I was inspired today

It's been a long week...haven't felt much like sewing...I feel like I am in this holding pattern waiting for something to happen.

And then today I was inspired. It was a simple thing really. Read two sewing reviews over on Patternreview and something clicked. I could feel it physically turn over in my soul. One review was of a pair of pants but it was the fabric that was used. It made me think I have something similar to that. I could make a pair of pants this afternoon from my TNT pants pattern. The first click.

But then in another post on Patternreview someone included a link in their post to a pattern and my mind did a "stand to attention." I thought I have some fabric like that! Went and looked in my fabric closet and there it was! I got off my behind and quickly serged the ends and threw it into the washing machine. I printed out a picture of the jacket thinking I know how I would make it and there it was I was inspired....

So I am off to sew....because finally I am inspired!

Stop Me, Stop Me Now!!!!

Help! Help, Help, and more Help! I can feel it coming on. The black mists that start to enshroud me and then the clearing and the bright lights that say, "buy me, buy me!" I am in the throes of a fabric panic buying attack! Usually I can visit a website. Look at the offerings...maybe even click a few things into the cart but eventually I close the cart out before entering my credit card number and move away from my computer.

But I have reached that annual event - bonus time! And before I add more money to my 401K and put some in my savings account to pay for yet another child to go to college, and purchase some things for the house....there is the pull of the fabric purchase.

Do you remember in Ulysses and the Odyssey those sirens that sang and drove the sailors crazy...I can hear them! Really they are at Fabric Mart sweetly singing, "you know that silk will go great with that tweed you already own." They are at emmaonesock saying, "you could tie-dye that cotton fabric and make a really kewl cardigan." They are at fashion fabrics club singing a dang gon aria, about the wonderful embroidered linens.

I stood in my fabric closet yesterday. I petted my beautiful treasures already contained there. And then, I heard it again...a softly whispered chorus of we need more friends to come and join us! The singing, the whispering, the gentle voices calling to me...it is sending me right over the fabric edge.

I know that I need to be strong. I know that my fabric closet doesn't have much space left. And why, oh why when I speak to the significant other does he smile and say, we can always get some of those pull out boxes for under the bed! What's wrong with him! Doesn't he know that I don't have much will power left! I need help.

Please someone, anyone stop me before I fabric shop again!

Sewing Lists

Do you have a sewing list? I realize that I have all kinds of sewing lists. And that I am always compiling one or adding to one and I constantly have one in my purse. So what is on my lists....hmmmmm lets see.

First there is the pattern list:
This is a listing of all patterns that I have read about either on one of the sewing boards, in a review or just from visiting an internet site. Sometimes it is a pattern that I have searched for in the online catalogues to match a garment that I saw in a fashion magazine. This list is dated ~ so that I know I am always using the latest version and is separated by pattern company. I carry this list with me at all times. Never know when I am going to have a pattern sighting and need to check my list to see if it is one I am searching for! I started this list so that when I went to the pattern sales at Joann's, I would know exactly what patterns I was searching for without having to guess or purchase a twin of a pattern I already owned. And I am sure that we are guilty of that one!

Then there is my fabric list:
I tend to purchase fabric at certain times of the year in large groups. At Christmas time/early January from Christmas money. At bonus time ~ can't just spend my money on things I need, want definitely plays a part in this! *smile* In August ~ back to school shopping or planning my fall wardrobe. Those are the times that I make my largest purchases so I keep a running list of fabric types that I am looking for and specific colors that I want to add to my fabric collection. I am really hoping to semi-retire this list (refer to the "So much fabric, so little time!" post for an explanation).

My inspiration list:
Is not really a list but a compilation of pictures, sketches, magazine ads that are pasted into the inspiration book that I carry with me at all times. I think of it as a list because there are details there that I refer to when making garments, sometimes I have even worked out the sewing instructions for how to make a garment work. When I am bored, waiting for an appointment, sometimes even waiting in line, I can pull my inspiration list out and while away the time looking at things that make my creative juices flow.

My sewing list:
This is probably my most important list. At the beginning of each season I make a list of items I would like to sew. The items are not listed in any particular order ~ just ideas that I have culled from the fashion shows, fashion magazines, catalogues and ideas left over from my list from the previous season. I also add to this list my classic pieces that have either been worn out from use or that I now need in another color. So things like a classic lined straight skirt in black linen will be added if the previous one is past the point of wearability. During the season ideas are added or subtracted, refined and hopefully deleted from the list because they have been created. The sewing list always starts out on lined white pad and then after several revisions it is added to my sewing notebook. It has now become a permanent record!

My notions restocking list:
I keep this list because I usually restock notions twice a year - January and August. I like to have my supplies on hand so that when I am ready to sew I don't need to stop to go buy interfacing, thread, needles, etc. This is probably my most informal list. Thread is written down by color numbers since I mostly use Gutterman thread. Other things are just written down by type ~ for example...1" elastic from ND (Newark Dressmakers Supply). This list is dated and started fresh after each January or August. Again this list is stored in my sewing notebook and kept with me at all times.

