Advice from 1949

“Advice from a Singer Sewing Manual” 1949

(Or why I don't get much sewing done.)

“Prepare yourself mentally for sewing.
Think about what you are going to do.
Never approach sewing with a sigh or lackadaisically.
Good results are difficult when indifference predominates.
Never try to sew with a sink full of dirty dishes or beds unmade.
When there are urgent housekeeping chores, do these first so your mind is free to enjoy your sewing.
When you sew, make yourself as attractive as possible.
Put on a clean dress.
Keep a little bag full of French chalk near your sewing machine to dust your fingers at intervals.
Have your hair in order, powder and lipstick put on.
If you are constantly fearful that a visitor will drop in or your husband will come home, and you will not look neatly put together, you will not enjoy your sewing.”

2010 Sewing Retreat

 A fantastic retreat!

We sewed, laughed, learned, and ate ourselves into oblivion!  

Jackie had a special birthday - our favorite chef, Steve serves!

Consultations help!

Carole concentrates so hard!

Earleen sews for a granddaughter. 

How cute is this apron!

Cornelia sews for grandson, Gavin.

Oh well, some of us sew for our grand dog.

I did complete a few projects - yeah! Sun Up is hanging in the kitchen.

Can three days go any faster?  

Back to the projects!

Eylet Yoke Cardigan # 70205A

I finally finished this sweet, little sweater. It's a size 2. The eyelet yoke was fun -- although I ripped it out several times! I'll put a little button on for a neck closure. This soft, variegated yarn is 100% cotton. I bought it when a local knit shop closed. I had hoped to make a shrug for me. Of course, there was not enough yarn. The pattern I used is from Lion Brand Yarn. All their patterns are on-line and free!

Yesterday I made this simple, knit top. I traced the shape of a favorite ready made t-shirt. I found the fabric at SAS last year. I think it cost $1.50. (SAS has three locations in the Phoenix area. It's a strange warehouse place where most of the fabric is sold by the pound. And wow, you have to dig through stacks!)

Soft and filmy knit is so nice to wear although working with it is a challenge for me. I am wild about using the three thread narrow overlock for a finished edge. I believe it works better than a rolled hem. My serger did not want to stay on track when it went over a side seam. With the three thread overlock (narrow) I kept having thread chains hanging in the air, not attached to the edge. After several frustrating tries, I remembered to use a narrow strip of water soluble stabilizer. I guided it under the edge as I sewed the hem. That did the trick. I sure like to practice on an inexpensive fabric before I use the good stuff.

Misc Projects & Luck

This funny little bag has a great story. Driving back from Texas, we went through Miami, AZ an old mining town. Dave was showing the kids the historic part when -- lo and behold a quilt store appeared. The car quite naturally wanted to stop! What a sweet guy, he went with me to browse. A very nice lady chatted us up! Dave spotted a Jelly Roll (the 2" strips of coordinated fabric rolled up). He wanted to know what it was and if I had one. (No I did not.) The owner explained the whole idea of these strip sets to him. He really wanted me to have one. Turns out the little box I bought had two jelly rolls that made two little bags.

I love the colors! I sent the second roll and pattern to my sister in Texas. Dave is proud of his expanded sewing vocabulary - Jelly Roll. Up to now he knows fat quarter and add-a-quarter ruler.

My linen skirt is a simple drop waist pattern, Simplicity 2609. This really is a cute pattern, even better than it looks on the pattern. I fell in love with this sheer, light-weight linen. It has a nice drape. I had to line it with a little slip. I used a nice, thin knit from Christine Jonson's fabrics.

No I didn't make the linen blouse. Just dumb luck, I bought it on a sale rack for about $5.00. Washed it, ironed it and hung it up. I happened to noticed it matched my skirt perfectly. I'll probably put a belt with it. I'll post another picture when the outfit all comes together.

A Kindred Soul

Below you see my friend, Sylvia (yes!). She is in my yoga class. A while back she told me she sewed - just a little, she said. Not only does she sew garments but is a great quilter. A few weeks ago she showed me a heirloom quilt she made using old family pictures in sepia tones. It was gorgeous.

She is a bit shy about her talents. Take a look at this quilt she is basting together. She will quilt it on her machine. (Notice how yoga keeps her in good shape!!)

Here is a scrappy quilt she is making in sections.

This pillow is for a granddaughter ready to leave for college. Cute, huh? She is a very sweet lady and I bet a wonderful grandma!

