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Showing posts from January, 2009

Skirt draft

I have completed my drafted pattern of my skirt and it fits wonderfully. I did not have much to change on the completed skirt. I had to add and dart in the back for the waist to fit better but that was about it. The fit is comfortable and its the right length. Why am I amazed that it turned out so well. Usually I take the time to do all the measurements and still have lots of changes to make. With the aid of Fashion-era.com I was able to complete drafting the pattern and creating the skirt in about 1 and 1/2 hours. Now I will sketch some skirt ideas for myself. But tomorrow I will make several Pencil skirts with turtleneck sweaters or shirts. I should have pictures by Sunday afternoon. Good night I actually work up enough energy to sleep tonight.

I love the snow.

The falling snow prevented me from going to the fabric sale. Stephanie was not going to drive for an hour in the snow. My guess is that her husband perferred that she did not do so. Acutally if Rose would have just said we could go later, like after the snow stopped that we all would be shopping right now. This is my snow tracks going to get the mail The front of my apartment. It looks pretty good covered in snow. I don't even bother to use these steps when they are covered. No snow plow just yet. Hope they have not run out of salt! I did clean off the drive way. Now its time to nap! <

My Addiction

Everyone has a weakness. Mine is well known amongst all my friends. Fabric! Last night after a long day at work I receieved a phone call from a friend who has not talked to me in 6 months. She called to say that Stephanie and Jackie and I were invited to come to her sister's house who is having a fabric sale. Top quality fabrics for a really reasonable price. What was I doing Friday? Do I have to go to work? My addiction to acquiring new fabric is strong and I have called off work for less that what this invitation now put before me. I had already made arrangement to have lunch with my youngest sister Friday afternoon. Now just the thought a getting new fabric I have a hard time remembering my sister. " Just come by my house around 10:30 and we will all ride with Stephanie. My sister lives about an hour away. So will we see you?" First reaction Yes! But I did not say anything at first. " Sound great I would love to do that but I am not sure that I can get to your hou

Sewing Atrophy

You know the phrase if you don't use it you will lose it. I need some sewing exercises. When I was sewing everyday I could make a dress without the aid of a paper pattern. I was able to see a designer dress and then decide that It should be mine and then make the dress for myself. I had stopped doing this not really sure why. So I need to get some exercises done so that I can cure my atorphy. Fashion-Era is a great website and excellent tool. I discovered this website 2 years ago when I was researching fashion styles through the years. Would you believe it has directions for making a sloper? A sloper is the American term for basic pattern block. I have made them in the past so its time for an update. This will be my exercise for February. I need to create sloper for myself and get back to designing my own clothing.

I hate carpeting!

I have been making baby gifts for coworkers. They did not take much time to make, I spent more time searching for the fabric to create these gifts. I bought a bunch of flannel so I made a couple of burp clothes and then made some baby bibs. This time they are the correct size. The first time I made them they were small and turn out to be drool bibs. The floor is full of trimmings and thread. I hate the carpet in here. I would take up the carpet but I rent this space and I have no place to put the carpet if I take it up. Bare floor is the best flooring for a sewing studio. You cannot vacuum threads because they get tied up on the roller brush. You can use a broom but that is a serious workout and when you think you are finish and everything is clean you suddenly find the straight pins you dropped because that are now caught in the nap of the carpet and are standing straight up so your foot gets stabbed a couple times before you actually find the pin. I also hate cleanup! I would pay som

THE CRICUT IS WONDERFUL!!!

I arrived at S ( my friend) Apt around 1:30 which is a big difference from 10:00 am. All in attendance, my friend , her nephew and me. While he played games on the PS2 she showed me how to work the Cricut. Her husband makes wonderfully sweet Ice tea! This the best tool ever and the time just flew by. It was 4:00 when we clean up and look what I was able to finish with her help. This is my youngest sister and her hubby and the little designers This is my sister and her family who lives in Seattle. These had just been laid out so you can see what we did. They are to be on pillows which I have yet to make. They will be done by the end of the week and they will have eye and smiles by that time. S. gave me a wonderful idea for a quilt. I could make appliques to represent different family members and put then on a quilt. Then I thought about putting photos on the quilt as well. S. said the quilt could be framed by the photos and the appliques could be the center part of the quilt. I love

