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Thursday, January 16, 2020

A Week In Review - Week One

I'm starting a weekly review of things that are floating around in my mind. These are all sewing related but are not enough of a thought to generate a blog post. I plan on doing these midweek so they will encompass the previous weekend and what I want to accomplish the next weekend. 

~ Status of Projects
I'm still in the middle of making shirts. It's finally projected to get cold here after days of 50 degree weather. Last weekend it was near 70 degrees all weekend and now snow is projected for the MLK Holiday Weekend. Shirts work in all of the temperatures I've been experiencing lately.

The blue/black plaid batik shirt just needs buttons/buttonholes and hems. The brownish/black embroidered one is in the same state. So what do I do?  Do I finish them?  No...I moved onto the next shirt in the cut pile! This is where I am with it now...


The two in the back are waiting for buttons & buttonholes and of course you know the saga of fixing the middle shirt. So nothing is completed yet and ready to share.

~ New Fabric
Before the year ended I bought a couple of yards of fabric from Fabric Mart, a blue/black/white boucle and a black guipure lace. Both were purchased for ideas that have been percolating in the back of my brain for awhile. 


The black will be a black lace shirt and the boucle will become a vest. Each have been paired with a pattern and now I just need to add them to the cut pile. It's 7 yards of fabric that were rolled into last month/year's totals.

I'm trying hard not to purchase more fabric...truthfully I just don't feel like adding more to what's already here. I'm feeling overwhelmed at having to remove several shelves of fabric to move it around and update the sewing cave. I hate to move. This is feeling a lot like moving!

~ Sewing Retreats/Sew Camp
I know I've gone on and on about the Sew Camps at Carriage Corner B&B and you know I love attending them.  Here is the listing of the Sew Camps for 2020.


I'm only attending the September Sew Camp and unfortunately that one is sold out. I know there are plenty of spots in the February one, only a few left in the April one, and quite a few left in the June sew camp. I mean if you're interested!


I am, however, attending the Sewing Retreat at Urban Sewciety on Saturday, February 8th and Sunday, February 9th. There are still spots available to attend this retreat so if you're interested, check it out. There will be another blog post soon about what I'm taking with me to work on.

Miscellaneous
o I have a bag under my serger to collect the clippings, bought it years ago from Nancy's Notions. I empty that bag about 2-3 times a year. It's always interesting to turn it upside down in the garbage bag because it allows me to reminisce about all of the garments I've made recently.


The last time I emptied the bag must have been in the spring because scraps of all my summer maxis are in there.

o  My sewjo is back in full effect because I want to sew all the things! I touch a fabric, see a garment and I want to make it! I've added a few more garments to cut out to go in the cut pile.

o  Have you read Bunny's last post on Blogging?  Bunny has been writing these thought provoking pieces on different aspects of the sewing community for the last couple of months. I hope you read not only that post but some of her others too.

o  One more this one from Heather from Closet Case Patterns on Quality Sewing is a must read also.  From beginner to advanced sewist, we can all sew with intent using the best techniques we know yet striving to learn more. I know there are things I could learn or practice and do better.  So I hope you will check this one out too!


Hopefully this will become a regular feature. I will try to post a Question of the Day every month because I like the discussions that ensue. Also I learn quite a bit in the comments section, too.

...as always more later!

11 comments:

  1. I just cut out a black lace top!! Woohoo! :) I was going to take it to our local sew-day meetup but I've changed course and am taking my 3(4?) loungewear items and my serger instead. Can't wait to see the top and vest, love those fabrics.

    I'm doing the super budget thing and don't think I'll be traveling for sewing this year :( (unless I land a SUPER gig by 2nd quarter!) but our local group has decided to make sewday monthly (vs quarterly) and so I look forward to all that sewing interaction aside from our monthly sit and chat meetups. That face time with other sewers is SO nice. I didn't realize how much I "needed" that til Sew Camp.

    Also, I love Bunny and her blog and yes, she comes up with some good topics too!

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  2. In the old days, we got paid to write things. It was a real job, with health benefits and a retirement program.
    I came to blogging in the 'write/get paid' era, but I wasn't writing about sewing, and that blog and it's associates are long gone. I was still trying to make what was left of a living as a professional writer, and scrambling as fast as possible to try to keep whatever paying writing jobs I could find. About the time that this imploded, I started reading Ikat Bag, and loved her project driven, conversational style. My goals as a sewing writer have evolved. At this point, I know this gig is just for me, it's not going to make money, and that's perfectly fine. I don't need to judge others - if I find someone's blog annoying, I just don't read it. My blog is a storage unit for the things I make and the stuff I'm working on (both sewing and otherwise). If I can get someone to laugh, it's a bonus.
    It's a big world, and there's room for all of us if we do right by each other.

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  3. I'm glad you found a solution for the shirt. Since you are going to be tearing the sewing room apart, have you thought about adding wheels to your shelving units while they are apart? I *think* most of the wire shelves can have the feet swapped out for wheels. It would make future deep cleaning and rearranging so much easier.

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    1. That's a great idea but I'm not taking down the two major fabric shelves - they're remaining in place. The other shelves I am moving have an assortment of things on them - books, DVDs, TV equipment, magazines and fabric and being repurposed as all fabric shelves. I will remember that though!

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  4. Oh, I was so tempted by that blue/black/white houndstooth at FabricMart! I can't wait to see the vest you've got planned.

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  5. I love this, Carolyn, as you are always so thoughtful in your blogposts. I look forward to these futureconvo posts of yours. My plan is to do the "opinion pieces" once a month but I am always collecting and observing! Thank you so much for the nice comments and referral. You and I do not lack for opinions, do we?!!? So glad your sewjo has returned.

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  6. These sewing retreats intrigue me. I may do one in the future, I think...

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  7. Mimi - you should try one. The day versions are probably the easiest and UrbanSewciety is right by the train station in Westfield so you can take the train there. Also the one day retreat will allow you to decide if you like them. Sew Camp is longer and require a greater commitment.

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  8. Those serger scraps could go to good use as stuffing for rectangular "sacks" that are made as beds for cats and dogs in shelters. My quilting group does it all the time - the shelters appreciate it and so do the critters. We use leftover fabrics (sometimes pieced) to make the beds - they whip up in minutes and are great as they're very washable.

    Your blog is delightful!

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