Tokyo 3 - Earthquake

Akihabara maid - welcome home for lunch

When the shaking started, we were in a toy store in Akihabara, waiting for my "Purezento youni onagaishimasu" to be wrapped.* Action figures in a display case beside us were toppling; the tremor alarm on my friend's phone bleeping. We froze. When it stopped - maybe 15 seconds later - we were ushered by a smiling and encouraging youth (daijobu des - it's okay) onto the third floor landing with a crowd of others, and we walked down the staircase, into the street. It was business as usual by then: the maid cafe girls in the street handing out flyers, the head maid with the furry paw mitts and huge smile chirping her enticements to "come home" into a microphone from a second floor balcony.

*One of the few phrases I thought I had mastered while living in Tokyo, gift wrapping service is complimentary pretty much everywhere here - and the Japanese sure know how to wrap a gift! I recently discovered I'd been saying it all wrong, which accounts for a lot of strange looks... though it got the job done. 

When we went back in to collect my package, staff was righting displays. My son's heart was racing, but he soon recovered. The impact was fleeting: an exciting interlude on his quest to buy something in Japan. His mission: a plastic model of a video game character, already assembled, that he could decorate himself.

After the quake: Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!

We went on to two more sensory-overloading, multi-floored buildings full of plastic death and sex related toys, games, figurines and models, including a massive collection of replica guns, which could be handled, while wearing white gloves. No photos allowed. My son was in heaven. I was bored stiff, and irritated. My friend declared it "Boy Day". Giddy, my son rattled off the names of most of the inventory, including guns from previous, current and imaginary conflicts. This one's from Metal Gear Solid. This one's so-and-so's favourite gun. How does a 12 year old have a favourite gun?!

Why, I oughta... make you dinner?

It's an uncomfortable feeling: his knowledge impresses and amazes me, his wide-eyed excitement is genuine and pure. The destruction-centric, war-glorifying, (usually) hyper-sexualized genre of game and art we were drenched in all day disgusts me. It scares me. It fills me with dread and despair for the future - my son's, and mankind's.

Years ago, near the beginning of our quest for help parenting our son, I brought up the subject of war toys with our child psychiatrist. I was counseled against banning them. Forcing the issue would make them more compelling, make something out of nothing - most boys play with guns, using whatever is on hand: a toy, a stick, their finger. It's helping him work through something. The advice was reassuring. At the time.

But where to draw the line? Some of the most fun we've had as a family has been pelting each other with Nerf bullets in our living room battlefield. My son customizes a weapon for each of us, considering the user's size, strength, experience, ability. A lot of frustration has been relieved this way, and a lot of laughter, good feeling and healing has ensued.

Are first person shooter video games any worse? Are meticulous drawings, or fastidious Lego replicas of weapons something to worry about?  When I asked him about his intense interest in guns he told me it was about the self control necessary to master their use. Is this about self regulation? Is it something to do with ADHD, the benign-sounding affliction that has wreaked so much distress, chaos, heartbreak and pain upon our family?

I am horrified to witness my son's gravitation toward weapons of destruction, but I'm confident that he knows the difference between real and imaginary, and that his core being is gentle and kind. At a recent parkour lesson, one mother remarked to me how nurturing my son is to the younger kids. My son: nurturing! Yes, he is, at heart. Thank you, stranger, for noticing.

Though my conviction may waver, I'm holding tight to the doctor's advice. Within reason. Whatever it is he's working through, I sincerely hope he figures it out.

Tokyo 1 - On the Plane

Tokyo 2 - Observations and Video Games

Tokyo 2 - Observations and Video Games

Things that have changed in Tokyo since I lived here, 19 years ago:

• So far, on this trip, no one has shouted a greeting to me upon entering a shop. Irasshaimase! This is odd and disappointing.... I used to like the acknowledgement. Is it just me, or have things seriously changed?