Catching Up

Our annual sewing retreat is always the highlight of the long, hot summer! Three days, two nights of sewing anything, anytime, all the time with about 75 kindred souls. I had so much fun, apparently didn't get my camera out nearly often enough. This is Karen. Head down...hard at work - you go girl.A couple of visitors dropped in to visit their Mimi. Colton and Kaiden are not interested in sewing. But they certainly appreciated the snack table!

I swear these food pictures were taken at the request of others! Our group may be a bit fixated on the fab food provided by the Embassy's Chef Steve. I was so hungry I may have been shaky - hence the blur. This is just the little salad bar to go with the made-to-order pasta bar. Oh...wow!

Below is Donna's demo on folding a t-shirt. Yes, we all saw it done on You Tube but could we master it? No. Well, obviously Donna did her home work -- can you do it?

Finally, a couple of projects I worked on at the retreat. The pillows match my already completed wall hanging. Everyone in our group make a Wild Flower wall hanging. I should have taken a picture of each one because they are all very different and beautiful.

Ms Witchy was pretty time consuming but she is really a cutie. Carole made the Gingerbread Man. And yes, our choices give you a clue to our different personalities!

The skirt was actually finished after the retreat - I'm not so sure I like how it hangs. Too fluffy for me, I suppose.

The fabric is a yummy embroidered linen. Probably the wrong hand for this skirt pattern. Any advise is appreciated.

Sewing Friends

Last Saturday most of my sewing group attended a seminar presented by Sue Hausman, a Viking-Husvarna Educator.We came home with loads of new ideas and a mile-long wish list!From left to right, Ginney, Bettye, Sylvia, Sue, Carole and Cornelia. (Yes, we were a bit weary!) The Saturday event was held at a store that is new to us, Barely Stitching. The store has some lovely displays and fabrics. It was an information packed day which included a nice lunch.

Below is the yoga mat bag I made and donated for the silent action which will be held at my neighborhood school, Oakwood Elementary. A couple of gals in my yoga class have children there. They say there will be a bidding war over it. I really would like to get another one made for their raffle.

The pattern was an on-line freebie from Amy Butler. I had the fabric, which I think looks much like Amy Butler's fabric. The embroidery design is from Embroidery Library. I did some editing and modified it a little bit.


Finally, I have to show the Springer Spaniel stitched by my friend Lynn. She attached it to a sweatshirt for Betsy, for her birthday. Can you believe we all have Springers? Small world!!

Sewing Experiments

I tried out two new patterns recently. Both have a shirred bodice. I used Christine Jonson's Shirred Top #426. The gauzy fabric came from our RuMage sale held at the annual sewing retreat . Needless to say the price was a steal. The fabric is very stretchy but only in one direction which may have effected my results. The bodice is lined which sent me out scrambling for an additional fabric since I had absolutey no left over scraps. I'm not fully satisfied with the results. Actually it fits well but I'm not very comfortable in a boat neck. Next I will try the Princess Wrap style which is in the same CJ pattern.
This green patterned dress is Butterick 4914. A friend made this pattern up at our summer sewing retreat. I fell in love with it. I ordered my fabric from Fabric.com. It made up quickly and only required a tiny adjustment. My friend Carole said it looked good on me so I wore it to our American Sewing Guild (ASG) Chapter's Annual Meeting. I got several compliments which made me happy. I rarely wear a dress anymore so it's on loan to the DD (dear daughter) to see what she thinks. Girl friend, Beverly sent me a note to say I was on the cutting edge with the shirred-at-the-waist style because she spotted nearly the exact same dress style in Eddie Bauer's Christmas Catalog. Wow - that made me feel great. Do you see a "theme" running through this blog? Yep, sewing frends are the very best!

Community Sewing Day

September is National Sewing Month. In recognition, our local American Sewing Guild Chapter
http://phoenixasg.org/ arranged "Sit and Sew" days at locations across the valley. Saturday I participated in the charity sewing held at 35th Ave Sew & Vac http://www.35thavesewandvac.com/. The store owners kindly allowed us to use a nice, large room. Lynn had everything organized. She had kits already cut for walker bags, fidget quilts*, Christmas stockings, pillow cases and nappy quilts. About 16 of us brought our machines and slaved from 9-2:00pm! It was really fun, no pressure and lots of laughs. The snacks really helped us keep going & sewing. We made 56 items for our designated charities. Go to our website and look under community service for specifics. There are definitely perks when we meet in a fabric store....yeah, right! - none of us left without adding a few fabrics to our stash or notions collection!

*Pictured is a fidget quilt. These little lap quilts are made for individuals who have Alzheimer's disease. All the tactile additions to the quilts keep fidgety hands busy and happy.

OH, one of my cyber buddies shared a new word today.....barfable...good one, huh? Go ahead, use it in a sentence today!