Ouch! + Sewing on Edge

Poor Freddy.  He had nine (9!) teeth pulled yesterday.  He's doing much better than when I picked him up from the vet but he's still a little sore.  I do like the more sculpted cheekbone look, however, don't you?

Where have I seen that face before...?

If you've never seen dog teeth without the dog attached you might just want to skip this next photo.  It's a little gruesome.



They don't smell so great but after they dry out, maybe I'll do something craft-related with them.  Mini toggle coat perhaps?

In other news, we are getting closer and closer to our Men's Shirt Sew-Along starting date next Tuesday.  I've heard it rumored that a few of you may have jumped the gun and cut your patterns already.  Bad, very bad. 

Sadly I have had to disqualify Mainely Dad.  When I asked him, via loudspeaker, to Step away from the Sewing Machine with your hands up and he resisted, things nearly got ugly.  How was I to know he wasn't wearing any pants?

Guys, you've waited this long, surely you can wait just a little bit longer.  Don't you have other projects to complete, children to raise, etc?  Have you performed your daily doggie dental hygiene?  Don't make the mistake we did or you'll end up with another Freddy on your hands and a drawer full of mini toggles.

A few of you have asked about the Sew-Along schedule.  OK, none have you have asked about this.  I'm guessing it's because, like me, you know that things take the time they take and what's the point anyway?  Is the train leaving the station at so-and-so an hour?  I don't think so.

I know some of you are sewing gifts for your significant others but to the best of my knowledge nobody needs a completed shirt before the end of the month.  Life is a long time and if it's not you probably won't need a shirt anyway.

One last thing.  In my topstitching video, I talk about the importance of being able to stitch right up to the edge of your fabric.  If you're using a zigzag foot, you may want the aid of an edge foot guide, sometimes called a "stitch in the ditch" foot, which can help you to maintain an approx. 1/16" straight edge.  For the edge of a sleeve placket you are going to want to be as close to the edge as possible without falling off.

This is also true for collar stands, the edge of a pocket, and the top of a cuff.







This is a great time to practice with some scraps if you have the time and the inclination. How close can you get, stitching accurately of course, to the edge? Are you able to turn corners (with needle down, please) and land the same distance from the edge?  If you have some time between now and Tuesday, give it shot.

Friends, that's it. We're expecting more snow here and as you can imagine, I can hardly wait. In the meantime I'll be nursing a sore dog and experimenting with tapering the back of my shirt patterns.

Thanks for all the fitting tips yesterday, btw. They were helpful to me and to many others as well.

Happy Friday, everybody!

I never get tired of this, though Nancy's about as supple as bendable leg Francie.