• There's much less smoking. It is now banned on some streets, punishable by a ¥20,000 fine*. I passed by a sad smoking enclosure in a fast food restaurant, and we somehow stumbled into a hazy, stinking pachinko parlour. Otherwise, no grey, smelly clouds preceding us down the street, and no reeking, smouldering butt receptacles outside the stations. A very welcome change. I understand the Minister of Health is a strong anti-smoker, and there's a push for smoking habits to change before Tokyo hosts the 2020 Olympic Games.
  *About $2,000

Harajuku Station - Ground Zero for all things cosplay, kawaii (cute) or trendy

Shirts and handkerchiefs, drying in the sun. Dryers are rare.

• Safety barriers have been installed on the tracks at a number of stations at high risk for "human incident". That is, as a measure to prevent suicide attempts, the track is fenced off, with a gate that opens only after the train has barrelled into the station.
• There is no longer a perpetual grease smear at head height on the windows of the trains; it appears the salaryman has changed his hair products. He has also updated his wardrobe: I notice a trend toward distinctive dress shirts with contrast cuff facings, contrasting buttons and buttonholes, and sometimes a "double" collar of contrasting fabric. Sharp.
  
  

In the ryokan's jacuzzi 

• I haven't seen one free kleenex distributor anywhere. They used to be outside every busy station.* The handy packets conveyed advertising for local businesses, and were thrust into your hand when passing - at least if the thruster wasn't paying close attention. Gaijin, who are generally considered incapable of reading Japanese, were exempt from receiving them. Warranted, in my case, but I sure counted on them, and I was hoping to bring a few home as souvenirs. Oh well, "5 finger" socks will do nicely for a keepsake.
  *By the end of my 10 days I have accumulated 3 packs; they are few and far between, but still in action.
  
  My son claims to find Tokyo "interesting - the whole Shazam. Sci-fi!", though clearly not as interesting as the ninja parkour game on his tablet. I'm really torn about video games. Yes, there is a certain, real accomplishment in completing a level, and when he's playing with "friends" on-line I'm proud (and relieved) to report he is the voice of encouragement and reason (Hey, dude, can you stop swearing?). But it's a poor substitute for real life. Especially when the real life in front of our eyes is so different from what we're used to. It seems to be only the truly bizarre that captures his attention.

Thanks, Mario! 

Or are video games an international language that I just don't speak? These kids spent a lovely evening, laughing and playing, while the grown-ups rolled sushi and reminisced.

Today we meet a friend for a wander through Akihabara, aka "Electric Town" - electronic gadgets central. Will this excite his interest, ignite a need for the newest system, or only make him yearn for his tablet? I'm a little uneasy. Perhaps a soak in the ryokan's jacuzzi will help me relax.

Outside our door

Tokyo 1 - On the Plane

Tokyo 3 - Earthquake

Tokyo 1 - On the Plane

Japanese Sprite was a delight

My tweezers made it through customs. Spent the first half of the 10 hour flight picking Solvy bits from my Humitrope collar and depositing the tiny flakes into the plastic bag from the airplane blanket. The overly efficient flight attendant made multiple attempts to collect my trash, but I've managed to hang on to it.

I have been well-fed, as my son is not quite trustful of Japanese food: two packets of rice crackers (he tried one piece and proclaimed it to taste like a word I wish he wouldn't use so much), two trays of decent airplane food - "Japanese fish" and "Western beef" (like...cowboy?) minus the bun, a taste of the meat and the slice of melon. He is now making noises about being hungry, which in the past would have drilled intense fear in my heart. Until quite recently, our strategy has always been to keep his tank topped up, to mitigate complete disregulation. However, since returning from military boarding school four months ago, he is able to keep it together, and the fear has been replaced with just a fleeting, dull dread.

The flight attendant just brought milk, a tiny chocolate bar and a third package of rice crackers, which he ate without comment. This bodes well for our trip. The one potential tricky bit will be the food. And maybe the heat. And all the walking. And the lack of video games. And the crowds...

But I am optimistic. A year ago I could not have conceived of this much concentrated time together so far from home, and without backup. Today I enjoy his company and seek him out. I'm looking forward to uninterrupted connection and companionship. We have a lot to make up for.

