by Dave | Jul 29, 2015 | Blog, Lucy's Sewing Lab
Can you believe it? Christmas is 21 weeks away, that’s 10 paydays for some, or even fewer (5) for others. I don’t work outside the home anymore so I tend to lose track of things like how soon Christmas will be here. I start shopping around now though, just picking up this and that, you know little things I see that would be cool in a stocking? Stockings are a FAVORITE in my family. So, those get filled first and overfilled so some of the things end up getting wrapped as well. Last year was my first ever handmade Christmas. I made everyone blankets. It started out as me making blankets for the grandchildren, but as their parents caught glimpses of them they wanted one too. Then on Christmas, everyone that didn’t get a blanket wanted one of their own. I also made some throw pillows for one of my daughters.
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[envira-gallery slug="broken-arms"]Oh, I think I forgot to mention, one week into December, I broke both my arms. Take this as a lesson you do not have to learn. Plan, buy, make Christmas presents early. Sewing with two broken arms was not easy! There are lots of places online for shopping Lucy Lou 918 [envira-gallery id="1289"]
[envira-gallery slug="lucylou918-collage"] is a great place for handmade jewelry, aprons, throw pillows, and custom orders. J and T Creations has all your Rock and Roll needs. This girl is amazing! Even if you think you don’t like her style, check it out. I promise someone on your list will need something she has to offer. The Happy Nest has everything else. Seriously, her shop has something for every single person on your Christmas list. Her items are not handmade, so if you feel weird about giving handmade items as presents, be sure to visit her!
If you are Christmas shopping, sitting by the pool, or making something for yourself, ENJOY!
by Dave | Jul 29, 2015 | Blog, Lucy's Sewing Lab, Tools and Technique
Vintage irons make me so happy! I remember them as a child. My grandmother had several with and without cords. I also remember being told pressing is the most important part of sewing. Nothing, in my opinion, compares to a vintage iron. They are heavy, get super hot, super fast, and look cool. 🙂
Saturday, I was driving through my neighborhood and stumbled upon an ESTATE SALE. Not one of those where the people come in and price everything and have their yellow signs everywhere. Those prices are generally too high to bring me happiness. This estate sale was operated by the family members. They were so kind and helpful. I walked in and immediately found my true love. A vintage ironing board! [envira-gallery id="1241"]
[envira-gallery slug="ironing-board"]Is it just me or do they make these things today too flimsy to even use for fear of them bending under pressure? Okay, LOVE it, want it, need it, and it’s half price! So, the ironing board sold for half of $15 that was marked on it. I found lots of other wonderful things there as well, I’ll wait and share those later.
I purchased the new love of my life, a Sunbeam steam iron. The iron is so special, it has the date written inside of the box, “December 25, 1962.” [envira-gallery id="1237"]
[envira-gallery slug="vintage-iron"]It works amazingly well. Of course, since the hubby does not sew, I had to explain to him how important this iron is to my life. How the weight of the iron helps set the seam. This was not an easy concept to explain. Thankfully I was wearing a color blocked dress I made. I pointed out where the two colors met. I told him, when the fabric is properly pressed, the two colors appear as one piece of fabric. I guess he understood that, he nodded. lol
When I came home I had to research the vintage irons, to make sure I was not just an emotional nut. Okay, I may be but there is validity to my love of vintage irons. Ebay explains it pretty well.
Reasons to LOVE and desire a Vintage Iron
. Made in the USA – back when that meant something.
. Heavy, which helps get the wrinkles out
. Put out a lot of heat
. Solid irons that are well-build, all metal
. Last decades
by Dave | Jul 23, 2015 | Blog, Capsule, Fashion, Lucy's Sewing Lab
It’s late, your friends are waiting, you are stressed as hell, your wardrobe is lacking! PANIC! Panic, freak out, cry, plan to be better at this whole dressing myself thing later. Later?The capsule did not work. I didn’t have time. I couldn’t stay focused on a palette that was supposed to be for me, the style wasn’t exactly me, and I’m more creative than all that. This is the anti-capsule! Capsule Snapsule!! Okay, one LAST night out wearing less than stellar clothing. Vow to fix that wardrobe problem! This is not a capsule fix. This is real life, mixing, matching, and looking fab sewing it yourself.
A client called me, in the exact situation above! I know this person pretty well. She loves leopard print, black, maroon, lace, and FUN! Okay, so here we go anyone can make those colors work together. PLUS, they work in all seasons.
