Bendy Stick, Top #2 and a Jumble

You know what a "bendy stick" is don't you?  Phylly and I have always used it to bend between our legs and draw our crotch shape.  You put little rubber bands on it and mark your front waist, your back waist and your water outlet valve (Lorraine Henry's term).   I asked Phylly to bring her bendy stick for our play date tomorrow here at my house.  My bendy stick is at my other house.  I am going to try to trace the curve of my back with it and compare it to the pictures I took yesterday.  With her here, maybe I can get some better pictures.  Running and standing in front of the camera and counting to 10 is okay, but I get a LOT of wierd pictures.  Maybe I will even get a picture of her!  She is a fabulous seamstress.  She has just lost over 30 pounds, so now she is a skinny seamstress, and I am still a fat one. 

I wonder if I could cut out a sewing machine from one pic and put it into this pic on the table?  I bet I could.  Watch for it......but not tonight.

Wouldn't it be fun to color that one???  I used to love to color when I was a kid -- and when I was a grown-up.  I was so serious about it, like everything.  I was sure my lovely artwork would end up in a museum.  Ha, ha.  I remember making these funny little mums and gluing them to a card for my Mom.  I can't remember how I made them now, but I thought they were so gorgeous.  She wasn't the least bit impressed, and I couldn't understand why at the time.  I think I made them out of wadded up pieces of toilet paper.  I have always been very careful to compliment a child's artistry because of that. 

Speaking of cards.  Do you get cards from your kids for birthdays -- Christmas -- Father's Day -- Mother's Day?  My Mom strictly instilled in us the importance of thank you cards and occasion cards.  I remember one year when I was about 10, I did not get her anything for her anniversary.  She was so mad at me.  I never forgot it.  The next year -- I don't remember what number it was -- I bought her a gift for every year she had been married.  All junk, of course, but still.  I think it was 15 gifts: gum, pen, steno pad -- stuff like that.  Daddy didn't care.  I don't really care that our kids remember our anniversary -- to me, that is between the married couple.  I always acknowledged my parents' birthdays, parent days and Christmas.  Never thought for a moment about having Thanksgiving or Christmas without having my parents come.  I have never neglected to send cards/money/gifts for our kids' birthdays, grandkids' birthdays, Christmas and sometimes Valentine's Day and Easter.  Our kids send nothing.  I overheard a lady about my age and her Mother talking in Penney's one day, and the daughter was telling her Mother how her kids never sent cards for any occasion and how hurtful it was.  I butted in their conversation and told them that I knew exactly how that felt.  Kids (not all, I'm sure) are so selfish these days and so ungrateful.  The ones in our lives anyway.

And what on earth does that have to do with the bendy stick? 

Alright.  I wasn't going to be negative.  Guess I'll get ready for bed and solve Jumble puzzles.  When I was at Barnes and Noble looking for the book "Unbroken" for my grandson, I saw the Puzzle Section of the store and remembered that I love those Jumble books.  I bought three of them.  I have to be careful not to do the whole book in a few days.  I love word puzzles.  What's the one on my Ipad?  Jumbline, I think and then there's the one with the bookworm where the tiles all burn up if you don't spell enough words fast enough.

Here's a Jumble for you from "Ready, Set, Jumble!": 

Okay.  Gettin' in my jammies.  Tomorrow will be a fun day!  Hope it is for all you in Bloggerland.  Actually, I don't know a single soul out there.  Wonder how you find followers. 

So, whaddayathink?  PhotoShop is so much fun.  I'm not the greatest, but I am learning more every day.  I discovered the coolest thing you can do today.  You can erase in a straight line with the shift key!  

Do you see Dotty there on the table? 

Following is the day after post hereinabove.  (Love that word!  I used to work for lawyers, and I typed that word a lot!)

Phylly arrived for our play date, and we got right to working with the Bendy Stick.  Note:  Neither one of us knows what this thing is really called.  I would shorten our name to "BS", but that wouldn't look right!  This is the most brilliant idea I have had in ages, and it came to me in the middle of the night.  You know how you lay awake at night wondering how to determine if you have a round back or not? -- Well, that is what I was doing.

If you have forgotten the problem, here is a reminder.  My shoulder seams always pull to the back, and my blouses always pull to the back.  That is AFTER already adding a 3/8" upper back curve correction and a 5/8" sway back correction.  So, I decided to add 1/2" more mid-upper back curve correction in my paper pattern.  Also, moved the shoulder seam forward 1/4".  I was expecting FINALLY a perfect pattern and a marvelous fit.  This is what I got:

Phylly and I got our drinks prepared and grabbed the Bendy Stick.  We started with my back, but we didn't get a picture of that.  Then we did Phylly's back, and I did get a picture of that.

We decided this pic probably wouldn't show the bendy stick very good, so we took one with only a camisole on.

Isn't that AMAZING!?  It works great.  I should probably patent this technique.  It may be the greatest discovery since sliced bread.  Maybe not.  I sure never have seen it published or demonstrated.  Next is Phylly tracing the Bendy Stick curves on paper. 

 We were shocked to see these curves!  Both of us were just overwhelmed to finally see the actual shape of our upper back, sway back and lower.  It certainly explained to me why all the round back corrections I made the other day caused a bunch of extra fabric to pool at my sway. 

Phylly's back is in green.  Mine is in pink.  This shows me that my round part is up by my neck.  My back goes up and then all of a sudden caves in below the neck.  My sway back is very deep and shows why long hems always gather in at my back waist.  No matter how full I make the bottom of my blouse, it pulls up and hangs on my butt.   Phylly's is a full curve from her neck all the way to her waist, so she needs upper round and lower round and in between.

I have to read and eat supper and read and get in my jammies and read and do puzzles.  BUT TOMORROW, I will cut out another knit top.  Watch for it.

Hello Margaret!  You are such a hoot.  I enjoyed our "butt call" today. 

For my children who will never read this:

A fool thinks he needs no advice, but a wise man listens to others.
Proverbs 12: 15

Hugs, Joy