Ahhh, the Fabrics! and Life!

 

Isn't this fabric a lovely breath of fresh air? I think I've gotten to the point of wanting to work with just spring fabrics. You see, my husband and I have just returned from the land of Covid, not our first visit but definitely our worst. We are both fine now but this one was a doozy, phantom smells continue, loss of taste for a while, EXTREME exhaustion, sleeping around the clock for days, We made it through. I didn't do much but I did manage to sew thru despite my covid fog brain. I did it in bits and pieces and had to walk away from my velvet bomber jacket for fear of messing it up. I stuck to mending, upscycling and reorganizing my goodies, then back to bed. Oh, I did shop!!! And I am excited and will share those plans with you. 

I have enough fabrics now to keep me  busy way into summer and it's just a matter of picking what will be next. That changes daily. Above is a large tablecloth, 2 yards, that I stumbled upon as I looked at the new Spring home goods out in the market place. I couldn't pass it up. It may become a top or it may remain a tablecloth. I like the texture and drape of the fabric, a poly cotton blend. That is on the bottom of the list for now but it does scream SPRING! 

This marvelous textile is one I purchased at Canterbury Shaker Village up here in New Hampshire. It actually was a sunprint that made up a tote bag. I thought surely it was destined for a use more refined. The bag was supermarket grade. The picture was closely woven and the subject divine. It is 24 inches wide, all cotton and removed from it's bag and the lovely Shaker girls smile at me while I work in my sewing digs. I haven't come up with a final idea for this but it makes me happy. 

I will be all over the place with this post so be prepared. 

I made undies while sick, not much brain power required there. I made pink ones. 

I made red ones. 

I made blue ones. 

I made over a dozen pair, bit by bit, You can see my methods.  I actually prefer my leg and waistbands out of more fabric. I had the laces and stretch picot already cut  so went with it. My favorite are the pinks, so so comfortable, like clouds. I also sew on my trims, turn to the inside and then topstitch with a triple zigzag as you can see in the pics. The red and the blue are ITY, nice undies but so very slippery to sew. The pinks are poly knit. All have 100% cotton crotches and I find them all comfortable.  I picked at these as I had energy to do so while sick. 

Guess what else happened while sick? I fell in love! It was with a beautiful British woman named Lady McElroy.  And,,,,,she designs fabrics! I was totally smitten. I was watching lots of tv/youtube during this time and saw two different tubers show the above fabric. I was like an addict searching for my fix once I saw this. The faces were large and just so intriguing with their glasses and lack of expression. I had to have this fabric. The colors were fabulous. I didn't know who made it or what it was called. I managed to find it  with an image search and it was called Spectacle. I proceeded.  

I found my spectled ladies from an Etsy seller in Canada and quickly placed my order. Did I say I bought from a thumbnail? Issues ensued, which she handled wonderfully as there was fault on both sides but all was OK, sort of, in the end. You see, This fabric has "Spectacle " in it's name but there is "Mini" spectacle and there  is "Epic" spectacle. I wanted "Epic" (didn't know that) and had ordered the "mini". BUT, for whatever reason, she shipped me two pieces of Mini Spectacle, the other being the darker rendition, all mine to keep. 

I kept my "Mini Spectacles" , thanked her for the freebie and kept up my search for the "Epic" version. I found it at Stone Mountain and Daughter! Yay! I immediately bought my yardage. They double checked that I was getting the larger, Epic faces and confirmed it in writing. They were wonderful to deal with and I made my shirt. More to come on that! All I can say is there are lots of ladies with glasses staring at me right now while I sew!

Another fabulous Lady McElroy piece I bought is this one above. I call  it my "Fashionista" fabric. If you look closely, click to enlarge, these women have all the latest and greatest fashions and I love their hair and faces. They have joggers, Marlo sweaters, white sneakers everywhere and more. Have fun picking out the trends! I think I will make a Melody Dolman out of this one. We shall see. 

More Lady McElroy fabrics:  Another fabulous viscose and a luxurious 100% cotton wide wale corduroy

So add this to what is already in the resource center and I am ready to Spring into sewing now! My bomber jacket just needs the hem sewn up into the lining. All of the rest is complete. It was quite a project, mostly due to bulk. I can't wait to show. I think it will give me years of wear.  Happy Sewing. Be healthy all!..........Bunny

Velvet sleeves, HEAVY duty rib knit cuffs and Kasha lining, ready for stitching. 

