A little less talk, a lot more action.

I'm a country girl (yes I really live in the country) and love country music. Last weekend while my hubby was away on business, the kids were up late listening to a Toby Keith CD while playing Legos. On a whim I thought it sure would be fun to see him in concert (I've only been to two concerts at the fair and then one when I was little with my dad which I don't really remember) so I decided to hop online and see what his tour schedule was. Low and behold he was coming to the local Amphitheatre in a week. So I decided to look and see if I could find tickets so I could surprise my hubby with a special date night. Lucky me, I ended up getting tickets in the center section 14 rows from the front!!! I was so pumped and kept it a secret until yesterday afternoon divulging clues to him via email. Once he guessed the "who" I told him what we were doing - needless to say, he was very impressed with the surprise and my creativity (can you say "awesome wife" points for me??? lol).

So with an upcoming date night upon us, I had to make something new to wear (of course!). Flipping through my BWOF mags this past week I found the perfect little top to wear to the concert. It is from the June 2008 issue - #123. It was actually super simple to make thanks to some tutorials that have been posted. I ended up following the one posted by Christina of Assorted Notions, but both Dawn of Two On, Two Off and Angie of Quality Time both had helpful info on their blogs too. Thanks ladies, I'm so appreciative of you taking the time to share how to do something, especially when the directions are pretty murky! I posted a full review Pattern Review if you'd like to know more about the top. The verdict: DH loved the top and we had a B.L.A.S.T. at the concert last night. I think that was actually more fun than I've had in a very long time. The group Montgomery Gentry opened for Toby Keith and they were wonderful to see live as well - it was just a night of pure fun!!!

Next up is a dress I made a few weeks ago - New Look 6802. I love this dress. I loved it the minute I saw it in the pattern catalog, but I'm a sucker for twist tops and wrap tops/dresses. Well I was not at all disappointed by this little number and have already worn it twice. I have another one cut and ready to sew up. I highly recommend this pattern, the instructions were super easy and the results are fabulous! Review on PR

This last top is one I whipped up because I realized I really needed more solid colored pieces in my wardrobe. It's from Ottobre Woman 2-2007 #4. Super easy and a TNT (tried and true) pattern for me. I also made four tank tops from the same issue this week too, pattern #1. I love the tank top pattern as well and it's very quick to make since I use my coverstitch machine and binding attachment. I don't have a picture of the tank tops, but I made one in turquoise, hot pink, plum, and red.

Currently I'm working on a jacket in turquoise linen. It's the Project Runway Simplicity 3538. I'm not sure if I'm in love with it or if it's looks too Becky HomeEc-y. It's almost done, so I think I will put it away for a week or two and bring it back out and see if I'm liking it a little better. I hate it when I'm not in love with something right away. I'm a jacket novice so I'm sure there is lots of room for improvement. DH doesn't know if he likes it either, so maybe that is swaying my feelings right now. He said he's not sure about the color and the color is definitely what I love so I don't know.

Yes I Do Sew...

It might not seem like it because I haven't posted in 2 1/2 weeks, but I really am still here. And yep, we even survived CEC on my son's birthday (thank you all for your well wishes too). It was actually a great time because the place was totally dead! We live in a pretty small community so I think that helped, plus it was in the middle of the week and a pretty nice day out. He had fun and hey that is all that matters, right? Here are pictures to prove fun was had by all (yes, even the adults!).

This entry is kind of a weird one for me. I am not much of a self promoter or one to toot my own horn so to speak, but a local friend (who also reads my blog - hi Kim!) said I must share this little tidbit with you, so here I am sharing. :-)

What you probably don't know about me is I have a website Posh Punkins. It all started in April 2003 when I decided I wanted to offer cloth diapers I was sewing to other families (don't worry these aren't the big white rectangles your mom or grandma used, instead they are cute, fitted cloth diapers). You see, I had been using cloth diapers for several months and decided I loved them so much I wanted to share them with the world. My hubby was very supportive of my plan, so it was then that Posh Punkins was born.

In the summer of 2005 I decided I wanted to explore some other avenues and spend more time with my family so I stepped away from offering cloth diapers. Fast forward to present day; recently a friend had contacted me about me reentering the cloth diaper marketplace. At first I told her I wasn't really interested, but after thinking about it for a while I decided some extra money would be great so I decided to jump back in. I had this *great* plan like I always do, I'd sew diapers one day a week and then I'd have the other six left to do whatever sewing I wanted to do. In theory this is great, but reality and theory never seem to be the same. I only stock the diapers at The CuddleBuns Boutique on Monday at 1pm Eastern, so really there is no reason this shouldn't work, but I will blame it on summer break and having the kids home.

