No sewing Sunday...

I woke up this morning and I wanted to do nuthin...absolutely...positively nuthin.  There was nothing about sewing that appealed to me this morning, this afternoon or this evening.  I've been wandering around my apartment like a lost puppy because what else did I have planned to do?

Maybe this happened because I spent quality time in the street yesterday...maybe I didn't properly prepare myself to sew!?  Usually I wake up on Saturdays, clean my room, maybe prep some fabric and generally prepare to sew.  That didn't happen yesterday.  Yesterday I was out shopping with my mom...and these followed me home:

In brown and black

And last night I spent quality time drooling over the fashions in this book:

A Thousand Days of Magic

by Oleg Cassini

So today I did mundane things like the laundry...like seriously?  I am so ready to sew for spring so can I begin the chorus of..."I'm ready for spring!" I'm back to work tomorrow...gotta go figure out what I'm wearing tomorrow...but it has been one no sewing weekend and no sewing Sunday...

...as always, more later...

Friday Diary Bits

DB#1
Okay so the cutter/tracer "Question of the Day" was quite popular! *LOL*  Wow - I didn't realize how much this matters to us sewists!  I got everything from a 3 word reply to several paragraphs ~ finely worded of course!  I learned a few things - like I have two sets of mothers & daughters who read my blog.  That some people trace off even their "Big 4" patterns and the materials you use to trace patterns with is wide-ranging!  Personally I'm gonna get me over to Pearl's Art Supplies and see if I can find a roll of the tracing paper that was recommended. 

I know there are a lot of comments but some contain some great information in them...so if you haven't read them try to make some time...it is well worth it!  And yes Cindy, I do read every single comment that anyone posts - some more than once! *LOL*

DB#2
If you won one of the prizes from the Blogoversary Give-Away ~ they were mailed from the Post Office today!  Carla - you ended up with the new February Burda Style magazine because my lovely daughter (who should be reading my blog and obviously isn't!) found the second January magazine and traced a piece or two from it.  Sharon, my friendly neighborhood postal person said that your package should be to you in about a week...everyone else should receive theirs in the next couple of days.  Now if I've owed you anything, anything AT ALL...your package was included in the great post-off today!  *shew* Glad that's done! *smile*

DB#3
It's freezing here on the East Coast - temps in the teens (and no Shannon I'm not using the metric system!) but more than anything I want to make a dress.  Oh the torture of it all!  *LOL*  I think its because all of the spring catalogues are starting to make their annual appearance in my mailbox and I'm dreaming of flowy soft dresses for spring ~ which is no where in sight!

DB#4
Booked our flights and hotel room for vacation!  I leave February 9th and am beyond excited!!!

DB#5
Michelle Obama wore a plum colored Isaac Mizrahi dress to the State of the Union address on Wednesday.  I thought it was lovely but some others haven't been so kind!  What did you think?  And please could we show a little respect in our answers...thanks!

Finally I will be sewing this weekend...it's too damn cold to do anything else!  And since my darling baby boy has learned a new trick...I present to you Danny standing up and taking his first steps...

It's a whole new world now!

...as always, more later!

Are you a tracer or a cutter?

This question came to mind last night as I was pulling my Hot Patterns Trouseau Nightgown pattern out to read the instructions.  See I really like this pattern...and I really need a new nightgown for vacation...however, I put the pattern back.  Why you ask?  Too much work to trace.  Yeah, I know...sad right!?  I will happily cut a pattern out and cut it apart.  Do gyrations and gymnastic feats to get it to fit my well-rounded body...but trace a pattern and I start to back away from the cutting table...and not slowly may I add!

So this is why I have an amazing collection of Burda magazines - both the monthly and the plus size ones - and have made just one garment from them.  And then only recently...I think I'm a cutter.  Oh shoot, I'll just stand up and proudly admit - that I AM a cutter.  I'm taking my scissors to that pattern tissue and I'm wacking away with glee.  I'm not looking for the tracing paper, my sharpie markers and some rulers.  I'm not searching through miles and miles of lines (Burda magazine patterns) to find the garment I'm looking for and I'm not spreading sheets of thick white paper out and laying tracing paper on it to get my garment traced out.

Nope...not happening...well not often...cause it's just not me!  So tell me..."Are you a cutter or a tracer?"  That's the Question of the Day, folks, so talk back to me!

Sewing My SWAP!

"You are making great progress on your SWAP. Three pieces, including the jacket, which is one of the more labor intensive pieces. It seems like you planned out your SWAP work load really well."