Scrapped memories

While working on this crazy quilt I find myself sitting and remembering more and more. Some of the scrap fabrics that I have go way back to when I shared an apartment with my sister who now lives some 3 thousand miles away in Seattle. Each fabric scrap bring a memory. Dresses that were made for semi formals for my youngest sister. Her husband at the time worked for Time life and every year in the summer his company had a formal dinner on the Gateway Clipper line. The black one with sheer side panels, The silver short sequin one. There were others. I really wish I had kept pictures of them in a scrapbook. Scraps from dresses that were made for work. Usually these dresses were made because I was too lazy to do laundry. Here is an example. It would be 10:00 at night and I'm trying to figure out what to wear to work. "No not that I don' t really want to wear that. This needs to be washed, that is worn some much now people probably don't think I buy clothes. &qu

Hard to get good help.

When I saw the weather warning was for the whole state of PA, I was not too worried. Snow, Ice and rain , hey if you lived here for 1 day you know we get true winter weather here. So when I left work on friday and it was snowing I decided this would be a weekend where I would be stuck in the house. No big deal, since the maid is too lazy to work I could use the time to clean up the house. I woke up this morning at 8:00 which would have been great if I was actually going somewhere. So I go started doing the laundry and started cleaning up the bathroom. Once I was finished with the bathroom I could do no more cleaning because the stupid housekeeper did not buy more cleaning products. What I had I was enough to clean the bathroom and no more. I received a call from my hubby who was complaining that the cook does not get up in enough time to cook him breakfast before he goes to work and was hopeful that there would be dinner when he came home. He was in a mood. I realize that the

Craft Party @ familyoftwo place!

My friend , S is have a crafting party. Well it was not her intention to have a crafting party it sort of happen when we found out she won a Cricut on ebay. In her excitement she explained the great deal she was able to get on the price and the additional cartridges. She has been tracking the location as it travels its way closer and closer to PA. Expected arrival Monday. When she mention on her blog about making magnetic paper dolls for her niece. I thought great I want to do that also. And then I found out her sister was coming to her house on Monday Jan 19, 2009 which happens to be a day off for us I decided that I was coming over as well. Then S was telling W about the Cricut and I discovered that she wanted to get one and has just been waiting for the right time to get it. So when S explain how I just invited myself over and everything is turning into a crafting party. W just smiled and said " Well I don't invite myself to people's houses I wait for an invite

piece by piece

Last night after going to deliver the last of Avon for this campaign and visiting father in law who was on so much pain meds that I doubt he will remember that I was there, I went through my bag of scrap fabric. This bag is a cargo bag I got while driving as a courier. It stands about 4 ft high when filled. As I started going through it all the memories of what was created with the fabric came pouring back into my mind. The V- neck sleeveless shirt that I just completed. I could not for the life of me explain why I did not look here when I needed fabric to correct the error in cutting our the necktie. So many T-shirts. So many skirts, pants and things that just did not work, fit or look right. Gifts for new born children, barbie doll clothes that the little designers had to create with my help. Gifts for friends and family. After about 45 minutes I put them all back in the bag. I am thinking of a quilt, a crazy quilt because none of these fabric go together but it should be

Never wait too long.

I am a great procrastinator. Unfortunately this usually gets me into some type of difficulty. I said that I was going to sew in the New Year! Okay at 6:00 in the evening I was in Wal Mart crafting section looking for fabric. It's not like I do not have fabric, I have a wardrobe full of fabric but I just was not feeling any of those just now. Nor did I feel the need for any fabric in the store either. So I looked at the yarn to see if I could find the right color for the comfort shawl that I was to crochet. Nothing looked right. We left the store with my purchases of, a 20 oz bottle of Mt. Dew ,batting for a crib sized quilt and 3 magazines. Some friends came over to watch House of Payne but they were all old episodes, I guess the new season starts next week. By 10:00 they had went home and My sweetie went to work. I went into the sewing studio and searched for the perfect fabric .....after a while the fabric just had to be nice .........and after a while longer I was just se