Thank God for the stash!

I've been browsing the sewing/fashion blogs; along with the magazines, and have decided that I want a pair of 'print' jeans. I've always shied away from print jeans but after seeing this layout in InStyle magazine (July, 2012 issue), I decided if Beyonce can do it then so can I ( I mean she's a woman with curves and a rear and is able to pull it off right!):

So for the last couple of weeks I've been on a fashion hunt for printed denim.
This is what I found at JoAnn's the other day:

A acid wash and a paint splatter denim with some spandex in it (great for fitting over the rear). Well after getting my skirt done from the previous blog, I remembered a heavy cotton weight spandex I had purchased a while back to make some capri pants:

What do you think? Maybe I'll add some solid to tone it down a little? I'll be starting with the acid wash first, and then work my way to this. So does anyone have any suggestions!

By the way, As you can tell, I'm catching up on my blogging :).


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Burda Skirt 4/2010-111

So here is one of the projects that I have just completed. I came across theis pattern when I was doing my Burda Pattern organizing:


It wasn't very complicated at all. I used this cotton print I had in my stash .

The pattern calls for approximate 2 1/4 yards. I had 2 yards; but was able to squeeze the skirt out of the fabric.
The modifications I made were:
1. Lengthened by 4 inches; but next time will add 5 inches instead. The skirt
stops directly at the knee. The 4 inches put me where I wanted the final hemline
to be. The skirt has a 1 inch hem. So for this skirt I added Lace on the hem,
so I was able to fold 1/4 inch on the hemline. I've already altered the pattern.



2. The other thing is that the pattern called for quite a bit of top stitching I
chose not to do any top stitching, since my fabric print was somewhat busy. I wanted the focus to be the print. Besides since I had gotten the fabric from
my stash, I didn't want to have to buy thread to match the print.
3. Placed interfacing on the pocket edges and waistband for stability
With the Burda patterns, I'm finding that I very rarely need to do a full rear adjustment.
4. The tie was to be edge-stitched to the waistband. But as I stated I didn't want any edge stitching to show, so I attached the tie by hand.



This is the finished product: (front and back)




I've got an African print that I will be making this out of, after I add the additional length.

Maturing and "Valuable Time"

I have been a busy bee over the last couple of weeks.  Right after my last post, I went to LA to see my cousin.  While I was there I met up with other seamstresses for a fabric district romp with Mimi.  That was the most fun!  I even got my sister to join me (Finally after 20+ years she has decided to take up sewing!).  I fell in love with the garment/fabric district.  The NY trip prepared me for it!




A snippet of one of the many blocks in LA garment/fabric district



BY THE POUND!!!  We found the Michael Levine's outlet store; Can you say Sewing Heaven!!! We found a couple of designer pieces here.  You just have to be willing to dig.  And they'll cut it if you only want part of piece!

 Since then I've been sewing, sewing, sewing.  I've made a couple of dresses, a petticoat for my vintage dresses, started on some pants, etc.   I'll have to post the pictures later (I'm trying to convince the hubby I need a camera with a remote; he's almost convinced).

In the meantime, as most of you may remember, I've been going thru an organization phase.  Well I got my patterns put into Microsoft onenote and got a fabric stash binder completed.  Then I decided it was time to organize the magazines.  I have all of my magazines (Burda and Patrones) in magazine holders.  I have a stash of Burda Mags from about 1998 to current.  Anyway I'm discovering with maturity (SMILE), that I just don't have the patience to thumb thru the magazines to look for a pattern; so I figured why not put the line-drawings for my Burda's in Onenote, and then I can just look thru those from my laptop, iphone, or ipad.  So I've been in the process of scanning those in.  So far I have the scans from the current back to 2009 (and still going):

 

Scanned line drawing (jpeg) for Burda.  The URL for magazine archives is at BURDA



Line drawing in Microsoft OneNote

 So now I can scan thru my Burda mags to see if there is a pattern in Burda that meets my needs, no matter where I am at.  (eventually, I'll add text to the pages so that I can do searches).

NOTE: If any of you are interested in accessing the line-drawings please let me know and I will make them available to others.  Also, if some of you are interested, I found another link for looking at the line drawings and pictures (it seems more organized than the Burda site).  Burda Online Magazines; its in Russian; so I've included the link via Google translator.  It also has line drawings/pix for La Boutique, etc.

When God is on the Other Persons side . . . .

Well, over the past months I have been doing a considerable amount of sewing related traveling. (Yipee!!!!).  But before I get to that let me bring you up to date.

First of all I am officially an empty nester; have been for quite sometime, but I think it just hit me as to what that really means: 

  1.  No more kids in the house and all that intails - no Mom-taxi, greatly reduced noise levels.  

  2.  I can now travel anytime and anywhere I want and only be concerned about me, myself, and I.

  3.  I now have more disposable income, since I don't have to cover the kids expenses

Now as anyone knows that is way-y-y-y too much freedom.  After 20+ years of raising kids why would I think I could handle this.  So my daughter "loved her dad to death", and convinced him he needed a dog.  So you know where this is going right?

This is someone I want you to meet: 

His name is Watson.  My husband decided he wanted a dog.  Now mind you I don't have a  problem with dogs.  Its just that I grew up in the deep south where dogs stayed in the yard, and had their own dog house.  I'm not used to having them underfoot in the house.   Besides, a yard dog is not practical in Colorado.

Anyway my requirement was: 

1. The dog had to come from the local shelter
2. Had to be hypo-allergetic (since I have allergies)
3. Not very big (actually the smaller the better), and a puppy so we could train them
4. Cannot have free roam of my house
5. I was not going to be cleaning behind it :(

What are the chances of finding that in a shelter, right.  Well its amazing what can happen when, as my husband says, "God is on your side".

