The middle of the blanket wasn’t getting warm, but the sides were really warm. The possibility of a short in the wiring concerned me, so I decided to investigate.
With my seam ripper, I opened the end of the blanket opposite the plug. Turns out the heating element wires are sewn to a piece of non-woven interfacing, that is then sewn into the side seams of the blanket. The problem was that the interfacing had ripped in half down the middle. The two halves moved apart and started bunching at the sides.
Here is what it looked like when I turned it inside out and started rearranging the wires in the middle. What a mess. While arranging them, I looked them over for damage or deterioration. Everything looked fine.
Once I had the wires spread out, I used some black #3 crochet cotton from my stash, to make anchor stitches to hold the wires in place. I stitched through one side of the blanket, since it was futile to try stitching the interfacing back together.
The stitching went quickly, thanks to my super useful long doll needle.
When I had enough stitches to keep the wires distributed across the blanket, I tied a knot, and turned the blanket right side out again. Amazingly, the little black stitches barely show on the blue-gray pile:
I used a big running stitch to close the blanket back up temporarily, in case I need to open it up and make more adjustments.
Here’s a shot of the whole blanket. It’s a super soft minky-type fabric.
So far, the fix is working out nicely. I’m having to share the blanket with the foster pup, but that’s mostly working out, too.
I’m one of those people who is cold all the time, so electric blankets are pretty nice to keep around.
Welcometo my new blog layout. It was time for a change. For now, it’s a slight shock every time I see the bigger text and photos. I’ll be tweaking a few more things until it’s the way I want it. Ultimately, I hope it gives a better reading and viewing experience.
“Don’t buy a suit to match your tie,” is a proverb that has served me very well… except when it should be ignored, such as with this project. It started with a picture of knit+crochet cuffs I saw online, which led me to grab knitting needles and some cotton yarn from my stash, and experiment with the design. Soon I had a set of cuffs I loved, with nothing to put them on.
So, with cuffs in hand and no plan except that I might like them on a dress, I went fabric shopping, and came home with this lightweight rayon plaid:
I sewed the dress and attached the cuffs before deciding what to do with the neckline. At that point, the answer was obvious–make a collar to match the cuffs.
The finished dress: Tada!
I’ve now worn the dress once, and am quite happy with it. Here are a few thoughts on the dress and fabric:
The A-line skirt makes the dress bicycle-friendly.
The cotton cuffs and collar, and lightweight rayon make a very comfortable dress.
The lightweight fabric makes the dress fit easily under a blazer when called for at work, or under a jacket for chilly Fall mornings and evenings.
The weight of the dress feels quirky on the hanger because the fabric is lightweight and flowy, while the cuffs and collar are weightier cotton. The weight disparity isn’t evident when the dress is being worn.
The rayon fabric is not very durable. It will be susceptible to snags. The edges of the fabric fray profusely, so I had to finish all of the edges first thing.
About that plaid. I should have had my head examined for buying flimsy fabric with a plaid that had to be matched. Eventually, I figured out a method that mostly worked, but not before several frustrated do-overs. Marking a straight hem was a bear, too, because of the shifty fabric and the plaid.
A few more views:
The back neck closure was finished with two self-fabric covered buttons and crochet button hole loops.
From the opening images of a sewing treadle in motion, and then street scenes in Liverpool 1944, I was hooked. The Dressmaker is an independent drama film, 90 minutes long, released in 1988.
Then a fleet of US Army trucks came through. Scores of Yanks in uniform came pouring out into the streets, and the story was on.
There’s no official trailer that I can find, so here are some screenshots from the movie.
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The colors in the movie are vibrant, which pleasantly offsets the reminders of life in wartime Liverpool, such as grocery store lines, crowded homes and blackout curtains. I love all of the colorful calico dresses and the household textiles, along with all of the 1940s fixtures, settings and scenes.
The story line of an orphan teenage girl living with her two very different aunts, and dating a Yank soldier, was intriguing. But even if the story wasn’t my kind of thing, I still would have watched with no sound, just to see the scenes and clothing.
The movie is based on the book ‘The Dressmaker“, by Dame Beryl Bainbridge, a writer who was born and raised in and around Liverpool.
As the credits rolled, a surprise appeared. The delightful Freda Kelly, former longtime secretary to The Beatles, had a role in the movie, as part of ‘Couple in Doorway’. So of course, I had to rewind to find a couple in a doorway. No luck. I’ll have to watch the movie again more closely, if I’m going to spot her.
