Monday, May 31, 2010

Week 5 of 17 - Part 3

Well the air conditioning was finally fixed this morning and I've been in air conditioned splendor all day.  However, to hedge my bets I took a trip to Wal-Marts for fans.  How is it that I never leave that place without 18 more things than I came in for?!  Does this happen to anyone else? *LOL*

Lunch with my mom and daughter...plants placed on the balcony...several of the 18 things I didn't go to Wal-Marts for...and it was boiling by the time we got home!  Thankfully the air conditioning was working but I was pooped.  A late night, an early morning and too much heat meant I needed a nap!

So I finished the dress up later this evening.  Here is a headless shot...just didn't feel like hair and make-up:


Some stats:

Fabric:
black/white doubleknit print from Fabric Mart
white ponte knit from fabric.com

Notions:
20" invisible zipper
4 yards of black satin piping

Construction:
1.  Additional space was added to the abdomen and hip area by slicing through the center front line on the front pattern piece and spreading 1/2" (in the abdomen area) to 5" at the hemline.  This was also done to the left side front piece since it is secured to the dress at the side seams.

2.  1/2" was added to the center back of the dress piece.

3.  Sleeve pattern was altered to accomodate my bodacious biceps and lengthened from the original cap sleeve.  One sleeve was cut from the black/white print and one from the white ponte knit.

Sewing Changes:
*I added piping which is not included in the original design.  But since I used two different fabrics, I felt I needed something to define and tie the two fabrics together.


*The dress pattern is shorter than I like so I ended up serging the hem and leaving it.  You can barely tell that the hem is unfinished.


*The pattern instructs you to use bias binding to finish off the front edges of the dress.  I used a roll of unfolded bias tape that I had on-hand.  I encased the piping by folding the bias binding around it.  All of the bias binding was then hand stitched down.

Another shot of the dress:


I won't be wearing this dress this week...we have some pretty important meetings and I need to look banking professional...so I won't know how it will wear.  However, even with my alterations the dress is close-fitting...alot more close-fitting than I normally wear my clothing.  Because of that, I don't know if I will actually use this pattern again...although, it is a different type of dress than I normally make.

All constructions pics, can be seen in my Flicker Album.

I'm disappointed that I didn't get to sew more or all of what I had actually planned.  Which is funny because this time I thought I planned conservatively...only 2 garments instead of the 4 I would normally have thought I could make.  But it is one more finished garment in the closet and available to wear to work...so I'm grateful!

...as always, more later!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Week 5 of 17 - Part 2

...or UGGG!  As I've come to think of this weekend...

Okay, this is as far as I got before the air conditioning in my apartment went out yet AGAIN!


And while the Super came and worked on it one more time this afternoon, the central air conditioning blew cold air for about 2 hours and then the temperature managed to ease its way back up into the 80s in the apartment so all sewing ceased.  I'm getting ready to go out now...and the super probably won't be back until tomorrow morning but to say that I'm annoyed is an understatement.

I know that the two dresses I planned on creating will not make it out of my sewing machine this weekend...and that was a major part of my weekend fun...so for the sake of my date tonight I'm trying not to let this ruin the weekend...but between you and me...*sigh*...the weekend is ruined because I just don't do well in extreme temperatures...

...more later...

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Week 5 of 17

This is a three-day holiday weekend here in the U.S. so I hope to spend some quality time with my sewing machine and spit out a few new pieces for work next week.  But before I get to my current project, I would like to ask you a question.  My mom stopped by this afternoon and while discussing my sewing asked me how many dresses I made last year.  Since I wrote a year end post about it, I knew immediately how many I'd made...proudly I said 21. Then she replied, that's alot of dresses...you wouldn't have bought that many.  Why do you have so many clothes?

This really threw me...and I said something like well I like to sew and it's how I spend my time...and it's more about the creation than the wearing (liar, liar, pants on fire!) and she just nodded and changed the subject.  So I thought I would throw it out there to you all...Do you think 21 dresses is too much?  And do you think we as sewists, sew way more clothing than we would naturally buy?  See how a parent can totally mess up your sewing groove! (*LOL*)

NEXT....

