I'm still here!

Hello Windsornot Threadheads (all zero of you),

I'm still here. Took a break due to vacation. But, that doesn't mean that I haven't been thinking or doing things before, during or after my vacation!

Since I'm sure she's not reading this blog, I think it's safe to say that I can post my mother's birthday gift now. She still hasn't received it, but what the hell.


Is this a periwinkle blue apron? Or.....


..or is it a lime green apron?


Ah hah! It's reversible! Gotcha!

I hadn't realized I hadn't posted this. It's been done for weeks, so it's just a matter of gifting it. Most of the work was really in the cutting and pressing. All I did was take my Williams-Sonoma chef apron, trace it and give about an extra inch allowance for seaming, and then ironed all the pieces to death, that it was just a matter or aligning all the pieces together, etc. I think for a first semi-freestyle effort, it came out pretty well. I think my mom will like. She asked for it, after all, in that fabric, but I think she'll be pleased in the end. Much of her kitchen and living room has an "Alice in Wonderland" feel to it, so it'll go along with it. I think her kitchen is also a dark periwinkle, so it'll go.

I think at some point, I'll probably make another one, but kid sized for Drew. I'll also probably try to make it so that it looks like the checkerboard racing flag or something like that. I like appealing to his car racing interests when I can (it's better than some other sports!).

I'm also thinking ahead to some other projects. I bought the beautiful fabric from my birthday, and I want to make something with it, but I'm not sure if it'll be a really nice blouse or a dress.

But in the meantime, since I'm almost done the other dress that I started, I have that on hold because I'm waiting to receive the other birthday present I bought myself...



I bought a "Uniquely You" dressform for myself. I originally saw it on eBay, but bought it through the Atlanta Thread Company instead, as the pricing was the same, but the guarantee was better at ATC. I bought this one because it was more flexible due to it being almost all foam. I figured it was going to be like my Select Comfort pillow that I have, that conforms to the pressure you put on it, so it's more malliable, if that makes sense. You slip on this cover and adjust the measurements that way, and can buy different covers if you change sizes. I liked it too because you could pin on it better, and it's not this hard, stiff thing. I haven't gotten it yet, as I only ordered it after the Labor Day weekend, so I'm hoping to get it next week. I think once I have that in place, it'll be easier for me to tailor some of my clothes, whether I'm making them from scratch or fixing store bought ones. I'm excited to receive it!

I'm also looking ahead to Halloween. Last year I chickened out and just wore my TKD uniform. But this year, I want to make something that's not too complicated to wear to the Scout Halloween Party. I don't wear anything on Halloween itself, because it's just easier to let the kids have their fun. I'm not sure what I'll do yet, if anything, but I'll come up with something.

So, I'm back! I don't know how soon I'll be getting back into my projects. It's back to school season, so we're trying to get back into a routine and rhythm of things, so we'll see when I get a chance to do that. Between knitting and sewing, I really want to get back into the swing of things!

Welcome to my sewing blog!

As if I don't have enough blogs already, with a shared knitting blog, a home/interior design blog about my house, a taekwondo blog, and a regular blog about my everyday life, yes, now I'm starting one with my newest hobby--sewing.

I am VERY much a beginner, but I'm off to a good start. Or at least I think so. (Or is that think "sew". :-P)

I began this journey within the last few weeks. I've been thinking for a long time that I really should learn how to sew, because I really hate to shop for clothes, and I think that if I can learn to make my own to my own specifications, or even learn to make alterations for myself, that would make a happier me. And it doesn't hurt to have this skill for home decor or other stuff too.

In my typical way, research is the key. I research what books would be good guides, and I've found a fantastic new one that just came out a few months ago. Being hailed as the sewing world's version of Debbie Stoller's "Stitch 'N Bitch", "S.E.W.- Sew Everything Workshop" by Diana Rupp has become my sewing bible. I've been reading it and reading it for a couple weeks now, and I'll probably continue to read it and use it as my primary reference.

I've also been lucky since I have a few sewers around me. I turned to my friend Sandy, as she is a professional quilter, and figured that she would be able to best tell me how sewing machines work and how you get X result or Y result. My MIL also sews, but she often rubs me the wrong way with a few things, and there is always the language barrier too (Spanish is her first and primary language). I had my lesson from Sandy a few days ago, and it was great! She showed me SOOOO much, and was great at answering my questions. I should tell her that she should teach a basic sewing class or something. Anyway, she was also kind enough to lend me her "backup machine", which was her first machine of her own-- a gift she got for her high school graduation. And being the pro she is, the machine is in excellent condition and working just fine.

So, I've been playing on it, especially today. My son, Drew, also tries to get involved, as he likes to press on the "accelerator" (foot pedal) for me. (He's really into cars, especially Hot Wheels.) I made a pincushion from the SEW book the other day as a first project. See?



Hopefully not too bad for a first project. The material is a canvas type material with sage green ticking that I used for a valance and some pillowcases for decorative pillows for my old house. I have a ton of that material left, and it just looks very classy. I used leftover material from my current curtains and valances in my living and dining room as sample material to practice my stitches on my loaner machine, and I think after some fiddling, I'm starting to get the hang of this. I've been using a standard presser foot so far, but I think I need to experiment with some of the others, as I'm anxious to put a zipper in something that I knit (yes, I knit too), and possibly redo a zipper in another thing in which I hand knit the zipper before.

Since the SEW book is my bible right now, I'm anxious to try another project -- a simple project. There's no use in getting ahead of myself too soon. I think I should make one of the easy bags. But I have SOOOO many bags, I was hesitant. But then after having an IM conversation with my best friend from college, I realized that SHE is a bag person, and I could make one to be her beach bag for the summer, so I think I will do that. So I'm thinking that once I can get to the fabric store, that will be my first "big" project. Gotta start somewhere.

So we will see where this goes. I'm very excited because I ordered my first sewing machine of my own (if you don't count the little $10 mini machine I have that runs on batteries) today. Got a killer deal-- or should I say made a killer deal-- with a vendor on eBay, and now all I have to do is just wait for it to arrive! I'm really looking forward to getting it, and having my own "baby".

Until next time...