Replacement Dressform, New Fabric, & a Birthday Boy!

Wow, it's been an exciting couple of days!!! I'm in the middle of cranking out projects. I hope to have at least 3 dresses and 2 tops to begin posting about beginning this weekend. But the best news is I received my replacement dressform on yesterday!!!!! It turned out perfectly! I haven't had a chance to put her on the stand just yet. The bust issues were resolved and I have to admit it looks strikingly like me. The high derrierre issue was sorta resolved. It's just so hard to stuff the butt to look just like my own. But it looks close enough and that's all that counts. I'm so STOKED with the final results!!!! Thanks Andy's Dressform of NYC!!!! I wholeheartedly recommend them!!! This form will definitely expedite my sewing!!!!

I also got in new fabric today.  Man, that was FAST!!!! I just posted about the 50% off knit sale on Tuesday and placed my order that same day. I LOVE KNITS!!! I've got plans for these beauties. I know many of you caught the same sale and racked up. Here's what I copped......

Purple and black snake print knit (I've secretly always wanted this print). It would make for a sassy dress.

Various animal prints---matte jersey

This was called Red/Black strokes and is a jersey knit.

This is a Rayon jersey with words. Think this would be cool in a funky off-shoulder design.

And the best news of the day is it's my Hubby's birthday!!!!! I couldn't think of a more special person I'd want to celebrate!!!! He is my rock and next to Jesus, the best thing that's ever happened to me!!!! He's a wonderful Hubby & Father. This guy repeatedly ignores my fabric store trips (giggles) and will gladly drop me off (noticed I said drop off) at any fabric store I want to visit---even while on vacation. I appreciate that he respects my craft. He's without a doubt my best critic and supporter.

Here's to you Jimmy--- hope you enjoy your day and I look forward to spending more birthday's with you!!!

Knits 50% off at Fabric.com

I almost overlooked this email and was happy I spotted it this morning. It appears this sale began at midnight. There are some really nice selections beginning at $2.99/yd. I always like to hold out for sales like these and then stock up. And you know I LOVE knits! I grabbed  4 pieces. If you do choose to buy, take it easy and don't hurt yourself because savings of this kind can send one into a buying frenzy (giggle)!

My Best Sewing Dream to Date!!!!

It's funny, as much as I OBSESS over sewing, I don't have many sewing related dreams. Now I've been known to interrupt a good night's rest stressing over a serious project deadline. But I don't recall too many memorable sewing dreams. Well I'll always remember last night's. What a peculiar dream it was. Ok, here's what happened....

I was at some random fashion show somewhere. The details are quite foggy. To be quite honest it looked like I was in a darkened high school gymnasium somewhere. There was nothing fancy about the venue. I don't even know who the designers were. However, there were loads of people there which made it a big event. I was standing off to the side when I noticed a fellow with dark hair walk past me. Then I realized it was the famed fashion designer Zac Posen!!! Now, he could possibly be in my dream considering I was watching the movie Seamless the other day and he did a cameo in it!!! Anyhow, I looked at him as he walked past me hastely. It seems like he was in a hurry and trying to go unnoticed. He looked a little different as well. He had longer hair---wavy and shoulder length, as opposed to his usual short crop and he was wearing a dark trench coat. So when I saw him I instantly got star struck and clammed up out of nervousness. But the fear of him getting away prompted me into action. I managed to move fast enough to tap him on the arm and get his attention. He looked at me understandably annoyed. I quickly introduced myself and told him how much I was a fan of his work. I think I was talking a mile a minute. This seemed to disarm him a bit. He still looked somewhat annoyed so I began to turn on the wit and charm a bit (I surprised myself!!!). Actually I turned it on alot and within a few minutes I had him laughing. Man, I wish I could remember exactly what I said!!! At some point I explained that I was a home sewer and that I could be useful helping him in his studio. I even agreed to sew buttons & notions on his garments for him. I practically told him he needed me & I would be a big asset to him. I was pulling for straws ya'll---anything that would get me in that man's studio.Well what I said must have worked---because he agreed. And when he did the strangest thing happened. I could hear my own thoughts and feel my emotions in the dream. In that split second, deep inside, I knew I just had a big opportunity that would change my life. If I could just be close enough to him and his work it would GREATLY affect my own and catapult me to being a more outstanding seamstress, a designer and beyond. It was actually a great feeling---one of depth, clarity and purpose. It was enlightening!!!
 

