Sewing-Themed Pickup Lines

"Sure, it looks like a needle, but it moves like a sewing machine." Because Victorian couples make naughty statements okay, obviously.
[picture source]

You guys are seriously the best. I was laughing so hard at all of your ridiculously funny pickup lines...in the end, I couldn't leave it to random.org, and picked my two favorite comments instead. Call me biased, but hey, it's my birthday and I do what I want (Thor)! For your reading pleasure, I've compiled a list of my favorite lines below. So, if you ever see a hottie browsing the silks at Mood, you'll know what to say. I am not to be held responsible, though, if these naughty lines earn you a slap for your cheek ;)

"You seam like you're tailor-made for me!" -- Carolyn
"Hey baby, I may need you to finish my seams, because I'm fraying without you!" -- Katie W.
"What say you and me try out the fiber content of these sheets?" -- The Hot Mess
"Hey baby, I just made some pants. Want to check out my fly front?" -- T. Sedai
"Let me unpick your seams for you." -- Alexa
"Is your dress felt? How would you like it to be?" --Writersblock14
"Do you need a sewing buddy? Because I've got a trained set of hands." --Bloodsweatshoptears
"Why don't we go into my sewing room and I'll let you thread my needle." --Cathy
"Your lips look a little bit wrinkled...mind if I press them for you?" --Megan R.
"I am the warp to your weft, and to you, I'll always be true." --Sewing Noob

And now for my absolute favorites!

Congratulations to Craft Alchemy, you win the Clover pattern! Her gems:
"Hey you, d'you want to get right sides together?"
"Do your seams need pressing? I'd love to lay you flat..."
"Machines are all very well, but I get a better finish doing it by hand."
"That skirt looks a bit long for you, do you want me to take it up?"

The Thurlows go to Liza Jane Sews:
"Are those French darts, or are you just happy to see me?" Because we've all accidentally ended up with pointy darts before, amirite?

Winners, please shoot me an email at cationdesignsblog [at] gmail dot com with your address. Everyone, thanks for entering and entertaining me with your punny lines!

#secondgenaznproblems

Did you know that May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month? I actually had no idea until one of my former students posted it on his Facebook page...but now that I know (even if it is the end of the month!), I'm glad that I've been learning more about Anna May Wong for real, and not just fake-pretending to dress up as her. It's fascinating for me to learn more about the experiences of very early immigrants and second-generation APAs, mostly because that's not my family history at all. My parents both came to the US shortly before I was born, so it's not like my ancestors helped build the Transcontinental Railroad or anything.

You know how Facebook goes on these random kicks once in a while where everyone changes their profile picture to their favorite cartoon character, or the celebrity they look like most? It's too bad I didn't know about Anna May Wong when the latter rolled around, since if I had to say, I probably look more like her than Lucy Liu*, the only other well-known Chinese-American actress out there.  

I know that I was very fortunate to grow up in San Francisco, which boasts a huge percentage of Chinese-Americans. I experienced very little racism and never felt conflicted about who I was or which culture I identify with, because so many of my peers were just like me, with a foot in both worlds and somehow managing to balance those. It wasn't until high school that it even occurred to me that not every city was like mine! All those YA novels about Asian-Americans growing up in hostile environments and the struggles they had felt thankfully far removed from my own life. The more I grow up and the more people I meet, of course, the more I realize how difficult the Asian-American identity is for some. Still, living in California, I mostly don't notice my minority...but it does pop up every now and then in the strangest ways!

I was reading up on vintage sewing machines and ended up perusing the comment section over on Peter's blog regarding hand-crank sewing machines, and suddenly had a fit of jealousy over all those lucky people who had sewing machines sitting in their grandmothers' attics. Being the child of immigrants, our house doesn't have an attic (that is unrelated to the immigrating, actually) and our garage only has boxes of our old Chinese school homework and math workbooks (not even lying!). No vintage sewing notions, and certainly no beautiful old treadle machines! And even though my mom sewed prolifically as a young lady, none of those clothes have made it to me, since it's impractical to cart a handmade wardrobe over the Pacific ocean to a tiny apartment in SF. And since my grandparents grew up extremely poor, I certainly don't have any heirloom Edwardian wedding gowns!

The closest thing I have: my mom's 1970s qipao. 

So even though I love being Asian-American, and am proud of my heritage, sometimes, a very tiny part of me wishes that I were white, if only so that I could inherit all these treasures from generations past. I also wish this a tiny bit when I think about dressing up in historic clothing, as I'm pretty sure that my great-great-great-whatever didn't wear gorgeously embellished 18th century frock coats or huge swishing hoopskirts. I also don't know too many other APA bloggers who are into vintage sewing or historic fashion, and I definitely don't know any in real life, so sometimes I feel a little bit like an anomaly.

