Changing Things Up

I think our vacation to find summer really woke me up. I realized I had been falling into a routine that had become monotonous. It's time to shake things up a little. I decided to take a little break from quilting. (Jaw drops in shock!) Don't worry, not a long break. I decided I needed a new jacket. I went round and round looking at patterns, trying to find just the right combination. conservative enough to last forever (almost anyway), stylish enough that I will want to wear it and was easy enough that I wouldn't get bogged down in making it. That's quite a tall order. I decided on a McCalls pattern, made the muslin and hated it. Good thing I used muslin first. Remind me about this jacket the next time I want to skip that step. I finally settled on Vogue 1064. I ordered a grey wool three season suiting and a grey silk lining. I have to say, it went together beautifully. I still have to send it out to the cleaners so they can press it.

Then, I promised to make the Amy Butler Weekender Travel Bag for T. It is a beautiful bag, but has piping all the way around. It has been some time since I have done piping, so I thought I had better make a "sample" bag to make sure my piping skills were up to speed. Off to the quilt store because (of course) I didn't have anything that would do in my stash. I bought a beautiful black/grey and tan fabric and a very cool stripe for the piping. I came home and cut everything out and realized...I can't use the stripe. I have to cut the piping strips on the bias and the stripes were already on the bias. So back to the quilt store for more fabric. In the end, I like how the bag turned out. Now I just need to fill it. Hmmm.

I'm ready to add some color to my sewing again. Working with all this grey has been soothing but it's time for another change.