All The Leaves Are Brown

...and the sky is gray!" are the opening lines to "California Dreamin' " a song by the Mamas and the Papas! But it is also a great title for a Fall SWAP!

I have been thinking alot about fall sewing. I am sure that is because the fall RTW catalogues and magazines are starting to hit my mailbox and fall fashions are popping up everywhere! So to assauge my desire for all things fall, I started searching my fabric closet for shades of brown fabrics.

Ahhhh ~ true confession time! I have three full shelves of brown fabrics in all shades of brown and in an amazing array of fabrications. It was actually a little difficult to come up with several fabrics that worked together but after a little pulling and tugging (to get them out of the packed shelves), a little mixing and matching and a whole lotta "I can't believe I have this!" I came up with two sets of fabrics that I want to use to start my fall sewing. Yeap, two sets! I know, I know I have issues but I will pledge allegiance to the "no more buying fabric gods" at another date, okay!!!

The first set of fabrics consist of deeper shades of browns and a little tan for contrast. The interesting thing to me is that none of these fabrics were purchased at the same time and several of them came from opposite coasts of the USA.

The first batch of brown fabrics consist of:

• a caramel brown polyester knit from Fabrix Fabrics in San Francisco, CA
• a brown/black paisley moleskin from Walmarts from Cape Cod, MA - purchased while I was on vacation one summer.
• shades of brown wool challis paisley that has been in the collection since I was 21!
• chocolate brown wool pique from Textile Studio
• a crumpled pattern brown stretch velour from Spandex House, NYC garment district
• a deep brown crocheted knit from Jomars in Philadelphia, PA
• a brown/tan/black silk/wool blend glen plaid from Fabric.com
• and finally a smooth brown sweater knit from Emmaonesock

And of course I have a myriad of garment ideas floating through my mind to construct! No solid decisions yet. I just know that this fabric combination will work great for fall sewing.

The second combination is a smaller list and is not really a SWAP sewing experience, just some fabrics that go together and will make wonderful pieces.

They are:

• a mahagony brown wool flannel that has been aging for years in my collection. This 6 yard piece was purchased from Felsen Fabrics in NYC. Felsen has been out of business for at least five years maybe more! But I do remember that this was one of my first major fabric purchases from 40th Street.
• a cranberry waffle knit that is just part of the collection
• a rust/brown/black floral printed corduroy from Fabric Mart
• a rust wool/blend sweater knit from Casual Elegance

The Mahagony Brown Pieces and a shot of all the fabrics together! Boy did this leave a big hole on a shelf in my fabric closet! And I vow not to fill it until these pieces are actually garments! *smile*

So all I have to do now is get through the last of my summer sewing and I will be ready for fall sewing! I love my fabric closet ~ I really, really do! And all the little white tags on the fabric ~ why to tell me what it is, where I purchased it and how much yardage I have!

Fashion Shots

The hardest part of sewing for me is photographing the finished product! I want you to see what I saw when I was dreaming of the garment and then making it. Sometimes I am successful ~ sometimes I am not! Most times after I have finished constructing a garment, I just don't feel like putting on my game face and taking pictures of my creations. I bought Lulu (my dressform) so that I could show my garments like Kathryn does but that worked for only a few pictures. I still think I look best in my clothes.

So today ~ weeks after I finished these garments, I am finally ready for my photo shoot. Thanks to my trusty daughter who loves fashion as much as I do and is a great beginning sewer and fabric collector ~ I have fashion shots!



On the right,
Me with Attitude!
Wearing a handkerchief linen jacket and one of my spring sewing skirts! Made the linen jacket several years ago and it's been a staple in my wardrobe ever since.

On the left,
wearing part of the new "Prada Dreamsicle SWAP"!





Of course I am always searching for the skinny shot! Y'know the one that makes my bodacious body not look quite so bodicious! *LOL*

My Queen Latifah pose!

Chillin' Summer Style!

Yeap ~ This is me, everyday!

So I've shared a little of what I look like in the clothes that I made recently! Hope I didn't bore ya!

Bias Binding - How much I love thee!

During my last sewing fest, one of the things that I did was to make bias binding. Now, I know you can purchase already made bias binding but what is the fun in that! When you make it yourself, you can have any color or pattern, in any size you want.

So, of course, I took a picture of my finished binding to share! Now you must understand ~ I love the process of making the binding but I don't like cutting out the bias strips. What is a girl to do ~ buy already cut bias strips! See when you are on a mission, you can find anything! Newark Dressmaker Supply has a great supply of 1" and 2" cotton blend bias binding which you can purchase by the yard or in a 50 yard roll. My white roll is shown in the upper right hand corner. I also own this binding in black, red, ivory, blue and yellow. The binding has also been used to make piping!

But the best find of all came from my favorite fabric store - Fabric Mart. In one of their fabric swatch mailings several years ago, they offered rolls of bias binding and rolls of bias taffeta. It was some ridiculous price of 20 rolls for $20 because my best friend Lisa and I split the 20 rolls. I have kept mine stored in one of my notions drawers, occasionally using a piece. But when I didn't want to line the orange linen jacket (that still isn't complete!) instead choosing to Hong Kong finish the inside seams this binding treasure trove came to mind.

So is making bias binding hard ~ Nope! Just need the right tools, lotsa steam and a little time!

