A Break In the Action

Still working on alterations, slowly and methodically. I always thought my waist and hips were challenging, but it's amazing to see what all I have to do to get a bodice to fit. Because these are new alterations for me, I had to go to a garment with a more basic bodice -- my double knit dream dress, B5523. I made a completely rookie mistake by starting with the wrong pattern size. What a testament to how much weight I've gained.

Anyhoo. This is a small break in the action for some celebrating. It's my birthday! Anyone who knows me knows I am obsessed with pink (and green). It may not agree with my skin tone or hair color, but I loves it! How fortuitous that my birthday is in October -- the pink month. I do my part by snatching up Breast Cancer Awareness sewing stuff. This year, I found pink Wonder Clips. Who wants my old red ones?

Now for those who may not be able to stand all this pinkdom, brace yourself.  How awesome is this??!

                           
Even though I have a steam generator, I briefly tried to justify purchasing this iron. My workroom is pink and pewter. I'm just saying. Sadly, reason and good sense won. Boo. However, don't let me stop you ...

Back to reality. My sewing machine is in one room, but I do alterations and cut on my dining table. I'm always leaving something in the wrong room, so I've been thinking about an apron for a while. I found this cool pattern on Connecting Threads.
       
                                                      
My workroom is pink and pewter, so I headed over to fabric.com in hopes of finding fabric with that color combination. Just look at this loveliness.
           
                                     

I went to Jo-Ann's after church Sunday and what did I see? A sewing basket just for me! Talk about absolutely meant to be. So below is my first round of birthday-stuff. Yep, I celebrate all month long.  What you don't see is my wool crepe. I got some tan yardage for practice and some black for the real thing. 

                            

Oh Happy Day!

I've Been Blessed

I have some new additions to my sewing space that make me pause and say "thank you." Great deals on eBay, Overstock.com and Amazon.com and even the soon-to-be-defunct Chase rewards program have provided some killer bargain-hunting opportunities. I've been quietly hoarding since January.

The stars aligned when I had two weeks of all-day, off-site work meetings where meals were provided -- no groceries needed. An extra bonus was that the test kitchen gave all the leftover food away to the attendees. Folks walked out with crates and boxes of stuff.  I haven't had to cook for three weeks! I politely transferred my grocery budget to sewing :-) The only downside is that because the meetings were in the 'burbs, I couldn't sew in the mornings.

Here is what's making me jump for joy:

I finally own a pressure iron/steamer! My poor little Hamilton Beach struggled with my RTW, so I'd been praying for something more powerful. Meet St. John (pronounced "sinjin"). He's a Rowenta DG8030. Someone was selling these "or best offer" on eBay. I am in absolute love!

I have a needle board!!  I'd been hunting on eBay even more passionately since Victoria shared her great find. Mine was a part of a vintage sewing supplies lot. $45 for it and some cool buttons, trims, labels and other stuff.

Ruby! has been remade. My first My Double Deluxe form from eBay was bought as-is and arrived in less than stellar condition, but I made it work. However, I ruined everything when I put the cover on.

Now, I have a brand new form and the Fabulous Fit System. I was smart enough this time to ask for a 3/4 cover (I ordered the large set). I've been eyeing the Fabulous Fit pads for a couple of years; they are usually $127. I saw an ad in the most recent Threads where they were on sale for $69 (+$17 for shipping)!
If you are thinking about getting a dress form, please get these pads while they are on sale. This is so much easier than using batting and fluff.

Because I got the 3/4 type, I only got one cover. I probably could have used an XL. Since I haven't given up my dream of weight loss, I'm okay with the cover and Ruby being off by a couple of inches. I really, really wish I could figure out how to lengthen the CB and have it stay that way. I've tried taping it still slides back to the original length.





I thought the pants seam board might be helpful when I graduate to pants. Picked this up for about the cost of a Starbucks run on bonanza.com. (It's all about sacrifice).


I used this mini iron for the first time on a collar seam. Worked great. Then, I got the bright idea to press the seam allowances again. Well, by then, the iron had fully heated. Can you say melted ITY? Good thing this collar was for a muslin.



I cashed in some rewards points for this sleeve board.



There are just a few more things I'd like to have by the end of the year and I'll be satisfied with my pressing and fitting tools:

• The book from the creators of Fabulous Fit -- I think Victoria has it, so I'll check in with her to see if she likes it first.

• A new ironing board -- I want one that has a place for the steamer to sit. I'm kicking myself for not buying the Rowenta board from Williams-Sonoma years ago. They've been discontinued and the new brand is more expensive.  The one below is by Reliable.

• Last, but not least, the latest Threads is right on time. I'd like a press cloth wardrobe! I'm on the lookout for remnant worsted wool, cotton flannel and cotton canvas.