The Final 1st Blogoversary Giveaway---The BIG ONE!!!!

I'm pretty rested up from my holiday and I thank you guys for your patience. Yesterday marked my 1 Year Blogoversary! Yipee! To commemorate such a great year with you Guys, I've hosted a Giveaway for the last 7 days (with the exception of yesterday). So there's been 6 GREAT giveaways with the only condition being to answer a question to enter the drawing for the prize (if you haven't seen the other giveaways, be sure to revisit the last 7 posts to see them).  Since this is the last Giveaway I thought it would be only fitting to end my celebration with a BANG! So this is it......The final Giveaway prize is.....

Originally I was going to split up these 2 DVD-ROM's in 2 separate giveaway's but that just didn't seem right. I wouldn't want to win one without the other. These are 2 great DVD-Rom's I purchased not too long ago. I'm giving these away because I recently was able to get another "related" item off of my Christmas list (you may recall this post a couple of weeks ago)and wouldn't need these anymore (I'll divulge more about that later). Anywho, I'd love for these to go to a great little home where they'll get lots of use! They are spectacular and I don't have to sing the praises of Thread's compilation DVD-ROM's. The material is exceptional and oh, sooooo useful. It's definitely a resource I think everyone should have in their reference library.

Ok, now on to the question......it's kind of a funny one....


I think we sewers sometimes talk a big game about how obsessed we are with sewing. We talk about all of the fabric we buy and collect, sales we shop, etc, etc but sometimes all of that seems a little blaze--- you know like obsession 101. But I think we're hiding the truth and masking it over with generalities. I know alot of you have that "Fatal Attraction" type of obsession with sewing. You've done some crazy things for your craft but you haven't really gone into detail about it. Beyond doing some crazy things you've probably had even crazier thoughts in regard to your obsession. I don't have a problem about being honest, I know I'm incredibly obsessed about sewing and I have the evidence to prove it. As they say confession is good for the soul so here goes.....

The signs of my sewing obsession are....


-I cringe when I get a library fine. Hey that's money I could be spending on fabric. Come to think of it, if I have to pay a little extra on anything that thought crosses my mind.
-I sometimes juggle my work schedule around  fabric/pattern sales at Jo-Ann's. Hey, you know those new   patterns always go FAST!!!
- Speaking of Jo-Ann's I'm on a first name basis with most of the employees. Well they're really nice people, I go there ALOT and knowing them means sometimes I can get a few perks (they pull and hold patterns for me when I'm at work and can't make it to the store).
- If I'm scared that I may miss the opportunity to get a pattern, I sometimes will buy it at regular price wait    until it goes on sale for $0.99 and return it.
-When we travel, I have to know every fabric store within a 20 mile radius. We usually visit most of the one's I find.
-My daughter and I spend a good time "together" in my sewing room. Hey you can practice the alphabets with your 3 y.o. while sewing a jacket at the same time! It's called multi-tasking! LOL!
-Yes, I catch the Black Friday sales at Jo-Ann's fabric's. This is the first year I didn't "stand in line" at Jo-Ann's and made a later arrival. Still got some good deals though:)
-It's getting so easy for my husband to give me gifts now. If he asks, I tell him money for fabric! Of course sometimes I want other things and can use that money for it if I like, but usually fabric's on the brain. LOL!
-My idea of a great free day is staying at home and sewing.
-When I order fabric online and I get that dreaded email stating they ran out of it, I go into a "short period of mourning". I may sulk for an hour. Hey it's tough to lose great fabric! LOL!


Ok, so some of my obsessions seem a bit ordinary,  but for me this is living on the edge (I'm a bit of a prude)! LOL! So I turn the question to you. You have to divulge. Now let me warn you that if you've done something as crazy as boosting a Hancock Fabrics truck and stealing all of the fabric on it, please don't share (I don't want to be an accessory to the crime).LOL! But if you've done something obsessive but Legal please do share! LOL!


So my Final question, for the 2 Thread's DVD-ROM's giveaway is.....

What are the "tell-tell" signs of your Sewing Obsession!!!! You know the crazy (yet legal) stuff you've done that you'd feel crazy sharing with anyone other than a fellow obsessed sewer!

Please do tell.....

BTW, don't forget to enter the giveway's of your choosing (see the last 7 posts). Tomorrow's the last day to enter.  I'll announce the winners on December 1st!

Late Arrival......

***Note: This IS NOT the final Giveaway post but only an update. Please enter that giveaway on tomorrow (Monday) when the question is posted.

