A Visit to the Tropics

In December we had the opportunity to visit with some of Pablo's relatives in Puerto Rico. It was quite the adventure! We stayed mostly in the San Juan area -- the old city of San Juan, the historic fort of El Morro, and El Yunque national (rain) forest were destination highlights. I thought I'd share some visual experiences from our trip, thought I thought I could narrow it down a little more. Oh well!

.:. The Yokahu observation tower in El Yunque rainforest .:.

.:. A waterfall in El Yunque .:.

.:. Palm trees along the beach -- though we didn't actually swim! .:.

.:. The crest above the entrance to El Morro .:.

.:. A view of the San Juan cemetery from the walls of El Morro .:.

.:. The upper gallery of El Morro .:.

.:. One of a bazillion guard towers in San Juan. This one's on the walls of El Morro.

Can you see the cruise ship passing by through the window? .:.

.:. Lead cobbles, made out of ballast from the European ships that came

for treasures from the New World. Now that's recycling! .:.

.:. The lighthouse in El Morro -- an early 20th century addition to the fort .:.

.:. Plenty of these chaps about -- though I didn't get a single (good) picture of an iguana! .:.

.:. An avenue in Old San Juan .:.

.:. Knock knock .:.

.:. Recognize this gentleman? His initials are C. C...  .:.

.:. A balcony within a courtyard within an art gallery. 

All of the "art" was hideous, but the building was amazing! .:.

.:. One of my favorite streets in Old San Juan .:.

.:. Detail from an 18th century door in Old San Juan .:.

.:. Doesn't it look so peaceful? It was all I could do to keep myself from going in .:.

.:. The patrons of this bar have left quite an impression on the woodwork,

as we discovered when we stopped in -- for directions *wink* .:.

.:. Orchids everywhere! .:.

.:. There are plenty of pigeons in Parque de las Palomas --

perhaps because someone very kindly created pigeon "appartments" in the walls .:.

.:. Inside El Morro .:.

.:. View from the top of the Yokahu tower in El Yunque .:.

 

.:. This may be my favorite picture from Puerto Rico.

The room just draws me in with its serenity .:.

I'm not much of a tropical girl by nature, but the opportunity to visit with and meet extended family was well worth the trip! Besides, it was certainly exciting to visit such an exotic corner of the world, and I've had very little chance to photograph Spanish architecture before.

Oh, you noticed that it's taken me three months to post pictures? Well, let's not talk about that...

Lace, At Last

Before I was married, my then future mother-in-law brought back a few yards of lace for me from Puerto Rico. Beautiful, creamy lace, perfectly feminine without being too "girly." That lace has been languishing in my stash for probably three years now, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

And last week, that opportunity came knocking.

Finally in the 3rd trimester! It's still too soon to start counting down the days... 
But I am. *wink*

After realizing that I can't sew all of my maternity tops from my tunic pattern (well, I could, but it would be rather boring), it was time to come up with something else. Starting with a blouse pattern that was *not* darted in the side seam, I tweaked and fiddled until I had a custom sleeveless top. Just two pieces -- front and back -- with endless possibilities for variation. The front neckline can be pleated or gathered to take in the fullness required for wearing ease. The simplest finishing option is a bit of bias tape around the neckline and armholes. A simple hem and a belt, and it's done!

But this blouse needed something more.

More, as in a false placket, mother of pearl buttons, and self-fabric ties. Oh, and lace. Lace, at last!

The fabric is a cotton shirting that I bought at JoAnn's, after waiting patiently for a 50% off Red Tag sale. I love the woven stripe-and-diamond pattern; it's subtle, but adds a lot of texture. I think I intended it for a Regency gown at the time, but it's been several years and I don't foresee making one any time soon.

The lace is a perfect match, tucked into the placket and into the self-bias around the armholes and neckline. I opted for a gathered neckline for this blouse. Two fabric ties are concealed under the placket, providing just enough shaping. I'm finding in this pregnancy that I much prefer "shapeless" tops that can be cinched in with a belt of some sort. "Permanent" waistbands (whether elastic or not) have a tendency to be too tight, too loose, too high, or too low. Already I need to re-do a belt I made earlier in my pregnancy, as it's become a bit too snug around the ribcage to be comfortable while I'm sitting!

Little did I realize that this post would turn out to be quite the process:

1. Make blouse
2. Make beige camisole to wear under blouse (to conceal navy blue maternity skirt panel)
3. Iron blouse
4. Set up camera on tripod
5. Go back in the house to get the camera remote, which the baby made you forget
6. Take pictures
7. Check results and take more pictures
8. Tote camera and tripod back into the house
9. Rub Tiger Balm on the seven mosquito bites acquired in as many minutes while taking pictures outside 
10. Upload, edit, and resize photos.
11. Write blog post. Though I'm considering including this with Step 10, just because an even ten is so nice. Oh well. At least eleven is symmetrical.

Anyway, there's another incarnation of this blouse (linen and flutter sleeves!) just waiting to be worn and photographed. And considering that I'm getting closer to the finish line, I think it might be time to stop making maternity blouses. Unless I can't resist, that is. 

