WhY?

Peace.

This is actually going to be more of a gripe than a build….

Last week I got all the patterns I needed to make my spring/summer wardrobe. I am very excited. I also traveled a distance to go to a store that sells fabric on the low low. I kind of got what I was looking for. I got 8 yards of beige and 6 yards of white. I wanted 10 of each. The white they didn’t have so much of. That’s why I only ended up with 6 yards. 14 yards will not make an adult plus sized wardrobe. So I am going to make the suits out of the fabric I have. I will still need white linen for the white dress, beige and white fabric for the beige and white dress, fabric for the white and beige blouses and fabric for a headwrap to match it all. That’s all.

I’m not starting until the beginning of May. I’m doing P90x and I should be able to see where my body is going with it by then. I’ll be in phase III by then. If I just gotta get sewing, I will make the blouses. It’s unlikely my boobs will get smaller. They never have before.

I love to sew. I know you can’t really tell from how much I do. But one of the cool things about sewing WAS that the garments were less expensive with higher quality than purchasing them. But not anymore. I had to drive to west hell to get in on that sale at a fabric house. That’s ridiculous. I live in a major metro area. There should be inexpensive fabric houses here. The width on the fabrics is not all that fabulous either. A mere 45”. That pisses me off too. While I was in west hell, the God and I stopped at a Wal-Mart. He bought a t-shirt for $3! I shook my head. I showed him that thread alone cost $2. This is why I don’t sew everything.

Folks say I should vend my sewing. Well there are plenty of reasons why that is a bad idea. I hate sewing for other people because they have no idea how intricate is to sew. They think they can learn everything in an afternoon. Secondly, it’s not cheaper than purchasing. And thirdly, (this actually counts in other ciphers other than sewing) people aren’t sure of what they want. Oh they think they know what they want. But they aren’t sure and when you give them what they ask for and they are unhappy, they expect you to absorb the cost. That’s some bull isht right there.

So why does it have to cost so much? Why do I have to struggle to find reasonably priced fabric? Why are folks sucking the joy out of my hobby?



Peace

Valentines Day Sewcation

Peace.

Yesterday was a very lovely Valentines Day for someone that doesn’t observe it. As a citizen of Allah’s 5% Nation of Gods and Earths, we don’t honor the devil’s days….. On the record. Off the record, stuff happens. You know what I mean. Initially I tried to be very inflexible with our ideology, but it really doesn’t matter. You know? I take paid holidays on Christmas and Thanksgiving. So why can I not, unofficially observe Valentines Day? I’m just saying.

A man can into the office yesterday and gifted me with $20 for lunch. I am so happy I give the appearance of being “High Maintenance.” He could have easily given me $5. Anywho….. I went all the way out to the fabric store with my bounty (I brought my lunch) with the intention to purchase some needles for use with knit. I had a bad experience trying to use regular needle on knit a few years back. I stopped sewing knit for a minute. I recognize that it is important to get the right needle for the project. I won some knit in a giveaway so I need to press through my fears. When I got to the fabric store….. Simplicity and Butterick patterns were on sale! Approximately $1 a piece! Well! You know what I did… I bought all the patterns on my list! There was a lady at the book table getting up as I was coming in who offered me her seat. I said, “No Thank you! I know what I want!” I was there all of 5 minutes and most of that was conversing with the ladies at the table.

So I am in possession of B5187 and S2698! I now want Kwik Sew 3852 but I will wait on that. I don’t think Kwik Sew ever goes on sale, but Hancock has % off sales so I will get it that way. I don’t like to pay full price if I don’t have to. All I need now is V8701 (wardrobe). I decided against V1214 (vest); because I don’t need to draw attention to my behind. Also, I’m planning a full skirt for the beige suit so I need a tighter top. I will use the jacket of V8701 and leave off the sleeves. I would have preferred a vest that covers the boobies. And I suppose I could play with it so that it does. We’ll see. I will get V8701 on Thursday. It will be $4 then!

Now That I have most of my patterns, I need to get the fabric. I see lots of bloggers ordering fabric from the internet. I’m just not comfortable with that. I need to see and touch the fabric, ask the staff questions. I just don’t feel comfortable with buying sight unseen. Also, those online places aren’t inexpensive even more so with shipping and handling. It’s just not for me. So the goal of March is to score all the fabric. I’m going to be working my program hard since my favorite store closed and my standby changed their focus to upholstery. The hunt is on! And I heard that some Wal-Mart’s still sell fabric. I predict road trips.

I won’t start sewing until April. I’m on a diet and exercise regimen. I don’t want to start sewing now and have to make a bunch of alterations later. I’ll be finished with the exercise program in May 2. It’s my determined idea to lose 20 lbs by June. By June actually I plan to be in the maintenance phase. Last year I lost a significant amount of inches with mostly diet alone.

