Sewing Projects for this weekend

I am going to make New Look 6952 Blouse. You can it here. Blogger is not letting me post a photo of it at this time. I am using a light blue fabric with some raised designs that I got from Timmel Fabrics earlier this year. I believe it is a tencel type fabric. I washed it and it shrank just a small amount and does not wrinkle excessively.

I have had this pattern forever. It has become more popular in recent months and years. I made numerous fitting adjustments to it last weekend. I retried the pattern on me last night and I am truly pleased with the fit results so I am ready to cut and sew. I can't remember the last time I made a blouse with buttons, much less with a placket. So will be honing up those rusty sewing skills that I have not used in some time. I would love to post a photo of the material but have not taken one of it for some odd reason. Besides I simply cannot post photos right now with Blogger. Keeps telling me page error. It could be me not Blogger, but others complained recently about this issue. Will see.

I am making a LH wrap skirt to go with the blouse with fabric from EOS. Will post more about this later. First a shower, I just got back from CURVES.

Priority Mail

Today I went to CURVES after work. Upon arriving home right outside the garage door was a priortiy mail package. At first I thought I know I have one more package to come that was a purchase at ASG but that was a book, this was a long cylinder type package. Then I remember I ordered three packs of Swedish Tracing Paper from Birch Street this past Sunday or Monday. Here it was today!!! I love mail and getting packages. 3 days in a row! Seems almost like Christmas.

Maybe my book will come tomorrow.

UPS Visits Two Days in Row!

I love to get mail, through the Post Office. My DH thinks I am crazy that way. He's right.

What I like even better is UPS deliveries particularly when I am awaiting something relating to sewing!?!?! It was great to come home from work Tuesday and Wednesday to find a package on the front porch (stoop- for my friends in PA). Tuesday my Rowenta Steamer that I ordered from Peggy Sagers during the ASG Conference arrived. I tried it out last night and plan to press some fabric that I pretreated for my upcoming new blouse.

Yesterday a bigger package was awaiting me. It was my new dress form-Uniquely You. This is going to take me sometime to put together. But I really like the form. It is a foam material. The cover is a cotton fabric that you fit to yourself by letting out or taking up seams. You wear it and adjust the fit. You then, put this fitted cover over your form which I am assuming from my reading of instructions that will then compress the foam to your specific shape. I am going to solicit a sewing buddy to help with this. As your weight may change over a period of time, you then readjust the form cover. Interesting to me is that this came from Greensboro, NC. I never knew the company was there. They are about two hours from Roanoke.

Here is a link to Peggy's site and my new steam generator.
My dress form, my cover is beige.

Photos of Monaco Shell

Here are a few photos of the Monaco Shell by Textile Studio. I wrote a review at Pattern Review this evening.

Vogue 8151-Sandra Betzina Knit Top

I completed the Sandra Betzina Knit Top earlier this week. I wrote a review at Pattern Review.
I really like the fit of this top. I forgot to mention in the review that I had some issues with inserting the sleeves and next time will trim them down about 1/4 to 3/8 inch. The sleeves run a little small, so I added 1/2 inch to sleeve seams.

I love the fabric. A great knit from Wazoodle. I posted a photo of it a few days ago. Here is a photo of the top, like the one used in my review.

Redo!

I wrote about sewing the Textile Studio-Monaco Shell. See this link:Danvillegirl Sewing Diary: Wadder! Couple of key issues were the fabric, difficult knit to sew and the top needed a FBA.

I decided to try it again. Based on feedback received from some who read the post and learning more about sewing with knits at ASG I decided to make the top again. I had sufficient fabric to make it again and may be able to get a cami from the remainder.

I used Sulky Solvy,placed along the fabric edge, against feed dogs, while serge finishing the seams. I tried fusing some straight as well as bias tape but serger worked best with Solvy. I made one inch FBA which proved to be the right thing to do. The top came out very nice and I will take pictures later to post.