Audrey left this message in the comments today and it made me think.  This is my 4th SWAP "contest" so I do have an idea of how to sew for one...but more importantly, I think that everytime you participate in one, you hone your wardrobing skills just a little more.

There are several things that I'm doing differently this time around because of my experience in the other three SWAP contests.

1.  No storyboard
I know that this idea is considered heresy because the storyboard is the starting point for most sewists when they begin a SWAP.  Technically, you really do need one since the entire point is to "Sew With A Plan."  However, I've found that being so tightly bound to a list limits my creativity and causes me to be bored with the plan before it's finished.  Then I start to sew other stuff in the meantime and I wind up doing all night sews at the end just to complete the SWAP...so NO storyboard!

2.  Sew the most complicated garments first
This is when your enthusiasm for the process is most high.  Knock out those all-encompassing pieces first.  It allows you to feel a measure of success and will encourage you to press on to the finish line.

3. Don't be married to your plan
THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT ONE!  Make allowances to veer off on another path.  That's why I just purchased the last piece of fabric that I need for my plan...and there are still chances that something can change! *LOL*  Leave room for creativity or inspiration to strike...you just never know...you may end up with an amazing reversible dress!

4.  Don't enter the contest to win
This might be controversial but what the h*ll, my blog, my opinion.  I've never seen a plus size woman win this contest anywhere.  I don't know what's up with that, but I'm of the firm belief that I can't win this contest due to my size...so I'm making a wardrobe FOR me!  The prize is that I will have all of these great new garments in my wardrobe and I will feel wonderful wearing them!

And this is the biggest change of all for me and this SWAP...most of the garments will come from new patterns and not a TNT pattern!  Now I'm not going to remake the wheel for a pair of pants and even one of my dresses is from my TNT dress pattern, but most of the tops in this SWAP are from untried and new patterns...the ratio is something like 40% TNT and 60% new!  Yeah, I know...

Here's a preview of some of the new patterns that will be incorporated into my SWAP:

Vogue 1750

Simplicity 2566

So that will be four new patterns included so far in the collection...there's a chance that one more will yet make the cut!  I also chose a different color this year...in the past I've used basic colors or in the case of my first SWAP a brightly colored lime for a summer SWAP that didn't really impress anyone...even me!  *LOL*  The choice of color (navy) was to expand my wardrobe horizons and hopefully by working with it and some new color combinations, I won't be bored!

I will be working on the bottoms or the two pairs of pants for the SWAP this weekend.  I want to get them out of the way so that I can concentrate on the tops.  If you've noticed, I don't make a lot of tops and in the last SWAP I participated in, only two of the tops I included actually got any wear.  One got donated pretty quickly after the contest so I'm trying to make sure that each top that gets made this time will actually get worn.

That's an update on my SWAP...my thoughts...and a little bit of a sneek peak of where I'm going!

Diary Bits:

This is a new section that will be making periodic appearances here.  It will sometimes show up at the end of a post and sometimes it will be the post.  It will just be a bunch of thoughts that I want to share...

Tonight's Diary Bit is about my Vogue 8593 - navy blue doubleknit Michelle Obama knock-off dress.  It's been finished since December but today was the first time I wore it to work.  And I can't believe the number of compliments that I got on this dress.  Both bosses were impressed...with one saying that she couldn't believe how great this dress was...even the "evil one" in my office took a second look!  So even though I more than likely won't make this dress again...it was a home run!

...and as always...more later!

Vogue 8623 is Done

This is the third piece in my SWAP Collection, "Midnight at the Oasis."  It's my "Your Choice" piece - chosen because I want it to go over everything in the collection.

Usually I have a list of alterations that I've made to the pattern to make it work for me...not so this time!  Because this is a "Custom Fit Pattern" that allows you to choose your cup size for your front pieces...and because this is a generously cut princess seam jacket pattern...I needed to make no alterations to either the jacket or the sleeves.

I can't remember the last time that I was able to sew a garment from the pattern without making ANY alterations!!!  So for the fact alone I love this jacket and plan to make it again!  Okay, some pics:

Jacket on Lulu open

Jacket on Lulu buttoned

A glimpse of the lining

A back view showing the pleat

Some stats:

Fabric:
navy wool tweed blend from the Vera Lavendar collection on fabric.com
light blue polyester lining also from the Vera Lavendar collection

Notions:
4 large blue & gold buttons from M&J Trimmings
4 large covered snaps from Pacific Trimmings

Construction:
The outer shell construction is pretty straightforward.  If you choose to make the jacket, just make sure that you carefully mark the pleat notches on the back jacket pattern piece.  Forming the back pleat is what gives the jacket interest and it's easy to do if you mark the fabric correctly.

