Drape Drape - Don't Be Intimidated

Have you ever been intimidated by a DIY book?  Well, I hate to admit that at first view of Hisako Sato's Drape Drape I was.  A few years ago, Andrea gifted me a copy.  Of course, I was grateful and thought it was a great gift, but still intimidated.

My questions:  Can I adjust the depth of the drape? The style is different.  Will it look good on me?  Is the sizing on the pattern similar the big four? 

Over the summer, I pulled the book from the shelf to take another look at it.  Hoping that my fears had dissipated.  To see if there was something in this jewel that would appeal to me and that I could conquer.

Okay, okay.. back to the book.


At my year later look, the same garments appealed to me, but without the fear of trying them.  This book is beautifully photographed.  The pages are clean and clutter free.  It comes with a packet of pattern sheets.  The sewing instructions appear to be clear.  Most of the construction techniques are including at the beginning of the book with sewing instructions and fabric requirements indicated on the first page of each project.

Here are a few garments that I may try.

 

Happy Sewing!

C

The UPS Man Cometh Bearing Beautiful Gifts

On Wednesday afternoon the doorbell rang. It was one of our favorite people. The UPS Man! To my surprise, this time he came ringing for me bearing beautiful gifts from generous Ms. Marji. This was such bountiful gift and I love every piece of it. Thank you Ms. Marji! You are an angel.

In Marji's letter she mentions making garments for my DD Career wardrobe. Well, DD may get one or two things from the fabric, but I'll be the benefactor of most of it. ;-)







Acquiring more reference books is on my list of goals for 2010. I started reading the Easy Guide to Sewing Jackets. Lots of good stuff in it. Over the weekend I'll take a serious look at the tailoring book.

Thanks again, Marji. This is such a lovely and thoughtful gift, and I really appreciate your precious gift.

Next Post - Reviews of DD Fall 2009/Winder 2010 Career Wardrobe. Here's a preview:



Happy Sewing!
C

Flower Power - Crochet Bouquet

I hope everyone had a fine resurrection Sunday. My family usually goes to church, even those that do not make the commitment to attend a place of worship every Sunday. After morning service, we all made the trek over to my mother’s house for dinner. I love it when we are all together, talking and laughing, enjoying one another.

The day was beautiful and I was happy for three reasons: resurrection, family and spring like weather. The sun was shining; the earth is starting to show greater signs of green trees and floral blossoms. I’m glad spring has finally arrived in Chicago. I’m ready for it.



This morning as I was dressing for work, I thought about my spring and summer sewing projects (for me). It occurred to me I have three more dresses ready to sew that are cut from a floral print fabric. (Hmmm.., I need some solid color garments, for sure.) Over the weekend I made a trip to JoAnn’s Fabric just because. I find my way to the book section. All of their stitching books were 40 percent off. I found three that I really liked. But I put two back in the rack. I have several books. Most only have one or two projects that I really like. To exercise some self control, I picked the book that could give me the most “bang” for my buck. The winner is Suzann Thompson’s “Crochet Bouquet”. It teaches easy designs for crocheted flowers.




I think it’s a great book and the flowers can be a great way to adorn garments and accessories. It is beautifully illustrated and the gives clear step by step instructions on how to make them. I’ll probably get a lot of use out of it. We will see.

What the Mailman Brought

The Mailman brought a few little goodies. The Summer Issue of BWOF has a lot of great fashion as always. (I need to plant myself at the table to trace off several patterns from recent issues.)



I received my August issue of Maire Claire, which features Maggie Gyllenhaal who stars in the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. This is all about fall fashion. The short of it is:

Making a fashion statement

• Florals mixed with unusual textures
• Extra modern shapes makes lace sexy
• Pants are super-baggy or super-tight
• Color me purple
• Feminine plaid and tweed
• Don't forget to ruffle your feathers

and

• Add some sculptural points of view

BTW - The Dark Knight was spectacular! Heath Ledger by far the brightest star.



My friend Toni sent me a copy of Grandmaster Flash's book. I plan to read it while on vacation next week. Thank you Toni. Much appreciated.

Gift from Karen

A few days ago, I received this wonderful book on embellishment from Karen (Flying by the Seat of My Pants). Much appreciated. This book has some great tutorials on various embellishment techniques. Here are a few that I plan to try.


Unusual closures


Beading is something that I've never tried, but wanted to.



Embellishing with Fabric

Sewing Leather -

One of my goals for 2008 is to sew something made of leather. While at the library, I borrowed a copy of "Sewing with Leather and Suede" written by Sandy Scrivano. This is a great book for anyone who wants to try their hand at sewing leather or suede. On the cover it states: tips, techniques, and inspiration. It delivers. The contents include: How Leather is Made, Learning about Leather, Tools and Equipment, Special Techniques for Leather and Suede, Projects to Get You Started,..., It follows through to the care and cleaning of leather goods. This book is beautifully illustrated and provides a glossary of terms and descriptions.

Rosanne suggested that I borrow a Mary Roehr book of alterations. They didn't have a copy so I started looking through the stacks of crafting books available. There were loads of books on crocheting, knitting, scrapbooking, sewing, etc. I was impressed. Thanks again Rosanne. I think this is a great way to preview books before buying.

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.