The one about messy pattern drawers and hidden treasures

I've been on a self-imposed pattern diet lately. I mean, let's get real here. The $3.99 and $1.99 pattern sales from the past years have led to an overabundance of unused patterns taking up space in my sewing studio.

But then Vogue had to go and release some great spring designs. And Joann Fabrics held a $3.99 Vogue Pattern sale. And I convinced myself I had to have  Vogue 1282, a Donna Karan draped knit top and skirt.  So off I went to my local JoAnn Fabrics store.

Only to discover they did not have the new releases out yet.  Sigh.


However, I know from past experience this store is not always meticulous as to where they place patterns.  See what I discovered when I pulled open the drawer labeled 73XX - 75XX?  Numerous random patterns tucked in in the 79XX to 86XX number range. 

So I started opening all of the pattern drawers. And something odd caught my eye as odd.   A bag pattern that I was pretty sure was discontinued.  And a Vogue Elements pattern - again one I was pretty sure was discontinued.

And a discontinued Vogue Craft pattern for Gene doll clothes.

By now I was amazed at the number of out of print (OOP) patterns I was discovering tucked in these drawers. So I kept looking.

And came home with hidden treasures.

Four patterns I had missed purchasing before they went OOP.  Vogue 2762 a 2003 NYNY design with a great drape front top; Vogue 2689 a 2001 Montana design with a fabulous zip front maxi skirt; and two Givenchy designs that I'm super excited to have found.  Vogue 2653, a 2002 Givenchy design for a jacket and slim pants and Vogue 2628, a 2002 Givenchy design for a double-breasted dress with an asymmetrical hem. 

And I was able to purchase them at the $3.99 sale price.

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It's Official! I'm now licensed to teach Zumba

Yep, it's official.  I'm now a licenses Zumba instructor.  

In terms of enjoyment I think Zumba rates as high as sewing. Which is one reason I decided to become an instructor.

I gotta tell you , it's going to be tough to choose between the two during those periods when my spare time is limited. Did I just hear some gasps from some of you?  LOL.  Zumba or sewing? Don't worry, I'll just improve on my time management skills so I can still get a lot of sewing done. Too bad there wasn't a way to operate a sewing machine while doing Zumba...


Becoming licensed to teach was a commitment - both in cost and time.  I attended a full day of training yesterday - just for the basics!   I can't tell you how exhilarating it was.  Well, and a lot of work too.  

I arrived at 8 a.m. and left at 5:30 p.m.  Workout, lecture, workout, lecture, workout, lecture...well you get the point. There were about 40 of us nice and cozy in a small dance studio.  After registering, we began the day with an hour master class .  If you've ever done Zumba in a crowded environment, you know what it was like.  You had to watch your arms and movements so you didn't slam into the person next to you.  But such positive energy in that room.  When one did accidentally brush against your neighbor it just brought about a smile. 

My mind is still reeling from the amount of information I took in yesterday. But for now I'll be focusing on reviewing everything from yesterday, putting together a routine, holding some practice classes and looking for teaching opportunities.  So if you're in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) area, I'll also have a website set up soon with my schedule.  And if you know of anyplace looking for an instructor for evening or weekend classes, please email me at sewingbysharon at gmail dot com. 


Now I'm off to Zumba class and then to the sewing machine to finish my Vogue 8744 dress. 


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Why Vogue 8744 - what long arms you have

I kinda suspected the sleeves on this dress - Vogue 8744 - were going to be pretty long. Especially after placing  the dress on GiGi.  (For those new to my blog, GiGi is my dress form. She's not near as curvy as  I am, but she does give me a general idea of how a garment will look. )

But yikes!  They are much longer than the tips of my fingers.

Now I will admit that I normally shorten my sleeves on almost every pattern I sew, and I forgot to do that on this one.  But even my normal 1/2"to 3/4"alteration would have these sleeves covering my hands.

Another odd thing is that this dress feels like it was designed to have shoulder pads - yet none are called for.  I don't have broad shoulders (lucky you if you do!) so I plan on trying a small shoulder pad to see if it helps the shoulder line.

Other than that I'm liking the dress.

Stay tuned as I'm really close to finally finishing this one.

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A "vintage" fashion photo shoot

Sewing and fashion go hand-in-hand.    At least for me they do.  My first sewing experience was creating a dress at age eight and my love of fashion was born.

One of my nieces also loves fashion. But instead of sewing she captures it on film.  

 

She's in love my collection of 60s, 70s and 80s fashions - almost all thrifted over the past 15 years - and did a short fashion shoot last year with some of the clothing items.  It was so much fun we both vowed to find to find time to do it again.

That time finally arrived this weekend!  Never mind that it's February in Minnesota and that most of the clothing is more appropriate for warm weather.  She showed up Saturday  morning with her models ready to have fun.

They proceed to ooh and awe over all the clothing as she decided who would wear what...and make a bit of a mess of my living room in the process {smile}

But who cares? I had a blast watching them.

Turns out one of the girls had a trunk full of her mother's old garments, as her mother used to perform around the area.   This was one of those garments.  Gorgeous, huh?

They spent hours outside as my niece set up shots.  I ventured out once or twice to get some behind the scenes shots, but it was too cold for my taste!