1. Start with pre-made bias binding ~ less time consuming and lets you get to the fun stuff faster!
2. Make sure that you have bias tape makers in the appropriate size. These can be purchased at any of the usual internet sites as well as Joann's (usually in the quilting department!) A 1" bias strip makes 1/2" wide binding...2" makes 1" bias binding. The bias tape makers come in 1/4", 1/2", 1" finished width sizes and at one point I even saw a 2" maker.
3. To start making the binding ~ make a diagonal cut on the piece. Then use a straight pin to guide the binding into the opening of the bias tape maker.
4. As it comes out with the sides folded in to make the binding, pull slowly on the little triangle hook on the top of the bias tape maker to keep advancing the binding through the maker and using your iron (with the steam set on high) carefully press the piece.
5. Also I have found that if you use the entire length of your ironing board to make it and work slowly from one end to the other, you can press at least a yard at a time.
6. Repeat until you have enough yardage. Make sure that you watch your fingers when making it ~ the iron gets pretty hot! And also make sure that you press the binding long enough to get a good set!

That's it! Bias binding made personally to add interest to any of your garments! And here is a peek at my bias binding stash!

This is just one of those really kewl techniques that I like to incorporate into my sewing. So do you have a favorite technique? Wanna share?

Planning aforethought!

After making all of those garments, I don't much feel like sewing! So I guess I will revert to the next best thing ~ talking about sewing! *smile* Lately much has been said about my productivity. But I think it is a lot easier to sew garments in the summer since you don't have to do as much to them! A summer tank is two pieces, sewing up the side seams, turning down the edges or binding them and hemming it and voila, you have a new tank top!

I also have quite a few TNT (tried and true) patterns which make it easier to change a new pattern or to produce something rather quickly since you have already mastered your fitting issues. And then I have an enormous fabric collection with more arriving every day it seems! I also have a pretty deep button and notions stash. All of these definitely factor into my ability to produce garments in a shall we say timely fashion!

But mostly it's planning...I never once went to the store to pick anything up to complete my as Kathryn from Artisans Guild put it "What I did on my summer vacation wardrobe!" It was all on hand. And it wasn't on hand by accident. The fabrics had been purchased with a specific goal/project in mind. I had a list of what I wanted to make and how I wanted the pieces to work together. So even though I wasn't as enthusiastic about having the days to sew, I didn't have to prepare either. I just had to pick up my list and my supplies and sew.

And isn't that really the point of this ~ just to sew! To enjoy it and create beautiful garments that fulfill some creative need in our lives? How many of us journey out to Joann's or Hancocks and purchase those 99 cent or $3.99 patterns? How many of us run to an internet site when a great fabric sale is discussed and type in our credit card number to get a few pieces of those beautiful fabrics? Or dial a phone number? I know I am not the only one stalking Fabric Mart and Emmaonesock because sometimes those "SOLD" signs are up before I get there! How many times have we been standing before the notions wall at Joann's and remembered a comment that we read on SewingWorld, PatternReview or my personal favorite sewing spot ~ Stitchers Guild/Artisan's Square and used our 40/50% off coupon to try that notion out?

This is just my opinion now ~ well hey, it's my blog right? But if you channeled just a little more energy into planning, you too could produce the results I am producing. Hey, look I have wonderful sewing women that I look up too and try to emulate ~ I did shout-outs to them back in March and April ~ so I am always striving to up my sewing game. I just hope that in some small way I encourage you to up yours too! And my advice to you, if you want to produce more is to plan.

Okay, now don't get your panties in a bunch and talk about how much this is like work....or how much it takes the creativity out of sewing or whatever! I am not advocating that planning should become a chore. I am just suggesting that if you add some "fun" into your planning that you to can just sew. That's it. That's all. Easy peasy plain and simple.

*Plan ~ for a rainy day when you have nothing else to do so you can sew.
*Plan a mental health day ~ escape from your daily responsibilities and just sew.
*Plan ~ when you are purchasing that wonderful new piece of fabric, trim, pattern

So that when you sit down to sew a wonderful new garment will magically appear! Okay, maybe I went a little far with that one but you get my drift!

Planning is not a dirty word! Say it with me people! Planning is fun! Planning will increase your productivity! Planning will make you more like Carolyn! Oops, back it up ~ think I went too far again! *smile* But you get my drift - plan before you sew and turn out a wonderful garment in a shorter period of time! And this ends my lesson for the day!!!!

All week I have been trudging to my sewing area

In my last post, I explained that our family vacation was waylaid. So I have had nine days at home to fill. Once our vacation was cancelled, the teenagers quickly made plans with their friends and picked up some extra days at work, so that left me with nine days to fill.

I went to the movies (3x), I watched some of the Netflix DVDs that always seem to be around and I never watch and I read one of my novels. I slept late. I went shopping with my mom and sister and I visited a friend for an afternoon. But I never realized how much time is in nine days when you don't fill the majority of it with work or planned activities. So at some point every day, I trudged to my sewing area.

Trudged is an interesting verb to use isn't it. But I went because I should go not because I was overjoyed to go. And I went because it seemed like such a waste to have all of this time and not use it to sew. So I trudged and I made myself persist. Now, after you see the pictures you are going to think I am a nut! But, please remember this is my God given talent. This is one of the things I do best and I have been sewing for over 35 years so I have a little experience....

