Don't sew with Covid!!!

 

This picture is really the solution to one of my sewing issues right now but you will understand that in a moment. If I have learned anything in the past couple weeks, it is do not sew under the influence of Covid 19 and it assorted variants. This I have learned first hand. It is just not worth it and I promise, you will mess up whatever you will work on. You won't succeed, as much as you want the endorphins emitted by your usual joy of sewing to work their magic on your exhausted body, they just won't. 

First off, I am just fine now and out of harms way with the blessing from my doc to attack life at full speed ahead. The Omicron variant made it's way through our entire family since Christmas, our daughters, spouses, grandchildren, all and more. Truth is we have deliberately avoided each other to avoid the illness so we know we didn't get it from each other. It's just sticking to and floating about everywhere out there. There is no avoiding it so don't even try. Frankly it wasn't too bad. I have had colds and flus far worse than Omicron. What Omicron had that was distinct from those was the four days of fever and absolute total exhaustion that came in waves.  Just when you think your are better and running down to your sewing space to reclaim your sanity, another wave hits and back to bed you go, FOR HOURS. So much sleep. It's a weird disease but I am glad we are here to talk about it. 

My wardrobe has been overdue for a crisp new white shirt.  In a moment of insanity I figured my bout with Omicron would be the perfect time to start.  Not quite.  Above you see two of the four collars I made before I got one that finally went on the crisp white shirt. What you really can't appreciate in this pic is the bulbous shape of the tips here. I have never made such nasty collars in my life. By the end of the fourth collar I just sewed what I had on. It was far from my usual but in the brain fog that everyone tells you comes with Covid, it was the best I could pull forth.  At least no bulbous lumps. 

When the fog hit so did another wave of fever and I retreated. Next day, in what seemed like a moment of clarity, I went for the burrito yoke, my own personal addition to the plain, flat back of the shirt. First I decided to do a bit of gathering at center back. Then, hmmm, is that backwards? Covid Brain  says "Could be, but maybe not." Not sure how I did it but my gathers look backwards. I stitched it up into my burrito yoke anyway because another symptom of Covid is just not caring. But the burrito deal came out pretty well. Fever's staying away.  Ooops, almost forgot to deal with my facing before I get Covid Collar on. That's the first picture on the top, which you are seeing inside out. Hmmmmm,,,, I made the facing with its folds, fine. Then it was time for the collar band. I did my best Nancy Zieman imitation and uh, oh, trimmed too much off.  So very ugly. 

It's as bad as a case of hemorrhoids that won't tuck back in! I tried everything and will eventually hand sew it to get compliance but I needed to lay down first. I know I went about it all wrong. It was as if parts of my brain were just missing during this four day fog part of Omicron aggravation. That happened as I was shaking with chills despite sewing in a 72 degree room with a sweatshirt and two heavy sweaters on. Back to bed. So ugly. 

Do you get the sense I am not caring? I just want to lay down. I am just giving up on this till I feel better. 

Now I do. Yay! 

Now I returned to my crisp white shirt. 

I had my healthy, brain cleared moment. I'm officially better. 

Let's go take a look at that first picture at the top. When I returned in full health and looked at my white mess, I realized that if I treated that folded front facing as a button band, turned my blouse inside out and made the inside the permanent outside, my blouse looked pretty good. The wrong side of the details were better than the public side. With the burrito yoke every thing was finished and I hadn't sewn up the sides yet.  I had a solution!

- Topstitch my CF facing on both sides and call it a button band. 
-  I could have my gathers that were folding in weird now look just right. 
    

This, above, instead of this below. 

My collar band could look like this instead of that horror I showed you. 

So once I made this decision to turn my crisp white shirt wrong side out and accept it's diversity among my many pieces of clothing inhabiting my wardrobe, there was no stopping me. I decided to use shiny white Kam snaps instead of buttons so I wouldn't have further misery dealing with the top button on that collar band that was already mocking all the sewing knowledge I had ever accumulated.  The other thing my release from brain fog allowed was to do the bottom of my CF button band with the David Page Coffin (R.I.P.) method of turning a corner. I was now actually able to remember such sewing gems. You simply fold the seam allowance over and turn it with a forceps, perfection!

If only I had remembered Coffin's gem when it was time to turn my collar, sigh.........I am blaming the inside out crispy white shirt  on viruses and variants. I'll show you and review the pattern when done. I have been seriously tempted to redo the collar for the fifth time but that surgical trimming I did would leave me nothing to stitch to so it is what it is. We all get a fail now and then but I will make this wearable. 

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Next issue:

Buying Fabric Online

I have had two  big issues rcently with buying fabric online. Actually one issue.  IT IS A CRAP SHOOT. When I put out our hard earned money, I just hate failure. and these two purchases failed me. 

Purchase number one was one of those emails from Fabric Mart and I caved for some seven dollar a yard "French Terry" on big clearance. 3 yards later I had my garbage. The color was lovely. The fabric sucked. It was thin and nasty. If I stitch two layers together maybe I can salvage it as a beach towel. Otherwise, it is not touching my body, anywhere. 

Purchase number two is gorgeous fabric. I am not kidding you. Another sale item but still very costly. I bought it from Emmaonesock. It is a wool sweater knit. It looks like wools I hand  dyed years back when I was into such things and had a big sink in my sewing space. It was gorgeous. It was embroidered all over with open curving vines, beautiful. The description said some of the vines had a bit of "lurex" in them. Now I know what Lurex is. It sparkles. So, I was expecting some sparkle but being sparkly  was not evident in the photo. Again, this fabric is gorgeous. I wanted one yard to make a Eureka top from Sewing Workshop. It makes a darling short sweater. I loved the hand dyed look and the embroidery was not over the top. Wrong!!! It arrived on my doorstep and I raced to open it. It is exquisite and does it sparkle? Well,  Let's just say I am ready for the Met Gala. You won't get the amount of sparkle in my photos because sparkle just does not photograph well for anyone, even Emmaonesock, which is the issue.  Just trust me. It is 1/3 plain embroidery and 2/3 highly sparkly embroidery. Think sequin sparkly. Again it's gorgeous but I don't know what I will use it for. Maybe next year's New Years Eve will find me in a Eureka Sweater in this. It will be a fabric to admire until I figure out something to do with it. 

Backside of the fabric: 

Front of the fabric:

The thin line of embroidery is extremely sparkly and is a holographic type of thread. This pic does not show any where near the amount of glitz this gorgeous fabric emits. Think solar flare. It will not be the short wool sweater I wanted to throw over a turtleneck and jeans and wear to the market, which was my goal but maybe one day it will be something special. In the meantime I will certainly admire it. Sigh..........................

I detest spending money on fabric I won't use, thriftress that I am. My sis is making a Eureka sweater out of plain, solid wool boucle and it is coming out perfectly. I think I need to check that out. Another sigh for all the disappeared opportunities to buy fabric in person..........................................Bunny