The Wednesday Showcase

Before my grandmother died, she wanted to get her will in order and asked if I would like to have her sewing machine. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting under her treadle sewing machine and pushing on the foot pad. It would go, and go, and go, and I would laugh, and laugh, and laugh. Obviously, it didn't take much to entertain me ;) It now sits in a guest bedroom. At the moment it is unusable as it needs a new belt. But I think I have found just the person to inspire me to get it running again....meet Lyric of Sew Lyrically Vintage. Lyric is on quite a journey. She's making her clothes and using primarily this antique hand crank Singer sewing machine. Amazing!!!

Now hold on to your seats as you are going to be blown away with what she creates, like this sweet vintage inspired dress.

She has made a number of Sewaholic Minoru jackets. The one below has a quilted lining and she even made a matching bag! 

Here are the others. Love the fun linings.

Lyric helped a friend learn to sew. She had planned to make the caddy as a gift to celebrate her endeavor and then realized that she could make her own and it would make a great sewing lesson. This would make a great gift...or sewing lesson for anyone who sews or is learning to sew. You can find the instructions for the caddy HERE.

Be sure to check out Lyric's blog. Just a warning, she may have you looking at the non-electrical sewing machine ancestors with a wistful eye!!! 

Next up is gMarie of gMarie Sews. Her name is a combination of her first and middle names. She said that her husband even had her name engraved on champagne flutes. I think he is smitten ;)  

If you have not met gMarie, I think you are going to love getting to know her. She has such a beautiful spirit and she is so very creative. Not only does she sew, she also loves to knit.

This is a girl after my own heart as she loves to make and wear dresses.

Since I am in the process(very long process I might add)of cleaning up my sewing studio, I just had to show you gMarie's lovely space. Talk about magazine ready!

As I scrolled through her blog, look who I found!!! Why is Carolyn of Diary of a Sewing Fanatic! Sewing friends are the best and we do tend to get around :) 

If you aren't able to get out to Seattle to meet gMarie in person, then pop over to her blog and say hello!

Before I go, just a few quick things to share. I talked to a friend of mine a few days ago, a catch up call as we have not talked in a while. Before we said goodbye, she said, "oh, I have to tell you!!! I LOVE the Barb pant pattern." She was so happy with the fit. If you haven't downloaded the pattern, be sure and do so as I don't know how long it will continue to be available for free.  

And finally, I received a message from Angela of My Little Sewing Dreams. She made up  a number of the little owls from THIS post and loved them. She said that they are a great way to use up scraps and make a fun little unexpected gift too!

  

Isn't it wonderful that we can share and enrich each other's lives? :)

Happy Wednesday!

Rhonda

A Tuesday Morning Hello

A bright and cheery HELLO!!! from Chicago. After some rather ugly weather yesterday, we are having a very glorious day today. Sadly, some areas south of Chicago were devastated by tornadoes. Thankfully, it looks like no one was killed.
So I thought I would just do a quick check-in. I had planned to do a Monday Morning Inspiration post yesterday, but my day was a little too full, so I decided to just hold on to it until next week.
A few weeks ago I shared that I had put together my own little reading list for the summer. I started with a delightful book, The Gospel According To Chanel. I really enjoyed the book. The book is about Chanel and her life, how she became the icon that we all know her to be, but the author also talks about her own personal quest for a Chanel jacket. Not a Lagerfeld Chanel jacket, but a real Chanel jacket. I really don't think I am spoiling the story by telling you that she ends up buying real Chanel fabric and making a jacket. My only disappointment was that I wished she had talked a little more about the process of making her jacket. But all in all, the book is delightful, easy to read, and if you are at all interested in Chanel, I think it's worth the time spent.
The next book I read was recommended by a friend. She told me about the book a few years ago, I listened, but made no attempt to read the book. She again told me about the book this past January and wrote down the title. So when I was putting together the books that I thought I might like to read over the summer, I decided to look and see if our public library had it in their collection. They did, and oh my goodness. she was right, it's a wonderful book. I began reading it one afternoon, picked it up the next afternoon and finished it! It was that good and I just had to know the entire story! The book is entitled, Same Kind of  Different As Me.

It's a true story. There's so much more to the story than what you see on the cover. You will not look at a homeless person in the same manner once you read the book. The story is about struggle, faith and compassion. I HIGHLY recommend the book.
There are 5 more books on my reading list. As I said a few weeks ago, it's a rather motley group of books, but they all appealed to me.

First up, The Dressmaker. A fictional story about a seamstress who boards the Titanic. Now it's no secret about the fact that the Titanic sank, so I'm anxious to find out if she was one of the lucky few who made it off of the ship and if so, what happened to her life.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up has been a huge success for the author. I'll let you know what I think once I get through it. I have been doing quite a bit of cleaning and clearing out, so I think that's one of the reasons that the book appealed to me. True confessions, I actually donated 2 large bags of shoes!!! I should probably be a little embarrassed, I'm not :), but I am very happy to have taken such a step.
Wild, From Lost To Found on the Pacific Coast Trail was recently made into a movie. I did see the movie and yes there are some rather explicit scenes. I felt that the story could have been told without the scenes being so explicit, but the story did intrigue me, so much so that I wanted to read the book. I think that the book will be a richer experience than the movie was. So we'll see.
The last 2 books were gifts. My husband bought the book The Wright Brothers for me. It has received great reviews and I am quite anxious to read it as I know that it will appeal to my other great passion, flying. The last book, The Gentle Art of Blessing, was given to me by a friend. It just appeared in the mail one day. She sent me a note and said that she thought I would enjoy the book because she feels that I am a blessing to so many. Could one ever receive a lovelier compliment?!!!
I've include links to Amazon for all of the books just in case you might like to read a little more about any of the books, or order one for yourself. If you have a public library near you, try them first. You never know what you might find there!
About 5 years ago, I attended a wonderful retreat called a Knitting and Yoga Adventure. The retreat is held on a very small island off the coast of Maine called Monhegan Island. The island is very remote and very enchanting. On September 13th, I'll board a plane for Portland, Maine and be on my way once again. I can't wait!!! If you would like a little glimpse into what the retreat is like, I've included a video below. Each day there is a morning hike, followed by a morning yoga session. In the afternoon there is a knitting session followed by a restorative yoga session. A massage therapist is along on the trip and everyone gets at least 1 massage during the week. The inn where we stay is so comfortable and the chef is incredible. The evenings are spent doing as you please. Many gather in the sitting room to knit and talk. It's a very stress free experience, participate in what you would like, and do whatever you would like.



Since I know I will be doing a good bit of hiking on the trip, I need to get a few things ready. I really need some cargo pants, so I started looking for a pattern and found Simplicity 3880. The pattern was for sale on Ebay, so I'll have to wait for it to arrive, but I have plenty of time.

I really need a good jacket with a hood for hiking, so I'm going to make the Minoru Jacket from Sewaholic. Should be perfect for damp Maine mornings.

Before I go, I would just like to thank a number of you who have sent emails and notes telling me how much you enjoy the blog. I so appreciate you kindness as well as your concern. Sometimes things break us for a reason. But breaks heal and the time spent healing can give us an insight into something new and exciting. As I wrote in this week's Sunday Night Reflections, here's to always refilling the glass!
Rhonda