Entering the World of Burda?

A few weeks ago, I wanted to see all the excitement about Burda Magazine.  I have been reading blogs and sewing pattern review with people talking about creating clothes from Burda Magazine with patterns that comes with each month.  I decided to inquiry about subscribing to the magazine, and so I received a free May issue magazine yesterday in the mail.  Now I see what the excitement is about.  It’s a very trendy (in a good way) and stylish fashion that would be the envy of all your friends.  I like the accessories article in the magazine, and seeing all of the new sunglasses that would make you glamorous for the summer.  Of course, tracing a pattern will probably seem a little foreign to me, but I probably will figure it out and check the Yahoo group Burdg English to get some ideas as the best way to trace.  I think it’s also worth the $80 to subscribe because you get a lot of patterns with each month.  Of course, one may sew everything in the month, but it’s nice to choose from an array of patterns.  I will start out with a six-month subscription, but committing to a year.

I picked up the new Belle Armoire Art to Wear - May/June issue.  There is an article about Joan McGowan, owner of White Lies Designs and author of Knitting with Style.  I love her designs and how she manages to knit and creates style for all women from 2 to 32.  There is another good article about making hats, nice flapper-inspired hats with a modern flair.  I also have my summer issue of Interweave Knits to see all the knit designs.  There are times when I wish I was independently wealthy and not work again, then I can stay home and knit, sew, and do other creative projects.

On the changing my eating habits front.  I managed to transition from drinking soda to drinking tea and juice and milk.  Yes, I drink juice and milk because they are packed with nutrients like vitamins, calcium, and antioxidants which soda does not have.  I do drink water, but not eight glasses because tea has water as I do not use sugar, milk is made up of 80% of water and fruit juices as well.  Since, I eat more fruit and vegetables, they are packed with a lot of water.  I make sure that I eat breakfast if it only means me picking up yogurt with fresh berries and granola on top, and eating an oz of nuts mid-morning.  I am also intentionally having vegetarian meals two or three times a week, and adding fish into my diet at least three times a week.  Once, I have a regular eating routine, then it’s on to exercise.  I am walking for the time being, but need to add things like weight training and pilates or yoga into the mix.

Where I guess that’s all I have for today.  Have a good day everyone!

Spring Time and Things Change

Today, it really felt like spring.  I went outside during lunch time and did not want to return to work. Things at work are really getting chaotic with some of the departments moving, and me being the move coordinator needs to make sure that everyone is organized and ready to move by Friday.  I on the other hand, will remain at the current office until June 20th. as I work closely with production to ensure we have a log for the station to air.  

I also finally took the plunge and started a weigh loss program today.  I am determined to eat healthy and lose some weigh in the process.  Stress is my enemy and a contributing factor to my weigh gain.  I did some research and decided to choose Alli, keep a food journal, and exercise.  The exercise will help me to reduce my stress, just need to remember not to workout in the evenings because I will not be able to fall asleep at night.  I don’t understand how some people want to workout 8 at night because it’s hard to get to sleep after being stimulated, but each their own.  With the food price soaring, it is a great opportunity to brown bag it at work and that means using the number of cookbooks to find recipes.

I think the good thing about losing weight is taking the opportunity to become a better sewer as I will need to learn how to alter my clothes, and sew a lot of knits until I get to my goal.  However, the most important thing is my asthma and sleep apnea will be more in control, or better yet gone completely after losing weight.  Breathing easier is a good thing.  Another goal, I should set for myself is getting 7 hours sleep at night.  I only get 5 to 6 hours worth of sleep, and getting more rest would help reduce my stress as well. That means DVR will have to work overtime because it is getting a little harder for me to stay up nights, but I force myself to stay up to watch.  At this moment, I getting sleepy as I write this blog entry which means, it is time for me to say good night.

