How much thought do you give to the items in your closet? Do you find yourself purchasing or making items that don't get worn? Have you given thought to why the item isn't being worn?
Personally, I really dislike having items hanging in my closet that do not ever get worn. I worked on different programs to try to get a manageable wardrobe that is neither too much or too little nor too casual or too dressy. I've decided that it is very hard to stay on top of this.
At one point, I worked through the Starting From Scratch wardrobe planning on The Vivienne Files. That was very helpful but I think you need to work through once or twice a year for it be to really beneficial. Deciding on colors is the hardest part of this type of planning.
Now, The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe planning has started at The Vivienne Files. This is a 52 weeks of looking at your wardrobe and deciding on needed items. It is meant to get you prepared for the next season. To look ahead at what you may need or what to add to the core items in your wardrobe.
As a sewist, do you ever plan your sewing a season ahead? I think I'm more of a sew now kinda of person. It's a different concept for me to sew for fall or winter now. What are you thoughts on sewing for the future? Frankly, retail kinda forces us to purchase ahead of the season.
I will start posting weekly on what my choices are for that weeks suggestions. The first post, next week, will be a caught up post for the first three weeks.
Happy Stitching!
Friday, July 12, 2019
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Life Upside Down...
Life is full of changes and the last two years have been full of them - purchase a new house 1000 miles away, ankle surgery, getting my old house ready to sell, selling the house faster than a blink and agreeing to being out of the house in four weeks, moving the 1000 miles, and losing my beloved kitty.
The lose of the cat was very hard. We decided that there would be no more pets. For two years, helping my neice with her kitties when she went out of town was fine. I was plenty happy with that. Then a couple of weeks ago, we started hearing strange sounds in the evenings. Last week, we realized the strange sound was a very small kitten. It took two nights to catch the kitten. He was wild which I will label scared. The birds had been chasing him. My husband caught him and I took him thinking I could calm him down. Nope. He drew blood. Lots. Of. Blood. I didn't let go though till I got him to the box that I had brought.
We got him home and put him in the main bathroom. I had to leave. When I returned an hour later, my husband had him mostly calmed down and was playing him. This kitten was 1 lb and 2 ounces which put him about 5 weeks old. We posted on our neighborhood site that we had found a very small kitten. We didn't get any responses from the post. We asked a few neighbors. People had been trying to catch the kitten but hadn't been able to hold on when he started scratching and biting.
You know what I'm going to say right. The little kitten is now part of our house hold. Here's the sweet little face that broke the resolve of no more pets:
Isn't he cute? This is a picture from the first night we had him. He has gone from a little wild demon cat to a super sweet little kitten. The first name I had for him was TROUBLE. When we took him to the vet on Monday, we changed the name to Rocket. He loves to play and equally loves to snuggle.
We've had him for one week now. He has kept me very busy. Leaving me very little time to sew. I'm actually a little afraid of getting my sewing stuff out as he may very well think that they are toys.
Happy Stitching!
The lose of the cat was very hard. We decided that there would be no more pets. For two years, helping my neice with her kitties when she went out of town was fine. I was plenty happy with that. Then a couple of weeks ago, we started hearing strange sounds in the evenings. Last week, we realized the strange sound was a very small kitten. It took two nights to catch the kitten. He was wild which I will label scared. The birds had been chasing him. My husband caught him and I took him thinking I could calm him down. Nope. He drew blood. Lots. Of. Blood. I didn't let go though till I got him to the box that I had brought.
We got him home and put him in the main bathroom. I had to leave. When I returned an hour later, my husband had him mostly calmed down and was playing him. This kitten was 1 lb and 2 ounces which put him about 5 weeks old. We posted on our neighborhood site that we had found a very small kitten. We didn't get any responses from the post. We asked a few neighbors. People had been trying to catch the kitten but hadn't been able to hold on when he started scratching and biting.
You know what I'm going to say right. The little kitten is now part of our house hold. Here's the sweet little face that broke the resolve of no more pets:
Isn't he cute? This is a picture from the first night we had him. He has gone from a little wild demon cat to a super sweet little kitten. The first name I had for him was TROUBLE. When we took him to the vet on Monday, we changed the name to Rocket. He loves to play and equally loves to snuggle.
