Max goes to France, plus some fabrics from Paris

We had a long-planned trip to France over Thanksgiving for Max to meet his great-grandparents. It was a really great trip and everyone loved Max of course!

at the Centre Pompidou, covered in drool

One of our Xmas card photos, his outfit was a hit!

 Shopping for the baby is very satisfying, so I bough a bunch of cute French clothes. Some are 18 months sizes, so he is not quite big enough until the Spring probably.

The one on the left says "tu me fais fondre" (you make me melt)

The koala sweater and overalls fit now and they are too cute!

The grey sweater says "mon petit amour"

 One afternoon we went up to Montmartre to walk around and stop at Chateau Rouge. That is the metro stop near the African market and all the wax fabric stores. Two summers ago, I shopped around and couldn't decide on anything. This time, there was a new shop that had just opened. It was very organized and had new stock that wasn't picked over- lots of good prints with different colorways in each.

All three are the full panel that you get, six meters or something like that. The left one is pink and green with a shiny gold design; it is hard to see unless you click on the picture and make it bigger. I really like the primary color one in the center with chickens. The right is blues and greens with an abstract plant design.

 Max is too big for the Baby Bjorn now. I missed the December Babywearing International meeting and there isn't one in January, so we don't have any other carriers right now. I think this weekend I am going to wash one and try some back carries. He is only 20 lbs, but he is too heavy to wear on my front anymore.

We also went to Marche St. Pierre and I bought some light polyester prints that will make beautiful dresses for the spring and summer. I don't have a specific plan in mind, so I bought two meters of each, just to be safe.

This one has an almost crazy graffiti look to it

Africa safari?

This one makes me wish I was in the Caribbean instead of the Chicago winter

They are all very drapey and light. I hope to make something cool! I am back to my previous weight and shape (minus the squishy stomach muscles), so now sewing isn't also a huge trial-and-error, fitting exercise. I can just go back to my old size and modifications!

I should really start on the spring dresses now and maybe I will finish them  by the end of summer, lol! Any pattern ideas?

Vogue fabric!

*Enter the giveaway by Thursday, if you want some vintage patterns*

On Sunday, I trekked south to Vogue Fabrics; when traffic is reasonable it's only about 20 minutes away and it was on a Sunday at noon. I wanted to find some silk to make some blouses. After a disappointing trip to the mall a few weekends ago, I decided I need to make myself some basics. I just cannot justify paying $90 bucks for a silk blouse at Banana Republic, when I can make one myself...though making basics is a boring task. 

The black and white print is a yard of silk for some kind of cute blouse. I have numerous blouse patterns, so no EXCUSES, Molly! Vogue didn't have any basic black or white silk for whatever reason, but they do have a section for Black Basics and White Basics. I found two super cheap, polyester fabrics that feel like silk. Even my nice cutting lady though it was silk before she looked at the tag. 

 I also could not resist this polyester print! It's red, white and blue (like the French flag) and it has tiny Parisian monuments and cafes and such all over it. I am going to make a dress, and be that Crazy French Teacher (TM). I mean, I already say bonjour to all my students every time I see them- so about a billion times a day. My brain is crossing some kind of line, where outside of class I say merci to people in stores...

Get pumped, I am making some clothes! Two more weeks of work and then I get summer too! Awwwww yeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssss!

Highs and Lows in New York City

We went to NYC during my Spring Break to see Andrew's fam and celebrate his dad's birthday.

While there, I had the opportunity to go to Mood, delight of delights!

Chicago is just starting to sort of become spring, but I am ready to sew some cute dresses and things! So I went looking for lightweight, happy fabrics with Andrew's sis. It was so fun.

I bought four pieces of fabric, one and a half yards of each. That's a reasonable amount of fabric for me to make a spring dress from, I think. Simple ones at least...

These two are both cotton knits: one is brown and white with a sort of plant print. The other looks like snakeskin print on a black background with the print in pink, purple and blue. It's cool.

