TODAY'S BLOG POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE NUMBER...

...

eleven years ago, on February 10th I wrote my first blog post.  1,078 blog posts later it still amazes me that blogging has held my interest for this amount of time - but it has, and yes I still love it.  This is home for me!  It's been a pleasant environment, and I've managed to keep this a no drama zone.  A place for me to write about (and share) my experiences, observations, and opinions mostly about sewing

and sometimes about my

It's the time of year that I take a moment to say thank  you for reading here.  Your connecting with me has made this such a rewarding experience...

WHAT'S TRENDING FOR ME: NIGHT DRESS...

...it's always so nice coming to this stage of the sewing process.  Especially when the garment you made equals the vision you had at the onset of the project.  I know you are familiar with this sight, you know...the part when you make sure all the used pattern pieces are present and accounted for before folding them as neatly as possible before returning them to their nice little compact envelope.

This was my first pattern choice for my "Night Dress".  I did get a little distracted though and for a couple of days switched to this pattern
 

I love this pattern and want to make it very soon, but I decided to return to my original vision, McCall's 7622.  Of course this dress took longer than I had planned or expected - all my projects do.  I digress.  If  you recall, there are two dresses involved in the Day and Night Dress Challenge.

In keeping with the contest time frame both my dresses must be finished before February 22nd (my dresses will be revealed here on February 25th.  I imposed the 17th as my completion date in an effort to avoid stress.  You'll be able to see early challenge entries and lots of process photos on Instagram.

Thankfully, both dresses are done! I will talk about the "Day" dress a little bit in my next post - so stay tuned...

EYE CANDY FOR YOUR SUNDAY AFTERNOON VIEWING PLEASURE...

...a sneak peek of eye candy and sewing inspiration from Burda February 2018.  Enjoy!

#TEAM DAY AND NIGHT DRESS CHALLENGE...

...there are some wonderful sponsors for the 2018 Day And Night Dress Challenge.  You can see them all listed HERE.  I was very happy to discover that StylishFabrics.com was offering free fabric for one of each team members dresses.  Yes, membership does have its privileges.  I chose this black ITY knit for my Night Dress that I plan to start over the weekend.  Thank you Stylish Fabrics!

This gorgeous scarf was also included in the package from Stylish Fabrics that arrived yesterday.  The LifeScarf Project is a campaign that supports Children's Hospital in Los Angeles.  You can read more about LifeScarf's efforts HERE...

#DAY AND NIGHT CHALLENGE: THE TEAM...

...as I mentioned last week, I am honored to have been asked to be a part of the 2018 Day and Night Dress Challenge Team hosted by Elizabeth Made This.  How exciting it is to be part of this creative group.  The team consists of  talented seamstresses (I think I counted 40) from all over the globe.

 

How exciting it is to be a part of this spectacular group!  Elizabeth has a wonderful post that introduces each team member HERE.  All dresses created by the team will debut the week of February 22nd thru February 28th.   I'll be talking about my dresses a little along the way, but be on the lookout for my debut on February 25th.  As of this writing I am just a little bit ahead on the construction front; my Coffee Date dress is already complete.  I took it for a test drive on yesterday.  I am happy to report that it did meet my vision, and although simple, it's so comfortable that I already want to make another one! I think Coffee Date dresses should be comfortable - don't you?

To make this even more spectacular, Elizabeth has made this a two-part Challenge!  So even if you are not on the Day and Night Dress Challenge Team, you are still welcome to participate by:

• Making two dresses (one for Day and one for Night) 
• Post the two dresses on Instagram before March 5th notating #DayandNightDressChallenge and @elizabethmadethis

 Loads of prizes will be available to all by random drawing...

DOUBLE PLEASURE WITH SEWN MAGAZINE...

...procrastination!  I procrastinated and didn't order the first issue of the new bi-monthly "Sewn Magazine".  Afterwards I was a little upset with myself that I hadn't ordered it (I really hate being upset with me) especially when I saw so many people talking about it back in November.

I reached out and contacted Editor in Chief, Michelle Morris, and asked if she had any extra copies - you know, just lying around (lol).  Guess what?, she did!  Michelle also authors the blog That Black Chic. I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of both the 1st and 2nd issues and they finally arrived today.

What a diverse sewing, fashion and diy magazine.  It's really a breath of fresh air.  It introduces new sewing bloggers, business owners, pattern makers and even a baker who creates edible diy.  Amazing!  There's also a free downloadable pattern offered in each issue.  I'm looking forward to devouring all of the tips and new ideas including inside.  Have you heard of Sewn Magazine???

