The Black Friday and Cyber Monday Pattern Train Disaster!

Winter has arrived!, and it brought with it a whole big bunch of snow. I wondered how Berkley would take to it. Little guy walks out as if it's not even there. And what's amazing is that he doesn't seem to be affected by the cold. But, he really doesn't have an undercoat, so I think that once it gets super cold, he will need a coat. Maybe I just need an excuse to sew a little something for him ;) Gracie, with her super thick coat would burn up if I made a coat for her, so it's nice to have a little dog to sew for once again.  

I have loved patterns from the time I can remember. My favorite was when the new Vogue pattern catalog would come out. The Claude Montana patterns, oh my, I wanted them all!

Of course, this past weekend was Black Friday, followed by Cyber Monday. Yep, I was tempted and yes, I went a little crazy :/

First up, I bought 3 patterns from Helen's Closet. I have and have made her Winslow Culottes pattern and I really liked it. The fit was spot on to the measurements. I also loved that it had side pockets. So with that in mind, I decided to take advantage of her sale and purchase 3 more patterns. From left to right;

The Blackwood Cardigan

Avery Leggings

Elliot Sweater and Tee

I will have a week with Helen coming up:)

When I was doing the sew alongs for Sew News, there were 2 pattern companies that stood above the rest, Waffle Patterns and Closet Case Patterns. They were so well drafted, the instructions were fabulous, and downloading them was a breeze since they both offered a copy shop version. Once again, with that in mind, I took advantage of the Closet Case pattern sale and went a little crazy.

From left to right;
Charlie Caftan
Kalle Shirt and Shirtdress
Ebony T-Shirt and Dress

Carolyn Pajamas
Amy Jumpsuit
Nettie Dress and Bodysuit

I bought the Bombshell Swimsuit pattern some time ago and loved it. It's pictured on the left below. I am going to take a water aerobics class this winter and would like to have a collection of swimsuits to wear. I love the underwire aspect of the Sophie Swimsuit, so that also went into my pile of patterns.
 

I did purchase 1 other pattern from Closet Case, but I'll share it once I get it made. My favorite, favorite Closet Case pattern is the Ginger Jeans pattern. I will never buy another pair of ready made jeans! 

The pattern purchasing train did not make its final stop at Closet Case, it went on and made a stop at Sew House 7. I purchased the Nehalem Pant and Skirt pattern. Won't this be cute with the Nettie Bodysuit from Closet Case and the Blackwood Cardigan from Helen's Closet? Hey, I have to justify all of my purchases somehow ;)

I don't have a lot of Christmas sewing to do, a couple of shirts for my husband, and a knitted project. Neither will take a lot of time. And even better, I have a fairly open December, so lots of sewing for me!!! So stay tuned, there will be fashion shows :)

Tuesday Tips

It is a spectacular day here in Chicago! So needed after the rainy weekend. A gift :) But...I feel a sore throat coming on, ugh. My acupuncturist's partner is a phenomenal herbalist and he makes what I call a potion, it's actually a tonic, called Cold and Flu Tonic. With the first sign of a sore throat, I begin taking a swig every few hours. You can find it HERE. It's quite potent, but works so well.

Karen sent a message after yesterday's post on Stephen Burrows and said that she has, of all things, a Stephen Burrows pattern. I had no idea! So, I decided to take a look, and here's what I found;

The shapes are quite basic, but now that you have seen what he did with them, the possibilities are endless for chopping up and color play. You can find all of these patterns HERE on Etsy. I did find a few on Ebay as well, but not as much of a selection as there was on Etsy. 

I purchased the pattern below.

I like the wrap top, but what really interested me was the cut of the skirt. Looking forward to making it up.

The shape of this pattern works well with how he drew his skirts. Look at the center illustration below, and then the 3rd piece from the left, the skirt with the red circle on the hip. Take note of how the skirt fits through the hips, but is flared at the hemline. Love this. 

