Happy Monday all

The patterns were delivered on Saturday, and I must say I'm loving the idea of on-line pattern shopping. Going to JoAnn's for their pattern sale is usually nice, but I was disappointed the last few times, with the patterns not being in the drawer and them not have a Vogue book at all. The $15 membership fee for ClubBMV was well worth it for me, although you don't need to be a member to shop on there site, and like I mentioned before, the 15% savings paid for a good portion of the shipping cost. This is what I ordered:

I can't wait to make the B5469 with a nice summer weight fabric. Of course I'll have to learn how to do lining first. I can see this project taking me about a week or so, including taking apart and putting back together again. Maybe I'll just plan on wearing it next summer, lol.

M5329 will make another nice summer jacket that could be worn into fall. We'll have to wait and see how long it takes for me to build up my skills.

A nice through back style for summer

Mimi G and Erica B (another great sewer that Mimi mentioned on her blog that I now follow) made this Donna Karan top. The style seems simple, it is made from one piece of fabric, but in cutting the pattern out (a tedious task I do with all my patterns) it looked really complicated. The style is nice, but I will probably be putting that one off. Yes, I'm intimidated. And I'm not afraid to say it...lol.

So back I go to the cutting out of the patterns. Have a wonderful night and thanks for tuning in,
Angie

Happy Thursday + Yeay me

It is a happy, happy Thursday. Let me just say OOH. MYY. GAAWD. I absolutely cannot believe I was so lucky as to be chosen in Mimi G's (just learned linking) fabulous Janome giveaway. Thank you Mimi and the random.org website. I can't wait to get it and start sewing (I'm hoping some of her skill will magically transfer to me - it could happen).

Still working on carving out that corner. Will post pics when it's somewhat presentable.


Smooches,
Angie

ClubBMV Sale

Happy Tuesday all. The ClubBMV site is having a pattern sale that ends to tomorrow, so hurry on over. $1.99 for McCalls and Butterick and $3.99 for Vogue - you don't need to be a club member to get that price. Being a club member however saves you a few cents off the prices, around $0.30 on the cheaper ones and $0.60 on the more expensive. That doesn't seem like much, but if you get a few it adds up, and the savings take a nice chunk out of the shipping and handling, so I think it's worth it for those of us not close to a JoAnn's.

I'll let you know when the patterns come in so we can gauge how quick their shipping is, I'll also share my stash with you. Another suggestion, head on over to patternreview.com. I check out the clothes other people made to see if the result is as good as the envelope picture and if that particular pattern would work for me. You can also find out how difficult or easy a particular piece is to make and get modification ideas.

Sorry, no pics today. Still working on carving out a corner for my sewing....

See ya next time
Angie

Organizing Patterns (folder method)..

Hello and Happy Sunday. I've spent the day organizing my patterns, a la mimi g's way (who by the way is having a fabulous giveaway of a Janome sewing machine right now). I've followed her blog for years, since I first discovered her in 2009 or 2010 when I searched dress forms and she had a tutorial on how to make one from a plain white tee and duct tape. I would check out her blogs, from blogspot to wordpress back to blogspot, very regularly, looking for inspiration and waiting for the sewing bug to bite, which it did finally- thanks Mimi.

Anyway, she organized her patterns by putting them in manila envelopes, with the numbers on the outside and put the pattern envelopes in clear plastic page protectors in a 3-ring binder. Which by the way makes it real easy to flip through and see what you got, especially when separated by categories. So I am in the process of anticipating what I will need, and organizing them before I get started. There is nothing worse than starting an exciting new project only to not have what you need and by the time you get it, you lose motivation. Also, I am having a hard time finding someone to repair/refurb an old sewing machine I have and new ones are sew (get it) expensive. So in the meantime, I prepare.

                The purple one was first, an 1" binder, which surprisingly was too small. So I went back out and got the 2" one and that one is well on the way to being packed. (Sorry, I don't know how to get rid of the wrong date and time on the pics I take- guess I gotta get the kid to do it...)

              The larger Vogue patterns get the full sheet, with the info on the back. The smaller ones have the info on the side, with both front and back of the sheet protector being used. Keeping it uniform, all the pics to the right came later, after the first flip through.

Patterns are in alpha-numerical order.

              And the pattern sizes that were cut out are in the upper left corner, because there are a couple (read 4) different sizes cut out. This will also prevent me getting excited about making a piece only to get it out of the envelope and have it be the wrong size.

              And if you look carefully, the size is on the pattern cover as well. No need to wait till I get to the drawer to find out, and risk disappointment.

And that's what I accomplished today. I had a lot more patterns than I thought I had. Next is carving out a corner of the spare (read catch-all) room for my sewing center. One step at a time, right.....


Angie

And so we begin....

And so the journey begins. Just joined ClubBMV and can't wait to put it to good use. JoAnn's recently had a great sale on McCalls and Vogue patterns, and of course the designs I really liked in the catalogue were not in the drawer - and they didn't even have a Vogue catalogue. Having to pay shipping for patterns is not great, but it beats driving ALL the way to JoAnn's, on a couple different occasions, and walking away empty handed.

Anyway, have been going through the patterns and fabric I've collected over the years. It was almost a compulsion, even when I wasn't sewing I was compelled to buy patterns and fabric on sale. It's in the DNA, not being able to pass up a good deal, but that's another long story for another time. Some of the patterns were, well, old, the styles, the shapes, and the sizes that were cut out were too small. I'm not quite adept at grading or enlarging patterns yet. The few times I've tried it was not pretty. At all. So having to upgrade (and up-size) some of my patterns, I figured why not give this club thing a try. Plus there were some old patterns I really liked, but were cut out too small, and I've come to find out that getting out of print ones can be expensive, for budget minded gals like myself.

So I've paid my club membership due and now I'm off to do a little Internet shopping.

Thanks for tuning in,
Angie