Microbe Magic

It’s science project season here. I put some cucumbers into a crock a few days ago and covered them with a brine solution. It has started to bubble.

The plate and the glass weights keep the cucumbers submerged. In another week or so, I will be able to transfer the pickles to jars in the fridge, which will slow down the fermentation process. I do not expect them to last long in the fridge because the husband likes pickles. A lot.

[The Magic School Bus episode “In a Pickle” has the best explanation of fermentation ever. Highly recommended.]

I sweep through the garden every morning to gather what’s ripe. I am getting cucumbers, zucchini, tomatillos, tomatoes, lettuce, chard, and collards. Some cantaloupe and a watermelon are close to being ready, too. We are going to have a ton of acorn squash.

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I’ve mentioned before that I try to keep Mondays as a prep day for my sewing projects. That seems to be a good system. It keeps the cutting room organized and gives me a steady supply of things to work on. Yesterday, I traced patterns and did some cutting. These projects are ready to go:

Pamela’s Patterns Magic Pencil Skirt, black ponte.

Seamwork Lenny Dress, the muslin to be made from some clearance interlock from Joanns. The interlock is a juvenile print with cars all over it, but I needed three yards and the price was right. Who knows—you might see me wearing it some time. I do have “nice” interlock for making this if I like the way it fits.

Seamwork Sadie Tunic, muslin to be made from a beefy clearance knit from Joanns, although it’s a lovely blue ribbed fabric, so if the muslin turns out well, I’ll probably wear this one, too.

See & Sew B5513, which I had in my pattern stash.

I am going to make View A (short sleeves and cowl neck) from a drapey woven rayon. This is a raglan-style top and it has pleats in the front, back, and shoulders. A woven rayon will be a nice change from all the knits, although I will sew/finish as much of this on the serger as I can.

I also knocked out two more Laundry Day Tees on Sunday afternoon. They are waiting to be hemmed, along with the Lark Tee. I have enough rayon jersey in the stash for five more LDTs, but I’m wondering how many is too many? They have just been so comfortable to wear in this weather. I could do a few long-sleeve versions, too, for next spring.

I’ve been watching all of TomKat Stitchery’s videos on knits, and I am feeling braver about branching out to some different styles. I love wrap dresses, but I steer clear of them for obvious reasons. In RTW, those kinds of dresses tend to gape in unfortunate areas. Whitney made the Antrim dress from Itch to Stitch, which has full bust pattern pieces, and it was very flattering on her.

{Zede Donahue has pointed out on more than one occasion that “full bust” does not mean your bust circumference is large—it means that your full bust measurement differs significantly from your high bust measurement, usually by 4” or more. One can be petite, with a small frame, and still need to do a full bust adjustment.]

We’ll see. I need places to wear all of these things I want to make.

I’m also evaluating some pattern club/subscription services. Almost all of the indie pattern lines have some version of one, ranging in price from a few dollars a month to several hundred dollars a year. If I join one, it has to be because a) they design clothing I want to wear; and b) I know that their patterns fit my body type. I am a member of the Thoughtful Creativity YouTube channel ($5 a month), but I’m thinking of canceling that one. There is such a thing as too much content, and she puts out a lot of members-only videos—so many that I am way, way behind.