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.

Life's Recipe

While cleaning out my recipe box today, I found this "recipe". It's definitely words to live by so I thought I'd share it. I think it came from Quick Cooking magazine several years ago.

Life's Recipe

1 cup of good thoughts

1 cup of kind deeds

1 cup of consideration for others

2 cups of sacrifice for others

3 cups of forgiveness

3 cup of well-beaten faults

Mix above ingredients thoroughly. Add tears of joy, sorrow, and sympathy for others. Flavor with little bits of love. Fold in 4 cups of prayer and faith. Pour into daily life and bake well with the heart of human kindness. Serve with a smile.

Happy Valentine's Day

Hope you're surrounded by the people and things you love on this holiday!

10 years later...

okay not really, but that is always what I say to DH when something is taking forever. So sorry it's taken me forever to write reviews and post pictures. It seems as tho one day leads into the next and here we are the middle of February already.

First up is an Ottobre Woman t-shirt I made from the 2/2007 issue. I made this right before our cruise and packed it with me. I love it and see many more variations of this in my future. My review can be read on PR.

Next up is another one of my Grandma's aprons. I got this fabric on clearance at Joann's around Christmas and it was in my "to do" pile so I decided to whip up a new one real quick - I need a little bright colors right now anyway with all the dull winter weather that is around.

While I was a Super Bowl widow, I got a chance to make Will a new sweatshirt (per his request). It turned out perfect and is from the current issue of Ottobre (1/2008). He adores it and has wore it countless times already ~ here is my review on PR.

My oldest son needed some new pants (as usual), so last week I experimented with a pattern from the 3/2002 issue of Burda WOF that was a pair of elastic waist pants. I made a wearable muslin first and took the alterations to the pattern (slicing and dicing) and this was my end result. He loves them and particularly loves the Pirate Ship embroidered on the pocket. I used red Jeans Stitch thread for the topstitching and added some knee patches to the front so increase the longevity of wear (hopefully). More info on these pants is in my review.

I have two cousin-in-laws who are pregnant, but are not finding out the gender of their babies. So I've been working on some gender neutral items for the both of them. Here are two baby gowns from Kwik Sew 3090 and hats from New Conceptions Baby Essentials pattern.

A sleep sack from Kwik Sew 3089

And last but not least, a shopping cart seat cover. The pink one below is one I made this past fall for my aunt's granddaughter. I'm posting them so you can see what they look like in the shopping cart. Yesterday I made a gender neutral one for this weekend's shower. I also posted a review of this pattern on PR today. It was a super easy pattern and is only $3 on eBay!

Now for a bit of family fun. DH & I have been talking about taking our kids to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook, OR for quite some time. We decided to make the 2.5 hour trek this past Saturday and the kids were so excited. Unfortunately they have changed it since we were last there and there wasn't as much to see, plus the packing line is closed on the weekend. It turned out to be a dud of a trip, tho the kids thought it was fun. On the way home, we drove up the coast line, making a loop and seeing different scenery. We stopped in a little town called Seaside and walked around a bit, but Andy was getting tired and onrery, plus the sprinkles were starting to come down, so back in the van we went and traveled home. It was a fun family day even tho the tour of the factory was a bust. Here are a few pictures from our day.

Happy Sewing!!!

Yay Me!!!!

Well today I have the privilege of being a football widow (I'm so sad football is over - wahh!). Since we're in the midst of tax season and I got all the documents in the mail this past week, I first got that chore out of the way. It took me a bit longer than expected, however I always like to be careful and double check my work to make sure I entered everything in the program correctly and it jives with what our return looked like last year. Thankfully I got that all done and efiled (I even got an email a less than 4 hours later that the IRS accepted my return already - woo hoo!). And the best news is we get a little refund back (which means I did the math correctly when figuring out our exemptions for the year on DH's W-4 ~ they didn't get to use our money for free for the year and we didn't have to pay them anything).

So after all my tax stuff was buttoned up, I got busy finishing up some pants I made for my oldest son that I started earlier in the week (from an old Burda WOF) and then I also made my middle son a sweatshirt per his request (from the new 1/2008 Ottobre magazine). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all fits perfectly and I can post reviews and pictures in the next day or so. Hope your day was as productive as mine was! :-)

Coming up for air...

Ahh, the *Beautiful* Monarch of the Seas (yes they called it beautiful every time they referred to it while we were on board). DH & I had such a wonderful time on our belated anniversary trip. The weather was lovely (tho for me it could have been hotter) and we had a most fabulous time. I wasn't ready to come home, tho I did miss the kids. Three nights just wasn't long enough for me, tho I'm sure my MIL was ready for us to return (bless her heart and my FIL too for watching our precious babies while we had a much deserved time away).

