Life

One summer evening in July 1975, about 2 weeks before my 10th birthday, I was watching TV when I suddenly felt intense pain in my "stomach", and tearfully sought relief from my mother and father.  After asking questions to clarify where this mysterious pain originated, they simultaneously said, "Yep, her period is coming."  What?  My period?

At Last, My Project Table has Come Along

I used to be one for making resolutions with each coming of a new year.  However, I've found it more productive to identifying goals I'd like to meet, and then establish a timeline and plan on which to achieve them.  Sometimes the plan works as designed, sometimes not.  The good thing is I'm not holding myself to some ambiguous target and feeling less-than if it's not met.

Included in the goals I've set each year are various household projects, many of which carry over from one year to the next - and that's okay!  Transforming my Sewing Room into a space which sparks inspiration and creativity has consistently been on that list, and I've steadily been making changes to the room and furniture to make this space one in which I love being.  In 2012, I started this process by painting and customizing my self-drafted drop-leaf sewing tabletop.

 

sewing tabletop and base, before

Nobody is Perfect, but Really?

I spent time Sunday looking at designer garments from various 2015 Spring runway shows.  I know I'm a little late given most of these shows ran between September and October 2014, but better late than never, right?

I would imagine most designers try their hardest to ensure each design is flawless in its appearance before going down the runway - i.e. hanging properly on the models, no wrinkles, no missing or dangling closures, etc.  After all, the runway is where their potential customers first see their designs, and retail buyers are identifying those items they feel will sell within their stores.  So, imagine my surprise when I saw the following runway mishaps.

First, there was the hanging threads on the shoe of Donna Karan's Look #5.  From the runway itself, this would not be noticeable, but you can't help but see it when Style.com publishes a close-up picture.

 

Now, big picture, this really is not a big deal.  The shoe is cute, and at least the model's feet have been properly pedicured and toes painted.  But then, my further navigation yielded more questionable results.

DKNY Done Easy

I have a confession to make.  My name is Aisha, and I am a patternholic.  I admit that buying patterns on sale is my weakness.  I love browsing through my JoAnn sale brochures to see which patterns are on sale so I can plan my shopping trips accordingly.  Between my love for pattern sales and the time I worked for So-Fro Fabrics many, many years ago, I have built a collection in excess of 600 primarily consisting of Butterick, McCall's, Vogue and Simplicity.

Like most of the "sewists" whose blogs I follow, I like reviewing ready-to-wear runway styles and picking out those which inspire me to create my own versions.  While surfing on Style.com, I fell in love with Look no. 3 from the DKNY Fall 2013 RTW collection and proceeded to search through my pattern collection to see which one I could modify to make my version of this dress - and I think I did settle on one...

Beyond Distressed

Happy New Year!  I pray your Christmas was truly merry and your 2015 is off to a prosperous start.  It has been about 19 months since my last post and I kept telling myself "I have to publish a post! I have to publish a post!"  But, sometimes it seems there's never enough time or energy to do all the things you want.  With that said, I intend to maintain a more regular posting schedule - certainly shorter than every 18 months or so.  (wink)

Though my blogging activity has been stagnant, I have been busy in my Sewing Room and will soon share with you some of the things I've been doing while away, beginning with this project.

 

left and right legs, before