So what is my plan for this week? Hmmm….. I have 2.5 days off this week. I’m planning a mini sew-cation. My plan is to make a cream mourning dress. Unfortunately, I fear I will need this soon; and I have a killer all weather brown hat to go with it. I would be able to wear it until it gets cold again for said reason. I have some really light material that I can use to make a romper or a nightgown. I haven’t made anything in a long time free style so that’s how I’m going to do the romper. I don’t have enough to make both so decisions will have to be made. I will organize all the patterns out for my new spring/summer wardrobe. I will decrease the amount of clothes in my closet, make some special orders for crowns and do some mending. We have a celebration at the end of the week. So that’s what’s on my current plate.



Peace!

I am Right on Track....

Peace Family!!!!


No sewing yet. Right now I am in "pattern acquisition" mode. For 2 reasons... (a) I refuse to buy patterns at full price and (b)I am on a diet. Hell if I am going to create a new wardrobe, then I need to make it as small as I can. That way, I will be really motivated to not regain said weight.

So I have been pouring over the March 2011 issues of my favorite magazines. For very serious reasons, I wasn't purchasing magazines. I also have pretty much stopped going to the mall. So I had no clue when I drew up my "collection" what was going to be stylish. I decided on said collection because it was all basics. And I could build on them. Who knew that I was innately stylish. All the magazines are sporting what color palates? white and beige! I'm a be cute!

Remember, I'm making 3 dresses, 2 suits and 2 blouses.

2 of the dress patterns I already own. The beige dress will be a tweed fabric with a matching cape. I have always wanted a cape dress. I already have the tweed. Technically I could start the cape now.... I have several patterns for a sheath dress too. So that will be the Beige dress. Plus, I can mix and match the cape. That can be my spring jacket.

The white dress will come from V8701. As soon as it goes on sale, I'm on it!

This pattern also has the possibility of the white suit jacket. I'm still thinking about that since I have another one planned for that.

The white and beige dress will be the simplicity pattern that I used to make my Thanksgiving frock. http://blog.fleurdelin.fr/wp-content/gallery/couture/cynthia-rowley-2497.jpg Everybody in the blogosphere has made this dress. Me included. And I don't like the collared versions. But it will make a cute dress.

I already own McCall's 5331! Blouses baby!

Got that joint on sale for $1.99!!!! Hey! I will be making both blouses from this pattern. The belted ones. I suppose it doesn't matter in which color.

The suits... I like to wear whit in the spring/summer. I really don't know where that tendency came from. I am a plus sized woman so I should favor dark colors, but I don't. Oh well. Gotta do me. I like B5187

for the white suit jacket. I want something relatively loose. This is Atlanta and it get hot here in the summer. I'm thinking either the collared version or the tie. I'm leaning on the collared because I have large breast and I don't need to accentuate them with a bow. But I do have a blouse that is bowed and it hides the boobies nicely. We shall play that one by ear.

The skirt to go with the white jacket will be a pencil skirt. I have a flowy white skirt already that might slip the cut. Also I want a white pencil skirt. I have several patterns or pattern pieces. I can rig a skirt from one of them. All that it needs to be is long or past the knee so that I maintain 3/4ths.

The beige jacket is actually a vest. From Erica B's DIY style blog. I love her vibe btw. She is my inspiration, both in sewing and how good she looks at her age. We are the same age, but I feel older and less stylish. I shall remedy that won't I? And I don't see it quit as biting. To each his own. The vest is a V1214.

I plan to pare that with S2698.

Technically, if I was desperate to save money, I could make the jacket from V8701 and leave off the sleeves.... Maybe. Maybe not.

What's really curious to me is my apparent preference for Vogue patterns. Them jokers are hard to make, the directions are all over the place. Yet they are the flyest. Oh well.

When I was in Hancocks last week, I perused their spring/summer fabric offerings. All I saw that I would be cool with was the linen. I don't want to sew all linen. It wrinkles and stretches out of shape. Some linen is cool, but not all linen. Especially for the beige. I envisioned something like a khaki cotton. I hope they get what I'm looking for by the end of March. That's my schedule to start my personal S.W.A.P. Maybe I should start a sew-a-long. Teehee. Like I have that many followers.

That damn P90x better work or I'm going to kick Tony Horton's ass!



Peace

What's Next

Peace.

It has been a long time since I blogged anything regarding sewing. That’s because I have put all sewing on hold. I have thrown my hat into crown creation for Allah’s Garden.

