Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

 I am having such a hard time deciding what to do next in my sewing list.  Usually, I just move from one project to the next happily.  Unless I have made the pattern before, there is always a muslin of some sort.  Here is the projects the I am pondering:

This dress pattern with the following fabric:

The pattern is already fitted kinda.  There may need to be some tweaks.  The only decision is to line or not.  Since this is a stretch fabric, I may not line it but I will definitely do the one piece facing.  Next item:

This is the  Taroko Skirt pdf pattern by Itch to Stitch.  I found a piece of khaki fabric that I think will work.  Stash reduction is always good, right?  Then there is this skirt:

This is the Merchant & Mills Clementine Skirt and I am planning this fabric:

The next project that I am considering is this dress:

with this fabric:

This pattern needs to be refitted as I misplaced the fitted pattern and the pattern which resulted in my finally repurchasing the pattern.  Then this pattern:

with this fabric:

 This pattern needs to be refitted as well.  

Folks, there is more planned projects.  I need to quit planning new projects and work on the projects that I already have planned.  I think you can see my dilemma.  It is just so hard to chose.  I want all of these projects.  All patterns need fitted.  One needs minor changes.  Guess I will pick one and go.  You will see what I picked soon.

I am an Itch to Stitch affiliate.  Should you purchase anything from the provided links, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.  Thank you.

Happy Stitching!

Fall Sewing Via The 6PAC...

 The Autumn 6PAC has been announced and it looks like a good start on a fall wardrobe.  Thoughts of sewing are never far from my thoughts however I haven't managed much any real sewing since spring.  Maybe I should really say I haven't finished anything since spring as I have certainly started many things.  Here's the 6PAC information:

1. One jacket or cardigan, in a dark neutral.
2. One jacket or cardigan, in a light neutral or your color.
3. One pair of trousers in a dark neutral.
4. One skirt or another pair of trousers in the same or a toning shade of the dark neutral.
5. One top in the dark neutral.
6. One top in the light neutral or your color. (or a print that links your color and neutral)

Looks good don't you think?  I'm not going to post any plans at this time because I don't want to jinks myself.  I dress casual most of the time for work since I work for myself.  Maybe it's time to step it up a bit and then if and when I decide to get a job with a pay check, I'll have something to wear.  Of course, you can create as many 6PACS as you want.  There could be a casual 6PAC and a dressy 6PAC.  The question is "Is it possible to sew that much in 3-months?".

What are you thoughts on this fall wardrobe pick me up?

Happy Sewing!

Drum Roll Please....

The machines are plugged in and it feels good. Last night, I worked on organizing thread and buttons. Does polyester thread get old? I did toss a few spools that had very little thread on them. I'm sure that I originally kept them to do mending but really how many spools do you need. I'm still working on the buttons as I have many. I'm putting them in jars and intend to use them as a decorative element in my room. It seems every time I move something I find more thread. At least most of it is little spools not large ones. I did find that I have a few spools of different thread. As in, outdoor thread and then decorative thread. I'm not sure how I'm going to go about organizing those. The decorative thread may even go in one of the embroider thread cabinets.

Here's a picture of the Razzle Dazzle:

Doesn't it dazzle you? I'm not sure what color it is but the spools states for bobbin work, couching, and serger. I do think that the project has you doing something different that that. However, I would like to play with this thread in the serger.

I went to JoAnn's today and purchased the black fabric in the picture below:

In going through the stash, I found a piece of Star Wars fabric and asked my son if he was still interested in the fabric. Surprising, he said "Yes". He wanted me to make a sleep shirt. Since there was only a little over a yard of the Stars Wars fabric available, I had to purchase the coordinated black. We'll see how creative I can get with the two fabrics. Hopefully, I have enough. It will be a simple v-neck pull over. My son is tall - 6'+ but he is still a kid and needs to be able to indulge in that once in while.

The fabric below will be my version of one of the projects from the "Make It Sew Modern" book by Vanessa Christenson.