Okay, this is what came out of my sewing room this week.

I finished up the "One Hit Wonder" pieces by turning them into a short sleeve top and a matching skirt. The skirt has a ribbon detail on each one of the four gores that I used to break up the circle print. I did this because I was too lazy to lay the pattern pieces out so that the circles would match at all the seams. I frequently use embellishment to hide my laziness! *smile*
Only the tank dress ~ made from a black rayon/linen from FFC was actually started and completed this week. The other two pieces were just finished up this week.

This is my "Brown & Orange, Circles & Stripes SWAP"

I have been collecting these different fabrics from various internet sources for about two months. Represented here is 5 yards of a cotton/lycra jersey, 4 yards of an orange midweight linen, and 2 yards of an orange stretch woven print from Fabric Mart. There is 5 yards of a brown midweight linen from Fashions Fabric Club. Two yards of a lightweight stretch woven Anna Sui print from Emmaonesock and 4 yards of an eyelet stretch woven from Timmel Fabrics. All the pieces were definitely purchased with this SWAP in mind.

The eyelet pieces and the Anna Sui print skirt were previously made but all of the other pieces are new. There are a few RTW tank tops included because they were so inexpensive to buy and they help to fill out the wardrobe.

The list of garments are:

1. TNT flare 4-gore skirt modified to an 8-gore skirt w/zipper & waistband added. Made from the orange linen from FM. This skirt was underlined with silk organza and lined because the fabric was very see through.
2. Burda WOF skirt #125 from the July 2006 issue. This skirt was made from the orange cotton/lycra jersey purchased from FM. And even though the pattern instructions say you should use a stretch jersey ~ the skirt did not turn out how I thought it would. Don't know if I am actually going to wear it yet!
3. Brown linen city shorts from Vogue 8264. Fabric purchased from FFC.
4. Brown linen pants made from TNT pants pattern. Fabric purchased from FFC.
5. Sewing Workshop Mission Tank made from more of the orange cotton/lycra jersey from FM. I modified the neckline so that it has a v-neck instead of the tighter u-neckline.
6. Burda OOP cardigan made from the orange cotton/lycra jersey from FM. Pieces made to wear together.

Yet to be completed are:

~ The orange linen jacket that is being made from the Tamatsu dress pattern that I used to make the tea dyed linen dress. This is cut out and has quite a bit of work yet to be done on it.

~ The orange circles & stripe stretch woven fabric that I am using to make a tank dress out of from Butterick 6082 - OOP. This is cut out and almost complete.

~ A white/orange green floral stretch woven that I purchased from Timmel Fabrics to make a skirt. What skirt ~ I don't know! Just know that I want one more skirt to go with this wardrobe.

And finally ~ one more picture of me actually wearing some of the garments!

I am going to write about the different garments and sewing processes during the upcoming week. But in the meantime, if you want to see pictures of each garment, they are in my Yahoo photo album:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/cnorman_98/my_photos

In the folder, "Brown & Orange Circles & Stripes SWAP"

More later.....

I have been very quiet

I have been very quiet and not because anything is wrong....I just haven't felt like talking! Can you believe that?! Nothing to say about sewing ~ whoa, I just felt the earth shift a little from its axes! Hold on people, something big is about to happen! *LOL*

No, seriously, I took this week off from work to go to Atlantic City for a few days of vacation with my family. Due to some family situations, we had to cancel the trip. Good thing though, since the Governor of NJ closed the casinos yesterday and people are leaving AC in droves. Guess that was a vacation that just wasn't meant to be!

So I am home with days to fill. Yes, I have been sewing, but I guess just not enthusiastically enough to share. I don't have my usual focused precision going on. Thank goodness I have a sewing list or I would be totally lost! I am working on a few things and I will share pictures and details shortly.

I hate to say this, but I am actually glad that Monday is coming and I can go back to work! "OHMYGOSH!"

Statistics ~ "I Have A Few Of My Own"

Several times I have written about the statistics that appear at the end of people's signatures on sewing boards and in their blogs, and I am writing about it, yet again! *smile* But this time I have a statistic of my own to share.

First a little background....I noticed these stats at the beginning of the year and started to ponder if I truly wanted to record every piece of fabric, trim, pattern, etc. that made its way into my home. NOT! That might actually curb the desire to fuel the flames of my passion. So that wasn't happening!!! In the last few years, I started keeping a sewing journal, a written and photographic "scrapbook" of all the garments I made. I began this so that I wouldn't hold onto clothing that was no longer in style, or that I could no longer wear, just because I made them. The Sewing Journal gave me a visual and written record of these garments that I could comfortably keep forever.

Now that I own a digital camera, an internet photo site and this blog, I have replaced the Sewing Journal with a smaller spiral notebook that just records all of the items I have made. So the statistic that I want to share is.......

That from January 1, 2006 until June 30th I have made (completed and able to be worn) 31 garments.

These include my Winter 2006 SWAP pieces, The Chanel Suit for the American Doll Girl, The J-Lo Bling Prom Dress and the heartbroken Sweet 16 pieces! I still have four uncompleted pieces that I did not add to the list ~ the black/brown circle linen pieces and the black rayon/lycra jersey cardigan with the toile accents and matching SW Mission tank top.