Not quite a robe l'anglaise: my mom took me on a trip to China as a high school graduation present, where I got to wear a tourist trap dubious polyester Qing dynasty robe at the Forbidden City. Yeah, that doesn't even fall into the same category, it's so different. Also, ignore the date at the bottom -- apparently nobody ever bothered programming the camera! 

Then I remember that I make geeky dresses from thrifted sheets, and I think that there are probably bigger reasons for feeling like an anomaly, and I like it that way.

But oh! for a gorgeous vintage Featherweight!

*I came across this interview with Lucy Liu, and it's kind of sad how similar things are, even after 80+ years. It's still just as difficult now for an APA to get a leading role as it was when Anna May Wong was a star in the 1930s. And then there are projects like this one that reveal just how little people know about "others" even in this day and age.

[And hey, on a totally different note, if you haven't added your knit stashbusting project to the May link party yet, go do it. You've got til Sunday to get in on endless fame and fortune bragging rights if you win the challenge!]

A Whole Lot of Random

I couldn't think of a good way to tie in all the assorted topics in this post, so here's another bullet-pointed list!

Hey, that's my text and images on this horrible ad-filled site!

• If a trolling comment is the first step to Arriving as a Real Blogger, then surely this is the second step: I had one of my blog posts stolen by a content scraper! Funnily enough, they stole one of my 2012 sewing fails, but still. Many thanks to Steph at 3HoursPast for noticing and taking the time to let me know. Since Blogger doesn't have a lot by way of tools to prevent this kind of thing, I'm now considering switching over to WordPress; I'll let you know if that happens. In the meantime, I've gone and added a RSS Feed footer. So here's your PSA, fellow bloggers: CONSTANT VIGILANCE. Here's the extremely helpful post that I used to get that content scraping site shut down. Friends, has this ever happened to you? What did you do about it? 

• I never shared some of my haul from birthday/Christmas happenings. Not that you really care, since you can't enjoy them, but have some pictures anyway:

Top left: Kat of Macskakat is a total sweetheart and sent me some hobbit-y souvenirs from New Zealand, along with a handmade pincushion. It was the best package ever! Top right and bottom: My very thoughtful brother, who I could've sworn didn't read my blog, surprised me with this amusing book, All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome. I'm pretty sure that's why I'm a cat person...they're just like me! 

• Lastly, I've done something jolly with my hair! I was growing it out for the first hobbit movie, but that's over now and it was really getting gross and split-endy and hard to manage, so I've gone and chopped it all off. I was originally thinking that I wanted a true pixie cut like Anne Hathaway or Emma Watson, but at the last minute I wasn't sure if I could pull it off so I chickened out. At least this way, it's still long enough to curl for the Jane Austen ball at the end of the month.

Mr. Cation and I went to the Huntington Library and Gardens to see their Civil War exhibits, and it was such a nice day!
I mean, it's January and I'm wearing a sleeveless maxi dress and only a tiny bit cold!

Walnut Expresses My Feelings For Me

Le sigh. I never asked to be adopted into a Giants household. 

I've never been a fan of sports, mostly because of bad childhood memories of always being picked last for teams. To this day, I still can't catch a round object with any kind of reliability, and if you ask me to dribble a basketball, it will get away from me after two bounces. So imagine my horror when I discovered that Mr. Cation is a huge sports fan! I reluctantly resigned myself to having to learn something about 1) Notre Dame football, and 2) the SF Giants.

Wearing this cap is an insult to my dignity. 

While I now know more about sports than I ever thought I would (and definitely more than anyone in my elementary school thought I ever would, I'm sure), I can still think of at least forty-two other things I'd rather be doing than watching ESPN. Seriously, during the fall the TV is always on on weekends because there's either a game, or highlights, or commentary to watch. This used to bug me when we first got married, but now that I sew...that just means I get five hours of uninterrupted sewing time to churn things out.

Wait, what did you say the final score was tonight? We're going to the World Series, you say?

So when I found out that the Giants winning the pennant means that there will be at least another four games to occupy my husband, I cheered.

Reaching up for a double high five?

What does your significant other do while you sew?

Sewing Blogiverse Love

It's been a fantastic last several days! The sewing blogiverse, which, while lovely and encouraging and all, resides pretty firmly inside my laptop (for all I know, everyone except Oona, whom I've actually met IRL, was created by an exceedingly clever spambot), suddenly intersected with my "real" life in a whole bunch of ways.

Both us wearing me-mades, too!

Last Friday, I was just browsing in my somewhat-local discount fabric store, when I pulled a 60" roll of knit fabric off of a high shelf. I'm not super coordinated, so when a nearby lady started staring at me, my first panicked thought was that I had hit her in the head with the bolt. But then she said tentatively, "Cindy?" And I replied in the affirmative, equally tentatively. Well, as it turns out, this lady was none other than Aleah of No Time to Sew! We read each others' blogs, and while neither of us lives in the city usually, we managed to run into each other over by the $2.39/yd fabric table. After much mutual exclaiming and laughing and gushing, we calmed down enough to snap a quick photo as proof to the world that "this lady whose sewing blog I read" is, in fact, a real person. It was so fun to be recognized out in the wild, and I am so glad to have had a chance to meet Aleah; she is such a lovely person! 

