French Sleep Deprivation Study

Jewelry Lampshade

2011-08-09T16:26:00.006-06:00

I love love love earrings. Unlike a pair of jeans you haven't worn in a year or two, you always know they are going to fit!

I've seen a number of earring display/storage solutions online, but none of them were big enough handle my collection. Then a while back I saw this tutorial in ReadyMade magazine (was on the magazine website for a while but now I can't find it, so thanks to cactuscreekdaily.com for the image). Rather than covering the lampshade in keys I covered it in oodles of earrings!

The final result:

And yes, I like BIG earrings but there's some small ones on there too...

Oh the sparkles, the stones, the beads... sorry I'm easily distracted by shiny objects, back to the tutorial.

Supplies:

-A reclaimed lampshade from the thrift store. Back in the 90s when I worked in a fabric store you could buy the base of a lampshade, but I haven't seen those in a while. I highly recommend that you buy one that is equally cylindrical from top to bottom, otherwise your earrings will be resting on and rubbing against the metal hardware cloth.

-Hardware cloth (near the fencing and chicken wire in your local hardware store)

-Wire (I used some wire from my beading supplies, since it was easy to bend. Fishing line might also work) This item may be optional, see Step Two)

-Wire cutters (i.e. NOT YOUR FABRIC SCISSORS!)

-A lamp base. Mine is also from the thrift store, I actually have never plugged it in to see if it works, but you can use an existing lamp from your home if you want it to serve double duty. Remember spray paint can work miracles for lamps from most any decade.

Step One: If using a reclaimed lampshade, remove all coverings and decorations leaving only the base. You could certainly apply spray paint at this point, but I left it as was.

Step Two: You will be rolling the cloth around the shade and cutting it down to size as needed. There are two methods to affix the hardware cloth, and I used both with success. The first is to cut the hardware cloth to the exact height of the shade and "sew" it on with wire as in the picture below. I used a clip to hold it in place while sewing.

The other method is to cut the cloth bigger than the height of the shade and simply fold it over. You still may way to "sew" the seam once the cloth is wrapped completely around (leave a bit of overlap for this).

Step Three: Admire your work! Then place on a lamp and hang your pretties on it. In addition to earrings you can clip hair items to the top, or use S hooks to hang rings, bracelets, or necklaces.

Back in Black (and White)

2011-03-19T17:04:00.006-06:00

Hello again!

My lack of posting is not necessarily reflective of a lack of sewing, so let's play catch-up!

Here's a baby quilt for a high school friend's first child. I was in her wedding a bazillion years ago so it's about time that she and her husband gave her mom grandchildren! The first was a little boy, so I used the (FREE!) pattern from Robert Kaufman Fabrics called Hanging Garden (I downsized it to 6 blocks by 7 blocks to be baby sized). I thought it had a bit of a mid-century modern vibe so instead of lining up the rows I staggered them a bit so that the flowing lines would be slightly wonky.

As usual with baby quilts, I opted for black and white with an accent color.

Here's the final result:

A glimpse of the pieced back:

Here's the texture pre-wash/dry:

I love love love the final texture after drying. I used Warm & Natural batting.

MBR Spring Top Week - Mexican Tent Dress inspired top

2010-04-29T13:32:00.012-06:00

If you don't know what a Mexican Tent Dress is, prepare to fall in love (as I did) after seeing them worn as bridesmaid dresses in this wedding blog post.

The colors, the detail, the loose fit that flatters so many body types... what's not to love?

So I took inspiration from these dresses to create my entry for Made By Rae's Spring Top Week.

PATTERN: I looked through my stash of thrifted patterns and actually found a couple that would work. The winner was Butterick Sew & Go 4823, which doesn't have a publication date but I'm guessing late 70s. The concept of this top (or dress) could be done with any pattern with a sizeable yoke or bib on which to do embellishments. You could also create your own pattern, as the shapes are basic and the fit does not need to be overly tailored.

FABRIC: A green/blue doubleknit (thrifted) for the main garment and leftover white polo shirt scraps leftover from my popped-collar-trifecta refashion.

THE METHOD:

Using freezer paper (much like wax paper but only one side is waxy), trace out the shape of the pattern piece you will be embellishing. Fold the paper in half and sketch the design on the paper one half of the freezer paper (non-waxy side). I used pencil which allowed me to change the design until I found something I really liked. If in doubt draw more items than you think you will eventually use.

Next you will transfer the drawn designs as a mirror image. Using a few pieces of scotch tape, attach the folded paper to a window and trace the design onto the remainder of the non-waxy side.

Iron your design paper with the waxy side touching the right/front side of the fabric (already cut to pattern). The wonderful thing about freezer paper is that it irons easily to fabric but also peels off easily without leaving residue.

Using small scissors, cut out the elements you will be doing as reverse applique, as shown in the image below (there's fabric under there, I promise!). I did the center medallion on my top as an normal (on top) appliqué to give the shirt some additional texture. Feel free to mix methods or do all reverse appliqué.

For the under fabric, cut slightly larger than the yoke (to allow for stretching adjustments as you pin and stitch). Pin the paper/fabric to the under fabric using a generous number of straight pins. I started in the center of my design and worked toward the sides of the yoke to ensure that the under fabric did not wrinkle or bulge. I did all hand stitching, gently tearing away the paper as I went. The purpose for leaving the paper attached is to prevent stretching the fabric or distorting the appliqué shapes. I did a simple stitch using thread matching the main garment fabric. (This is not the same technique as The Alabama Stitch Book, but you could use that method by using your freezer paper as a stencil. If you don't own the book you really should... it's just gorgeous.)

Move from each element to the next, continuing to tear away paper in small sections just before you stitch. (These stitching pictures are from my camera phone, so sorry about the image quality!)

Once finished embellishing, cut away any excess under fabric to match the yoke, and sew the garment as instructed by your pattern.

Another element I borrowed from the Mexican Tent dress is decorative stitching. I used a blanket stitch all around the yoke, arm holes, and as the bottom hem. I'm cheap so I just used 4 strands of thread in place of embroidery floss (cut one very long piece of thread, pull both ends through the eye of a needle and tie off with both the raw ends and middle).

End Result:

BONUS METHOD:

Since the inspiration dresses were so colorful I also considered doing a more traditional appliqué method using many colors of fabric from the t-shirt scrap bin.