So really, I *have* been sewing, just not too much for me lately. I'm having a hard time getting a rhythm down, but I know that all takes time. I am really craving sewing for me, so this week's stocking only has four diapers available for sale. In a perfect world, I'd have 6-10, but hey it's not a perfect world so four will just have to do. And since I'm self promoting, if you need any personalized baby gifts, you should check out my website too - I have cute baby bloomers that you can have a name or initials embroidered on, embroidered burp cloths, & chenille birthday bibs. So there, I did it, now you all know I have a business. :-)

Even tho the "non-business" sewing has been low, I did actually make a cute dress for me a week or so ago and a bathrobe for my daughter. Hopefully in the next day or so I can post the reviews of those two items.

I am a little bummed tho because my hubby was out of town for 3 days on business and I got no sewing done at all. I had such high hopes of making several things for me, but this time nothing got done. Oh well, there is always tomorrow, right? Besides the kids and I did have a fun time. The highlight of our weekend was our trek to the river to enjoyed some glorious sunshine. And really, family time is is what is important in the scheme of things, not how much sewing I get done. There will be plenty of time for sewing once they are grown and gone, but for now I need to embrace that they are young and still enjoy spending time with me. I will fully admit tho, I'm *VERY* happy my hubby is back home and am so glad he doesn't travel for work very often. Plus I sleep terrible when he's away.

Happy Birthday Mr. Baby!

It's so hard for me to believe my "baby" is four today. Why does the time go by so fast? I hate it. Hate it! I am not ready for my children to be getting so big. Amazingly enough, they just aren't listening me to either and just keep growing as fast as weeds.

Here are a few pictures of the proud birthday boy this morning. He got to open a gift early that Auntie left for him. He was beyond elated about his new heavy hauler and that today he's finally *four* (he's been talking about his birthday for months and how he'd be four on June 25th).

Tonight we're celebrating his big day at none other than Chuck E. Cheese. Dad and I are the heroes of the day as we *never* go to CEC (if you've been there, you know why!). Happy Birthday Andy, I love you more than words can say.

Some new garments!

Happy First Day of Summer!!! Today is summer-like weather here in SW Washington (finally), tho tomorrow is bringing cooler weather and the possibility of rain - rats!

I've been so darn busy lately, but managed to squeeze in two things for me in the past week - yippee! First I made a new top for me last weekend from BWOF 02-2008-122. I decided to use a knit instead of a woven fabric (what the pattern suggested) and am pretty happy with the results. The top was super easy to make and because I used a knit I omitted the back zipper so it was even quicker. I did have some issues with the front gaping open, however I did neglect to interface the upper front and back pieces. As you know too, I'm not too well endowed, so that could have been part of the problem of it being too big in the upper chest. I fixed the issue by sewing some clear elastic on the seam line which I gently pulled to make a gather. Viola, all fixed! I forgot to take a picture of this fix during the construction process and now it's all enclosed, sorry! Also I brought up the back neckline as I knew I'd wear it more if I was more covered up and took 5" off the length. All in all, I'm pleased with how it turned out. Here is the review if you'd like to read more.

It has been so cool out the last few weeks that I'm having a hard time believing summer really is coming. I decided to make myself a new fleece hoodie to wear around the house. I used Kwik Sew 2993 and it was super easy! The best part is I used up some fleece that has been in my stash for eons (actually I used all of it because I had to recut some pieces due to the fleece being too lofty and the front pockets looking terrible - must faster to recut than rip stitches out). Because of the trouble I had with the pockets looking terrible, I decided I'd just omit them. When I tried my jacket on during construction, I decided that I really did need some pockets, so I opted for an inseam pocket. I felt so clever thinking of this solution on my own! lol I used a pattern piece from another pattern in my stash and it worked great! Here is the jacket review on PR.

And a close up of the inseam pocket.

And last, but no least, I finally wrote a review of a top I made for my daughter a few months ago. She seems to really like the top so that is good since she's creeping up on 11 and those 11 year olds can be so fickle! It's a Ottobre 04-2007-31 ~ my review.

Well I'm going to go enjoy some of that glorious sunshine we have. Hopefully I won't be so long between blog entries, but now that the kids are home, who knows how much sewing for myself I'm actually going to get done. Have a great weekend!

Everything In Black & White

I admit, I was a little worried I wouldn't get my mini wardrobe completed by the deadline for the contest sponsored by Pattern Review. I didn't publicly proclaim I was going to participate in the contest, instead I quietly worked on my set and kept my fingers crossed time would allow me to get it done in time. Yes it was only four pieces, but sometimes I can be very productive and other times I am not. This time I pulled it off with little time to spare - miracles never cease!

I made a story board for a visual of what my set entailed.

Here are the three combinations I came up with. The pieces are very versatile for me and are a great base in my closet.
This is a close up of the tank top I made. It's from Ottobre Woman 2-2007 and I love it! It's super simple to sew up and will definitely be making more of these for my closet. It has the perfect coverage too - no peek-a-boo bra straps! Here is my review on PR if you'd like to read more ~ review.

If you're interested in learning more about my storyboard and the patterns I used, you can see my contest entry review here.

If you haven't already checked out all the fabulous entries in the contest, you must do so right away! You can also vote for your favorite (that is if you can choose a favorite - there are so many great ones, it's hard!). Here is a direct link to the contest page.

