Cultural Tourism

My two talks last week came and went.   People came up to talk to me all week about some of the points I brought up, so I guess not everyone snoozed.

DD is at sleepaway camp.  DH is at a meeting in Boston this week.  We decided to spend some vacation time together on the east coast before heading back west.

I've been enviously reading other sewists' blogs about their visits to

• Creative Africa, particularly Vlisco: African Fashion
• Manus x Machina 

I really, really wanted to explore the permanent collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and to see the Barnes Foundation's collection again. Philly is bursting at the seams hosting DNC this week. But, this is the week I am on the east coast.

Here's my schedule for the rest of the week in case you want to join me for cultural bingeing, shopping or eating:
M: Boston
T: AM Amtrak to Philly. PM museums
W: Museums, strolling Philly
Th: AM Amtrak to NYC (Chelsea), PM strolling, shopping Manhattan
F: Museums, shopping, strolling
Sa: Brooklyn (any recommendations?)
Su: Museums, bookstores, strolling
M: AM strolling, PM fly home

I'm interested in seeing these other exhibits if time permits

• Uniformity at FIT
• Stuart Davis at the Whitney
• Isaac Mizrahi at the Jewish Museum

And I'm all about the food.

If this sounds interesting to you, leave a comment with your contact info and day(s) available. Thanks.

Nightgown-a-Palooza

Over the years, I've made at least six nightgown renditions of Simplicity 4767.  DD was so fond of this pattern, I graded it up from size 8 to 14.

After her recent growth spurt, I decided to find an adult-sized pattern.  You'd think it would be easy to find a peasant top or night gown pattern but I didn't find any in the pattern books.

I probably could have traced one from a BWOF magazine in my collection, but then I spied newly-issued Simplicity 8124, a Cynthia Rowley pattern.

The dress looks scandalously short and full. One breeze or sneeze and...

The pattern envelope says that the bust on the XS is 57.5"!  Fortunately, the romper had a more moderate 42" circumference.

I adjusted the sleeves to full length for the winter-weight flannel gown shown above and below.  I also lengthened the body to 48", flaring it out at the bottom to the full width of the fabric (about 40" wide after shrinkage.)

That was actually the third nightgown I made last week.  Imagine #2 in this fox fabric.

I forgot to take a picture of the completed first gown.  But, I have two progress shots, which I previously posted on IG.

I used French seams on the cotton shirting one and used my serger to finish the seams on the two flannel versions.

I thought I had 2 yards of 60" wide shirting.  I had 1.5 yards of 44" shirting.  Although the gown wasn't as short as the pattern envelope, DD and I were not comfortable with the length.  I added a bottom band in blue and white sprigged calico.  I might get a picture of that later.

Notes to self:

• All: raise neck edge 1" on body and sleeves, 25" neck elastic, fold and press 1.25" to inside, sew 15/16" from folded edge (leaving 2" opening), insert 3/4" elastic.
• Summer: lawn or shirting, 40" long, 6" sleeves (before hemming), 2.5 yds, hemmed sleeves (no elastic)
• Winter: flannel, 48" long, 20" sleeves (before hemming), 3.5 yds, 9" sleeve elastic

Studying while hungry

I read this study of food insecurity among University of California students with dismay.  It appears that rent is eating their food budgets so they are eating too little or cheap low-nutrition food, just to make ends meet.

I'd like to give a shout-out to the Berkeley Student Cooperative, where I lived for my last three years at Berkeley.  BSC was a key component of my Berkeley education and I am so grateful that I found it.

Home, sweet home.  Rooftop deck and study area at CZ.  Photo courtesy of Victory Garden.

During the great depression of the 1930s, many students suffered from malnutrition.  (I read a long time ago that professors reported students fainting in class from hunger.  If you have a link that substantiates that, can you leave it in the comments?)

Students in the BSC went to the Oakland Produce Market to buy food wholesale and in bulk.  Then other students took turns cooking and serving food (work shifts).  It was and remains a low-cost, and time-efficient way to obtain high-quality food near campus.

Plus, you learn skills.  I know how to operate a Hobart, an industrial dishwasher, how to dismantle and clean a commercial range, food safety laws...

The best part of BSC is the people I met.  I roomed with a black roommate one semester before I collected enough points to live in a single.  I can never walk in her shoes, but walking beside her was a crash course in US race relations.  That's one reason why I feel so strongly about #BlackLivesMatter.

Unlike the 1930s, the hunger experienced by 40% of today's UC students is caused by a strong economy.  Rising rents is literally eating the students' lunch.  It appears that the Oakland Produce Market is also at high risk due to rising rents.

I've come to realize that some basics--basic food, housing, healthcare, education and some types of data--are too important to leave to the free market.  Oops, writing that sentence took a long time because I kept thinking of things that needed to go on that list, such as environment, water, power...

As a society, we have work to do.  Let's push back with data and an open mind to problems and solutions.