For this method use the freezer paper to sketch designs, iron to scraps, and then cut out. (I traced circles, divided into segments to help me draw "petals" for the flowers)

This look was just more than I could commit to, so I used a single color and opted for the reverse appliqué technique, but you get the idea of where you could go if you don't fear color as much as I do!

Mint Oreo Baby Quilt

2010-04-18T19:12:00.003-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted a quilt! My friend Kate told people at her baby shower this afternoon that she got pregnant because last fall I complained that no one was having babies.

She and her husband have decided not to find out the sex of their baby, which is fine by me for quilting purposes.

This quilt is based on a string quilting technique detailed HERE by Ashley from Film in the Fridge, and strongly inspired by this quilt which she titled "Cookies and Cream".

Here's a full view of the front:

A closer view:

And the back:

Happy Quilting!

Spring means second chances...

2010-04-14T18:20:00.006-06:00

And this dress was begging for a second chance.

My friends and I called this before dress the "sister-wife" dress because we watch too much HBO. There are certainly some things about it that scream 'PLURAL MARRIAGE!' but other things that just epitomize bad 80s fashion. The dress is many contradictions, including a print that seems straight out of a Flintstones cartoon.

So brace yourself, as this dress has been put out of its misery!

BEFORE:

This lovely ditty was acquired at a thrift store in the basement of a catholic church in small town Montana for 75-cents. I kept the basic structure of the bodice, which meant I didn't have to move the zipper, I just cropped off the top and zig-zagged the ends to create new stoppers. I also cut a foot or so off the bottom. The discarded sleeves supplied ample fabric for interfacing.

I was determined to use a pattern on this project, but it didn't happen :( I like to use patterns so that when I share my refashions with the blogosphere I can give instructions on how to duplicate it... but honestly I didn't like the neckline from the pattern that I originally used so I just started cutting different neck shapes until I got to one I liked! I cut it down to a sweetheart neckline, then gathered the center and stitched on a band to cover the gather.

AFTER:

And a close-up shot of the bodice:

A Parting Gift to Winter

2010-03-20T10:42:00.005-06:00

This refashion was poorly timed. The result screams "winter! winter!" but when I look outside it is decidedly (if not officially) springtime. But come next December, I will be be living in this sweater refashion.

BEFORE:

A cream colored sweater from Old Navy. The garment is a few years old and I'm not sure if the sleeves were always baggy in weird places or if they were stretched out over time.

The inspiration for this refashion was this tutorial from MadebyLex (the blog formerly known as My Mama Made It). I had scraps of well worn grey t-shirt fabric left over from another refashion, and the tutorial called for "chiffon (the kind that won’t fray)" but I supplemented black swimsuit lining because it has a nice weight and texture, and I knew it wouldn't fray.

I fixed the sleeves by cutting off at an appropriate length, and then sewing on a few inches of the ribbing from the bottom of the original sleeve. Note that the ribbing will stretch out considerably, so be sure to cut it longer (taller?) than you think you will need. I used the pins to mark off both pieces into quarters, pinned the pieces together, and then sewed a zig-zag while stretching the ribbing pieces.

Next I cut (and cut and cut) the little petals from each of the three fabrics (black spandex, grey t-shirt, and the remaining cream sleeve fabric). Luckily the Olympics were on while I was slowly making my way through this project, this is definitely a project to do while occupying your brain with something else.

Finally I began sewing on the decoration with x's made by 2 petals (see tutorial). I hand stitched, and found that it went by very quick compared to the cutting phase. Below is what the inside looked like (note the interfacing, it is highly recommended by Lex to combat the weight).

My petals were MUCH more dense than in the original tutorial, which makes the look heavier, and leads me to believe this is most appropriate for winter-wear. The technique is like an adult version of this tissue paper craft technique that I rather enjoyed in childhood, so it makes me happy.

Here's a close-up:

Don't you wish you could feel the soft comforting texture? Well you can, but you have to make your own first!

Go Games Go! - USA inspired refashions

2010-02-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

I love the Olympics, perhaps a little too much. As today is the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Games, the I'm finally getting around to posting about a pair or refashions that I did last summer to wear to a Team USA Soccer match.

I used the T-Shirt Corset pattern from Natalie Chanin's "Alabama Stitch Book" (I highly recommend this book, it's beautiful and makes a great gift!)
The blue acquired t-shirt wasn't quite enough fabric, so I made the back outer panels with white and red knit fabrics from my stash. (A little Where's Waldo, I know, but trust me on this design choice)

I used Chanin's reverse applique technique to put USA on the front (after piecing together the front panels). I did the shirt construction by machine, but all the visible stitches were by hand to give the shirt a special touch.
My significant other also requested a shirt for the event... and insisted that it have "3-popped collars". If you knew him you'd find this extremely comical because he's not a flashy or trendy dresser.

So I found 3 polo shirts at the thrift store (red, white, and blue). And used the red polo as the base of the shirt. I cut off the sleeves and replaced them with the sleeves from the white shirt, which allowed me to use the red sleeve fabric on the reverse applique to replace the shirt's original logo.
His shirt was all done on machine (applique included) but I had to hand sew all those collars. Plus I dug into my button jar to find blue and white buttons. If you're going to go over-the-top it's all about the details!

Here's my standard modeling poses:

FRONT:

BACK:

My significant other always says, "My agent prefers that I not appear in photographs." Luckily my good friend Mikey came through Boise on the way to Antarctica (no really), and is always more than willing to model a ridiculous item of clothing for the sake of photography. He even threw in this cheesy pose just for you!

I hope you're inspired to watch the games! Be sure to find time over the next few weeks to cheer on the athletes (especially those from countries other than your own), eat Canadian foods, and remember what the Olympics stand for. With all the political crap and human suffering in our world it's awesome to be able to bring our nations together for something bigger than ourselves. Go Games Go!

2 Pant Jacket

2010-01-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

This refashion is another from my 5-patterns-by-tax-day challenge. The original garment was Anne Taylor twill capri pants. They were leftover from a friend's yardsale, so I don 't know their history (how old, etc).

BEFORE:

Sorry if you were hoping that I'd model them, I could lie and say that they didn't fit but the real reason is that my worst nightmare is having a picture of myself in tapered pants posted to the internet. But they were worth saving, I couldn't resist the print!