I love getting sewing-related presents, especially when there are bonuses!
Thank you, Leah!

And then over the weekend, I was so fortunate as to receive two packages on the same day, both packed with sewing goodies! I got my giveaway package from Leah of Struggle Sews A Straight Seam, which had not only the promised patterns, but some salmon-colored silk and seam binding as well! The other package was an unsolicited box of awesome from Meg the Grand -- yes, you read that correctly, it wasn't a giveaway or my birthday or anything; she just sent it out of the goodness of her heart. Seriously, the sewing blogiverse is populated with the most lovely people!

Isn't that dinosaur patch the best thing ever? I need to figure out what would be worthy of such an adornment. I also adore the sailor outfit and the pussy bow dress! Thank you so much, Meg!

Walnut also likes it when I get packages, as it means new playthings for him.

Walnut, that box isn't big enough for you to climb into.

And just in case I wasn't inundated enough with blog/real life intersections, yesterday night I had the chance to meet up with several other Bay Area sewing bloggers at a meetup hosted by Cañada College's Fashion Deparment. I was too starstruck to take pictures of all the fantastic hats and garments on display, but go check out Shams of Communing With Fabric's recap. I was kicking myself that I didn't have enough cash on hand to purchase Lynda Maynard's book from her directly so she could sign it, too, but such is having to pay for bridge toll all the time life. And I so wish I lived in the city all the time so that I could take millinery classes! It was such an inspiring evening, seeing everyone else's lovely couture garments during the show and tell portion of the evening. And I? What did I bring to share? Hah! A wearable muslin of a simple bias-cut dress, made from leftover Spiderman sheets. Thankfully, I grabbed my 1912 blouse at the last second while running out the door, so I had something slightly less juvenile to share with all of these accomplished seamstresses.

You can't see it here, but she was wearing this gorgeous, vibrant red skirt.

Many thanks to Amy of Sew Well for letting me know about this event! She is just as thoughtful and sweet IRL as she is on her blog. If anything, I find her more inspiring than some of the more experienced professional seamstresses who were there, since she's been sewing for about as long as I have, but has a much more balanced sewing portfolio to show for it. Hmmm, I guess I should get back to cake-sewing. Prom dresses and whales don't quite fall into that category!

Exchanging One Gray City for Another

Actually, Seattle's weather forecast says that it will be nicer than it will be in the city for the next several days. That's pretty sad, San Francisco. Better step up your game -- I mean, we're talking about the rainy city here! 

So yeah, in case you couldn't figure it out, I'm going to Seattle tonight, staying until Monday. Elaine and I are flying up to visit Nikki, who is the third person in our original high school trio, the Collective Idiot (so named because on our own, we are intelligent women with witty things to say, but when we get together, things descend into ridiculousness very quickly). The three of us met the first day of freshmen year of high school, we went to prom together instead of with dates, and this August we are celebrating our fifteenth friendship anniversary! Sometimes I can't believe that these ladies have known me for such a long time...it's such a precious thing to have really old friends with whom you can just be yourself with no fear of judgment or contempt, because they've lived with you through all the awkward years of being boy crazy, ridiculous, sophomoric teens.

This was at our eighth anniversary celebration, when we were finally old enough to have mimosas...good gracious, we look so young!

Anyway, this is my first "real" visit to Seattle (the first time was just a quick drive through on the way to Vancouver, so it doesn't count), so we'll do some normal touristy things, as well as eat lots of good food* (and hope to catch the Top Chef crew as they film there!). But being me, I would of course love to squeeze in some fabric/sewing-related stops if I can...does anyone have any absolutely-can't-miss recommendations?

*This trip would be the perfect setting for my formal shorts, except that I need to figure out something to wear on top, since I can't exactly make off with my sister's sweater for a week.

Friday Doings

I've been having a busy time this week, what with preparing for next year's job, rediscovering old thrifting grounds, and sewing up a storm in preparation for Promaballoona. I did finish my Leonora shorts, and many thanks to all of you for your lovely, kind, encouraging comments. I feel so much better about them now! Pictures to come tomorrow. In the meantime, a couple of random iPhone snaps to tide you over:

I didn't bring this one home with me from Thrift Town, but I just had to take a picture -- this apparently belonged to a very disgruntled lady, judging by the comments written on the pattern envelope. "Neck opening way too large; armholes too deep; sides too wide, etc. etc. etc." And above the "large" designation, one more "VERY" in all caps. I love seeing these glimpses of the personalities/lives of the former owners of vintage patterns! This lady also apparently had a husband with a 42" chest, as there were at least ten men's shirt patterns from the 70s bundled with this one.