So in my reasonable mind, I think I should be on track to have constructed about 70 items by the end of the year! When I started the list, I actually thought that I would end the year making 100 pieces. I don't know if that will actually happen especially since I don't want to push to make that many pieces and end up with schlocky stuff that I wouldn't wear! But anyway, that is my mid-year statistic.

Just wanted to share that all the statistic keeping has managed to affect me too! So my questions for today are: Did you set any sewing goals for yourself this year? Now that we are midway through the year, how are you doing with your goals? And if you didn't set any goals, why not? Is it because, some of you think of sewing as a hobby that you don't want to complicate with goals? Or is it because you haven't thought about challenging yourself by setting goals?

I'm interested! So talk back to me! And take some time to enjoy the sewing journey during this long holiday weekend!

Questions and Answers

Kathleen in Illinois asked the following questions:

"May I ask HOW do you get all this done? I know you have a family and a job (from reading previous posts). Do you have a real sewing room? How do you balance family and work so as to have time to sew? Sigh. I am so envious. I get soo caught up in what I "don't" have that I haven't been able to sew a stitch in months."

I have had a few others ask about my productivity and I thought since I had nothing to report on the sewing front that I might as well talk about why I sew, how I sew, what drives me to sew, etc.

How do I get all this done?
I pretty much schedule my weekends so that I have time to sew. Not that I have time every weekend but at least two weekends a month have to be dedicated to sewing. Now, I know you are wondering about errands and when do I get them done!? Most of my errands (food shopping, cleaners, meat market, etc.) are all done after work. I am already out and it just seems so much easier to accomplish it all then than to take precious time on Saturdays to do it. If I must do an errand on Saturday, I try to do it really early in the morning so that it doesn't take major amounts of time from my day.

I am a huge list maker. Lists take care of a lot of things and keep me organized and orderly. Also, most of my children are self sufficient. I no longer need to carpool or keep them entertained. They are pretty good about doing that themselves! *smile*

And finally slave labor - okay seriously, my kids have certain chores that they must perform either weekly or daily. It helps considerably with keeping our home clean and it means that I don't do all of the household chores myself.

Do I have a real sewing room?
Not an entire room but a dedicated sewing space. My cutting table is always up. My iron and ironing board are always up and one switch flips on my sewing machine and serger. So it is easy to sit down and sew. Do I think it is necessary to have a dedicated space - no, but it is harder to spend quality time sewing if you have to put everything together before you can sew and then take everything down after you are finished. I have learned to have some dedicated sewing space wherever I live. I realized early on that it is important to my sense of well-being to have that space! So I guess you have to decide how important sewing is to you. And if it is really important than you need to carve an area out of your living space that will allow you to feed your creative spirit. When we moved to this new home, what was most important to me besides a place to sew, was that I had my own fabric closet. We converted one of the largest closets in the house so that I could use it to hold my fabric collection. That was very important to me and it is reflected in my home!

How do you balance work and family so that you have time to sew?
When my children were younger, I definitely didn't sew as much as I do now. It took much more of my time to care for my family, participate in family activities and I also worked full-time. I have more time now because I have older children and more flexibility in my life. Also, I have finally accrued enough vacation time (read that as worked at my job long enough!) that I have enough time to plan vacations as well as take days off just to sew, if I want.

And I am very, very organized. Again those lists! I also have a two hour commute to work and home again. I don't always use my two hours to sleep! Almost every afternoon on the way home, I am either reading a novel or something sewing related. Sometimes I just daydream about what I want to make while I am coming home. But my life is geared around my sewing.

I need to say something here about how I regard sewing as an artform and that it is my outlet for creative expression. Some people write, some cook, some paint, some garden...I sew! I am truly obsessed! And the ability to take a piece of fabric and see a completed garment from the fabric, then construct the garment that I saw in my head, speaks volumes about who I am and what truly makes me happy! There is also that continual learning thing...there always seems to be another technique to learn, another type of fabric to use, something new to master that also drives me. Never mind the thrill I get from marrying fabric and pattern together...

My kids tell a joke, that if the house were on fire, that I would be yelling to everyone to get out but running towards my sewing machines to save them first! I think it illustrates my priorities pretty well and how my family views my priorities! *smile*

I get so caught up in what I don't have and haven't been able to sew a stitch!
I think Nike said it best..."Just do it!" If you read the sewing boards and see what other women own and buy, it can be disheartening. If you read sewing reviews and see the pictures of what other people make, it can make you distrust your talent. How do I know this? I have felt all of these things at various times since I discovered other sewers on the internet. But and this is an important but, purchase the best piece of fabric you can afford wherever you can get it from...thrift store, local Joann's or Hancock's, local fabric store, internet etc. and construct the best outfit that you can. Read everything that you can about sewing. I had a Pastor once tell me that if I loved sewing so much why didn't I own books about it. Why didn't I subscribe to magazines about it? You don't have to buy every book - borrow them from the library, take only the magazine subscriptions that teach you something! But do it. Just do it!

Even if its only 15 minutes every other evening - Just do it!

Finally, I would like to pose these questions to those who read this blog...Why is sewing so important to you? If you could no longer sew, would it affect how you thought of yourself and who you were? And what special things do you do to carve time out of your busy life so that you can just sew!?

