Oops! I Did it Again!

Ooo...I am so excited. An amazing Maggy London Garden Print Linen was posted at Textile Studio a few weeks ago and I have been stalking it ever since. I would gaze at it longingly for hours, dreaming of what our life together would be like. The dreams we could fulfill, the time spent in each other's company. C'mon folks, you know what I'm talking about. I know I'm not the only one that has a rich fantasy life that revolves around fabric.

Anyhow, Marsha (the little temptress), must have known about my unrequited love. There it was, in the Thursday Special this week...my heart's desire...begging to come home with me. So, I invited 2 yards over for dinner and who knows what else (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). Here it is, my latest passion:
I'm not absolutely sure into what I will turn this fabric. On my short list, I see it as view A of Vogue 7511 (although I will be ditching the bow at the neck). Then it can be worn twice as often, sometimes as a dress, other times as a coat.

It Was Only a Matter of Time

I have been eyeballing the offerings at Denver Fabrics for a while now. I just never quite got the perfect incentive to take the plunge. Well, this evening, a 30% off coupon appears in my inbox. So, I wandered over to take a little looksie. Silk chiffon for 30% off? In the perfect colours for a project that's been percolating in the back of my brain for months now? How could I resist? Well, I couldn't and the rest is history. So, check it out.

Remember this dress, from Vintageous, which was the inspiration for a dress in my SWAP?



















I adore this dress and my quest is to produce a blatant ripoff of it. To that end, I purchased the following two silk chiffons:













Not perfect colour matches, but pretty darn good, if I say so myself! I cannot wait to get these fabrics in my hot little hands.


In other sewing pursuits, I have many new garments to show you. All that is required is some computer time to write the blog entries. Over the next few days, I hope to show you the 3 skirts, 2 tops, 2 dresses and 1 jacket that have now made their way from my fabric closet to my clothing closet.

Doggone Ugly

No, mommy, nooooooo.......


Honestly, what was McCall's thinking?

It's a Plaid World

I was on my way out the door to do some accessories shopping (shoes, bags, jewellery, etc.) at the local outlet mall and I asked my husband to snap a picture of me in my latest creation. So, for your perusal,
Gotta love linen, eh? Wrinkles and all, linen is still one of my my favourite fabrics. And my latest love, seersucker fabric - it just screams summer!

ETA: Gaylen pointed out that I look a tad disgruntled in the above picture - I look grumpy because at that moment it looked like it was about to rain on me. Gaylen also mentioned the absence of Simon. So, here's another picture (pardon the blurriness) which remedies the prior two problems. Look, a smile and a sweet pooch - for what more could you ask?

Simplicity 3887 & McCall's 2101

Pattern: Simplicity 3887 & McCall's 2101



























Size: S3887 comes in sizes 8 to 24 - I made size 8. M2101 comes in sizes XS to XL (4-22) - I made XS.








Fabric: Rust plaid seersucker for the top and rust linen/cotton blend for the cropped pant. Both fabrics are from Fabricland.











Project Photo:



















Comments:I have made the pants before and when I'm looking for a quick, comfortable, easy pair of pants, this is the pattern I usually use. This pattern does not produce the most fashion forward result, but when I'm in a hurry and need a fast fix, this is a great pattern. I tend to only make these pants if I know I'll be wearing a top out to cover the elastic waistband. A word of caution - this pattern runs large in my opinion. I usually use an 8 for my pants, but the XS (4-6) was roomy enough for me.

This is the first time I made the top and I chose view C. It went together very quickly and the result is quite nice looking. My only alteration is to cut 3" off the bottom, as the top fell at a bad spot on my hip. Although I am fairly long waisted for my height, this top was too long as is. I am pleased with the length now. I would not wear this top without the belt - it looks too much like maternity wear otherwise

Conclusion: All in all, this was a quick and easy outfit. I am behind in my sewing and I am in dire need of some summer clothes. I was able to complete both pieces (from layout to cutting to sewing and finishing) in about 6 hours. This will be a nice, cool addition to my summer wardrobe. I will certainly make both pieces again.

Sometimes You Have to go for Broke

And, go for broke, I did!

I'm back from my trip to Toronto and I come bearing fabric (and photos).

The very first store I stepped into was The Wool House (which has now moved five doors down from it's old location - sorry I can't remember the new address). Here are a few of my fabrics on the cutting table. Wait to the end of the post to see my entire haul, with descriptions.
I love this store. It is an anal retentive fabric lovers dream. The fabric is gorgeous and the organization and presentation is impeccable. Check this out:

This entire section consists of neatly shelved Zegna fabrics. Each fabric is more amazing than the last












This section holds all the high end wool/cashmere and pure cashmere. The prices in this area run from $100 to $1000 per yard. Yes, you read that right - there is a pure cashmere suiting that runs $1000 per yard. The salesman said that they have difficulty keeping it in stock because so many people are having suits made with it. Although I did get a piece of amazing cashmere from this section, I didn't shell out that much!










