Peter's Saturday "Ditch 'n B*tch"

Friends, today I'd like to take a break from sewing men's boxer shorts and return to something we all can relate to: The Daily Ditch!

Please don't think I wasn't ditching this week during the sew-along, because I was.  And would you believe there is still more ditching to come?  Decluttering my apartment is very much like digging a subway in Rome: you unearth ancient Roman ruins, only to find Etruscan ruins underneath, and then you're digging up dinosaur bones and pieces of Fred Flintstone's old car.

To say I'm discovering stuff I'd forgotten I owned would be an understatement.  In fact, I may have inadvertently tunneled into my neighbor's closet, which would explain all the plaster dust and pieces of cinder block.  I hope they won't mind.

Here are some of the week's highlights:

I found this cute plastic Sixties-era storage unit in the street while walking the dogs.  It's actually kind of collectible, part of the Combonibili line designed by Anna Castelli for Kartell.  (Yes, we have good trash here.)  It was a little grimy but I was still able to make money on it.  Is that wrong?



I sold a few other things as well.

This vintage mannequin seemed so cool in the faded industrial setting of the flea market, but looked like junk in my apartment, and it took up a lot of space.  Some artist ended up buying it (for an art project, presumably -- good luck with that).



Hours after purchasing this used bicycle on Craigslist about five years ago I realized the frame was too big, but I tried to make it work.  I couldn't -- it's really not safe for me to ride.  I sold it to an attorney who actually insisted I let him test drive it.  I let him, since he was willing to leave his personal belongings behind.  Was I wrong to snatch his VISA card and a few twenties?  I think he can afford it.



I am always finding cheap plastic sunglasses at the thrift store only to be reminded why they ended up there in the first place.  They're fun to use for photo shoots but, at my age, I really need to start taking better care of my eyes.  Back to the thrift store they go (went)!



Did you know I used to knit?  Well, for two weeks.  I liked knitting and found it very therapeutic, but the yarn is so expensive, and -- this was the main problem -- how many scarves and hats does a person need?   Actually, maybe I'll save a pair of those needles with the plastic between them, just in case.



Oh, I almost forgot -- that Mickey Mouse push-button phone pictured up top.  Nobody seems to want a real phone anymore, not even a priceless Disney collectible, alas.

And now, friends, the b*tch:

I counted yesterday, and in the past two-and-a-half years I have owned twenty-two sewing machines, more than half of which I have sold to make room for others.  Except for a rusty Singer 66 I found in the curb without motor or bobbin case and a Sixties-era Singer (with table) I found in my building's trash before I knew anything about sewing machines, I always found new homes for them, and passed them along in better condition than I found them in.

But then...

Remember my Viking, 3240?



This is really weird: on a whim I was looking at vintage Vikings, models like the 6440, on eBay -- not seriously considering getting one, just window shopping.  After all, my 3240 was working fine, even though it was beat up -- missing, among other things, the door to the shuttle area, a few screws, etc.

The very next day, I tried zigzagging on her, only to discover that she had seized up almost completely: turning her hand wheel was like trying to pull your foot out of the La Brea Tar Pits.  I couldn't believe it.  This was one of those self-lubricating Vikings, which after many decades have a tendency to freeze, though usually as a result of disuse.

Do you think sewing machines have feelings?

Of course, my first thought was that I would fix her myself and I immediately emailed Rain to ask where I could purchase Tri-Flow or some other miracle grease solvent.  Well, I didn't hear from him for days; turns out he had been away on vacation (from fixing vintage sewing machines?).

Readers, to make a long story short, I have decided not to invest another hour in this machine.  I paid $40 two years ago and it has given me a great deal of pleasure.  I don't know how to take it apart, and it's simply not worth paying what it would cost to have it restored here in NYC.  I feel kind of conflicted about it because, like I said, I have never junked a working machine before, but what can you do?

Oh, I should mention that I'm replacing her with this (thank you, eBay), a Viking 6020, apparently one of the last of the Vikings you could oil yourself.  Let's keep it simple.  Keep your fingers crossed.



I have also decided, after working on a second pair of boxers on my Kenmore 158.141, that I don't really want that machine around either.  Don't get me wrong: it's a workhorse, but I'll stick to my vintage straight stitchers, thank you very much.  (And one Viking for the times I need to zigzag.)

And that, readers, is the end of my Saturday Ditch 'n B*tch.

If you have something to ditch and need support to actually do it, or merely want to b*tch, please feel free.  I realize that my sew-along hasn't fostered much discussion and you may have things to get off your chest. 

What have you been up to?

Do you think sewing machines have feelings?

Happy Saturday, everybody!

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Self-sewn Trash

I'm on a roll, readers, oh, am I on a roll!

