Simplicity 1760 - The Mock Wrap Skirt Mocks Me

Today I finally finished the yoked skirt from Simplicity pattern number 1760, view C.

This skirt took almost a month to put together. I had to create a new yoke because I sewed the first one together wrong and had to rip out those stitches. The top of the skirt was sewn to the top of the yoke instead of the bottom (not exactly intuitive to match up the narrow end of the skirt to the wider end of the yoke). I also poked a hole in the public side of the yoke when I was grading the seams.

Characteristic of me, and never satisfied with simplicity, I decided that it simply must have a lining since I like to wear thick hosiery which has a tendency to catch on cotton or wool. Since the instructions do not include a lining and I've never installed a lining before, I had to improvise. This involved some resolve on my part that I would be able to figure things out on my own and finish the skirt, for better or worse.

I also learned that I do not like fusible interfacing. It was a pain to work with as I wasn't sure whether it was sticking to the fabric properly and I also got some of the adhesive on the iron after it melted off the fabric. I also have bad memories of creating a shirt collar with fusible interfacing which bubbled and became very unattractive after the first wash. To avoid that, the new yoke was interfaced with the same fabric. I will try to stay with sew-in interfacing from now on.

It's slightly big on me (I folded the left and right sides in for the picture) and is not perfect, but at least I have a new skirt, learned a new skill (invisible hem) along the way and was able to practice installing an invisible zipper. Hopefully, it is good enough to wear to work and no one will notice that some of the seams do not line up perfectly and that the hem is not perfect.

It's not a perfect picture either, but I'm putting into practice getting
things done, rather than waiting for the perfect time to take the perfect picture.

Ancient Roman Maps

I just came across a really cool site through Twitter posted by @stephenjenkin on October 24, 2013:

Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire

It's very nicely done and you can zoom in or out of the map, as well as search for places by their modern or ancient names. Definitely a useful site for those doing research or just for those who love maps!

Happy New Year - 2014!

Another year has flew by and I'm not getting any younger. I'm at a point in my life where major decisions have to be made. The biological clock is ticking more loudly than ever, my health has started to deteriorate and I'm not satisfied with my career. This year, I need to be true to myself. New Year's resolutions seem like a good place to start. I will:

1. Take the GRE, math be damned!;
2. Keep in better touch with my friends;
3. Exercise and bring my weight down to a more healthy level; and
4. Apply to grad school to see what happens
5. Post at least one of my favorite stamps a week (to start this right, I posted a bird stamp today)
6. Do at least one large scale planting of one type of plant

Looking back on 2013, here are some of the things I've accomplished:

1. Grew my first dahlia plant
2. Read books 1 through 4 of The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin
3. Made some decent and usable clothes by sewing and knitting and learning new techniques
4. Made some new friends from India and Germany
5. Wrote 33 posts for my blog in 2013, the most ever!