classic with a splash of color

as luck would have it, i went to hancock fabrics yesterday with the idea i'd simply browse some fabric to get a feel for what's available in cottons, fleece, wool blends, brocades and more. i looked on every shelf and display. so unlike me who usually goes straight for what i'm in need of. near the cutting table i stumbled upon some "sportswear wools" and this pretty gray with embroidery jumped out at me right away. it's not super heavy yet will be warm and should drape nicely. it's classy as a traditional gray, yet has some embellishment to make it fun. i think as a long, hooded cloak it will look interesting and playfully elegant. the sales associate and customer in line behind me thought so, too!

i was positively smitten when i saw it was on sale for 40% off. there were only 4 yards left on the bolt so i pulled the pattern to consult the back. it suggested i would only need 4.5 yards for a small and medium in a 60" wide material. furthermore, i knew i had taken a good eight inches off the length. however, to be sure, i drove back home (after a quick stop at the trader joe's next door for some yummy dark chocolate treats...but that's another story!), measured out what would be 4 yards and 60 inches and lay my pattern pieces on top. perfect! i jumped online to consult the hancock webpage. they showed the same fabric at the same discount. but, why wait for shipping when i can make an easy five minute drive, again, and support my own community?

i then found this delicious mauve lining fabric, also 60 inches so 4 yards would do, thread and a frog closure which i will use in place of ties.

and you know who i called first in my excitement over my new fabric and savings? my mom, of course! it was nice to hear a smile in her voice. i promised her a photograph of the finished piece.

time to stop staring and start cutting!

flower child

are you a facebook user? though i am careful about how i use it, it pays to support your favorite vendors by hitting the "like" button. this online shop, for instance, recently offered fans a 20% discount in celebration of customer appreciation week. what a good time to pick up a few new things!

i mentioned in my previous post that i had veered toward less bright colors and patterns. i believe the above palette is more subtle for me. lol!

when i begin my browsing, i generally head straight for the "quilting fabrics ➝ retro & mod quilting fabrics" and there i found these beautiful prints.

from top to bottom:

peace & flowers

medallions & tile sorbet

bubbles

guatemalan flora

i've no immediate plans for this yummy goodness. but it makes me happy to touch, to feel, to smell the new fabric, sweet eye candy.

i did make a couple of very cute skirts that i wore repeatedly throughout the summer. when i've a chance i'll snap a photograph and share.

just what i've been waiting for

i'm so excited! the fab fabric has arrived from a funky new line by one of my favorite designers that i intend to choose from for a bag swap with the amazingly talented Stephanie (pop on over to her blog and visit her terrific photos on flickr). here's just a sneak peek, but i promise details after i've finished and my package has been mailed, delivered & received. it's been a while since i've been at the sewing table. this is the inspiration i've been waiting for and i'm sew ready to get back at it.

hope everyone is enjoying a terrific july, near and far. make the absolute best of it in perfect celebration of your interests and passions.

hot & delicious

this. this is what i've been waiting for. and it came today! in this purple tissue. it can't get any better then that, fabric packaged in purple tissue! so beautiful. exactly what i was looking for. maybe the line will look familiar to some of you. it's a little something i've got going on, with a someone that shares this little space with me, and i hope it'll be a pleasant surprise. i'm sew excited! yes, i must get started, right away. put the photo edits aside. wonderfully magnificent it will be working this gorgeous stuff into some mail love. and give my groovy groupies something to come back to by way of an actual finished piece. yeah, sweet.

commercial break

salvia guaranitica 'black & blue'

i've been in something of a foto frenzy since last here i came to my little space. but, i promise there are some sewing projects in the works, including something i'm super excited about. and there is new fabric because i wanted what was just right. and it wasn't there in my stash (that's my story & i'm sticking with it). it's been so long since i ordered fabric, i confess i was a bit discombobulated, with butterflies in my stomach! but, can't wait for ups. yeah. rock out. and i'm going local, too, to see, to touch.

was it ridiculously hot where you were this past weekend? it was all i could do to keep my little herb, annual & perennial gems from hitting permanent wilting point! so long, spring. hello, summer!

mail love

much to my delight, this little earth retro eight pack of fat quarters was delivered to me yesterday, a "thinking about you" gift from my sister, who recently took a sewing class, too, and picked this out for me at the shop where she received instruction. it's so sweet. and so good to slow down, send and receive a little mail love, in this online, instant communication techno fad world.

give a little love. receive a little love. this weekend. it's all good. peace out!

stashed. a few of my favorite things

i've not had a chance to sew or continue with my lap quilt these past days, preoccupied with life circumstances and occasions. to soothe the soul, i need but browse my stash, feel some fabric to put things back into perspective, those things that are creative abilities that defines a being.

and as i've self-imposed a ban on all fabric and book buying in observance of these dismal economic times, i'm so grateful for what i've accumulated in my stash and on my bookshelves that I may continue to live my sewing dreams and read to my heart's content.

