Testing 1, 2, 3...

Here are two of the patterns I'm planning on testing, and the fabrics I have paired up with each.  Let's hope they go smoothly!  I figure it will be easier to teach them, if I've already tried them myself.  As an added bonus, the students will be able to see a finished product!

And then October Happenned...

Wow, what a crazy month (and a half!) since I've posted.  October whizzed by in a blur, as it always does.  A happy birthday for my brother at the beginning of the month, and then lots of craziness helping with Extreme Makeover Home Edition for it's Joplin build.  Then enrollment for my students, and holy cow Thanksgiving is this week!  How the time flies!

So, I'm back and I have some fun stuff coming up for you (my first giveaway), and some actual sewing to show off.  But first, some vintage fabric finds.  A couple of them from the flea market, and the others from my Grandma's house.  I went shopping a couple weeks ago for some fabric at my local Jo-Ann (which is in a temp location because of the May 22 tornado), and sadly, they have very little apparel fabric.  When I got home, I got to thinking that maybe my Grandma would have some fabric I could use.  I called her up, and she was happy to fix me up.  I brought home way to much, and here is just what I have washed and determined is suitable for use (not double knit lol).

 And here are my thrift store finds:

I've already whipped up a dress out of the purple/red pattern fabric, and I'm going to use some of the fabrics my grandma had for testing patterns for next semester.  I'm teaching a sewing course, so I need to pick out which patterns we will use!

Flashback Fridays: A friend and J.Crew

For Flashback Friday today, I'd like to tell you about my good friend Rudy, and J.Crew.

Rudy & I met when we were roommates interning at TOMS shoes. We were not instant friends, because it was an election year and we seemed to have nothing in common, including politics. What we did find we had in common was a love of shopping at J.Crew and Anthropologie. There were many weekends spent (window) shopping at the Grove, Beverly Center, and Third Street Promenade. Eventually we realized we had more in common than we thought, and by the end of our semester together we vowed to keep in touch. One of the things I love about Rudy is that we have often done this via good old-fashioned snail mail. I sat down this last rainy weekend and decided to make her a postcard:

The idea came from our old shopping adventures when we would peruse J.Crew, and touch each and every cashmere sweater wishing we could take it home in every color. I used a recent catalog for inspiration for an outfit, and completed it in watercolor & ink. Here is the finished product:

I do miss those shopping trips to J.Crew and Anthropologie since I do not live near either. But what I miss more is seeing my friend :)

For more Flashback Fridays, click HERE.

Sewing for Mom

After finishing my own DKNY knit dress, my mom requested that I make her a knit dress or two. I ordered some fabric on emmaonesock.com that she liked, and then I had her pick some patterns from my stash that she liked. Now I'm just trying to decide on the final combination I will make. Here are the fabrics with the patterns:

Opinions? Which do you think I should make with what patterns?

Beginning to feel like fall....and a recipe!

Finally caved and joined Instagram. It's been fun to document the small things, and I'm loving it for my fall mini-book. Here are some "Fall" things for me:

My fall spices lined up on the most convenient rack:

Chanel & Tigger helping me plan my fall sewing:

A rainy weekend view of our backyard & pond:

Mini Pumpkin loaves....yummmm:

For me, pumpkin is what fall baking is all about. Here's the recipe I use for Pumpkin bread and it never fails me! If you use 4 mini-loaf pans like I did you have to adjust the baking time to about 1 hour depending on what your pans are made of. Mine is a pampered chef stoneware pan, and 1 hour is perfect. Enjoy!

I found it!!!

What once was lost, now is found!

I have been looking for this book since the middle of the Spring semester to make an alteration to a pattern I wasn't sure about. It finally made an appearance this week. Yay!!! :) In the midst of my string of bad luck, a gem.

Self-Stitched September Week Three-ish

If you can count, you will notice there were 9 days since my last SSS post, and only 5 photos here. That is because sometimes life sucks....not in a "I hate my life" way, more in a "How do all these crazy things happen in one week?!?!" kind of way. This to me is just as comical as it is upsetting. It's just reality and there are a few days this last week where I simply didn't want to photograph my look. I have still been wearing handmade, everyday, just not documenting every look. Also, in regards to the life sucking part, notice I might not look as happy in these photos....ignore pitiful looks lol.

My Anthro-inspired tee over a fave dress:

My tie-neck blouse with my Missoni cardi & skinny pants....I look like a grandpa and actually it cheered me up:

Right after this photo was taken, I was standing in our dining room waiting for Matt, and a raindrop hit my head...yup. Our skylight was leaking. One of the funny things this week. I'm wearing my eyelet tank with a Cardigan:

Going on 3-ish hours of sleep in this next one. My corset look top with a skirt:

And, the DKNY dress:

We also found out our rental house's heater will have to be fixed for quite a pretty penny, and I locked myself out of my gym locker one day. Sometimes when it rains, it pours, and this last week has been stormy....luckily I take the perspective that it is funny or I would be a mess. Here's hoping I document the rest of the month better!

To see all Self-Stitched September, click HERE.