I met up with a friend yesterday and she was wearing a fabulous pin. The leaves of the flower are leather that has been stitched. The swirly stamens are plastic wire. I plan to copy this as I loved it. 

While I was in Kalamazoo, one of the ladies had this little caddy sitting beside her machine. 

The front side had 6 little pockets, perfect for your seam ripper, a pen, scissors, and a needle can be stuck into the cloth.

The backside had a large pocket where she stored her phone. 

I am going to make one up today and I'll have a tutorial for you on Thursday. Such a great little item, especially for me as I have everything laid out so haphazardly on my sewing table. 

Last winter I worked with a massage therapist who really believes in the power of essential oils. She encouraged me to begin using 3 oils at night,

I use the Vitamin E oil on my feet and legs, the serenity oil on my forearms, and the breathe oil on my chest. What a difference it makes in how I sleep at night. On the occasion that I fall asleep before I apply the oils, I don't sleep as well. Then, the next morning, I'll remember that I forgot to apply the oil. The vitamin E oil I purchase from my local drugstore. The doTerra oils can be found at various sites. Just a little something I thought I would share as I think that a good night's rest is one of the best things in the world!  

Do you have a fun tip, or something that makes your life a little better, or easier? Let me know. I would love to feature it on the blog. If for some reason you can't leave a message, you are always welcome to email me at sewbussted@yahoo.com :)

Have a wonderful day!
Rhonda

Patterns That Are Fun To Dream Over

Life has been a bit crazy lately, house guests, and then just stuff. Sometimes there's just no better way to describe the things we have to deal with than to just call it stuff. But all is beginning to return to normal, and I for one am very happy. So you'll be hearing from me much more in the coming days :)

Like many, or most of you, I received an email yesterday showcasing the new Spring/Summer Vogue Patterns. Last winter, I was so very happy when Paco Peralta was the new featured designer and I purchased the Assymetrical Jacket and Dropped Shoulder Top pattern. It's cut, not sewn, and I'm giving it a little twist that I'll share soon. This is a perfect piece for the Chicago spring and summer.

Paco's pattern was the first Vogue pattern that I've purchased in quite some time. There was a time when I couldn't wait for the new pattern book to come out. I would drool over the patterns, especially the Claude Montana patterns, and then write down all the numbers, just as if I was making a Christmas wish list. Sadly, those days have been gone for quite some time. More often than not, there's little that catches my attention...until last night.

I absolutely love this Rebecca Vallance dress. Unless you are going to a cocktail, or black tie event, the dress would not get a lot a of wear as is. But, the neckline would be easy to fill in. The armholes are also a little low, but like the neckline, could also be filled in.     

The pattern is really quite versatile as the skirt would be super cute all on its own. 

This dress from Tom and Linda Platt has a lovely vintage feel. It also has an elegant easy to wear look.

I love having a new dress for Easter, and I think that this just might be it this year. It's elegant from the front, and interesting from the back.

I still enjoy a two-piece swim suit, but I'm past wearing a bikini, way past ;)  This vintage suit pattern offers a fun take on a two-piece with the easy to wear shorts. 

Love everything about the pattern, even the cover-up. The only change I would make is to lengthen the cover-up and then make it out of a fun lacy fabric.

I was so happy to see a new pattern from Paco Peralta. My favorite version is the shorter tunic and the cropped pant.

For some reason, the top on this  Very Easy Vogue  pattern caught my attention. 

The line drawing is a better representation of the top. I'm not much for an elastic waist pant, but the pant from Paco's pattern would be the perfect substitute.  

I also received an email from Tessuti Fabrics. They have a new pattern out, the Yuki Dress. This is a super easy to wear dress that could easily be shortened and worn as a top as well.

From the photograph above, it seems that the neckline could be left ungathered and worn softly over the shoulders. I'll find out as I bought the PDF version of the pattern!   

I'm looking forward to some fun new additions to my wardrobe. And even if I don't end up purchasing all of the patterns, it was fun to dream :)