It’s so hard to make decisions when there’s no one to give opinions so I thought I’d seek your advice. Low booties are all the rage this fall but how to wear them when one doesn’t have a model’s figure. I have no answers but a few pictures that shed a little light on my personal outlook. What’s yours?
I think a trip to Schuler Shoes is in my future…
It was so good to see all of you again. I think we all missed getting together in August! We started out at The Sampler and had a fun group with a few newbies. The group that came to Hancock/Southtown seemed happy to be around fabric and notions and the Treadle morning group had no chairs to spare! There was so much creative energy we had to turn on the air conditioning.
Show and Tell was wonderful. Maybe the extra month gave everyone more time but I’m hoping we keep seeing all of your good work. There are a few pictures below and you can always send us a photo of your creation and we’ll post it.
A good source for outdoor fabric is Rockywoods-supplex, ripstop, etc. We also have a good place to donate fabric. Bring it to any classes and we’ll get it delivered.
Debbie wanted to show the versatility of the Yoga Pant by Peggy Sagers. They’re perfect for dressing up or down. We’ve changed the class to 2 hours and $20.
Laurel and I were reminded how important a muslin (or toile) can be. I was fooled into thinking I knew how a Marcy Tilton would fit me and Laurel figured Cynthia Guffey’s pattern would be error proof. We’ll both be stocking up on muslin 😛
So here they are with a bit more info than usual. The Club sheets are now included here on the website. Click on Club sheets in the top bar and September 2010 should show-click on that and you’ll find this month’s printout or find it in the far right column under Pages. We still think personally attending Club is the most inspiring and fun but it doesn’t always work into the schedule. This also makes it easy to find information you need when you can’t find your sheets. Is this helpful? Do you like the inclusion of pattern numbers?
The fall colors are coming out and the weather is cooling (but the sun is so beautiful today). Hope you are inspired to make yourself or someone else a warm garment.
I made it to the Junk Bonanza down at Canterbury Park in Shakopee. My registration for Creative Connection got me in free and a nice person gave me her $2 discount ticket for my friend. We wandered through on Friday morning. Three buildings of old furniture, stuff, jewelry, vintage everything. I find that it feeds my creative spirit. Seeing things that others do, their unique displays and some of the genuine characters who move from junk market to junk market across the US. I wish I would have taken pictures of a few of them.
So here are a few pictures of things that may feed your creative sewing spirit-the first one is of the treasures I picked up-cordial glasses and vintage button/jewelry from the junk market and the owl and headband from Handmade Market downtown. Handmade Market is over at 3 today and the Junk Bonanza is open till 5 today for $8. Today is the last day.
Have I convinced you that wandering/shopping can be part of the creative process?
It was truly a great event for me-and it’s not over! If you want to take a crafting class you can pay at registration as long as it isn’t sold out and you bring the supplies. You can find supply information and some Sold Out info on their website. And then there’s the Handmade Market.
The market is good if you like the Stampington Art style. If you like making jewelry there are some great raw materials. A wonderful higher end jewelry designer-Bittersweet Designs-had many pieces that appealed to me. Crafty Planet is there; Eagle Creek Quilt shop has Amy Butler bags that are very reasonably priced. It’s fun to see the wide age range of the designers that are present. The Paris-inspired shop (door pictured below) got my vote for the best booth. Fun kids clothes and stuffed animal designs to see. I didn’t have much time between workshops to actually buy so I’m going to do some online shopping. It will be fun to see their etsy stores, too, after hearing so much about it.
So, yes, you must go if you like Stampington Art style or check the Creative Connection website and look at the stores that are there. And if you have another reason to be downtown, I’d definitely stop by.
The social media/how to launch a business panels I went to were very pertinent for my purposes. Small panels-mine was Social Media Metrics-are also helpful. Celebrities, table decorations and a full “swag bag” put the icing on the cake. I felt like the organizers created a special event just for me.
The word was that there will be another event next year, again in Mpls., because of the Junk Market.
I’m headed to the Junk Market this afternoon. I want to find an old chest of many small drawers for storing sewing notions.
Keynote speaker with a blog that has been recognized by everybody in the blogging world. Check her out.
Lunch menu came from her recipes and was yummy and beautifully presented.
I’m waiting for the first panel to start and have to say the uniform for the creative female is a great skirt and thin cardigan with a layer in between, of course. Fun jewelry is everywhere. Already exchanged business cards with Georgia, Chicago and a few locals. Sitting next to a young woman who has eight adopted/foster kids in a house with her mother AND she won a contest so her studio will be featured in Where Women Create. Makes me feel like withering.
