Colette Sorbetto

ディアンドルのエプロン用に買ったシルクの最後の残り布で、タンクトップを作ってみました。
型紙はコレット社の無料ダウンロードパターン、Sorbetto。
次に作るときは胸のダーツの位置をあげたほうがいいな。

I had just enough silk dupioni left-over from my dirndl project and my bow collar blouse for Colette's free downloadable pattern, Sorbetto. They released the "updated" version of Sorbetto last month.

Though Colette's patterns are usually not something I would be interested, Colette's blog was one of the first sewing blogs I started following. From their blog posts, I know they were going through some changes in their business and pattern making and I was intrigued by the "updated" Sorbetto.

I made their "original" Sorbetto back in 2013. This particular one did not survive my purging due to wrong fabric choice (quilting cotton). I don't have my project notes from this one but I remember the armhole being too high and tight and lowering the front neck. Looks like I added a hem band to lengthen.

Sorbetto in 2013

The "updated" Sorbetto, I cut a size 0, and added a center back seam for a bit of contouring.

The pattern has a side bust dart, and ...it looked... funny on the pattern. The bust dart on the pattern looked very symmetrical. Since bust dart was ginormous (drafted for busty ladies), I decreased the bust dart to 2", folded the dart to fix the side seam, then I realized why the bust dart looked funny: it was not trued. When I folded the bust dart to mimic the sewing, it created a big kink in the side seam. There is a good Pattern Review review with a photo of this kink. Glad that I realized it before I started sewing. I smoothed out the side seam and trued with the back bodice pattern.

The pattern called for bias binding finish around the neck and armhole. I did the bias facing instead, without adjusting the pattern, so the neck and armhole openings are consequently wider.

If I am to make another Sorbetto, I will have to raise the bust dart by 1 and 1/2" or so. I would also add seam allowance to the armhole and do the bias facing.

It's a pretty simple shell pattern and it's great that it is free. But I was very disappointed at the side seam kink at the bust dart. It's like WHY?! A commercial, professionally drafted pattern, that only has 2 pattern pieces with only a handful seams, and that kink was proudly on the publicly released pattern?

Aside from that, I think the amount of ease is a appropriate for a woven tank top with no closure.

The One Memory of Flora Banks

数時間ごとに短期の記憶をなくしてしまう女の子、フローラが初めての接吻のことだけはしっかり覚えていられるようになり、ラブラブモードで初キスをくれた男子をおいかけて北極圏に旅するという本を読みました。もちろんフィクション。
ヤングアダルト向けの本だったのでサクサクと読めたけど、イマイチでした。

I read The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr.

★★☆☆☆

The young girl, Flora, loses her short-term memory every few hours. She her old memory from before she got sick, but she relies on writing things on her arm and her notebook to remind her that she is 17 and she needs to be brave.

One day, a boy named Drake kissed her. Now, she remembers the kiss day after day after day and she gets excited that she can remember. She falls head over heels in love with Drake. So she decides to go the Arctic (from Cornwall) where Drake has moved and look for him.

The book is categorized as for young adults, and I think it properly was. Other than the very confused girl's adventure to the Arctic, the story was a bit too convenient and fairy tale-ish.

Stonehenge

イギリスの世界遺産巡り第２弾。ストーンヘンジに行ってきた。
駐車場からストーンヘンジまではバスが出てるんだけど、いい天気だったので歩いて行きました。菜の花も満開で天気も良くて、観光というよりピクニック。

Our second World Heritage site in England is Stonehenge. The oldest man-made structure I have ever seen and probably I will ever see.

You can take a shuttle bus between the visitor center and the Stonehenge site, but we took a walk since the weather was really nice. The rapeseed field was in full bloom. It felt more like a picnic than a sightseeing.

