Stitch Fix - Nothing To Do With Fixing Your Stitching

Having recently started a new job (which is going really well btw although I am starting to use a lot more text speak from using three different messaging systems with various groups of staff) I quickly realised my personal style had somewhat lost its way. 

The closest I've come to describing my style is to mutter "something of the Sue Pollard" and leave it at that. After 18 months of housewifery in three different countries my 'work' wardrobe was straggly, to say the least, and I do not enjoy shopping for clothes in shops so I  found myself googling "online personal stylist". An thus, my relationship with Stitch Fix began.

The name, naturally, caught my attention, as I thought perhaps my search history and google had colluded and concluded that there was no point showing me stylists and was taking me to some new sewing product instead. But no. It is an online personal stylist who looks at the information you provide (their questions plus optional links to your Pinterest, LinkedIn etc) and sends you five items in your size as often or infrequently as you want and where you can send back whatever you don't like in a prepaid return envelope. Your only risk is $20 which you pay upfront to be 'styled' and if you keep any of the items that is redeemed against their cost. If you keep all five items they knock 25% off the total price. It almost sounded too good to be true but I looked at reviews and saw more and more fashion and normal blogs praising it and thought "Well, OK then." I scheduled my first box to arrive on the 15th - tomorrow - which is when I get paid, but it actually arrived early so I have the swag already. These are my five items. 

1.  Skinny Jeans - $150ish

(You get one of these little cards with each item showing you two styling options - day and night kind of thing.)

I gulped a bit when I saw this as I have one pair which were on sale for £15 in Dorothy Perkins and which give me a muffin top and aren't terribly comfortable. Plus I would never try on a pair of jeans in a shop that cost $150 because who pays that much for jeans? You can get them on sale for £15. But...I tried them on they were really comfortable. To the extent that I just kept them on for the rest of the day. The fit and length were great and when I mentioned all this to my fashionista sister she she that was the difference between £15 sale jeans and $150 good jeans. Not something I would buy more than once a year but a definite KEEP. 

2. Zip Back Blouse - $50ish (I haven't got the prices handy but remember them roughly)

I have always been rather disdainful of exposed zips. To me it smacks of cheap tailoring methods since it's much easier to make them with the zip out than with it 'properly' covered. I have therefore never tried on a single item with an exposed zip and have even curled my top lip somewhat when seeing someone wearing something with one. More fool me. Maybe. I don't see myself going in for them in a big way but then this is why this service has proved so popular - it takes your style profile (or lack thereof) and tugs at the edges to push you where you haven't been up til now but where they think you'll look fiiiiine. It's a lovely red too and looks great with the jeans. It's a KEEP. 

3. Racer Back Tank - $35ish

By now you may be predicting I am about to start with 'I have never tried on a racer back top before but...' and you would be part right. I have tried on one before, but not liked it. Ditto with this one. I have pretty broad shoulders anyway - sleeve seams on t-shirts rarely sit where they should - but also the blue on this was a bit too electric plus you need to fiddle with your bra straps to go racer back. So based on the colour and back, it's a NO. 

4. Polka Dot Tank - $50ish

As someone who rarely meets a polka dot she doesn't like, I had high hopes for this. Navy with white dots at the top and then a stripe in a good red at the bottom. Sounds good?

Pooch took this photo and told me my face looked like a wrestler. I assume he was thinking of this. 

Back to the top - I tend to avoid things that make me look like I have an Equator. What looked and sounded perfection on paper has let me down because of my quintessentially english pear-shape. That red stripe - just NO. Those are the skinny jeans btw. 

5. Asymmetrical Zip Cardigan - can't remember the price

San Francisco is, on the whole, a fairly warm kind of place. You don't need big heavy coats but sometimes you could do with something snuggly when out first or last thing. Enter this cardigan. It clearly has a tried and tested pedigree at Stitch Fix since I've seen blog posts elsewhere going back a year or so which have featured it as being in a box. Unnecessary seams (by which I mean you can do these things with just a front, back and sleeves in four pieces but this has more pieces than that) add shaping and style while the thick jersey cotton is snuggly but not hot. Plus if you leave it open it's a waterfall cardigan which looks good too. 

I discovered the pockets and knew it was all over - KEEP. 

For me to keep three out of five items was, for me, a complete win. I'll send back the other two tomorrow by just dropping the prepaid bag in a postbox and I'm going to schedule another box for when I next get paid. If you feel like giving it a try click on one of the links in this post and I get something like $20 credit with them, admittedly, but do it anyway because it is a very cool service, especially if you're like me and not keen on clothes shopping in real shops. 

So now ty for reading and I'll brb.

lol ;)

Cat Sitting

This week I have been leaving work and getting a cab straight to an area of SF called Potrero Hills. A friend lives there and I have been looking after her cat while she's been away. This is Luna.

Isn't she sweet? She was a rescue cat and has got a number of scars on her face around her nose and eyebrows where the fur doesn't grow anymore - poor little thing. However, she is now living the life of riley with hot and cold running cat food and everything else taken care of.