 Close-ups:

 The one on the left is a cotton knit in a sort of tie-die pattern and the one on the right is a silk chiffon. It's animal-print-esque wiht pastel pink, green and coral. Me likey!

 Close-ups:

 The low, low, low of sadness:

I was walking around and it rained a little bit and the leather loop on my purse strap gave up the ghost and snapped. Now it is safety-pinned together and I am so sad. La tristesse.

All of the leather is very brittle and now its cracking. Any thoughts? Just use it until it all breaks? Condition it and pay to get the loop fixed? Buy a new one on Etsy and have the same thing happen in a month. I have grown to love my picnic basket and it has earned many compliments. Plus, I feel like a level-10 hipster carrying it around.

I got new glasses, too(new lenses in old glasses). I will post about them soon. I bought them at an estate sale in New Orleans, pre-2009, as they are NOT on my blog! How am I supposed to remember things if they are not blogged and searchable? Yikes.

Paris Fabric Loot

In Paris, Andrew and I took the 4 line to Chateau Rogue and went looking for wax fabric. I had never been to the neighborhood, even though we lived in Paris for a year. It's certainly interesting; the neighborhood is all African immigrants/descent. Even getting off the train I saw tons of women wearing the kind of fabric I was looking for!

Basically, all the shops are on Rue des poisonniers and there are quite a few. I found three prints that I thought about buying, but in the end I didn't get anything. I don't mind spending the money, but it was more the quantity. What am I going to do with six meters of the same print? 

I was undecided, so we walked over to the Marche St. Pierre, which is the fabric shopping section of Paris. This was all new and exciting, as I got into sewing after I graduated from college and it wasn't my thing when I lived there. 

I ended up buying two meters of this viscose print. It's kind of abstract and geometric, but with peacocks! aww yeah!

The we went and sat on the steps of Sacre Coeur and had some fun people watching, then went and had drinks and dinner. It was a fun day!

London fabric loot

I went to gold hawk road today since Andrew had meetings and work. I took the train which was insanely hot, all by myself like a big girl. :)

I went in and out of a million shops on the left hand side of the street and by the time I started looping back on the right hand side, I was ready to buy. The choices are really overwhelming, but I tried to be stingy and not buy a lot as the dollar to pound exchange rate is so terrible. Well for Americans at least. I picture British people going to American playing "make it rain" ie lil Wayne with dollars.

I only bought three things, but they are cool and unique! This is four meters of Swiss voile in a very large, cool print. Pink and brown looks very nice with my skin tone, and I picture it as a maxi dress it something. 25£. Eh. I talked him down a little...

At a different shop, I bought this neon 1990s-meets-Africa print. Two meters for 6£. Knit, but not super stretchy.

This delight was absolutely worth 25£!!! It's an off white skin and then it's been printed with a shiny giraffe pattern in browny-tan-gold. Its a whole hide. I am going to buy a walking foot and make the sweetest, most awesome leather purse anyone has ever seen!!! 

London is super fun and I'm having a great time!!! We're here til Friday so I still have lots of time to explore!

Ehrmagerd Loot!

Ok y'all. I am alive, but man did last minute wedding stuff suck up all my free time. Oh yeah, and making my wedding dress. I have a ton of stuff to post about in the next week or two! 

So last week, which was after my wedding but before my bff Stephanie's, I got an exciting email. Alicia, who lives in Chicago as well, was getting rid of a bunch of her sewing stuff. She said she had tried to sell it on craigslist, but that was making her annoyed and sad, so instead she was giving it away! And she wanted to give some to me! Whoo hoo!

Yay! I went over to her house after work and ended up prancing home with three bags of loot! She was super nice and fun to meet- so thanks, Alicia!

On to the loot:

4 silks and a printed lining.

3 pretty knits.

3 printed cottons and the water-color silky woven.

3+ yards of a beautiful wool from Parron's!

Close-up: it's mostly brown, white and olive green, so pretty!

This is paean to my (lack of) photo skills, but it's like a minty green velvet. Om nom nom.

And lastly, a whole shit-ton of zippers and thread, woot, woot!

