Manitoulin Threads

I have an obsession with purses.  However, I don't own many purses because (a) I have very expensive tastes in purses and (b) I am too cheap to spend a fortune on a purse. available at www.coach.com So, after a summer-long yearning for an amazing Coach purse with a hefty (for me) price tag, I decided that if I wanted a new purse I was going to have to make one. I used OOP Butterick 4624View C, but I changed the pocket options. I used the navy, tan and orange colour scheme from my dream bag (though the only orange I could find to include was a bead I added to the zipper pull!).  The main body of the bag is prequilted denim fabric from Fabricland.  I usually hate what I find there, but this is actually quite nice. I love long straps because I can only manage cross body bags...that leaves my hands free to hang onto each of my kids. I even added on a leather shoulder pad detail to the strap. The front of the bag has a zipped exterior pocket that I framed...

My latest pattern order is from Style Arc .  I decided bite the bullet and actually order 4!!!!! patterns for bottoms. Here are are my new patterns: Katherine Pant and Jilly Jeans Karen Walk Shorts and Tori Crop Pants I can't wait to try these patterns.  If they fit as well as the other Style Arc pants (I've tried the Linda and the Elle so far) then I will have a wonderful stable full of TNT pants patterns soon!

Yahoo, school's out for summer!  The past few weeks have been full of end of the year craziness, but happily, I now have two months of vacay.  I have done a lot of mental sewing (and virtural shopping), but not been near the sewing machines for a couple of weeks, which is a long time for me. My sewing plans/goals/dreams/wishes are as follows: Must do: quick dry camping pants for DD, out of navy quickdry fabric from Fabricland Should do: rain jacket for DD out of waterproof/breathable hot pink fabric sun shirt for me from Jalie button-up pattern with sun fabric from Rockywoods (red, white and black are the colours that I bought) Want to do: a supportive bikini top, using a bra pattern and underwires peplum top (a great one on Shawnta Sews using New Look 6130 ) shorts with the new Style Arc Karen Walking Short start planning and pulling fabrics for my fall wardrobe, and actually start to sew it before fall is over! to catalogue patterns and fabrics...

Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion is a just-been released book about today's garment industry. June 14th was the release date, and it thrills me that I got on the bandwagon right away rather than hearing about it months or even years later.  (I do live on an Island, in the middle of nowhere, with the nearest book store 2 hours away ya know)  I had to have this book as soon as I heard about it on the Patternreview    I grabbed my iPad and downloaded the book from iBooks, then proceeded to read the book in a day. I loved it! In fact, I loved it so much that I had to talk about it non-stop as I was reading it, to whomever was nearby to listen. Unfortunately, the 4 and 6 year-olds didn't really understand what I was talking about.  My DH appeared to be patiently listening, but I think he was just playing Mahjong on his iPad.  My mother, when she happened to call, made all the appropriate noises, and as a the person who fuel...

Ottobre Designs 03-2010-25 This was the dress design that my DD chose for her end-of-the-year celebration for her Senior Kindergarten class.   They are having a tiny in-class graduation, but I will take any excuse I can get to make a fancy dress. Last year I bought some Betsey Johnson   stretch cotton butterfly fabric that she has had her eye on ever since. I believe it came from Elliott Berman in their annual 50% off sale.  Originally, it was to be for me, but I just couldn't find something to make that wouldn't look too "cute" for a woman well into her thirties. So, she won, I lost, and she has a pretty sweet dress. Of course, I couldn't get her to model it.  It was enough of a battle to get her to try it on for fitting.  The white fabric for the top of the dress was a 50 cent rummage sale find. I lined the bodice with some cheap poly cotton broadcloth, since the fabric was so wrinkle prone.  I left the skirt unlined as there wa...