Recharging my sewing batteries

I have been on a sewing frenzy for the last few weeks! Sewing anything and everything that moved, but I think this last project sucked the last little bit of juice out of my sewing batteries. Now I need to take some time, sit still and let my sewing batteries recharge.

You can tell my batteries need recharging when even fabric emails don't bring a spark to the creative sewing spirit in me. Yeap, it's time to find a good book and curl up and read. Or watch some of the movies that Netflix has been so conveniently leaving in my mailbox...something, anything to just let my sewing mojo rest.

And maybe in a few days, when I am fully rested and recharged I will pick up where I left off ~ creating caviar dreams and champagne wishes in my clothing. *smile* And sharing them all with you!

So here is my question of the day? How do you recharge your sewing batteries? Do you have a tried and true method ~ wanna share? Or do you even realize that your sewing batteries are low and need a recharge? Has life totally encompassed you and shut down your sewing voice? Hey, I'm interested! Why don't you let me know how you handle recharging your sewing batteries!

I am heartbroken...

My daughter just left for the Sweet Sixteen party and she ain't wearing my outfit!!!! I now remember why I don't sew for this child...

Instead she has on a pretty sleeveless, short, black dress that I bought for her 8th grade graduation (didn't know she still had it, let alone was able to wear it!) and a polyester long scarf with rhinestones along both sides that I made into a shrug. Again something that she wore in 8th grade, this time to the 8th grade dinner dance. Both pieces are accented with some nice jewelry (out of my collection, of course) a black grosgrain ribbon in her hair and a nice pair of black pumps (the only ones I have managed to get her to buy in 2 years) and she was happy and off to the party.

That's the end result ~ here is the saga....

First, when I called Fabric Mart (www.fabricmartfabrics.com) bright and early on Monday morning, they were very accommodating about sending me 5 yards of the midnight navy sandwashed silk:

They promised me that it would be cut on Tuesday and shipped the same day! Well, that didn't happen! So when I called back Wednesday morning, Joanne nicely discounted the piece for me and then did not charge me shipping ~ gotta love their customer service! My daughter wanted a simple halter top and pair of wide legged pants so I thought that Thursday delivery would be okay. Wrong! Mr. UPS man would make it to my house around 3-4:00 pm like he usually does and if I got home around that time, I could have them done by at least midnight! Wrong, again!

Why is it that when I am eagerly anticipating a box of fabric and there is no one home to receive it, that Mr. UPS man shows up early. But when everyone is home waiting on the fabric, it shows up at 6:30 pm!!! Well, I was already peeved and the DD was making noises. I was not happy. I decide to take Friday off and work on the outfit in my leisure so that my DD would have a stunning outfit ~ the party didn't start until 8:00 pm! Wrong!

My manager called me at 6:14 a.m., never a good sign. So I only had the morning to work on the outfit because I had to be in the office by 12:30 pm. The DD that likes to sew was so gracious. She helped me any way she could ~ serging seams, looking for trim, ironing pieces. I had a halter and flowing pants (not quite palazzo's because she didn't want them that big!!!) finished by 10:30 am without shortcuts!

I get the outfit constructed after much complaining by said DD, and the look on her face broke my heart...it was tooo plain! Now both her sister and I had tried to explain that she needed to add trim to the halter top to make it sing! She didn't get it. It is so hard to make a non-sewer "see" how a completed outfit will look. They are so use to someone else making the decisions and then choosing what they like best from everything that is available. So there is now a beautiful stonewashed silk midnight blue halter and pants laying in the middle of the floor in her bedroom as she waltzed out the door in store bought clothes.

I am heartbroken.....

A Girl at Her Sewing Machine

I found this on the internet the other day and it touched me so much that I had to share:

Girl at Sewing Machine
(after a painting by Edward Hopper)
Mary Leader

It must be warm in the room, walls the color of over-steeped tea,the sun high,
coating the yellow brick exterior of the apartment building,angling in on
the girl, stripped down to camisole and petticoat, sewing.
She's a busty girl,
soft, no doubt perspiring, slippery under her breasts, moisturetrapped on the back
of her neck under all that chestnut hair.
She doesn't notice,though; you can see
she's intent on her seam.
She doesn't slump over the machine
but bends from the hip,her body as attuned as her hands. Her feet, though not shown
in the painting,are bound to be pudgy, are probably bare, pumping the treadle
ka-chunk ka-chunk ka-chunk

but that's unconscious. Her point of concentration is the needle,
silver, quick,
its chick chick chick chick chick, necessity to keep the material
in perfect position,position.
What is she making? The fabric looks heavy and yet
billowy, like
whipped cream, or cumulus clouds; certain girls, while large, move
with grace (when nobody's
there) but in public, conceal, or try to conceal, their bodies
beneath long clothes.
They favor long hair, feeling it wimples and veils embarrassment.

Yes, I know this girl.
Only in her room, only when unseen, can she relax at all, peel off
a hot blouse,a brown skirt, like the one heaped on her bed in the background,
take pleasure in
a good hairbrush, the bottle of scent on the dresser, the picture
of her own choosing
on the wall.
Whatever she's making--let's go ahead and say it's
a dress for herself--she is not, as you might think,
dreaming of a party, a dance,or a wedding.
No, she's deciding to
flat-fell that seam--time-consuming, but worth it--stronger, better-looking.