Our only port of call was Ensenada, Mexico, and I was less than impressed (unfortunately). It was shop after shop of the same things and ladies with their babies begging on the street for money every step you took. It was so sad actually. We were hoping to enjoy a yummy authentic Mexican lunch, but the place we visited (the #1 recommend lunch spot per Royal Caribbean) was a bomb. The food was awful! I've had more authentic Mexican food in my own town. Oh well, it's a vacation and things like that just don't get you down. We enjoyed lots of really fun activities aboard the ship and even took a few naps too! But as they always say, "all good things must come to an end" and an abrupt ending it was (waking up at 6am to get ready for the ship departure isn't my favorite way to end a vacation). Back to reality, oh bleck!

I will admit I've had a hard time getting back into the swing of things. Coming home from a vacation is hard work. We did have a little bit of fun intermixed with getting back to reality in the form of a snow day. We live pretty much at sea level so snow isn't plentiful around here. But forecasters were saying we'd be getting a little snow late Sunday/early Monday and they were right on. We had an inch or two is all and then kids had a blast playing outside in it. And as usual, it was melted by afternoon. :-(




Lastly, my sweet friend Rhonda tagged me for a fun little game! Here are the Rules for this Topic:*Link to the person who tagged you.*Post the rules on your blog.*Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.*Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.*Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

1) I used to hate tomatoes until I was pregnant with my fourth child.

2) I have to wash my hands the minute I step foot in the house after I grocery shop - all those germs from the carts gross me out.

3) I say "sorry" too much. I always say sorry even to people I don't know in the stores and such. Why do I have to say it all the time, I annoy the heck out of my self every time I catch myself saying it.

4) My favorite dessert is my mom's Huckleberry Delight. I ask for it ever year on my birthday and that is usually the only time it's made each year. I guard the leftovers I get and don't let anyone eat them - it's mine!!! (can you hear my evil laugh?)

5) I used to collect postage stamps as a kid.

Well that sure what harder than I thought. After all that thinking, I don't even know who to tag, so you're all off the hook. Nitey nite! :-)

Bag Making is Painful!

I have wanted a nice travel bag for some time, but now our upcoming weekend jaunt has prompted me to get my rear in gear. My bag of choice was the Amy Butler Weekender bag. I've only made a few bags, but nothing at all like this one (lots of super stiff interfacing to help it keep it's shape and miles of cording). It was a 13 hour workout, but thankfully the end result was worth it (and yes I truly experienced *real* pain - hand sewing 60" of lining to a zipper - I'm a slow hand stitcher). I posted a review on Pattern Review if you'd like all the little details of how the process went ~ bag review.

Next up, a day of rest! I don't know what this afternoon will bring, maybe a little web surfing and relaxing, I think I earned it after yesterday's bag making adventure.

Busy Busy!

Well what's a girl to do when her wonderful hubby takes all four kids to his parents for the entire day to watch football? Sew of course! Last Saturday was a dream day in the making for me. I rarely get much time to myself (heck sometime I can't even go to the bathroom in peace), so having the house completely to myself for a whole day was heaven on Earth (I'm easy to please, huh?). Well knowing a few days ahead of time I was going to have this wonderful day to myself, I lined up a few tops I was wanting to make for an upcoming little getaway DH and I have planned. We're going on a short little cruise down to Ensenada, Mexico and so of course I wanted some new clothes to wear. To make a long story short (and not too painful stirring up bad memories! LOL), I made three McCalls garments (a shrug 5389 and a twin set 5536) all of which were a flop (I know I should review them, but I don't know if I can even muster up the energy to do that) and then a pair of pull on pants from Simplicity 3800 - I actually really liked these, it was just the fabric was horrible (a gross poly knit that I have no clue when it came from - good muslin I guess). So after all the disasterous projects, I decided to trace off something from the 1-2008 Burda WOF. It's a gorgeous wrap top (#116) and I knew after all the flops I had that day, that Burda would come through and save the day. Thankfully the day was saved (well for the most part - the ties are too short, but that is a minor thing that can be fixed next go round). My review for the top is posted here.

Next up is a top I finally finished after working on it for several weeks. I'm usually not that slow, but it was over Christmas break and I ran out of hot pink thread during the process too. I have loved this top since I got the issue and am so glad I finally made it. I like that it's a jazzed up sweatshirt, something not so ordinary. I plan to add another one or two to my wardrobe when time allows. I also posted a review for this top ~ it's from 11/2007 #118.

