A Blast from the Past

 Something like 3 years ago, I happened to land on a shared photo album from a fellow home sewing enthusiast...and she had a most awesome jacket posted.  I asked her for the pattern; turns out it was a long out of print Vogue Oscar de la Renta pattern.  Ah, well, perhaps I might stumble onto it one day...

Well, as we were driving back from Florida I got a message from that lovely lady, who had found a factory-folded copy of that pattern in my size.

Y'all, I ordered it right there from the car.

It came this week.

 This one's from the glory days...

SEPARATE PIECES FOR THE LINING AND THE INTERFACING.

Who DOES that anymore?

Of course, due to its vintage status, I don't expect it to have the bust point marked, or the finished garment dimensions anywhere to be found.  I haven't unfolded the tissue yet to verify it, but I can use a tape measure to determine what alterations I need.

Unless it's buried on the tissue paper somewhere, there's no copyright date to be seen; I really don't know how old it is.   The model doesn't have Big Hair, so that rules out the late 80's - early 90's, lol.  But...the price on it is $6.50, which I would put early 80's.  

Six dollars and fifty cents.

I paid a fair amount more than that, especially throwing in shipping.  But what I paid is comparable to the current list price on designer patterns.

Not sure when I'm going to work this into the sewing queue; I have done nothing to the blue cardi since I cut it out...although I did put blue thread on the serger, lol.

But I am looking at it a lot. :-)

Hit a sale...

 Caught a discount for Stylearc patterns on Amazon and found a few that intrigued me.  My pattern purchasing has dropped somewhat, but each of these had something about it that was unique enough that I decided to splurge...

I don't actually know when I will get to sit down at the sewing machine and actually MAKE A GARMENT.  The truth is, my sewing stashes have amoebaed themselves right out of their original space and taken up way more house space than I can afford for them to occupy.  Most of it is from chronic disorganization, pure and simple, so I am telling myself I am going to clean and organize and maybe even MOVE the whole lot of it during the months of April and May.  I've got two weekends this month that My Sweet Babboo will be off camping with the boys' mnistry; so I aim to get a good start on the process while he's gone.  I will be finishing the classes I'm taking in our ministry program at church this month also (I have a zoom meeting for that in 25 minutes so I'm typing fast, lol)...once that is done, I'll have a bit more time available so I can work on it and not fret about finishing homework.

And, you know, there is a wedding coming up.  It looks like I will be doing something with the bridesmaid's dresses...at least hemming them, and discussions are already underway to solve a problem with the décolletage being a little more revealing than was anticipated....the theater costumer may surface again, lol. But this will have to look good at a close range, unlike costumes for a stage production.  And, of course, I'll be making my dress.  But I'mma gonna do that in June.

So there is sewing on the docket.  But first...clean and organize.  My sewing room hasn't looked like the tiled photos since...well, pretty much since those pics were taken.  Pippin costuming hit right after that and the space hasn't been clean since.  I will take photos...but I'm not sure I'll be brave enough to share them, lol.  It really is bad.

So...wish me luck and tenacity so I don't just pull stuff out and then get bored/ frustrated/ antsy and not really finish.  I'm really, really tired of trying to sew in a mess.

Flea Market Find -- and a Giveaway

One of the things My Sweet Babboo likes to do is poke through antique stores, looking for things he can use in his frontiersman reenacting group.

So, when we found that one of the things available in the small town near our vacation lodging this past week was a large antique store...I suggested we spend a rainy afternoon there.

I really didn't expect to find anything for me, but there was one booth with a bunch of buttons (if only I had an idea of what I needed, lol)...and some patterns.  There were the cardboard storage boxes full of McVoguerick stuff, sold for a pittance, but I spotted a plastic bag containing a Sandra Bezina Today's Fit (that really didn't strike my fancy), a Nancy Erickson 1945 jacket (I've already got that pattern)...and a Cynthia Guffey princess dress, size 12.  My little Guffey Groupie heart did a pitter patter; the three patterns were listed at $4.50.  Totes worth it just for the Guffey dress.  So I snagged it.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the sealed up bag and found this inside:

There were TWO MORE Cynthia Guffey patterns hidden between the visible princess dress and the Betzina pattern.  And they were my size range...or, erm, close enough, lol.

I don't know how the booth owner missed that; the label clearly said '3 sewing patterns $4.50'.

But, you know, I'm feeling like I oughta share the blessing here, so I'm going to give away the Erickson jacket pattern (being as how I have one already, lol).

So...if there is anyone out there who is wishing they had Nancy's 1945 power suit jacket pattern (sizes 8 - 18 included I should have checked first; the pattern has been CUT OUT on the size 10 cutting lines.  So sad.  I've been tracing my patterns for so many years that it never occurred to me to check and see if the pattern had been cut; none of the others are.  So...if you are size 10 or a boss at adjusting pattern sizes...), leave a comment here and I'll draw a winner next Saturday!

