Things That Tick Me Off Thursday

Why is it that everything I like/love is quickly discontinued? It’s like I have a curse–if I like it, there’s a good chance it’s either already discontinued and I don’t know it yet or it will be soon. Everything from flooring to clothing, if I like it, it’s a death knell. 😦

The most recent to hit this curse was my favorite brand of jeans. Yeah, they were cheap and didn’t fit quite as nicely as I would have liked (not enough coverage over the butt, a perennial problem for me), but they were cheap and good enough if I cinched them with a belt. Now I’m facing a dilemma–make my own? Or go do the shop of shame* for new ones?

*The shop of shame is that feeling you get when not a single pair of jeans fit and you leave the store crying and empty handed or with a pair of jeans that is less than ideal, but at least you aren’t naked. I know I’m not the only one who has been there!

If I go the make my own route, where do fellow sewists find nice quality stretch denim in a variety of colors? I’d like to find one “brand” that is nice and then be able to get it over and over. I bought some Kauffman 20% stretch stuff a while back to make the Jalie Eleonore, but I haven’t used it yet because it’s so terribly thin. Denim shouldn’t be something you have the possibility of VPL with!

Things that tick me off Thursday

Another Thursday, another peeve. Today I’m bitching about the post office. Not the people at our tiny local office–they’re fantastic–but the postal system in general. These are probably pretty universal, so even if you don’t deal with the US postal service, you can probably relate by inserting your local variation here.

• What part of DO NOT BEND is so hard to understand? Does it need to be in French? (I got an envelope from Canada that said it in French and English and it was actually heeded–but several in English only have been bent all to hell).
• Why such a long lunch break? What if lunch is the only time I have to get my package mailed? What is so wrong with doing a lunch rotation like everyone else does? Does the post office think they’re employees are speshul?
• And why does it close so early? If I had an 8-5 job, I have no idea how I’d ever utilize the postal system, since they are closed during lunch AND THEY GO HOME EARLY!! What?! Maybe it’s different at the larger hubs in bigger cities, but I’ve never lived in one of those.
• Oh wait. I suppose if I worked I could try to squeeze it in during the couple of hours they’re open on Saturday with everyone else. I’d just have to hope that my spot in line reached the counter before closing time. Because when they say they close at 11, they MEAN they close at 11. Maybe I should camp outside like those crazy people do on Black Friday?
• And why is it so hard to work with their counterparts in other countries? I send a package of patterns to Canada and I have to fill out some “valuation” form, I can’t track it, and it takes an age.
• Why do they leave packages on my porch when it’s raining?! I’d rather try my hand at picking it up from the office to collect it than hope that whatever I ordered is safely waterproofed inside a melting cardboard box…
• And lest you think I’m just mad at the USPS, I have similar issues–especially re: rainy days with FedEx and UPS. 😡

Gah! Get it together postal service!

Things that tick me off Thursday

It’s a quick one today folks, but one that drives me absolutely BONKERS!!

The word is “yoke”– Y. O. K. E.

Shirt with Yoke

Skirt with Yoke

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s not a “yolk”, that’s part of an egg. We’re not making eggs here, we’re making shirts, skirts, and pants. I just keep seeing this pop up and I have to restrain myself from pointing it out every. single. time. 🤦‍

 

Things that tick me off Thursday

Today’s peeve isn’t really sewing related, except for the hypocritical moment I admit to at the end…

As you all know, I’ve got two boys. And when you have kids–boys or girls–you quickly realize that they need stuff. Plastic cups that have straws, plastic plates that don’t shatter when they hit the floor, training pants, potty seats, toothbrushes, shoes, etc,. etc.

WHY DOES EVERY ONE OF THOSE THINGS HAVE TO HAVE A STUPID CHARACTER ON IT?????!!!!! I don’t WANT shoes with Ninja Turtles or toothbrushes with Elmo, I just want a pair of nice looking shoes and a toothbrush that does its job!!! My sons don’t need all this licensed character crap, they just need the basics. And frankly, someone needs to tell these people that those shoes with characters on them are fugly. Same with the bicycles–why is it impossible to find a bike that isn’t either pink with a goddamn princess on it or green/blue with a effing superhero on it?! How about a bike that’s gender neutral without a character so that should I have a daughter in the future (God, please no!) I don’t have to buy a new bike for her. And don’t even get me started on those stupid faux motocross bikes that are ubiquitous today.

