Bay Area Weekend

My main reason for going to San Francisco was the opportunity to see the Oscar de la Renta exhibition at the deYoung Museum. You will see many upcoming posts about this! But as beautiful and inspiring as the show was, the weekend was also a wonderful opportunity to meet up with sewing friends.

After the exhibit, we had lunch at the museum and visited the observation tower for some fantastic views of San Francisco. From left to right, Diane, me, Liana, and Jan.

Since our hotel was near Union Square, we had many opportunities to explore.

Liana, Jan, and I brought our significant others along, but the guys did other things while we indulged our sewing and shopping activities. In addition, Tony and I spent time with family to meet our new baby grand-niece Sienna Rose. Her mom and dad live in San Francisco, and grandma and grandpa were also in town visiting from New Jersey.

On Saturday, we went to the East Bay via BART for lunch courtesy of Georgene and her husband at their loft in Oakland. Then, Georgene took us shopping in Berkeley, first to Lacis and then to Stonemountain and Daughter. Here are Georgene, Liana, and me in front of Lacis (Jan was the photographer).

Oops, no picture of Stonemountain (it was raining), but we did some fabric acquisition. We also viewed some of the sights, including a wisteria covered church where Liana captured this shot of me.

In summary, it was an exciting and fast paced visit. I'm looking forward to visiting again and seeing more of Northern California! I always love visiting there

2014 First Day of School Project, Part 2

I'm well underway with the making of the matching capris for the peasant tops I showed you in the last post. So far, I've completed a blue linen blend pair. This fabric is from stash and came from TSW.

 and two gray cotton pairs. I bought this fabric from JoAnn's last year for boys' pants but the gray looks perfect with the fuchsia, yellow, and gray print tops.  Since they're both the same, I'm just showing one:

They are View E of the same pattern I used for the tops (Butterick 5776). I stopped by JoAnn's on Friday and got a green linen look fabric to match the two remaining tops. The final two pairs are all cut out and ready to be sewn.

A good thing too, this project comes to a close on July the 10th when the outfits have to be turned in. It does not appear there will be any little boys' outfits this year but that will be my priority for next year, assuming that we'll be doing this project again.

This weekend, my sister in law Dorothy came to visit from New Jersey for a little getaway.

Instead of doing a lot of touristy things, we mostly stayed around the house, logging a lot of time on the back patio.  We did go out for a couple of nice dinners and a lunch, since she has become addicted to chile.  She and I also went shopping on Friday at ABQ Uptown--Coldwater Creek, the Loft, Lululemon,  Ann Taylor and Alfred Angelo. I'm not much of a RTW shopper but did find a few items. Of course, Coldwater Creek is liquidating and the pickings are really getting slim, but I did find a couple of t-shirts that are wearable for work and some baubles.

(Note to self: find something to clean the permanent marker stains off the cutting mat.)

I also found a cute t-shirt at the Loft, which was a total surprise. It's eyelet on the front and sleeves, and the back is knit. Sorry for the odd angle but this was the best of the lot for showing the eyelet.

It's wearable as is, but I may make a couple of minor tweaks to improve the fit. The darts are too high for me and of course, that bugs me as a sewist. So I'll be adjusting them.

Lululemon is a new store for Albuquerque. However I'm dubious that $100+ yoga pants will go over with the local citizenry. Or maybe they'll be wildly successful, who's to say?

We stopped into Alfred Angelo, because Dorothy is MOB for an upcoming wedding and is trying to get some ideas for a dress. She doesn't sew and will be buying a gown.  I do sew and will be needing  dresses for the wedding and rehearsal dinner. October will be here fast, so I'll have some work ahead of me.

Fiberly Train to Santa Fe, A Special Shopping Experience

One of the most special parts of the recent Fiberly Train weekend in Santa Fe was visiting Santa Fe Dry Goods and its sister store, Workshop (several times). The staff could not have been nicer, and was so willing to  show their merchandise to us even though we were unlikely to buy anything. What an excellent opportunity to examine high end ready-to-wear up close and in detail! I didn't take any shots inside, but here are some outside shots of the stores and the windows.

If you're a sewist, you probably know how fun it was to examine these garments up close and touch the fabrics. Most were natural fibers but there were some made of polyester, too. Each has its place.

