Tricked! Things Are Not Always As They Appear

There’s been some discussion about the appropriateness of honesty and critique of sewn garments shown on the internet. My position is that photos and even eyeballing from a distance IRL (in real life) cannot show the salient points needed in the analysis of anyone’s garment making efforts. Here’s a story to illuminate my point:

Sunday evening Husband and I took the Dog for a walk at the local woodland lake park. It was around 6pm and the woods were damp from a light drizzle and beginning to get dark.

Then, something came into view that shattered that dusky softness.

(Please indulge me: I didn’t have my camera with me so I returned the next morning to get documentation to share this story. The light was that of the impending dark so you will have to imagine that night is falling.)

The woods were lush as we walked along the trail

when we were startled to see a Mourning Dove in an odd position and motionless on a low tree branch

By its position I thought the Dove seemed in serious distress and I didn’t want to cause it further angst by getting too close

My eyes couldn’t make out why there was a red spot on its neck so I got this close and stood completely still. A healthy dove doesn’t have red spots on its neck. I could only think that it was wounded by gunshot or had a parasite or had suffered a viral attack of some kind. Bird virus? Oh NO!

Husband and the Dog went to get the car and see if they could find a Park Attendant to help and I stood, silent and keeping my distance, waiting to see if the bird changed positions. Nothing happened for 20 minutes or so but finally my team members returned without finding anyone in authority that might have a way to handle a diseased or injured animal.

We got a bit closer from the opposite side

and finally our eyes were able to pick out the hanger eyelet on the top

Yup, it was a decoy! I had been carefully guarding a DECOY. What I had thought was possibly part of an injury was simply some leaf litter that had fallen onto the red spot

We’re not hunters; we hardly expected a plastic bird clipped to a tree branch

We laughed and laughed, so relieved that we were not watching a Mourning Dove die in the woods.

You can imagine that I was very glad Husband had not found a park employee to drag back to see my humiliation!

So, jumping in to make an analysis of the proper fit or hang or suitability of a garment is something I would really, really hesitate to do. It’s been definitely proved to me that my eyes can’t be trusted to discern an ultimate reality. I certainly wouldn’t want something I said, rightly or wrongly, to adversely affect the future work of any anyone.

I’d love to hear what you all have to say!

Following Flikr: How to Follow a Non-Blogger

Do you have a fabulous online favorite person who doesn’t write a blog but chooses the much simpler format of putting up photos of their work in a Flikr album?

Did you know that you can follow a person’s Flikr pictures? Sure you can!

Just click on the person or group’s “photostream” and copy and paste that URL into your news and blog aggregator .

It should look like this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/XXXXXXX@XXX/ The first 7 X’s are numbers and the last 3 are a mix of alphabet and numerals.

That’s how I’ve been following Ann Rowley, the winner of the Great British Sewing Bee, for the past three years. I don’t miss a photo and can keep track of all the lush projects that she publishes for public viewing there

Each picture will be treated as a separate post.

Much easier than trying to track all the entries in a message board or writing or reading a whole blog.

Here’s the Stitchery’s Flikr URL http://www.flickr.com/photos/77314006@N00/

Finished Anorak -Onion 1045-

You may note that the hem does not contain elastic as I planned to do per the pattern suggestions. It is serged, turned and top stitched. I figured I’m round enough from the back view without elastic to emphasize it

I have finally figured out Flikr and WordPress.com. I changed my WordPress password a number of weeks ago and apparently just now Flikr has figured that out. It wanted my attention!

As an admin and member of The Sewing Divas on WordPress.com I’ve seen thousands of spam attacks attached to the photos uploaded into the WordPress.com media library. I am now deleting all my Stitchery photos from that library, I don’t want that happening here in my little blog! Sorry for all the computer whining, I have spent too many years fixing computer stuff on the job to put up with it on something I do for fun!