Tag, I'm It!

I've been tagged for a "get to know you better" blog questionnaire by Claire of http://sewingislikechocolate.blogspot.com/! :-)

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

Gosh 10 years ago I had just became a mommy to my first born! I quit my job the day she was born and have been at home with the kids ever since. I am so blessed to be able to stay home with them. I cherish that I've been able to watch them each grow from a helpless little creature into fine young people. God is good ~ children really are such a wonderful blessing!

2.) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

These are actually for tomorrow since the day is almost over.

a) Get the kids up and off to school.
b) Go to Portland to pick up some bulldozer parts for my hubby (he may leave work early so e can go together).
c) Laundry and dishes (a day never goes by without those jobs since there are 6 of us in the house).
d) Embroider 6 pairs of bloomers for a customer (my side business - PoshPunkins)
e) Take the kids to their last swimming lesson until fall - they have all come so far in 5 months, I'm one proud mama!

3) Snacks I enjoy:

Well chocolate of course! I also really like ice cream (strawberry is my fav) and popcorn too, just depends if I'm in a sweet or salty mood.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

I honestly don't think we'd change our lifestyle much. I'm not really much of a glitzy-glam gal, but I'd definitely have hubby quit his job right away! We'd pay off our house (and maybe even get a new one, but I do like our house rather well), build our deck, expand our kitchen & laundry room, take a Disney Cruise with the kids and then spend 2 weeks at Disney World (I'd fly Vonnevo & her hubby out to go with us because I know how much they love all things Disney!), and get a housekeeper (maybe Alice Nelson from the Brady Bunch would move in???). I'm sure there are other things I'd do too, but that is right off the top of my head.

5) Places I have lived:

Just Washington

6.) Jobs I have had:

I haven't had too many jobs. My first actual job was a junior volunteer (aka Candy Striper) at the local hospital. I started when I was in 8th grade and worked until the end of my junior year in high school. I loved that position and can see myself going back there once the kids are older. I volunteered more than 400 hours and it was always an enjoyable time for me. My first paying job was at Burger King when I was 15 1/2. It was short lived because they only wanted me to come in and smash trash on Sunday during lunch time. Then I got a job at Papa Murphy's Pizza. I worked there for about a year until I got a job through my high school at a local engineering office as a clerical assistant. I held that job from the end of my junior year though my third year in college (only work on summer break and Christmas holiday while in college). Then I moved on to First Interstate Bank as a teller (where I met DH - he was my customer), I worked there for one summer break and one Christmas holiday. My last job was at a local bank and I worked there for a little over a year until I had my daughter.

7.) 6 peeps I wanna know more about (and in no particular order):

a) Amy at http://www.alittlebusy.com/myblog/

b) Jeannine at http://sewpink.wordpress.com/

c) Stacy at http://www.stacysews.com/

d) Dawn at http://twoontwooff.blogspot.com/

e) Karen at http://lifewithellabella.wordpress.com/

f) Lilia at http://www.bloglines.com/myblogs

The fruits of my labor in black & white

Who doesn't love black & white? Well I sure love the combination! I purchased a wonderful black & white cotton/lycra woven fabric at Mike's in LA during the PR weekend. I knew I was going to make a skirt with it, but which one was to be determined. When we had a hot streak a few weeks ago, I wore one of my favorite skirts I got at JCPenney a few years ago. It's a very mild A-line skirt, nothing too exaggerated. Since I love that skirt so much (I actually have two), I decided that was the perfect skirt shape for this fabric. Low and behold, the March BWOF came to my rescue (#122). The shape is nearly identical to my JCP one and I couldn't be more pleased with the end result. Including the cost of the fabric ($2) plus my lining and zipper from Joann's, my skirt was under $5 to make! Without further ado, here is my final result! And yes I know it's May, so you probably are wondering what is up with the boots. Well it was raining outside and we were on our way to church when DH took my picture - hopefully summer with come soon.

The shirt I'm wearing with it is also something I made this past weekend. It's another Ottobre Woman gathered from t-shirt (2-2007-5). I used a black cotton knit from my stash. I have no clue what the exact content of the fabric is, but it's so darn soft and yummy! I do know I got it at Fabric Depot in Portland, so next time I go, I'll have to see if they have more of that and in other colors.

Here is a close up of the skirt so you can see the general shape without my shirt covering up the top. I'm really pleased with the outcome and will definitely make more. The changes I made to the pattern were some minor tweaking to fit my body and I did decide to put the zipper in the back like my other skirts. Here is my review on PR if you're dying to know more. ;-)

I got so little sewing done this past weekend. I had high ambitions going into the weekend, but hey that is how it goes. Three things done (a black tank top I neglected to mention was also finished), so that isn't too shabby.

Another Jalie Sweetheart Top

I made this a few weeks ago, but never got around to take a picture of me wearing it. It the Jalie Sweetheart sans the center elastic gathering. I think I actually like it better without the gathering and will definitely be making more!

