THINKING ABOUT IT IS NOT SEWING - RIGHT?

Even though I've not been actively sewing...I am thinking about it! I did make a night shirt a couple of weekends ago (I just had to make something).

And I did purchase fabric for and cut out this blouse, View B, but I haven't started it yet. I brought a white broadcloth fabric, think I paid $3.98 a yard for it. I plan on getting started on this soon. I'd really like to make View A in a white stretch poplin maybe for the next project.

I am not actively sewing, but that doesn't mean that I have stopped buying patterns. I confess, I AM A PATTERNHOLIC!!! A stress releiver for me is stopping at Hancocks on a Thursday or Friday afternoon and leafing through the pattern catalogs. I've hit several Hancocks pattern sales for Simplicity, Butterick and McCalls recently. I guess I have to admit that McCalls is my all time favorite.

I had been looking for a straight skirt pattern with interesting back vent detailing. I use to have several patterns when I sewed before (about 15 years ago) but have long since gotten rid of all my old patterns. Still kicking myself about that one-guess I thought I would never sew again, BUT I WAS WRONG! I found this McCalls pattern and I'm looking forwarding to playing around with and experimenting the different back views for several skirts.

There are several blogs that I read almost daily for sewing inspiration. One of them is Carolyn's at Diary of a Sewing Fanatic. Carolyn has been reviewing books from her sewing library and I've been tuning in to find out what she has. I am a real book fiend so it's really hard for me to resist adding a new resource to my library. I keep planning on thinning out my books by selling them on Ebay (BUT NOT MY SEWING AND FIBERARTS LIBRARY THOUGH). Here are several of my latest purchases.

Carolyn reviewed this book on her blog a few weeks ago (Decorative Dressmaking) and after reading her review I just had to have it. I found it for a reasonable price at Abebooks.com for $37.50 which included shipping from Texas. Carolyn was right! This is an excellent inspirational book that gets you thinking about all sorts of possibilities. I think this one will become the favorite book in my Sewing and Fiberarts Library.

Added 12 old Threads Magazines to my collection. This is now my oldest issue - #8 Dec. 1986/Jan. 1987. I now have a total of 34 issues. I just discovered threads last November (remember I had been on a 15 year hiatus operating a business and had just put my sewing way back on the back burner), so I knew nothing about Threads Magazines. I have since subscribed to the magazine as well as it's little sister Sew Stylish which is already being discontinued. (Last issue yet to come, I think). I spent some time this weekend going through 10 of the issues and flagging interesting articles with post its. I think that I will stop tracking down older issues and stick to the current subscriptions ones for now. I think I have an adequate collection at least for now.

The Claire Shaeffer book "High Fashion Sewing Secrets" is really a good book with lots of details. I picked this book up at Hancocks when they had a book sale several weeks ago. Claire Shaeffer is becoming one of my favorite sewing authors - he books are great and when I found out she was born and raised in Georgia it make me like her even more. There oare several others of her books that I have on my to get list.

Make it Your Own is als a good design book that is leading me into daydreaming about changing all of my purchased patterns up if only just a little bit.

I'm hoping Nancy's Fitting Finesse book will help me with my pants pattern fitting issues.

Maybe I will do some book reviews myself one day! I am currently surfing the web fabric stores for some nice black wool blend fabric to make a straight skirt for my sister Brenda. I made one for her when my dd Alondra was still in high school some 17 years ago. Brenda says she wore this skirt every winter since I made it for her. Then last winter it just desintergrated. Well I guess it's about time! So I want to make another nice lined one for her but haven't been able to find the fabric yet. It's the last day of September which has little or nothing to do with this post, but the thought just came to me.