I'm sure she knows by now not to expect much attention from boys.
She's what? twenty? eighteen?
She will, in time, use many words to describe herself,
not all of them bad;
a mass of cloth, and a cast-iron machine,
and make a beautiful shape.

Edward Hopper, Girl at Sewing Machine (c. 1921)
Oil on canvas, 19 inches x 18 inches. Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection.

A Brief Interruption

And now a break from our regularly scheduled programming to congratulate and give a big shout out to the new 2006 NBA Champions:

The Miami Heat!!!!

Congratulations to the NBA Finals MVP ~ Dwyane Wade

Much love to:

Shaquille O'Neal
Gary Payton
Antoine Walker
Udonis Haslem
Jason Williams
and most especially to Alonzo ('Zo") Mourning!!!!!

You deserve it and you are Simply The Best!

The "Wearability" Factor

Sewing is a multi-faceted pursuit. You have to be able to sew a variety of different techniques to complete a garment. But before you even get to the sewing, you have to make so many decisions about fabric, pattern, trim, etc. Each decision is a part of the entire final package and each decision has the possibility of being the difference between a wonderful garment and a wadder.

I would like to add another element to this mix. "The Wearability Factor" What do I mean by this ~ well, when you are working on a garment, you try it on for fit. You make adjustments for things that don't work and somewhere in the sewing process you see if you have successful married pattern and fabric. The wearability factor kicks in only after you have completely sewn your garment, pressed it, tried it on and taken your pics in it. Then the garment has to live through your day. This is when I make the final determination about whether a garment is workable in my wardrobe or not.

See standing still or walking around the house, you can have the best fit and best looking pieces possible but what happens when you are walking to the car, bus or train? How does the skirt, dress or pants feel after you have sat in them for several hours? Does the skirt or dress ride or bunch in strange places? Is the top too short when you bend over? "The Wearability Factor!"

My Coldwater Creek Knockoff Jacket failed The Wearability Test today. Maybe it was because I did not add any type of closure. Maybe it's because I forgot to put a bag on it and see how it would look walking around with my 5 pound "everything I need in the world to commute and go to work bag" on my shoulder. Maybe it was that I forgot that there is a breeze early in the morning as I walk to the bus! My jacket failed!

Now, why did it fail? Well it definitely needs some type of closure on the fronts. And that is something I can easily fix. And when I make a second version, I will shorten the shoulder seams some. They hang over just a tad and it was annoying today. I hate having to tug on my clothes when I am wearing them. So even though this outfit looks great on a hanger and for a picture, it does not pass the all day wear test and will need some minor adjustments.

Here's what I mean:



Close but no cigar! The next one will have some alterations made to it so that it will pass, "The Wearability Factor!"

New Pieces

Saturday morning is usually the time I take to scour the internet ~ read other blogs (sewing & non-sewing), really visit fabric sites (okay, the ones I don't stalk on a daily basis!) and look at internet catalogs for favored companies. Since I have the computer all to myself (which in itself is unbelievable in a house full of teenagers) I can take my time and look at all the details ~ enlarge the pictures, read the descriptions, basically snoop shop online.

Yesterday at Coldwater Creek I found this:

This jacket is described on Coldwater Creek's site as: "Lady-in-lace jacket" for $99.00. Irresistibly pretty mixed-yarn jacket, frosted in rows of crochet and Battenberg lace. Cotton, rayon and nylon. Unlined. Dry clean. Imported.

The reason it caught my eye was that a package of fabric had just arrived from Timmel Fabrics. I don't purchase often from Julie, not because she doesn't have great wares but more because I have an instant gratification thing - big time! I know it's not like every piece that I order arrives and gets made up right away. Some pieces go into the "Fabric Collection" and never see the light of day until years later but I think these pieces were bought for a purpose so I was anxiously awaiting them. That and the fact that you never know how that customs thing is going to work....

I immediately threw the fabric into the washer and dryer and went in search of a pattern to make this jacket work. Now, you would think that in the vast collection of patterns that I have that I would have found one right away ~ but nooooooo! And do you know why, because this is a little boxy jacket and everything the pattern companies have been showing lately is for little fitted jackets, longer fitted jackets, cardigans, etc. And of course, as a consumer who must support her industry, I have purchased several (like way more than one!!!) patterns of this design.

I really didn't want to have to go into the closet into "Ye Olde Pattern Stash" to find a pattern from the 80's that would make this jacket. I mean c'mon its suppose to be a cute, little easy pattern and I wasn't up for an "Adventure in Pattern Stashing." So what's a girl to do? Find a current one and adapt it! Well the one I found wasn't really current - Vogue issued it in 1999 and it is not currently in their online catalogue. So here is a peek at it.

It is a Vogue Wardrobe pattern, number 2285. I bought alot of patterns like this back in the day, because of the number of garment pieces that were included in the pattern. What attracted me to this pattern for this project is that it has the same neckline, an open front without closures and a back seam already in the pattern. Also, miracle upon miracles I bought this pattern then in a size 20, 22, 24 ~ big girl sizes!