So what are you doing this holiday weekend? Me, I have no idea. I will be finishing up a skirt from the 3/08 BWOF - it's #122 and I'm using some fabric from my LA PR trip. It's looking very fabulous if I do say so myself. Whatever you do, have a fun time and be safe!

Sewing Success!

By golly, I finally had some sewing success, tho it did come at a price (more on that later). I feel like I've been sewing a slew of wadders lately. I even made a few muslins in which I wasn't too happy with either - at least not enough to tweak and get a nice fitting garment. I know we all have spells like that, but it was really start to zap my sewing mojo and I was finding I'd rather be folding laundry and cleaning toilets than sewing - pretty sad huh?

So last week I decided to switch my closet around moving the spring/summer clothes to the front. Doing so made me realize I really don't have that many short sleeve or sleeveless tops and particularly only a few things in solid colors. I pulled out my trusty Ottobre Woman t-shirts pattern and went to town cutting out several t-shirts. In an effort to cut down on switching thread in my machines, I made two short sleeve white t-shirts (one was the gathered front style), one white elbow length gathered front t-shirt, and white tank top (which I'm totally in love with and will review soon, it's in the laundry tho). I still have the black t-shirt and tank top to make as well as ones in turquoise too.

Still trying to get everything white sewn before changing threads, I decided to make the "Rose" top from Ottobre Woman 2/07 #5. It had cute puffed sleeves with contrasting "V" neckband and sleeve cuffs. I instantly thought that black and white would be so awesome, so I traced the pattern and set off to make this great little shirt. To make a long story short, after fiddling for what seemed like forever to get the gathers on the puffed sleeves perfect and then fitting the arm bands on, I decided I didn't like the top with puffy sleeves on me. Knowing what I know now, it would have been easier to cut my losses and start over, but no instead I decided to rip out the side seams and sleeves and insert flat sleeves (same issue, just the sleeves from the regular t-shirt I make #3). So here is the finished product and I like it a lot!

For more details, you can read my review on PR if you're so inclined, but it was honestly a very straightforward pattern, even with the puff sleeves. And the "V" neck went together perfectly. Ottobre Woman has excellent written instructions for a professional finish, I'm very happy with the end result plus the neckline it lays perfectly flat!

Hopefully now that I have a few good things under my belt, my sewing mojo will pick back up - fingers crossed!

P.S. Thank you for your nice comments on my cupcakes - I will definitely use ideas from the Hello Cupcake book again and again, they are all just so dang cute and even the more advanced ideas really look pretty easy to make.

Livin' The *Sweet* Life

Spring brings birthdays galore in my family. Last week we celebrated my son Jack turning 8! He had his birthday spread out over several days, lucky guy. After making the Hamburger Cake for his brother, I knew I had to make something equally as fun for Jack. I found inspiration on the Today Show of all places. A few weeks ago they had the author of Hello Cupcake on showing how to make spaghetti and meatball cupcakes. I thought it was a fun play on foods, so decided to make them for Jack's birthday party.


On Friday night, we had his "friend" party and so I made another food treat, "corn on the cob" (inspiration from the same book). I don't think the kids thought they were that cool, but the parents I showed them to thought they were pretty cool. Oh well, kids are happy with sprinkles and I should know better.

And then last, but surely not least, I got the best *treat* in the mail from Stacy yesterday. It's so darn adorable and perfect in every way - thank you Stacy!!!!!

With all that has been going on, I haven't had time to do any sewing. Last week I cut out a few Ottobre t-shirts for myself, but got no further. Hopefully today I can get one of the shirts finished. I really am sick of all this busyness, but tis life with kids.

Happy Mother's Day!

Here is a touching Mother's day email I received the other day~

Somebody said that a child is carried in its mother's womb for nine months.
Somebody does not know that a child is carried in its mother's heart forever.

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby.
Somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, normal is history.

Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct.
Somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.

Somebody said being a mother is boring.
Somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.

Somebody said if you're a 'good' mother, your child will 'turn out good.'
Somebody mistakenly thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.

Somebody said 'good' mothers never raise their voices.
Somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor's kitchen window.

Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother.
Somebody never helped a fourth grader with his math.

Somebody said you can't love the fifth child as much as you love the first.
Somebody doesn't have five children.

Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books.
Somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery.
Somebody never watched her 'baby' get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten.

Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back.
Somebody never organized seven giggling Brownies to sell cookies.

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married.
Somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home.
Somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her.
Somebody isn't a mother.

~Author Unknown~

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers out there - enjoy your special day!

Bad bad blogger

Well the title says it all, I've been a bag blogger. Last Wednesday I was diagnosed with yet another case of strep throat. I'm guessing it was a relapse of the original one, but nonetheless, I was feeling pretty crummy. I'm much better now and hopefully it's gone for good.

Then last weekend, my family went to my sister's house to celebrate my nephew's 4th birthday! It was a fun time, but went by too quick since it was just overnight. Too bad she lives so far (well not that far, but 2 1/2 hours one way is just far enough that it's a long "day" trip).

