Big Thank Yous and Really Clever Stuff

A big THANK YOU do Lindsay, Karen, and Louella who nominated me for the Sisterhood Award! :) It sure is great to have really wonderful sewing sisters. The thread that binds!!!

I've been so busy this week and didn't even have time to open my new Threads issue to read it until yesterday. I absolutely loved the article on the necklines. Some of you know I prefer to choose a pattern based on the full bust measurement (usually, that is), and when that happens, I alter the neck to make it smaller and narrow the shoulders. The author states that altering the other pieces that attach to the neckline can be an arduous task. Really, it's not that it's arduous, but a pain in the butt. Anyway, her article is sheer brilliance in that is insanely simple! To the point where a head smack is in order with a loud, "DUH!" Simple pattern shifting eliminates the need to do pain-in-the-butt type of work. I've said it before, the obvious eludes me. The more difficult things I find easy. Go figure.

Also, yesterday two people recommended the book, Demystifying Fit, by Linda Maynard. Thanks, Myrna, you were the first one! I will definitely check that one out.

The next two weeks I'll be busy working on my bustier in Kenneth King's Birth of a Bustier class. It's been a long time since I've made strapless dresses (think college days!), and I'd like to learn better techniques for this type of garment. What better way than to learn from the pro. It would be great to have two cute bustiers for myself this summer, but this info will be a necessity for prom dress sewing. DD#1 wants nothing to do with me sewing her a dress, but DD#2 will be on my case to do one for her.

In other news, I'm making a cape from the SEW Everything Workshop book. One of my sewing students is making one and I want to get this done before she does to preview the directions. A word of caution with this pattern which I will include in my review. It's made for very broad, square shoulders. On both of us I had to pin to fit this area. You'd think it wouldn't matter with this cape style, but it does. Pat has broad shoulders with a normal shoulder slope, and I have narrow shoulders with a normal shoulder slope. Believe it or not, the shoulders were incredible wide on Pat and caved in in the area of the shoulder curve.

Got my van back from the collision repair shop. Took me 4 days and DH driving behind me to tell me, "Your main brake light, right signal, and right brake light does not work." Off to the shop Monday so they can finish the repair. What a waste of time! Until that time I have to give manual right-hand turn signals out my window. Does anyone know what they mean anymore??? Someone will probably think I'm getting ready to give them the finger.

On a social note, it's the first time I've seen/heard disturbing (at least IMO) racial stuff going on at our high school. You'd think we'd be past this stuff in 2009. Oddly enough, I'm hearing it's more of the blacks against whites instead of the usual reverse. I'd elaborate but don't have time--need to go to church. Perhaps some of my African-American sewing sisters can elighten me on the thoughts of young, black, female teens these days.