I used to go to Thrift Town all the time when I was teaching in San Leandro; whether I needed to spice up my teacher wardrobe or find costumes for the school's theater production, it never failed me. Well, that was before I started sewing, and now that I've discovered the wonders of vintage patterns, it's still good to me.

Butterick 5927 shirtdress, Simplicity 8098 mod skort-dress, Simplicity 4483 activewear set, Vogue 5462 skirt suit, Advance 8502 coatdress (my very first Advance pattern ever!), Simplicity 6149 girls' jumper and blouse (not my size, but just too cute not to get), and a turquoise-green stretch bottomweight fabric of mysterious fiber content, obviously perfect for the pants in Simplicity 4483!

And because this was just too ridiculous not to share, and on the chance that there might be some former Sanrio-addicts out there, have a not-very-indicative shot of my muslin of my prom dress!

Not very indicative of the actual dress because, you know, Pochacco sheets.
My actual dress is obviously going to be made out of curtains.

It's actually the Simplicity 4257 that Jane sent me for our swap, and it is turning out beautifully! My actual prom dress won't have sleeves, but I thought I should test out the sleeves while I was at it. I ended up taking out all the ease because I couldn't figure out how to insert it otherwise, and honestly, it's no better or worse than with the 2" of ease drafted into the sleeve cap...could it be that sleeve cap ease really is bogus?

Summer Sewing Swap with Handmade Jane

Sponsored by Kestrel Finds and Makes!

I was really excited to see the "Royal Mail" package in my postman's arms yesterday, as it has always been my dream to be sent an invitation to the ball. Except it wasn't an invitation to the ball, but rather my swap package from the lovely Handmade Jane! Which is totally fine, because honestly, to arrive at a ball is exciting and all; once you're there, though, it's scary. And it's fun to deceive when you know you can leave, but you have to be wary...

*ahem* 

How adorable is that card with the sewn on dress in real fabric! Also, I managed to photograph all the hearts upside-down.

Devolving into quoting musicals aside, I was indeed happy to open my charming (but not tall...okay I couldn't resist one more!) package from Jane. Isn't it so sweet of her to wrap each present individually for greater enjoyment at each reveal? I was tempted to save one for each day this week, but couldn't resist. My impulse control is poor when it comes to sewing-related goods. Can you blame me?

Friends, I think Jane nailed it with her assortment! There's a red cat print, a fun turquoise print (seriously, white on bluish backgrounds is one of my favorite types of print ever; I've been in love with Tilly's Loire Valley Skirt for ages), buttons from the 1930's (officially the oldest thing in my sewing stash!), cute trim, a DIY magazine, and my favorite type of pattern -- a fitted bodice with a full skirt -- in the form of Simplicity 4257. I am so excited to sew with these goodies, and I can only hope that Jane likes what I sent her. Getting her package together was a bit of a challenge, since my stash is in TCOCC and I don't know the thrift stores in this area just yet, but I think I managed to hit the right notes...we'll see in a week or so!

Totally not related at all, but the other night I dreamed that I found Rainbow Brite sheets at the thrift store. When I woke up and realized I didn't actually have them, I was so bummed. Even better, when I told my sister, she was like, that's pretty sad. Only she meant it was sad that I was dreaming about thrifting sheets and wasting time being sad about it, not that the RB sheets didn't exist. And now you all know what a huge dork I am!

Interview with a Former Garment Factory Worker

My mom is one of the most accomplished, brilliant people I know. Not only did she immigrate to the US as an adult and have to teach herself English, she also went back to college and got her CPA while raising three kids (who are all upstanding, contributing citizens, if I do say so myself). What's even more incredible is that she did all that after being garment factory worker in Hong Kong as a teen.

This is similar to what the factory looked like inside. [picture]

I always vaguely knew about this part of my mom's past, but having grown up working for my dad's company (elementary school students doing inventory, packing orders, making deliveries, etc.!), I never thought much about what her work actually consisted of. Now, as someone who's only recently come to realize how much work goes into a garment, I thought other sewists might also like to hear more about her experience. I interviewed her and translated her answers from Cantonese here.

How did you start working at the factory in the first place?

I think I was thirteen...I had just finished sixth grade, and I needed to start working to help support the family. My dad was a bus driver and didn't make much, and our family had eight people to feed. A neighbor told my mom that a nearby garment factory was hiring and training workers, but you had to be fourteen. Since I wasn't fourteen yet, my mom borrowed an ID card from a friend's daughter to get me in. The ID cards at that time didn't have pictures, just names, so the whole time I worked there I worked under the name Yuen Yee Lee. The factory managers knew, of course, that some of us workers had stolen IDs and were obviously underage, so if inspectors came by they would tell all of us underage workers to go hide in the bathroom.