Reposting My Posts ~ ?Really? ~

Jan 30th, 2013.
While all my reblogged posts have been removed it was simply through the kindness and decency of those who responded to my request that this has been resolved for me. I’m leaving this post up to alert others to the issues involved in reblogging.
————————–
WordPress.com (my blog’s free platform) has added a couple of functions that allow any other WordPress member to repost any WordPress.com entry directly into their own blogs, with links back to the original post. Reposting has happened a couple of times to The Stitchery posts and I’m not in favor of reblogging at all. But I’m still reasoning it out, mired in confusion over something that seems such a violation of my own personal work.

How it works: any WP.com member can hit the “repost” button and magically my work appears on their blog with the first picture in full size, the rest of the pictures in thumbnail size and the first few lines of the text. If you want to read the whole thing you will be redirected back to the originator’s blog. Any “repost” can then be reposted by any other WP.com member, ad infinitum, and so on and so on. After the first repost the following reposts lose the photo credits so that’s a copyright infringement and WordPress is fostering it. But reposting is not in itself illegal as far as I can tell.

Just unpleasant. I am informed about the reposting only because I have allowed “pingbacks” in my comments section. If pingbacks which link to the reposter are turned off then you’ll never know who took your stuff and where it is now.

The Stitchery has enjoyed a rather special and small circle of friends and I’ve intentionally kept it that way in order to stay away from so much of the unpleasantness that can occur on the internet. I don’t want to attract much attention to us. I just want to have fun.

Blogging is all about sharing our own creativity. With fabric and thread there are so many different options and interpretations no two projects look the same. It’s fun to see what others do and fun to share what’s hot off the machine. And the same thing applies to gardening and animals and daily life or what ever else I have on my mind. It’s rather personal, isn’t it? That’s why I’d rather keep this space small in the blogosphere. Yes, I just might be delusional. But I’m The Writer, aren’t I? Can’t Writers be delusional now and again? Isn’t that one reason they write in the first place? But I digress.

Taking someone’s work to provide content for your own blog doesn’t involve any creativity. It is sharing and yes, it does expand the circle, mainly to the benefit of the person who has reblogged. There is little evidence that reblogging brings in new contacts to the originator. And anyway, I’d rather be asked first.

But now I have no control over what new audiences will be reading my words here, there or everywhere.

WordPress.com has agreed to consider adding an “Opt Out” feature to the repost button. It will most likely cost money to get that option and I don’t know if they will add the Opt Out capability to their “Press This” button. At the moment I am faced with only these choices:

1. a. Make this blog “Private” so that people can read it only by invitation
2. b. Move to my own domain and host
3. c. Stop blogging and close The Stitchery
4. d. Get over it, buck up and continue on

I’m not a big fan of any of these choices. I don’t want to spend more of my time or money blogging than I already do. So far today this issue has consumed most of the day. Argh.

And gee, I was just starting to have fun with blogging again. Darn.

What would you all do? Am I overreacting? I’d love to hear what you think.

And don’t hold back now I’ve got my Big Girl Panties on.

Spam!

I just gotta say that I’ve never seen so much spam as has hit The Stitchery lately. Fortunately most of the comments (advertising and “advice” designed to get other readers to click on their website name) are caught by WordPress.com’s spam filter.

But eeesch, already, spammers.

This is NOT a big, important, world shaking blog!

Get a life of your own, will ya?

Musing in the Cold “They Did Not!” Category

Today is hopefully the beginning of the end to the cold snap that has kept me indoors and away from back porch photography. The porch is under the snow and I’m just not that kind of girl. Oh, the dogs demand that indeed I shall march through the frozen fields with them but modeling is just not a job I do out of doors in this kind of weather. There’s just not enough money in it, te-he!

So finished coat pix are coming…later this week.

In the meantime “They Did Not!”. Pendleton did not put all their current and classic styles on sale…oh noooo, just when my budget is completely snuffed by medical and insurance bills and the economy in general.

Oh but they did: Pendleton online catalog It’s a given that I’d snatch up any of the women’s garments in a heart beat. But, but, I’m not sputtering only for my own selfish interest, Dear Lord, the men’s sale is fabulous too! Please windfall me some cash really soon, like today?

