Paris and London Birthday Trip - To London Jazz Night

 Day 5 - Travel to London by way of the Chunnel - Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club

We departed from the Gare du Nord train station.  The train ride was about 2.5 hours to London. Upon arrival, we enjoyed a tour of London.  The highlights were all the notable places there: Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Elizabeth's Tower,  Parliament Square, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Harrods store, and fashionable Kensington.  

Once at our hotel, we were off to Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club for some wonderful music and a delicious meal.  Sorry we would not allowed to take any pictures once the band begin to play.

This and That

It's been well over a month since my last post.  A lot has happened since then.  First, my sewing and posting was interrupted by vacation.  Tee Hee.  Then shortly thereafter, I had a minor surgery to correct my deviated septum.  For years I've been suffering with sinus issues.  Hopefully, the surgery will make things better.

Vacation was more for relaxation.  I didn't do any tours and no serious sightseeing.  There were only three ports of call this trip:  Haiti, Jamaica, and Cozumel.  I've been to Jamaica and Cozumel over at least a half dozen times each.  So it was no biggie.  The Oasis of the Sea is a grand ship.  It has a park, zip lining, and several swimming pools/Jacuzzis.

Central Park was located on deck eight, the same deck as my cabin.  It was nice to walk through the park each morning.  And sometimes we walked through after dinner.  Another convenience on deck eight was the jazz bar was about 100 feet away from my room too.  And when there was no show in the theater, you would find me at the jazz bar enjoying the band.

I was happy to have a low key vacation mainly because I haven't felt well for months.  My nasal issues and allergies have wreak havoc on me the entire spring/summer seasons. This is my third week in recovery.  I've had two follow up appointments thus far.  Another is schedule for the 30th.  Dr. Michael Friedman is my surgeon.  He is the same doctor that performed the thyroidectomy four years ago.  He is top in his field (ENT), which has given me a level of comfort.  But there is God, who is the ultimate healer. The one I pray to when I am sick and afraid of what may lie ahead.

In early October I blogged about posting some of my least favorite projects.  I'm still going to do that starting tomorrow.  Also, I will post about some UFO's that have been lingering in the closet of my sewing studio for more than a year.  About two week ago, I mustard up some strength to do a little sewing, like a three hours interval every other day.  I finished:

New Look 6560 Wrap top - I was supposed to take this on vacation.  Cut about two weeks before vacation.

New Look 6735  Cardigan - 2 of them:  brown and red cut summer 2017.

McCall    6996 Cardigan - This cardigan was cut about 1.5 months ago.  So that not to bad on getting it finished.

Butterick 6393  Caccoon cardigan cut summer 2017.

WIP:

M7288 Jacket, View D -  This is going to be a long post.  Lots of changes to a multi-cup size pattern.


V1570 Pants, View without the drape.  Easy make.  (no pictures yet)


Anyway..,  This is all for now.  I hope to continue posting through the holiday season.  I can't believe the year is almost over.

Happy Sewing!
C

Highlights - My How Times Flies

Hello June!

The months of April and May went by so fast.  It's a blur to me because both months were jam packed with events and activities.  There were a few moments, actually a lot of moments were I did sew.  But that is as far as it goes.  Many projects to share.  I just need to take photos.

So, let me give the highlights of my many events and activities:

House

Starting from early March, I had some pre-estimates done for water seepage in my basement.  I couldn't believe it.  I've only lived here about 2.5 years.  So you can imagine my frustration with the entire situation.  Of course, I will spare you all the details.  Anyway, Everdry will start working on resolving the problem early Monday morning.  I hate having work done.  It's such an inconvenience.  But it's necessary.  The affected area are the crawl space, sewing studio, and laundry room. This entire situation has occupied too much of my thinking time and has kept me up at night trying to figure out how to best tackle the situation.  Today, I am at the point of, "let's get it done."  On the positive, after it's done I will finally start to organize my sewing studio.  Okay enough on that.

