Vogue 2811 Update

Today in class I stitched and pressed the back darts, prepared the back pockets, stitched and topstitched the center back seam. The fly front facings are prepared and sewn in, and the zipper will be next.

My goal is to get the fly front zip installed and topstitched before next Tuesday's class. I'd also like to have the waistband in, so all I have to do in class is the button hole and hem. The skirt is due at the end of class next week.

The only downside is that I might not actually get to wear this skirt. I bought a size 6-8-10 pattern because that is all that was on eBay, even though I measure a 12-14 for this skirt. Pattern Review had many saying that the pattern ran big, so I thought I would be ok without alteration. I won't know until I sew the side seams. Either way, the skirt is looking really good and I think that I'll get a solid grade on it, at least.

Newest Mhendi

International Club will be doing henna tattoos at tonight's homecoming pep rally. I decided to practice on myself this afternoon. This is largely copied from an LA henna studio's design. I'm really happy with the way it turned out, and the quality of this henna. This is my first time using Jamila henna powder, and it's excellent. I had no trouble mixing the paste and it never clumped. I can't wait to see the stain!

Vogue 2811 Update: there is no update. I played with henna this afternoon instead :)

Vogue 2811 - Topstitching trials

This is my first project that features real topstitching. I don't have any of the attachments suggested to get great topstitching - well, technically I have a blind hem stitch foot but I'm pretty sure Sears sent me the wrong one because it doesn't fit my machine - so I'm stuck making due with my regular old presser foot. And it's not going too bad!

Yesterday in class I serged the edges of almost all of my pieces and pressed the side pocket curves. Getting the pocket curves even and lying flat was a pain in the rear with this thick denim. I didn't purchase this fabric for this project, but I'm making due because I couldn't find anything better locally. 

Other than the denim being a little heavier weight than I'd like, it's a great color and 100% cotton. I'm using grey Gutterman topstitching thread and a topstitching needle, with dark blue thread in the bobbin to make the topstiching stand out more. I read this tip on a blog, but I can't remember which one... darn it. 

My goal is that by friday I will have the back darts sewn and the back portion of the skirt assembled. This way I can tackle the fly front over the weekend, and then hopefully the waistband in class on Tuesday. Thats the plan, anyway.

Love at first sight

Vintage Simplicity 4678

I found this lovely while browsing the eBay iphone app in Economics today. I am in love with the jacket and absolutely need it in both red and leopard versions. It's even in my size, and was completely within my budget. Wasn't it meant to be?

Beautiful Bloggers!

Wow, I feel so special :) Kathy at Summerset Sewing nominated me for a beautiful blogger award. How cool is that? In addition to sewing, Kathy blogs about gardening, swaps, and of course her two big ol' doggies.

I am suppose to tell you ten things about myself, then pass the award along. 

1. I love baking and decorating cakes. I don't decorate cakes as much as I used to, but I still have a lot of fun making the odd birthday cake here and there. I actually have awards from the AZ State Fair and the Arizona Cake and Sugar Art Show for decorating, and a blue ribbon coconut cake recipe. Woot!

2. I had a cow. Literally. I showed cows and heifers for Gilardi Cattle when I was in Jr. High and still living in Chico, CA. My heifers name was Naava, which means "pretty girl" in Hebrew. It was lots of work, but it was a great experience, I had a lot of fun, and it made me tough. Bumps and bruises are nothing to me now. 

3. One of my newest hobbies is temporary henna tattoos - specifically mhendi. I've done a few on myself and others and I'm not too bad anymore. I am still at the beginning of developing my own mhendi style, though. I love working with the henna dye, too. I've experienced how henna reacts differently depending on how you mix it with my henna hair color. 

4. I adore reading nonfiction. For whatever reason, I've never read a fiction book that makes me think the way a good autobiography can. That being said, I still try to be open-minded and varied when choosing books. I love when people suggest books for me to read! I almost always go find them. 

5. I want to go to Boston University. I'm applying to a few other schools too - University of Denver, University of Pittsburgh, Bates College, University of California Santa Clara to name a few - but Boston is where I'm set on. My kitten, Boston, was named after BU. I figured that was good luck. 

6. I cannot function without my contacts. My prescription is only a few away from being legally blind. It's pretty crazy when I don't wear my contacts because I forget what my world would be like unaltered. I am so thankful for contact lenses!   

7. I work at Jason's Deli. I'm lucky enough to be at a non-corporate location. My managers are awesome and I've got some funny coworkers. It's a really silly place to work, and the food is actually tasty. Plus, our kitchens front and back are super clean. I've seen restaurants that are just gross in the back - I could never work somewhere I wouldn't actually eat. 

8. I run a tutoring company called Chaparral Tutors. It's a franchise of Peer Tutors, LLC that I opened last January. I have ten tutors working for me, and we offer tutoring in every subject offered at Chaparral. It's been great business experience, and I hope that the business schools I'm applying to will appreciate this little forte. 

9. I have arthritis in my toes! My toes and ankles crack continuously with any movement. I can't even tip toe around at night because my toes go *crick clack* with every step. This makes practical jokes very difficult. 

10. My one big insecurity when it comes to clothing and dressing are my shoulders. My shoulders are really broad for a girl. Thats why I'm so insistent on highlighting my waist and not wearing empire lines - my body just looks huge unless I have something at my waist. Luckily, I adore 50s retro styles which almost always highlight the waist. 

And now, the other beautiful bloggers:

-La Sewista, who really puts time into the details of her sewing. She's working on a Channel Jacket right now, which I bet will be beautiful

-Quality Time. Angie is not only has my heart with all her pretty vintage sewing, but because she's super sweet! I asked a question about her piping and she responded with a whole tutorial. I've totally got a seamstress crush

-The Daily Skirt, who makes the most impressive garments in what seems like no time flat. Go checkout her new brown moto-jacket. It's gorgeous! 

-Kim's Kouture, who sews lots for herself and her family. This is one of the first sewing blogs I ever found through Pattern Review. I got the bug and read her whole backlog of posts one night. 

There are about a trillion other beautiful bloggers I know of, but I think that they have already been recognized with this award. I love that this award has really made it's way through the online sewing community.

Greetings from UFO -land

This OOP vogue skirt has been cut out and added to my (seamingly) never-ending pile of UFOs. And now, for your entertainment, a tally of my ADHD sewing habits:

-McCall's 5853 that needs bias binding

-underwear pattern that has been traced, cut and perfected from an existing pair of underwear and needs to be made up for finality's sake

-floral drindl skirt from the last post

-Jeans re-fashion

-pillowcase re-fashion

-two pairs of monster pajama bottoms

-and now the above skirt, which I am (way too) ambitiously attempting to make for my skirt project in class

Will someone shed some light on how to manage, store, and complete sewing projects orderly? Am I the only one this scatterbrained? Will the new season of Glee ever start? 

(*New theory. I sew more when I have glee to watch whilst I do so)