I'm starting to get a little sewing mojo back - I've just felt uninspired for the past little bit. Thankfully Pattern Review had a new contest start yesterday (May 1) that is perfect to kick start me, the Mini Wardrobe contest. I've always wanted to participate in the big wardrobe (aka SWAP - sewing with a plan) contest they have, but it pretty much makes me feel overwhelmed. This mini wardrobe contest consists of only four garments that mix & match and runs 1 month - I *think* I can handle that. Plus it would be a good starting point to get me motivated to enter the big wardrobe contest next time it runs.

So what are you working on this weekend - anyone have any plans? Tell tell, do tell - please help motivate me! :-)

Happy Earth Day!

My family makes a good effort to take care of our planet. We recycle, don't make unnecessary trips to town, turn the water off while brushing our teeth, heck I even cloth diapered my last two in hopes to eliminate diapers going into the landfill (and no it's not *that* gross people, poop is poop, you're dealing with it regardless of how you diaper your babies).

I was flipping through some magazines in my stack last weekend and I found a few stats on garbage courtesy of January 2008 RedBook Magazine (page 31 if you're interested).

*4.4 lbs - the average amount of waste generated per person per day in the US as of 2001

*50% of the world's garbage is produced by the US and we're only 6% of the world's population

*1896 - the year America's first recycling center opened its doors

In my efforts to celebrate Earth Day, I repurposed three t-shirts and made them into t-shirts for my boys. Two were freebie ones that weren't hubby's size and the other was a holy shirt headed to the rag bag. I am happy with the outcome and the boys are too!

Besides my recycle project, I've been working on pj's for my two nephews (a request from my sister), another pair of jeans for my oldest son, a few things for my daughter's summer wardrobe - all boring things. I have honestly not been much in the spirit of doing any of the projects, but I'm trying to get my "to do" list whittled down so that I can get on to some things for me. I took 6 huge bags of clothing to the local donation center yesterday so I feel like my closet is rather bare. And part of my slump might be the darn Pacific NW weather - it's been anything but sunny. We've got rain, hail, and even snow lately - it's rather depressing actually.

In closing, I'd like to thank you all for your sweet compliments on the Hamburger Cake - you're all so darn sweet and I appreciate all your wonderful comments you took the time to post!!!

Happy Birthday Dear Will!

How can six years have possibly passed since my sweet William was born? We celebrated his birthday with family over the weekend complete with pizza and a "Hamburger" cake made by me!

And just in case you'd like to make your own hamburger cake, you can find the directions at WomansDay.com. The article that I kept appeared in an issue at least 7 years ago (I made this cake once before for my hubby's birthday right after I saw it). I didn't follow the directions for using pound cakes and store bought frosting. Instead I made my cakes using two boxes of regular cake mix (Funfetti variety of course) and then made a batch of chocolate frosting for the burger and peanut butter frosting for the bun (much easier than trying to tint white frosting tan). It's been a hit both times I've made it and it really is easy to make. I'm definitely not a cake decorator, but I do enjoy making fun cakes like this for my family instead of buying a bakery cake. It must be the "Susie Homemaker" in me - I figure they'll remember the cool cakes I made them, but the bakery cakes are just a dime a dozen. Besides, I think homemade cakes taste better and they are definitely made with more love.

Happy birthday Will - mommy loves you and is so proud of you!!!!

P.S. Will just learned to tie his shoes last week - yippee Will! :-)

*E* is for Excellent!

It always warms my heart to think anyone is interested enough in my sewing and such to read my blog. Thanks to Tamara of Knit Sew Much for nominating me for the "E" for Excellent blog award!

I'd also like to thank all my readers for the nice comments you leave on my blog - you're all so sweet! I feel like I might have mislead some of you with my last posting tho. I didn't created all those garments in a matter of a few days. It was a several week span and I was just getting around to posting my reviews. I did have a mini sewing marathon last week tho sewing for my daughter during spring break. I made her three pairs of pj's (pants & shirts for each set), three shirts (two more cut out and ready to sew), four pairs of capris (one more pair cut and ready to sew), and two baby gifts. It felt good to get all that sewing done and it was all from stash!!!

Lastly, I'd like to answer a question GuruJ left. He asked if I ever teach classes in Seattle or surrounded area or offer private lessons. First off, I'm flattered you think my sewing is professional enough for me to actually teach others to sew - wow! I actually live closer to Portland, OR so I don't come up to Seattle very often. I haven't really thought about teaching anyone how to sew, possibly that is something I'll think about doing in my local area when my children get a little older and are all in school. For now, it's just me sewing for myself and my family.

Have a great Sunday & happy sewing everyone! :-)

Reviews Posted!

I got some reviews published on Pattern Review tonight. I'm not going to reiterate all the details of each garment here, but if you're so inclined please read the reviews. I will say I love everything I posted tonight - all great patterns!