Happy Blogoversary to me............yawn! Forgive me, I spent most of the day in the car traveling back from my In-Laws home in Florida.  I made sure we left so we could get back in time for me to blog but I underestimated the amount of other travelers that would be returning from their holiday. Fortunately we were able to take an alternate route but we still experienced some delays. We just made it back and I'm just beat. I wanted to post but just can't manage it tonight. I'll pick up with things on tomorrow. I'll post the 3 pictures of fabric from the last post and do my final giveaway post. I'm excited about the final giveaway post because I'm giving away these 2 DVD-ROM's! How exciting right! Well please check back in tomorrow! Night-night!

Reminder, This IS NOT the FINAL giveaway post it's just an update. It will be the next post and will have the FINAL contain the final question. Please enter that giveaway on tomorrow (Monday)! Thanks:)

1st Blogoversary Give-Away---#6 of 7

In case you didn't see my Original Post I'm hosting a Give-Away for everyday this week (7 total) in celebration of my 1st Blogoversary on November 28th. Please visit the original post to see all of the dates/ details about  the Give-Away's)

The only requirement is for you to 1. Be a Follower of my Blog and 2. Answer the Question posed in this blog entry.


Don't forget to spread the Word!


We're almost at the finished line. Just one more Giveaway to go! So here's the SIXTH Give-Away Prize:

FABRIC!!!!!!!!

 Now you'll have to trust me on this one. Pic's are to follow. I'm out of town and am traveling back home on tomorrow and will upload pictures of  the fabric tomorrow night when I arrive home. I will post pictures of 3 different fabrics and the winner of this giveaway will be able to select one of the 3 fabrics. I really do appreciate your patience:)

UPDATE: Here's the fabric....

 Left: 2 1/4"yd, 60" wide Lycra blend knit
Middle: 3yd, 60" polyester fabric

Right: 2 2/3yd, 60" Polyester knit

The winner gets to pick one of the above fabrics.

Now on to the question.....

It's funny, I find the more that I sew the more anal I become about my sewing. I've blogged about this before, so I won't go into that but I'm sure you can identify with me---well, maybe. I don't know what it is, but the more I sew the more "perfect and professional" I feel my work has to be.  The stuff I used to get away with when I was a newbie sewer is no longer tolerable. You know the things that made the inside of your work totally unattractive. Now, I actually strive for professional results as much as possible when back in the day my aim was just to finish the garment and have it fit. In particular, I'm really anal about the way I sew in zippers. I have to pin them in and check the positioning. I'll then baste one side of the zipper and check the position again, ensuring that the waist seam (if there is one lines up perfectly). Once everything's ok then I'll stitch one side of the zipper in and move onto basting the other, check the fit before finally stitching the last side. I love my zippers to be flawless, and although that isn't always the case it is nearly most of the time. I'm beginning to get really anal about sewing in sleeves now, almost to the point where I get a little anxious about doing so. I'm almost to the point of hand basting all of my sleeves in to control easing in the sleeve better. It shouldn't come to this I know, but I can't help it. I guess striving to be a good seamstress can make you a bit nutty at times! LOL!

My question for you is.....

When it comes to your sewing what you anal about? What do you feel you have to "sew to perfection"?

Answer to be entered in the giveaway!

1st Blogoversary Give-Away---#5 of 7

In case you didn't see my Original Post I'm hosting a Give-Away for everyday this week (7 total) in celebration of my 1st Blogoversary on November 28th. Please visit the original post to see all of the dates/ details about  the Give-Away's)

The only requirement is for you to 1. Be a Follower of my Blog and 2. Answer the Question posed in this blog entry.


Don't forget to spread the Word!


So here's the FIFTH Give-Away Prize:

(This is a great little book with some interesting clothing ideas. It's a neat book to have around to help get the crafting juices flowing. So additional pics from the book are below....)