While I tweezed plastic bits, my son investigated the on-board video game system ("Very, very outdated and strange. Pixelly... but at least they try.") first in Japanese, then in English, then used up the remaining power of his tablet, playing Minecraft.

A few rousing hands of Go Fish, a brief attempt to sleep, he then watched Frozen, chuckling to himself (my heart swells at this sound) while I dozed. Now he is wondering when the next meal will be served, and I wonder how much of it he will leave for me.

Soon enough we will land. I'm looking forward to his reaction to what he sees. Will it freak him out delightfully to be in a car on the left side of the road, as it did me the first time? Will he get a kick out of the futon on the tatami mat in the ryokan tonight? Will slipper etiquette trip him up? I hope this trip will blow his mind in a hundred tiny ways, as it cements our attachment. There is no one I would rather be here with right now.

Tokyo 2: Observations and Video Games
Tokyo 3: Earthquake

Humatrope 5: Hello Little Girl in the Bullet-Proof Vest

Embroidery finished. Next: remove the basting and Solvy.
I've decided against using the pearls and syringe caps on the collar. Maybe on the ties...

Whew! The pants are hemmed, and the embroidery is done! The words of love that eluded me so long? The lyrics to the song I've sung my daughter since a baby in the NICU* of Children's Hospital: "Hello Little Girl", the first song ever written by John Lennon. The Beatles played it as part of their Decca audition on New Year's Day, 1962, where they were famously rejected and told they'd never make it in show business. The song never appeared on any of their recordings until the Anthology series in 1995, which includes home demos, rarities, outtakes, live recordings, and other gems.
*Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, natch

Like Paul McCartney's first song, "I've Lost My Little Girl",  which was written shortly after his mother died of breast cancer, "Hello Little Girl" is speculated to be have been inspired by the death of John Lennon's mother. She was hit by a car on her way home from her sister's house, where John lived at the time. Ironically, John was waiting for his mother at her house when the accident occurred.

It's not a particularly sophisticated song: a love-sick boy is being ignored by the girl of his desire. She won't look at him, and doesn't care about the flowers he sends. He hopes to "catch her eye" and wonders if she's thinking about him. That's as far as it goes. A far cry from the auto-biographical masterpieces to come; I doubt very much if pre-Beatle John was the kind to send flowers. But it's got a catchy tune, and the harmonies are sweet, and she is my little girl.

"Hello Little Girl", from Anthology 1

The lyrics to the song are embroidered in blue and green onto the thread snippets and alcohol swabs that make up the collar, using freehand machine embroidery. Then, with pinks, I added words to describe my daughter, her likes, her quirks, why we think she's so terrific. The words used up 8 bobbins of mismatched thread, plus 1 1/2 spools of brittle, vintage cotton.

Now thinking about the next step: removing the Solvy, which will be heated with an iron and, if all goes well, easily brushed off. I'm a little nervous about this part. I don't particularly want to "brush" the swabs or the underlying threads at all, for fear of raising fuzz and wreaking havoc. Must approach this gingerly.

On the scoliosis brace front

Bless the teenagers at the Vancouver Learning Centre, the neuroplasticity tutoring place we spend two mornings a week instead of going to school! After the success of her first night in her back brace, I convinced my daughter to continue wearing it, just to her session at VLC. The kids there made such a fuss about how cool it looks - like a bullet-proof vest - that she was emboldened to wear it to school the same day! That went well, too, and she's been wearing it every day since. Another "whew"!

She still looks uncomfortable - she walks with her left shoulder lifted, probably because the brace is pressing in to her armpit - and she gets mighty itchy. We rub alcohol on the red marks when she takes it off. The printout that came with the brace said it's supposed to toughen up the skin, though the orthotist was unconvinced. Don't know if it works, but it feels like we're doing something to help. We scrub her, all over, briskly, with a dry facecloth to discourage her from scratching. We'll see the orthotist next week to see if the armpit area can be adjusted.

It might be a while before I can do more work on the collar: in 5 days I'm taking my son to Tokyo to an old friend's wedding; there are things to pack, salmon to buy, wedding clothes to iron. I'm at a save point with the collar, so it's all good, but I know I'll be itching to get to it when we're back.