Viva Cuba!

Now, now, don't be afraid. I know this fabric is over the top. I recently showed it to someone and their eyes nearly popped out of their head. Their response was "you're not going to wear that, are you?". Well, yes, maam, I am.

This is Viva Cuba from emmaonesock and I was  smitten. What can I say? The colors are incredible.  I have two panels, the other laying on top of my work table. I have ideas and as of this afternoon, construction is in motion.

The selvedges are really deep, almost 3 inches on each side but it is still about 52 inches wide. I will make use of them as you will see. Let's hope that old car isn't in for a bumpy ride.......Bunny

Cross dyed and yarn dyed fabrics

My latest project, just needing it's hem, is made from the Kaufman fabric below, their "yarn dyed linen blend" that you see here in blue. Mine is black. These fabrics can present a bit of a challenge which I will show in a moment but first a little education. 

There are cross dyed fabrics and yarn dyed fabrics.  From Fabricdictionary.com we have the following definition of cross dyed fabrics: " A method of coloring fabrics made from more than one kind of fiber, for example, a wool and cotton blend. Each fiber in a fabric designed for cross-dyeing takes a specific dye in a different color or in variations of a color. A fabric that is cross dyed is more than one color. Cross dyeing is often used to create heather effects (soft, misty coloring), but strongly patterned fabrics can also be achieved, depending on the fibers used in the fabrics."  In other words each fiber takes the dye differently and the fabric blend is dyed after it has been woven. Per the manufacturer, the  green below is cross dyed and "heathery" looking.  

Per Fabric.com and other sources, "When a fabric is yarn dyed, the color is placed in the yarn or threads before weaving."  The linen blend below is yarn dyed with blue threads and white threads. 

photo courtesy fabric.com

I really like these yarn dyed linen/cotton blends and have used them before several times. They have a soft heathery look and don't wrinkle like 100% linen. They are great for casual wear. They can also be a quite casual look as you see in the red plaid above. Think gingham and you have yarn dyed fabric.  Now for the challenges!

This all over heather effect in the fabric I am using for my skirt is simply the white threads going top to bottom which is called the  "warp". The black threads going left to right are the "weft".  If you look at the picture below you can see the threads and how they differ on the raveling edges, black on the sides, white top and bottom.

What I have learned from sewing this fabric several times is that you can get surprising results with your topstitching.  In the pic above black thread is used in the right hand side stitches. White thread, which doesn't look it, used in the middle stitches. The white zigzag came out totally gray. This fabric even affects the color of your thread! I stitched several samples and every time the snow white thread look gray on it in zigzag form. The sample shows how the stitches can look irregular and just not good. Those little slubs and nubs of the opposing colors really make an impact.  But if you can figure out the natural compromise between the two colors, like the grey used on the left hand stitches, the stitching will look much better. There is something about using the actual fabric color, here, black or white thread, that has  the opposite fiber peeking out to make things look irregular. By using a "compromise thread", the gray, the  colors blend and make the stitching look smoother. For the record, the far left gray line of stitching is a triple straight stitch, one I like a lot for topstitching. Next, to the right, is a regular straight stitch, and to the right of that is a satin stitch done to the same width and length as the black and white. And let's face it, this is brutally close up. There's not a lot of topstitching in my skirt but there are plenty of buttonholes. After making sample BHs it was clear the gray thread was a better choice.  Also, my machine makes beautiful topstitching on every other fabric. It's just some sort of illusory magic that is happening with this yarn dyed fabric. The lesson here is try to figure out what the  best "compromise" thread would be when stitching these fabrics.

And no discussion of yarn dyed or cross dyed fabrics would be complete without some pictures of iridescent silk dupionies. These are just so luscious. Using strongly contrasting warp and weft colors in a fabric that has a brilliant luster by its very nature makes for one of my favorite fabrics.  This is one of those seductive fabrics I just like to look at and don't even have to use to enjoy. Here are some pics courtesy of Silk Baron. 

Gold and fuchsia threads:

violet and red:

Tangerine and violet:

While I haven't used the iridescent dupionis in a garment I would think a bit of extra care and some samples would definitely be the smart way to get the best stitching needed.   Audition  your thread options instead of just taking a matching color and stitching away. You'll be glad you did!

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Remember to sign up for the give away! Here's the page !  GIVEAWAY

Happy sewing!