The directions have you sew front and back center seams, then turn down facing edge which is a cut-on type facing for front and back. You then stitch in ditch to secure the turn down facing. Then sew shoulder seams, turn down remainder of neck edge and stitch in ditch of shoulder seam to secure that part. You are then to sew side seams, turn under sleeve edges and working from wrong side, topstich the sleeve edges. I decided to turn under the 3/8 sleeve edges and topstitch which allows a more flat topstiching. This worked great. I then sewed side seams and turned up hem and topstitched it. This is a pretty quick top to make and if one had uninterupted time, could cut and sew it in about 1 1/2 hours. I love the greens and warm pinks of the fabric.

ASG Purchases

I went to ASG Conference with a list of things I wanted to buy. Some of those things were not available from the vendors. A lot of the offerings were from the presenters themselves. You know how it is. You take a class, you get inspired and you go buy numerous items they showed in class or talked about at their booth. This is not a knock, just a fact. I did it a few times.

Here are the things I wanted to buy:

• Dress Form
• Shoulder Pads
• Fabric-Woven and Knit
• Loes Hinses pattern
• Sewing Workshop Pattern
• Floriani stablizers
• Shiva Paint Sticks
• Embroidery Designs
• Interfacing
• Other interesting patterns for apparel and purses

What I purchased was:

• Shirley Adams Basic Jacket Pattern-300; plus 5 supplemental patterns to go with it.
• 3 Sewing Workshop Patterns - Haiku Jacket, Jacket and Pants (name escapes me now), and Teagarden Tee
• SewkeysE Origami Top for Knits
• Two knit fabrics from SewkeysE
• One woven fabric from Louise Cutting
• Two packs of interfacing from Peggy Sager
• Rowenta Steamer from Peggy Sager-to be shipped-waiting, waiting, waiting!
• Connie Crawford Block Patterns for Woven and Knit Top
• Embroidery Design Card from Sadia Andrews-Kanta Lace 1
• 3 Shiva Paintsticks and Stamp
• Embellishment Bag with various shades of green roving, yarns and such that I will use with my Babylock Embellisher

Here are a few photos I took of the items one evening in my hotel room. Batteries died during the process.

Black knit fabric with coral, fuschia and green flowers.

Sheer rayon woven fabric from Louise Cutting. Teal, lime green and white.

Streth knit lace-brown, beige and coral shades.

ASG Photos

I had hoped my photos of the fashion show would show up better. Here is one of the Color Guard that opened the show. The Theme was America Sew Beautiful. The Color Guard was great.



Here is a photo taken in Connie Crawford's Class on Draping a Custom Pattern.



Here are some photos of Shirley Adam's Creations. I truly love her classic style but creative and gorgeous fashions. She is a charming and witty presenter as was Connie Crawford. They both engaged and entertained their audiences.

More ASG

Remember my Duro Dress? Saturday I wore my new dress. I skipped the breakfast that morning as I just wanted to catch up on my sleep. I went to the coffee bar, got my Starbucks latte and bananna nut muffin for a leisurely breakfast. I visited with a couple whose wife was attending the conference, they were from St. Petersburg, FL. They were going to go on one of the tours offered.

I then went down to the conference area and chatted with one of our ASG members. An attractive lady was coming up from the floor below where some of the classes were held. She kept looking at me and I thought perhaps it was someone I should know. She approached me about my dress, expressing delight in the fabric and color choices. She then asked what pattern.

I went on to tell her how I learned of the dress from A Dress A Day blog and the many that Erin had made. Decided to give it a try, though not necessarily a style I would normally make as I tend toward more of the classic styles due to my job and expected dress at work. I explained some design changes I made such as changing gathers to pleats, etc. I then told her it was a McCall's pattern but that Simplicity had come out with their version and I thought that it more closely matched the designer's dress. At that point, she told me she knew about Simplicity since she was the VP of ? for them. Not only do I not remember her title, unfortunately I don't think I got her name!