We've had him for one week now. He has kept me very busy. Leaving me very little time to sew. I'm actually a little afraid of getting my sewing stuff out as he may very well think that they are toys.
Happy Stitching!
Monday, July 8, 2019
Inspiration...Zip Front Blouse
The Pre-fall fashions are showing up. So, here's a cute top that could be a basic:
The is the Lafayette 148 New York Durham Finesse Crepe Zip-Front Short-Sleeve Blouse. Price Tag: $398.00. Details: Crew neckline, partial front zipper, short sleeves, back yoke, box pleat, side slits, and relaxed silhouette. The blouse also has a darted front. Check out the details on the Neiman Marcus website. This blouse is dry-clean only. I think we can do better than that.
I recently fitted this blouse:
The silhouette of View B is very close to the inspiration. To do the zipper, I'm sure that I would need to draft a facing but that is pretty easy to do. As far as other patterns, I haven't noticed anyone doing the 1/2 zip on the front of the blouses. Let me know if I've missed a pattern and I will reference it.
Hope you're inspired to create something beautiful.
Happy Stitching!
The is the Lafayette 148 New York Durham Finesse Crepe Zip-Front Short-Sleeve Blouse. Price Tag: $398.00. Details: Crew neckline, partial front zipper, short sleeves, back yoke, box pleat, side slits, and relaxed silhouette. The blouse also has a darted front. Check out the details on the Neiman Marcus website. This blouse is dry-clean only. I think we can do better than that.
I recently fitted this blouse:
The silhouette of View B is very close to the inspiration. To do the zipper, I'm sure that I would need to draft a facing but that is pretty easy to do. As far as other patterns, I haven't noticed anyone doing the 1/2 zip on the front of the blouses. Let me know if I've missed a pattern and I will reference it.
Hope you're inspired to create something beautiful.
Happy Stitching!
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
A Look Toward the Past - Threads Issue 1
With my announcement a couple of weeks ago of eliminating my Threads subscription, I decided it might be fun to take a look back at the beginning of Threads. Here's a look at the first magazine cover:
The first issue was Oct/Nov 1985. The front cover shows a tapestry in progress. The very first ad was for the Penland School of Craft in North Carolina. I checked and this school is still going strong. It looks like there are several workshops year round and they have three year residencies. It looks like an interesting place for someone to get immersed in their craft. The ads are just as interesting as the articles.
Articles included in the magazine are:
1. Freestyle Embroideries by Caroline Dahl. Illustrations are of the small embroideries. Ten embroidery stitches are included along with a pattern for making an embroidered purse.
2. Dying Gold and Yellow by Edna Blackburn. The article discusses the basics of dying. The plants needed to create gold and yellow along with using onion skins for dying.
3. Resisting Dyes by Wendy Northup. This article discusses three different ways to resists dyes and fabric painting.
4. The Basic Knitting Machine by Susan Guagliumi. This article discussing the knitting machine and parts. It also has a pattern to knit a sweater either by hand or machine.
5. Inside an Expensive Outfit by Mary Galpin. In the article a New York tailor took a Geoffry Beene three piece outfit and explained what made it elegant outfit. The outfit retailed at $1800.00. The tailor explained that there are three things that made the outfit - design, materials, and workman. All three must work together.
6. A Versatile Jacket by Joyce Hannah. The article is about the Japanese Hippari Robe.
7. Bringing Tapestry into the 20th Century by Joanne Mattera. The article includes resources and apprenticeship information. I checked to see if the apprenticeship information was still good but unfortunately it isn't but you can find lots of information regarding the studio.
8. Chilkat Spinning by Alena Samuel. This article discusses a specific type of spinning in the Pacific Northwest.
9. Dazzling with Sequins by Barbara Shomer Kelsey. This article talks about adding sequins to knitting and crochet. Resources are also included in the article.
10. All That Glitters Shisha by machine by Robbie Fanning. The article explains how to add the mirrors to your item. It also includes additional reading materials and supply sources.
11. Designing the Warp by Jeanne Criscola. This article discusses weaving. It includes several charts.
12. Fabric About Fabric by Deborah Cannarella. This article refers to jacquard loom and computers.
Then it returns to the many ads that once was included in the magazine.
