the mother load!

Well today I went to the "mother load " of fabric stores it seems. I went with two ladies. I have the pictures but of course I have this imac and can't download a thing right now. I wish you could have seen my eyes pop out of my head practically as I oohed as soon as I came through the door. I was instantaneously visually drunk with wonderment on how big this place was, and every inch of it covered with fabric. I didn't know which to direction to go first. I asked, Linda (the friend of Sue) to take a picture of me. I was grinning like queen in boys town. I didn't know what to touch first.

I even took off my coat because I felt like a pilgrim on virgin land. Well not quite, I knew that others had walked my path but I was a virgin on this conrete. Well I thought I was bad with wonderment you should have seen Sue, and she's been there before! she just made these sounds as she touched the fabric. "oh look ! she says, "isn't this the prettiest green, it will make a nice scarf" Yes I say, and around the corner I go to look at something else. Well I was doing the same thing as well. This store has everything. Tapestry, and just bolts and bolts of fabric piled so high up to the ceiling. You have to ask for help on that. I might add that I left today at 12 noon, and didn't get home until 5:00 pm boy time flies when you are looking at fabric. They even had leather pieces of it in big barrels at 3.99 a square yd. Then there were big patches of canvas and of course I was salivating on other fabric and Sue managed to pick up perriwinkle. I love that color.

Wish you could have seen me trying to dig through the barrel looking for that color. This store had rolls of elastic at 20 cents a yard! So i got 7yrds. That's a steal, then I got some coat fabric for 10.00 a yard, so I have two shirts, 2 bags. My stash is so low you wouldn't believe. I had saved up for this because Linda told me weeks ago that she was going to tell Sue about me. Sue is a crafter and does marvelous work with painting fabrics and bordering with quilt like affects. so I really and I do mean really suffered to get this change up, in light of everything that's happened to me this month. Even though this store has everything in it, it's not the store that you go to every time you want something, because you would need exactly 300.00 each time you go at least thats what i would like to take with me. So I am going to remember that, and go to the other store....because I can get stuff at 1.99 a yd. because I can come out with more outfits.

While I walked I was in true pain, but I tell you that you've never seen anyone smile through it. I was in heaven. Now if they just had some machinery I would have dripped all over the store. I won't get greedy. But I can tell you that I won't be going back there until February. I've already got it planned. Sue knows the places to go. So I am going to save myself the time and take her advice on these two places. I might just order on line. The damage is done for today. Now if I can get the camera to work I will post those pictures. I have another person that says she is interested in sewing. Well she wanted to use my sewing machine, and I had to explain to her that asking that question is like asking me, "can I wear your drawers? it's that serious people! The lady didn't take it the wrong way, but i am going to get her hooked. I am going to get her to buy the notions first, and then every time I buy fabric I am going to show her, sooner or later she has got to weaken, especially when she sees me wearing what i showed her. Well this was really a wonderful day, I met another person who drools over fabric just like me. She's a fabraholic. I was drunk today in that fabric shop. I didn't feel it all, until I sat down in the car.

another fabric place

Yesterday I was hell bent on going to this Crafty Planet place. I got the directions from the bus operator and off I went. Now the bus operator neglected to tell me that I should connect to another bus on Johnson street. I ended up getting of the bus across a bridge. To make matters worse I had to pee. So like radar I scope another place across the street hoping to find a place that will let me use there bathroom. I end up in a scented shop of some sort. I ask the lady for directions and also can i use their restroom.

I go back outside as instructed to find the bench and sit there impatiently waiting for the bus. It finally arrives. I stupidly ask a passenger on the bus..."do you know where crafty planet is ? no says the lady, but then I hear a guy saying, 'yeah you get off where i get off I used to work there" So i get off and the guy directs me to the back of a building telling me to follow the bike path. There's no bike path. I am now approaching a lady with two dogs. I ask her does she know where the shop is. "oh you have to get back on the bus and go over the hill. I should have looked at the address. As i walk down the street i realize i am on 18th street. The address say 2800 something. How dumb can you be. Then to pay attention people you think they know what they are talking about cause you are not from this place and learning your way around.

