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Saturday, May 10, 2014

A few updates...

I'm finally sewing that's why this post is appearing later in the evening.  My daughters asked what I wanted for Mother's Day and I said a quiet weekend. So we have no plans for tomorrow. I've spent time in the sewing cave, cleaning up and moving some things around and getting the lining cut out for the Black Lace and Ponte dress...that I hope to have finished and ready for pictures by tomorrow.

I had a few things I wanted follow up on...so here they are:

1.  Did you know that G Street Fabrics has opened their online store again? I didn't until I started to receive emails from them again!  They have a 30% off coupon on the site. You should surf on over and look at their wares...cause it's G Street, y'know!!!

2.  I drank the kool-aid.  I bought a Moneta pattern from Colette Patterns. I downloaded and printed out version 1 and 2, as well as, the collars and instructions. This is major because you know I hate taping those pieces of paper together. But I wanted the pattern now instead of waiting and if nothing else PDF patterns provide instant gratification.  I don't know if you followed along on the Curvy Collective's Blog Tour of the Moneta and the Mabel, but the Monetas made by Jenny, Mary and T are the reason I bought the pattern...especially after Jenny maximized one!

3.  There are more pictures of the "Project Fabricland" fashion show on their Facebook page here. The three young designers/sewists that I featured in the blog post all won in their categories. Definitely check out the Facebook page so you can see individual pictures of all of the winners...as well as get some information about Connie Crawford teaching at Fabricland on June 4th. Gotta support our local brick and mortar fabric stores!


All of the student participants

From left winners were: Lydia Seaman 18, Taylor Zucosky 15, celebrity guest & Project Runway winner Irina Shabayeva, Emily Ogura 17, Jayda Jones 16 and Kaylee Spiteri 14.

There was also a write up about the event in our local newspaper.  I am so thrilled and honored to have been a part of this event!



4. I had an absolute blast at The Workroom Social Manhattan Swap & Party last weekend.  Jennifer has added pictures from the event on her site. Head on over and check out all of the party participants!

5. I've finally made a sewing list for my spring/summer sewing. Hopefully this will give me some direction. I'm a little worried that my list is so small. It's usually a really long one that I have to pick and choose from...so a list with about ten pieces on it...is a little startling. 



6. Recently I realized that I'd stop carrying a sewing journal around with me. It was the place where I sketched (poorly) ideas, stuck in inspirational pics and wrote out ideas and directions I had for sewing garments. I've been carrying one forever, but stopped and started capturing ideas electronically. This current method wasn't as creatively satisfying to me, so I'm old schooling it again, and it feels good. BTW, that's where my new spring/summer sewing list is!

7. Usually there's something in the spring designer collections that make me want to run to my sewing machine to sew something.  Not so much this year. I feel like there are just a lot of similar themes moving through the last couple of seasons/collections that I've already sewn ~
  • florals - check
  • black and white - check
  • lace - check, check
  • brights - check
Again, I've sewn so much of this already that I'm just not that inspired.

8. I had a convo at lunch yesterday (thanks Gail!) about the number of pieces of clothing a sewist ends up making. She said that she had quite a bit and I know that I have an extraordinary amount. Most because of my day job and some because I'm a clothes and fabric piggy but mostly because I love sewing clothing. I do try to be conscious and do regular closet clean outs, donating things, because otherwise I wouldn't have space to contain the garments I make. I think this is another reason that I've gotten off to a slow start this spring season ~ an overabundance of wonderful handmades!

9. I really want to sew for the girl grandbabies this summer. I've been rooting around in the fabric collection and I've found a couple of cute pieces of fabric that will work for them. Now to get them made up and modeled here!

10. I haven't bought fabric in 30 days. This is unusual for me, because normally when I'm not sewing, I buy fabric.  I just don't want to add more to the collection right now.  This morning I opened all of the curtains and looked at the lusciousness that's abiding and decided that I really need to sew with what I've got. I also wallowed in the collection because I'm a sucker for a sale and Fabric Mart has linens 40% off and then they are offering an additional 15% off your order total for the weekend only.  Oh and Fabric Mart is shipping to Australia now!

11. I will announce the winner of the "Looking Good Every Day" book winner tomorrow!  So you still have time to enter the giveaway if you want a chance to win the book!

Finally, I don't usually make a big deal about my birthday...I mean everyone has one right?!  But this year I will be 55 so I've decided to celebrate by sharing some photos of me through the years in the next couple of posts, well until my birthday at the end of the month.  Here's the first...and I'm going in no particular order...just what moves me at the time...


Here I'm a Senior in High School with my friend Cheryl Hewlett.
I was the Senior Class Yearbook Editor and this is my yearbook photo for that.
BTW, that was a culotte jumpsuit that I made, alongwith the bow tie blouse.
I loved that outfit!!!!


...as always more later! 






33 comments:

  1. What a great Mother's Day present! But I'm sure you'll be having another family gettogether very soon! Thanks for sharing the pic - can't wait to see more. It's always great to look back and see how fashion defined things that just seemed normal at the time. (Like hair, and glasses for people who wore them). And of course, Happy Birthday!

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    1. Thank you but I have another 20 days before it's my actual birthday!

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  2. Great picture and happy birthday!

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  3. Ahhhhh! Love the picture!!!!! What a cute outfit!!!!! I can't wait to see more photos!

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  4. I'd have recognized your wonderful smile even without the hint. My 55th birthday is on the 30th. What day is yours? I'm right with you on sewing from the stash. I have more than enough, and with that feeling of enough comes the reluctance to shop until I have empty space to store new fabric!

