Travel Shop

 

The fabric shopping on the way to, and in Portland with friend Jaye, was pretty great. The above picture is  what I found at Sewlarium. First is the new Ruby Star toweling, I'll be making napkins out of this beautiful stuff. I think it'll go well with my pride month table runner. FQs of the PDX airport fabric, a black on grey houndstooth, and odd yellow grid, a pink/caramel ribbon print. A mushroom print that I plan to make a pillowcase with, a really interesting print with odd yellow shapes (I thought it looked like a tile floor), a beautiful (instead of ugly) Frida Kahlo print, and an on-sale pearl bracelets in a dark grey almost black. 

At Pioneer Quilts, I found more of the Ruby Star toweling, because I hadn't bought enough at Sewlarium. An odd grellow star print, a pretty purple halloween print and then the ingredients to make the witch hat "pin keeper" (not a pincushion I guess?). They have a great selection of wools in this shop.

At Mill End, I think I was fabric shopped out/overwhelmed with the vast array of choices, so I only got a couple buckles and a Tombow textile glue that I'd never seen.

In Eugene, we stopped in at Paramount Sew-Vac, a really great store, especially for sewing machine selections as they had all the brands and tons of room displaying them, I found a great remnant of this white and grey print, and then was excited to see Marcia Derse print on a lovely cotton jersey, I got enough to make myself a top.

In Ashland, we checked out Sew Creative and I found that I was really drawn to the Australian Aboriginal prints, they have a huge selection, but I managed to narrow it down and chose three and then found another print that I thought would work well with them.

The last shop we stopped at was Purple Frog Quilt Shop, where I found these 4 FQs, a Peanuts print, blue Grunge, and two lights on a string one dark green and one charcoal. They had a great selection of the American Made solids, so I bought the last of the light grey, a little over a yard. And a new nail file, because my travel one is worn out now and needs replacing.

And finally, at Powell's Books, I found this book, Ahead of the Curve(which includes 5 patterns!) by one of my fave curvy pattern designers, Jenny Rushmore of Cashmerette.

That was plenty of shopping to last me for quite a while, and now I get to add the new fabric purchases into my fabric tracker. At the last update, I was previously at a net increase of 11.8 yards. After adding all this new stuff in,  and subtracting out what I've been sewing since the last update, I'm up to a net of: 18.3 yards. I better get to finishing some big things before year's end to get that number down!

For Want of A Few Yards More

The perfect fabric, a silky print of small skulls, you really can't tell what they are until you're close up.  Unfortunately I was only given a small piece.

Oh but only if I had a few yards, I'd make myself something like this to wear with my big black sun hat, black sunglasses and red lipstick:

Oh dear, aspirational dresses made out of invisible fabric, things are getting worse, send help.

On Dresses

I'm really enjoying reading the One Hundred Dresses on A Dress A Day  as Erin McKean goes through her own  closet and shows us one hundred dresses that she's made, one per day.  Including pockets! That match and/or contrast!
  And I'm also really looking forward to reading her new book The Hundred Dresses which is all about dress archetypes. 
I honestly don't know why I like reading dress blogs like hers and this refashioning one, New Dress A Day  so much, because I hardly own any dresses, much less wear them. I guess I'm an aspirational dress enthusiast? Or something? Maybe subconsciously since I've been housewife-ing for a while now I'm just exhibiting my deep-seated internalization of 50's sit-com re-runs like "Leave it to Beaver"

 (stop laughing, that's not nice) 

 It's not like I think I should be wearing a dress (and heels and pearls) everyday, of course not.  But dresses still mean something to me even though I don't wear them much.  I guess I like the idea of them more than the reality perhaps?  Usually when I wear a dress it's for a special occasion, which means fun, and socializing.   Something different than the usual day-to-day.

So buying fabric and patterns to make a dress is a way of looking forward to and pre-celebrating a special occasion.  A way of extending the fun that's to come I think.

Hmmm...Do I have time to get a new dress together to wear to my son's outdoor high school graduation on Friday?  Maybe!

Finally Dressed

Yes, I'm finally all finished with the dress. I figured out how to draft the missing neck facing pattern pieces so that it would work (pshew), that was the hold up. And the set-in sleeves weren't too hard once I got the gathering right. I really liked using the serger to finish the raw edges, it saves a huge amount of time.

Here's a view of the back. As you can see, it hits me right above the knee, so it feels terribly short to me. I'm not sure if I'll be comfortable wearing it or not...The pattern package suggests wearing it over jeans or tights, which might be good, we'll see how daring I feel, and whether or not the nasty rash from the blackberry vine attack on my leg heals up.

I'm probably a little too pleased with myself, oh well, you can sue me if you must. I'm just glad to:

• have actually FINISHED something I said I was going to do
• something that is cute
• and wearable
• and oh, by the way, done!

Almost Dressed

Surprise! Actual sewing content is contained in this post. I started making a dress to wear to my son's middle school graduation from the Indygo Junction pattern I showed you back in January.

I'm using three fabrics from Moda's Urban Couture by BasicGrey, which I specifically bought to use with this pattern. Always hard to figure out if you're buying enough when you're doing contrasts on clothing pattern, but it worked out. Except that the neckline facing patterns weren't with my pattern, so I had to draft my own. Almost done except the sleeves and buttons for the back "tie belt".
I really like the pocket detail on this pattern. And I found a really cool old button in my vintage button stash to use.

