Sydney’s pants

There is one thing that I can make for Sydney that she will wear; lounging pants.

She gets to pick out the fabric.  The last pair was black and white zebra print.  But, it was a flat cotton.  This year, I took her out to shop for fabric and she looked and she looked and she looked…really, I shopped for a half dozen projects while she looked for one fabric.  She wanted peacocks.  Okay, so that must be this year’s thing because she’s said it many times recently. 

I walked the aisles with her once and she said “ehhh” to the things I liked…a lot!  And, she said “ughhh” a few times, too.

But, every time she walked past one fabric, she reached out and touched it. 

Okay, so we all know that’s a sign, right?  So, I eventually stopped there, after exhausting all other possibilities.  I ran my hands over it once…and again…and said I wouldn’t line them and she said she liked the feel of the back of the fabric against her skin.  So, I caved and said, “hey, I’m a better sewist now than I was before.  Maybe I can handle a fuzzy fabric.”

So, here they are:

Sydney’s red, tiger print, fuzzy lounging pants.  She’s tried them on and they fit perfect.  I have learned to measure better so I get a better fit and these only need two or three measurements to get right…but even with that, I had to do the elastic waist band twice to keep them from falling off.

It was a fun project. The serger didn’t have any trouble finishing the seams and then I went over that again with a regular machine to give it more strength so she could lounge in them without me needing to repair them every other week.  The two spool did fine at first, but when it got to more than two layers of this thick fuzzy fabric, I had to switch to my “does everything, goes everywhere” machine, my Bernina 930, Evelyn.

Custom cabinet built by Rob. 

I have not tried the challenge this machine couldn’t handle.  We’ve done upholstery and way more than a hundred quilts and while she pieces as well as she does everything else, I tend to want to piece on a straight stitch machine, which gives my Evelyn a chance to rest and saves some wear and tear.  If anything ever happens to her, I will replace her with another Evelyn, just like her because I know this machine and I know how to work on it and I know what it can do.

Oh, and Mrs Howard Harman’s name was Goldie.  I found the family in the 1940 census.  I also found Cleo’s family and suspect they may have been sister’s in law.  So, the new two spool is named Goldie. 

Everybody have a great Wednesday.  It’s our team holiday lunch today.  Oh, how I miss the concept of a holiday lunch when I was a kid.  My Dad’s office would host a pot luck lunch and all the families were invited.  It was held in the office and everyone stood around and visited and it seemed real friendly and I got to see where my Daddy worked and sit in his office chair.  At my office, they have to be such a to-do event.  Expensive restaurant.  Usually a competitive event, which I somehow dodged this year.

Anyway, I’ve pulled my smile out of my pocket and shined it up and will wear it all day, come what may.  If you’re one of those folks whose smile spends more time on your face than in your pocket, I admire you.  I’m learning.  I love the way people respond when I do nothing more complex than walk round with a smile on my face.

Lane