SEWmuchKNITting

Last weekend was the American Stitches Sewing Expo in Novi, MI and a few of the members of the Loose Threads Quilt Guild took a field trip! The Michigan weather was spectacular, so of course a tailgate was in order: What you can't see in this photo are all the shopping bags.....with goodies purchased from the vendors at the Expo. I returned to the Expo alone on Saturday to take two classes with Kenneth D. King on tailoring tips and tricks. We learned about faced flap pockets, welt pockets and bound buttonholes, piping and sleeves/sleeve caps. The classes were very informative, he is an engaging instructor who was very willing to share his vast tailoring knowledge. I met up with a friend in the evening for the Passion for Fashion fashion show, a runway show with contestants who participated in a Project Runway -like competition that spanned the weekend. It was a fun weekend, and I did my part to help the struggling economy, making purchases at Vogue Fabrics , Haberman Fabrics and...

I have been a member of the online sewing community at PatternReview for several years now....and have finally posted my first review! Another of the 'what I did this summer' garments for my daughter Libby, this cute little cotton skirt was fun to make. Libby picked the fabric....an 'uncanny':-) resemblance to the skirt shown on the pattern envelope, View A: She loved the fit, especially the way the pleats fall close to the body. And the faced pockets are a nice touch.

Things have settled down here a bit, so I thought I'd update this blog with what I have done over the summer. I made a quick trip to Chicago to see my daughters. My daughter Kristen works in Evanston, so what's a girl to do but make a stop at Vogue Fabrics ! Don't be fooled, this is not a 'fancy' fabric store in the least, but who cares? People like me who love fabric go there for one reason...for the fabric! This was my first (and certainly not last!) trip to Vogue Fabrics, and I wasn't disappointed. Good thing I left room in my suitcase to bring home some goodies: From top to bottom: a lusciously soft knit, black menswear with a subtle pin-stripe, blue lycra knit and a lightweight woven. Hopefully, I will be posting finished garments made with these fabrics in the coming months! After work, Kristen met up with my oldest daughter Libby and me for dinner, and her recommendation to eat at Praire Moon was spot-on! The beer menu at Prairie Moon is outstanding........

Started out with these...the tools of the trade.....I vacated my usual sewing area to be right in the middle of the action! And these lovely fabrics.....a gun-metal silver-grey with a subtle black slub which looks like silk but is really polyester.....and the white lining, nothing special there.... This is the "BEFORE" of 3 of the 6 full-length windows that run along the back of our home: And here is the after, with 3 down and 3 to go: Considering the initial quotes for blinds/shades for the 6 windows fell anywhere from $2000.00 to$4000.00, the roughly $350 I've spent for all 6 windows is right up my alley! And I must say, hats off to my husband Ken, who was my right hand on this project helping me with the measuring and the hardware installation. :-)