Stash Acquired

I have been very fortunate in acquiring a HUGE stash of fabric and sewing notions.

My grandmother (lovingly called Memaw) used to sew SO much, but unfortunately over the last few years she has lost her ability to see, and can no longer sew (or drive, or read, or many of the other things she used to enjoy so much). She told me she had a lot of materials and patterns, but I had no idea just HOW much that would turn out to be (and it's likely there are still boxes of it mixed in with her other belongings). So, here's a picture of my loot as I brought it in from the house and stacked it in the hallway:

there are yards upon yards of materials, not to mention boxes of patterns and thread, spools of elastic, and who knows what else is hiding in that treasure trove. The fabrics range from silky soft apparel to thick canvas-y things and all sorts of stuff between. Being such a novice at sewing I'm not sure what some of it is, or if some of it is even worn in today's fashion, but that will be part of the fun of finding out just what I have and what I can do with it. I'm very grateful and lucky to have come in possession of these things, and I'm thinking I'll have to make at least one garment for Memaw as thanks :)

Julia

Peplum Pencil Skirt, Inspiration

Lately I have become a fan of shopping at The Limited, and a mailer they sent me featured this skirt (picture below) which I have fallen in love with!

Looking at the picture online I'm not sure how big of a fan I'll be of the actual color/material/fabric choice it is made of, but it has been a source of inspiration for me. I think I can replicate something similar to this by using the idea of a pencil skirt, and adding an extra layer to the top of it. I don't have it all exactly figured out (gives me something to think about while I'm trying to go to sleep) but I'll update with my progress. I just love the skirt!

The Scalloped Apron

Well, I have finished it, the scalloped apron from Paisley Pincushion I've been working on the past few days is complete. I'm very proud of it! I know it isn't perfect, but for a beginner I think I did fairly well, especially for my first time to follow an actual pattern. So here are some pictures of my finished work.

Now to cook something :) haha. Goodnight!

Julia

Sewing!

With the wonderful holiday break between semesters, I have been able to pull out my sewing machine and do some sewing! I'm currently working on an apron, although it seems my pockets may not turned out quite as scalloped as they should. I'm guessing by the time I get the fourth side pocket sewn on it may be semi-scalloped. Unfortunately I haven't taken any pictures of my progress, I'll have to do that, but I'm super excited about the fabrics and how it will look when it's finished. I also made a sewing machine cover for my mother-in-law, who got a new sewing machine for her birthday. This was my first time to "quilt" something and use bias tape, and for a first time and not really following any instructions I'm quite happy with how it turned out and the things I learned along the way. I didn't take any pictures of that while it was in progress, either, but here is one of the finished product being used:

The little one is sleeping and while I have a project to work on, I also have Netflix and believe being a vegetable sounds pretty good right now.

Julia