A Beautiful Jacket

The Other Janet sent me photos of her Tamarack jacket. She had to finish the binding after class. Discussion is currently underway about snaps versus buttons over snaps—husbands have opinions, who knew?—so the front closure isn’t finished. It turned out beautifully:

And the back:

We made a couple of alterations to the pattern and tested them on a muslin before we cut out the jacket. (Hobby Lobby sells quilted muslin fabric that works great for these kinds of jackets.) The back of the Tamarack is very oversized and tends to flare out. When I made the store sample, I shaved a couple of inches off the lower back sides. We made the same adjustment on this one. The base of the armscye was also big, so I moved that area in about half an inch and it fits much better now.

The fabric is a Marcia Derse print. I love her stuff. The Other Janet bought the fabric and a silk batt and one of the staff at the store quilted it for her on a longarm. The circle quilting pattern was the perfect choice.

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I tore down our bedroom Thursday, cleaned it, and put it back together. I love my house, but the amount of dirt and dust that accumulates is insane. Some of that is because we lived on a dirt road for the first few years (it’s paved now). Some of it is wildfire ash. Some of it is from having a fireplace and a wood boiler. Some of it is what the husband brings in. Wherever it comes from, it just recirculates and accumulates. The dust is also why I bought the industrial air scrubber, which runs while I do the deep cleaning. It helps a lot but it sounds like a jet engine, so I only run it when I am cleaning.

I stripped the bed and took down the curtains and washed everything. I moved furniture, wiped down all the hard surfaces including the baseboards, and vacuumed. I had to empty the Dyson at least two or three times during this process. Along the way, I sorted stuff to toss or donate. One room takes me an entire day to clean but it looks and feels so much better when it’s done. It’s good exercise, too.

I think my office is next on the list.

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I traced off the Rose pants pattern yesterday. I’m making a muslin in the shorts length—I really just need to check the fit of the crotch and the rise—and I am using an old linen sheet from Target. I love their linen sheets, especially for summer. The husband wore a hole in these with his feet so they are getting repurposed.

Next week is a busy week because of the plant sale. I might have time to knock out a top, but I suspect I will be busy with other tasks.