I'm using her ideas as a jumping off point. It will still be girly. I'm hoping that my ideas work as well as her project did. Her samples used pinking shears or a pink blade in the rotary cutter and I do not have either one.

By the way, I'm hoping that the blue floral will work OK. I rarely purchase the cotton "quilting" fabrics from JoAnn's because I do not have much luck with them. Generally, the dyes run and I end up with something ugly. This fabric is in the washer right now. If it doesn't work out, I will be returning this fabric and visiting a nearby quilting store. I know that I own a store but I don't have any prints that are what I want to use. Well, let me clarify. Any prints that I want to use for this particular project. Believe me, when I say that plenty of fabric has followed me home from my little shop/office. I love everything that I purchase.

Happy Stitching!

No Sewing Yet....

Nope, no sewing yet but I am dreaming. I'm still working on the re-arranging of the sewing room. I think the furniture is where is needs to be but I'm struggling with the organizing of the essentials of sewing which is mostly fabric and stabilizers. I don't have a closet available to put stuff in but I do have 3 cabinets and 6 crates. I know it will get figured out eventually. I just want to be able to find what I'm looking for. Maybe I need to think about some shelves that hangs on the wall. I have put away all of my patterns in the cabinet that I purchased for my patterns and I must say that it is full. I guess I need to give away some patterns.

The zappos order arrived and I liked both pair of shoes. However, fast forward a couple of days and I hear about the Zappos database being accessed and that Zappos had notified all of their customers. This customer didn't get notified. I will be watching the cc very closely over the next few months. I did get an invite to be a Zappos VIP. I wonder if the two are related. New, more secure passwords on all accounts. I hope I can remember them.

Sewing related things that I have done in the past few weeks. I joined the Superior University. I love having the opportunity to learn and to combine it will my love of sewing is even better. The only thing that would be better is if I could do this a class with other people. The first lesson has arrived and it is using Razzle Dazzle. I have not worked with this thread before so I hope it will be a good experience. I am going to try to work on the lesson this weekend. It will require another try to the store.

Yesterday, I also purchased a new sewing machine. No, I do not necessarily need another sewing machine. I just wanted this sewing machine. Here's what I purchased:

It's the Singer 160th anniversary Edition Sewing Machine. Isn't it cute? Of course, this will add another layer of clutter to my sewing area. I will need to purchase Singer sewing needles for this machine. I needed to do this any way I have a little vintage Singer sewing machine that looks much like the new above. This one could end up at my store. I haven't decided yet.

I purchase a new book and it looks like a winner. It is "Make It Sew Modern" by Vanessa Christenson. Here's the cover:

The book is divided into 4 sections as shown under the title. Each section has at least 5 projects. Most of the projects are very doable. In fact, maybe as something fun, I will work through this book and do that projects that are of interest to me and post the results.

My weekend plans are to work on my Superior University lesson for Razzle Dazzle and work on de-cluttering/organizing my sewing space. If I get to all the above and want to continue, I have a pair of jeans to work.

Happy Sewing!

A new year for sewing!

It's a new year and I'm ready to sew. I've decided that I want new Christmas decor. I think the only way I can accomplish this is to attempt to make a plan and start early in the year. So, I will be starting with tablecloths. Here's the fabrics that I have chosen:



These fabrics are from my shop and they are wonderful. I think this very traditional look will look nice in my red dining room. I need to measure my table and check the drop before cutting the fabric. I think the gold plaid will have a traditional sewn hem and the red plaid will have a serged edge. I need to look for some decorative serger thread. Any suggestions?

Here's my goal for the year: tablecloths (2), placemats (4), napkins (4), tree skirt, and holiday pillows. I do think this is a doable list as long as I don't put anything off till the last minute. The fabric collection that the tablecloth fabric is from has lots of very traditional fabrics and I may use some of those. However, I want the treeskirt to have a scrappy look with lots of embellishments. More decorative threads.

Happy Sewing!