Sewing and Creativity

I finished sewing up McCall's 6287 a couple of days ago, but I didn't get a chance to remove the basting until this evening.  It looks exactly as it does on the pattern cover, although a little uneven hanging on a hanger.   I'll be making a pair of white pants to wear it with.  I have a silver cuff, a silver chain, and white sandals I'll accessorize it with.  The style may be a little young for me, but I don't care.  I love it!

I went to Joann's today and picked up three of the patterns on my list.  McCall's 5972 (view B, I had a dress similar to this when I was younger),  Butterick 5600, and 5357, the webwsite reports this as pattern of the week.  I'm thinking I'll make B5600, view C, in a coral pink linen that I saw on Denver Fabrics.

The days I haven't been sewing I've been working on a simple pattern for a folding carrier for all my nail brushes, including the brushes for acrylic, gel, and all my nail art brushes.  I have about 9 or 10, and I want an altered art/modern quilt type carrier.  I have most of the materials and supplies.  I'll post a pic of the raw materials tomorrow.  I've been doing nail art, too,  and will post pics of those nails when I get a couple more finished.

I am so grateful that all my family that lived in Ringgold, GA survived the tornado.  Some friends have lost all their possessions, including their homes, but they are alive.  That is the most important thing.

Sewing

I received the May issue of Burda yesterday.  Way earlier in the month than I usually receive it.  I was totally underwhelmed.  I didn't find anything I wanted to sew.  Used to be I would find several things I wanted to make, lately, I find, maybe, one thing.  I'm considering letting my subscription lapse.  But then I think what if? There is an issue with numerous things I want to sew and I have to spend the time looking for the issue and then not find it.  I don't mind spending the money.  And I do enjoy looking at the magazine, even if I don't sew anything from it.  I really enjoy the style pages and the decorating ideas.

I spent most of my sewing time yesterday getting my cover-stitch machine re-threaded,  (It's been a while since I've used it.) and testing on scrap fabric.  I'll baste the hem in place before I stitch it.  Usually, I just eyeball it, and am good with accurately folding back the same width.  Does that make sense?  LOL I think today I'm going to pre-wash the tricot and a knit fabric for my next top.  It's McCall's 6282.  I have a cream and black leaf pattern jersey, similar to the fabric on the short sleeved dress.

There are a couple of patterns I want to get when they go on sale at Joann's.  Butterick 5575,  Simplicity 2224.  I think a pair of black pants (2224) to go with the top from 6282.  I love the jacket from 5575.  I think it looks almost like a vest and blouse on the pattern envelope.

I'm still having back pain.  Hard to sit for long periods of time as well as stand or walk.  Some of the pain from the herniated disc and some of the pain is from arthritis.  The arthritis is not limited to my back though.  The worst is that it is in my hands.  They are so stiff and achy at times, it makes it difficult to do a lot of things. Stretching helps, so I stretch several times a day.  I have an appointment with my chiropractor in an hour or so.  I had Girl on her leash when she lunged and it hurt my back, yet again.  It seems that it only took a few seconds to undo all the progress I've made over the past several months.  

I started Weight Watchers back in October 2010.  I'm about a third of the way to goal.  I haven't started a formal exercise program yet.  Just a little walking.  I still have my old workout plan, lower body, upper body, and a run/walk schedule here.  I'll just decrease the weights and work back up to the weights listed here.  

Burda

 I received the May issue of Burda Style yesterday.  Way earlier in the month than I usually get it.  I was totally underwhelmed.  I didn't find anything I wanted to sew.   Used to be I would find several things I wanted to make, lately, I find, maybe, one thing.  I'm considering letting my subscription lapse.  But then I think what if? There is an issue with numerous things I want to sew and I have to spend the time looking for the issue and then not finding it.  I don't mind spending the money.  And I do enjoy looking at the magazine, even if I don't sew anything from it.  I also enjoy the style pages and the decorating ideas.

I spent most of my sewing time yesterday getting my cover-stitch machine re-threaded,  (It's been a while since I've used it.) and testing on scrap fabric.  I'll baste the hem in place before I stitch it.  Usually, I just eyeball it, and am pretty good with accuracy.  Today I'm going to pre-wash the tricot and a knit fabric for my next top.  It's McCall's 6282.  I have a cream and black leaf pattern jersey, similar to the fabric on the short sleeved dress.

There are a couple of patterns I want to get when they go on sale at Joann's.  Butterick 5575,  Simplicity 2224.   I think a pair of black pants (2224) to go with the top from 6282.

I'm still having back pain.  Hard to sit for long periods of time as well as stand or walk.  Some of the pain from the herniated disc and some of the pain is from arthritis.  The arthritis is not limited to my back though.  The worst is that it is in my hands.  They are so stiff and achy at times, it makes it difficult to do a lot of things. Stretching helps, so I stretch several times a day.

