Polyvore

I love Polyvore.com. I am addicted to it. I used it to help me with my inspiration for my 2010 SWAP, American Dreamin'.

Find me on Polyvore

Black & White party chic! I wish I had some excuse to wear these dresses, shoes and bags.

Baby Shower

I forgot all about this post. I started it almost 2 weeks ago and never finished it. Anyways, on the 7th of this month was the baby shower for Dem. It was a good time. I wanted to share a few pictures from it.

First are the delicious cucumber sandwiches and chicken salad sandwiches Bri made. As you can tell from the half empty plate everyone else though they were delicious too.

We had a table set up to paint onsies, which we hung on ribbon to dry. I think they turned out pretty cute. At the top of the picture you can also see the garland trim I made from the Purl Bee tutorial. It turned out really nice.

We played the diaper cake game. It also has the garland I made on it. All in all it was a good time. Almost everything we had was DIY. The only thing that wasn't DIY was the cake, which we got at Target.

New Books

I recently received a $25.00 gift certificate from a rewards program. I thought what better thing to get with it than new sewing books. I got two. They both arrived yesterday and I am so excited about them I wanted to share.

The first was Couture Sewing Techniques by Claire Shaeffer. I have been eyeing this book for awhile. Since I first started thinking about making my Chanel jacket to be exact. I only briefly flipped through it, but from what I saw I will not be disappointed. It has some great tips and advice for getting those designer looks in all types of garments. This is a must have for sewers.

The second book I got was One Yard Wonders by Rebecca Yakers and Patricia Hoskins. I picked this one on a whim, thinking it may help me reduce my stash. I read the description and reviews and thought I would give it a shot. I must say I got more than I expected with this book. There are patterns for a lot of the projects in the book. The ones that don't have patterns have instructions for cutting the required pieces, which are basic squares and rectangles. There were so many different projects that I immediately wanted to make with my stash. I will be getting a lot of use out of this book. If you have lots of random yards in your stash this is the book for you. It has everything from home decor sewing to clothing for kids and adults to pet sewing. GET THIS BOOK!!!

***Both pictures came from the Amazon.com website.

February Review

February Stats:

I have completed 2 dresses, 1 top, 1 UFO and a new pair of pj pants for myself.

I used a total of 10 yards of fabric!!

I bought only 5.5 yards. I used all of it for too!!

I made a satin top and 2 knit dresses all in one week. I just want to officially say I love sewing with knits. I know I said it before but I don't know why I was so nervous to sew with knits. It is so much easier than I was making it out to be. I think the teal knit dress is my favorite thing I made this past month. It fits so perfectly. I used M5974. This pattern is perfect for creating that hour glass shape!

I made the pj pants last night, which is why I have no pictures. But they are exactly the same as the ones I made for my sister for Christmas. I had some extra flannel left and I decided I didn't want to start an in-depth project on the last day of February. So, I did some instant gratification sewing. Besides who couldn't use more warm comfy flannel pj pants in the last weeks of winter? I have enough of the blue and green daisy flannel left that I may use it for part of a 1960's hippy costume I have to make for a client this month. More on that later though.

Saturday, I took a couple of hours to work on a UFO, which is a pair of men's renaissance pants. I had originally intended to make them for my brother to wear to the faire when we go. But now I think I may just put them in my Etsy shop.

This brings me to the next big news. I started my Etsy shop, The Five Petals, in February!! Woot. I have not posted any items just yet. But I hope to have some things completed in March to put up. Keep checking back to see what I have up for sale.

This month I have some goals to work on:

1. Get pieces completed for Etsy shop

2. Work on my jeans. I am now considering them a UFO, since they have been cut out since beginning of February.

3. Knit 3-4 scarves.

4. Make 2 more tops for my SWAP. I am planning on a OOP Project Runway 3535 in a navy with white stripes chiffon. The second will be New Look 6875. I am going to use a white knit for this.

5. Continue on the never ending, soul sucking quilt. I promise I will not be taking up any more in-depth quilting projects once this is over.