Fashionista Feline

Even cats like to look fashionable.  This is my cat  Raven wearing 2 lovely collars made by me!

Hello Sewers and Welcome to my Blog!!

Sewing has been part of my life since I was 10 years old, beginning, like many of us, by sewing doll clothes.  From the first stitch on my mom’s old black Singer featherweight, I was hooked!  I loved the whole creative process, from selecting my fabric and pattern to seeing it come to life under the machine, and usually, I would not stop until I at least knew what my new outfit would look like.   I sewed every spare minute I had, many times neglecting studies and home chores.

I gobbled up fabric faster than my mom could buy it for me.  Remember crimpolene, that indestructible 100% polyester fabric?  I could not wait for the $1.99 a yard sale at K-Mart so I could spend my hard earned babysitting money on a new outfit.  And back in my day, babysitters only made 75 cents an hour, so it took a lot of work to save enough money for a new project.

Another great source of fabric was my mom’s old clothes. Her long wool skirts became fashionable mini skirts, her velvet suit was converted into a funky vest with pants and the belt morphed into a cool choker to wear with my yellow bubble blouse.

But sewing has changed radically over the last 25 years. Clothes are less fitted.  We have wonderful computerised sewing machines to make a perfect stitch at the touch of a button.  Embroidery machines expand our creativity with embellishments made easy, and don’t forget the serger that gives the inside of our clothing that factory made look. Can you believe there are even machines with a small camera that will feed fabric through and guide it straight without you even touching it!  It’s amazing!!!

Sew…. All you soon-to-be-retired baby boomers, think about getting into sewing as a hobby to help keep you out of hubby’s hair.  He has his woodworking equipment, you may as well have some cool toy as well.  You can sew for yourself or your family, make items for your home or try quilting.  Sewing has many aspects to it, not just clothes.  So much new is out there, especially if you have not checked out this wonderful art since high school Home Ec class. Give sewing another chance!!!

Patch Jacket

This one-of-a-kind jacket gets comments whenever I wear it.  I have three of them, all done in different themes.  I took the pattern pieces of a Kwik sew pattern and divided it into puzzle pieces, then put them back together using different fabrics, with the raw edges covered in gold tape.  The appliqués are scribble stitched with decorative threads.

Wool Suit, Satin Collar and Hem

This wool fabric was purchased in San Francisco while I was at the Pfaff convention several years ago.  There is an amazing shop called Britex right on Union Square that is four floors of shopping nirvana!!  I was told many of the celebrity designers go there for fabric for their high end clients.  Nothing there was cheap but I found this wool in a “bargain bin”.  ( I am a real bargainista!).  The pattern for the jacket is Vogue, but modified, and the skirt was drafted on a computer program.  Although I made this over 5 years ago, the peplum look is right in fashion this year.

Linen Jacket

This is a McCall’s pattern to which I added all of the ruffles, which were inspired by an expensive jacket I saw in a boutique.  I love to think of ways to make a sewing pattern my own, by adding design details such as these. The pattern suggested the use of beads which are applied using a hot stick applicator.  The jacket is lined with a Liberty print, all fabrics from my mom’s stash.

Black Jacket

This Vogue military style jacket pattern has become one of my all time favourites.  This look seems to pop up every fashion season.  The fabric is a linen blend and the lining is coated cotton.  Gold is very hot this year.  I like my clothing to look as good on the inside as the outside, hence the embroidery.