Walking with Jeffrey

Jeffrey PUSHES me to explore new sights on Vashon Island.  It is like Va as in Valley Girl and then Shawn. Jeffrey is always in the lead and I follow.  If it were up to him we would walk all day.  We were in Vashon Island last week.  It was a nice break from the dust filled brown skies and extreme heat here in Goodyear, Arizona, my hometown.

This is an expert from my travel journal when Jeffrey and I went to Europe in 1994.  This was my introduction to taking walks with Jeffrey.

RONCHAMP

We remember walking 20km (12 miles+/-) back to the hostel more than Ronchamp - The walk I will never forget, we walked through countryside, countless country homes and barking dogs.  We started our walk at 7:30(pm) and made it back at 11:30(pm) - we were sore for days. Then the next day we were off to Paris for Yes - more walking. - Lara Serbin *yes me* 1994

You better be loving these photos because I carried my lug camera for about 7 miles up steep terrain, drift wood, pebble strewn beaches and sewer manhole covers that were made in India. You could throw your chutney down there.

This just wreaks of "I have the most ripped wood shop you ever saw." My sentiments exaclty.

Here on this narrow quiet rode, I guess you need something that stands out.  

We are at our best when we are walking on a new road not knowing what to expect next.

This is my favorite one. Why you ask?  These folks most likely use the peanut butter thing at the grocery store that chews all the little peanuts together and then it comes gooping out into the clear plastic container.  These people don't buy pre-made peanut butter. You can't buy this.  They preserve their own stawberry jams too I bet. I love what the green is doing for the red and what the red is doing for the green.

This is right beside the mailbox. I mean what the HALO! This is so amazing I can't stand it!  STOP IT NOW! IT'S TOO GOOD FOR THIS BLOG. 

Somebody forgot to close it before it rained again.  I cannot believe you just said that!  Why do you want to see the rain drops! Ok fine. I will be back in a minute.  Only for you would I ever do this.  We are so close.

I guess you are right. It is cool to see the raindrops on the mail window thing.  It was amazing to see raindrops just sitting on things.  Rain drops don't sit in Goodyear. 

I didn't notice the old glove until I was back home working in my land of Photoshop.  I crop each one of these photos you see.  This is really a great example. I took this photo so fast.  I think these same people might of made the LOST sign coming up.

Malarky.

Random sign along the rode.  It is so twisting and densly wooded that they need these bright red maps along the way.  Jeffrey of course had his GPS Iphone working for us.  We were standing on the knee cap of this man shaped island.

THE NAVIGATOR.

Bound Button Holes Before Bed

Ok I mastered the bound button last weekend.  I know you have been wondering when or if I would get to this part of my couture jacket and skirt I have been making.  The quilting is done so I decided to do the button holes before doing anything more.  Even though it was tempting to just experiment with the jacket front that was quilted I forced myself to try my first bound button hole on a sample piece of tweed and silk.

If you have been following this blog you remember the jacket of last summer that I made.  Look at this button hole!  It is sad and lumpy.  I really hate it!  I hate it because you can see blackness when the coat is buttoned. BLASTED THING.  I have been wanting to try this bound button for a long time. 

Couture Sewing Techniques, Claire B. Shaeffer

Like roasting a chicken, I followed directions to the T. I mean to the tip of the T I followed it.  You still awake? Go get your jammies on because this is going to take a while. You might even dream about this later.  Trying to find your college class but never making it.  You have a test for an Algebra class but you never found where the classroom is. 

First, I ironed interfacing to the silk lining. This is the first one and kind of puckered later.  For the final button holes I stretched all the bias out of the silk by spraying it with water and then ironed it quick so it wouldn't ruin the shee shee silk.  Oh and you have to do this silk piece on the bias! Bias is setting the fabric at a 45 degree angle.

Notice the placement for the edge to edge button hole is basted by hand with the white thread.  I cut the silk with the interfacing the size of a business card.  

Then I had to copy the same spacing onto my silk piece.  It gets better.  You and your whole family could climb into a snuggy and read this together before bed.

Then I traced 1/8" offset from the center horizontal line.  It's a good thing I am an architect.

Then I hand basted on top of my traced pencil line.  At this point pencil is the safest thing to use.  After all this work if marker got on the silk *which it did a tiny green dot* it really sucks.

Machine sew the rectangle.  For all my sewer friends I suggest going really slow with needle down. CONTROL.

Now cut the button hole with a sharp exacto blade.  Amateurs beware, it takes a steady hand.

Pull the whole thing inside out and sew up the middle by hand.

This is my first one ever.  The bound side is a little crooked, but the next three that I performed on the final jacket are much better.  I must say that even someone like myself who has been handy with the exacto since birth, it was impossible to get my button holes exactly the same.  For the most part they look the same.

When I completed this I started humming Gypsy Kings like I used to do in architecture studio.

http://youtu.be/oNgSeJzLJFc