This is hopefully the first of the two projects that I have planned for this weekend:


The pattern is Vogue 9666 which has a copyright date of 1997 and recently arrived from Lanetz Living.  When I saw it on the site, immediately I saw a myriad of possibilities for the shorter length dress, so I had to have it!


Fabric is from Fabric Mart and fabric.com.  The lightweight black/white doubleknit print is from Fabric Mart and purchased recently during the fabric buying frenzy.  The lightweight white ponte knit is from fabric.com and was bought to go with the print.

I've made all the adjustments to the pattern...even though I'm starting with a size 22 pattern.  Geeze, does anyone make garments straight from the pattern envelope?  I mean I know that most everyone has to make some kind of alteration ~ FBA, length, something, but sometimes the slicing and dicing can get to you, y'know!  Anyway, since this dress is being made from a doubleknit, I'm not lining it.  If this one works (not just fits but passes the wearability test), I will be making a couple more versions...hopefully one using one of the border prints that I recently purchased.

The pattern is altered and the fabric is cut out.  I will start working on the dress' construction since I have no plans for tomorrow (during the day), I'm going to hang out for awhile tonight and see how far I can get!

...as always more later!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Borderprintedness

a noun - used to describe an acute case of collecting of border print fabrics (in the mild case version) or the hoarding of border print fabrics (in the acute case version).  Let's use it in a sentence so that you will have a clearer understanding of it's meaning..."Carolyn has an acute case of borderprintitis or borderprintedness."

See it's like this...I was minding my business at work today when I receive an email from a very dear and old friend.  My friend (the Fabric Mart Web Mistress of evil darkness and temptation) informed me that Fabric Mart is having a Memorial Day Sale (okay...I'm doing fine, no heavy breathing, no blood pressure rising)  and if you order over $25 you receive 15% off your order...if you order over $75 you receive 20% off your order...and if you order over $125 you  receive 30% off your order.  Okay, I'm not doing so well at this point...I'm actually starting to hyperventilate...the earth is spinning...my monitor is shaking and I need to get a grip!

Now do you think I get up and take a walk around the office...maybe stop and get a soda...see what's happening on the other side of the floor...ummm no...I click that link to take me to Fabric Mart's site.  And that's when my condition really starts to flare up...some how it just knew that Fabric Mart had lovely new border prints up for sale.  It sniffed them out right away...

So this one:


And this one:


are coming to join their comrades-in-arms, who just so happen to be living at my house now.  I have a serious case of borderprintedness.  There are now 13, yes, 13 cuts of border print fabric now abiding with me.  Its time to stop.  Its time to let others partake in the borderprintedness goodness.  Really, its time to share...so I'm sharing with you, the sale is up on Fabric Mart's site now...go...shop...enjoy some borderprintedness yourself.  Me...I'm done! 

It's Thursday night and I just have to make it through one more day...and sewing here I come!

...as always more later!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

A Couple of Newsy Bits

First,  I also received an email from Simplicity regarding the 40% off sale and I wanted to mention it here because it's a bargain...and Simplicity doesn't do these sales often!  So if you don't want to battle holiday traffic at your local "fabric" store for those pattern bargains...order online and get the style and size you want the first time!  Here's the information:

40% off all Simplicity Patterns (that's 40 off their everyday 40% off prices!
Excludes It's So Easy and New LookOffer
expires Friday, May 28th, midnight EST
enter promo code: BLOGPS40 at checkout of www.simplicity.com

*****************************************************************

And if you are a resident of New Jersey, Fabricland in North Plainfield, NJ is featuring a day with Connie Crawford on Tuesday, June 8th.  The details are below:

One-Day Workshop with Fashion Design Expert Connie Crawford
Tuesday June 8, 10am - 5pm
$60 fee includes lunch
Couture Fit Through Draping, Fitting and Pattern Making

