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Why the McCall's pattern company sucks.
Apr. 9th, 2006 04:15 pmI hate McCall's patterns. And it's not just because they make things overly complicated, no. Some of their patterns can be surprisingly straightforward. And they have some styles different from Simplicity, and oftentimes in styles I need for costuming. No, the reason I hate McCall's is because they don't know what an inch is. I'm not kidding. I just finished up the model for my Movie!Ed vest, at size Men's 36. Now, I have a 36 chest (discounting certain features...), and when the article is described as "loose-fitting" on the package back, and with a finished measurement of 40", I figure, well hey, once I'm all bound up, this'll fit. But no, it doesn't even come close. I did an actual measurement of the thing, and the finished measurement of 40" is actually 38" if I stretch the fabric (which is the measurement of the next size down). And it's not just this pattern, either. I used a pants pattern a while back, and didn't actually make a model since I'd assumed, "Well, I wear a Men's 36 pant with plenty of room in it, a 36 pant should be just fine." It fits like a 32. Even my snug 34s fit better than those pants. I can't even put AIR in the pockets of those pants. I've at least got enough material left that I can remake them.
So I'm preparing to make the actual vest now. Other than it being horribly undersized, everything else worked out well enough for me to move forward. In the interest of making it actually "loose-fitting," I'll be jumping from a 36 to a 42. Which is actually another pattern envelope altogether, but luckily I already had a copy of that one. I just had to find it (and spent about a half hour looking, and another 15 minutes sorting and preparing). Got all the fabric, still need the interfacing (unless I turn up some of that on my next scrounging mission), got the buttons, need the buckle... Got the thread, and I'll probably edge all the pieces before I start working, since there's some definate risk of fraying on this project. (The model fabric frays like crazy, I'm surprised I didn't jam up my machine with all that mess.)
On the diet front... I completely fell off it for a couple days. >.< I'm pulling myself back on, though. I don't know that I'll get to any exercize today but I'm at least not going to eat too much.
On the work front... I start Tuesday morning at 7 am. ^_^ It's only part time, but at least it's work again!
And since I promised it, how I'm making Onigiri:
*Fill rice cooker with 1.5 cups white rice and 2 cups water
*Add a few splashes of rice vinegar to season it
*Add other seasonings: These vary depending on what I'm putting in, but usually include a good amount of diced garlic, and also might include ginger, soy sauce, teriyaki, meat seasonings, etc
*Add fillings: It should be cut into small pieces, and anything that will taste good with rice will work. I usually put in around 1/3 cup or so, not so much that the rice won't stick later, but not so little you won't be able to taste it
*Stir everything together, put lid on rice cooker, and turn on
And then it's time to wait. ^_^ Once it snaps off, remove the lid and (using pot holders or a towel), lift the bowl out of the rice cooker and set it on the counter, stir the fillings back in if they floated to the top (which is usually what happens for me), and let it sit for about 30 minutes to cool. Once it's cool enough to touch, wash hands and put some sesame or olive oil on them, rubbing it over them so they're coated. Take about 1/6 of the mix and start squishing it down into a ball, so it's all packed together. Any shape is fine, triangular is traditional and I'm still working on learning it. ^^ Set it aside on a plate and repeat for the rest of the mix, adding oil to hands when it starts to rub off and the mix starts to stick. They're best fresh, but can be put in the fridge for about a day and warmed up a little before being eaten; I don't really like them cold. Two onigiri and a salad or something is usually a good lunch for me.
So I'm preparing to make the actual vest now. Other than it being horribly undersized, everything else worked out well enough for me to move forward. In the interest of making it actually "loose-fitting," I'll be jumping from a 36 to a 42. Which is actually another pattern envelope altogether, but luckily I already had a copy of that one. I just had to find it (and spent about a half hour looking, and another 15 minutes sorting and preparing). Got all the fabric, still need the interfacing (unless I turn up some of that on my next scrounging mission), got the buttons, need the buckle... Got the thread, and I'll probably edge all the pieces before I start working, since there's some definate risk of fraying on this project. (The model fabric frays like crazy, I'm surprised I didn't jam up my machine with all that mess.)
On the diet front... I completely fell off it for a couple days. >.< I'm pulling myself back on, though. I don't know that I'll get to any exercize today but I'm at least not going to eat too much.
On the work front... I start Tuesday morning at 7 am. ^_^ It's only part time, but at least it's work again!
And since I promised it, how I'm making Onigiri:
*Fill rice cooker with 1.5 cups white rice and 2 cups water
*Add a few splashes of rice vinegar to season it
*Add other seasonings: These vary depending on what I'm putting in, but usually include a good amount of diced garlic, and also might include ginger, soy sauce, teriyaki, meat seasonings, etc
*Add fillings: It should be cut into small pieces, and anything that will taste good with rice will work. I usually put in around 1/3 cup or so, not so much that the rice won't stick later, but not so little you won't be able to taste it
*Stir everything together, put lid on rice cooker, and turn on
And then it's time to wait. ^_^ Once it snaps off, remove the lid and (using pot holders or a towel), lift the bowl out of the rice cooker and set it on the counter, stir the fillings back in if they floated to the top (which is usually what happens for me), and let it sit for about 30 minutes to cool. Once it's cool enough to touch, wash hands and put some sesame or olive oil on them, rubbing it over them so they're coated. Take about 1/6 of the mix and start squishing it down into a ball, so it's all packed together. Any shape is fine, triangular is traditional and I'm still working on learning it. ^^ Set it aside on a plate and repeat for the rest of the mix, adding oil to hands when it starts to rub off and the mix starts to stick. They're best fresh, but can be put in the fridge for about a day and warmed up a little before being eaten; I don't really like them cold. Two onigiri and a salad or something is usually a good lunch for me.
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