Sew Perfect for Every Body!

Well I did not get to go the Mexico City but I did get to meet with my friends at a restaurant called Taqueria Mexico City. The food was good and it was a small little restaurant. Everyone was there by the time I arrived. Betty, Linda, Wendy ( these are their online names). OK I was late. When I arrived I could see this was really not my style of restaurant and just getting info off the internet and listening to people was not enough. I will do better research next time. I was asked several times how I decided on this restaurant. Linda stated that she will pick the next restaurant. Betty looked wonderfully pretty and I see Linda on a regular and Wendy look beautiful as usual I was very happy to be with everyone. The restaurant was small and had nothing great to write about. The pictures on the wall were of sport figures that I did not know. The complimentary chips were small portion but ok to the salsa was a bit spicy I loved it. The waitress came and took our order and went ...

Every time is sew for someone I discover steps that I need to take to insure success. I feel that I was unsuccessful this time dispite the Bride saying she love everything that I did for her. My finish product did not look the away I envisioned it. But that happens a lot because what I envision does not always work with the fabric type that I am working with or I just keep changing my mind. That will be one of the first things that will have to change. My need to change my idea when I do this I lose the original idea! this is the almost finished product. She wanted to wear this under her dress so she could have sleeves. She was being sensitive about how her arms looked after losing so much weight. This is what it looked like on salliemae but of course sallie is not her size so this is somehthing that would have to change on the next client. I have to make a body double of the person. eHow has information on this. If this is not possible then the client must stick to a stric...

Oh wow I have a headache the final fitting was last night, did it fit? Yes it did but, there is always a but. But it does not look right once she has on her dress. Here is the deal most wedding dress have no sleeves and this one is not exception to that. It is a beautiful dress. As you can see but she wants sleeves. At the bridal store they told her that she could wear a bolaro style jacket. But did not want all the lace all over it she just wanted it to be sheer and she wanted to wear it under the dress so that it would look like it was part of the dress. This should have been easy to do, and now that I think about it I should have taken the jacket right out of my mind but did not. So since October 20 I have been working on a jacket that she could wear under the dress and of course it work perfectly when she did not have the dress on. Once she had the dress on it bunched up and puckered all over the place and did not look flattering in the least. Last night the night for brain st...

No you will not find that work in the dictionary but it is my my dictionary. Tonight I have a new client coming to my house for me to make some alterations to her wedding dress. The wedding is November 5! I an excited but also a little nervous. I am alway excitervous when I get these jobs. Excited because I get these job only by word of mouth. So that means something right? Nervous because maybe the person who referred them think I am better than what I really am. This is normal everyone feel this way. Stage fright is an example of excitervous! Panic Attacks could be another example of excitervous! This bride recently underwend Gastric surgery and so she has been losing weight like crazy. She felt she started to stablize so she bought her gown size 20 2 week ago she tried on the dress and it was HUGE fortuntely the manager of David Bridal saw this and reorder the dress in a smaller size. I am praying she stopped losing weight or I just may have a panic attack! Well tonight wi...

Finally everything we owned at the place in Forest hills has been successfully move to its new location in North Versailles. Of course now begins the unpacking of everything and setting up a livable space. We lost a lot of livable storage space. I mean like large closets that stored everything you needed and did not need for small closet that can be used for everything you need and the things you do not need as often can be stored in the attic or basement. As soon as I can find my camera I will be posting pictures. My Car has been put in the shop and will be ready in a week! We agreed that if the cost was more than $500.00 then we would junk the car and take whatever money we could get toward a new one. The Auto shop called and it will cost 598.14! So the car is being repaired. The hoses need to be redone and then everything is good all over again. Hubby did something I never thought he would do and that was sell his car for junk. He got $200.00 for his car and he said it does ...

I will return to blogging once I have moved into my new little house. I hope we fall in love with each other because I am not moving again unless we are buying!

If I have not said let me explain that we are in the process of moving from our current space of a 3 bedroom , 2 car garage duplex to an 2 bedroom 1 car garage house. The house smaller than the space we have now but it is also 200 dollars cheaper. So we have plan to move on the first and I am still in the process of getting boxes to pack everything up. My husband is clueless to what needs to be done in order TO MOVE FROM PLACE TO ANOTHER. HE WILL ALWAYS BE A CHALLENGE!

