Sit and Sew Preparation - Will I Ever Avoid Crisis Sewing

On Wednesday I head to NYC for my class with Susan Khlaje and Kenneth King! Beyond excited! But, as usual, I'm in crisis sewing mode! My pesky real job always seems to get in the way of my sewing and other parts of my life!

Anyway - here is my plan for the class......

I will have a muslin of a basic dress sloper completed and ready for Susan's and Kenneth's magical fitting touch. I hope to use the sloper as a stepping off point for designing and constructing a variety of dresses (both work and casual). Our first lady offers me some fashion
inspiration --
and Michael too -



I hope to begin work on a garment using this sloper while I'm in NY - which, likely, will require that I stumble into several fabric stores!! Tragic!!

I am also hoping to have a muslin completed (or nearly completed) of this jacket (this task is the source of my current crisis sewing state):
in the hopes that I will have a jacket like this one some time this fall/early winter:
I will look to Susan for any sage wisdom about Chanel construction techniques (I have read and re-read her Threads article a bazillion times!).

And in the times that I am sure I will have between discussions and fitting and fabric shopping I have tucked away this pattern in the hopes that Kenneth will share with us some of his embellishment and millinery tips:

I also have a "life list" of techniques and embellishments that I would love to finally have the time to sit and practice - you know all those things like welt pockets, bound buttonholes, the PERFECT zipper application, finishing sheer edges, etc!

Yikes, sounds like I am going to be there for a month instead of 4 days!

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This I love.....

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But can someone explain this to me???

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The First Mum's Batiks - The Textile Museum

A Lady Found a Culture in its Cloth: Barack Obama's Mother and Indonesian Batiks
August 9-23, 2009

For two weeks only, textiles from the collection of Ann Dunham, President Obama's mother, are on view at The Textile Museum. This marks the final stop on a national tour of the exhibition A Lady Found a Culture in its Cloth: Barack Obama's Mother and Indonesian Batiks.

Early in her life, Ann Dunham explored her interest in the textile arts as a weaver, creating wall hangings in earthy shades of brown and green for her own enjoyment. After marrying Lolo Soetoro and moving to Indonesia in the 1960s with her son Barack Obama, Ann Dunham was drawn to the vibrant textile arts of her new home and began to amass the collection from which the exhibition objects are drawn. The wide variation in the batiks reflects the range of colors and of patterns, both classic and contemporary, that captured her imagination, and provides a window into the rich culture from which these fabrics originated.

Don't miss this unique glimpse into the First Family and Indonesian textile traditions! A Lady Found a Culture: Barack Obama's Mother and Indonesian Batiks will be on view August 9 through 23, 2009 only.

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DC Threads Gets Some Press!!

Here is a Post article by Holly Thomas about the Sewing Lounge......Thanks Allison for helping to make it happen!


Join us in September!!!!

Wishing you the most serene of birthdays: A Quilted Buddhist Prayer Book

Here are some photos of the quilted Buddhist prayer book that I designed and constructed for some very special peeps in my life! I wanted to get the photos up as soon as I could. I will add commentary AFTER VACATION (no electronics allowed - except a sewing machine, of course!)













May you all be filled with loving-kindness!
Peace
Laura