Updates to Come

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. I did. Of course sewing filled part of the week's end. Friday night, one of my church friends invited me to see "Get Ready" at eta Creative Arts Theatre. Saturday, I did some cleaning, shopping and sewing. Oh yes, a little cooking and entertaining. Sunday church and more cooking. I'm so behind on blogging about my sewing projects. So there are two weeks worth of catch up.

Happy Beginning of the Week!
C

Vintage Clothing and the Movie: Australia

Ms. Nicole Kidman graces the cover of Vogue magazine (July 2008). Kidman is starring with the eye-catching Hugh Jackman (X-Men’s wolverine) in Australia due in the theaters November 2008. This is a period movie (WWII era). Kidman’s character inherits a ranch and Jackman is the hired hand that helps her hold it all together. War breaks out, the two become romantically involved…, the rest…, is in the movie. Lol


The Vogue spread includes an interview with the twosome; and oh choice, it includes a few photos of Kidman in beautifully sculptured garments.

Lately I have been drawn to vintage clothing. Part of the attraction has been simulated by my fellow blogging friends and new re-releases of vintage patterns by various pattern companies. I have picked up a few from JoAnn’s and Hancock’s. Plus I have one banker box devoted to patterns published in the early part of the century. As if I don’t have enough on my plate already.







I don’t know when, but if the Lord’s willing and the creek don’t rise, I will definitely make up some of these vintage outfits.



Tip of the Day – Lose 10 pounds instantly…,

Sit up straight – back erect
Stand Tall – shoulders square

Now work that cute quotient!

Happy Sewing!
C

I've Been Tagged by Marita and Mardel

This is so late..., I was tagged by Marita and Mardel.

Here goes...,

1. What was I doing ten years ago? That's a loaded question. My life was so different back then. I was married with one DD (11 years ago). My day job was with the University of Illinois at Chicago, Office of the Research Services, where I served as a Departmental Information Supervisor. The title of my job didn't really speak to the work I actually did. There were only a few individuals supervised by me. Most of my work was to assistant the Director, provide stats on research activity, and act as liasion for the Vice Chancellor for Research. At that time I was also pursuing a degree in Information Decision Sciences (Quantitative Methods). I didn't sew as much given I had three full time jobs already. lol


2. What are 5 things on my to do list today? Sewing related to do list includes:

- Purchase the Fabric for my coat (Great Coat Sew Along) I was supposed to do that before Sunday, but haven't had time. I'm still catching up from being gone nearly a week.
- Finish Ms. CB gown 1015. Last weekend I was able to finish the bodice lining and put together the foundation. Ms. CB was not available for a fitting this weekend. Today we arranged the next fitting for Sunday afternoon.
- Finish jacket for violet dress I made in April. I'm invited to a dinner party (banquet), Saturday night and wanted to wear the dress with jacket.
- Organize the many UFO's I have. Last night I looked through them and became exhausted thinking about how I can get it all finished.
- Work with my DD on the dresses and blouses she wants made before school starts again.



3. Snacks I enjoy? I love, love chocolate; but I eat it in moderation. fruit, cheese, and Lay's potato chips.


4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire? I am no where near being independently wealthy. So it would take me about five months to get over the shock of having billionaires. The first thing that I would do is find and retain a viable financial planner. Next, I would probably set up a foundation or two (shelter and educational) to help those in need. Third, find a way to share my wealth with my family (daughter, sisters, and mom) without crippling them. Help them to reach some goal/dream. Finally, buy a home for me. I love the homes showcased in "House Beautiful" and "Better Homes and Garden". I would love a scaled down version of a "Martha Stewart's House". Not flashy; warm, comfortable, and inviting. That's about it. I will continue to do some kind of work (at the foundations), sewing, travel, etc. I wouldn't change too much; I'll have more time to relax and do the things I enjoy.


5. Places I have lived? My mom's family is from Huntsville, AL and my dad's people from Grenada, MI. But I was born and bread in Chicago, Illinois. I haven't live anywhere else except for living in Champaign, Illinois for a brief time while in college.

6. What type of work have I done? Babysitter, extra-help at a daycare facility, typist, Secretary Transcriber, Administrative Secretary, Information Services Supervisor, Departmental Information Supervisor, Module Administrator (Functional Support for application), Assistant Producer for christian programs aired on Chicago CAN TV, School board member, Teen Mentor, Trainer for video camera work, Secretary for Board of Director (There Is A Way Outreach Ministries).