Read this blog's posting for today. I just stumbled upon it and decided this was perfect posting for me today.

This was to be the weekend that was to get at least 10 purses completed. My total so far is 1! I have made patterns and made sure I had enough fabric and interfacing but I need some purse findings: closures, D rings, purse hooks, chain handles, spring loaded openings. I do not want to make velcro the closure and I do not want everything to look like tote bag! In the Fall fashion magazines I have seen some fur purses and the type of fur I just happen to have so I will make some of these as well. After a weekend of nonproductivity I need to get it together and start getting some work done.

Friday I left work around 1:00, went home to finish packing up the things we would need for the weekend and we were on the road. My hubby decided he would come with me, of course this was because I explained with him or without him I was going and I told he that while I was on hold with the greyhound bus terminal getting a price on a round trip ticket. We arrived at the hotel around 12:30 midnight I am so glad that I called and told them of a late arrival. The Marriott Louisville Downtown 3.5 stars! I Love price line 60.00 a night sweet deal! The room was paid for in advance so check in a breeze and checkout was the same. The World fest was within walking distance 2 maybe 3 blocks away. The park is call the Belvedere but if you call it by the name none of the people who live in Louisville know what you are talking about but if you ask for the location of the World fest “It’s the park at the end of Fifth Street once you cross main you are there!” Once you get there you see signs that ca...

I am out of town until Wednesday I will post a blog at that time. Thanks! Lavon

How many hours are there in a day? I think I am wasting too many sleeping. I cannot get a free moment. I have been running back and forth to the seniors building that my Aunt live in because I have several customers there. Making adjustment for skirt that are too long, too loose, occasionally too tight. The problem is when the are awake I am at work and when I am finish with work they are getting ready for bed. So pickup and delivery are usually on Saturday. Right now the intercom system that lets you into the building is not working properly. I attempted to contact my customer in the usual fashion by dialing her apartment number on the touch pad and it did not even ring. The display just said try again. Which I did and the display said “ Try Again”. So I called my customer on my cell phone to tell her that I was at the front door but the intercom system is not working. She however is hard of hearing and heard that I was at the front door and began pushing the button on her...

Since my computer is down I have to compose and post my blogs at work. Life in this scheduling room has been hectic. What makes it hectic is when your personal life starts to interfere with the productive nature of the office. What makes it worst is when management does not take action to correct the matter if it can be corrected. Well as time goes on it continues to make life more and more a challenge here in this little office. I had decided to focus on what I can do put in my 8 hours and attempt to let the rest not interfere with my day. Someday I am successful other days not so much. Tomorrow I will have a proper post because I will be writing in my journal and then all I have to do is type what I write. As far as my search for the perfect little space. I think I may have found a winner. Tell you about it tomorrow.

I went to deliver pants that I had hemmed for my Auntie. She had a customer all lined up for me. Her neighbor had been sick for quite a while and lost a great deal of weight. Now that she was feeling better and was able to get out she needed some of the more expensive clothing altered to fit her. Some things were just to large and rather recreate the items I told her to give them to someone she knew or hang on to them if she felt she would regain the weight. She had a closet full of clothes but we decieded to take it in stages. So this time a round I am refitting 3 straight skirts one of which is lined and 1 pair a pants and 2 suit jackets! This is wonderful I love it. My sister knows someone is get giving up some clothes that are too large for her and she (my sister) wants me to restyle a couple of them for her to wear. So I am busy these Wednesday's My computer should be up and running Next week so I will be back to posting pictures. Keep sewing!

I have change the title of my blog because I am restarting my home business of alterations and sewing clothes for customers because sisters do not pay anything but dinner occasionally. This blog will enable me to post what I changes I am making to garments. Ideas for clothing and jewelry that I can first draw and then attempt to make. I open a flicker just to show pictures of the changes made to garments you know before and after shots. Other changes are going to be with me, myself, I. I have grown weary of people telling me what I can, should, need to, must, have to do! I am very much aware of what I can, should, need to, must, have to do and I will handle it in my way. I love my friends and family and I care for them deeply but I cannot handle anyone trying to tell me what to do and using some method physcology to get me to see what I am doing wrong. It seems that the majority of people around me want things their way without consideration for me and when I bring that to their attent...