Yesterday I asked you about the challenge of ditching home-sewn garments, as opposed to throwing away ready-to-wear.  Well, I've discovered that it's not that hard.  There are three key questions one must ask oneself:

1) Have I ever worn this?

2) Would I ever wear this?

3) Will I ever wear this?

If you consult your Magic 8 ball and you get....



...then dump quickly and don't look back!

Here are a few items I'm dumping:  The jacket posted above, my first-ever tailored garment and not a bad stab, but unwearable (not least of all because of the color and the cheap polyester fabric); a sheet shirt that was never able to transcend its identity as faded old bedding; and a dress I started making for Michael's sister Sara when she was visiting two years ago, and never finished. 





A little somber, wouldn't you say?



But I have even better news!  Remember that men's display dummy I purchased a long time ago on eBay that was the wrong size (too big), and just sat in my foyer collecting dust and occasionally serving as a coat rack?  I found a buyer for it on Craigslist!  It's gone!



And -- miracle of miracles -- I think I found someone who will take my vintage luggage off my hands.  I'll know more later today.   I am so stoked, guys.

UPDATE: Sold!



My next big hurdle is to sell a bike that's been collecting dust in our bedroom for many years and driving Michael crazy since it's on his side of the bed.  I bought it on Craigslist for not a lot of money, but the frame is too big.  Should I have to brake suddenly and jump off the bike, I would -- how shall I put this? -- crack an egg.  Not very safe.

Meanwhile, look what I got for Cathy's shoe collection:



I hate paying for storage-related items like these, but they do make a difference.

Finally, readers, there's some sort of sewing blogger meet-up today in NYC I'm supposed to go to, but I'm sort of on the fence about it.  As any sewing blogger knows, we're all kind of control freaks -- otherwise we wouldn't have our own blogs but would be contented reading others' -- and this one has been organized up the yinyang, as they say.  It even has a costume theme!

I may pop in for lunch and skip the rest. Would that be wrong? I hope you don't think I have a bad attitude; I have a lot going on today.

In closing, I'm excited to hear that many of you will be sewing underwear with me next week -- we are going to have fun, fun, FUN!

Have a great day, everybody!

PS -- you can see all my Daily Ditches so far here.

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"Out with the Old, In with the New" + CONTEST!

Readers, I'm not a fan of dogmatic people, and I would hate to come across as one.  My Daily Ditch© method of personal transformation does create miracles, but it's important to allow a few things into your life, too -- otherwise, you'll have nothing left to ditch.  Think about it.

I'd been very curious about Claire Schaeffer's book, Couture Sewing Techniques, and finally decided to treat myself -- not only to a copy, but also to the latest edition, something I normally wouldn't spring for.  It's so nice to read a sewing book that isn't full of Eighties fashion, do you know what I mean?  I'm not going to discuss the book today, but it's a beaut.

On Monday, I received a mystery box in the mail.  Fortunately, it wasn't ticking.



Readers, as you know, I sometimes link to other blogs or wax enthusiastic about something, but it's never to benefit myself -- at least not consciously.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the box to discover this fabulous tomato pincushion -- a gift from Sunni at A Fabulous Stitch for....I'm not sure what; I must have mentioned her here at MPB, hopefully not in a disparaging way.



Folks, if MGM's Gilbert Adrian designed a pincushion this would be it -- am I right?

I must say that while I'm more accustomed to your standard hothouse tomato pincushion, Sunni's is a full-fledged beefsteak.  Seriously though, this vegetable -- or is it a fruit -- is so charming, I'm loath to stick pins in it! 





But that's not all!  Thoughtful Sunni also sent me this beautiful adjustable dog collar!







Actually, don't tell Sunni, but I think I'm going to use this as a wrist pincushion.





Now it wouldn't really look right if now I said, Go buy one of Sunni's pincushions, which you can purchase here or here, so I'm just going to thank Sunni and leave it at that.

And now onto The Daily Ditch©.

Today's theme is Name That Jetsam!

Friends, I can't remember why I ever bought an RF Modulator, but it had something to do with hooking up an old DVD player (which I no longer own), to an even older TV (which I no longer own).  Today I will no longer own this RF Modulator.



Why, oh why, did I have this sitting around?  Hopefully it was a gift. 



Or this.  Don't their songs all sound the same?



I found this black plastic wand sitting in a cabinet and had no idea what it was. 



But I figured it out -- behold!  Why do I own two cheap tripods?  Later today I will own just one.



And now for our contest:  Readers, please identify one of the following items:





The winner will receive...nothing!  You wouldn't want to go against the spirit of The Daily Ditch© would you?  Actually, you will enjoy the pleasure of being right, which is all most of us really long for anyway.