Bow Collar Blouse

去年のちょうど今頃、カリフォルニアに行った時に紀伊国屋に行って、茅木真知子さんの「ドレスアップ・ドレスダウン」という洋裁の本を買いました。

この本の最初にのっていた、ノースリーブのブラウスをつくってみました。布はディアンドルのエプロンの残りの布。

ちなみにポーズに意味はなし。もちろんまだ肌寒いので実際に着るのはまだお預け。

日本の洋裁の型紙で裁縫することがめったにないので、いまだに用語に慣れません。っていうか、洋裁用語がイマイチわかりません。でもわかりやすい図が乗っているので作り方は読むっていうより、絵を見て想像する、という感じです。オリジナルは背中にボタンがついてるんだけど（ボタンダウンのシャツを前後ろで着た感じ）、ボタンをつけずに縫い上げてスリットを入れて被って着れるようにしました。

この本、とても好き。どの服もシンプルなんだけど、シンプルゆえにどれもそろえておきたい感じ。

When we visited California last March, I stopped by Kinokuniya (Japanese book store) and picked up a Japanese sewing book called Simple Chic Dress Up Dress Down by Machiko Kayaki. 1 year later, I finally sewed a garment from the book. I made the first garment in the book, a bow collar blouse. It is a simple sleeveless shell with a scarf collar.

The book comes with patterns for 3 sizes: 9, 11, 13. Basically they are the Japanese Small, Medium, and Large. I made a size 11. I am a typical Medium in Japan. Though I can read Japanese, I'm not familiar with sewing terminology, so it felt kind of funny to follow sewing instruction in Japanese.

The original blouse actually has a button closure at the back (imagine backwards shirt), but since I don't want to feel buttons on my back (do I sit on office chair too much?), I sewed up the center back (with some back contouring) and left a keyhole opening so that I can put it over my head. The top of the center back is closed with a hook and eye.

The fabric is a left over silk dupioni from my dirndl apron.

The collar extends as a long tie, and since it is a single layer, the raw edges need to be finished. I decided to try my rolled hem skill and used my rolled hem foot for the first time.

I really like how it worked. I was too lazy to do a practice run, and just went with it. It made a really dainty tiny rolled hem. I liked it so much that I finished my hem with this rolled hem as well.

I need to lower the bust darts and wast position and also the center back. You can see in the above photo that the key hole opening in the back wants to come down and gape open. But I like the kind of dramatic effect of the tie collar and the luster of the fabric.

Harry Potter Studio Tour

１０年にわたって映画「ハリーポッター」シリーズが撮影されたスタジオは、現在映画のセットや小道具を集めて展示されている、博物館のような観光地になっています。

「来週の土曜日あたりに行きたいね～」なんて気軽な気持ちでチケットの値段を調べにインターネットをチェックしたらば、もう５月ぐらいまで予約でいっぱいだったこと判明。
４月は完全に売り切れててびっくりした。
それも時間まで指定してチケットとらないといけないのに。
３０分ぐらいずっと予約画面をチェックし続けてたら次の土曜日２時半の回に空きが出て、速攻でチケット買いました。あぁ、５月まで待たなくてよくてよかった。

そんなハリーポッタースタジオツアーに行ってきました。
ダニエル・ラドクリフが１作目で着たハリーの最初の学校の制服を見たり、ハリーが人間界で住んでいる家のセットに入ってみたり、ホグワーツ特急にのってみたり、バタービールを飲んでみたり。

The Warner Brothers studio where all the 8 Harry Potter movies were filmed is now open as an attraction site where you can see all the costumes and props used in the movies.

We found that it was not far from our house, so we were like "well, let's go next Saturday." I'm glad that I checked the website for ticket price because tickets were sold out until May! However, I noticed that the availability comes up as I believe people were changing dates or canceling tickets, so I obsessively refreshed the calendar page for 30 minutes until I saw the availability for the following Saturday and I snatched them up. If you are a real tourist who is visiting London for a few days, you really need to buy the ticket in advance to secure your spot.

I never noticed that the Gryffindor common room's wall is covered with the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries (I read the Tracy Chevalier's book "The Lady and The Unicorn").

And I never noticed how cute Dolores Umbridge's dresses were.

The above are the costumes from the last scene of Deathly Hallows (the "19 years later" epilogue scene). Doesn't Ron look kind of chubby? I had to watch the scene on YouTube and Google it. Yeah, Ron was wearing a fat suit there. Who knew...

As a person who loves watching the "making-of," I thoroughly enjoyed the Studio Tour. However, having been to the Universal Studio's Harry Potter attraction (though only in California), I have to say that general people would probably enjoy the Universal more.