This was an interesting run through of this magazine. There are a couple of articles I'm going to return to and re-read. I love the idea of dying things. I don't know if I would actually have the patience for it.
Hope you're inspired to create something or try something new.
Happy Stitching!
The first issue was Oct/Nov 1985. The front cover shows a tapestry in progress. The very first ad was for the Penland School of Craft in North Carolina. I checked and this school is still going strong. It looks like there are several workshops year round and they have three year residencies. It looks like an interesting place for someone to get immersed in their craft. The ads are just as interesting as the articles.
Articles included in the magazine are:
1. Freestyle Embroideries by Caroline Dahl. Illustrations are of the small embroideries. Ten embroidery stitches are included along with a pattern for making an embroidered purse.
2. Dying Gold and Yellow by Edna Blackburn. The article discusses the basics of dying. The plants needed to create gold and yellow along with using onion skins for dying.
3. Resisting Dyes by Wendy Northup. This article discusses three different ways to resists dyes and fabric painting.
4. The Basic Knitting Machine by Susan Guagliumi. This article discussing the knitting machine and parts. It also has a pattern to knit a sweater either by hand or machine.
5. Inside an Expensive Outfit by Mary Galpin. In the article a New York tailor took a Geoffry Beene three piece outfit and explained what made it elegant outfit. The outfit retailed at $1800.00. The tailor explained that there are three things that made the outfit - design, materials, and workman. All three must work together.
6. A Versatile Jacket by Joyce Hannah. The article is about the Japanese Hippari Robe.
7. Bringing Tapestry into the 20th Century by Joanne Mattera. The article includes resources and apprenticeship information. I checked to see if the apprenticeship information was still good but unfortunately it isn't but you can find lots of information regarding the studio.
8. Chilkat Spinning by Alena Samuel. This article discusses a specific type of spinning in the Pacific Northwest.
9. Dazzling with Sequins by Barbara Shomer Kelsey. This article talks about adding sequins to knitting and crochet. Resources are also included in the article.
10. All That Glitters Shisha by machine by Robbie Fanning. The article explains how to add the mirrors to your item. It also includes additional reading materials and supply sources.
11. Designing the Warp by Jeanne Criscola. This article discusses weaving. It includes several charts.
12. Fabric About Fabric by Deborah Cannarella. This article refers to jacquard loom and computers.
Then it returns to the many ads that once was included in the magazine.
This was an interesting run through of this magazine. There are a couple of articles I'm going to return to and re-read. I love the idea of dying things. I don't know if I would actually have the patience for it.
Hope you're inspired to create something or try something new.
Happy Stitching!
Monday, July 1, 2019
Inspiration...Trucker Jacket
There is nothing like a nice jacket. Here's the latest find:
This is the Theory Herringbone Melange Trucker Jacket. Price tag: $455.00. This jacket is a linen/viscose blend with your typical jean jacket styling. Be sure to head over to Neiman Marcus to see the various ways it is styled.
As for the pattern, let's try this one:
This is #900 Carol's Jacket/Top pattern by Silhouettes. You would need to lengthen a bit, add pockets, and change the sleeve a bit.
This is Butterick 6390. It is similar to the inspiration picture. The yokes are a little bit different but you have bust pockets.
Kwik Sew has a nice jean jacket pattern that is out of print. If you can find that, it would also be a good option. Of course, if you already have a similar jacket pattern that is already in the stash and hopefully fitted, that would be the best option.
Hope you're inspired to make something beautiful.
Happy Stitching!
This is the Theory Herringbone Melange Trucker Jacket. Price tag: $455.00. This jacket is a linen/viscose blend with your typical jean jacket styling. Be sure to head over to Neiman Marcus to see the various ways it is styled.
As for the pattern, let's try this one:
This is #900 Carol's Jacket/Top pattern by Silhouettes. You would need to lengthen a bit, add pockets, and change the sleeve a bit.
Kwik Sew has a nice jean jacket pattern that is out of print. If you can find that, it would also be a good option. Of course, if you already have a similar jacket pattern that is already in the stash and hopefully fitted, that would be the best option.
Hope you're inspired to make something beautiful.
Happy Stitching!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)