I made a quilt about a year ago for my 6 year old nephew.  He loves all types of construction and heavy equipment.  If we drive by a construction site or any heavy equipment, he looks in awe.  He can list each piece of machinery and heavy equipment at any site. Lately, his father takes him to the nearby debris basins that are being cleared after each rain and watches all the "workermen". 

I got an email a couple of days ago that my quilt is one of them featured at Embroidery Library, the site where I purchased the designs.

Here's a link to the site http://www.emblibrary.com/el/elprojects/showcase_elp.aspx?page=sh_022510_a

and 

Posted by sue at 11:10 AM PST

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For the past 4 years, Caltech has an exhibit titled: "Off The Clock: Art on Your Own Time".  Exhibited is  all sorts of art done by the staff, faculty, and students at Caltech.  Here's a link to a short slide show of this year's entries http://images.caltech.edu/slideshows/ArtonOwnTime/

I'm usually the only person entering a garment, and each year I think: Ah, I won't enter -  but I then I do because I want to show that there are still people that sew and make garments.  And there are a lot !  Our finished garments look so nice, you'd never know.  [More fabric stores please]

here's my entry for this year

It's a dress and jacket that I did a while ago and never wore.  I really have no place to wear it, but I do like it!  If I still worked in "corporate" I'd wear it, with one of my Grandmother's brooches;  but now, a good pair of jeans, comfortable shoes, and a nice top/tee/blouse, is all I need.  Oh, and one of my Grandmother's brooches.

Here are some other entries (quilts, mixed media, crochet, photography, watercolor, oil paintings, poetry, jewelry, and pottery)

Posted by sue at 3:31 PM PST

Updated: Thursday, February 25, 2010 9:50 AM PST

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One exhibit I look forward to each year is FIDM's Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibit.  It generally runs from February to April.  The exact date this year is February 9 - April 17, 2010.   FIDM is located at Grand and Ninth Ave in downtown Los Angeles.  The exhibit is free.  Parking is $3 per hour metered on the street. You can easily see the exhibit in an hour.  While visiting the exhibit, I strongly recommend you stop in the Scholarship store.  In the back, behind the wall divder is usually rolls and rolls of fabric, for a buck a yard!  There also is usually an assortment of trims and zippers, although the type varies from visit to visit.   A few years ago, parking was free but the area has grown in the last couple of years because of the expansion of the Staples Center and the surrounding lofts and now there are parking meters everywhere. 

This year's featured costumes are from the following movies:

Bright Star, The Duchess, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Nine,  A Single Man, The Soloist, Star Trek, Watchmen, The Last Station, Sherlock Holmes, Amelia, Broken Embraces, Inglourious Basterds, The Young Victoria, Coraline, An Education, Julie & Julia, My One and Only, Pirate Radio, Public Enemies, Aliens in the Attic, and Where the Wild Things Are. 

I must admit I have seen few of these movies, in fact, only 2: The Soloist and Julie & Julia. (I Netflix)  It's great to see the costumes and all the details and work that is gone into them.  The  clothing worn by Jamie Foxx who plays Nathaniel Ayers in The Soloist has words, drawings, and crossword puzzles scrawled over on them in black marker.  Nathaniel used his clothing as paper obviously.  You can see some of that here http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1971227392/tt0821642
Also on display is the shopping cart of his belongings - ok, you say, some of you see that everyday on the streets, but I like seeing the details that go into each item of clothing and the props.   I notice things that I didn't see in the movie because I was probably looking at faces and the action.  This exhibit lets me look at the clothing.

Another thing I noticed is that Meryl Streep's shoes had a 4-5"  platform for her character Julia Childs in Julie & Julia.  The platform was done so it looked like part of the shoe.  So, between the shoes and the shorter actors who played along side her, she appeared  tall.    The period costumes from The Young Victoria, The Duchess, Sherlock Holmes, and others are also wonderful to look at.  The details in the buttons, pleats, tucks, hems, pockets, are beautiful.   I only wish they allowed photographs.  I'd love to be able to capture some of the details and incorporate them into my sewing.  

If you are local, go see the exhbit and become inspried!

Here's a slide show to enjoy  http://fidm.edu/resources/museum+galleries/exhibits/motion-picture-costume-design/2009/

Posted by sue at 8:18 AM PST

Updated: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 4:08 PM PST

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I'm working on my spring/summer/beach wardrobe

Isn't this a cute summery dress.  I wish I had a wedding, shower, party, or some place to go so I could wear it!  I also wish I had a tan and could lose that last 10 pounds... and a bag of $10 bills wouldn't hurt either....

The fabric on this dress is from Vera  Wang Lavender Collection.  I love that I can buy the fabric... at... a buck ninety five a yard and make something that will be in the same fabric in RTW for over a few hundred bucks!   This dress is also completely lined.  I love having my dresses lined, no slip, needed and the dress stays nice all day!

 Here's the details:

Pattern Description: Slightly flared dress, mid-knee, has princess seams, very loose-fitting bodice with yokes, forming cap sleeves, above waist midriff and left side zipper closure.

Pattern Sizing: Misses 8-24

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? yes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked everything about this dress, the gathers, yoke, waist.

Fabric Used: this is a Vera Wang fabric from the recent Fabric.com clearance. it is a poly that has a really nice sheen and texture. I ended up going back and buying more the minute my order arrived because I liked it so much. I also lined this dress entirely with another VW poly in a tan color. Not sure how all this poly is going to feel, but it sure is pretty!

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: The only thing I did differently is lined the entire dress. It makes for a nicer neckline, I think, when you can line the entire edge, sew it RST and flip it out. Otherwise, the pattern wants you to use binding around the neck. I also didn't do the topstitching. My machine with nice stitching is in for repairs, and the machine I am using doesn't have a really nice stitch, so I didn't want to take a chance with ruining it with crappy top stitching.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would sew this again. It's a cute summer dress.

Posted by sue at 2:39 PM PST

Updated: Thursday, February 18, 2010 2:55 PM PST

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