The Dressmaker is currently available for free on these channels:
Two years ago this week, I went to the best music festival ever–Desert Trip. I tried writing about it when I got home, but it was all too fresh and overwhelming. Two years later, it still seems surreal. But it’s now easier to condense it down to the high points.
This was my first time to see Bob Dylan in person. I was on cloud nine, hearing Bob sing Like A Rolling Stone and Tangled Up in Blue. Earlier in the week, he’d been awarded a Nobel Prize. On this night the Nobel Prize poet treated us to new/alternate lyrics to Tangled Up in Blue.
The next night, Mother Nature provided a stunning real time harvest moon as a backdrop to Neil Young’s performance of Harvest Moon.
This was my first time to see Neil perform live, and I couldn’t have been happier with his set list and performance. He’s a rebel!
My fave song of Neil’s set was Long May You Run.
Sir Paul had my other fave song of the festival, when he called surprise guest Rihanna out onto the stage to do Four Five Seconds.
Each night had amazing fireworks at the end.
On the third night, guitar windmills whirled,
and pigs flew.
I had a general admission ticket, and decided not to fight for a spot at the front of GA, which was a dense crowd pushed up against a fence still far from the stage. So I took a spot near the back, where everybody was relaxed and had room to breathe. I could set my beach chair in place, and then go get a drink or food and easily get back to my spot.
When I say I was far back from the stage, I mean, the performers were like ants on the stage. I didn’t care. The sound was great, and so was the vibe around me, and there were excellent video screens. It felt relaxed, like a concert in someone’s back yard.
(The band on stage is actually those teeny tiny people in the lower center.)
Accommodations
I opted for tent camping, of course. This was my little outdoor paradise. I had cool neighbors all around. Some brought their own guitars for campsite jam sessions. It was pure contentment when at the end of a long, amazing day, I would lay down and drift off to sleep hearing people congregated at nearby tents, singing and playing guitar.
The tent village was well organized. On my arrival, I was assigned an ‘address’, and driven to it with my stuff by a nice guy in a golf cart.
I took my Esbit alcohol stove, and prepared a few simple meals at my campsite. One was Curry Cashew Chicken Rice & Veggies in broth. I adapted this recipe from the amazing backpackingchef.com. For the veggies, I used carrots, broccoli and cauliflower; all dehydrated at home in advance of the trip.
I also took my Bemco backpacker oven, and made myself a couple of scrumptious campsite pizzas. I’ll save the campsite pizza details for a later post.
For coffee, I took my travel french press mug–a nice gift from my brother. By loading it with ground coffee and water each night, I had a nice cold brew ready each morning.
More sights from my little home and the totally awesome tent village:
For the campers, there was a pop-up downtown with general store, cool vintage boutiques, food vendors, hair salon, game room, entertainment, outdoor games and more. I could have spent a lot of time here. The downside was the typical US festival price gouging, but only at the general store. $12 for a dozen eggs? Nah, I’ll walk a few more steps and get a scrumptious pancakes and sausage breakfast for $5 instead.
There was a cool upcycle boutique. I borrowed this shirt idea for my brother’s birthday gift when I got home, using a t-shirt from his favorite local band.
One vintage boutique had a type-in ‘Guest book’
There were dozens more pop up restaurants, pubs, shops and activities in the main festival area. One was a vintage vinyl record shop, where the line just to get in the door was never short.
One vendor served ice cream floats in these awesome metal cups. The cup is now a permanent part of my camping kit.
The taxi bikers were creatively shielded from the dust. There’s an awesome review I’ve linked to at the end, that tells all you need to know about the dust boogers.
Along with dust boogers, there was the near-permanent dust tan.
Another totally awesome high point of the festival for me, was meeting up with a cross-country friend.
Sure, it was hot, but I managed to keep my clothes on, unlike some people. What the _?_
During the 3-day festival, people were speculating on who would perform at the next Desert Trip. A Led Zeppelin reunion was universally mentioned. Some thought Springsteen and a few others from that next generation of big stars. Others I thought of were Eric and Ginger as Cream, Jeff Lynne’s ELO, Paul Simon, and Ringo Starr. Anyway, the answer to date, is that Desert Trip was a one-off. I’m good with that. While I’d love to go again, I can’t think of another lineup that I’d be as excited about as the original.
The best music festival ever deserves the best review ever, and here it is! Seriously, I read it while on my trip home from the festival, and had to hold my hand over my mouth to stifle my laughter so as not to annoy the people sitting around me. http://www.apparentlythismatters.com/2016/10/desert-trip-review.html
To that I can only add that I went; I experienced; I got the t-shirt(s).