Good day. I have resolved in my heart that my computer at home will not be back online until we move into our new place. As it is we have not yet been confirmed for this apartment that we just saw over the weekend but it meets our current plan of simplification. I really should say my simplification plan. Since my hubby is only working during the school year I decided that everything needs to be based on what my paycheck can handle otherwise we will never be able to make forward progress in any area. Therefore a change from the 3 bedroom apartment we currently live in (rent over 700.00 a month) to an apartment 1 or 2 bedroom (max rent 550.00 a month) This is a text tour of our possible new apartment. This place we saw over the weekend is a one bedroom 2nd floor apartment. Once you get to the top of the 14 steps and enter apartment on the left is the entrance to the main room. It is the full length of the apartment and it should be used for the dining room/living room combinat...

I have been very hot and we do not have air conditioning. A fan in the window blow hot air so I suggested that we go to the library which is the same idea a lot of others had who have the same problem. Traffic was absolutely horrible. Not because everyone was headed to the library but because of the Grand Prix. I did not know it was taking place this weekend so the trip to the library was fraught with danger. Hubby does not do well in stopped traffic which has not apparent reason from his persective. I was so happy when we arrive at the library but then parking was the problem. Once inside I return a book that I had for about 2 years and since they were happy to get the book back the fine was only 10.00 and I was able to get a new card. It has been quite comfortable here but they will be closing in a hour and i will be trying to find out what place to go and hang out in until the coolness of the evening begins. But if tonight is anything like last night It did not really get cool...

We were schedule to leave on thursday but Pap was very ill and Hubby was going no where until he was sure that Pap was ok. Which I do understand but I was still just bit put out. This is where siblings would be of great help. But why dwell on something that is not going to happen. We never did find out why he was vomiting but he was not able to keep anything down for 2 days. He was dehydrated! The ladies at dialysis try to assure us that he was not dehydrated but he was vomiting and unable to keep anything down even water and it was very hot and humid. The pcp finally call in a RX on thursday with instructions that if that did not help he was to go the ER. The compazine which did stop the vomiting on thursday night but friday morning he was very weak and following the doctor's instruction he was taken to ER. They explain that he was having some problems due to his congestive heart failure. Cracklin sound when asked to take deep breathes but then he had fluid in his lungs. Friday wa...

The red dress is finished! Yea! I think I did a beautiful job on making the neck opening square and the arm holes were stitched and then covered with lace which will be turn inside and hand stitched so that all you see is a clean finished edge. The hem is a narrow zigzag stitch which does not weight the dress down at all. So it should float as I walk by. It does need a belt! So I will be searching for that and hopefully find one within the next couple of days. I have some red t strap sandals with a ½ inch heel so I should be comfortable all around in this dress. The dress that I am working on now is the same pattern as the tan flower print dress that I made a while back. The fabric is cotton white and black. The print is black and looks like chain links or something that reminds me of chain links of a necklace. I want to do something creative. Sissy tells me to make the neckline v instead of scoop but I am not sure about that. I have the zipper in the back and cannot decid...

You know how you can be working on something thinking about something else. Well that was what I was doing. I was working on a dress that should take about 1 hour sewing time to complete. It took me 4 hours to finish because I kept sewing and stopping. I have this sheer fabric that will need to be lined when I use it so I decided to use it on a very simple dress. The color is a red with flowers of different colors printed on it. The flowers are outline in white so the lining of the dress is white. The fabric is white rayon. It is a good thing that the dress is sleeveless because this will be a hot dress! Hubby’s sister came in town on Saturday. She decided to stay with us. Hubby did not bother to tell Sissy that Pap was in the hospital because he figured if she really care she would call him every day not just when she needed money. Needless to say she was a bit ticked off to find out Pap was in the hospital. I think she would not have made the trip had she known. That’s wha...

