Fabric Shopping in Panama!

In December I went back to Panama to spend the holidays with my family there! Since 2014, every year that I go, I make sure to do some fabric shopping at some point. This year I happened to VLOG the whole experience!

So sit back, and see what kind of fabric Panama is working with and where you can get the things you like! I have pics below of the things that I bought!

Old Me-mades vs. New | How long do you keep the old?

Hola! Welcome back! As I've been purging my closet, I've gotten a chance to get a good look at some of the garments that I've made and reflect on how I feel when I wear them. What I realized was that I was more apt to keep older me-mades that had mistakes as long as they looked good on me. I also got a chance to look at the things that I've made more recently and noticed how I make much less mistakes and how professional they look as opposed to the older garments.

newer me-mades

Quick tangent: You know that feeling you get when someone finds out that you've made the garment you're wearing? How proud you are? How you want to show off a little? How you don't mind them inspecting it?

It got me thinking: Knowing my ability now, and how I can make things look (inside and out), I get nervous about people asking me if I've made an older me-made because I know that they can see the rough mistakes that have been made. I'm much prouder when people ask me about my Kelly Anorak or my leather-trimmed Poncho because those came out almost perfect. But when they start looking closely at the bindings on the bodice of my First Dress or the insides of my First pair of pants, I kind of want to give a disclaimer that "I made them years ago!"

older me-mades

Let's take a look at some of the pieces I still have now:

How often do you alter your RTW??

Happy February, Friends! So far 2018 has been a bit of a whirlwind so I don't have any finished projects to show, BUT there are a few things I have been thinking about that I wanted to discuss on the blog. I don't want to just be a show-and-tell blog, I want to interact as well!

One of the things I was thinking about relate to the RTW clothes we still have in the closet. I notice that with the things I've made, I will refashion them and repair them until I can't anymore, THEN I decide to do away with them. But when it comes to RTW, as soon as it stops fitting or a closure stops working, I tend to hop at the chance to donate it or give it away.

Fresh Start | From 2017 to 2018

Another year has flown by and I feel like I'm still trying to keep up lol

2017 was quite the year. I took some amazing trips, made some solid garments, lost loved ones, welcomed new family additions, met some awesome new people and reconnected with friends from the past. It was a whirlwind of adventure and I'm grateful for every moment and memory that I've walked out with.

Starting with my top sewing hits:

poncho \ off the shoulder \ anorak
romper \ polleras \ cold shoulder
plaid wrap \ kielo \ multicolor wrap

Sewists give the best gifts!

Well hello there! Didn't plan on being gone so long, but no matter that now. My time away has been happily spent sewing but that's not what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about how grateful I am to be a part of such a giving community. Sewing friends are one of a kind and I'm always honored when I get to meet someone who I've talked with online in real life! It brings me so much joy!

Another Clean Slate - from 2016 on to 2017

I want to have some closure for 2016 so I'm going to do a VERY quick overview so that I can move on with the future!

I made 17 garments for myself in 2016. Pretty lame considering I've made 25+ things in a year in the past. But I'll cut myself some slack because the reason for my sewing productivity was replaced with lots and lots of family time. And I LOVE my family so I'm not THAT disappointed.

Things I wear CONSTANTLY:

• Tweed Cropped Jacket


• Gray Hood Scarf


• Light Overcoat

 Most of the other things haven't been worn because they were made at the END of their appropriate seasons lol So we'll see this year how much use I make of them.
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The Telltale 30 before THIRTY

I've been wanting to make a "30 before 30" list for a while but I just kept forgetting. Now that I'm 26.5, I figured I better get to it if I want to be able to put down some big BUT tangible plans out there. I'm pretty sure I will be able to do most of them, I just want the list to keep me accountable. So let's get to it!

A story about "Hot Needle &Thread" - Ometa A. Bowen

My grandparents! Grandma wearing a dress she made :-)

When I first started sewing in 2013, I was under the general impression that I was the first one in my family to really pick up the trade. My mom alluded to having done it in the past and told me she had a machine somewhere in the basement (that we found and I use) but I had never seen her or anyone else in my family ever sew a stitch. The more I got into it and started bring my machine to my aunt's house, my grandmother would just observe me, make a comment here or there mentioning that she used to sew, and then go back to observing.  It wasn't until I started walking in the house with dresses I made, affirmatively answering someone who would ask, "Tasha, did you make that?", that she started giving me "Back in my day" stories! She would say "I used to sew alllll my clothes!" and I would give her this "yea, okay" smirk and keep it moving. lol Little did I know, that my grandmother had mad skills before generations after her were even a thought!