It’s Been Too Long

It’s have been over a month or perhaps two since I writing my last blog entry.  Some of you are probably wondering whether or not I fell off the face of the earth.  I haven’t checked my blog in a while and realized that there are some improvements to WordPress.  I have been very busy at work with one of my co-workers going on maternity leave (she had a little boy April 2).  Now I am the temporary copywriter until she returns in July.  In addition, I am the move coordinator for my department as the radio station is in the process of moving to a new space in a couple of weeks.  I have to remain at the old space until the all radio programming moves in early June, and to top it off, the station is launching a new morning talk show the last week of April.  I am tired just thinking about it.

It has been jammed-pack 2008 thus far with the presidential election season, things happening at work, and all too dreaded allergy season.  My nose is a little runny and here comes the itchy eyes which means I will be seeing allergist in the next couple of weeks.  I haven’t done any sewing with the exception of testing out my new machine I purchased in February, and still have some knitting projects to start (like that first sweater and skirt).  I also decided to subscribe to Burda for six months and see what the appeal as I read other blogs of people who made something with a Burda pattern. 

I was thinking with the break in the weather would be a good time to join a Stitch & Bitch group as a way to improve my knitting skills and new people in the process, and not a bad idea to take a sewing class. During the winter months and busy season at work, it’s little difficult to take crafting classes.  However, it’s spring and time to enjoy and learn new things.  Hopefully, I will not be too tired to enjoy it.

The Weekend

I had an opportunity to Thursday night to see Terrance Howard and James Earl Jones in the broadway production Cat on a Hot Tin Roof directed by Debbie Allen.  The cast also included Phylicia Rashad and Anika Noni Rose.  It is the first all African-American cast in this Tennessee Williams’ play and perhaps some of you saw the movie version with Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman.  I’ve always like the story and it was my first time every seen it acted on stage.  It was a great cast and Anika who played in Dreamgirls did a great job carrying an almost 25 minute monologue.  Terrance was a great as Brick and 10 second partial nude scene in the shower at the opening had many women at the theater a little excited.  

In other happenings, I purchased a book for my nephew entitled Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis.  It is a story of an 11 year-old boy named Elijah born into freedom in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of runaway slaves just over the boarder of Detroit.  A former slave steals money from Elijah’s friend. who had been saving money to free his parents in the South.  Elijah decides to go on a dangerous journey to America in pursuit of thief.  I think it is a good story for kids from 9 - 12 of age, and the book is the winner of Newberry Medal for children’s books.    

I have a confession, I am addicted to buying patterns and purchased this top when McCall’s website had it’s $5.99 sale Friday and Saturday.  I really like the A pattern with the slash.   Actually, I brought three patterns all together, but this top really caught my eye.   Now, there I have to some fabric to make this fabulous top.  Have a good weekend everyone!

 

 

Fabric, Yarn, and Other Musings

I have President’s Day off, and decided to work on my baby blanket, wash new fabric I received today, and just relax.  Yesterday, I went to see “Three Mo Divas” at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and have to tickets to see Terrence Howard and James Earl Jones in the production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”  However, for today, it was time for me to focus on the blanket if I am going have it completed by March.   I needed to order an addition skein of yarn for the blanket just in case, and probably knit a baby wash cloth with the remainder (waste not, want not).  I am half way completed with the blanket and it will mean me knitting on my daily commute to and from work.

 

I purchased my first knit fabric from Fabric Mart a few days and it came by UPS today.  I already washed and placed into the dryer which came out very well.  I want to sew a simple dress from this fabric as I need to more dresses in my closet, and enough of them that require simple care like washing them with the rest of my laundry and not requiring a great deal of ironing.  With spring and summer approaching, I like to my everyday life as simple as possible and still look good.  I also purchased a tan small houndstooth made from a cotton/linen mix for $1.99 a yard and must admit that I like the way it feels.  It is also the type of fabric that I could wear spring, fall, and winter (milder days).

 

 

 

 

Along with houndstooth fabric in the photo above, I purchased two patters for blouses I want to sew with the idea of finding fabric inspire me.  The second top, I want to find interesting print fabric to sew and wear with a pair jeans.  With the hounsdstooth, I am thinking about a dress and with the remainder a nice tote-bag.  That will mean a trip to the notion store for handbag hardware.  Well, I guess this all I have for today.  Take care, and  any of you who happen to live in Wisconsin and Hawaii, do not forget to vote in tomorrow’s primary.

