The Wednesday Showcase

Last Saturday I received the sweetest package from a lovely lady who lives in Greece and follows the blog. Inside was a box of tea, an herbal tea of cinnamon, cloves and saffron. When the package arrived, I was just about to sit down and have my lunch. I always enjoy a cup of tea with my lunch and this was such a treat, so aromatic. It also brought back memories of my sweet grandmother. Her purse smelled like cloves as did the chest of drawers in her bedroom. The smell of cloves in her purse came from the gum that she liked to chew and she would sprinkle cloves under the drawers so the smell permeated the wood as well as the room.  

When I initially began doing the Wednesday Showcase posts, I was so grateful that anyone would read my blog (I still am) and I wanted so much to give a little something back. So for those who follow my blog and have a blog, this is my way of saying thank you, and hopefully helping you to connect with others as well. 
Life is full of good and bad decisions. The Wednesday Showcase as well as the blog in general has been one of those good decisions. I have had the opportunity to connect with so many of you from all over the world. It has even served as a vehicle to reconnect. Just a few weeks ago I received an email from a former exchange student with whom I had lost contact. Of all things, she came across a blog post of mine on Pinterest! It truly is a small world :)

Today I would like to share the work of two amazing ladies.

First up is Deb who blogs at domesticdeb.com  She lives in the southeast section of Michigan, learned to sew as a small child, has a bachelor's degree in Fine Art, and loves her dog. She also has the most incredibly relaxed sense of style. As I scrolled through her blog, I wanted to make and wear everything!!!
Like this sweet Marcy Tilton dress.

Deb won the Pattern Review Surprise Sewing Bee contest with the jacket below. Believe it or not, it's the combination of 5 men's shirts.  

She took the Tina Given's Archie Shirt pattern, scaled it down and made the fabulous shirt on the right below.

I absolutely adore the skirt, but I'm also a push over for a picture of a girl and her dog, so I just couldn't resist :) 

This is just a very small sample of all the wonderful things that you will find on Deb's blog, so be sure to pop over and check it out for yourself.

Next up in Steph who blogs at 10sewingmachines.blogspot.com She and I both belong to the Haute Couture Club of Chicago. She has a great sense of fashion, and loves couture.
This past weekend the Haute Couture Club of Chicago held their annual fashion show. It's always such a lovely event. The picture below is not on her blog, but well worth sharing. She modeled this outfit in the fashion show. The jacket was made using fabric that she designed, and if I'm not mistaken, the design was inspired by a piece of sculpture that a family member did. 

This piece was done for a competition that was in conjunction with the fashion show. It's Steph's take on Yves St. Laurant's Mondrian dress.

I love this whisper of a cardigan.

And finally, her beautiful Chanel Jacket. Be sure to check out her blog as she has done detailed posts on the process of putting this jacket together.

I'm off to do a little cleaning in my studio. I'll have an update on my progress a little later. Now that I'm into it, I'm actually having a good time...and discovering a few things I forgot I had!!!

Happy Wednesday!
Rhonda