My grandmother, Ometa, was raised in the Canal Zone in Panama when the US had control of the Panama Canal. She and her family grew up with little to no money so she was no stranger to the "make do with what you have" mentality. She used to tell me about how they would eagerly await packages from America with food and school supplies and that is what they lived off of. Even after meeting my grandfather in Panama City and starting a family, they were still living in poverty and had to do what they had to do to survive. I came to find out, she did in fact make ALLLLL of her outfits. Mostly because they didn't have money to buy clothes. Basically, if she didn't make something to put on, she wouldn't have had anything. She became so skilled, story has it that she would get some fabric in the morning and have an entire party outfit ready by the evening to go out! She picked up the nickname "Hot Needle & Thread" because of her speed.

My mom tells me that every Easter, my grandmother would get the fabric on Saturday and sew up outfits for her 5 kids AND herself to be ready by Sunday morning.... all from scratch! No patterns, just measurements. All of her children attest to the same thing. I can't even IMAGINE being able to do that, but she did what had to be done. It sounds shocking but in those times, in that place, that was common. What an amazing legacy to be a part of.



My grandmother made all of the girls dresses in this photo for Easter... the day before! Can you guess which one my mom is?! lol

A month before she passed, I stayed over the house with her for a week while my aunt went to visit Panama. I brought all of my sewing stuff because I wanted to get a few projects done that week while I was there. I already had them cut out so she mostly saw me putting things together. The first out of 3 that I brought was my Red Bomber jacket. I will admit, I'm a pretty slow sewist- but she made sure I knew it! hahaha After the 2nd day of constructing it, she said "Uh uh! You too slow! If that was ME I woulda done sew it up, put it on & gone!" loool What made me feel good, though, was when I finally finished, I went to her room to show her and she said "WOW! If I didn't see you sit right there in front of me and make that I woulda said you nah make it! It look like it from the store!". Such a humbling compliment from an amazing seamstress-and a lady that wasn't too easily impressed (haha)!

Although my grandma isn't here anymore, I'm happy that I can follow in her footsteps and cling to this trade I love with her in mind. (Now I know why I was her favorite grandchild ;-))

Forever stitched on my heart

Ometa Anne Bowen

5/16/34-12/14/16

Grandma and Me (wearing my Christmas Refashion)

October's Sewing Accumulations

Howdy! I just wanted to come share some goodies that I accumulated last month. And no I'm not doing this because I haven't been sewing lol I have been sewing and have about 3 garments so far to share but I don't know when I'll be able to get pictures so... soon come.

**Nothing in this post is sponsored

Anyway, last month I shared about some new knits I bought that broke my fabric fast. Well everytime I break a monetary fast, it's like I have spending built up in my bones that I have to get out lol. I went easy this time, though. The first thing I got wasn't even a purchase. Last month, The Tunic Bible released and there was a book tour around the sewing blogs. Each participating blog hosted a giveaway and I happened to win the giveaway over at HouseofPinheiro. I'm excited about this win because I think it will really expand my creativity and selfless sewing in a really positive way.

On to the purchases.... I have been wanting the Fabric For Fashion: The Swatch Book since Feb/Mar2015 when I visited McCall's in NY. They had one in their fabric room and I fell in love. When I came home and looked it up, I could only find one on eBay for like $1,000 and I was like heeeecccckkkkk no! lol I kept looking online from time to time seeing different prices and keeping it on my wishlist. I even used it as my wishlist pic for September's #SewPhotoHop on Instagram! After I let the grip go on my wallet last month, I took another quick look and on Amazon it was only $65! I put it in my cart SO QUICK. lol I haven't taken it out of the shrink wrap yet because I haven't really been home but I am sooo excited to get touchy feely with all of the swatches! (Now I'm mad because when I just looked it up again to link it in this post, I see a $44 option for Barnes&Noble -____-)

Fall + Winter 2016 Sewing Plans

When I made Fall sewing plans last year, you could say I was pretty successful. I managed to sew 8 out of the 10 things I had on my plan. My hope is that I will have the sammmeeee motivation this time around as well. And I'm extending the seasonal deadline because there isn't really a cutoff for Fall around  here just as there isn't a start time to Winter. They both just show up.. unannounced... just as rude as ever lol.

