I'm sure I've spoken about this time and time again.  But the more I grow in my sewing and as a human, the more I have the need to refine my personal sewing mantra.

See, let me begin...

Since I've been an adult, I've been married and a mother.  I'm 44 years old.  My oldest child is 25.  I've been married for 23 1/2 years.  Everything I do in life revolves around family.  Every decision I make pretty much has to be filtered through someone else.  Every minute detail has to be based on how it will affect them.  Except for sewing.

Sewing is mine.  All mine.  It's the only aspect of my life where I have complete autonomy.  I have one hundred percent creative control.  I never have to take into consideration what anyone else thinks.
I get to pick the pattern.  I get to buy the fabric that I love.  I pick the colors that I love.  I get to decide whether or not it will be lined.  I choose the seam finish. I pick all of the notions.
I handpick the buttons.  I choose the brand of thread I want and my favorite types of needles.  And when I get to execute my perfect vision of the garment that I want, it's joyous!

Sewing has always been my escapism.  It's my refuge when life is difficult.  It's a place that I would probably choose first, even on a beautiful warm and sunny day.  I get to walk into my studio and turn on the lights, turn on the machines and turn on my iron.
There is nothing like the thrill of spreading out a beautiful piece of fabric that I chose, onto my cutting table.   Then putting in that fresh blade into my rotary cutter and the anticipation of making that first cut and being giddy with excitement throughout the construction phase and seeing that vision come to light is almost like birthing a child.

I'm a true creative in this aspect.  

I just finished watching CBS Sunday Morning.  They did a delightful segment on Dressing down a culture for refusing to dress up. Apparently Notre Dame Associate Professor of History Linda Przybyszewski (I had to cut and paste that!), (pronounced preh-beh-SHEV-ski) sparked some sort of "controversy" when she wrote a book called:  Nation of Slobs:  How Americans Learned and Forgot How to Dress. And she evens teaches a class called Nation of Slobs:  The Art, Ethics and Economics of Dress in Modern America.

In this article:  The Lost Art of Dressing, Linda Przybyszewski sites reasons on why she feel people stopped dressing up.  Like Baby Boomers moving into the suburbs... the Youth Movement of the 60s... and the 70s, when the Feminist movement caused home economics to be formally dismantled.  It's all very interesting.

But what I truly like about this lady is not only does she talk the talk, but she walks the walk.  In this article, she talks of her love of sewing  She makes almost all of her clothes (she doesn't knit sweates or cobble shoes, though. LOL).  She says:

Dressmakers feel sorry for people who don't sew, she says.  Most people are dependent on ready-to-wear sizing they don't realize their clothing could be made to fit."

I'm not saying everyone needs to run out and commission a dressmaker and have everything custom made.  But an alterations person in their life might be nice if  they can't do it themselves.  And  she also says:

Sewing is not that hard to learn, she adds.  People think its hard to sew, but they'll spend hours miserable in the mall looking for something to wear.

This I agree with.  If you're "size challenged" (tall, short, large, small, disproportion, etc...), I don't understand why not just learn to sew and make your own clothes.  Just my opinion!

Mikaela is 11 today! My tiny baby girl is 11 today! Where has the time gone? Her first day of middle school is next week. It seems like it was just her first day of kindergarten. *SIGH* Okay... I'm going to go sob now.

Description: Long sleeve knit cardigan that may be worn open or lower edges can be tied at front waist.

My sewing mojo has been absent lately and I needed something quick and easy to get me back in the game. This is so easy to make... so easy that I whipped this up last Friday afternoon to wear to the movies that night. This pattern is literally two rectangles sewn together (creating a CB seam) that you cut holes in to set the sleeves. It took more time to hem than to actually construct. This is the perfect hybrid between a shawl and a cardigan!

I sewed this straight out of the envelope... no alterations needed. It's just one of those pieces that drape naturally and I decided to let it do whatever it does. I had been lusting over high-end pieces like this, especially one by Maison Martin Margiela, that retails for $745... mine cost me less than $20! LOL

I read a few reviews on this that were quite negative. To each his own... I like it. I didn't care at all for the other two pieces, but I highly recommend this if this is your particular style... it truly doesn't get any easier than this.

Another fun and easy top! This is my second top from this pattern. I made this one before my trip because I wanted something cool, lightweight and wrinkle-free. And also a non-boring variation on the basic t-shirt.

I followed the directions with the exception of the bottom part. I was suppose to add elastic in the side seams for ruching, but the elastic would not cooperate. So instead, I used elastic thread by hand, which was much easier to work with and control.

There are times when I'm working on each project that I want to send it to the trash. I go through periods when I doubt the way it looks or doubt the success of a technique I've used. I've had to put something down for a day or three and comeback with a fresh perspective. Sometimes my new outlook includes ripping apart every seam and starting over. Do any of you ever go through this too?

I first fell in love with this fabric... it was a great price. The bolt label said "peachskin - 100% polyester", but it felt like a washed silk. I didn't know what pattern I would use, so I bought my standard 2 yards. I was in need of more warm weather tops and discovered this one. This was a very simple pattern that can be whipped up in an afternoon. I put this one on the same scale as Simplicity 2938.