Sensational Friday

Last week, I came across a new book by Allison Willoughby entitled 49 Sensational Skirt published by Interweave Press.  Allison is a textile designer and created this book for those want to transform their existing skirts into wearable work of art.  What is great about this book is that the author uses simple sewing techniques along with inexpensive readily available materials.  I couldn’t resist and purchased the book as there are some fabulous skirts inside, and visit http://www.interweave.com/needle/books/49_Sensational_Skirts/preview.asp to preview some of the skirts.  You can also visit her website www.allisonwilloughby.com to look at her previous work.  I think all of us have an inner artist that is just waiting to come out to show the world. 

Believe or not, I thought about creating some skirts that were not your typical run of mill, conservative plain skirt.  I think it is good to show the free spirit side as it is dying to come out in most of us.  Of course, people who are ready this blog entry will want to sew a simple skirt from scratch and add those creative touches.  I think the projects in the book will be great for teenagers who want to create a unique to wear for school.  Kids love to create a style of their own to represent their individuality.  I posted a couple of photos of Allison’s skirt as example of creative and inspirational.  I have a sensational day everybody!

       

New Arrivals

After a day waiting to come home a nice bowl of mushroom bisque soup, I received a couple of packages.  My sewing machine and the new version of MAC’s OS Leopard.  I just had to take the sewing machine out of the box to look at it, and at the same time installed my software.  As you can tell that my desk is not exactly tidiest, but it is my organized mess.  I think the machine is good buy and can not wait to break in for that new sewing project.  I went to bookstore yesterday and purchased the magazine from Threads entitled Quick Stuff to Sew (Craftstylish) and it has a compilation of various projects to create from garments to home decorate projects.

I will be spending the weekend reading the instructions, testing out the new machine, playing with the new features on Leopard and continue my baby blanket knitting project.  I am thinking about cooking a nice meal since it is a three-day weekend for me, so I am going to get out the slow-cooker for a nice chicken with tomatoes and cannelloni beans.  I got the idea from listening to Nigella Larsen the other talking about having a great meal in a short time.  Her new cookbook is called Nigella Express which he recipes are demonstrated on the Food Network show with the same name as the book.  It is true that good meal should take hours to prepare.

So Many Projects, So Little Time

A couple of days ago, I received the issue Spring Interweave Knits and had an orgasm (well not quite) upon looking at the projects in the magazine.  There are a few things in the magazine that I would love to make and add it as part of my wardrobe.  There is a project called the holly jacket that is great for the spring and could wear it with a nice pencil skirt for the office, or khaki pants for the weekend.  I think this sweater is nice for the spring (wonder how it would look in sage green, hmmm).

         

 

       

 

Then there is the banded peasant blouse, and the linen trumpet skirt which are very additions to anyone’s wardrobe for the spring.  I am going to put this on my wish list to knit and emphasizing the word wish because it probably will be a while for me with other things I am doing.  Unless, I follow the advice of my nephew and open a yarn/cafe shop, lol, to sleep per chance to dream.  Now, I certainly, cannot write about knitting without writing about something to sew.  I received my Sewing Today issue and saw this dress and said to myself I need to get this pattern and sew this.  The dress comes in two lengths so you can have a day look, or look very nice at a black tie affair (the world needs more black tie affairs).

 

New Sewing Machine

A few days ago, I made the decision to upgrade to a new machine from the current Brother’s 2600i and purchased a Singer CB5 from Joann’s.  The sewing machine is computerized with 144 stitches patterns, alphabet and numbers, heirloom, quilt, stretch & locking stitches.  I believe this machine will serve my purpose especially with stretch and locking stitches for my knit fabrics.  I also order some fabric for a couple of future projects.  I haven’t done any sewing because still getting some knitting projects done, and thinking a project chart will help keep track of everything.  I purchased a couple of top patterns and trouser jeans from Hot Patterns today, and probably will make a trip to the Spandex House for the knit fabric to make one of the tops.  I am thinking about a nice leopard print for the top for there is a little wild side in all of us.

