A Major Award

 No, not a leg lamp!

I won the first Material Monday sponsored by Club BMV! Soon, several yards of chenille buffalo check will arrive at my door, or the mailbox, depending on how they send my prize.

Club BMV is a promotion of the McCall's Pattern Company, which publishes Butterick, McCall's and Vogue Patterns. In return for a $15 annual fee, you receive discounts on patterns, advance notices on sales, etc. Material Mondays is the best benefit they've come up with so far. All you have to do is be a member and send an email each week. You win if they draw your name.

Of course, I'll have to come up with an appropriate Butterick, McCall or Vogue Pattern to use with my fabric. It would be the right thing to do. Right now, I'm thinking about a jacket.

I'll post more details when the fabric arrives. Be sure to enter if you're a member; there's a link to the page above. The next prize is a fabulous piece of leopard print silk blend.

Kwik Sew 2948 Cardigan

This pattern is an old one that I've made several times since buying it in 2000. I cut out this version last February but put it aside due to work duties. I pulled it out on Sunday because it's cold enough for sweaters again, and I needed another project! This one was already good to go since it was already cut out. I feel like I'm on a roll with completion of the Thanksgiving Sewalong and want to encourage myself to keep sewing!

The fabrics I'm using are light green coordinating knits that date back to the late 1990s (!), leftovers from a previous ensemble. They're from Fashion Fabrics Club; the fabrics are a combination of acrylic, polyester, and other fibers.  One is textured and the other is smooth. Last time around, I used the textured as the main fabric and the smooth as accent. This time is the opposite, because I have a lot more of the smooth fabric left over.

I was able to serge together the shoulder seams, attach sleeves and complete both side seams in about an hour on Sunday evening. Knits go together so fast, especially with the serger to help things along!

 A couple of reader comments about the Giveaway:

 Karen Roth made this remark about the Sandra Betzina Vest pattern: just wanted to say if you've ever been unconfident about doing bound buttonholes, the instructions in the Sandra Betzina vest are the BEST! Of all the times I tried to get it right (welt pockets too) over the years this pattern was a major lightbulb moment. Perfect bound buttonholes/welts out of faux leather into a wool vest, bound to match. Worth it for that alone.  

Thanks, Karen--good to know! I was not aware that the vest had a bound button tutorial. TSW patterns teach a lot of great techniques. 

Pam asked: How does one manage to get so many duplicates? 

Pam, there are a few factors:

• The local ASG chapter I belong to has a trading post, and independent patterns appear there from time to time. I've picked them up only to discover later that I already had the pattern. 
• I also won some auctions on eBay that included patterns I already owned. Not an ideal scenario, but sometimes there are a few patterns in the auction you simply must have so you buy the entire lot. Thank goodness I'm past that! 
• And then, there's just poor purchasing, thinking you don't have a pattern that you already have at home.

I've gotten more careful about pattern acquisitions since becoming aware of my wasteful ways! Still haunting the ASG Trading Post, but I haven't bought any eBay patterns in a while and I've cut way back on other pattern purchases.

Comments, Questions and Answers

Duchesse commented about my post "Making a Mood Board": Knit sportswear leggings are not big here for women (young adults, yes) but the hosiery ones are a boon to women cyclists and the perfect in-between before it's so cold. 

I probably should clarify what I mean by leggings, because I'm probably not being clear. I don't mean the form-fitting knitted ones that are first cousins to tights and don't do most people any favors. A more accurate term would be skinny pants--they're close-fitting but don't cling to every detail of one's anatomy. I have a couple of pairs that are made from a fairly substantial firm knit.

Also, thanks for the compliment on my new banner! I'm amazed at how well iPhone pictures can turn out. I took this one at the rug auction and cropped it to fit. Now if I could only get Blogger's template design functions to work, I'd complete some of the other changes I want to make.

Martha asked: I'm curious about the size of your cutting mat. I've been trying to find a large one that fits my table, but the biggest size I've found so far is only 36 x 42... Your's looks much larger. Can you share where you found yours?

Mine is 59" x 33". It came from JoAnn's Fabrics. At the location I bought mine from, they were stored in plain brown corrugated cardboard boxes, with the mats rolled up inside. In other words, not readily noticeable. I used to use two large Dritz mats that I taped together. Each one was roughly half the size of my big mat.