Bunny

Cashmere Peekaboo!

Unless you 've been hijacked by aliens sucking you up into a UFO and spiriting you away to the planet Selvedge, you know that the East coast is in the throws of miserable weather. We have about 9 inches since last night and more to come all tonight and tomorrow. My plans for a wonderful photo shoot out in the snow just didn't work out. I did try. It was blowing sideways and I had to do this close to the house so I could change my accessories. This was the best pic I could get:

The snow is about 2 feet deep behind me. I am standing in a path that just keeps filling up. You can't see my awesome boots but I think you can see this is one awesome coat and its Warm!

So right now, with this nasty weather, this pic is the best selfie I can get . I am going to either take more outside when the weather stops its aggression or stylize the coat on Ms. Dumdum and you can get my drift. I'll have another post shortly with lots of deets and better pics.

Hubby found this on our back porch full of snow yesterday, a delivery from Fabric.com. On the left is a heavy home dec all cotton for a spring/summer jacket and on the right is a fabric that is far far nicer IRL. It is a linen/cotton blend in the color "denim". I tell you, it stinkin' glows and is gorgeous. I am thinking summer jumper/dress a la lagenlook for that one. More to come on these.

Hubby and I are off to the North Shore and New Hampshire for the long weekend. Hopefully the drive won't be too interesting. Take care all and stay safe in the weather.. more on the backside....Bunny

Simp 4138, and some Poly thoughts!

Im the first to admit I'm a rather free spirited sewist. I could not handle a SWAP if my life depended on and would probably go nuts just trying. But that doesn't mean I don't have goals and plans. I never have enough white shirts. White's a color that looks good on me. I'm a "Winter" and us icy winter types look good in white, not beiges. (Don't ask how much beige is in my closet!) So I had the goal to sew three white shirts/tops and that has been met. Now I'm on a skirt buzz. Skirts are perfect for my work and I hope to make a few. One thought is some of the patterns for skirts that I like take so much fabric. What you see above is not one of those. This is a simple 6 gore trumpet skirt, knee length. I fretted over the length. Every bone in my body that lived through the sixties is begging for a frumpy long skirt, really. I've taken pics and know that mid knee is the most flattering length on me. But for some reason I never make that length. I've decided, in my dotage, to poo poo the sages and wear my skirt lengths at my knees if that is what looks best. So what if said knees are a tad baggy. Photographs taken by my hubby brought me to this enlightenment.

What you see above is my perfect idea for work, a crisp white shirt, a belt to highlight my waist while it lasts, and a loose, flow-y, colorful skirt. I just feel so neat and crisp in an outfit like this. I know it's not coming down the runways right now but color is and so are those gladiator sandals so I'm good with that. Accessories are a great way to keep your maturing style updated. I actually love to wear classics and have trendy accessories. That has served me well. Plus it is something that flatters me at this age. Most runway business doesn't. I am not a fan of tee shirts or knits and I guess I go against the tide with those opinions but at this stage I am pretty sure of what is flattering and still comfortable for me and that's what I make.

The skirt is 100% poly "stuff" from Joanns. It has a crepey texture and is fairly opaque. I will wear a short slip with it.  These poly "silkies' are quite seductive with their wonderful color and design but they can be a bitch to sew well. Here are just a few hints that I thought might help. Haven't we all succombed to their look and price point?

Mark the right side of your fabric. Often the sides are just the slightest bit different from each other, not enough to notice until you put them together wrong. Lo tack tape does not stick to these. So I pinned the tape because pins don't want to stay in this fabric either. Which brings me to pins......

THEY WILL NOT STAY IN! That is unless you have the double pins from Clover. I found these to work wonderfully at holding this nasty fabric.

Start your seams on a piece of paper stabilizer that can easily be ripped right off. Use a "single hole" foot and plate. It makes it much easier to work with this fabric and prevent it from being sucked into the nether regions of your bobbin area. I like the 1/4 inch quilting foot as it is a great help for French seams.

This garment is all French seams. Because the fabric is a stripe I needed to cut the pattern out on the cross grain. That can be a gold plated invitation to pucker seams and I was very worried the French seams would not work on the cross grain. I have had that experience in the past. So it was time to make a sample. I made a fairly long sample with a French seam on the crossgrain and it worked beautifully. I hung it up to make sure it hung ok. You just have to sample these things when sewing, one of those lessons you learn the hard way.

