American Sewing Expo

No ,I haven't disappeard from blogging again. I've been in Detroit for a little over a week. I'm spending my time helping my mom through her recovery from a stroke,which left her partially paralyzed. She is making great progress and is doing really well in her therapy.It is important to her to get to do things she has always enjoyed,which largely includes sewing and doing crafts. We've always attended the American Sewing Expo in Novi,Michigan and this year she thought she would not be able to go because "no one would want to be bothered with pushing a wheelchair"she said. Well,I pushed my mom all over that expo and she was excited and delighted all day.Everyone there was so considerate and kind to her.We shopped until we almost dropped. After the expo we went to Joann Fabrics ,dinner and then a visit to her sewing buddy,Cynthia's home for a visit of her newly remodeled sewing room.

While at the expo,I met Rachelle from Smoking Needles . She is as beautiful and charming as can be.

A good time was had by all.

An Award For Me and Nominations

I've been nominated for this award.
This sweet,talented,beauty at Smoking Needles nominated me. Thank you very much. I'm honored.

Here's 1o things about me.

1. Every time I watch "Horders",I start furiously cleaning my house.

2. I love horror movies and books. I usually see most horror movies on the opening day.

3. I've been married for 26 years and my husband and I still date. I mean we call each other and ask for a date just like when we first met.

4. I'm an artist. I have had great gallery showings and sold all my paintings. Now here's the crazy thing... I haven't painted as much as a finger nail in the last 2 years. I'm afraid that I've lost my painting "mojo".

5. I have a very small fabric stash. Only 2 Rubbermaid containers and one of them is not even full.

6. I only buy patterns if I plan to make them within the month of purchase. The exception is if I attend a sewing convention,then,I stock up on indie patterns.

7. I love to bake. I like to try new recipes but, have never followed one to the letter.

8. I have a fear of heights and spiders.

9. I love to knit. My knitting is awful,but I refuse to give it up. The process is so relaxing. I enjoy the feeling of the yarn and the little rhythmic clicks the needles make as they touch.

10. I can't type and use the "hunt and peck" method to post my blog. It takes forever and I often worry that my posts are to short.

Here's the people I nominate:
1.T-Minus T-Plus
2.The New Vintage Wardrobe
3.Sew Passionista by Diana
4.In My Craft Room
5.All My Seams

Weekend Project-Finished

This weekend sewing project is almost finish.I haven't sewn the buttons on yet,but I can't wait to show it. Here it is,on Claire.
I used Vogue 8515.The fabric,chambray featuring window pane pin tucks, was given to me by a friend. I love textured fabric.but I certainly didn't want to do all that work. Here's a picture of the pin tucks.
I embroidered my buttonholes using a design program from Dakota Collectibles 2010.
The stabilizer I chose is Sulky Solvy. It dissolves in water,so that nothing shows on either side. This is the first time I've used an embroidery program for buttonholes. I'll definitely do it again.

Day 4 - Mean Jeans

Sometimes ,I make a garment that I think is just the “cat’s meow” after I try it on,a few minute after it comes f the sewing machine. Truth is ,I should remember that everything has to be wear tested. Only then, can I truly give it a rating .
These jeans are a good example of what I’m talking about. When I first tied them on.they fit beautifully .The only issue I had was the waist was a little too high.(above the navel). I could deal with that because ,I never wear my tops tucked in.However as the day wore on these jeans began to betray me. The waistband grew at least two sizes. The crotch and butt dropped down ( picture the old plumber sag).
Believe it or not I will make another pair. Next time I will make them tighter or perhaps not use denim with spandex.
I used McCalls 5894 The pattern instruction guides you to a fly front zipper being placed on the wrong side. It also seems to run large. Otherwise it’s a great pattern. I embroidered the back pockets using an Anita Goodesigns,Designer Roses II.