these fabrics, i believe, i have not shared with you before. they'll look familiar, however, as i think you've come to understand something of my character and person :D

and lest you think i have disappeared from blogland, i knew i needed and wanted to post today, this brilliant blue sky, glowing sun friday.

some michael miller. kiwi. pod vine & ditz


marcus brothers. al fresco by michele d'amore. big bold flowers on green & scribbles on aqua


michael miller. orchid. dot-tastic, purple. carnival bloom & huevos


michael miller. clementine. boho blossom & far out floral


prints charming for marcus brothers. two young street. hugs and kisses black and blue & red


alexander henry. cinzia. chocolate, black, soft pink & prints charming for free spirit. follow your imagination


happy weekend to all. and there will be some sewing next week if i have no clue what it is!

make the cut

the island batiks i purchased back in september '08 for the lap quilt i want to make. i have no clue how i'm going to cut & coordinate. is there any sense to these designs and colors? but, at least i've actually taken them out of the drawer, sat them out, to touch, feel, to "peace" a pattern in my mind. :D

and in the meantime i'm ironing to cut the pieces for my winter. four seasons bag. it's a rainy day, perfect for quiet, sewing time.

four seasons. fabric

no sewing here this past week, but some total fabric loving. so happy with the mid-weight cottons i've found for two more of my four seasons bags.

yep, winter. the hippest black i was looking for.


top: mod. black mod patchwork & bottom: black mod leaves by michael miller. purchased online here. the leaves will be the exterior, the patchwork the lining.

and for summer, this delicious, bright golden yellow (exterior) and abstract black (lining), fresh paint, by michelle d'amore for marcus fabrics now on sale here.


i may go with the purple carnival bloom or clementine far out floral also from michael miller for spring, but i've plenty of time to make that decision.

may you know a safe and happy new year's day. and health, prosperity of love and creative talents gone wild in grand accomplishment and sweet contentment this 2009!

time lapse

remember this? well, now that the christmas decorations are pretty much up, time to get back at the sewing.

i've decided to make what i plan to call "four seasons" bags. exactly. four bags. four seasons.

this will be fall, although brown is pretty much a year round color. i ordered some black for winter. however, i still can't find a lining i like for it. so, fall it is i shall now sew.

i'm using my first alexander henry fabrics...jewel. mobile. chocolate and jewel. stripe. tea/chocolate.


and from a new online vendor at a good price. they had some jane sassaman prairie gothic i liked. yep, it rocks. psychedelic. almost glows in the dark! ;)

this kind of looks like the beaded curtains from the 70s. yeah, dude. totally retro. i like it! the fabric has been serged, washed. i'm ready to iron, cut & sew. today, tomorrow, now!

it's here. sugar snap.

sugar snap. melissa averinos for free spirit.

update: and check it out...the free spirit fabric blog. yummy stuff!


left to right: lace plum. wiggle plum. lace cocoa.


wallpaper cocoa. jellyfruit cocoa. kimono cocoa.

i felt like a child on christmas morn, not a woman doing some pre-thanksgiving cooking when my fabric arrived in today's mail. wow! it's prettier, for real, then on the computer screen and came so deliciously wrapped. i absolutely love it! a nice cotton, not too thin, not too heavy, and the colors vibrant but not so bright you're distracted from the wonderful design and pattern. what shall i make from these lovelies? i don't know. i may just have to look at them, feel them for a little while to come.

because it bears repeating...a peaceful and bountiful thanksgiving to all!

sneak peek - new fabric, new designer

tee is off this week on vacation & holiday. little sewing time, but lots of cooking & walking (raking leaves, too!) to our wonderful downtown on these gorgeous, crisp november days for a little nibble & cold beverage.

i'm not sure when i'll be here again with a new project, but was anxious to share this with you.

i was committed to working through my stash before making any new purchases, but when i saw this saturday morning, i had to get some. i received delivery confirmation today that it has been shipped. oh my gosh. the lace plum & lace cocoa totally reminds me of the spirograph designs i loved to do as a kid! this entire collection is so retro. sew groovy! pop over here to check it out and when it comes in the mail, i'll post a picture!

if i don't see you before then, HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you, your family & friends! i'm thankful for all who visit and share my small space and grateful that i share yours!

kaffe fassett selections

from top to bottom:

aboriginal dot. chocolate.
millefiore. brown.
aboriginal dot. rose.
lake blossoms. taupe.
stencil carnations. taupe.

yardage available online here and at a slightly lower price here.
as for the designer himself, visit here.

some amy butler fabric

from top to bottom:

daisy chain. deco rose. navy.
daisy chain. clematis. green.
daisy chain. wildflowers. navy.
daisy chain. mosaic river.
belle. coriander blue.
midwest modern. floating buds. ivory.
midwest modern. trailing cherry. brown.
midwest modern. happy dots. pink.
midwest modern. garden maze. olive.
midwest modern. floating buds. sage.

find the designer's website here and an online vendor here.