 

Here you can see it hanging from a shelf with no puckers.  I did set my tension to "normal" and a stitch length of 2.0. I like small stitches when I am doing French seams, particularly on something that ravels. 

To do the hem on this fabric I used the Kenneth King Tiny Hem technique and it came out beautifully. I just love that technique and you can find it in the tutes in the sidebar. It is so quick and easy. 

So with this project I got some quick gratification, a good thing after working six days this week. Sometimes you just need a colorful easy hit of sewing and this filled the bill. I am not going to review the pattern because it is so simple and classic and there must be loads on Pattern Review. It is  easy classic. Now maybe I'll make one of the long versions, a la frumpy.......Bunny

Vintage Gifts

 

Is this piece of bark cloth from the fifties not spectacular? A friend was cleaning out his deceased Mom's attic and she was an avid sewist. He brought me quite a few fabrics and offered to bring any I didn't want to the dump. I could have taken the whole pile but made a conscious decision which I shared with him  that I would only take what I would actually sew. I would sew this bark cloth into something in a heartbeat! I am thinking two large pillows for the living room couch or a big slouchy bag or a bag with some brown leather mixed in. What are your suggestions? I have always been crazy about bark cloth and in our last home did custom drapes in the living/dining areas out of a black bark cloth with giant white and lavender hydrangeas. Walls were soft yellow, white trim! 

This next one is a thin, but not too thin, missoni-ish knit. It is really nice and took the wash well. Maybe a sarong for the beach to hide that cottage cheese fermenting beneath my bum? OK, a bit too graphic so let's move on.....

 This one is so sweet. The dark areas you see are little tufts of fabric, sort of a dotted Swiss on steroids, very third dimensional. I think it could make a cute little summer top for Sophie or Carly.

They will sit out in the sun for the day just to make sure all attic odors that could be hiding are gone. Then on to the shelf. I just love me that barkcloth.....Bunny

Twas the day before New Year's and......

Twas the day before New Year's, when all through the house
Machines were not humming or making a blouse.
The velvets were hung by the leathers with care
In hope that free time soon would be there.

Hubbie was nestled all snug in our bed
while visions of garments danced in my head.
I in my Jammies and Dad in his sweats decided
No party on New Years was as good as it gets.

When down in the basement their came such a clatter
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to my bunker I flew like a flash
Tore open the closet and eyed my great stash.

The glow of my Ott lite on cleaned closet shelves
showed amazing order put forth by the elves.
And what to my wandering eyes would appear?
Visions of fabric so vast and so dear.

There were fleeces all rolled and labeled with care
in hopes that my fingers would make things I'd share.
There were boucles all begging for Chanel's nimble skills
and 100% linen was giving me thrills. 

When up on my shelves my eyes did alight
to find glass jars of fibers reflecting the light.
There were laces and ribbons and sequins galore
and sewing such beauties was surely in store. 

I found angelina and rovings
 all bundled with care,
 and splendiferous threads with no room to spare. 

Drawers were all perfect with scissors at rest
and tools made for marking ones marks at their best.
Buttonhole chisels, silk ribbons too, glass headed pins
asking "what do we do?"

 Polies and silk take up space by the knits. 
Their sparkly gleam giving shivering fits.

Then there were doilies and gingham so square.
With so much to sew there is no  time to spare.

Bottomweights share a really tight space, 
A perfect pants pattern will they ever grace?


 Why, here are my fingers on hands that are eager
to stitch and create, even projects quite meager. 
They'l move on the fabric with speed so unknown
Productivity will blossom with items I've sewn. 

It's time to get dreaming of what I will do 
with all I've been blessed with. How about you? 
Here's hoping your New Year will be one that's bright
 and loaded with sewing far into the night.
Happy New Year to all with more sewing in sight.....Bunny Pepin
    

      

  

I Died and Went to Heaven!