I had a conversation the other day with a girlfriend of mine while leaving a Broadway show entitled Passing Strange which I thought it was a creative piece of work as it is not your average traditional show on Broadway.  We were discussing the price of clothes and how so expensive they have become.  She is complaining how pants cost $300 and $400, and a scarf priced at more than $250.  I told her that is one of the reasons why so many people have gone down the DIY path and making their own clothes.  Now she comes back with the time you spent to make a pair of pants or skirts that would probably be better off than going to the store to purchase it.  She is a person who believes she understands money, but her reasoning would mean me driving to the store, hope that I find the item I am looking for, and that could take me a few hours.  In addition, chances are I may just purchase more than a pair of pants.  I think it is more economically feasible to make your own clothes depending upon what you are making.  However, I cannot see myself paying $200 for a knit dress not made from silk or wool.  My friend also refuses to wear anything other than natural fibers, but it is not always financial conducive and one needs have pieces in their closets that is easy to care for and with very little to no ironing.  I know that there are some people out there who do not believe that sewing is a waste of time, but I certainly do not.  In fact, there is a sense of independence in that you do not have to depend anyone make anything for you, you are in control with the freedom of creating something that is yours.  Well these are my thoughts for the evening.  Keep the faith!

Knitting, Reading, and Other Plans

It has been a few days since writing and posting the last blog entry.  I have been a little busy with the finishing touches of my sweater project, started working on a baby blanket, and planning to sew a diaper bag.  In the mist of all thse projects, I have been listening and watching the election coverage, and catching up on some reading.  I am currently reading two books, Obama’s The Audacity of Hope, and a wonderful book by David J. Garrow an historian entitled Bearing the Cros - Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.  Yes the title is long, and the book is more than 750 pages long (that includes bibliography and index), but Garrow writes a great biography the King and SCLC during the civil rights movement.  The book was first published in 1987 and won a Pulitzer Prize, and Garrow gives a honest portrait of the civil rights movement.  If you are bit of a history buff, Bearing the Cross is an important book to have in your library along with another author who wrote a triology about King, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63, Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963-65, and At Canaan’s Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-1968.  Should read these books, you probably will meet your reading quota for the entire year (just kidding, but they are comprehensive books to read.

I have been keeping a running list of all the projects I like to do this year, and realized that my little Brother’s XL 2600 my not be up for the task, so I am thinking about getting another sewing machine (comupterized) at a good price.  However, I will give it a great deal of consideration as my pocketbook is the deciding factor into my decision, and there is no great urgency as the current machine works fine for the small jobs.  I still have to purchase fabric for the diaper bag and cover, and found a website called Erica’s (www.ericas.com) that has some great stuff for craft projects.  That is all on my mind for the moment.

Only Tuesday

Yesterday, I returned to work after being on vacation for a week and discovered over 60 emails in my box with only a few of them really important such program changes due to covering the Iowa Caucus last Thursday.  Of course that particularly email was no longer a priority since the time has come and gone.  However, one email stood out from all the others.  The radio station is moving to a new location in Soho New York City and dealing with moving more than 250 employees and engineering and studio equipment.  I was designated as the move coordinator for my department and serve as the “conduit of information” between the department and facilities director.  Much to my surprise and chagrin the email stated that was a meeting for Tuesday located at the new space.  I asked myself, why do we need to meet at the new space to discuss the move when it came be done at the current one.  It is a 20 minute commute via subway and sit for a little over an hour discussing the logistics of the move.  That took a two hours of my work day particularly when you have other things on your plate at work.

 

 

Then I came home and find an email from Hot Patterns for the latest patterns to its catalog.  Hot Patterns as two new patterns, a blouse and the Wong-Singh-Jones Kimono dress.  I love the dress pattern for its contrasting fabric in the front and slash.  I so am going to purchase the pattern and find some cotton or silk jersey with a print for the contrasting fabric.  Then again, there is always a black and white print shape-like thin branches with a black solid fabric for the contrast.  There are plenty of ideas, but it is only Tuesday.

