2017 Gone in a Flash

It seems that this year is just flying buy. I have been very busy sewing, home renovations are being done, and ended up having heart surgery. Whew ... Now it is National Sewing Month and I haven't sewn much but have been doing a lot reading, Facebook group management, and resting to heal. I'll try to give y'all a little update on my sewing ... Worked on Easter dresses for underprivileged children at an inner city school ...

In April, I made some new ponte knit pants using Judy Kessinger's Master Pant Pattern ... Not the most flattering picture but black pants don't always show up very well in photos ...

 

In May, I took a 3 day Sue Green Baker course at Sew Carefree in Jackson, TN. Our instructor, Patsy Shields, was hoot. I won the crown for the most errors. Had a wonderful time and bought some accessories and supplies.

 

 

In June, I had heart surgery to replace my defibrillator that had worn out. I had been having dizzy spells as well as black outs. When I blacked out at my neighbor's home, it was time to do something besides adjust meds. Surgery was a success but the recovery has been very, very slow. No longer can I drive so I have to depend on hubby to drive me to all of my activities.

 

In September, our ASG chapter was represented at the Delta Fair & Music Festival. Here is our display area where we demonstrated using different machines and techniques. We've gained some new ASG members for our efforts.

 

I was so thrilled to get some gifts in the mail ... From my friend in Slidell, LA, I got this package of Madeira rayon thread.

Then this week, I got this from Judy Kessinger and Julie Witham ... I am so very happy as this will help me improve on my sewing skills ...

 

 

Happy Sewing Everyone!!!

 

 

Gosh, time really flies when you're having fun sewing. While I did not sew as much this year as I have done in years past, I did get some fun projects done. I also bought a 2nd serger for classes. It is a Babylock "Lauren" which a basic 2/3/4 thread.

 

And here are some of the things that I made in 2015 since my last post as well as things that I made in 2016. Please enjoy and ask me any questions about these items. I truly do have a lot of fun sewing for others. I still teach one day a month and am active in the American Sewing Guild plus the Mid-South Chapter of Threads of Love.

 

 

When my daughter went to South Africa in Jan 2016, she brought me a few goodies.

 

And then I got sidelined with Bronchitis and I don't really have many completed projects to show this year. However, I will be back at my machines soon. Happy New Year!!!

Last year my cousin, Nina Nesom, became engaged for the first time at the age of 46. I was so thrilled for her and felt honored when she asked me to help her find a pattern for her dream wedding gown. Nina is a super plus size and it's not easy to find patterns that may fit her. So, Nina sent me a photo of her dream gown. She specified that she didn't want a train and she wanted elbow length sleeves. After searching numerous sites, I realized that there was not any patterns in her style or that would fit her. So I set about drafting a pattern for her. I called my friend, Debbie Crummie, who met up with me and we discussed what was needed. My aunt, Nina's mom, took measurements and using Judy Kessinger's Master top pattern as a base, Debbie and I proceeded to draft a pattern that would fit Nina. Believe me, it was not easy and I didn't tell Nina that it was the first dress pattern that I had actually drafted from scratch. I have not seen Nina in over 20 years so I was doing this with a lot of prayer. Anyway, Nina was thrilled when the pattern arrived and she found a seamstress in New Orleans to make the gown for her from my pattern. I had sent her fabric suggestions and wrote the instructions for construction of the dress. The bodice was a pleated cross-over with a full bias cut skirt that had pockets on the side seams. For whatever reason, the seamstress would not do the pockets. When all was said and done, Nina looked gorgeous on her wedding day wearing her dream gown. I'm so happy that I had a part in making the day memorable.

Here are some of my projects from last year and this year. A clerical stole for a friend, embroidered napkins for family members, a baptismal outfit for a friend, and a new top for me ... Happy Sewing!!!

Our Summer of Renovations

For now, I am unable to do any sewing since we have started major renovations on our home. We gutted and remodel our bathroom to have a walk-in glass enclosed shower instead of a bathtub. We went down to the studs and fixed some floor joists and support beams ... It is so beautiful even though the work is not totally done yet. Just a few tweaks. Then we gutted the laundry room and removed the pedestals on our washer/dryer. We insulated the outer walls and had the room painted a nice soft gray. A counter top is being put over the lowered washer and dryer so that I can have a cutting counter at home. When the kitchen remodel is done, we will add a quartz counter top to my cutting counter. Then we gutted hubby's study (yes, he has his own smoking room) and insulated the outer walls, added new flooring and refinished all of the paneling with a beautiful walnut stain. We added a ceiling fan with lights and are adding can lights in the ceiling. All 3 of these rooms are being worked on at once. Then we are painting the outside of our home and shutters plus staining the porch flooring a dark brown. It is very unsettling to our pup, Max, so I stay primarily in my bedroom with him while the workers are here. Not much chance to sew.

A Little Bit of This and That

Hi Everyone,
For some reason, I was locked out of posting on my blog so I am hoping that this post goes thru. I wanted to add some photos of things that I made since last year. The photos included a heirloom boy's baptismal outfit, a wedding gown plus my embroidery work over Christmas. Back in August, I got a new serger ... the Babylock Ovation and it makes sewing so much easier. Now, I'm working on some Easter dresses for an inner city school in a high poverty area. I will attempt to add some photos if this post goes thru.
Blessings,
Marty

The Wedding

Last year, a young couple that I know got engaged and the bride asked if I would make her wedding gown. With a fledging budget, she had seen some dresses that she liked but it wasn't in her budget. I told her that the dress would be her wedding gift from me. She bought white satin, silver organza overlay, and picked out a pattern that was close to her size similar to what she wanted. In May, I took her measurements and started a muslin ... it was too small ... increased it in a new muslin and then it was too big ... did another muslin that fit in most places but needed some adjustments ... so a new muslin and it was too big once again. I just couldn't seem to get the bust right on the bodice. Then the bride changed her mind on how she wanted to look. Finally got the fit right and the bride loved the gown. It was fully lined with the silver organza overlay. I combined Simplicity #2442 with Simplicity #1909 as the bride wanted a train. All in all, 3 weeks of sewing, measuring, fitting and wrestling with 6-1/2 ft long seams for the skirt of the dress (there were 7 of them), the dress was done. It fit perfectly and the bride was thrilled. It was beautiful wedding.

 

 

 

Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Abston!!!