Mom was a journeyman seamstress, so I do know how to sew and have made clothing – mostly for my wife.
Only one of which was, ahem, permissible to wear in public. ;)
OK, it was more than one, but not by much. For our silver anniversary, I designed and made her outfit. My suit, beyond my ability, so it was a conventional design suit of fine cashmere wool.
So, I can cook well, sew quite well, I’m quite the catch – the one the wise throw back. :P
kestrelsays
Those are some really nice designs! I especially like the ammonites.
Sewing is not a difficult skill, you should try it. Just think of the fun pajamas you could make! It would be a huge hit with the grandkids. :-)
robrosays
Dinosaurs are cute, but…Where are the spiders? I didn’t even see one spider in the “Fabric of Life” version…the travesty. I know several people who would buy a spider print fabric, make something out of it, and wear it in public.
I guess it’s a sign of changing times. When I was kid, both my grandmother’s made clothes as did my aunts…and yeah, women sewed. I had shirts made from flour sacks, and one grandmother made me a shirt replete with Confederate battle flags…embarrassing to think of now but then it seemed cool. All that sewing seems to have stopped by the early 60s. I never learned to sew but I did sit at the quilting frame a bit was I was a little guy while staying with one of my great-grandmother’s in Georgia. I also picked a little cotton. The price for being born 75 years ago…tomorrow.
cgildersays
I bought a few yards of the dinosaur, purple sea star, and strata prints in bag and throw pillow weights. Too cute. I only learned to do very basic clothing, but I’m tempted to dig some of those skills out of my memory and try to make a couple sun dresses (with pockets!)
Larrysays
It’s what all the fashionable 6 year olds will be wearing to class this spring
woozysays
Astigmatism + dirty screen + mild dyslexia made me read the headline as “Suddenly wishing I knew how to screw”. Thought “Gee, even for PZ that’s a little crude… guess the story is going to be about so dumb ultraconservative commentary in Texas or Florida about how sex is ‘supposed’ to be”. Read the story and thought “1) TMI… yuck 2) Uh, most people wouldn’t want the world knowing this and 3) Huh???”. Finally my brain caught up with my eyes.
R. L. Fostersays
A sea of dinosaurs and not a human in sight. The State of Florida better look into this ASAP. Can’t have the kids exposed to woke paleontology, can we?
I checked his site and he has wallpaper too! The paper kind, not on my computer. Unfortunately he doesn’t have the dinosaur pattern otherwise he’d be cleaning up in the 4 – 8 year old kid market.
Well, you know what they say: you’re never too old to learn.
wzrd1says
woozy @6, that’s why they make that wonderful and worhshipful magical elixir of life, coffee.
That way one’s dyslexia goes at high speed.
R. L. Foster @7, careful, might turn those kids into paleophiles.
That’d drive the knuckle walkers into a frenzy.
I’ve also found a few sites with spider fabric pattern cloth, to give a hint on my four word search terms.
SQB @9, indeed! I don’t play stopping learning until long after I’m dead. :)
rrhainsays
Oh, don’t let it stop you.
I had the great honor of taking Introductory Chemistry from J. Arthur Campbell at Harvey Mudd. Many of my generation remember him from high school as he was the chemist in a series of films that taught chemistry.
He always wore Hawaiian shirts made of Escher-print fabric. Turns out when he was stationed in Hawaii, there was a fabric shop that had the fabric for not much money. He bought the cloth and his wife made him a bunch of Hawaiian shirts out of it. He would always wear them to lecture. You may have to learn how to do it, but isn’t that hard. Simplicity pattern S9157.
brightmoonsays
Learn to sew by making a 4 patch quilt top . It’s a checkerboard pattern. If you get bored you can leave it as a pillow topper . Cut the squares with a 1/4 inch seam allowance on all sides. A 2×2 square is cut at 2 1/2 inches . I use graph paper glued to cereal box cardboard . Use a sharp pencil and draw the 2in square and cut 1/4 inch away from that line . Sewing it together, sew exactly on that line. Don’t make a smaller square especially if you’ve never sewn anything before
If you use a sewing needle instead of a machine , get embroidery needles . They have a longer eye and are easier to thread . Don’t use Dollar Store needles, they’re dull and its hard to sew with them. Get the brand name needles, Dritz, Singer ,etc .
Use a single thread and tie 2 knots at the end . Sew exactly on the sewing line . 6 stitches to the inch is fine, but try for 8. Beginners tend make one stitch as a time (stab stitching) but after a while you’ll learn to make 5-7 at once . Backstitch the first stitch and the last stitch so that the sewn line doesn’t come apart later .
maggiesays
Just buy about 8 yards and wrap it around you like a toga.
StevoRsays
@ PZ Myers :
Maybe it’s a good thing I don’t know how to sew, because you know I would not exercise restraint and would emerge in a fabulously garish wardrobe.
I’m sure you would have friends who are willing and capable of sewing your ideal dinosaur dream coat here if you ask them..
wzrd1says
@maggie, that’d leave me two yards short of a first down. ;)
@StevoR, I’d want a well made onesie.
llyrissays
Oh. Spoonflower. The endless rabbit hole. I frequently get lost in there. Commissions on sales go straight to the artists, so if you do decide you need dinosaur pj’s he will get paid too.
And if you decide there’s an unacceptable lack of spiders you can upload your own contribution.
