Easter is Coming

Peace!

I don't Usually do this over here. This my my sewing blog. But there are some things about me that influence sewing for me. 3/4ths. I'm a 5%er. I freely and willingly adhere to the 14:14. It's all me and it's all good. So I'm a do something on this Blog that I normally save for my righteous blog. I'm going to Build....

When I was a child, my mother taught me that there was a time and a place for everything under the sun. She taught that there was such a thing as appropriateness And what separates the civilized from the savages is their actions. That just because you could do something, didn't mean you should. What she was striving to instill is what I call the “Appropriate Rituals.”

You just don't wear white, open toes, shorts, etc. before Easter and/or after Labor Day. You just DON'T!!!There is a trend happening where people want to do whatever they want to do whenever they want to do it. They do it with food. You can buy tomatoes year round. Those tomatoes are not tomatoes anymore. They are grafted or genetically modified. Weak boned and weak blooded. Not only is that dangerous, it's not natural. And when you fool with stuff that isn't natural you get sick. Where do you think auto immune diseases come from?

The circumference of the planet Earth is 24,896 miles; approximately 25,000 miles. My Cee on the word circumference is that it implies a limitation. Limits are not bad. Limits give guidance. And when did guidance become a bad thing. When we have limits to direct our behavior, it shifts us from savage, or jungle to civilized and righteous.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught his people that they should bathe daily. Imagine having to be told that? But back in the day folks bathed on Saturday evenings (all in the same water) so they could be ready to meet the mystery god on Sunday morning. Folks also had those hard labor jobs of working outside all week. Imagine how funky they were on Thursdays? And yet and still they needed to be given the rule and regulation that they should bathe daily. Well damn!

When I was a child, we looked forward to Easter for all the perks that comes with. A new outfit and we can wear white all over. You could always wear a white shirt, but now you can add on the pants, purse and the shoes. I can wear sandals that show my toes. I can start the shift to enjoy summer! Easter comes at different times every year. If you do that year round then you can't really enjoy it, because you don't appreciate it. Without limits you have nothing to look forward to.

My spring prep look like this:
-I swap clothes in the trunk for the clothes in the closet
-I get a pedicure – I only get 2/year. One in the spring to open the toes and 1 in the fall to close up shop. I do my own toes the rest of the summer
-I use different nail polish colors in spring than I do in the fall
-I have different colors for my face
-I use different products in the spring/summer because my face has different needs
-And I change things in my house to reflect the change in seasons. Everything gets brighter. I Spring clean, change the door wreath, the comforters and the curtains.

Now living in Ga, we get warmer days sooner than I did when I lived in NJ. That doesn't mean a thing. A friend of mine was telling me she already wore her sandals. And I asked her why? Did she not have any other shoes? She said she wasn't as old timey as I am. OK. I'll take that action. But then I asked her if she wore boots in August. She looked at me like I was crazy. It's the same premise people. There is a time and place for everything.

And why specifically do folks want to were white year round? Winter white was created to fill that gap. No one wears velvet year round. Folks only wear that Christmas plaid around Christmas. Folks don't wear evening dresses to the office and when they go to the opera they don't wear jeans. Folks don't wear overalls to a job interview. Folks know that some shit is inappropriate. But they are lobbying to be free to wear white whenever?

Well, I'm not the fashion police. But you wear white before Easter... Know that I'm judging you. And also know that your grandmother is turning over in her grave.


Peace

Suede Jacket Repair

Peace Y'all,

I had sooooooo much to do this weekend and sewing was a HIGH priority. I got very little of it done... I know it be's like that sometimes, but this weekend was not the weekend for me to be lazy. I have so much sewing to do. And I have to work next Friday. I have a ton of for-other-people repairs, A top that I have to make for a friend, a baby quilt that really should have gone in the mail last month, and I haven't done any sewing for myself.... including an Easter dress for me!. But Serenity... you don't go to church. Why do you need a new Easter dress? Because I have had a new dress every Easter since 1971. that's why. I'm not dropping the ball on my watch. I just might have to take Thursday off to finish everything on time. Otherwise I will be sewing while sleepy and that never works out well for me. I tend to make poor... really poor... detrimental poor decisions when I'm sleepy. And that's why I don't usually sew after work.