I took the time to rip out the seams (took forever but I needed to preserve as much fabric as possible so I had to save the salvages, otherwise I would have just cut them apart). Here's a rough sketch of how I cut the jacket pieces from the pants (in reality the pattern pieces were right up to each edge):

There still wasn't enough fabric for a stream-lined version of the longer jacket from Simplicity 2652, so I found a second pair of twill capri pants in black (50-cent bin of course). The pattern has a neck band that I did in the contrast fabric, and then I added contrast strips to the bottom and middle front to make each panel the size of the pattern. I was hoping to add contrast to the sleeves but there wasn't enough fabric left from the second pair of pants.

AFTER:

The jacket comes out very boxy, as you can see from the back:

I think the sleeves are adding to the boxiness, but I had to do a shortened version of the long sleeve option because the gathered sleeve options were too wide to come out of the bottom of the tapered capri pants.

I was apprehensive about using a "Project Runway" branded pattern (I'm a huge fan of the show, and not a fan of patterns/pattern companies) and I wouldn't give the pattern more than 3 out of 5 stars, but the jacket is still cute in the front. In defense of the Project Runway patterns, they do treat elements separately so that the sewist isn't intimidated to swap the sleeves from one view to go with the collar from another, etc. I wish more patterns treated the user as an intelligent creature, capable of making design decisions.

I'm considering adding buttons to this (currently it has the hook and eye from the original pants) but it isn't giving a sturdy enough fasten... I also think I might shorten the sleeves a bit more? What do ya'll think?

I'm back in the game...

2010-01-08T17:06:00.003-07:00

I'm participating in The Wardrobe Refashion Challenge once again.

It's somewhat addicting as it allows me to combine 2 things I love: sewing and thrifting. So here's the first project from my current pledge period...

It was a weekend night in August or September when a friend and I came across a 5-patterns-for-5-dollars deal at Joann's (dinner and a fabric store, we live life on the edge as you can tell). I must have been out of my mind when I challenged my friend to make something from each of the 5 patterns we picked out with a deadline of tax day. (She actually sews from patterns whereas I rarely do, so this was a really kookie suggestion on my part). Seeing as that deadline is a few months away, I thought I should probably make the first effort at my part of that deal.

The "fabric" is a thrifted purple ladies polo shirt (IZOD in the 50-cent bin, hooray!) and the pattern is Simplicity 2570.

The necessary "before" shot...

It needed ironed, but why make the "before" look any better? Successful refashioning is about contrast. Here's a close-up of the fabric to give the original a bit more merit!

I also used some scraps from a ragged old grey undershirt that I acquired, since there wasn't enough fabric in the original shirt for the neck and arm-hole facings.

And the after...

I think it's pretty darn cute. Since I was limited by the size of the original shirt, I had to reduce the fullness of the middle front panel to about half of the pattern, but this might not be a bad thing because too much fullness can look a bit maternity. There are darts in the back which gives a nice shape, and I omitted the zipper since this is a knit. As I am prone to do with my refashions, I preserved the hem from the original shirt... I'm not sure if this makes me part genius or just generally lazy :)

Want to see what the other Wardrobe Refashion participants are up to? Click HERE.

Year End Potholder

2009-12-31T08:37:00.006-07:00

There are a bazillion potholder tutorials on the web, and for good reason... they're easy to make, quick to finish, and often just a tiny little quilt.

The project in this post is a hodge-podge of tutorials and techniques that I've been wanting to try, but my favorite thing about it is that each of the fabrics were used in a quilt I made in 2009, so it was a great project to reminisce a bit.

First, the potholder shape/structure (square with triangle pockets on back as shown below) came from a tutorial by Field Trips in Fiber. I made mine a bit larger than the tutorial's dimensions.

Next, I paper pieced the top with strip scraps. Film in the Fridge has a great tutorial on this technique.

Lastly, this was the perfect opportunity to try "pebble quilting" as demonstrated in a video by Handmade by Alissa. I've wanted to try this for a while, but Alissa has warned in other posts that it's time consuming and recommended for smaller quilts. Below is the inside of the potholder, to demonstrate the outcome of this technique. It's messy but very forgiving!

I so wish you could feel texture through the computer screen... here's one last photo to give you an idea of how lush the pebble quilting feels with a thick batting.

Happy New Year to all!

Not so De-Vinyl...

2009-12-20T10:44:00.003-07:00

I got a lovely KitchenAid Mixer for my birthday (thanks Mom!) and after my aunt mentioned how dusty hers gets I thought I'd sew a cover for it...

There's a free tutorial for appliance covers from sewing.about.com

DISCLAIMER: The tutorial I followed is perfectly adequate, all failures associated with this project are from my own not-so-well-thought-out adaptations.

Like most KitchenAid owners, I think my appliance is beautiful and don't want to hide it away in shame, so I thought clear vinyl would be the solution. I changed the pattern to be 2 inches shorter, and then added 3 inches of cute fabric. (My model has a glass bowl which I think is slightly larger/wider)

Not completely terrible from a distance:

One of the problem areas up close:

The main problems are that the seams won't turn out properly, and the fabric along the bottom is not stiff enough to compete with the vinyl. I realize it could be much worse, I'm just still baffled by how bad this looks compared to my initial mental imagine of it. It's not so bad that it's not going to sit on my kitchen counter until I find a way to fix or replace it... but that's because I just moved and have too many other home sewing projects in my head that this one needs to stew for a while.

One or both of the following likely lead to my demise:

#1 - The vinyl I selected was probably too thick (16 gauge)

#2 - Sewing curves in vinyl is very challenging, and this pattern is two ovals being sewn to a rectangle. Women of the 1950s that sewed vinyl slip-covers for their living room furniture must have had crazy sewing skills (and unlimited patience).

To redeem my sewing confidence, I challenged myself to make a softie in an hour last night (challenge prompted by realizing that it was the Saturday before Xmas which meant the stores were all packed with shoppers, and I didn't have a gift to take to a First Birthday party that was going to start in 2 hours.) It ended up taking an hour and 20 minutes, but that's from the time I sat down at the computer to google a softie tutorial, and includes the time rummaging through my fabric bins deciding what to use. The green dots from the mixer cover also made it onto Lucy the Goosey, for which you can find a free tutorial from The Long Thread.