After I organize all of my pictures, I will post about my bridesmaids and wedding dresses, the stuff I "built" Steph for her wedding, the bowls from my ceramics classes and other stuff I was too busy to post about. Oh yeah, my pattern testing Robson coat for Tasia, as well.

And I will pay back the karmic cycle of sewing giving by having my monthly pattern giveaway in just a few days, so keep you eyes peeled!

Thanks again, Alicia!

Finally got the wedding dress fabric!

So, I finally worked out my skirt issues (more on that tomorrow) and could finally buy my underlining fabric! Yay! So, I fought afternoon traffic to go to Fishman's and bought 4 yards of white china silk lining to line the dress. 

 I bought 4 yards of silk charmeuse as my underlining fabric, but turned inside out so the shine does not detract from the lace.!

 My lace is from Mood and I bought it several months ago. I never found any other fabric I liked to the same degree and I am really happy with it; I think it is really pretty!

Close-up with scalloped edges.

From a distance

 I layered them over each other to get the final combination!

Yay! I am a giant procrastinator, but I will finish my dress in the next 2 weeks no problem! Figuring out the pattern was the problem!

Woot, woot!

Look at this fabric!

It's a polyester tulle with raised tulle rosettes all over!

It is so great! I saw it at JoAnn and it was 50% off, so I bought the end of the bolt. (You could buy some too!)So I have about 2 2/3 yards, but I don't know what style of dress to make out of it!

Any suggestions?

Christmas Sewing Loot

My mom gave me a bunch of patterns, which are cool. These are the blouses, and you can click on each picture to enlarge it.

Then three dresses, which are all super cute in different styles.
My aunt Sherry gave me the two dresses on the left, my mom gave me the freaky pajamas and cap pattern, and I bought the last one at St Vincent de Paul. It's eighties, but also kind of forties styled.
Mom also gave me a jacket pattern for Andrew, and some vintage buttons.
She also made me a ham and sleeve for pressing! Yay! I sewed them up after they were stuffed, so the weird shaped ends are entirely my fault.
We also drove up to POrtland and went to Fabric Depot, the largest fabric store in the USA. It was fun, especially if you like sewing with cotton. It was almost too much to look at; after awhile, I started getting that museum feeling, where you're sleepy and have looked at too many things. Or is that just me?
A cotton lawn from Fabric Depot.
A cotton mom found at Goodwill.
A cotton from Fabric Depot.

I'm excited for a new year! Everyone have a Happy New Year!!

Vogue Coat colors

NY was fun. We went to the Met and I took hundreds of pictures of artifacts to use in my Powerpoints for World History. I especially liked this Greek bird-woman. With a mullet!

We ate pizza and Senegalese food, we went to the Statue of Liberty (at my insistence), walked miles, I saw the great exhibit on American fashion in Brooklyn, saw Andrew's fam and a friend from college, went to Long Island and most importantly----

got my fabric at Mood!

Remember my pattern...

Guess which color combination I chose! Guess! The darker shade for the coat and the lighter for the contrasting cuffs and collar....

For now, I will leave you hanging.....

and go try to learn to use my ruffling foot...

Pattern Poll- Come and vote!

I finished the striped dress yesterday, but the weather is rainy and gloomy, so no pictures quite yet. I also sewed down the facings on the sleeves and the neck. I pinned up the hem to let it sit overnight and to think about it, but I like it as is.

To refresh your memory, here is the fabric I will use. If you look at yesterday's post, you can see all of it. These are to show some detail.

Choice 1- Blue dress

It has a one piece front, to minimize matching the print, and a few darts for fit.

Option 2- Grey dress with belt

It also has a one piece front, and no darts, so the print will be intact. However, it might look very sack-like.

Choice 3- Pink dress, but without the sleeves

It would be semi-fitted with that one long, diagonal dart. The stomach looks kind of poofy, even in the sketch.

Anyways, vote and let me know. I'll make whichever one is in the lead by Tuesday or Wednesday, probably!