imagination is everything

I like the thought, although things often turn out different than I imagined.
And that is okay.  

Happily, the linen is really nice for this pattern!  It's coming along better than imagined.
The trim in the seaming looks better now than it did under the harsh glare of my inspection immediately after sewing it.
It always takes a little while to stop seeing all the imperfections in my work.

A pocket for my phone!  My stepson asked me once why I never seldom sew pockets.
Well, my dear boy, the answer is laziness.  But this jacket calls for pockets.
 I am enjoying something a little more complex than my recent simple pieces.

I particularly like the shoulder pieces on this design.   

The instructions call for a bound finish on the seams, and
one is reminded to finish those seams BEFORE top-stitching.
I forgot to do that, so ... instead I just zig-zagged the edges and
 it looks fine to me.  Maybe next time.

Today I am packing because my new adventure includes setting up a small apartment in another city.  My husband and I have operated out of multiple cities off & on since we met.  This is one of the problems with finding the perfect man - he might not have a job in same same city you do.  But, what initially seemed problematic now seems enriching and exciting for both of us and it has a positive impact on our children, friends and family, too.

In that sense, I think the fortune cookie quote is pretty accurate.  When Howie and I met, we imagined a future together, despite some pretty obvious geographical challenges.   Here we are now, thriving, almost a decade later.  I wonder who writes those messages in fortune cookies?  It seems like it might be a fun job.  Wouldn't you feel tempted to write some outrageous things, though?  (I would!)

transitions and attachments

Hello friends, I am reflecting on the past, the present and the future.  There is no doubt about it, I am in the middle of some changes.  There are, however, a few rocks in my world, and I am leaning on them!  One of my rocks is this jacket project - Vogue 1293:

Look, I found red linen and it's cut and ready to go.  The bias strips on the left are trim for the jacket and the bias strips on the right will serve as seam finishing for this unlined jacket.

This project has been with me for several weeks now and it's starting to feel like a piece of furniture in the room (in a good way).

The sewing is not hard - it's the pattern preparation that took more time than usual because the fit has to be spot-on.  Once I start sewing there will be almost no opportunities to fine-tune the fit.  There is trim inserted into most of the seams and I have no intention of picking out those seams once they are sewn.

It's a little hard to see, but here is a photo from the pattern envelope.  Think of piping without the cord:

Of course, I could have left it out, but I think it will provide structure for my linen version.

Transitions ... attachments ... yes, these are on my mind.  I was attached to, and fond of my job, but yesterday was my last day there.   That is why my cubicle was suspiciously clean, as Ninja Ryder noticed in my last post.  I will be starting something new, and different and exciting in another week.
For now, I am firmly in the present moment, organizing, sewing, blogging and taking care of logistics before I tackle the next phase.  Soon, I will tell you more, because there is a very good chance that I will put the blog on hiatus for a while.  After all, I want to have every bit of my energy and creativity available to learn new things and do my very best.

Oh- and guess what?  I love that gravity feed iron now!  I just noticed yesterday that it has been a while since it seemed too heavy.  Now it just seems perfect.  So there you go- transitions are good and sometimes patience is just the ticket.

Until then, I have long strips of bias tape to sew, and doesn't that sound like a clever way to spend my time now?  Yes, I think so, too!  I am attached to my beloved sewing and blogging hobbies, so this is where I will rest this week.  Thanks for reading ... and more later!

GPOYW

This is a Gratuitous Post of Yourself Wednesday:

Ha!  I dyed my hair this morning, can you tell?
gotta run!