Update:  Well, to my utter lack of surprise, no one left a comment to win the Nancy Erickson already-cut-on-size - 10 pattern.  I will figure some way to give it away elsewhere, lol.

Choir Wardrobe 02.05.17

The usual wardrobe colors for February are black and white and this year is no exception.

And, as I have not managed to get ANY thing into the 'finished' column yet this year, the garb of the day is, well, old.    And my photographer didn't alert me to the fact that the t shirt could've used just the slightest tug into position.

But, whatcha gonna do?

I actually had this t-shirt show up in my Facebook memories page; I posted it as complete  on Sew Random 5 years ago today.  Oy.  It's from the February 2010 Burda mag...can't remember if it was still BWOF then or if they'd made the switch to Burdastyle.

Which just goes to show that a C+ garment is still gonna get some wear.

Once more, that Burda Vest from 2009, which is even older.

And baggy black Lee jeans.

All in all, adequate, but just.

I have a white shirt in pieces on the ironing board; mayhap I can finish it in the next 3 weeks and at least have ONE new thing to show for the year so far?


In other news, I ordered a couple of patterns from PR; with Hancock's gone my access to patterns has dropped somewhat.  There is a Jo Ann's on the other side of town, but I don't get over that way very often and they've dropped me from the mailing list, so I don't know when the sales are any more.

So my pattern acquisition has slowed considerably.

As in, the last time I bought patterns, it was from a clearance bin at Sir's Fabric on July 11 of last year.

But there were two recent Vogue releases that I just Had. To. Have.

Even if they are only for the collection and not for sewing...lol.

I will make the Betzina vest.  I will I will I will.   I will probably make Paco's blouse...I'd LOVE to make the coat but not sure I'm brave enough.  Maybe.

New patterns to try

I've been looking at the Style Arc patterns for quite some time; many, many folks have paid the shipping from Australia and been very happy with the garments they made from them.

I just wasn't sure they were different enough from what is available on this side of the pond to spring for the shipping.

But Style Arc has printed some multi-sized patterns and they are available through Amazon...and they had a significant sale last week, so I ordered, um, a few:

Of course, right after I ordered them, there were comments on the sewing discussion boards that the CAD-rendered multi-sized patterns  may not have the same fit that the single-sized patterns sold from Australia were reported to have.   Sigh.

But I thought these  (the Designer Daisy pants and Tunic came in the same packet) were unique enough that they might be worth a go.  We'll see.

On other news, I am pulling stuff for the postponed ten year giveaway. I think it's 5 posts away... :-)

It's Been 9 Years...

Sew Random was actually birthed as a place to share the frantic costuming journey for the Rock Family Worship Center 2005 production of 'The Gospel According to Scrooge'.  I'd set up the costume shop in October and nearly monopolized the costuming thread on Pattern Review as I described the first projects...

But,as my life was consumed by that massive assignment and I felt compelled to share it with folks who might 'get  it' just a little...two things happened.  First, my older daughter made some comment about something, stating, 'Oh, that's so random!'  and Kathleen Fasanella sent me a PM on Pattern Review rather out of the blue,  encouraging me to start blogging.

Convergence.

'Sew Random' first appeared on Nov. 4, 2005.  I did really, really well at it for a while, blogging nearly every day until I returned to the workforce in early 2009. In 2008, I created a second blog, Beer Lahai Roi, to discuss more in depth topics about faith that I really didn't feel fit well here.

It has been a wonderful journey; I've been challenged, made new friends, found sewing resources, gotten crucial help...and documented the creation of stage costumes, ministry costumes,  special event costumes,  SWAP wardrobes, an epic garment or two, lots and lots of knit tops, and a wadder or two, outfitted myself for church choir...and learned a smattering of HTML and whined about the impermanence of web photo hosting.

My sewing production has dropped dramatically since I started back to work, as has my blog posting, but it's still a wonderful place to connect and share and, while I may hit a point where posts are few and far between, I don't think I'll ever quit blogging entirely.

So now's my opportunity to thank everyone who stops by Sew Random...whether you subscribe or not or comment or not...I really and truly appreciate each and every one who comes by.

So....drumroll...a little reader appreciation.  I dug out 9 patterns that I decided to give away...mostly because I have more patterns that I can reasonably expect to make in my lifetime...and because, you know, patterns should be sewn instead of occupying space in a drawer.

I pulled some oldies but goodies, some indies, some that are nearly duplicates of other patterns I own and some that I just thought would be nice to put in a giveaway.  Last year I put 8 patterns into a bundle and sent them all to one person, this time I've got three  three-packs and I'll draw three names.

