Sewing, Beading, Inspiration and More.
I know that black is not one of my best colors, or so I’ve been told, but I can’t help myself. It is just too easy to work with and sew into great go-to pieces for reliable, pulled-together looks. With my fascination with capsule wardrobes, I have a Pinterest board filled with many variations of […]
“There is no influence so powerful as that of the mother…” -Sarah Josepha Hale Happy Mother’s Day to all who have cared, loved and sacrificed. You are appreciated.
I have changed my email subscription service as of 05/4/15. Â If you interested in receiving the most recent post notifications and are reading this from tablet, PC or laptop, simply click on this post and you will find the Email Sign Up in the right hand column under my photo. If you are reading […]
Before I get started, I feel I have some explaining to do regarding my “break” from posting. It is due to many reasons, none of which may interest you, but I have been doing home remodeling to one room in the house, which leads to much upheaval in the rest of the house. I am […]
I wish my local Joann’s store was a little quicker on putting the latest pattern catalogs and pattern magazines out on display. Â I get all excited only to find the store hasn’t gotten around to putting any of the patterns in the drawers. Â What to do? Â Visit Hancock’s instead!! Â Pour over these pages […]
Although this will post in November, I worked on this jacket for a good part of October. This time of year brings about the prolific use of orange everywhere-mostly for Halloween, but also for fall decorations. Â The above picture is a bright geranium from my yard, blooming like it is the prime season for […]
This non-sewing post is just a little commercial for the weekend getaway and the importance of a scenery change. I’m sharing with you a few shots of a quiet, peaceful little town in Alpine, Arizona, and according to the 2011 census, the population is 466! It isn’t really because this little town has rolling meadows, […]
Look at these zipped up beauties! Â Imagine the endless possibilities combining fabrics, zippers, ribbons, tabs, buttons and stitches! Â She is not just any ordinary zipper bag. Â She has flair and personality due to her embellishment options. Â Take a quick look around Pinterest or the Google searches for zippered pouches and you will see a plethora […]
The short story is that my daughter is living in Boston now, working for a social media marketing firm. However, she was living in Phoenix, AZ., where she owned a house and car. After spending LOTS of money on transportation, she decided to coordinate a master plan to drive her car across the country with […]
Curvy Girls Unite! Creative-folk and Sewers Alike!! Join me on a trip to Boston….well, through this post anyway….the wonders of the internet and this sewing-in-common thing amazes me. I am here in Boston as I write this post in my daughter, Shannon’s, apartment about to share with you why miles don’t matter when it comes […]
My son came down to visit for the weekend and I whipped up these shorts for him. On a recent trip to my local mill end store, SAS Fabrics, I found this skateboard material and couldn’t resist especially since it is 100% cotton and my son lives in Phoenix. Enough of those polyester basketball shorts!! […]
As July 4th approaches, Â I have been getting into the red, white and blue theme in my sewing, scarf shopping, and jewelry making. This combo will be a year-round option, including other shades of the red/white/blue. Here is a quick bracelet I made from my stash beads. I like to call this approach ‘Bead Soup’ […]
I must confess that a guilty pleasure of mine is to watch the home shopping networks. Â Instead of resorting to trying clothes on at the local stores, I get a glimpse into what fashion is selling to people who choose to shop from home. It intrigues me to see how women buy pants online […]
This is a little late getting posted, but I thought it might be worth it to give a few ‘guy’ ideas for future presents. It is easy to come up with girly projects to sew, but I have a harder time coming up with ideas for the males in my family. My husband is no […]
I am thrilled to share a link to a new sewing blog on the scene. It is SewRed-y from my student, Rachel. I’m so glad she has taken on the sewing obsession and wow, is she a natural! She took a class from me when I taught at Jo Ann’s and with a little guidance […]
You may be wondering what this shirt has to do with a ‘Fashion Happy Conference’ and it simply is a purchase I made from a vendor (Lady Joan’s Boutique) at our most recent women’s conference here in Tucson. The fabric is a crushed poly, so it is easy care and great for packing. As the […]
I saw this fabric in the upholstery section at my local mill end store and thought it would either be a bag of some sort. It is a stiff canvas-like fabric and I didn’t think it would wash well or soften up much so I thought it would be best as a tote. I did […]
This post is a little recap from a recent trip to Coronado. It offers a little jewelry, mostly vacation pics, and some pretty foliage. Here is a little peak into some pretty images and some images of people you don’t know. It is a quick scroll-through. Thought I would mix it up a little. Our […]
I made this a long time ago when I was in a beading mood.  It was before I had attended the Sewing and Stitchery Expo in 2013.  It was in with all of my other lariats, hanging there, lonely, until I finished the jacket in a prior post.  I don’t wear lariats often because they […]
I was fortunate enough to spend a few days with my mom at the Sewing and Stitchery Expo in Puyallup, Washington last year at about this time (Feb/Mar), and I’m a little sad I didn’t go this year. It was my first sewing expo out of Arizona and I wanted to share one aspect in […]
If you are not familiar with the Great British Sewing Bee, it is time to go onto YouTube and check it out to get ready for the U.S. version. Â I wrote about it in a previous post here. Those I know in the garment sewing world, are thrilled we are now going to have […]
I saw this Valentine card and thought is was provocative, but in a good way. The zebras caught my eye and I had to look inside. The caption made me smile but it also conjured up all of the fashion back-and-forth we read and hear about stripes.(Card is from a series called “Party Animals” by […]
"Look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, and work like a dog."
This flower is delicate looking yet blooms in the most intense heat of the summer here in Arizona. The brilliant color stands out against the desert landscape. It is one of my favorite plants because it is so durable and prolific in size under the most uncomfortable circumstances! A lesson to me…. I’m always reading […]
This was an impulse fabric purchase (not unlike many of mine) but this was a little different. I was walking out of my local mill end fabric store and spotted this on the top of a pile. I had not seen it the day before (yes, I am on a first name basis with the […]
Well, I’m back posting after the holidays. Hosting family, being sick, shopping, working pooped me out and all I could do to get back on track was to sew! Here are two tops from the same pattern that I made quickly to satisfy my instant gratification craving. The first top is View A from Vogue […]
