Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Been sewing

Tunic O from Stylish Dress Book by Yoshiko Tsukiori
Skirt: New Look 6873
A-Line Skirt from Stitch by Stitch book by Deborah Moebes
Dress A from Stylish Dress Book
My sewing nook in the corner of my bedroom


My sister asked me how I manage to get so much sewing done when I have a baby.  My answer:  I do it when she's napping.  Also, I don't really do much knitting anymore.  I'm trying to give my thumb a rest.  I did do a bunch of knitting while watching some "Lost Girl" but the pain's flared up again so I'm taking a break from knitting.  

I've bought 2 classes from Craftsy.com:  How to Design and Make an A-Line Skirt by Deborah Moebes and Sewing with Knits by Meg McElwee.  I finished watching the A-Line Skirt class, but have yet to make anything from it. It's really informative and has helped me understand shaping better.

I'm currently watching the Sewing with Knits class and am looking forward to making the Surplice Dress from it. I really like Tunic O from Stylish Dress Book, but the sleeves are constricting.  I want to remake the tunic in a knit for more flexibility.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Regina, Mothers, and TV Recaps

It's been a while since I've watched Once Upon a Time but I keep up with it via recaps at io9.com.  I just watched episode The Miller's Daughter and I thought it was very well done.  The moment when Cora and Regina just smile happily at each other was just wonderful.

Regina started out the series as the Big Bad, but I really like her character.  As the series goes on, she's shown to have been as manipulated as anyone else, and the way she tries to be "good" for the sake of Henry really gives the show heart.

And speaking of recaps at io9, this recap of Arrow  made me laugh. ( http://io9.com/5987501/arrow-waltzes-john-barrowman-through-a-zombie-apocalypse )  Arrow's been on my to-watch list, but this recap may be the one that pushes me to start.

Lastly, we finally saw Brave, the Pixar movie.  I loved the mother-daughter theme, and thought the animation was so well done.  The little moments were sweet too, like at the end when Elinor regains human shape and kisses Merida all over the face. Which parent hasn't done that to their little ones?

Husband thought that the witch was reminiscent of the witch in Spirited Away.  That's not surprising as John Lasseter at Pixar is a big fan of Hideo Miyazaki's movies.

My take-aways from Brave:  be very specific what you ask for in spells and really, more conversations and openness between Merida and Queen Elinor would have avoided this whole mess.