EDIT: This post has been stolen by some sort of horrible blog-bot and appears in full at “sewing.unix-fu.org/sewing-talk” THIS IS NOT ME, and I am really upset that my words and photos have been stolen whole-hog. Anyone know how to make this stop?
Dru’s off on a Boy’s Day Out (read: all-day video game-a-thon), so I’ve had a nice quiet afternoon to myself. I spend a few hours on Queen St. West in fabric, bead, and button shops, which are all glorious and overwhelming in their own way, and did a very good job of a) getting what I needed and b) not going to any yarn stores (ok, so I went into Americo, but only becuase I knew I wouldn’t buy anything there!). My haul for the day was: 1) beads, for spindle-whorls, 2) spindle whorl shafts, 3) adhesive, and 4) lining fabric. (I am so restrained!)
Glass beads for whorls.
Plastic, but very pretty, beads for whorls.
This is the fabric I bought:
Burgundy-purple kasha lining (a satin-fronted, flannel-backed lining, perfect for winter coats).
It is going to go into this coat:
I bought this coat in early September last year because I loved it (and still do). It is wool (a passerby once has even guessed part cashmere); it has amazing Victorian-esq details and very clever feminine seaming; it is warm and lovely. Unfortunately, on top of being shamefully in need of a good de-linting* and missing a button**, it is also quite dreadfully ripped inside:
I don’t even have pockets anymore. This needs to be fixed! And, since I have the technology (sewing machine on loan), ability ( I’ve even made a complete winter coat once before, with much advice from Kelly), and bloody-mindedness (what, like I’d actually pay someone else to sew it?!?), I will be doing the work myself. This involves pre-washing the fabric, cutting the entirity of the old lining out from the coat, using it to get my pattern, cutting out the pieces, sewing them together (properly, without taking my usual no-pins, kamikaze, git’er done approach), and hand-stitching the hem. Which I don’t feel like doing today, and you can’t make me! :P
I have spend several hours making spindles, though, so barring the adhesive issues (anyone know of a mega-adhesive that works like a gel or putty?) I feel like I’ve acomplished some good today. Now I’m going to curl up on the couch with my knitting, drink some hot chocolate, and relax!
And speaking of hot cocoa… there’s going to be a new swap starting up for Jan/Feb, the Mmmm…Hot Cocoa chocolate and yarn swap! Channon tipped me off to this, and it sounds like it’ll be awesome. There’s a contest on to spead the word, so when sign-ups open on Dec. 15, tell them you heard about it here!
And speaking of contests… don’t forget to enter mine! I’m leaving it open until Friday, and I’m loving discovering your favourite blog posts! Don’t be shy, leave me a comment!!
*I am such a geek that even typing “de-lint” I think of one of my favorite authors!
**I tried to find buttons, but I guess after being nearly lost in the labyrinthine fabric stores and barely avoiding the catfights at the bead stores (wow are those bead ladies pushy!), I just didn’t have the stamena to endure the wall-to-wall boxes of buttons. I can always go back later!
Aemmeleia's Ephemera 
Oh man. That is _really_ geeky. Ouch.
Pretty beads, though! Shiny!
Damn, that’s where you were. I tried calling you just after Dru called, but I guess you had left already. I was downtown yesterday afternoon, and had been hoping to meet up. Oh well. I stupidly went to the Eaton Center to look for coats, not a good idea on a Saturday. Yay for pretty beads.
Silicone. It has super adhesive powers for many surface types (including glass) and has a gel-like texture which will do some gap-filling. You can get clear or coloured at any hardware store or your local Home Despot.
Those are some seriously righteous beads for whorls. I love them.