Connie Crawford, one of the industry's top designer and sewing/alteration experts, will teach you the building blocks in fitting and designing you own blouses, dresses, or jackets. Drawing from techniques learned during her 35 years in the fashion industry, Connie will teach you the easy steps in fitting and designing from a sketch or photograph. She will present critical information that is missing from the domestic sewing market. Using a power point presentation and a blouse pattern from her Butterick line, B5300, Connie will demonstrate draping and fitting on various ladies from the class. She will also illustrate the various usage of darts and cup sizes, as well as various designs such as princess seams, yokes, lapels, collars and sleeves. By using small scale patterns, you will follow Connie's lead and create a few designs to get you started in this design process. In addition, you will learn how to identify correct body balance, the principles of checking and fitting patterns, and how to achieve a true-to-the-body fit! Whether you are size 2 or 52, join Connie for this couture fit and pattern making! This workshop gives you a learning experience that you can use over and over again. Note: This class does not have time to review pants or skirt fittings.

Now about those shoes ~ yes I wear heels every day...and I wore those heels for about 4 hours today before switching to another pair.  They are new and need to be broken in but they are in rotation now and I love them!

"Dancing with the Stars"

Finally,  I didn't scream but I did jump up and down because Nicole and Derek did it!  They won Dancing with the Stars!  I haven't picked a winner since Kristi Yamiguchi!!!!  Go Nicole!  Woohoo!!!

Now if the Celtics would beat Miami...and the Lakers beat the Suns...there would be an NBA Finals that I would be glued to my TV set for!  *LOL*

...as always, more later!








Monday, May 24, 2010

Questions...and a few Answers!

First, I've replaced the picture in the last post.  Ummm, rushing to take a picture during the commercial break of Lost is not a good thing.  So I've replaced it with a better one taken with a different background to better showcase the dress.


Second, there were quite a few questions left in the comments section of the last post so I thought I would answer them sooner rather than later...

Carol asked if I paired the dress wth my new nude shoes? 
Yes, I did the ones I bought from Nine West.  I love these shoes!  Can you see them in the picture above?  Don't they look fabu?!

Brenda asked, What pattern did I use for my dress?
My TNT Pattern is Butterick 5932, which is out of print.  I've blogged about it on three separate occasions, the first time is here, the second one is part of a series on my TNT patterns, and the final one is a paragraph in my post, 12 on a desert island.  I hope that you take the time to read these posts because they detail the evolution of my TNT dress pattern and how it's come to be "the perfect dress pattern."

KarenJeanette asked, "Do you wash or dryclean your clothing?" and AnnaR asked, "with the bemberg lining are garments dry clean only?"
If I line a garment, the piece is drycleaned.  That's my bottom line.  If a piece is unlined and I've pretreated the fabric by washing & drying it, then I will wash it again.  The majority of my summer wardrobe is predominantly unlined and therefore washable, this includes my little silk shells.  So since my preferred lining of choice is bemberg, it is always drycleaned when included in a garment.

One additional point...I have ALOT of clothes because I sew so much.  Because of that, some of my garments get worn only once during a season...and have maybe been to the drycleaners once.  With only one wearing a good airing usually is sufficient.  The garments that see a lot of drycleaning are my winter pants because they are wool, lined and get so much wear during the season.

AnnaR also asked, I think I noticed a picture of "how to use, adapt and design sewing patterns" by Lee Hollahan on your blog not long ago. Do you use this book? Would you recommend it or have any thoughts about it you'd care to share?
I've had the book a couple of months now and even though I've read through sections of it, I haven't actually applied any of the techniques.  However, the instructions are clear and concise on how to alter a pattern.  So clear that I can actually see myself using these techniques.  And that is a must for me because I don't want an advanced patternmaking book.  I'm looking for the correct way to make a few improvements or changes to the patterns I own...not to draft from scratch...and I think this book is perfect for that. 

Now someone who wants more in-depth pattern drafting information might find this book to be a little lightweight.  I would not recommend this book if you want to draft from scratch, or if you want to elevate your drafting skills to a more professional level...but if you are looking to move to the next level, change up a few things on your pattern or just understand better how a pattern is suppose to work...this is the book for you!

I hope I've answered all of your questions thoroughly and keep them coming!  

I'm already thinking of the three day Holiday weekend that we have coming up here in the U.S. and what I want to make.   I do know that I want to spend quality time with my sewing machine...it's time!  The sewing fatigue that I experienced at the beginning of the month has passed and there is alot of fabric (both old and new) calling my name...loudly...desiring to go from flat folds to three dimensional garments.

