I See Cardigans in My Immediate Future.......

I'm definitely not a fan of cold weather! So I try to refrain from even thinking about the upcoming fall and winter and will go as far as putting off my cold weather sewing until the very last minute. Yeah, as if that will prevent the impending Fall or Winter. Fortuntely I live in a subtropical climate which makes it easier for me to have this case of denial/procrastination.
   However I ran across a great cardigan pattern and actually became quite excited about the cooler weather. At the very least I can wear it at my place of work NOW which is always freezing to me!!! It's McCall's 6084 and I soooo love it! I'm sure everyone has this pattern by now. Isn't it too cute!!! I'm raving about this pattern. It just goes to show you how much of a simple girl I really am!!! LOL! Hey I'm all about cute knits!!!

So I started looking for fabric. I have a plethora of knit fabric but will only use a thin and  knit jersey that drapes well.   Well I was at Wal-Mart earlier this morning and saw a bin of fabric containing several bolts. Upon further investigation I noticed that each bolt contained 5 yards of fabric for $5. And what did I see? The perfect knit fabric for my cardigans. So needless to say without even blinking an eye I bought 6 bolts of a variety of colors. So 30 yards for $1/yd.  And I only need 2 yards max of each color for the long sleeve cardigan.  After that I'll have enough leftover fabric to make tops, dresses, etc.  So here's the fabric I bought.....Plum, Maroon, Deep Purple Tan, Charcoal gray, & Teal.  Seriously, I could have a cardigan in every color imaginable. But I'll try to maintain some control! LOL!

So I'm excited I have the perfect fabric for the job. Normally I don't like to use such a thin knit when making dresses but for a cardigan it's absolutely perfect!!! And with this pattern being 1 hour or so (which it says on the envelope), I hope to begin making a few in August or September. BTW, the last of my goodies also came in the mail today. Here they are....

I received The Sewing Answer Book and was suprised that it was such a tiny book. I've thumbed through it and my first impressions is that it's a great book for beginner sewers since it seems to answer basic sewing questions. I haven't really ran across anything I didn't know just yet, but I haven't read the whole thing, Hey if I get a few new tips that would be awesome. But I do think it's best for beginner sewers!!! I definitely may recommend it to some of my sewing students.
I can't wait to watch the Beautiful Sheers Simple DVD. Again, I've sewn with sheers (chiffon, georgette, etc) but I'm particular about the techniques I use. I'd like to see how the experts do it and see if they've got some great tips and shortcuts I haven't heard of. Plus, I've been eye-balling this Burda pattern and can't wait to make both looks (especially the one on the left) sometime next year in a cute sheer fabric!!! It's so Bohemian chic!

Well that's it for now. I've got a Burda top I need to finish sewing, a dress I'm making for a client (I'll blog about that soon) and a few client alterations. Things have been picking up and like most of you I've been busy, busy, busy. Until next time, Happy Sewing:)  BTW: You can watch the new episodes of Project Runway Season 8 online, if you were to busy to catch it this past Thursday. Just go to http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway!!!

Project Runway Season 8 premieres tomorrow!!!!

Oh my goodness, it's like it came out of nowhere!!! I was floored when I found out that Project Runway Season 8 premieres this week (July 29th at 9pm) on  Lifetime. What's worst is I haven't seen one commercial, but then again I don't watch Lifetime. I'm excited nontheless!!! The earlier time means I can catch it before bedtime!!! Also, rumor has it that the episodes are 90 minutes. I don't know if that's just the first or all of them. Hey the more Project Runway the merrier. Get more info HERE. I hope this is a good season!!! Enjoy.......

New Sewing Book & DVD

Thanks for all of your suggestions for a clothing label production company in my last post. I can't wait to go through the list and make comparisons. If you've still go more info please feel free to pass it on. Speaking of passing on info......here's a few sewing resources I just purchased. And BTW, I'm not receiving any kickbacks for listing these two products. I only wish I were that special! LOL!

It's been a while since I've made a sewing book or DVD purchase. My library is pretty well stocked and for the most part I have most all the books I need. But I ran across two resources which I felt I couldn't pass up. A couple of days ago I purchased this book from Amazon.com.

