Plan C -- new shirt, new accessories + chihuahua video!

OK, so I thought long and hard about your comments yesterday.

Though I hate to admit it, I did start to see that the Western shirt -- while lovely and painstakingly stitched on a 1920 Singer treadle -- is not ideally suited to the rest of the outfit.  It is not crisp-looking.  The pants pop; the shirt is dull-toned.

Making a Muslin. And Plan B.

Readers, I fear I am trying your patience.  We've been talking about cranberry corduroy for, what, a week now?  Why does it feel like a month?   I long to move on to new colors and new fabrics, don't you?  But such are my present wardrobe exigencies that I simply must deal with the corduroy at hand.

The Mens Suit Jacket (and five days to go...)

Friends, it's cut.  Not the lining, not the interfacing, just the cranberry corduroy.  (Yes, that is a Laugh-In wastepaper basket.)

Will I regret not making a muslin?  I suppose in a way, this is the muslin.

Peter's self-drafted corduroy pants: The Dramatic Conclusion

It took most of the day, but I got the pants finished.  Not hemmed yet, but otherwise completed.  (I'll throw them in the wash later and let them shrink up a bit before I hem them.)

Overall, I'm satisfied and I learned a lot.

Cranberry Cords: SUNDAY UPDATE!

Good morning, sticker-outers, blender-inners, and assorted unlabelables, and sorry about those sweat stains; it was hot here yesterday.

I am close, so close to having these pants completed.

Are you a "Sticker-outer" or a "Blender-inner"?

Friends, I can't talk about corduroy pants today, I need a break.  Rest assured everything's progressing fine.

But my cranberry confection has got me thinking...

There are two kinds of people: those that dress to stick out and those that dress to blend in.

Mens corduroy pants -- choices, choices

Hello, friends!  Sleep well?   Much to cover so let's get started.

The 10-Day Corduroy Suit Challenge!

Can this be done?  I think so.  Anyway, I'm going to try.

Men's Pleated Pants: YOU spoke, I listened!

As if yesterday's topic of the imminent dreaded event you-know-where weren't emotional enough, the question of whether or not to wear a pair of gray pleated suit slacks led many to the brink of apoplexy.

What should I wear to my 30th HS reunion?

As we say in sunny Salamanca, Estoy en crisis.  What do I wear to my 30th high school reunion the evening of October 2nd, one week from Saturday?

"Ride 'em in, Rawhide!" - McCall's Western Shirt 6383 completed

Giddyap, the shirt is done and sorry about the state of the sofa.

RTW ALERT!

Glad that's over with.

See you all on the morrow, friends!

Why I Bother Sewing With a Treadle

Good morning, Mamie Van Doren fans and others!

Yesterday an anonymous commenter asked a very good question, one that many of you may have but feel embarrassed to ask.  To paraphrase...

Why bother with a treadle at all?  What's the fascination?

Peter treadles a Western shirt

Friends, I have a soft spot for Western shirts.  I don't know why.  It's not like I look so great in them and it's a slippery slope from chic urban cowboy to looking like you should be singing "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" around a Montana campfire.

Aged or Ageless? You decide!

Gentle readers, do you look your age? 

Is Your Hair Too Long?

Friends, I know I'm not going to show up on anyone's best tressed lists anymore.  Those days are long gone and I'm OK with it.  Hey, I'm over 40!

Men's Fall Fashion 2010 or "Life in the Bubble"

 

What do you want to be when you grow up?  A pilot?  A soldier?  A mountaineer? Honestly.

I was leafing through the New York Times Men's Fashion supplement yesterday -- conveniently timed to coincide with Fashion Week here in NYC.  I was underwhelmed.

Cathy models the Burda tunic dress!

 

Readers, it's done.

What fun Cathy and I had yesterday during our Burda tunic dress photo shoot!  As I mentioned yesterday, you'll see a brand new Cathy in this slideshow: youthful, carefree, today.

Already Gorgeous! Cathy's Outfit: 9/12/10

Liberty print dress: self-made, Burda #102

Raincoat: Max Mara (c/o Salvation Army)

Shoes: "On Your Feet" 

Earrings: Trifari

How to 1) mesmerize your dogs and 2) make button loops!

First the dogs.  Reader Debbie Cook sent these lovely drumsticks to me in the mail, but they seemed a little small and tough so I gave them to the dogs.  They love 'em!

The Comeback: Peter's return to sewing

I'm back and bigger than ever.  And I have a treadle.

You don't have to remind me that I haven't sewn in more than three weeks.  In my defense, I had a full week's vacation without access to a sewing machine, plus I bought the aforementioned treadle as well as a vintage iron.  That's almost sewing, right?

Competitive Sewing - Your Thoughts Please!

Wise readers, what's your take on competitive sewing?

Do you engage in it yourself and/or watch it on TV?  Do you think it's fun?

Dinner with Selfish or "I Had the Thai of My Life"

First of all, my friends, a heartfelt thank you for responding to yesterday's poll.  I'm not very good at reading percentiles but I have sent the results out for interpretation and I can't wait to see what they mean. 

Now, the news!

Yesterday I met her.  Yes, her -- in the flesh.

First-ever MPB Readers POLL!

Is it just me, or does the Tuesday after Labor Day (for us Americans at least) feel like a new beginning?

I suppose it comes from my school years, when the second week in September meant a new classroom, a new three-ring binder, and a new box of Crayola crayons (the 64-pack with the sharpener in the back).  But enough about high school...

Irons and Doilies and Bernstein, Oh, My!

One of the biggest unexpected benefits of teaching myself to sew has been learning how to iron.  Before June, 2009, I didn't even own an iron!

"Let Them Eat Cake" + Treadle Update

Readers, are we sheeple?  I thought I'd seen everything in SewBloggingLand until I read this.

The Cathy Outtakes: never-before-seen photos you won't believe!

Even the most glamorous celebrity can get caught in an unflattering moment.  And really, doesn't that only make us love them more?

Cosmetics for Men: Yea or Nay?

Women, do you ever catch your husband digging through your makeup bag to borrow your concealer?  How about your eye shadow and mascara?  Pay attention!

MPB SHOCKER: the nude treadle centerfold + POLL!

Friends, it's been all about the treadle so far this week.  My technique is improving and I love learning to sew on it.

I want to make another treadle video and perhaps in the near future I will.  But today I thought I'd go for something a little different.

So in the glorious American tradition of shameless self-exploitation I bring you...

Peter Speaks! The Singer 66 Treadle VIDEO!

Guys, my Singer treadle is up and working and it's lovely.  I found a leather treadle belt at a sewing machine supply place near me and I was able to fit it on the machine without too many problems.  Definitely not something you want to have to do by yourself unless you have four arms, but not too difficult.