 

Being a Perfectionist

With just two days into the new year and hopefully starting with the new year resolution or the bucket list I wrote about in yesterday’s blog, I heard a program segment on the Brian Lehrer Show about perfectionism.  The dictionary definition of perfectionism is a propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards.  I believe perfectionism has its place as we certainly want a surgery to pay attention to every detail performing surgery, or the air traffic controller in the control tower directing planes to land or take off with the greatest precision.   Perfectionism has its positive and negative aspects.  The positive aspects of perfectionism are that it can drive people to accomplishments and provide motivation to persevere in the face of discouragement and and obstacles.  It can provide driving energy which leads to great achievement, meticulous attention to detail necessary in scientific investigation commitment which pushes composers to keep working until the music realizes the glorious sounds playing in the imagination, and the persistence which keeps great artists at their easels until their creation matches their conception all result from perfectionism, according to W.C. Rodel. With negative aspects to perfectionism include being a possible workaholics who cannot relax; people who reproach themselves for the smallest errors or wrong words for days afterwards; the person so intent on finding the perfect mate that they never settle down, the procrastinator, the finicky person, and tend to be exceptionally sensitive to criticism.  This kind of behavior to could lead to a lot of stress, unhappiness, and depression.There are times when I am a perfectionist with certain things in life such as whenever I am baking because chemistry is important to the process and everything should be measured correctly.  Whenever, I knit in the round to ensure that I do not twist the stitches or I could end up with something twisted and unwearable.  I can imagine event and wedding planners are perfectionist, but probably are more on the healthy side as they know that sometimes things can go wrong and need to make any adjustments.   I learned to become an well-adjusted and adaptive perfectionist, and there are just some things I do not care about.  However, I have spent hours finishing up a knitting and sewing project because I wanted to get it just right.  If I made a mistake, I would do it over, but rarely got angry with myself as I learned it is a mistake and it can be corrected.  I will admit to my times of procrastination and that generally comes to something I really do not want to do, so I do it as the last minute such as getting up in the morning to get to work. However, I will not allow perfectionism overshadow the goals I want to obtain in my knitting and sewing for the year just as long as create a reasonable expectation of what I can accomplish.  Which means not making a couture dress when I have yet to sew my first dress or blouse.  It does not mean that I will not eventually build up sewing skill to get to the level of making a gown, but dress will be fine for me this year. 

The Fabric Store “Finally”

I did not think that there was a enough for me to make to Mood Fabric today, but it finally happened.  Of course I did not go to the store with a real plan, but knew of all the patterns back at my apartment so it was not much of a problem.    One could spend all day in Mood Fabrics, but from what you see on Project Runway, the designers only have 30 minutes to shop.  Since I am not a designer, so I can spend more than 30 minutes at the fabric store.  Mood is not cheap, but one can find some good buys and the fabrics were created by designers, so there will be some wool jersey that runs about $35.00 a yard.  I did find some chocolate brown jersey wool for $14.00 for a wrap dress pattern I brought a few months ago.

I think Mood Fabric is a great place to go for fabric, it has four floors of wall to wall fabric in the and one floor for trimming.  One could spend hours in Mood Fabrics shopping for fabric, and will also see all the up and coming designers from Parsons (not necessarily from Project Runway).  Toya mentioned a fabric store on her blog about a store called Spandex World (I think, but not sure) on 38th Street which Mood is located on 37th Street.  On Fashion Avenue there fabric, applique and trimming, and button stores.  There is also a store that sells fabrics from India and one can make wonderful tunics with the beautiful detailing.  I will have to dedicate one Saturday and just walk around Fashion Avenue to see what I can find.  Good night everybody.

Why I Make My Own Accessories and Clothes

One of things I typically do on-line is browse the web particularly for accessories and clothes.  I like to have an idea what is the latest fashion, and came across this website called Stewart & Brown, www.stewartbrown.com, a specialty store that sells organic clothing and accessories.  I saw this peasant hat which is a lovely hat, but what is not lovely is its price ($165.00).  The hat is Mongolian cashmere from the description, and calling it a peasant hat may not be appropriate considering its price.