The one-year-old recipient grabbed and carried her by the beak immediately, so I figure that's enough of a compliment to get me back to my home-sewing projects.

SMS Give Away Day Apron Winner Dec 09

2009-12-07T08:22:00.002-07:00

Wow, thanks so much to everyone that stopped by my blog to share your favorite cookie! It makes me hungry every time I look at the comments!

The winner of the apron give-away (selected at random by random.org) is FlowerMomma who just might be making gluten and dairy-free shortbread (if there is such a thing) while wearing the apron.

As a consolation prize to everyone else, check out the comments on the original post to see a great list of much-loved cookies you can enjoy this holiday season!

SMS Give Away Day! December 09

2009-12-01T22:00:00.001-07:00

Happy Give Away Day!

Once again I am participating in Sew Mama Sew's Give Away Day. One lucky blog commenter/cookie lover will win this apron made by yours-truly:

The apron is blue cotton with green/cream trim, and has one pocket. The waist tie is 7 feet long, to accommodate a range of waist sizes.

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment telling your favorite kind of cookie (homemade or store bought, you can even provide a link to a recipe if you'd like) on this post by 11:59pm MT on Sunday December 6th. The winner will be chosen at random. Please be sure to include an email address or blog link from which you can be contacted. I am willing to ship internationally, and will mail promptly after contacting the winner.

Thank you for visiting French Sleep Deprivation Study, and here's to a cheerful cookie-filled holiday season!

No Secret No Bakes.

2009-11-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

Nearly everyone has this cookie recipe. The recipe is quite simple. There are rarely variations in ingredients. And the ingredients are generally things you already have in your pantry... So why then am I posting this recipe that everyone already has? Because I apparently have some magical touch, and people always ask what my secret is. No secrets, just lots of experience. (Many an afternoon in my adolescence was spent making these and eating them straight from the bowl, which in hindsight was just self-medication for... being a teenager!).

So I'm laying it all out here, pictures, tips, and anything else that's missing from one of the world's simplist and most loved cookie recipes... bring on the No-Bakes!

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter*

2 cups white sugar**

6 Tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup milk (cow or soy)

1/4 to 1/2 cup peanut butter***

1 Tbsp vanilla (fake is fine)

3 cups quick-oats****

A few notes about ingredient quality...

* - Butter is superior to margarine in nearly every recipe, and this is not an exception. The only instance in which I condone the use of margarine in this recipe is for Vegans.

** - I have not found any suitable sugar substitutes. I've experimented with sucanat, but even with a 50/50 white sugar to sucanat ratio, they tasted and smelled like molasses, and not in a good way. While "No-Bakes" are a cookie by name, they could just as well be considered a candy, since the cooking process breaks down the sugar and then recrystallizes, so the sugar is a staple ingredient. Sad but true.

*** - It pains me to say this, but natural peanut butter (the kind you grind yourself in the bulk food section) doesn't work as well as processed creamy PB.

**** - Quick-oats really are different than regular or "old-fashioned" rolled oats. Quick-oats are rolled oats that have been cut down to cook faster, not to be confused with instant oats, which are precooked.

Tools:

-Microwave

-Large Microwave safe bowl (don't assume, check the bottom to make sure it is safe. I recommend Pyrex), plus a small microwave safe cup or bowl for melting butter

-Rubber spatula

-Newspaper

-Wax paper

Directions:

Gather all your tools and ingredients. Spread out a piece of newspaper on a portion of counter or table that can lay undisturbed for a few hours. Place wax paper atop the newspaper, so that you'll be ready to go when the cookies are done in the microwave. (TIP: If you need to take the cookies somewhere while they are still "setting", place the newspaper/waxpaper in a cookie sheet before placing the dough to set.)

Next, cut the stick of butter into a dozen-ish smaller pieces so that it will melt more evenly. Place butter in microwave-safe dish and microwave for up to 45 seconds. All microwaves vary, but past 45 seconds generally means a big buttery mess on the ceiling of the microwave.

Watch the butter and remove it when 90% melted. Set aside.

Mix sugar and cocoa in large microwave-safe bowl, breaking up any large clumps of the cocoa.

Add melted butter and milk to sugar/cocoa mixture. You do not need to stir the ingredients completely, as they will mix much easier after some time in the microwave. A few soft turns of the spoon is plenty.

Now it's time for some cookie-cookin'... The best advice I can give is to know your microwave and let the cookie tell you when it is ready. I've made these in a dozen or more microwave ovens over the years, and most take 4-5 minutes, and a few take up to 6 or 7 minutes. But you don't want to just throw the bowl in and walk away, here's the breakdown:

Microwave 1 minute, and then give a good stir. You'll see some bubbles of air escaping from the dry ingredients.

Now microwave 1:30 to 2 minutes, and stir again. The mixture will be smooth this time, and even in color as the sugar has broken down.

Now microwave for 1 minute at a time (stirring between) until the mixture has developed a thin layer of tiny bubbles, which tells you that it is nearly cooked. (See picture below)

Both over- and under-cooking will lead to sub-par cookies. You may need to practice this recipe a few times to get the best results. (If there's a food-scientist out there that knows the exact optimal temperature, please let us know... and I'll also need to know where to acquire a candy thermometer.)

Once you've got the little bubbles, add peanut butter (just plop in in there, no stirring) and microwave for 30 seconds to a minute.

Remove from microwave and move quickly. Add vanilla and stir, but don't worry it there are still a few clumps of the peanutty-goodness that haven't mixed in. Next stir in the oats one cup at a time.

Once mixed, place dough by the spoonful onto the wax paper. Again, you will want to move quickly, as the dough is cooling and will begin to change to a rougher texture.

If the first few cookies develop a liquid border within 30 seconds of placement, as in the picture below, you can add a few Tbsps of additional oats to the remaining dough, but it's often the first sign that the liquid was over or under microwaved.

Ideally your cookies will be plump, with the oats nicely coated in the chocolate and only a small amount of the liquid settling at the base over time. (see below)

Let sit for a few hours to firm up. If firmness is not in the cards for a given batch, enjoy them with a spoon and a gallon of milk... then try again. Enjoy!

black, white, and some good luck.