Now, having shouted all that (sorry!), I will admit to one time that I’d like the option of more character stuff, and that is fabrics to make pajamas for the boys from. The occasional Thomas and Friends print just doesn’t quite cut it for me. And while my kids are John Deere fans from the womb, those prints are often ugly too, and so I skip them when I’m hunting for fabrics.

Who’s with me on this?

Things that tick me off Thursday

Sorry this post is a bit late getting off the ground, for some of you Thursday is already over!

So today my peeve is about pattern companies. WTF is up with the S-M-L type sizing anyway? And to add insult to injury, they can’t be bothered to put the full size range into one envelope, so you get to guess which one you need and pray that you’re not between a M and an L! Some of the patterns that I’ve skipped out on because of this stupid sizing:

McCall’s 7254. Close-fitting and moderate stretch only. This seems like a bit of a recipe for a lot of tweaking in such a limited size grouping.

McCall’s 6751. Same thing here. And this is supposed to be able to be used on a woven too, which is definitely uncool. You need those size variations for a woven, even a loose-fitting one, because fit through the shoulders is important.

Now, lest you think I’m picking on McCall’s, I’m not. I just really wanted these two patterns (plus a couple more that I can’t think of off the top of my head), but the sizing cutoff didn’t work for me. Am I the only one bothered by this?

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Things that tick me off Thursday

I realize it’s Friday, but I didn’t get this post finished last night. Sorry!

Maybe I’m the only one who is bothered by this, but I’m throwing this out there anyway.

I hate all the extra stitches and complicated menus to find said stitches on new sewing machines. There. I said it. I have no need or desire for dozens/hundreds of fancy stitches that I’ll never use. I want a basic machine that does all the important stitches and buttonholes, and that’s it. All those extra stitches do is make it harder to find the one you want in the menu. I’d rather have a simple machine that does a select few stitches flawlessly than a fancy machine that does a mediocre job on dozens of stitches. Why is it so hard to get a basic machine with all the buttonholes, adjustable presser foot pressure, and a knee lift? Are there seriously that many people who want to stitch lines of wobbly pinecones or deformed maple leaves on their garments?

As an example, my current machine is a Pfaff that I bought in 2009-ish. I’ve had issues with it from the beginning because it’s buttonhole feature isn’t worth a damn. I’ve used the decorative stitches maybe 3 times, and each time I’ve been slightly disappointed with the quality of those stitches when they were done because they weren’t perfect. Yes, I’m a perfectionist, but then, aren’t most people who sew their own clothes? Isn’t that kind of the point? If we weren’t perfectionists, we’d wear just whatever in the hell we could find on the rack and be done with it. I’ve always felt that if it were a few less tricks of a pony, it might do a better job on the critical bits.

Anyone else with me on this?

Things that tick me off Thursday

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good rant, but this one has been a long time coming.

Why are there no cute styles for stick straight hair?! Look for yourself. Every single hair style for someone with straight hair (especially in a medium length like mine) is down and layered. And probably curled. My hair doesn’t hold a curl worth a damn. And if it’s layered and you try to braid it, the results are less “messy cute” and more porcupine.

I don’t want to look like a porcupine. I also don’t want to spend an hour curling my hair just for it to be straight again before noon. Or am I the only person out there with slick, straight hair? Because ponytails are getting old, and my hair looks like hell if I grow it out long enough to make a decent bun. It gets thinner–and stringier–the longer it gets. It doesn’t seem possible, but it’s the truth.

And in the winter (or just a dry climate) my hair looks like this:

Image courtesy of duckduckgo.com

I hate staticky hair, but at least if it’s in a ponytail it’s not sticking to my face…

So. Anyone else sympathize with me on this? Have hair suggestions (the quicker and easier, the better)? I’m open, because internet searches and pinterest don’t seem to have anything for me.