Lots of things going on here, trying to winnow the things we do and try to do only what we do best. There was some talk of going to the sewing expo in Novi, Michigan. It’s supposed to be the best for fashion sewing. After looking at the vendors and classes, I’ve decided that it looks alot like the Original Sewing and Quilting Expo that will be here in November so I’m going to pass. I’m taking it off of our calendar.
The event I’m really looking forward to is the Creative Connection. It’s September 16-18 at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis. Amy Butler and Mary Jane Butters (do you know who she is? I’d call her the Martha Stewart of the back to the farm movement-she’s got a great mag but, come ‘on, who could possibly do all she does and look that good-my main complaint about Martha-like we all need another perfect woman to emulate!) Where was I? Oh, yes, wonderful creative women will be speaking; there’s a handmade market that I’m guessing will look like something out of a Somerset Studio/Stampington & Co. magazine. The part I am personally excited about is “social media and your business” speakers and panels. There are also classes that look like fun but are mostly handwork as far as I could tell. If you live in the Shakopee area, the Eagle Creek Quilt Shop is taking a bus downtown on Friday and Saturday. Too bad the Sewing and Quilting Expo people can’t see what’s going on and change their focus a bit.
Peggy Sagers (Silhouette Patterns) has a new set of 4 patterns for fall. I’ve ordered them and especially want to try the cape pattern. There are so many in the fashion magazines for fall but they’re not that great for a pear figure. Check out her version. The set of four sale ends today (Wed.).
After a frustrating jacket fitting, I’ve decided to take the plunge and get a dress form. Any advice out there? Uniquely You was recommended as I was searching for answers to my jacket fit problem. Bernina has one. What do you have?
On the subject of fit-check out The Fashion Code. It’s a $30 option for getting your perfect neckline, hemline, sleeve length. You take your measurements and upload them on the website and get your perfect measurements, based on the Golden Proportion, and a pdf file of a 30 page book to explain your best look further. The measurements are taken from the floor and are a bit tricky to do alone. If you’d like we’ll do them before or after Fashion Sewing Club for you.
Hope to see a bunch of you at Hancock tomorrow!
My feet feel like they’re back on the ground and I think I could sleep for a whole day but, wow, what a wonderful month of weddings! Meeting new people, dressing up, going new places, watching life change before my very eyes… I am in awe of how full life can be.
So on to the pictures. The Colorado wedding was first so those pictures are first. This is also my youngest son-he proposed first so he got the earlier date. I wore the Vogue 1138 dress out of rayon from last month’s club (scroll down 3 posts to see Wedding Dress #2) to the groom’s dinner in Colorado but still haven’t found anyone that took a picture. The dress for that wedding was from Nordstrom’s and I really liked the neckline.
Then it’s the Milwaukee wedding and the eldest child. Can I still call him child? I double dipped for the groom’s dinner in Milwaukee because the cast of characters was mostly different. The dress for the wedding was KwikSew 3735 which is a copy of a Kay Unger dress that is carried by Nordstrom’s and also a Vogue pattern (but more on that at Fashion Sewing Club in September).
Just in case you’ve been directed by the Hancock website Class Finder to come to this site for more information-please come back in a few days as they’re under construction. September classes should be posted here soon.
Thanks for your patience!
Recently I went to the movie “Coco and Igor”. The storyline piqued my interest and I ended up reading “The Gospel According to Coco Chanel”. I highly recommend it. Short, funny and lots of facts (which I’m not sure the movie had a lot of). At one point there was mention of Coco always using a toile or test garment to make her creations. I had only ever heard of calling that test garment a muslin. That same day I was reading a blog and the word was used in the same way. So I took the time to look it up and, sure enough, one of the meanings of “toile”-pronounced twal-rhyming with ball, is a test garment.
Which brings me to my second wedding dress. Several of us Material Girls attended the Peggy Sagers event in July at Hancock Fabrics. I was struck by how easily she altered the muslins on the women and decided that, in the future, I would try to use them more often. According to Peggy, “If you get the wrinkles and puckers out of muslin, they’ll surely be gone when you use fashion fabric that has body and drape.” I have now completed the muslin or toile (very cool word if you’re feeling particularly Coco-ish) for the dress for the second wedding. There’s a sleeve in one side and not the other. I’m still deciding which I want but have plenty of time to think while I cut and sew.
I miss everyone this month and wonder what you are sewing….
Material Girl Sewing 