Not an Organized Person

See how I start things and then ignore them oh so swiftly? Yes, yes you do.

I have projects to share, but life and lighting conditions are not very obliging. I blame Girl Scout camp volunteering, it eats your life up like a starving person with a tasty warm donut.

But this is what I'm finding all kinds of fabulous lately:

This pattern from BurdaStyle

(pssssst, there is also an online class going on for this pattern over on Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing. It looks like all kinds of awesome.)

This tutorial for a vintage style belt on Casey's Elegant Musings

This dress found on Burda by juleken

*all photos belong to their respective owners, click on the links to visit them

I am an Oregonian and I am a rain snob

Just in case you didn't know, Oregonians have a thing about not carrying umbrellas. (Or rain boots much for that matter, I never knew where to buy them until I moved to Chicago) Yes, it rains a lot. Yes, I have been caught in torrential downpours and end up looking like the worst kind of drowned rat. Do I carry an umbrella? No. I have even been known to silently judge people in Chicago that walk around campus in full raincoats and rain boots and with giant umbrellas. In a light drizzle. Sometimes even when it isn't even actually raining but just looked like it might possibly begin to threaten to rain.

I understand that this is probably unfair. I'm trying to be a bigger person and acknowledge that these people will be the ones laughing at me when I sit at my desk with my own personal Great Lake of a puddle because I refused an umbrella during a veritable midwestern monsoon.

This umbrella DIY from What I Wore might let me overcome my prejudice. Maybe. Probably not, but it would look fabulous though! Now I just need to find an umbrella somewhere...

Grandma's Curtains Skirt

I've had this photo saved to my computer for a while, so unfortunately that means I don't know where it came from (if you have any idea, please let me know. I really want to give credit where it's due.) I loved the whole get-up but especially the big floral print skirt. (Florals in spring. SUCH an epiphany I know).

The vintage-y feel of the print sort of reminds me of something my great-grandmother would have on her curtains (that's a good thing ok? ok.) and it put me on the fabric search. Eventually I had an ah-ha moment when I found this blue print at Boersma's Sewing Center (great place, horrible for your wallet). Thus, my grandma's curtain skirt.

No pattern on this one, just drafted it out based on my measurements and the fit of another skirt. I made the band much wider than the original photo, about 4 inches verses what looks like one, because I find that looks better on me. It did turn out a touch snug in the hips, so if (and I mean when) I make it again I'll have to fix that. I did like the button closure in the back instead of the usual hook and eyes but I think I'd increase the overlap of the back band next time as well. Right now its at about half an inch, but I think it would sit better with about an inch.

All in all though, project success!

Zee Machine

Rather than introduce myself, the blog, or my (non-existent) pet goldfish, it seems only appropriate to introduce the sewing machine. (That’s what you’re here for anyway, isn’t it?)

Ta-Dah! My Emerald 183 from Husqvarna. It was my birthday present this year (and, I suspect, also a ploy to keep me away from my mother’s Pfaff). I won’t review it much, since I’m not exactly a sewing guru except to say that I love it muchly. I found the bobbin tension a little finicky in the beginning until a sewing instructor showed me a few tricks (basically wrap the tread around all the little metal bits on top of the machine. I’ll take a picture next time I need to thread a bobbin).

The other thing I will say is IT DOES BUTTON HOLES! And not crap button holes either! Button holes and I have a problematic history, mainly because the aforementioned Pfaff does not play with with buttons. My mother’s machine before that had similar issues (though that was probably also due to nine year old operator error). But now there are button holes and there is much rejoicing.

Moral of story: let your mom pick out your sewing machine. For she knows The Ways and carries The Cards of Credit and Debit.

image from Husqvarna Viking