Simple and I mean simple pattern changes followed. Fold the pattern up to the petiteable line and use that line as the hemline. Trace a copy of the front pattern piece and since I know longer own a french curve (the downside to a teenager who sews!) use a saucer to get the beautiful rounded curve on the jacket fronts top and bottom! Love that tip! Got it from watching an old Shirley Adams, Sewing Connection, sewing show. As an aside if Shirley is teaching at a Sewing Expo near you, do take her classes. You will so thoroughly enjoy it! Okay, informercial over back to our regularly scheduled sewing.....*smile*

I didn't add facings to the jacket. The one on CWC doesn't appear to have any ~ the one downside to viewing something online. Then I was on the hunt for a trim that would give my jacket the same appearance as the CWC one. I just want to put a plug in here for stashing sewing notions, trims and patterns! If I did not have a trim stash, this project would have stalled. I would have had to wait until Monday to go back into NYC and prowl around the garment district to find a trim ~ 'cause there ain't no finding no decent trim in the wilds of Central Jersey! However, I did find the perfect little crochet trim in a beigy color that works with my fabric. So as of last night, I have a cardigan (still trying to decide if I want just one loop and little clear button at the neckline), a tank top and the idea for the skirt to finish the outfit.

Preview of new pieces:

The skirt will be a simple, straight skirt from this amazing Anna Sui print recently purchased from Emmaonesock!

Well I am off to sew and finish up this latest outfit! Pics of me in all three pieces will be posted later! I need to finish this skirt and the matching tank for the black rayon/lycra cardigan I started last weekend! Whooeee! New clothes to wear to work this week!

Follow Up to An Open Letter

To everyone who has posted such wonderful messages of support and understanding, thank you so much and I truly appreciate each and every message I received both here and in my personal email!

However, the folder at Patternreview does still exist and since the way their system works, that folders are viable for at least 30 days if there is no activity, anyone will be able to find and read that ignorance for weeks to come. And also since it is the internet and everything is archived with a little effort you will be able to find it forever.

I am not going to ask Deepika to remove it. I truly believe that several people have shown their "true colors" there and the world should see that! I am also amazed that there hasn't been one comment "for the other side" posted here. So does that mean my open letter didn't reach them or that they only had the guts to say something on Patternreview when they were among "friends"?

I have decided to leave my open letter on my blog because as many people have written me (either here or at my personal email) this is a sewing related issue and since my blog is dedicated to all things sewing, I guess this is just the dirty, underside of the sewing world.

One final thing ~ Susan, I hope you don't mind but I have used your words as the quote beneath my signature on all the sewing boards. They rang so true in my spirit and will let people know what I stand for. Thank you for saying it so brilliantly!

And now back to sewing...

*Just a note ~ the date on this post says Friday, June 16th but I actually wrote this post this morning, Sunday, June 18th!

An Open Letter

An open letter to the women of Patternreview who posted in the folder "Calling a Spade a Spade" in the Miscellaneous section of the board...

I was truly offended by 90% of the content written in that folder. It was embarrassing and distasteful that when I flipped into a folder on a sewing site and ran into a group of people who under the guise of expressing their right to say and write anything as it is guaranteed in the First Amendment, would disparage and generally show their ignorance about race relations in America.

As a black woman living in America for the last 47 years, as the daughter of a woman who traveled by bus for miles to attend a segregated high school because the school nearest her home was attended by whites only, as the granddaughter of sharecropper grandparents who drank at water fountains marked for colored only, and as a black woman who can't trace her heritage further than a plantation in South Carolina....I am totally and absolutely offended by well-meaning white/Caucasian/European people who can't understand how racism has affected black peoples lives in America!

I am tired of being told to get over it! I am tired of being told to lighten up! I am tired of people who through the magic of a computer and the internet can enlighten all of us with their ignorance! And if I have to read one more folder on a sewing site full of tanning information, I will just loose it! Most of you don't want to be black in America just have the golden sheen of a not so dark black person!

Most of you think no further than the cul de sac, country road, exclusive neighborhood or luxury high rise building that you live in! Oops, did that sound stereotypical ~ ohmygosh than you must have felt for just one second the horror/disgust/annoyance that I felt when I read that folder. See this is the thing, if a race of people or a section of that people feel betrayed, enraged, horrified by the use of a word or words then don't use them! It doesn't matter if you don't understand! Show some respect for the other person's feelings! Or is that point that only your feelings matter!

What happened to the golden rules - "do until others as you wish to have done to you," and "until you have walked a mile in a person's shoes, you won't understand their situation." Words hurt. Words wound. Words can even kill a person. Do you really want to be responsible for that? Or, in your self-righteousness, do you not "see" this!

I will probably delete this post since my blog is really dedicated to all things sewing! But I needed to respond to this in a manner that wouldn't cause a flaming war on what is suppose to be a sewing site! And because I stand by my words and my feelings ~ I will not switch any of the settings on my blog. I personally know that people can be mean and hurtful! Hey, the first time I was called nigger I was just an innocent six year old standing on the corner with my mother waiting for a bus in a northern state!

And Gigi, Ann and Karla ~ thank you for trying to bring a little decency to a small corner of the world!

I'm soooo proud!

Every now and then, even when your children are so amazingly exasperating, you look up and they have done something that truly makes you proud!

My second DD is the only one to follow in my footsteps and sew. She looked up about two years ago and realized that I always had something new to wear. And then she realized that there was a treasure trove of patterns, fabrics and trims here to make anything her little heart desired. No more begging to go to the mall! No more begging for a top that I knew was overpriced because I could make it so much cheaper! But especially no more looking like all of her friends....and then she discovered my Burda WOF magazines. The girl was hooked.