2009-09-21T14:55:00.004-06:00

I wasn't even actively thrifting when I came across the item that started this refashion. I had met up with a girlfriend on a saturday night, and we needed to kill a bit of time between dinner and movie, so we walked by a consignment shop downtown and this vintage polyester skirt was on the sidewalk clearance rack for $2! I'm a S/M and it's an XL, so when I picked it out my friend said "uh, that's not your size" and I told her to have patience...

BEFORE: (the grid below is in inches, to give an idea of the scale/size)

I poked through my pattern stash, but decided to use an existing dress from my closet as the pattern, mainly because the bottom hem was straight across (like the skirt hem) rather than round for fullness. I had to unstitch the waistband to get the proper length of fabric. I folded the dress in half lengthwise with the side seams touching, and traced the pattern onto the skirt. The skirt's slit was in the center, but I moved it to the side for this short dress. The scraps were used to interface the neck and arms openings.

AFTER: A simple but classy b/w dress for $2 (found a long black zipper in my stash, what are the odds?). Plus, I know that no one else owns one like it! I put darts in the back and at the bust line, but the dress is still not as fitted in the waist as I generally prefer and additional darts in the front aren't an option, but I'll be wearing a white cardigan over this most the time anyway, so I'm happy with it.

Additional observations:

Add this to the list of reasons I'm becoming my mother when it comes to sewing... The slit in the front of the skirt appears to have originally gone all the way up to where the white appliqué stops. A previous owner had added some modesty by hand sewing the slit down to about half the original length. Polyester + hand stitching is not as clean looking as I wanted, and I needed to once again reduce the length of the slit, so I took apart the front of the dress so that it would be machine sewn throughout, and would lay nicely. I sure hope this new found perfectionism doesn't carry over into other realms of my life! Don't worry, that'll never happen, right mom?

one (plus) stash (equals) two

2009-08-15T12:51:00.003-06:00

I really enjoy infomercials, or any commercial really, in which a product is promoted in juxtaposition to "the old way" of doing something. An example is for some car washing product, and the item being sold is filmed in bright colors while the inferior item or method is shown in black and white. The people in the latter shot always have bad posture and frustrated expressions ("oh, filling a bucket with water to wash my car is so awful... isn't there a better way?")

Well, that's how my "Before" picture looks today. It was not intentional, I promise! Just the combination of bad lighting and poor fit, but it's the "Before" and if there wasn't anything wrong with it in the first place, why would I have refashioned it?

BEFORE:

Thrifted 1970's double-knit skirt.

AFTER:

"But wait... There's more! If you call within the next 15 minutes we'll throw in a shirt as well!"

So as not to waste all that fabric that was sliced off the bottom of the skirt, I fashioned myself a little top using some soft double-stretch fabric from my stash.

The yoke and cap sleeves are from my converted version of this (free) Burda pattern.

I also picked up a copy of the Alabama Stitch Book recently, and decided to throw down a bit of reverse applique to give this top some much needed personality.

Happy Sewing!

A Classic Refashion: Oversized to Fitted Shirt

2009-08-09T12:31:00.004-06:00

This is a pretty generic refashion, but I figured I'd post a quick tutorial just in case anyone wanted to skip past thinking about how to make a larger button-up shirt into something smaller. This way you can jump right in.

I found this XL Women's shirt in the 50-cent bin at my favorite thrift store, it's a quality brand, nice linen fabric, and in great shape with the exception of a bit of discoloration in the underarms. But that's no matter because that portion of the shirt will be cut away.

Tutorial note: Men's shirts would also work great as they often come is larger sizes, and are less likely to have existing tailoring or darts that you would need to work around.

BEFORE:

First I looked through my pattern stash and found a button-up dress pattern that I've used before and knew was a good fit. (Butterick B4185 to be exact, it's from 2004, not sure if it's still available but you should be able to find something similar if you don't have a button-up pattern already in your stash) A shirt pattern would be a more obvious selection, but I was trying to use what I already had :)

Next I cut the sleeves away, and lined up and pinned the front portions of the shirt, hem to hem, seam to seam, button to button hole. I placed the pattern front so that the top shoulder seam didn't line up exactly with the edge of the pattern, as you want it to overlap 5/8" -- the amount that you would have normally use for a seam allowance. This is important, otherwise the sleeve may not fit correctly.
Then the same is done with the back pattern, again letting the pattern lay 5/8" over the pre-sewn shoulder seam. Be sure to line up the outermost corner of the sleeve with the cut already made to the front.

If your pattern has darts or other tailoring marks, follow the instructions to fit the shirt to your body shape. I shortened the front darts slightly so that they would not interfere with the details on the existing shirt front.

Next, sew the side seams (unless your pattern calls for sleeves to be sewn in prior to side seams, in which case you should just follow the pattern instructions.)

As for the new sleeve, I opted to cut from the lower portion of the old sleeve to keep some of the detailing near the cuff. (the bottom cuff is pleated, so it may look like I didn't cut out the sleeve wide enough, but I promise that I did)
I thought I might keep the entire cuff, but I eventually cut off the bottom portion since it fell at my elbow wouldn't button comfortably. If the shirt you are using is large enough, you might be able to make a short, 3/4 length, or even a long sleeve while maintaining the original cuff.

Sewing in the sleeve is the only challenging part of this refashion, but just remind yourself how much time and potential frustration you avoided by not having to sew a collar or button placket!

Lastly I hemmed the bottom of the shirt. It was far too long if I kept the original length, plus the front and back were different lengths after sewing darts.

AFTER:

Enjoy! For other refashioning ideas, be sure to check out all the wonderful bloggers that have taken the Wardrobe Refashion Pledge!

Tiny T-shirt Refashion

2009-07-22T08:10:00.006-06:00

So many refashions seem to be taking big clothes and making them much smaller (example: adult clothes to toddler clothes) But I found this too-small long sleeve t-shirt in the 50-cent bin at the thrift outlet and I couldn't resist the cute print...

So I rummaged around until I found another 50-cent shirt in the teal color. It's an old men's polo.

I disassembled the shirt and sewed the sleeves between the front and back pieces to be come sides.

I made a pattern for the front and back yokes using the neckline and sleeve-hole portions of a burda pattern, and then cut the yokes from the teal fabric.

Then the bottom was cut from the print fabric. Since the front yoke ends higher than the back, the print fabric needed to come up higher in the front, so the previous shirt-back became the shirt-front.

The tops of the original sleeves were still left-over, so I made them into short sleeves, and sewed on the (already hemmed) bottom of the polo shirt sleeves as trim.

