Amazing New Series Dracula: Yummy Clothes

Happy Halloween everyone. In case you missed this awesome new series with yummy period clothing, I am adding this week's eye candy for you. Now back to sewing.

And no, I have no excuses for watching this other than I love the clothes. It's no Game of Thrones, but definitely entertaining.

Textile Videos Worth Watching: Hot Patterns

      Ok, this week I'm busy catching up on Trudy's youtube videos while I do a bunch of handsewing for my Halloween costume. The plan at this point is to make myself a custom corsets for a night on the town, but I'm going to reserve judgement until I'm farther along as lingerie is COMPLETELY out of my previous experience depth. Here's to picking up new skills.
       I really love her videos and Sandra (Power Sewing), however I'm always torn on the actual buying of the patterns as I'm not really her customer body type (more a spoon than a rectangle) and most of my commercial work is in menswear. If you want to step your sewing up a notch, I can suggest spending a few minutes of your day for a month on her 7-8 min tutorials for a month or two. She's posted 12 hours overall. All of it is worth watching. The patterns she makes are reasonably priced in my opinion in the range of $7-12.00 each. Not as cheap as a large scale company, but certainly within range for someone producing them privately. Great for the home sewer, especially if you are plagued by a problem tummy.
       So, what are you making for Halloween?

How Look Better In Home Sewn Clothing

I recently stumbled across this gem of a paper by Debra McLendon on home sewing thanks to a fellow patternmaker, Dean Dyer. As some of you all know, most major home sewing patterns fit like crap, but frankly lacked the drive to tackle as I find the home sewing market confusing and degrading. Thankfully someone else has undertaken the research for me. While you can dig through the 160 page paper and pick up a lot of info, I suggest skipping to the end (page 140-141) to figure out which of the 5 major pattern companies to pick for you personally. The reason is there is a picture of the major dress company dresses sewn up and placed on the same mannequin for comparison:

Burda is a square body shape (If you had a square body shape/tummy buy this size).
Butterick seems to have the closest hourglass figure (Small 8% of the population)
McCalls is an spoon (Small bust, larger butt).
The New Look is knock off of Butterick (Less extreme version)
Vogue is a Triangle (Larger bust with smaller hips).

Overall, I would say that from a visual aspect....McCalls fits the best in the front visually, the New Look from the back, and Butterick/Vogue from the side. So look at yourself in the mirror. Figure out your overall size, and pick accordingly. I being an Irish woman spoon in a family of spoons will be buying McCalls. You may be something else. Happy sewing.

Two Free Tickets to Spring Awakening at Raleigh Little Theater

Interested in winning a pair of free tickets to Spring Awakening at Raleigh Little Theater? Leave a comment below for two tickets, Sunday, October 6 at 3 pm. To be honest, it's not a play I'm very familar with as it's a German play, but it's won a lot a awards so likely is pretty good. It also has a steamy back story as it was banned where it was written for a number of year because of overt sexuality. Granted this was 200 years ago and tastes change, but it promises to be entertaining and most of the tickets have already sold out. The drawing will be next Friday, September 27th. Have a great day people and feel free to enter.

Shop Music: Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

Some shop fun. It would appear we are sold out for the month again. so while we're busy please enjoy this great new music video Nash found by Imagine Dragons. Freakin' hilarious. I apologize that the blog is running a bit behind. There's only so much time in the day. Thank you everyone who is buying Phoenix in stores. It's nice to see the collection is doing well.

Virtual Hugs From Readers This Week

          In one of those fluke amazing and cool things at the same time, this past week I heard from a reader off the blog who found one of my grandfather's coats in a thrift store in Greensboro and stumbled across my blog while doing research in the company he and my grandmother used to run. Even more amazing they reached out to me. This week, I got pictures and a note. A lot of people ask me why I sew or pattern make, and it's for notes and stories like this from customers. Hearing that a piece of clothing spoke to you. That we changed or improved your life for the better, giving you a hug from my hands to yours that though you may never see my face, but you will feel my hands. Helping bring joy, beauty, and laughter to your life. Even if we never meet in person, I still want you to feel my love. For life, for living, for being you. Because life is an amazing gift. And it's worth sharing with those around us. Especially the love and beauty of it.

                 As anyone whose met me in person can attribute, I'm rather blunt and fairly introverted so this inner happiness does not translate over well. I often struggle to express my basic like of people in ways they can hear without being overwhelmed by too much stimulation. I think that's actually fairly common in the trades, but it makes me treasure the notes I get so much. Any I love seeing this coat being enjoyed years later from my grandfather's hands 25 years later. Knowing he would be smiling in his grave at the idea of having made a future customer he hadn't yet met warm would tickle him. So, this has been my virtual hug for the week. Have any good news to share?

Bar Remodel: Gizmo (Fermenter Pictures)

            This week, I'm busy learning about the game of golf and something called the US Open. While I'm busy making samples, I thought you the reader might enjoy seeing some custom work from a bar remodel we just got done with. And it gives me a chance to show off Nash being all manly and such. Here's some pics of him and a bunch of other guys moving in the new fermenter! Whoot! So nice. Later this week, you get to see a custom sewing job I've been working on which finally turned out the way I was hoping. Have a great week my reader.