...And We're Done

Sunday wasn't quite as productive as Saturday. But then again, it was a 9-5 day vs. the 12 hour Saturday marathon. I did finish cutting out the San Diego Jacket, and made some progress sewing it (and learned after the fact that there were some things I should have done for greater success). Here's a picture of it, not too much worse for wear after the trip:

Trust me, there's still plenty left to do on this jacket.

However--I got hung up on having to wait for equipment and decided to stop sewing before I really needed to pack up for the weekend. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed working with the group. We had a lot of fun and I feel that I made some wonderful new friends. But sometimes it's frustrating not having your own dedicated equipment, despite all the good energy.

Linda showed us some techniques and tips in the afternoon. I was very impressed with her discussion of sewing thread. I've always pooh-poohed those who are extremely picky about thread. I just didn't think it made that much difference. Then Linda passed around samples of some silk chiffon, one sewn with poly, the second with cotton, and the last with silk. The poly was noticeably stiffer, the cotton was ok, but the silk thread was undetectable! I don't know how far I'll take this knowlege in my everyday sewing, but worth knowing for special projects.


I spent the remaining time cutting out Now and Zen shirt patterns, so they're ready to go when I feel like doing some sewing. I know a lot of people really believe in tracing, but you know what? It was liberating to just cut into those pricy Sewing Workshop patterns. There are times when tracing is the right thing to do but IMO, it does add an additional level of inaccuracy, no matter how good you are at the process.


And it's not like the Sewing Workshop clothes are all that body conscious in the sense of negative ease and closely fitting each and every curve. Of course, it helps that I had the opportunity to try on the garments. Now I know exactly what size is going to work for me.


A comment that always comes up re: these patterns is that they are voluminous. Well, yes and no. The older designs are big, because that's what people were wearing in the 1980's and 1990's. The newer patterns have much less ease. I can wear a Medium in most of the newer designs, even a Small in some, but the Japonesque (a really old design) in Extra Small fit me just fine.


After wrapping up in the afternoon and heading back to the Laurel Inn, I repacked everything. Needless to say, I was a little worried that all the additional fabrics wouldn't fit in the suitcases. A little juggling, and now they do. However, there's not a lot of extra room to spare! I hope the TSA can get these bags re-closed after their checked luggage inspections.


In the evening, I headed down the block to a little Italian place that one of the other Getaway participants recommended, Osteria. Very popular, let me tell you! It was packed out for a Sunday evening (or maybe that's San Francisco for you). But delicious! Mmm, mmm, mmm. I had gnocchi, which is a real test, IMO. Too many times they can be like little lead balls, but these were light textured and melt-in-your mouth. The sauce was cream-based with gorgonzola and pine nuts. My only very minor criticism was in the plating. It was all very white on white and could have used a touch of color. But that's a tiny quibble, and given a choice between flavor and appearance, I'll go with flavor!

Around noon, I'm heading back to Albuquerque, and on the schedule for this afternoon and evening are a long soak in the tub. It's amazing how stiff and sore my shoulders and back are from all the sewing.