Memorial Day Weekend

We literally headed for the hills this weekend with a getaway to Taos in the mountains of Northern New Mexico. DH booked us a room at Hotel La Fonda de Taos, a historic hotel located right on the Plaza. The rooms were recently renovated, and just charming. Our room was on the second floor on the far right, with 3 working windows to provide plenty of fresh air.

...And some noise. Fortunately, the Plaza wasn't too loud in the evenings since most of the immediate area consists of retail shops that are closed in the evening. But this weekend was the big motorcycle rally in nearby Red River, which meant a lot of bikers around. They were nice but most of their rides were pretty loud. Good thing we were out and about during the days.

Taos is a foodie town, probably more so than Santa Fe, so we spent a lot of our time eating out. A couple of new (to us) places that we tried were Graham's Grill and The Gorge. We liked Graham's so much that we ate breakfast there twice and are looking forward to going back for dinner or lunch another time. The Gorge is more of a bar although the food was pretty good, too. It's located in the space formerly occupied by Oglevie's for many years. Old favorites revisited included Lambert's and Doc Martin's, both of which served us excellent dinners.

We also did a bit of shopping. It's a tourist area after all, so there are plenty of little shops to visit. There were several featuring the fiber arts, including a yarn shop and a weaving place. There were also a couple of fabric stores. One, Common Thread, I knew about already.

It's been in business for many years. Its focus has been garment fabrics, but home dec and quilt fabrics seem to be making inroads, as well as accessories like handbags and such. I realize business is hard in this economy, so you have to carry what'll sell. But still, I was a wee bit disappointed so not much buying there. I picked up a 7/8 yard remnant of Kaffe Fasset fabric that will become a little summer top or trim on a shirt, also an interesting button that will likely become a necklace or brooch:

I also discovered a new-to-me quilt shop called Taos Adobe Quilting.

Tiny shop, but an excellent collection of cottons, including several bolts with designs by a local artist, Terrie Mangat. I realize that I just complained a little bit about quilting fabrics in the last paragraph--I suppose the difference is expectations! Anyway, this store does not carry the stiff, dull looking stuff you find at chain stores. Nope, this is the higher grade, silky soft quilt cotton that you can actually use for clothing. I bought a few yards of a design inspired by the Rio Grande. I hope to use it for a shirt:

Although most of our time was spent relaxing and exploring the Plaza area, we did make a couple of side trips. We drove up to the ski valley yesterday, a beautiful trip through the forest. It's always quiet up there in the off-season, probably now more than in the past.

Yes, there's still a little bit of snow at the top, but the water is running. As we drove home today, we saw several rafters out enjoying the white water while it lasts.

On the way home, we also took a small side trip into Ranchos de Taos to visit Dennis Hopper's grave. We found the cemetery, not the grave, but it was still a moving experience. It's an old Hispanic cemetery, very humble. No photos today out of respect for the families who were visiting their relatives for Memorial Day. After all, that's what the holiday is really about.

More on the Haul from Material Girls

You wanted pictures? Are you sure? 

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Well, here goes....

They're not the tidiest shots, but I think they'll give you some idea of what's there. 

This first set is mostly in the washing machine right now.  Even with a Color Catcher, I thought it best to hold back a few of the lighter colored pieces.

The next group consists of wool, viyella, velvet, faux fur, ultrasuede, etc.

These are children's fabrics. I grabbed these because it's my understanding that my workplace is involved with the school system's clothing bank for homeless children. I've already talked about not liking charitable sewing, but anything made from these would be at my own pace, rather than an event with a definite place and deadline. We'll see what happens.

The fabrics are mostly cottons and cotton blends.

Patterns. I'll probably cull these down but there were some nice classics in there

I find it very difficult to ever pass up a free zipper, so these came home with me too.

So there's the haul to end all hauls. I really would like to use some of it--there's some quality stuff in there!

Material Girls, May 22

Oh crap, more stuff!!

