Inspiration Board: Summer Essentials Sew-Along

Join the Summer Essentials Sew-Along and the Flickr Group!

I recently wrote about different approaches to sew-alongs that you could incorporate into the Summer Essentials Sew-Along. Like others, I'm doing a bit of mish-mash: Some stash-bustin', some vintage pattern sewing, but I was totally taken with the approach of Colette Patterns Spring Palette challenge and whipped up this inspiration board using Polyvore:

This is my attempt to 1) use fabrics in my stash 2) create a story around those colors and 3) find a balance between neutrals and distinctive colors 'cause what's summer without a little wow?

For my palette I've selected Purple, Red, Green (lime & chartreuse), Ivory and Navy/Black. My skin tone looks better in deep colors like purple and red and I recently procured two gorgeous bits of green fabric. I'll balance out these vibrant pieces with two neutrals, cream and navy.

When I think of these colors, I think of the town where I grew up. Most people think of islands and think of the near-white sand, the aquamarine of the ocean. I grew up, however, in a valley between two volcanic ranges, where rain was common. Waxy-red anthuriums, apple banana trees whose fruit make the sweetest lumpia and bread, purple orchids that hung from plumeria trees. Everything nearly overripe, overgrown: nature taking its course.

With these colors, I'd like to sew the kind of clothes that are both laid back and feminine with the clean lines of my fave fashion decade, the 60s. The kind of threads that make you look good without being overdressed, excellent in high heels or slippers. Not so precious that I can't get dirty.

I've got my list of individual essentials but I'm still compiling the images. With the Poolside Pretty covered last year plus two handmade BurdaStyle Ruby Shorts, it looks like this summer may be all about dresses and blouses and skirts!

Can't you see it? An eggplant-purple dress, an anthurium-red skirt and a perfectly fitting ivory blouse? Or how about a tiered lime green knit dress, navy shorts, and a lightweight chartreuse jacket that can be thrown over anything? Have I mentioned the denim mini dress with pockets??

Oh my. So much sewing. You'll have to remind me that five-ish garments was my idea. :)

You can join the sew-along at any time, but those of you who are reading: Welcome, welcome!!

Khakis for June

This is how I spent the long weekend. The boy and I went to the park and I fell asleep in the grass as he read. A lovely day by the lake, watching dogs chase around geese.

I'd mentioned that I was working on a new iteration of my self-drafted pants pattern using some thrifted oversized khakis. Many a tweak later, here they are:

The tricky part was getting as slim a fit as I could using non-stretchy material, leaving enough ease in the thigh. The inside's not stellar with all the back and forth, and the waistband's just reattached from the original and taken in. Since it was partially based on the BurdaStyle Ruby Shorts pattern, which has a button side opening, these pants have a side zipper, also recycled from the original.

These may be my own version of fast-fashion: The sewing quality's not nice enough to hold onto after the season, but they served as yet another muslin in my aim to get slim-fitting ankle-length pants. They'll also serve me well for Me-Made-June. :)

For what it's worth, I think I'm getting closer to the right fit, though I'm tempted to take a create-a-trouser-block class. Jessica of A Yen for Craft and I took a create-a-bodice-block class today and it was so helpful and fun! It feels great to have a pattern that's been professionally fit and know I can use it over and over. Either way, in my next pants-pattern iteration, I'd like to get to the point where I can add a front-fly, pockets and belt loops, as that's how I typically like to wear pants.

Here's to Me-Made-June!

Approaches to Sew-Alongs and Challenges: Inspiration for Summer Sewing

Join the Summer Essentials Sew-Along and the Flickr Group!

U.S. Readers: Win a Cameo Necklace from Shabby Apple. Giveaway closes on May 31st!

Hi all! Like many, I'll be participating in Zoe's Me Made June, and I've mentioned that the Summer Essentials Sew-Along accommodates other challenges and sew-alongs because it's so flexible.

I was new to the blogosphere when I created SESA last year so perhaps "challenge" is a better way of talking about it. Sew-alongs are typically when folks sew the same garment together and a challenge seems to be a motivational way to approach a self-built plan. But I do like sew-along since we are sewing together, and challenge feels like it's supposed to be difficult when the point is motivation and inspiration.

Either way, I wanted to share with you three recent approaches to sewing challenges I've thought were just brilliant, in hopes they may inspire you while you're coming up with your own list of 5-ish essentials. Many go over five, some clock in with less, hence the "ish." Alessa created a Flickr thread to share your list whenever you're ready!