Day 3 Self-Stitch-September

I didn't have to go to work today. I spent a little time cleaning up my sewing room an organizing my tools. There is nothing like playing in an organized space. I started working on my Vogue top ,mentioned in my last post. so far so good.
The best part of the day was spending time with my friend Linda,who loves sewing as much as I do. We went out to eat and talked sewing most of the evening. It's good to have friends who share the joy of sewing. Linda was kind enough to take this picture of me in my "self made top".
This pattern used for this top is McCall's 6118 in a chamuese print from Hancock Fabrics.
I don't plan to make this pattern again. The off-the-shoulder neckline was a bit wonky.

National Sewing Month -Day One

I'm participating in"Self-Stitched-September".I took the pledge to wear something,made by me,everyday. This is what I changed into after I took of my work uniform.
The pants are made from matte jersey. The pattern I used is an independent line by Louise Cutting.It's called the One Seam Pant. They have an elastic waistband and are quick and easy to make. I've made them several times and love them a little more with each pair.
The top is made from a light weight knit,purchased from my friend Ebony. I used another indie pattern from Christine Jonson called the Princess Wrap #426 .

Did you know that September is "National Sewing Month".In celebration,I will sew or do something sewing related, every day this month. I'm cutting this pattern out tonight from a chambray fabric which has features a pin tuck pattern. I plan to add a little embroidery to this project,maybe.

Self-Stitched-September

It has been over a year since my last post and believe it or not, I've missed it.
Each time I thought about posting something,I'd put it of until:

• tomorrow-I've had a long day and I'm tired

• this weekend-I'll be off and have more time

• next week-Maybe then I have something to blog about

• next month-I'll just start at the beginning of next month

• 3 months later-I'm so embarrassed by my inability to blog with some regularity like everyone else.

• 1 year later-I've probably lost all my readers.What's the use?
  

After all that,I've just decided that blogging is something I enjoy and no matter how much time passes between my posts, I will not quit.

I have entered a challenge event called,"Self Stitched September" and have taken the pledge:
'I, Lisa H, sign up as a participant of Self-Stitched-September. I endeavour to wear only handmade and refashioned’ item(s) of clothing or accessories, every day for the duration of September 2010'.
This will be a great way for me to get back into the blog game and celebrate "National Sewing Month "at the same time.
It will also be a real challenge because,I wear a uniform to work. But after work,it's all me and my own sewn clothes.
Wish me luck.

Better Fit or Bust

Yesterday was my day off and I spent the entire day doing things I enjoy. I started the day off planning a mini-wardrobe and cut out this Christine Jonson pattern #426,Princess Wrap.

Her patterns go up to a size 22 but I still needed a bit of adjustment to fit my body. Before I started my usual adjustments, I picked up my copy of Threads magazine, May 2009, No.142. It's the fitting issue and ironically it was on the floor by my bed,opened to the article by Louise Cutting ,"Add a Bust Darts".

It features instructions on getting the right bra size. I looked down (way down) at the girls and decided they must be wearing the wrong size. I grabbed my tape measure and followed Louise's measuring instructions and headed out to buy a bra in the right size.

Now I was ready to adjust my pattern for these newly hoisted boobs. I still needed a FBA,but my girls were uplifted,so my measurements was accurate. Here is my new top, the first piece of my mini-wardrobe.

The lightweight knit fabric, is a purchase from Ebbyj Fabrics. This pattern was a breeze to work with. The instructions and illustrations are clear and un-complicated. Most of the construction was done on my serger,which made this a really fast project. I plan on trying several of Christine Jonson's patterns.

My Maxi,City,Town Dress

I've been seeing all the fabulous maxi dresses,city dresses,and town gowns on all the different blogs and it made me wonder....could I pull this style off? I am 5'5 and quite fluffy. My friend Linda says,"Wear what you like. If you like it you should wear it." I think about her words often when I'm freaking out about my pattern or fabric selection and how it will look on my plus size body,and immediately feel good about what I have chosen.

I wanted something with some coverage and would not give me the maternity look. I choose this pattern. I have made this dress before and found it to be a great fit and fast to put together. No zippers,buttons or elastic. Don't you just love summer sewing?