I do not know and can not speak for everyone, but I do not the have the money paid $165.00 for a hat that I may wear three to four months out of the year.  And some of you very experienced sewers and knitters I could produce a a few articles of clothing for that price.  This is one of the reason I became interested in making my own accessories and clothes, I cannot afford to paid retailers’ prices.  Of course, I am not saying that I am going to make single piece of clothing, but probably will end up making about 80% of my clothes.  In fact, I have not purchased a hat or scarf in three years.

There is another issue, the green movement and the need to purchase products that are good for the environment.  I am not against this idea purchasing organic products if I positively know if indeed they are organic, and after hearing about how demin is processed, I will be learning how to make a pair using organic demin to reduce having harmful chemicals.  Just one tip, if you purchased a pair jeans costing under $30.00, please wash them before wearing as there are chemicals that could irriate your skin.  I am hopeful that organic fabric does become more available and cost less as time progresses.  I believe it is becoming more practical to make your own clothes and accessories in addition to having a creative outlet.

What’s Happening Friday

Friday has finally arrived and the a little cold weather in New Jersey.  We are expecting some rain/sleet/rain on Sunday which means going out on Saturday to run errands and perhaps getting in a movie.  This Christmas is playing in theaters and it’s nice to see one new Christmas movie, although I have to say one of my favorite movies about the holiday is “A Christmas Story with Darren McGavin and Peter Billingsley.  It is one of the funniest stories about a little boy’s repeated requests for a Red Ryder B-B gun, and it’s a story that does not have a perfect Christmas which makes really human.  If you have never seen it, TBS will air the movie all the month of December or just rent it.  I am going to attempt to get some sewing done this weekend and finish up a project, and get some reading in as well. I am currently reading the book Exposed in which 

I mentioned in my blog earlier this week, and probably will finish it as it is not a long book, however, the book is eye-opening.  Of course, I tend to get in some fiction by finishing The Jane Austen Book Club that started over a month ago and haven’t completed it yet.  I haven’t started any knitting projects, but have yarn where I could make a few more scarves.I went the theater last night at Lincoln Theater which is an amazing performance venue to see Phylicia Rashad in Cymbeline.  I though the play was good, but better in the second act whcih happened to be longer than first which is unusual for a play.  However, I am talking about Shakespeare and his plays are generally long. 

Some of you my know, that I am beginner sewer and admit that I do not have a serger just yet.  Hopefully I will able to purchase one in the near future as I want to sew up some knit dresses and pieces to give it a more finished look to the garment.  There are times when I ask myself to serge or not to serge.  Some sewers say you do not need a serger, but others believe it is a necessity and I am still on the fence.  I was thinking about purchasing a used serger, but it is just a mere thought and will make a decision in the next couple of months.  Well Ithink that is what on my mind at the moment.  Have a good weekend everyone!

Out of Thanksgiving Coma

Hello everyone!  I hope everyone’s Thanksgiving was great and that you didn’t eat yourself into coma.  Cooking for Thanksgiving can be ebullient and tiring at the same time.  You do no notice that you are tire while spending a good part of that day cooking and putting finishing touches on your fabulous meal, but it hits you later after washing and putting away that last dish, you sit down and realize how tired you were when it’s all over.  However, you look forward to the next holiday.

This time of year comes with holiday parties and celebrating four holidays with Thanksigving kicking off.  Everyone will be in holiday mode.  In fact, Christmas decorations were on display in several towns before Thanksgiving and some radio station began playing holiday music two weeks before Thanksgiving.  Personally, I can wait to play my Charlie Brown’s Christmas soundtrack next week because I needed to get through Thanksgiving first.  I do not decorate my house for the holidays because I live alone, but I will make the trip to Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree and walk down Fifth Avenue as New York City is beautiful this time of year.  I also have this wish that it snows around the holidays because I really have seen snow in a couple of years and it would nice.

