Last week, I described a NotQuilt, a blanket which uses a repurposed blanket as the middle layer between the backing fabric on the bottom and pieces of fabric sewed into the top layer. It is not a quilt, hence the name, but it fulfills the function of a quilt, lets me use bits and pieces […]
I got into sewing NotQuilts because I hate the cold about as much as I hate spending money I don’t need to. One of the things we are concerned about at Chez Peschel is temperature control, but doing so without spending money or fossil fuels. Many, many problems can be solved by throwing money at […]
Last week, we looked at how mundane events and encounters can spark story ideas. This week, we’ll look at other sources for stories. I like to read and I like to watch movies, and so often I’ll read a book or watch a show and know that the story could have been, should have been, […]
Everywhere! The difficulty has never been to have an idea. Ideas are all over the place, so many of them that I have to kick them out of the way when I walk through a room. There they sit, whimpering, heaped high in corners, and begging to be chosen next. Ideas are easy. It’s converting […]
This may or may not be the introduction to the “Career Indie Author.” My wife, who has accompanied me on my authorial journey these two decades, wanted to write something from her viewpoint on the publishing process, particularly as it applies to the family. Some conflicts may be heightened for comic effect. I hope. Hey […]
As a follow-up to our Book Production Checklist post, I wanted to share with you a set of guidelines we’re developing that will guide the design of our books for the Peschel Press line. I believe it’s important to have paper copies available of all our books. Not everyone does this, but the way we […]
Last week, we looked at piecing together the Younger Son’s (YS) fleece robe from scraps. This week, we’ll finish it! The shoulder seams and the seams where the collar and collar facings meet are the only seams I sewed in the traditional manner, and I did make sure to sew them with a 5/8-inch seam […]
Last week, we talked about the challenges of using leftover fleece to make clothes. In this case, Younger Son (YS) needed a bathrobe, bathrobes can be made out of fleece and JoAnn’s ran a 99-cent pattern sale. The stars aligned. I bought Simplicity 1562, a full-length bathrobe pattern that is sized for the whole family, […]
I like making fleece clothes. We won’t call it Polar Fleece as that is a registered trademark of Polartec LLC, and many companies make fleece. Fleece is available in every fabric store, even in Wal-de-Mart in the few stores that still have a sewing department. Fleece comes in an amazing variety of patterns and colors, […]
So back to Younger Son’s pile of fabric. I dug through all the red and orange scrap looking for the largest pieces. All this fabric had been previously washed; I never store unwashed fabric. I ironed my choices so I could see how large they were. I wanted to make the pants first as they […]