Sewing, Beading, Inspiration and More.
Merry Christmas to all of you who may be celebrating in the next few days. I have a little sewing poem to share that came from Judy Kessinger of FitNice Sew Slim, a personalized pattern system. I was able to attend one of Judy’s 2-day seminars when she visited the American Sewing Guild Tucson Chapter […]
There is no snow here in the desert, at least not yet, but the holiday season is upon us and I am busy making things, as I always do during this time of year. As you may have noticed, I haven’t posted much since before Thanksgiving. It would be smarter to plan all year for […]
Mixing beads and then braiding them may not seam like a difficult approach to making a necklace, and it’s not, but I thought I would show you a few color combinations. Every necklace includes nine strands divided into three separate groups. Braid as usual, bringing the ends toward the middle until all nine strands are […]
If you are looking for a coordinates pattern that has casual and a bit dressy,this may be it. There will be more about this pattern to come but for now, this post is about the dress because it features princess seams resulting in a great fit. This must be a successful pattern for McCalls because […]
I bought three strands of the large oval iridescent faceted beads so that I would have enough to do two rows to mimic a bib-style necklace. I could have just strung these horizontally on beading wire as I normally do but I thought I would design this hanging the beads vertically to resemble the current […]
I think this is a great use for those old, plain black buttons. I will be sewing tonight. No great costumes to share with you this year. On prior Halloweens, I have been Raggedy Ann (my husband as Raggedy Andy much to his chagrin and NEVER to be repeated), a mermaid, a cat, but not […]
What I’m wearing today…..This is a garnet colored coin pearl necklace I made a few years ago using up some of my gray colored faceted rondelles for a little sparkle. The coin pearl diameter is about 3/8″ or 8mm, and the rondelles are probably 6mm. There are 4 strands total, but I would have preferred […]
These examples of shoes are just too wild. Thought you might enjoy a smile. Color Blocked Wingtip-ish. The socks and tights are a nice touch. Ruffles hide a bad pedicure. That’s a lotta’ boot going on. Hot, sweaty foot? Allow a little more time to get out the door with all that lacing up to […]
I debated back and forth with myself about writing this post because although I had a great time with my mom at this seminar, my little point-and-shoot camera was new to me and I wasn’t in the habit of taking commemorative photos of the event. Â I hope the photos are enough to give you […]
Well, I can’t think of the last time I had a new style. It was probably when my kids were young and I had just moved to Arizona, which would have been in the early 1990’s. It was a short wedge cut and the hair hugged my neck. It was cute, but I got bored […]
As you may know, Pantone is the well known authority on color and provider of color systems and leading technology for the selection and accurate communication of color. It is one of the “go to” system used to help create consistency in color in a variety of industries, such as fashion, interiors and paint manufacturers. […]
How about this?  Thanks to her supportive mom, a teen’s dream to model has come true. Hallelujah!  I’m hopeful that companies will continue to expand their marketing efforts to include a variety of faces to their campaigns.  Finally, some good news being circulated out there! If this doesn’t make you smile, I’m not sure what will. […]
Using a pant hanger, arrange all your beautiful scarves at a glance so they are easy to grab when getting ready in the morning. This video is brilliant!! It doesn’t take much time and the ideas are wonderful. The scarf seems to have worked it’s way into our wardrobes as a year round accessory. I […]
I read an article some time ago that addressed how to stay looking stylish without succumbing to every new fad. It was addressing the contentment that comes with accepting the styles that work for your body proportions and lifestyle. Having just crossed the 50-year old threshold, I want to dress my age, be appropriate, and […]
What you can’t see here is that this bag stays closed by recycling a used tape measure from a home improvement center. Fortunately, my husband had one he was happy to donate. The measurements are 8″ Width x 6″ Height x 2″ Depth. As with any sewing project, there is room to personalize and modify […]
This is McCalls 6700 out of a wild ethnic-looking print I found at my local mill end store SAS Fabrics. It was very easy to sew up although a made a few changes: 1.) In hindsight, I need to add more length to the bodice since most bodices run a little short on me. I […]
It has been 2 years since I started hosting our little gathering on Friday nights. I am so grateful for the time we spend together. Our lives are busy and we still make time to sew our individual projects while laughing and sharing bits of our lives together. Check out how tis all began here. […]
Blue and purple knit finished width= 9", 60" fabric
Rainbow chiffon-finished width= 9", 45" fabric
Rust and brown knit-finished width= 14.5", 60" fabric
Blue and white stripe knit, finished width= 6", 60" fabric
Leopard chiffon, finished width= 12", 45" fabric
Multi Stripe knit, finished width= 5", 60" fabric
Brown and Tourquoise leopard knit, finished width= 5", 60" fabric
This may be one of my easiest tutorials on this site…..talk about addictive! These can be made in 30 minutes once you get the hang of it. The fabric can be a knit or woven, which means the width can vary from 45″-60″. I prefer knits because they are soft on the neck, don’t wrinkle, […]
You must do the thing that you think you cannot do"
This is a daily reminder for me to tackle any little annoyance, pay a bill, learn a new task, exercise, have patience for technology. For me, it helps me get stronger by keeping procrastination at arms length. I’m sure there is a long post that could be written about the deeper meanings of procrastination, but […]
This thimble is commemorative of Clothes Rationing; a time hard to imagine by today’s standards. My mom found this thimble years ago while in Australia at the Imperial War Museum. In the early 1940’s, “Make Do and Mend” was a WW2 wartime slogan to encourage everyone to not waste anything. It was so extreme, clothing […]
A question I get often is “Why bother sewing when fabric/patterns is/are so expensive?” or “Clothing is so cheap now so why would I bother taking the time to make something if I can just go buy it?” The pressure to answer this question convincingly is strong; I’m about to attempt to sell the positives […]
I receive a lot of compliments and questions about my updo so I thought I would give you the details and demystify what looks like a time-consuming hairdo. It looks complicated, but with a few items, I hope to show you how easy it can be. Okay, a little disclaimer; I have a cosmetology licence […]
Years ago in the early 90’s, I had my ‘colors done’ by someone who worked for Beauty for All Seasons. At that time, my hair was my natural shade of dishwater brown with blonde highlights. My eyes are green, and I was unaware of to what classification my complexion fit. This concept intrigued me and […]
Here is another creation from my recent purchases from this year’s Tucson Gem and Mineral February 2013 Show held here in Tucson. Every year, I vow to keep the spending under control. Well, I am usually unsuccessful. Or this may be subjective. The amount spent by one person may be outrageous to another. Anyway, there […]
It is a day off and I get to sew! Today’s project is to whip up a quick dress for the sweltering heat. Does a dress with pockets ever get old? Never. I chose Project Runway Simplicity 1803. This is a very comfortable dress for the heat we experience in the desert. Fabric is a […]