And that’s enough reminiscing for now. Next week…a sewing project.
This past weekend I caught a nasty bug, which means I spent lots of time on the couch, under warm blankets. When I would get tired of napping, I’d sit up and drink warm tea, watch feel-good movies, and work on this knit+crochet project. It is going to be the collar for a dress which is finished…except for this piece. Stay tuned for a finished garment post.
One of my most fave feel-good movies got another watch– ‘Pirate Radio–The Boat That Rocked‘. It’s a fave for a lot of reasons, some of which are:
The unbelievable story of how the British government tried to ban rock and roll radio in the 1960s
The cool mid-1960s clothes
The great 1960s rock and roll music
The cast of cool movie stars, who all portray great characters
The great ending.
It’s a really entertaining movie. Here’s the trailer:
For me, the best movies are the ones that give me something new to look up, or read or listen to, to continue the experience after leaving the theatre. Sometimes it’s a biopic that sends me in search of the biography to read. (Examples: Walk the Line, The Aviator, A Beautiful Mind.) ‘Pirate Radio‘ compelled me to order the soundtrack, and look up some of the gazillion album covers shown in the movie and credits. Let’s say there were some surprises…
Most importantly, the movie led me to Radio Caroline, the pirate radio station the movie was substantially based on. The station now streams online. On finding the station, I became an instant regular listener, and still am. The station is staffed by real live DJs from the pirate radio days. Each DJ plays the music he/she wants; new and old. If it weren’t for them, there are current artists and new music I would never have been exposed to here in the US Midwest stranglehold of corporate radio. Back in the early days of Radio Caroline, it is shocking ‘who’ we music listeners might never have heard of if it weren’t for pirate radio.
“Without Caroline, we would not have sold a single record. … Sometimes the law is more than an ass. Pirates? They were angels.” Pete Townshend
“Radio Caroline was more adventurous than most stations around in its day. It championed bands like the Kinks, who owe much of their early success to Radio Caroline and Tom Lodge.”Ray Davies (link)
The Caroline studio today is located in Kent, UK, but several times a year the DJs broadcast from their old ship, the ‘Ross Revenge’, which is now permanently moored in the River Blackwater. The DJs broadcast, eat, sleep and hang out on the boat, and mix music with their stories and memories from the early days. During one of these special broadcasts a few years ago, they offered a t-shirt for donation, that I couldn’t pass up. It was a replica of a Radio Caroline t-shirt worn by Keith Moon. It’s a fun thing to wear for just the right occasion.
(These photos are from the site wornfree.com, that once sold the shirts.)
I could go on and on about what a cool organization it is that keeps Caroline going strong. But instead I urge you to explore their website, if interested. They have an extensive online web shop, and they have a fun ‘daily quiz’, of trivia questions.
(Sample Quiz)
In 2017, Radio Caroline commemorated the 50th anniversary of the UK’s enacting of the Marine Offences Act, the law that was intended to shut them down. Coinciding with that 50th anniversary, the station was finally awarded its own official over-the-air broadcast frequency by the British Government. Ironically, it was an old BBC frequency. It was an emotional thing, seeing Radio Caroline finally recognized for its valuable contribution to our culture.
Coincidentally, Radio Caroline is doing one of its special broadcasts from the ship this coming weekend (October 20-21, 2018). For your own real-time Pirate Radio listening experience this Saturday and Sunday, go to the Radio Caroline website, and click the ‘Radio Caroline North’ play button in the header. I’ll be listening as much as my schedule allows.
The setting of the Netflix series, Velvet Colección, is a fashion design house in 1960s Barcelona. The series is in Spanish. I had several years of la clase de Español in school, but am not fluent. I understand sporadic phrases supplemented by body language. Regardless of the language barrier, I’m watching every minute of every episode because of the super cool 1960s dresses, the interior decor of the offices and homes, and the catchy music.
Velvet Colección is a spin off of ‘Velvet‘, a series about a 1950s fashion design enterprise based in Madrid.
The Velvet Colección story is one I’m sure I would enjoy, so I’m trying to follow as much of it as I can, despite the language barrier. But, it’s the 1960s dresses, the decor and the music that keep me coming back to watch more episodes, to be inspired to make my own dresses reminiscent of that time.
There are supposed to be three seasons of Velvet Colección. According to Wikipedia they’re stopping at three. Netflix is only offering Season 1 at the moment. When I finish with Velvet Colección, I’m looking forward to watching Velvet, for lots of lovely 1950s fashion.