I guess all of these lists make me sound anally organized but I am not really! *lol* Actually this frees me up to dream, create and make the clothing that I want. But the most important thing about the lists is that they all reside in one 5"x7" spiral notebook that stays in my purse. It is with me everywhere I go...even when we travel on vacation!

So do you keep sewing lists? If so, how? What do they contain? If not, why not? And if you don't, do you feel disorganized and without a road map for your sewing? Or are you just not as obsessed and compulsive about your sewing as I am?

Saturday Morning Shout Outs - 3

It's time for my biweekly Saturday Morning Shout Outs again. This week's subtext is about inspiration. When I see the garments that these women create, the hairs stand up on the back of my neck! They cause my breathing to get shallow, my pulse rate to rise and me to find the nearest color printer so that I can have a picture available to go along with the notes I am taking. All of these women post to Patternreview (link on sidebar) and have a series of patterns they have tested. All have a sense of who they are and it shows in the works that they produce. I personally know none of these women but boy would I love to spend a Saturday in their sewing rooms talking to them about what makes them create!

So here are this week's Saturday Morning Shout Outs!

Debra H. is first...I noticed her reviews about a year ago on Patternreview. And the reason that I noticed them was that she used color! Lots of color and interesting fabrics! Wow! Those are two primary inspiration triggers for me! She sews out of North Carolina and makes the kewlest things.
Here is a link to her reviews on patternreview:
http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/search.pl?search=1&ProfileID=17650&heading=All_Reviews_By_Debra_H. There are 76 of them. Get a cup of coffee, get comfortable and be amazed at some of the wonderful garments she has produced. So Debra here is a Saturday Morning Shout Out to you for using the best colors and most interesting fabrics to create some awesome garments!

Ann Smith is next, I am totally amazed at what Ann can create in beautiful California. She sews from all the pattern companies, making things that I think look like garbage on the pattern envelope into total works of art. I know that she has exhibited some of her garments at the Quilt Show and I understand why she was asked because her clothing is like candy for the eyes! I love her sense of adventure in her sewing and always get excited when her name appears next to a review at Patternreview. All 118 of Ann's reviews can be found here: http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/search.pl?search=1&ProfileID=997&heading=All_Reviews_By_Ann_Smith.
And if you just want eye candy go to her Yahoo website: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/annleesmith@sbcglobal.net/my_photos and just browse.
Ann also has pictures of her sewing room in her Yahoo album. I could see myself sitting with Ann there talking about what makes her sew and why. Ann, thank you for always bringing joy to me when I see your reviews! My second Saturday Morning Shout Out is to you!

My final Shout Out goes to Barbara Elfman Bell. When I first got internet access I was surfing and looking at all of the websites and picture galleries. Barbara's is called Cat Fur Studio (http://mysite.verizon.net/Cat_Fur_Studio/). What made me really take notice of Barbara's garments were two things. One she worked in a corporate type setting, same as me, so her garments really spoke to the way I dress daily. But most importantly, she shops at one of my all time favorite fabric warehouses ~ Jomars! I will not turn this into a breathy salute to Jomars but suffice it to say that I know Barbara has access to some very kewl fabrics. And anyone who can have that much fabric inspiration yet turn out such wonderful workwear deserves a shout out in my book. Barbara has 36 reviews at Patternreview:
http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/search.pl?search=1&ProfileID=91&heading=All_Reviews_By_Barbara_Elfman_Bell
and she sews a lot of Christine Jonson patterns. I love how Barbara uses CJ's patterns with their clean, simple lines to create amazing workwear. So Barbara you are my final Saturday Morning Shout Out!

I hope after perusing these women's works that you will be as inspired to create as I am each time I see something new of theirs.

Thank you ladies for bringing such sewing joy and inspiration to my life!

Do you count the cost?

I have noticed that when we sewers find a great bargain on patterns, fabric, etc. we immediately compare it to ready to wear. For example, I got the fabric and pattern for $15.95 but the jacket I was knocking off sold for $155.95. Didn't I get a great bargain? Isn't it great that I sew?

See I use to be that way...comparing apples to oranges ~ when a friend told me that I wasn't doing a fair or comprehensive comparision. At first I was really annoyed, thinking who does she think she is? And I sew way more than she does, so I know what I am talking about! But you know how truth is...it always manages to stick with you and then worm its way back to the forefront of your thoughts reminding you that it is truth!

What she told me was that all costs or everything purchased to make the garment should be counted ~ even the thread that you may already own should be counted towards the cost of your garment. That is the true worth of your garment.

So my question today is...do you count the cost of your garment? I mean some sewers don't. Some sewers don't care. But others of us do wonder where our sewing pennies are going. So if you count the cost, what do you count? Do you count thread costs? Do you include the costs of interfacing, buttons, snaps, etc. Do you make a list of all of the supplies that you used to make that absolutely amazing garment? Y'know the one that everyone ohhhs and ahhhs over when you wear it. Or do you gloss over the cost? Or does it even matter to you?

