Score! Alice in Wonderland Buttons!

Look what I managed to pick up at the HMQS here in Salt Lake last weekend!

Is it ridiculous to plan a whole outfit around the buttons?

They are so inspiring, how could one not?

This vendor had a whole "Alice in Wonderland" collection but many were sold by the time I got there, so I plan to get in touch with her soon and get my hands on the missing pieces.

Not sure what I'll do with them yet, just know I want them!

...they are my precious...

I'm thinking something striking, like down a jacket front maybe?

Also picked up what was left of her Pin-Up Girls buttons.

This thing ran Thursday - Sunday. I went on Friday!

note to self, go on the first day next time...

No clue what I'll do with these!

And back to my small Alice obsession...

I picked up the pocket watch buttons with a little persons Alice in Wonderland themed ensemble in mind.

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

My Happy Find! Vogue Pattern Cabinet

Guess what I got this week?

here's a peek...

My very own pattern cabinet!

Okay, you're right. I did make it the title of the post.

I guess I just couldn't hold it in.

One of my local Joann's is going out of business,

and I have always wanted my own cabinet so I snatched this baby up!

Thing is, I couldn't settle for just any cabinet.

I wanted the Vogue Pattern cabinet. 

The Vogue cabinets have adjustable spacing, and they perfectly accommodate my patterns which I store in manila envelopes. See? It has to be Vogue.

Luck was on my side

because when I went down to check them out most were already sold,

but this one was left.

Just for me

or so I like to think.

We brought it home this week

(I had to wait patiently until it was empty)

I've cleaned it up and loaded it down with my patterns.

It looks so awesome, I'm so happy!

I'll eventually scrub off the stickers, etc, and will probably eventually paint it

but for now I'm just thrilled to have it in my studio holding all my patterns!

Christmas in July, ala Moda!

Okay, not quite July, but close enough, right?

One reason I love Summer?

Christmas fabrics!

This is the time of year most holiday fabrics are released -

giving you plenty of time to get those projects started and finished, right?

Well, maybe not always...

My favorite collection so far?

12 days of Christmas

by Kate Spain for Moda

I pre ordered these in May, and they were worth the wait.

Just look at all those blissful yards of yumminess!

I can't wait to start sewing up lots of little Christmas dresses, jackets, and all kinds of other boutique goodness!

I love fabric,

but I LOVE Moda fabrics the mostest!

Now I only need this print, and I'll be set!

for this collection at least...

I wonder how many others out there already are starting to pick up their holiday fabrics - and better yet, I wonder how many are starting their Christmas projects?!

I'm not that far!

Laundry Day

Wash. Dry. Iron. Fold.

This is the kinda laundry I could do all day long...

Riley Blake, picked out by Kadence.

Has the girl got taste or what?!

 

Bird Talk

I got several yards of the whole line, and have only washed my way through about 1/2 of it!

Love it!

Halloween Dot Knit

is too too early to start thinking October??

A Beautiful New Addition to my Studio!

Thrift stores are funny.

People either Love them, or they Hate them.

I managed to drag my friend Tiffany into the Thrift store on base, and she is a hater.

She's not anti-junk, she just doesn't relish the thrill of digging, searching and discovery.

So we wandered around,

And there it was.

Black, old, and even under the dust you can see the shiny gold details.

Gasp! It's amazing.

but...

She saw this bad ass machine first.

here comes the silent prayer... (you know exactly what I'm talking about)

Please don't get it. Please don't get it. 

Oh please let her walk away so I won't live the rest of my life knowing that my machine is in her home and Damn why did I stop to check for Tupperware anyways I should have been here first and now she's found this beautiful machine that would look perfect in my studio and look at that price she's going to buy it and I want it it's my precious! Arrggghhh!

So with all the restraint I could muster, I simply said

if you don't buy it I will.

So she didn't

And I did!

YAY me!

 I know, it's not in spectacular shape. It's dirty and scratched and missing pieces.

I can look past all that and see the gracefulness of it's curves, the intricate gold detailing, and the artistry of it's design.

I had to have it. It was calling my name.

The hand-wheel actually turns, and just look at the painted owl!

...besides it was only $18.

Do you think I paid too much for it?

I don't know a thing about it - year, model, Nada!

Guess I'll need to get some research done - anyone have any ideas?

Finding Comfort in Patterns

Okay. So after my, ahem, fitting issues... I needed to buy another copy of McCall's 5800.

Hancock's has their McCall's on sale for .99 - and that's a big deal 'cause patterns rarely go on sale for 99 cents anymore, a buck ninety-nine, sure. But a dollar? Yeah Baby!

I admit it.

 I sought comfort the the pages of the pattern catalogs, and then later, in the drawers themselves.

I came away a much happier girl, head full of ideas, heart full of bliss and a bag full of promises, eyes sparkling with the hope of a better fit...

Or maybe that was the glare of the fluorescent lighting... anyhoo...

Among the choices I made tonight,

M5717 - a trench coat - with *gasp* CUP sizing! Yay me!

It actually goes up to a D cup, but from watching the others in my group I've noticed these patterns require much less altering to fit a D+ cup than an average pattern.

Honestly, I probably wont touch this until next fall, but I don't care. I want it now.

And you understand, that's why I love you!

I had to get a jean pattern as well. I have enviously been watching the Selfish Seamstress brag blog about her amazing jeans and I oh-so-badly want a custom pair for myself! I asked Tamara a.k.a. my Fitting Goddess if we could tackle jeans eventually and she said yes - so now I'm prepared!

And lastly I picked up this simple shirt pattern.

It doesn't have the built in alterations for different cup sizes.

I don't even know if the drape-y neckline would look good on my girls.

But I love the back, view A.

And it's a knit, so that should be forgiving, right?

I'll be seeing the Fitting Goddess on Thursday, so I'll get her opinion on it.

After all, it was under a buck!

And, did I mention I really love the back?

And I also happened to buy the fabric to make it while I was shopping....

All pictures are from the McCalls website

They Boil, Iron, Dry Clean

Kadence and I joined my friend Jackie for a day of shopping at Acorn Antiques at the Weber County Fairgrounds this weekend. They do this event a couple times a year, but this was my first trip!

As I searched for some unknown thing that I couldn't live with out  I came across a box of vintage buttons and dug in. (Oh, how I I love to dig!)

There I found several cards, calling my name "Leslie... we're so lonely, take us home!" 

How could I deny them? They knew my name!

On my favorites, the buttons themselves aren't so striking, but I fell in love with these cards.

One states "They Boil, Iron, Dry Clean"

Boil? Ya gotta love that!

Another has a beautiful illustration of a woman and says "the talk of the town"

(Click on the pictures for a better look!)

I also came across this thread chest. Wow, I would love to own it, but at several hundred dollars I don't think the Sarge would appreciate it the way I do. So I settled for a picture...

While I wasn't looking for anything in particular, Kadence specifically kept an eye out for a vintage perfume atomizer. We found some very glamours ones - well out of our price range - and just when things were looking quite desperate we came upon one we could take home with us. This one is plain, and not nearly as old as she would have liked, but it was affordable and actually worked. She loves it as is, but I'm thinking we could glam it up a bit our selves...

It also happened to be Jackie's Birthday this weekend. She has a thing for Pink Flamingos, and being from the south it suits her perfectly. Of course I had to make her something special, so I created a scissor fob complete with flamingo to fit her flirty personality! Isn't it cute?