The next thing I know, I had my arm hooked in his and we're talking about his work some more. He then asked me to hold a seat for him at the fashion show while he left for a minute. I was soooooo excited!!!  I went and grabbed two upfront seats and awaited his accompaniment. The show just started to get underway and I anxiously awaited his return. To be honest a part of me wondered if he'd really return. Then all of a sudden I felt a tap on my cheek. A light but gentle pat............I looked up......and opened my eyes to see my 4 year old asking to snuggle next to me. WHAT!!!! She woke me out of my dream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, she did so for a good reason--I like snuggle time too---BUT I'll never know if Zac came back and what became of our lives together. LOL!!! I know, maybe a little too dramatic. But it was a great dream. If anything, I think it revealed my deep subconcious thoughts about excelling at this sewing thing. I don't really know what will become of my sewing but I have alot of sewing goals and I plan to work diligently toward them. With that being said, I've gotta get back to a dress I'm sewing.

But I'm sure I'm not the only one who has had a fabulous "Sewing dream". Care to share???

How Low Do You Go???

 
I was out of town for a wonderful church retreat this weekend (I feel so refreshed and renewed) and am back to try and make some progress on my current project, Simplicity 2222. I'm making view B, the dress sketched on the right side of the envelope. I love this style and plan to make it in a bright yellow twill. I've been wanting a bright yellow dress for some time.

Well all the pieces are cut out and I did a quick fitting on my custom dressform. Well from the sketch I knew the bodice was a little long and loose and was designed to pool over the waistline. This means there's a good deal of extra length in the bodice patterns. I looked at finished versions of this dress on Pattern Review.com and saw this was indeed the case.

Then it dawned on me!!! I'm SHORT-WAISTED---even more so in the back. I looked at the pattern pieces more closely and they're super long extending 6 1/2" longer than the waist (the waistline is marked on the pattern and lines up with the dressform waistline. Take a look at this pic.....

If I made this dress up as is I think it would be a nightmare!!!  There would just be too much extra fabric in the waist area. There's supposed to be some but not too much. The last thing I want to do is look like I'm wearing a burlap sack or have a dropped waistline that was obviously too low for my frame. I hope my rationale makes sense. Anyone else out there have some perspective on this matter. I'd love to know your opinion. Should I chop off some waist length or just leave it long and wear the waistline a little lower than normal? Does a dropped waistline even look good on a short-waisted frame. Would love to hear your thoughts!

My "Sewing Bucket List"

While reading a fitness magazine in the sauna a couple of weeks ago,  I ran across an article with a celebrity who was relatively young and was creating a bucket list--a list of things to do before you die. I found a neat article on the subject HERE. It got me to thinking about my own goals. In truth, I've only known about the term for a few years and thought that was something to be pursued upon retirement. But that is definitely not the case. I have a ton of goals that I'm looking into pursuing now. I plan someday SOON to go to Greece, see the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, etc. My hubby wants us to participate in the "Running of the Bulls" in Pamplona, Spain. Is he out of his mind or what.  I'd settle for wearing the red scarf and viewing from an upstairs window LOL!!! I have so many ideas and aspirations and definitely need to commit them to paper and create some plans.

Well all of this thinking and planning got me to wondering about my sewing related goals. Well first off, we all know my ultimate goal and purpose of this blog is to log 10,000 Hours of Sewing/Sewing related activities. I think we're all clear on that (smile). But in the midst of that If I were to create a Sewing Bucket List, what would it look like? I hadn't had all that much time to do alot of research or ponder this but here are the immediate things that come to mind.......

1. Visit Paris and attend a Fashion week show.

2. Make a garment for a famous person. Note: This I'm sure will make it MUCH easier to get into a Paris
    Fashion week show! LOL!!!
3. Visit the LA Fashion District.
4. Visit NYC Garment District  Done!!! Twice!!! Plan to go back again!!!

5. Attend at least one NYC Fashion Week Show. Would love to see an Elie Saab show!!!

6. Create my own sewing patterns and distribute.
7. Create a sewing video.
8. Write a sewing book.
9. Visit Japan's Fabric district. Is there really one?
10. Make a wedding dress for a client. Done!!! Would love to do that again!!!

