New Skirt, Old New Skirt

The dining room table has been cluttered by my sewing projects off and on pretty constantly since I started the Historical Sewing Challenges the last week of Dec. 2012. 

I decided that I wouldn't participate in the "Peasant and Pioneer" Challenge since I am a docent in the Patterson House at Ardenwood Regional Park in Fremont, CA.  The house docents  portray the 1895-1910 period.   The park docents at the outside kitchen could do the Peasant/Pioneer garb though.



 So, before cleaning up I cut a skirt out of the new material I bought a few weeks ago.  The fabric is cotton but the pattern makes it look shiny.









 So I have this skirt ready to sew, but.......

Remember the wonderful navy lightweight fabric I made a skirt out of.....well, I didn't tell you but by the time I was ready to do the hem on that skirt I broke out in hives, at least I think they were hives.  I hadn't eaten any thing really weird, but who knows, maybe it was something I ate.  I worked in the garden and thought maybe they were bug bites of some kind or allergy to one of my new succulents I planted....didn't seem right though.  BUT, could it be an allergy to WOOL!! NO!!! I love my new skirt!  So I put the skirt away (hem left to do), kept an eye on what I ate, didn't work in the garden.  And I didn't even go in the hot tub which is my meditation area in the morning, thought maybe clorine was the problem.  In the meantime,  I thought of new things I had been touching recently.......  
The only skin allergy I know I have is to earrings and watches that have nickel in them.  And then it dawned on me... PINS.  I had bought a large box of sewing pins at JoAnn Fabrics for all these sewing challenges.  I have this habit of sticking pins in my mouth while cutting out patterns.  And I was doing a LOT of pining when I was working on the first blouse while doing fitting on the dress form.

So, no pins in the mouth to see if that made a difference.

Then after a week and a half I started working in the garden.  Hives were still going away, didn't see any bugs I didn't know.
Ate the same and hives were still subsiding.
Kept sewing but no pins in mouth.
And last night I brought out the navy skirt to work on the hem!  I attached the horsehair braid for the hem and then got half-way on whip stitching the hem till I went to bed last night.  I waited rather expecting to start itching before going to sleep.  NO ITCHING!  Yay!  I sure don't want to be allergic to wool. 

So I think the culprits are the pins.  I sure broke that habit fast!  Those pins are a pain all around.  They are the ones with the yellow heads.  I've used that kind for years and this box were the first ones where the heads kept coming off, so I was already irritated with them.  Then hives.  They were made in China and I am already half serious that I think they are trying to poison us...actually I really don't think it is planned but there has been a lot of instances of contaminated products shipped to the USA. 
Anyhow it seems I can tolerate using the pins (the ones that haven't lost their heads yet) just NO PINS IN THE MOUTH!  And I'm going to be hopping in the hot tub too!

Anyhow, back to the navy skirt:

I have the 2nd half of the hem yet to do and this is the first time I have used horsehair braid and it really it neat!  Makes the hem on the trumpet skirt hang very nicely!

Meanwhile.... So what is with this weather!!!  70 degrees F yesterday and today it is not only going to rain but the weatherman is talking thunder storms, hail and SNOW down to 2000 ft!  It is freezing out already (OK, I'm talking in California terms. actually it is 50 F outside, but I swear it must be colder!)  So much for working in the garden!