In closing, friends, wherever you may be sticking your pins, I hope this day will be an enjoyable one for you.

Seriously, what is that pale jade plastic thing -- do you know?  I do!

POST-WINNER UPDATE:  (SPOILER ALERT!)

Click photo to play movie in Picasa.

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Happiness is a Clean Sewing Table

This may not look like anything to brag about to you, neat readers, but for me this is as good as it gets.  I can actually see the table under my sewing machines!

At the table pictured above I mainly do things like make buttonholes, sew on zippers, wind bobbins -- tasks like that.  My primary sewing goes on in the living room at one of my machine tables, even if it's at a machine that sits atop the table as opposed to in the table.  Good enough.





It's always hard to say goodbye to old friends, but I am so glad I sold my Pfaff 139 and Singer 99 this past weekend, and proud I found good homes for them.  I won't lie: I spent about twenty minutes last night looking at vintage sewing machines on eBay, but I think it was just a reflex and not anything to worry about.  Would a Viking 6440 really enhance my life?  

I think I'm ready to consider new projects.  Of course, I must spend some time preparing for the Men's Boxers Sew-Along that begins in just one week.  I really should stitch myself a practice pair.

Like Old Man River, the Daily Ditch just keeps rolling along.

This bucket hat, which I bought on some sunny vacation where I found myself hatless,  photographs nicely, and would be great if it were made from some light, water-repellent fabric like microfiber.  This Made in China cotton version is so heavy that it makes my head sweat just putting it on.  I know it will work for somebody, however, because as soon as I put it out with the recycling, it was gone.



Remember the post-lp-and-cassette tape/pre-iPod days, when you listened to music on CDs?  Or when you backed up your computer files on a CD instead of an external disc drive?  Might as well talk horse and buggies, right?

I used to burn CDs all the time and would buy plastic CD jewel cases by the dozen.  Well, I haven't burned a CD in years, but I still had a huge stack of cases just in case (as it were).  Not anymore!



I'm finding old technology and technology-related items the hardest to part with.  They're usually still functional in some way -- like those portable TV sets -- but ultimately worthless.  I still have a few old videotapes but own no VCR or TV to play them on, and I'm holding on to an old (well, not that old) mini DV movie camera just so I can play old mini DV vacation tapes.  (If I want to make a movie today, I use my regular Canon digital camera.)  I'm sure I'm not the only one.  Thankfully, I never owned a slide projector!

Have you ever had footwear so comfortable that you literally wore it out?  That's what happened to these Gurkee sandals, which I've owned for about five years.  They are made of polypropelene rope and are incredibly comfortable.  You wouldn't believe how often people comment on them, and they say good things!  I wore this pair for the last time yesterday, and my left heel was literally scraping pavement -- that's how much I loved them.

Off to the dump they go to decompose, which shouldn't take more than 15,000 years.



I think that's enough for one day, don't you?  I have some tough choices ahead regarding old stereo components (receiver, turntable, etc).   Dump?  Without them I can't play my records, but truth is, I don't play my records (not to mention I don't own speakers -- a way-earlier dump).  What to do?

I'll have more to say about ditching dilemmas in the days ahead.  Some items can be hard to part with even if they've sat unused for a long, long time.  We have to trust that letting them go is to our benefit and opens up new space in our lives, literally and metaphorically.  I'll leave it at that.

Do you still own a record player?

Have a great day, everybody!

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Tuesday Tidbits

Friends, if this image looks just like one I posted yesterday, it's because I never got started on my skirt alteration project -- I was paralyzed with anxiety after reading your comments, with predictions of time required ranging anywhere from 20 minutes to 3-4 days.  Whom to believe?  No, I think I'll just put this one on the back burner for a while.  Anyway, I won't see Stephanie for a week.  

I didn't so much as touch a sewing machine yesterday.  The whole day is a blur, to be honest; I felt very off-center.

You're probably wondering why I haven't mentioned the Singer 201 that Nicholas (aka Rain) was supposed to give (I mean "loan") me last week.  That's because we had to postpone the pick-up once again, but today I'm supposed to go get it for real.  Where am I going to put one more sewing machine, you ask?  That's a very good question and one I'll hopefully have answered before I bring it into the apartment.

Apropos of nothing, last night I watched a very entertaining screwball comedy I hadn't seen in decades, The Awful Truth, starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne.  Have you seen it?  So funny, witty, and charming in a way that has completely vanished off the face of the earth, or at least off the screen.  If you want to see what sophisticated light comedy used to be, watch this film, or anything with Irene Dunne, for that matter.  Her type is no more.  I hope I don't sound like a crusty old curmudgeon; is there any other kind?

