Vogue 8593........again

Work has been making my life just a little hectic so I thought I'd revisit a pattern I first made a couple of months ago (see This Post ). I'm pretty pleased with the results which were similar to the first time around with the exception of the fabric being slightly more stretchy and a great animal print. I'll probably make a couple more of these in the sleeveless version. Ok, I've gotta get back to working on my Easter dress (see last post). I've vowed that I won't be sewing up until I walk out of the door this year. Off to it.........

Guess What I'm Working On........

 Yep I got my hands on Vogue 1182 and am in the process of tweaking the fit on the muslin and I owe my decision to the help of you Guys (especially you Megan)!!! When I had trouble chosing my Easter outfit in this Post you Guys chimed in and helped me make a decision. It was weird, but just like that I knew Vogue 1182 would be perfect for my Easter dress.


But there was just one problem----- Vogue 1182 hadn't even made it into stores just yet. So I had to figure out a way to get that pattern here and FAST! Well to cut the story short, I was able to Google the  McCall Company phone number, talk to a rep, and get them to send it to me by priority mail. I ordered it on Thursday and it ended in my hands on Saturday afternoon. Thank you Jesus, and thank you Kim (one of the helpful customer service reps)! That was my first time ordering directly from the Vogue/McCall/Butterick Pattern co. and I sure was satisfied with the level of customer service. I hope this dress turn out well. Keep your fingers crossed for me:)

Warning: Watching Kell On Earth may cause Heartburn!!!!!

 Why does it always seem like I need to take an antacid after I watch an episode of "Kell on Earth". Ok so I really don't suffer from heartburn after watching this show, I'm just overexaggerating. But I  have to admit, I was pretty shock and wound up after watching the first couple of episodes. They don't call it "Kell on Earth" for no reason. The situations and people on this show are just so "high strung" and "extremely intense"--but still strangely fascinating--the line of work that is. Have any of you seen this show? It's a pretty interesting reality show and give you a look into the inner workings of the People's Revolution Fashion PR firm. If you haven't seen it, here's what Bravo TV says about it on their website:

According to Bravo TV.com this show is about.......

......a behind the scenes look at the high-powered and fast-paced world of fashion PR when Bravo debuts its newest series "Kell on Earth," featuring public relations guru Kelly Cutrone.
Cutrone has been called one of the "coolest, most intimidating persons ever," and, judging from her frank demeanor and fashion world credibility, it's easy to see why. Bravo takes a no holds barred look into the life of one of America's most legitimate tastemakers as she balances running her wildly successful fashion PR company, People's Revolution, juggling Fashion Weeks in New York and London, with being a single mother and one of New York's most notable women about town.

Well from my opinion, when it comes to describing Kelly Cultrone, the word intimidating is the right one.  I'm not one to usually pick apart people, because we are who we are and everyone isn't "little miss nicey". But based on observations, Kelly is quite the tough cookie. She's a "no hold's barred-take it-shut up-and like it kinda chick". I think it's a combination of the type of work and her gritty personality.

Her hardcore personality is a tad bit humorous and over the top. Her book title (on the right) is pretty interesting too and reveals her personality. I do respect her definitely as a business woman and for the reputation she's established in the fashion world. Hey you can't have a great fashion show without a great PR group. But I have to admit that at times I feel so sorry for her employees because they're always so stressed and overworked and they're always being cursed at and sometimes berated. But maybe it's the nature of the beast and the price to pay for working in that part of the fashion world. Not my cup of tea by any means. I am of the strange notion that one can run a great business while at the same time treat others respectfully and with dignity.

After watching a couple of episodes I really didn't have an interest to check anymore out. Well today I took in another episode and I'm beginning to get used to the brutality LOL!!! It's becoming less shocking especially since I know what to expect now. Hey this was my first glimpse into the world of fashion PR and it's an eye opener--but in a good way. Maybe I expected everything to be a little more "cookie cutter" and that everyone would unite for the sake of fashion and work harmoniously together.  I didn't know what I was thinking. But it's definitely a different world that I imagined and I appreciate the reality check, no pun intended (smile). 

Anywho, if you've got the time to check it out please do. If you have, what's your opinion of this feisty show???

Possible Easter Dress Patterns/ New Vogue Summer Patterns

Ok--- I finally have narrowed down a few patterns for my Easter dress. A couple of blog posts ago I introduced my Easter fabric. It is......

Now, I feel I have a little challenge with pairing this fabric with the right pattern. The look and feel of this pattern exudes such elegance.  If I pick a pattern that's too elaborate, all the fabric will do is drown out the design elements.So I'm trying to find a pattern that is simple yet elegant.

Well I pulled a few patterns out of my stash that I thought would work. They are......

McCall 6024

(I'm thinking maybe the middle dress with the sleeves)

Simplicity 2888

(....Or maybe the dress on the left)

Simplicity 2926

(The dress on the left and bottom right caught my eye also)

Simplicity 3877

(I love all of these looks but the one on the right would be stunning in this fabric.)

But then I went online to do a few searches too and stumbled on the newest season of Vogue Patterns. Immediately this pattern popped out at me. It's Vogue 1182 and it's Spectacular!!! It's by the designer Kay Unger. I imagine that this dress could look very pretty in a floral print!

 I plan to go hunt it down on Thursday. I hope it isn't so new that I can't get it in JoAnn's or Hancock Fabrics now!