So, if you want to be entered in the drawing for a 3 pack, just leave a comment anywhere on the blog in the next week. Since Wednesdays are really, really busy, I'll take any comment that is entered between now and midnight CST on Wednesday the 12th.

You don't have to be in the US, or be on a any kind of list...just say 'hi' and you're in.

Because you took the time to stop by, and I'm grateful.

Here are the three-packs; I'll pick who-gets-what, just to keep things simple. ;-)

A little Catch Up

August 1.
There is just no way.

Like, how could it be Friday already?  And I never did a Choir Post?

 Not that this is really anything to get excited about; the jeans and the jacket are RTW, and the gray top is my much-used Simplicity 2603  which, as this was taken at the end of the day that included dinner at the noodle place and a bowl of drippy asian noodles, had a spot that is conveniently  concealed by the point of the jacket.

I've been working in ten-minute increments on a sheerish navy Plaza Jacket; it only needs hems but the poly burnout fabric is not being very cooperative and I've got to hand baste the whole thing.  So it's taking a bit.  But the choir colors for August are tan, emerald and navy, so I *should* get to wear it before the month is over.

This ten-minutes-at-a-time stuff is killing my sewing mojo.  Oh, it's better than nothing, but, wow, projects that used to take a weekend are now taking a month or more. I can live with this, but I'm not enjoying it much.

But, maybe as an enticement to get it together so I can sew more,  there are New Patterns In.  Had to make a trip to Hancock's today...because I lost some things I bought last year...and Vogue patterns were on sale.  So I grabbed a handful.  Each of these has something I like...and two of them have A/B/C/D cup sizing.  I figured it was worth $5 to not have to do a FBA.  If I ever get around to really making something.





The missing things were the iron-on applique letters I needed for my Girls Only Award Stole.  I'd made them for the girls last year, with their graduation year on the sash, and decided I'd make one for me, too, with the pins that I'd earned teaching the units.  My plan was to have it available for any promotional events we might do regarding the girls ministry program. But I didn't get to it last year, and I  looked and looked and couldn't find the letters this week, so I had to run to Hancocks.

However, as it has just been made public, we are doing away with the K - 12 girls ministry program and replacing it with a program for girls in grades k - 5 only.  So I'm kinda late with my promo plan.  But I needed a place to put the pins anyway, so I grabbed the appliques and finished off the stole.

Not really sure what I'm going to do with it; I might be able to use it in Wednesday night's advancement service but that would be it.

At this point, it's just going to be a bit of memorabilia of eight years spent with some amazing young ladies.

But, who knows...with 3 Teen Girls classes no longer on my plate, I might sew a little more.

At least, that's what I'm telling myself.

Indy Expo Report, part 4 -- Oh, the irony...

I went to the cutting table and took a photo of the patterns I picked up;  my pattern purchasing has really dropped off of late.

Which makes sense, since I have nearly filled a second hand Simplicity pattern cabinet.  I mean, how many patterns does a girl really need?

I'm pretty much looking for details I don't have...or trying to save myself alteration time...in new patterns.

Or, in the case of Cutting Line Design patterns, I'm looking for great detailed instructions that I can use for other garments.

I actually purchased 3 patterns; the Eureka top and skirt came with the class.  Anyway:

I put the ruler in the photo, too.  I won the original version of that ruler...w/o the straight edge...in a blog giveaway and I love using it so much that I snatched the enhanced version when I saw it in Kathy Ruddy's booth.  It makes working with Burda Style and Neue Mode  patterns so much easier I can't even say.  Adding those seam allowances is a piece of cake with that baby.  Really.

I wanted a good skinny pant, and the Helix looked good...besides, there's that great t top.  I think I'm going to have fun with it.

Cynthia's jacket has a collar stand that you can't see and shoulder princess seams; the photo on the front has actually been modified a bit.  I have plans for that involving some stashed silk suiting..I really hope I can get to it in time to wear it to the next Expo...whenever that might be... ;-)

But I did make one other...minor...purchase at the Expo.  A bit ago, I mentioned that, for the first time in about 20 years, I had spotted a sewing machine model that actually interested me.

I did a little research on price and availablilty and such and found that the Janome dealer about an hour away had the  2013 model of that machine, which is virtually identical, for about the same price as what everyone seemed to be paying, and including a $50 voucher good for additional accessories.

One of my main motivations for wanting a new machine is that I'd been told by dealers here in town, who sell a hodgepodge collection of brands, that I could not get a straight stitch plate/foot for my old New Home, since it was such an ancient model, so I had plans for the voucher.

And I thought I'd look at the machine while I was at the Expo, if they had one.  They did; about 20 minutes before my last class on Saturday I sat down and sewed with it a bit and asked some questions and liked how it sounded when it was running and how nice the stitch looked.