In August I traveled to Dallas to see a Traveling Wilbury and his Electric Light Orchestra.
As it should be, ELO’s full sound filled the huge American Airlines Center arena. The light show was the most extravagant and spectacular that I’ve seen; as it should be for a band called the ‘Electric Light Orchestra’. There was no bad seat in the house. There was no empty seat in the house, either.
My seat was in the nosebleed section, which was fine for ELO’s show only because their sound and lights filled the arena spectacularly, as I knew they would. The songs were all familiar. The entire concert was a big, fun sing-a-long with the band and 20,000+ of their biggest fans.
But as I was getting ready for the show, practical considerations won out. I was going to have to walk 1/2 mile from my lodging to the TRE transit shuttle that drops off at the concert arena. I didn’t want to make that trek both ways in a dress with wedge sandals; the return trip in the dark. So, I opted for a pair of knee-length shorts, flat sandals, and this comfortable floral blouse that I recently made and wrote about last week.
The blouse has just one reflective bit… the button in the back. So, anyone sitting behind me who tried to take a flash picture, may have gotten my button reflection instead of the stage. But who in the nosebleed section uses flash at a concert? Probably no one.
As for the concert, it was a lovely, lovely night. Everything was perfect. (Except for the guy sitting next to me, who had pulled up an ELO set list on his phone, and kept announcing what song was coming up next. Grrr.) But this guy below sure didn’t bother me. The crowd all around me was really into the show, which made it that much more fun.
For the best sampling of Jeff Lynne’s current ELO live show, I recommend the “Wembley or Bust” live CD-DVD set. I ordered it after I got home, and am quite glad I did.
Travel and lodging
The drive to Dallas for me is a straight 6-hour shot down through the middle of Oklahoma, all on Interstate-35. It’s a boring and crowded highway. There was a lot of rain in the forecast too, which I didn’t relish driving in. My solution was to drive to Oklahoma City and then take the Amtrak ‘Heartland Flyer’ the rest of the way. Turns out it is a scenic, relaxing train ride.
The night of the concert, I stayed at a hostel in Irving. This was my first-ever stay at a hostel in the US. I booked the hostel through Hostelworld. The girls’ room in the hostel slept 6. When I checked in, the three bottom bunks had already been spoken for. So this was my view from the top. 🙂
I enjoyed chatting with several fellow hostel guests, who were all passing through the DFW area for their own various reasons. I loved the hostel stay, better than a sterile, isolating hotel room. The hostel was an easy walk to and from the commuter train station, where the TRE train took me straight to the concert venue–the American Airlines Center arena.
The next day, I took the TRE back to Fort Worth, where after an afternoon of sightseeing, I boarded Amtrak for the trip back to OKC.
Here’s the ‘Heartland Flyer’ arriving in Ft. Worth to take us back to OKC.
My departing view of Ft. Worth.
Once the train was on its way, the cafe car opened.
For dinner, I ordered the spicy Buffalo chicken tenders and wine. It hit the spot. Each time I see this picture, I want that meal again.
Amtrak was also an excellent choice for the return trip, because the weather got severe as we progressed toward OKC. Strong storms, heavy rains, tornado warnings and a massive area of flash flood warnings even caused all area trains to be ordered to shut down on the track to wait for a bad cell to pass.
Trip interrupted.
Our train arrived at the OKC station about 2 hours late, which meant I would be driving the rest of the way home after midnight, through flash flood warnings all the way. Instead, I did a very adult thing (for me), and got a value-priced room in OKC for the night. The storms had wreaked havoc with street lights in town. It was a dark and eerie quiet drive from the Amtrak station to the hotel.
The hotel I chose is a huge once-fabulous sprawling complex. As I was waiting my turn to check in, the old maintenance man told me stories about famous athletes and performers who had stayed there back in the day. He and the hotel were absolutely charming. The hotel lobby hints at its grand past.
The hallway leading to my room revealed that the hotel hadn’t fared so well during the storms. They’d taken on some water. Bags of concrete had been used as sandbags, doors were propped open for drying out, and carpet had been pulled and piled in the hallway. I didn’t care because I was so tired. I felt bad for the hotel.
My room was nice and comfortable for the price, but when I ventured over to the door that opens out to the courtyard, I discovered the carpet along that outside wall was wet and squishy. I didn’t care. I was tired, and I wasn’t going to need to go out that door anyway.
In the bathroom was a relic from its past as a luxury hotel–the toilet telephone. It still works.