Time is moving quickly and I need to come to a quick decision. I hope to have this figured out by week's end so I can get started. I'll gladly take any opinions!!!

Maximizing your Sewing Time: Tip #32 - Prepare Meals Ahead of Time

I've been thinking about starting a blog segment on "Tips to Maximize your Sewing Time" for several months now. It seems appropriate since my entire blog is centered around accumulating sewing time to accomplish specific sewing goals. As you all know, this is a difficult task for us all. There's only 24 hours in the day so it takes a bit of discipline and sometimes sacrifice in other areas of our lives to make this possible.

These are some of the tips I've discovered in my quest to try to balance life as first a Wife, Mom, Full Time Employee, Business Owner, and Seamstress.  I plan to post a tip weekly or biweekly and feel free to chime in with your thoughts. Here goes for the first one.......BTW they're not in chronological order--it just feel more fun this way! LOL!

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Maximizing your Sewing Time:  Tip #32- Prepare Meals Ahead of Time

I love home cooked meals but I don't necessarily like to come home after working 8 or so hours and cook a healthy meal from scratch every single day. A couple nights a week is one thing but just not every single night. For the night that I can't cook, I rely on meals that I've prepared ahead of time and put in the freezer.....you know, "freezer meals".

Several year ago I began to notice how much time I was investing in making meals and searched for an idea that would allow me to provide my family with some "Home Cookin' " and at the same time free up some extra time----time that could be spent SEWING!!! Fortunately, I ran across the idea of making meals ahead of time and freezing them several years back. I bought a sizable chest freezer and a few great cookbooks with freezer compatible recipes and tips. I eventually settled on the idea of cooking one to 2 weeks in advance (planning a month ahead was just a little too much work for me).

I have to admit that this method really has revolutionized how I prepare meals for my family. Now I don't stress out as much about what we're going to eat. I also discovered that it has saved me a good bit of money as well. Planning my meals and making them ahead of time have helped prevent buying last minute take-out that wasn't factored into our budget! And it has indeed freed up extra sewing time for me which is definitely a plus. Now I can usually come home, spend time with my family, and then hide out in my sewing room for a few hours:)


Here are a few of the books I use and recommend. The recipes in these are amazing and I usually will always make a double batch of anything I cook. I'll make some to eat for the night and some to freeze for next time. You can go to Amazon.com to check get a sneak peak into a few of things and check out the recipes for yourself:

 

What meal preparation tips do you have to share???

Which came first: The Pattern or The Fabric???

This is kind of a silly question to ponder when it comes to sewing. It's like the the age old question "Which came first, the Chicken or the Egg"?
You arrive at a great end result but ponder at where it all began. No philosophical answers are needed since I'm only being facetious (smile). Well over the years I've noticed a pattern at which I usually arrive at a sewn garment. Majority of the time I manage to find the fabric first and then end up finding the pattern. Finding fabric for me is more of an instinctive sort of thing. I always usually trust my instincts and I have to admit they're pretty good and at times a little daring. This may make it a little difficult sometimes to find an appropriate pattern. But I usually do in the end and the result is usually a great finished garment. I don't know what it is really, but fabric really inspires me and get my creative juices to flowing.

For example I picked this fabric up the other day and just fell in love with it. It's actually the fabric for my Easter dress and the sash for my daughter's dress (we have to match a little).

It's spectacular and has somewhat of a shantung weave (sorry the pic is a little blurry). The colors are so rich and bold. I love it, I love it, I love it!!! I have a few ideas for patterns and am narrowing it down, hoping to have a solid pick by weeks end.


So tell me, what's your method of ending up with a beautifully sewn garment. Do you usually find the fabric first or do you like to find the pattern and then shop for fabric????

Furlough Day Ends Sewing Withdrawal!!!!

You know you've got a busy work week when it takes a furlough day to help give you some sewing time. Such has been the case with me. I mean I haven't sewn one stitch since Sunday--NOT ONE!!!  Do you know how DIFFICULT that's been for me. There are no words. I feel like a "Sewing Junkie" going through withdrawal symptoms. Ok, so it's not that serious but when you're stressed it sorta feels like it sometime, huh? But thank goodness for my furlough day!!!  Tomorrow I'm going to sew like there's no tomorrow (wink)!!!!

But all my excessive work has been for a good reason. My research group is going to ALASKA--yah!!!!! I work at an Oceanographic institute and I specifically work with a scientist who studies bacteria in the marine environment. Well we're headed to the Arctic circle (you know where the North pole is)

to check out the bacteria there and see what they're doing up there. We'll be going off and on for the next 2 years. This year I'll be going in a couple of weeks or in August--we haven't decided just yet.  I'll spare you the details but I've been swamped with packing supplies and cold weather gear----because it's a "cool" -30F there--and yes I said "negative 30 degrees F" there right now. But there's one major question I have yet to answer, "Is there a fabric store in Barrows, Alaska"?


Well I've desperately missed sewing and posting as frequently and I need to make up for lost time. Because you know I've got some 10,000 hour challenge goals to fulfill for the month. So with a few days left in this week,  I thought this would be a great time to revisit a beloved pattern I made for the first time in January. Remember this look.....

Vogue 8593

Well I'm feeling a little daring--maybe because of my serious withdrawal but what do you think about it in this....hmmmmmm. I'm loving it!

Gotta get to work on this one to have it ready by church on Sunday.  Hopefully all that pent up sewing frustration from the last few days will work to my advantage and I'll be able to churn this one out quickly.