10 Alteration DVD Giveaway!!!!

My jaw almost hit the floor when I found out that Mr. Jim was giving away 10 of his Alteration 2 Disc DVD sets!!! Sign me up PLEASE! LOL!!! As most of you know Mr. Jim is the Master Tailor I'm currently taking classes with. I talked about him in this POST. He's kind of new to the blogging community but is already making a good impression. Heck, I love him because he's an OUTSTANDING Tailor and he can simplify even the most complex sewing tasks. He really knows how to motivate me and make me push my skill limits! We're almost finished with my first pants project. Then it will be on to jackets. I can't wait!!!
 Anyhow if you want to try and win one of his 10 Alterations DVD's you have to go to his page and do the following:

Giveaway Rules

1. Leave a comment on HIS GIVEAWAY post with your name. (This is a great time for me to get to know you.)

2. Announce His GIVEAWAY on your Blog and/or Facebook page and include a link to it. (We want to share the opportunity!!! Also please leave the name/link of your blog...I'd love to visit!!!)

 His Giveaway link is here.....
http://finetailoringbyjim.blogspot.com/2013/08/im-giving-away-my-alteration-dvd-to-10.html

Again go to his blog link and leave a comment and announce the giveaway to others to be included!

McCall's 6752--- The Watercolor Painting Dress

I've been having a blast sewing for my clients & doing my tailoring class homework as of late but I just had to squeeze in a small project for myself. I got the unction to make this dress on last weekend but just didn't get around to it. I couldn't let that happen 2 weekends in a row. The pattern itself is fairly simple and I love the grecian style draped bodice and shoulders. There aren't too many dress patterns I would wear with so much ease in the bodice but this was done perfectly. I paired this pattern with a wonderful drapey knit fabric brought to me by a friend who lives in Portugal. I've had it in my stash for good little while. It's absolutely beautiful and I'm happy I held off on using it until now. I love the shades of blue, black, gray---all on a white background. It's remniscent of a lovely water color painting. Thanks M.L. for the fabric!!! Be sure to bring me back some more (wink). Anywho, this dress was an easy one to get through. I cut it out Saturday night sewed for a bit and finished it off on Sunday morning. Here's the review.....

McCall's 6752

Time to Sew:

About 2.5 hours

Sewing Ease (scale 1 easy to 10 difficult):

It's a 3, very easy.

Pattern Description:

Loose fitting overlapped bodice with elasticized waist and semi fitted skirt.

(draped bodice up close)

Pattern Sizing:

I cut the size 8 for the bodice and graded to a size 12 for the hips.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

YES!!!

Were the instructions easy to follow?

YES!!!

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I loved the drapey bodice. It looks really grecian.

Fabric Used:

It's a poly knit blend given to me from a friend who lives in Portugal.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

Nothing serious---just made my usual changes. I stabilized the shoulders with clear elastic and used my coverstitch machine to finish the neckline and armholes. I did add 3" length to this pattern and it still was a bit short on me so I didn't hem it. I think I will go back and do so but very narrowly.

What would you do differently next time?:

Nothing really.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

I probably will! I loved the style and wholeheartedly recommend it to others!

Wardrobe Versatility:

I think this would be cute to wear with a tailored white jacket---or even a black or blue one! It would also look great with a cardigan for the Fall.

Conclusion:

Lovely dress!!!

Sewing Jots and Tittles 8.18.13

Happy Sunday!!! Hope you're having a restful day. Here's my usual "Sewing Jots and Tittles" post detailing the goings on in my overactive little brain. Look on if you dare......

Sewing, Fashion and Such

 Haven't seen in stores yet. Don't really need since I have a serger but I'm curious......I wonder how different it is from wooly nylon???

 Saw this dress at the Museum of Science and History in Jacksonville, FL. The details were stunning......

 and so were these.......this silk dress was beautifully sewn!

LOL! At night you can see all of my dressforms from outside!

Been on a bit of a Craftsy binge! I'm learning tailoring but have to get my draping in too! Got'em for $14.95 & $19.95! Love a good Craftsy sale! Now if I can only find time to watch them!!!

Easily my favorite sewing tool!!! Love these!!!

Tailoring class is going great!!!! You can read more about it HERE. I'm learning so much!!! We're fine tuning my pants pattern now.

I bought it!!! Love walking down memory lane. My favorite bio's are the one's from the "self taught" contestants!!!! Very inspiring!!!

Almost done! Been working on this for the last month. Lots of client work and tailoring class interruptions!

Non-Sewing

Who remembers this stuff??? Go ahead and date yourself!!! My Mom used to use it when I was a little girl.

 Who knew soy, dairy and gluten free could be so good???

 Lightning struck a tree at my job. You can see straight through it now!!!

 My Hubby did a great job playing " DwayneWilson" in the play "Harvey"!!!

 Food staging is so interesting. How in the world do they get the flakes to stand straight up. I bet it's not even milk in the bowl. Probably glue! LOL!

 After a full day at the water park (upper pic on left) someone had a hard time waking up the next morning.  Someone's gotta teach her how to "handle her fun" a bit better! What a hangover!!! LOL!!!!

 Best salad dressing ingredients!!!

Why I love to drive in Savannah----rows of trees!!!

I couldn't find this stuff anywhere. Amazon.com to the rescue. Can't wait to use it next time I make ribs or pulled chicken!

What a great fortune!

The Real Doc McStuffins......

With all of the stuff I have on my plate---tailoring classes, client work, and trying to squeeze in sewing my personal wardrobe---I end up with some new sewing tasks.....repairing holes in daughter's favorite stuffed animals.