First up is blouse #114 from BWOF 8-2007 ~ review


Next is wrap top #107 from BWOF 4-2007 ~ review

Then #108 wrap dress from BWOF 4-2007 ~ review

And lastly is Jalie 2793 ~ review

Sorry this is so short, but thanks for peeking!

Happy Spring Break!

My kids have spring break this week and I'm busy trying to stash bust and make some spring/summer clothes for my daughter. Before I had been on the fence about sewing for her, but I had her pick out specific fabrics and pattern styles and so far so good as she has liked everything I made. I also made her a few new pairs of pj's over the weekend too and she loves them.

Anyway, that is just a little update in case anyone might be wondering since I have posted in a week. I know I still have to post a few reviews for tops I made recently that I promised last time. They are still on my "to do" list - note to self, I need to get myself a battery pack so I can go all night while the kids & hubby sleep! ;-)

Sweetheart Top

I actually made the Jalie Sweetheart Top (#2794) before my LA trip, but just got around to posting the review over the weekend. I love Jalie patterns because of the large size range. It's nice to know if my daughter likes the garment, I can make it for her. I love the sweetheart neckline on this top, it's just a little different than any other pattern I own and it's a fun neckline to incorporate into my wardrobe. I made my usual size "R" and it fit very nicely. I had read some reviews on PR about ladies not having to make a FBA (full bust adjustment) so that made me a little concerned, but it seemed to work out just fine for me. In the above picture, I made it as is, but after wearing it, I felt like the bust area was a little too loose, so I went back and ripped the elastic out and tightened it up (I did this by shortening the elastic). The result was a closer fit to the chest and more gathering, however this pulled the neckline even lower, tho it still covered my bra fine. Next time I will raise the neckline a tad so when I apply the elastic it won't be quite so low. This is another great Jalie pattern, so if you're a Jalie fan, you'll probably really like this one too. I will definitely be making a few more of these tops! My review on PR.

Finally LA Pictures

**Note - I don't know what is up with the formatting of blogger today - if this looks wonky to you, sorry! I tried to fix it, but for some reason I can't get the formatting to look the same - grr!

My apologies for taking all week to post my pictures. I honestly didn't take many (this is pretty much it except for a few duplicate ones that Leslie took that I already posted). I have seriously been sick tho this week. On Wednesday, I finally decided to go to the nurse treatment room at my doctor's office because my throat wasn't getting any better. Sure enough I was truly sick and was diagnosed with strep throat! Thankfully after almost 48 hours of antibiotics, I'm feeling much better. I sincerely hope no one I was around this weekend has gotten sick - if so I'm so very sorry. :-( So glad I listened to myself and went in, I would hate to be feeling awful still.

Me at Fabrics & Fabrics

Leslie at Fabrics and Fabrics

Jennifer, Jeanette, & Leslie at Alan's Fabrics (look at all those tropical prints!)

Cindy having a snack at F&S Fabrics

Fabrics & Fabrics

Fabric Covered Button maker at Kashcool

Shopping at some trim store, I forget the name

My loot (from left to right) ~ knit from Michael Levine's $3/yd, stretch woven from Mike's Fabrics $2/yd, red/white dot shirting from Fabrics & Fabrics $3/yd, mystery sweater-type knit from Kashcool $.50/yd

I wish I would have taken more pictures, but I always get so caught up in the moment that I forget to take pictures. Oh well, next time I'll try to take more - thanks for peeking!

I'm back!

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end and unfortunately that holds true with the West Coast PR Weekend. I had so much fun, I still can't help but smile about it. It was great to meet all these wonderful and talented woman in person and talk sewing for three days straight! First off, my apologies for not posting my pictures yet (the ones you see below are snagged from Leslie my roomie). I really didn't take very many and still need to get them off my camera, but I've come down with some cold/virus thing and am feeling a little under the weather. Instead of making you all wait, I decided to snag hers and show off a bit of the fun.

The trip was full of fun, fabric, and friends - not necessarily in that order of course. Leslie in Austin, dvmCindy, & I were graciously picked up by Kathy Rank at the airport. We went to the hotel, stored our bags, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and headed off to our couture hand sewing class with the famous Susan Khalje. Susan is so patient and enjoyable to work with. We learned many new stitches and she even stayed an hour later than the class was supposed to go so we could finish up all the stitches she taught us. After class we had a small group dinner at Engine Co (about 20 of us) and Susan even joined us! Then it was back to the hotel ballroom for Susan's trunk show where three PR members modeled her exquisite creations!

On Saturday we shopped downtown until we dropped and amazingly enough, I only purchased 4 different fabrics. The stores really overwhelmed me. The fabrics were pretty disorganized in most places and stacked to the ceiling. I really didn't have anything in mind, but fell in love with a few things. Total spend on fabric $19 plus tax ~ I'll post a picture of them when I get my pictures uploaded.