I deliberately did that with just a little time before class so that I had to leave before I got that strong sales pitch.  I really didn't want to buy it at the Expo.  The price there was 11 dollars less than the price at Ken's, but with the voucher at Ken's that really wasn't an issue.  The only real difference was that this was the 2014 model instead of the 2013.  But, as I said, they looked to me to be the same, just a different color.  I was just getting more information...trying to decide what I wanted to do.


Now, the last class of the day was over at 3, but the Grand Prize Drawing for the day was not till 4:45.  And, as I said, that class was a pivot point.  There were only about 9 people in the class, so Cynthia just had us all come sit around the teaching table and she went over details on attaching convex curves to concave curves...think princess seams and collars to necklines.  And it all hinges on exceedingly precise stay stitching.

'Now, you can't stay stitch at a 1/8" distance with that zig zag plate,' she told us. 'Too much fabric gets sucked down into that hole and you can't control it.'

The lightbulb dinged on.  After class, I told her, 'My machine's like, 20 years old.  I can't get a straight stitch plate for it.'  She looked at me and said, 'Well, I think it's about time you got a new machine.'

Yes.  Yes, it is.

Now I just had to decide where to get it.  The 2014 at Indy...or the 2013 and the voucher at Ken's. My buddy Miss A had gone to the expo half planning to get a machine, and she had found the Pfaff she'd been thinking about and taken the plunge.  When I left class, I saw a parking place right by the entrance, so I got the car and pulled it around so she wouldn't have to carry the box far.  Then I found her and our new friend Valerie sitting by the fountain in the courtyard.  Lovely day...we chatted for a while and, just in case, I texted my Sweet Babboo...'Would I be in trouble if I bought a sewing machine?'   He replied, 'No'

Eventually, we drug ourselves away from the fountain and the lovely breeze and collected the Pfaff and got it in the car, and I decided I'd go take one last look at the 2014.  Miss A headed to the Expo stage to wait for the drawing...which was scheduled in about 30 minutes. I started down the hall to the Janome dealership, thinking.  About half way there, I made up my mind...I had to get that throat plate and foot from Ken, anyway,  I might as well just get the machine from him.  So I turned around and headed back towards the stage area.

But I passed a little seating/lounge area, and sitting in one of those seats was one of the Janome dealers.  As I walked by, he looked at me and said, 'So, did you buy your machine?'

'No, ' I said.  'I've decided to get it from my local dealer when I get home.'

So he asked me where I was from, and who the local guy was, and which machine I was looking at.

I told him, then added, 'You're selling that for 11 dollars less than Ken, but he's got a $50 voucher with his and I need some accessories, so, you know, I think I'll just go see him.'

He looked at me and said, 'I'll sell you the machine that you were sewing on for [$109 less than we've got it marked] if you'll take it home today.'

I am no fool.  Behold the new resident:

Notice that it fits the same table as the old one?  How convenient.  I haven't gotten to sew with it much yet...just a wee bit finishing up the Eureka top and a little on the knit tops that are currently in  progress.  I really like the even feed foot...

Monday night, I ordered the straight stitch plate and foot from Ken; it arrived Wednesday.  Just for grins, I tried it on the old machine.

It fits.

Ah, well, I now have a much lighter machine to haul around for any costuming I might do...

So Much for Good Intentions

I made myself a solemn promise that I would not buy any new fabric until the trench coat was done.

Finished sewing yesterday and I was tempted to flip through fabric sites, but, well, I'm going to the Sewing Expo in Indy at the end of the month, so I thought I'd just save my fabric dollars for that.

But at lunch today the internet went down at work.

You can't do  much work if the database is in the cloud and the server is down.

So I decided to spend some of the comp time I racked up during the data migration and take the afternoon off.

And my route home takes me right past Hancock's.

You know what happened next.

I thought I'd just pop in and see if they had any fabric suitable for a white shirt.  I have some, but it's really pretty nice (and pricey) stuff, and I'd like to have a TNT to use it on rather than an untried pattern.

Didn't find any suitable white fabric (does anyone make white shirting that you can't see through any more?), but I did find some stuff that was on my wish list...

 

They had a flat fold table of miscellaneous knits; I've been wishing I had some black and white knits for cap-sleeve t's to wear this summer; that fills a gap in the wardrobe.  And, lo and behold, stripe knits!  (the triple stripe is actually dark navy blue).   The knit feels very nice, but there's no telling what's in it besides a hefty dollop of Lycra.   I grabbed those two and then hightailed it away from that table before I came up with a pile of knits...

