I have a new favorite pattern

For what that's worth. Everytime I sew a new pattern and it turns out even half decently, I think this is my favorite pattern. So, it's a fickle compliment, but Burda 7798 is my new favorite pattern.


I originally got it with the intention of making the dress version, but I was a little concerned with how wide the skirt part might be. I'm not that tall and I'm not a huge fan of big, billowy skirts. So, I decided to make the sleeveless top first knowing that it would allow me to preview the "skirt" part of the dress without committing to it.

I'm definitely satisfied that, had I made the dress, the skirt would not have been excessively full. I'm toning my enthusiasm for this pattern way down. I love this pattern and I can't wait to make the dress.
I did have to shorten the top as it was more tunic like than I wanted. Also, the next time I sew this pattern, and there will be a next time, I'll use a 12" zipper instead of a 20" zipper. That's just too much zipper for this top.
Since the skirt of this pattern is cut on the bias, it doesn't really lend itself to directional fabrics (if someone knows how to make directional fabrics work where one part is cut on the straight of grain and another is cut on the bias, please let me know).
I'm already mentally auditioning which of my hand dyed fabrics would work best with this pattern. I think you'll be seeing more of my new favorite pattern.

Big Pattern Love

So the big pattern love continues. I haven't done anything yet with the fabrics I stamped with the wooden stamp I got from Mary Louise, but I've been making big shapes with another stamp. Actually this stamp is just a cardboard circle, probably 5 or so inches in diameter.


At first I used it to create an all over pattern. But then I started thinking about limiting the patterning to a specific section of the fabric and how I could use that to enhance a design.


I've been thinking about making a wrap skirt for a while, but once I made this big circle fabric in turquoise and limited the patterning to one edge, I finally sat down,drafted the pattern and sewed the skirt.


And it wasn't too long after I finished the skirt that I started to think about sewing a big circle tank. I made this pattern last year, but this time I altered it slightly. The original pattern calls for a pair of ties to run through the front and back casings and tie at the shoulders. I wanted my tank to tie in front so I made a buttonhole in the front casing and ran one, long strap through the both casings.
This allows for the front to gather and makes the tank look better under a cardigan. Not that I'm wearing too many cardigans in this 100 degree heat, but I can dream, can't I?

English Paper Piecing

Now those are three words I never thought I'd be motivated to write about. But, boy was I wrong.
The other day I was wondering where I would get more Grandmother's Flower Garden blocks once I used up the ones I inherited for Great Aunt Irma. I took a while before it dawned on me that I could probably figure out how to make these myself.


I could cut out the hexagon paper templates.


I could pin them on to the fabric and iron the seam allowances towards the center.


I could even sew them together.


And add embellishment.
What I didn't think I could or would do was enjoy the process.
If you noticed that the pictures seem to get brighter as I got further along in the making, that's because I was so stoked about making this flower that, having begun the night before, I got up at 5:00 am the following morning to continue working on it. What's more, despite the fact that I had plenty of other things I "should" have been doing, I kept working on it until it was done.
One little tip I discovered along the way: it's very helpful to prep the fabric by ironing it with spray starch. It gave the fabric a nice stiffness that made cutting out the hexagons and folding in the seam allowances easier.
Now go out there and sew your own garden. But, be warned, this is seriously addictive.

Someone else's trash

There's an old saying about how someone else's trash might just be your treasure. I don't think I have to work hard to convince most people of that, but I recently had a wonderful, personal experience with this concept. The other day a dear friend called me up and told me that since she no longer used her fabric dyeing equipment she wanted it to go to a good home. She could have just thrown it away but that seemed wasteful. A few years back my friend hung up her fabrics and dyes and ventured into the brownie business. Now Mary Louise is the queen of her own empire, Butters Brownies . "So," she asks, "Could you use this stuff?" I thought that she might have a few yards of fabric and a couple jars of dye. My first clue that she had more than I suspected came in the form of the suburban she borrowed to haul the stuff over to my house.


I already had 30-35 jars of dye, but she probably tripled that with her contribution.


Add to that this large stack of wax and three wax-filled electric skillets,


an amazing array of silk screen frames in various sizes, quantities of dye chemicals and, get this, 90 yards of undyed pima cotton. I pretty much felt like I had won the lottery. Best of all she gave me a new wax stamp.


I am head-over-heels in love with this stamp and brimming over with ideas for the fabric I'm making with it.