After a fun filled day of shopping it was time for our group dinner at Adoro (Mexican cuisine). Very tasty, but I think we took up the whole restaurant! Once dinner was over, we headed back to the hotel ballroom to show off our fabrics and play Project Runway PR style with our ugly fabrics! The game was a hoot and all the models sported some pretty "unique" outfits (that is saying it politely! LOL). You can see all the videos of each model plus read all about the fun on the thread over at Pattern Review. Once the fun was over in the ballroom, Deepika and Annika came back to our room and we chatted until the wee hours of the morning.

On Sunday, we did a little more fabric shopping at a place called F&S Fabrics. Sweet PR member Brigette drove Leslie, Veronica (verosews), and me there where we met up with Cindy and Nancy (NancyWin). They have the most expensive fabrics I've ever seen, but some very gorgeous and pretty reasonable priced fabrics too. It was a neat store, but unfortunately by this time I was so sleep deprived and just ready to go home. So off the airport I went compliments of Brigette (thank you again sweetie), but not before her lovely hubby brought us all lattes from Starbucks to recaffeinate us all for our trips home (thanks Floyd!). And I must add what a cutie pie Brigette's daughter is - in the back seat we played "I Spy" and a new game she taught me, I don't know her official name for it, but it involved us making up new colors for existing colors and she always told me "oh that's a good one!" (just a sweet and polite little girl and so fun to converse with).

Here are Leslie's pics (thank hon for letting me "borrow" them)...

Roomie Leslie & I modeling our "twin" blouses compliments of Leslie!

Shopping at Mark Levine with Cindy, Cidell, Jeanette, Me, Lilia, Leslie, & Joda

At Mike's fabrics Jennifer, Jeanette, owner Erika, & me (nice tennis shoes, huh? what a dork, but I didn't need to get a blister!)

Project Runway PR style ~ Jennifer, Cindy, me (the lovely model! lol), & Leslie

I've never been so sleep deprived in my life, but it was so worth it! I can hardly wait until the next WC weekend! I'll post more pictures later, but for now, I just need to lay low and rest so I can get back to my old self (which I miss very much!).

LA or Bust

Tomorrow marks the long awaited Pattern Review West Coast Weekend in LA! I'm so excited, tho I'm not sure how excited I will be when my alarm rings at 3am. With such an early flight out, I have to get up before the crack of dawn but it will all be worth it.

Tomorrow I'm taking a handsewing class taught by Susan Khalje as well as attending her trunk show - should be inspiring. Then on Saturday we're going to shop til we drop in the garment district of LA!!! I am not going after anything particular at this point, tho I'm sure I'll find some treasures to bring home. I would like to find some more FOE in a rainbow of colors and some stretch lace trims too. I'll share my findings when I return.

I have been a busy bee sewing lately. I made the Jalie Sweetheart top last weekend, then I made three of the same top from 4/2007 issue of Burda (the first two needed tweaking) and then I also made a dress from the same issue. Oh and a blouse from 8/2007 issue of BWOF too which I worked on slowly but surely for over a week. I will share my pictures of those garments next week when I return as I just don't have enough time today to get everything photographed and edited and still get everything around the house done that needs to be taken care of before I get into bed.

Your prayers and positive thoughts for a safe trip would be appreciated. I really am not that keen on flying and traveling away from my family makes me a tad nervous. I just pray that I'm safe as well as my family while I'm away.

Lastly, thank you for the sweet birthday wishes, you're all so darn sweet! *smooch*

Happy Birthday To Me!

Ahh, another year has come and gone (my mom is right, they go by faster the older you get, eek)! I had a lovely day that ended with my mom-in-law fixing my favorite dinner (white chicken enchiladas) and my mom baking my favorite dessert (Huckleberry Delight). I am so blessed my in-laws and parents like each other and we can share a meal together - what a fun time we had too! And of course I was spoiled with gifts by my family, but my very favorite thing I received was the card my daughter made me (she's 10 and in 4th grade). I should take a picture of it, maybe tomorrow when I dig the camera out - it's so cute with her drawings on it. On the front it says "Happy 33rd Birthday!" and inside it says:

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

You are so sweet,

and I am too!

She's such a sweet girl and I will treasure that card forever (as I do every thing they make me).

And thank you for all the birthday wishes you sent though pm's on Pattern Review, messages in my blog comments, and emails. It was indeed a wonderful day and even more so with all my sewing friends sharing the love with me. I appreciate you all so much and am so thankful for all the friends I've made that also share the love of sewing. :-)

Kai Scissors Rock!

Okay just a quickie post to declare to the world I LOVE my new Kai scissors! They cut so beautifully - I can't even describe it, so smooth and perfect! So my best advice is, next time you need new scissors, just pop on over to Kai Scissors and treat yourself ~ after all you deserve it.

*Disclaimer* I have no affiliation with Kai Scissors, just a happy customer! :-)

P.S. I hope I get the Kai pinking sheers for my birthday next week, I dropped a hint so keeping my fingers crossed (or at least some birthday $$ to buy myself a pair). :-)

I got mail!

First off, thank you for your kind responses on the "homemade" topic - I appreciate all your insight!