 The chambray is just about the perfect weight/color for the denim shirt I intended to put in the SWAP collection.  It got bumped by the black denim jacket, but I still need a good denim shirt.  The sale price didn't strike me as being a real bargain, but since I've been hunting for it for a while I splurged.

And I checked the pattern books to make sure I was getting enough fabric (you know the trick...find a similar style and use that  yardage) and, oh, goody goody, Burda patterns were on sale.  So I got the pattern I used for my sample yardage, and then I spotted that jacket/dress combo and fell in love with that jacket.  So that came home, too.

At least all these things should be quick to sew...and, believe me, I am READY for some quick sewing...

Expo Day Trip 2013

Well, my traveling buddy Miss A and I rolled out of the Rocket City about 7:15 Friday morning, which was just a pinch later than we'd hoped, then we missed an exit in Birmingham and went a bit out of our way to get to the venue.

So we were about 15 minutes too late to catch Cynthia Guffey's 9 AM class.

I am trying to console myself by believing that it was probably stuff I've heard before; but every time I hear it it gets a little deeper so my consolation is somewhat short.


That was one of the classes I'd picked; another one was full and another was offered the same time as the Louise Cutting class I wanted.

So I only took 2 classes...Louise on measuring/alterations and Cynthia on transferring changes made on a muslin/toile/mock up/pickyourfavoritepracticegarmentterm to the paper pattern.

But the noon style show was all Cynthia's designs, with her narrating about how the cut/lines of the pattern worked...it was like a free class.

These two ladies are both marvelous instructors and absolute delights to listen too.  I know there are other teachers who are really good as well, but I can't seem to bring myself to pick someone else's class over theirs.

Anyway, I bought a wee bit...

The black/white is a double faced linen from Louise's remnant rack; I walked by it 3 times before I succumbed.  The Of the Moment pattern was marked down as well, so I snagged it.  I may just use that fabric for that pattern...we'll see.

I picked up one of Cynthia's tops pattern; jeeminy, I have about 5 of her patterns now and still haven't managed to get one made...so sad...  I picked up a small pair of duckbill scissors, too; I have the regular size SOMEWHERE.  It's been missing long enough that I wanted a replacement, but decided to get the smaller ones because, well, you know, the others might show up.

The food print cottons are for Rhonda's Mary Bridge Pillowcase project.  I've been meaning to find some fabric from the stash and whip some up, but, well, I don't have a ton of cutesy cotton prints.  I happened to be standing next to a quilting cotton vendor while waiting for the daily grand prize drawing and spotted these fabrics.  Could NOT walk away.   I *think* I have some green/red/yellow fabrics about to use for the trims; this is my goal before I start sewing up other stuff this week.

If I get a chance to sew something up this week...

One day at the expo was fun; it's enough to shop, but I really, really would like to be there all three, so I could take the Thursday and Saturday classes, too.

But, trying to be grateful for what I had and not fret about what I didn't have. 

Strangely amusing/slightly sad moment from the weekend:  one of the classes was held in a hotel across the busy highway, so they ran a shuttle bus for folks to take over.  I went down to the lobby a little early and struck up a conversation with another lady who was waiting for a friend to arrive and then she was going to head up to the vendor floor.

'What kind of quilting do you do?' she asked.

Um...I don't quilt?  Would like to make a quilt someday...I have some chopped up squares from scraps from the kid's clothes I made ages ago, but, nope, don't do it.  I make clothes.

She actually looked surprised....but the shuttle pulled up before I could tell her to check out Louise and Cynthia's racks...I hope she saw something inspiring.

What Followed Me Home...

So, yeah, yesterday I had to make a trip to Hancock's because I needed some lime green thread and some buttons...either purple or green...for the Loud jacket.

Ahem.  Turns out Butterick and Vogue patterns were on sale.

Now, I *could* have bought  10 of each, per the sale signs, so I think the fact that I only really added 7 more patterns to the stash is exhibiting great restraint...Ahem again...

So far, on the jacket I have...fused down the interfacing and changed the thread in the machines.  Dunno if I will get to do anything else on it this week or not; Tuesday night is the only free night and the annual She Rev Women's Conference is going to have my weekend occupied.  Not complaining about that...just stating the fact....

This jacket is probably going to get put together in 10 - 20 minute increments...

Road Trip Fabric Stop

 A swift trip to the northern reaches of Hoosierland had us driving around the northeast corner of the I-465 loop around Indianapolis.  We had plenty of time, so my sweet Babboo graciously agreed to a quick stop at Indy's newest (as in, it's almost 2 years old) fine fabrics store.

I'm not sure where I found out about The French Seam, other than I know I knew about it before they opened.  I was really excited; JoAnn's has been the only game in town in Indianapolis for many years.  It took us a little bit to find it, mostly because the Google Map just wasn't as accurate as it might have been.  But persistence paid off and I got to do a quick visit.

