Sharing the Love

I was nominated for this super cute award by Lori, Sigrid, Ann and Dana; Thank You! I love all your blogs, in fact, I love too many blogs and hence my feed is getting out of control :) What to do...  Well, if that's the worst of my problems, YAY, lucky me :))

Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received your award.

This award has been granted to a good portion of my sewing sistahs so I'm using this opportunity to share the love with blogs I recently added/discovered.

Rosanne of She's Sew Unusual: She is expecting so head on over and congratulate!

Gry of From the Stash: She's moving from Copenhagen to Oxford, another congrats is in order!

Jenni of Sew YLD: She JUST started a blog, many of you already know her from Pattern Review under the name Yorkshire Lass. Please go and welcome her!

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And to answer a couple of questions from last post:

RachelMM would like to know where I found my gravity feed iron:

I bought it online from CleanerSupply, here's a direct link

Naomoto Iron

It's fantastic, and so is their costumer service. When it turned out the water tank was faulty, they shipped a new one within days.

I go a lot of information over on Pattern Review from reading the boards, and here's a link where you'll find the info on exactly how to install the hook in the ceiling. I printed it out and gave it to the guy who did the work for me:

Scroll down to neither's (John's) post

Rosanne wanted to know how I found my inspiration coat:

I've been using the yoox website as an inspiration destination for a long time. They carry many high-end items from a myriad of designers and their search feature makes it so easy. I usually pick a main category, then search by HIGH PRICE FIRST :)) That's when you get the good stuff! When I find something I like, I bookmark that item so it will be there to view in close-up even after it sold. Here's an example:

Bluemarine Coat on yoox (that I knocked off last year)

So make sure you bookmark!

Using the Grainboard 4 Pintucks

Thank you to Lori, Sigrid, Ann, and Dana for nominating me for the Sisterhood Award, I will do a separate post on that. It's been really busy in my life lately...

Still very excited about my grainboard :)) I've been putting it to use the last couple of days. First to trace and cut patterns, then to cut a muslin, and finally for pintucks.

Here are a few more followups to questions about the grainboard:

Joanne asks : But where to store it? On top of the cutting table? On top of the cutting mat that sits on the cutting table? No accidental cuts on the grain muslin?

And Sew A Beginner asks: Can you use rotary cutters on the grainboard?

I've been storing the grainboard on the cutting table, but when I need to move it, it will easily lean up against the wall. I have a cutting mat to use with the rotary cutter- which I only use to cut quilt blocks and bias. I never use a rotary cutter for anything else. With scissors you have complete control, which is a must in couture. The scissors will not cut into the grainboard because the surface is pulled very tight, but you can not use a rotary cutter on the grainboard. I don't quilt much, and now I will use the grainboard for bias strips as well, so the rotary cutter and mat won't be of much use.

And thank you Katy for alerting me to the faulty Baby It's You link. The website is under construction and will hopefully be up and running soon.

Ann said: I have a spaceboard (51"x33")which I bought years ago. I love mine too and always use it. 

I also use mine to draft patterns on, and to trace patterns. If you use a tracing wheel to trace, it perforates the paper underneath nicely and you just follow this to cut out your pattern pieces.
Found a picture here:
http://www.yarn-store.com/blocking-supplies.html

Thank you Ann for the info on your spaceboard. I have a question for you: Is it a hard surface or can you pin into it? I usually trace patterns with a marker- I buy large rolls of the cheap tracing paper from the art supply store and just place it over the pattern.

Edit to update:

Ann answered; yes, you can pin into the spaceboard, and she included  a link to photos of how she uses it. I thought this to be so helpful, I asked if I could post the link here. She kindly agreed. Thanks Ann!

Spaceboard photos

So in conclusion; if you don't have the time/space/interest- fill in the rest:)- for a grainboard, a spaceboard is a great alternative.

Okay time for the pintucks part :))

Here's my inspiration coat. This is a bad picture, go to yoox where you can zoom in : Christian Dior Coat.

And this is the pattern I'm using, BWOF 1-2009-115

As it turns out I like the pattern so much I think I'm keeping most of the details and then add the pintuck section, pockets, belt/cuff straps and the button spacing. I might add pintucks on the yoke as well as inside on the upper facing and the under collar. The double collar is really cool- you can flip one up. I also like that it's very relaxed, not so fitted. I mostly wear my jackets and coats open. Here's the muslin.

Okay the pintucks. I need them to be really even and straight and the grainboard is FABULOUS for this. My new gravity feed iron doesn't hurt either :)) I'm using the walking foot and 3mm stitch length. The fabric is a silk shantung (at least that was what the label said), but it's really soft and drapey. I fuse-interfaced for the pintucks but think I'll use silk organza underlining for the coat.

What are you all sewing/dreaming about? It's time for another giveaway, I need some ideas :))

Kreativ Blogger Award

Susie Homemaker (Melissa) was kind enough to nominate me for this beautiful - and, new to me, award. It's spells creative the Norwegian way, very appropriate don't you think :)) Thank you, Melissa!

