So…..Many…..Thank Yous…..

May 4, 2013May 4, 201331 Comments

I am very excited and privileged to be amongst such generous and inspiring company. Over the last few months, I have won several giveaways, received some gifts AND have also been honoured with some awards. I wanted to post the ‘goods’ with a link to all those who were so kind as to offer up gifts and bestow awards. I am humbled by your fabulous, creative company. So…Thank You.

GIFTS and GIVEAWAY WINS

A lovely rayon/linen blend ecru coloured fabric with matching thread and buttons and a McCalls summer top pattern from Dale at Finished Threads

A very beautiful and different Vogue coat pattern from Mari at Disparate Disciplines

A cute and ’70s looking poufy sleeved Simplicity Dress pattern from Denise at Dottie Doodle

Fun retro top and shorts Simplicity Pattern, Project Runway Blouse Pattern and a luxurious brown silky satin stretch fabric from Kristin at Sew Classic

A small piece of very cute Yoshiko Jinzenji fabric and an Amy Butler pillow pattern from Kerry at VeryKerryBerry

A retro, frilly ’70’s blouse pattern from Carmen at Carmencitab
A vintage sewing book on CD: Practical Dress Design – principles of fitting and pattern making. Author, Mabel Deane Erwin. From Deborah at GraceDressmaking

Lovely winter weight plaid fabric and a whole slew of notions to match from Gillian over at Gilly Makes

Thank you so much everybody! Cannot wait to sew up some fabulousness with these lovely items.

BLOGGING AWARDS

Very Inspiring Blogger Award: Bestowed on me by the experienced and always helpful, Brooke at CustomStyle She’s always ‘game’ for answering my questions or some wonderful sewcialist chat on Twitter. Her blog is rife with sewing information.

I was blessed to have received the Leibster Award by four (FOUR!!) extremely fantastic and talented bloggers. This award requires that you answer 11 questions given to you by the presenter. For purposes of brevity, I have opted to answer 3 of each person’s questions.

I did not make any nominations as I was recently nominated for 3 blog awards here and nominated some wonderful folks at that time.

Sarah at Sarahmshultz. Sarah hosts some fun blogging parties on her blog and is also adept at organizing as well as sewing.

1. What made you start blogging? My new-found love for sewing and my desire to record my journey and be able to interact with others.

2. If there were to be a zombie apocalypse, what would be your weapon of choice? My wits.

3. Do you actually have that weapon easily accessible? Sometimes, depends on the day :P.

Cherry Pix from Cherry Pix. She makes some super fabulous things for her cat, including a matching mom and cat outfit! Kitty is already in love with her. She has also made some simply lovely garments and her blog is so much fun to read.

1. What is your number-one favourite sewing gadget? My rulers. I have many, different styles, lengths, curves, squares, triangles, metric, inches, see-thru. Bliss! Going to do a blogpost on them in the future.

2. Are you a pattern tracer or a pattern cutter? I trace, trace, trace. Often while utilizing my rulers. 🙂

3. Which of your own sewing creations are you most pleased with? My Ikea Butterick 5285 Skirt.

Amber at Miss Parayim. Amber makes beautiful outfits and may, indeed have a fabric fetish. (Don’t we all?) She always seems to find JUST the right fabric for JUST the right outfit. Note to self: I must go fabric shopping with her one day!

1. What kind of machine do you use? A Janome My Lock overlocker / serger and currently borrowing my mum’s Kenmore sewing machine. I’m in the market for a new sewing machine. Any opinions or advice would be much appreciated, feel free to comment!

2. What inspires you? A fantastic book or a terrific song with lyrics that amaze. A spectacular warm, sunny day by the water. Selflessness in others. And, the underdog. Always, the underdog.

3. What do you want to make next? Summer dresses! A long, flowy halter style made of silk and a shift dress made with cotton.

Kacie at Thimble and Cork. Kacie calls herself a beginner sewist, but I don’t think she can be! She must be practicing on the fly, when she is supposed to be sleeping because her stuff is top-quality. She also has the kindest things to say to my Twitter posts.

1. Do you do most of your fabric shopping in local stores or online? Local stores. I have only just VERY recently (this week) ordered my very first ever mail-order purchase!! There is likely to be more of that. I was warned…

2. Which new sewing skill are you most excited to learn or perfect? Tailoring and altering clothes and patterns to fit properly.

3. Is there a movie or TV show that you think has particularly inspiring costumes? Well, my answer is not theatrical and dramatic nor overly technically complex, but, for outfits that I would actually wear, I rather like Mary and Rhoda’s wardrobe on the Mary Tyler Moore show. And, it hasn’t opened yet, but I’m fairly confident that The Great Gatsby is going to have some stunners.