You recall my mention of the ASG sale a couple of weeks ago, right? The one where I purchased several lovely pieces of fabric and patterns? And was so proud of my restraint?

Well, today was ASG Fundraiser Part II, the Leftovers. The Prez brought all the fabrics, patterns, and books that didn't sell to our humble Neighborhood Group/Stitch n Bitch this afternoon. All free, before she took it away to Goodwill or the Salvation Army.

I think an OMG is in order here. I have 2 cartons of fabric, notions and patterns sitting in the trunk of my car. Included are Ultrasuede, wool, linen, velvet, corduroy, cotton, faux fur, zippers and Vogue designer patterns. Somehow I'll absorb all of this, but I don't think I'll be buying much anytime soon.

On the production side, I cut out a couple of TNT projects--another TSW Mixit Tank to coordinate with a RTW cardigan and a Loes Hinse Tango Skirt from Slinky. It doesn't come close to matching the input of new stuff, but at least something is on its way out of the Sewing Cave!

ASG Sale Patterns

I got patterns, too. My tastes are very similar to whoever assembled this stash. Again, I could have gone crazy with pattern buying but controlled myself. I'm actually trying to cull some of my collection! My purchases were limited to just a few that really "called out" to me.

This Marcy Tilton is one of the first Vogue issued. As I recall, the guide sheets had several techniques for fabric manipulation.

This copyright 1995 Vogue was a new one to me. I'd never wear the whole ensemble together, but the individual pieces are appealing. I was drawn to the culottes (!), thinking they were a skirt. I'd make them from a drapier fabric, though. They reminded me of an Issey Miyake skirt that I'd love to make if I could ever find the pattern for a decent price. In the meantime, these Montana culottes will work.

This one is copyright 1987, but I've been noticing similar pieces in RTW lately. Yes, the 80's are back but hopefully in a good way. Can anyone tell me about Carol Horn? Her name is vaguely familiar but other than that, nothing. I feel like she's a name I should know.

This one is copyright 1995. Anne Klein is a classic design house, and this group of blouses is no exception. I especially like the ones in the two smaller photos on either side. Very wearable.

All of the above cost $2 each, and there were many others at that price. There were also many for $1 each. I think all of them were unused. 

Now indulge me, because I'm going to take a moment to vent. My complaint is not about the sale but about behavior. This sale was a fundraiser for the ASG and all the items, 2 rooms worth, were contributed by an estate. It was organized by the officers and members, all of whom are volunteers.

And yet certain member(s) felt it was necessary to comment about how the sale was conducted, believing that the items should have been photographed and posted on the chapter website. Yes, really.  In addition, there was a complaint that items should have been priced even lower, like at giveaway prices. I was appalled! 

I've been an officer and know how much time and effort it takes to organize an event like this. Also, the point of a fundraiser is to raise money for chapter activities. Finally, there is a responsibility to the donor. 

Of course, the comments came from those who seldom volunteer but are always eager to critique those who do. Get.Over.Yourself. 

There, I've said it. And lest anyone think I'm being unfair, this is something I've already said in person in the past and I'd do it again. 

ASG Sale Fabrics

I had time for photos because DH took my car to the carwash. It's not that I'm trying to hide anything, but he doesn't get fabric/pattern/blogging. Throwing stuff on the floor beneath the skylight and taking pictures doesn't make a lot of sense to him. It's easier to do it when I'm home alone.

Anyway, here goes. This first one is cream with woven dots. I think it's linen but I haven't done a burn test on any of these yet.

This one is either rayon challis or viyella. I'll be holding off on working this one at least until fall.

This one is definitely silk. It's blouse weight and has a great hand. I'm still collecting black/cream/khaki fabrics to coordinate, so this one will be a good one to add to that wardrobe.

Another one for the black/cream/khaki collection. The color is richer in real life. I don't know if you can tell, but the roses and plaid are woven into the fabric, not printed. My guess is rayon. It's fairly heavy, but quite drapy.