Here they go:

The Colette Patterns Spring Palette Challenge

This is such a great way to approach a sewing challenge, with enough guidance and enough freedom to create community. In this opening post, Colette maven Sarai lays out the idea:

The idea is very simple. You choose an inspiring palette for Spring, then you sew a tiny wardrobe based on that palette. You choose the color palette, the number of colors, and the pieces you sew. The palette can be based around fabrics you already have (so you can use what you have), or you can do something new.

• Week One: Define your challenge. Gather inspiration, make inspiration boards, review fabric choices, pick your palette, and decide how many garments you’d like to sew from the palette.
• Week Two: Plan your projects. Choose your patterns, sketch out your ideas, and make a plan.
• Weeks Three through Ten: Sew! Make your mini Spring wardrobe, and share your progress with everyone else.

I loved the focus on color and creating an inspiration board that added a cohesiveness to sewing plans. You can view all the inspiration palettes here.

Looking at them, you can see each sewer has a specific style, an ethos if you will, that drives all of their individual projects. And the great thing is, you could use fabrics in your stash and create a sense of story around them. I may use a similar approach for SESA this year, and I understand Colette may do another in the fall.

Closing the Gaps Project
Thanks to SESA cohort, Sarah, I discovered Vintage Girl's Closing the Gaps Project. Here's a snippet about it:

A full closet, but still nothing to wear. Sound familiar? Since cleaning out my closet, the outfits I have for the summer and me-made-June clothes, are limited. I realized I had only done half of the job of cleaning out my closet. Now it was time to really look through my wardrobe and find the gaps. Gaps are those little annoying reminders that occur when you get dressed. It's when you realize that you don't have a blouse to go with that really great skirt.

Readers know that I'm I'll about having a gap-free closet, where the items within it serve you over and over. It's idealistic, but it's something I learned through the first Me-Made-May and that I brought into SESA, asking the question: What could I really use this summer? What garments would serve me again and again? The categories of summer wear are just ways to get you thinking about what you have and what you need.

The Closing the Gaps project is similar, thinking about where the gaps are and how you can fill them.

Sewing Through The Decades

From Debi of My Happy Sewing Place and Sarah of Rhinestones & Telephones. Debi explains it in this January post:

The basic thought is to challenge yourself to explore different time periods (which can be three years in one decade—1943, 1944, 1945) or several patterns across several decades (50’s, 60’s, 70’s). You can sew blouses, skirts, dresses, trousers…whatever you want! It will be fun to share our experiences in sewing from different time periods. The patterns can span both vintage and modern years.

I'll be the first to admit that I've had a love-hate relationship with vintage patterns. On one hand, I love them: they're gorgeous. On the other, they're hard. For a long time I lacked the sewing skills to approach them, as instructions are spare. And also, some styles can by iffy on me, who tends toward contemporary wear.

But now that I'm a better sewer, I'm ready to approach vintage again. What is it about these patterns that make me giddy, give me some wonderful sense of accomplishment? Perhaps it's the little details and the fit that differ from modern patterns. Perhaps it's the feeling that we have complete access to the history of fashion through our sewing machines.

This is a great approach because it gives you the opportunity to try your hand at vintage. I'm definitely going to up my vintage sewing this summer.

And more!

The approaches are endless. You could:

• Go an eco-friendly route and only sew with organic, natural fibers or use only reclaimed fabrics
• Do a self-drafted summer, where you take a whack at pattern drafting
• Do a stash-bustin' summer where you only use fabrics and patterns in your stash
• Create a mini-wardrobe for a summer vacation

It's entirely up to you, and I can't wait to see what you come up with. I'm working on my essentials list!

More ideas and approaches? Please share them! And as always, happy sewing.

Cameo: Shabby Apple Love + A Necklace Giveaway

I'm so excited about the old and new folks who are joining the Summer Essentials Sew-Along. Wander on over to the Flickr group and introduce yourself! I am already getting a number of questions about the sew-along, but know there's no "rules" just suggestions to inspire you to sew summer loveliness. The larger point is community, but the nitty gritty details are up to you! :)

Like my SESA partner-in-crime, Sarah, whose hosting a fabulous Shabby Apple dress give-away on her blog, today I'm offering you a lovely piece of jewelry from Shabby Apple's online store. I heard rumblings about Shabby Apple in the blogosphere and I've spent many an hour oogling their dresses. You can even shop by body type!

