Ms. Cleaver Chronicles

I finished weaving my scarf this past week, which means my weaving class is sadly over, but it doesn’t mean I’m done learning.

The first thing I did after Lent when I had use of my credit card again, was to register for a pattern-making class at the Maine College of Art (MECA). Since then I’ve been eagerly awaiting this weekend for the two-day intensive workshop.

It was well-worth the wait. Over the 12 course hours, my 12 classmates and I learned how to make a fitted sloper, how to adapt commercial patterns to fit better, how to recreate existing clothing and a teensy bit of draping.

Obviously we couldn’t cover everything in such a short amount of time, but I felt I was solidly introduced to each of the methods and am hungry to do some research and practice and learn some more on my own.

I’m eagerly waiting for college to publish the fall continuing studies catalogue to I can pick up some more art/design skills. But hopefully we may be seeing some Ms. Cleaver original designs gracing these pages soon!

This Friday after work, Mr Cleaver and I stopped by the annual Greek Food Festival at the Holy Trinity Church. Mr. Cleaver has been talking this thing up since May and fortunately the weather was dry enough for us to grab some dinner.

When we got there at a quarter to five, the line barely fit in the tent, by the time we got our food there was hardly a seat. This thing in popular and there’s no doubt why:

After stuffing ourselves full on delicious Greek food , we wandered through the neighborhood a bit and looked  at the fancy old buildings. I thought the color-coded townhouses below were particularly charming.

This week I learned several things in weaving class, how to change colors (cut and insert), how to make a repair (there was a knot in the warp), how to get more even edges (practice and a light tug after beating), and that after set-up, the weaving part really flies! I actually told myself to stop some I can draw out the enjoyment of this first project.

That said, this thing is really starting to look like a scarf! 

Warp set-up completed, weft colors tested and chosen, weaving begun!

This past Saturday, six of us from Portland Knitters on the Town took a field trip up to Windsor Maine for the Maine Fiber Frolic. There were over 200 locally-based fiber vendors and dozens of adorable animals.

The highlight of my day was holding a pair of 6-day-old cashmere goats – one who feel asleep in my arms!

The only thing cuter than a baby goat? A little girl holding a baby goat!

The Fair is largely geared toward spinners, and my spinning friends made quite the haul (not pictured, the four raw fleeces they also took home), but there was plenty of lovely hand-dyed and hand-spun yarn to be purchased as well. Being on the poor end of my pay cycle, I only came home with one skein of yarn. A lovely hand-dyed lace weight from Pine Star Studios that will be soon made into an Ishbel shawl. The entire Pine Star booth had beautiful items, including the orange and green roving seen above.

Hopefully both Pine Star and my other local favorite, Enchanted Knoll will be at the Common Ground Fair and the fall and  regardless of whether I spin yet or not (because we all know I eventually will) I’m planning on picking up some roving. I’m hoping to pick up drop spindling in the fall. I was really entranced by it at the Frolic and really, who wouldn’t want to be as cool as this guy?

Tonight: my second night of weaving!

When I staged-managed Sueno, I took my stipend and bought a sewing machine. When I signed on to stage manage The History Boys, I made a promise to myself that I’d use the stipend to take a class. What kind of class?

A weaving class!! A relative of mine is a fantastic weaver and I’ve always loved the look of handwoven items, so when I saw that the Portland Fiber Gallery offeedr weaving classes, I knew exactly what that stage management money was going to months before the check made it to my hand.

Tuesday night was my first lesson (taught by one of my knitting buddies no less) and I’m about a third? half? I’ve never done this before so I don’t know how far I have left? -way through setting up the loom.  I can’t believe I have to wait a whole week to work on it some more! I’ll be posting progress as we go along.

Here’s to learning!

Sew Mama Sew is hosting a Sewing Machine Meme (it rhymes!) so I thought I’d join in the fun.

What brand and model do you have?

Brother LS2125I

How long have you had it?

Just about two years

How much does that machine cost (approximately)?

$65-80

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)?

Mostly clothing and the occasional bag or pillow cover, but by and large clothing.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?

During the summer I probably sew 6 hours a week.  In the winter about 6 hours a month.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?

I like that it’s straight forward and simple, it’s a very unintimidating machine and had a low cost of entry. It desn’t do anything fancy, but it gives me all the basic stuff I need to make my projects. 

I wouldn’t say I’m passionate about it, I think I’d like something a little sturdier, more metal/less plastic, but I think I’ll probably hold onto this one for another two years at least.

What features does your machine have that work well for you?

The 4-step buttonholer is clear and easy to use. The feet are super easy to change and the darning plate is easy to install.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?

The instruction manual was a bit more detailed, because there are some slightly more complex stitches (like an invisible hem st, I think) that aren’t well explained. Overall, I’m pretty happy, wish it had an overlock st of some kind though.  

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it!

My machine was a gift to myself, paid for with the stipend I earned from stage managing. I bought the first pattern I sewed on it about 3 weeks before I could actually get the machine because I was so excited to get started!

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?

It’s a great starter machine. It probably won’t last forever, but I think I’ll probably choose to upgrade before it wears out. I would recommend it to beginning sewers any day.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?

What are you primary planning on making. Do you want to embroider or monogram anything? Do you have a dedicated sewing table or are you constantly going to have to move it around? Think not only about your current skill set, but what you dream of doing later.

Do you have a dream machine?

Something metal-framed with a few more stitch options (so demanding I know…)

Having recently found myself with no fewer than three (3!) knitting projects on the needles these days, I was running out  places to put them all. As regular readers and members of my knitting circle know, I am not a usually a multi-project knitter, although I think I am starting to turning into one. The case these days is that I’m requiring different projects for different places – largely driven my the fact that my main project is black yarn on rather small needles. It started when needed something simple for an airplane trip, then something light-colored for theatre knitting and dark restaurants for knitting group, and then I had a design idea I really wanted to work on… you get the idea.

My solution to this plethora of projects? A new sweater-sized project bag!

As I’m also enjoying one-day sewing projects, this worked out great.  As a bonus it matches my needle roll!

A drawstring bag is no work of sewing genius, there are a few details I added that I’d like to share.  First is my fancy round bottom, which was much easier to attach than I thought it would be.

Second is my interior pocket for holding spare needles, pattern instructions, needle holders, etc. This spare storage takes it just a step above the usual project bag. 

As for the project inside? I’ve been working on it since January, but I have every hope that I’ll be able to show it off here, finished, by the end of the month. Because you know when you need a hand-knitted sweater in the Northern Hemisphere? The end of June. Yeah….