These are the things I plan to make. Keep in mind, I took these pics weeks ago so some things pictured may have changed, but I will explain when I get to those. Also, these aren't in any particular order. I will hyperlink the finished objects as well! Now let's get this started!!

Sewing Tools Birthday Haul!

Hello friends! I know what you're thinking.. "Wasn't her birthday in July?"

Yes. Yes it was lol but it took Amazon quite a while to send me all of my stuff so I had to wait okay! lol I just want to share the sewing tools I got that I believe will really help elevate my sewing skillsssss.

Say 'Hello!" to my little friend!

Hey folks! I'm back from an amazing vacation in Myrtle Beach and I took the opportunity to take some pics of my new skirt on the beach but that's not what this post is about lol. For my birthday, my mom bought me something that's sure to elevate my sewing to the next level <3 She bought me a dressform from The Shop Company!

I got a size 12, Professional female dress form with collapsible shoulders! On the site, the size 12 measurements read bust:38, waist:29, and hip:39 (inches). Amazingly, those are my normal measurements! I measured the form when it came and the waist and hip measurements are correct but the bust measurement is only 37.5. And I tried every angle to measure but everything came up to 37.5 max. I'm a little annoyed by that but I can obviously get over it lol. Right now my waist measurement isn't a 29 either, but I will put in the work to get it back to that size lool. More fruit and vegetables for me.

Life Updates and this Jacket I made months ago... Simplicity 1688

*taps mic* Is anybody here?!?! -- Oh! hey! Nice to see that you stuck around lol

Life gets busy and things happen and reasons and stuff. You know the narrative. So let's skip all of that and talk about some of the things I missed! 3 milestones were hit while I was gone so we can have one big 'ol celebration for all of them :-)

1. My blog turned 3! June 9th marked 3 years of blogging and sometime here in July will mark 3 years of sewing! It still amazes me how this blog has connected me to so many interersting, exciting and inspiring people all over the world. And they like... know me too! It's crazy and awesome at the same time. This addicting hobby has given me skills and friends I never thought I'd have. It also gave me a closet full of fabric that my mom would've never thought I'd have either (but that's besides the point lol). Thank you to everyone that has been following my journey from the beginning and shoutout to everyone who just joined. I'm honored that you want to see what I have to say :-)

And thank you to the people who checked in on me while I've been MIA. <3

2. June 25th marked 5 YEARS since my last relaxer! Being natural has been a long hard road but it definitely gets easier.... but it kinda stays hard lol Ya'll know what I'm saying ;-) I was hoping to have waist-length hair by this time but that hasn't quite worked out with all of the unplanned set backs and my inconsistency in care. I'm trying to be more deliberate in keeping it healthy now so hopefully by this time next year, I'll be at waist-length :-)

my hair right now at full bra strap length

3. MY BIRTHDAYYYYYY! I turned 26 on July 10th! It was a quieter than usual celebration but I absolutely enjoyed it. I love being around my family and my friends make it even more special. I'm grateful to have made it to another year and I pray that I continue to grow in God's purpose for me. Shameless plug for my birthday wishlist on Amazon. I was able to get a lot of the things I wanted thanks to folks' generosity! There are a few sewing things on there that I'm still wanting. I hope to do like.. a birthday sewing haul at the end of this month. I'm so excited to share some of the things I got!

 Alrightyyyy now that we're all excited from celebrating lol There has been very little sewing going on around here lol. And this jacket ain't even a part of that group. lol I have a couple more pieces to put up here soon though so I'm not going to just disappear ;-)

I made this jacket, Simplicity 1688 to wear with my Easter dress. I really wanted something easy that didn't take a lot of fabric because I was stealing a yard (and some change) of my mom's fabric lol. I needed something that had yellow in it and the tweed she got from Hancock's more than a year ago was perfect. I cut a size 14 so that I could have a little bit of wearing ease.

If I buy another piece of fabric....

..............My mom might kick me out of the house.

I'm joking. I'm joking.... maybe.