Dresses from Shabby Apple

I'm particularly smitten with this dress, Carousel:
A blue wrap dress, so elegant, so versatile. Sigh.
Ah! Gamine alert! Lovely stripes and an a-line skirt (with pockets!) that'll make it look like you've got Audrey Hepburn's teeny waist.

If I wasn't on clothing ration, I just made be bankrupt. Anyhow, onto the exciting stuff: The jewelry.

I wanted to share some lovelies from their online store with you, finishing up with the giveaway piece.

Shabby Apple bracelets


Shabby Apple Rings (nothing like a cocktail ring to add pizazz to an outfit!):

(Ali interjection: Santa? I've been good this year.)

There really is a range of styles, many of which will be lovely for the summer: Peach bracelets and turquoise necklaces and big, fat yellow rings. Plus a few basic pieces that are seasonless.

For the giveaway, I selected this necklace, "Lost in Wonderland," retailing at $52 for one lucky reader.

There's something so romantic about this piece, so classically feminine and timeless. I hope you like it. Imagine it over a billowing sun dress at a summer picnic, or over a red cocktail dress at night. A statement piece that will serve you from season to season.

To win this green floral cameo necklace from Shabby Apple, please leave me a comment with your name and email address and answer the following question: How do you use jewelry in your wardrobe? I'm pretty basic: a pair of silver earrings and my silver ring, but I adore women who use jewelry to add personality to their outfits! Share your secrets with me! ;) Another way to answer this question: What's your favorite piece of jewelry and why?

The giveaway closes on the eve of the Summer Essentials Sew-Along: May 31st at 11:59 pm PST. Entries are limited to U.S. Addresses (sorry!). Winner will be selected by a random number generator.

Giveaway or no, if you've got a Shabby Apple yen, Shabby Apple has generously offered readers a 10% off coupon. Enter "wardrobereimagined10off" at checkout. Coupon will expire in a month.

Check out Shabby Apple on Facebook where you'll hear about special promotions and exclusive discounts. Tweeter? You can find Shabby Apple on Twitter, too.

Good luck!

It's that time again! Summer Essentials Sew-Along

Sewing last summer was a dream. I had begun to sew my own clothes and happened into this wonderful blogging community and so enjoyed Zoe's first Me-Made-May that I wanted to continue to be part of this community. The first Summer Essentials Sew-Along was born. The idea was simple: Make five-ish things that you'd rather not live without this summer.


To say I was blown away by the response is an understatement. 70 members from across the globe uploaded nearly 330 images into last year's Flickr group (find a link to our *new* one below) of their in-progress and finished stylin' summer wears. For me, these women—you—brought homemade to a whole new level, creating garments that made the gamine-in-me weak in the knees.

Some used vintage patterns, others self-drafted patterns. Some of us attacked the very thing we were afraid of. For me, that was the retro-inspired swimsuit, BurdsStyle's Alison. And there was so much diversity in the styles, giving me the courage to try new things. Though I only committed to 5-ish garments, I was never so productive: I whipped up 14 garments. Several were duds, but all created with the incredible rallying of this community and it made me a better sewer.

So what do you say? Can we do this again? As my life's changed considerably since last year, I've recruited the incredible and talented Sarah of Rhinestones and Telephones outside of Toronto (don't we all love Canadians?) and Alessa of Farben-freude of Berlin (I've a yen for that city!) as co-hosts. Sarah is brilliant at mixing her sewing plans with the larger community—stay tuned for what she has in store for us this summer! And Alessa and I attacked knits last summer and she's been rockin' the Colette Crepe like no one's business. Please join us. :)

Below you'll find out about the sew-along, badges for your blog and a link to the Flickr group that's the virtual home of this year's Summer Essentials Sew-Along.

ABOUT THE SEW-ALONG

In an effort to be as laid back as summer heat inspires, the Summer Essentials Sew-Along asks participants to sew five(-ish) warm-weather friendly pieces by August(-ish), ‘cause wouldn’t you rather spend August looking fabulous in your homemade threads? The goal: Stock your closet with quality summer basics. The benefit: A group of sewers who will encourage and inspire you, not to mention talk you off the ledge when you need it!