Humatrope 1: Ingredients

Humatrope 2: Test Swatch and Scoliosis Brace

Humatrope 3: Foundation, More Brace

Humatrope 4: Lost for Words

Humatrope 6: Three Distractions
Humatrope 7: From the 13th Floor
Humatrope 8/Sewing Tip 8: Tassel Tutorial

Sewing Tip 3: Freehand Machine Embroidery

Fun Embellishment Technique

Freehand Embroidery is great for making labels, like this one for a shirt made out of guess what

Master Recycler Class labels - embroidery done with template

Here's a fun way to spend some time: find the hand-foot-eye coordination sweet-spot, let your mind go, and embroider like a zen monk in a fast car. I use this relaxing machine embroidery technique to make my labels, or apply "serger dregs" embellishment to garments. It was also used to embroider words of love onto the Humatrope collar, make the boxer dog pocket of the Perfect Twirling Nightie and for a set of name tags for the Master Recycling class*, **.
*Master Recyclers is a program, in its first year here in Vancouver, that turns students into teachers, or at least advocates, for the promoting and outreach of waste reduction, recycling and composting, and is organized by the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation and its waste committee.
**Labels of 100% hand-me-down materials: custom-made fabric by manufacturer of disposable diapers for BCIT's medical invention lab for prototype infant anti-strangulation vest for hospital use. The rest from estate donations to Our Social Fabric: unwanted Solvy, half-full, lonely bobbins and nearly-empty or ancient spools of dried-out, cotton thread.

Machine Set-Up: darning foot attached, feed dogs down, presser foot half-lowered

Preparation:

Get your machine ready: remove the regular presser foot and attach the special darning foot, standard issue for even the simplest of sewing machines.

A sturdier needle generally works best. (A lighter one is prone to breaking, and the thread may shred in the smaller eye.) I like to use a 90 or 100, with cotton thread. Avoid polyester: it heats up and stretches as it moves quickly through the tension disks, causing the work to pucker slightly when it cools. Poor quality thread, likewise, is unsuitable, as it will shred at high speed.

Lower the feed dogs so the machine can't grab the fabric. You get to drive the car anywhere you feel like - forward, backward, sideways - at any speed you like. You can even do donuts in the parking lot! Get ready for some fun!

Solvy can be basted (ideal for larger areas) or taped into place

Stitching:

Place the fabric under the darning foot, and lower the presser foot only half way down. You may have to do a little detective work to find out how to get your machine into "light grip" mode.

Hold the fabric taut with two hands, and move it in an even motion, while using a consistent pressure on the foot pedal. Both a faster machine and slower hands produce tighter stitches. You're the only car on the road, so take that baby out and see what it can do! It will take intense focus at first to get used to the feeling - foot! eyes! hands! - but you will be cruising along in zen driving mode before long. Remember to breathe, and keep your shoulders away from your ears.

Just like driving a car, the stitches will go where you are looking. You don't look at the tires of your car, so don't look at the needle! Keep your eyes in front of the needle, where you are trying to go.

Write with Sharpie on Solvy to make a template
Freehand machine embroidery is excellent for using up odds and ends of less-useful thread

Template or Freehand:

Depending on the look you are trying to achieve, you can either stitch over top of a template, for accurate size and placement of lettering, or stitch freehand and go with the flow.

To make a template, plan the design on a piece of paper and trace onto a sheet of water-soluable Solvy stabilizer with a Sharpie. Baste or tape the Solvy onto the fabric, and stitch on top of the lettering. The ink will disappear when the Solvy is removed.

Embroidery done without a template - Humatrope collar detail

For freehand embroidery without a template, the Solvy is optional but recommended. The presser foot glides more easily across Solvy than fabric, for more consistent stitches and tension. I usually regret skipping the Solvy step unless the fabric is very sturdy.

Tips:

• For cursive writing that really looks like your own handwriting, slant the machine in front of you like you would when writing a love letter on a piece of paper.
• For larger areas, the fabric may need to be rolled up "scroll-like" for better control.