The lining is what held me up.  I don't know what it is about me and jacket linings but I always feel like I need to take a deep breathe and set aside alot of time because each one makes me feel inadequate...even though this one inserts fairly easily, I did dance around it awhile before settling down and inserting it.  However, I did not serge finish the ends of the lining fabric which raveled terribly.  I stitched each seam twice - 1/8" between stitching lines and using my pinking shears, pinked each edge.  Then I pressed the seam lines flat.  Although I did serge finish the neckline and the hems of the sleeves and the jacket. 

The only change I made to the pattern was to fold over the fronts of the jackets 1" and attach the lining that way.  The pattern instructs you to make a second front from the fabric and interface it.  I just thought that with the fabric I was using this would make the front very bulky.  If you are using a smooth fabric, this won't be a problem, but no one wants all of that extra fabric on the front of them!

The lining was probably the most time-consuming issue besides all of the hand stitching needed to apply the snaps and the buttons.  Because even though the pattern envelope shows the jacket with buttons and buttonholes, the pattern instructions recommends buttons and snaps.

So three pieces down and eight more to go! *LOL*  I'm going to work on the bottoms next.  I'm making two pairs of pants from my TNT pattern and then I'm going to work on the tops.  With my trip to Moods, I bought the last piece of fabric that I need to make the tops and that will allow me to finish up the rest of the garments in the collection.  However, I have to tell you that I'm aching, I mean aching to work on a dress!  *LOL*  See I have a problem...

...as always, more later!

An Update on Vogue 8623

As you can probably tell by the lack of posts...I did not sew this weekend!  Shortly after watching the Golden Globes, I started to feel ill...and continued to feel that way until yesterday afternoon.  Because of that, today was my first day back at work.  So there has been very little progress on the Vogue 8623 jacket.

However, I did get the collar basted on...and did one more try-on to make sure that I didn't imagine the fact that this pattern was sewn straight from the envelope without one...yes I said not one adjustment to the pattern and it FITS!

So here is how it looks on the hanger now with the collar basted on:

And here it is auditioning the buttons that Elizabeth, Jack and I purchased from M&J last Saturday!

There is still quite a bit of work left to get it ready to face the world...the lining is in pieces on the table...and just go from there with a finishing list, but I am encouraged and hopefully will be working on the jacket this weekend.

Just want to let the winners of the blogaversary gifts know that your prizes haven't gone out yet...due to illness...but I will try to get them out shortly!  Thanks for sending your addresses to me so quickly!

...more later!

My girl did it!

I love Mo'Nique! I love her style, her sass and the fact that she loves her body just the way it is! So I want to give a great big CONGRATULATIONS! for her Golden Globe win for "Best Supporting Actress in a Movie!" If you've seen the movie, Precious, you know she deserved that prize!


...and she looked good too!  Loved, loved, loved her gown!!!

photo courtesy of justjared buzznet.com

More pics here!  Next the SAGs!!!!

Today is a special day...

I woke up this Monday morning, held my grandson, and watched the movie, "The Long Walk Home" with Whoopi Goldberg and Sissy Spacek...and cried.

photo from jhs1968.com

Today is a special day for me...as a black woman born in America from parents who lived in the segregated south, and who now has the first black President as the leader of this great country...the seeds of which where planted back in the 50s when a young black man rose up to lead an extraordinary movement...Martin Luther King, Jr.

I know for some today is just an extra day off from work...or a day that's inconvenienced by the fact that the banks, post offices and government offices are closed.  But for me today is just as special as Christmas or Easter (because of my religious affiliations) as a personal cultural day...because it is steeped in meaning.

I'm sure I've told this story before because whenever I think of Martin Luther King, Jr. this is what comes to mind...my mother and my aunt & uncle getting dressed in their Sunday best to go to the polls and vote for the very first time.  My mother was in her late 20s...my aunt and uncle were older...and it was the very first time they could vote. 

Now I know many people think that we as Black Americans have come a long way in such a short time...and I guess if you look at the fact that Barack Obama is President it seems so...but that was just 45 years ago...not a lifetime or even a generation ago...quite a few of you who read my ramblings weren't even born yet...or were only small children.  This is an event that has clearly taken place in OUR lifetimes.