I say all of this to share her latest project....the dress she wore to her yearbook signing dinner:

This is Simplicity 5112 and do you recognize the fabric? I had forgotten that I bought a piece for her also. It finally saw the light of day in this dress! Nice work, huh!

The back view...

And with a short jean jacket...the fashion pose!

I am just soooooo proud!!!!!

What's Black & White All Over

I saw this piece of black & white cotton knit toile on www.fabric.com and I thought it looked interesting.

I actually watched it for a few weeks before pouncing on it. But as the numbers of remaining yardage on the piece started to get smaller and smaller, I thought maybe I should really own some of this! So for $4.35 per yard ~ I bought 2 yards. It arrived really quickly and then it started to invade my brain! I couldn't just wash and dry it and put it away. It demanded to be something and to be something NOW!

The fabric finally decided that it wanted to be a t-shirt but I didn't want to use the same old Burda t-shirt pattern that I have been using over and over again. I had Butterick 6084 which has a v and u-neckline something totally different from my other t-shirt...and I was in the mood for a little patternwork so I went with that pattern. But somewhere in waiting for the opportunity to sew and using sewing daydreaming as a way to get through the more boring aspects of my life, I came up with the idea that I should make the top, a straight elastic waist skirt from the toile knit and a cardigan from the black rayon/lycra knit (pictured above) that I just happened to pick up from Paron's Half-Price Annex Store. *wink, wink* On the cardigan I would add pieces of the toile as the front/neck band and around the hem on the sleeves. So what had originally been a simple t-shirt had morphed into a little project.

Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful and I was set to sew. However, somewhere in the cutting process I realized that I would have to choose. A matching t-shirt and skirt or a t-shirt and coordinating cardigan. Mmmmmmmm....well I have several black linen bottom pieces and more black linen in the fabric collection so I went for the coordinating cardigan and top.

Here is what I actually ended up with....

I have to admit that this look is a departure for me. I always wear a sweater or a jacket over my top. I just think it makes me look slimmer. But I am trying something new....or maybe not?! *smile* No seriously, I am trying to get away from the baggy look is slimmer on a plus size figure. I am trying to embrace my beautiful bodacious body and flow with it! So this is the look I wore to work today with some cute little kitten heel black sandals and a big bow on the back of my ponytail. I even got a compliment or two! *smile*

As for the other piece it has become the Burda TNT cardigan and it does have some of the toile print for the neckline and sleeve hems. But since there was enough black fabric leftover I think I am going to make a cami out of it and wear those two pieces together. Especially since the t-shirt seems to be working okay on its own.

So let me know what you think...is the t-shirt working okay on its own? Or do I need to add a sweater over it? And none of you plus size, bodacious body haters need comment! *snicker, snicker* I love my fat cells!!!!

Fascination...

I am fascinated by the stats that people are putting on the bottom of their posts on the sewing boards. The stats like, fabric in, fabric out, yards sewn, etc. I have written about this before but obviously I am still amazed by this phenomena!

I guess the thing that I wonder about the most is how many garments do these stats actually represent? Does anyone else think this when they see them or am I alone in the sewing universe on this point?! Or do the stats just represent the fact that we are a consumer driven creative sect? I mean I know that I do my part to help keep the economy going by purchasing piece after piece that touches some part of me and trips my creative gene. But really is there a physical, touchable thing that these statistics measure?

So I guess I will continue to be fascinated and wonder about those statistics....

One Hit Wonder

One of the most fascinating aspects of sewing to me is taking a pattern and remaking it numerous times and getting a different looking garment each time by changing the pattern with embellishments, different fabrics and pattern alterations. I love that about sewing! I can make the same garment five or six times at least before I get tired of it. Remaking it until I have exhausted all of the possibilities that I see for it in my mind. Each version different and totally unrecognizable to a non-sewing individual.

So I thought the reason that I had not remade Butterick 6199 - the black/creme circle print pleated skirt dress - was because the dress pattern is so distinctive. It seemed to me that no matter what fabric I used or embellishment added the dress' details are so distinguishable that anyone would recognize that I had made two or more of them.

Well that was not the reason at all! The reason it was a "One Hit Wonder" is that the pleating on the skirt of this dress is a pain in the butt to make! Not a little pain but a great big hemorrhoid. Not often do I want to chuck a project in the middle ~ especially when it has the potential to be an extraordinary garment ~ but several times during the pressing of the pleats, I almost cried uncle. Maybe it was the poor markings on the pattern piece, or the limited amount of instruction on the pattern sheet (which I actually consulted!) or maybe it was even operator error but whatever it was, it made pleating the skirt bottom a horror!

The only reason I kept going is because of the dress' potential. The bodice was hanging up with some amazing buttons pinned to it and it was gorgeous. The touch of black rattail piping and the buttons that continue the circles of the fabric were taunting me to see this project through to the end. And I succumbed to the taunting of the work I had already completed.

However, I will bury this pattern back into the darkness of my pattern boxes and this time I will mark the pattern's folder with a notation, "to never make this pattern again!" There are easier versions of this pattern that I can make to achieve the same effect. I know because they currently reside in my pattern stash! *smile*

So what would you do in this situation? Do you dump the pattern or do you press on to the finish line? Opinions are definitely welcomed!!!!