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    1. Wow! We are the same age ~ born on the same day!!!

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    2. Wow! You are my birthday buddy! Or are we twins? I've never known anyone born on the same day as me. I was born in Austin, Texas. How about you? We should find a way to celebrate our cyber-birthday-twin status.

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  5. Are you wearing a hat? Please tell me that's a little pill box hat.

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    1. Seriously! *LOL* I graduated high school in 1977 not 1966! And my glasses are on top of my hair - I had a lot of it at 18!

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  6. I turned 55 in March, and it is actually kind of cool. I didn't think it would be any different from the last umpteen birthdays, but I realized it is a bit of a milestone in my head. Not sure what it means, but feels very settled. Hope yours is good too!

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  7. I have just found your blog and I am hooked. I am amazed by all the dresses and suits in your flickr! I am starting to sew my own clothes and hope to have some good results before too long. How would I go about entering your drawing for the book? Thanks!

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  8. I love your blog and I am turning 55 as well! Perhaps great minds think, sew and age alike!

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  10. Happy Mothers Day! Hope you get to spend quality time alone in the cave

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  11. 55 since January (happy to get the 10% discount at my fave Pacific Fabrics in Seattle) and the more, the merrier! Your friend Cheryl is wearing the shirt I made about twenty of for a play I directed in high school earlier that year.

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  12. Glad to hear the mojo is in the house! I love the idea of your notebook as I so often see garments in stores or on passers by where I think .... Ooh, that's a great idea and then forget all about it by the time I get home. Thanks for the Moneta love too .... I am already planning my next two versions (and yes, one if them will be a maxi thanks to Jenny's lovely version). Looking forward to your sew and tell on that. Enjoy your cave day!

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  13. Happy Mother's Day and love the Pic.

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  14. Carolyn - you will love sewing for your grand-daughters - I certainly do. My sewing usually went 'one for me..one for me...one for me.." Now, it's one for me...two for the grand-daughter...another one for the grand-daughter." I love sewing for her because I get to use all the cute prints I've stashed over the years and get to fancy them up!

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  15. Couldn't mistake that fantastic smile from anywhere - great photo! Rachel ☺

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  16. I didn't realize your birthday is this month! You ought to make a big deal out of it - let people pamper you! That's what I do ;-)

    Can I still put my name into the hat for the book? I didn't have my computer with me on the trip so it was awkward for me to leave comments - I was pretty hit or miss!

    I am loving seeing these old pictures. Seriously - I love sitting down with people and looking through their old photo albums. So nice that we can do that virtually these days!

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  17. I loved this post as I am enjoying my Mother's Day doing what I want to do - hoping to sew all afternoon!! I need a sewing journal as I just made a list of what I liked and wanted to make this summer and it is 51 items (so far). No wonder I feel overwhelmed!!
    But it is because of you that I am now looking for inspiration everywhere. I love your picture and look forward to more! Happy Birthday Month!

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  18. I love your high school photo! Hope you've been enjoying a nice and relaxing Mother's Day of sewing, sounds like you had a lovely weekend lined up :)

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  19. That photo!!!! You were a go getter from way back, Ms. Editor!!

    I love that photo of the winning girls! I love meeting creative young people! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the experience.

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  20. What a great photo! My mom wanted a quiet mother's day as well -- I hope you are enjoying your day!

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  21. I love the picture! I turn 53 on the 26th of this month. Enjoy your Mother's Day.

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  22. I love the picture and look forward to seeing more. I know you are enjoying your Mother's Day. I asked for the same thing. Loving it.

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  23. I just turned 55 at the end of April. I tell people its "double nickels" all the way, speeding to the finish line. No slowing down and enjoy the ride!
    I didn't wear any outfits that fancy to school- I was the rebel that wore jeans despite complaints from the principal. Wide leg jeans . I did wear poly high waisted dress pants and stretchy Huckapoo blouses in wild prints with platform sandals to my job at Lerner's. Remember them? Cheap clothes when we had no cash! I didn't sew as much in high school. I started really serious sewing in college when I need a suit for job interviews and couldn't afford one.
    And yes, I have a lot more clothes than people who don't sew. My closet needs a good purge. Happy Mother's Day. Celebrate the birthday all month!

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  24. Happy mother's day! Love that picture of you in your cute outfit! Working it!

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  25. I love your yearbook picture. It is fun to go back and look and remember (sometimes). I worked on the yearbook my senior year as well, mainly wrote captions for photos. Better than going to study hall or the senior lounge.

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  26. You put so much in this post, I don't know where to start. Guess I'll start with G Street Fabrics. I'm originally from Washington, DC and have 10 years on you. This translates to... I used to shop at the ORIGINAL G Street Fabrics, on G Street in downtown, DC. Went to their Rockville store up to the week before moving to South Florida in '95 and still try to make it there when I go back for visits.

    I bought tons of fabric and notions there over the years and attended all kinds of great seminars and workshops as well. Believe it or not, I haven't used their website to purchase anything, but am overjoyed to know their online store is back up and running.

    Now for the young ladies... It is truly refreshing to see that sewing is still alive and well. When I was in high school, I made most of my clothes. I didn't have a daughter, but I taught my granddaughter how to sew when she was in elementary school. Now that she's in her 20s, she doesn't seem to be nearly as enthusiastic about sewing as when she was in her teens. Hopefully she'll go back to it.

    Last but not least... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I don't know what you plan to do to celebrate, but whatever you choose to do... make it special. You deserve it!

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  27. Thanks for the G Street info. I also used to shop at the original store when I was a teenager. Love the yearbook photo!

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