To me, there are six categories of summer wear. Feel free to add to this, but this is just to start us thinking of what you need/want.

Poolside Pretties: Anything that cools or dries you off when there’s lots of sun and water around. One and two-piece swimsuits, swimsuit cover-ups, surf shorts, sun hats, oh my! One versatile swimsuit cover-up I find lovely is a terry cloth dress. Double-duty, that’s what I’m talking about.

Clam Diggers & Co.: Bifurcated bottoms of every style and length, from flowing linen pants to short-shorts and all the inbetweens—clam diggers, pedal pushers, Bermuda shorts, etc.

Sweet & Sassy Skirts: Prints and solids, short and long, low-slung and high-waisted. But most of all: Airy, flirty, flattering.

The Sundress: Need I say more? To me, the perfect sun dress strikes that cord between casual and elegant—arms and collarbones, looking good barefoot or high-heeled. It’s something you can wear to both a barbecue and a summer wedding.

Tees, Tunics & Blouses: Yes, please! I’m finally understanding the worth of blouses as they also strike that balance between casual/formal, totally versatile. I’m also thinking mini-dresses that do triple duty as tunics, dresses and cover-ups.

Those Summer Nights: Pullovers, cardis and hoodies may be the last thing you’re thinking of with the mercury rising, but there’s those cool summer nights, not to mention every last establishment with the air con blasting. Or: for those of you where thunderstorms are a daily summer experience, a lightweight trench?

BADGES FOR YOUR BLOG

Thanks, Sarah, for creating these!



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OUR FABULOUS FLICKR GROUP
http://www.flickr.com/groups/summeressentialssewalong2011/

(Thanks, Alessa, for setting it up!)

We'll be using this Flickr group to post photos of our work this summer! Join us and introduce yourself and your blog in the discussion forum.

Closer to June 1st, we'll open a thread for our summer essentials plans. It's a great way to get inspiration for projects!

Note: This sew-along will accommodate your other sew-alongs and challenges nicely. Later this week, I'll be posting about inspiring approaches to sew-alongs that you can use in the Summer Essentials as well.

And stay tuned for a jewelry giveaway!


To sewing, to summer.

Fast Fashion, My Sister's Closet, and Other Binges

So you might remember that when I was packing my suitcase to visit my family last month, I only stuffed it one-third full. It's because when I'm ready to return, I'm inevitably sitting on my suitcase with all my weight, trying to close it. Like this:

I just accrue stuff when I'm with my family. More than anything it's a testament to the fact that my day-to-day living, an ocean away, is fairly mindful. I rarely shop retail, and now, with my Fashion on the Ration challenge, am getting very good at being mindful even about my thrift store and fabric purchases. Even so, Month 3 into the challenge and I feel like I've been on a binge.

Exhibit 1: When you have a fast-fashion loving sister who's your size

I approached her giveaway pile after two friends had picked through it and I only took 1/3 of what was there. This girl can shop. I can't blame her, she does work in retail and gets a discount on most of her clothes. And it's been exciting to see her begin to approach her wardrobe with a level of mindfulness about her body. Though we have the same bust size, she's pear-shaped and is beginning to think about what cuts flatter her.

Exhibit 2: ... And she also likes to buy you stuff

My sister bought me two items for my birthday, a lovely beaded cardigan at The Gap and these lovely heels from the Clark's outlet.

Exhibit 3: The perfect cardigan

I went into this challenge thinking about investing in a few things I'd wear over and over. The shoes from my sister above have already received a great deal of use—the perfect heel for summer. And then I found this cardigan at the Banana Republic outlet, slim fitting, hip-length with a retro-feel from a slightly scalloped edge. I've also worn this plenty. Coupons spent: 5

Exhibit 4: Don't you forget about me

When I was home, I rediscovered some items I received free at the flea market, including a ready to wear skirt and three items that I can cut up for fabric. This is what I couldn't fit in the suitcase last visit but managed to squeeze them in this time.

Exhibit 5: The internets if full of beautiful, generous sewing bloggers

I was luck enough to win this green jersey from the Sewing Princess giveaway. It's such a gorgeous color and every hour I change my plans for it, but it will be a knit dress for summer.

Exhibit 6: Even the classics get passed on

No photo here, but I also took a trip and saw my Aunt the weekend after I returned home. She received a stack of fine clothing from my cousin, who got it from the mother of one of her students (four times removed). What luck!