So why am I bringing this up? Because I believe if you carefully detail the expenses that you incur in making your wonderful custom made garments, you will realize that you put not just your heart and soul into construction but your hard earned dollars. That this brings value to your garment and emphasizes it's worth!

So if you haven't been counting the cost ~ will you do so now? Is it important to you to know the true worth of your garment?

Singing my SWAP Song

"Or how to wrestle 6 yards of fabric into three fantastic wardrobe pieces!"

I have alluded to the fact that I was going to show some of what I was working on. I mean I may be a sewing commentator by day but I am truly an obsessed garment sewer by evening and weekends! So listed below are the garment pieces which have invaded my mind and won't let go!

Take 3 yards of a tie-dyed rust colored knit found for $1.99 per yard during the summer at H&M Fabrics in NYC (pictured above). Add to it the paprika rayon knit (to the left) from Timmel Fabrics. Then use Burda OOP #8869 as your jump off point. And what you get is magic!

This journey began because I needed additional tops to finish my SWAP pieces, which I mentioned in my very first post. The plan is finally coming together like a good hook in a top 10 R&B tune. You know that chorus that you just can't stop humming all day long...well that's what's happening with the three new pieces I am creating. They just keep playing over and over and over in my mind.

The two fabrics shown above are very important to my SWAP but after coming up with the twinset pieces I still had fabric remaining so I decided to add one more piece. I am going to make a version of the red v-neck wrap top in the center of the pattern pictured below. One sleeve and part of the front wrap will be from the tie-dyed fabric and the other side of the wrap, the second sleeve and the back will be from the rust fabric. I am hoping to find at my favorite trim store, Daytona Trimmings in NYC, a stretch velvet or velour fold over trim in rust. I will use that on the neckline and sleeve hems for the final detail!

Butterick 3344

www.voguepatterns.com

So here is the first almost finished piece of the three (the beginning of the hook). It is a dress length version of the cardigan pictured above. It will have bands of the rust knit at the sleeves, down the front and as the hem.

The last piece will be the t-shirt featured in the Burda pattern but instead of one neckband, it will have two. One in the rust and one in the tie-dyed fabric. These garments added to the bottom pieces and the cardigan jacket that I have already completed will bring me to 15 items. 4 more than I need for the SWAP.

So let's recap...first my SWAP collection was called "Pinstripe Magic." I have renamed it. It is now "Pinstripe Magic Falling into Spring." I renamed it because it now has some great transitional pieces that can be worn during early Spring but the entire collection is still based upon the linen/wool blend pinstripe that I originally purchased from Fabric Mart.

I now have 15 pieces in various stages of completion and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know almost all the words to the first verse of the song, definitely got the hook down and am working on learning the words to the second verse. As soon as that second verse is completed I will be able to sing the entire song....and maybe get that darned song out of my mind. So I can sing another one!

To be continued.....

Musings...

By the weekend, I normally have so much that I want to say about my sewing. But this weekend, my mind was full of stuff. It was fashion week in New York City and I have been avidly following the collections, reading newspaper articles, watching the shows on television and reading blogs about the fashion shows.

I am also a huge fan of Project Runway and since the final four contestants showed at Fashion Week, I have invested quite a bit of time into reading blogs about their collections and reviewing pictures. And finally, the spring catalogs have been hitting my mailbox with loads of inspirational pictures of spring garments.

Until Saturday evening it had been so mild in the Northeast that I was starting to catch a little spring fever. Not anymore...24 inches of snow has a way of changing your mind about that! *LOL*

My original intent had been to write something about inspiration and to include a few pictures of garments that were really appealing to my creative juices and a few shots of items I was working on and then including some links to women's sewing that inspired me. But I think I have a case of inspiration overload! My mind has seen so much fashion this week, that my inspiration circuits have been short circuited! Okay, say that three times fast! *smile*

So does this happen to anyone else? Do you ingest so much that you have a hard time putting it out? Or does your sewing reflect a need for wearable clothing rather than a need to create beautiful garments? See, this just goes back to why do you sew? But I know that isn't the question here! It is more like, when do the things you see, touch, hear, affect you so much that it stymies your creative ability? And how do you turn those things off, so that you can get in touch with your inner voice and hear the things that you need to create? Also, how many of us hear our inner voice? How many of us follow it when sewing? Or are we sewing journeymen? Just putting together the techniques and never letting our creative senses take the lead to make fantastic, magical garments? Tell me, are you a sewing journeyman or a sewing artist creating dreams and magic with your sewing machine?

So much fabric, so little time!

As a prologue to today's topic, I started this blog to talk sewing and to show off some of my sewing photos. I find that I talk more than I share! *smile* But hopefully in the future I will post more photos of things that I am working on, inspirational shots and some sewn garments that have already been incorporated into my wardrobe.