(Client & Hubby who had wedding in Jamaica I think a few years back)

11. Create my own Spring Fashion line (it's my favorite Season). I already have some sketches and
      would love to bring them to life!!!!
12. Visit some textile mills in NC and buy fabric.

13. Have a Custom Dressform made Done!!! The replacement is on the way!
14. Visit India to buy silks.

15. Attend the largest sewing conference. What is that by the way???? I've been to the Original Sewing       & Quilting Expo but that's a smaller one.
16. Start a sewing business Done!!! Been going strong for about 6 years now!
17. Teach sewing at a Non-Profit organization or heck, start my own!!! My focus would be to create a       positive image through sewing. I ALWAYS love to give back.
18. Teach sewing classes on a larger scale. Not the I love to teach and empower others!!! Teaching      sewing in an undeveloped country would also be cool. Sewing is an awesome skill.
19. Make a couture gown. Visiting Chanel's Haute Couture workshop wouldn't be a bad idea either!!!
20. Be a guest writer for a sewing magazine.

Update:  5/18/12 It hasn't even been 24 hours and I've already thought of some things I left off of my list.....

21. Sew my Daughter's Prom Dress---if she let's me.
22. Sew my Daughter's WEDDING dress---by that time (she's only 4 now) I should have logged close to   30,000 sewing hours. I think I'll be more than qualified! LOL! Of course, only if she wants me too:)
23. Become an expert at draping and pattern making!!!! I hope to take a college course and alot of       self-teaching to get me there.

Well that's what I have for now and trust me this list will grow as you just witnessed. I'm happy at where I've started and look forward to making these goals a reality. I know some of these things seem a little lofty but it was Steve Garvey who said " You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent potential. That's well said!!!!

What, pray tell, does your sewing bucket list look like? What are your top 3 goals? I'm interested in hearing them!!!

A Change in Plans = A Creation of Plans

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mother's out there!!!! I hope everyone enjoyed their day. I know I sure did!!! My celebration began late Friday night. After returning from a fun play date with my daughter, my Goddaughter and her mom I came home to see my planned Mother's day dress lying on my cutting table only partially cut out. I stared at it for a good 5 minutes and knew I had a crucial decision to make. I would have to spend most of Saturday sewing to get it done in time for Sunday. I thought, and thought and then I made my decision. Hey it was Mother's day weekend and I decided to take the time to enjoy!!! I would've enjoyed sewing but not so much since I would've been racing against the clock and stressing a bit. So I scrapped the dress idea and pulled out one of my old time fave's and planned my Saturday and Sunday activities.

I've had a blast these last 2 days and this was indeed a RESTFUL weekend. I enjoyed  a date night with the hubby, did some retail therapy, tried a new restaurant, and enjoyed just plain hanging out. It was nice!!!

  (I promise you my Child can't just take a normal picture. She always has to pose! SMH, LOL! BTW, this is one of my favorite tops. I love a cute off the shoulder blouse.)

So much so that I ended up having a BIG epiphany that put me on track to begin sewing for May & June, my current 10,000 Hour challenge months. But before I get into that, let's recap the March & April's sewing:

For March & April I sewed 6 items (check the right side of blog for list) which is ok but I was aiming for more. I had 2 tops I was working on but didn't make it in time. These were 2 great months because I got to make 4 special occasion pieces. They were:

*My Daugther's Masquerade Ball dress
*My Gala Gown
*And my Daughter and I's Easter dresses

I racked up around 153 sewing & sewing related activity hours these past 2 months.

So March & April proved to be some memorable sewing months but now I'm looking forward to really getting down with the "nitty gritty" so to speak with May & June.  We're almost half way through the month so I've got to catch up. Oh yeah, back to my epiphany. Well I've been a bit frustrated about my wardrobe as of late. I just really want to add some pieces that I believe will get alot of mileage.  So I won't go into details about the struggle I've been having for the last couple of months but I will say I came to a big conclusion while shopping in Hancock's today. I've come to realize that if I had to define my style I would define it as..........wait for it......it's coming........almost there......FUN and SIMPLE!!!! I'm sure that was so disappointing for some of you but that was the BEST conclusion I've come to. I'm very simple. I love color and patterns and simple lines.I love outfits that make me feel pretty and are effortless.  Since that's the case I should make that my aim with sewing. Instead of running around trying to come up with complicated ideas and plans I've resolved to keep it fun and simple---just like I like it. I can't tell you how it happened but I got smacked with some serious inspiration and began devising my sewing plans for this month.

