"Aunt Hilda" unmasked!

Readers, the cat's out of the bag, and I'll have more to say about cats in a minute.  The true identity of my Aunt Hilda, I mean, my "Aunt Hilda" has been revealed!

Those of you who happened to visit BurdaStyle yesterday know that I am leading a sew-along there, starting yesterday and running throughout September, which just happens to be National Sewing Month.  I'll have a new post each week!

There are two sew-alongs happening simultaneously, actually.  The other -- more elementary, by the way -- is being led by the indomitable Gretchen, who, based on her first sew-along post yesterday, seems to be veering alarmingly into Edie Beale crazy-cat-lady territory.

Most of you already know Gretchen as The Selfish Seamstress.  OK, she's really Gertie, but seriously, there are so many cats on Gretchen's blog that it is easy to confuse her with that other catty gal -- who is also a cat owner, I believe.   

I was actually thinking of doing a blog post today titled Cat Sewers vs. Dog Sewers but I woke up too late to tackle it.  I still might if somebody else doesn't steal the idea.  Don't, OK?

But let's get back to Aunt Hilda.

Aunt Hilda is BurdaStyle Halter Dress Pattern #116.  Pretty, though I'll be skipping the coordinating Lifesaver.

And since it's just you and me here on my blog, can I just share a little something?  This pattern is haaard, at least it is for me.  Especially because I'm making it for somebody else, in this case, New York actress Leah X.

Wait -- Leah is an actress: don't actresses PAY to have people remember their names (like on That Girl)?  Her name is Leah Curney -- C.U.R.N.E.Y. -- it's no secret.  Musical plays, straight plays, juggling -- Leah's your gal!  She also has a great attitude, as opposed to my cousin Cathy, who just has attitude.

Bitter.

Here we are hard at work, and let me assure you if the roles had been reversed, I would have knocked Leah flat out on the floor in that pose, need I say more?  



As you well know, I am not the kind of sewer who sits down with directions and carefully studies each step beforehand.  Plus, come on, you know how Burda directions tend to be -- German translated into English by an Italian.  So I didn't order enough fabric, since the bolt for the fabric I chose was narrower than the bolt Burda used to estimate yardage on the pattern directions.

The powers-that-be had to Express Mail me extra.

The skirt for the dress has four pleats, four very deep pleats, meaning it uses a lot of fabric -- nearly enough to make three skirts when you think about what's actually going on in a pleat (the fabric is folded back on itself, and then attaches to an underlay).



Here I am fitting the skirt onto the bodice and I assure you it won't make Leah look fat when it's finished.  But it's a lot of fabric and I chose a particularly heavy cotton (it's hard to order the perfect fabric sight unseen, I have learned).



Another challenge is that all the skirt panel seam lines have to match the bodice seam lines, and the skirt not only has six panels, but also four of them have a pleat underlay.  So narrowing a skirt panel is not as simple as merely restitching a single seam.  The seams attach to the underlay, over which the outer (blue) fabric is folded -- does that make sense?  I may have to check out how Gretchen is making her pleated skirt.  Is that cheating?

(BTW, would you press the seam allowances attaching the outer skirt fabric to the underlay panels open or to the side?  The fold is on the seam allowance itself.  Does anybody know what I'm talking about?)

Finally, I don't have Leah here all the time for fittings, nor do I have a body form her size.  So there's a lot of waiting involved.

OK, enough bellyaching.  It's very fun to make this dress and I hope you'll follow along -- or at least follow the backstage gossip here on MPB.   It's so nice to know I can unburden myself among supportive friends!

In closing....Cat People: don't you think they are a little strange?  I mean, think of all the famous dog heroes out there: Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Benji, the list goes on and on.

What comes to mind when you think of cats?

I have nothing against cats, but I do recognize that they are scary and often evil.

Do you own an evil cat?

And how will YOU be celebrating National Sewing Month? 

Have a great day, everybody!

Have you réjuvéniqued today?

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Favorite Online Sewing Resources!

Readers, we all love sewing blogs.  In fact, if it weren't for sewing blogs like this one, I wouldn't be the Troy Donahue of men's sewing (with a 43.95% sexy index).  But today I want to focus on something else: the online sewing communities and organizations that serve us home sewers best.

An acquaintance recently told me of a volunteer-run sewing organization located in Ithaca, New York, Sew Green.  On their website, I stumbled upon this surprising statistic, from the Home Sewing Association:

Interest in personal sewing and clothing design has increased dramatically in the past few years. The Home Sewing Association estimates that the number of sewing enthusiasts in the U.S. has increased by 5 million since 2000, and annual sales of the leading brand of sewing machines has doubled since 1999.  