I started Weight Watchers back in October 2010.  I'm about a third of the way to goal.  I haven't started a formal exercise program yet.  Just a little walking.  I still have a workout plan, lower body, upper body, and a run/walk shcedule here.

February's challenge

Our Take it Further Challenge for February, as set up and posed to us by Sharon Boggin, is about memory...what are we old enough to remember? My early memories come in bits and pieces, more like snapshots than flowing like a movie. Fuzzy stills frozen in time.

My earliest memory is of a Christmas. I must have been two or three. I remember waking up and hearing my parents talking in the kitchen. Too excited to stay in bed any longer I slipped out of the toasty warm bed and felt the icy cold wooden floor beneath my feet. I quickly found my pink house slippers and robe and put them on. I couldn’t wait to see what Santa had brought me!

My Mother took me straight to the living room and held me up so I could see out the window. There our front yard was covered in a layer of pristine white snow! It was a Christmas scene out of the movies.

That is where my memory stops. I think I got a child’s kitchen set and iron and ironing board. I have a memory of playing with them that is close to the same time as the Christmas memory.

I have good memories and bad memories just as everyone does. All those memories are a part of what makes me me. My personal history. No one else has lived it.

As for the color challenge, here are the colors. I’ve thought about doing a small quilted piece, maybe in the form of crazy quilting or perhaps a mandala. Still not sure yet.


Butterick has new spring patterns out. Out of the big four, Butterick is my favorite. I’ll be buying these during the next sale at Joann’s. Butterick


5173, (This is a Maggie London pattern. I LOVE most of her designs.)














5185,















and 5188.















Today is the first day in a long time that I've actually had time and motivation to sew something. I've had a pair of UFO boxers for Walt lying in my sewing basket for three or four months. I just need to hem them and put in the elastic. Today, I basted the hems. Wasn't much, but it felt good to accomplish something.

Fabric

Today while I was at the gym, 3.5 yards of this jersey fabric was delivered. I'll be using it for this Burda top and yoga pants. I originally was going to use it to make this top. I've also placed an order for this fabric, trailing leaf pattern design, in wine and pink. I think I will use McCall's 5179 or Butterick 4914.

When you give away a little piece of your heart, you're giving away the only thing you can give away, which, after you do, you got more left than you had before you gave some of it away.

Don Hutson
(American Sales Trainer)

New Autumn Patterns

After looking through the Big Four‘s new autumn patterns, I’ve chosen a few that I would like to sew. I didn’t see very many that called my name and demanded to be put on my sewing list though.

I’ve always liked Butterick patterns so the majority of the ones I’ve chosen have been from Butterick.




Number 5100 is a cute tunic! It can be worn a number of ways. I like all of them except the dress. I would also wear straight leg pants with it instead of the tapering ones.




Butterick 5101 is a wrap dress and top with an elastic waist skirt and pants. I like the jacket, even though I’m sure there are others like it that is prettier. I just haven’t found one I really like yet.




I love 5087. I could see view B in a royal blue hound’s-tooth check with a black belt and black pencil skirt.






I like the simplicity of 5066. Since my SWAP colours are black, gray, and white with splashes of red, burgundy and pink and maybe royal blue. You know I love the ensemble as is with a red shoe and bag.



I envision New Look 6729 view A without the bell sleeves in a pretty shade of pink( such as Pantone Confetti 16-1723). I would maybe think about wearing a thin lace cami underneath and an animal print ballet slipper with it and jeans.








And the last one I really like is 3673. I love the retro look, although it’s usually garments and patterns from the 1940s era.







I've also been looking at Ralph Lauren's collection for fall. I love the menswear look and this particular one is my favorite.




When I was a junior/senior in high school my favorite outfit was a black & white hound's-tooth pencil skirt, white shirt, black vest with a tie and heels. I stood out like a sore thumb. I never fit in growing up, from my music (blues, Motown, good ole soul music, while everyone around me was listening to country), to my political views (I was a registered Communist, please don't ask, Angela Davis was a personal heroine, again, please don't ask) to the clothes I wore. I was goth before it was called goth. I believe it was the summer before my sophmore year, I refused to go out of the house unless I was totally covered. I have pale skin anyway and refused to tan. I died my hair jet black and wore red lipstick and all black clothes. I lived by the personal motto "Why be normal?". I guess the few friends I had got used to my weirdness. And the others were afraid it would rub off on them! LOL I still struggle, but I think I'm really close to normal now! (yeah, right.)