There were several items I was inspired by, including Rundholz (T Shirt), Etro (several pieces),  Avant Toi (cardigan), Sophie Wang (techniques), Isabel Benenato (techniques) and Issey Miyake (pants and a top). I'm planning on incorporating some of the looks and techniques I saw into some future garments.

Mini Sewing Tour

Back in the day, the Albuquerque ASG chapter put together sewing tours of the area by bus. There was usually a fee that included bus rental, lunch, and treats. We mostly went to sewing stores in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area, although the agenda could include cultural offerings such as the Santa Fe Opera (including the costume and prop shops) and the International Museum of Folk Art. Typically, lunch was included, and a good time was had by all.

We recently tried unsuccessfully to organize another "official" trip that fell through.  So some of us decided to organize a mini tour by car. We had two stops--Bernie's Fabrics in Belen and Silverado in town, then we ended up with lunch at the Grove in EDO (East of Downtown, hilarious that Albuquerque is now experimenting with Manhattan naming conventions!).

Bernie's was our first stop after meeting at our organizer's home. This is a new-to-me store located south of Albuquerque in the town of Belen in Valencia County. It was chock full of fabric--mostly quilting cottons, but a handful of other things.

It was a bit of a treasure hunt and you had to dig a bit, but I found some nice pieces--a vintage looking Western print, a pretty batik, and a tone on tone seersucker. 

Our next stop was a visit to Silverado, which is a manufacturer of soft furnishings (pillows, bed ensembles, and tabletop items) located in a former Datsun dealership. We have visited Silverado many times over the years as the business has morphed from women's boutique clothing to its current speciality, but at least it's still around. The owner, Silvia, told us that she currently has two main markets--the lodging industry and home decor catalogs. As you might guess, Silverado's look is Western-oriented, but with a luxury twist. 

They have been using home dec fabrics for years, even when making women's clothes, and Silvia opened up the warehouse to sell us some of her fabrics from past collections. I bought one piece there, which I bought for a future jacket.

Now I need to get sewing with all this new fabric! The weather is getting warmer and that means new things to wear.

No Sewing This Weekend, But a Haul

This weekend was the Material Girls meetup, but it was sort of a bust due to the switch to Daylight Savings Time. We get together at Ann Silva's Bernina, but the person who works at the store and lets us in didn't appear. I had brought some giveaways and so did a couple of other ladies, so we did a swap meet from our vehicles.

That ended up well! I got an almost full bolt of rayon challis (yes, it's bright but it's pretty and has a great hand),

a yard or so of Guatemalan ikat,

some wooly plaid mystery fabric (cat blankets if nothing else),

and a couple of pieces of Space Alien cotton from Roswell, NM.

I also picked up a couple of patterns--a vintage Calvin Klein Vogue and a Butterick Connie Crawford T-shirt.

We adjourned after it became clear that no one would be letting us in, and I headed over to TJ Maxx. I discovered that they are remodeling--the new fixtures are quite nice, I must say. Several items jumped into my cart and came home with me.  Some shoes

There were also a couple of tops and some lingerie, none of which have been tried on yet. The temporary dressing room was small and I didn't feel like waiting in line. Once I'm tried them on, I'll decide if I want to keep them or take them back. So, no pictures of any of that.

Christmastime 2013

We went back to the Mirage in Las Vegas again this year. I had a week off scheduled, and both of us desperately needed a change of scene. The trip was our main Christmas gift to each other. The pricing was amazing at about $80 per night including the resort fee and also a buffet. I was surprised at the assortment and quality of the food...that being said, I had sushi every day.

We also had some amazing evening meals at the Sin City outposts of celebrity chefs Mario Battali and Tom Colicchio (Top Chef). I found Mario's place a bit meh considering the money that we spent, although DH liked it. I liked Tom's restaurant better--an upscale steakhouse with great food, attractive decor, and an interesting soundtrack. Unfortunately, Onde was dark for the week and it's traditionally been one of our favorites. Next time.

I also treated myself to a massage, oh yes! A bit of a splurge but so worth it! A good knead for my stiff muscles...

I got very brave on the day after Christmas with a trip to the Fashion Show. That place is quite a location for window shopping since they have every store. It's almost too much to take in. I braved Macy's shoe sale and got a wonderful pair of Aerosole loafers in blue suede and a pair of teal suede and black leather D'Orsay flats. My feet aren't handling heels well lately so I've been stocking up on flats for now. 