Lastly, I mimicked the circles from the print fabric by stitching in white onto the teal yoke... it was pretty simple, I'm not sure that it even counts as embroidery.

Shirt front:

Shirt back:
Here's a detail of the lazy-embroidery:

I'm very happy with it, especially for a $1 shirt!

Let's start at the very beginning...

2009-07-11T13:25:00.004-06:00

(channel your inner Julie Andrews)

...a very good place to start,

When you read you begin with A, B, C,

When you Wardrobe Refashion, you being with...

green drapery reminiscent of Sound of Music!

No really, here's the curtain I found while thrifting:

The starting point for this project was a tutorial by My Mama Made It, but I wanted to incorporate more of the curtain fabric, so I put trim around the back and under arms (bias) as well as along the bottom (not bias)

The curtain was scratchy, especially on the backside, so I lined it with some white cotton from my stash.

I had to take the next picture, I assembled much of the shirt before sewing the pieces together! It was pretty comical.

End result:

The back needs a bit of work, notice how the bottom is a bit funky? It was difficult to pair the stretch green fabric with the stiff curtain. I think some darts or gathering will solve it.

Taking the plunge... err, pledge

2009-07-01T17:46:00.003-06:00

Why is it so difficult find time to sew in the summer? I’m certainly struggling! So many trips, BBQs, and days where the weather is too nice to be sitting at my sewing machine.

So, for the next 4 months I’m joining a Wardrobe Refashion blog.

You can follow my journey here on FSDS, but I’ll also do be posting on the WR site. I’m concentrating on clothing right now because I think my motivation will be restored if I can see a few projects from start to finish!

The Pledge

I, Jerilyn Fabulous, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 4 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovated, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings! Signed J-Fab

The website says that many aspects of the challenge are up to the pledger’s interpretation. My main goal will be to work the garments and fabric that I already own, along with thirfted items. I may, however, need to make some new item purchases (thread, zippers, trim, etc) to ensure my projects are of high enough quality and craftsmanship that I will actually wear them :).

I’m also going to try to do 3 garment repair or hemming project per month because I have an embarrassingly large “good intentions” pile that needs to be dealt with. Does anyone else do that? Buy something knowing that it needs to be tailored or hemmed and then NEVER get around to it, and eventually there’s a box of such items with the tags still on?

Lastly… Why this challenge? This encourages “green” sewing, saves money, and gives the opportunity to improve sewing skills. Garment sewing is certainly not new to me but I’ve been quilt-centric recently and would like to make room in my life for both activities.

So from now til Halloween, it’s on! Wish me luck!

Disappearing Log Cabin Quilt

2009-06-24T11:06:00.006-06:00

A few posts ago I mentioned that I had been inspired by the Disappearing Nine Patch to create a Disappearing Log Cabin, only to find out that this is more or less a Bento Box design...

Here's the scoop, I had 9 or 10 different fabrics in the blue and gray family and cut strips of assorted widths (.75 inch to 2.5ish inch). I did improvised log cabins that were all unique. I just kept adding rounds until the blocks were 15-16 inches square. Then I added 4-5 inches of the the outermost fabric to the blocks, half of which were blue and the other half gray. (The middles were always blue or plaid gray and varied in size.) This allowed me to checker gray and blue in the final layout.

Once I had 18 of the big blocks, I cut them in half...

And then into quarters...

I wasn't concerned about getting the cuts even, as I cut down each of the 72 smaller blocks to make sure that the corners were all 90 degrees and that they all had identical measurements. I used varying angles to cut down the blocks, so the log cabins lines are not squared to the blocks, and makes the blocks a tiny bit wonky.

Lastly, there was the layout... I just started putting blocks on the floor, making sure that the 4 similar blocks made from each large log cabin were spread out.

Below are pictures of this in 3 stages. You could certainly recreate log cabin square throughout with 4 different blocks, but I only included a handful of full squares, and the others are pieces and parts of the larger squares.

My final quilt was approx 70" by 80"

I used Warm & Natural batting for the first time and I'm very happy with the shrinkage. (It also hides some of the big goof-ups that occurred during the top stitching! I really need a better system for sandwiching)

This does follow some of my "Man Quilt" rules, as it was an anniversary gift for some friends. I wanted it to be something the husband could also appreciate. The colors were picked to correspond with their Dallas Cowboys themed tv-room, but the quilt is varied enough in color that it would work in other rooms too.

So there you have it, a "Disappearing" Log Cabin. I think it has a bit of a 3D effect, and it is just the kind of modern-meets-folk that I was hoping for!

Snack Bag Tutorial!!!

2009-06-13T10:01:00.006-06:00

I've finished by first tutorial, wahoo! The linked pdf will show you how to make these reusable snack and sandwich bags:

The document contains

-Materials & Tool Lists

-Information about mylar snack packaging

-Assembly Instructions

-Frequently Asked Questions

-Templates

Plus lots of pictures and tips! And did I mention it's FREE?

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS .pdf LINK (link updated 11/23/09 - If not all pages display, select the download option)

Enjoy!

What will someone else think of next?

2009-06-05T15:00:00.001-06:00

The deeper I get into the quilting world, the more I realize that whatever I think of has already been thought of (and named) by someone else. And that's okay, I'm not here to demonstrate that I have original thoughts... I just want to make nice looking quilts and share those quilts with you!

Still, the above revelation has come to me twice recently. Last week as I was arranging the blocks on an upcoming gift quilt, I thought "Hey, this looks a bit like a Bento quilt!" So I googled it, and yep... that's pretty much how you make a bento quilt! I was going to call it a "Disappearing Log Cabin" as the Disappearing 9-patch was how I thought of the approach. (Want to see it? Too bad... I can't post any pictures until it has been gifted.)

The other time this happened was when working on a baby quilt (pics below). First I picked out all my fabrics (the part I hate most):

Then I tackled a Crazy Nine Patch Tutorial by Elizabeth from Oh Fransson!. If you aren't familiar with Elizabeth's blog, her talent is only matched by her generosity, so many wonderful tutorials! She also has quilt and craft patterns available on her etsy site.