Freehand embroidery over serger dregs - c. 1960 knit tricot

Fun variation:

Sandwich a textile strip between the main fabric and the embroidery threads. I use thin strips of fabric scrap cut off by the serger, but you could also embroider onto bias strips, rick rack, narrow ribbon, etc. This is easy-peasy lemon squeezy with the use of a glue stick:

Serger dregs held on by light application of glue stick

Write your message on your fabric using a glue stick with a fairly light hand. Arrange serger dregs on top.

Solvy, diagonal basting - ready to embroider

Cover the area to be embroidered with a sheet of lightweight water-soluble Solvy. For best results, diagonal-baste the Solvy onto the fabric. It won't move around or bunch up if it's basted, and the machining is generally a breeze.  I actually think I save time by hand-basting, instead of pinning.

If I can't convince you to baste, at the very least, pin the corners and every 2 inches, or so, or use scotch tape. Avoid sewing over the pins, which will likely damage the needle and possibly wreck the darning foot. 

(Sewing Rant: Always immediately chuck any needle that ever hits a pin, even if the needle seems unharmed. Not doing so will come back to bite you in the butt in wasted time and poor stitch formation.)

Long stitches: puttering along. Short stitches: hang on to your hat!

Proceed as above for freehand machine embroidery, but follow the curve of the textile to affix it to the fabric. Go over the line 3 or 4 times to make sure it is firmly attached. Play around with speed, stitch density, thread colour.

Remove excess Solvy like ripping off a Bandaid: bravely!

Remove excess Solvy. Throw the work into the washer on a gentle cycle, or soak and rub by hand. The Solvy and the glue will disappear like magic.

Cheetah print fleece, boxer dog pocket - two thread colours, with template

Freehand machine embroidery: not just for fast-driving monks any more! Versatile, easy, fun, satisfying, and well worth the effort to change the presser foot; I hope you might give it a try. Enjoy!

Humatrope 4: Lost for Words

Here it is, after midnight, and I have not done a thing to further my medical waste project. I'm at a bit of an impasse with the Words of Love, and things are beginning to pile up. While I ruminate, I thought I'd do some chores, like hemming two pairs of pants for my son, for a (mind-blowing, I hope) trip to Tokyo he and I will soon take. The pants are ready to hem, but it would mean readjusting the tension of my sewing machine, which is set up perfectly for freehand embroidery. So, instead, I sat at the sewing table and wrote out potential words of love on the backsides of a bunch of his abandoned drawings.

The Virgin of Guadalupe and her brother (?)

I wrote: how as an infant she looked like the Virgin of Guadalupe, all swaddled up for warmth; about her fake-fur hair at birth. How she didn't cry, and wouldn't nurse, or even take donated milk from a tiny medicine cup. How, later, she used to reach for any strange man with a beard. How, after several months of growth hormone, she became strong enough to jump, jump, jump in the Jolly Jumper, and in her crib in the morning, like a happy, vibrating puppy.  "Puppy" was her first word, and "Puppy lick-a my lip!" her first sentence. And what she said to me yesterday: I love you so much. More than an angel.

Too weak to cry, eat, or stay warm

Barbies old and new, and none with a matching pair of uncomfortable shoes

Next, I transcribed a recording of her talking to herself this morning about vampires, Barbie shoes, and her brother, while lining up her newly-changed dolls in the bathroom.

6th birthday - a scary vampire, not a funny one!

Nothing that seemed appropriate to embroider...

Then I got into a conversation with my husband about writing another letter to the parents of her classmates, updating them on our daughter's developments: scoliosis, exacerbated by early-onset puberty, requiring a brace. Though most of the children in her class are kind and helpful to her - tying her shoelaces, escorting her to the bathroom - lately she has been teased about her pimples. She is worried about what kids will say about the brace. I am resigned to writing these implorations for understanding and kindness: my hope is these same kids will continue to care for her as they travel through their school careers together. I am arming them with knowledge, so they can respond with understanding.