Yes, I know Macy's is just about everywhere now, but I guarantee you that neither location in Albuquerque has shoes like these (and the 1000s of others at the sale).

I am hoping to gain some sewing mojo now that the new year is coming. I made some adjustments to my TNT Kwik Sew 2565 T Shirt this month and cut out a new version on Sunday. I've made this pattern so many times that it should be a fast project to make. The fabric isfr

I've been cutting out some new patterns too! JillyBe's version of Vogue 8962 encouraged me to get going with mine. I also enjoyed Barbara's Vogue 8961, so will need to give that one a try since it's also in the pattern stash.

Artists' Celebration and Show at St. Michael and All Angels

Weekend before last, my church sponsored a show and sale. I decided to participate even though I don't sew for others and don't have any real desire to start. However, I did want to put myself out there and stop being so darn quiet about a craft that I love and spend so much time on.

Let's face it, garment sewing went through a lengthy period of unpopularity; why put yourself in that category? Thankfully things are changing. Also, the economics of custom sewing have been affected by fast fashion too. Non sewers often don't understand the true cost of clothing when it doesn't come from a 3rd World factory. Or they want you to do their mending. For almost nothing

Well, in spite of all that, I put myself out there and received many positive remarks about the clothing I brought to show but not sell. I decided that my purpose would be educational instead of commercial this time around. I brought flyers for ASG, so people could check out a meeting if they had an interest in learning to sew or picking it up again.

I also enjoyed meeting other artists/artisans/craftspeople from our church community. We have a lot of talented people with a wide range of interests--jewelry, photography, quilting, pottery, woodworking, even icon-writing. I picked up a few items for myself--a bracelet, a wooden cross, and a lathe-turned crochet hook .

If I do this again, I think I will make some items for sale. Not clothing, smaller items. After all, St. Michael's still needs to pay off its new building, and part of show's purpose was fund-raising.

Vogue Fabrics Haul

Really, I had fully intended not to buy any fabric while in Chicago. I have more than enough. But then I heard the siren song of Vogue Fabrics in Evanston, IL. The mothership of the company. I weakened, and I bought.

Honestly I could have done worse. I tried to keep the choices interesting and different. And I also kept in mind that Vogue Fabrics has a website.

I bought a couple of cottons. The lavender print is lady superheroes, which will be perfect for some pajama pants. This was actually the most expensive fabric I got at $11.99 per yard. The multicolor print is Paris inspired and there is a black border along the lower edge. $7.99 a yard.

I also got a variety of other fabrics. The print on the left with the portraits from Old Master paintings is actually a stretch denim. The other side is perfectly usable textured blue. $7.99 per yard. The green is a drapey rayon. I am a sucker for script on fabric. $6.99 a yard. The black, cream and blue is an ITY knit for a possible dress.  $6.99 a yard.

Random Thoughts

I've been trying to put together a "real" post for a while but nothing has come together yet. In the meantime, here's another edition of Random Thoughts.

• I've worn the new T and like it very much. Sorry, no pictures yet. But it passes the wear test.
• I did spend a weekend in Chicago with a great group of friends! A wonderful girls' weekend featuring the Haute Couture Club's annual fashion show and a visit to the Ebony Fashion Fair exhibit at the Chicago History Museum. 
• I didn't plan to fabric shop, but it was impossible to resist the lure of Vogue Fabrics in Evanston. More on that soon.
• Material Girls was last weekend. Much tracing and cutting of patterns. It's nice doing sewing related things with a group. We all work on our own projects, but it's a nice opportunity for conversation. I got some advice on what size to sew for the First Day of School project from one of the ladies. She sews for her little nieces in Puerto Rico. As a result, I cut a darling little peasant top out of a fabric remnant that's ready to sew up. Should be quick and fun. I'm planning on making some linen pants to go with, so some little girl will have an outfit. 
• I experimented with a free HotPatterns download from Fabric.com yesterday. It's almost complete but I still can't tell if it's going to fit and exactly what it's going to look like. A try-on with the proper underpinnings is in order.
• I submitted my entries to Fiber Arts Fiesta on Thursday. Interesting moment--the sewing competition is run by a long-time ASG friend. There was some confusion when I walked in because she couldn't find my name on her sheet. Well, she was looking for my former name! Yes, and we see each other pretty often and she knew I was married. Too funny!
• DH and I are getting ready for a trip to the Tri-States next week for his college reunion. Other than that, we're still planning out some of the details (we're staying with family so that makes it easy). We will be seeing a Broadway play--we have tickets for the Motown show. 
• Time to get up, more sewing today. I am hoping to sew up new pair of TSW Hudson pants for our vacation. 