Elisabeth warned that the seams will not line up, but once I have finished a few blocks I just couldn't handle it! Don't get me wrong, it's pretty common for me to have seams that don't match due to my complete lack of perfectionism... whether it was the fabric selection or the seams, I just wasn't feeling it. So I decided to use a narrow sashing to separate the "patches" and call attention away from the uneven seams. I used 3/4" strips of inexpensive black fabric so with 1/4" seam allowances, it left 1/4" of sashing:

Here are the before and after of the blocks:

When looking at the finished quilt, I had my moment... "Wow, this looks like stained glass! This style should be called 'Stained Glass quilting'!!"... so I googled it...

And it is called stained glass. There are even published books for this technique.

Like I said, I'm not here to be the first ever quilter to try something, but darn this quilt looks good! I can't ask for more.

SMS Giveaway Winners!

2009-06-01T07:25:00.004-06:00

Thank you so much to everyone that stopped by my blog during SMS Give-Away. I'm honored to have received so many comments and new subscribers to my blog. Alas, there can only be two winners…

Give-Away #1: Winner of Vintage Knitting Books…. Jessamyn from Portland OR who craves a vintage inspired Ski-hoodie.

Give-Away #2: Winner of reusable sandwich and snack bags… Stephanie and Carlos from Sydney Australia who design children's clothes from repurposed materials. Check out their blog here: http://moobeardesigns.blogspot.com/

If you didn’t win the snack bag giveaway, but are interested in making your own, I will be posting a tutorial in the coming weeks! Please check back!

SMS Give Away Day! Item #2 - Handmade Items

2009-05-27T00:02:00.003-06:00

Welcome SMS Give Away-ers! This is giveaway #2 of 2 on my blog.

I'm in the process of putting together a tutorial for reusable sandwich and snack bags. These are some prototypes that I'm offering up in homes that you will come back in a few weeks and check out the free tutorial! (I hope to have it posted by mid-June) They are green and black cotton on the outside, fused to repurposed mylar chip and cookie bags. Closures are button and elastic. The green bag has a gusseted bottom and is sandwich sized, and the smaller black bag is intended for nuts, chips, carrot sticks, etc. but hey, who am I to tell you what to pack in your lunch?

The empty view:

The yummy lunch view:

The all-sealed-up-and-ready-to-hit-the-road view:

The details on how to win these...

Leave a comment on this post, the winner will be selected at random. Comments must be made by 11:59pm MT on May 31st. If your comment does not contain a blog link or other contact info, please be sure to check back to see if you have won!

(Note: I'm located in the US, but willing to ship internationally)

Are you a knitter? If so, be sure to checkout my other give-away post!

Check out the Sew,Mama,Sew blog for other great giveaways!

SMS Give Away Day! Item #1 - Knitting Supplies/Materials

2009-05-27T00:01:00.002-06:00

Welcome SMS Give Away-ers! This is giveaway #1 of 2 on my blog.

One lucky winner will receive these fabulous vintage knitting books. I picked these up at a thrift store in Dillon, Montana, and then realized I'm never going to sit still long enough to knit anything out of them (plus I prefer crocheting, don't tell my grandmother!). Winner will be selected at random and will receive all 5 of the following:

Spinnerin "His and Hers" (1966)

Bernhard Ulmann Company "Men's Classics" (1966)

Coats & Clark "Children's Classics" (1956)

Bernat Handicrafter "The Big Book of Ski and Sports Sweaters" (1956)

Bernat "The Bernat Book for All Sports" (1958)

This books are well loved and for authenticity, contain both pencil markings and coffee stains from the original owner :)

The winner will find that these knitting books are equal parts functional and hilarious.

Selected images:

The details on how to win these books...

Leave a comment on this post. Feel free to leave witty comments about the above images, however the winner will be selected at random. Comments must be made by 11:59pm on May 31st. If your comment does not contain a blog link or other contact info, please be sure to check back to see if you have won! (Note: I'm located in the US, but willing to ship internationally)

Check out the Sew,Mama,Sew blog for other great giveaways! Good Luck!

Quilt for a wee lassie

2009-05-24T16:00:00.001-06:00

Here is another baby quilt with B/W and one color (See Blue Moo Baby Quilt for logic). The blocks are log cabin using two different sized strips, so the B/W strips were 2" and the greens 1.5"

I made this last Spring, before I had a machine that could handle top-stitching without spending hours fiddling with thread tension... So I just used a thin batting and sewed using a normal foot and feed dogs. I had green thread on top and black on the back.

To give the quilt an irish touch, I put 4 shamrocks in with green thread on both the back and the front. I just printed out a clip-art shamrock, traced around it with a white pencil, and sewed in the same manner I was doing the top stitching.

Monkey in the Mail

2009-05-11T08:55:00.004-06:00

I put a monkey in the mail last week. I sure hope that's legal. At least I beat the postage price increase! (Side note: Dear, USPS: Please just make stamps 50 cents and then leave us alone for a year or two. You change the rate so often we have no idea whether we are using the correct stamps from day to day. Thanks.)

My cousin (on the quilting side of the family) is having a baby and between her mom and sisters I know that this child will not be lacking quilts, especially since this will be the first grandchild in their family. So I took this opportunity to branch out and experiment with 3 dimensional sewing. My nephew adores the sock monkey his "Gama" made, so that's where this project starts. With the blue-eyed boy and his monkey!

Instructions: I used a hodge-podge of sock monkey tutorials from the web. No need to cover the basic sock-monkey assembly tactics in this blog... just google it.

Material:

#1 - Socks! Cute ones purchased in a 2-set coordinating pack. Since there is a directional pattern of the hearts, I had to make some changes to the basic monkey pattern... Source: Fred Meyer (a store in the Northwest US... it's a grocery store/gardening center/clothing store... but not in a Walmart kind of way. My mom would take me there in my 90s grunge phase and tell me that she would abandon me in the giant store if I didn't surrender by dirty, worn-out converse chuck taylor high tops and leave the store in a new pair.)

#2 - Stuffin' (Poly-filling... available at any craft or fabric store.) If you are a quilter you can use scraps of leftover batting. I almost bought black and pink socks for this project, but I was afraid that as the sock stretched the white stuffing would show, and post-construction I certainly think that would have been the case.

#3 - Felt. I picked up a sheet each of red, white, and black. Many of the sock monkeys roaming the internet have button eyes, but buttons may not be appropriate for use on toys of young children as they can be a choking hazard. The red is for the mouth, but if using a red-heel traditional monkey sock, it's not necessary.

