My work on the Sangria Jeans for the PatternReview contest begins.
Originally, I intended for the Sangria bull denim to be just for a muslin, because the color is so strong. But now it’s going towards making an actual, wearable pair of jeans. And I just found a matching colored jeans zipper at JoAnn’s last night.
I do have a floral nylon/lycra Hawaiian T-shirt I sewed, which will go very well with the Sangria fabric.
It’s time for me to take stock on my project list, and see where I’m at.
One thing that has surprised me, and not for the better, is how slow I am getting through my project list. I’ve been sewing for a year and a half, and some projects I wanted to start on Day 1, like a pair of jeans, I’m only just getting to now.
Sewing projects, by nature, are time-consuming. But when you have to teach yourself all the necessary info, puzzle through situations without benefit of a live person to ask for help, and execute a new sewing technique for the first time, that just multiplies the time you spend on a project. Continue reading
For my springtime shirt made with McCall’s 6044, I’m using some pink seersucker fabric I picked up at Joann Fabrics, during one of their many sales.
This fabric is challenging to me in two ways:
This is my first time sewing with seersucker, so I consulted the Great Google for advice. Here’s a summary of what I found: Continue reading
Dear Blog,
Today I finished my prototype telescope caddy, and got it ready for a night under the stars this coming weekend!
Last time, I discussed how the extra-heavy eyepieces would prove too much for Velcro to hold the caddy onto the side of the telescope.
I altered the design to use a new idea for a suspension mechanism: A “cap” that covers the top of the telescope. The inside-facing side of the cap provides the support needed to suspend the outward-facing side.
Some things I needed to do:
After all the pattern alterations, I measured and cut all the pieces from the oilcloth. (Click or tap photos for larger versions).
Now that I have a specialized notebook for my astronomical observing, the next thing to tackle is a way to keep tools and accessories organized while at the telescope.
The most important accessories are the telescope’s eyepieces, which are interchangeable like the lenses on a high-end camera. Like camera lenses, each offers different magnification, zoom and field of view. And they’re a pain to keep organized in pitch darkness; each one is about the size of a hand grenade and can cost several hundred dollars. The last thing you want is for one to fall on the ground and hit cement or dirt.
There’s several types of telescopes; my preferred type is called a “Dobsonian” after its creator, John Dobson. It somewhat resembles a cannon on a pedestal. Compared to other types of telescopes, it is drop-dead simple to use and the optics are powerful enough to show even faint galaxies. Fully assembled, it is taller than I am; it breaks down and nests for easy transport to and from an observing site.