Haute Couture Club

The HCC fashion show was on May 5th.   I had twelve outfits modeled.  That's a record for me.  My daughter, sister and I each modeled four outfits.  This should never happen again. ;-) 

The hard work and effort made by the club members help make the show a success.  It always makes me happy to see all the ladies lined up back stage awaiting their turn to strut the runway in the custom made clothes.  It is certainly a proud moment for everyone that participates.  Now that it is over, I can calm down and start to think about what I might want to put in the show next year.

The HCC June banquet is tomorrow at the Yacht Club of Chicago.  This will be the final event for the 2017-2018 year.  Currently, I serve on the Board of Directors as the Nominating Committee.  This post is supposed to be for two years.  I served for three.  The installation of the 2018-2019 board is part of the activities planned for the day. We will have a guest speaker,  Professor Sandra Henderson-Williams, who has worked in the fashion industry for over three decades. I'm looking forward to attending.

We welcome new members.  Please go to our website On the homepage you can click the link under "join or renew your membership today!"

Mood Sewing Network

I'm playing catch up.  Several garments made with Mood Fabric, but no posting in awhile.  So, hopefully this weekend I'll get the pictures I need to complete the posts.

Sewing Projects

In summary, I made:  1 coat for my daughter (fashion show); 1 blouse for my daughter; 1 dress for me, 4 pairs of pants for me; 2 tops for me; and 1 jumpsuit for me.  These are the garments I hoped to blog about this month.

Fabric

OMG!  I have amassed a huge amount of fabric over the past two months.  I need to sew like the wind!  There are many, many ideas in my head for summer and fall.  Starting with some summertime sewing.  I purchased several yardages of green textiles.  Most of it I want to have sewn before September.   Take a look.  Pretty, right?  Anyway, I love them all.

Other Fun Events

Spring Spa Weekend at the Fontana Avani Spa at beautiful Lake Geneva.  I love this place.  My sister, cousin, and bestie also made the track up to Wisconsin for a fabulous spa weekend.  Here is the link if you are interested:  Fontana Avani Spa Resort

Doc's patient and staff appreciation cook out in Pottawattomie, Indiana.  Great food, location, music, and great time.

Part of the band

Carriage Corner Sew Camp - March 2018

I’m way behind on posting to my blog.  There is so much going on right now.  Today, I wanted to tell you a little bit about my Carriage Corner Sew Camp in Pennsylvania.  I met Gaylen for the first time January, 2017 in New York.  There we talked about having a quarterly Sew Camp at her Bed and Breakfast.  Great idea, right?  The first Sew Camp was two months later, but I couldn't make that one.   So, I decided to wait until after my trip to Greece before deciding when to come.

Then in January, Ms. Carolyn posted on her blog that she would go in March.  So Andrea and I immediately decided to come as well.  For me, it’s an opportunity for me to sew and hang out with some of my sewing friends. 

I came with no fabric.  My intentions were to buy from FabricMart Fabrics and use some of it to start new projects.  So our first full day of camp was shopping at FabricMart Fabrics and then lunch at a local café.  Needless to say, I bought a huge amount of fabric.  In many instances, I just purchased whatever was left on the bolt.  Besides, Julie gave us such a fantastic discount.  I mean it was GREAT!

A lot of what I bought is black and white.  Several striped pieces fell in my arms too.  But I couldn’t leave without something floral and bright colored knit.  See..,

I started on four projects while I was there:  two tops, one dress and a pair of pants.  I’ll post a full review on each later.  

Shirtings

Coatings

More Knits

While waiting for my flight to return home, I thought about how much fun I had during the sewing camp weekend.  I saw some old friends and made some new ones.  It was a very good time all the way around.  I also reflected on my many friendships born out social media.  I’ve been blogging for almost eleven years.  I first met all of the ladies through blogging or Instagram (directly or indirectly).  It’s amazing when you think of it.  How small the world has become and how social media has changed the way we make new friends.  On the last days, everyone shared their delight in all the activities that occurred in what seemed like only a few hours.  We all agreed to come back for another Sew Camp.  Some of the ladies are registered for the September, 2018 session.  I’m coming back in June, 2018 for the extended session. 