Weekends

I always look forward to weekends. Even when I'm not working. It's a time to relax and not think about things seriously. Time for gathering with friends and hanging out. Time to sew and craft and shop. Three of my favorite things! oh! and catching up on a few of my fav TV shows. I don't watch very much tv, but I do have a few favorites, Boston Legal, Nip/Tuck, and The Riches (LOVE Eddie Izzard, he's hot!). I keep up with Dancing with the Stars, but don't watch it any longer.
Several days this past week we have had smoke from the fires in Georgia and north Florida. It is awful. I can only imagine what it is like to live close to the fires. It's hazy and the odor of the smoke is horrible. It's difficult to breathe and there is ash on everything.
The odor and haze wasn't so bad this morning. I was able to go to my WW meeting and to Joann's Fabrics. They had a sale on McCall's, Butterick and Vogue patterns.
I picked up Vogue 8307 (when I try to link to this pattern the site tells me it isn't in the database yet, yet if you enter the number and do a search on the Vogue site you can see it), I plan on making the jacket in a charcoal gray wool melton and line it in red or bright pink. I also got Butterick 4986, and McCall's 5193, 5395, and 5314. I'm not sure what I will use to make these. I also picked up some tags for altered art and Quilled Greetings Cards.
I've been talking for ages about my SWAP. I'm slowly, very slowly, agonizingly slowly working on it. The truth is...I am just not going to start sewing on a new wardrobe until I get to my goal weight. I don't want to have to keep tweaking the patterns to fit me. Failure to reach said weight is not an option, no matter how long it takes. So, until then.....I'll just keep planning.
That's the way I am. I will talk and think about something for a while, depending on what it is, the "thing" I want to do may take a few minutes or a few years. But, once I make up my mind to do something, watch out! here I come! LOL
I have been reading other blogs and marveling at the beautiful green plants. Here in Florida it seems like we are always on water restriction. We don't have a lot of green in our yard. I wanted to do some landscaping this year, but it now low on the priority list due to me leaving my job earlier this year. I did plant some caladium bulbs a couple of weeks ago and they are coming up finally.

EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

I finally got the badge from Flickr to work. And while I was at it, I got one from Stylehive and PictureTrail. I LOVE LOVE LOVE these!!

OK. I've spent entirely too much time on this computer and not enough time doing other things. 101 type things. knitting type things. sewing type things.

Each day I have been putting 10 CDs in their crystal cases along with the front and back "covers". A couple of years ago, in my infinite wisdom, I decided that it would be nice to keep all my CDs alphabetized in a nice binder type holder. I didn't realize what a pain in the rectum it would be when I got new ones and had to move them all to keep them in order. What is taking so long getting them back together is the box I was storing the cover art in got dropped and they aren't in order anymore.

I joined a sew along on Sew I Knit!. We are going to be sewing items related to knitting. Totes, storage for needles etc. I'm going Saturday to get the supplies. I got this pattern a couple of weeks ago when Joann's Fabrics had a sale on Butterick patterns.

I keep seeing things that I like, that I appreciate, things that make me happy, (other than the obvious, family, friends and being healthy) and think I should make a journal or listing of just those things.

In the stylehive badge you can see a skinny model wearing dresses that are, well, not my style, but I love the two bags, and apparently you have to "take" the dresses to get the bags on the badge. I love the bags though, and the jewelry.

I went to typepad on Tuesday night and signed up for a free trial of their blog. I had almost given up on getting the badges to work here. I really didn't like typepad though. I had already made up my mind to cancel the free trial and stay here. Even if I could not get the badges to work. I like the look of these blogs. Actually I liked almost everything about them. And now, I LOVE how my badges work! LOL

The badge from Flickr will be used primarily for sewing and knitting pics and the picturetrail badge will be used for my dolls and family. I don't know if Webshots has one or not. I do have a lot of pics posted there. The link is on my side bar,

knitting, 101 Things #5

Happy St. Paddy's Day!!








101 Things #5 was to learn to knit and knit a scarf. Today I completed my cute simple scarf. Lion's Brand Suede denim color. I made it a little wider and a little longer. I LOVE it! I'm not sure what to knit next. I don't want to do another scarf, but I don't think my skills are up to a top or sweater. I suppose I could do a shawl or something simple. I've thought about making a little blanket for one of my dolls. I'm a few projects away from making sweaters for my dolls.

My trip to Joann's Fabrics wasn't as fruitful as I'd hoped it would be.
I considered getting 4986, but, in the end, decided not to get it. I might change my mind if I see any good reviews on Pattern Review. I got two patterns, Buttericks 5006-I'll use it to make some cute totes and storage for my knitting needles and notions-and 4464, a jacket, sleeveless top, and skirt pattern.

I then went to Barnes and Noble. I got two "Dummies" books. I LOVE those books!! I probably have 25-30 of them on various subjects...sports, music, mathematics etc...