I'll try to remember to show you a picture when I finish it completely.

Graduation Day

Here is my environmental self portrait for the Self Portrait Challenge this week.

In this picture I am at my son's middle school graduation this past Thursday. Now he is a high schooler, gasp!

Trying very hard not to well up with proud tears, or fearful tears, or happy tears, or any tears whatsoever. Not so successful at that. Oh well, I cried at kindergarten graduation too. If I'm not crying, I'm not feeling I suppose.

Anyways, feeling safe, secure and very happy in my element as supportive mother, proud parent, member of the school community and so on. And a sunburned gardener too, if you check out my neck and shoulder.

Meanwhile, back at the local thrift store, I got a hat pattern, for
*12*
*Terrific*
*Hats*!!
Or chapeaux sensass. Sensass? Is that really French for Terrific? I'm thinking that means something else, isn't formidable or terrible a better translation? I never took French, so I do not know!

And a book I've been looking for: Upholstering At Home. Yay, now perhaps the chairs will get redone with somewhat more expertise than my usual staple gun assisted upholstering method!...

ISO A certain Fabric for a Certain Friend

Friend Jaye was searching desperately for a Denyse Schmidt fabric "Flea Market Frenzy or some such name". Soooooo not feeling like staying at home yesterday after my chiropractic appointment, I set forth in search of this elusive fabric.

I started out closest to home, and had no luck at the first quilt shop I tried, and I didn't buy a thing, gasp! shock! amazement!

Next up was Cabrillo Sewing in Capitola. They had a lot of nice fabric, but I was good and didn't buy any. But I was taken in by this book, "Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space" and Threads magazines. Hey, I have to plan out my new quilt studio, I need some guidance!

Not done yet, so I headed back over the freeway to Beverly's, hey all cotton fabric on sale. uhoh. A skirt will be made out of the greenapple/floral, maybe with a flounce of the measuring tape. I cracked up the cutting clerk by saying I wasn't going to be using it as a waistband, oh no sireebob! And the kittys? Why did I buy that? I recognized them! That's why. I think this is a recycled print, or something, I swear I had something when I was a kid with these very same cats on it. A case of retro-deja-vu??

Anyways, my clothing aim or thoughts are swinging towards dressing more like a "grown-up, an artist, a creative and a put-together, capable person" instead of a "I'm exhausted, in pain, and I don't care, so don't make me think about what I'm wearing as long as it doesn't hurt person". I'm trying some cotton kirts first, instead of my dyed, worn-out, hand-dyed, very disreputable looking shorts.

And for some reason, I bought this dress pattern, guess I'm planning on attending some party this summer where I will show off my perfectly tanned and buffed out shoulders. Oh yeah, the housewarming party we are hoping to throw for ourselves, that must be it! This will be the first dress I've made with boning in it, but I figure, I won't need to wear any other "support garments", so it is a tradeoff, right? Will I find the fabric in my stash? Maybe....stay tuned....

Last but not least (I knew I should have gone here first!) was Hart's Fabric in Santa Cruz. Of course they had it! An entire rounder of Denyse Schmidt fabric, with a bit of the end goal fabric right there in front of me, I almost missed it. Isn't it cute? Or perhaps perky? Or just plain ol' pretty? Or naturally nice? I like it. Maybe she won't reaaaaalllly need it? maybe. Here it is, with a skull patch I had to have. Don't they look great together? Maybe for a new handbag???

And I again had to feed my clothing pattern addiction. Gawd. I had to have this McCall's pattern. Don't you love the necklines? And that tulip hem? I love that hemline, it makes you feel like you are dancing even when you are just walking.

Then, hanging oh so temptingly over the cutting station was an absolutely beautiful outfit, done up in natural linen, apple green and brown. With an overskirt, and a bolero jacket/shrug kinda thing. It looked so comfy and unique, and so I bought the pattern, it is a Burda, for "Young" (ahem). And no I won't be doing it up in prom type fabrics....I'm thinking of the hemp/silk noil I saw somewhere recently, was it Dharma Trading maybe?? Anyhoo, that would be a good fabric for this, especially if I dye it and do some discharge patterning...

Then I thought I'd try Goodwill in Santa Cruz, to see if they had any good vintage-y fabric goodness. Not really although I did buy these two pieces, one of which you will recognize if you have ever stayed at a major name hotel in Tahiti (didn't notice the printed on label in one corner, oops) for a grand total of $4.50! The weird brown one will become one of the aforementioned cotton skirts, and the black/white one will also, with the addition of some other black/white prints as it is on the smallish side (at least to make a skirt for me!).

Oh, and of course some books. ahem. 3 of which I have already read and wanted to share with my family and reread, and one which had been recommended to me , The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

Now, I'm totally pooped but it is 1:30 and by the time I get home, it will be time to go pick up Alex from school, so to kill a bit more time, I swung by my favorite garden store. And wandered around, choosing a new blueberry bush (to replace one of our now dead ones), a pineapple guava (feijoa), lemongrass, pineapple sage, and Her, she will go in the pot where I have my Kaffir Lime, and lemongrass

Pshew, I'm almost as tired out from telling you what I did yesterday, than I was after doing it!