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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Don't Faint and Did You Watch Peggy Last Night?

Try not to faint when I say this.  Are you ready???

I am TIRED of sewing!

THERE, I said it!

Shocking, huh?

I doubt this foreign feeling will last long, but for the rest of this afternoon, I am going to do my next favorite thing.

Again, don't faint!

I am going to vacuum and dust.

I know.  I am a very strange breed.  I am surprised Phyllis even acknowledges she knows me.  I consider cleaning a form of aerobic exercise.  If you hold your tummy in and you stand up straight, I think it may cause some weight loss and muscle tone.  It sure couldn't hurt

Just in case you happened to accidentally miss Peggy last night, you really need to watch the replay.  She has made some VERY GOOD changes to the broadcast. 

1st:  NO MORE COMMERCIALS!!! 

2nd:  The lighting and transmission was much better, and there seemed to be a bit more room.

3rd:  She made a speech about chat stopping at 8 and only questions being posted.  It made it much easier for her to FIND the questions and answer them.

4th:  She actually did a very good job of teaching for a change.  I think the lack of PITA commercials helped a lot with that.  It is a very good pant-fitting and pant-understanding webcast.  I think everyone could learn from it.

I sent Peggy an email this morning telling her how much I appreciated the new broadcast, and I told her how much her teaching has improved and compared it to previous webcasts.  Her response was:  "Thanks for watching".  She is probably too busy selling stuff to care what I think about her webcasts.


Before I got tired of it, I was making Vogue V8714 today.  I am in the "make it fit, or else" stage, and that part is so tedious. 

I always think these things are going to be too small, and they are always too big. 

This pattern has a hump in the back that would fit the Hunchback of Notre Dame. 

It gives A, B, C and D bust choices, and I had to use the "D".  I guess Vogue has determined that if you have D humps in the front, you must have a D hump in the back too.
 



I am making the sleeveless version, and it will be a solid red stretch cotton sateen.  Lets hope it turns out as nice as this one:

Gotta get.

I have found the vacuum does not run by itself!  At least, mine doesn't. 

Hugs, Joy

13 comments:

  1. There must be something in the air. I'm a bit tired of sewing and I sew almost daily! Right now the weather is finally getting warm enough that I want to go outside and work in the gardens.

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  2. Nooooooo, JOY JOY! You can't do it. If you remove the protective dust cover from your furniture it might collapse and fall completely apart. The vacuum is the tool of the devil, trying to corrupt your soul with promises of cleanliness. But it never tells you that you will have to do it regularly or the dust cover will come back. It becomes an endless cycle. If you just leave the dust cover intact you will have plenty of time to sew and paint , bead, quilt, all those wonderful things that feed our souls.

    Hugs, Phylly

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  3. Here Here! What Phylly said! I actually love doing laundry...go figure.

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    Replies
    1. You must be related to my Mother! She is crazy over laundry and INSISTS that Monday is laundry day. It is one thing I could never outdo her at.
      Hugs, Joy

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  4. Joy, have you ever used the Nancy Zieman method for buying the correct size pattern and also for adding or subtracting the inches you need to fit commercial patterns? Her method is one of the best I have found for me. You measure across from one armpit crease to the other and depending on what the measurement is - you buy a commercial pattern. For example I measure 12 inches across and buy a size 6 - I then use Nancy Zieman method to adjust the rest of the pattern. I haven't had a miss, not once and I used to sew for others, like bridesmaid dresses and prom, where fit is critical.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I have done that. According to her system, I am supposed to start with a SIZE EIGHT!!! I would have to add half a mile to the bust and the sides and the hip to make that fit me. It would fit great in the shoulder though. I think I've tried everyone's system, lol. I do love Nancy though. What a sweetheart!

      Hugs, Joy

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  5. For this asymmetrical (kind of) wide lapel CF treatment (on the Vogue you show), check out the leaflet included with your SFD Shirt Kit. Between the double breasted and asymmetrical instructions, you could easily copy the front of this pattern onto your SFD Dress pattern front and then move the dart into princess lines. Then you'd have your correct bra cup size and apex shaping placement. The peplum could easily be adapted from the 4-pg Fashion Design Sheet which shows how to draw a peplum. (smiley face)(Just in case you have nothing else to do and get tired of vacuuming!)

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    Replies
    1. Hmmmmmmmm. I posted a reply to this earlier today, but I guess it jumped off my blog!

      Thanks for the tips. Not sure I have the peplum design sheets. I'll look that all up when I get back to the house. Having to work today. I am interviewing our first applicant at 4.

      Hugs, Joy

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  6. I agree on the Silhouette broadcast. better lighting, more room, more teaching as you might find in a classroom.

