Sewing Retreat....

In early November I was fortunate enough to attend my third sewing retreat of the year.  I so enjoy being around creative people but this time I was not as prepared as I would have liked.  I enjoy having projects already cut out as well as prepped/marked/started. This time I was finding it difficult to focus on the projects I did bring and after three days came home feeling still a little discombobulated and frustrated.  Without much more ado, here's what I was able to accomplish:

So what are these items?  The two ruana-like hanging items were inspired by watching Peggy Sager's webcast on fall accessories from 2014 Oct. 20, 2014 Silhouette Patterns webcast on youtube  These are two woven fabrics from my resources center that fringe nicely.  I cut my version 30" wide and 58" long.  Then I cut a slit up the middle half way to the back neckline area.  Peggy doesn't suggest it but I cut out a 1 1/2" wedge of fabric for that middle slit and serged the  inside edges.  After that it's sit and fringe time while you chat with girlfriends.  There's another pair of Style Arc Elle pants on the left in a very soft leopard knit.  They look too hoochy mama for wearing out in public but they will be cozy knit lounge pants for the coming winter months.  Four infinity scarves with some purple or burgundy in them to coordinate with some long sweater cardigans in those colors.  One of them is a knit lace fabric with a piece of burgundy silk charmeuse as an interior single layer lining and it really makes the burgundy and purple in the print pop.  Not shown is a half finished Kwik Sew shirt for Mr. Lucky, a work in progress.  There's a journal cover that I made with Lorine Mason when she taught a two hour mini-class at the retreat.  We got to use her templates and paints to create our own "Urban Doodles."  Check out her pretty blog and clever projects:  Lorine Mason It's So Pretty

My favorite project from the weekend was getting a good start on this new jacket, Vogue 8932  8932

I have had this pattern for a few years and even had Sarah Veblen help me make some fitting adjustments and brought a cut out one to the 2014 winter sewing retreat.  But I cut it out of a lovely ponte knit and didn't stabilize those interior corners on the back.  The fabric stretched while I was sewing it, urghhh.   I'm not usually OCD but those bumps would not press out so I just put it in my frustration project pile and abandoned it.  Audrey of  Sewtawdry  asked me about it this year and I was determined to return and "make it work."  The fabric is wool jersey from Fabric Mart that I washed and dried two times to make it more like boiled wool, one of my very favorite winter fabrics.  I put small pieces of very lightweight interfacing at those angled corners and am happy with how they turned out.  I completed the front and back sections at the retreat and then brought it home to make my topstitching decisions.  Since then I've completed the jacket and will write up a post with more detailed pictures shortly in the near future someday. 

Sewing retreats aren't just for sewing, of course.  The weather was nice enough that every day I was able to take long walks in the sunshine:

Sunrise from my hotel room

Sunset on the bay one evening

After a day working on a complicated project we sometimes get giddy at night....and that's when sewing girlfriends really get funny.  I showed Sue and Lorine the Tumblr picture blog of vintage patterns with funny captions and dialogues:  "Pattern Behavior" and that got us to thinking and laughing at some of the giveaway patterns on the "freebie table."

"I hate our new sister bride.  She knows I look terrible in peach." 

"Is that what she meant about 'fan club'?" 

OK, enough silliness.  Just wanted to get my little blog/sewing journal caught up with my fall projects, limited as they may seem.  Here's hoping that your sewing projects are making you smile.