PWS is such a weird and wonderful condition, and many restrictions apply that would not occur to the average - or beyond-average - person. The usual objective of promoting independence in a child has to be tempered with the best practise of never leaving someone with Prader-Willi unsupervised. Even visits to the school washroom or drinking fountain must be chaperoned: food is everywhere, and any chance will be taken to get it. Not just people food, either, but pet food, dirty food, spoilt food, and things that look like - but aren't - food. It takes a twist of the brain to fully comprehend this. We need all the help from her community that we can get, starting with her classmates.

The first draft of the letter is done. I'll look it over tomorrow. Everyone else is asleep. My daughter is wearing her brace to bed for the first time tonight. A milestone. Maybe the right words of love will come tomorrow. If not, I'll hem the pants. Readjusting machine tension is not that big a deal!

Humatrope 1: Ingredients

Humatrope 2: Test Swatch and Scoliosis Brace

Humatrope 3: Foundation, More Brace

Humatrope 5: Hello Little Girl in the Bullet-Proof Vest

Humatrope 6: Three Distractions
Humatrope 7: From the 13th Floor
Humatrope 8/Sewing Tip 8: Tassel Tutorial

Humatrope 3: Foundation, More Brace

The chronicle of making a Prader-Willi syndrome Used-Medical-Waste Collar:

The foundation, ready for Words of Love

The collar foundation is completely ready to be covered with the "Words of Love" embroidery that will hold it all together: the thread snippets and evaporated alcohol swabs are neatly sandwiched between two layers of Heat-Away Solvy, and firmly held in place by many rows of diagonal basting. It waits beside my sewing machine, everything ready: darning foot attached, heavy needle inserted, tension adjusted. I'm very eager to start the stitching. When the rhythm is right, freehand embroidery is a blissful, mindless, meditation - and a lot of fun to do. I'm itching to get my jammies on, heat up my lava seat, select the right music (Beatles? Mojo Stones?), and get to it!

However, I don't know quite what to write, or even what colour to make the embroidery. "Words of Love" could be so many things: do I write about her? Do I write to her? Do I use her words? Do I transcribe the article I've already written about the as-yet unfinished piece? A little more percolation, and the answer will come, but until it does, must. resist. urge. to sew! Mildly annoying.

While doing the diagonal basting last night, it occurred to me that making a tutorial might give me a little time to side-ways think the wording issue. Diagonal basting is a very useful stitch - the very best for preventing shifting while machining. I use it all the time. Sewing geeks can find the diagonal basting tutorial here.

There's a reason we gave up wearing corsets 

What else have I done instead? Other than a large, much-needed, grocery run, much of my time has been spent trying to break my daughter into her new scoliosis back brace, without completely losing heart - hers, or mine. It's not going well; the novelty of the 101 Dalmatians print wore off within minutes. It is uncomfortable: it presses on her hips, digs into her left armpit, restricts her movement. She is worried what kids will think. She is wobbly: her thigh muscles are shortened from her usual posture, so, when corrected by the brace, she tips forward. Panties must be worn on top of it, or they get trapped. Tears, frustration, anger, sadness, worry. Plus heartbreak.

The brace is an attempt to prevent surgery, but maybe there's another, more experimental way. Heard from another PWS mother of some sort of stretchy, tight suit used in Europe. Will check the Internet, and ask at her next orthopaedic surgeon's appointment. In the meantime, it helped tonight that she was at a neighbour's house, instead of ours. They managed to keep her in it for 4 hours - twice my record. Still, it might be quite a time before the 23hr/day expectation is realized...

The Great Pumpkin made a collar from Halloween wrappers and some velvet scraps - the candy got chucked

She approaches the inconveniences of her condition with affable poise: nightly injections are a non-issue; endless specialist appointments are anticipated like play dates; stim tests are good for a digestive cookie; X-rays bring stickers; tutoring is a social occasion. Because of her wacky metabolism, at Halloween she can choose two goodies; the rest go to the Great Pumpkin in exchange for a gift. She gets one candy cane at Christmas, a small cupcake with the icing scraped off at birthdays. One each vanilla and chocolate Girl Guide cookie per year. She doesn't complain about any of these things, but she is complaining about the brace. "I'm not crying wolf," she shouts at me. "I really hate it!" Maybe that's what I'll embroider...