There was a stack of cashmere tops I couldn't part with. These were all classic pieces that I felt could last me forever: two Ralph Lauren cashmere boatneck tanks in cream and navy and two special occasion wool sweaters that I likely won't wear often, but will be perfect those few times a year I need to attend a wedding etc.

In all, it's just a whole lotta stuff. So what's the grand tally?

Garments in ready-to-wear condition acquired:

Tops 10

Cardigans 2

Dresses 1

Bottoms 1

Skirt 1

Shoes 1

Garments that can be either repaired for wear or can be cut up for fabric: 4

Total: 20

Wow! And 19 of them were free-to-me. I actually think this is why I'm so dead set on regularly purging your closet because I often find myself on the receiving end of clothing generosity and thus an excess of clothes. For a moment I felt bad, that I was going against the very thing I had set out to do this year: to have more with less.

But I'll admit that I feel playful: These are clothes that I can experiment with and pass on to better owners if they no longer serve me after this season. For the gems I keep, they will become an integral part of my wardrobe. It's a low investment way to test out my style hypotheses.

But what about you? How do you work the grab-bag of giveaway clothes into your personal style? And how do you keep your closet in check?

Fashion on the Ration check-in: 5 coupons spent for cardigan, current tally 55 coupons.

A Sixties Wrap Skirt and a Mod-esque Proposal for June

"Vintage style is the ultimate test of how well you know yourself, because there is a lot less guidance out there for buying vintage than there is for buying new clothes or current trends. That said, creating a great look using vintage clothes is the ultimate coup ... It's the fact that you found it, you chose it, you decided it was right for you, and most exciting is that it is highly unlikely that anyone else will ever have the same thing."

—Amanda Brooks, I Love Your Style

Hello friends! Though I've got a handful of half-written posts and comments to catch up with due to Blogger unfriendliness, I've got a Finished Object on my hands and couldn't wait to share it with you!

I've been thinking a lot lately about style. There are so many style guides out there, many of which suggest you "pick a decade" or "find your decade." While I think something as complex as your "personal style" can't be subsumed into a singular decade, I love the idea of understanding what decades in style you're attracted to and why.

I know there are many different approaches to this. Some people fall full tilt into a decade, pin curls and all. Others hopscotch through decades, with a wardrobe that is as varied as it is fun. Some choose the decade based on their body shape. I'm more staid: I'm a contemporary gal interested in incorporating pieces that are evocative of my preferred eras into my daily life.

For my time and money, it's the Sixties. Part of this might be the infectious Mad Men Madness, but I was one of those pre-teen Audrey Hepburn worshippers. And between the classic American elite looks of Jacqueline Kennedy, Brigette Bardot's bombshell-ness, and Twiggy and all that leg, the era feels like it can encapsulate my ideal wardrobe. Classic, slim fitting looks that never go out of style. And in the late 1960s, it's the youthful, more drapey clothes that hint to the 70s-to-come. Classy without being matronly, casual without being pre-pubescent.

Distinguishing between decades has come from logging many an hour drooling over patterns online. Though I always come back to the late 1960s and early 1970s, here's a gem from the early 60s:

Basic but lovely. Can't you imagine floating stylishly through your days with similar wears?

So seeking a quick and fun project, I pulled out this mid-1960s skirt pattern from my stash and cut up a bit of polyster I scored at a thrift store with Jessica from A Yen for Craft. I'm learning to love these colors: khaki, beige and taupe. They play nicely with so much of my closet.

McCalls 7498, I selected view "B," the blue wrap skirt pictured in the pattern. It was such a dream to sew. Everything fit together. It was also so easy that I didn't feel exhausted during the final stages. This is my first piece where the waistband doesn't look embarrassingly awful on this inside and I'm learning how to use the blind hem stitch on my machine -- a major game changer. Love it.

I left off the pockets and cut the skirt by 5-3/8 inches, both of which are preferences for my frame. I am 5'4" and nearly always wear flats so the longer and more cluttered the skirt, the shorter I look.

I was dubious about the wrap, but I love it. A full skirt makes me feel so feminine and that little bow gives it a bit o' flair. Here's the front.

And the side, with a buttonhole for one of the ties to come through. Not perfect, but I did do a sway back adjustment.

