PRINTS, DO YOU LOVE THEM OR HATE THEM?

Recently I was sorting through photos on my computer and came across this group of print fabrics.  For a woman who is a professed non lover of prints, I certainly have a lot of them! I do like an animal print and I am always on the lookout for another one.   I never know what to do with large, over scale prints and small ones bore me and make me think frumpy.   I am always striving for a wearable, cohesive sophisticated wardrobe where I have lots of choices and having  too many prints just doesn't work.   I do look for sophisticated, unusual prints and most of these fit into that category.  So why haven't I made them up yet?  Partly my plans are always bigger than my ability to get them  sewn,  Sometimes I buy with a particular pattern in mind and change my mind about the pattern.   Then I have  fabric with no clue what to make with it.  Plain fabrics don't go out of style, but prints do.  Most of these fabrics are spring or summer weight cottons, silks and knits  My New Years resolution is to get as many of these sewn up as possible.  No new prints until I get these sewn.  Yeah, right.  Of course if that gorgeous, unusual prints rears it's head you know it's going to come home with me.  Especially a good animal print.  I am much more selective these days and it  really needs to speak if I am going to buy it. This is a good thing.  At last count I had 363 yards of fabric in my stash.  This does not include linings.  That's  a lot of fabric!
All of these have plain fabrics in my stash to complement them.  Some even have garments already made that they would go well with.
I have a few more prints, but these are the  ones I like best and may actually get made up.

So where do you fall in the print debate? How do you use prints in your wardrobe?

What I'm Working On

Playing with my new camera for one thing.  My old camera died a few months ago and I've been looking around for what to buy. I had already decided on a Canon Powershot S90 when the review in the Times clinched it.  It had pretty much everything on my want list.  It has a fast lens at f2 at 28 mm and it has a moderate telephoto at 105mm to satisfy my portrait needs.  I had an S60 which I loved, so it wasn't hard to convince me that this was the camera.  It's small!  That was the hardest thing to get used to.  At about 7oz with battery and card, it is easy to cart around and doesn't bother my neck. So far, I've just played and taken shots of Mr Nicky to send to Alex in Korea.  Now at 17 and a half, Mr Nicky doesn't do too much, so they all pretty much look alike, but Alex is thrilled to get photos of him no matter what.

I am preparing to sew, as they say.  I loved Sigrid's post on production sewing but it takes a lot of time to get even 3 new patterns prepped.  I have the green Burda twist top from my Wardrobe cut out.  I am in the midst of cutting out Hot Pattern Riviera cardigan in a black and white sweater knit with black wool knit trim.  The next up for cutting  is my tnt t shirt in a green wool blend sweater knit for Emmaonesock. I also altered the Burda side gather t that Sigrid made and I haven't decided what to sew it in.  I have some red rayon jersey that might work.  Then I'll cut  the  tunic knockoff with the nailheads.  I altered my tnt t shirt, V8151, laid out the nailheads on the pattern, and whoops I am short a bag.   I ordered two just in case and to play with. I'll cut that out last while I wait for them to come.
I also want to cut out the gray wool and silk pants from the wardrobe plan.  None of it is very complicated sewing, so I hope that I'll finish and not have ufo's left at the end of winter! I do have the silk blouse from my plan cut, so I could sew that too.  We'll see what I sew first.

I Need Some Input

A couple of posts ago I showed this tunic I am going to knock off.

I have a nice wool knit that I'll use without a lot of stretch.  I know how to draft the facing. I'll sew it on and before attaching the outside edges of it, I'll  apply the nailheads.  I was thinking that since the neckline will be large enough to go over my head without having to stretch that I might use some silk charmeuse for the facing instead of the wool knit.  I figure I need to sew it on before I attach the nail heads or I'll have difficulty sewing it on.  I'll interface the charmeuse, probably  with some silk organza..
What do you think?  
Also, does anyone have any suggestions on a good way to apply the nail heads?  Burda showed using a spoon to press down the backs of each nailhead. 

Finally, some sewing to show you!

I finished my leather skirt and my gray knit top in time to wear them to our sewing bloggers  dinner in NYC last weekend, but I didn't get any good shots of them  until today.  The top is Burda 113 12/08 in a very nice wool jersey from Emmaonesock.  The skirt is lambskin from Leather Suede and Skins in NYC. It's Burda 134 9/09.  It's one of their take one pattern and make 4, and they show them on dressforms.  It's really not the best way to see how a garment looks in real life. They describe this as a mini skirt.  I didn't add any length and I am 5'6" tall, the height they draft for.  Does this look like a mini to you?

I love  them with my motorcycle jacket as it was planned in my ill fated 2009 PR Wardrobe.  It's fun to wear and Cindy from PR day describe my outfit as 'Rock and Roll' .  I do feel chic wearing it. I have already gotten a lot of use out of it.  It looks great with my Tom and Linda Platt dress too and with the mild weather we've been having it works as  light weight outerwear.

