It's Official!

Today Cordelia and I got the keys to our new home (shop)!

Let the painting Commence!

Put A Bird On IT Dress

About a month ago I was in Santa Fe Fabrics and I found a BEAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUTIIIIIIIIFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLLLLL fabric with birdies all over it.

So I purchased some, cause that’s what you do when you find fine-looking fabric that also feels delicious.

The lady who cut my fabric asked me what I was going to do with it and I replied,

“I don’t know but it’s gonna have chevrons!”

And then she looked at me like I was an idiot.

Apparently she didn’t think the birdies needed to be chevroned. That, or she wasn’t quite prepared for my chevroning enthusiasm that early in the morning.

So I took my scrumptious fabric home, spent about 10 seconds planning and then after a snip, snip here

and a seam seam there,

here a snip,

there a seam

everywhere a snip, snip,

Old Cordelia had a dresss,

E-I-E-I-OOOoooooo.

Oops, sorry. Cordelia and I momentarily thought we were starring in a musical and believed it was time to share a song and dance number with you. Sadly, I don’t think that flavor of fantasticness translates well to blogland.

Well, as you can guess, I had to throw some chevrons into the dress, which is why I cut the bodice pieces on the bias and chevroned them.

To add a little extra interest, I threw in some decorative buttons down the center front.

The skirt is gathered, and I put in some inseam pockets, cause I like to have somewhere to stick my hands. Otherwise I find I hold them in these awkward positions that make me look “special”, and, seeing as how I am attempting to start my own business, it is very important I don’t walk around looking live I’ve lost a few marbles.

It’s also important I learn to spell the word business, which still gives me a hard time.

I got to spell check it every time.

 True story.

Anyhow, the dress is lined with a yummy cotton/ silk blend.

I also put some buttons and buttonholes into the straps so I can wear them as regular straps, or I can unbutton them and tie them at my neck like a halter. Cause it’s good to have a little versatility in your wardrobe I say!

And there you have it, another dress with a bird on it. As my cousin Laura would say, “Thank heavens it’s not kittens in teacups!”

Although she might be onto something. I can picture it now, a kitten in teacups dress with this big poufy skirt and it would be strapless with a bow across the center front and it’ll……..

Would you go Put a Bird On It already?!

Melisa & Cordelia

 

Put A Bird On IT!!

Thanks to Suzanne of Hip Stitch I was introduced to this charm of a video. Watch it, you’ll like it!

This video is especially funny to me because I have personally fallen for the Put A Bird On It phenomenon as made evident in a few of my recent projects.

Like this, my Birdie Skirt.

Or this, my Birdie Curtain.

Or this, my Birdie Blouse.

I mean, how can you not just love all those little birdies?

But my most recent birdie project would be this:

My Put a Bird On It Dress.

Check back soon for a more detailed pictures!

Put A Bird On IT!

~Melisa & Cordelia

Dumpster Diving

So I may, or may not, have dove head first into the JoAnn’s Fabrics dumpster.

Ok, so I eagerly jumped right in and splashed around a bit and collected a carload of old fabric bolts in the process.

For those of you who did not know, like myself, your local JoAnn’s most likely has an ally behind the store.

And in this ally you will most likely find a dumpster full of nothing but old fabric bolts waiting to be picked up by the recycle man (hopefully it’s the recycle man and not the garbage man).

And, if you find said dumpster, you are welcome to take all the old bolts you want, provided you don’t get caught.

 Which I didn’t.

Because I am so stealth like the CIA has been trying to recruit me for years.

That's the Central Intelligence Agency, not the Culinary Institute of America in case you were wondering.

Although I am a fantastic cook and the CIA would be lucky to have me.

That's the Culinary Institute of America, not the Central Intelligence Agency in case you were wondering.

Actually I'm not that great of a cook, so the CIA probably doesn't want anything to do with me.

That's the Culinary Insti...oh you get the point!

 

I took my booty home, and after an evening of surprisingly physically exhausting labor (they don't call it a textile workout for nothin'), I turned this:

Into this:

And this:

And this:

I had more fabric to wrap, but sadly I did not pick up enough bolts and will have to take another top secret mission to the JoAnn's dumpster.

