Gearing up for the New Year

Hello everyone!  I hope you had a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A couple of weeks ago, I went away on vacation with my family for a few days, visiting the magical land of Disney World!!

This was our first Disney vacation where we planned, saved, and went.  All the other times we have gone to Orlando have been for my husband's annual business meetings; but this year we had the pleasure of going for pure FUN!  And it was fun!!  We invited my mother and mother-in-law along, and created some memories that will not soon be forgotten.

So now I am back...and remembering that I told myself I would go on the RTW fast (details here) beginning next year, and I don't have that much time left!

The first thing I did was order a bunch of fabric:

It is a starting point, and something difficult for me to do because I like to buy the specific fabric I like for the specific pattern I am working on (no more, no less).  But there was a great sale going on at Denver Fabrics, so I decided I'd take a chance.  I am very pleased with what they have sent me. The three fabrics to the left are for my daughter, but the rest is for me!  The two on the far right are linings.

The second thing I did was to go shopping!!!!!!  I needed to pick up some tops and cardigans to fill in a few gaps in my wardrobe so I won't be pressured into sewing something I would rather not start off with (like jeans).

Now my next order of business is to finish my muslin for my Craftsy Sew the Perfect Fit class.  I have been trudging along with it, and enjoying the process, but taking my time nonetheless.  I hope to have something to show you soon.

Stay sew-filled!

Holiday traditions

Hello everyone!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...at least, around my house it is!

Last weekend we put our Christmas tree up, and my hubby started a fire in our fireplace for the FIRST time! I baked cheesecake as we decorated the tree and listened to Christmas music with our kids.

Though I know that the true meaning of Christmas is not about decorating trees, it is still fun to gather together and spend time together as a family.

In fact, when my hubby and I first got married 8 years ago, we got inspired to start our own holiday tradition from a conversation with a friend.  This friend told us that every year they purchased a special ornament to hang on their Christmas tree. Through the years they had amassed many ornaments, and each one had a special meaning to them.

Implementing this same tradition has been such a blessing to us!!  Now as we decorate the tree, it tells "our story" as we hang the ornaments.  There is the snowman ornament of 2005 that represents our first Christmas together.  Then there is "Baby's First Christmas" ornament of 2006.  It was only a month after our son was born that we purchased this one, excited to have our little one join our family.  Then we got a dog ornament to celebrate the year that we got our dog Sunshine.  Over and over, one by one, each ornament tells our story, and is a reminder of God's goodness in our lives.  The things He has graced us to see, and the hope we have with Him a part of our future.

We still have to choose our ornament for this year, but I know it will be a special one.

Some other great holiday traditions I have heard about are:

• Getting a new set of pajamas on Christmas day 
• Baking Christmas cookies
• Making a Gingerbread house with the family/kids
• Watching a favorite Christmas movie (A Christmas story, anyone)
• Volunteering at a local soup kitchen

Are there any holiday traditions you celebrate around this time of year that mean a lot to you?

Stay sew-filled!

I'm in!

Hello all!

I have done something that I will either LOVE or HATE come 2014!!

Let me explain...

You see, I have been following the website/blog Goodbye Valentino for the last couple weeks.  The author of the blog, Sarah, is a woman who decided to go a whole year without buying RTW clothing (Ready To Wear, a.k.a. store-bought).  Instead of buying her clothes, she sewed them!!  That's right!

For the first year of her challenge she made 64 garments, saved money (she used to buy Valentino), and increased her sewing skills. Now she is part of the Mood Fabric sewing network, and continues to fast from RTW.  Next year will be her 4th year of fasting from RTW.

So...

Sarah just recently posted her challenge for next year for those that are interested.  Here are the details:

RTW Fast

Jan 1st-December 31st, 2014

NO store-bought clothes.

Shoes, Socks, and Underwear permitted.

I read her post, and thought, "Hmm, that would be really neat, but I'm not sure it's possible for me to even do."

As I continued to ponder the invitation to join, I started to talk myself into it:

"Well, I do have a whole month to prepare...and I did just buy two more classes on Craftsy to help further develop my sewing skills...and I am a good planner, so I could find a way to sew pieces that would coordinate with my wardrobe...and if I wanted to buy something, I would just sew it instead!"

"Wait, is this really possible? For me?"

My answer is YES!!!  I nervously RSVP'd to the RTW fast, and I am super glad I did!

So I just had to share my joy with all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If this invite sounds intriguing to you, check out the link to Sarah's blog HERE.  There are a lot to sewists that are joining the fast, so it will be neat to see how everyone progresses throughout the year.  Besides, it is also great support if, like me, you are not sure how this whole thing is gonna turn out.

Stay sew-filled!

My new dressform

Hello everyone!!

It has been a while since my last post.  I was so hopeful I would finish an adorable outfit for my daughter, but I never did.  In fact, I have not used my sewing machine even once since the month of March!  Nor have I been able to enjoy my beautiful sewing closet/room.  Well, it is time for that to change!

So about two weeks ago, I decided to put my "good intentions" into action, and I signed up for my first Craftsy course.  If you have not heard of Craftsy yet, it is a website that offers online instruction for things such as knitting, sewing, photography, cake decorating, and more.

The class I signed up for is called Sew the Perfect Fit (all classes are on sale until 12/02/13).  It uses Vogue pattern 8766 to teach you how to properly fit a dress to your body.  It walks you through the process of creating a muslin test garment, and provides helpful instruction that can be applied to fitting future garments.

I am debating on making the yellow dress or blue one.  Maybe both!

I am so excited to get started I can hardly stand it!!  I originally planned for my hubby to be my buddy, and help take my measurements and such, but as I watched the online lessons, I saw that it was going to be too involved for him to effectively do.

So, instead I decided to create an inexpensive dressform to use for the class (and other projects):

Somehow, when you ask your kids "Who wants to duct tape mama?" they really get excited.  In fact, I had them chasing me around most of the day asking me, "Mama, is it time to tape you up yet?"

The whole family got in on making this dressform, and it was not as hard as I thought it might me.  The only nuisance was how restrictive I felt in the duct tape, and how I almost had trouble breathing.

Those things aside, I like the end result.  The measurements are spot on, and I can't wait to use this for the class.

Here is the link I used for making the dressform.  I spent a little under $20 for all the materials, and used an old T-shirt as the foundation for the duct tape.  I stuffed the inside with crumpled plasic bags and polyester fiberfill from Walmart.  I will add an update in a future post about how effective it is to use.  

Anyhow, I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!!  

Stay sew-filled!