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My topic for today is a typical sewer's lament: "So much fabric, so little time!" We usually say it or think it as we are purchasing yet another fabulous, must-have piece for our collections!

I have decided that I am not going to call my precious fabric collection a stash anymore!

www.dictionary.com - defines stash as: To hide or store away in a secret place or
A secret place where something is hidden or stored or Something, such as money or an illegal drug, that has been hidden or stored.

and collection is defined as:
1. The act or process of collecting.
2. A group of objects or works to be seen, studied, or kept together.
3. A line of products produced for one season, as those developed by a designer:
4. An accumulation; a deposit

See, I am not hiding or storing my fabric away in a secret place! My fabric has been gathered as a part of willful act and/or process. It is an accumulation of pieces that I felt worthy of coming to my home and becoming a part of my wardrobe.

But I digress, I am suppose to be speaking to the topic of so much fabric, so little time! And since it is still very early in 2006, and I have set no other sewing goals, I want to make my main sewing goal for 2006 to be that I primarily sew from my collection.

Okay, I am not saying that I am not going to purchase another yard of fabric in 2006! It is just not feasible. Fabric calls to me. I need to own it to complete some "hunting/acquiring" gene! But it also feeds my creative soul. Sometimes a new piece can send my mind reeling into a totally different creative direction or it can give me comfort in moments of stress and/or despair. I am sure that it fulfills the same kind of need that someone else has for a drink, or a laugh, or the high that athletes get from competing. So I will continue to acquire. My goal is to acquire less and sew more of what I already own!

I understand that some people just acquire fabric by what sings to them. I tend to acquire fabric in color families. A few years ago it was grays. I have two very full shelves of gray fabrics in all kinds of fabrications in my fabric closet. This year my eye has turned to browns. But since I already own two shelves full of various shades and hues of brown in different fabrications, I really want to make some of these up.

It would be fair to say that if I just sewed from my collection that I could probably sew for 2 or 3 years, at least. That's probably an underestimation but since I have never sewn just from what I own, I am guessing. I really wonder what amazing garments I could come up with if I sewed up what I owned?!

Now I am sure there are some of you out there who don't collect. I am sure that there are some of you out there who don't even understand why I collect. But then again, you also probably don't get the thrill that I get when I go and sit in my fabric closet and just gaze at my pieces, imagining the wonderful garments they can become, remembering when I purchased the piece, who I was with and the great times that we shared as we pawed through bolts and bolts of fabric to find the "perfect" piece! Or how I was just surfing along and found a piece that called to me so loudly, through cyberspace, begging to come to my house! Do you even understand the anticipation of knowing that the UPS man will bring one more box to my front door? And the feeling of expectancy that flows through me right before I carefully slice the box open?

Fabric gets my creative juices going! Patterns are my paint, but fabric is my canvas. This art of creation could be seen as shallow, I guess. But since this is the gift that God has given me, I am going to use it to the best of my ability. I don't want to bury it in the ground or neglect it. I want to use it up. Sometimes just for me, sometimes for others and sometimes just because!

I have said all of this because I want to declare that 2006 will be the year that I will sew from my fabric closet. That from my fabric collection will come well-thought out, imaginative and well created garments. That I will strive to hear the song of the fabrics I already own and to listen closely to make them up into what they want to be!

So who will join me on my quest? Will you let your fabrics sing to you? Will you finally let them be shared with others who will enjoy seeing you look beautiful in them? And if not, what are your sewing goals for 2006? Do you have any? If not, why not?

I truly do not want to enter 2007 saying, "So much fabric, so little time!"

Saturday Morning Shout Outs - Part 2

I am going to go old school with my Saturday Morning Shout Outs today! I would like to pay homage to three women who were with me through some difficult personal times and encouraged me to sew through them! All three of these women I call friend and because of them I have the fabric collection that I do, an increased sewing knowledge and most importantly the bond of friendship!

My first Saturday morning shout out goes to Colleen Jones! Many of you that have been members of Patternreview for several years will remember Colleen since she and her partner Lisa Tarunto taught the first internet sewing classes there. Colleen is a wonderful sewing teacher. She is patient and kind and has a true love of sewing that she wants to impart to everyone! She encourages you to continue sewing no matter what your sewing level, knowing that you will learn the techniques and get better and she just emanates joy when you are discussing sewing! Colleen was doing full bust adjustments with her pie example long before they became the rage. But mostly Collen encouraged me to collect beautiful fabrics! She shared unselfishly of her own fabric, pattern and sewing book collections with me at a time when my fabric stash had been taken from me. But mostly she was there for me ~ sewing and otherwise. So to the Goddess of Fit ~ Ms. Colleen Jones ~ here is a well deserved Saturday Morning Shout Out!