I ran across this article on The Buzz Log today...it gives such a clear understanding of the meaning and importance of this holiday.  Please take a moment to read it and watch the video clip at the end...and realize that we've come far as a nation but we do have a little further to go.  And then take another moment, a minute of silence if you will, and give thanks that we live in such a wonderful nation that can bring about such momentous change in our society by our people.

Also, if you haven't taken the time yet to give to the Haitian relief efforts, please do so!  There are many places on the web that you can give, but The Red Cross is my organization of choice.

...as always, more later.

And the winner is...

Sorry this post is sooooo late but it was a beautiful day here in New Jersey and after two weeks of bitter cold and blustering winds I decided to take to the streets of NYC this morning with Elizabeth and the very handsome Jack, in search of fabric treasures!

So after getting home a little while ago and puttering around for a minute...I'm just now doing the drawing...so here goes.

The lucky winners are:

Sandra - Winner of the 4 RiRi zippers

Clio - Winner of the MOP buttons

Lover of Words - Winner of the January BWOF

and Melodye - Winner of the 4 yards of trim

If you ladies would kindly contact me at cnorman underscore 98 at yahoo dot com with your snail mail addresses, I will get these out to you on Tuesday! 

Thanks to everyone who left a comment and told me how much you enjoy my blog!  All of those well wishes have meant so much to me!

Like I said earlier, I just got back from NYC and I have things to photograph to share with you later and to put away.  It's a three day holiday weekend here in the States, so I will be sewing all day tomorrow and Monday...

...as always, more later!

Vogue 8623 - My Your Choice Item

I picked this pattern to use for the jacket or my choice item in the SWAP because it has a funky collar and an interesting back detail. 

So here's where it stands now:

(back view showing pleat)

The outer shell is completed...the lining has been cut out and I've started sewing it together.  The jacket still needs the collar to be made and the lining inserted...

However, this is the first time in a long time that I've made a garment straight out of the envelope.  I didn't need to make any adjustments to the size 24 that I started with...probably because the pattern is a custom fit pattern allowing you to pick your cup size for the front pieces.  I started with the D cup front pattern pieces for anyone who wants to know. 

Since the back has the pleated detail and offers a looser fit, there were no worries that the jacket would be too tight through the body.  And normally I need to make an adjustment to the sleeves because of my bodacious biceps but that wasn't a concern with this jacket either.

The pattern goes together easily, the back pleat makes up quickly and without any issues.  The raglan sleeves are a nice detail that is formed from a separate pattern piece for the front and the back. 

I know that I'm known for the changes that I make to patterns to make them work for me, but I only made two changes in this construction.  The first was to add black silk organza to the center front pieces instead of using fusible interfacing on the boucle fabric. 

(black silk organza basted to center front pieces)

The second change was that I didn't cut out 4 center front pieces from the fashion fabric as the pattern instructs. I thought it would make the jacket center front too bulky using a double front from the boucle fabric.  Instead I cut my second set of front pieces out of lining fabric.  I will share pics of this once I've sewn the lining together and inserted it into the jacket.

This is just an update...I wanted to share with you how wonderful it is to work with both the pattern and the fabric. I believe this is going to be a great addition to the two dresses that I've already completed for the SWAP.

One more shot of the unfinished jacket over the plaid sheath dress...hanging from my closet door:

Oh and the fabric is the navy/creme poly blend boucle from the Vera Wang Lavendar Collection from Fabric.com.

...as always more later...

Bits and Pieces

Doesn't this look familar?

It's the Spring 2010 ad for part of the DKNY Collection that is featured in this month's Harper's Bazaar ~ Febuary 2010.

I can't figure out if I saw the collection before I made the dress or if it was just a lucky fabric buy:

What do you think?

...more later!

It's My Blog Anniversary on January 8th!

Tomorrow is my 4th Blog Anniversary!!!!

I started this blog because I was on a couple of internet sewing lists & boards and on both you had to be concise, to the point and on-topic...especially on-topic...no wandering off onto other things! *LOL*  And sometimes, I wanted to wander, be off topic and ramble on...so I followed my friend Liana (who I refer to as the "Godmother of my Blog") and started one!

When I dove in, I didn't have a digital camera (I was using those disposable ones), had just gotten cable internet and my dad's computer and didn't know if anyone would read my ramblings...but I went ahead, wrote that first post and the rest is history.

Fast forward four years and here we all are...I've documented the making of my daughter's prom dress, my experience in making two SWAPs...now working on my 3rd...I've ranted about politics...written tributes to some people who've meant so much to me...and worked my TNT patterns H-A-R-D!!! *LOL*  I've met some amazing fellow sewists and bloggers...and I've bought ALOT of fabric and patterns!!!

