Today's Project

I took a break from sewing today to work on my very large backlog of scrapbooking projects. Scrapbooking is a skill that I am learning as I go. I'm not THAT good at doing the layouts just yet, but I am improving. I should really study some sample layouts more and see what I can do based on those - I bet there are templates somewhere, too.

Anyway, today I worked on my Shakespeare Institute Scrapbook, which chronicles my time at LAST summer's Shakespeare Workshop, which tells you about how much I update my scrapbook projects.

I have A LOT of scrapbooking projects in the works, and I will take pictures of the pages I did today for the workshop scrapbook but I want the camera to stay charged up for Puerto Rico so I don't forget to pack the battery charger. I'll get the picks up soon.

The Almost Finished Dress!

Well, after some major working last night, I got the dress all finished up. Here it is, in it's 1950's glory!







This is my next possible project. I have some red dupioni silk that might just be itching to be this dress!

Halloween Costume Project

Though not for four months, I am anticipating Halloween already. I have my pattern and I'm ready to sew - now I just need to get the fabric. I have ordered it from fabric.com and can't wait to start working with it.

Here's the costume:



And here's the fabric. The purple is the overdress and the ivory embroidered is the underskirt. I can't wait to start!

Impromptu Project

Today I decided I would start an impromptu project. It's really just for fun, though I'm sure I'll find a use for it at some point. It's too small for me, but might fit Katherine, which would be fun to try!

This is the pattern I used:



Here's the fabric being cut (I love what patterns look like laid out to be cut!):



Here's a close up of the fabric, a Hawaiian print that I got a great deal on:



The dress being draped on Darla the dressform. These are the side front pieces, and you can see my little crinoline (from a Halloween costume!) sticking out beneath it:



The dress on the form - it's NOT done yet, not is it pinned to the form correctly. It will be fitted when complete:

Another New Project

Well, in my recent need to "cleanse" my entire life (myself, my apartment, etc.), I have put the sewing projects aside and have taken apart my entire apartment. There is now stuff EVERYWHERE! It's kind of overwhelming, but I think will be worth it in the end once I have everything put back in its place in a more organized fashion. The bookshelves are almost done.

However, this means no new sundress for Puerto Rico! (I still have a month and a half to get my messenger bag ready!) Oh well - I think I'm already overpacked - it's still over a week away and I've actually begun putting things into my suitcase!

Messenger Bag Fabrics

Here are the fabrics I'm using for the messenger bag. So far I've cut all the pieces (don't even get me into what a confusing odyssey THAT was!), and attached the interlining canvas to the main pieces, as well as trimmed the seam allowances. I've got a lot more to do - will probably get a good chunk of time to work on Tuesday.

The exterior pieces, with the canvas pinned or attached.
The lining, with some pattern pieces in the foreground.

Projects in the Works

Current projects:

1. A Messenger bag. Using this pattern, I hope to have a nice to bag to use for work in September!



2. A new sundress. Using this pattern, hopefully I'll have a new sundress to take with me to Puerto Rico at the end of the month!

Coming Soon...

...to this space is "A Fine Notion" - a collection of all my sewing, scrapbook and assorted projects in an effort to free up some space on the family blog (which was really intended for family news but became a crazy place for everything I do at all times!). Stay tuned!