What type of factory was it? What garments did you work on?

I mostly worked on button-down shirts at the Lacoste factory. I started out working on cuff plackets, then moved on to other parts and pieces. After I became more advanced, I learned to sew jeans, but at the end of the first day I looked at my hands and they were all blue from the dye! I stopped working that shift because the sewing was too heavy duty and my hands would always be blue. I also tried a stint on knit garments, but that was more difficult because the fabric was trickier. 

How big was the factory? How many other workers were there? What was the average age? What kind of training was provided?

The factory was huge! There were five or six floors, and there were at least a hundred workers on my floor.  There were all ages of workers there. The younger workers would start by doing simpler pieces, then as you became more experienced they would have you work on more complex parts of the garment, and you would make more money. Actually, there were many mother-daughter pairs that worked in the same factory.  As for training, the supervisor would sew one example piece for us, then we would be expected to start right away. If it turned out badly, I would have to rip it out and redo the piece.

What were the hours like? Breaks? Pay? 

I worked at the factory for at least three years, maybe longer. I worked ten hours a day, starting at 8 am. I always had a hard time waking up in the morning because I also went to night school, so my younger sister, who worked at the same factory, always had a hard time rousing me. I had half an hour for lunch break, but I would eat quickly and then practice dance moves with my friends on the balcony. We could take restroom breaks, of course, but it had to be fast. We worked six days a week with a day off on Saturday. Usually factories would give you Sundays off, but our factory was owned by a Jewish man and so we got Saturdays off.

Every dozen items I sewed was a few cents, so I had to work very fast to make any money. I kept a watch next to me and told myself that I needed to make x number of garments every hour. From my pay, my mom would give me a very small fraction for lunch and bus money. If I woke up early enough, I could walk to the factory and save my money for movies and going out with friends.

What was the worst part of working there? The best part?

The worst part was when new shipments would arrive, the bolts of fabric had so many chemicals in them that I would always feel sick. The odor was so strong! Also, one time I wasn't paying attention and managed to get a needle through my finger. The supervisor had to take me to the factory clinic to get it taken care of. There actually weren't too many injuries, at least once you became experienced. 

Once a year the factory would sponsor a field trip of sorts to the suburbs and we would have barbeques. Also, once a year they would offer a worker discount and you could buy two garments at 50% off. This was a big deal because Lacoste or Polo or any of these other high end brands were totally out of our normal price range.

Anything else interesting you want to share?

Some people (myself included) would steal from the company. We would bring our lunch pails with us to our workstations, and they were conveniently just the right size for a serger cone of thread. They would search our bags as we left the factory, but they never looked in our lunch pails. People would smuggle out thread, buttons, and even garment labels so that you could sew the brand name labels onto your own home-made clothes. You couldn't take too many, though, or else the supervisor would notice. 

Looking back at the experience now, how do you feel about it? What is your attitude towards sewing now?

I'm glad for the experience, as I learned many skills. I still like sewing, although I don't make my own clothes anymore because I don't really have time to do so. I've also forgotten most of what I learned about pattern drafting, so now it's mostly repairing RTW clothing and easy home dec projects like curtains.  

How do you feel about the growing movement to sew one's own clothing among people of my generation?

I think it's a good thing. It does take a lot of time to learn sewing, and time is not a luxury that everyone has. But if you have the time, it's better than just playing video games. However, for people of your generation, sewing is just a hobby that you do to show your ability to learn, or so that you can make cool things. For people of my generation, it was a skill that enabled you to make a living, so it's a totally different approach to the whole idea of sewing. 


So there you have it -- the candid answers of a no-nonsense Chinese mom, pointing out that real sewing for a living > hobby sewing > video games. I love it. Thanks, Mom, for letting me interview you!

[Incidentally, while I was asking my mom these questions, my dad walked by and was all, "Does anyone even read what you write? Who are you writing this for, anyway?" The concept of blogging is beyond him. When I tried to explain about subscribers and such, he asked suspiciously, "Where do all these people come from? Do you know them all? Why do they want to read your blog?" Le sigh.]

Leonora Knows

My husband and I went to the Treasure Island Flea this last weekend. I was all prepared to put into practice Liz's tips, but honestly, it was just kind of ho-hum and there wasn't much I found even worth asking about. It felt a little bit like Regretsy turned into a real live market, actually, with quite a few overpriced you-just-found-this-in-your-grandma's-garage-didn't-you type items. I was able to find this antique anatomy print for my sister, though:

It's her picture.