The temperature is now dropping. I am really in a funky mood. Here comes the bus, and off i go again. When i finally approach my stop I look over to my right and there is the crafty planet. I am so disappointed. I am thinking thinking that since the last word is planet it is a huge place and I planned on wasting at least an hour. I walk in to the shop. The place should be called Crafty Nook it's too small, but they have nice stuff in there and none of it I am interested in. They are all cotton prints. All the prints are 8.99 that was not happening with my pocketbook. So I tried to enjoy my 10minute scope of things and decided there nothing i was going to buy. Now I have to wait for 30minutes for the bus. Off i go with no fabric in hand. such was my day. Monday or tuesday I am going to go to another place. I've got to find which place is going to be my fabric home. Mill end is a definite, but i think I am going to like the other place as well. I should be sewing something but right now haven't set up things just yet. I need some fabric for two more pants.

going hunting

Well I finally got a chance to see one of the MN stores. I called transit information to get the directions. Ironically I just magically got an operator who sews! She said, "I do all of my shopping there, but you have to dig for your deals." They don't have things in order like the other stores, that's why they are so cheap." I told the lady you are like music to my ears. Now the lady said that this was the closet shop. So on the bus I go for my first journey. It seemed like forever, because i don't know where the hell I am going.

When i get off the bus after what seems like an hour ride. I realize i am in no mans land. But i spot my treasure spot. I walk in the place and automatically my nose starts to plug up from the dust. I get so excited trying to calm myself but quietly. When you walk in the door the patterns are to your left. Then the material starts. I didn't know what direction to go in. The store is the size of a Hancock store, but they've got so much packed into that space. I was expecting a larger place. I actually had to take my coat off because i was overheating with contentment. Man did i find deals. I walked away with wool that was 4.99 but i got it at 1.99 because a lady in the store gave me a 60% coupon. I got four shirts, one jacket and a pair of pants. That would have cost me at least 79.00 to 100.00 bucks. I got them all for half that price. Had i had another coupon I would have gotten it for less. Well I will try to make another journey.

I think I am going to like it here. I've found out though that a lot of the sewing people seem to reside in ST. Paul but I've not ventured down there or maybe i just haven't found the minneapolis crowd yet. I am really looking forward to going up to Canada to hunt for fabric. If I could just find someone who is a fabraholic like me it would be so much fun. But for now I am enjoying this. I am going to find my way to the other stores when the weather permits. I have to tell you I felt drunk in that store going through the stuff. I spent an hour in there and then my back started to hurt and I had to leave, but i happilly limped to the busstop with my treasures. I didn't get a chance to salivate over the other stuff....darn!

today

i've been going on myspace, and trying to find people in other countries. So far I have two people that i am keeping up with on a regular basis. I just got through looking at my "stitches" magazine and as usual they have articles on fabrics and how to use them. i must admit I think that the best fabric is in Austraila. Those women must be born with fabric in their mouths. I am also learning how to color coordinate. Before i used a lot of prints ect. but now I am combining the prints with solids as it makes for better contrasts.

I will more than likely get my digital camera so that I can show my progress. I will more or less be concentrating on creating stuff for myself, and joing some of the sewing groups. i am going to try and connect with someone that has a car and if not I will be bussing. I can't wait to get up there. I will be visual drunk for fabric isn't that awful....but i just love it. I am also going to look for a traveling machine, because i can't take "dirty harry" that's my bernina 160 and Lena my brother ult2003 is too bulky to carry not to mention heavy. I've heard that traveling may knock off the timing.

talked to ken and another guy in muscle shoals at the "Kens sew and Vac" they are so sweet and i think I can find a deal with one of them. They said the magical word....lay-a-way I am going for the Janome has 150 stitches. That should be good enough to carry around with me. I will probably end up with getting a case. This machine has 14 feet and that's really good. So who knows might leave that one at home and take Dirty Harry. we'll see.......the fabric stores await me.

