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.

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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:
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And then I used regular serged seams on this striped running shirt:

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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).

Posted by mariko at 07:14 PM | Comments (10)

August 31, 2008

bad blogger

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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!

Posted by mariko at 05:26 PM | Comments (8)

August 18, 2008

shopping fun

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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.

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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 | Comments (6)

August 13, 2008

lovely lycra

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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).

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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.

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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 | Comments (10)

August 12, 2008

pogo

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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 | Comments (18)

Don't encourage my insane brother.

head

Click on his head at your own peril.

head
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