Afterwards, we continued our trip across the bridge and stopped in at the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, where I've previously found pretty decent vintage patterns. This time, I'm pretty sure that someone had recently gone through the piles already, because all that was left was 80s and 90s dropped-waist, shoulder-padded monstrosities. I did, however, pick up enough vintage seam binding to last for a while, as well as this questionable pants pattern:

I don't know anything about this pattern company, nor do there seem to be any examples online of people making pants from this pattern, but I had to get it because THIS:

Oh. My. Goodness. Does Leonora know, or does Leonora know???

So yeah, I bought a dubious pattern (granted, it was only $0.20), just because there was a cat behaving characteristically on the pattern envelope. I'm pretty sure that places me squarely in the crazy cat lady category. Anyway, if I find some suitable fabric for cheap, I might actually give this pattern a try, although I'm still not sure about this particular style. In the meantime, have more Walnut, taking advantage of the amazing weather and the west-facing windows at my parents' house.

Can't believe I caught him at this perfect moment while he was grooming himself!

Seriously, Mom? Pictures of me taking a bath? What am I, a small human being?

Also, thank you all for your wonderful comments about my maxi dress! I'm blushing profusely. And I promise, my next sewing project involves more than four seams.

Adjusting to Life in SF

We've been in The City for a week now, and everyone is more or less adjusting to life under my parents' roof. Here's another list because I can't be bothered with paragraph transitions right now:

1) Walnut did just fine on the trip up, much to everyone's surprise. He's taken to the larger territory of a two-story house with ease, and has cowed his uncles with his size and the sheer vehemence of his meowing. So far, the hierarchy negotiations have not come to blows. Let's hope it stays that way.

Looking out the same window as his uncles, but with his watermelon friend instead.

2) Cooking for six is a lot more difficult than cooking for two. Especially since my dad has an aversion to oh, anything too salty, too spicy, too buttery, too cheesy, or too meat-y. Actually, let's just say that he has an aversion to anything with flavor.

3) I've done very little sewing since arriving; mostly I've been running errands for my parents. I've been on too many Target, Costco, and grocery store runs in too few days. I've had fun, though, too -- I got to catch the Cult of Beauty exhibit at the Legion of Honor before it closed. Even better, my sister had free tickets! I enjoyed seeing the paintings and furniture, but getting to see the gowns was definitely the highlight. I can't wait to go to the V&A in August; this was just an amuse-bouche.

This is one of the gowns that was on display. The V&A website has a cute little set of letters that the dude wrote to his lady about it. He was a sculptor, and it totally shows in the way the dress looks. Even crazier, this dress is supposed be in striped silk, but the stripes have almost entirely faded! You can only see them from super up close, i.e. nose almost smooshed into the glass. 

4) I also got to go see Jonathan Coulton at the Great American Music Hall (which, incidentally, is an absolutely amazing venue)! He is probably my favorite songwriter ever; I mean, it doesn't get any better than catchy songs about IKEA, zombies, evil scientists, and bacteria. Also, I had a tiny two-minute crush on Scarface. Anyway, if you're a geek and love clever lyrics and haven't heard of him, go check out his stuff!

Requisite terrible iPhone picture. Scarface (in the middle) was singing Skullcrusher Mountain, JoCo is on the right.
You can also get a taste of the fantastic balconies in the concert hall.

5) I have been working just a little bit on my next sewing project...unfortunately, my mom's old Kenmore is not nearly as easy to use as my Brother. Okay, maybe part of this is my fault for not noticing, but apparently part of its crankiness was due to the fact that the feed dogs were lowered. I sewed new curtains for the basement, all the bodice darts, and the pockets without realizing this. I was wondering why I was so incapable of sewing in a straight line, and it turns out that I was pretty much free-motion quilting the whole time. That said, I think I did a pretty dang awesome job sewing darts in light of that.

6) Because of the Kenmore's disturbing habit of rattling like it's going to fall to pieces, I don't know if I'm going to get around to sewing jeans this summer. I just don't trust it for something like topstitching through multiple layers of denim. There's also no needle position adjustment, which boggles the mind. Lastly, the bobbin setup is not the drop-in kind, so putting in new bobbin thread takes about 15 seconds longer. I don't know why this bothers me so much. Anyway, my secret hope is that I will score an awesome vintage Singer at one of the antique fairs this summer, and then I can kill two birds with one stone (the must-have-a-vintage-machine bird, and the have-a-machine-that-doesn't-sound-like-it's-going-to-explode bird. Both of these are excellent candidate birds for killing).

7) After I arrived and unpacked my sewing things, I realized I forgot my embroidery snips, basic bodice blocks (!!!), and any buttons whatsoever. Grrrrr. Also, I already miss Cecily, my cutting mat, and full-length mirrors next to the sewing machine. While I'm mentioning sewing gripes, I might as well say that having two extra assistant cats isn't really helpful either. However, Walnut has done significantly less assisting now that there are so many new things to sniff and places to explore.

Totoro tells Walnut a secret (actually, Walnut just really likes chewing on the totoro's whiskers).