My second shout out goes to Lynn Cope Conroy. Lynn dyes, quilts and sews from a beautiful sewing room on the West Coast. Lynn exposed me to my first Sewing Workshop patterns, to felting wool jersey and to Christine Jonson patterns. She makes beautiful quilts that have been displayed in coffee shops in her local neighborhood. She was the first woman I met that collected fabric in a specific color and yardage to turn out wonderful wearable garments that were made just for her! She encouraged me to sew when my personal life was in great upheavel. She listened to me and loved my long rambling email posts about what I wanted to make and she encouraged me to capsule sew. Lynn, you are my second Saturday morning shout out for showing me other pattern designers instead of just the Big 4! Give Hobee a hug for me!

My final shout out is reserved for my best friend, Lisa Kennedy! I met her on an internet sewing list and we became road dogs! Lisa will drive anywhere for fabric! Many of my excursions to Fabric Mart, Jomars in Philadelphia and GStreet in Maryland were done by Lisa's side! Her enthusiasm for sewing things, fabric and patterns knows no bounds. And she is the most generous person...when the Joann's near her closed down and all the patterns were 50 cents apiece she bought an entire cabinet worth of patterns and shared them with her friends! Bags and boxes of patterns were left in her living and dining rooms and you were allowed to go through and just pick what you wanted. It was one of my kewlest sewing experiences ever!!!! Even to this day if you mention road trip, Lisa's eyes light up with a sparkle, she gets out her blackberry to put in the date and she starts to wax poetic about what we could possibly find! I have had some of the best times in the company of my best friend sorting through fabrics, patterns and making sewing dreams come true!

Since I am on a roll here, I would like to add just a few more names! Sandra Coleman, Christine Adams, Julie McFann, Dawn Earl and all the women of the Sewing Circle - here is a Saturday Morning Shout Out to you too!

Why do I sew?

Wow! Is this a loaded question or what? So what brought about this reflection? Georgene on Patternreview recently posed that question in a folder called "Pattern Expectations!" I had a great answer written and then it floated off into cyberspace so I decided that maybe I should just express myself here instead.

Mmmmmm, why do I sew?
Okay if I say fit, I will sound like a hypocrite since I just ranted about making muslins. But I think that is a laziness factor instead of not wanting a well fitted garment.

I would like to add to that garments in colors and fabrics that I love instead of what the "fashion designers" or "color experts" decide are the hot colors/fabrics for the season. I mean sometimes I look terrible in those colors! And I hate clothing made from all polyesters or mostly poly blends. I understand that manufacturers do this so that the average consumer can have an easy care garment but I like my drycleaners! They know me by name!

Also, I would like the same skirt or pants in more than one season! You know how you find the perfect pair of pants but they come in black, gray and navy only. So those are your choices. But when you have perfected the fit on say a perfect pair of pants, you can have them in any color, any print or plaid and in any season. Oh, and if you don't like pockets on your butt, or side seam pockets - your pants don't have to have them, just like they can be the length that you want them to be instead of the standard length and they can be lined. Don't get me started on unlined garments!!!!

And not all of us are losing money sewing! (Sorry Gigi, if you are out there!) I have a budget! I can only afford so much fabric, so many patterns, so many fabric swatch subscriptions, so many books and magazines, etc. I have to use my fabric dollars wisely! Sewing allows me to make the expensive garments that I crave without the expensive price. I have two teenage daughters getting ready for college. They need to be educated so that they can get good jobs! It will be the difference between whether I am in the low, run down nursing home or the one with all of the fancy shiny equipment and the good nurses and attendants who get paid a decent wage! Therefore, I am always looking for a good price on fabric. Why I stock necessary notions when they are on sale. And why I purchase patterns at the most inexpensive price I can afford! My goal is to get the best looking quality garment for the least amount of money!

Then there is that design/creative factor! I crave the time that I spend turning a piece of flat fabric into a well fitting, beautiful garment that makes everyone go oh and ah! Well, maybe that last part is another issue better debated later! *smile* Seriously, I am most at peace in front of my sewing machine making magic. I can see better, hear clearer, solve a multitude of problems when I am sewing. My soul is at rest. Does that make sense? Do you understand? Do you share those feelings?

So why do you sew?

Do you muslin?

Or as a subtitle: How many muslins can ya make?

I love to sew! I think about sewing all the time! In the dr's office, long bus rides, boring meetings at work ~ it is a way to escape from the pressures of my life. It also allows me to indulge in my creative side. When I am dreaming about sewing, I can make anything. When I am sitting in front of my sewing machine, anything can come forth. At times it is almost magical...until we get to fitting!

Fitting the bane of my sewing existence! I totally understand that if you have a well sewn garment but if it doesn't fit, you haven't quite accomplished your goal. But dang, do you have to jump through so many hoops to get something to fit right!!!!!