Sewing allows us to use our imaginations and creative juices to unfold. To some extent, sewing can allow you to enter a fantasy world and bring our fantastical ideas to life. Fantasies can inspire us, compel us, and motivate us. Every once in a while I like to fantasize about my future in sewing. I hope and pray that I'll have just as much desire to sew, maybe ten times more than I do now. I hope that my skill level is exceptional and that I will keep challenging myself all the while learning and growing. I also have some other fantasies that I rarely tell anyone about. I usually refrain from it, for fear of looking silly, because I interact with people who aren't as passionate about sewing as I am. So since I know you guys are, hey why not--- I'll share my fantasies with you.
As far as my sewing fantasies go, I would love to ultimately have my own Sewing and Alteration shop. I'd love to have a nice piece of land to have my shop on or maybe some commercial property. I currently have my tailoring/alteration business and work out of my sewing studio. But it would be great to provide my services on a larger scale and to have a few employees to do the alterations. The highlight of my shop would be the custom tailoring department. If I pick up the designing bug I'd love to sale a few of my designs and custom make clothing for a small group of clientele.  I also would love to have 1 or 2 high profile clients in which I would make clothes on a regular basis. One of the clients will be on the East coast and the other on the West Coast and I get to jet set back and forth to work with them (at their expense of course).  I fantasize that during that time I will be extremely good at draping and pattern drafting that I will be able to make most anything I can think of.  Maybe I might be able to offer a few of my designs for the Oscar's. Who knows? This is just one of my fantasies. I would also love to teach Women how to sew and tour the country doing so. I 'd also love to write a book on Sewing---especially since I'm such a book worm myself. Then once I make some money, use it to help provide sewing machines and fabric to help women in needy countries. I know I have a whirlwind of fantasies. Maybe some of it seems far fetched but who knows. A girl can fantasize can't she........

So you know where I'm going with this. I've divulged mine---now's your turn.

What's your Sewing Fantasy?

Remember your answer qualifies you for this giveaway. I can't wait to read your answers.

1st Blogoversary Give-Away---#4 of 7

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you're enjoying your holiday:)

In case you didn't see my Original Post I'm hosting a Give-Away for everyday this week (7 total) in celebration of my 1st Blogoversary on November 28th. Please visit the original post to see all of the dates/ details about  the Give-Away's)

The only requirement is for you to 1. Be a Follower of my Blog and 2. Answer the Question posed in this blog entry.


Don't forget to spread the Word!


So here's the FOURTH Give-Away Prize:

 (I'm sure I don't have to tell any of you that this is one of the best books in the Singer Sewing Library. It's such a thorough book on fit.....

 (The illustrations are great and I love that you can see the fitting issue in real life and see how to correct for it on the tissue paper.)

 (I also love that the book outlines the steps to insure a proper fit of a garment. You start with the tissue fitting, tissue manipulations, cutting and sewing up the garment, and finally on to fine tuning the finished piece. Before I really learned how to fit, I didn't know how to follow the correct steps. Now that I'm more experienced, I know how to choose the correct steps in completing a garment. Less complicated garments don't require for me to follow all of the steps, while more tailored and fitted garments sometimes do. This book helped tremendously. I have to admit that it's a lot to take in for the newbie, but if you stare at it long enough and sleep with it under your pillow, it will begin to sink in----ask me how I know! LOL!)

I was actually happy to get my hands on this book some several years ago when I was first learning how to sew. So always had a copy of this in my library. In early 2007,  I saw  the entire Singer Sewing Library containing 30 books (I later found out that the set was missing a couple of book so it wasn't exactly the complete set--but hey it was close enough) up for auction on Ebay. Hey, I already liked the Perfect Fit book and just knew the entire library would be so helpful to me as a new sewer (at that time I had been sewing for some 3 years or so). At that time I just so happened to be expecting my "Wee-One" and was maybe a couple of months into my pregnancy. Anyhow, I spotted this set of 30 books up for auction on Ebay. I knew I just had to have it. So I stalked--- I mean followed the auction for the next 5 or so days until it ended. Man I think that was the longest 5 days of my life. All of that waiting, hoping, wishing and praying.  It just so happened that it ended on Sunday at 2pm. It just so happened to be at church and I knew I didn't have time to run home and bid so I decided to bunker down at church and try and win the sewing library. Well I don't need to tell you how anxious I was by that time. Let's just say I was so anxious that I'm sure my anxiousness was causing my "Little Wee One" to have a fit herself. My strategy on bidding was to try and hold off on doing so until the last few minutes and then sneak in a bid that would hopefully trump the rest of them---something I call Phantom bidding. At the time maybe 3 or so people were bidding back and forth but hadn't driven the price up all that much. So as I planned, I slipped my bid in at the final minute or so and held my breathe and squinted my eyes. I noticed another bidder tried to outbid me but it turns out they didn't bid high enough and as the clock went from 3 seconds, to 2 seconds, down to 1. I opened my eyes to see that I Won the Auction. What a victory and oh what relief.  I can't remember exactly but I think I ended up paying $110 or so. Let's just say when I did the math I ended up paying a little over $3.50 a book. WOW, that was a TOTAL steal!  I've had a ton of sewing deals stemming from fabric, to 50% off sewing machines, etc. The list goes on. But I have to admit that this was my best sewing deal to date. Especially given how rare these books are and how difficult it is to get a complete set. I think I read that Caroline and KnitMachineQueen have a set. But not many people. Although the books are technically out of date and the are screaming with the 80's influence, the information in the book is so invaluable. I've used the Sewing with Activewear & Sewing with Knits book to help me sew my swimsuits. And I love the Sewing with Pants book that aided me in sewing my first pair of pants. So I'll forever be thankful for my "Best Sewing Deal".