I added some length and left the back ties off. No other adjustment were needed.

I purchased this cool ,cotton jersey fabric, from my friend Ebony's Etsy store, EbbyJ's Fabrics .

I wore it to work Thursday(with total confidence) and was cool and comfortable all day. I will be making this dress again. Next time, with shorter sleeves.

I'm A Record Holder

I think I hold the record for "longest time away from blogging"! It seem there is never enough time to do all the things I enjoy...or....maybe I don't use my time wisely. Twenty four hour per day is a generous gift from God that I receive daily. I need to get better at managing my time.
That being said,I not going to waste your time with whining and excuses.
I apologise to my blog friends (readers) for leaving you hanging. Thank you for checking up on me from time to time. I will do better.

I have been sewing lately. I made this cool comfortable dress using Simplicity 3877 and wonderfully soft cotton fabric from my friend Ebony's ,Etsy shop.


This is the second time I've used this pattern. It features a bodice with cup sizes B,C and D,so I didn't have to do a FBA. The pattern calls for side zipper which I decided to leave out after basting the side closed and trying it on first. It pulls over the head just fine. It's perfect for the extremely hot weather here. I will definitely make it again. I need more dresses in my life.

Easy-Peasy Sewing

My sewing time has been limited lately, because of my work schedule. But I refuse to let it rob me completely of my joy. I just decided to do a couple of easy projects. I choose a couple of unlined jackets. Butterick 4817 and Shapes-Nine Lives Vest
The Butterick 4817 jacket is made using 4 pattern pieces,front back,sleeves and facings. I
wanted to try a couple of techniques I learned recently,at the sewing expo. I learned about matching large prints and adding a little extra to the front of a jacket so that it doesn't gap open with every move. I haven't hemmed it yet. This fabric is a linen blend,given to me by my friend,Ebony.

The Shapes-Nine Live Vest,is a new pattern by Louise Cutting and Linda Lee. I purchased it at the sewing expo. It consist of 4 pieces,two fronts,a back and a collar. I made it right out of the package to get an idea of how it would fit. The vest has an asymmetrical cut front. I haven't found the right buttons yet. I'd like something really different. This fabric is another piece of linen blend given to me by Ebony.I have the day off tomorrow, and I plan to spend it in my sewing room. I just recieved my Speigel and Coldwater Creek catalogs and my head is swimming with ideas.

Sewing Expo Weekend

My weekend was filled with good friends,good food and a good sewing event. I went to the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo,in Atlanta Ga. It was so much fun and educational also. I think it is a great way to get inspiration and learn the new techniques and tools to take your sewing to the next level.

It get even better when you can take in the activity with friends who enjoy sewing just as much.

I spent my time with Ebony(in the purple top),Linda(in the rust jacket) and met Carla(in the white top). Here's my haul. I purchased four pieces of fabric,four patterns from Cutting Lines, a tailoring board and a box of Steam-A-Seam.I also took two classes and won a door prize from Kathy Ruddy. It is one of her instructional booklets and it is filled with wonderful fitting alternatives and style options.
The minute we got into our hotel room,Ebony went right into cutting and sewing.

Linda and I read blogs,sewing books until wee hours. We were still rested enough to enjoy a late breakfast and head out to the expo.

As I mentioned earlier,I took two classed. The first one was Kathy Ruddy's "The Fit You Need & Style You Want". The second one was Sandy Miller's "How Many Ways Can You Make A Jacket". Both classes were good. I plan to put the things I learn into action immediately. If you have not gone to a sewing expo,you should make plans to attend one. You'll be glad you did. On a different note some wonderful blog friends have nominated me for this award.

I feel totally honored. Thank you Linda, Julia ,Knit Machine Queen, Mimi Satin and Cindy. I will pass the great honor on to 10 other sweet sisters and list the rules in my next post.

Guy Laroche Jacket-Finished !