There were a few things that I did get done this weekend. I went to Fine fabrics... Again (1st mistake). That place is effing AMAZEBALLS. Here is the thing.... There is an old building with a sign that is vacant. And near the road there is another sign that says the store is closed. These are big signs. Anyone would think the store was closed. But up the street the store re-emerges. I went with a friend (2nd mistake) I bought notions on this visit and just a smidge of fabric. I was having buyers remorse about not getting something that I wanted last week. And I found a 3 yard remnant (that's what FF called it) that will become that friend's top. I'm sold on FF. I'm not shopping anywhere else for fabric and notions. Hanging with a friend had me out all day. When I got home I was tired and took a nap (3rd mistake). Unfortunately, my naps are hours long. When I awoke, it was 9:30 pm. I just couldn't let the day go to hell like that. So.... I made some kitchen curtains that I have been meaning to make since last year. (The curtains that were hanging were my xmas curtains. That might not have been so bad if they weren't my xmas curtains form 2013). I don't love them. I made them sleepy. I have enough fabric to remake it. I probably could pick these out. Probably not.

The one thing I got to that I am happy that I got to was this suede coat repair. I bought this suede coat maybe a decade ago from Newport News... so you know it was cheap. The suede is so lite and fragile. It tore like it was made of paper towel. When I looked inside the hole it seemed that it was interfaced. I'm not familiar with suede garment construction but that seems cheap to me. I considered either machine or hand stitching the repair but if it tears so easily, putting in a line of stitches seems like making a perforation for more tearing. I didn't pay a lot for it, but I still want to keep it. Lite (aka cheap) suede is on trend this season, after all. So I used iron on patches to force the torn edges together. I covered the suede with a paper towel to protect it while ironing. It seems to have worked. But I haven't really worn the jacket. It's rainy here and I didn't Soctchguard the suede. The torn spots are now together. I have stichwitchery of it tears again.

This is where the tears wear


This is it all repaired. I couldn't get the top tear close as I wanted. And you can see the blue from the patch leaking out. But I don't think it's horrible. Especially considering that there isn't a gaping hole any more.

What do you think? Any advice?

What's on your sewing table for Easter?



Peace

Stashes

Peace.

I haven't posted in a while. Not because I haven't been sewing... I have... for other people but not so much for me. It's not that I don't have plans to sew for me, but the other people thing takes precedence. It seems like other people refuse to get a garment to you unless they need it the next day. But... I did want to ask y'all a question....

Stashes??? I don't really have one of fabric. I will purchase patterns... on sale... like crazy. But not fabric. How do you know how much fabric to buy if you aren't making something specific? I'm not saying I don't have fabric. I do. But it's only a drawer full. I have more fabric in the quilt pile which is my extra fabric after a project. My so-called stash is me changing my mind or not getting to something. I see y'all with shelves and shelves of fabric. Y'all are making me feel inadequate. I want to go into a fabric store and buy all fabric I like. But when I try that, I'm at a loss because I don't know how much to ask for. And then the notions? Should I buy some? Especially when I don't know what I'm making!

My process is as thus... (1) I get inspired. (2) I decide on a pattern (3) I buy the fabric and notions necessary for the garment. And (4) I make said garment. How do you get a stash from that???

Now if you don't mind, I'm a need for y'all to answer quickly. I'm going to the fabric store this weekend on a full paycheck. I don't know when that will happen again. And I'm a want to buy UP the store. So tell me the hows and why you have a stash because I WANT ONE TOO!!!! When you're buying random amounts of fabric just because you like it, how do you know how much to buy??? How do you know what the fabric wants to be?


Peace!