This section holds all the Italian cotton shirtings (although there is one amazing silk/cotton shirting in there that is exquisite). They sell for $16.50 per yard, which really is a steal for this quality. I got one piece for my inaugural voyage into dress shirt making for my husband. Wish me luck, Liana, oh goddess of the dress shirt!







This is a sampling of the Irish linens. They are the softest, most sumptuous linens on which I have ever laid my hands. And the colours, the glorious colours...just look at the colours - it makes me salivate.









This is a new fabric that they are carrying this year and they are having a hard time keeping it in stock. This fabric is a linen/cashmere blend (it may have some silk in the mix, too). Although, the stripes are not really my cup of tea, the hand of the fabric is TDF.








My next stop was L. A. Fabrics. This store carries both day and evening wear fabrics. There are silks, wools, wool/cashmere blends, linens, cottons and much more. Every time I go to Toronto, I succumb to a great fabric (or twelve), at a great price from this store. Once again, like at The Wool House, I love the neat organization in this store.













I wanted to show you one other store, which makes me giggle every time I set foot into it. This is World Sewing Centre. It is a a neat freak's nightmare (and I imagine the fire marshal has a special place in his heart for it too). It is floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall fabric. There are places where the fabric is stacked so deep, there is no hope of extracting the bolt on the bottom of the pile. In most sections, the aisle ways are so narrow that I have to turn sideways to get past the encroaching fabric. It is always an adventure. Every time we go in there, my husband says that we should keep an eye out for a single skeletal arm poking out from beneath the piles of fabric. He figures some poor soul was crushed by an avalanche of fabric in 1974 and has yet to be found amid the chaos!















Alright, I know what you're saying...show me the fabric. So, without further ado, here are my new babies,
From the top:

1. Coral orange cashmere from The Wool House. I spent more per yard on this fabric than I have ever spent in my entire sewing career. I have finally hit the big leagues with this one. I have a very special project in mind for this fabric, but I'm not giving any info just yet. A girl has to have her secrets!
2. Rust wool/cashmere from The Wool House.
   
3. Orange wool/cashmere from The Wool House.
   
4. Light green Italian cotton shirting from The Wool House.
   
5. Coral wool from L. A. Fabrics.
6. Hunter green wool from L. A. Fabrics.
7. Heathered brown wool from L. A. Fabrics.

Believe it or not, I actually have projects in mind for every single piece. I have been collecting a bunch of vintage Vogue Couturier and Vogue Americana designer patterns and I plan on putting them to good use.

So, there you have it - that's what I did on my summer vacation!

Fabric Mecca, Here I Come!

I won't be around for the next few days. My husband & I are going up to Toronto to visit his brother. My brother-in-law just bought a new house that I haven't seen yet, so up to TO we go. However, I cannot tell a lie - I have other more nefarious motives for agreeing to this journey:

Two words - FABRIC DISTRICT.

Here I come Queen Street. There a few stores that I never miss - LA Fabrics, The Wool House and Mokuba Trims. There are several other stores that I enjoy going into as well, but I can't remember the names - I'll have to pay better attention this time around.

I'll report back next weekend on my haul - see you then!

Happy Canada Day!

On July 1st, 1867 Canada officially became a country - so today my homeland is 140 years old. I have to say she looks pretty good for her age.















The photos above are pictures from the last time my husband & I vacationed up north (in the Muskoka region of Ontario). This is one of the many beautiful, natural, breathtaking regions that can be found in Canada.

I am proud to be a Canadian for so many reasons:

1. The bravery shown by hundreds of thousands of Canadian soldiers in WWI, WWII and in peacekeeping missions all over the globe today.
2. The tolerance for others, evidence by the Underground railroad (I live 15 minutes from this historic site), same sex marriage and multiculturalism (there are more than 200 ethnic origins represented in Canada).
3. The sheer number of funny Canadians - Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Jim Carrey, Michael J. Fox, Phil Hartman, Eric McCormack, Lorne Michaels, Rick Moranis, Mike Myers, Leslie Neilson, William Shatner and Martin Short, to name a few.
4. Canadian humanitarians, Terry Fox and Rick Hansen.
   
5. Canadian inventors - Alexander Graham Bell, Joseph-Armand Bombardier, George Klein, James Naismith, P. L. Robertson and Gideon Sundback, among others.
6. Canadian doctors and researchers - Frederick Banting, John Callaghan, Tommy Douglas and Jeanne Mance; if not for them, the world would be filled with more suffering.

So, Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canuks. To celebrate, why don't you head on down to Timmy's to pick up a double-double and a butter tart, eh?