...as always more later and GO DEREK & NICOLE!!!!!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Dress Number 7

Yes, I've just completed my seventh dress of the year...and it's one more dress using my TNT pattern.  Actually it is a spring and summer version of the wool beige crepe dress that I made for the SWAP competition...except this one is in ivory.

I really should be tired of working with this pattern, but it's a silhouette that looks good on me.  And do you know how hard it is to find a well-fitted sheath dress in a plus size...d*mn near impossible!  Let's not mention the fact that I can make it in any color or fabrication that I want...or the fact that I can just lay the pattern down on the fabric, cut it out and stitch it up.  I think I tried today's version on after I hemmed it...ummm, that's my very last step and yet it fit...wonderfully!


This iteration is made from an ivory sandwashed silk twill that has been in my stash for over a decade.  I bought it from a shop on 40th Street that no longer exists and have held onto it for years waiting for just the right project.  It is lined with a tan bemberg lining...which has become my lining of choice!  I just love slipping into a dress lined with this fabric.  Not only does the rayon lining feel luxurious next to the skin but it is also cool in the spring/summer and warm in the fall/winter besides helping the fashion fabric hold it's shape.

An invisible zipper in the back, lace on the hem of the lining and bound armholes are standard in my TNT sleeveless dress.  This version also has the little v-neckline with a seam down the  front.  Loads of fitting opportunities to perfect the fit of the dress, if they needed perfecting! *smile*

My goal is to have a version of this dress in every color in either a sleeveless or short sleeve version.  I'm even thinking about a 3/4 (bracelet) length version for fall because it just functions so well in my work wardrobe.  These dresses can be worn with cardigans, jackets or alone with an amazing necklace and be perfect for work.

I did cut out this sheer lightweight linen for the "quirky" little jacket in Butterick 5460.  It's not finished but it will be a quick sew and will be a wonderful addition to my new TNT sleeveless dress.

(purchased from Kincus Fabrics during PR weekend)

I'm off to watch the last episode of Lost!  Can't believe we've finally come to the end...

...as always, more later!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Am I ever going to sew again?

That's surely how it feels...I have fabric...I have patterns and notions...I have desire...I haven't had any time yet!  And tomorrow I have a brunch to attend and then I really, really, really need to clean my closet out.  Not as in weed out the duds but as in there is just too much stuff jammed in there...okay I should say too many garments...so I'm reverting to my old system...Fall & Winter clothing will be packed away and stored...leaving the closet with just spring/summer/early fall clothing....the reverse will occur in the fall.  Hopefully this will give me some more room...

*sigh* Cause it's not like I don't have enough fabric laying around my apartment to make 5 or 6 more wardrobes...and I'm tired of having to iron everything when I pull it out of the closet because its wrinkled from being crammed in.

So my plan is to fold/pack & store tomorrow afternoon and evening...leaving Sunday free to sew.  I really want to finish up the vanilla silk twill dress and make this cute little jacket to go over it:


I already know what I want to work on Memorial Day weekend...and I don't have a lot of plans for that weekend...cause I really need to sew!

...as always, more later!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Where I find it...

My title refers to "Where do I find inspiration?"

You would think that this season it would come from the pictures of dresses that I pulled from magazines and catalogs earlier in the season...and yes, there is some inspiration from that.  And I WILL make at least two or three dresses for what I'm calling the "Architectural Collection."

However, lately my inspiration has come from fabric.  I'm sure many of you are going well, of course, you are a fabricaholic until the day you die.  True, true, but seriously the fabric that is available to the home sewist lately is reminding me of the kinds of fabric that I had access to as a young girl.  I would walk into a fabric store then and be surrounded by the possibilities and/or dreams of what I could create.

I'm feeling that this season.  So much of what is seen in the stores can be purchased locally (if that's your thing) or online (if that's your thing).  You just have to locate it.  My mind is overflowing with possibilities and I can promise you that this season will find some amazing things emerging from my sewing machine, due to all of the inspiration that has become available to me.

