Even as a toddler I was a bit messy.
But look what I accomplished today: Good-bye Ken dolls...
Hello clutter-free credenza! (For now, anyway)
Apropos of nothing at all, look at the fit of this Barney's shirt I picked a while ago at the Salvation Army. This is a men's SMALL -- the armholes are practically at my waist!
And now let's talk about my birthday suit. I'm calling it that because I need to have it done by my birthday, April 21st. So I have a month, which should be enough time.
Today I bought my fabric, that cotton-mohair blend in a medium gray I showed you the other day. It's hard to photograph in a bright room and get the color right since it tends to reflect light. I guess you could call this gunmetal gray (I don't spend much time around guns). It's not super dark, but not really light either.
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| It's not quite this light... |
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| ...nor quite this dark. |
I also received Vogue 2616, the men's suit pattern from 2001 I bought on Ebay, in the mail today. It's called a "Vogue American Designer Original" but they don't say the name of the designer. This is one of those lines where you were supposed to ask for the Vogue label at the pattern counter (according to the envelope) which seems kind of silly to me. Do you put labels in your home sewn clothes?
So my birthday suit is what's next in my cue. I hope you're up for it; actually, I hope I'm up for it -- a suit is a lot of work but I feel more ready now than I have in the past, especially since I have a successful blazer under my belt. Or should I say, over it.
In closing, I am excited to have some clean surfaces around me. It's hard for me to start a new project amid too much clutter. Oh, I also culled my fabric remnant stash yesterday; that felt good. And did I tell you about this Sterilite box I found in my building trash last week? It now holds my considerable shirting stash.
Any good garbage finds in your neck of the woods?
(And what's the best way to store one's doll collection?)
Have a great day, everybody!
Great fabric!
ReplyDeleteA suit in one month - can't wait to see how you tackle this project.
My grand-mother bought a designer vogue pattern a very long time ago (20 years more or less) and it came with a label that said "Pierre Cardin" on it. Grandma was very pleased about said label and sewn it on one of her random RTW jacket . she never made any clothe from the pattern.
ReplyDeleteWell done on your spring cleaning !
Love the fabric! Can't wait to see the finished project.
ReplyDeleteSo far I've cleaned and re-arranged the linen closet, laundry closet, and my very small pantry. I dread cleaning and re-arranging small areas but so far I've had fun and feel great about it. If only I could keep my half of the hobby room clean.
The best way to store your doll collection is at my house!
ReplyDeleteJust kidding. The way I store my dolls is by taking some white fabric, and placing it on the bottom of a box, then I place the dolls on top next to each other, but not touching. When I fill up the bottom of the box, I put another layer of white fabric, then more dolls until I run out of room (or dolls). Also I remove their shoes and any dark colored fabrics so they don't stain. Also be careful about shoes touching anyone's face. The two plastics can react and damage the doll and the shoe.
Your baby picture is absolutely adorable. Let's not go there about de-cluttering. I need to do that in the worst way. I am sure you will get the suit done by your birthday.
ReplyDeleteWow! I can't wait to see how you will tackle this project! Best of luck! I think you will do great on it!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of trash finds....I love doing that: finding treasures there! I love thrift shops and flea markets (just recently discovered the Alameda Point near San Francisco)
But here is the catch: my husband and I discovered a few days ago that we have BED BUGS in our apartment!!!!!! Now there has to be a huge ordeal to get rid of them.
Apparently they have made a comeback over the last two decades! So, I am ready to never shop second hand again. NYC is the 3rd on the list of the top infested in the country, and San Francisco is the 8th.
I am so sorry to hear about the bugs. The risk is always there, sadly. I will no longer bring anything upholstered into the house from a thrift store. As far as clothes, even stores with NEW merchandise have had them (like an Abercrombie & Fitch here in NYC) so there's no guarantee. Best to launder everything before wearing it.
Deletehttp://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bedbugs-force-store-shutter-doors-time-abercrombie-fitch-seaport-article-1.463393
DeleteYes, it seems they are really spreading around the world. Pesticides are not as strong as they once were.
DeleteI would love to put labels in my home sewn items, I think it is such a cool touch!! I wish my mom still had the ones that used to come with patterns she bought. I think it's so cool that By Hand London, for example, includes them and would love to see more designers do that.
ReplyDeleteWow a suit! I look forward to seeing how it goes.
ReplyDeleteI like to label the handmade garments that come out well. If I feel good about an item I cross stitch HM on a bit of Aida cloth banding and hand sew it to the garment. (H and M happen to be my initials as well as the initials of 'hand made'). If I'm not sure about the garment I wear it a few times then decide if it's label-worthy. When something reaches the end of its wearing life ) I remove the label. I have played with the idea of leaving a trail in op (thrift) shops for future historians to ponder. ("Who was the mysterious HM? He/she loved navy and purple, pure cotton, and french seams, had trouble with collar bands...." I think they'd have less trouble identifying garments labelled MPB! Why not get a label made by Cash's (check Vogue Patterns article about this Australian stalwart) to attach to your lovely work?
OMG - that top photo is GORGEOUS! So totally adorable.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love that baby picture of you. Good for you re: decluttering. I am sure you will finish the suit in time for your birthday.
ReplyDeleteI put labels on the items that I have sewn, even the ones that I make for myself. There are numerous sources for semi-custom labels, printed or woven, with small minimum orders required and reasonable prices. Or, if you have a machine with embroidery capability, you can make your own with satin ribbon. I am thinking of trying this myself so that I can use the cyrillic alphabet. It's a vanity thing.
ReplyDeleteLove the baby picture!
ReplyDeleteI store my dolls in my sewing room, sitting on top of the three cabinets that don't have quilting rulers and templates. I also have a doll and her bed on the shelf in my fabric closet. This creates an attractive nuisance for young grandchildren, so the sewing room door is locked for visits. The dolls can come out, but no grandbaby is going in there with the seam rippers, scissors and needles.
Which machine are you going to use?
ReplyDeleteI am totally decluttered because I hate clutter. I do wish I had a stash pile. I use to. I have been mainly sewing bags, pillow cases, dog beds and many other things for the home. I have just started sewing for my great niece and finally using some fabulous patterns from the 60's and 70's for babies and toddlers. I haven't really sewn from sctrach in ages. Usually I just deconstruct clothing for my daughter. I just ordered fabric. Love your fabric and pattern. I know someone who does make their own labels on her embroidery machine. Your photograph is adorable.
ReplyDeleteIf you can sew a suit in a month, you will definitely go up the amazing scale that you are already on when it comes to completing a project.
I like the idea of using the 60's suit pattern. I don't like the Vogue pattern either. I am curious about how a cotton and wool fabric will hold up to wear. It looks lovely, does it crush or wrinkle? Will it breathe and be as comfy as cotton and durable as wool? The color looks great on you and I can't wait to see what sort of shirt you will make to wear with it. I wonder if you will make some shirts and a few ties to go along with. I will be watching with great interest.
ReplyDeleteI'm very interested in seeing the finished project. Strangely, I have actually been getting more timid with experience. I made a Vogue suit (woman's) about 20 years ago and it turned out fine but now for some reason I can't understand I feel reluctant to sew a blazer. I know I can do it but I worry about it anyway.
ReplyDeleteThe stakes can feel higher when you're more experienced imo.
DeleteYou were quite an adorable toddler. Congratulations on de-cluttering. Doesn't it feel good?
ReplyDelete