It is not a large fabric store by any means; the selection is not huge.  But, if you consider that they have simply eliminated all the junk fabric, home decor and nick knacks  that you would find in, say, JoAnn's or Hancock's (y'know, the fleece, the poly silkies, the imitation linen, etc), then it really is not such a limited choice.  They had silk, linen, wool and cotton.  Heaven.

They had just put all their summer fabrics on sale for half price; I looked it all over and saw several pieces (including some really nice tropical wools) that I would love to have purchased, but, well, I have some lovely tropical woolens sitting in my stash already so I steeled my nerve and kept looking.

I finally settled on a red/white twilled cotton; I decided several weeks ago that I'd like a red jeans jacket and this will do that nicely.  The twilled side is actually going to be the wrong side; the even weave side is much darker.  It's very soft and should make up well.

And, just because I could hold it in my hand and look at it, I picked up a drapey front cardigan pattern from The Sewing Workshop that I've been waffling over for a while now. 

No, it wasn't all really bargain priced, but it was reasonable (especially as I got the fabric on sale), and I could touch and drape to decide. 

Which is a real treat nowadays...

A Revelation...

The Artist's knee surgery went well yesterday;  there was no actual repair work needed, just some cleaning up.  We were at the surgery center for about 4 1/2 hours.

Unfortunately, when I reached into my bag o' stuff to keep me occupied, I discovered that I had placed my scarf panel, scissors, and the two remaining Very Nice Handsewing Needles in the project zipper bag, but somehow omitted the thread.  I considered running down the road to the Bernina dealership and getting a spool, but I didn't want to loose my parking spot, so I sighed and pulled out the book I'd picked up (the new, non-science-fiction, release from Terry Pratchett, Dodger.  I'll let you know what I think when I finish) w/a good-this-weekend-only coupon from B & N and read whilst I waited.


Actually, part of me thought that might be just as well; that would give me the chance to pick up a finer microtex needle and see if I could get a guide line stitched w/o putting pull lines...I was that nervous about keeping the hem even.

So, when I took the Artist back to his apartment today after keeping him under observation for the recommended 24 hours, I stopped by the Hancock's that was just around the corner to pick up a pack of needles.

The Columbus Day Weekend sale was lying in wait.  Three pattern companies with patterns on sale for $1.00 each.

I thought I did pretty well to limit myself to 6, although the truth be told I was looking for things that were different from things already in the stash.

Then I came home and entered them into my online catalog at Pattern Review.  When I finished, I happened to see the total number of listings.  I almost fell out of my chair.

Y'all.  What am I doing with SIX HUNDRED AND NINETEEN PATTERNS???? (And that doesn't count 3  um, 5 years of Burda Style magazines or the costuming patterns...)  When will I ever use them? 

Methinks a pattern purge must be in the near future.  I need to get a grip and pare them down to patterns I will actually USE.  Even if it's only a detail....

Wonder what I'll have left if I eliminate all the patterns w/similar garments??

Wonder when I'll find the time to do that....

Why not...

I've been crazy working this week trying to make up for the time I took off last week; next week is the girls' ministries camp so I'll be crazy working the next week again to make up hours I'm off at camp.  Ah, the joys of the part-time job...

But The Flute Player is in need of a new swimsuit for youth camp next week (they're going to the beach...I'm not...) so part of our errand running today included a trip to Hancock's to pick up some cups to insert in a new swimsuit for her, which I can make in much less time than it would take to find one at a store.

Turns out Hancock's has McCall's patterns on sale this week, so I went ahead and purchased the dress pattern that is the darling of the internet at the moment...McCall's 6559 .  There are, at this moment, 34 reviews  for it already on PR. 

Will I make it for me?  Um, the jury is out on it at the moment, but I thought I would go ahead and get it, since I was there...

What's up, Doc?

I am heading back into the sewing room; but first, I had to take care of a few things that had accumulated.

We had used some random chunks of fabric from the decor room at church for the wedding reception.  They had obviously been used for other things, as there were chocolate spots on them when we pulled them out.  They also had not been cleaned because they were just cut yardage...and the poly-organza type fabric was raveling out like crazy.  So I brought them home, serged the ends and washed them. And, while I had a 3-thread configuration on the serger, I also took care of a couple of other things:

-- a friend had purchased a bit of silky poly print that she wanted to turn into a scarf.  A bit of ripping, a bit of cutting, and a little decorative thread roll-edging and it's done.