new deal

Ok it's been such a long time. I am now embarking on a new area. Will be moving to Minnisota this october. I've heard so much about all of the fabric and sewing stores that they have there. So I went there to see there in august. I didn't want to come back to Chicago. So now it's on to better thing. I am determined that I am going to work in the sewing field in some type of way. The way the economy is going. haven't brought any fabric since 6 months or more. Been saving money now for this move. So I went on line and saw the fabric places I wanted to visit. Not that interested in in Joanne's but they do have a lot of shops there. Also Hancock fabric stores. Since I already know what that looks like I am going to be opting to find other places.
I am going to be checking out canada for fabric as well. I thnk in april I will go up to Ottowa....so I'll let you know when I move up there. this is going to be an adventure. No telling where I will be going to, and when. Have other irons in the fire. Can't talk about them right now.

new year

Well I hadn't realized how long it's been since I posted. Last time I wrote I was recuperating and now I'm doing the same thing again. Right now am looking at blogs . For the time being I've decided not to waste any more money on patterns and get software by Bernina. It's more lke a tutorial but that is almost a month a way. I've got to piece things together. All of the other blogs really look so much together. So it looks like I've got work to do.

stitches magazine

Well I am still recuperating and I must say that this is really a frustrating not being able to go out and get fabric. however a friend of mine in Washington D. C. was really nice and brought 4 stitches magazines for me and they came friday. So already I've gone over them three times in addition to the other five I purchased this month. I really was not suppose to get them. But since I've been home bound I felt compelled to buy them out of shear boredom. I've gone through those as well at least 3 or 4 times looking at the articles and picking out something that might pertain to me. The magazine is really chocked with a whole lot of articles far more than "threads" magazine.
So now it looks like I might be able to get some material in November. I've got something really big coming up Oct. 16th but I don't want to say anything about it until it actually materializes. I am already saving up for it. I've also decided to adopt another sewing child. I am thinking about getting a "toyota" sewing machine. Of course I will have to save up for it, but I saw it in the stitches magazine and I've not seen it in the american sewing magazines. So if "toyota" builds sewing machines like they do cars I am thinking that this might not be a bad idea. I also am going to save up for a Vikant embroidery program. It will be more cost effective than getting the embroidery disks that run 30.00 for only 20 designs. If I get the Vikant then I can copy any design and apply it to my emobroidery machine. That's ashame to have the machine I have and not be able to get the designs I want because they cost too much. I feel that the stuff is too overpriced to begin with. Even though I invested money in the "brother ult 2003 with the disney designs I don't even use. I thought I was going to have some floral designs but not the ones I would like. That means more money. The Vikant now runs for 279.00 and I remembe when it was just 99.00. There's just so much to get. I am happy though that I got my magazines. Sometimes I just look them over and over.
They had an article about going to Bali to get fabric. It's really beautiful from the pictures. I would just overdose in feeling and touching fabric. I would like to get at least 2,000 dollars in fabric just to go on a spree. Knowing me I could spend that in about one hour.

ho hum

It's been a while but right now I am recuperating from a back surgery. In the mean time I've been looking Marian Lewis sewing for success blogs and she always has some nice tidbits of information. I will get back into the swing of things, but for the time being I am checking out other blogs just to sew what people are doing. One of my sewing buddies told me the other day that she didn't know anything about Janome sewing machines that I brag about, and said "you need to check out the Elago" I was looking for a third sewing machine to adopt and just may check that out. Right now I am going to have to check and come back to bloggin later based upon purchasing some material for september, or if I get lucky maybe something in August. I've got quite a few irons on the stove right now at this point and they are all smoking and so are my brains!

skirt

Today I was in the mood to sew, and cut out this material. Something told me to make a shirt. But no I wanted to make a skirt to go with this white t shirt I made. I sewed the sides together and I look like a stuffed sausage do not even need elastic, my stomach is so huge with this thing on. I know I can not be that blown up. For God sake. well guess I will have to wait for my stomach to go down or live on laxatives or better yet just wait for a smaller size. what a disappointment. I should follow my first mind.

