Inspiration Overload

I invited Meri to go with me to a sewing meeting last night, but she had a CPR class to attend.  bummer...  She would have enjoyed it!

The clothing that these women created from these patterns were phenomenal.  It just makes me realize WHY I didn't get more than Average scores on my State Fair entries...

I am definitely inspired now to think outside the box and learn new skills to miter those corners, hem techniques and more precision.  

 I think I go for the speed of completing a project than enjoying the ride there and being careful.

 And it shows in my work.  darn.

However I can't take TOO much time as I've got too much to do...

Wouldn't this top below be a good one for cruise? hmmm...

Or really, any of these...  Stepping up my game, one project at a time.

I am sewing. and ripping. and sewing. and ripping.

Well... that about sums it up.

Ok! Ok.. I'll tell you what I'm doing! Remember that brown skirt that I made with a homemade pattern I read about in a magazine? I'm doing another one...This one is in turquoise. It's still the paneled slightly flared skirt with a little bit of a twist on the one panel that I sewed buttons on last time. Another nephew is getting married in 6 weeks and I really don't have anything appropriate to wear. Well- I probably do, but it all bores me to tears and shows off my fat arms. So you can't make me!!!!
I got the front and back pieces of the skirt sewn together then discovered something... There is no WAY this is going to fit me... I had added seam allowance manually all around each piece of the pattern, but apparently it wasn't enough when I use the 5/8s inch when stitching... There is no more fabric to cut any larger pieces either. hmmm....

So I started ripping each seam apart. First all the back ones and resewed it with just past the serged edges. With each panel seam I'm adding roughly 1/4 inch. So about 1 inch increase in the back and will get about that in the front. HOPEFULLY that will do the trick!Or I'll be starving myself into it in the next 5 weeks...

Then!!! when I was sewing the front pieces together, got them out of order!! I'm ripping them again and trying it one more time before I hit up Younkers for an entirely new outfit... The seam ripper is getting quite a workout!

I had thought I'd be using this dupioni silk remnants and the remnants of the turquoise and make a top. Matches pretty well, don't you think?

But thought I'd look a little like Gumby. Ya think?

Then at my sewing group meeting last Saturday, someone was giving away some beautiful paisley knit with hints of turquoise. wow. I brought it home and it works perfectly with it! Just enough to make a top...This is The Sewing Workshop pattern called the Salsa blouse. For my other sewing group, we try to use patterns from independent pattern makers. So far I've just made one thing from them. So this will be a challenge and something I can show off at our November meeting!So anyway... I hope this looks good for the wedding! I'll actually model it for you when it's done!

Oh darn... I guess I'll have to starve myself now anyway...

My State Fair entry

Ok - not yet.... I belong to two sewing groups. American Sewers Guild and Pattern Testers. My husband likes to call them my Sewing Militant groups.

The guild had their meeting this past Saturday morning and I've gotten inspired to get something started again! Then at the Pattern Testers meeting last night, the women decided that each of us will make something from 3 of the designing companies that we like. This group only does patterns that are NOT the big four pattern companies, like Simplicity, McCalls, Butterick and Vogue. I think I've settled on this outfit from The Sewing Workshop. If it turns out well, I'll also model it for the fair fashion show.

I love the casual style of both the top and pants. Someone in my group has made the pants several times and loves the calf to ankle darts in them. I didn't even see that detail until she pointed it out. So I'm not sure if that will work for my height. I'm 5'11". We'll have to see.

At the ASG meeting, we measured each others for pants patterns, so this will work right into that. I'm kind of excited to mess up the dining room table again!