I love that site.
wzrd1 says
Mom was a journeyman seamstress, so I do know how to sew and have made clothing – mostly for my wife.
Only one of which was, ahem, permissible to wear in public. ;)
OK, it was more than one, but not by much. For our silver anniversary, I designed and made her outfit. My suit, beyond my ability, so it was a conventional design suit of fine cashmere wool.
So, I can cook well, sew quite well, I’m quite the catch – the one the wise throw back. :P
kestrel says
Those are some really nice designs! I especially like the ammonites.
Sewing is not a difficult skill, you should try it. Just think of the fun pajamas you could make! It would be a huge hit with the grandkids. :-)
robro says
Dinosaurs are cute, but…Where are the spiders? I didn’t even see one spider in the “Fabric of Life” version…the travesty. I know several people who would buy a spider print fabric, make something out of it, and wear it in public.
I guess it’s a sign of changing times. When I was kid, both my grandmother’s made clothes as did my aunts…and yeah, women sewed. I had shirts made from flour sacks, and one grandmother made me a shirt replete with Confederate battle flags…embarrassing to think of now but then it seemed cool. All that sewing seems to have stopped by the early 60s. I never learned to sew but I did sit at the quilting frame a bit was I was a little guy while staying with one of my great-grandmother’s in Georgia. I also picked a little cotton. The price for being born 75 years ago…tomorrow.
cgilder says
I bought a few yards of the dinosaur, purple sea star, and strata prints in bag and throw pillow weights. Too cute. I only learned to do very basic clothing, but I’m tempted to dig some of those skills out of my memory and try to make a couple sun dresses (with pockets!)
Larry says
It’s what all the fashionable 6 year olds will be wearing to class this spring
woozy says
Astigmatism + dirty screen + mild dyslexia made me read the headline as “Suddenly wishing I knew how to screw”. Thought “Gee, even for PZ that’s a little crude… guess the story is going to be about so dumb ultraconservative commentary in Texas or Florida about how sex is ‘supposed’ to be”. Read the story and thought “1) TMI… yuck 2) Uh, most people wouldn’t want the world knowing this and 3) Huh???”. Finally my brain caught up with my eyes.
R. L. Foster says
A sea of dinosaurs and not a human in sight. The State of Florida better look into this ASAP. Can’t have the kids exposed to woke paleontology, can we?
John Britschgi says
I checked his site and he has wallpaper too! The paper kind, not on my computer. Unfortunately he doesn’t have the dinosaur pattern otherwise he’d be cleaning up in the 4 – 8 year old kid market.
SQB says
Well, you know what they say: you’re never too old to learn.
wzrd1 says
woozy @6, that’s why they make that wonderful and worhshipful magical elixir of life, coffee.
That way one’s dyslexia goes at high speed.
R. L. Foster @7, careful, might turn those kids into paleophiles.
That’d drive the knuckle walkers into a frenzy.
I’ve also found a few sites with spider fabric pattern cloth, to give a hint on my four word search terms.
SQB @9, indeed! I don’t play stopping learning until long after I’m dead. :)
rrhain says
Oh, don’t let it stop you.
I had the great honor of taking Introductory Chemistry from J. Arthur Campbell at Harvey Mudd. Many of my generation remember him from high school as he was the chemist in a series of films that taught chemistry.
He always wore Hawaiian shirts made of Escher-print fabric. Turns out when he was stationed in Hawaii, there was a fabric shop that had the fabric for not much money. He bought the cloth and his wife made him a bunch of Hawaiian shirts out of it. He would always wear them to lecture. You may have to learn how to do it, but isn’t that hard. Simplicity pattern S9157.
brightmoon says
Learn to sew by making a 4 patch quilt top . It’s a checkerboard pattern. If you get bored you can leave it as a pillow topper . Cut the squares with a 1/4 inch seam allowance on all sides. A 2×2 square is cut at 2 1/2 inches . I use graph paper glued to cereal box cardboard . Use a sharp pencil and draw the 2in square and cut 1/4 inch away from that line . Sewing it together, sew exactly on that line. Don’t make a smaller square especially if you’ve never sewn anything before
If you use a sewing needle instead of a machine , get embroidery needles . They have a longer eye and are easier to thread . Don’t use Dollar Store needles, they’re dull and its hard to sew with them. Get the brand name needles, Dritz, Singer ,etc .
Use a single thread and tie 2 knots at the end . Sew exactly on the sewing line . 6 stitches to the inch is fine, but try for 8. Beginners tend make one stitch as a time (stab stitching) but after a while you’ll learn to make 5-7 at once . Backstitch the first stitch and the last stitch so that the sewn line doesn’t come apart later .
maggie says
Just buy about 8 yards and wrap it around you like a toga.
StevoR says
@ PZ Myers :
I’m sure you would have friends who are willing and capable of sewing your ideal dinosaur dream coat here if you ask them..
wzrd1 says
@maggie, that’d leave me two yards short of a first down. ;)
@StevoR, I’d want a well made onesie.
llyris says
Oh. Spoonflower. The endless rabbit hole. I frequently get lost in there. Commissions on sales go straight to the artists, so if you do decide you need dinosaur pj’s he will get paid too.
And if you decide there’s an unacceptable lack of spiders you can upload your own contribution.
I love that site.