And it's not all going to come in the form of purchased fabric.  I have a real itch to manipulate, dye and stamp some pieces to make them my own.  I feel as if I'm standing in an open doorway and that when it swings wide all kinds of creative opportunities will become available to me.

To that end, I've added a few more pieces to my ever growing collection especially since border prints are sooooo abundant this season.

So tell me, where are you finding inspiration this season?  Is it from magazines?  From blogs?  Or is fabric driving your passion? Or are you simply going your own way and doing your own thing? Talk back to me because this is the Question of the Day...

Sunday, May 16, 2010

You like me...you really like me!

...thank you Sally Field!

The SWAP winners are up on Stitcher's Guild and the winners are:

3rd Prize: Yorkshire Lass' Black Rainbow SWAP

2nd Prize: Kbenco's First Rung SWAP

Grand Prize: Carolyn's Midnight Blue SWAP

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who voted for my collection.  I so appreciate your support and encouragement and for thinking me worthy! 


Maximum Overload...

...yeap that pretty much sums up my PR Weekend...*LOL*

See for yourself:


And some totals:
38.5 yards were purchased and dragged home on NJTransit/SEPTA (13.5 more yards than I planned to buy!)
+ 14 pieces purchased with the bulk of them bought at JoMars!
+ Quite a few dollars spent

= A priceless experience!!!

I arrived in Philly around 11:30am on Friday morning because I just can't do early morning when I have a vacation day...checked into the hotel with LindsayT and met up with the rest of the gang just as Kenneth King's seminar was breaking up.

Lunch was at a local cafe where I met Kyle, a lovely young lady who lives just two traffic lights from me in New Jersey...to say that I was amazed was an understatement!  I've never met anyone who lives near me at these events.

(DeWahn, Trena & Elizabeth at lunch)

Then we headed off to the Philadelphia Museum where we got to see some incredibly made historical garments upclose and in-person.  My favorite was this Worth bodice that I would love to find some way to incorporate some of its elements into a garment:


Of course we all had to go and see the "Rocky" statute and the famous "Eye of the Tiger" steps...

(I have no idea who this person is but they kept taking
picture after picture so I finally gave up and took one)


(again with the tourists *LOL* running the steps, so instead of being
patient and waiting I just snapped a pic!)

After a wonderful dinner, we headed back to the hotel to rest up for a day of power fabric shopping!

Even though I live in Jersey and have been to Philly numerous times to shop at JoMars, I've never been to 4th Street/Fabric Row:

(Our first stop on 4th Street)

(had to get a picture of the street sign!)

But I will make it my business to return (you hear that Andrea!).  I didn't purchase much fabric during this stop...just these pieces...

left to right:  an upholstery piece from PA Fabric Outlet
a wool/cotton knit & a sheer linen piece from Kincus Fabrics

No, I reserved my funds for notions and trim shopping.  The woman cutting at PA Fabric Outlet asked me a couple of times if I was sure that I wanted 20 yards of each lace...ummm, yes! *LOL*  See it was 30 cents, 40 cents and I think 80 cents a yard.  I would never be able to find the lace for the hems of my linings for that price in NYC so I kinda stocked up!  I also bought some trim, a few invisible zippers and a roll of brown rayon hem tape.  Thanks Elizabeth for helping to hold all of this stuff in an incredibly L-O-N-G line!


The next stop was London Textiles which is in Cherry Hill, NJ and I'm telling you, it was an awesome warehouse to invade...cause that's what we did...invade it!!! *LOL*  The remnant boxes were spectacular and yielded up a dazzling array of fabrics.  The lengths were anywhere from 2 - 8 yard pieces and the more adapt diggers pulled up and shared with us all the treasures.  Here are my pieces from this haul:

left to right:  a grey/white herringbone knit, a white cotton pique,
a wool tweed and a printed stretch cotton

I will admit that I was saving my fabric dollars and enthusiasm for JoMars...and I wasn't disappointed!  My JoMars haul included a navy sueded silk (that was passed down the cutting line!  Thanks Jacqui!!!), an amazing floral cotton pique (that Elizabeth and I priced on 4th Street for $14.99 per yard and I got at JoMars for $4.00 per yard!), a ridged ivory polyester ($2.00 a yard); a black/white medium weight cotton embroidered border print ($4 a yd), an Anna Sui silk border print in shades of brown/rust/red/purple that Sheila bought in shades of blue and green and I should have gone back and bought some of too...aw the regrets begin! *LOL*  The last two pieces were purchased for quick summer dresses for work...