I don't know what got into these last few months but I have been buying fabric like I don't have any sense. I think NOT buying much fabric last year left a suppressed desire in me that just exploded when the new year hit lol. My imagination has definitely been controlling my wallet but you may have noticed that the output (garment posts) has not been reflected in what I'm describing.

I'm going to share my last "few" fabric purchases and then I'll share how I feel. I know collecting fabric was a discussion the last couple of weeks and I'd like to share my opinion as well :-)

But before that! Let's talk about my most recent purchase from Fabric Mart. I really do love them. So many affordable fabrics and there's always a sale going on. I have not regretted one purchase from them in the past. This last box came as a result of a 50% all Cotton Fabrics sale. Since I would like to focus more on fit this year, I figured cottons are the right place to start (Weak justification, I know lol).

I bought 2 border print cottons. Both cotton sateen if I'm not mistaken. I have been wanting a border print fabric since my first year of sewing but couldn't find any for a long time. I noticed that Fabric Mart has been selling a bit more of them so I was happy to get my hands on some. I want to make dresses out of them and I already have some Vogue patterns in mind for the job.

These are the other fabrics I picked out with that order. From top to bottom:

Bone China Silk (buy the piece)

Red rayon fabric that I have the matching black fabric to (buy the piece)

Looks lavender in the pic but is Grey cotton shirting

Tan water-repellant cotton

Knit-backed Faux fur

My yellow embroidered eyelet was in this box but I used it already here.

These fabrics I didn't choose but I got in a 6yd mystery bundle. They are all knit fabrics. The royal blue on the bottom is either a neoprene or scuba. I wish the mystery bundles came with labels like the other fabrics. They feel really nice though. I also got a 10yd mystery bundle of linings but don't have a pic of those.

I would have stopped there but a few weeks before I had already made plans to go fabric shopping with LeJanaro when I came to Atlanta for my goddaughter's birthday. I couldn't CANCEL on her lol She took me to Fine Fabrics and when I tell you I almost walked out with NOTHING LOL and not because I didn't want anything but because I wanted EVERYTHING. I walked around the warehouse for about an hour going back and forth to the same sections and then different sections. I was so overwhelmed. I did end up making some decisions though and I am proud of them. First a small look inside:

Interviewed by Faye's Sewing Adventures!

So honored to have been chosen as one of the interviews for the Sewing Blogger Series that Faye is doing over at her blog, Faye's Sewing Adventures!


Check out my interview to learn more about me and then go back and check out the interviews of all of the other bloggers. They have definitely been interesting reads!


Thanks so much,, Faye, for including me!

New "Challenges" Page!

I've been slowly cleaning up my blog and decided I'd clean up my sidebar. I put all of the blog buttons of challenges I've participated in over the years on their own page. When you click on it, you will see the challenges separated by year. All you have to do is click on the picture of the button and you will be directed to my blog post or the label of that particular challenge. I think it'll make it easier to keep up with now and as the years go by.

:-)

xoxo, Tasha

I don't normally do this butttt... McCall's Spring Patterns!

I don't sice pattern releases. I normally just take a look, quietly take my notes (add the ones I like to my neverending "buy" list) and move on. Idk what it is about THIS release in particular of the New Spring Patterns but McCall's put in some good work. I'm not intrigued by too many of them but the ones I like, I REALLY like. A lot. So here are my picks:




M7367: This photo is so beautiful and inspiring to me! I love the drape of the skirt and I rave enough about wrap-style tops. I have about 3 different combinations to make in my mind!

M7366: I know that I have been a big antagonist to jumpsuits but this bodice is bomb! lol Even just having the bodice to mix and match with different skirts is worth buying this pattern to me even if I never make a jumpsuit. The back is also unique so that lends to the mix factor

M7358: Another wrap style top. I think it's absolutely cute and classy with so many opportunities for variety. I have already thought of some in-seam tie hacks. I like the topstitched yoke as well. I'm interested to see what it would look like in a more drapey fabric and not just cotton.

M7363: And this is my FAVORITE of the whole release! I don't by any means make a lot of skirts. I think I have probably made 5 skirts total in the 2.5 years I have been sewing. But babbbyyyyyyyyy! This skirt is FIRE! I'm in love! I think it's the drape that's getting me. I can't quite put my finger on it. I'll probably make 3 of the 4 variations of the pattern.