Now on the creative front, I have a some projects in the works and need to organize my time to get them done.  I have scarf that is almost completed and need to start another one.  The muslins I created can now become the real project to sew.  Getting things done will be a slow process due to the holidays and preparing meals in between that time.  I may have to edit myself and be realistic about what I do get done in a certain amount of time.  I am still looking for fabric for my dress which I still haven’t seen anything that catches my eye, and reverting to black is not what I want to do.  I want to find a fabric with an expansive array of color, now I probably will end up with making three or four dress that are black, lol.

Aprons on my Mind

Throughout the course of the day, aprons has come across my path a few times.  I always thought having an apron, but believe they were outdated.  However, aprons are practical in the kitchen and working on crafts.  Mimi from Domestic Haven made a great apron that she posted on her log today.  I heard Adrienne speaking with Deepika today on Conversations with Adrienne podcast, and Deepika talked about the first sewing project she made was an apron that she continues to wear.  At this point, I am sold on having an apron.

I do have a few ideas about the kinds of aprons I want to make, and yes I definitely a few kitchen aprons, and a couple of crafty aprons.  The thought also occurred to me to knit a cotton apron.  Yes a knitted apron with a crochet trim and a couple of pockets.  This is another reason why I decided to crochet, knit, and sew, I am in need of kitchen towels, oven mittens, and dish cloths, and it’s easier for me to make what represents my personality and allow my creativity to come out.  I could do a variation of the apron in the winter issue of Adorn Magazine and try some fabric painting and create my own design (attempt anyway, I draw stick people).

I like to thank the people I mentioned in the blog inspiring me to think about making an apron for myself.  Sometimes we are need a little nudge every now and again to spark our creativity.

Next Stop, Knits

I tend to do a significant amount of thinking as I am sure everyone does. As I wrote a couple of days about my muslin for the pants from the Simplicity pattern. In addition to noticing that I should lengthen the pants because the petite length is too short (I’m 5′4″), and would like to wear with heels. My original plan was use a lightweight wool, but thought about and decided today that it would be better to use a knit with some stretch. A mid-weight knit that I can wear during the fall and winter months, and there is the idea of using twill with stretch which will probably work and is a suggested fabric to use.

I have not yet worked with knits, but have some patterns in my stash that call for that fabric. This is a personal preference, but I like wearing knit during the fall and winter months as it is comfortable and easy to care by hand washing or a gentle wash. I like to wear these pieces for work, weekends, and going out (I can dress it up). I love wearing tweeds and wools, but it requires more care than knits (I like washable knits too).

With my planning with sewing dresses, jackets, pants, and skirts, I need to think about tops to wear as well. I do not have enough tops and that means looking at some patterns of some knits to purchase. I do intend to make shell tops because they are great to wear under jackets and sweaters. Well I suppose that is all I have today, but I certainly will take any advice or suggestions you may have. You can also tell me how you feel about working and wearing knits. Cheers!

What’s Happening

I am now into my three-day weekend off. I did not do very much over the weekend, but managed to see “Why Did I Get Married” on Saturday, work on my scarf, and put a muslin together for a pair of pants. It is a very good thing that I created the muslin because it calls for a could of adjustments with the length (a little longer), and just add an 1/2 inch to the waist, and it should do the trick.

I finally received my patterns from Butterick and want to get started with doing the tunic from pattern number 5100, and make a diaper bag for a co-worker at work who’s having a baby. The creative idea is to make a couple of diaper bags and use them as center pieces for the shower. I can put things in the bags like cloth diapers (hey, you can use a couple just in case), baby wipes, glass bottles, lotion, powder, etc. I think it’s different than doing a gift basket and one can get more use from two diaper bags than the basket.

With the arrival of the holidays coming, it can be so hectic. Can you believe that Thanksgiving is next Thursday? I have yet to write out my shopping list as I am still thinking about what I am preparing. Of course, the turkey will be the main event, but still haven’t decided on the side dishes and dessert. I was thinking about preparing a cranberry pear oatmeal crumble and potato sour cream biscuits. I think these will be nice and easy to prepare and tasty along with preparing cranberry sauce. Yes I do prepare my own cranberry sauce and it is very simple with a cup of water, sugar, and a bag of cranberries. I usually do a variation by adding an apple or orange to the sauce, and the dish can be made a few days before the dinner as you will need to allow cranberry sauce to chill and jell together. My father always wants yellow turnips with his dinner, so I will make a batch of that to keep him happy and my sanity will remain in tact. I shall write out my dinner menu by tomorrow night.