Tired and full, we headed back to the hotel for the evening.  I had a great dinner at a local Chinese restuarant with Andrea and Claudine...thanks so much ladies for sharing a meal with me!

I've been home for a few hours now...and I'm a good tired but I want to express my thanks for the organizers of the event, Andrea, Annette, Elaine, Karen, Kisha, Lee, Mimi...ladies you did an amazing job of coraling over 50 women around...making sure none of us were left behind and picking some wonderful places to leave my hard-earned money on fabric!  Your hard work is soooooooo appreciated!

And to all of the wonderful women of PatternReview that attended ~ first yes, I do wear jeans! *LOL*  And secondly, thank you for your wonderful compliments, for taking the time to say hello and for understanding just how overwhelming meeting so many accomplished sewists can be!  I know many of you "know" me because of the blog but it was nice to meet all of you in person...and Audrey I'm sorry I was stalking you but girl you have incredible fabric taste!

...as always, more later!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Is it Thursday Already?

It's been a whirlwind of a week because I only worked four days this week...because tomorrow starts PR Philadelphia Weekend!  I have to say that I'm very excited at the prospect of meeting some bloggers whose work I've admired from afar, reconnecting with some old friends, and making some new ones!  I'm also excited about going to JoMars...quick turn away if you don't want to witness the naked glare of true fabric adoration...cause I love JoMars...*sigh*

This is as close as you get to fabric mecca in my book...and I will be there for three hours on Saturday...be still my fabric beating heart!  Now I know that I don't really NEED another yard of fabric but seriously when has that ever influenced my desire to buy...However, I am going to try to keep a yardage limit in my mind and hopefully will not exceed it.  *sigh*  Hopefully!

...and we just won't talk about that small box of border print fabric that arrived from Fabric Mart today...just won't mention it okay!

I thought about bringing my netbook with me but as of now I'm still up in the air on that one.  Hotel internet charges can be crazy retarded expensive so I'll see...but you probably won't hear from me again until Sunday evening or Monday...yes, I'm off Monday!  Please...I can't experience all of that fabric stimulation and then go back to work without sewing a stitch...no, I don't think so!

So as always, more later...and this time I'm remembering to pack my digital camera!  *LOL*

Monday, May 10, 2010

Photo Shoot Outtakes

Okay the pictures and the voting requirements are up on Stitcher's Guild.  You can find the info here.  You must be a current member of Stitcher's Guild to vote in this contest.

I promised outtakes from the photo shoot so here they are:

I call this one the big legged shot
so of course it didn't make it into "The Final 10!"


And I just couldn't stop giggling...


Again with the giggling...
I am soooo not a model


Me and my stylist


Finally this is one of my favorite Analysts at work.  I helped hire her as a Summer Intern and she is just an amazing young woman so of course I had to take a picture with her during the photo shoot:


Yes, most of my pictures were taken at my job and I want to thank my co-workers who were so encouraging, my friend Maritza and my boss John who took the pictures!  All of your help was sooooo appreciated!

Now don't forget to VOTE and as always...more later!

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Two of 17 - Part 2

I did find some time this afternoon to start working on a dress.  I couldn't decide whether or not to go with a basic version of my TNT or start on a dress from a 1970s pattern.  Basic won out...probably because I was on the Talbots site looking around and I realized that a great basic dress would work with so much in my closet.  Also, I really like how the nude/beige wool crepe dress from my SWAP works in my wardrobe, so I decided I needed another one for spring/summer.

Here's a quick peek as it's not finished yet:


And this is what will be up next (unless something awesome follows me home next weekend). 


Next weekend I will be in Philly for PR Weekend but I did take the following Monday off too so that I would be able to at least turn on my sewing machine and make a few stitches before heading back to work.  Gotta have some quality time with my sewing machine or I get cranky! *LOL*

Finally, this is one of the reasons I'm so thankful to be a Mother this year:


...as always, more later!