So please celebrate with me as I start my fifth year of blogging!  And to celebrate I'm giving some gifts from my infamous button & trim collection.  Now how can you win one of these lovely party gifts?  Simple...

1.  You must leave a comment on this post ONLY!  If you leave a comment on any other post, it won't be counted.  Comments must be left by Friday, January 15th and I won't be posting any reminders!

2.  You must be a follower by midnight of January 11, 2009, EST.  I'm giving some of you lurkers the chance to come out of the shadows! *smile*  And yes, I will ship internationally!

3.  The drawing will be held Saturday afternoon, January 16th by putting the numbers from the post into Random.org.

Wanna see the SWAG?

Four Riri Zippers:

A selection of Mother of Pearl Buttons in four sizes:

4 Yards of Trim

from a roll that I bought from Britex Fabrics in San Francisco:

and a copy of the January 2010 Burdastyle Magazine:

Okay, get to celebrating with me...leave a comment and may the luckiest four people win!  Do you see a theme here...4...4...4!!! *LOL*

On the serious side...thank you ALL for stopping by and reading my ramblings...ooohhhhing and aaahhhhing OR not over one of my creations...and for taking the journey with me...my very special thanks to those who've been with me from my first post!  You are ALL sooooo appreciated! 

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!

How about some pictures?

Up first - me wearing the TNT plaid sheath dress with the matching cardigan:

The dress alone:

Next, me in the cardigan/top and pants:

And here is the newest dress and the second piece in my SWAP Collection, "Midnight in the Oasis!"

This dress is made from my TNT dress pattern...well it's a SWAP collection people and the best way to get it finished is to combine a little old with the new! *LOL*

Some stats:

Pattern: 
TNT Dress Pattern

Fabric:
Wool/lycra blend from Fabric.com's Ralph collection

Notions:
22" zipper

Construction Tidbits:
1.  I drew new pattern pieces of the front and back of my TNT dress pattern to make a center front & side front piece and a center back & back side piece.  These pieces were used to make the princess seams in the dress front and back.  I left the dart  on the side front piece so that I would get a good bustline fit.

2.  I started sewing with the back pieces first and put the zipper in.  I only had a regular zipper so I used the center back application.

3.  I sewed the back side pieces onto the center back and pressed the seams toward the zipper.

4.  Next I sewed the center front pieces together leaving an opening from the neckline 5" from the top.

5.  Then I stitched the side fronts to the center front piece.

6.  The center front seams were pressed open and flat, the side front princess seams were pressed towards the center front piece.  I then topstitched the entire piece using the triple stitch feature on my machine stitching from top to bottom to ensure smooth lines.

7.  I also topstitched the bust darts.

8.  The back piece was then topstitched but as I topstitched around the zipper, I noticed the seams pulled away from the zipper.  It was a kewl affect so I kept it.

9.  The sleeve hems were pressed up and topstitching was added to the sleeve hems.

10.  The dress was then assembled as usual ~ shoulder seams and side seams sewn together.

11.  Instead of facings for the neckline...this dress is unlined...I made one inch bias binding from the fabric and used it to finish the neckline.  The binding was then handstitched to the body of the dress.

12.  The hem was also handstitched down.

Some more info:
I loved working with this fabric.  Even though fabric.com says that it is 96% wool and 4% lycra - the fabric had a very stretchy, spongy hand.  I used the topstitching to create vertical lines for a slimming appearance and to mimic the pinstripe fabric that will be used in several other pieces in the collection.

Originally I thought to add a lining to just the top of the dress, however, I settled on binding the neckline.  The fabric was very stretchy and I was concerned about using a regular rayon lining in the dress...plus the fabric is kinda dense so it doesn't really need the additional layer.

Even though the topstitching was time consuming and it took some time to find just the right shade of tan...I sewed slowly because this is the first time that I used this stitch on the Janome 6600...I also had to make several samples to get the tension just right.  However, I'm glad I added it to the dress.  It makes the seams pop!

This is the second piece in my SWAP collection.  Both dresses will go with the jacket that I plan on making from Vogue 8623:

I feel like I'm right on track for getting my plan finished.  I'm making the more complicated pieces first then I will make the bottoms followed by the tops...and as always, more later!

An Afternoon with my Niece

My niece is taking "Fashion and Clothe" classes at her high school.  So far she's made a tote bag and a pair of pjs.  During our Christmas celebration, she asked if I would help her make a knit top.  She wanted to make one at home, so that when she went back to school it would be easier to sew one up.  Happily I told her to come on by. 