It's finally finished and I love it!This jacket gave me a hissy fit.The under arm is cut in the strangest way. If I were to sew it the way it was designed,I would not be able to move my arms enough to drink a cup of coffee,without busting a seam. To remedy this situation,I had to learn how to make a gusset. A gusset is a diamond or triangular piece of fabric that give a garment extra space,while allowing it to hang close to the body. I use a diamond shaped insert under the arm of this jacket. I had to hit the old school sewing books,to learn about gussets. My trusted guide for this operation was "The Vogue Sewing Book"copyright 1973(Thanks Mom). The instructions allowed me to make this jacket suitable for wear. Here I am wearing with my TNT pattern,Sewing Workshop's Plaza pants.I had to make my usual FBA and I think I should have shortened the sleeves.They are at an odd area,between 3/4 length and looking too short.I figure if I wear a cute bracelet, no one will notice.

Here is a picture of the gusset under the sleeve of my jacket. I'm happy with my new jacket,now that it is finally finished and I learned a new skill. I don't think I will make it again. Besides,I just bought 4 new jacket patterns this weekend.

Claire is wearing the jacket for now. It's the first thing I see when I walk into my sewing room until I make something else. This is my last winter garment. It's all spring wear from here.

Cool Off Cardigan

Do you ever get so frustrated with a project, that you have to completely stop and find something else to do? Well that was exactly what I had to do while working on this jacket .

Nothing was going right. I was ready to throw it in the trash can. It was clearly time to walk away. So after a day of sulking,I decided to sew something else. I pulled out this OOP pattern, and some $1 fabric from Walmart and have some non-complicated sewing fun. I morphed this pattern into this cardigan jacket.After rounding off the neckline, shortening the lengthened sleeves,I cut 2 inch bias strips and did rolled edges on my serger.Then I used my ruffler foot to gather this stretchy fabric into an evenly gathered ruffle.This gave me about two yards of new embellishment,which I applied around the neck and down the front of my new cardigan.
I wore it to work today and it was very comfortable. As for the jacket that I almost threw in the trash...I have returned to it with a renewed mind. More on it in a later post.

We Have A Winner

Thank you for those sweet birthday wishes. I'm truly blessed to have you as readers/friends. Blogging is good for the heart.

An now without further ado.THE WINNER IS...........

Congradulations Joyce Plunkett ! You've won my B-day giveaway. Please email me your mailing information so that I may send the gift to you. Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you will continue to visit.

My Birthday Giveaway

Today is my birthday and wedding anniversary and in true blogger style,I'm giving away a gift to one of my lucky readers. More on that a little further in this post. My DH and I have been married for 25 years and in all those years he has never cut paper with my sewing scissors,complained about me buying fabric or criticized my sewing creations. He bought my first sewing machine. He has sat in many fabric stores with a bored look on his face but never complained. I never get tired of his one response to my newest creation,"Yeah baby,that looks nice". That's just a few of the many thing I love about him.

I got a new camera for my birthday and my DD was happy to take some picture. This blouse is from Butterick 5284 and the fabric was given to me by friend Ebony.

This pattern is great. Beside my usual FBA,I made one little change.I did a rolled edge(on my serger) on my ruffles instead of the narrow hem the pattern features in it's instructions. I will definitely make it again.

Here is my birthday giveaway.

This is a good book to aid in creating harmony in your wardrobe world. I hope you'll like it. Simply post a reply stating you want to be entered in this drawing.I'll post the winner in 5 days.The winner should then email me her mailing address to receive the gift. Good luck and thank you for reading my blog.

A Little Sewing and A Little Laughter

I finished 2 pairs of pants from TNT patterns,Simplicity 2700 (grey plaid) and Sewing Workshop Plaza Pants(black).I know the hanger shots don't show much but I just wanted to share what I've been working on. I want to make a jacket to wear with the Plaza pants. I'll take pictures wearing both pieces as soon as I finish the jacket.

