Roundabout

Mademoiselle's team of house models in Moscow for the second Chanel show in Russia, 1967.  I am the one on the right. YOU KNOW IT!

This is me hand tying the knots at the end of each machine permanent stitch.  Tiger's legs.  Her tail is unusually long. She likes to sit on my fabric as soon as I sit down.

This is what I am doing. A quilted lining.  I am quilting each piece of my skirt and jacket before I even sew everything together.  In this case my lining is the pink silk and the black tweed is my shell fabric.  Get it? Kind of? 

The permanent quilting is on the left. The right side is what I have left to do.  Each time I stitch over the neon orange basting with my machine for a permanent stitch it takes about 10 minutes. This is becuase I am not back stitching with my machine. I leave long tails and I knot each end by hand.

The neon hand basting is along the sides of the pink stripes.  I thought I would just follow the pattern.  The basting is only temporary.  I use black thread on the tweed side and pink thread on the silk lining side so my final permanent stitching will not be noticed.

Sewing for 30 minutes was the best part of today.  The feeling of the silk and tweed coming together as one is quite awesome.  See my hand basting with the neon thread above. I sew with my sewing machine over the orange basting.  Once I am done quilting the silk to the tweed I will remove the neon thread.  That, my dear, is what you call couture sewing or CRAZY TOWN. 

This is just one piece of my jacket. I have a boat load more to go.  I will be done with this suit when we can live on Mars.

Couture Sewing Techniques, Claire B. Shaeffer

Chanel Collections and Creations, Daniele Bott

The 2 things I would need if I had to wander the desert for 40 years.

Bound Button Holes

My latest project is another couture chanel skirt and jacket using this amazing tweed I picked up from MOOD Fabrics in LA.  No I am not showing the pattern.  It is so late now! I don't even know where it is now!  This project is going to be amazing.  Why?  I learned some tricks from Claire Shaeffer on how to make tailor knots and back stitches.  These small details is huge in my world of couture garment making.  For the last million years of my life I had been making knots and tying it like 10 times to get this huge knot ball to have at the end of my string.  Claire taught me to just go in the way I entered.  I am a sewing geek I know.  For this years birthday I asked Mom to buy Shaeffer's DVD with footage of how to do some of these crazy details in her book that I had to read 10 million times but still did them wrong.  This is how I get my kicks.  Like I said, this time this jacket and skirt will be amazing. Like laser beams and shit.

It is so 11pm now and I just scanned this for you.  This project should only take me about a year.  I am serious.  Now I know how to make a Tailor's Knot. I am super dangerous now.  I pretty much sew one seam per day.  The majority of my day is spent being an architect.  I manage to squeeze in about an hour a day of sewing. 

Claire, if you ever read this can you come over here and show me how to do a BOUND button hole.  Why didn't you show this on your video?  Baby steps. Second, you are a sewing GODDESS! 

Box of Treasures

A package arrived at my door this week that made me really happy.   

Hey, Mom if you are reading this... the cactus you gave me is blooming.  See?  

Inside the box from Pennslyvania were lots of treasures sent from Nen and her sister Katy .  These bloggers enjoy sharing their life in Pennsylvania.  Their families support one another.  Nen just had a baby girl and still managed to make this surprise so special.   Whenever I read their blogs I feel good. It is that simple.  Even though I have never spoken a word to them, I just know that they are kind hearted and sincere people.  Baking, sewing, planting, knitting, blogging, home schooling their children also make them super talented.  They are powerful creators.

How could you not like someone who sends you a package with a lettuce sticker on it.  Too cool.

Eva and Lily loved the lambs.  I would not let them open it.  It sat on my entry chair for a couple of days until I was really ready to enjoy it.  I have been going from morning mixer to town meeting non stop lately.  There is a rumor that Serbin Studio our architectural firm will be launching a new blog soon.  Hmmm.  I wonder who will be blogging on it?

I finally had a gap of time and cracked it open. Man, I should have done it much sooner! 

Chocolates from a local candy store Dan Smith's in Nen and Katy's hometown of Brookville, PA.  Yeah, I know there is a missing chocolate in the golden box. I couldn't help myself.  Trust me it was over the top!  It WAS this malted chunk covered in the most delicious chocolate.

Chocoate BUNNY!  Perfect for Eva and Lily's Easter baskets. The stock pile is growing.  I am so glad I didn't have to buy the gangster bunny's at Walmart this year.  Some of the chocolate bunny's out there are just scary.  My bunny doesn't need gold teeth. REALLY!

This thing is heavy.  I am glad this box didn't have a chance to sit outside. It is getting toasty over here.  It is cooling down this weekend though.  Maybe my tennis tournament will be cancelled tomorrow.  Secretly....I thinking.... YES!

Katy knitted this dish cloth.  She calls it a dish cloth. It is too gorgeous and well crafted to use on my dishes.  I know you used garter picking for this.  

Of course Tiger had to come sniff everything.  I call her Tigerlette. Sounds like omelette. Tigerlette, Tigerlette, Tigerlette.  Ok black cats are not the center of the planet anymore.

Nen made this lovely clay bowl.

Nen also made these gorgeous envelopes, owl stickers and cool card.

This was the first thing I ripped open. Confection popcorn didn't even make it into the staged photograph.  Tastes like frosted popcorn.  I think I was cackling when I ate it.  I was totally craving chocolate that afternoon and I didn't have anything on hand.

Thank you to Nen and Katy.  I send you my hugs from the desert.  You brightened up my day!