When I arrive she is either on the bed or on the back of the sofa so we have a good stroking session before I get a drink and refresh her water and food.

However, once she's had enough strokes we start to play. I took some EPP to the house to do in the evenings and Luna loves the white thread against the dark brown sofa.

It has basically put an end to my sewing since I am worried she will put her paw on the needle!

Having access to a cat for a whole week is such a treat!

Amazing Swaps!

I do love a good swap. You have to be prepared to take a punt that the person you are receiving from will put in as much effort as you do. With these two swaps I know they both put in that little bit extra - such amazing packages!

The first was a swap I ran myself for the English Paper Patchwork swap group on Flickr. Liza blew me away with her amazing parcel - not only an EPP pouch but a paper pieced one too!

Plus the extras - am I not extremely lucky?! The duck is a tape measure - so adorable and much harder to lose than the usual flat ones.

The second was from Cynde and was only supposed to be for a thread catcher. Look what she sent!

A full set of sewing accessories and a marking pen and a cotton+steel charm pack - how generous is that?!

Didn't I tell you I got properly spoilt on both parcels!?

How Was Your Day Dear?

Prior to today my only experience of working in a commercial environment was my Dad's solicitor firm. My business surroundings since then have been charities - not-for-profit organisations with Members who needed servicing and usually a magazine published monthly and maybe a small finance department.

Today, I entered the world of San Franciscan Tech Start-Ups.

In my old work environment you were given a second hand computer when you arrived. It would be a desktop with a big, heavy hard drive under the desk. There were "office" laptops and if you needed one you had to sign it out. If you were lucky one of the newer ones was available, otherwise you ended up with one like a breeze block. Only the CEO had their own laptop, and that would be a generic thing not a Sony or Mac. Now as I sat down at my new desk my boss was trying to wipe the Mac Book Air given to my predecessor, who only used it for two weeks. "It's not working" she said "so just take one of those." Gesturing behind her she pointed to a stack of brand new Mac Books still in their wrappers. The lady to my left noticed the stack and said "Oh, I need a new one too." "Ok." said my boss "Go ahead and take one."

"You'll need a notepad too." said my boss. OK, I said, expecting a stationary cupboard. In my previous job, when someone left, the used pages of their notepads were torn out and the unused portion left for the new person to use.

She handed me my A5 Moleskin notepad with the company logo embossed, not just printed, on the front - individually shrink wrapped.

"What would you like for lunch?" my boss asked me. "Oh is it it office lunch today?" I asked with trepidation - remembering the set-lunch-A that 'catering' used to provide at my old work. "On Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays you use this link to order whatever you want from local places and a company picks it all up and delivers it here for you." I looked at the link - it was restaurant type food. "On Wednesdays and Thursdays we order a load of stuff from local places so we might have Mexican or Chinese - tomorrow is Mexican." My head whirls slightly as I realise I'll never have to buy lunch for as long as I work here. Looking at the kitchen I can see a huge fridge full of every kind of juice and soda and on all the shelves are endless (mostly) healthy snacks - including two different dried fruits covered in chocolate. 

It's not quite Google, but there are exercise balls to sit on in lieu of chairs,(should you wish) several designer chairs for cuddling up in with just you and your laptop, plus an actual freaking hammock. 

Tomorrow there's a free company happy hour in a nearby bar. I am truly working for a tech start-up.

Filling Up On Cats

With my new job starting any minute now, I knew my visit to the Cat Town Cafe in Oakland last week might have to last me a little while. My visit started memorably when my Uber driver asked if it was ok if he came in with me to have a look since he was intrigued by the idea and had never heard of the area's speciality coffee house. He departed after grabbing a cup and I was left to enjoy the cats.

The sleeping guy above had the cutest pink nose and little black paw pads.

Is it bad to objectify cats like that? By commenting on their extremities? Meanwhile in the quiet room there was a lot of cuddling going on.

The little stripy guy above was adorable and stretched out so I could stroke his stomach as well. Then there was one cat who had just recently moved from the Shelter to the cafe who was still nervous.

He sat right at the back of the space so I slowly lent in to stroke him without spooking him. He wanted to be stroked and leaned in for it but then pulled back at the slightest noise. I really do think this place is amazing as some of the cats are feral and some have been in Shelters for years and this place gives them a chance to socialise and get used to interacting with people with a view to getting them adopted. And is it working?

Stone Cold Steve Austin would definitely be giving out a "Hell Yeah" in answer to that one (WWE reference). I long for the day when I can be one of the adopters!

Making and Changing

I finally finished my second Hands2Help quilt. My usual allergy to straight lines shows in the finish.

I made use of some of the flowery stitches on my sewing machine when adding the strips.

I added them to cover the joins because I used the block method I had always known about in general terms but which was gone into in more detail in the Craftsy course.