As we were chatting this young lady off-offhandedly mentioned that her mother had been in Purple Rain and had a costume from the movie.  I was impressed! I would have *loved* to have been an extra in that movie as I was a big Prince fan at the time.  But it wasn't a big deal to her and she had no idea what part her mother had.  The young ladies were even a bit surprised to learn that the movie had been filmed in Minneapolis.

Kait has a vision as she sets up each shot and then does her editing magic with Photoshop.

This:

 Becomes this:

This:

Becomes this:

And this:

Becomes this:

I've put together a little Flickr slide show of the behind the scenes photos I took.  Enjoy.

Oh! And be sure to check out more of Kait's photos on her Facebook page, Kait's Photography. 

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So I might be a little crazy

This showed up in my inbox this afternoon:

Basically it says...  

Congratulations on your decision to become a Zumba Instructor.  

Gulp.

Can I share a secret with you?
I'm really nervous.

And little snippets of self doubt are running through my mind.

• Suppose I'm not as good as I think I am.
• Suppose I'm the oldest one there.
• Suppose I can't learn all the steps.
• Suppose I can't keep up with everyone else.
• Suppose I make a fool of myself.

Can I share another secret with you?
I'm really, really excited.

• I might be really GOOD at this - I LOVE Zumba and want others to enjoy it as much as I do.
• I could be the oldest one there and totally rock 
• I might not get all the steps in one day but I don't have to. That's what practice DVDs are for.
• I might not be able to keep up with others but who said it's a competition?
• I've made a fool of myself many, many times in my life so what's one more time?

I have a passion for helping women who think they are "too old", "uncoordinated", or "too fat" discover that they too can have fun shaking it while getting fit.  And the first step is to go through basic instructor training.


So yea, I might be a little crazy.  And it sure is fun.

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Hey, if you don't know what Zumba is check out a few videos on YouTube.

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Feeling a bit gray: What I Wore Wednesday

I walked into the office this morning and noticed many of my co-workers had chosen outfits similar to mine.

Except they didn't wear red shoes.

Nor did they wear an animal print skirt (complete with hints of sparkle.)

But we did all choose on a black and gray color scheme.

Animal print skirt - Macy's (2012 - clearance $24)

Lace trimmed cami - Nordstrom's Rack (2010)

Black pearl trimmed cardi - Marshall's (2011)

Black tights - Target (2010
Red suede shoes - Sears (2002)

 

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When words are more than just words

The lights are dim and the music's thumping as she enters the building.  She works her way through the crowds tightly clutching the hand of her date.  Excitement builds as they wind their way to the dance floor.  She smiles knowing the DJ will play their favorite tune and they'll soon be dancing the night away.  Bonus! She's wearing her a new pair of strappy high heeled sandals and she knows they looks good.

They stop as the couple in front of them  pauses to sip drinks and survey the dance floor. While they're waiting she sees a woman point at her feet.  She sees the woman whisper something to her friend and thinks they must be admiring her new shoes.  Until they both burst out laughing and declare loudly "look at her ugly feet!" and walk away still giggling.

Suddenly she no longer feels like dancing. She feels embarrassed. As if everyone in that crowded bar was laughing at her feet.  She stays seated most of the night with her feet tucked beneath her chair, hidden from view.  She can hardly wait to get home.

And when she does the beautiful new sandals will be placed in their box.  Where they will remain, unworn, a reminder of the cruel laughter.

Yes,  I was the young woman who was on the receiving end of that laughter.  Until that moment I hadn't given my feet much thought.  They were just feet.  And they worked pretty darn good.  They walked miles. They danced ballet. They played sports.

But that comment was just words, right?

Yes, but those words were spoken at a time in my life when I was vulnerable.  Those words caused me to look at myself in a new light.

As I looked around I realized my feet did look different from other people's feet.  My second toe is longer than my big toe.  Yikes! I thought to myself. How could I have never noticed this before.  No wonder they said my feet were ugly.  

Turns out it's actually not that uncommon - it's called Morton's Toe or the Greek Foot.  There's an interesting post about The Greek Foot on Manolo's Shoe Blog if you're interested.

But I didn't know that at the time and I allowed those words to sink deep inside and wound me. I accepted them as truth.

Whenever possible I refused to wear sandals and open toed shoes for years.  And when I did I was always uncomfortable, waiting for someone to point and laugh.  

Need some proof?  Peel off the cover of that shoe box and you'll find a pair of sandals designed for dancing the night away.   But the soles are unmarked as they never touched a dance floor.

Those words, spoken in a crowded dance club years ago, still cause me to pause when I'm out shopping for shoes.  Just ask my daughter - who tells me all the time that I'm being silly because no one cares.  And in my head I know it's true, but my heart refuses to let those words and laughter fade completely away.

Words.

They're powerful.


I'm ashamed to admit this, but yes, there were times I spoke knowing the words I choose would hurt. Yet the words still left my mouth.  And I'm sure there were times I did it unknowingly.


As I continue to learn and grow I want to use my words to encourage others, not to tear them down.

And someday I'll wear a strappy high heeled sandals and not think twice about a comment tossed my way so long ago. 

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This post was written as an assignment for a fabulous online course I'm taking - Build a Blog You Truly Love aka BBTL.  It is part of a blog hop at Liv Lane's Choosing Beauty Blog. 
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