Behold, meet Watson, a pure-breed miniature schnauzer; from the local shelter.  He was only 3 months when we got, he won't get more than 14 pounds. He came from a home with two  miniature schnauzers that had puppies, and the owner decided it was too much to keep the entire litter of puppies. He has minimal shedding; recommended for folks with allergies.  He doesn't bark inside;  was potty trained very quickly.  He's only had one accident; the one time my husband thought it was cute how Watson, sat and looked out the patio door - I tell folks the dog was potty trained, I had to train my husband to "listen" to the dog).  He has an excellent temperment.  Doesn't go upstairs nor into the carpeted rooms in my house (The family room and dinette area are his domain).  My husband has him in obedience classes; he can sit, laydown, goes in his kennel, etc on command.  

My husband thinks I'm the greatest wife in the world!  I told him he owes me big time for this one (look out fabric, I"m coming to save you from years of isolation in a fabric store).  

And so now we have a dog; it sucks when God is on the other persons side :).  

Vogue 2091, Views A & B

So here is a garment that I just finished making 2 of the views from Vogue 2091.  I've had this pattern for quite sometime, just never sat down and made it.  Now I'm thinking why did I wait so long!

I've made both views A and B in a grey and black cotton jersey.  I love this dress; particularly the view B.
I did have to make alterations, seeing as I am full in the rear.  But that was easy.  I started with a size 14 and then tapered to a size 16 thru the hips.

As a side note, on view B there are side pleats in view B.  I just pinned the pleats in the tissue, did my alteration, and then just unpinned the pleats.  Voila, a dress pattern with the tapering to larger size at hip.

Here are the dresses:

View A

View B

 It is a very easy/quick pattern.  I love sewing knits, they are what I call no-brain sewing.  I prefer view B the most;and will probably remake that in a printed knit.

There are several reviews of this pattern on pattern review, all seemed to like this pattern as much as I do.

The bag. . ..

Well, this is the bag that I was supposed to be making for my PR weekend trip to New York.  But regretfully it didn't get finished until  after I got back (Hey better late than never :) ).

Simplicity 2275 made from denim.

 I wanted something that would be close to my body (sort of like the old saddle-bags).  This bag fits that bill.  It has plenty of storage compartments, 3 zippered and 2 flap pockets on the front.


Zippered pocket inside of bag

Zippered pocket on shoulder strap

Zippered compartment in middle

Pocket on front

For the most part the bag is pretty much done (just got some loose threads, etc to cut off).   It wears very nicely.  Wish I had gotten it done prior to my NY trip; but at least I got it done before the summer jazz series starts up. I've got some top stitch left to do also.  But it looks good, considering this is my first attempt at a bag.

Oh yes, I'm doing all I can to save all those potentially orphaned sewingmachines.  Today I found this little beaut, a white featherweight.  Isn't she pretty?  It works like a champ. 

This machine will join its brother ( back featherweigth ) for sewing travels to classes and my folks.

So this extended weekend I will be sewing up a storm.

Happy Sewing!

I've been keeping busy . . .

I've been working on organizing my fabric stash. I got done with that a couple of weeks ago.  After going thru closets, dresser drawers, and bins.  I used the hanging shelf organizers in the hanger rack; along with the polar notions fabric boards. (To my surprise I had far less fabric than I had expected!  That just means room for more ). I ended up with a nice stash in my closet:

Getting my stash sorted was only half the problem.  Now I needed to catalog the stash.  A while back I was at an estate sale and found  a 3 ring binder called the "Fabric Diary".  It contains pages for recording your fabric, and info on projects you are working on.  I tried to locate the original publisher but looks like they are no longer in business.  I took two of the pages to my local print shop and had copies made.

So now I know what I have,  How much of it, and where its stored.  I'm no longer overwhelmed by my stash.

Once I got the fabric under control, I then started working on my pattern stash.  I had patterns in plastic bins in the closet; in a chest drawer, etc.  Then there were the vintage patterns that my mom keeps sending when she finds some.  So it was definitely time to organize them.

I had been using Pattern File on my computer.  But I don't think this is the way for me to go.  Considering the fact that I now have a decent size vintage collection, and I have to scan them into my computer anyway; it wasn't saving me a lot of work.  So off to sewing.patternreview.com, to find alternatives.  Well, I found exactly what I needed.  I have Microsoft Office one note on my laptop, iphone, and new ipad.  So why not make use of it.    Now I can: 

1. Portability - I can look at my patterns anywhere on my iphone/ipad
2. Ease of entry - For current patterns I just go to the pattern company website and print the pattern to my Onenote application, and if its a vintage pattern I just scan it on my computer. 

Eventually, I'll move my fabric stash organization to OneNote.

If you want information on using OneNote go to On the Road To Sew Wear or to Chantilly Dreams to get detailed instructions on how to set things up.  (Why re-invent the wheels, when both of these sewing buddies have done an excellent job explaining how to use onenote already!).   I have my patterns saved on a sky drive that I can access from my ipad and iphone.  

Now that I've gotten my patterns sorted, I've found that I have multiple copies of some patterns (Augh!  Don't you hate that!).  

I also purchased comic book bags to put my patterns in.  This is especially a big help with storage of some of my vintage patterns. I purchased these in small sizes for the standard pattern sizes and in larger magazine sizes for my Vogue Designer patterns.  It only costs about $7 for a package of 100.  And I used repositionable tape to seal the bags closed. I've got them all neatly organized now by pattern company and number in my pattern cabinet.

Well with all of this organizing, I should be ready for my trip to New York for Pattern Review Weekend.  I can't wait.  This will be my first trip to NY!  Me, NY, and fabric!! - a sewaholics dream!!!!

Sent from my iPad