With Me-Made-June on the horizon, I've been thinking about making a mini-Sixties-inspired wardrobe. Beginning with this beige skirt, if I add a pair of slim ankle-length khakis, an A-line navy dress with a centerpiece pleat, a denim mini dress, a peter pan blouse and a boxy statement jacket, I think I could get through June in style. Then, with great basics completed, it's color, color, color.

'I, Ali of The Wardrobe, Reimagined, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-June '11. I endeavour to wear at least one me-made garment each day for the duration of June 2011'

What's your decade?

Why I'm Afraid of Good Fabric

I've been told that I'm the kind of person who, upon buying a new car, would need to key a long gash in the side of it. Otherwise, I'd obsessively fret over its newness, the pristine nature of the paint job, it's fresh-off-the-lot condition.

And that goes for all new things, at least all new things that appear beyond the wear and tear of daily living. Over the years, folks have given me beautiful things as presents: leather journal covers, printed notebooks, top-of-the-line pens. And I never use them. Ever. Far too precious.

Enter my song-and-dance about my Fashion on the Ration project, where this year I hope to learn to embrace quality over quantity. Why not have fewer, higher quality items that I wear often? The whole enterprise sounds reasonable and a little luxurious, no?

I tackled my first project this year, the Uniform Project Little Gray Dress, with this gusto. The first thing I needed to do was procure quality fabric. Last year I would've scavenged for fabric in thrift stores or dirt-cheap fabric stores where nothing is labeled. But the quality-me went out to three stores and finally bought the nicest gray wool I could find.

I fantasized about how wonderful it would feel to have one well-made, super-versatile dress in quality fabric. The perfect dress. I took it to the laundromat, watched as it circled around the dryer to steam it. I made two muslins and I even checked the grainlines when cutting. Very not-typical-me behavior.

And guess what? It was a bust. And I was angry for weeks. So much damn work for nothing.

There's a lot of things about this project that went wrong beyond the fabric, but what I realized in hindsight is: There was no fun in this at all.

In my pursuit of quality, I had overlooked the very thing I love about sewing: the process. On my sewing table, process is more akin to thrill of invention and luck (read: winging it) than a precise scientific experiment done under controlled conditions. I've been able to learn to sew by screwing up a lot and I've allowed myself to screw up by using fabric that was suitable, but far from precious.

Quality fabric = Perfectionist tendencies = Obsession with the Finished Object = Fear of Screwing Up = No Winging It and Forgiving Myself Along the Way = A Really Bad Time

That pretty much sums it up for me.

So what happened with the Uniform Project LGD? Well after a few weeks, I decided that my precious, unworn finished object was better off as an imperfect worn object, and even, no object at all if I botched it beyond repair.

I threw it in the wash. It's wool, but whatever, it's my wool. I hated the invisible button placket, I wanted the fit closer to my body, I gave up on my finished-object-fantasy: A reversible dress. I ripped a whole lotta threads. I exposed the button placket, removed the rear pleat, massively changed the shape of the back and (badly) snipped the neckline and am not sure how to fix it.

Here's where it is now:


Once I figure out how to finish the neckline (bias tape? a peter pan collar? a tie? a ruffled collar like on the Passport jacket?) and fix some of the rippling on the re-attached center right, this baby's ready to go. I actually wore it to work last week as a short-sleeve coat—perfect for this time of year!—and just covered the neckline with a scarf. And guess what? I believed I could fall in love with it.

I don't think this means I've given up on my desire for quality things, but it does mean I need to get over the fear that bubbles up in me when I'm in pursuit of perfection, when I'm fixated on the finished object. I think I love scavenging for fabrics at thrift stores and re-working existing clothes so much because that expectation is removed, the barrier to entry lowered. I'm trying to give new life to something discarded. If I can, great. If not, neither the unused object or my pocketbook are worse off.

Possibly on the sewing table: A Colette Rooibos from a dark denim in my stash that cost me $1/yard, a shift dress using a Built By Wendy pattern using a navy stretch twill that I thrifted, a beige skirt from a 40s pattern with thrifted fabric, and finally a Sewaholic Pendrell for my sister using a pretty $1/yard floral chiffon in my stash. It changes by the day, but all of these projects feel ultimately do-able, with non-precious but lovely fabrics, with either easy or beautifully explained patterns: A process that excites me.

But what about you? How do you approach good fabric? Or more importantly, how do you keep the sewing process fun?

Happy sewing all!