I have lusted after iconic the wool robe for the Huspartner forever! His Sir Pendleton, Lodge and Board shirts have been staples of The Stitchery Christmas giving for the past number of years. These shirts are so gorgeous and they stay gorgeous for a very long time!

And now they are on sale.

sigh.

I’ll live through this lack of cash somehow…I’ve survived a severe curtailment of fabric money for the past year so I can survive this. But, but, sniff.

On the Good News side of cold musings is that in visiting Annika’s Atelier and Esty Shop and generally catching up with this productive and lovely lady I’ve rediscovered a blog I used to love: Beauty Tips for Ministers PeaceBang is back and beauty blogging again. She’s been back for a while so I’ve got lots of reading to do. I love her writing style and thrift consciousness. And she talks about Proper Fit. LOVE….

Could Spring be just a few months away?

Mystery Man: Fluff Chance

I don’t claim to understand the economics of the fashion industry and its retailers. I tend to par down the fashion shows to one or two designers for closer scrutiny.

Oh, I keep trying to educate myself and part of that education is to read, read, read. I read books and blogs, and steer clear of fashion magazines for the most part, angered by the amount of much fluff. I’m not a consumer, I am a home sewer with a passion for fashion but not a lot of expertise on the industry.

I want pithy business: how do they survive and create? That’s my inquiry.

One of the blogs I’ve been reading with increasing intrigue is The Emperor’s Old Clothes. Who is this man? Something in the writing style made me think of this writer as a man but I really could find no real proof for that assumption. So I read on.

He’s shutting down his business after many years with obvious angst and some bitterness, yet with an almost lyrical acceptance, a sign of a lovely gentle soul. But his writing style had the bite of a vampire. Who is this Fluff Chance, the writer with the wit to tell it like he sees it?

Well, mystery solved by Eric Wilson’s article in the fashion section of the New York Times this morning: How Do You Like Me Now?

Meet Mr Eric Gaskins, mystery man.

Do yourself a favor: read the NY Times article and then bookmark The Emperor’s Old Clothes and savor its thoughtful articles. There’s much to be learned in it.

Sisterhood Award

I was so surprised to receive this award from Paco lately. Thank you, Paco. I’ve dragged my feet to passing it along since I haven’t spent much time reading blogs lately and there are so many new ones, too.

This award was designed by Diana Rambles who also does custom blog designs. She looks to be quiet a lively personality.

I don’t usually like to get very personal on this blog but there are some things I feel I must say. The last time I was tapped I nominated some folks who never acknowledged the award even though I left a message on their blogs that they were being honored. Maybe those who didn’t respond and pass it along didn’t feel honored or felt like it was a burden. I was sorry for that. I’d hate to obligate anyone with an award.

That made me rethink this award thing: are they a good thing or are they not? I think they are a good thing. Blogging takes work and time and it is lovely to be recognized for your efforts. I want to thank those who stop by The Stitchery and read what I write. These awards are a lovely thing and a good way to share good feelings so I hope that those I tag will accept this award in the spirit in which it is given: attitude and/or gratitude.

But many of my “Sisters” are not actively blogging these days or any day. I’m going to have to bend the rules of this award to fit my situation. (Or I could tag no one. Or I could tag folks who have already been tagged.) What to do, what to do. I think I’ll just acknowledge some dear ladies who have been good sisters and hope that they just enjoy the love. In doing this I will most assuredly leave out a number of people who have been good sisters. Forgive me!

Tessa from Pattern Review. Tessa and I have shared a long term friendship based upon our sewing interests and lifestyles. She sews practical clothing for her children and her husband and got me started sewing dress shirts for my husband. Thank you, Tessa! I’ve enjoyed our connection.

Lorna of NewmansNeedle has been a lgood friend for a long time, too. What a lovely, talented lady. She’s a good’un as they say around here.

Mary Ehrhardt of Southern Stitches Mary’s been very quiet on her blog these days but I am sure she’s plenty busy with her husband, job and children. We became friends during one of the first Pattern Review NYC meet ups. And she’s a very sweet lady.