I mean c'mon people, why can't the shoulders just slide down a little? Why does that armhole have to land right on my shoulder bone - exactly 1/3 of an inch to the inch! Why does that dart have to be rotated 184 degrees south into the side seam so that the armhole lies flat? Oh and why, oh why do I have to lower my bust point! C'mon, work with me. I don't really want to know that my boobies have almost lowered to my waist! Does any woman really want to deal with that ?

Sigh, I know, I know. A well-fitted garment makes a woman look slimmer, taller, younger, whatever....but it's obtaining that fit that can sometimes be like having an infected tooth worked on at the dentist's office without novocaine.

I know that there are things you can learn...tricks of the trade. But sometimes I want to tear into a pattern and just make it up! A glorious outfit from a beautiful piece of fabric in the latest style that makes me look taller, younger, slimmer, glamourous! Yeah that's what I want! Does that happen....rarely! Instead, I have to open up the pattern, look at the pieces, flat measure the pattern, check to make sure the shoulders fit, find a red pen (that some teenager has invariably taken to put a red dot on her forehead! What for, we are black, children!) to mark that lowering bust point on my pattern (where did I put that advertisement for bust enhancing surgery?), add inches to my side seams or slash and spread the pattern so that they will fit over my ever enlarging abdomen and behind, fat pad adjustments, center back seams, maybe another seam so that it looks like I am skinner than I am!!!!! Do you get the picture?!

I don't like to fit. I would rather create. When I find that inspirational picture, see that rock, that leaf, that woman wearing that beautiful skirt that I would make just a little differently, I don't want to worry about FIT! I want to play! I want to drape beautiful fabrics together and get that amazing outfit without worrying about fit!

So here are the questions of the day....does worrying about fit stop you from sewing? If you muslin, how many do you make before you call it quits? Do you make a wearable muslin? And here is the big one, how important is fit to you? Or do you just wear it? I mean, RTW fits lousy and people routinely go out the house in it all the time! Can't you sneak out the house in something that doesn't fit exactly right? Would the masses really notice?

So, do you muslin?

The Art of Creation

The other day I was thumbing through the latest copy of Vogue Magazine (which arrived in my mailbox shortly after it arrived on the newsstands in NYC ~ a rarity in itself!) and I found this great skirt. Bells and whistles went off in my head and I knew I had to create my own version of the skirt!

It led me to wonder...how do other people get ideas to create? Does a picture set off the creative bells? Does a piece of fabric? A trim or embellishment? A pattern? What drives you and me to want to turn a piece of fabric into a fantastic three dimensional garment?

In my case, it can be literally anything. One fall when my girls were small, I use to walk them to school everyday. That particular October the leaves turned dazzling colors of gold, orange, red and brown. Those leaves inspired me to create a beautiful dress and jacket out of a winter green wool crepe and a rayon challis with a leaf print that had the colors of the fall leaves that I had seen in it. I used the print for the bodice of the dress and accents on the matching jacket. It was one of my favorite garments for years. Other garments have been inspired by buttons, pictures, a garment seen on someone else that I just wanted to tweek a little, a color, whatever!

So what inspires you to create? What drives you into your sewing room/area/nook to make your latest and greatest? What sends you into a sewing frenzy?

Me at the computer

The author at work in my kitchen on the computer.

Saturday Morning Shout Outs

I went to bed last night with sewing on my mind. Maybe it was because I had a new idea perculating in my brain, or maybe it was because I had seen some great inspirational pictures from my fellow sewing friends on the internet or maybe its just 'cause I am obsessed. I am of the mind to think that it is a combination of all three.

It lead me to want to pay homage to some who have inspired me! Today I am going to list three wonderful women because their garments have really been circling around and around in my head as I have gone about sewing. Two I would call friends and I would be honored if they considered me a friend! The third is someone whose work I have admired from afar and been amazed at the generosity of sewing information that she has shared.

This morning my three shout outs go to:

Kathryn (http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/fzxdoc/my_photos) who logs in on Sewing World as fzxdoc. Yesterday she posted the most amazing little black dress! This ain't your mama's little black dress and most designers would try to duplicate it. I can just see Allan B. Schwartz (you know the guy who knocks off the Golden Globe and Academy Award dresses) out there sketching his version of the dress for only $199. But it is not just the clothing she makes, it is how freely she shares her sewing knowledge, her ability to always be kind to everyone via cyberspace (harder to do than you think sometimes!), how she gets so excited and inspired over other's creations and she gets it! She understands the need to put fabric and thread together to come up with a delectable 3D creation! So Kathryn here is a shout out to you!

Liana (http://www.pbase.com/lianasews) logs into Sewing World as Liana. Liana knits, sews, gardens and has the coolest embellishing machine on the planet. Okay, I know others of you own the machine but Liana really works that thing! Just look at her photo albums and you can see how much she likes to play when she creates but it is all done with such quality! The other thing is that Liana is as obsessed as I am about fashion as evidenced by her fashion blog, aptly named Fashioned (http://fashioned.blogspot.com/). I know that in the middle of the night when I am up watching Fashiontrance on the Style network that somewhere in the west, Liana is up watching it with me! So Liana, I am shouting out to you a fellow fashionasta!