I've also seen them at Ann Silva's, the Albuquerque Bernina dealer. Hers are made out of a different, thinner plastic but they seem to hold up well--she uses them in the classrooms and fabric cutting areas of her store. 

Marciae from the Artisan's Square board commented: Nancy - you must go to Crown Pointe to the rug auction - great place - we haven't been for a couple of years - we're overdue!!

I'd also like to go to the Crownpoint Auction sometime. It's a lot farther than Bernalillo but I understand it's the auction for Navajo rugs. Now would be a good time to go if you can afford it.

Mary, have fun on your Southwestern travels! December 8 will be here before you know it! Be sure to post about your adventures.

I've received many posts on recent projects--thank you, thank you! It's nice to receive your kind feedback on my projects. I'm almost done with the TSW Now Shirt. The pajamas were fun and quick--sometimes it's nice to bang out a project quickly and focus on how to produce efficiently. Not everything needs to be a Project with a capital P, know what I mean?

Don't forget to enter the giveaway! The Era Jacket is proving to be a favorite.

Holiday Giveaway 1

Here's the giveaway I promised you.

Today's giveaway features the Sewing Workshop pattern collection. Given the number of duplicates I had, there will be 2 winners this week! Each prize will consist of 2 patterns and a card of holiday buttons.

Prize A: Sandra Betzina Vest and Skirt, Spring Street Shirt, 2 Christmas tree buttons.

 

Prize B: Sandra Betzina Vest and Skirt, Era Jacket, 2 Christmas tree buttons.



More details on the patterns:

• Sandra Betzina Vest and Skirt: the skirt is a favorite of mine, a faux wrap style that will not embarrass you by opening up. The pattern specifies knits, but I have successfully made it from a variety of wovens as well. The original design calls for a 35" length but is easy to adjust. I haven't made the vest but it looks like it might be a nice winter piece. Both copies appear to be uncut.

• Spring Street Shirt: This pattern has been cut apart, probably for ease in tracing. The tissue appears to have all pieces and all sizes. I've also included the traced pieces that came with the pattern. Out of print. I'd recommend selecting the size by your high bust since the fit is a little loose by today's standards. The basic "bones" of the shirt look good though.

• Era Jacket: This is a cute little jacket, copyright 2004. I have no idea why Linda pulled this one out of the collection, but it's also out of print. The fit is not oversized. Tissue appears to be uncut and in factory folds.

If you want to play, leave a comment on this post by 12/4/10 (next Saturday). Be sure to write "Sewing Giveaway 1" somewhere in your comment, and let me know if you have a preference for the Spring Street Shirt or the Era Jacket. The first person selected will get their choice if it's noted. The Sandra Betzina pattern and the buttons are in both prizes. One entry per person. I'll randomly draw the 2 winners on Sunday and post their names on the blog. 

I have 3 additional giveaways planned, so stay tuned. I'm hoping to do one a week through the month of December, subject to holiday activities of course. At this point, all prizes are sewing oriented, but I may add a non-sewing one depending on what I unearth in the Sewing Cave.

Pajama Sewalong: Finished!!

I worked on them yesterday afternoon and finished them this morning. I don't have too much to say about their construction, except that I think I need to retire this pattern. Not because I don't like it, I do. However, the tissue is coming apart and is just about done for. I have some other pajama pants patterns that I can adapt using this one, so it's ok.

I made these for me. While they make great gifts, my Christmas list is small. My sis and BIL are getting a shipment of New Mexico green chile, and my SIL and BIL will be getting a shipment of salmon. DH and I are planning a holiday getaway to Santa Fe, so that will be our gift to each other.

Thanksgiving day was very relaxed. DH and I went out to dinner and had a lovely meal of buffalo prime rib, root vegetables, a green chile popover, and mashed potatoes. Also included were a soup course (lobster bisque), salad course (endive with blue cheese, candied pecans, cranberries, and tangerine vinaigrette), and dessert (a pumpkin cheesecake). Delicious but way too much to eat in one sitting, so we will have Thanksgiving leftovers this weekend.

Heads Up!

I've gradually straightened up the Sewing Cave, and several duplicate items have appeared.

As a result, I think I'll do some giveaways during the holiday season so I can share the wealth with my blog friends. I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to organize this but wanted to give y'all some advance warning--there will be patterns, magazines, and maybe some other surprises.

So stay tuned everybody. Hopefully I'll come up with a plan over the Thanksgiving weekend and announce the first giveaway by Monday.