7. 6 peeps I want to know more about?

Lisa Sew On and Sew on
Faye Faye's Sewing Adventure
Kimberlee Kims Kouture
Lory The Diary of L
Connie Couturesmith
Lori Girls In The Garden

Naples, Florida is Beautiful

Naples, Florida is Beautiful... Oh did I say that the last time. ..., Well it really is. Our vendor, InfoEd, always selects an outstanding site for the conference. The food served by the hotel and the surrounding restaurants is the best. I never arrive home feeling like I need to cook a feast to make up for the lack of a tasteful meal. The hotel accommodations were equally impressive. There are two Ritz Carlton hotels in Naples. We lodged at the Golf Resort. The other is on the Gulf shore line. I was privileged to watch the sunset two nights while at/after dinner.

All in all the conference was very good and well attended by research institutions around the globe. I'm excited about the new functionality and enhancements planned for upcoming releases. The sessions that I attended covered a lot of features that my institution plans to explore and/or implement. It was good. ...,

Wednesday afternoon me and a group of friends from another institution drove down town and to the mall/outlet to do a little shopping. Sherry Wright, Georgia Medical Center, researched the area for fabric stores. We stopped by Jay's Fabric and Upholstery, 937 4th Avenue North, Naples, FL 34102, 239-435-7222. This store stocked some beautiful fabrics. There were two lovely rolls of silk dupioni that really spoke to me, but my pocket said, "No, NO way." Each sold for $68.00 per yard. Too rich for my blood. Both were black and white: one with an ethnic motif and the other a mood square, rectangle motif. I saw two dresses.

I only have a couple pictures taken with my camera phone. I accidently deleted all pictures saved while trying to adjust the settings on my camera. Bomber. Oh well, the sunset photo above was the best out of the three.

Back in Chi-Town

Oh My Goodness!..,just in a few hours ago. I had a fantastic time in Naples. It's going to take me a while to catch up on blog reading and e-mail.

Later...,

The Great Coat Sew-Along

I finally decided which coat to make for the Great Coat Sew-Along. It was so hard narrowing it down to just one for this event. My choice is Vogue 8438 view A or B. This is a princess seam coat with interesting collar treatment. This coat has some versatility in the look by changing the fabric: cashmere, lightwieght melton, or Damask. These are a few options. I think the clothe belt of view C can serve as an alterative look for both A & B.

Last Tuesday I stopped by Vogue Fabrics on the way home to buy fabric. They had several nice wool coatins available, but I didn't like any of them for this coat. I found this Bright Navy at Gorgeous Fabrics, which I will order this week.

I'm a little behind schedule, so I brought the pattern with me to cut out. When I return home I'll be able to start work on the fitting. The lining, buttons, and other notions will be discussed in a later post.

My second and third options were V7979-D and S3966-A with sleeve from view B.

On a side note, I've been tagged by two people. ...,will post response by the weekend.

Happy Sewing!
C

Naples, Florida is Beautiful

Yesterday the Chicagoland area was hit with a severe thunder storm/tornado watch. Parts of I57 were closed. Several trucks were over turned. This morning as I travelled to O'Hare Airport, there were large tree branches scattered across lawns and in the roadways. Parts of I90 West were closed off. Crews were out re-opening those lanes at 5:45am. There was a van on fire about 3 miles from the airport. Big traffic delays. I missed my 7:00a flight by 5 minutes. The next one was at 7:15am connecting in St. Louis; then on to Ft. Meyers, FL.

I made it out of Chicago without major problems. Other clients (InfoEd customers) from Northwestern University are still delayed at O'Hare.

Back to the title of this post. Naples, Florida is beautiful. It's so lush and green. The air smells sweet. I love the diverse landscape of the US and feel blessed to live in America. Our vendor is hosting the annual conference at the Ritz Carlton Resorts of Naples. This hotel is the "reme de la creme". It is beautifully decorated and has the finest of amedities. The golf course is inviting; it's makes me want to learn to play golf.

Photos later...,

Vogue 1015 - Putting It Together PT II

Fabric and Notions: crepe back satin, ambiance lining, 18" zipper, emerald seed beads, fusible interfacing.




Friday night I spent about 45 minutes making the pattern adjustment.


On Saturday, the majority of the day was spent working on the dress.

From 12-3p I cut the dress out of the fashion fabric. All adjustments were included except shortening the length of the dress.

