Snow and a Bit of Wind

The big storm we were supposed to get didn’t materialize. We got a lot of snow yesterday, and the wind had picked up by the time the husband came to bed, but we’ve had much worse back door cold fronts than this one. The wind has mostly died down. We lost power, briefly, around dinner time last night. It is a bit nippy out, at 13F.

The piano has been tuned and sounds much better. I should not have let it go four extra months.

I made the Simple-Elegant Tee yesterday:

I have a lot of trouble with this designer’s patterns despite the simple construction. Parts of the Little Somethin’ Jacket threw me, too. I know I tend to be critical of other designers’ patterns, but being able to put into writing how to tie one’s shoelaces is an important skill. Not everyone can do it. This took a lot longer to make than I think it should have because of the way the instructions are written. The body—including the sleeves—is cut in one piece with no shoulder seam. The trickiest part, by far, was the neck binding. I’d be inclined to change that to a facing. I don’t think that this is going to make a good serger class because literally only the side seams are serged. Everything else is done on the sewing machine.

I do like the V neckline, and although the top looks long enough on the dress form, I’d add a couple of inches. “Tunic length” on other people is not necessarily tunic length on me.

I have enough of that rayon batik to make another top. I traced New Look 6225 yesterday, which I picked up in Spokane:

This is another raglan, although meant for wovens, with bust darts.

I’ll run it up soon and see what I think. I’m planning to make the longer length with the neckline from view A/B.

First, though, is some quilting. I’m going to see if I can finish quilting the sashing on the red Churn Dash quilt today. I want to move that one off the machine for a while so I can get the Sunbonnet Sue quilt finished and back to my college roommate. I’m aiming to have it done by the end of February. February is mostly empty at the moment and I’d like to keep it that way because all hell will break loose in March and April, as it does every year.

I’m going to be letting go of some volunteer activities as the year goes on. I’ve already given notice that this will be the last year that the husband and I will be in charge of the equipment sale at the fire department auction. We will be training our replacements. The young woman who worked with us last year is going to take the lead this year and I’ll be her assistant. She’s a sharp cookie. The husband has some ideas about who can take over his part of the job. I will see out my responsibilities with the homestead foundation through the end of the year, but I can’t continue to juggle the newsletter, website, and chairing the fundraising committee. I’m no longer willing to fit paying gigs and other things I want to do around my volunteer activities rather than vice-versa.

I’ll have some embroidery updates in the next few days. I’ve been working on those projects in the evening and they are coming along nicely.