I spent three pleasurable hours helping her make this:

Here she is sewing at my new Janome 6600:

She was funny...talking about how the sewing machines weren't this advanced at school...and she loved the automatic thread cutter.  Then when I showed her how to use the serger, she was beyond herself because they don't have sergers in their classrooms at all.  Okay, I find this hard to believe because there was an industrial serger in my home ec room when I took sewing classes so I can't believe they don't have a home version of a serger in the sewing classes in high school now!

A few stats...
She used a polyester knit print from the collection and this pattern:

It's an OOP Simplicity from my daughter's pattern collection that she generously donated.  My niece plans on wearing the top as a vest with a turtleneck or alone when she goes out to party.

One final shot of her in the top...

Oh to be 17 with a skinny body again!  *LOL*  Anyway, I am working on my second SWAP dress...so more later!!!

The First Garment of the Year

...is a holdover from 2009.  I started this the weekend that I finished the Vogue 8593 dress...but I only got as far as the fashion fabric shell...so I needed to finish it before I could begin my 2010 sewing.

As previously discussed, this dress is part of "The Cardigan Series" actually the last one in the series.  It was made to accompany these pieces:

Garments that were made about five years ago when I first started my journey with Burda 8869.  This grouping is comprised of a cardigan and sweater from the Burda pattern and a pair of lined pants from my TNT pattern.  I've always wanted to add a dress and skirt to this pairing...giving me more flexibility to wear the pieces...and updating them for my current workplace.

Here is the dress and cardigan (on the hanger):

And a close-up of the front ~

that chain is from my mom who wore it in high school!

Some stats:
Fabric:  wool/poly blend purchased from JoMars
Notions:  1 yard of navy blue piping, 2 yards of navy blue rayon hem tape, 2 yards of black bias binding, 22" invisible zipper

Construction Techniques:
Nothing new and different about it's construction...it's just another version of my TNT dress pattern in a plaid sheath dress with a little bit of navy blue piping at the neckline.  The dress is perfect for work and eliminates 2 yards of fabric from the collection...even though there is still a yard and 1/2 waiting for the skirt to be made from it.

The grouping as it is now:

Next up are two pieces from the SWAP Collection...and pics of me wearing these pieces before I go back to work...I promise!

...more later!

The first day of the new decade

It's been a slow start for me today...haven't done any sewing yet at all.  And last night was spent ushering the New Year in with family and it lasted quite late or early in the morning, which ever way you want to look at it *LOL*  However, I spent most of last night with a crochet hook in my hand and several skeins of yarn surrounding me...which prompted my Mom to tell me that she hadn't seen me like this in quite some time...and it's all Sheila's fault!

See I saw this garment on her site and I had to have one.  So Tuesday night I went to Michael's with a friend of mine and bought about six skeins of yarn, determined to make one for myself. 

This:

Became this:

and then the significant other started to complain his neck was cold so I spent last night amongst relatives working on a scarf for him...no pictures yet, I'm still working on it.  But I've caught the bug and I've been rummaging in the closet looking for the stash of yarn I stored away.  It's been cold as the dickens here lately and it will be nice to have some more crocheted scarves/shawls to keep the cold away...so Sheila see what you've started! *LOL*

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

One of my favorite blogs, is Mrs. O.  On Wednesday, the post was about the vintage pins that Mrs. O wears from the Carol Tanenbaum collection and I laughed out loud!  I've been wearing pins like this for over a decade...ever since I went on an outing with my friend, Colleen Jones, in New Hampshire and found this little shop (well barn actually) that sold all of this vintage Monet jewelry.  I bought quite a bit of her pieces, including earrings and some vintagey rhinestone pieces spending $29.  I remember the sum so well because it was alot considering the pieces purchased averaged about 50 cents.  Anyway, here is a pic of a few of my favorites:

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

I started a new dress (simple sheath dress from my TNT dress pattern) to go with a cardigan already in my wardrobe last weekend.  It's the last dress in my "Cardigan Series" so I will finish that up before working on my next SWAP garments.  I don't go back to work until Tuesday, Jan 5th so I want to knock out a few more SWAP pieces while I have this time off...there will definitely be more about this later.

As well as a new book review so look forward to both!

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

Finally no new year is complete without some kind of sewing purchase!  *smile* I bought the following patterns from the latest Club BMV $3.99/$3.59 pattern sale which ends tonight at 12 midnight CST so you still have time to find something...which is across all three pattern companies, Butterick, McCalls and Vogue...because the new Vogue Pattern Magazine is already in mailboxes...