 

THIS view is what sold me! That side shot is BEAUTIFUL! I need that in my life!

 

 That's it. Those are my picks. Did you check out the release? Which ones have you??

 xoxo, Tasha

Say 'Hello!' to my new friend Elly! - Elna Supermatic

A couple of weeks ago, I was reading BareThread's blog about being a Sewing Machine hoarder. I was so fascinated at the way she was explaining she came into a few of her machines. I see on the blogs quite a bit how people find vintage machines in thrift stores and estate sales and I'm always so.... confused (?) because I have never not once seen a sewing machine in thrift stores around my way. And I usually search through estate sales and have never found anything sewing related. She reassured me by saying that the path to discovery isn't usually disclosed and these things happen over time.... a long time lol and lots of rummaging.

So the day I read her blog, I decided to hit Craigslist to see what was really what. Lo and behold! I come across an ad selling an Elna Supermatic with accessories and original instruction manual included! *Wahhhhhh*!

I wish I could find the post that I saw maybe a month or two ago by another blogger showing off her vintage Elna. I didn't even know that "Elna" existed before her post. My eyes lit up at her case-to-table transformation! I thought it was SO COOL. I can't believe that I have one now!

Meet Elly!

My Sewing Space!!!

Most people are aware that the East Coast of the US is recovering from Blizzard Jonas from this weekend so that left a LOT of free time for me (and my mom) while I was snowed ALLL the way in with no options to leave. What did we decide to do, you ask?? What we were supposed to do in December 2014! lol Clean out the space I started using as my sewing room. It was my mom's office, then, over years, it got piled up with a bunch of things that did not need to be in there, unfortunately. So I've been sewing in the room for a little more than a year with VERY limited space to walk around and do what I needed to do.

We did a DEEP cleaning of the room. Went through every pile and every bag of stuff and we made sure that EVERYTHING had a place. People can finally hang in the room with me while I sew lol It was one of my early visions for the space and now it's possible.

Happy New Year! - McCall's 7051

Ever since I was a child, I have spent New Year's Eve night in a church. I didn't even know that it was called Watch Night Service until I got older. It was just what my family did. Long story shorty, when I went off to college, a got exposure to the parties and got a taste of freedom that I had never experienced before. So on the breaks, when NYE would be around the corner, I started considering ideas of going out to the club or going to parties at peoples' houses to drink..... but I never did. Even though really I wanted to, and sometimes made plans to, I would decide against it at the last minute and go to church and spend time with my family after. 

My desire to do something "different" for NYE was always trumped by my fear I would do something or be somewhere/in a situation that I would truly regret. My decision to go to church instead and stay in with my family always brought me peace and I never regretted it. But, if I'm honest, I always wanted to know what it felt like on the "other" side. 

Fast forward a bit... remember last year when I talked about the new friends that I'd made? Yea, a few of these friends run a group called Culture-New Norm. One of the things that the group does is throw Christian parties every month. I know, I know. Every time I tell people they look at me like "Huh?!" lol Well yea, they play music by different Christian Rappers and singers that get you just as hype as music that plays on the regular radio, the messages are just different. It's a "Party without Compromise". Wellll they were throwing one for NYE! Right in the heart of DC nightlife.

I wasn't just going to NOT go to church though. I do serve and am usually part of the service in one way or another. Plus, I would feel like something was missing if I didn't go. Conveniently, they set the time of the party at midnight so that people would be able to attend Watch Night services at their churches and come to the party after! So perfect. I had such a fun time at the party and I definitely satisfied my wanting to have MORE fun bringing in the New Year. I got to enjoy myself in an environment that wouldn't have my mom worried, I got to dance and party along to music that points back to Christ, and I didn't have to pretend to be someone I'm not. That may be my favorite part.

Once I knew that I was going to the party, I knew that I wanted to make something to wear. At first I considered different dresses but I realized I wouldn't have enough time to dedicate to a full dress. After combing through my fabric options, I found a couple more yards of  "Black Corded Light Weight Suiting" from Fabric Mart that I used to make one of my favorite skirts from earlier in 2015. I figured I would just make a top out of the same fabric that I could tuck in and have an outfit that LOOKED like a dress.