What Would You Suggest?

I am stuck.

I have this sweater of my Dad's that I want to make something else out of.  I will never be able to wear it A) because I'll never be that small (it is from when he was in the Navy and weighed about 110 pounds) and B) it is wool and I cannot wear wool next to my skin.

So does anyone have any ideas?

Honestly, I only stopped in to browse.....

I was going to Joann Fabrics to pick up some muslin and a pattern for a shirt.  All the patterns I had many years ago are long gone-and way out of style.  I had a coupon for 40% off 1 full price item, plus a 25% coupon off of my total purchase.

However, Savers is right next to Joann's so I stopped there first. Sigh. Not good for the pocketbook. Huh, pocketbook-sounds like my Mom talking.

I found some books for the soon to be born granddaughter and was just browsing around.

I found patterns hanging on the wall in plastic bags. There were 4 patterns in each plastic bag, and they were stapled shut with a price tag.

Now, to be honest, most of them I won't use (the bags were so tightly closed, you couldn't see what was in each one). I did find three that I will try to use to make for my vacation to Portland, OR in the middle of August.  The Simplicity one shown directly above-oh my goodness, I love it!  I love 60's fashion. The pattern was listed in my dress size, but being that it is probably 40 years old, I don't know how it will correspond to current day.  The pattern is cut out and doesn't look to have been used a lot. It is such nice, heavy tissue with bold lines and the directions are so clear.

There is one for a longer tunic top that I want to try to go with some leggings I bought and another for a simple pullover top.

I couldn't stop myself from running through the apparel and shoe department. Darn it-of course I found things.

I found a denim Tommy Hilfiger dress for $10.  I usually try to only buy clothes and shoes when they have their 50% off sale, but it looked brand new.

I thought maybe I should take a little, teeny bit in by my natural waist.  One thing made me quite sad-I can see how much weight I have gained. I have had a stressful past 8 months, and I have always been a stress eater. This is visible proof that it has gotten out of hand. It is the motivation I need to get back to the gym and for making better food choices.

I also found a couple pairs of shoes. The black ones are a half size larger than I normally wear, but they were so comfy and they look brand new. When I turned them over, there was very little dirt and no scuffs or gouges. The brown ones have been worn a bit, but are in good shape. They both have chunky heels that work better for me. I'm not entirely graceful and my feet always hurt in stiletto's and pencil thin heels. 

I also found 2 more dresses that I like that will be great for vacation. So easy to throw on and go.  Those will show up later.

I've wasted my day (well, not wasted as I did learn quite a bit from watching some sewing Youtube videos) and now need to go sit at the machine and do something.

Have a great weekend!

Like a Kid in a Candy store

When I came to the realization that my money would go further if I shopped in thrift stores, it was like the proverbial light bulb went off.  Most things I have bought have needed some altering or I went in with the idea to refashion/make it over. I could get my craft vibe on and if it was dreadful, I wouldn't be out a ton of cash. If it turned out-well, new threads for me.

I had bought a new sewing machine about 6 years ago when my 20 year old one bit the dust.  I bought one with a larger sewing surface as my eldest daughter was taking a quilting class. Fast forward and she took it off to college with her.  I bought a cheap one just to have in the event I need to hem something or take up some straps on tank tops.

After finding many different blogs about people and their refashioning ideas and tutorials, I realized my cheapy machine couldn't stand up to what I wanted to experiment with.

I read many reviews and this one seemed to really fit my needs.  While it isn't a top of the line machine by any means, it sews like a dream compared to what I had.  I love the drop in bobbin-my old, old machine had it and I never had any trouble with it. My cheapy has the one on the front of the arm. It was a pain-especially because I couldn't see what I had left on the bobbin.

It is so easy to thread-I'm amazed.

I attempted my first blind hem :)

I think me and the Curvy will get along nicely.

I've finished a couple of easy re-do's, I just need to find a day to try them on and take pictures.  I didn't get out of my sweats from Friday night until I had to go back to work this morning. It was heavenly!