The real movie sets and props are interesting to see, but especially the sets are pretty cheesy in real life, and not much difference from the sets at the Universal. At Universal, you can actually feel that you are in Hogsmeade because you are surrounded by it and you can go to actual stores to shop in Hogsmeade. Plus you get to ride on roller coasters and what-not at Universal.

One thing I liked about the Studio Tour is that you have to buy a time specific ticket. While you can stay there as long as you want, you can't enter it until the specific time you bought the ticket for. That restricts the number of people at the Studio, and therefore the crowd was manageable, and you can still get close to each of the set and prop without being pushed around.

Butterick B5526 #2

この前作ったシャツの型紙で、今度はギンガムチェックなシャツを作った。
袖口に失敗があり、胸張って見せられるものではないけど、袖口隠せればオッケー。もしくは袖をまくっておけばオッケー。
前回のシャツよりも布が柔らかいので、着心地はいいです。

I made my second Butterick B5526 shirt. The same princess seam version with long sleeves.
I used Robert Kaufman gingham fabric. The fabric is much softer than my dirndl left-over shirt and more comfortable to wear.

This time, I cut a size 10, narrowed the sleeves by 5/8" each side, shorten the bodice by 1", and took in 1/2" on the side seams waist down.

The major failure comes from the sleeve placket.

The pattern does not come with a proper sleeve placket; it just has a binding finish. So I used a placket pattern that came with Janet Pray's shirtmaking Craftsy course. The placket actually finished off rather nicely for my very first placket (and did not even make a practice one), but the width of the sleeve did not match the width the cuff now.

So I made the sleeve pleat deeper to compensate, which was a huge mistake. I should have at least divided the pleat into 2 separate pleats. Now I have this huge bulky pleat on my sleeve.

I also did not have enough matching buttons for sleeve placket so the placket is button-less. I usually prefer to keep my cuff unbuttoned, but without the button at the placket, the sleeve opens up too big.

So while I like the shirt very much, I have to either hide the sleeves under a jacket of some sort, or roll them up. I'm glad that I used a casual fabric.

Overall, I really enjoy the process of making shirts. I find it very satisfying. Now I need to finish watching Pam Howard's shirtmaking class on Craftsy again. I watched them a couple of years ago or so but could not finish them because... Pam seems like a really nice lady, but the slowness and the softness of her speech made me sleepy every time... But I found a way: watch it with 1.5x speed; makes it a perfect speed to watch.

First London

先週末、とうとうロンドン市内まで観光に行ってきました。

うちからロンドンまでは、まず車で駅の近くの駐車場まで行き、車を置いて駅まで歩き、電車を一つ乗り継いでロンドン市内に入ります。電車の乗り継ぎ具合によるけど、全行程１時間か１時間１０分ぐらい。近くはないけど遠くもないいい距離かな。
渋滞がなければ車で行ったほうが早いんだけど、面倒なので電車。
電車料金が安くはないんだけど、二人組だと切符が半額になる割引カードを作って節約。最低４回はロンドンまで行かないと割引カードの元取れないからね、頑張って行かないと。

私にとっては初めてのロンドン観光だったので、とりあえず電車の止まる駅の近くから、ロンドン塔（ユネスコの世界遺産です）とロンドン塔に隣接するタワーブリッジに行ってきました。
先週日曜に行ってきたんだけど、すぐあとに議会議事堂近くでのテロ事件があってびっくりです。

We went into London last weekend for sightseeing.

From where we live, we first drive to a car park (parking lot) near the station to drop off our car, then walk to the station, and catch a train. We change train once before we get into London. Depending on the train change, the whole process takes about 1 hour to hour and 10 minutes or so. It's not close, but it's not too far away.

Distance-wise, it's totally within the driving range and it possibly takes less time if there is no traffic, but it's too much trouble to find parking and maneuver in the city with a car, so taking a train is much easier.

The train fare is not cheap, but I bought a 2-for-1 discount card so it helps a bit (but we have to go to London at least 4 times to pay for the discount card!).

This was my very first London city experience so we picked the very London sightseeing spot, Tower of London (UNESCO's World Heritage site) and the Tower Bridge. I will be crossing off all the "must-see" places in London this year.