I have made 35 crown and sold 15. I did not expect this to be a lucrative business venture, but I am glad that I’m in the black because I made my start up money back. I have a few custom orders to make but other than that, I’m going to chill. I was making 2 crowns per work night and then a bunch on off days. There was a rally yesterday; the Father’s Degree Celebration will be on the Knowledge Born day of February and then the rally at the end of next month. Yeah, my crown making is slowed way down. So…. Back to my sewing!!!

I have plans for the summer. The warm weather the southeast just got over the weekend did nothing but help me pull my thoughts together. Also the sale flyer from Hancocks helped too! Every week of February Hancocks will be having a sale on patterns. The dirt cheap sales. Patterns as cheap as they ever get. I have my list ready. Mostly Vogue. Vogue never goes on sale under $4. But that beat the regular prices. All the others will have their $1 days. I plan to be there when said events happen.

My favorite fabric store closed. Phoey! They had been there for over 20 years and they decide to close now? That place was only open 3 days a week and it was full every time I went in there. But they are the best knowers of what they can handle….. So I will go to my 2nd favorite fabric store and load up on white and beige fabric. They will be the foundations of my summer wardrobe!!!

Now here is the other thing, the hippy in me has been bitching for sometime that I have too many clothes. But the little Catholic school girl, with the cheap mother, in me who used to get teased for wearing the same clothes over and over again says, “Noooooooooo! We have to keep those clothes!!!!” I’m almost sure that it’s going to go down like this. I am going to nearly completely get rid of all my summer clothes and start from scratch.

What I’m planning for the wardrobe is 3 dresses and 2 suits that fall in the beige and white color scheme. Choosing those neutral colors mean that I can add on all kinds of garments and they will match the skeleton. I already have shoes and bags to match. Next fall I will do nearly the same thing. And then maybe I can walk in my closet! Like I said, I’m not certain, but everyday I’m seeing the value in that. I have a LOT of clothes that I simply don’t need.



Peace

In a Sea of Dark....

....She was a beam of light!

My Shero and current lifestyle inspiration....

MICHELLE ROBINSON OBAMA!

I'm Stashless

Peace.

I don’t have a big fabric stash. I don’t have those hoarding tendencies. And it’s just not my philosophy to acquire fabric because it’s pretty and/or I want it. When I decide to make a garment part of the process for me is choosing the fabric and notions all together. But that’s me.

If you read the blogs and Pattern Review, you will learn that a LOT of people approach this from the opposite direction. The see fabric they like and buy it. I don’t get it. I mean how do you know how much to buy if you just buy at will. You either buy too much or too little. And either way that will piss you off. I might buy undecided fabric if the sale is ridiculous. I might change my mind or my plans change. I might run out of time. So I do have a small stash. And what small stash I have, I never use. Just doesn't fit in.

Also…. I don’t sew like my blog people. I don’t do this every day. I make clothes to wear clothes. If I’m good, then I don’t sew. I rarely do things purpose-less. I blame my mother for that. She did not allow hobbies in the house when we were growing up. She said she wasn’t throwing her money away. If we wanted hobbies, we had to finance them ourselves. Since little people don’t have jobs, I have few hobbies. I don’t know how to develop them or how they should run course. Oh well.

Just felt like sharing….



Peace

My Snow-cation

Peace.

Last week, Atlanta had the embarassment of being overwhelmed by 4 inches of snow. They should be a-damn-shamed of themselves. The locals are saying, "Well, we aren't used to this type of weather." Like that is some kind of excuse. Umm... It snowed 4 times last year. The difference between last year and this year, was the snow melted with in 2 days. I suppose they had hoped for the same. It didn't happen. I was out of work for 4 days because the snow and ice frightened my boss and our patients. As a child, I would have had to walk to school in weather like that. Four days is a lot of work to miss. I had to use my vacation to cover it. I guess my boss missed the memo that he is supposed to pay for inclement weather closing.

Anywho.... Even though I knew snow was predicted, I didn't expect for these southern people to lose it like they did. I didn't have anything to sew. I didn't have anything to read. So I made the most of my cabin fever. I made nearly 20 crowns.

Crowns are head wear for the men in Allah's 5% Nation of Gods and Earths. They are essentially beanies with a tassel. You would think men would be lousy with them. For some reason they aren't and I don't know or get why. Maybe it has something to do with how people look down on all the talents it takes to be a good homemaker. But we aren't supposed to fall victim to that type of savage Wisdom. But I will do my part as said person of that ability to make them available for Gods who want them.

I crochet, but it's not how I sew. I'm not uber proficient. But I was by the time I got to my 3rd crown. Luckily the God claimed the 1st few. I'm grateful for this crown experience because I am starting to re-connect with my hooks. I find it an enjoyable way to pass hours. I can listen to the tell-lie-vision as well as the radio. I can build with the God. I can multitask. I'm wondering what else I can do with these hooks?

I'm going to be a great grandmother!



Peace.