So my question for you is.....

What has "hands down" been your BEST sewing deal?

Leave your answer to be included in the Book giveaway:)

1st Blogoversary Give-Away---#3 of 7

In case you didn't see my Original Post I'm hosting a Give-Away for everyday this week (7 total) in celebration of my 1st Blogoversary on November 28th. Please visit the original post to see all of the dates/ details about  the Give-Away's)

The only requirement is for you to 1. Be a Follower of my Blog and 2. Answer the Question posed in this blog entry.


Don't forget to spread the Word!


So here's the THIRD Give-Away Prize:

 (Although Clair Shaeffer has a thicker and more comprehensive version to this book, this is still a great little handy guide to give you info on sewing some of the most common fabrics).

(Well, what do you know---I opened the book and it fell right onto my favorite fabric---KNIT Jersey! LOL!)

So since last night's question was a pretty loaded one we'll keep this one a little simple. You probaly know where I'm going with this. Well I already mentioned my favorite fabric (and you avid followers of this blog already knew that answer as well) -----knits-----in particular printed matte jersey knits. And I love to sew nearly everything with them---dresses and tops in particular. In the summer time a jersey maxi dress is the most comfortable thing to wear. I just love them!

So the question of the day is.....

What's your FAVORITE fabric to sew and what do you like to make most with it?

An answer to this question will enter you into the drawing for this book:)

1st Blogoversary Give-Away---#2 of 7

In case you didn't see my Original Post I'm hosting a Give-Away for everyday this week (7 total) in celebration of my 1st Blogoversary on November 28th. Please visit the original post to see all of the dates/ details about  the Give-Away's)

The only requirement is for you to 1. Be a Follower of my Blog and 2. Answer the Question posed in this blog entry.


Don't forget to spread the Word!


So here's the SECOND Give-Away Prize:

 (Although this book is an "Oldie" don't estimate it. It definitely contains some great techniques on how to fit a variety of figure types. I've always been impressed with older sewing books. They seem to be more thorough than alot of the newer books. I guess that makes sense, especially since people made most of their own clothes back then and heavily depended upon these reference books).

 (I love the fact that this book not only has a diagram of the fitting issue, but also shows how to make corrections on the pattern or muslin).

  (Some more tips on fitting.)

I've mentioned it in several posts before but I remember clearly when I got the epiphany on the importance of not only being able to sew a garment well but also being able to make it fit. I was knew at sewing and had gotten pretty comfortable with the sewing process but was always disapointed when my garments didn't fit quite right. It was then that I began realizing (like we all know) that I would have to transform a pattern with standard body measurements to  reflect the measurements of my own.  I'm telling you once I got that revelation, I embarked on a journey to learn how to fit and have been on that journey ever since.

Learning to sew to fit one's body is a great achievement. Man if there's anything it forces you to do, it is to take a close look at the body you have and how fascinating and unique it really is. Hey I didn't really know I had narrow shoulders, long legs, a short torso and high derriere until I had to sew clothes for myself. I mean I knew I had these characteristics but spent most of my time being frustrated that RTW clothes just didn't fit me right. I swear, RTW clothes can often times make you feel that something is wrong with your body! LOL! Now that I can make my own clothes and know how to fit garments correctly to my figure, I'm no longer frustrated about the great characteristics that make me ME. Learning how to sew clothes that fit my body did not come easy---it's tough when you're learning anything for the first time. But I read everything I could get my hands on on the subject and it paid off. Of course I'll forever be learning and perfecting my craft for years to come. And as they say, the more you do it, the better you get at it! This "Fit Journey" has both challenged and heightened my sewing skills. I'm glad I decided to take the journey....

So my question for you is.....

What has your "Fit Journey" been like? Do you feel you know your body well enough to make clothes that fit it or are you still learning? What are your challenges? Do tell......