Els of The Sewing Divas Els is my best friend and, as BFF’s often are, my mentor, in life, not just in sewing/tailoring, where she truly has a special place in many hearts throughout the blogging or online world. She is so special to me.

Summerset of Pins and Needles. She has kept me going through some troubled times and lifted my spirits with her wonderful creations, stopping by to say Hello usually just when I needed to hear a cheery word from someone. Thank you Summerset.

Carolyn of diaryofasewingfanatic has also dropped by and left comments when I seemed to be talking to myself. She’s lifted me up when I was so very down by just being her sewing self. I know she’s been nominated already but I am just thanking folks who have been good to me, and Carolyn has been one of them. Yes, indeed.

Melody of crazed sewer, who has always struck me dumb with her “I can do it” attitude. Nothing stops her when she puts her mind to creating something she really wants. Shes a Babe, too.

I’ve been tagged so late in the game I’ll stop now.

My online world has been quite small for the past few years. Leave a comment and say Hi if you would like to share links or introduce me to your blog.

Legal Ease and Fashion Basics

This is not great fashion blogging although there is a tiny bit at the bottom, I’ll forewarn you.

However, to put it squarely into focus, without a source of income this blogger wouldn’t be blogging or fashion sewing at all, so it is with great joy I announce that the following associations have joined together with the Consumer Product Safety Commission Coalition of the National Association of Manufacturers to ask the CPSC for definitive rulings on all the aspects of the CPSIA 2008 that have been troubling me and many others.

Petitioners joining NAM in this Petition are:
American Apparel & Footwear Association
Association of American Publishers
Book Manufacturers Institute, Inc.
Fashion Jewelry Trade Association
Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association
National Association of Manufacturers
National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers
National Retail Federation
Retail Industry Leaders Association
Printing Industries of America
Specialty Graphic Imaging Association
Toy Industry Association

You’ll note that the Handmade Toy Alliance and other associations of small toy makers are not participating in this Petition. Many manufacturers and craftsters of this ilk that consider themselves to be “small” have proposed that those who make fewer than 5000 items a year be excluded from the regulations. I was so irked to read that and to hear it on TV. It has been the only public info dissemination that our local media has deigned to give this horrendous new law and, Grrrrrrrr, the “slant” on the story was “This may be the last year you can buy traditional wooden toys for Christmas. But there’s hope. These small guys are petitioning for an exemption. Wooden toys might be available again next Christmas”. I think it’s utterly ridiculous to invent a classification of “Small” that removes anyone who makes fewer than 5000 times a year I mean, what’s the point of having the law in the first place? Dumb and dumber.

But anyway, rant’s over, and my point is that this petition brings great cheer to my lawyerly and childish (child-centered, I hope) heart. I do pray (and I do pray, really) that the Consumer Product Safety Commission responds and fully clarifies all the issues raised.

You can (and should if it touches your life as a consumer or as a provider) read the 15 page Request here at the Toy Association website.

The legalese will turn some folks off, I suppose, but it does more favors to our community of small toymakers and craftsters and our children and consumers than any stupid, puny, self-involved, short-sighted, idiotic exemption could ever do.

It’s professionally presented and speaks the language our lawmakers speak. Therefore it will get realistic consideration from the powers making these rules. It’s our best hope. I’m sure there will be those who will find points to argue but I won’t be one of them. I have other things to do.

Gee, it even addresses redundant testing of zippers and threads. This is a very good thing and might work to save my sense of peace and joy during this Holiday Season.

I’ll tell you, it’s been hard to sew up my December orders with this hanging over my head.

On the personal fashion front, well, the “front” is a lot bigger these days. I’ve quit smoking after 40 years. Yeah, that’s right.

I’ve been taking that quit smoking pill, Chantix, and it’s worked! I’ve felt every ill effect the product is said to produce and still I took it and now I haven’t smoked in 11 weeks. I figured if I could live through chemo and radiation and survive, I could live through withdrawal and the multiple ill effects of Chantix. and I got each and every one of the ill effects. Haven’t slept more than 6 hours at a stretch since October. Good thing I’m not a depressed maniac or I’d be locked up somewhere. Promise!