Humatrope 1: Ingredients

Humatrope 2: Test Swatch and Scoliosis Brace

Humatrope 4: Lost for Words
Humatrope 5: Hello Little Girl in the Bullet-Proof Vest

Humatrope 6: Three Distractions
Humatrope 7: From the 13th Floor
Humatrope 8/Sewing Tip 8: Tassel Tutorial

Sewing Tip 2: Diagonal Basting

Diagonal basting is the best stitch ever for holding pieces exactly where you want them, prior to machine stitching them together. Unlike using a running basting stitch, or pins, diagonally basted pieces will not shift, since a ladder of stitches is created that holds in all directions. It is also quick, and uniquely satisfying. Here's what to do:

Fig. 1 Keep the needle pointing to the left

• Assuming you are right-handed (sorry lefties), hold the needle horizontally, with the sharp end pointing left. Keep the needle in this position the whole time. (Fig. 1)



Fig. 2 All-over diagonal basting - nothing's going to move

• Begin work on the lower left side of the area to be basted. If covering a large area, work up to the top, move one stitch over to the right, then down to the bottom, over to the right, up to the top, etc. (Fig. 2)
• Do not knot the thread. It is easier to remove basting thread that is un-knotted, and ensures the fabric will lie flat, and not be inadvertently distorted by too-tight basting. Doing the first two stitches close together will prevent the thread from pulling out as you begin to work.
• Take a (roughly) 1cm-long horizontal stitch through the layers to be basted, right to left. Move the needle about an inch above the previous stitch (or below, depending if you are travelling up or down) and repeat.
  
  

  

  Fig. 3 To prevent tangling, let the thread glide under the fingertip

• For easiest hand stitching, use cotton, threaded onto the needle with the grain - as it came off the spool. Minimize further tangling by placing the pointer finger of the left hand gently on the thread as it travels through the hole in the garment. (Fig. 3)
• The front of the work will resemble parallel diagonal lines or chevrons. The back of the work will show only small, horizontal parallel lines.
• This stitch, done closer together, is used in tailoring to pad collars and lapels. It is excellent for preventing t-shirt hems from twisting when hemming with a twin needle. I use it every time I sew or drape. Nothing else works as well to prevent shifting.

Sewing Tip 1: Thread Has Grain!

Most people do as little hand sewing as possible, thinking it is not fun, or it's hard. I can't help with the fun part (though I do enjoy it, myself, in moderation), but there is a simple fact that, if understood, makes it so much easier.

All sewing is all about the grain. Thread has grain. When hand-sewing, the direction the thread is sewn should be the same as it came off the spool. Some folks recommend immediately knotting the thread at the cut end, even before threading the needle, just to be sure to get the direction right. Ignoring the grain results in thread that will knot easily, making hand sewing seem much harder than it needs to be. And not fun.

If you want to use a double strand, do not simply put one strand on the needle and knot the two ends of it together. The difference in the grains will make the threads fight with each other, and it will be a tangly bugger to sew with. Instead, cut two strands, lay them together in the same direction, thread them both through the same needle (tricky, but can be done), knot them together at the end, and sew away.

Speaking of hand sewing, I have read many places that the only proper way to do it is to wax the thread beforehand. I asked Blossom about this, since I've never seen her wax her thread, and she replied that thread these days is strong enough without waxing. Followed by that little "tsk" she sometimes does. So there it is. Couture sewing might be considered by some to be synonymous with doing everything the hard way, but not harder than necessary. I suspect those articles are written by folk who secretly don't wax their thread, either, even if they do sew with the grain.

Humatrope 1: Ingredients

Wasteful packaging - each needle has two caps!