It may have looked like I disappeared from the planet but a sudden extended business trip for Boston DD had me driving down there for the week. I did get to see both sets of grands and it was wonderful, tiring, but wonderful.  Between schlepping munchkins, waiting for housekeeper, etc type stuff, I managed to get most of one day free. I took advantage to visit the new Fabric Place Basement in Natick, Mass. I did feel like I had died and gone to fabric heaven when I walked down those stairs and into  a basement the likes of which I haven't seen in years.Because the fabrics were so well merchandised and the area mucho spacious, I didn't get that overwhelmed feeling. You know the one. When rolls and rolls are stuffed stacked on top of each other in intimidating tightly bound piles on racks that go over your head. While that type of store appears to have impressive stock, it is murderous to shop. Fabric Place Basement is better. The fabrics were all accessible and easy to find and shop. Some were displayed in shelves, others in huge cans, some on tables. There were racks and racks of home dec and absolutely luscious formal fabrics. I truly can't wait to shop for fabric to make a dress for my upcoming nephew's wedding. The ideas were just coming at me so fast and furious with the luxury fabrics! There is an entire quilting department as well as a very large yarn department. Tables and racks of rolls of silk dupionis, chiffons, and crepe de chines were doing their best to seduce. There were tables of large leather hides and smaller hides of all sorts, pink patent leather to metallic blue leather and more. Bins were filled with sewing chochtkeys, buckles, appliques, beading all under 3.00 dollars and much at 99 cents. I tell you, it is textile heaven.

The staff were impressive! Did I have fabriholic written on my face? One staffer commented on my bag and then said "you have to check out these bins for bag buckles." Like I said, seduction, of the most unobtrusive understanding kind.  It was a fabric shopping experience the likes of which I haven't had in years and I hope to get back every time I go down to Boston. I pledge.

I have no affiliation here, just a totally pleasant shopping experience and wanted to pass it on. You can't get this sort of feeling on line, sorry, its just not the same. So without further ado here are what I came home with:

First, the black you see at the bottom is the reason for the visit to begin with. I have been searching for a black wool coating, not a coarse one, that I can actually feel and drape in my hand. I have come close over the past two years but have not been able to match my finds with yardage amounts needed. At FPB I did, purchasing a black angora wool coating that drapes beautifully and is just luscious. Winter coat, here we come! The blue heathery wool you see here is very soft and could work great for a CJ but I doubt that is what I will use it for. It has a teensy blue metallic speck that makes it special and is much prettier IRL.

 This is a silk chiffon that really looks much softer IRL. There is one six inch stripe of geishas among two yards of fabric so I can easily not use the girls if I don't want. I am seeing a summery sheer flow-y top over a cami with this fabric.

Here you can see some great trims for 99 cents a yard that will work wonderfully for outfits for Sophie and Carly. There is a huge selection of very well priced trims.

These buckles  will look great with scarves or worked up on bags. The upper left one is much more salmon colored and really pretty.

Not to give short shrift here, I also managed a quick trip to Fabric Fix in Manchester at the start of my trip and came home with a few goodies as well. Here you can see a lovely 100% wool boucle. You know what that will turn into!

At this point I am brainwashed by Pantone so felt a need to  bring home some of this orange wool coating . This will be felted tomorrow and will be made into bags. I have a vision of grey and orange felted wool swirling around.

I also purchased some lovely white shirting, a rayon/cotton combo. It is what you see under the laces and buckles.

So between these two vendors I have enough to keep me busy for a while. I am glad both these stores are out there for us home sewists. Please give them as much business as you can. We want them to survive, prosper, and be there for our creative needs......Bunny

Fabric Place Basement
321 Speen Street
Cloverleaf Mall
Natick, Mass

The Fabric Fix
45 Blaine Street
Manchester, NH

Where Have All the Fabrics Gone?

Gone to graveyards, everyone? (Thanks Peter, Paul, and Mary, and Joan Baez. I am showing my roots.)

Well it seems they are disappearing for some retailers and it really upsets me. First, let me share a bit of fabric shopping history that I know a few of you share.

Once a upon a time there was this decrepit ram shackle old building on probably one of the busiest corners in Manchester, N. H. It's parking was awful. It's smell sometimes worse, but oh, the fabrics! Mr. and Mrs. Harold Levine were the inhabitants of this building, or rather their "rag" business was. The Levines were real characters to say the least. I watched them age. I watched Mrs. Levine scream "Harold, get down here" at her loving husband more than once. Their bickering, the kind often seen in older couples so sure of their love that they know they can say anything and nothing will change, was entertaining. You could see how time had worn them into a couple who knew each other inside out all. It was fun to shop at Levine's. The place was jammed with rolls of fabric in niche after niche. The huge cutting table was manned by Mrs. Levine while Harold always seemed to be off somewhere. She would snip and cut and always throw in that bit of "lagniappe", the end of the bolt. She would inspect for defects and if found would just start cutting where they disappeared and throw in the rest. She definitely knew how to make you come back. Their staff was VERY knowledgeable. I bought some incredible fabrics at that store. Harold's trips to the Garment District would bring in the very best at rock bottom prices.