I didn't have to make any alterations to the pattern. I did however use french seams. I also used elastic at the waistline instead of the suggested ties. I didn't machine stitch my facings, I handstitched them for a cleaner finish on the inside. I like my garments to look good inside and out! I really like the pleats, front and back... I think they really make the top look interesting. Even though I doubt if I'll ever sew this again, I recommend this top as a great addition to a Spring/Summer wardrobe.

I was inspired to sew this pattern from a pair of Habitual Denim Trousers at Barney's and a pair of paper bag waist trousers worn by Beyonce. I really like the style, but I didn't want to go too high-waisted. I wanted to capture the essence of the trend without having a pair of pants that would be obsolete come Autumn.

I decided to use a herringbone denim that I found at Hancock's... another one of those "jewels" that I have penchant for discovering in there. I had to make a few alterations. I added 1/2" to the outer seams for additional room through the hip and also because my pleats were not laying flat on my muslin. I also added 4" to the length. These pants would have produced a 29" inseam if I had not. I added a CB seam to the back yoke. I did this by adding 5/8" to the pattern piece and cut 2 pieces instead of cutting it on the fold. It was a good thing I did this because I ended up having to take in the waistband.

These pants have darts in the back and one pleat on each side in the front and they have a side zipper. I used an invisible zipper and an eye & hook. I finished off the waistband facing with a Hong Kong finish as I always do on pants and skirts and sewed it down using slipstitches. I finished them off with a 1 1/4" hem. I decided to pair them with one of my favorite shirts, my McCall's 5471. I recommend this pattern based on how "beginner friendly" it is. It's one of the more simpler pants patterns I've done.

Description: Misses' top and pants. The pullover top has front neckline slits, the hoods are finished with narrow hems and has full-length flared sleeves. The pull-on pants have a stitched elastic waist and a self fabric drawstring that ties on the left side.

As with most Kwik Sew patterns, the pattern was extremely well drafted and the instructions were superb. This pattern was designed for knit fabrics with a 25% stretch across grain. This pattern uses 1/4" seam allowances. I used my serger for the entire construction. I used a 3-thread overlock stitch for the seams and a coverstitch for the hems.

I did have to make a few alterations to this pattern. But that's the norm with me. There are very few I can wear right out of the envelope. For the top, I wanted to make sure I would have enough room in the bottom across the hip. I cut a size large and blended to an x-lrg. 1" below the waist. I also added an inch to the length. As I do for all knit tops, I used fusible stay tape on the shoulder seams to prevent stretching.

For the pants, I cut the x-lrg. and added 3" to the length (can you imagine how short they would be if I hadn't). I pretreated this fabric by washing and drying as I would the finish garment. I wanted to take an extra precaution that I wouldn't have a too tight or too short garment after several trips to the washer and dryer. I added 1" wide elastic to the waistband and changed the placement of the ties. The directions suggested that they were to go on the side and the holes for the ties were to be buttonholes. I like my ties in the front. Don't you get sick of loosing drawstrings in the wash? I know I do. Instead of buttonholes, I decided to use metal eyelets and knot my ties on the ends.

This is fantastic loungewear that you can wear out of the house. I decided to throw on a fur vest with mine since it was so cold today.

Description: Lined, loose fitting, A-line dress, with cut-in shoulders, 5" above mid-knee, has gathered neckline, back opening and bias turned down collar with button and fabric loops.

This dress was very easy... it only took a few hours in an afternoon to complete it. This dress only had 6 fabric pieces (front, back, under and upper collar and the front and back lining pieces). I cut a size 4 above waist and blended to a size 6 from the waist to the hem.

The instructions didn't recommend interfacing for the collar, but I did it anyway. Since the collar was cut on the bias, I felt the the interfacing should be cut the same way. The fusible that I had was only 22" wide. Not wide enough to lay it on the bias. I use cotton muslin as sew-in interfacing and it was the perfect weight for the collar.

What really made this dress easy was the fact that it had no zipper. Only 2 buttons and the fabric loops at the collar. Notice that the top button is sewn on top of the collar. I used hem tape for both the shell and the lining.

I had planned on making the leggings also, but I couldn't find the type of knit I wanted. The only thing I could find locally were the shiny power knits. I didn't care for those. They scream -- on my way to dance class. I decided to just purchase a pair that looked almost like a sweater knit. We decided to accessorize with black suede platform pumps and a silk wrap since it was a rather warm night.

Once again, my Burberry-esque trench sits unattended and unfinished on the dressform. *sigh* You ask why? Well, I'll tell you. Amber so kindly reminded me that her Winter Dance is Wednesday and I had yet to even purchase fabric! This sent me into an immediate state of panic. What if I can't find fabric locally? My first thought was to say forget sewing and do the thing I dread the most -- going to the mall. I hate malls with a passion and avoid them at all cost, I adore boutiques though, but I digress... So, the thought of me buying a dress from, God forbid, the "mall" had Amber at the point of tears. She is serious when it comes to not wanting to be the carbon-copy of anyone else.

I took a chance today and went to Hancock. Luckily, I was able to find a lipstick-red wool crepe and it was 30% off and the notions were 10%!

Black & White Paisley
100% Cotton
Grosgain ribbon on the pocket

Brown & Pink Polka Dot

100% Cotton
Grosgrain ribbon on the pocket