I first noticed this book when Carolyn offered it on her blog as a giveaway item. Ironically after I entered her drawing I checked my inbox and noticed that Amazon.com sent me an email about this book. Hearing about this book on two separate occasions within minutes of each other was quite the coincidence. I took it as a sign from God!!! LOL! Ok, that may be a bit of a stretch, but the coincidence definitely peeked my interest. There weren't any reviews on the Amazon.com website but I have a gut feeling that the book's a good one. And fo $10, I couldn't pass it up.  I love learning about sewing and the more I learn, the better I sew. I can't wait to get my hands on this book. It should be here tomorrow or Thursday. I'll definitely give you a full review afterwards.

I also purchased this DVD today.

I have a great deal of sheer fabrics in my stash and have been itching to sew them up into some beautiful numbers. FYI: You can pretty much convert any pattern requiring a woven fabric with that of a sheer fabric and appropriate lining.

Ok, I have to admit this was more of a fun purchase instead of a necessity. I have more than enough books that cover sewing with sheers, and I've sewed with sheers on a number of occasions in the past, but I'm curious to hear what Peggy Sagers, creator or Sihouette patterns has to say on the subject. It just so happens that I own most of her videos (all but 2) and since they're pretty helpful, I wanted to add this one to my collection.  Plus I'd rather watch the her handling the sheers and see her demonstrate how she cuts, sews, and finishes her sheers. I can compare it to what I know and expand my own knowledge. BTW: I met Peggy at The Original Sewing and Quilting Expo in Atlanta several years back. She was doing a workshop on pants fitting and called me and several other women out of the audience to critique the pants I was wearing and how they fit. Talk about up close and personal. But she was a real sweetheart!  Ok, I digress. I was going to wait later to get the DVD, but picked it up today since it's the last day to catch the pre-sale offer which saved me $10. I can't until I get my hands on this as well. I'll give you the 411 on it then.

As a side note, I'm also keeping an eye on the following DVD:

It's by Clair Shaeffer, the woman who brought us this book which I also have in my library.

I like the book ( I need to look at it again because it's been a while) but I'm not absolutely sure I'll purchase the DVD since alot of the information may already be in the book and I have a few other books on couture sewing. I am interested in couture sewing techniques though! I've been eyeballing this book for quite some time....

...but this puppy is about $75. I'll have to try and track it down on Ebay or other sites. So I'll just hold out on both of them until I can get them on sale.I never pay full price for books. I love books and If I did, I'd be broke. I always manage to get them 40-50% off when I buy them used (ebay, amazon, half.com, etc). I'm in no rush. I'll just wait and see.

How about you, have you bought any new sewing books or DVD's lately????? If so, please share!!!

Need to Buy Personalized Clothing Labels??? Any Suggestions???

I can't believe I've been sewing for all of these years without my own personalized sewing labels. Actually I've been thinking about it (and collecting information) for years but I held off on getting some because I was waiting to establish a logo for my business.  Well the longer I wait the more clothes I sew that go label-less. Besides, I'm working to  increase my client sewing so I definitely want to provide my clients with a finished garment containing a professional sewing label. So I've decided to go ahead and get some labels. They probably won't have an official business logo, but I might add an image or either just go with my name. I'm tired of waiting and  have to do something at this point. My garments just don't seem complete without a label.

I've looked at several different companies and would appreciate your input. So far I'm sold on World Wide Label whhich seems to have the best deal of 300 labels plus design and words for $44.95. Has anyone worked with them? Do you know of another company that does great work? I would appreciate all of your input!!!
Well I've got to hop to the task of designing my label! I've designed my business cards which turned out really good so hopefully I can produce a decent clothing label. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for all of your input!!!

Simplicity 3867......One more time....

You've seen this top before. I made it in a great mustard yellow color HERE. Well it turns out that I bought a red version of the same embroidered cotton fabric. Since I loved the yellow version so much, I figured it would only be right to make it in red fabric. So here it is. It looks way better on me then my form (that's a first!!!)LOL!!!  It's made the same way as the original with the exception of a few changes. It turns out that I read the instructions wrong and flipped the tie up (instead of down) which made the waist tie look too high------ oh, silly me!  So I've got to take a small part of the zipper apart to flip the waist tie down. I also used a polyester lining since I ran out of fabric. BTW,  I seriously boycotted the hook and eye. I hate those little buggers!!!! I'll probably add a button and loop instead. Needless to say a repeat of a pattern always spells love for me.  I soooooo love this top and plan on making it for years to come.