--The Princess purchased a lacey floor-length dress that she wore for her 'departure' from the wedding.  She'd wanted me to hem the bottom for her, but I wasn't sure the serger would feed it evenly, since it was a textured melange of lacey bits and managed to talk her into just wearing shoes w/ a bit of heel.  Well, there was an incident with the escalator in the hotel when they arrived and suddenly, well, you can see for yourself, as I'm in the process of trimming off the chewed up bottom:

Once it became a salvage job, I wasn't nearly so nervous about serging it.  I cut off about 7", so it is now a  lacey tea-length dress.  And the serger did just fine...

--And, we have more weddings coming up at church so I brought home a dress that will be worn by one of the other office staff young ladies who is a member of one bridal party; it needed to be shortened about 2".  Poly shantung, straight skirt, poly lining.  Took maybe an hour and a halfish.  And I was astonished to find 5/8" seam allowances used in that dress...I thought that was the mark of a home sewn garment...which this most pointedly was NOT.

Anyway, my chartitable sewing done for the time being, I can focus on my next project(s).

And I had a brainstorm for one of them.  I'm going to use the pattern I just adapted for the MOB dress and 1) change the neckline to bateau and 2) add 3/4 length sleeves.  It's a princess sheath...it's very close to ideally fitted...so, Carolyn, I'm heading over into your 'alter the TNT!' camp; we'll see how it works!

And, you know, there were sales last week.  And the second box of fabric just arrived, so I piled all the 'yardage in' onto the sofa and took a picture:

The two pieces on the right came earlier; the stripe is a cottony-feeling rayon/lycra blend, and  the taupey-looking piece is actually a multicolored houndstooth plaid.  The other four pieces came today (and my living room now has that lovely new-fabric smell...); the white, black and green are cotton/lycra poplins and the spotted piece is one of the 'trendy knits' that have been dispersing themselves around the country for some time now.  I know it's an Animal Not Found in Nature, but the normal print colors of yellow/brown/orange do NOTHING for me; this one is black/grey/red and I will wear it just for fun.  Might even turn it into that popular Burda Style funnel neck shirt really, really soon...

I had a scary moment today; I hit Hancock's Big Pattern sale and came home to enter my new acquisitions in my PatternReview Pattern Catalog; when I entered the Chado/Ralph Rucci dress (Vogue 1239) I was informed that it was already in my stash.  I couldn't believe I'd duplicated it...but it turns out I didn't.  I have a Vogue/ Perry Ellis skirt pattern from something like 1990 that has the same number.  So, yeah, you know you're a SERIOUS pattern stasher when the numbers start to repeat...

Fall Colors

I made one last purchase; this may Be It for the year, unless some unforeseen need (or unbelievable sale...) arises.

Or I do a bunch of sewing. :-D

These all colors needed for choir for the rest of the season. They're from Fashion Fabrics Club and all listed as rayon/lycra jersey knits; however, the green and the yellow both feel a little beefier/loftier than the cream and the orange and they're wrinkling much less; I think they've got at least a touch of polyester in the mix.




I *hope* to use themvery soon, since knits sew up so fast. But there's a lot going on in the next month; we'll see.

I ordered a total of 7 yards; the FFC cutters must've been feeling generous (although one piece is damaged and may account for the extra goods) because I ended up with 9 7/8 yards.

The colors look really nifty together, don't they? The flash washed them out just a bit, but it's a great 'Color Me Beautiful' Autumn Palette.

Trouble is, I'm a Winter.

But you know, those colors looks so nice as a group, and I have extra fabric in each cut...I may color block a Madison Avenue dress...Cream on the shoulders, yellow midriff, orange upper skirt and green lower skirt. Or something like that. In my spare time...LOL...

Nothin' like a sale...

It seems a little frivolous to post sale acquisitions on a day dedicated to the remembrance of those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom that we enjoy today, so I'll post this disclaimer that, even as I was shopping, I did hold gratitude for those who serve our country in the military and their families who sacrifice so much so they may. God bless you all.

But...Memorial Day sales are a fact of life, and I'd not be honest if I said I wasn't glad to be able to take advantage of them...even if it was only a trip to Hancock's with a pattern list in hand.

I picked up two pieces of decorator fabric for tablecloths...I've discovered that they pre-treat that stuff w/stain resistance, so it's PERFECT fabric for tablecloths! And it was under $3 /yard; I didn't take pictures of the fabric but I'll post pictures when I get the edges serged and they're turned into tablecloths. ;)

And I picked up a few patterns... once again, I'm not linking, because the burgers are coming off the grill momentarily and I've got to get back to fixing dinner...

I've always got my eyes open for likely costume pieces when the patterns are a buck apiece...they may not get used, or I may use only a detail, but at some point I'll be glad I picked them up.

Oh...there's the oven timer! Baked beans are done...have a wonderful Memorial Day, everyone! ;-)

Too Lazy to Link

I had to pick up a blue zipper from Hancock's today, and I discovered that Simplicity patterns were on sale for a dollar each (limit 10). Needless to say, I made sure I took advantage of that! However, I'm too lazy to link up a bunch of patterns tonight, so I'm cheating with a group shot...


