What color is your parachute....fabric?

Today is my birthday. And as such I had a coupon for discount at the yarn store as well as the quilting fabric store. So how did I spend my afternoon? Yup, using my coupons! Since this is my sewing blog, I might as well tell you that I think I might just have a color addition. The color, interestingly enough, is orange. Now, I like just about any color in the right shade and if you find the right pattern. Going into this particular quilting store is, well, overwhelming. You see every color and nuance in the rainbow. There are SOOOOO many beautiful fabrics. It puts any JoAnn's Fabrics store to shame, for sure. I know what colors and prints I tend to gravitate towards too...aquas and oranges and reds. Now, officially my favorite color is blue. I tend to lean towards indigos and deep purples/violets, and like I said before, aquas/turquoises. So how is it that both times that I've entered this store, I've walked out with orange patterned fabric? Well, the last time, it was a print that looked tropical for summer (the dress I'm working on). This time, I didn't have something to make, but then realized that I could make something to wear for the fall, not that I had a specific pattern or anything in mind. I had originally picked up an aqua blue colored pattern, but thought that might not be a good color for the fall. So, I found the same patterned fabric in orange. Sue me! Perhaps it my need to have a happy, bright color on that I know I look good in.

I decided that I'm going to make either a blouse or another dress from it. One tip that Sandy told me (as she and her daughter came along for the trip) was that if I mentioned that I'm making the product for a piece of clothing rather than for quilting, they won't charge me sales tax, as in NJ clothing is not taxed. Sweet! That works for me. So, I bought 4 yards of fabric, which is probably more than enough, but I'd rather have more than less. I also bought a pattern, which was for a kids' teepee and sleeping bag set. They had the teepee in the store, and it was just so cute! I'm thinking that I am going to make a sleeping bag for my son, and perhaps make the teepee for my nephew for Christmas (yeah, his mother will love me for that!).

After loading up on matching silk blend yarn in orange for some sort of bolero or shawl or shrug or something like that, as well as some new needles and a magazine at the yarn store, I was done. I spent a ton of money, even if it was my own money and with a discount!

Now, there are two things I need to do. First, I have to find an easy blouse or dress pattern to use for this beautiful fabric. Second, I have to understand my passion for orange!

Oh, and just to show that I have a very cool sewing friend, Sandy gave me a very pretty shopping tote that she made me. And it's....aqua with rainbow batik-like stripes running through it. It's really pretty, and I think it's really cool because she made it just for me. And now that I sew, I know what it takes to make it. Hers is SOOOO much better than anything I've ever made thusfar, but then again, she has way more experience as well as better equipment than I do. I really like it, and it made me happy that she thought of me.

In the meantime, I have been trying to squeeze in a project. Since I'm still having problems with my dress, I'm putting that aside temporarily, and working on an apron that my mother requested for her birthday. I made a pattern by tracing the basic shape of my Williams-Sonoma chef apron, and I'm using the same fabric that I had used on the tote bag I had made a while back. Everything is cut, pinned where needed, and ironed big time, so the only thing left is actually doing the sewing. It's going to be reversible (what's up with that, too, that I make reversible stuff?), and I think she'll love it. Hopefully I can work on the sewing this weekend so I can have it for when she comes to babysit on Monday. I will take photos, I promise, because I'm not letting something like that out of my hands when it's almost my own pattern, simply because I figured out the logistics on my own.

Ta-ta for now!