On my "home alone" day, this was another garment I had cut out. Another version of the cowl neck top from 10/2005 Burda WOF - love it! Thankfully Burda helped me get a few things right that day! :-)
And lastly, I completed a UFO for my oldest son. It's from 4/2007 Ottobre #28. I cut this sweatshirt out in September and just the other day got it sewn up for him. The best part is he LOVES it and he has plenty of room so he won't be outgrowing this very soon. The review for this sweatshirt is posted here.

Up next.....I just don't know. I would like a few more new tops for our trip, so I think that is the direction I will go. I'd also like a new bag to take on the plane, so maybe I'll go that way. So many choices, so little time. Happy sewing!

Help me pick a garment steamer

For a while now, I've wanted to buy a steamer for my sewing studio. It got some cash for Christmas, so now is the perfect opportunity to treat myself. I noticed in the recent Hancock Fabrics ad that they had the Homemedics Commercial Steamer on sale for $49.99 - thinking the word "commercial" equals quality, I stopped by and picked one up. Well today I finally took it out of the box and I'm less than impressed. It seems like it should be sturdier than it is, so I started snooping around PR and the net and found some other steamers that are probably a better investment than the one I purchased. I steamed the cuffs of my McCalls puffy sleeve blouse and it worked pretty good, but I have no experience with a steamer, so I don't know if it actually did a good job or not.

So give me your opinion - do you have a steamer? If so, which one? Do you have the one I purchased? If so, do you like it? I am now thinking of returning the steamer (the lady at Hancock's told me I had 60 days to decide if I didn't like it) and buying the Jiffy J-2000 from Costco, but they also have another one on the Costco website too called SteamFast Professional Steamer. They both are close in price so it's not at all about the price, it's about the quality. I want something that I will have for the long haul. I'm not even sure how often I'll use it, but it makes no sense to buy a piece of junk for $50 that I'm going to have to replace.

Looking forward to hearing some opinions on the issue, so please don't be shy!

Happy 2008!!!!

Goodness, how can another year have flown by? That I don't know, but I will say it's happening faster and faster the older I get. And talk about celebrating like old folks, we were in bed by 10pm last night. In our defense tho, my hubby had to work today (he always has to work New Year's Day) and gets up at 4am for work and the kids go back to school tomorrow, so it really was necessary not to ring in the new year with the rest of the Pacific coasters. We did get a notice from our neighbors (albeit a rude notice) that it was indeed the new year by them continuously lighting off boxes (yes whole boxes at a time) of firecrackers and then screaming. Our poor dog - she's an outside German Shepperd, but she slept inside last night because she was so freaked out by all the fireworks that kept going off.

I was hoping to get some sewing done today after I've been a cleaning fool the past few days packing up Christmas decorations and doing some household reorganizing. However instead of blissfully sewing, I'm reorganizing my sewing studio. I am publicly announcing I have too much sewing cr@p and need to get a handle on things. I have WAY too much fabric and patterns and accumulation of stuff stresses me out. So my quest this year is to sew using what I have. I spend way too much time moving piles around and reorganizing and it now occurs to me (yes, *just* now) that if I didn't have so much stuff, it wouldn't be a problem. I wouldn't have to spend so much time organizing if I didn't have all this stuff to content with. I plan to weed out things I don't want so I can get on to doing what I love to do - sewing! And make no mistake, I am not saying I won't buy a single piece of fabric or pattern this whole year, but instead I am going to give it my best to use what stash I have when I'm sewing (both fabric and patterns). There is just no sense in hording fabric, there is no shortage and Lord knows there will always be fabric and pattern sales. I will be keeping my Burda WOF and Ottobre subscriptions tho, those I honestly can't live without. ;-)

Cheers to a healthy & productive 2008!!!!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas - may you be blessed beyond measure!

Burda WOF does it again...

With another fabulous pattern (#101 from the 9/2007 issue). I'd seen this top reviewed on Pattern Review several times and then LoriV made her version recently and I just knew I needed one too. It was pretty quick going, tho WOF does often have weird directions (they would be doing themselves a favor by hiring a better translator). I muddled through and viola, I have a new top to wear to Christmas dinner at my parent's house tomorrow. I actually think it looks cuter in person, but the picture is a fairly good representation of it. I tried belting it up too with a cute belt I have worn over the top and I like that look too. It's just a nice twist on the usual t-shirt ~ a little more dressy, tho the unfitted look will take some getting used to for me. For all the details, check out my review. :-)