Here's what I got:

Vogue 1141 - this jacket has been haunting me! *LOL*

Vogue 8559 - this Marcy Tilton cardigan might make it's way into my SWAP also.

Vogue 8597 - will become one of the six tops for my SWAP.

Lastly, a special thank you to Gretchen who also wrote a post about Denise and the Blue Gardenia and to all of you who've purchased a pattern from her site.  It is wonderful of you to do something so kind for someone else and I'm sure Denise appreciates it, but I am in your debt for caring enough for someone in our sewing community to open your purses and help out!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

...and as always more later!

A Sewing Year in Review

Let's get right to it:

I've made 44 garments this year.  I used 97 yards of fabric...I'm sure that I bought 3x that much!  *LOL* 

Garment breakdown:

21 dresses

1 Vest

9 Cardigans/Jackets

2 pairs of pants

2 tops and 9 skirts

Clearly this was the year of the dress and the year of the TNT pattern since 10 of the dresses came from my TNT dress pattern. The pants and all except the last skirt were also made from a TNT pattern. Dang what happened to all those new patterns I purchased!?! *LOL*

When I look back at my review for 2008, I realize that dresses have remained in the forefront of my sewing consciousness since I made 16 last year.  I did not enter any contests or competitions this year...but I did do the Lucky Skirt Challenge with three of my blogger friends.

I was most influenced this year by two things - "The Michelle Obama Effect" and Michael Kors designs.  I've written several posts on how Michelle Obama's style of dress reflects many aspects of my professional life...her simple sheath dresses coupled with a cute cardigan or a skirt and twinset combo so resonated with me.  And as I said previously, Michael Kors just knows how to dress a woman...and I have shamelessly interpreted his designs and elements from his garments.

However, I didn't meet all of the goals that I set last year.  I continue to purchase fabric...slowing down at the beginning of the year...and then later at the end of the year when I realized that there is ALOT of inspiration abiding in my apartment! *LOL* 

However, the one goal that I did meet this year was that I took my time.  I enjoyed the process more.  I thought out what I wanted to make and how it worked in my life and I made what I imagined using my TNT patterns...I really was on a creative flow especially in the last quarter of the year...

I also met quite a few of my sewing friends this year...and plan to have a few more sewing salons so that we in the NY/NJ/CT/PA/MD area can get together and discuss what we are sooooo passionate about.

I've decided not to set any sewing goals for 2010.  It is the beginning of a new decade and I want to see where my creative juices take me. 

January will begin my 4th year of blogging and I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who've come by to read my ramblings...who leave a comment...who question my sanity *LOL*...or who just plain understand my need to put needle and thread to fabric to create something new.  I truly hope that I have encouraged you, inspired you and caused you to look at this creative process in a different light.  I also hope that you will continue to travel along with me as I discuss my aspirations, my goals, and my dreams regarding this all consuming passion.

May the New Year bring each and every one of you, peace, love, joy, happiness and good health.  I also hope that all of your needs are met...whether they be for a new job, a new home, a baby, a mate...or just your own sewing space.

See you in 2010 where I will definitely share more of my sewing with you!  Thanks again and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Can you lend a hand?

I've a favor to ask...and it's kind of a big one...one that involves your pocketbook!  See normally I just point you to the sales and suggest that you purchase something if you want or need it.  This time I'm actually asking you to dig deep during this holiday season and help out a vendor in our sewing community who could use our assistance.

Denise is the owner of The Blue Gardinia Vintage Pattern site.  Her site has amazingly wonderful vintage patterns.  These patterns are pristine and packaged so that the patterns are well preserved.  I'm sure it looks like a collector's site but you can actually purchase a pattern from here to make something awesome for your own wardrobe.

The reason I'm asking you to purchase a pattern or two from Denise is that right now her business is basically the family income.  Along with many other Americans, her husband lost his job 8 months ago.  I know that the global recession has hit many of us hard...but Denise also has a medical condition that prevents her from working outside the home.  In a year of loss, at one point they lost their health insurance which Denise needs desperately to remain well, they now need our help.

Denise is presently offering her Year End Sale:

Annual End of Year Sale!!!

Buy 3 or more items, get 33% off!

Sale prices good now through

Midnight PST Thursday, January 7, 2010

Payment must be received by

6:00 p.m. PST Saturday, January 9, 2010

Would you kindly visit the site and pick up a pattern or two or three?  We as a community need to support our vendors and help them to stay afloat during this difficult time. 