    BUT - I did break down and send an email with a fitting question today. I doubt she'll answer it, but I won't pre-judge. After all - she is busy running her business and travelling to do the things connected to what she does. I also emailed Glenda and haven't heard back from her yet and I ALWAYS hear back from her. so we'll see.

    I think the Vogue top is cute. Not my style necessarily, but cute.

    Go ahead - vacuum - clean. I don't know how much exercise you'll get, but it can be therapeutic.

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  7. I will be shocked if you don't hear back from Glenda. Peggy always responds to me too, but the response is usually just 2 or 3 words. I'm sure it is because she is trying to personally read all the emails, and that is a huge job. I honestly don't know how she finds the time to do all she does. She called me late one night -- about 8 PM, I think. I asked her if she ever quit. She was calling me about my credit card number for an order I had sent.

    I think the "key" -- if there is one -- is to keep the questions short so it doesn't take long to read them and reply. Also, I attach pictures to my email questions. I sent Peggy pictures of my back side in her yoga pants one time. She got right back to me with the fix which, OF COURSE, was to take a dart in the pattern for the next pair.

    Hugs, Joy

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  8. I did hear back from Glenda. She is a doll! She did say that she's working on some jeans info, so I'll be happy to see that. She also said it would be a couple of weeks before that info is available. Meanwhile I plan to make a pair of white denim pants using her basic pants system. I'll save the jeans for when I have the other information.

    As for Peggy? pretty much as expected. It's only been a day, so I'll give her some time, but I did include a photo with a 'please help me figure out the problem with these. I'm really beginning to take it personally. If I don't hear back this time (after numerous tries) - I will NEVER and I mean NEVER email her again. Nor will I ever recommend her.

    I have spent money on her patterns - I own at least 10 of them. Issues with all of them either on the fit or the pattern markings on the tissue.

    I never buy fabric from her because I live 'near' Chicago (little over and hour), have a customer there and so periodically get to the Fabric Warehouse which has 75 thousand square feet of anything you could possible want for very good prices. I always run into design students and teachers whenever I go there. People from all over the country. Kind of interesting.................

    I also visit the Vogue Fabrics on Roosevelt Rd. They also have quite a bit of good stuff - decent and fair pricing - lots of sales - and no shipping. Just remember to put money in the parking box or park behind the store where the parking is free. ($65 per parking ticket in that neighborhood - ask me how I know) So as long as I'm within 10 minutes of those places - it's more fun to actually see and feel what you're buying and not have to pay shipping. You do have the pay the chicago sales tax which is 11%? One of these trips into the city I plan to go to the Flagship Vogue store downtown.

    As for Peggy - It's difficult (for me)to explain an issue in 10 words or less. I don't think she likes having to re-explain something she feels she explained the first time.

    smiles,
    -susie

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  9. Peggy thinks we are all sewing dunces, and she certainly doesn't take any correction herself. She thinks all the other instructors out there are dunces too, and she has boldly said so. Her exact terminology is "don't GIVE everyone else's fitting books away, THROW them away!" BUT, I have still learned a lot from her.

    Let me know if you hear from her.

    Hugs, Joy

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  10. I gave up on her. I unsubscribed to her emails because she is 'jonny-on-the-spot when it comes to trying to sell something, but if you can't get help fitting her stuff (and I hear and read that I am NOT alone) - what's the point? I not only won't throw my old fitting books away - I just ordered a couple more from ABE Books. Anxiously waiting for them. Now I may use the Silhouette patterns to start the fire in the fireplace. That way I'd get SOME use out of them. lol

    I may watch her webcast, but I won't buy her patterns again. I seem to have better luck getting fitting issues resolved using normal patterns.

    She does have some cute styles, but as was pointed out - it's easy to copy popular designers. She apparently doesn't have any of her own ideas.

    Think she ever gets accused of 'pattern plagiarism? Here is the actual definition: 1. the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work.

    As for learning from her? I've picked up a few pointers and I need to emphasize FEW. The advantage to her 'teaching' methods is that you can get a visual. sort of. at least she finally turned some lights on in her webcast studio.

    Easier to inherit or copy than make it on your own.

    Glenda reported that she is working on some new jeans fitting material that will be available in 2-3 weeks! YAY!

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TO COMMENT: Scroll down a bit and find the word "comments". It may have a number in front of it. Click on it, and you will be able to leave a somment. I realize you have to choose Google, Facebook or Anonymous or ? to post a comment. If you choose "Anonymous", you will be able to post a comment, but please leave your first name in your comment so I know you aren't a machine.

I do enjoy receiving comments, especially, when they are to answer my questions!

Hugs, Joy