Getting the wind knocked out of you

Last night I was all smiles as I was coming down the home stretch of sewing my skirt, Simplicity 2868, together. I put the lining in and I was practically purring with delight, it was so pretty.  I mean, I was "winning (thanks Charlie Sheen)!"  Well, as soon as I decided to take in the side seams a little on the right side of the skirt, I ran into a little problem.  I very sloppily serged in the seams, and ended up with two different seam lines!!  It's not horribly noticeable, but I got off track while serging and now I have to fix it up!

You know, I have always been one of those people that could turn a simple thing into something complicated.  And the complicated things...I seem to breeze through those problems.  This skirt was not supposed to be difficult.  However, I made it a little more challenging by making the mistake I made.

So once I figure this out, I will post some pics.  On the positive side, I placed an order from Fabric.com for the next four items I will be sewing in the Tim Gunn Sew Along, and they should be arriving today or tomorrow.  I LOVE ordering online, but I still feel like I don't know exactly if I'm going to like the fabric once it arrives.  The last time I ordered from Fabric.com, it was an ITY knit that said plum, and looked like plum, but it was clearly bright fuchsia when it arrived.  Thank goodness Fabric.com has a super easy return policy!!  Other than that, I have not had issues with them.  I'll let you know if this batch is a good one.

And yes, it is the last day of March!!  Where did the month go??  I imagine I have thrown my timeline out of the window since the beginning of the year, because I only finished one garment this month.  Of course I have purchased enough sewing patterns to make up for all the things I haven't sewn, but sometimes too many choices is not a good thing for me.  I hope April will be a month of productivity, and that I at least cross a few garments off my Sew Along list.

I hope all of your plans are coming along well, and you are "winning!"  Seriously, my husband has been saying that phrase a lot, and I just heard about it last night.  I was totally clueless about how popular the phrase has become.  So every time I hear it now, I have to laugh.  If you have no clue the way I did, check out the video on Youtube here.  Or if you just want a good laugh, you can watch the video too.

*In conclusion, I just want to say that I don't mean to make light of Charlie Sheen's situation.  I really hope he gets it together and does live a winning life.  It is his emphasize on winning, and his tone of voice that I find funny.*

Stay sew-filled!

Vogue summer favorites

Its the time for summer patterns to start rolling out, and Vogue has their newest summer patterns on display here.  Overall, I was not as impressed with this summer line as I was with their spring additions.  There just weren't many styles that "popped" for me.  Part of that may also be my excitement with the Tim Gunn Sew Along (see sidebar at right).  Since I have been concentrating on sewing pieces for my wardrobe, I haven't been enticed by the acquisition of other patterns.  I have enough on my plate right now, I guess.

Well, here are the ones I found interesting...

Vogue 1236

This is a DKNY design, and I love the simplicity of it.  If you haven't figured out that my style is more classically modern with splashes of trends, then I'm sure you understand now why I like this pattern.  Also, it doesn't look like it's that difficult to sew.  My issue would be getting the gathers just right (I really do loathe gathering).

Vogue 1249

This pattern is a Badgley Mischka design that I find effortlessly beautiful.  I don't think I have worn a jumpsuit since childhood, but I would be willing to consider one that looked like this!

Vogue 1245

These two loose-fitting peasant-style tops have a certain spiciness to them.  My favorite is the one on the right in red and black.  The see-thru arms are a nice effect.

Vogue 8727

Vogue 8727 is a pattern with many choices of design.  The shape of the bodice is what I like the most.  I don't think I would wear it that long, so I prefer the dresses shown with the shorter length, and slimmer silhouette as opposed to the more flared version.

Vogue 8732

This one is just a jacket I thought was cute.  I love the pop of color, though I'm not crazy about the buttons.

These two are Vogue 8723, Very Easy Vogue Custom Fit.  I really like this one.  I love the detailing of the neckline, and the mix of the different prints as pictured on the woman above.   