my bag, really purse

I like this bag because I use it a great deal, I can no longer have the regular bag hang on my shoulders without there being discomfort. So I made this and it works pretty well. It's made out of upholstery squares, and it wears pretty well. In the background are my embroidery threads, that don't get used much because I have yet to purchase the embroidery cards for my brother ulitma 2003. The problem is that there are only 20 designs for 30.00 and I want more for my money. In the mean time I will try to find another way to download designs.

fabric sick

well I wake at 3:15 in the am because I can't sleep. I am going through internet salivating over possibilities on how I am going to support my habit. You know most people have help, like husbands and stuff like that. I know someone who has a husband that would buy her moon dust if she asked for it. On numerous topics she would ask why do I worry. "it's not that I worry and by the way it's easy for you to say, you have someone to support your habit." I wonder why people do that, tell you not to worry and here they are coasting like they don't have a care in the world. I don't worry I just think of ways on how I could possibly support my habit. You always want something more when you don't have the dough to get it. That's just a fact of life.

I wonder what on earth is store for me, or what's lurking around the corners. More and more I just want to be to myself and be with nothing but sewing crap. Someone told me to get a life, well this is quickly turning up to be my life. I look at these blogs and boy these women are talking about planting their gardens ( I can draw a picture of one in my head) they talk about their vacations and I can't relate, except we have one thing in common sewing. Of course they all no doubt were supported by their husbands. I wonder had I caught this bug earlier in life where I would be at the moment. Well I'm not jealous don't have that nature, but reading their blogs makes me hunger for things. I will just learn to except what I have and really find a way to get more stuff at any chance I get. I already have dreams of having a sewing room, that would be neat. money money money, and how to make money, keep money to make more money! what a circle.

late night sewing

Well last night for some reason I decided that I would make some pajamas at 10:30 at night. Now earlier I wanted to sew something but just kept putting it off. The reason. I do not have the fabric that I want to work on something that I could make to wear out in the street. On a close out sale from hancock fabrics I got some ugly material. It is a beatle baily cartoon pattern, with things to read on them. Well I know i can not wear this out in the street so i decided to sleep in it. Well I look just like an add for a cartoon newspaper. I really must watch the things i pick to sew on. In the mean time I have been blogging since 11:30 this morning and have not got one thing done except eating a buffalo burger. what a morning. I have been going through the sites and reading things, some pretty good articles, some of them leave you a little side tracked. I do not think that i will take a picture of this outfit. it is to be worn in the house. I finished the top this morning, and it is stretch material just what a large end needs. thank god for stretch material.

some people are rude

I emailed somebody from another blogging site regarding sewing. I mentioned that I had considered moving to minnesota to because of the textile industry there. I did not tell her about other reasons I was thinking about moving there. she sent me a one line sentence....you are thinking about moving to minnesota for fabric...get a life! man some people. she could have worded it much better. I did not do anything but laugh. now that I know there are other sewing blogs out there I am going to check things out. hopefully I will meet someone that has a little more tact.

dangerous mind

Today is saturday and I am going to try and sew something. I have to force myself. My mind is a dangerous place to be when i don't feel like doing anything. Heat makes me really tired before the day even starts. Yesterday one of my neighbors said her sister went out and found some fabric for me at two dollars. It will be interesting to see what she found. If it's a gold mind I think I am going to kiss her! I remember the last semi gold mind I got from an old friend of 97yrs. old. She used to be a seamstress and had old fabric pieces in bags that she's stashed for years. Well anyway I found a night gown and it was brand new. Ditzy me went to bed with it that night, and I tell you I woke up bitten from head to all over my arms and chest. Not knowing what was going on I figured some kind of bug slipped into the house, because I keep the windows open.