Things that tick me off Thursday: Thanksgiving Edition

To my fellow US sewists, I want to wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving. May you have many blessings to be thankful for. 🙂

So my (well, actually my hubby gave me the idea) peeve today is the Thanksgiving day parade. It would really be nice if we could actually see more of the parade and less of the yahoos behind the table. So CBS, if you are listening, cut down on the camera time for the goofballs and give us more of the actual parade. Does this annoy anyone else?

Anyway, keeping it short and sweet today so that I don’t miss out on getting stuff in the oven on time! Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving, start of Hanukkah, or just a fantastic Thursday!! 😉

Things that tick me off Thursday

Thank you all so much for the kind words about our big news! 🙂 I didn’t respond to everyone individually, especially those with blogger since I know that it’s nearly impossible to remember to come back and read feedback on each post you’ve commented on…but I wanted you to know that I appreciate the kind words. 🙂

Still no sewing here. 😦 The spare bath facelift continues apace though, so hopefully by next week I’ll have a nicer, fully functioning, spare bath. I’d share some pics, but honestly the current state is too terrifying for small children and normal adults.

So instead, I’ve got a peeve for you! This one goes out to all my pregnant sisters and those who have been pregnant. It’s the jeans. Or well, all of the pants for maternity really. Gah! Even those of you who haven’t had a bun in the oven have surely seen those terrible contraptions. There seem to be 2 types: the first has a tall tube that is lightweight, and the second has a short waistband that is rather thick. Both suck.

The lightweight tube is hard (and let’s be real; annoying) to pull up, and it kind of squeezes in at an uncomfortable spot once you get to a certain level of pregnant. And then there’s the short waistband version….I’m not sure what woman those work for, but either she carries a lot higher than I do or she’s simply got a lot more patience to deal with them. They flip/roll and are kind of tight over your bladder (not good when you’ve already got a little bladder dancer!).

And lastly we come to the “capri length”. There’s several things about these that just piss me off, even without the waistband issues mentioned above. The first is that it might as well be a flashing neon sign that says “I’m knocked up”–ya know, assuming the belly doesn’t give it away. 😉 No one else wears this particular length and cut–only pregnant women. It’s like they took a pair of flares that had some sort of flaw on the bottom of the leg, said “hey, just cut it off for the pregnant gals”, threw one of those crappy waistbands on, and charged an extra $15 a pair. The other main thing that pisses me off is; WHO IN THEIR RIGHT $%^&#%! MIND DECIDED THAT CUTTING THE JEANS OFF AT THE EXACT SPOT WHERE THE ANKLES AND LOWER CALVES START TO SWELL WAS A GOOD IDEA?!?!?! REALLY?! Nothing like making those areas look even more unattractive than they already do, because there’s nothing a pregnant woman wants more than an unflattering capri-like thing when she already feels like a hormonal beached whale. Way to boost the ‘ol confidence there. 🙄

Oh, and here’s a little bonus peeve that relates to the above. Why is it that once you tack the word “maternity” onto something it suddenly becomes at least 2x more expensive? As though babies aren’t expensive enough they gotta charge double for a glorified tee shirt?! I’m not even convinced they add extra space for the belly as tight as they seem to be on some (actually, I’d probably say most) women, so why the premium?

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got, so hope ya’ll have a great weekend!! 🙂

Things that tick me off Thursday

This one’s a quickie–really! 😉

So we went to one of those restaurants with the serve-yourself type drink stations, and some asshole had 2 of the clear water cups and proceeded to fill them with soda. WTF?! If you didn’t pay for soda, you don’t get it. Otherwise it’s thievery, and will likely ruin it for the rest of us who are actually honest and get the water we said we were going to get. So I know that none of my lovely readers are like that asshole, but hopefully if you see it you’ll call them on it. I didn’t and I should have, and it bugs me. I’m generally outspoken to a fault, so I’m still not sure why I didn’t.

See? I told you it would be a quickie, and for once I was right! 😉 Hope ya’ll have a fantastic weekend! Hopefully, I’ll have something more interesting to post about next week.