Now I am going to do a review of my movie I saw on Saturday “Why Did I Get Married.” I thought it was Tyler Perry’s most adult and mature movie to date. Upon watching the problems of the couples unfold, I thought that a couple of marriages could have ended and one does because of the obvious reason that the marriage between Mike and Sheila . You really don’t know what Mike really marries Shelia although she seemingly loves him and put more than 100% into the marriage and he gave her nothing in return. Actually he does give her something, his contempt and ridicule. Mike is the least mature person in the movie, and doesn’t understand what it takes to make a marriage work. Shelia stays in the marriage for the wrong reasons as it did not matter to Mike what she could have done to change herself (by losing weight), he did not appreciate or love her. I thought the movie brought out the point of the importance of honesty with your spouse. I think have become more of an opponent of discussing any concerns you may before getting married because at least you know where you stand, and a person can make a choice to accept or or not. I thought it was a little disconcerting that Diane who did not want children got her tubes tied without her husband’s knowledge knowing that he wanted more children (he gets a DNA test on their daughter without her knowledge). Perhaps intellectually and legally she does have the right to do whatever she wants with her body, but sometimes being right may not the best thing for a marriage, and she should have been honest enough to discuss with her husband that she did not want to have four children (actually it should have been discussed before walking down the aisle) . I think this movie is good in knowing what happens when you are not honest within a relationship, and it gives one a great to think about what kind of marriage you want and willing to live with.

Color and Inspiration

I wrote a blog a couple of days mentioned inspiration, and Adrienne so kindly responded with a comment stating that inspiration is everywhere.  She is absolutely right about that inspiration being everywhere and there are times when I get inspired in the middle of working on a project.  However, some of my inspiration comes from taking walks.  I have created stories to write while walking from the train station to work, or during lunchtime spending that time at the bookstore.   Inspiration came to me yesterday while taking photographs of my current knitting and sewing project and realized how the colors from the scarf I am knitting coordinated with the tweed skirt.

Now here is some background history about my wardrobe.  The current wardrobe consists primarily of black, gray and some brown.  Every now and again I have some color like a red cardigan and a pink sweater, but more than 70% of my clothing is black.  My mostly black wardrobe is a product of me working in New York City, and just about every woman in the City wears black (with the exception of the Sex in the City girls).  Black is the easy go to color as it goes with everything and seemingly slimming, but wearing too much black can be drab.

When I made the decision to start sewing my own clothes to build a wardrobe, I purchased fabric and again the majority of the fabric is in black, gray, and blue with the few exceptions of buying red cotton twill, the wool tweed from the previous post, my printed pj bottoms.  I thought to myself that I am doing it again gravitating toward the go to dark colors.  So now I need to add splashes of color in my wardrobe.  I actually hate wearing one color from head to toe that includes a print, and have to consider my problems areas that I do not necessary want to show.  I was in need of serious inspiration, so magazines became my inspiration to find color.  And thought to myself how much I really like wearing silk blouses because they are so feminine, and what a great idea to add color like reds, purples, greens, and certain blues.  I decided to create a color chart of fabric and yarn as a way to incorporate more color.  Mimi from the Domestic Haven blog suggested organizing fabric swatches to take to the store and coordinate with fabric you might purchase.  I thought it was a great idea, and in a way it could use a color chart.  You can pull the color from existing fabric swatches.

There are certain places where I can find inspiration and it sometimes take on a trip to the museum, particularly the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA).  They are great places of inspiration from Ancient Egypt or Greece to modern art.  Music gives me a lot of inspiration although it does not provide a visual, but you can create something in your mind’s eye like dreaming about a meadow or seeing an explosion of color.  At this moment, I am getting inspired with finishing my scarf to see the color pattern of the yarn.  Until we meet again, happy inspiration!