Saturday, May 08, 2010

Two of 17

So what am I doing this weekend?  You would think sewing, right?  Well you would be wrong...well at least I'm not sewing today.  There is always hope for tomorrow especially since I have a list of spring/summer dresses I want to make vying with each other in my brain for who gets birthed first. 

No instead of sewing, I'm cleaning and reorganizing.  Jeeze, I thought I did this several weeks ago, but I'm beginning to think that my apartment is where magazines go to die...yes there are that many here!


I finally made it to Ikea...and bought new bookcases...which of course had to be built and stocked.  I bought some of these steel magazine holders in silver (but not enough obviously) and I'm in love with the look so I see another trip to Ikea in my future.  I'm going for that whole "crawl up in a comfy chair, read a book or watch a movie but be relaxed look" in my living room and I'm almost there...almost!

I'm also experiencing the letdown that comes after a big SWAP sewing and picture taking experience.  Getting those pictures taken occupied an entire week of my life...and took on a whole 'nuther level of madness.  Realizing that I could win or lose the contest based upon my pictures and my size has pushed me to a place of craziness, I don't visit often.  Because really, does it matter if I win?  I know I can sew and sew well.  I also know that I can create and sew an amazing wardrobe without needing validation.  H*ll my Gelato Collection from last summer shows that...so why did I put myself in the position of asking for acceptance?  No need to answer those questions, just sharing with you how crazy I got this week over some d*mn pictures...oh yeah, and my desire to win!

PR Weekend is next weekend.  I'm looking forward to meeting some sewists whose work I've seen but never met in real life.  Hopefully this will be a blast and I won't drag home too much fabric with me.  Well at least that is my fervent hope because we ARE going to JoMars! *LOL*  And last I checked, I was still a card-carrying member of the Fabricaholics Club.

I still have to go and clean my bedroom which is a mess because I just pulled thing after thing out to prepare for the photo shoot and didn't replace anything.  It all needs to go back into its proper places before I can even think about sewing...*sigh*

For all of you who are Mothers or soon-to-be Mothers, Happy Mother's Day!  I hope that you are surrounded by your children and loved ones tomorrow and that you realize how loved & admired you are...

...as always, more later!

Thursday, May 06, 2010

Nah, I don't think so!

Don't you just dread the words that come shortly after a compliment is given on a garment you've made...

"So why don't you make a few pieces for me?" 

In my case substitute the word "pieces" for "summer dresses".  Ah, NO!  See I wear my big girl panties now and have no problems saying, "No, I only sew for myself!"  Because no where in the previous exchange was money mentioned except to say, "boy you must really get off cheaply making your own clothes."

See that's the problem, you see cheap and I see ART.  You see cheap and I see Quality.  You see cheap and I see the cost of materials I use.  But most importantly you see cheap and I see you Devalueing my work.

So nah, I don't think so!  No, I'm NOT sewing for you!


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SWAP Update:

I spent three hours with my friends last night taking pictures.  One helped dress and style me, and one took over 200 pictures.  So today I'm wading through them and coming up with the best 12 to submit.  I swear this is worse than the sewing...

....as always, more later!

Sunday, May 02, 2010

17 Weekends before fall

Yes, there are 17 weekends before Labor Day and fall sewing starts...and I've blown the first weekend by sewing nuthin'...absolutely nuthin'.  But since I completed six garments in the month of April, I think I'm due for a little downtime.  I spent the day watching Season 2 of The Tudors, yesterday was spent reading blogs and finishing off a novel.

I did take some time today and go over the list of dresses that I want to make for spring...but other than that there was no sewing here this weekend!  I will have some vacation days this summer to make up for this lost weekend.  However, I did feel a little lost without a deadline hanging over my head and thinking and sewing in my mind working out ways to get the collection completed.  The interesting thing is that only one dress is actually wearable now that the temperatures have soared over 70 degrees F.

Well, I'm rambling so I'm off to bed...but I now have 16 weekends to sew before fall sewing starts!!!

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