 Here are the patients l to r: Pink poodle with the big creepy eyes (my opinion LOL!), Pooh, and the Dragon Pillow!

That's right, a few of my daughter's "companions" need surgery. Well what's a Mom to do but oblige. I guess I did a wonderful job with Sally's neck surgery the last time that I'll keep getting future patients.

(The Wee-One and Sally a few months after neck surgery! See all better! She even made Sally a new dress!)

I'm really beginning to feel like Doc McStuffins! LOL! Ever seen that show? It's about a young girl who can talk to toys and helps to repair them! It's cute!

Well I'm pushing through this mountain of "sewing-to-do's" and should have some pretty cool stuff to show soon! I've inserted pockets and zippers in my tailored pants. Just have to add front to the back and try on. I can't wait to show you them.......   Until then, happy sewing to all!!!!

The Master Tailor and the Dressmaker

Whew!!!! My world has been a bit of a whirlwind for the last couple of months or so. I mentioned before that I was taking Tailoring classes! That's right, trying to take this sewing skill to the next level. This endeavor has really evolved into one of my greatest joys and something I'm quite passionate about. I've learned alot in a short period of time and I can definitely credit my teacher. His name is James McFarland (most folks know him as Gentleman Jim) and he is a Master Tailor with 52 years of experience. That's right, don't let his young looks fool you (smile)! When I say that Gentleman Jim, or as I like to call him Mr. Jim, has earned the title of Master Tailor that's an understatement. He's truly a master at his craft. Any person that can sew up a pair of pants in 15 minutes (that's fly zipper, bagged pockets, etc) and completely tailor a coat in about 2 hours deserves to be called a Master. Back in his NYC days he had high profile clients like James Brown, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Duke Ellington etc. and many more. After his stint in NYC he moved to Atlanta where he opened his own shop and made quite the name for himself. Now he's settled in Savannah and although he still sews for others his focus is on training and teaching other's the tailoring craft at his studio, The Savannah Sewing Academy. He admits that to a degree tailoring is a dying art. There aren't alot of people teaching it the way he learned it. He's hoping to change that by spreading his knowledge on to others. He's super passionate about teaching and I consider it to be a great honor to be one of his students!  Anyhow you can read more about Mr. Jim and learn more about his tailoring techniques over at his new blog "The Lost Art of Fine Tailoring" located at finetailoringbyjim.blogspot.com.

 It's quite amazing, tailoring is indeed so very different from dressmaking. Tailoring is definitely the step above dressmaking. The skills required to give impeccable structure and refinement to garments are amazing. I've learned just a few of his techniques and am amazed at how differently he does things vs. the way the home sewer and even fashion design student does them. His techniques for making pants pocket and fly zippers are super fast and yield the best results I've seen! Anyhow, expect to be hearing more about my experiences in the future. I'm currently working on a pair of tailored pants. And you know how I've worked tirelessly in the past to try and fit my figure type. Quite tirelessly (you may recall my posts from February and March of this year!) Anyhow, I'm already learning some new methods of fitting pants and am quite amazed at how much easier it is to make pants using tailoring methods. As Mr. Jim says it's all about technique. Well I definitely look forward to learning more of these tailoring techniques. I'd love to be able to make a tailor suit for my husband and even make him trousers. And I'd love to make a few coats for myself that are impeccable tailored. I'm really starting to drool at the thought.------- Ok enough of my fantasizing, well make sure you stop by Mr. Jim's blog to say hi! Leave a friendly message if inclined Again, he's at finetailoringbyjim.blogspot.com. You can follow him on FB, Bloglovin, etc. He's just getting underway but plans to post ALOT of helpful info! Word on the street is he's planning a BIG GIVEAWAY in the near future. But you didn't hear that from me (wink).

Anyhow I'm off to finish my tailoring class homework. I can put in a front fly and zipper with my eyes closed. Will keep you abreast of my class progress................

Time to dust off those sewing dreams.......

I ran across this Forbes article on today about an 11 year old entrepreneur who has a successful bow tie business. That's right, you read right---he's only 11. There's also a 15 year old girl who sales fancy flip flops called "fish flops". She sold over $1 million dollars worth!!!! That's just astonishing!!! Now if you have some sewing dream or goal and this article doesn't inspire you to pursue it (and give you a swift kick in the butt) then nothing else will. Do you have a sewing dream, goal or passion? What are you waiting for???? Well make it happen already!!!! If an 11 & 15 year old can do it so can you!!! Trust me this "pep talk" is just as much for me as it is for you.Get those dreams off the shelf and dust them off!!! It's time to make it happen!!!! Remember......

What Really Scares Me......

For some reason, as of late, my soon to be six year old has been on a mission to try and scare me. She wants to see if she can get a startled reaction out of me. She tries to sneak up on me, hide and jump out of closets, etc but it never works. What can I say, I’m pretty slow to react. Well on tonight she tried one last attempt—sneaking up on me while I was seated and screaming right next to me. Needless to say it was another epic fail because I didn’t even flinch and the only thing that I ended up with was a ringing ear drum. What can I say, I’m not very reactive. She was so disappointed!!! You know, only in the way that little kids are---the way that melts your heart.  I literally felt bad for her. So I thought I’d give her a break and help her out. You know give her a hint on how to scare me. And it’s hilarious, without skipping a beat I told her “ if you really want to scare me trying pretending to use my good sewing scissors to cut paper”. I was amazed at how quickly that slipped out. And how true that is…….the thought utterly terrifies me!!!LOL! What can I say we serious sewers are an interesting breed, huh?!? LOL!!!! That's one of my sewing nightmares (knocking on wood). What's yours?