End-of-year projects et al.

Wow!

An MPB reader created this fabulous Andy Warhol-esque portrait of Cathy a few months back and -- don't hate me --  I forgot who.  Anyway, I wanted to share it with all of you.  You rock, whoever you are.

Who would you rather see framed over your toilet tank?

Me too.

Readers, we have two more weeks before the end of 2010.  I have to think realistically about what I can accomplish between now and then.

First I'd like to tell you about what I did yesterday.

Since it's nearby, I swung by the new fashion exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology, called "His & Hers."  To quote the brochure (I'm lazy) it "compares men's and women's clothing from the eighteenth century to the present, highlighting their differences -- and their similarities."  That's the extent of it.  A MUST for fans of gendering and fashion.  It's in the smaller upstairs gallery (Japanese Fashion Now is still open in the larger gallery) till May 10, 2011.  There's a lot of men's clothes on display, something I really appreciate.  I can take only so many couture gowns.

More information about this FREE exhibit here.

And speaking of his and hers, prepare yourself for tomorrow's blog topic.  Can you guess?

Meanwhile, one last toggle tidbit.

Melton.  That's the kind of wool my toggle coat is made out of.  I just learned this yesterday when I went fabric shopping and you can blame Meg for that.  I don't know a lot about different fabrics but I'm learning.  

 

I wore my coat yesterday and I must say it is toasty, perfect for layering, and remarkably lightweight.  The melton wool has beautiful drape.  I toyed with adding a button or two, but after experimenting with a few hidden tabs and such, decided to leave it as-is.

The coat has a tendency to do this, depending on how many toggles are closed and what I'm wearing under the coat.  Do you see how the toggles pull the fabric a bit?  Like when I put my hands in the pockets.  (Don't do.)



It looks like a tightness issue but it can happen when the coat is very loose too, the fabric folding a bit between toggle and placket.  There is a reason one doesn't find toggles on thin wool coats and this is it.  I've thought of possible remedies, like reinforcing the toggles from the back like this Burberry coat...

There would then be a stitch line around the perimeter of each leather toggle patch, like so:

Since the underlined melton is on the thin side, I fear the additional layers would show through (remember the hem issue I raised the other day?) and look lousy.  The coats pictured above are made of thicker, blanket-weight wool.  Hey, nothing is perfect and I'm just going to love what is, which is what most of you were trying to tell me when I was obsessing the other day I think.

But back to fabric shopping.  I bought myself a lovely plaid cotton flannel yesterday that coordinates with the lining of the coat.





It was splurge (for me) at $7/yd. but it's perfect and let's face it: where are you going to find a flannel shirt in just the right colors for under $20?  It's from AK fabrics at 257 West 39th St.  'Tis the season!

Meanwhile, I came this close to buying a Singer 301 on Craigslist yesterday.  Some guy is selling one locally for not a lot of money and it sounds like a great machine but I nixed the idea at the eleventh hour (literally) -- I mean, I have a machine being delivered on Monday I haven't even seen yet!  Plus, I want to save my money for...

But more about those tomorrow.

Readers with sensitive noses will be happy to see this:





I finally got around to removing the stench from my vintage luggage set (or trying to) so I can actually use it for storing fabric and garments and such.  Cross your fingers and hold your nose; it's supposed to take a week.

Friends, that's it.  I hope you're enjoying life stench-free as we close the book on 2010.  Or at most a little mildew.

Is anybody sewing, or just blogging these days?  Am I missing some exciting or not-so-exciting project?  Don't be shy -- share!

Have a great day, everybody!