For those of you still reading this stream of consciousness, I feel like I'm in one of those "big shift" periods of my life -- oh, not so big a shift that I'd stop blogging or sewing or blogging about sewing, but for a while now -- months certainly, though most especially since I returned from vacation at the end of August -- I've been feeling like I need to purge a tremendous amount of stuff out of my life.  

If you saw what the inside of my bedroom closet (actually I have two) looked like, you'd probably run away screaming, which is precisely what I want to do every time I open it.  Actually, it's reached a point where I can't even get the door closed, so I scream daily.  Except it's more of an inner scream (don't want to alarm the neighbors, or the dogs), which manifests as lack of energy and a sense of feeling overwhelmed.  

Do you ever want to get rid of things, regardless of what value (to others, or to you, once upon a time) they might have?  I mean, I've found treasures in the trash and sometimes I think I should just put some of my own there and let other people find them.  Of course, the term "treasure" is relative, but I do have many things cluttering my life that I really have no need for, and they take up a lot of psychic space as well.  What to do?   

I used to sell stuff on eBay on a regular basis and I enjoyed it, but the photographing, posting, weighing, packing, shipping is extremely labor-intensive and I no longer have the time, or care to make the time.  Thrift stores (the ones that pick up at your house anyway) are extremely selective here in NYC.  Many no longer want old electronic equipment, for example, and won't touch any piece of pressboard furniture, let alone wigs.

Readers, I think I need to make a plan, something I'm not very good at and resist.  As you know, I generally just take things moment-to-moment, which certainly has its benefits, but also its downsides.  It hurts to watch the planners get ahead and I live with one.

I will leave it at that.  I was reminded of this old blog post I wrote not so long ago.  As you can see, planning and resistance-to-same is a definite leitmotif in my life.  It's always there and never fully resolved; hence, decluttering has its own listing in the MPB Archives (located on the right-hand column of this blog, as always).

We are out of time, alas.  I must address my many organizing tasks and I hope I've inspired some of you to address a few of yours, if you have any.

In closing, do you think creative types are more apt to be surrounded by clutter -- or is that just an excuse?

Any great one- or two-year planners out there?  What's your secret?

Have a great day, everybody!

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Jeans Sew-Along 10.5 -- Rivets FAIL + Gifts Galore!

Friends, contrary to popular opinion, I am just a person.  Like you, I have my highs and my lows, my successes and my failures.  In the latter camp must go jeans rivets.  Try as I might I simply cannot manage to attach them correctly.  I can poke the hole in the fabric all right, it's everything else.

So you can imagine how galling it is to read that in Eugenia's "(fabulous) world of fashion," her stunning new jeans have perfect rivets WHICH EUGENIA ATTACHED HERSELF!  My stomach is turning as I type.

Of course, Eugenia had the assistance of something called Prym Vario Pliers, which she claims cost only £9.50 -- EUGENIA, WILL YOU PLEASE TRANSLATE THAT INTO US DOLLARS FOR THE REST OF US?  The sun does set on the British Empire you know...

Eugenia has a very overzealous legal team or I'd post a photo of her here in her perfect-fitting purple jeans -- which she made following a Pattern Review course, mind you, not the MPB Jeans Sew-Along, but whatever.  So you'll just have to trot over to Euguenia's (fabulous) world to check them out.  Grrr....

Anyway, to be honest, I don't even like rivets in my jeans, and if that sounds like sour grapes, so be it.  I didn't even know jeans had rivets until someone pointed it out to me.  I thought those were some sort of anti-theft detection device.

Friends, I am confident that Taylor Tailor will come to the rescue shortly, and that we will learn how to attach our rivets correctly.  I can't do everything.

Anyway, since there's obviously no instruction for today -- though I did hem my white jeans, which I did by simply folding under twice and topstitching -- I thought I'd talk about other things.

I have some devoted followers who send me things -- a lot of things.  Sure, it's usually when they've just returned from their Hoarders Anonymous meeting, but still.  I'd like to acknowledge their collective generosity today.

In the last month alone, I have received wonderful books...





Awesome patterns...





Fabric and notions...





And -- are you sitting down? -- SIX vintage Ken dolls!



I'm speechless and truly grateful.

But readers, lest I end up at Hoarder's Anonymous myself, I must ask that you limit your gifts to sewing machines, Liberty of London prints, and (well-wrapped) cookies.  I'm simply running out of room.  Of course, dog treats are always appreciated, sometimes by the dogs themselves.

But enough -- there's much to do today, including a double white jeans fashion shoot!

Readers near and far, I hope you have something fun planned for the weekend, whether it's sewing jeans or digging through decades of accumulated detritus.  Remember: Less is more!

Have a great day, everybody!

UPDATE: Taylor comes to the rescue:  How to insert jeans rivets.

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