Of course I was intrigued by the numbers, but more than anything I wondered, What in the world is the Home Sewing Association??

It turns out that there is currently no Home Sewing Association as such: they closed their doors in 2007.  Or did they?

There is a site called Sewing.org and I've seen online references to the Home Sewing Association that now link there.  Does anybody know what the relationship is?   They both share a Monroeville, PA address.  But there's nothing on the Sewing.org site about who they are or what they do beyond "Sewing.org is part of the Sewing & Craft Alliance (SCA).  SCA provides education and creative resources to the sewing and craft enthusiast."  They do offer a free men's sewing tutorial for a cable cache -- "a gift for a special someone" -- however.

Of course, there is the non-profit American Sewing Guild, which operates out of Houston, Texas.  I know many MPB readers are members and are active on the ASG boards.  I'm not, for no other reason than that I only recently heard about ASG.   Are you a member?  I should probably join.

My online introduction to sewing was via Pattern Review, and it's a site I love.  It's not the most sophisticated-looking sewing site out there, but it works well, and it's a fantastic resource for those interested in learning sewing techniques, looking to purchase a new (or vintage) sewing machine, and most obviously, for anyone interested in reviews of new (and many vintage) patterns.  

There are many advanced sewers on PR with decades of experience who are active on their message boards -- a great place to go with sewing-related questions.  There are also contests and classes and much more.   As a man, I've found Pattern Review to be extremely helpful and tremendously supportive.  They even have a "Men Who Sew" section on their message board.  I've found membership to be well worth the nominal cost.



Undoubtedly hipper is BurdaStyle, another favorite sewing site.  BurdaStyle members seem to skew younger than sites like Pattern Review, but I've never felt unwelcome there and I'm no kid (wheeze...).  As a more commercial website, there's a slicker feel there than at Pattern Review, with a focus on BurdaStyle patterns.  But anyone can post photos of any sewing project, and it's also an excellent resource for those with sewing-related questions.   Male sewers are active there, too, albeit in relatively small numbers.

Readers, as far as online communities and sewing organizations for home sewers go, these are the ones I am familiar with.

What other sewing communities are you involved with, not including blogs?  Are there any you particularly recommend to others, especially new sewers? 

Is there any organization keeping statistics on the popularity of home sewing that you know of?  Where would one go to find the most recent information?

I cede the floor to you...

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Why I Won't Be Blogging Today

Readers with blogs, do you ever wake up in the morning and find the well has run dry -- you simply have nothing to blog about?

It rarely happens to me, but after more than a week's break, I'm finding it hard to get back into my morning habit.   It seems my blogging muscle has grown flabby, though after a week of hiking, my glutes are tauter than ever.

So I won't be blogging today and I hope you understand.

Plus, I barely did anything sewing-related yesterday.  We waited for Hurricane Irene to arrive, and when she didn't, proceeded to go on a long dog walk to see what damage she hadn't done: basically some clogged sewers (the waste-water type, not the garment-makers-suffering-constipation type), a few deep puddles, and scattered leaves.

Like I mentioned yesterday, Saturday was devoted primarily to straightening up, and I was caught by the decluttering bug once again.  There is still so much to declutter, friends!  One fortunate result is that, having cleaned off the top of my treadle table, which was buried under a pile of vintage patterns and dusty bills, I was able to reconnect with my Singer 66 (up top).  I hadn't been using her because the last time I tried, the summer heat had expanded her belt, and I wasn't in the mood to tighten it.

Yesterday I finally addressed this and it took all of ten minutes.  I opened up the staple that holds the belt closed, cut off roughly one quarter inch, created a new hole for the staple with a screw and, with a pair of pliers, refastened the staple, reattaching the two ends of the belt.  Easy!

She now sews as good as new -- or as good as old I should say.  I may use her to finish "Aunt Hilda,"  which really has to get done this week.



I had been using my Featherweight for this project, but as you may have noticed, the sewing machine table I was sewing atop (the one that came with my Kenmore 158.141), now supports The Big Purchase.



Good grief, I have a lot of sewing machines tables...and quite a few computers too.

The last week before Labor Day in the USA is a good one for finishing old projects and preparing for the new year.  I guess because I spent so many years in school, I still think of September as the start of the year.  Fall feels much more like a fresh beginning than the end of something.

Many of you are probably wondering how we could have taken our dogs out hiking where there were rattlesnakes.



This isn't the first time I have encountered snakes on a hike -- though they weren't actually on the trail this time, they were off canoodling somewhere at a safe distance and we'd never have noticed them if they hadn't been pointed out to us by some forest ranger types.

