[Nicole]

Thank you all so much!

xxx

[Tamara]

I hate how you are zooming along at top speed on a project and discover you are in vital need of something that you just used the last of! Lite steam a seam 2 you are a thorn in my side right now as I attempt to get all monsters, robots, cars and worry / kokeshi dolls into their places. Times a ticking and my patience is a bomb ready to go off! How I wish I lived closer to town in times like these!

Oh well, it seems as though there will be NO sewing for me today!

[Sarvi]

Traced the messenger bag and cut out the book report — if you’d made these recently you might see me faveing your old photos!

[Lightning McStitch]

Oh for a neighbour with a stash of Vilene bonding stuff. I’d lend you some Tamara if you were next door to me (I love that stuff)

Sarvi, I love the Messenger Bag I made my son ( a bit of sewing mother excess pride involved in that project) but he will insist on the Thomas backpack his dad brought home from the show, or the guitar shaped backpack Granny bought him at the Wiggles concert.

Sigh…..

Sew like the clappers January is drawing to a close. I’m going away for a few days then I have to go back to work. My absurd garment a day sewing rate will slow dramatically from now on.

Shelley

[Tamara]

Oh wouldn’t it be great?! To just pop next door and borrow some vilene instead of milk?

[with love Heidi]

Finishing off the pram/carseat liner for a friend who just had a new baby this week. It’s great to get it finished as I made a few of them a couple of years ago and this is the last one to be finished.

[Lightning McStitch]

Oh no, and yippee at the same time.

I’ve just had one of “those ideas”. The kind that make you cackle with excitement, and absolutely everything else has to be set aside until it’s done.

I’d been trying to think of how to use up the stretchy white stuff from P’s Evel Knievel suit which led to an online movie image search, which lead to an awesome idea, which doesn’t use up the stretchy white stuff, and in fact, will require me to go and buy more fabric (oh no). But it is going to be seriously cool, and possibly even a useful garment as well 🙂

Meanwhile, as I dream about the next big thing, I’m making a pair of Hopscotch dresses out of some old maternity long sleeved T shirts. Boring.

[meleliza]

I spent most of yesterday *planning* how I’m going to do the fairy tale communion dress. I am still unsure about how I will treat the sheer sleeves, but am planning to try a method Kenneth King showed in Threads. I still have to actually order fabric, but to some extent I need to decide on the skirt design so I know how much fabric I need. But I also need to *see* the fabrics to decide on the design, sigh. The endless possibilities are stressing me out a little and I’m completely distracted by the whole thing. Finding heirloom supplies here in the north is tricky and there really are a lot of very specific supplies required. I need to order fabric today and maybe take a few days off from it.

Meanwhile, I am sewing a class picnic dress on soft Moda flannel to help baby girl through the insanely cold weather we have this week. I cant believe i am sewing her size 3 now! I have carefully cut out the crepe de chine lining for my Liberty dress and hope to start assembly tomorrow. I did manage to finally finish a super hero cape for P’s birthday today as well as a pair of woolen socks for baby girl and a pile of bedding for her and for her dollies.

Nicole – I recently used traveller and some silk cotton voile to rip off a jcrew blouse. I need to finish the hem (have worn it twice anyway, lol) and get some pictures. What are you doing with it?

Now off to fight this cold and make angry bird cupcakes for oldest son’s birthday. Oh The things we will do for these people.

[Sarvi]

Go Shelley go! Can’t wait to see what you do with the excess Evel.

[Sherry]

Meleliza, I loved your fairytale dress made in the red floral liberty with the robert kaufman red sash, where do you buy the robert kaufman fabric. I have found a place in Oz that sells it, but they only have 3 colours and there is such a lovely range in this fabric.

Also I have bought quite a bit of fabric from Farmhouse Fabrics and they have lots of lovely heirloom fabrics, I don’t know if they are up your end of the USA, not very good with my geography over there.

Hope you are feeling better soon.

Sherry

[Mel]

My eldest is going to be in a production of the Wizard of Oz and I volunteered to help with the costumes. Although they involve the theatre students, the productions are very well done, with lots of great professionals donating their time.

I’ve been asked to help with the Dorothy costumes! The first thing is to source enough gingham fabric for 10 costumes at less than $7/metre. We’re going to hit up the thrift stores but if anyone has any other suggestions, I’d love to hear them.

[meleliza]

Thank you, Sherry! I had so much fun with that dress. I usualy buy it from Hart’s Fabrics, but they were sold out of the crimson and I found a quilt shop in Reading, PA, which is only an hour outside Philadelphia, that carries the entire range. It’s called Ladyfingers sewing.

I just ordered Swiss cotton organdy from Farmhouse fabrics, which they told me was “top of the line” with lawn for a lining, as well as some expensive thread to try and really lovely embroidery insertion. Wow, these heirloom things add up fast.

Mel, what about fabric.com or fabric mart? They often have good prices. I suppose for theatre costumes, you could use a poly or poly cotton blend, which might help lower the price. I would be surprised if a thrift stores has enough yardage for 10 costumes, but if you have the time to look why not.

[with love Heidi]

Thrift stores are a good idea. Twice in the last year or so I’ve seen like 10m of gingham for like $5. This is Australia where until fairly recently most of the girls school uniform dresses were made out of gingham (now mostly made of difficult to find plaids, right Tamara?), so some parents/grand parents tended to have a lot for the gingham on hand! Maybe get the cast to check with grandparents too as it was really fashionable in the 50’s/60’s.

[Nicole]

Melanie,I am making a size 14 no mods in a very pretty voile a sweet friend sent me.

I hope it fits!

If you don’t mind poly cotton gingham,try Ebay.

[Tamara]

Absolutely! Got it in one – sorry had to wake up there after hiding under my rock! You can generally find “Dorothy” gingham at spotlight although I have no clue as to the price. It shouldn’t be huge but surely there is a costume budget? To at least put some $ towards the fabric?

I’m back in he sewing game and completely armed with two packets of steam a seam. Lets rock n roll baby!