Why …….did I think that I should upgrade my web browser to IE8 when IE7 was working just fine. After the install was done I could not access the internet with IE8 so I decided to uninstall it which should have been easy but IE8 or IE7 is part of the operating system……….. internet browers MIA! I will be posting from location other than home. Look for something from me tomorrow. Really!

Today I have finished redoing the hems of two dresses from Old Navy for my sister’s coworker. I am starting on pants that my Auntie needs hems. Both of these items need 5 inches taken off. Short people, I love em! My goal for this week is to complete 3 dresses so I can be finish with my 6 dresses in 6 weeks challenge which turn into “Just complete 6 dresses!” These 3 dresses I have no idea about except that they will have matching tie for hubby. I am going to make them and hopefully he will wear them. I will not be surprised if he does not. My allergies are making it difficult for me to type. And I have a headache so I will blog tomorrow for sure. Till Then Keep Sewing.

Check out this site. I am always talking about my little designer this 10-year old designer has already hosted her first trunk show. http:/ http://cbs2.com/tv/Cecilia.Cassini.Tough.2.1307281.html /www.thefrisky.com/post/246-meet-cecilia-cassini-10-year-old-fashion-designer/ I guess it time my little designer truly make up her mind. She has yet to use the sewing machine.

I made this dress some week ago but I never gave the story. I have nothing new to show so here is the story behind this dress. I searched for 2 hours in my fabric closet because I as determine that I would not have a room that looked like the police has just searched it and left it for me to clean up . At the very bottom of the closet was this fabric that I knew that I had but forgotten. I decided this would be perfect for a graduation party that was semi-formal. It has been hot all that week and I wanted the dress to be comfortable. Butterick 3516 I love this pattern but this was my first time making it. I also changed my mind about making this dress because I knew the fitting this would be a challenge. I did not change my mind this time and fitting it was a challenge. The bodice was interfaced with a fusiable medium weight interfacing. Which was much to heavy for the lightweight cotton fabric. But it worked perfectly for the bust area. I got it to fit just right. The stiffness tu...

I hate that its 1:18 in the morning and it may as well be 1:18 in the afternoon the way I am feeling. I am not the least bit sleepy and at the same time everything that I would do that I feel would help me to relax and sleep would wake others in the house. Right now I could be sewing and would be sewing if I had started at 7:00 like I wanted to early in the evening but I had to clean the vacuum cleaner. What had happen was I started to clean up the living room. I took the dirty dishes off the dinning table and went into the kitchen and started washing the dishes. Once the rack was full of dishes and there were still more to wash I remembered that I was going to vacuum the floor in the living room. I went to the back bedroom to get the vacuum cleaner where I started folding up the clothes that were washed and never put away. Once I had the clothes folded and put into neat piles to put away I went into the living room the clean it up. I picked up the floor pillows and remembered th...

How many times do you go on vacation broke? Before I was married most of my vacation that I took were broke vacations! As long as my hotel room was paid and my transportation to and from was paid I went on my trip and worked the rest out as needed. Since I was single I could get someone to buy be Dinner and if that did not work I always had at least 20 dollars and packed food along with me. Since I have been married we often plan trips and then something happens financially and we do not go. I then spend the days off that should have been spent relaxing, reworking a budget and trying to figure out what we need to do to salvage the weekend. I also try to find ways to ignore my husband and enjoy the forced porch view vacation. We had an opportunity to go to Nemacolin, which is a 5 star resort. Of course the same thing was about to happen again. But my response this time was not the same. I got a phone call on Friday that could have ended our little trip. “I just check the checkin...

Recently our family has been dealing with the sudden death of my husband cousin. He did not go to the hospital for regular check ups. He did not like going to the doctor office for any reason. He did when he went into a diabetic coma and his body just shut down. So no one is sure how long he blood sugar was over 500 but finally it was just to much for his body and he died. My husband who has been diagnose as a diabetic promised that he is going to do everything he is suppose to do to keep everything under control. But I know after a couple weeks that would pass and he would continue down the same path as usual. He was not able to get a whole life insurance policy because his blood sugar was high and unstable. Today was the day he stop caring and went back to his bad habits. This more his meter read 230. That was first thing in the morning, not having breakfast. He takes his meds with Orange Juice and 3 hours later is suprise when the meter read 200. He took a nap and said he...