We do keep a look out for things like turkey vultures and other low-flying birds of prey that might be hungry for a late morning snack in the form of a bony chihuahua.  On the trails, we generally keep the dogs beside us and discourage them from running ahead too much.  I think Freddy could handle a rattlesnake; Willy, I'm not so sure about.  Anyway, luck was on our side and there were no unfortunate incidents.  Willy pooped on the living room rug once, but with a chihuahua, it's basically a pretzel nugget.

The biggest drama of the week was when I spilled red wine on the white -- white?! -- living room sofa.  We tried salt and Dawn and Fab, but finally went into town and bought some Tech stain remover at a local hardware store and, let me tell you readers, that stuff really works.  Another crisis averted but really, should a dog-friendly vacation cottage have white upholstery?  Fortunately, the cushion covers were removable.

Oh, before I forget -- we had cable, which is always a treat since we don't have TV here.  If I had regular access to that Turner Classic Movies channel, I'd do nothing but watch movies all day.  Am I the only one for whom a round-the-clock tribute to Conrad Veidt is something very exciting?

 

I also read a book, which I picked up at a local flea market:  Mervyn Leroy: Take One.  It's the 1974 autobiography (well, as told to...) of the famous director/producer whose films include The Wizard of Oz, Little Caesar, and Million Dollar Mermaid.  Absorbing if not particularly memorable.

Enough empty chatter!  I simply can't blog today.  I do intend to blog tomorrow, however, so please come back then.

In closing -- though we never really opened -- what do you do when the blogging muscle starts to go flabby?  Do you find that a low-carb diet helps or must one simply get back on the horse -- in looser boxers perhaps -- and write away?

All advice appreciated!

Happy Monday, everybody!

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Home again -- and the big storm that wasn't

Friends, I'm back, and arguably better than ever.  So much to tell!

Our vacation, to historic Woodstock in the Catskill mountains, was great fun -- lots of hiking, cooking, and relaxing.  And so much beautiful fungus!









I much prefer a mountain vacation to a beach vacation, don't you?  None of that nasty sand...

We returned to the city only to have to prepare for Hurricane Irene.  Irene didn't live up to expectations, however, at least not in New York City.  Even the Vinyls were underwhelmed.   But she did motivate us to straighten up a bit, which we did pretty much all day yesterday.  I found many long-lost sewing notions, which is always nice.



Remember The Big Purchase?  It arrived!



It's very, very big, and makes me wonder how I could have managed with just a 13" laptop for the last four years.  One's eyes adapt, I guess.  All of a sudden I see pores I never knew I had and I'm not thrilled about it.

The iMac is great to watch movies on -- we don't own a TV.  Unfortunately, last night's DVD, the Connie Stevens-Troy Donahue epic, Susan Slade, is just as awful on the big computer screen as on the small.  Campy fun the first time, pure tedium the second.  (The library was closed, obviously.)

I haven't really thought about sewing; I'm saving that for tomorrow.  What's new in Sewing Land?  I'm relying on you for important updates.

What was your week like?  Any Irene-related devastation to share?

Happy Sunday, everybody!

More vacation pics here.

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Good News, Bad News + POLL!

Readers, so much to cover today, some of it good, some of it not-so-good.  Why dawdle?  Here goes:

GOOD NEWS!

This has been a banner month for Male Pattern Boldness.  We have never received so many visitors, so many pageviews, or so many (wonderful) comments.  MPB Day was a hit and Cathy's strapless 50's cocktail dress a Glamour 'DO."  One for the record books!

BAD NEWS!

Today will be my last post till Sunday, August 28; we're going on vacation.  I should have mentioned it sooner but I just didn't know how to broach the topic -- you get so emotional about my absences.  But one must recharge one's batteries and I'm still running on coal.

GOOD NEWS!

Michael's cabaret show -- featuring Yours Truly --  debuts in late October and is coming along well.  (That's a promo shot up top.)

BAD NEWS!

I still haven't succeeded in convincing him to flesh out my role and add another song.  I know my public wants to hear me sing "If He Walked Into My Life" and I feel it my duty to satisfy them.  Michael does read this blog, however, so any comment of support would be greatly appreciated.  A simple, "Give him another song!" should do the trick.  If it doesn't, we can start a letter-writing campaign come September.

GOOD NEWS!

The TOP SECRET dress project, aka "Aunt Hilda," is nearing completion.  At great personal risk I am posting a pic. 
 

BAD NEWS!