Random Thoughts

What to do when there's not enough material for a full blog post but there are things to say? Yep, bullet points and links...

• Seems like everyone in the sewing blogosphere is watching the Great British Sewing Bee online. I'm no exception. I hope someone will bring it to America--without the Bravo/Lifetime style drama, please.
• Not much sewing going on here at Casa DaQ, due to work and tax prep. I'm proud to say we completed our filing today and have received a net refund. Yay!
• Back spasms have also popped up recently. I'm feeling fine today, but spent yesterday afternoon and evening with a long soak in the tub, heat pad, Aleve, and finally a Flixoral. I really do need to look into getting a massage therapist.
• Retail therapy. I have a few packages coming due to on-line shopping. Coldwater Creek (meh, but good for basics and work) and Gorgeous Fabrics (had to jump on the black linen Ann showed on her blog). There's also a bauble coming from Wendy Brandes, who designs lovely jewels as well as writing hilarious blog posts. 
• The St. Michael Vestry thank you dinner is tonight, and I'm one of the honorees! It will be a fun time. And in other church news, I'm in training to be an altar server.
• I just received news that my submissions for the Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta have been accepted! I submitted this jacket and this ensemble.
• Warm weather finally appears to be here in New Mexico (again). For a while, I hope. It's hard to figure out what to wear when temperatures fluctuate between 20 degrees and 80 degrees in a 24 hour period.  Plus, our backyard is designed for outdoor living, and so it will be nice to have that space available to us again.
• And hay fever season seems to finally be at an end. I can wear contacts and can breathe again! Both have been factors in no sewing. 
• We had Jeans Week at work last week as a Heart Walk Fundraiser. We're having another one this week. I'm guessing our site manager really likes life in the West after being on the East Coast for most of his working life. Whatever, I will not look a gift horse (so to speak) in the mouth.
• Mad Men is back! As is Game of Thrones!!

Santa Fe Weekend

We had another opportunity for a getaway for Presidents' Day weekend, so we went an hour north to Santa Fe to soak in some Northern New Mexico atmosphere. We had gorgeous weather, sunny but not too cold.

As we often do, we stayed at the LaFonda Hotel right on the Plaza, which meant we could park the car and walk to whatever we wanted to do. The hotel is undergoing a renovation right now, so prices were much lower than usual. Delicious food and drink were still available though!

Except for Bill Maher in concert, we didn't do much scheduling. He was hilarious, by the way. We had a lot of time to just hang out and explore. Of course, that's an opportunity for window shopping. Lots of jewelry! I liked the necklace below, with its heart motifs:

One of my sewing goals is to eventually make a Pendleton coat, so I always like to see examples:

Santa Fe has many arty clothing boutiques. I was quite taken by this ensemble, especially the scarf:

I also liked the top featured in this ensemble. Fortunately, it's pretty similar to this Vogue pattern, so I will be making one.

Sandra Betzina and Marcy Tilton favorite, Babette, has established a Santa Fe outpost. Interesting clothes, but I couldn't look much further since I walked by before the store opened on Sunday:

In the end, I did do some actual (sale) shopping. I purchased a slate blue cardigan, a skirt, and these shoes by a new-to-me brand called Fly London. Oh so comfortable, but with an edge!

On the way out of town on Monday, we also stopped by Santa Fe Fabrics where I picked up several items while DH relaxed at the bakery next door. I bought some basic black ponte for separates, a textured knit, and a couple of separating zippers.

This weekend has been at home, and I spent all day yesterday in the Sewing Cave working on a couple of items. Stay tuned for that! I'm not sure I will have them posted today but hopefully soon.

Fabrics and Projects

I'm adding photos of the cottons I bought at Nob Hill Fabrics:

I guess both of these would be considered "quilt cottons" in some circles, but I think they can stand on their own as well.

I also finished the latest batch of pj pants after DH and I returned from a wine tasting Saturday afternoon:

I know you've seen similar before, but these are fun to make and great for hanging around the house. If it weren't for items like these, what would I do with crazy cotton prints that catch my eye and fall into my shopping cart?