I had numerous bites in the same spot. It was almost as if I had been attacked by something terribly ugly. I went to the drugstore and asked the lady to look at my arms and she her mouth just feel open. She called the druggist who gave me a look of either puzzlement or you poor nasty person I don't know which. He came me a box of nit for lice or something. I said I didn't have lice, but naturally I would have to be a nasty broad. Then I called my friend Earnie and she told me it was bedbugs. I didn't even know how you got them. I'm not nasty and couldn't figure out where they would come from. Then she told me to get a bottle of lavender and dilute in water and then spray it all over the bed and I wouldn't be bitten. I had to do this every day for a week until they (bugs all died) after the attack I put 2 & 2 together. I realized that it was my old friends stash that was loaded with the bugs. I remember stuff being so dusty I sneezed. Thank God I didn't put on the fur neck wrap i would have been raw meat. So when I get this stash monday you better believe I am going to go over it a fine tooth come. Or better yet don't take any chances and wash the crap.

pants

okay these pants make me look like a walking curtain. However I made a white blouse to go with them. I am so tired of making pants with elastic. I still haven't mastered the crotch part, and to top that off my ass looks wider than two baseball fields. It looked refreshing to say the least when I wore them. I want my clothes to look store brought. This is the look I'm going for...every thing must look a certain way. I want to sew and be able to trick the eye into believing that I may have brought the outfit. This is to make up for my not being able to afford to buy a 145.00 skirt. I've not brought close in so long that I forgot that things do go up. When I find a way to make my underwear I will be doing that also. I think it's just ridiculous the prices people pay for clothing that half the time doesn't last long.

my first blouse with a good collar

this was the first time I made a blouse and figured out how to connect the collar without a bulge. I messed up on the button holes and used green thread, however I should have used white thread. The holes weren't properly spaced, and the darts where put in right, but I still look a little to boxy in the shirt. I now have to learn how to really match my pieces of fabric to make an ensemble that works.

skirt and top

It appears I can only post one thing a time, the skirt and top only cost me three dollars to make. I got it out of a place some ladies dubbed "Bloomingdales" I thought they really meant the name. come to find out it's a second hand store. Of course word of mouth spread and now I can't get any damn material at all. It was a secret for a while. The lady who told me the secret made sure that she collected everything and brought everything in site, and that's why there's nothing left. I refuse to go to the store at 5:00 in the morning. It appears there are people coming out of every rock you can think of to get this material.

I"m finding out that people who sew are really hoarders. One of the ladies I know has a closet stuffed with so much crap she can't even open the door without something falling out. She's the one that will tell me where you can find something dirt cheap after she purchases it, and then puts in on craigs list. So I am learning. If I find something that has deals like that, I won't tell a soul either until it's all gone. It looks like I am going to have to teach myself to sew. All of the courses cost money. To begin to find material that I can half way afford is a pain is the ass. I wish I knew of some places that I could purchase material. I want to at least look like I have a wardrobe. I'm working on it though. I still think that I should check out a place. Until I get my ducks in a row I'm not budging. I would have gone this month, but my granddaughter graduated from eighth grade. You could have sworn these girls were going to a movie premiere. My granddaughter is only 14, and had on 3inch heels that she could barely walk in.

She was walking like both legs were broken at the knee. It was really hilarious. I made a few comments but of course I was told by my daughter and granddaughter that I was too old fashion. Today heels are a right of passage. What ever happened to pumps? Heels are for highschool at least that's what I thought. some of these girls had breast that should be on 40yr. old women. I began to wonder what food they ate. Thank God my grandchild has breasts like two fried eggs, well really poached eggs. It's normal looking. she's a pretty girl. Well next month there shouldn't be any reason at all why I can't go to the place to check things out.

this is moi

photos

The other day I took some photos of my hodge podge sewing. The camera made me really look like I know what I am doing. The pictures looked really nice. Although I am going to have to work with more solid colors so that things are balanced in the closet. Still thinking about moving though. Right now it is just a thought. I just wonder what is around the corner for me. Someone pointed out to me that it would really be silly to move to another state based upon fabric. I don't feel it would be silly just kind of funny, not to mention all of the sewing people I would meet.