One day Mrs. Levine became ill with cancer and eventually passed on. I don't think Harold was ever the same after that. He sold his  valuable corner property to a major convenient store chain and went to retire without his precious wife to Florida. The business was sold to a passionate employee and her spouse. The women who worked in the store loved fabric as much as you and I and it was a natural transition. Her husband was hooked up with Harold's contacts and reopened the store in an old mechanic's garage of Rt. 93 on the West Side of Manchester. Most of the Levine staff was kept on and it was my absolute go to place for fabric. Now it was called the Fabric Fix and yes, I had to have my Fix whenever possible.

A couple of months ago I went in and was surprised to see a corner set up to display some nice jewelry and other consignment items.  Because what I saw was quite nice, I didn't really mind that valuable fabric space was being taken over by consignments. Heck, it was a tough economy. I left there purchasing nothing. But that was not unusual. This was a hit or miss store. Sometimes I walked out with dupionis and cashmere and other times I didn't. That was OK because part of the charm was never knowing what you would find.

This trip I went to the Fix as per usual. I was shocked at how little fabric there was. The staffer told me a trip was being made to the Garment District in NYC the next day for goods but that they were just having a hard time finding fabric. Several years back they had twenty various vendors that they would visit to bring back the deals we all so loved to shop for. They are down to two vendors. Textile manufacturers have all gone off shore and there is no manufacturing being done in the district any more, well maybe a teensy bit, but not enough to have leftover bolts that a merchant from New Hampshire could gladly relieve them of.

This all breaks my heart. I will keep going there, of course, hoping to hit it right as one certainly can. This is my place of touching, draping, feeling. Its a place where others, including the staff, love to touch, drape, and feel. While we all know we must support local merchants so they can continue to feed our passion, that is not so much the case here. This place has a following. It just needs fabric. I know I can buy online, but what will feed that spark, that vision, that creative high I get when going to a fabric store? Not a click of the  mouse........................Bunny

Faux and Flannel!

Yesterday was a "free" day, no cushions but I will be back on that saddle this morning. Instead I chose to do a bit of fabric shopping. My Christmas sewing is getting planned and I wanted specific fabrics I had previously seen to work up my choices.

For some little boy jammies I decided to go to the quilt shop on the Akwasasne Native American reservation. Its a wonderful shop, stocked to the gills with all sorts of goodies including the best flannels ever. I do all the required prewashing on their flannels and have yet to have one shrink. They have a beautiful hand and wear like iron. My grandsons love their flannel jammies and wear them nearly  every night. They and their moms always are asking for a new pair. While at the quilt shop, which goes by the name of  "Dream Catchers", I did see some unique items including a backing for fabric that shrinks your fabric up to 30 % once steam pressed. I could see all sorts of possibilities for that but I just have too much planned right now to get hooked on a new project, maybe later. I wish I could remember the name and manufacturer  for you. It was pricey. A 48x 18 piece of this stuff was 12.00 if recall correctly.


Now this fabric I am really excited about. I am definitely NOT a fan of Walmart, with their weak unattended fabric departments if they have one at all. Our local WM does have one and it stocks one product that I love and have been very pleased with, their faux leathers. Joanns has nothing like this. Again, this is one of those things I like to feel up close and personal before I buy so on line retailers I haven't tried. I started with a small piece of tooled faux leather a few years ago and was very impressed and have bought it often for use in  bagmaking ever since. It has a great hand, is very sewable, and really really looks good, not fakey. They recently got in our local WM a black and a red/black colorway and I had to have these to make some more bags for the holidays for gifts. You will be seeing these sewn up fairly soon. I just love that red and the black looks and drapes so nicely I am entertaining the thought of making a blazer out of it. We'll see what time allows. For the red I found some onyx colored chain and findings and what a great combo. I can't wait to work this up for all of you to see.

Today will be back to cushion number three. First I must make a ton more welting! Smocking is nearly done on Selena's bishop and more embellishment is contemplated.

Thanks to everyone  for the great feedback on the D&G jacket. Isn't it gorgeous? I need to do a bit of research as well as make a muslin before starting for real. I REALLY appreciated all your comments and feedback. Thank you so much. You are priceless!.......Bunny