Rules:

1. Copy the award to your site.

2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.

3. Nominate 7 other bloggers.

4. Link to those on your blog.

5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominate.

My 7 nominees:

Couture Details (Claudine): She lives in England and makes beautiful clothes for her children and herself. Her blog is also so nice and clean- easy viewing for my too-easily-distracted eyes.

Couture Frenzy (Berry): This girl poses her stuff like a super model, just fantastic. She also speaks and writes three languages. Supermodel with brains ... huh??? She went missing in action for a while but is baaaack!!! 

Erika B. - D.I Y. Style: Well, most bloggers know her already, so not much I can add. She is a big inspiration and wears her clothing with fabulous panache! 

Laura's Sewing Room: Just like Berry, she's now MIA: Let's all give her a collective shout-out COME BACK, we miss you! Fabulous flair and a true inspiration to all of us.

Sew Fashionable (Cindy): This elegant Floridian makes stylish clothing, and I would raid her closet if I could. She doesn't post as often as I'd like her to, but living in Florida, I understand. Too much living going on down there, my favorite state.

Stitch Me Up (Ann): This woman is even more sophisticated than her pictures give her credit for. I met her at PR weekend last March (too brief an encounter, but it left a solid impression.) You're a very special breed, Ann, we need more of you!

Sew Intriguing (Liana): She chose the most appropriate name for herself, because this woman is intriguing. And elegant. Very elegant. Her clothes look like they came from Neiman Marcus, in fact; she looks like she could be the owner of Neiman Marcus. 

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I will post on the giveaway shortly ;)

There Will Be Fringe...

... and buttons and sleeves...

This has been a long process with numerous interruptions. Really don't care though, because it's such a joy returning to this lovely fabric.

Changes so far:

No pocket flap, no in-seam pockets, and no collar. Instead I added patch pockets with fringe, silk piping, and silk bound buttonholes. Bias seams, hems and vent are fuse-stabilized. The two-piece sleeve is now a three-piece, split down the grain from top of shoulder, and a vent added.

Thumbelina and O'Malley have been very supportive throughout this process, always insisting on aiding in any way they can...

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I want to welcome Berry back to the world of sewing and blogging- I truly missed you!

Cidell, You are not too old for the dress- you would look fabulistic in an outfit like that!!!

I want to thank Cindy Lou for finding me and then top it off with an award! Since I already have received this award, I will link to that post here. 

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All you wonderful people are inspiring and enrich my life on a daily basis. I thank you. And so does DH. We would like to extend an open invitation to all of you faithful readers:

If you are visiting or live in Chicago, we will get you tickets to our musical Million Dollar Quartet free of charge. We are also planning to open our musical Baby It's You in a big theater here in Los Angeles in the spring, and when that happens, the same will apply. 

Thank you for reading my blog!

Blog Awards

Sigrid passed these three awards on to me, and I'm very honored. Thank you, Sigrid. She summarized the rules:

1. Select 6/10 bloggers to whom you would like to give this award.

I'm quite new to blogging so I chose to go with those I'm most familiar with and whose blogs are mainly about sewing, although I'm sure they've all been awarded already.

In no particular order:

Melissa- I love reading about her sewing adventures and her family life. Having met her in person I'm also a bit influenced :)) She is so sweet and the way she communicated with my little one was quite special. Yup, she's a keeper!

Belinda- Her work speaks for itself. Always meticulous, she includes helpful info and has a large and loyal following, which now includes me :)) She may be "Sew 4 Fun", but that does not exclude a high degree of professionalism.

Lindsay- We know her as the NYC gal who's shopping all the time :)) If I ever get myself cross country, she'd be the first person I'd like to meet. She's also an excellent writer and has fun polls that make me think.

Vicky- She was one of the first to find my very obscure Mac blog and left messages, which speaks volumes. She's very dear to my heart, so- yes, I adore her. She has also raised two fabulous daughters. The three of them look like sisters.

Marji- Like so many others, this woman has inspired me tremendously. She is is a wealth of knowledge which she readily shares with anyone. Her posts are top priority, even when she writes about her other passion, sailing.

Kathleen- I'm not sure if she can post/participate in these awards on her website, but I want to award her just the same. She is brilliant, fun and so generous with her time and expertise. Her book is by my side always.

Nancy- Here I'm being partial again:)) After meeting her at LA PR weekend, I was struck by her soft natured-ness. She makes beautiful clothes and writes detailed info with pictures on her fitting and sewing. Her students are very fortunate indeed.

2. Put the award - prize on your blog and indicate who gave it to you by identifying her/his blog.

3. Paste theses rules on your blog.

4. Write 6 of your most important values and 6 negative points you condemn (for the Premio al esfuerzo personal award only.)

I'm choosing to sum things up :))

Important: Personal ethics and integrity.

Negative: Lack of the above.

5. Inform the recipients by leaving a comment on their blog.

Well, I think that's it. I still haven't gotten around to taking the pictures, but I will, promise :)