I see that Fabric Mart Fabrics has new leather in stock.  Wow, there are some gorgeous options.  I am especially partial to the white lambskin  for a great summer jacket for chilly evenings, and the blueberry would be fun for a back-to-school (aka work) wardrobe in the fall.  Unfortunately, the shipping to Canada is high, and since I recently placed a huge Fabric Mart order, I can't justify the purchase right now.  However, if anyone else purchases some, please let me know what "awesomeness" you plan to sew with it so I can live vicariously through you. (fabric links as of June 11/12) Below, I have some new, but unfortunately not leather, fabrics for my overwhelming stash.  For the record, I can't believe how quickly stash can accumulate in just 3 short years of sewing. Fuschia Ralph Lauren waterproof fabric from Fabric Mart In my recent order, I ended up with 8 yards of Gore Tex.  Rather unexciting, but highly practical.  Y...

Sensor Velocity 200 I see this is coming out fall 2012. They are available for preorder on the site, but apparently haven't been reviewed anywhere yet, that I can find . My current iron is held together with scotch tape and works, well, intermittently. I currently have a Reliable iron on my birthday wish list for July, but I am wondering if I should wait until the 200 is available. In the meantime, I guess I will wait to find some reviews.

My Mad Hatter I did it!  I completed my ruffled leather jacket!  Though you can't see me I am jumping up and down at my computer. I had my DD who is 6 yrs old snap some pics before the school bus came this morning...not professional quality but they will do. The lining is so fun.  I got a lot of positive comments from the girls at work and they loved the lining. It is Alice in Wonderland/Mad Hatter themed.  These leather ruffles nearly did send me completely "mad", and the leather ruffles certainly add a bit of "wackiness" to offset any potential biker look. I even added an inside pocket for messages/notes at work, with my Shiny Green Penny label affixed. The lining is 100% cotton and the sleeve lining is black rayon to allow the jacket to slide off and on easily. Here is the back view.  I really do love the fit of this jacket.  It is fitted and yet so comfortable to wear. I even added a hanging chain so that I can hang up my ja...

So, I have decided that I need to sew another leather jacket.  Pattern Review is having a Natural Fibres contest and that is serving as motivation for me to actually cut into my leather that I have had stashed since last year's leather sale at Fabric Mart . After searching the web for hours for inspiration, and trying out a wide variety of trims such as lace, zipper tape, metal chain and a variety of adhesive studs and bling, I settled on a ruffle design. But not without much trepidation, that's for sure. It seems that my hesitation was warranted.  I have discovered that there is a reason that there are few, if any, patterns for jackets with ruffle trim of leather.  I have also discovered that any such jackets available in RTW are in the $500-$1000 range and up. Sewing leather ruffles in NOT easy. The reason that I settled on ruffles is that I didn't want it to look too "biker" because I want to wear it to work and dressier venues. A little bit girly and a...

Joie jacket                                                                                                      My Jacket! Since I first began sewing, when I was on maternity leave in 2009, one of my sewing goals was to sew a leather jacket. During one of Fabric Mart's great sales I scored several leather skins, embossed and camel coloured. I wanted to sew something simple, so I read reviews on Pattern Review and decided on McCall's 6171.  I figure I made this jacket for between...

 I have wanted a cape since they were heavily featured in my first ever Burda issue, 08-2009.  However, It wasn't unti this winter that I actually got around to create my ideal cape. First, I had a lot of criteria:  it couldn't have droopy bits that would get caught in car doors or dragged through soup it had to have some fitting so it didn't look like a tent on my large frame (my waist is my only narrow part it had to be warm enough to suffer through an early spring yard duty or a stint at arena as a skating mom pockets! So this Burda 08-2009 pattern provided the "sleeves" for my cape. This Vogue 8674 pattern was used for the body. I used the longer length of view C.  I detest the sleeves on the Vogue, as all I could think about was all the things I would drag them through and get them caught in. However, the body is nicely fitted and I like the high collar. Here is what I ended up with:  For the back view I decided t...

Every year Stitcher's Guild has a contest for a complete Sew With a Plan (SWAP) wardrobe. I actually can't believe it - I have completed a SWAP!  I always sewalong for contests and for fun, but I often don't finish. Even when I do, I NEVER take photos.  I don't really enjoy taking photos nor do I enjoy being in them. Miraculously, I did all of the above and I have a completed wardrobe of 11 garments, and that's not even including the ones that I decided not to include. My design plan for the SWAP changed gears several times throughout the event, which runs from January through April. In the end I decided to go with the most practical work wardrobe for my job as an elementary school teacher.  It's difficult to dress professionally and appropriately while dealing with recess duty weather, too hot and too cold classrooms, arts and crafts and a multitude of other messy activities, sitting on the floor, climbing to post things on bulletin boards....the list ...