Tonight is the night I've been waiting for: after four months spent gathering materials, I will finally begin the fun part of my Prader-Willi Syndrome sewing project.* Tonight I begin to play. This is going to be so much fun!
*Never heard of Prader-Willi Syndrome? Neither had I

The materials are the waste from my daughter's nightly Humatrope* injections - white, felt-like alcohol swabs and lovely lavender or aqua syringe caps, one per day. I did my usual thing for those four months: I sewed, and volunteered for Our Social Fabric. Some of the debris from these activities was saved, too: all the snipped-off thread tails from the sewing room garbage can and all the plastic pearls found in the dust pan at OSF. I'm curious to see what all this garbage turns out to be.
*There are no medications that work to curb the never-ending feeling of hunger that is the hallmark of PWS, however Human Growth Hormone can greatly improve the quality of life. Born with naturally flabby, flaccid bodies, HGH turns fat cells into muscle, lethargic kids into healthier, stronger, more active ones. As a byproduct, more calories are burned, and the child - whose calorie intake is severely restricted by a bizarrely slow metabolism - can eat more food. Almost like a typical kid

For a rough idea of how many would be needed, the swabs were pinned to the mannequin as they became available.
The diamond pattern is not quite doing it for me...

The plan is vague: some kind of quilted, layered collar, possibly beaded. A temporary foundation of plastic-like Heat-Away Solvy will provide structure until the thing can stand on its own. The Solvy will eventually be removed by heating. Though it is easier to manage the sturdier sort of stabilizer that rinses out when wet, I don't want to out, out any damn'd spots by accident.

I've been so eager to get to the construction, the accompanying article is already finished. I hope to post updates as the project goes along - which I hope is steadily - though that's doubtful, free time being at a minimum.

The next step: deciding the best way to assemble it, which will, in turn, affect the design. I'll need to make a swatch, to test if what I'm hoping to do will work. The plan is to use a darning foot to machine-embroider the swabs and threads with Words of Love and Admiration that will hold them all together. One anticipated challenge: the Solvy is delicate and crumbly and will probably tear under the herky-jerky motions of the darning foot. In that case, freehand embroidery won't work and I'll have to go with classic diamond quilting. Straight lines shouldn't be too tricky.

The "ink" for writing the words of love

Thread colour? Don't know. Understated white? Classy, but not really me. More likely, whatever colour there happens to be in any bobbin that no longer has its matching spool of thread. I'm constantly looking for excuses to empty bobbins...

How it will fasten is unknown. I had planned to use a real Chanel button found by my son on the floor of the electronics section at a Costco, but he told me recently it's disgusting to put that beautiful button on something made out of bloody alcohol pads. He wants me to save it, instead, for a companion piece inspired by 25 Cogmed sessions and the Dubble Bubble* that got him through it. He's right, of course... Never mind; plenty of time to give thought to the closure while I'm testing the sewing technique.
*Did you know there are 20 calories in one piece of Dubble Bubble?

If I had a tail, I'd be wagging it. Tomorrow I sew!

Humatrope 2: Test Swatch and Scoliosis Brace

Humatrope 3: Foundation, More Brace

Humatrope 4: Lost for Words
Humatrope 5: Hello Little Girl in the Bullet-Proof Vest

Humatrope 6: Three Distractions
Humatrope 7: From the 13th Floor
Humatrope 8/Sewing Tip 8: Tassel Tutorial

OSF 10: May 9 Sale

Thank you to those who took home free bolts of fabric, knit ribbing and waistband facings last sale. We're glad to have the space back! If you didn't get your free bolt, it's not too late. We still have several left, including some sweet calico-printed cotton knit on creamy white. Perfect for nighties, t-shirts, receiving blankets, or BBQ cozies. Ask one of our volunteers to show you what's free. I'm sure you can think of some use for it.

Highlights of our upcoming sale, May 9, 10-1:

We have lots of new quilting cottons available. Individual prices, roughly $5 per bundle.

More quilting cotton, lovingly coordinated by Carol and Denise

Sometimes we receive donations of very good fabric on very broken tubes. What a headache! They won't stand up, but are too big for the rack, and we just don't have enough person-hours to spend time re-rolling them. We have nowhere to put them! Help!
$25 per bolt - a bargain!

Happy first-time OSF customer with her goods.
Note: free knit ribbing in the background - take it away!

See you at the sale!