Silk Winner

A lot of you wanted this piece, a total of 48 comments, although sewsincere and rosemarie refrained from entering, so the random numbers went from 1 to 46:

Which means: A SEWN WARDROBE is the winner, congratulations!!!

Please email me where to ship bjorum at mac dot com

Here are a couple of shots from the house on the beach in Laguna. I could sit on the patio and watch my DD run in and out of the ocean or dig for sand crabs... and the life guard was right beneath... Needless to say it was the most relaxing vacation I ever had since becoming a mom 17 years ago. Dolphins and whales, a giant tree growing into the house, nature is awesome.

Still at the beach...

... So the drawing will have to wait just a bit longer. I don't have internetservice, typing this on my iPhone. The weather in Laguna is fantastic and I don't want to leave. We're staying right on the beach and I feel like a new person, completely rejuvenated.

Balmain

Yes I'm finally finishing up the review, and you my dearest will of course have first dibs on the photos :)

DH came home with a brand new camera and boy is it good; Canon EOS 7D... And I got a remote control so now I can take pictures in all kinds of places.

As you can see I had to add a design detail... the sleeves were waaay to long after hanging on the form  so long (remember I cut them on bias). I shortened them in two different places and added some fabric DH brought home from Moods.

If I only had a waist like this...

And here I am... This first one is how I like to wear it, open and casual- except I normally wear clogs not sky-high platforms...

The black jeans I wore to the Tonys. And the platforms. Boy was it a long show...

My hair looked way better at the Tonys :)

Notice the remote, and also the black bag- it's a shoe bag,
this was before I actually put them on...

Now I don't feel so guilty :) The pictures is the hard part I and I dread taking them. Next will be the review. I'm posting some more pictures on Flickr, mostly construction photos here's the link

Flickr

Silk Giveaway

I told you :)

This piece has been in my stash for a year or more; a gorgeous European silk metallic constructed of two layers.

Two layers held together with gold metallic thread

The drape is wonderful yet it is perfect for more structured garments as well. I bought this to make a Chanel style suit, something inspired by Chanel's Spring '09 couture collection.

If you have a Pantone chart, the color is close to Pantone Winter White 11-0507 TPX or Cloud Cream 12-0804 TPX.

And that's why I'm giving it away. It has a warm tone which is a no-no for me. This is a generous 3 yards, 52" wide,  plenty to make a stunning outfit cause there's no matching involved. And, you could pair it with silk chiffon as it appears the Chanel suit above has done on the sleeves. I'd even insert silk charmeuse in the front slit on skirt :)
On the other hand, if you're unfamiliar with silk, this fabric is not difficult to work with and could be a great project for a basic suit or jacket, and it won't cost you a dime :), well, almost. I'd still recommend you buy silk thread and silk lining...

The fabric can be used on both sides to create a design effect

If this is a color you can wear or you want to make something for someone special, leave me a comment on this post. I won't be back until August 22 so let's make the drawing Monday August 23.

Silk

Here I am in the latest silk creation, Burda Tunic 02-2009110 and Burda skirt 03-2010-105.

Side zipper and re-beading to complete design

Both fabrics were bought at B&J Fabrics in NYC. The black is silk chiffon with three types of beads: black round and rectangular, and silver rectangular. The tunic is in a super lush silk charmeuse. I made it a bit looser this time to accommodate movement- yes, I wear this when I choreograph :) it has such wonderful drape. I also lengthened it 1".

I had very little of the beaded fabric( $$$ ) so I couldn't make a complete match on the sides, although the left side (see above) comes pretty close. But since this design isn't too obvious I just created new design lines by re-beading. Also, I never wear ANYTHING tucked in anymore so I don't have to worry about the upper part. The skirt also ended up a lot shorter and sits on the hips. I wanted to take more photos, but my camera fell off the tripod! Yes it broke, well the flash broke, so DH is off to get a new one. Did you know we've been married for nearly 18 years? That's a LIFETIME here in Hollyweird...

I did manage to take photos BEFORE the accident so below you can see some of the work  I did.

Daisy asked where I buy my silk fabrics:

The plain white and black I buy mostly from Dharma Trading, and some from the Silk Connection.

Katy mentioned Thai Silks and I buy from them too, they have some lovely prints. Then locally, I have F&S Fabrics five minutes away and Moods is about ten minutes... yes, I know, I have it goood...

I have several pieces in my stash and some I don't think I'll use (wrong colors for me), so watch out :) There will be another giveaway muy pronto! We're taking a little break from the hustle and bustle to spend time on the beach in Laguna, and then we're off to NYC.

And to the last giveaway winners; thank you, I received your mailing addresses and the magnifiers will ship tomorrow.

Giveaway Winners

There were 40 comments but one was a double post and one was from a previous satisfied winner, Bunny, :) so the random number went from 1 to 38:

FIRST WINNER:

SEWSINCERE

SECOND WINNER:

MELISSA 

Congratulations to you both! Let me know where to ship. bjorum at mac dot com

And thank you everyone; I loved reading how magnifiers would aid you in the sewing room -and, like Melissa, how you could use them for other things as well. I use them when my little one gets a splinter or anything else that is tiny, just like the dermatologist wears a similar contraption during an examination. I wish you all could have one right this minute, but at least I'll keep giving them away, so don't despair! 

I also started thinking about something else I buy in bulk: SILK! I often buy it by the bolt; charmeuse. crepe, chiffon, organza... black or white. You know I like to dye, so the white is very handy :) But black is my favorite color and I use it constantly.

Any interest in a giveaway? Wish you had some silk for a project you've got lined up?

Magnifiers and silk; two items I cannot live without :)

Giveaway

It's about time for another Magnifier Giveaway don't you think?

Save those precious eyes!

You have this fabric to thank, it inspired me to share the love :) 

Cutting/picking/threading black thread on black fabric is a lot easier when wearing magnifiers

I'm giving away two. Any country and continent, preferably on planet Earth :), just leave a comment on this post and you're in. Random drawing will be this Friday, August 6th.