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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Back From Vacation

There is nothing more invigorating than getting away from dirty snow for a week in the sun! Here are a few photos of my trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with my family.



Beautiful street in Puerto Vallarta with actual blooming flowers!


One of MANY delicious meals



Yum! Fresh coconut and a vendor who was very deft with a machete!



Me on a horse! We took a wonderful  ride across a river, and up and down a trail to see petroglyphs!





According to our guide these petroglyphs  were etched into the rock about 1200 years ago using rattle snake venom!



View from the balcony at our hotel

  We spent quite a bit of time touring different areas of the city. There were many opportunities to shop, but in all of our travels I never saw a place to purchase fabric.
 I am happy to be home and looking forward to sewing. My sewing machines had a nice rest, and so did I!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Travel Tunic

There has been the usual whirlwind as I have finished sewing projects for clients in preparation for a week in the Mexican sun. I did take a few hours to make myself a tunic to take on the trip.
 I had a piece of rayon/spandex knit from Emma One Sock  http://www.emmaonesock.com/fabrics/knitprints.asp  
 There is always a selection of knit prints on this site. I love the rayon knits as they drape beautifully and are really comfortable to wear.

I used McCall's 6571 http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6571-products-22762.php?page_id=528&search_control=display&list=search 
 I used view B with the boat neck. The diagonal print on this knit begged to be accentuated, so I cut the top longer, and angled the hem to follow the print.  I will wear this with narrow black capris and a chunky silver necklace.
 I am so happy that I took the time to make one new piece for our trip!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

A Day of Opposites!

 My resident snow blower/dog feeder/laundry folder/chef/husband is out of town. This meant that I did all of those chores that he so faithfully does, plus I had to shovel the long sidewalk from the street to my sewing studio entrance.  If I had had someone  shoot a video it could have conveyed the rigors of this task. The wind was blowing so hard that as I tossed the snow up on to the 4 1/2 foot bank on the right  strong gusts were filling it back in off of the banks on the left.  Perhaps you have heard about "light, fluffy snow"...well this wasn't it!


  After that effort I came back into my studio and my twin sister called. I was whining a bit about the shoveling, and then I told her that my most dreaded task of the day was that I had to go shopping for a swimsuit!!!!!! She lives in Canada, so she suggested that if I found a suit I should post it on my blog so that she could see it.
 Anyway, my husband and I are blessed to be traveling to Mexico with kids, and grand kids at the end of the week, and grandma will have to don a swimsuit.
 On the rare occasions that I have had to shop for a swim suit I have always wished that there were candle lit fitting rooms. Florescent lights are good for seeing details...and that is why they are hell in a fitting room!
 Anyway, all of this anxiety was pointless as the designers of swim suits have done us a real favor lately by creating suits that cover up things that are best left to the imagination while still looking a bit zippy.

 Zippy is a relative term...I may ask my fifteen year old grand daughter if she thinks her grandma's swimsuit is zippy. She will undoubtedly agree as she is a kind and diplomatic girl.
 Once in my youth I sewed a swimsuit. It was made from a stretch terry sort of fabric, and the teeny top had cups that were extremely hard. When the fabric got wet, and sucked around those cups it was really quite amazing! Nothing about that experience has ever made me feel like tackling another swimsuit.


 I read a blog the other day where a clever young woman had a remote control thingy that allowed her to shoot photos of herself. I feel really lucky that I don't have that technology so that I have an excuse to show my new bathing suit on my dress form.
 My dress form is at least 25 years old and despite that her breasts are at just about the same level as they were when I first bought her.  I cannot not say the same about mine....
 I made myself a "beach burka" cover-up to wear at all times when not is the water...We are staying at an all inclusive resort, and the round-the-clock buffets assure that the suit will be the most flattering on the day of arrival...
 Thoughts of Mexico made today's shoveling bearable as I expect that thoughts of shoveling will make every moment in Mexico precious!

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Perfect Sign

             Here is a sign that I have hanging in my sewing studio.
 



Were truer words ever said????

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Jacket


 An organization that does work that is very important to me is having a fund raiser on Saturday evening. They put out a call to artists in the community to donate items for the silent auction.
 I had very little time to make something to donate so I used the new Kathrine Tilton  pattern (#5891) to make a jacket.  http://butterick.mccall.com/b5891-products-44968.php?page_id=369

 The front right panel is cut from a wonderful piece of vintage fabric that looks great with the green canvas. I made bound buttonholes to fit the fantastic vintage buttons that match the pink in the vintage fabric.


I used aqua china silk to bind all of the inside jacket seams. The silk is the same color as the aqua in the vintage print fabric on the front of the jacket.
This was a fun jacket to sew!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Sewing Library

Now that most of us have computers the need for good sewing books has diminished. I have a computer in my sewing room and I use it frequently to access specific sewing information, but there is no denying the value of sewing books.
  I have purchased books at estate sales, or tag sales and used book stores. These older books are very charming, and I have learned some valuable techniques from them.

1930

1949

1948                                      1943



1985
 Decorative Dressmaking by Sue Thompson is one of my favorite sewing books! It is packed with instructions for creating fashion details.

Why is this woman so happy?

Some of the photos are charmingly dated!

Ooooops, Fashion Faux Pas! ala 1985

But, there are numerous pages of  explanations on how to recreate details from era's past.




This book has given me many creative ideas over the years!





This Vogue Sewing Book is from 1980. It is very useful on those occasions when I can't remember how to cover a hook with thread.


Actually it has been a long time since I have felt compelled to cover a hook with thread, but should the occasion arise I will have directions right at hand! It also has many more practical instructions.

I frequently acquaint my students with  www.half.com  This is a web site that consistently has books that I am looking for at unbelievably low prices! It is a good place to start a search for sewing books.

For some of us happiness is a nice little sewing library!



Thursday, March 7, 2013

Little Shoe Pin Cushions

While cleaning out my mother-in-law's house after her passing my husband found his baby shoes. I took a piece of doupioni silk and some polyester fiber fill and stuffed the little shoes to make pin cushions.

 They will look great on my sewing room shelves!