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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

I Won the Blue Gardenia Giveaway! And Denise was Right- I am so Excited!

Denise over at The Blue Gardenia Blog and The Blue Gardenia Shop hosted a wonderful giveaway for a Parfait from Colette patterns, as well as some lovely leopard print fabric, nail polish, and a Reader's Digest Sewing Guide, and I won the fab loot!

Thanks a million to Denise as well as the ladies at Colette Patterns for spreading the sewing love around.

Also, anyone who has not yet or has not recently checked out Denise's blog and the patterns at The Blue Gardenia needs to go have a look-see. Denise stocks some exquisite, rare, and lovely vintage pattern eye candy as well as fab vintage costume jewelry. Her patterns are all checked and counted, so you don't run the risk of being disappointed by a missing piece, and she provides free shipping in the U.S.
Isn't this lovely? See what I mean?
The Colette peeps have recently released their new line of lovely patterns for fall, and have a fun blog as well with sewing tips, methods, and inspiration. I've had my eye on Clover trousers for fall.
So, thanks again!

I am very ready to get back to sewing now that I am home from my little sister's wedding in Maine. I made dresses for the baby and I, and I will post pics and such as soon as possible. Until then....

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Pretty Pattern Finds

Sorry about the crummy iPhone photos, but I bought these at an antique shop today.

I think my favorite is the Vogue blouse in the top photo-very practical and very pretty!

Friday, September 9, 2011

Homemade Custom Sew-in Tags

Today I took a break from a biggie sewing project I have been working on to do a small and satisfying project. I have wanted my own sew-in labels for my handmade clothing for some time, and I was originally planning to order some. Instead I did a Google search for sew-in tags, and I found this tutorial. I had everything I needed to make these, so I decided to give it a whirl.

I love them! I think they turned out very nicely, and I spent some time this afternoon sewing them into some of my handmade garments. I do come across home sewn clothing frequently in the thrift shops, and I always wonder about who made the items and when. Well, if anyone ever comes across mine they will know when they were made, and they can stop on by in the virtual sense if they are curious to know who is sewing formal spring capes in the year 2011.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Roadside Botany- Wild Orchids

A few months back while out running errands with the family, I noticed some pretty violet flowers growing throughout a vacant lot on the roadside.
I thought to myself that they looked remarkably like orchids, but then I reminded myself that I was nuts. Orchids grow in tropical climates, right? Why would they be growing wild in a lot in the mountains of North Carolina?
To satisfy my curiosity and reaffirm once more that I invent all sorts of craziness in my head, I stopped for a closer look.
Well, there was no mistaking that these were indeed orchids!
A quick Google search taught me that there are many orchids that grow wild in NC and are native to the area.  You learn something new every day! And now that I have recognized these flowers as orchids, I see them all over the place. Western North Carolina is a truly beautiful place, and I discover new things to love about living here all of the time!