Choir Sundays '09 #27

This month's colors:Gold, brown or white w/ blue jeans.

This was a case of closet inspiration. I intended to just pull out a white shirt to tie over my brown rayon/lycra Jalie 965 tank top, but instead I saw a RTW sweater set that I hadn't worn in ages tucked amongst the white shirts and got inspired. I put the lacy oversweater on over my tank top, instead of over the white sweater knit tank that it came with and, bingo, something a little different!

And, to continue my 'something little different', I wore my Vogue 2872 denim skirt.

Y'know, I might even use that lacy sweater on top of other colors of tank tops now...

Oh, almost forgot. Next week is the Quarterly Blogging break, although it seems almost silly to take a break when my posting has dropped off so severely. But, since the Break includes all internet activity other than checking e mail or the weather, I'll still get some time to catch up on a bunch of stuff that's behind. So, have a good week and I'll see you next Sunday! :)

Um, yeah....

So, My Sweet Baboo took me to *The Really Big Famous Fancy Resort Place that Used to be a Theme Park* in Nashville for an overnight birthday treat.

We couldn't drive by Textile Fabrics...while a sale was in progress...without stopping in to see if any new goodies had been added to the remnant room.

I didn't find any remnants that spoke to me when Miss A and I went up on Monday, but I grabbed six pieces Friday. Two of them aren't worth photographing...a yard and a bit of some gray Ambiance lining, and some very heavy navy blue cotton/lycra twill. One piece is already taken off to the laundry, but it's just a floral cotton knit (for testing knit patterns, I think! Or maybe for a nightgown; we'll see how much it softens in the wash), but the other three pieces are definitely worth a picture:


The pieces draped over the back are both wonderfully soft and light embroidered corduroy, tie dyed. I had to get both colorways; one for the orange-lovin' Flute Player; the other may make a shirt-jacket for me. The piece on the seat, though, is my Find...it's tie silk; a gorgeous jacquard of black, gold and cream. It's going to be a vest. I've got a yard and 5/8, but it's only 25" wide, so I'll need all of it for just the front and the facings. But, oh, won't it be nice!.

And, ahem, I spent $50 on it. Which I justified by saying 1) we did NOT take the little tour boat around the Delta atrium, which saved us $20. (I don't understand it. That boat was full every time we saw it. At $10 each...for a little wobbly loop...) and 2) we walked across the parking lots (about half a mile or so, I believe!) to the mall next door and ate at the Aquarium. After checking all the prices on the menus of the restaurants in the hotel, the Aquarium seemed downright reasonable. I figure we saved another $30 by NOT eating at the Old Hickory Steakhouse...and, bingo! I just paid for my little indulgence at the fabric store!

Um, the extra yardage in the Stash, however, may not be so easily dealt with. Oh, the rayon/lycra knits from Gorgeous fabrics came while I was gone, too, so the yardage is definitely UP. Time to do some serious sewing....

But there's nothing like walking through a mall full of poorly made, overpriced fashions to inspire some sewing.

(Cue the Beatles music) All I need is time...dut dut duh duh duh...all I need is time, time....time is all I need... ;)

Choir Sundays '09 #26

This Month's Colors: Brown, white and/or gold w/blue jeans.

So, I'm wearing my Lee bootcut jeans again; the white twill Vogue 8045 jacket and, for the top, the second go at the surplice top from Burda (FWOF) May '09. I found that that fit of that pattern really does depend on the fabric; what I did to alter it worked really well for the relatively stable poly/lycra matte jersey; this was a very stretchy cotton/lycra and it behaved very differently. It's heavy; it pulled the upper bodice down much like a slinky knit would've, so I ended up taking the almost all the extra length back out by taking the shoulder seams in 5/8".

And this one, I've decided, definitely needs a cami under it. Next time. ;)

The Handcrafts of Thursday's Children

Back in May, a group of folks from our church, including our senior pastors, went on a trip to meet the Moldovan orphans themselves, visiting two or three orphanages and the girls at Stella's Houses. They visited the orphanage at Cupcui, and the director of the orphanage had set up a room to showcase handcrafts made by the kids there... including some things that had been made by the girls who are now at Stella's House.

(Photo credits to Leisa Nelson)




These amazing handcrafts are made from the materials that they can scrape together...they have no 'handcraft education' budget, and virtually no notions or machines.

But look at what those kids have created. From almost nothing.

What do you suppose they could do with adequate supplies?

First Post on Thursday's Children

The Burda Denim Vest

The topstitching is pretty far from perfect; the denim was really bulky right at the edges and my little New Home just couldn't seem to feed it evenly. But, it doesn't show from any distance and the worst of it is on the underlap.

But it's a great top piece; especially good for wearing over a white blouse that has less than complete opacity! ;)

Here's the review....

My Early Birthday Present to Me....

I'm tellin' ya, black denim is hard to find...but I managed to find something else up at Textile Fabrics to bring home.

Besides some gray Ambiance, some brown Ambiance, and a piece of white china silk to line a white silk blouse, I bought two pieces of fashion fabric:



Only two pieces, but they're very nice....the pink stripe is horizontal on a piece of very soft, very yummy linen and I'm planning to make a tunic shirt from it. If you look closely, you can see shiny black stripes on the brown wool/lycra blend suiting (it was marked as being an Ellen Tracy fabric and is really nice...). I'm planning on some Oxford pants and maybe a straight skirt or a vest, if it works out.

It's almost worth the trip to Textile Fabrics just to pet the gorgeous woolens they've got...even if those super 150's are marked at $129/yard.... oh, they're nice!!!

I've got a couple of pieces still in processing from Gorgeous Fabrics' last sale; (those designer rayon knits...the brown I made the Jalie tank top from is so yummy I ordered another piece for a cardigan to go with it, plus a piece of gray while I was at it) but once those get here I'm going back on a 'no fabric' moratorium until I get some sewing done.

I need some work clothes! ;)

Choir Sundays 09 #25

This Month's Colors: White, gold or brown with blue jeans.
So, I'm wearing my Lee bootcut jeans with the brown poly blend Vogue 2975 pleated top and the white twill version of that Vogue 8045 jacket .

My sewing buddy Miss A and I are trekking up to Nashville tomorrow to check out Textile Fabrics annual 'half off everything' sale. I've got a short list of things I'm looking for, but, you never know when some unexpected jewel will start singing the inspiration song... ;)