New Chinese newspaper > old sewing patterns for grooming purposes.

Okay now, less whining about the sewing situation, more actual sewing.

Science-y Details

Since I already shared a few wedding photos yesterday, and I've mentioned before how I designed and printed my own wedding invitations and other paper goods, I thought I'd share a few more pictures of the other science-y aspects of our wedding. Little did you all know, I originally started this blog to chronicle my DIY wedding projects, but never wrote more than a few drafts. Then when I started sewing, I just deleted those drafts and kept the title and profile for my sewing blog. Unfortunately, some of it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense anymore, considering the usual topics here at Cation Designs, so I'll probably be changing that as soon as Walnut, Fenxi, and Gummy all stop hissing and growling at each other and I can take my eye off them.

When my husband and I were planning the wedding, we were going through a phase of life where we'd been attending upwards of six weddings a year for the previous few years. We were pretty thoroughly sick of letterpress birds-and-flowers invitations, Canon in D, Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, the unity candle lighting, and reading of 1 Corinthians 13. So we decided to put our own spin on our wedding -- SCIENCE. It was all over our wedding stationary, and it crept into our decor:

Our card box, guestbook pencils, and edible favors (madeleines and gourmet sea salt in tiny flasks).

And because I couldn't resist, I snuck in a little chemistry lesson into our pastor's script (to be fair, he used to be a middle school science teacher, so it wasn't entirely weird for him). Instead of the standard the-ring-is-a-circle-it-has-no-end-just-like-your-love speech, he said, "These rings are made of precious metal, noteworthy for being on the positive end of the Electromotive Force Series. These metals do not lose their electrons easily, and are therefore resistant to corrosion. It is an ideal symbol of your love for each other, and a reminder of the promises you have made to each other today." And instead of a unity candle or sand, we had...

Yes, that's right, a unity precipitate. As our pastor explained, "If you look behind me, you will see two flasks of chemicals. Cindy, the flask of sodium phosphate represents your life up to this moment, separate and distinct from Eric's. Eric, this flask of copper sulfate represents your life up to this moment, separate and distinct from Cindy's. Marriage is the joining of two lives into one. This is what God meant when He said: 'On this account, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall be one flesh.' From now on your thoughts shall be for each other rather than for your individual selves. Your plans shall be mutual, your joys and sorrows shall be shared alike. As you pour these solutions together, they will form an insoluble copper phosphate suspension. This is an irreversible precipitation reaction, and as such represents the union of your lives, surrounded by God’s love." My students who were at the ceremony loved it, but also confessed to inward groaning that I somehow managed to put together an educational wedding. A couple of smart-alecks also pointed out that I wasn't wearing goggles or gloves...

And as a final touch, we had to work cats in, somehow...hence our Simon's Cat place cards. These were a beast to cut out the week before the wedding, but it was so worth it (and totally hilarious) to see them all lined up, begging for food.

Again, all photographs courtesy of The Youngrens!

Anyway, sorry for the little detour into wedding-land, but hey, it's June, right? Prime wedding month, according to my wedding photographer friends. I promise I'll have some actual sewing projects to share soon! In the meantime, I'm still trying to wrestle my mom's cranky old Kenmore into submission. Gosh, I miss my machine.

Too Late, It's a Quarter Past Silly

I like you and I know why.
I like you because you are a good person to like.
I like you because when I tell you something special, you know it's special
And you remember it a long, long time.
You say, Remember when you told me something special
And both of us remember

When I think something is important
you think it's important too
When I say something funny, you laugh
I think I'm funny and you think I'm funny too
I like you because you know where I'm ticklish
And you don't tickle me there
except just a little tiny bit
sometimes
But if you do, then I know where to tickle you too

You know how to be silly
That's why I like you
Boy are you ever silly
I never met anybody sillier than me till I met you
I like you because you know when it's time to stop being silly
Maybe day after tomorrow
Maybe never
Too late, it's a quarter past silly 

Sometimes we don't say a word
We snurkle under fences
We spy secret places
If I am a goofus on the roofus hollering my head off
You are one too
If I pretend I am drowning, you pretend you are saving me
If I am getting ready to pop a paper bag,
then you are getting ready to jump

That's because you really like me
You really like me, don't you
And I really like you back
And you like me back and I like you back
And that's the way we keep on going every day

--from I Like You, by Sandol Stoddard Warburg

We had parts of this book read at our wedding two years ago and it still perfectly captures why I love being married to this man. It's been a crazy last two years, what with living in San Diego, TCOCC, and now The City, and learning to deal with, at various times, teaching intense classes, unemployment, business school, and our fur baby, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Happy second anniversary!

All photos courtesy of our amazing photographers, The Youngrens.

