Don't you just hate it

When you finish something and it's just not right?  Yes, I finally finished the red blouse with help from my trusty or not so trusty assistant.

Zeke who  recently returned from a walk about insisted on helping me while I was hemming.  Poor lamb, he didn't realize how inadequate a couturier he is.

He just couldn't make his tail do anything productive.  It just lay there.

So it only took a couple of hours to finish the blouse and I eagerly looked forward to trying it on.  This is what happened.  I couldn't wait so I tried it on before I put on the sleeves.  This was a BIG mistake.  After I did, I didn't want to finish.  It's true.  I suddenly hated the red blouse.

Twenty-four hours later, I did put the sleeves on, but I refused to hem them or do the buttons.  Here are photos.

Starting to hem, before Zeke arrived to help.

The front sans buttons.  The color in the photo above is more true in color.

This is the back but the color is really off.  I'm not sure why there's such a difference same camera same time same place.  Ah well, a photographer I'm not.







Can you guess why I hate the red blouse?  No, it's not the weird color changes. No, Zeke didn't harm it in anyway.  It doesn't fit.  There.  I said it.  I'm keeping it because there is a possibility than it might someday.

Lest you think I took all this time with nothing more than a nearly finished red blouse, here is something else that turned out better.

 Sleep-over Satchel for Pam
 (see post here )  That one is the story of The Monkey on the branch.

 Supplies

 Forgot to photograph until I put the lining in.

 Close-up of pocket

The finished bag.  Again, however, the color isn't true.  I think it maybe that my sewing room is yellow.

Yesterday I also finished some knitting so tune in tomorrow for a look at that.

What's next you might well ask?  I'm making another Sleep-over Satchel, this time for my daughter-in-law. Sh-h-h, her birthday is next month.  I'll be sharing pictures then.

Thank you for hanging in with me.  I hope to be posting more often as the challenge is taking off.

 Ciao! (Did I mention I also study Italian?)

The Monkey on the Branch

 

A number of years ago, my daughter and a friend saw Eddie Izzard perform a funny sketch about learning French.  I never saw it back then.  In fact I only looked for it on Youtube so I could mention it here with a better understanding  of what made it's way into my sewing.

In the sketch, Eddie mentions learning some French phrases that were difficult to use in an everyday conversation.  One of these phrases is, "Le singe est sur la branche."  (The monkey is on the branch.). My daughter then noticed that there were figures of monkeys on branches here and there.  Yes, on fabric.

About that same time I bought a pattern (at the Cotton Ball) for an over night bag.  I also bought fabric I felt reminiscent of  a Victorian satchel.  It had monkeys.  Here is the pattern and the bag I made from it for my daughter. 

Pattern by Amber Creations.  Amber is a niece of the former owners of the Cotton Ball and worked there at the time I bought my pattern.  Later I took a class on the bag with Amber.  It was lots of fun.  Amber and her then fiance (the guy in the photo) signed the pattern for me.

Can you see the monkeys?  They are not, however on branches.  She liked it anyway.







 Why do I mention this?  Why am I going on about  monkeys and branches?  I'll tell you. Remember last time, when I mentioned curtains.  There I told about the kitchen curtain with a farm scene.  All gone now.   The fabric was so old and didn't go with the paint very well.  (Is this woman nuts?  Where is she going with this?)  

Voila!

 

Here is a close up of the fabric. What so you see?  Les singes sont sur la branche. Wearing jackets no less.

  

By the way,  I have made the satchel eight times. Here are some. The first being the one I made for my other daughter who doesn't feel the same way about monkeys or branches.

 For my friend, Cathy

There may be a monkey on this one.











I will close now with a link to the Eddie Izzard comedy piece on French.  Here is a warning.  He says the 'f' word  twice, but nothing else offensive.  It's pretty funny.  Le Singe Sur La Branche.

Ci vediamo presto.  (This is Italian for: we'll see each other soon.) I'm better at Italian.