Here's my latest project is this OOP Vogue. It will be my last winter piece. The fabric is a wool blend with embossed large scale paisley print. The jacket is fully lined and the pattern requires that every jacket piece is interfaced.


I'm using the techniques from my newest sewing library addition"Jackets For Real People: Tailoring Made Easy".In the Palmer/Pletsch books they employ pin fitting your pattern instead of making a muslin. I pin fitted and of course I had to do the FBA as usual. I also added to the side back and side front pieces to accommodate my thick middle. The fabric pieces are now cut,interfaced and marked. As the book suggests,I pinned the fabric pieces together as if sewn and tried it on and fit nicely. If everything goes as planned,I should have a new jacket,by this weekend.



Now for a little laughter:

Wanna see something funny? Look

The Finished Dress

Finished at last ! It seems like every time I have a project that I'm eager to finish, all kind of drama pops up and steals my precious sewing time. I did get some sewing in,during the past weekend. I finished my sheath dress and cut out two pairs of TNT pants. My plans are to reduce my TV watching time (boo) and spend more time sewing (yaay). So far,so good. I cut out my fabric on Saturday,marked and interfaced on Sunday,sewing on Monday and drama (working late=no sewing) on Tuesday. Maybe I can get a little sewing in tonight.

I couldn't use the fabric I'd originally selected for this dress because,there was not enough fabric.Instead I used another print. My sewing friends choose this print during one of our trips to Hancock Fabrics. I'll build my Spring wardrobe on this dress.
I couldn't get my DD to take a picture. She is my usual photographer. My DH took this photo of me actually wearing the dress,so please excuse the blurry pic. I think you can still see how the dress fits. I'll definitely sew McCall's 5818 again,also I think I'll try other sheath dress patterns too. I like that it is lined and I don't have to worry about wearing a slip with it. This is a great pattern. The instructions are filled with fitting tips and the pattern is actually printed with commonly used alteration guide lines like ,the full bust adjustment. If you are new to fitting,this is a great pattern to start with.

You Give Me Joy!

I have been nominated by these wonderful,talented,women,Linda of Faye's Sewing Adventure, Liana of Sew Intriguing and Lesa of Lesalicious Style and Life for this award. I am greatly honored and I thank you. The best part of blogging, is having the opportunity to communicate with these great women and other terrific people, who willingly share their knowledge,successes and sometimes disappointments of sewing. It's a joy to read comments and know that someone likes what I'm doing.I'm enjoy many blogs and here are my nominations:

1. SewHooked

2.Wardrobe Revival

3.After The Dress

4.Just Be Yourself and Sew

5.Green Apples-A Knitting Blog

6.Melodye's Needle Notes

7.Julia's Sewing Blog

Hear are the rules for the nominees:

1. Copy the award to your site.

2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.

3. Nominate 7 other bloggers.

4. Link to those on your blog.

5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominated.

Dress Confessions-Part II

Thanks to all the wonderful notes of encouragement from my blogger friends,I jumped into this dress fitting project with confidence.

I've been working on muslins for my sheath dress.This is muslin #1. It is straight from the pattern,without any adjustments. I needed to familiarize myself with the pattern's design. It's very tight. No breathing room and forget about sitting. Every roll is exposed.

Here is the back view and more expose rolls.I modeled this dress in front of DH,who didn't know it was a fitting muslin and asked him how it looked? He looked for a few minutes and then said,"It looks nice."I was shocked to know, that he would let me walk around in public looking like this.

I made adjustments to the pattern shown here,highlighted by red marker.This is the front full bust adjustment.The front needed a FBA and some belly room.The back needed adjustment for fullness in the lower back and bottom,to prevent the dress from hanging up on my hip fluff. Here is the muslin #3 with adjustments. It passed the sit-down test and it doesn't show any rolls. It still needs a bit of tweaking.

There was a 2ND muslin but I decided to spare you and only show adjustments that work. I have tried on muslins 11 times, to get to a good fit. I think, I'm ready to move on to my fashion fabric.