Weekend Project

I'm sewing again! Unfortunately, it's not the princess seamed jacket, nor am I working with any of the luscious knits that I showed in my last post. I'm working on a costume. Last night, I spent time clearing off my cutting table, cutting out the pattern, and de-linting my sewing machine. I'm performing with some friends at a festival in two weeks, and I realized that I had better work on my costume and make certain every costume piece fits instead of just talking about it. I have all the piece: fabric, interfacing, thread needles. I just need to get going and put it all together. The Olympics interrupt my sewing time, and I realize that I get more done when I have music playing (or the radio). The TV is too much of a distraction.

My character is a North African/Mediterranean housewife, so she needs a loose fitting robe (which will be worn over another part of the costume). I bought a very lightweight striped polyester woven last week from Michael Levine from their sales area ($1 a yard). I think that it might have originally been meant for curtains. I'm using Simplicity 4048, which features a squared yoke and gathered skirt pieces. I cut out the fabric pieces this afternoon after my dance class and I started assembling it. It's going together very quickly which is very nice. I hope to have it finished by rehearsal tomorrow afternoon. I'll try to post some pictures before the weekend is over.

Fabric P*rn Trophies!

I have not done any significant sewing in the past few days. I fixed a hook and eye, and snipped some loose threads from previous projects (while on the way to work, natch!). I thought I would share some of the fabrics I purchased at the Los Angeles Fashion District. These items came from Michael Levine's Loft. At the loft, fabric is sold by the pound ($2).

I tend to sew a lot of knits. I already have a sizable collection of florals and black and white knits, so I try to avoid purchasing purchasing more. In face of a bargain, however, I will change my mind. Most of these knits have two-way stretch (more crosswise stretch than length) and are about 54 or 60 inches wide in four yard lengths. I'm planning to make mostly dresses from the fabrics. No, I don't have any patterns in mind.

My first fabric on display is a black, pink, orange starburst geometric pattern with a border print. I love the colors of the prism as well as the challenge of sewing with the large scale squares.

I also discovered that many of the fabrics literally had my name on it.

Next up is a combination of my two of my favorite things: animal prints and the color purple! Purple swirls and dark grey leopard print.

It also had my name on it! The color looks a little more blue, but I had to turn off the flash, so that the label wouldn't get washed out.

Next up is a large scale turquoise and purple petal design. This also had my name on it, but I didn't get the label. It's not really clear from this pic, but the left side of the fabric has a black border.

Next up is a firework print, with a white base and a black, red, pink, & orange. The fabric, like the petal one above is also asymmetrical.

And it also had my name on it.

Up next is a combination of a floral and geometric--with a brown and turquoise base, plus different shades of blue and green.

And it did have my name on it. Again. :)

Last in this set is a black white and blue floral, in kind of a comic book type of print because of the pixels

And yes it did my my name on it. I didn't by EVERYTHING with the name "rose' on it, but most of the fabrics I got from the loft, did have my name on it. Weird coincidence, huh?

While trying to show these fabrics in a good light, I have developed a new respect for anyone who has a webshop and who photographs fabric. It's difficult lay out the fabric so that it looks good.

I'm not certain if I'm sewing tonight

A small plane crashed this morning. Sadly the three passengers on the plane died. Luckily, while the plane hit a house and some pick up trucks, no one on the ground was killed. Sadly, the plane hit some power lines and knocked out the power in all ofver town. I'm staying a bit late at work, but I'm not certain if or when the the power will be back. My thoughts are with the family and friends of the people who died in the accident.

Yikes! Los Angeles Fashion District (part 1?)

I got home late last night from Long Beach and Los Angeles. This morning I slept late, and am enjoying a leisurely morning before going into work in the early afternoon. My original plans were to go shopping solo in the Los Angeles Fashion District, but luckily, a friend with a good eye for color was able to join me and help with finding parking and fabric enabling (well, I can't blame it all on her).

I think that I may have a bit of a fabric addiction. I did want to return from the trip with a trunk full of fabric and I succeeded beyond my wildest expectations (which is kinda scary). I can't tell you how much yardage because I went to Michael Levine's loft and bought fabric by the pound (let's just say that if I was flying, I would have had to pay extra for luggage). I highly recommend the Loft, as well as the regular store. After placing the purchases in my car, we met up with some more friends, had a late lunch and bought more fabric from other stores along 9th street. By the time we left at 4:30, my car trunk was full. I'll try share more detailed pictures later this week (I bought some great large scale border prints), but here is an immediate picture of the aftermath. It's mostly knits, with a split between fabric for work clothing and fabric for dance, fitness, and dressing up for dance events.

now sewing for a while

No sewing for this weekend--I'm in Long Beach for a festival. And then I'm fabric shopping on Monday in Los Angeles.