I realize that I never posted a picture of my denim trousers.  They are in the wash and need a picture taken, so that will be later in the week.   I am still working on my McCalls jeans, 5894.  They are ill fated I think.  I ran the tab of the zipper off the top and had to rip it out.  This is why you should never sew a zipper in like Burda tells you to, at the end, with your garment already in the round.  If I hadn't already put so much time into them I might be tempted to chuck them, but they are flattering and the fit is good, if not perfect.  Of course, do I ever think I have perfect fit?  Not in pants anyway.  That flat rear end of mine is a pita  to fit.

Here are the links to my reviews on PR.

leather skirt

knit top

Thanksgiving

We had a lovely Thanksgiving on Alex's last day here.  She was off to the airport at 8 am with her Dad.  I had to take 2 guests to the train, so we said our goodbyes here.  She was teary saying goodbye to our very old, 17 years, dog.  Us she can talk to and video chat with, but not so the dog of course

Here we are dressed  in our Thanksgiving finery.  You'll notice my Tom and Linda Platt dress and my Hot Patterns cardigan.  Both have turned out to be favorite pieces.  I didn't think that I'd make the jacket again, but I love it, so I may make it with some red wool double knit from the stash.

Here's Alex with Mr. Nicky. 

On the sewing front:  I am finishing up my jeans.  Let me say how much I hate stretch denim with more than 2% spandex.  Note to self, never buy denim again with more than minimal stretch for comfort. It's a paint to topstitch across the grain.  .  I did  cut the waistband with  the straight grain going around the body, which helps, but below that I really had to take in a lot. 

When they get too irritating I have my green twist front Burda top on the cutting table.

After I finish my wardrobe plan I am going to make this knock off tunic from Tory Burch.  I already have the nailheads.

I'll probably make it from my tnt t shirt pattern. V8151.

Meeting Bloggers in Real Life!

                              Carolyn, Robin, Marji,Mardel, Claudine, Lindsay T, NancyK

What a great night we had!  It was such a thrill to meet the people I know online in real life. Earlier in the afternoon I ran into Marji and Mardel in Pacific Trimming, which was serendipitous.  NYC may be large, but the garment district isn't all that big anymore.  They went back to class and I went on to B & J where I ran into Claudine.  I was standing next to her and recognized her by her jacket.  She rarely posts herself on her blog, but she'd just done a post showing herself wearing her clothes, so it was fresh in my mind.  A small world.  We went back to Mood where she bought some fabric she'd seen earlier, and I ran into Tom, from Pattern Review Day. I really look forward to meeting other sewers as they make their pilgrimage to the garment district.  There isn't anyplace else like it anymore.  It may not be the place I shopped in 25 years ago, but it's still fabulous.  The choices and the prices are better than anywhere else I've been. 

 Sewing:  I've decided that I will not be able to finish my PR Wardrobe in time to enter the contest.  I am planning on finishing the plan, so you'll see it here when I do finish it all.  I've got a top and the leather skirt to post.  Probably not till after Alex goes back to Korea.  Yes, she is leaving us Friday.  We have enjoyed having her home for so long but she took a great job in Busan, a big city the south coast of Korea.  She wanted a change and a place with less pollution.  I have to say that we have a wonderful relationship and that I am going to miss her enormously. 

I am hosting Thanksgiving and I always look forward to it.  It's my favorite holiday,   I hope that all of you have a great day. 

Happy Thanksgiving.

The Search for Patrones

Through Pattern Review and various blogs I was introduced to pattern magazines other than Burda, Patrones and Knipmode in particular.  I generally buy single copies on Ebay from Stoff-Art.  Their speed is less than stellar and  I waited and waited for September Patrones to be offered for sale.  Finally, it was up and I bought it.  I am still waiting for it to come along with the October issue of Knipmode.  In the meantime I noticed that Ebay had the October issue of Patrones up.  It was from a Dutch company http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-PATRONES-SEPT-09-THE-MOST-AMAZING-PATTERN-MAGAZINE_W0QQitemZ110453312847QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item19b787cd4fand they were a few dollars cheaper even.  I have my October issue and I am still waiting for September.  I'm glad I bought it right away, as they only had 3 copies, but if you want the September issue it's still up.  One of the attractions of Patrones was that all the garments were from various European designers including such luminaries as Prada on occasion.  This October issue is the first one I've bought in a few months.  The titles, white blouse for instance, just don't have the cache the designers names had.  There are some lovely designs, but the allure of being able to make a Prada is gone.  When did this change happen?  


Sewing: I have been busy with my wardrobe.  I only have 3 pieces done and unless I up my speed, it won't get finished.  I am still optimistic  because the jeans are my last time consuming piece, well only time consuming because I've ripped the topstitching out too many times to count.  My machine does not like to make nice, even topstitches.  It doesn't like to hold it's tension either.   I'll take it in again after I finish my wardrobe.  They fit reasonably well  and I may actually make another pair if I can get my machine to do a better job on topstitching. I finished the denim trouser and a gray wool jersey top, both of which I wore with my jacket to PR day. I  may photograph a few pieces this week if I get a chance.