Thanks for taking the time to check out Denise's offerings and I appreciate you for reading this far!**






**Disclaimer: 
I am a customer and I have received patterns from Denise but I gain nuthin' monetary from this post.  I'm just trying to help out someone in need! 

Vogue 8593 - Dress Number 21

When this dress came out in the Vogue catalogue in August, I knew I had to have it.  It was an interpretation of the Maria Pinto dress that Michelle Obama wore to her first visit to the White House. 

Up until that time, I never thought that I would be able to have a version of the dress.  One ~ the original is a very tight-fitting, body-hugging dress and not something that I could actually imagine on my plus size body.  Second, the design is so distinctive that I didn't think the pattern companies would get a copy out as quickly as they did.  Now I know there is a Butterick version but I liked the style lines on this pattern better. 

However, I was wrong on both accounts!  So let's start with my favorite photo of me in the dress and move on from there...

Okay - let's discuss how dress number 21 came into being....

Fabric:
A poly doubleknit from the Vera Wang collection from fabric.com

Notions:
22" navy invisible zipper

First let me say that this is a relatively easy dress to make.  Just make sure that you mark everything and choose the right fabric to work with and you will  be fine.  However, I did read every word of the three reviews on Patternreview and Amanda's version of the dress also.

Next I guess I should address my audacity in thinking that I could make this dress fit my plus size body.  Well, it really is only a straight dress with some amazing details ~ the pleated neckline, the back shoulder darts, the dart that runs from the hem to the center back.  To me all of those details could be manipulated to fit me.

Pattern Alterations:
I didn't know that the front piece with the pleat detail was one big pattern piece when I purchased the pattern.  So my first challenge was to figure out how to get that one pattern piece (that only went up to a size 20) to fit my size 24 body.  I kept thinking that if the dress had princess seams with side front pieces that it would be perfect.  And that is when I remembered the vintage dress that I made last year using princess seams...if that side front piece could work with the dress front I would be in business.

After laying the pattern piece on top of the dress piece, matching notches at the armhole seams, I realized it would work.  I have to admit that I started to do the joy-joy dance here because that was a major part in making this dress work on my body!

The pleated neckline on the dress is the most distinctive feature to me and one of the main reasons I wanted my own version.  After reading the reviews, I noticed that one of the reviewers had topstitched her pleats down.  I really liked that feature so I included it in my dress.  Now those pleats aren't difficult at all to make.  Take your time, mark the pleats carefully and they go together without a problem.  Oh and don't forget to press them well.  I used a silk organza pressing cloth, a lot of steam and my clapper to get those crisp pleats.

I opted to use my TNT dress back piece instead of grading up the piece that came with the pattern.  That piece is tiny folks! *LOL*  I just made some adjustments to my back piece - I added back shoulder darts

and instead of a dart from the hem to center back, I added a 1/2 inch seam/pleat on both sides.  It gives a nod to the original dress design but honestly I was afraid that dart would make the dress too tight on me.  So my solution works for me:

The original dress design is slim fitting through the waist and abdomen, not exactly a plus size girl's friend so my dress has more of an a-line skirt, but I'm thinking it works for me...judge for yourself:

and one more view because I just can't believe how well this dress turned out:

I will admit that I do have my bodyshaper on under this dress but even my daughter was thrilled with how this dress fit!

How about a close up of the accessories:

I'm very pleased with how this turned out...and I'm glad that I was fearless in trying this pattern out.  With a little bit of adjustment, I made it my own.  I know that some of you think I possess these amazing patternmaking skills but really sometimes I'm just fumbling around and doing the best I can with the vision I see in my head.  I was fully prepared for this dress not to work...even had a back-up dress to work on...but I am so glad that I did take this journey.

I got an email this week and one of the things the young lady, who is plus size, said was that she hated to see the big old pieces of fabric because she was wary of making a sack when cutting out fabric for a dress.  Let me tell you this is a constant concern of mine, but my solution is to add a seam wherever possible.  It adds such a slimming effect, it makes designs that aren't originally targeted for plus size women accessible and isn't that the reason we sew for ourselves anyway!

This dress finished without accessories is kinda nunnish looking *LOL* but add some accessories, hair and make-up and I think I could go to the White House in this dress too!  *LOL*

BTW, this is the first piece of my SWAP for the contest on Stitchers Guild. I've named the wardrobe "Midnight at the Oasis" because it will be comprised of mostly navy garments.  The SWAP ends April 30th, so you will see more pieces in the coming months.  I think that's it...I'm off to sew...I have one more dress laid out on the cutting table...*LOL*

...as always, more later!