Ever since the Sewaholic pattern line  began, I have been a fan. I think that it is great to have independent pattern companies, especially Canadian ones, and I also think it is fantastic to have a pattern line developed for pear shapes. Technically, I am not a pear shape. I am more of an hourglass.  However, with an 11" difference between my waist and hip measurements, her patterns make for a great fit for my difficult-to-deal-with (thankfully muscular) thighs. Her latest pattern is the Cambie Dress.   It is available for pre-order now. What I like about this pattern is that it has cap sleeves which allow for ease of wearing with a bra.  I detest clothing that has the "bra strap reveal" issue. Bra-less or even strapless bra really isn't an option for me, so I love summer clothing that allows for sufficient underpinnings.  Also, if you join the Sewaholic  mailing list , you can get great deals such as free shipping  on pre-orders, ...

New Look 6892 is a fast and simple peasant-style top to sew up.  I don't sew many wovens, but this is one that is comfortable to wear. The fabric is a sheer poly chiffon, surprisingly, from Fabricland.  I don't buy a lot of Fabricland fabrics, as I find it hard to find good quality and colours/prints that I like. Most of my purchases are made online. The pants are Style Arc Elle , which is a great skinny pant pattern for stretch wovens and stable knits. The fabric is a really amazing black stretch that seems like a cross between a woven and a knit.  I purchased it a couple of years ago in Toronto on Queen Street in the garment district, and I now wish I had purchased a full bolt.  It is so easy to sew, washable, dryer-able, wrinkle free...great stuff. I think this outfit is going to become a fave for me.  Fast to sew, easy to wear, and as comfy as PJ's. 

I just love getting packages in the mail, and even more exciting are packages that contain sewing goodies.  I ordered a few pieces during the Elliott Berman annual sale, which is a whopping 50% off everything.  I ordered from last year's sale, and am ashamed to admit that I have only sewn up one of the pieces.  Their fabrics are just so beautiful that I am afraid to cut into them. Here are this year's treasures: Top left I have a two yard piece of Missoni knit.  That's right, the famous Missoni, in my hands.  Not only that, on bottom left is yet ANOTHER piece of Missoni marvelousness.  The bottom piece is a wool blend, and there is only one yard as it is a remnant.  I have no idea what I am going to sew up with either piece.  Being the most expensive fabrics I have ever purchased, even AFTER I subtract the 50% discount, I imagine it will take me a very, very long time to get up enough nerve to cut into them. On the top right is a...

One of my favourite pattern companies, Style Arc , has just released their new patterns for the month of May.  Each month they offer a freebie pattern when you place an order, which is a great way in which to justify the more expensive shipping rates from Australia. However, this month, I am just not feeling the love.  Not that there is anything inherently wrong with the pattern.  In fact, the Ada knit top is actually quite cute.  Unfortunately, though, the neat hip pockets will draw attention to an area that I definitely try to camoflauge: my hips! There are some other cute offerings though.  I really do like the Marita cross-over dress. I guess I will just have to wait to order when a great (non-hip emphasising) offer comes around.

As I was flipping through my closet, noting some of my favourite clothing items that I have sewn and wear regularly, I realized that I no longer remember which pattern was used to create each piece.  Nor do I have any inkling of what changes I have made to the patterns to make them fit me. So, this mix of writing and sewing in this blog is to keep track of my projects; to record the trials, tribulations and triumphs of my sewing hobby. Hmmm, I guess I am going to have to actually break down and take some photos of what I have sewn. Fortunately, I am finishing up my 2012 SWAP for the Stitcher's Guild annual contest.  Pictures are a requirement so as I spend some time in front of the lens, I will thus create some fodder for this blog. I have one pair of shorts left to hem. Fingers crossed it is actually the correct colour in the sewing machine.  I HATE changing thread.