Sewing Dare Done: Ikea Fabric + Butterick 5285

April 26, 2013February 3, 2014101 Comments

I was recently charged with a sewing dare by Jagoda from FitNottoFit to sew something for myself to wear out of this Ikea Fabric. You can see the post here.

I decided to make a skirt from Butterick B5285. I made View B, which has two box pleats in the front and back, a back zipper and side seam pockets.

It was quite easy to make, (save for my brand new (to me) vintage overlocker eating my first skirt, both front and back pieces. I had to start all over again. And, the second skirt, the waistband was too big, so I had to make a new one.)The only real difficulty I found was with the box pleats. It took so much time, measuring and ironing them, then lining up the next pleat so that it did not overlap the first one, making sure the pleats were the same size, etc. This actually took longer than constructing the skirt. It was much more challenging to get these box pleats even and flat from top to bottom than it was for knife pleats, like those found in versions C and D. Is there a trick / secret to making box pleats? If you know of one, please share!I do really like the way the box pleats layer the fabric and allow the large floral print on it to peek through and make all kinds of abstract and colourful designs on the skirt. I think it really utilized the fabric to its full potential, adds an extra element of design and creates an interesting composition. I am quite pleased with that aspect. And, of course, POCKETS!!!! ‘Nuff said. I submitted it for my skirt project in sewing class and received 20 out of 20 (100%). 🙂And, I have seen so many photos of you lovely garment makers twirling in your skirts, so here goes:

Twirling is THE BEST!!!! And, it really shows the layers of colour and abstract floral patterns underneath the box pleats.

Kitty Likes Measuring Tapes

Sewing With Heart

April 20, 2013February 3, 201435 Comments

Recently, I was contacted by Jimmy Beans Wool, to explore the book Sew Red by Laura Zander of Jimmy Beans Wool. I was enthusiastic about the prospect as it is a sewing and quilting book dedicated to raising awareness of Women’s Heart Health. Approximately 5% of the proceeds from Sew Red will be donated to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) in support of The Heart Truth.

“Worldwide, 8.6 million women die from heart disease each year, accounting for a third of all deaths in women.” (Women’s Heart Foundation).

Leading Causes of Death for American Women
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/educational/hearttruth/about/index.htm

The book includes sewing project contributions from 27 different designers, fabric designers, sewists and fashion designers, including Amy Butler, Brett Bara, Ty Pennington, Tula Pink, Nancy Zieman (from Sewing with Nancy) and Suede (from Project Runway).

Sew Red Table of Contents Page

The table of contents excited me (and I mean, really, who gets excited over a table of contents??) because it listed a picture of every complete project.

Kay Whitt’s Sweet Sixteen Skirt

The book includes a little blurb about the contributing author and instructions, diagrams, patterns and photographs of a sewing or quilting project they have created. Most of the projects have you draft your own pattern, such as Kay Whitt’s Sweet Sixteen Skirt, named for the 16 panels sewn around the skirt. Step-by-step instructions are included along with numerous diagrams to help you with your self-drafting endeavours.

Amy Butler’s Drawstring Dress

Patterns are also included with the book for some of the projects, such as Amy Butler’s cute and flirty Drawstring Dress.

Anna Cohen’s Petal Dress

A pattern and instructions for a gorgeous evening Petal Dress, aptly named for the undulating ‘petals’ that make up the entire skirt of the dress, by Anna Cohen is also included.

For Project Runway fans, the full Simplicity Suede Says Pattern for Suede’s Kimono Sleeve Tunic is also included in sizes XS to XL.

Simplicity Suede Says Kimono Sleeve Tunic

This one is in my sewing queue!

Quilters will also be excited with the patterns included for the beautiful pieced quilts as well as the quilted applique motifs.

Marcia Harmening Queen of Hearts Quilt http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/details/sewRed/

Quilted pillows, bags and pouches are also featured.

There are also contributions from folks who have created their own fabric lines, such as Ty Pennington. Remember him from Trading Spaces and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? He has designed a fabric line for Westminster Fibers called Impressions, “inspired by the resilience he witnessed in our [USA] nation’s…communities when filming his shows.” (Sew Red, p.74). He includes instructions for a practical yet stylish backpack.

One fun thing about the book is that every single project was sewn in red coloured themed fabric. No matter the pattern or style, all the beautiful fabrics featured were dominantly red, which nicely reinforced the reason for the book, heart health.

For more book reviews, go to the Book Review section, here.

Update: This book review/preview has been featured in Stitching the Night Away Craft Daily, issue: April 21, 2013.