My Finds at the Book Store

I purchased two books, "Delicious Slow Cooker Recipes" by Sheryn R. Jones and "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne. The cookbook was interesting to me because it's all about slow cooker recipes, an alternative to the norm. And it was only a few bucks. So I decided to give it a try. I love to cook, but sometimes my hectic work schedule does not leave me with very much energy to cook after a long-long day of work.
My second find is a self-help self-heal book. I'll soon know "the secret". Happy reading!

Harry Potter

Yesterday afternoon my DD and I treked over to the neighborhood Borders to pick up the lately edition to the Harry Potter series. My daughter has been a fan from the beginning. She even has Harry Potter bed linen. While we were there, we picked up a few other reads.
My DD is somewhat of an artist, it's in her blood. I caught her spying the "How-To-Draw-Manga" books directly across from the sewing, knitting, and crochet section. We will be celebrating her 20th birthday in a few days, So I decided to purchase a "Manga" book as part of her gift.

DD is featured in several school publications as an artist and poet. Most recently, she was commissioned to do the art work for a christian book written by Dr. Samuel J. Davis. She is also a regular contributor to deviant art.

Clothing Logos Designed by My Darling Daughter

Last month I commissioned my darling daughter to design two clothing labels/logos for me. For some time now I've been on the hunt for unique labels to tag my creations.

Because my niece has expressed great interest in learning how to sew, I requested a label for her as well.
I am very pleased with the finished designs. Now I am on the hunt to find a company that will print/weave the labels for me.

John Legend Concert in Chicago

On April 13, 2007, my sisters and two of my very close friends attended a John Legend concert at the Chicago theatre in Chi-town. We had a fantastic time. To start the evening we all met at the Carnivale restaurant. We enjoyed authentic Latino cuisine. After dinner, we excitedly travelled to the concert location were we continued to feast on the smooth soulful crooning of the fabulous John Legend (Stephens). By night's end we all had a greater appreciation for the "Legend" and his music. John Legend

Here is the outfit that I made to wear to the concert. I purchased the faux leather fabric ($5.95 yd) from the local Walmart about a month or so before the concert not with the intention to make an outfit for this particular event. Please forgive the wrinkles. This post comes three months after the concert. The outfit had been stored in the back of the closet, almost ready for cooler weather minus the wrinkles. You can read more about the creation of this outfit at Pattern Review.

Busy! Busy!

I've been a very productive sewist these past few days and have enjoyed it to the max. Oh, well, except for one bad spell on Friday. More about that later. Last week I scheduled Thursday and Friday as vacation days so that I could get some of my UFO's completed. Thursday morning I completed three knit tops for myself. One I cut out last summer. Can you believe it! The other two more recently, early June. I had planned to take them with me on a business trip to Seattle in June. Obviously none of them made the cut. Any who..., here are the three tops that I made.
The green and red tops were made using S4076.




This top was made using NL6101.
This Spring I was comissioned to sew for two weddings in September 2007. I went shopping with the husband and wife to be of the larger wedding party on Thursday afternoon. Six gowns (V2732 & V8360) and four vests (S7030) is the order for this party, all made from a champagne satin. Here are the patterns that will be used.







The second wedding party is much smaller. I'm only making three dresses, each from a different pattern. The chosen fabric for these dresses is a pale pink taffeta. The top and skirt of this pattern (S4885) will be morphed into a strapless dress. The other two dresses from M5100 & S5238. All finished garments will be posted on this site after the work is complete.




My Friday sew day did not go as well. I spent eight hours sewing a dress that should have only taken four hours. I had to remake the top of the dress to accommodate my broad shoulders and full bust, which I thought I accomplished in the first cut. I also added six inches to the width of the front and back of the skirt for fullness. In the end, I wasn't very pleased with the results. BTW-the dress hasn't been hemmed yet. Here are the pictures.

A New Beginning

I am so excited about starting my journal. My primary purpose for blogging is to journal my sewing projects and to share construction techniques with others. Last month I also signed up for patternreview, a sewing website that provides a place for people to share their skills, creations and opinions about sewing. I have been spying patternreview for about four years, but didn't decide to sign up until now. I am grateful to Deepika, who created the site, for her vision and ingenuity. It gives me joy to know that there are so many other fellow stylist, who love creating wearable works of art.

Like many other bloggers, I'll probably journal about life and family as well. Each day provides an opportunity to talk about something good, bad, or exciting that is worth sharing with others.

Yesterday I went to Hancock's 4th July sale. They had simpicity patterns on sale for 5 for $5.00. Pattern sales are irresistible. I'm an addict! I added the follow finds to my already huge collection.

I purchased this pattern for me and my sister. Both of us would like view A in a floral georgette. Also purchased for me:



Don't know when I'll make these up; I have five other projects that need to be completed. My daughter has put a bid in for view E of 3690 and view A of 3686. She will probably want them for school this fall.



Last but not least, I purchased these patterns for clients who are part of a wedding party. The ceremony is in September 2007.