On Tuesday, "Aunt Hilda' ran out of fashion fabric.  Friends, this has never happened to me before.  I almost never sew with 44" bolts, and I just assumed four yards would do it.  I made a frantic call to the powers that be and was overnighted an additional four yards of fabric. "Aunt Hilda" is out of Intensive Care -- Whew!

GOOD NEWS!

I made The Big Purchase!  It's a refurbished 21.5" iMac with a terabyte of storage.

BAD NEWS!

When I ordered it from the Apple Store, I assumed that shipping would take, tops, four days, as every other thing I've ever ordered from them has.  Instead, it's taking a full week and will arrive while I am on vacation, which means making special arrangements with UPS, the neighbors, etc.  A bit of a headache and if I'd known it was going to take so long, I'd have delayed ordering until my return.

GOOD NEWS!

My reserved copy of "Valentino: The Last Emperor" arrived at the library yesterday!

BAD NEWS!

Are all creative geniuses high maintenance, over-indulged princes?

I found this film to be a bit of a bore and rather downbeat, and I hated that they used Nino Rota's classic Fellini film scores as background music; I know them too well and found it distracting.  On the upside, I learned that haute couture models never wear bras.  And that Valentino never used a sewing machine in his work -- everything was sewn by hand.  Amazing.

-

Friends, that's it.  I have every confidence that you'll take full advantage of my absence.  I know you all have plenty of sewing to do, and when that's done, well...have you wiped down your kitchen cabinets lately?  And how about thinning that fabric stash a little?

I hope you have a wonderful week and I look forward to returning to you the weekend after next.

Arrivederci!

PS - Apropos of yesterday's post, I just have to ask...

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On Male Beauty

Readers, do you subscribe to the belief that a man can be too good-looking?

I was reading an excerpt from Rob Lowe's critically-acclaimed autobiography, "Stories I Only Tell My Friends" recently, and he believes that his good looks kept him from having the kind of film career in his youth he had hoped for.  Indeed, it's easy to believe that Rob's beauty could have been an obstacle.  (The modified mullet and shark tooth earrings weren't doing him any favors either.)



There are lots of different kinds of good-looking men (as there are different kinds of good-looking women) but the kind of good looks that seems to cause the most trouble, not only for the man himself but, if he is an actor, for his audience too (keep reading), are the ones considered "pretty."

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes a handsome man pretty, but we know it when we see it.  Tyrone Power is a classic example of this phenomenon, and based on what I've read about his life, he suffered for it, both professionally and personally.



Power died young after a life of considerable self-abuse.  He was only in his mid-forties -- and considerably less pretty.



When you think about the most popular male movie stars of classic Hollywood cinema, they're generally not the best looking (and this holds true for the women as well, imo: think Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Claudette Colbert) -- the more rugged actors held on the longest and are best remembered, men like Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, and Spencer Tracey.





Some actors started out as beauties -- Gary Cooper and John Wayne come to mind -- but aged rapidly into rugged-looking, craggy-faced heroes worshiped by men and women alike.





A lot of this "curse of the beautiful male" thing has to do with homophobia: there's a sense that a beautiful man is likely to be homosexual or -- due to his almost feminine looks (long lashes, bright, light eyes) -- not sufficiently masculine.  Americans like their men to look like men.  Actually, I think it's that heterosexual American males like their heroes to look more rugged for fear of being labeled homosexual themselves.  It's all a bit headache-inducing.

Of course, the fact that many beautiful male actors are now known to have been -- or consistently rumored to be -- gay (or its mid-Twentieth Century equivalent), doesn't help matters.  Tyrone Power, Montgomery Clift, and the late Farley Granger come to mind.  Even in the gay male community, many put a lot of value on being "straight-looking," i.e., traditionally masculine.  (Clifton Webb need not apply.)

What is a beautiful man supposed to do?  Facial hair seems to help -- or does it only call attention to precisely the features they're trying to hide?  (Think Johnny Depp and Zac Efron.)





I've often read that teen idols are usually of the pretty type because young girls find them less sexually threatening (subconsciously, of course).  This would apply to everyone from Troy Donahue to Ricky Nelson (remember him?) to Justin Bieber.

When these teen fans grow up, however, they prefer Clark Gable.

Friends of the man-loving persuasion, how do you like your men?

Do you have a preference for the iconic strong, silent type?  Are you uncomfortable around a man who might be considered prettier than you are?  Do you have nothing but empathy for Joanne Woodward (who wasn't exactly homely but she was no Paul Newman)?



Are you suspicious of a man who's too good looking, either because you think he's likely to be stuck up, or the constant target of the attention of decorators, florists, and male sewing bloggers?  (And he might like it.)

Can a man be too beautiful?

Jump in!

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