Since I've been lamenting the lack of dresses in my summer wardrobe,6 out of the 7 patterns I purchased were dresses.

In all fairness, a couple of these will likely be made for for one of the Daughters; I'm thinking the Cynthia Rowley might be good for the Flute Player, and 2362 is on the short list for possible bridesmaids dresses. But, when they're a buck apiece...it's not a huge splurge.

As for me, I'm delighted to see some of the 'fit n flare' styles returning; I have two or three pieces of rayon crepe in the stash that have been there since the LAST time these styles were popular back in the '90's. Got 'em to to use with a pattern that looked terribly dated to me before I got them made up. So they've just been sitting the the bins. Now they *might* just see the light of day... ;)

And I *might* get around to actually trying one of my growing collection of Amazing Fit patterns.

Not that I haven't been doing a wee bit of sewing; I'm sitting here wearing the newest addition to the wardrobe, some deep fuschia Burda No-Side-Seam knit pants, which are pared up with the pink flowered Burda top I made in January. Wouldn't be caught dead in this outfit outside of my front door, but for lounging jammies on a coolish April evening...perfect....

But, those were unbelievably quick to sew up; projects that need more time are languishing. I'm feeling all inspired to sew (who wouldn't, after a New Pattern haul like that?)...just need time!!

...and the rest of them...

The Jalie patterns.

The prompt for the Jalies was two fold. I bought some lovely embroidered corduroy last summer in The Flute Players favorite color (orange) without knowing what it would be. We've had some discussions, and I really can't imagine it being anything other than a jeans jacket.

But try and find a classic jeans jacket for a girl's size 14. Jalie has one. I found it on the Jalie site, but it was listed as 'out of stock'. I sent an inquiry to see if it would be back in stock soon, and the very prompt reply was that the pattern is not going to be reprinted (a real shame, IMHO). However, the reply said that it appeared that there were a few left in stock at Pattern Review. So I sent Deepika a note, asking if she had any.

She did. And she had a sale on. And, since I'm a member, if I bought three patterns I'd get free shipping. So three patterns it was.

The first, of course, is the jeans jacket pattern 2321 (hm. There's a note that is says it's discontinued...wonder if it was there before?). Very classic.

I also picked up 2686, the classic pajamas. I know I have a TNT jammies pattern, but it is a unisex sizing and, to be honest, the more I've slept in it this year the more I find that it doesn't quite work; the shoulders are so wide that the arms bind when I roll over and catch the body just right. So I was sort of in the market for a lady-sized PJ pattern anyway. So I'm ready the next time silk charmeuse goes on a fabuloso sale somewhere(I intend to order six yards!!! No more shortages!)

Finally, I got 2909, the 'classic trousers'.

If you consider dropped-waist bootleg pants sized for stretch wovens a classic.

But, the eternal quest for pants for The Flute Player prompted it. I don't know how much more I can alter her size 14 TNT pattern up; time to move to Jalie so I can just keep tracing the next size. And, you never know, I might add pockets to it and make it up for myself.

But...I got the email yesterday. MacBeth has been cast and is going into production. Time to sharpen the costuming skills again. I don't know what the opening date is, and I don't know what the directors vision for the costuming will be (although The Actor has reported that it's going to be a Tim Burton-esque type of production).

I should hit the sewing room soon and hard if I want any new things for any closets here.

Got Patterns

According to my online pattern catalog at Pattern Review, I only bought 13 patterns last year.

I suppose that's not surprising, since I had Burda magazine arriving with a fistful of new patterns every month.

This year, however, looks like it might be a bit different. I hit a couple of sales...at Hancock's and Pattern Review...and added 9 patterns to the collection in a week. Better not keep that pace up over the year, eh?

I've been waffling forever over Vogue 7975. Many times I pulled it out of the drawer at the store, only to put it back. I finally decided I'd just get it and quit debating it.

I also picked up Vogue 1132 because I love that back peplum...even though it's gotten some mixed reviews.

I wanted the blouse from Vogue 1127, and I like the princess lines on Vogue 8598. I have some white fabric that should be a shirt; this is on the short list to use.

I grabbed Simplicity 2446, delighted that they had it in stock, as it's in the new release. Love those shoulder princess lines!

Finally, I picked up a variation on the jeans jacket, McCall's 5860

I really wanted to get Mc Call's 6028, but they were sold out in my size range. I'll have to watch for the next Hobby Lobby sale...

I also mail ordered three Jalie patterns from Pattern review, but I'm late for choir practice so I'll have to share those tomorrow! ;)