u/FormerUsenetUser

https://www.schultzapparel.com/schultzapparel/p/frida-pattern-skirt-patterns-for-women-wrap-skirt-pattern-pdf-sewing-pattern-pdf-skirt-pattern-vintage-inspired

They all need refinishing. Some need recaning and it has to be woven in, they are not suitable for sheet cane. The others need reupholstering.

It is so hard to find people for furniture restoration and the wait time is long because there are so many other customers.

Which also means, some of the people on this forum who are looking for jobs, would probably benefit from learning these skills.

https://beklaedt.com/products/solsikke-dress

You need to sign up for their newsletter and get a coupon code to download the pattern free, because otherwise it is for sale. It is available in US letter format with English instructions.

Today our next-door neighbor told us that a coyote took over the shed on the side of his property next to our house. There is now some misunderstanding about who the shed belongs to-- the coyote or our neighbor. There is a 7-foot fence between the properties, and all around ours. But according to this sub a coyote could get over that.

Now wondering what brings it over here aside from a whole new toilet venue.

https://kokkafabrics.com/blogs/free-sewing-patterns/apron-style-dress-sewing-instructions

How can I turn off the extremely annoying new messages that tell me I just submitted or edited a comment? I know that already!

I just saw the third Mysteries in Paris movie, Mystery at the Opera. The plot centers around a production of Carmen. Drama and people getting stabbed with knives--it's Carmen! The music is professional opera, and the production values are very high.

There are references to the opera throughout, so being familiar with it is a plus. Like the fortune-telling scene, not in a performance, where the tarot cards tell one young woman to expect a rich lover and the other to expect death. Things happen with the right opera background music.

There's also a reference to an opera box owned by a Monsieur Leroux. It may be significant that the first victim is a young woman in love called Manon.

From the novel by Yangsze Choo. I think it's on Netflix but would like reviews.

My impressions:

* Ten half-hour episodes was an unusual choice

* It is good that the early episodes do not rehash Pride and Prejudice. Instead they just give the impression of Mary growing up with a crowd of prettier sisters, then the sisters all get married

* Mrs. Bennet is cruel and domineering, whereas in the book she was rather silly but not a bad person

* Mr.Collins is more openly predatory about inheriting the Bennet estate, but turns out to have his sympathetic side

* The theme of Mary finding her real self, and some of the steps she takes to do so, is very modern

It's a light, charming series, but not all that accurate as to period customs.

I have been wanting to watch Mystery in Paris (7 movies set in the 1890s) for a long time. It is now available on Amazon with a one-week free trial of MHZ Choice. MHZ Choice advertises itself as a premier foreign movie streaming service but I am not that impressed by their other offerings. I should be able to watch 7 hour and a half movies in a week if I put my mind to it.

https://www.minerva.com/mp/USD?page=1&sort=latest

You have to sign up for their newsletter to download them. I am downloading one right now.

Many people on this forum are teaching themselves to draft patterns. There's also, in looking at inspiration photos, some difficulty in identifying straight gathered skirts, versus circle skirts, versus A-line skirts.

There's an older (2006) but excellent book that explains how to draft and make all the basic styles of skirt. Gathered, A-line, circle, square, wrap, tiered, and more. Sixteen styles altogether. It's oriented towards beginners. The title is Sew What! Skirts. The authors are Francesca Denhartog and Carole Ann Camp. You can buy it on Amazon and probably, other online stores.

I wish the authors had gone on to write books for tops and dresses, but they didn't. Oh well. Anyway, this is a very useful book.

I just finished Dreadful, by Caitlin Rozakis. The evil wizard Gavrax wakes up after an explosion in his lab missing his eyebrows—and his memories. It’s best not to inquire too closely into the latter. He’s certainly lost all memories of his past life, his castle, his servants, the village below the castle, and the world beyond the village. Other memories, like how to do *some* minor magic, appear only when convenient for the plot. The author does not explain how this works.

For 344 pages, Gavrax indulges in introspection as to his current identity and future path in life. He decides to call himself Gav. He decides he doesn’t want to be the guy who has dedicated himself to evil and to hideous décor. He decides to be a better person, even if he can’t be a truly good person. These are not spoilers, because he decides these things almost as soon as he recovers consciousness. He just repeats them a lot.

Otherwise, the plot revolves around Gav discovering the mess his latest attempts at evil have created. He’s recently kidnapped a princess. He’s agreed to *some* near-future ritual with several other wizards who were probably always more powerful than he was, and certainly are now. He’s terrorized his goblin servants. The local villagers are in danger of starving. For 344 pages, Gav bumbles his way through discovering what he’s done, what everyone else has done, what everyone else plans to do, and how to solve numerous problems. It’s an attempt at humor that ranges from ha-ha images (goblins in ruffled aprons!) to the level of madcap vaudeville. I found it hard to relate to. It’s just, trying too hard.

If you like this sort of thing, it’s a fairly well written first book. There are a few holes. Gav overhears a one-sided conversation between two servants, and interrupts it by conversing with only the one he had heard speaking. The other, unnamed servant is then completely ignored, having fulfilled their purpose of being a listener. The author should at least have had the now unnecessary servant leave the room.

Summary: Probably this is a great book for someone who enjoys comedy cozy fantasy and is willing to cheer 344 pages of self-therapy.  Oh, and did I mention the author frequently makes sure you know that women are as intelligent as men?

Yesterday I had a power out of . . . several minutes! This seems to have reset my Reddit account. I had to change my password, and then go into my account and change some settings regarding things like notifications. OK.

Except, images no longer appear in Reddit posts, just links to them. I cannot find a setting for this. I belong to a number of sewing groups where every post is about the image. It is a nuisance to click on each one.

Any suggestions?