Blog Posts

Hawaiian Classics Shirt in Green

• William Estep
• Ten year plan

I found a really cool green and white stripped seersucker fabric and had to dosomething with it. So I made another shirt using the Hawaiian Classics pattern. I’m really happy with how it turned out. I’m getting the hang ofcollars finally.

I also went back and fixed the hems on the first Hawaiian shirt, and now both are very wearable.

This learning to sew stuff is fun. Making a shirt is very much an engineering project. It’s turning into a great way to spend my spare time.

Are You Wearing Enough Flair?

• William Estep
• Equality

“What do you think, Joanna, of the person who only does the bare minimum?”

Are you wearing the right amount of flair? If you don’t get the reference,please immediately go watch Office Space.

I was joking with a friend the other day, that I can’t help think of that scene from Office Space when I see someone wearing religious paraphernalia like a cross pendant. So we coined the phrase, Religious Flair. And yes, I know that these tokens probably mean a great deal to the person wearing them,and they may have great sentimental meaning. And yes, I’m a horrible person for saying all this, but it does creep me out a bit to see people walking around with medieval torture/execution devices around their necks.

Hawaiian Classic Shirt #2

• William Estep
• Ten year plan

Time to start a new shirt. I purchased the Hawaiian Classics 220 shirt pattern from the Victoria Jones Collection. This is my first ‘non-beginner’ pattern. The instructions are great, and the construction is pretty straightforward. I did end up making several learning mistakes on the muslin, but the real shirt is going great. That’s the whole point, in my opinion, of the muslin. Yes, check fit and adjust, of course, but I also find it a great learning experience figuring out the nuances of the pattern.

Learning To Sew

• William Estep
• Ten year plan

Part of the ten year plan is learning some independence skills. For example, I want to be able to repair and create cushion covers and sail covers. This means learning some basic sewing skills and learning to work on a gear driven sewing machine.

Enter my beautiful Singer 15-91. What a wonderful machine! I bought it from a sewing machine expert, the-treasure-cellar on ebay, and couldn’t be more pleased. From 1952, this single-stitch machine is smooth and wonderful to work with.

Albert Said it Best

• William Estep
• Qotd

Computers are incredibly fast, accurate, and stupid; humans are incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant; together they are powerful beyond imagination.

Albert Einstein

We Will Miss You Terry Pratchett

• William Estep
• Club reading

One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite Terry Pratchett books:

Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.

Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky (Discworld, #32)

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Clutter and The Ten Year Plan

• William Estep
• Ten year plan

I have a lot of stuff. Not nearly as much as some, but still plenty. I’m not a hoarder, so don’t expect to see me on any reality TV shows anytime soon. During my last move, I took the opportunity to slim down how much stuff I cart around, and I have a pretty good handle on the clutter, but I still have a ton of stuff. Far more than I need and far more than will work for my ten year plan.

QOTD: The tape doesn't lie

• William Estep
• Qotd

The tape doesn’t lie.

We Need More--I Want More

• William Estep
• Equality

The cynic in me wants to say how awful things are and to rail against anything and everyone that doesn’t agree with me. But, if I did that, I’d be just like everyone else 🙂

Seriously though, I know that it doesn’t value me or effect positive change to only bitch and moan. So what will I say?

I’ve made the statement before, that for me personally, this president, President Obama, is the first president we’ve had in my lifetime that I can honestly say I am proud of. He is a well spoken, well educated man who acts from genuine desire to do good. And the list of accomplishments during his presidency are remarkable.

QOTD: Words Don't Cook Rice

• William Estep
• Qotd

Words Don’t Cook Rice.