Pajama Sewalong

Ann (Gorgeous Things) organized a pajamas sewalong for Thanksgiving time, and I'm participating. I'm making my usual pajama pants from McCall's 2476. I usually make a few pairs every year, so I'm about due for 2010.

I picked out 3 cottons from the stash last night and washed them to knock out the storage creases. Yes, you read it right. There are 3 pieces, meaning I'll be making 3 pair of pjs at the same time, using my big mat and rotary cutter. Each fabric is quilting weight cotton: batik ferns, retro Route 66, and an anime-inspired cat print.




Producing multiples is simplified by stacking and cutting all pairs at the same time. Stacking is a utility sewing technique--the fabric is stable, no design matching, and the pattern is a simple 2 piece TNT.

For the layout, I fold each of the freshly laundered fabrics lengthwise and press them, then lay them out on the table, aligning the folded edges. They're stacked from wide to narrow and the printed (white) selvedges are placed so they're visible.


Once stacked, I check to make sure the fabrics are smooth and uncreased. Then it's time to cut!



This stage goes really fast, so now I have 3 pairs of pj pants ready to go. My next steps will be to pre-press the casings and hem allowances. I also need to choose serger threads that will blend with all 3 fabrics--not the easiest task, given all the different colors in the fabrics I chose. Even with a BabyLock, I don't want to do much changing out of cones. I like to sew these in an assembly line manner as much as possible.

Navajo Rug Auction

I attended a Navajo rug auction on Saturday. It was a fundraiser for the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology.

The Navajo people have been known for their handweaving since Spanish Colonial days. Tribal members still weave as a means of supporting their families. The company conducting the auction has traded with the Navajos for 5 generations--you could tell they had a depth of knowledge, also a real respect and affection for the (mostly) women artisans. Many of the weavers were present and showed their work.

Although I've lived in New Mexico for a long time, I had never attended this kind of auction before. It was more exciting than I expected, and yes, I got caught up in it. I got 2 fairly small pieces that I'll post to the blog when I get a chance. It was a great way to spend an afternoon, learning about a still active part of Native American culture and seeing a beautiful art form.


The auction was held in the town of Bernalillo, which is just north of Albuquerque. This is a view of Sandia Mountain. I took it from the car with my cell as I left town. The landscape here is always interesting!

The New TSW Now Shirt Continues, Plus

I went to Joann's Wednesday afternoon on a button hunt. I found nothing on the sizable LaMode and JHB displays--everything was too ornate, too shiny, or too light. In other words, exactly what I didn't want for this project. I was getting ready to leave and head towards Hancock's when I noticed the tiny Slimline rack, where I found a couple of likely candidates--dark gray faux mother of pearl and matte-textured black buttons. Each card of 6 cost a whopping $1.00. And the winner is--the black! The texture and color blend well with the charcoal shirt, so I'll be making buttonholes, attaching buttons and wrapping up this project soon.

Yesterday, I had some errands to run near Anthropologie. I like their quirky vibe, although the prices are higher than I care for. I found a couple of things I liked well enough to try on. I talked myself out of these pants--although they were cute and well-fitting, I don't need linen right now.




I took a couple of cell phone pictures for the details, which may appear on a project later on. I bought this sweater:

It got mostly bad reviews on the Anthropologie website, but it appealed to me. I'll be wearing it with skinny legged pants. The maroon ruffle at the lower edge is actually a separate layer that wraps around from the back. The cardigan layer is only the front and sleeves.

I saw some other items that I liked but just as inspiration. I don't need to be buying a lot of new clothes when I have a closet full and a stash besides.

This year's Threads archive DVD was in the mail when I got home. It's not just the supplement, it's every issue, but it had a special price if you purchased it last year. A couple of things have been fixed. For example, I can now print pages if I want to. I had a fun time looking through it last night--a different experience than leafing through the actual back issues, but satisfying to be able to quickly search and then bookmark favorite articles.

TSW Now Shirt, Version 2

I've planned to make another Now Shirt ever since the last one I made in early 2009. I finally got started with Version 2 on Saturday afternoon. It's still in progress, but mostly done.


This one is made out of charcoal gray gauze. It's an extremely wiggly and ravelly polyester that's been in the stash since 2001. However, it worked up well in spite of all that. In retrospect, I probably should have just punted the French seams called for in the pattern instructions because they required so much handling, which made the raveling worse. Note to self: serging is a perfectly acceptable seam finish when faced with this type of fabric! Really, it's ok.

