Over the holiday season this little blog welcomed it's 100th follower and then some. To celebrate I would like to give away this charming paper doll book of Chanel designs by Tom Tierney. It is on v. heavy glossy paper. The designs are fabulous. If you are interested, first, a big welcome to La Sewista. Then please leave a comment with where you are from, ie, Karen, Los Angeles, or just a state or region. I will let this run till the weekend and then Random.org a winner. I so appreciate all of you visiting. If you are not a follower, sign up and get in the running for this sweet little book.
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I am nearly done the smocking on Sophie's Cranberry dress. The design requires two rows of double featherstitching. I have worked this stitch before but only on flat fabrics. On a pleated print it is very difficult to gauge the width required for each stitch. I decided to help this along by lining up 1/4 inch masking tape above and below the area for the featherstitching. Now my eyes can easily gauge the width needed for each stitch.
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MAGAZINES, AH, THE MAGAZINES!
Yesterday I received in the mail my Sew Beautiful and the latest Burda.
First, the SB: People seem to be quite opinionated about SB lately. Personally, I think it has become a shill for Martha Pullen's machine embroidery, a far stretch from the heirloom sewing inspiration it used to provide. I guess that is Martha's prerogative. The Christmas issue was close to tossable and I doubted I would renew. That has all changed with this issue. The exquisite cover graces a fabulous issue. The theme of ribbons was on every page with so much beauty to inspire. I am talking using ribbons in very unique ways, visits to ribbon experts, and so much more. This is what I call a real "cup of tea" issue, the kind you sit and savor in private and dream of what you can do. Congratulations to SB on this wonderful effort. If you continue with this quality they will be standing in line to subscribe.
Then there was Burda : If there is an editor or photographer out there who thinks the photos in this issue (other than the snow pics) show me a garment I would like to sew, fugetabotit. It all looks like a mass of bunched up fabric on the human body. That would be fine if that were the intended design, but many of these garments have details. And the white gauze on the black wool tights, yuk. Thank goodness for the technical drawings!
Does anyone really thing those pants that end below the calf and have pleats out near the side seams are flattering? I could go on and on. I will just leave it to all of you to make your own judgments. The blouse I feel like currently making will certainly come from an older issue or the Big Four. One great garment, IMO, that leather number with the studs on the flaps. Yummy! JMHO.
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I hope you all are having a great holiday season. The New Year is now upon us, always a time for reflection. I am going to keep it simple and just sew as much as I can for as many as I can in the next year. I also hope to share it all with all of you. Happy New Year and the happiest of designing and sewing in 2010! ....bunny
ETA: Cutoff time for the giveaway will be 3:00 this afternoon, January 2.2009. Don't miss the fun!