Today Is an Epic Day

Today, Walnut will travel the farthest north he has ever been in his short life. Today, that poor guy will spend eight hours in a car (doctored up with Oona's recommendation of the feline equivalent of a stiff drink...does it surprise you that she has cocktail recommendations for cats, too?) and end his trip in the homeland of Giants.

Like most proud dads, my husband has insisted on dressing Walnut up in Giants' gear from day 1.

Once there, he will meet his grandparents for the first time. They're not sure how they feel about their first grandchild being non-human, but they've got beloved feline children of their own, and it's not Walnut's fault that he's not a small human being. His uncles will be anxiously waiting to meet him, having smelled and licked his fur samples, but whether they'll be the type of uncles that give their nephew wedgies and swirlies is yet to be determined. I want to hope that they'll just be the type that take him to baseball games and play catch, but I'm not holding my breath.

Is he here yet? Is he here yet? Huh? Come on come on come on hurry up!!!

If you think of us today, please say a prayer for our safe journey and smooth transition. Posts may be a bit scanty while we get settled in, but I hope to be up and running sewing as soon as possible! If you're in the Bay Area this summer and want to have a sewing meetup/fabric shopping trip/costume party, I'm game!

Prom, the Reprise

How many people get the chance to go to prom with their spouse? Unless you're high school sweethearts, probably not that many. And if you were an ultra-nerd like I was in high school, you didn't even go to prom with a date. That's not to say I didn't have tons of fun at prom, though, as I went with my best girlfriends and had a blast being goofy and ridiculous. But I was still a little too excited when my husband mentioned that there was a prom at the end of the year in business school, of all things. 

Prom wouldn't be complete without photos, and of course we availed ourselves of them.

I had grand plans for making a formal dress for the prom, but in the end decided that if my memories of the dance floor at prom were anywhere near accurate, I didn't want to make something lovely and precious, only to get all sweaty in it while dancing, have people spill drinks nearby, and potentially step on the hem. So I "settled" for wearing one of my favorite thrift store finds ever: a long, slinky, sexy-but-not-too-uncomfortably-revealing-for-my-taste, swishy, bias-cut gown which just happened to fit me perfectly. It was in practically new condition and had only been in the store for half a day, so it didn't even have the questionable thrift store odor, and it was only $15! Gosh, I love thrifting.

My husband went old school with a white-tie-on-black-shirt, which was all the rage when we were in high school. Also, these are actual awkward prom photos, not the fake ones we usually take when we are at weddings!

Back when Charlie's Angels poses were still cool. This scan of a
wallet-sized picture doesn't dojustice to the blinding nature of my dress.
Also, I am wearing clear plastic heels. *facepalm*

This is the dress I wish I had worn to my actual senior prom in high school. Although I really liked my prom dress at the time, that aqua, be-sequined dress (seriously, up close I looked like a mermaid, or possibly a medieval knight, if they wore bright blue chain mail) was a last minute find and really not my style at all. I distinctly remember seeing a girl from my class show up for prom in a long, flowing, backless, cream-colored gown reminiscent of 1930s starlets. She and I both looked totally unlike anyone else at prom (which I'm pretty sure is the goal of prom dress shopping), but hers was classic and gorgeous and mine was a disco ball come to life. That is the first time I remember falling in love with vintage fashion, and here I am more than a decade later, making my own vintage-inspired frocks. I never would have guessed, then, that this is where/who I would be now.

I think I was unconsciously trying to emulate my old classmate's retro glamour as I did my make-up and hair, and even afterward as I PicMonkey-ed the heck out of our pictures. The lighting was pretty atrocious, so we didn't get too many viable shots of the inside of the historic Millenium Biltmore Hotel, which, appropriately, used to host the earliest Academy Awards. Hah! I say that as if the hotel arranged its history to accommodate my look, instead of the other way around.

There was an absolutely beautiful staircase, perfect for descending in a manner not unlike Belle's grand entrance in Beauty and the Beast. When I walked in and saw it, I turned to my husband and announced that it had always been my dream to descend a staircase like it. He graciously snapped a photo as I posed at the top, in front of the resplendent Spanish Revival door.

I think I had too much fun playing around with the filters on PicMonkey, trying to make my photos look appropriately vintage.
Unfortunately, the effect is spoiled by my green no-drinks-included-in-your-ticket bracelet.

I am in love with the back of the gown, as well as the bias cut drape. It swished and flowed beautifully when I walked.

I know this had nothing to do with sewing or making, but I just wanted to enthuse about getting to redo prom the way I would have wanted to, if only I'd had the confidence (to wear somebody else's old gown? High school me would have been grossed out by the idea) and knowledge (regarding classic style, how to thrift, and that the slip I was wearing on that night is still in use in my wardrobe today) that I do now. I would also tell high school me that while going to prom with a date is definitely fun, don't worry, you'll marry a very nice man one day whom you'll get to go to prom with anyway, so just enjoy spending time with your girlfriends.