Some of my fabrics for 2012

Even before I announced my sewing plans for 2012 I had been fabric shopping in preparation for the year. I now have fabric for the first three patterns in the Colette Patterns book. Some of you may think that I am planning a little too far in advance, but you don't understand the fabric situation where I live! There are TONS of quilting fabrics, but little to no garment fabrics. There is one store that carries some, but I am pretty picky, so I rarely find anything. You can imagine my love for online shopping at Mood!

image from Colette Patterns

The first project (January) in the book is the Meringue skirt. I can't wait to try the scalloped hem, as I have never made anything like it. 

This navy twill is what I purchased. It is a little thicker than what I am used to working with, granted I pretty much have only used quilter's cottons, but the book suggested using this type of fabric to keep the scallops crisp. I love the color and plan to wear it as part of one of my favorite color combinations: red, white, and blue.

image from Colette Patterns

The second project (February) is the Pastille dress. It will be the first form fitted dress I have made, but I feel confident that I can make it using the Colette Patterns book as my resource! 

The fabric I chose is very similar to the one on the model, but with a little less orange, at least I think so. I purchased this from Mood also. It's a linen fabric and is a little sheer, but my husband reminded me that I can wear a slip with it :)

image from Colette Patterns

 The third dress (March) is called the Truffle and it's gorgeous! I was debating which fabric to use when I remembered that I had some fabric from my trip to Mood that would be perfect.

It's pretty wild, but the texture is exactly what I will need. It's really light and slightly sheer, so it looks like I will need a slip for this one too. I have never sewn with anything like it, so things might get interesting...

Is it January 1st yet? I can't wait to get started! What are some of your sewing plans for next year?

My favorite gift I gave

This year I was especially excited to give Luke his Christmas gifts. Every single gift I gave him was somehow Los Angeles Clippers related. He has been a longtime fan, much longer than all the people who recently started liking the Clippers within the last year and a half when they got Blake Griffin.

Can you tell that he is their biggest fan?? I asked my talented friend, Shannon aka Giggly Mama, if she could embroider an image of Blake Griffin. She did, in under a DAY!

This is so amazing!!! I have shown every single person I have came in contact with over the last few days and first everyone's jaw drops, then they say they can't believe how it looks exactly like Blake Griffin. If you like Shannon's work please add her on her Facebook page or visit her Etsy shop.

Thank you so much, Shannon!! I am so lucky to have such a talented, awesome friend. You made Luke's Christmas very special. Plus, he is very happy to have a custom piece that the band wagon jumpers can't buy ;)

Vintage Photo Friday - Merry Christmas from Ava Gardner

Wishful Wednesday - Fabric from Mood

1. Animal Jersey Print
2. Red and White Stripes
3. Pink Charmeuse
4. Yellow Polka Dots
5. Mint Linen
6. Black and Red Plaid (totally dreaming on this one! $80 a yard will never happen!)

Goals for 2012 or The Year of Colette

Last year I wanted to read twenty four books and I am very happy to say that I accomplished that! I think the reason I was successful was because I had a clear goal, planned to make it happen (two books a month which means one book every two weeks), and stayed on schedule. I decided to do something similar this year with my sewing plans.

My plan this year is to sew at least one item of clothing a month, which means twelve different pieces. I am doing this because I am so inspired by the new Colette Sewing Handbook from Colette Patterns. When it comes to garment sewing I am completely self taught and easily intimidated. After reading through the book so many previously confusing things make much more sense and I want to put my new knowledge to use.

My first five garments are going to be from the included patterns in the book pictured above. The next seven patterns will be purchased from their website. Twelve articles of clothing made from Colette Patterns = 2012: The Year of Colette.

Now, I know that to some twelve pieces is not that many, I mean Veronica and Debi make something every week, but to me twelve is a lot! I don't have a ton of sewing experience, but I feel like I can reach my goal! I hope you enjoy watching my progress.

Social Sunday

Last night Luke and I went to two Christmas parties. We are so lucky to have such great friends!

Pattern dilema

Debi asked a good question over at The Sew Weekly,  "are you a pattern first or fabric first type of sewist?" Well, normally I am the pattern first type, but then I got to thinking about these red shoes.

I bought them for myself last year and haven't even worn them yet. Isn't that terrible? Then I started thinking about why I haven't worn them and it's because I don't have an outfit for them. I imagine myself wearing them with a light pink dress, maybe with some light yellow details...? But I still need a pattern, any recommendations? Does this make me an accessories first type of sewist? :)

Vintage Photo Friday - Mary Pickford

1940s slip

I followed a sewalong for this slip and I am happy to say that this was the first sewalong I have successfully completed! It was for the 1940s slip pictured above.

I used a red cotton for the top portion and a blue with red polka dot flannel for the bottom portion. It's really warm! Please forgive me, the nightgown looks crooked in this photo, but I just hung it at a weird angle. Oops.


Along the top of the bodice I attached a red bias tape which I made myself.

The back darts that you can barely see with all the wrinkles.

Tiny straps made easily with my loop turner. What did I ever do before I had one of those things?

The side.

I got the fabric from Jo-Anns, which I rarely do since I like supporting local fabric shops. The red fabric is just a cheapy cotton and the polka dot fabric is a soft flannel. It's pretty warm, but not quite warm enough to wear just yet. On my Jo-Anns trip I bought 5 yards of a key fabric which was my real reason for going in the first place. I am very happy with my purchases.


