Sharon Sews

Yesterday the news was abuzz with an announcement that Sun Country employees face a temporary 50% paycut. A few of the local news story links - here , here and here . It's a local company so I don't know if the story has hit the national news or not, but think about it. Fifty percent! Granted it's temporary and it's a way to keep your job. But could you survive on a 50% paycut for the next three months? I personally know many families that simply could not do it. They are barely making ends meet as it is. We've cut back on spending in my household, as I know many of you have, including cutting back on food, trips to run errands and almost eliminating purchases for my sewing hobby. But in some of my cutbacks almost appear frivolous when I think about the sacrifices these employees and their families will be making. So tell me, what would you do if you found out today that in one week your paycheck would be reduced by 50%?

If you're in the Twin Cities area, Treadle Yard Goods' annual fall sale is underway. All fabrics are 10 to 50% off until Sunday, Oct. 5. I stopped in over the weekend to pick up wool for a pencil skirt and ended up with a few adorable Michael Miller prints that will be used for gifts. Of course as I was walking out the door I noticed that all Amy Butler fabrics are 20% off. Since I was parked in the 15-minute parking zone I didn't dare risk a ticket by spending more time shopping. The store is located at 1338 Grand Avenue in St. Paul. They do not have a website or blog but here is a link to mapquest if you're in the area and want to check them out.

The other night found me finishing the second piece from Vogue 2925 - the skirt. The top you read about a few weeks ago when I blogged about it. Now it's time to tell you about the skirt. It's a simple-to-sew skirt as there are only four main pieces - the front, the back and the side panels. The waist is finished with grosgrain ribbon and the skirt is fully lined. It did need to hang over night because of the side panels, which is not mentioned in the instructions. The sides grew a bit and needed to be straightened before hemming. Speaking of hemming. I know I've talked before about how much I dislike hand sewing. Well this puppy has a 5/8" hand sewn hem - all 142" of it. I sat at my cutting table, put some tunes on the iPod and just started stitching. After a few inches I had found the rhythm and the heming actually went fairly quickly. While the fabric, a wool blend crepe, appears bright red in the photo it's more of a rich cranberry red. I lined it w