Here are some more Custom Fit Very Easy Vogues...

Vogue 8724

Vogue 8725

I leave you with a great bag(s)...

Vogue 8741

Bags are something that I have yet to make now that I have a year of sewing under my belt.  Actually, there are still a great many things I would like to venture into and bags is one of them.  One day.  

Thanks again for catching up with me! 

Stay sew-filled!

Sewing books

I absolutely LOVE to read, and so it's only natural that I read about sewing!  In fact, I love a post I read on Victoria's blog about all the different sewing books she is interested in.  A lot of them are about couture sewing and pattern fitting and tailoring.  The very next day after reading her post I discovered that my library had a couple of the books she mentioned, and I requested (and received) this one:

I am still browsing through it, but I do like it.  Here are the things I like about it:

1.  It has great pictures of couture garments.

2.  It has an organized list of different couture techniques, making it easy to find the technique you need

3.  Every technique is explained and illustrated (though I am not sure how well, since I have yet to try one)

These are some of the photos of the couture garments...

Aren't they just divine?  How wonderful it would be to be able to manipulate fabric in these kinds of ways!!  

I don't know why but lately I realized that I would like to expand my sewing reference library.  The books I have now are mostly to help me along with the basics, but I want some books that can take my sewing to the next level!  So I went out on a limb and bought this book:

It is on its way to my home now, and I am hoping it is not a dud.  If it is, then I'll figure out something to do with it.  But I would really like what I sew to look designer and not home-made.  I know that will take time, and I am willing to learn, grow, and wait.  But the ultimate goal is to get as close to RTW as possible.

Skirt Update

I cut out my fabric, and will be cutting out the lining today (did I mention that already)?  I really did want to finish the skirt this past weekend, but of course I didn't.  I will say I am continuing to work on it, and I really like working with linen blend fabrics!!  I checked out Mood fabrics online the other day and they have a $10 or less section that I liked very much.  Of course, they charge at least $10 to ship, but I really liked a lot of the fabrics they have, and I am sure the quality is great too.  

Well, not much else is going on around here, which is a good thing.  In light of all these sewing books, I would like to mention that the non-sewing book I am reading right now is called Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.  If you have not read it, I highly recommend it!! I am on chapter 4, but it is so riveting.  It is about a man who falls in love with a prostitute.  My friend recommended it to me, and she said it will make you laugh, cry, and everything in between.  So far, she is right.

BTW, I would love to hear what you are reading, sewing or non-sewing related.  

Stay sew-filled!

Sewing for school

One way to have fun with sewing is through your children.  My son, in particular, goes to pre-K a couple of times a week, and they tend to do fun stuff for the kids every now and then.  Well one of the fun things they decided to do this time was "Show and Tell" (a classic) and "Silly Socks" day.  I have never heard of "Silly Socks" day but apparently your child wears their silliest pair of socks to school so everyone can have a good laugh!

That would be great, except my son doesn't have any silly socks.  He has regular socks, some old socks, and some mismatched socks, but nothing that I would consider appropriately silly. So I was all set to send him to school this morning with two different colored socks when I had an idea last night..."Why not serge some of his old socks together and see how that turns out?"

And that is exactly what I did...

I took these old socks of his...

I cut a 2 inch strip on each of the brown socks, and quickly envisioned how I would sew them together. Then, I matched them up right sides together and serged my little heart out!  It took about 10 minutes all together, the extra time came from manipulating the socks in my serger.

And here is the end result...

Now if these aren't laughable, I don't know what are!!  Of course my son LOVED them!!  He said he wants to wear them every day!!  And this morning while getting ready for school he told me thank you for making him silly socks.

No, son, thank you!!  You made me think of another reason why I love to sew so much: it allows me to be resourceful in situations like these.  And I just know that no one else in class will have these exact same silly socks that your mommy made!

Trying on the silly socks last night

Stay sew-filled!!