September 03, 2008
just about ready to take on the panties
I made a couple more running shirts using my new coverstitch machine (the Janome CoverPro 900CP). I still haven't mastered the coverstitch quite yet. I haven't been able to use Woolly Nylon in the looper--I can't get the tension correct, and I've tried various tricks (e.g., always using the nets) to no avail. But, I haven't given up, and I am definitely sold on having a coverstitch.
This fish fabric is wickaway lycra, if you can believe it. I used a flatlock stitch for the seams and tried (the operative word here being "tried") to do something interesting with the neck. Here's a closeup:
And then I used regular serged seams on this striped running shirt:
Of all the running shirts I've made this batch (this is the fourth), I think this one turned out the least crappy. I like the little neckline (different neck binding than the others).
I haven't tested either of these yet, but I have run in the other two, and they worked just fine. So, we'll see how these hold up. Next I plan to tackle the running skort and the panties, though when I will do that is unclear, what with the new fall television season fast upon us and all (though did anyone try to watch 90210? I watched a few minutes of it, and it was so horrible! But Gossip Girl? Now that was a fun episode. Did I just admit that publicly? Whatever! XOXO).
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mariko at
07:14 PM
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August 31, 2008
bad blogger
The in-laws were in town last week, so we chased around town and ate marionberry pie and such. Also, I thought I developed restless arm syndrome, but I think I pinpointed the cause--taking calcium before bed (which the TMJ doctor recommended, but that's another story). It was creepy--I'd wake up in the middle of the night, and my arms would just feel weird. I would have to pin them under my body in order to get back to sleep. I stopped taking the calcium and haven't had the problem since. Wouldn't it be great if all problems were that easy to resolve?
But anyway, I have been craving red velvet cupcakes lately, so, despite feeling extremely unmotivated, I baked some today. Now I feel a sense of accomplishment and can return to doing nothing. It's kind of nice not having a big agenda!
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mariko at
05:26 PM
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August 18, 2008
shopping fun
Tokyo Made is a great online shop that offers all sorts of goodies by independent designers, many of them based in Tokyo. I had been admiring the artwork of
Sidney Pink for quite some time, and I finally decided to get a print. At $20, it was a steal, and it looks great in my new, pink office.
I am a sucker for good customer service (shouldn't we all be?), and Tokyo Made has outstanding service. Not only do they include little treats in each package, but they also packed a personalized note! I'd only ordered from them once before, and they remembered? Unbelievable. Shipping from Tokyo Made is super fast, too. I got my items in less than a week, which is way faster than most domestic mailorder places. And no, I'm not getting any kickbacks!
Some of my favorite designers at Tokyo Made include Tiny Azure (I ordered a necklace a while back) and Tomomi Tashiro, whose brand is Ichigo Seijin, the crazy strawberry head alien. I actually haven't looked through the entire site carefully, so there are many more discoveries to make!
Posted by
mariko at
05:29 PM
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Comments (6)
August 13, 2008
lovely lycra
I'm sure you are as shocked as I am that I am blogging two days in a row! That hasn't happened in years! Anyway, as promised, I did make some running shirts for myself with my new coverstitch machine and my serger (I used flatlock, hence the colored seams).
I am thrilled to have the coverstitch machine, but I haven't yet mastered it. I really wanted to use Woolly Nylon in the looper so that the stitch that is against my skin would be nice and soft. I haven't been able to perfect the tension with the Woolly Nylon, though, so I have been forced to use regular serger thread in the looper, which results in a scratchy stitch. Not very practical.
With the green shirt in the top photo, I reversed the stitching in the neckline so the serged part is on the outside. I think that will be a good solution if I never figure out how to employ the Woolly Nylon, but for some reason it was awkward stitching the neckline that way, and the neckline wouldn't lay flat.
So, the first top I made was this one. I used some leftover fabric from a few years ago. This fabric is weird. It is pretty meshy, and yet it is weighty, so it's a little hard to sew on. When I sweat, too, it kind of sticks to me. That's not the best look.
The second top I made is the maroon one. While that pattern might be fine for a regular T-shirt, it's not ideal for a running shirt, because the sleeves fit too well. I need a little more room around the arm for my vigorous arm swinging (okay, not really, but it sounds good, doesn't it?). So, I adapted that pattern and created the one in the top photo. I wore that green shirt running the other day, and it was super comfy, and I was relatively pleased with myself until I got home, took off the shirt, and noticed sweat spots on the boobs. To make things worse, there was a sweat line underneath, so it looked like a smiley face of sweat. I think this issue may be resolved with the proper jogbra (a padded one from lululemon), but who knows.
So, I have some more running shirts to make, plus I do have to work on those PANTIES. I still hope to overcome my technical difficulties, but really, I am not very technical. If you have any suggestions out there, please feel free to share!
Posted by
mariko at
06:25 PM
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Comments (10)
August 12, 2008
pogo
Peter got me a new toy for my birthday--a
Polaroid PoGo! It is a miniature photo printer. You take photos with your cell phone or digital camera, and you can instantly print out sticker photos on the PoGo (with a cell phone it's wireless)! I have long loved Polaroid gadgets, and this one is no different. It is a toy, though--I can't really think of any truly useful applications for it, but dang if it isn't totally fun!
Posted by
mariko at
08:41 PM
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Comments (18)
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