Shop News

NYC Scenes::Part 1

We're heading back to Austin today and, though I'm happy to get back to my regular life and to my sewing machine, I am experiencing that end-of-vacation let down. We've had a terrific time here in NYC, seen some amazing work, walked through many fabulous neighborhoods and eaten some very tasty food. So, I thought I'd take this opportunity to share some of my favorite images from our brief visit here.


I saw these signs all over town, but this one had an addition to it that made me smile. Underneath the posted fine someone placed a bumper sticker railing against fascism in America, a poignant addition. Needless to say, the sign and it's threatened penalty are ignored.


This is Bryant Park. Like most visitors to NYC, I'd heard quite a bit about Central Park and had always taken the time to walk through it and enjoy it in contrast to the bustling city. But I'd never been to Bryant Park. I never even knew it existed until I joined an online book club sponsored by the NPR show, Bryant Park . Apparently the show is named after the park across the street from NPR studios in New York. This park has to be the most lush, verdant, pastoral space in all of NYC. There are rows of tables and chairs tucked in along huge swaths of ivy towered over by tall trees. There's even a Bryant Park Reading Room in the park. Visitors can "check out" a book to read while sitting in the park. Just amazing!


The above are all views of the New York Public Library. This is another famous New York landmark that I can't believe I didn't make it to until my third visit. What was I thinking? This should have been top of my list the first time I came to NY. Not only was the building itself breathtaking, but there was a wonderful (and I could go on with the superlatives) photography exhibit on display as well. And all this beauty and inspiration was free, not a fact to be ignored in this city.
The exhibit, Eminent Domain: Contemporary Photography and the City, was a group show focusing on the work of 6 photographers, Thomas Holton, Bettina Johae, Reiner Leist, Zoe Leonard, Ethan Levitas, and Glenn Lignon. This turned out to be one of those unexpected jewels you just seem to stumble upon in New York. I've linked to the photographers who have websites and I'd really encourage you all to check their work out.
That's it for this entry. I'm off to pack.

I just found out that I was featured at hallmark magazine's online blog . If you get a chance check it out.

Renegade and Rain

Check it out. This post has a title. Both my husband and daughter have chided me for just numbering my posts, so, despite the anxiety of coming up with a title, I'm going to do it.
Anyway, back to the actual subject of this post. I feel a little like roving reporter. Here I am, away from home, and yet still able to write about the events of the day and have that"published" here on my blog. Ain't technology grand? Sad as it may be, we checked into our hotel with two computers in tow.
But I digress. I'm supposed to be describing how the Renegade Craft Fair went yesterday. Well, good...and bad.
The day started out really well.


Having traveled by plane to NYC, I was pretty limited in the amount display items I could bring. I brought one basket and two tablecloths and that was pretty much it except for lots of string. My plan was to create multiple lines for hanging things both vertically and horizontally.


I tried to make "curtains" of hanging fabric bundles. Luckily, I'd made quite a few fabric packets so when one sold, I could just clip a new one in its place. All in all I was pretty happy with the way my booth looked. And, I really liked my banner.
The day was warm, but, being from Texas, I was unfazed by the heat. I also met some fun people. Kathy Miller from Micheal Miller Fabrics came by and I learned that she and Michael Miller are not a married couple or siblings, but that their company name is a mix of his first name and her last name. Who would have thunk it?
I also got to meet several people who I know through flickr and some really nice folks over at Etsy. There were a lot of oohs and aahs over my work and I chatted with a representative of the Craft America Shows about what it takes to do wholesale shows. Things were going pretty well.
Then the thunderstorm came. Here too I thought my Texas experience would serve me well. Thunderstorms are not uncommon on a Texas summer afternoon, so I was calm in the face of the lightening and thunder. That is until the crackling of the thunder was so loud that it was essentially overhead. I also felt like I calmly but quickly went about taking down my stuff when the deluge of rain started. But when the wind blew my canopy away, I might have been less the tranquil. Many of my items were soaked in the rain and some were badly stained. My husband helped me to collect my stuff and we headed back to our hotel(just a few blocks away) in the rain.
After the rain had slowed some(though it didn't completely stop all night), we went in search of a laundromat. Luckily there was a 24-hour laundromat just a couple blocks away.


Abi was not impressed by the bank of washers and dryers.


Though all our formerly soaking stuff is now washed and dry, there are several items that are too stained to sell. So, Renegade will be a one day show for me. It was pretty fun while it lasted and I still have 3 days to play tourist in NYC. In the scheme of things, not much to complain about. All the non-stained, unsold items will be posted in my shop this Thursday and Friday.