I do so love being able to sit still for long periods of time. I do so love not wanting to get away from humans so I can go smoke. I do so love not having a stinking home, hair, clothes. I do so love that my HusPartner is so grateful (not “diamond earring grateful”, though, darn it!) but he’s happy and to his lover, this woman, that is the most important thing.

But one of the side effects (according to the FDA it’s the most complained of drug) is increased appetite and my waistline proves it. I’ve gained 15 pounds (or more!!!) in the past 3 months and now all the clothes I’ve made in the past year are way too tight to wear. It’s a yucky weight gain, too, expanding the waist and thighs and begging to be covered up with tent dresses and other obscenities. I’m going to have to make knit pants with elastic waistbands and boxy cardigans to get through the two sewing classes in January when I have to dress from a suitcase.

But weight gain can be temporary and gladly suffered to be classified as A Non-Smoker!!!!

Yipppeeee, Yaaaay, and Yahoooooo

Hope Abounds!

Holiday smoochies til later,
MB

Blog Prize

Ayeeeee! Paco Peralta nominated The Stitchery for this award.

Aieeeeeee! That he should even know the address of The Stitchery in blogland is beyond my understanding and one of the great wonders of my world. Bless his heart, he’s a truly good guy, my hero and the person most likely to cheer me up when I’m feeling down. All I have to do is go to his blog to see the beautiful workmanship and I’m in heaven again.

So now that he’s bestowed this blog award I have to follow the rules.

Since I’ve been trying to quit smoking and I tend to smoke when I sit at the computer, I’ve tried to stay away from the computer and when I’m here I try to focus on Beautiful, Uplifting, Inspiring, Thoughtful and not-necessarily-restricted-to-garment-sewing blogs. I want to tickle my imagination and see what bubbles up in response.

I do also read lots of garment sewing blogs when I’m able, many of which are in my blog roll and many of which aren’t but the darned thing is way too long to begin with, and I treasure each of them, and sad to say, miss many of them and click on links from sewing blogs, always checking out as many as I can. I’m not going to tag the wonderful talented blogs that many of us sewing creatures are so familiar, I’m going to nominate some that that have thrilled me in an unusual way lately. Just.because.

1. Select 6-10 bloggers to whom you would like to give this award.

Allie’s in Stitches Colorful, Graceful inspiration

arkansew Solid Values inspiration

Bubblegum 4 Breakfast Gutsy inspiration!

KayB’s Sewing Journal Style and Process inspiration

Glass of Fashion Style and Period inspiration

Not Enough Thursdays Craft (not crafty but craft as in trade professionalism) Perfection inspiration

Sleevehead Menswear inspiration

Sherril’s Sewing Saga Fitting inspiration

2. Put the award – prize on your blog and indicate who gave it to you by identifying her/his blog.

3. Paste these rules on your blog

4. Write 6 of your most important values and 6 negative points you condemn.

Important: Things I love to find in others and hope to strive for in myself

Kindness (the Dali Lama made me say that first! I think it’s the ultimate value)
Wisdom
Patience
Inquisitiveness
Logic
Reliability

Condemn: This is almost too personal for me to be comfortable revealing. Why? because I think what you are pushing away (condemning) you are still involved with because you are still touching it. I will, however, list my “condemns” because I am being brave today:

Lack of Grace
Deceit
Anger
Illogic
Self Centeredness
Carelessness

OK, that was an exercise in introspection. I think I like Paco’s short and sweet response better. He just nails it!

Mis seis valores importantes se resumen en uno: la integridad, y algo que no considero importante, por supuesto, es el afán de protagonismo, sea cual sea su causa. Esto incluye la envidia, la competencia y la mala educación.

Translated by Google:

My six important values are summarized in one: integrity, and not something that I consider important, of course, is the desire of prominence, whatever their cause. This includes envy, competition and poor education.

5. Inform the recipients by leaving a comment on their blog.

OK.

Love to all who stop by here
Mary Beth