Here's a picture of the monkey in progress. Before it had ears and a bum I thought the sock monkey might turn out to be a sock sealion! But don't lose hope, he/she turned out pretty cute. (do sock monkeys have genders?)

Here are some photos of the finished monkey:

His arms are a little short for a sock monkey, but that's because these are women's socks and the arms come from the foot which was shorter than in a man's sock.

This project made me a fan of sewing sock creatures. Sock material is really easy to work with, and since some of the components had to be hand sewn, it's nice that the hand stitches blend into the sock knitting. In other words... you don't need to be anywhere near perfect at hand stitching.

Of the 4 original socks, I have one grey sock left. Stay posted... you never know what I'll come up with to do with a stray funky sock!

90s movies PLUS quilting EQUALS...

2009-05-03T14:25:00.005-06:00

I watch a lot of old movies when I quilt. I think this quilt picked up a little too much of the 90's vibe from Sleepless in Seattle. (I also watch "Bones" episodes on hulu.com, I hope that doesn't start appearing in my baby quilts!)

The quilt top is an improv log cabin, offset by the final layer of log

The greens in this quilt turned out to be more dominant than I had expected. It reminds be of the hot pink and neon green spandex shorts my mom made for me in the early 90's (back when I was young and thin thighed, obviously). Also, the 90's are making a comeback, right?

Apparently not everyone has such associations with these colors though, because I did get some nice compliments on the colors.

I did really like the texture of this quilt post-topstitching and a trip through the dryer. Look at the picture below, don't you just wish you could reach through your computer screen and touch it??? The stitching is in black, green, and pink.

I think I've become addicted to pieced quilt backs. It's like the quilt has a secret.

Lastly, I should note that this was my first attempt at incorporating rick-rack into a quilt, and I think it went well. Below you can see one of the places I used it:

Now go put in a good Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan flick... you know you want to!

Blue Moo Baby Quilt

2009-04-30T17:01:00.001-06:00

I'm no scientist, but I've read and heard that babies enjoy the high contrast of black against white. So I've made quite a few quilts that are black and white with a selected color, for this reason and the following...

I truely hate picking out fabrics for quilting... I spend hours wandering around the fabric store, picking things up, carrying them around, finding something else I like better, then trying to figure out where I got the original item from so that I can put it back. I'm sure the people working there hate this, but also I've been assured that it is relatively common. Also, having worked in a fabric store I feel like I've done my time doing the clean-up :)

Using B/W fabrics generally solves this issue for me... B/W fabrics nearly always match, and it's easy to incorporate just a bit of color, rather than worrying about color schemes, shades, etc.

The following baby quilt was relatively easy to lay out, and I'm posting it to celebrate the 3rd birthday of the little one for whom it was quilted. I cut 5" squares out of each of the selected fabrics, put one in the middle of the floor, and then built out from there making a symetrical yet not too obvious pattern.

The back was a cow print, and the stitching was done in blue.

Babies, Babies, Everywhere!

2009-04-26T09:45:00.008-06:00

I know way too many people that are pregnant right now! When I started this blog I was worried that I wouldn't be able to sew fast enough to keep up regular postings, but what I have found is that I'm too busy sewing to sit down and post!

So this is a baby quilt for my friend Lena, who is expecting a little girl in June. Her theme is ladybugs (who knew there was SO MUCH ladybug stuff out there?) but I tried to be more subtle and just use the colors of her decor. I think her husband appreciated this because his home has been overtaken by red and pink insect cartoons. Here's the originally selected fabrics, although I added a touch of green later just to add visual interest.

I tried* to use a pattern on this, it was free online at this link: http://www.camelotcottons.com/files/file/free_projects/27.pdf

*By tried I mean I loosely followed the instructions... I'm not good at patterns.

I've also heard of this pattern as "spiderwebs" which smart people do as paper piecing. If I were to do it again I would certainly consider the paper piecing approach because, as the image below illustrates, it's REALLY difficult to match 8 triangles into a single point!

The primary deviations from the pattern were the following:

-I resized the pattern to about 60% of the original since this is a smaller quilt (approx 45"x45")

-I didn't want the "flowers" to be cut in half along the borders, so I made additional templates as needed to have only complete flowers.

Here's the finished product!

My first Man-Quilt...

2009-03-30T18:33:00.008-06:00

My best guy friend just turned 30. I figured such a monumental birthday called for a serious gift, and thus, the "man-quilt" was born.

Man-Quilt Rule #1 - No pastels or frilly prints.

This quilt is for manly men. They stand when they pee and think grilling meat brings them closer to God. Pinks and flowers are not permitted.

Man-Quilt Rule #2 - No delicate, intricately pieced designs.

He's not going to "cuddle" with anything too dainty. Also, this rule is kind to the quilter as it takes less time to piece. This quilt is pretty big, at least in comparison to baby quilts (already gifted it, so I don't have the exact measurements but it was at least 60" by 100").

Man-Quilt Rule #3 - No quarter-inches here!

Due to the unpredictable nature of these non-traditional (read: synthetic) fabrics, the seam allowances are all at least 3/8".

I've thought for years about making a quilt out of menswear fabrics (likely from watching too many episodes of Project Runway). I frequently use black and white fabrics in my baby quilts, so this was a natural transition for my monochromatic brain.

It's no secret that I'm "thrifty" when it comes to fabric, so I started by cutting the fabric into 3.5" strips and sewing them end to end. Next I sewed together the 4 super long strips (one of each fabric) length-wise. This was so long that when I ironed the seams I had to roll the fabric onto a tube to keep it from tangling. The fabrics weren't consistent in width, so the seams were staggered throughout and aren't noticeable in the finished product. Some quilters would scoff at this, but I just don't think quilting should be unnecessarily wasteful...

The long pieced fabric strip is cut into right triangles (45-45-90 degrees), as seen in this lovely sketch:

There will be two visually different triangles (A and B). Blocks are made by placing together the right angles (top of the pyramid) of four triangles.

The final layout alternates blocks of A and B triangles.

The top stitching was a combination of meandering and loosely rotated spiraling squares. The spiraling squares can be seen here:

The back was a small white on black plaid with strips of the grey fabric along the sides to fit the width of the quilt front. Binding was also the grey fabric.

Here's the finished product...