This one is cotton gauze and lightweight. The width is narrow, so probably Indian hand-lomed. It'll be perfect for summertime.

All of the above fabrics except the gauze were $4 per yard. The gauze was $2 per yard. I was tempted to buy more but held back since the Sewing Cave is already full of fabric.

Another Week...

Ahh, Saturday! A chance to relax and recuperate after another week of training and spreadsheets. I swear, I'm going to be the Queen of Excel before long!

Somehow I mostly missed the big Blogger outage/outrage of the week. Yay for going to an occasional meeting of actual human beings. My local ASG chapter met Thursday evening and it was great fun, especially due to a fabric estate sale that was held as a fundraiser. I was able to buy some beautiful patterns and fabrics at amazing prices while making a donation. Of course I'll blog about my goodies, but I haven't had much of a chance to unpack everything.

You probably noticed that I made some updates to SewWest's appearance at long last. I was having problems accessing the design functions of Blogger until DH loaded Chrome (and put Safari on my Mac's dock). Blogger played much more nicely with Chrome, another Google product, and cooperated in opening up all of its design options. And so, new colors!! I hope the yellow isn't too much, but it seemed appropriate for summer and went well with my banner photo.  I plan on changing things around seasonally, so there will be different colors and pictures later on.

Update, Q and A, and a Big Thank You!

I've completed 2 weeks at my new job. It's mentally exhausting learning all the new systems, but I like the company. One advantage of starting a new job with a class is that we can teach each other as we learn, and I can see some close bonds developing. Several of my team members are really young, as in right out of college. And then there are the rest of us, umm, "experienced" people. There are 14 people on the team, plus a team lead, analyst, and manager who transferred here from North Carolina.

I've even found bits of time for sewing. You've already seen my latest skirt in the last post, but I also made another pair of TSW Hudson Pants from the green Santa Fe cotton. I wore them out to dinner last night. I love this pattern and foresee future versions with variations. However, my next project will probably be more vestments. I got some of the matching fabric I needed while in Chicago, so I'll be making some gold stoles similar to the green ones I made last fall.

The weather has finally decided to be hot after a late freeze last weekend, so I've also made a minor attempt at culinary gardening:

I'm using containers, along with terra cotta ollas for irrigation. I planted 3 plants: tomato, basil, and mint. I planted basil (left) last year using the same system, and it did pretty well. Mint (front) is easy, so no worries there. I've never had much success with tomatoes (right), but we'll see. Even a few would be nice. Note to self: get a support for that tomato plant!

Laney asked if the new Simplicity 9570 skirt is something I can wear to work.

Actually, it is! The new workplace is business casual, and I'm not seeing many skirts. But I see no reason not to wear it, especially now that summer heat has arrived. I will have to be diligent in wearing the fake tan stuff and maintaining my pedicure, as panty hose aren't required and sandals are ok. 

Jules asked about the Michael Miller Italian fabric and asked for details. 

This is the fabric she's asking about: 

I bought it at Fishman's in Chicago, but it's currently on several fabric websites including eQuilter and Fabric Depot. It's a current Michael Miller fabric called "Parole Italiano".  It also comes with a black background.


judidarling commented on my new header with the cacti blossoms.

I took that picture last year or the year before. Unfortunately, that particular stand of cacti is gone due to some landscaping we had done. There are several other specimens around the property. We have some other varieties of cacti, too, but the orange ones are always the first to open up.


Several of you mentioned the rattlesnake statue, so I'll expand on that a little. Albuquerque has a program called 1% for Art, which means that part of the development budget on large projects has to be spent on artwork. In addition to the snakes, the program has resulted in some other interesting pieces around town, including the quirky "Chevy on a Stick" and many others.

Lastly, thank you very much for all the words of encouragement that you've left for me! I appreciate your support and kind wishes!!!