Sew Camp is a winner!  Gaylen and her husband were the best.  The bed and breakfast, two snaps up!  Sew Camp is a great way to meet sewing buddies and spend some time with friends doing what we love to do, SEW!

More on the Sew Camp on Carolyn's Blog.

Happy Sewing!
C

More Vacation Garments with M6346 and M6083

I'm so far behind. Still trying to review summer garments made for vacation. Well these are the last three. Then I can move on to more new projects.


Can you believe next week is Thanksgiving? Wow! I can't. Time is moving at warp speed. Christmas is around the corner. Don't blink. Lol

Now for the reviews:

My daughter asked for two dresses made using M6346

.

Pattern Description: MISSES' DRESSES IN TWO LENGTHS: Loose-fitting dress has elasticized neckline and sleeves.

Pattern Sizing: 8 - 22; I used size 10 with.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, it did. I made some slight changes.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Nothing difficult or confusing in the instructions. Very easy to sew.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? DD picked this one. The ruffled skirt of view C is her favorite. No dislikes.

Fabric Used: Fuschia gauze and yellow cotton blend from Vogue.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: No alterations. I eliminated the little tie at the neckline.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? No. twice is enough. But I do recommend it to others. It's a quick little summer dress.

Conclusion:

This is a quick and easy pattern to sew. It's great for casual summer wear.



Second, short review:

I decided to make M6083 again. This time view E. I used my gift fabric from Andrea and omitted the pockets and belt. I only make a crotch adjustment and lengthen the pants.

This print is definitely the speaker and the jumpsuit didn't need a lot of details to be noticed.

I wore it the day we were out and about in St. Kitts. It's was just as easy to make as the first. That's it for clothing made for my vacation.

Now back to fall/winter sewing. Upcoming reviews on a few things cut and ready to sew. And to help celebrate Thanksgiving and all the delicious food we all plan to cook, I will post my mom's recipe for Banana Pudding, one of my favorite desserts.

Happy Sewing!
C

Stuck - Flight Delayed A Second Time! Grrr!

The conference is over and I'm stuck at the airport. This is so irritating, but what can I do about it? Nothing. So I'm sitting here reading blogs and thinking about project planning for the "summer" wardrobe.

So far this year, I have made five dresses, five vest/jackets, two pairs of pants, and one skirt for myself. For DD: one dress, three pairs of pants, and a vest. Clients: three skirts, four dresses, five accessories, and four jackets/covers ups. Quite a list of completed projects so far.

This summer, I'm hoping to design a wardrobe for DD (Career). She'll be graduating from college next spring. Part of my gift to her is a mini wardrobe. She most look polished and professional when she starts her "new job". Graduation isn't for several months so I probably won't start sewing it until late in year. In the meantime, I'll work out the wardrobe design, decide on a color palette, and gather fabric and notions.

Another project on the horizon is making some jeans, following some Palmer/Pletcsh tips.



To match, shabby chic t-shirts. Last week I read an article in "Real Simple" that featured the evolution of the infamous t-shirt. There were some very interesting designs. I'm inclined to copy one or two. Pom-pom adorned to sheer trim contrasts with rich jewel tones to a flowy white tee.



Well, I guess I'll go back to reading. I have two more hours to wait in this d**n airport. Grrr! I see telecommuting in my future the rest of the week.