The Nursing Poncho -- Or, "Aprons Belong in the Kitchen"

A nursing cover is definitely one my list of "must-have" baby items. The first apron-style cover I made was fine.  Sure, it stayed on my neck. But as Little Man got bigger and bigger, it seemed to cover less and less. Even though Little Man wasn't extremely squirmy, I was always tugging at it and readjusting it. Granted, I never did much nursing "in public," even with the cover. But I needed something for family gatherings and occasional visits with girlfriends.

Then came our trip to Puerto Rico. Several hours on a plane would entail at least one feeding, and there was no way I was going to nurse on an airplane with my back -- and maybe more! -- exposed to public view. After some web surfing, I came across the nursing poncho concept (they've shot up in popularity in just the past year, and are quite plentiful now). With limited time and no desire to spend extra money, I used some polyester burgundy Alova suede I had on hand. What I ended up with was a square with a hole in the middle (bound with self-bias, though Alova doesn't fray), and rounded corners. No need (or desire) to hem, and I was ready to go. 

It worked like a dream! For once I actually felt covered, and by making my own I was able to make a cover large enough for my preference. I decided at once that I would leave aprons in the kitchen, and stick to ponchos from now on.

Pros to a poncho? Coverage, pure and simple. It covers front and back, and allows a large range of movement while still being discreet. Cons? Well, it's admittedly harder to see your baby unless you pull the neckline away from your body. This doesn't bother me, personally, and Little Man never really made eye contact while nursing (even without a cover). 

With this new little on on the way, my mind has turned to nursing covers once more. My last attempt was rather make-shift, and hardly my ideal choice of fabric, either fiber or color. Plus, I'll be using a cover a lot more for this baby, since I don't plan to nurse without a cover when my toddler is around (personal preference). This time I wanted something a bit more like the DRIA cover, which is made from super-stretchy jersey. The bonus to this type of cover is that it also serves as a car seat cover, stroller cover, impromptu blanket, and "fashion accessory" (if you go in for ponchos). At any rate, it doesn't scream "HEY! I'M NURSING A BABY!" when it's worn. *wink*

A coupon for 60% off any fabric at JoAnn's was perfectly timed, and fortunately their luscious rayon jersey was not on sale (by the by, isn't it frustrating when you get a great JoAnn's coupon, only to realize that the fabric you want is already on sale for a measly 30% off? Just saying). 1 1/2 yards in a yummy chocolate color cost me less than $8. Considerably less than $80 for the DRIA.

My plan was to "construct" this poncho in the same way as my first -- a neck hole cut in the center, and no sewing (since I'm terrified of sewing knits, especially on my vintage machine). Well, I didn't account for that beautiful 4-way stretch when I cut my neck hole, and the thing was practically falling off my shoulders. Okay, it was falling off my shoulders.

After considerable finagling, I ended up with a french seam along the shoulder to reduce my too-large neck hole (bonus: having shoulder seams makes it easier to figure out how to put it on). I found the DRIA cover measurements, and that helped me figure out a good size. The DRIA is a bit too off-the-shoulder for my taste, so I made my neck hole a bit smaller. I did end up with a bit of zig-zag along the inside shoulder seams at the neckline, so my inner perfectionist is not entirely satisfied. However, you can't see it from the outside, and I was considerably consoled when the binding I added around the neck worked perfectly! No hem around the bottom, since jersey doesn't ravel (and I think it drapes better without a hem).


A Few Construction Details:

As I mentioned, I used the DRIA's measurements as a guide, and mine ended up being the same basic length and width, with a 10" neckline (instead of 12"). The size seems good, but I guess I'll find out for sure in a few months! If it's too big (which I doubt), I can easily cut it down. If it's too small, I can buy some coordinating jersey at JoAnn's and turn it into a color block poncho! Which might be cute, anyway...

Focus, Shannon.

I was worried about sewing 4-way jersey without a stretch stitch (they didn't come standard on '57 Singers, apparently...), but using a very narrow zig-zag seemed to do the trick! This has upped my confidence in sewing knits considerably.

The front neckline is a little lower than the back, since I don't like the feeling of being strangled! But both front and back have a very mild curve, giving the poncho a boatneck look.

If I ever make another one, I'll probably do the two-pieces-sewn-at-the-shoulders to start with, rather than trying to cut a perfect hole in the middle. I like having french seams at the shoulders, since they look so tidy. But with knit, it's not really necessary.

The neckline is bound with a 2" strip of jersey that I'd cut off the side. I sewed it right-sides-together to the poncho, then folded it over to the inside and pinned. I then sewed it down (from the right side) with a narrow zig-zag. The stitching caught the edge of the binding, giving an unanticipated but very welcome decorative finish to the binding edge. After that, I trimmed the knit about 1/4" from the stitching on the inside. It curls a bit, but you don't see it when the poncho is being worn. Oh, and the binding seam is at the center back of the poncho, making it easier to tell front from back. The neckline is still stretchy, and it looks a bit more professional than leaving a raw edge at the neck.

So there it is! One more project checked off my sewing-for-baby list (which is finally dwindling). Unfortunately, this has done nothing to lessen my impatience for this little one to come. But maybe in the meantime I can tackle one of those other still-unfinished projects...