My final shout out for today goes to someone that everyone loves at Patternreview...Gigi! I can't call Gigi a friend but I would like to! Gigi's spot (http://www.gigisews.com/) is full of kewl clothes that women would wear everyday! I love how she takes a simple pattern and reinvents it four or five times using different materials and notions to get a different effect with each garment. Visit her site and see how she works a Loes Hinse pattern like nobody's business. Again someone who is kind and willing to share and has a love of what she does! Gigi, I am shouting out to you this morning!

These three women's garments have been circling round and round in my head! All are imaginative, innovative and love to sew. You can tell that they cherish, fit, good looks and love putting needle to thread. So to coin a phrase from one of the hosts on QVC - here are my "Saturday Morning Shout Outs!" And I would personally like to thank the three of you for providing many hours of inspiration, laughter and fun! Keep on doing what you do!

Finally, these won't be my last Saturday morning shout-outs....I can think of about 10 other women right now that I could add to my list but then it wouldn't be special y'know. So look for more Saturday morning shout outs in the future! And know that if you love to take a needle and thread and create a garment or a quilt, you are someone who I admire sooooooo much! And lastly, sorry about the links. I am a much better writer than I am a computer geek!!!!!! Can we say technology challenged! *smile*

Stalking Fabric Mart

Okay, I am admitting this up front and at the beginning. I have huge (pause), gigantic (pause)...okay, massive problems with acquiring fabric. Since November 4th, I have placed five orders with Fabric Mart.

Now, it is not like I don't have a beautiful, well-organized and well-lit fabric closet. With shelves and shelves of fabric...each shelf color coordinated...each piece measured and labeled...and each piece lovingly placed on its respective shelf. And it's not like I don't have enough fabric to sew until I am a doddering little old lady who couldn't see straight to sew (no offense to any little old ladies out there!)

So what have I been doing all week....pause ~ wait for it...stalking Fabric Mart. That's right! I have kept a window open to Fabric Mart's site at work all day, every day for the past week! What could I possibly need from them? Why do I need more fabric? Well let me show you what is making my blood rush a little quicker through my veins....

This silk wool blend tweed suiting for $5.99 per yard:

or this 100% sueded silk for $9.99 a yard:

Or how about just going to the new arrivals section and going eeny, meeny, mighty, mo. I will take most of it! *LOL* I am in an acquiring kind of mood! So every day, I peruse the new arrivals, put things in my cart, figure out the cost and let it sit there until the cart expires. Okay fess up! I know I am not the only one out there doing this! Then I will slide by some other sites - emmaonesock, timmel fabrics, vogue fashion fabrics, fashion fabrics, candlelight valley fabrics and tell myself that see I am being good because I am not purchasing! Yeah, right! I am just fanning the flames to my addiction!

But Fabric Mart really has me drooling lately! How do they do it? How do they continue to add quality fabrics at such inexpensive prices?! Why must they tempt me? Don't they know that at least one half of my fabric closet bears their stickers, outlining the amount purchased and the type of fabric? And even now as I type, the window is open to Fabric Mart's site and I am watching my favorite pieces of fabric. Checking the in-stock numbers, hoping that others don't have the imaginings that I have about some of the fabrics, praying that they won't disappear, hoping that the fabric fever will pass me by....knowing that sooner rather than later I will succumb!

I was going to put links to my favorite sites and to Fabric Mart, but who knows you might go running over there and buy up my treasures. So you are on your own! Find your way there, or don't find your way there and stay away from my treasures! I haven't hit submit on my cart yet!!!!!

When is enough, enough?

It's a three day weekend and the weather outside is frightful - to coin a phrase, so I am sewing! Now who would have guessed that right?! *smile* I am finishing up the pieces I started last week. But as I was sitting at my cutting table trying to decide on whether to make another skirt or a top it really hit me. When is enough clothing, enough?

There use to be this fabric store not far from my house when I was in my early thirties and my children were very young. It was the closest quality fabric store that I could go to and still be home in a short period of time. I was there one Saturday afternoon when I ran into a co-worker who was purchasing fabric for a blouse. Now at work she always had on the best blouse/skirt combinations and I admit I was a little envious of her extensive wardrobe. So I was surprised to see her at the fabric store. She told me that since her kids were grown, she spent a lot of time in her sewing room making those wonderful combinations that I was so jealous of! And she posed a question about how many blouse/skirt combinations could she make. As the mother of three young children who had so many other things to spend my money on, I didn't understand what she was saying! I would have given my right or left arm for her wardrobe. But today as I sat deciding on what piece to make, I really gained an understanding of what she was saying. When is enough clothing, enough!

Am I sewing for the challenge of making a new garment? Or to highlight a new technique? Am I sewing just to have another new outfit to wear? Am I sewing to use up some of the fabric in my extensive fabric collection? Or am I just sewing for sewing's sake?