Happy Sewing, fashionistas!
C

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...,

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...,

Spring Break at the Abbey Resort

Yep Spring Break for me and I'm not in college. Two more days before we leave for the Abbey Resort at Lake Geneva. I'm finishing up a few items to take with so I'm sewing this evening and tomorrow night. So far I have made a cover up, a wrap top (UFO), and a pair of jeans (UFO). All made over the past few days. I'm hoping to make a cap or two tomorrow, because the Fontana Spa is goin' to wreck a sista's do. lol

Lots of projects to post, but meanwhile I need to finish up a few things before I go.

Happy Sewing!
C

The Business and Pleasure of Philly

I really don't want to talk too much about the business conducted in Philly, but because it was the reason I visited the City of Brotherly Love it would be wrong if I didn't at least mention it. Anywho, the main purpose of the trip was to attend an advisory meeting on Friday. And since there was no flight that would get us their before 8:30am, we had to fly in Thursday. Two of other vendor clients are located in Philadelphia, so we met with them on Thursday afternoon. I was able to steal away from the meeting a few minutes before 4:00pm, with the boss lady's permission, of course, to meet Karen. So I hopped in a taxi to meet her at the "Clothes Pen", 15th and Market. Funny name the 'Clothes Pen', right? I thought it was a store. It was actually a clothes pen statue in front of a building.

(BTW- I didn't get a chance to see much of Philly, but I did see the bell and the treasury building. We drove right by them on the way from the airport. I saw a couple of huge bridges, but these one or two day business trip do not allow for time to really enjoy.)

Hailed Karen from the taxi, she jumped in, and off to Fabric Row. Karen and I traveled to the 700 south on 4th Street where we shopped and talked about our favorite hobby, life, family,.., . We were able to stop and shop at four or five shops with less than an hour and half shop time. The merchants closed between 5:00 and 5:30pm weekdays.

This is a picture of the shops we stop in. Oops forgot the name of it. But there are rows and rows of button boxes.




Two of the shops that we visited reminded me of shops in my home town. Kincus Fabrics at 754 South 4th Street is similar to Vogue Fabric on Roosevelt Road, only smaller. Kincus Fabrics has a little bit of everything. Their fabric ranged from high end to very affordable. The sales people were friendly; Edgar (Ed) cut fabric for me and shared a story or two about sewing done by his wife. As Karen blogged a few days ago. Ed was sporting a very well made shirt stitched by his wife. She could go into the shirt making business. Of course I asked if she sewed for others. Ed's response, "Only for family and friends. People really don't appreciate the value of handcrafted garments." Here is a photo of me and Ed, supplied by Karen (I forgot to bring my camera again. I did take a few pictures with my camera phone, though.).






I only purchased two cuts of shirting fabric at $6.98/yard. Fishman's in Chicago has shirting of similar quality, but $3.00 more per yard. Here's Karen surveying the land of fabric.




Like Karen, I'm trying to sew more and buy less fabric. So I tried to shop with a purpose, and not buy so much because it's "pretty". This spring/summer I want to make a few button down shirts.





PA Fabric Outlet at 747 South 4th Street put me in the mind of Textile Discount Warehouse on 21st near Damen Avenue. They had some leather pieces that you can buy by the pound, invisible zippers for 50 cents, and other notions for a discounted price. I grabbed some rayon ribbon, snaps, and hooks and eyes. All of which were of very good quality.




My third cut of fabric was from Maxie's Daughter, Inc. 724 South 4th Street. This picture does not do it justice. May be once it's made into something it will look better.






After shopping, Karen and I got something to eat. Guess what?..., Philly cheese steaks. It was finger lickin' good. We had a good time. Short but sweet.

Friday was all about business. The project team attended an all day session at the University of Penn hosted by our vendor, InfoEd. Here's a photo from the 14th floor of Huntsman Hall on Walnut Street.






At 4:30pm we were off to the airport to take a flight back to Chi-town. Sometimes my job is exhausting, but I do enjoy the work that I do. I like helping people and am grateful to have a job (my bread and butter). The sewing is like strawberry jam, sweet.

Up next, projects finished over the weekend. Mojo is back!

Happy Sewing!