On March 21 I started my journey to lose 12 lbs in 6 weeks. Well If I remember correctly it was more like 18 lbs but Betty as well as other said that I should rethink that and so it became the goal of 12 lbs in 6 weeks. On April 22 I had lost 9 of those 12lbs and felt sure that I would make my goal with no problem. I was so sure I stopped keeping track of what I was doing. And that was my down fall. Here it is 9 weeks from the original start day and I have gain 4 lbs ut oh! Now here is where I should say okay I am starting over but I am not starting over and I am struggling on. Its week 9 and I have fallen off course but I am dusting myself off and getting it back together. I was successful earlier because everything as planned out and thought activity and meals out carefully and then I stopped doing that. So I am getting back to doing what works for me which is planning. Needless to say I am still working on week 3 dress. Well it waiting to be worked on. I have been very busy...

Week one Dress one I have used the pattern several times. I love it because it is easy and the dress is comfortable. I think the next time I make it I will have to make some adjustments to the size, SMALLER! Yahoo for that. Week 2 Dress 2 Once again super easy and very comfortable. Also It was and UFO that is now and WIP. I need to put the hem in. This was very easy to complete because I was well into week 3 and still had no week 2 dress. But I should hem it tonight. I top stitch the neck edge and arm holes with the blue that I used to make a long scarf. Hopefully it will give some design to the dress. Week3 dress 3 This dress is a challenge because I need to increase the size of this one. The last time I made this dress was the year we had a house fire which was before I got married. I have been married for 6 or 7 years so I increased in size the pattern size did not. So I know this will take me a little more time than usual. The print is the lining and the contrasting collar and the...

Today I should be singing New attitude by Patty Labella, You know something like " I wearing a new dress, new hair brand new idea as a matter of fact I have changed for good." Then the song says something about feeling good from my head to my shoes I got a new attitude. But NONE of this is true for me right now. I have been dealing with a migraine. I decide that I can still sew while have a migraine but no so much. The Dress is a simple shift style dress and I decided the seam will be french seams but with a migraine I did them wrong. With a french seams you sew wrong sides together trim closely to the seam and them sew the seam again with right sides together. You have a finish seam on the inside no fraying raw edges and i like this type of seam better on the simple dresses. But I did it wrong and would catch the error before doing any triming and sit and remove the stitching. I did that twice before giving Up and going to bed. So tomorrow I will get up and finish ...

I had plan to make a beautiful knit jumper but I did not have enough fabric. I had a weight loss goal that was to reward me with a new sewing book but I did not achieve my goal. oh well.... Lets start again. I did not achieve my weight loss goal but I did stick to my work out program so I should be rewarded for that. So I went to Half price books and picked up a book on Sashiko stitching. Sashiko is a form of decorative reinforcement stitching (or functional embroidery ) from Japan . Traditionally used to reinforce points of wear, or to repair worn places or tears with patches, this running stitch technique is often used for purely decorative purposes in quilting and embroidery. The white cotton thread on the traditional indigo blue cloth gives sashiko its distinctive appearance, though decorative items sometimes use red thread. That is the definition from Wikipedia . The purl bee has a tutorial . I have read the book already and I am ready to give it try. In the meantime in 6 ...

You know how when you are bored and you know you should be doing something. I just could not get started on anything productive so I decided to get on the computer. Then I remember what I was working on. As you can see I just took a square of muslin and hand sewed at lot of different fabrics on it. No design in mind just something to do while watching TV. I actually did a little beading. I decided to practice some hand stitching on this little project. It is really important that hand stitching is done correctly when you have to do it. But in time. This I gave up on this and decided to return to something that I had started so long ago but never finished. I was following instructions on the blog Nuts about Needlepoint. I wanted to use my own design and when I read that is what she was giving instructions to do I follow all the steps and read her blog daily. I bought the canvas and the waterproof color markers and drew my design on the canvas and then I became distracted by something c...