My New Project

My first new project for 2010 is from the January 2010 Burda Style magazine. It's the pattern 105, which happens to be the sewing lesson for this issue. It will be fun to work with all those instructions.

I need a nice sweatsuit type jacket to wear to and from the gym, dance class, etc. When I saw this pattern, it I thought this would be a nice option. I pulled from the stash, some black stretchy fleece which reminds me of the Polartec Power stretch fleece from Malden mills (but at the price I purchased it, I know it's not from Massachusetts). I have to scale up the sizes--this pattern ends tops out at size 44, but I figure that all the princess seams (there are princess seams in the back, too) allow a lot of fitting opportunities. Also the pattern doesn't call for a stretch fabric.

It's difficult to tell from the technical drawing, but this pattern features decorative zippers, so I get to use the riri zippers that I have in my stash. This will either be fun or a big headache, but I do want something nice and different to wear.

I'm glad that I got the cutting table at the post-Christmas sale at J's--It's so much easier to trace patterns standing up, and not on my hands and knees. The cutting table is higher than a standard table, so I don't have to bend over as much. I traced the pattern and tissue fit the swedish tracing paper. As expected, I have to make some size adjustments. I'm not certain how well this jacket will actually fit. I want the jacket to curve in where I curve and curve out where I curve out. Right now, I can't tell what's going on. I should cut out the muslin tonight so I can baste and sew tomorrow night. I'm going to muslin this, as there I'm making a number of fitting alterations and if this works out, I plan on using another piece of stash fabric for another jacket.

I have been remiss . . .

I have been remiss in posting to my blog. My sewing mojo disappeared in January. As you may have guessed from my last post, a very good friend died over the holidays, and I have been dealing with her unexpected death. And dealing with the realization and slow acceptance that some questions can never be answered. And that it's possible to be angry with a friend and sad for her at the same time. I can forgive her (and have) but it doesn't get rid of the pain and the unexpected absences. It was a rough January, and I want a do-over, and start the 2010 again. Or maybe start 2009 again (just the friendship part, and not the economic meltdown).

* * *

In late November, I discovered that I had maxed out on my PTO (personal time off), so I planned a sewing vacation during the week of Martin Luther King's birthday. I had a planned project, bought fabric, notions, and etc. Then Boom! All my energy disappeared. I decided that I had to get away and get out of the area and re-charge my brain, so I planned a mini-trip (solo) to Las Vegas. I had been to Las Vegas twice before, but I had flown there and was without a car, so I would be stuck in casinos (which can be entertaining, but I don't gamble) so I decided to drive to Las Vegas. It was a good idea (well, maybe), but it was one of the rainiest weeks in record. Imagine driving in a shower. For 9 hours. I made it there and back, and I would probably do it again, but I could do without the rain and the snow.

It was a fun 3 days, I saw two shows (Penn and Teller are more entertaining than Cris Angel. The Cris Angel show with Cirque du Soleil is going through some growing pains), window-shopped at the Forum (in Caesar's Palace), but the highlight was the Liberace Museum. I wasn't a great fan of Liberace while he was alive, but after his death, I have been able to appreciate his talent, skills, kindness, and personality. It's great to see all of his stuff: rhinestones encrust everything! His cars! his pianos! They have the largest Swarsovki rhinestone! His rings are there, too! And Liberace's costumes! You get to see them, front and back--feathers, rhinestones, bright colors, fur, beads! nothing was done by half measures. It was great! The museum appealed to the sewist in my as well as the magpie that is drawn to all things bright and shiny. If you go to Vegas, I recommend the museum and tour. Liberace was part of the older version of Vegas, and he was one of the first big headliners and it's a great way to spend a couple of hours. The museum is way off the strip on Tropicana, but they have a shuttle that will pick you up.

Since returning, I've made deliberate efforts to keep remain busy, and to re-connect with friends with whom I had lost contact over the past two years as well as re-engage with life (I forgot this lesson from team sports: playing offense is always more fun than playing defense). This upcoming weekend, I'm going to Long Beach, CA for a dance festival (I'm not performing, just taking workshops and enjoying the scene). Which means that on Monday, I get to go fabric shopping in Los Angeles! I have some costume pieces that I need to make for another event in March (as well as some non-costume ideas), so it will be fun to shop with a project in mind.

My sewing mojo is returning. Earlier today, I removed all the stuff that had accumulated on my cutting table, toss the junk mail, sorted the magazines, piled up the patterns, and arranged my scissors, markers, and other sewing stuff into easy reach containers. I dug around in my stash. and I laid out some wildly colored (orange with purple highlights) buttermilk fabric, and I cut out a top to wear at the gym (one of my TNT Kwik-sews). I'm also planning on sewing a new pair of fitness pants, but before that, perhaps I will trace out my original January project, because if I make it this week, I can wear it this weekend. I probably won't finish it in time, but I shouldn't let that stop me from getting started.