Here’s what I did:
- Maroon maxi
- White lace Kimono
- Light leopard shorts
- Black mermaid maxi
- Dark Leopard midi circle skirt
- Black Kimono
- Floral top
The pieces work like this:
BOTTOM + TOP + ACCESSORIES = FAB
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Using these two charts you can get a head start. Everything matches/coordinates/whatever going both down and diagonal. So basically, without even trying very hard and using easy patterns you have an incredible wardrobe!
by Dave | Jul 22, 2015 | Blog
There are so many things to know before even Jo-Ann or Hancock Fabric’s. It’s a daunting task, really! I remember walking into that first fabric store shopping for…..I don’t even know…just touching the fabric. Feeling it, thinking what the piece of fabric could become. WOW! I love the way this one feels. I pull the bolt down and notice a SHOCKING price tag! How can anyone afford to sew at these prices? If I purchase cotton spandex with a four way stretch to make leggings the fabric alone will cost more than buying a pair off the rack at most discount stores! Right? Possibly, if you do not plan the visits and get on all the mailing, text, and email lists for sale and coupon notifications.
Jo-Ann’s and Hancock Fabric are two of the big boys on the front. Fabric store shopping with these two can be a joy. Number one, they both accept each others coupons! This is absolutely wonderful. I have a Joann’s closer to me than Hancock, the price matching comes in really handy for me. The only downside is selections of fabric; both quality and quantity. Both companies send out mailers, email, and text messages with coupons and latest sales. Right now, Hancock Fabric is offering a five dollar coupon for signing up on their email list.
Hancock Fabric sends out mailers which are also viewable online for a period of three weeks at a time. Joann’s does the same although the mailer covers two weeks. I usually pull out a calendar and make notes about sales I do not want to miss and the specific dates. Smart phones….what a lifesaver….a little alarm on sale day can really make a difference. [envira-gallery id=”1215″] These coupons are good for 20 days! When you also consider Joann’s will honor them as well, that is a huge savings! Joann’s is having one of my personal favorite promotions [envira-gallery id=”1218″]. I love stocking up on Red Tag fabric for my wearable muslins.
Hancock Fabric offers the online $5 coupon. Joann’s club offers even more benefits. [envira-gallery id=”1221″] A word of advice, no matter where you find yourself shopping, read the fine print on the coupons! No one wants to miss out on a bargain! I always ask if there are any other discounts I missed. Both stores allow use of more than one coupon per sale. ENJOY!
by Dave | Jul 18, 2015 | Blog, Lucy's Sewing Lab
Fabric buying is an art. We all know this much is true. After the first fabric purchase that left you hating your machine, your fabric, your pattern, your life, we vowed to change. To learn more about fabric, textiles, hand, give, stretch, body, oh so much to know about fabric. Sadly so much cannot be learned on the internet or in books. Good ole trial and error lead to making fabric buying online or in store successful! I’ve blogged about this before. I’ll blog about it tomorrow too. This fabric buying blog deserves a series. I believe many need this information. I know when I started into the wonderful/ not so wonderful world of fabric I needed all the information and help out there!
My number one complaint is always and will always be, the PRICE! Yeah, I am a penny pincher and love seeing my money go as far as it can. With fabric, it’s more than just a game of odds, it’s a studied, planned out, adventure. Pack the most product into my measly dollars as humanly possible. This is usually the moment I pull out the local store weekly ads, the online stores I frequent, and get down to the nitty gritty with pricing. I realize sometimes inexpensive fabric really fares well against competition sometimes. I’ve also found the reverse to be true.
One of my first considerations on deciding which retailer shall receive my money is past experiences. I’ve ordered from places online and will never order from them again. It’s not even about their product. I never saw it. They order took to long to ship. Are you listening retailers? TIME is so important to us! Timely order processing and shipping are our top priorities.
Next I look at shipping and coupons/discounts. I refuse to pay shipping unless it’s something I think I may die without. Then I make sure to purchase enough fabric that the shipping is less than 50 cents per yard. Coupons for local stores are HUGE! Bigger than big…the deciding factor of staying home to shop or venturing out into 100+ degree heat. If I’m leaving my house……DEALS better be plenty!
More than deals though, I want to ENJOY! Stay tuned, more on this topic tomorrow. I’ve barely gotten started. ENJOY yourself.