I need to pick up some buttons and more thread before proceeding with the front closures. You'd think with all the buttons I have, something would work--but no! Nothing really works for me the way I want it to. I envision this shirt as being a showcase for accessories--necklaces, scarves, etc.--so I want really plain buttons that won't compete. Worse comes to worst, I'll make covered buttons with the fabric that's left, but what I really have in mind is charcoal mother of pearl or even similar man-mades.

Making a Mood Board

I'm always tearing things out of magazines and catalogs, often images of garments that I like. Usually I keep them in the back of whatever sewing journal I'm currently using. But this morning I was inspired to make a "mood board", using one of the closet doors in the Sewing Cave. It's nice to be able to arrange them--they tell more of a story as a grouping than as a sheaf of papers in the back of a notebook.

Right now, tunics and leggings are interesting to me. So are coats, now that the weather has finally cooled off. And details--the fabric roses on several garments, the origami trim on the t-shirt, the ruching on the gray blazer, and Ralph Lauren's chiffon top layered over a lacy sweater.

It took very little time to do, and the door was one of the few blank areas in the room. I see it evolving and changing over time, and it'll be interesting to see how it will influence what I buy, wear and sew.

Kokopelli Valance--Finally Complete! (now with pictures)

I started this project back in July, when DH and I decided to make some minor changes to the the office so it better suited both of us. Since then, the valance has remained unfinished, pinned to the drapery pole. I lost my job right after that and lost some of my enthusiasm for it, needless to say.

I got my mojo back for this project after the in-laws' visit last month. I was a little embarrassed that it was hanging up there in that condition, even though they were unaware of it. I knew, and it really bothered me. I finished it yesterday morning while DH was out of the house. Basically all that was needed was lining, trimming to size, and sewing the casing and hem--just a couple hours of work.

The valance hangs straight from the pole without gathers per DH's preference. No frou-frou gathers for him! The face is quilting cotton, which had the Kokopelli design he wanted, but it was a bit too thin to look right on its own. The flannel gave the quilting cotton a more substantial hand. It hangs better now and looks more like a home dec fabric.


The flannel also provides a neutral backing that looks better from outside the house. The office window is right by the front door, so having a finished back was important to me.

Of course, DH didn't even realize I'd changed anything until I pointed it out. He has a lot of great qualities but a sense of aesthetics isn't one of them!

I Know...

Postings have been light since completing the last version of the Urban Pants. A lot has been happening behind the scenes:

• My SIL and her husband (BIL?) came out for the weekend before Halloween for our second reception. Since the wedding was in Las Vegas, we held another one for our friends here. Fun, but a lot of work and time even with it being catered.
  
• DH was home for that week on vacation. It was helpful at times, but often, not so much. Example: "Sure, honey. It would be great to take the old computers to the salvage place. The old stuff is in the garage." I get on the phone for a personal conversation. He then has to know details of which items right that minute! I mean, isn't the salvage place open all day? I tell you, it's a retirement preview, and it wasn't pretty.
  
• Still working on the job search, focusing on the feds. Oy, their application process is difficult! I keep telling myself it's part of the weed out process and ultimately, it's going to help me. Why federal? That's where a lot of our local economy is right now. I realize that I should be networking with my contacts in the banking industry but I'm having a lot of misgivings about returning to that field.
  
• I'm doing a lot of community activities. I'm working with a couple of local boards and serving on the vestry at my church. It adds up; any additional commitments will be limited in scope because I don't see myself doing any additional "management"-type of activities right now.
• I'm exercising 4-5 days a week. Usually it works out to 2-3 sessions of upper body weights a week at Snap Fitness, the nearby "quick gym". It's in easy walking diestance, and not overcrowded like the full-service gym I used to belong to. The other sessions are at home. The personal trainer I met with (part of Snap's dues) is not a fan of weight machines, so I'm doing my leg work around the house--lunges, squats, etc. Yeah, I think it's odd that he didn't promote what the gym provides, but whatever. I'm feeling the burn.
• Rosetta Stone. This one's been on the back burner for a few weeks, but I'm learning a little Spanish. After all, I'm in New Mexico, people!

I'm hoping to return the Sewing Cave and start churning out some fall items soon. The weather is cooling off, and it's time to produce some new fun things to wear!