Several people came up to me during the day to compliment the dress or to enquire of the pattern used. I met one lady who read my review on Pattern Review about the dress. I believe her name was Patricia from Raliegh, NC.

One of the great thing about the conference was the interaction between those attending. Only at something like this can one go around and "fondle" other people's clothes and inquire if they made or not, where did they get the fabric, etc. Total strangers would come up at various places in the hotel, like the restaurant or lounge, and start talking with you. I love interacting with people. Perhaps that is why I have that degree in Social Work!

I'm Back From ASG!

I returned yesterday evening around 5:00. It was about a 4 hour drive, stopping for lunch and to fill up the car.

I had a great time. It was fun spending time with our local ASG members who attended. Some I only see once a month. I got in a lot of walking and way too much eating! I arrived in DC around 3:00 on Thursday. It was at least 102 degrees. It was extremely hot. After getting checked in to my room and then going down to registration for conference, I caught up with some of our members for dinner. The Hyatt Hotel shuttle took us to M station to catch the Metro over to Pentagon City. We walked around the mall there and had dinner at Ruby Tuesday's. It was stifling hot underground waiting for the Metro. We returned to the hotel and it was Exhibition Preview Night for attendees. I paced myself and just walked around looking at booths without buying. Of course, after going to my room, visions of everythign was playing in my head.

Friday morning was breakfast at 7 AM and then classes. I have to say that the classes I attended were all very good. Unfortunately, one of the classes I was to take with Cynthia Guffey canceled as she was called home for a family emergency. Many of us heard her husband was not doing very well. I ended up taking Peggy Sagers class on a Dozen Favorite Techniques and I was very impressed. Following a lunch with way too much food offered, I attended additional classes. Of course this was followed by shopping in exhibition hall. That night we attended a great fashion show. Very well organized and very upbeat. Some of the clothes modeled both by instructors as well as ASG members were truly gorgeous as well as inspiring.

Saturday, I slept late, skipped breakfast. I then attended classes, lunch, exhibition hall shopping and then dinner with several ladies from our ASG. We got out and walked to a great Mexican restaurant, then dessert and more walking (thank goodness). We celebrated one of our members birthday with drinks in the lounge. We truly had a great time.

More ASG to report later.

Start of Vacation

I am starting my vacation!!! Yeah!!!! Tomorrow I drive to Arlington, VA to attend the National ASG Conference.

I slept in this morning-got up at 5:45 instead of my usual 4:40. Just to much on my mind and DH had to go to work very early this morning so I knew I would have uninterupted time to go into my sewing room and straighten it up.

I purchased another four drawer storage container to put more of my sewing things into. Thus I transferred sewing notions, interfacings, buttons and such into the new cabinet. I then decided to put away some fabric that I had pulled out of my collection at the start of summer to make. I have ambitious plans at times and then don't always get to work the plan because my job and general life issues throw kinks into the sewing plan.

I threw away some fabric scraps that just were not enough to do much with and what I did keep I put into large storage containers. In putting away some fabric, I then pulled out some other fabric that is more for fall clothing, shot some pictures of it for planning purposes. Loaded them onto computer and I sit writing into my sewing diary.

Here are some of the fabrics that are now in the sewing room to become garments:

This is a knit, very bright I might add, that I purchased from Wazoodle during one of the sales. I had planned to make it before going to Arlington. Plan to use Sandra Betzina knit top pattern. Pulled out this summer. Still summer and temperatures in the upper 90's again today.

Dark brown fabric purchased at Hancocks to make a skirt because the brown fabric purchased from Fashion Fabric Club did not match up with other pieces purchased. This skirt will have gores and I want to flatlock the gore seams. I saw an employee at Hancocks wearing a skirt; hers was brown with teal flatlocking. She did not make her skirt, purchased RTW. I thought I can make that.

This is fabric I purchased from FFC. The flower print one is a challis, brown with teal flowers. The other fabric is a silk suiting with chocolate and teal threads running through it.

I will post some more photos soon. Blogger is not cooperating at this time.