  (Front View. Excuse all of the wrinkles, I wore it all day yesterday)

  (Back view: Notice how the waist band looks high. The band should be flipped down instead of up. I'll fix it later this week.)

Are you a LONG or SHORT Distance Sewer?

Ok, so I've been downstairs in my sewing studio working on  Simplicity top 3867. I've been working on it off and on this week to have it ready to wear to church on tomorrow (I'll review it tomorrow). I've had the usual interruptions this morning (the little one needed juice, preparing breakfast for the family, etc) but after being in my sewing room for the last 3 hours, I've realized that I've lost some steam and have to get out and try to accomplish some of the other things on my to do list (steam clean the carpet, relax my hair, do laundry, etc) before I return to finishing up my top.

It's not that I'm exactly all that excited to do my "chores" but in the last few years I've noticed something about my sewing (or the way that I accomplish tasks in general). I'm truly a Short Distance sewer!!! It's funny, because in a way it sounds sorta bad but trust me I always (for the most part) finish my tasks but only in short spurts instead of long stretches of time. I'm no good working on the same task for 8 hours at a time. My brain is too busy and I get mentally distracted too easily. Then I run the risk of "over-thinking" what I'm doing, making costly mistakes, and ultimately suffering burn-out.  I work better and more efficiently within shorter blocks of time. It's kinda similar to the concept of "circuit training" in workouts--multiple movements in shorter periods of times. That's probably the worst analogy and I don't think I'm thoroughly explaining it but you'd have to be kinda like me to understand.

 I've learned in life that the best thing is not to always change things about yourself but to make them work for you. We've all got our idiosyncrasies!!! So since I know how I am, I try not to push myself beyond my concentration limits---even with something I love as much as sewing. And since I'm a pretty time conscious person, when I know I plan to spend only 2-3 hours sewing I'm more focused on accomplishing certain goals.  This is part of the reason why my 10,000 Hours of Sewing challenge goals of 3 hours of sewing or sewing related activity a day actually works well for me. But I have to admit that I admire all of you Sista's and Guys who can sew an entire garment in one night--I mean 5-8 hours of straight sewing.  Trust me, I know people like this!!! What endurance. That's indeed a unique gift!

So here's my question to you. What kind of sewer are you? Are you a Long or Short Distance Sewer and Why? How are you able to make it work for you?

I Jumped on the Retro Patterns Bandwagon!!!!

Ok I feel a little bit late in doing so, but I finally went and bought some Retro patterns. Although I'm not the biggest fan of retro garments, those beautiful dresses worn in yester-years, I've always admired the clothing of those periods and the femininity they embodied.

I never really thought of buying retro patterns because, as silly as it sounds, I didn't think they would look all that good on me. Now I know you're laughing about now, but trust me I'm being serious. Just follow me on this. Is it just me or do most of these patterns look like they're made for women with the tiniest waistlines? I mean, almost every pattern by design cinches in at the waist to show off a coke-bottle figure, which was a big commodity during that time period.  I have a decent figure, but one thing I don't have is a ultra small waistline. And on top of that my waistline is almost nonexistent since I'm short-waisted. The most figure flattering clothing for people like me are clothes that don't focus or define the waistline. One's where you raise, lower, or get rid of the waistline altogether. So believe it or not, "the tiny waistline requirement" has been the deterring factor for me buying Retro patterns all these years. And just recently I've realized I've had the wrong impression of these patterns.

 More and more I'm  noticing  that these types of patterns look good on a range of figures, provided you alter and fit them well. So you don't have to have the "smallest" waistline to look good in a retro pattern.  I know isn't the case for all of them (some you really do need a tiny waist to pull off), but I feel pretty safe with the 3 I picked. I'm glad that I jumped on the "Retro Patterns Bandwagon". Yayyyyyy!  Now if only the PERFECT occasion arose that would warrant me making such a dress. I'm already thinking fabric possibilities. A girl can dream, can't she????? LOL!!!