Mail Call via Ketchikan Alaska

With autumn in the air here in the Northeast my creative pursuits have turned towards those things that keep us warm.  In keeping with the knitting theme of my recent posts I wanted to share a “Mail Call” item that came to me via a lengthy road trip to Ketchikan, Alaska this past July.

While wandering the shops of downtown I came across a store (Mission Street Arts & Fibers) that offered an eclectic mix of items for sale along with a selection of yarns and crafts books.  In amongst the various knitting books was one based upon the Andean culture of South America.  What caught my eye was the cover which had an unusual looking purse featured on it.  This drew me in and as I started to turn the pages my interest was peaked even more.  I was engrossed by Andean Folk Knits by Marcia Lewandowski and knew I just had to have it!

The book is loaded with information about the cultures of Peru, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador and Bolivia and as you progress from front to back the author has broken it down into the various regions accompanied by projects and tidbit boxes of  interesting local information.  Projects include folk bags/purses, a chulo (hat) & headband, mittens & gloves, a set of leg warmers & socks along with a muffler.  One of my favorites is a bolsa (purse) knit up in the shape of a Llama.  I’ve always had an affinity for llamas and this book feeds that need to know more with pertinent information on the animal and its’ importance to the communities that utilize its’ fibers to clothe themselves in warmth.

Recommended reading for the knitter in all of us and even those of us who don’t knit!!

My plan is to knit several of the projects myself; the Llama Bolsa will be first on my list!!!

~Happy Knitting~

Mail Call…Another Sewing Goodie

Through my online web surfing I have come across another sewing blog that has peaked my interest. I stumbled upon the “Go Chanel or Go Home” blog purely by accident and am grateful for that minor “click” that led me in that direction.

I have been interested in making a “Chanel” jacket for sometime and this blog is all about creating your own jacket in combination with sharing your creation process with other fellow “sewists” as well as the internet community who share a similar love for Coco Chanel and her designs.

In wanting to create a “Chanel” jacket I needed more background information on the construction process. That is what brings me to today’s Mail Call…as I quickly rip open the large manila envelope out comes the book I’ve been anxiously awaiting to arrive from Amazon. “Great Sewn Clothes” from Threads Magazine has come home to reside with my collection of sewing books. For me…this is the start of the process in the making of my “Chanel” jacket…I will be devouring pages 8 – 13 once this post is up.

The patterns I have in mind…Vogue 8369 or Vogue 8259. Being as these are out of print patterns I will leave my options open and peruse the other pattern companies for jackets of similar construction as well as reviewing what fellow “Go Chanel or Go Home” bloggers have used.

I am open to suggestions or any ideas as to the most appropriate pattern to use for this process.  Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Wish me luck on my quest for the couture sewn jacket!

Happy Sewing…

Mail Call…..Sewing Goodies

I was just ecstatic today to find the order I placed from Pattern Review sitting in my mailbox. I have excitedly anticipated this packages’ coming in the mail. I thought it would be in yesterday’s mail but was sadly disappointed when I opened the mailbox to find only bills and junk mail. Ugh!!! However, today has more than made up for yesterday’s disappointment.

What have I been so eagerly awaiting???

Patterns of course….to be more specific, patterns by a company named Jalie. I have never purchased any of these patterns before but was so enticed into purchasing them based upon the sewing reviews at Pattern Review. The patterns I purchased were the Jalie 2908 Jeans pattern and Jalie 2805 knit top pattern. What is so wonderful about these patterns is the fact they include 27 sizes, ranging from little girls (ages 2 – 13) on up to Women’s (sizes 4 – 22).

 

I am very excited to receive these but will have to wait to use them because I am presently taking an online jean making class “Build Better Jeans” by Shannon Gifford of “Sensible Sewing” through the PatternReview.com website. I’ve already committed my jean fabric to another pattern for this class M5142 but have enough “stash” to make a pair from the Jalie pattern when I’m done with the course. I can’t wait!!!

As to the other special sewing goodie that came along with my patterns. It is a book that I’ve wanted to get and finally splurged on for myself. It is “Cool Couture” by Kenneth D. King…looking forward to perusing those pages tonight while watching Project Runway!

Venture on back for a visit to see how those M5142 jeans turn out and I will be posting on the Jalie patterns as well.

Happy sewing…