending a little bit past the end of the sock fabric, as the feed dogs will pull it in more. (It may be easier to turn sock inside out at this point, but you will certainly need to do it for smaller openings.)

Sew with narrow zigzag stitch as close to cut edge as possible. working carefully around the sharper curve at the crotch. Turn elastic to RS over cut edge and sew down on right side with the narrow zigzag stitch. Repeat for second leg hole. (If you have only straight stitch, you will need to stretch your work for sewing the elastic on both sides.

Sew crotch seam closed, RS together, using a straight stitch and 1/4" seam allowance. Trim corners of seam allowance.

Zigzag seam to finish.

Try on to check fit. (At this point, if the leg holes are too tight or too snug, you can cut them off, cut the crotch open and try again.) While your doll has the suit on, you can mark where you want to cut for the top.

Place a pin at the center front to indicate where you want the bathing suit to start. Place another pin at the underarm and a third just above the waist in back. Remove the bathing suit from the doll, being careful not to disturb the pins. Fold in half so that the two leg openings are together. Remove the underarm pin, noting its position.

Cut from the pin in back to the pin in front, passing through the point where you want the underarm to be and ending by curving your cut at the front to end perpendicular to the fold.

Sew the fold-over elastic for the front in the same manner as for leg openings. Trim any excess.

Match center of back elastic with center back and pin in place. Some of the elastic will extending past neck at each end to go around the neck. Do not trim off, as you will need that for the straps. With the WS of sock together with the WS of the elastic, sew as for leg holes.

Fold over and starting at the upper right extension sew all the way to the end of the other extension. Sew a short strip of Velcro 1/4” wide on the extensions so they will connect. Done!

For a two-piece suit, make panties out of your bathing suit sock, according to directions in the underwear section of this tutorial.

For the top, cut a piece from the top of the cuff. This one had a cute animal face and ears. It should be slightly bigger in the front than in the back.

Finish with FOE as for the waist of the panties. Sew straps of FOE folded and sewn together lengthwise where you would like the straps to fit. Sew a small piece of Velcro to the ends and decorate the front with buttons if desired.

Now your bathing beauties are ready for the pool or beach.

Hats are made from the Bucket Hat pattern from Matilda's Closet, purchased through Pixie Faire.

If you like my doll photos, check out The Doll's Storybook at http://thedollsstorybook.blogspot.com

*Cutting and use of sock based on this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/DYh6JUI7wsQ

This pattern is protected by copyright.

Any items made from it may be sold.

Copyright © 2018 by Peggy Stuart

Gotz Doll Underwear and bathing suit Rev. 3, 7/13/18

Please note: If you would have paid for this pattern, please consider donating the amount you would have spent to a child-related or other charity of your choice, such as CURE. I thank you for your generosity and for not having to do the books.