Now that I have finished this slip/nightgown I am going to make another one, but with nicer fabric. Thank you so much Anna for hosting this sewalong. I can't wait for the next one!


EDIT: I accidentally deleted my original post! Sorry for reposting this if you have already read it! :(

Wishful Wednesday

Here are some fun cotton fabrics I found online.
1. Retro Bows
2. Retro Sewing
3. Hawaiian 
4. Birds on branches
5. Painter's canvas in sage
6. Pineapple

Weekend sewing

Even though I was out and about all weekend I managed to squeeze in some sewing. I finished the quilt top for this quilt. It is going SO much faster than my last quilt. I finished the quilt top in a week which is a record for me.

Last night I drank a couple old fashioned cocktails, decided that I didn't want to make a salad for the potluck for my quilting class, and worked on a nightgown instead for the sewalong at A Few Threads Loose. Now I have to rush home and make the salad before class. My sewing decisions made while drinking aren't always the best!

I had extra fabric so I made a bird ornament for the tree.

Social Sunday

Another social weekend! We went out for dinner and drinks for my "brother" Brandon's birthday. Brandon isn't really my brother, but one day someone truly thought we were brother and sister and it has made us laugh ever since.

I went out for Thai food with some good friends and ended up making new friends as well.

 Happy burstday, Brandon!

 Myself, Luke, and Curtis.

 Luke didn't want to be in the photo, but Curtis did. When does Curtis not want to be in a photo though?

 Hayley and I. We met for the first time a couple of months ago, but last night was the first time we got to talk and I adore her! She is a sweet girl and hopefully I will see more of her, that is if she ever has a free moment! She's in four or five bands (this is one of them), works forty hours a week, AND is starting a local magazine. Busy!!

Snuck in another photo of my handsome husband.

Today we hung out with our friends, Matt and Shawntel, had a nice lunch, and now we are sitting in our nice warm house, with brownies baking in the oven. Another good weekend!

Vintage Photo Friday - Elizabeth Taylor

Christie's in New York has Elizabeth Taylor's memorabilia, jewels, beautiful clothing pieces and more, on display right now in Rockefeller Center. Tickets are $30 and you can buy them here. If only I lived closer, I'd be there in a heartbeat!

The tropical quilt is completed!!!

I finally finished my quilt! This morning I had my husband Luke hold it for a quilt photo shoot :)

This is the quilt front. I wish I could tell you EVERYTHING about the quilt, but I can't :( I am giving the quilt away to someone very special to me and I don't want to risk writing the person's name in case the person stumbles across my blog. Here's what I can say: the quilt is a "mystery quilt" which I started in July and finished this month. My quilting instructor told us to buy dark, medium dark, medium, and light fabric is specific quantities. Each week she would give us another step, but we had no idea what the end product would look like. I am so happy with my color choices!

The back fabric looks like the ocean!

I quilted it myself primarily by stiching in the ditch.

 

Here is an up close shot of one of the quilt blocks.

I have put the most time and effort into this quilt, much more than any other item I have made and I am so proud of it!!  I must say, it's hard to give this away, but it is going to someone that deserves it and will appreciate it. This is my second quilt and there will be many more to come.

It's getting close to Christmas

Last night we got our tree, put on the Frank Sinatra Christmas album, and decorated.

Making a quilt with cat distractions.

I imagine that someday IF I ever have a child I will prepared to deal with distractions while I am sewing. I base this on the fact that my cat Lebron seems to need a lot of attention whenever I am working on a project. He wants to be my number one priority whenever he sees that I am busy and I have to stop everything to pet him or cuddle him... or else he gets destructive!

On Sunday when my friend Jessi was over I sewed strips of fabric together for my quilt. Last night I cut  the strips into blocks and tried to arrange them on the carpet. Lebron did not like that one bit. You will notice in the above photo that he was prancing around trying to get my attention.

Next he decided to fall down in the center on the blocks.

"Pay attention to me!!!"

Before Lebron totally destroyed the layout I quickly gathered the columns in order and numbered them with a post it and sharpie. The smell of the sharpie offended Lebron and he left, of course as soon as I was done.

A very social weekend

Our good friends Chad and Cali had their baby on Friday, December 2nd. Luke and I went to their house to meet little Dailey on Saturday night and she is sooo cute!

I love my "goddaughter." Funny story about that, Luke and Chad have been best friends since childhood and when Luke found out that Cali and Chad were having a baby he decided that he was going to be the godfather. I told him that he can't just decide to be the godfather,  he needs to be asked. Luckily Chad and Cali have a good sense of humor and they laugh about it.

Unfortunately, I missed the baby shower a few months back due to a trade show for work, so I didn't give Cali her gift. The plus side is that I got to give Dailey the gift in person! I made her a little baby blanket with the black and white fabric on one side and red minky fabric on the back. Sewing with the minky scared me because the salesclerk put fear in my head, but it turned out being easier than anticipated.

Oh, another plus is that now I have a cute baby girl to sew clothes for! :)

This isn't going to be a huge deal for most of you bloggers out there in the world wide web, but it is exciting for me: I had my first sew day with a friend! It seems like there are a lot of people out there that get together with their girlfriends and sew. I don't know many people that sew, so getting together with Jessi was a first for me. I started on a new quilt (I will post my progress tomorrow) and Jessi mended a stack of clothing. She LOVES vintage clothing and had a few pieces that were needing some fixing. I had so much fun talking and gossiping with her. Hopefully this will be the first of many times we will get together :)