Well nothing perks a girl up more than a good mail today! Today I hit the mother load with my new Ottobre Woman, new March Burda WOF, and a journal from Ottobre that was sent to me as a gift from the staff for sending in photos of garments I've made (they are such a top notch company, if only every company was as wonderful as they are!).


Yesterday I went to the big Sewing Expo in Puyallup, Washington. I had a pretty fun time, tho I feel like year after year it's the same old stuff and there is lots of quilting and machine embroidery stuff which isn't really what I'm interested in. I did get to attend Sandra Betzina's seminar on unlined jackets. It was fun and she's always a hoot to listen to - she's just so down to earth and practical! I also met a fellow PR member Diane E. She's from California and came to the show to help Sandra in her booth at the show (they are friends and I'm jealous!). Diane is so fun and I wish I would have had more time to chat with her. I also bumped into another PR member Cathy - we shopped together in Portland this past fall. It was fun to see her again and hopefully we'll have another shopping adventure in Portland fairly soon.

I'm so proud of myself too because the only thing I bought at the whole show was a set of Kai scissors. They are awesome and I got the whole set for $45 (I think that was a pretty good deal). I'm excited to finally have curved tip ones to cut jump threads when I embroider stuff. The other two pairs will be very useful too of course.

I had big plans of sewing today, but instead we went to town to run errands and were gone far too long. It's now time to get dinner started, so maybe after dinner I'll get myself in gear for what I will do tomorrow. Only 12 days until I leave for the big LA Pattern Review weekend and I still have things to make - ugg, why do I leave things to the last minute????

Handmade vs. Homemade

Yesterday I got a lovely thank you note in the mail thanking me for the "homemade" gift they'd received from me. As I read the note, I couldn't help but cringe when I got to the word "homemade". I feel like "homemade" sounds so cheap. Like all I could afford to give was something I threw together at home when quite the opposite is true. I could have so easily popped in to Target and got her something there, but instead I lovingly picking out something special to make and then spent several hours working on the project just for her. I know she didn't mean to make me cringe, but it just gives me such an unsettling feeling and that dreadful word makes me feel like my efforts weren't really appreciated. I think if someone doesn't sew, they just don't realize how long it takes to make something or the thought and effort that goes into the process. I much prefer the word handmade to homemade, it sounds so much classier. What word do you prefer and have you ever had this happen to you?

Printed fabrics, colors, & sewing with a plan

While exercising this morning my closet door was open and I couldn't help but notice how I have so many items that clearly don't go together. From my observation, I can see I really gravitate to printed fabrics and have lots of things that really only go with jeans (which is fine since I wear jeans 99.9% of the time). Still it seems a little unsettling to me that I have so many things that don't mix and match. Would I go to the store and buy so haphazardly? Probably not, however I don't seem to have a problem sewing in that fashion. I buy fabrics that I like without really thinking about the end result of what I'll make or who will wear it. I think it's really time I sew with a SWAP (sewing with a plan) mentality. I'm wasting my time and energy (as well as money) buying fabrics and sewing things that don't all marry together.

I also have been thinking more about color lately and what colors look good with my skin tone and hair color. Back around Christmas I was chatting with my mom about "my colors" and she gave me my late grandma's copy of Color Me Beautiful by Carole Jackson. My book is copyright 1980 so the pictures are a bit dated in the book, but the information is still valuable on how to choose which "season" you are. After doing some reading, I determined I'm a "winter" (what my mom and late grandma always told me I was and what "season" they are too). The colors that suit me best are cooler colors - ones that are clear, vivid, or icy with blue undertones (my palette also includes black and white). It's really an excellent book to pick up or borrow from the library if you're unsure of what colors look good on you. To reinforce the point to myself, I recently came to realize that just about every time I wear red, I receive a compliment on how great I look in that color. We all have colors that look good us, we just need to find out what those colors are and wear them. Yes, I am completely guilty of wanting to wear colors outside my palette (why do I love brown so much, it looks terrible on me???). Obviously it's not a crime to wear unflattering colors, however, I now understand how "my" colors seem to bring me to life while the ones that aren't in my palette make me look pale and lifeless.

So my "plan" is to try to sew with a plan. I want to create garments that mix and match and that are also in the "winter" color family. What is the sense in wasting my time and money making things that don't look good on me or go with nothing in my closet? I also want to have staples in my closet that help boost my wardrobe. Those "go to" pieces that I can always rely on to be dressed up or down as needed. Just because I'm a SAHM (stay at home mom) doesn't mean I shouldn't have a fab-u-lous wardrobe.

Just a little thinking out loud today.... :-)

P.S. I forgot to mention that I made four shirts over the weekend (no pictures yet). Two from Jalie 2682 (one in a print - imagine that and it's not really a flattering print for me either) and one in red. Then two from the Ottobre 2-2007-04 (gathered front t-shirt without puffed sleeves) - one in a pink print that is actually flattering to me and the other in the remainder of the red jersey.