The other patchwork I have been doing is some of the Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses blocks. I am in the second year of a Bee for this and during my two months as 'Queen Bee' and through my own stitching I am up to forty! (I've done an extra one since taking this photo).

The time has come to start the inbetween pieces that join them together. I've decided on kona white cotton just to keep it simple and I'll be using extra pieces of the red and whites I've and others have used as the squares between them.

I was due to give my ickle niece this height chart for her birthday, two weeks ago. Ahem.

There is just the miniature metal coat hanger to add to the top end. It gave me a chance to have a good rummage through my button collection.

I do adore chain stitch. It's very satisfying to do and the finished design stands out from the fabric beautifully. I used it for the red in the height chart and again on this t-shirt-in-progress.

My white fabric marker had run out so I used circles of freezer paper as templates. I ironed them in place and then embroidered around them. They just peel off afterwards.

The big change coming to my life is that I have a job! From Tuesday I will be a full-time Executive Assistant to the CEO of a tech company. The good news is that it is only 20 minutes walk from the flat but the bad news is that I will now have 40-50 hours less crafting time each week. The job came up on Wednesday this week and I'll start on Tuesday so it has all happened very quickly. I told my sister and she asked me whether I was getting any new clothes for work. I held up the button t-shirt above and she groaned. When it comes to fashion I am a great disappointment to her - to such an extent that she has started a Pinterest Board for me to refer to when I next go shopping!

Exploring Treasure Island

The Treasure Island Flea Market is a well known event here in SF and this weekend was the fourth anniversary one. I had been meaning to go since we arrived here so thought today was as good a time as any. Slightly better in fact - Pooch rather over exerted himself the previous night and was groaning in bed and there's only so long that remains amusing for.

Treasure Island is in the middle of the two halves of the Bay Bridge and a has a smattering of houses but during the last weekend of the month people and cars flock in in their thousands just for the Flea. The emphasis is on handmade things and twentieth century schmatter.

As well as the stalls there was a big food truck area with about twenty different trucks.

There was a lovely view while I scoffed down my whateveritwas.

Then back into the fray.

One of the things that did tempt me was a Virgin Mark bust.

But I was slightly put off when I realised that that is an ornate leather gun holster they are arranged among. Plus I didn't get "a feeling of joy" when I picked each one up - something not attributed to holy-poly but more to "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying-Up" which I have been listening to recently as an audio book. Very interesting stuff. The only things that did come back with me, which I do find very joyful, were some little succulents from this stall.

I have some crafty updates to share tomorrow and also some big news that will seriously curtail my crafting time. So I had better go and get on with it while I can!

And Now For Something Completely Different

I am not a cosplayer. Except for this one time a few months ago for a party...

However, I am known as a stitcher. The Burning Man's French Quarter Collective has me involved in their sewing group and various discussions have seen me turn this...

...into this.

I am not sure how much of the theme is being made public before time so suffice to say there is a Regency style to the clothing. I am busily finishing a tutorial on how to do it yourself including a no-sew option for those who prefer good ol'glue.

The original coat was $11 in a thrift shop plus about $6 for two packs of gold bias binding. I was wondering whether to do some more and sell them on Etsy but you never really know whether this stuff will sell. And how much should be charged? Being second hand the coat wasn't in A1 condition to start with - more like B2 - but it is definitely good enough for a couple of weeks in the desert. It gets very cold at night, so they tell me.

Machine Quilting Practice

I happened across this pin the other day:

It was one of those moments when you see something - especially something that would look fairly ridiculous to the uninitiated - and think "bugger me, that's a good idea". I had recently attempted to enter the world of freehand machine quilting and the results had not been stunning. It's all very well to practice doodling but the motion with your hands when you're machine quilting are those shown in the pin - it's not like you're holding the needle at all. That pin leads to this website which offers one of these gadgets for $39 which is not a bad price but I thought I could possibly do one with plumbing supplies. PVC pipe and two elbows, I thought, having just looked up what those things that aren't really called "pipe bends" are called. Not knowing where to get plumbing supplies from in person I set off for Scrap - confident they would be able to do me right.

It is a strange sensation, to be wandering around a warehouse of scrap, looking for something that either is or could be used as "bends". In the end I found these.

I *think* the fatal looking things are something to do with firing ceramics - holding the item up off the kiln shelf while it bakes. Those little spikes were certainly sharp. The tube is cardboard. A glue gun later and...

I added extra glue to the little spikes to make them less tetanus-y. Plus some more to the two feet of the ceramic things to give them some grip on the table top. I then taped a biro to the middle and ta da!

As you can see from the paper, there has been no instant improvement, although actually I have gained confidence and I have improved in my latest batch of squares.

Yeah, you can really see the quilting in that photo. You'll just have to take my word for it.

The quilt itself  is for the Hands2Help initiative and the deadline for the drive is rapidly approaching. I'm using the method covered in the Craftsy course I've taken where you make the units and them join them later with strips. It means you can go in for some heavy quilting without needing a Long Arm machine.