WTF UK: Roundabout

土曜日に、片道２時間半かけてオットの車を買いに行きました。と、言うのは簡単だけどさ、２時間半ドライブして、車拾って、速攻でまた２時間半帰ってくるのはオケツがつらかったです。大体帰りは２台だから私が１台運転しなくちゃいけなかったし。スピードカメラが多いので高速もあまり速く走れないし。

イギリスでの運転は、思ってたよりも悪くないけど、戸惑うことも多いです。
日本と同じ左側通行だけど、私の運転歴は右側通行の方が長いので微妙に違うのよね。間違って道の右側を逆走すること２回。幸い駐車場内（ほっ）。

ちなみにイギリスの車は右ハンドルだけど、ワイパーが右手側、ウィンカーが左手側なのよ。アメリカは左ハンドルで、ワイパーが右、ウィンカーが左。アメリカと同じだからウィンカー出したいときにワイパー動かしてしまうという失態はないものの、ウィンカー出しながらシフト動かすのすごく面倒です。左手大忙し。

そしてイギリス運転の最大の敵は、ラウンドアバウトと呼ばれる円形交差点。道が交差する代わりに全方向時計回りの円形交差点に入って、必要な出口ででる仕組み。

ラウンドアバウトの何がいやかって言ったら、その数。道を直進するだけでも交差点のたびにラウンドアバウト。またラウンドアバウト、またラウンドアバウト。キリ無し。

ラウンドアバウトのおかげで、信号が少ないので、「あの道どこだったかな」とか考える余裕なし。信号で止まって考える時間なし。

道が何本あっても交差点が円形なので右折、とか左折、な感覚がなく、地理を覚えるのが難しいし、交差点の向こう側はよく見えないので「スーパーの角を右」みたいにはならないんだもの。ナビゲーションシステムなしでは全く運転できません。いつもナビゲーションの声のおばさんに感謝しています。

We drove 2 and a half hours on Saturday to pick up a truck that MOTH bought. It's easy to say 2 and a half hours, but it was 2 and a half hours one way, pick up the truck, then immediately turn around and drove back another 2 and a half hours. Of course, I had to drive on the way back. There are too many speed cameras on a highway so I had to stick with 70 mph the entire time.

Driving in England wasn't as bad as I thought, but there are certainly many things that need some getting used to. We drive on the left side of the road in Japan too, but I have more driving experience in the U.S. than I did in Japan so my brain gets confused.

One thing I don't like about cars in England is that while the steering wheel is on the right side of the car, the blinker is on the left side of the steering wheel and the wiper is on the right, which is the same orientation as the cars in the U.S. I don't have to embarrass myself for turning the wiper on anytime I want to use the blinker, but it's a bitch to operate the blinker while shifting up or down, especially going through a roundabout.

Yes, the roundabout... There are millions of roundabouts just going through this tiny town, and it is mind-numbing. And I don't see any benefit of the roundabout (kind of like I don't see any benefit of Michigan turns). The thing is, you go through a roundabout after roundabout, and you rarely come to a complete stop other than waiting for the traffic to clear. If you get lost, there is no time to think about (and there is no "shoulder" to pull over either). You just have to keep going.

Also, because of the structure of the roundabout, you can't see a landmark on the other side of the roundabout, so it's not as easy as "take a left at the grocery store" if the grocery store is on the other side of the roundabout. Streets rarely have street signs, so sometimes you just have to take an exit and hope for the best. Streets don't necessarily intersect at a right angle so that adds more confusion.

I am so glad that MOTH had bought a nice GPS system before we even moved here. Without the nice lady on the GPS system, every outing would be an epic journey.

Ready Player One

久しぶりに読書。

「ゲームウォーズ」という本を読みました。アーネスト・クライン著。
オイルショックで経済の危機を迎え、失業者率は上がり、車で移動が困難なため、人々が町の中心部に集まり、低所得者層はそんな町の外苑に出来上がった、キャンピングカーを積み木のように重ねてできたスラムに住むような近未来。人々の生活はオアシスという名前のネットワーク上のバーチャルリアリティーで成り立つ毎日。
そんな中、億万長者であるオアシスの設立者が死亡というニュース。そして彼の遺産のすべては、バーチャル世界に彼が隠したイースターエッグを見つけた人に譲られる、という、バーチャル世界での超高額宝探しが始まるのでした。

面白くなくはなかったけど、稚拙？子供向け？
でもウルトラマンとかメカゴジラとか大活躍。とてもおタッキーな世界です。
そしてスピルバーグ監督で映画化されてるらしい。

It's been a while since I read a book last.