Here's a sneak peek at some of my ideas.....sorry for the poor lighting.

 

 (Tops I plan to sew)

(Dress plans)

(More dress plans)

(2 pairs of leggings)

Well this is a look into some of my sewing plans for the next month and a half. I have 2 out of town trips and hopefully they won't thwart my plans too much. Mojo feels like it's bubbling over. I'm really looking forward to making up these pieces. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Hoping I can be super productive!!!!

Brutal Honesty / Mother's Day Dress

I know I'm supposed to share my upcoming sewing plans for the next 2 months but I'll have to postpone them because I'm in the middle of an EMERGENCY right now!!!! Mother's Day is Sunday and I NEED A NEW DRESS!!!! That's right, need! LOL! Mother's Day is such a SPECIAL day so I like to look my best. So I've been on the hunt a bit this evening and ended up getting into a discussion of my ideas with my Hubby. It ended up being a rather humorous conversation to say the least.

So I showed him this dress idea.......

The following conversation ensued.....

Me: Yeah, I was thinking of making this dress for Mother's Day and using this red and black checkered fabric. What do you think?
Hubby: Yeah......it (the pattern) looks like a glorified bathrobe!!!
Me: (Blinking)....What? I happen to find this very stylish and the bold pattern would make it pop!

Realizing this dress really wasn't going to work for the occasion, I leave the room to go rummage in my sewing room for more ideas. I return to speak to him.

Me: Yeah, to be honest, I really wanted something floral for Mother's day.
Hubby: Yeah that sounds much better than something with a computer grid on it.
Me: (Scoffs sarcastically) What a computer grid? It's not that bad!!! .............Well that's why I always ask your opinion.......(laughing) I know you're going to be completely honest with me!

I LOVE having conversations like this with my Hubby! I get to brainstorm with him and he provides me his opinion. I appreciate his honesty. And because of it I didn't end of settling for a quick dress pick out of desperation (for the record I totally plan to make the Vena Cava dress but not for Sunday). Besides he's WAY nicer than my 4 year old daughter. She has a really good fashion sense for her age. Between the both of them I know both of them won't let me leave the house looking like a hot mess!!!

So I did another search through my closet and patterns and tracked down a pattern and fabric that I really liked. This is what I came up with.

I plan on making view C, the one the model's wearing. My floral prints are rather large but I think this will work. And it got my Hubby's "thumb up" approval so I'm going for it. The fabric is really, really pretty. It's a polyester shantung and has a a pretty shimmer with vibrant colors. I'm hoping this turn out good. Well I've got some client work still to finish up and I'll be jumping on this dress.

But before I go, I have to know---Who do you turn to for "brutal honesty" regarding your fabric and pattern choices or clothes in general???

Revitalized Sewing

I don't know about you but this week has been B-U-S-Y!!!! I've had only a little time for client sewing but none for myself:(  I decided to pull away from it all to have a relaxing evening on the beach for some much needed rest, reflection, & relaxation. In addition to my family, the sound of waves the smell of the salty Atlantic and some books---I brought along a few patterns. I had EVERYTHING I needed to really relax. I enjoy chilling out at the beach as much as I enjoy visiting  fabric stores!!!! Taking time to relax & unwind is such a necessity and just what I needed to revitalize me and get those creative sewing juices flowing.

Due to my crazy week, I'm a little behind but I plan to wrap up the last 2 months of sewing and reveal my goals for May & June. I think I'll spend the weekend relaxing and sewing. My hubby is out of town so I think I'll spend most of the weekend like a hobbit, sequestered indoors and sewing. I'm anticipating that May & June will be 2 great sewing months.

Ok, let me get back to my relaxing weekend.  Can't wait to reveal my sewing plans.

So I'm curious, how do you unwind and recharge your sewing after bouts of busyness???