I thought that by using the techniques of SWAP sewing that I would be training myself to produce garments that worked well together and applying new principles to my sewing. But am I just making more clothing that will add to my already overflowing closet?

When is enough clothing, enough?

Quality Sewing

I have just come in from my day job - you know the time I spend away from my sewing machine so that I can support the upkeep of my machine, my fabric collection, notions stash, etc! And for the last few days I have been musing on something my daughter kept saying to me ~ quality sewing. Now, how did the daughter I taught to sew say "quality sewing" back to me.....well, I was working on my Pinstripe Magic Collection (otherwise known as SWAP sewing) and I was debating whether or not to add rayon seam binding to the bottom of a hem on my skirt. Now in my head I knew that this would give the garment a more finished look but I wanted to wear the skirt the next day. It was getting late in the evening and every extra step meant more time that I didn't necessarily have. Having my daughter say "quality sewing" became like a mantra in my head. Of course, I added the rayon seam binding to the bottom hem, not just sewn on and hemmed down but folded in half, ironed, sewn by machine and then hand stitched. Lots of extra time but definitely worth it when I wore the skirt.

But the term quality sewing hasn't left my head since. So like Carrie Bradshaw in "Sex in the City" I want to ask a question. How long can you keep sewing without wanting to do quality sewing? And exactly what is quality sewing? Well, to me, it is the fine little details that insure that your garment has the finest construction. You know all of those details that cause a garment's completion date to be pushed back!!!! *LOL* Underlining, putting more than one row of stitching in a hem, Hong Kong finishing seams and not just serger finishing them, hand stitching a lining instead of bagging it. Anything that takes time and shows a respect for the construction of the garment ~ quality sewing.

Now how many of us engage in quality sewing? How many of us take the time to enjoy the process? How many of us enjoy knowing that the garments we are wearing have those quality details in them that others can't sew or begin to guess at? And is it truly worth our time and effort? I remember this article that was written in Threads. It showed a dress made straight out of the pattern following the pattern instructions and another version made that added all of those extra details (quality sewing). You could definitely tell that there was a difference in those two dresses. One just looked finer than the other. So I guess that is what I am going for....the finer looking garment and why I will continue to succumb to the mantra of "quality sewing!"

My first post

I have wanted a blog where I could just ramble on and on about my favorite topic ~ sewing. The day has finally come and here I am....in blogland!

Maybe I should introduce myself first ~ sewing fanatic, sewing obsessed, fashion crazy would all be terms that my daughters would use to describe me. I have been sewing since I was 11 started by my grandmother (whom I adored!) making Barbie doll clothes. I have sewn everything from my wedding suit, to maternity clothes, to my children's clothing. I think about sewing all the time. It adds color to my world and I am most at peace when I am in front of my sewing machine creating a new garment!

I started 2006 just like I wanted...sewing. A week from work, spending quality time in front of my sewing machine. I took a few days off to rest and then bright and early last Monday morning I got up and cleaned all of the fabric that has managed to find its way to my home off my cutting/sewing table. I was going to work on my SWAP (Sewing With A Plan) items but got waylaid by the call of a brown pinstripe linen/wool blend and some coordinating pieces that I had so nicely placed together.

It is now Sunday evening and I am preparing to go back to my day job and I have the following pieces constructed. Notice that I have said constructed not finished:

One cardigan from OOP Burda 8869 made from a sweater knit with a toile print in shades of brown/beige/rust from EOS (emmaonesock) (waiting for buttons/buttonholes)

One pair of lined pants in the brown pinstripe from my TNT pants pattern (completely finished)

One lined jacket from the brown pinstripe from Kwik Sew 3334 (needs buttons/buttonholes & hems) 

• Another cardigan from the Burda pattern using a cashmere blend from Fabric Mart. 
• A dress out of the same cashmere morphed from the short sleeved sweater in the Burda pattern and a Sewing Workshop Mission Tank Top also from this fabric. 
• Only the tank is finished. The cardigan needs buttons/buttonholes and the dress needs an embellishing detail down the front and hems. Do you sense a theme here?

Another tank top from a pretty soft beige silk that I bought from Paron's Annex Store in NYC about 5 years ago. I used this fabric to line the cashmere blend cardigan, which is a technique that I have wanted to do since seeing Steel Magnolias. Y'know the movie with Julia Roberts.

A short flared skirt out of the brown pinstripe cut from my TNT skirt pattern - finished!

This was an all day project because I wanted a chevron pattern in the front and back of the skirt so I had to recut my skirt pattern pieces (shortening the skirt and creating a front and back pattern piece) And one pair of brown herringbone polyester/wool blend pants - needing hems.

It has been a great sewing week! Now all I have to do is figure out how to get pictures in my photo album and I can share my new creations with everyone else!!!!!

A link to my pictures.  Check out the folder: "Pinstripe Magic Collection to see some of the finished garments!