Read "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline. A book full of 80's references. Spirit of nerd culture.
It wasn't bad, but the constant 80's references, and it's endless because it's the theme of this book, gets too much, and the writing was rather juvenile. It's good to see many of Japanese pop- and nerdy culture was referenced.

I guess Spielberg is making a movie based on the book. The main kid is played by the main kid from the boy scout zombie movie.

WTF UK: Fee Charging Library

図書館のカードを作ったので早速本を予約しようと思ったら、なんとここらの図書館は予約するの有料なの！郡が運営する図書館なのに、有料！！！なんてことだ、イギリス。図書館の本質を覆す態度だね、有料なんて。

予約料金が１冊６０ペンスなので日本円にして約８４円。古本屋で本買ったほうがよくない？その上DVDは一つ３ポンド。約４２０円。それも貸出期間がたったの１週間。２０年前のビデオレンタル料金並みですよ。

イギリス、いろんなものが有料すぎて、びっくり。

I made a library card, so I went online to reserve a book. It turns out, the library CHARGES FEES FOR RESERVATION. I am appalled. I'm talking about a public library run by a county. This is a serious infraction of residents' rights. I may be a temporary resident here, but I am (or MOTH is) paying a county tax for the property we rent (that's separate from the rent that we pay to our landlord).

It's only 60 pence (73 cents), but it is almost as expensive as buying a used book. On top of that, they charge 3 pounds, THREE FREAKING POUNDS ($3.65), for a DVD. And it's good for only a week. That's like a Blockbuster price 20 years ago.

Government and business here all nickel-and-dime every single service. I am not happy.

Wearing My Shirt

出来上がったシャツ、洗濯したので着てみた。自分で作ったとは思えないな。自画自賛。

Now my shirt has been washed, I am totally wearing it. Thank goodness, no ironing was needed.

Do you know what MOTH said about my shirt? "Ellen Degeneres." Well, if I look as nice as Ellen Degeneres, I will consider it as a compliment.

I like the fit of the back.

So, this was my very first button down shirt, and I made it without using a single pin and without any hand-stitching, thanks to Janet Pray's Shirtmaking class on Craftsy. I have watched a couple of her other classes before, so I was familiar with her "no pin" method. With a stable fabric like this cotton shirting, I really did not need a single pin.

Also, I really like the fact that it was all machine-sewn. I enjoy hand-sewing, but I like a precise top stitching on a nice crisp shirt.

What I like about Janet Pray is that her class is entertaining and you can tell that she has taught this for hundreds of times. There are no "um"s and "ah"s and other unnecessary casual conversation fillers. She is confident in front of the camera, and the ease of teaching comes through the video. I like her diction. I probably said the similar thing about Suzy Furrer's Craftsy classes before, too. I highly recommend her shirtmaking class.

My Very First Shirt: Butterick B5526

高校の家庭科の授業でパジャマを作った気がする。被服科の子たちは浴衣を作ってたけど、浴衣のほうが絶対簡単だと思う。直線縫いだけだで。和裁を下に見るとかそういうわけじゃないけど、着物はとにかく長方形でできてて、布も細長いから扱いやすいし、体にフィットするように作るわけじゃないから。裁縫で難しいのは縫うこと自体ではなく、布の準備をしたり、体の凹凸にフィットするようにサイズを調節することだから。同じ理由で男性用の服は女性用の服より簡単だと思う（凹凸が少ないから）。

初めて、襟と袖のある、まっとうなボタンダウンシャツが出来上がりました。
ちょっと見にはわからない失敗がちらほらあるけど、全然着られる。全然これ着て外出られる。
布がちょっと厚いのが難点だけど（ディアンドルにはちょうどよかった）シャツは思ったより難しくなかった。

My very first shirt is completed. There are some not-so-perfect parts but I am very happy with the shirt and it is totally wearable.

The pattern is Butterick B5526. I made a princess seam shirt, with full length sleeves instead of the 3/4 sleeve.