Note: If you plan to make this dress, patience is needed with the layout and cutting. There are a lot of pieces to this dress. Many require only one of the fabric and/or lining. Several pieces are very large and require the joining of two pattern pieces to make one piece to sew. Be sure not to allow the fabric to hang over the edge of the cutting table. It pulls the fabric that is on the table and distorts the width and length.

Skirt #8 is used to cut the lining and outer fabric. Each has to be cut separately. Be careful, the grain lines are different and some of the cutting lines are different.


From 3 to 10p I worked on putting the dress together. The front bodice pieces and the side/front skirt are to be cut on varying degrees of bias. On a piece of scrap, I tested sewing with a sharp 11 and universal 11 needles. Neither produced good stitches on the crepe back satin. So I tried a Singer ball point 11. It worked just fine.

The pattern called for an invisible zipper. I didn't have one on hand and wanted to complete as much work as possible. So I hand-picked a regular zipper. I decided to wait for Ms. CB's approval before adding the beads. She liked the idea.










My Struggle: Pattern #8 is joined at the center back then it comes together at the front where all the pleats and gathers meet. I read the instructions, looked at the illustrations, and made several attempts at joining the pieces. At each failed attempt the skirt, pleats, and gathers looked wonky. This pattern/dress had truly worked my nerves. So I decided to go back to the original pattern. There it was as clear as day. I forgot to mark the square where the skirt attaches to the side bodice. It all made sense now. I marked the square and everything went together.




Dislike: The instructions only shows how the godet and the front skirt come together on the wrong side. The only right side view is when the "cover up" rectangle is applied to the area.

I'm Almost There: All of the adjustments were incorporated into the pattern pieces before cutting.

The back view: More was needed across the back. I increased the back by 1 1/2 inches dividing the increase evenly among the four pieces.

From the second fitting - At the lower shoulder I needed to reduce by 1/4" on each side. Through the first 4 inches of the zipper (at side back seam) I need to let out by 1/4" and the release of the pins at the shoulders will take the stress off the zipper. Slight pulling in the upper part of the zipper.


The Straps need to be shorten by 3/4".

The front view: The bust darts were lowered, both pattern pieces. And 3/8" added to each side. The pleats were lowered as well. But I notices that the last one needs to be rotated a bit and moved up.






The Skirt - I added 1/4" to the seam allowances were multiple size adjustments are indicated. The skirt needs to be shorten by 2". This will be done at the very end because I want to make sure the strap adjustments are correct before cutting.

After these adjustments are made, I'll sew on the beads, add lining, and sew together the foundation. The flowers, leaves, and steams have not been cut yet. I'm saving that for last. When I arranged for the second fitting, I forgot to ask Ms. CB to bring foundation to be worn underneath. It will definitely impact the way the dress wears on the body and it will show any additional adjustments. I think we are good on the adjustments though, but I want to see the look of the dress with both foundations.

Next fitting -- After June 12th.

Stay Tuned...,

Jackets Simplicity 2977 and 2938

Friday evening, before going to the movie (The Forbidden Kingdom), I pattern fitted and altered the jackets for S2977 and S2938. I found my fabric at Vogue Fabrics in the Remnants Room (100% wool (med weight) at 50% off and mystery fabric also 50% off). I love shopping the Remnants Room. You can always find some nice pieces of fabric for half the price.

Simplicity 2938

FBA Needed

Pattern Fitting - Adjustment for broad shoulders Also needed slight increase in hip area.

FBA on Pattern

Broad Shoulder Adjustment on Back Sleeve Pattern --Slight adjustment on Back as well (not shown).

Simplicity 2977

FBA Needed -- Will also add 1/2" to Center Front

Side View Pattern Fitting

May Need Sway Back -- Still Debatable based on shape of the jacket.

Back Yoke w/Adjustment

Front w/ FBA

Back w/Broad Shoulder Adjustment

Neither Jacket requires lining. Maybe, just maybe, I'll get one finished before leaving town.

Happy Sewing!
C

Thank You!

I would like to thank everyone for their recent comments on my blog. I have so many projects in the queue: my own, DD's and for clients. My posting is sometimes a little sporadic. Currently, on the table are two jackets (S2938 and S2977) and V1015 for a client. I'm making good progress on the gown. This weekend I spend 10 hours working on it, and yesterday we did the second fitting (a few more adjustments needed). This week I'm posting the progress along with photos.

Here's a preview. The details will follow later.



Thanks again!
C

Yves St. Laurent - 1936 - 2008