WORK WEAR WEDNESDAY ON THURSDAY: 18 DEGREES - WIND CHILL FACTOR 9...

 ...when I made my faux shearing coat in December someone asked me; "Where will you be wearing that - New York?".  Shade people, shade!  Who says it doesn't get cold in Georgia?  Occasionally I'll post what I call WWW (Work Wear Wednesday).  But we didn't have school on Wednesday because of

 this

 this

and this,

 that seams to happen about every four years or so.

But when we did return to school today, the temperature was 18 Degrees with a wind chill factor of 9.  So I felt compelled to wear this...

Thank goodness my Kwik Sew 4197 jacket was ready to keep me nice and cozy during our Antarctic temps.  It's unbelievably light weight, but also remarkably warm.  This is my second wearing - because - yes contrary to popular belief, it does get cold here in Middle Georgia. And, yes (go ahead and laugh) 1/2 inch of snow does stop us dead in our tracks...

COFFEE & COCKTAILS ANYONE???

...last year I watched in awe as Elizabeth Made This hosted her first "DAY AND NIGHT DRESS CHALLENGE".  It was wonderful seeing all the beautiful Day and Night dresses created by the 18 bloggers/vloggers who took part.  I think that challenge was my first virtual encounter with Elizabeth.  Since that time we have gotten to know each other better - she participated in my "TOPS THAT POP SEW-A-LONG" last spring; was featured in my "WHY SHE SEWS & BLOGS ABOUT IT" post last November.  We also work as co-administrators of  the Facebook group SEW MUCH TALENT(gr).

I am very honored to take part in Elizabeth's 2018 Day and Night Dress Challenge!  I'll share my process all along the way here.  I'll put my spin on COFFEE & COCKTAIL dresses, and how they translate to my lifestyle.

But guess what, you can also take part in Elizabeth's 2018 Day and Night Dress Challenge!  It's a  two-part challenge so anyone from the sewing community who blogs, or vlogs, and has an Instagram account can also join.  Read here for more information on the community segment. (Time Frame for Community Submission:  From now until March 5th)  There will be lots of prizes and random drawings as well! 

 Stay tuned.  this is going to be SEW MUCH FUN!!!

REMEMBERING THE DREAMER...

...his words of hope and encouragement still echo in our ears today - we must keep moving forward

FOR YOUR SUNDAY AFTERNOON VIEWING PLEASURE: EYE CANDY AND SEWING INSPIRATION...

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in 2017 we had a wonderful sewing year! We've created garments that we will love and wear for years to come, classics and seasonal favorites.  Maybe we had just a few wadders along the way, but oh well, it's all a part of a wonderful learning process.

But alas, on at the wake of a brand new year we've found new aspirations that dictate new styles, new designs and new directions.  I say, "out with the old and in with the new"!  Here's a sneaky peek into fashion for 2018 - January Burda Style ...

WARDROBE/CLOSET ANALYSIS...

...It's New Years, the time when the majority of us are focusing on organization, planning and change.  My focus:  closet space which is almost non-existent at my house.  It's fine and dandy to wish for more space, but when it comes right down to it, I have to be realistic and learn to live within the space that I have.

I had to ask myself this question this morning:  Does a closet full of clothes a functional wardrobe make???  I think that all of us would agree that the answer to this question is a big fat "NO".  Yet. my cup runneth over when I open my closet doors.  Issues created by the closet bulge:

• Clothes are so tightly packed in that I can hardly slide a hanger.
•  Items are not organized, so it's hard for me to find what I'm looking for.
• The majority of the items were made by me.  Many pieces have not been worn for a very long time. yet I cling to them with very strong emotional attachment because I created them or  I love the fabric so much.  There I've said it, I have an emotional attachment to clothes - am I the only one???
• My closet situation has been giving me anxiety for quite sometime.  I complain about it and promise to reorganize but find myself procrastinating so it remains the same.
• Since I love to sew.  I am capable of creating clothes that I love to wear.  I create quite a significant number of garments per year.
• I quite often feel that I have nothing to wear. 

SOLUTION:  Unless I purge my closet there will no longer be a reason to sew.  I cannot continue to sew to fuel an already bursting at the seams closet.  So I have decided to initially remove  of 50 pieces from the closet (I may need to remove more later).   How did I come up with this magical 50 number:  I just pulled it out of thin air as a good starting point.

33 Pieces down - 18 more to go.  More about this later.

Do you have a method or system for purging your self made items???