I cut a size 10, then added 1/4" on all the seams at waist (total of 3").
I also shorten the bodice by 1".
(Please ignore the chalk lines still on the shirt)

I put in the sleeves flat, then basted the underarm seam & side seams to see the fit. Sleeves were pretty puffy and the shirt was loose thanks to my 3" addition, so I ended up taking in 5/8" (per side) at the side and underarm seams, tapering at the sleeve so keep the sleeve/cuff seam the same length.

The buttons are from my "stash" that came from my old RTW shirt that I thew out years ago. I did not have enough buttons to  match the cuffs so those are buttons from different shirt, and they are blue.

The cuffs are narrower than the pattern because I realized that the sleeves were too long.

The fabric is a cotton shirting left-over from my dirndl. The dirndl photos show the navy blue more accurately. It is pretty thick and has no drape, which was perfect for dirndl but not so for a shirt. But it pressed and behaved well during construction. Now I know why some people prefer sewing woven. It was fun to sew a stable fabric.

Daffodils

散歩道の道端の水仙が咲き始めました。春だねぇ。
道端に咲いている、切り花でない水仙見るのなんて何年振りでしょう。砂漠では水仙なんて見ないもの。あまりに久しぶりで「この花何て名前だったっけな」と二日ぐらい考えた。

Daffodils alongside my walking path in my ’hood have begun to bloom. When it's not raining, it's so gorgeous out.
It has been many years since I last saw daffodils on the roadside since they don't grow in the desert. It's been so long that I actually could not even remember the name of the flower for like 2 days.

US Sewing Machine in UK

海を越えて引っ越すにあたり、会社が負担してくれる空輸費用内に収めるため、最低限の荷物しか持ってきてないんだけど（家具何てもってのほかです）、引きこもり生活に備えてしっかりミシンは持ってきました。それもミシン、ロックミシン、カバーステッチミシン、と３台も。

空輸用に荷物を詰めたのはいいけど、実はイギリスで使えるかどうかちょっと心配だったのよ。電気の仕組みがちがうから。ボルト数と周波数が違うんだよね。（ちなみに東日本と西日本では周波数が違うって知ってた？）

そんなわけで、変圧器を使ってミシンが動くか、動いても内蔵のコンピューターとかモーターに支障が出ないか、ちょっと賭け。

でもちゃんと動いたわよ～。はぁ、よかった。

Because of the limited amount of personal belongings that we were able to ship to the UK within the shipping allowance, we brought bare minimum. However, I needed to bring my sewing machines because I knew I would be stuck at the house all day so needed something to do.

The only problem was that US and UK use different electricity setting, and you will need a voltage converter, in addition to the plug adapter. We did not bother to bring any electric appliances like hair dryer because it's cheaper to buy one over buying a converter for each appliance. (By the way, half of Japan uses 50Hz and the other half uses 60Hz, did you know that?)

So, I wasn't sure actually when I packed my sewing machines for shipping if I could really use my sewing machines using a converter. I still packed my sewing machine, serger, and a coverstitch machine...

Well, the answer is, they all worked!

So here is my set up. The transformer is plugged into the UK wall outlet. Then I have a US serge protector plugged into the transformer, so that I can keep multiple US plugs connected.

I made my shirt (working on buttons now) using both sewing machine and a serger, and they seem to work just fine. Hooray.

March Project: Butterick B5526

去年作ったディアンドルの残りの布を使って、シャツを作ってみようと思います。実はボタンダウンのシャツが一枚もないので。（ニットなカットソーばっかり着てるからさ）
襟のあるシャツなんて作るの初めてなのでちょっと心配。
型紙はバタリックの5526番。ライチにモデルになってもらいました。

My March project is (not that I have a monthly project list) Butterick B5526, a shirt.
I did not bring any button down shirt to UK (I live in knits) so hopefully I can make something wearable.

I will be using a left-over cotton shirting from my dirndl for a mock-up. I probably should use a muslin to make a mock-up so that I can do a proper fitting and transfer it back to the pattern but I don't have muslin and there is no JoAnn here so I will use what I have.

This is my very first proper button down shirt with a collar, so I am reviewing Janet Pray's shirt making class on Craftsy. She is a great teacher, by the way.