The next morning, I got up well-rested, and drove home. There were places on the interstate where flood water had obviously been up on the road. Staying in OKC had been the right thing to do.
Now, back to the Traveling Wilburys for a moment:
A fellow music lover told me that the Wilburys had intended to keep getting together to make music from time to time, and to possibly add new members. So I’m thinking, should Jeff Lynne and Bob Dylan convene the next generation of Wilburys? Who should the new band members be? Should their music follow the same style and formula as the original Wilburys? The departed original members can’t be replaced or mimicked. But do it right and their spirit will be there with the new guys. I have a few ideas of who should join Jeff and Bob and make some new Traveling Wilburys music. I’ve grouped them in threes, to keep the band at five members:
Option 1:
Robert Plant
Gillian Welch
An Avett brother
Option 2:
Lindsey Buckingham
Dhani Harrison
Carlene Carter
Most of these are really huge stars, so why would they want to do it? Well, you don’t get much bigger than Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and a Beatle, so the standard has been set.
This floral cotton-spandex resided in my stash for several years, because I loved it so much I didn’t want to make it into something that turned out to be a disappointment. …
I finally settled on a sleeveless blouse-skirt combo, i.e., a 2-piece dress. The outfit is devoid of embellishment, and has no decorative features at all. My plan was to start with the most basic garments and add to them as necessary for aesthetics or function. To my surprise, the basic un-embellished duo became one of my favorite go-to outfits this summer.
For a pattern, I traced a simple, old linen blouse in my closet. The only change I made was to slightly indent the side seams at the waist.
The blouse slips over the head, and has a button-loop closure in the back. I used a reflective fabric covered button.
The skirt is a simple rectangle, seamed up the back, slightly tapered at the waist, with an elastic casing.
I lined the blouse and skirt with cotton percale sheet fabric. The lining is super comfortable in hot weather, and adds just a smidge more body to the garments.
This turned out to be the kind of simple outfit that sneaks up on you and becomes the thing you wear everywhere. I’ve worn this outfit when bicycling, to the office, to meet friends for dinner, and to the ballpark. I wore the blouse to a big-time concert last month with a pair of khaki shorts. (More on that to come.) The outfit basically goes anywhere. It’s been excellent for road trips and travel. This simple duo is going to end up in my personal little dress hall of fame.
Here it is with a 10+ year old hand-embroidered Putumayo sweater that I thought was inching closer to the donation box. Not anymore. It’s part of the ensemble now.
With Autumn arriving in a week, I already miss wearing this outfit. I’m considering making another version in fall colors, with simple 3/4 sleeves.
The night before my recent trip to the vintage clothing store, I went to the county fair. I enjoyed looking at all of the hand crafted items, and home grown produce of the local 4-H’ers.
There were some excellent handmade garments on display, by teens and by grade schoolers. To my distress, what you see here was all of the constructed garment entries this year. This downtrend makes me want to stop what I’m doing and personally try to reverse the trend and bring young people into the wonderful world of sewing and handmade clothing.
There was beautiful home grown produce.
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There was gorgeous woodworking, and a fun repurposing challenge.
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The foods entries were great. They had everything from breads and baked sweets to canned and dehydrated produce. I was too busy admiring to remember to take a picture.
Over in the animal buildings, there were newly shorn sheep in fabulous jackets. Two of my favorite jackets were the high necked trench coat and a fabulous hot pink number. The sheep were quite friendly, too.
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As for the other animals, there was a handsome rooster that did a great cockadoodledoo, but refused to do a repeat performance for my camera. There was a lovely dairy cow who looks great with purple accessories, a perfect pink pig that belongs in Charlotte’s Web, and a spotted pig on the loose, who had the prettiest floppy pig ears.
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It was demolition derby night, too! This event was packed; standing room only. This picture should come with sound. The motors were loud, and the crowd roared with appreciation.
Campout!
That night, hotel rooms in town were scarce and pricey, but that didn’t matter to me, because I’d opted to take advantage of the gorgeous weather forecast. I packed my tent, chair, backpacking stove, and breakfast, for an overnight at the lake campground just outside of town. The lake was a CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) construction project in the 1930s, and has been nicely preserved. My siblings and I loved visiting this lake when we were growing up. Point of trivia: William S. Burroughs had a little cabin at this lake in the last years of his life.
On this particular night, my thirtysomething nephew came out with his lawn chair. We sat and talked while looking out over the lake until 1am, mostly sharing fun memories about the lake and about our siblings, parents and grandparents.
run | sew | read 