 

Just think how much nicer my fabric will look on a bookshelf now then it would all folded up in sad little folded piles. Not that there is anything wrong with sad little folded piles, they just have a tendency to become messed up little depressing piles and I don’t want to spend my life straightening and refolding fabric.

Happy Scavenging

~Melisa & Cordelia

IKEA or BUST.

As I am in the process of starting a new fabric store and sewing lounge, I decided I needed to make a pilgrimage to IKEA, the Holy Grail of cheep furniture that is perfect for start us businesses and first time home owners. Sadly, Albuquerque does not have an IKEA so Rosie and I loaded up The Mama Hart’s SUV and trekked to Denver. Luckily, our friend Allison lives in Denver and offered up her extra bed room to two weary travelers with a furniture mission.

Even though we arrived in Denver around midnight, one of the first sights to greet us to the city was the shiny new IKEA store.

Cause it’s gigantic, and blue, and yellow, and ginormous, and impossible to miss.

I had never been to IKEA before and only had an inkling of what to expect.

We started our IKEA adventure by fuelling up on coffee and bagels.

 We thought that would hold us over until Swedish Meatball time, but we were wrong.

About half way through we had to stop and take a nap on the fold out couch. It is quite comfy if you care to know.

 IKEA is massive people. It was a good 2 hours before we even made it to the Swedish Meatballs. By that time we were all on furniture overload and our severely hurting brains were loopy and our wallets were already feeling the pain of the upcoming purchases.

So we took a much needed break to enjoy some fabulous IKEA treats.

After refueling we were ready to head forth and conquer the remaining levels of this colossal store.

We spent 4.5 hours in IKEA that first day, and sadly our mission was not entirely successful. We ran into one little bookshelf hiccup: We had no idea if all 8 of my desired bookshelves would fit into my car, and, as the car was sitting peacefully in front of Allison’s house, we had no way to measure it.

We had to go back to Allison’s house and measure the back of my car. After careful measuring and planning over a draft or two we came to the conclusion that yes, I could fit all my IKEA treasures into the car. Although that may have been the booze and fatigue talking.

So the next day we prepared to tackle IKEA for a second time. This time we had learned our lesson and geared up with a proper breakfast.

 

See those pancakes? They are butternut squash pancakes and they are amazing.

I purchased all 8 of my bookshelves and took them to the loading dock where a friendly IKEA loading man was waiting to help me get my loot into the car.

Unfortunately, the friendly IKEA loading man was only able to get 6 of my 8 bookshelves into the car, and he managed to cut off all visibility in the process and one shelve was dangerously close to my head.

Luckily, Allison had brought her truck along so she could purchase the comfy fold out couch and was able to take my remaining bookshelves as well.

 

Something had to be done about the packing job so Rosie and I did a little bit of rearranging.

Somehow we managed to fit 8 massive bookshelves, plus 8 chairs, plus all of Rosie’s purchases, plus all our personal junk, plus two people into the car.

AND we had perfect visibility on the drive home.

So we gave ourselves a gold star for packing.

I would like to take a moment to thank the Sandia Prep outdoor staff for teaching us important life skills.

 Like packing.

And camping.

But mostly packing.

I’d show you what I got, but I haven’t yet been brave enough to attempt assembling any of it so you’re just gona have to wait!

Happy Shopping

~Melisa & Cordelia

This Just In

This just in.

I interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you some exciting news.

Cordelia is--with just a little help from me--getting ready

to........

Wait

For

 

It

 

Cordelia and I are opening a sewing lounge and fabric store!!!!!!.

That’s right folks, it’s official.

Cordelia and I signed the lease and have entered the business land of no return.

So, in a little over a month (maybe more depending on how quickly we get our contractor out of our hair) we will be opening the doors of Stitchology, Albuquerque’s newest sewing lounge and fabric boutique!!!!

If you are in the ABQ aria, come check us out and say hi. We’d love to see ya!

 

Happy Sewing

Melisa & Cordelia

Sewing Z Sewing Apron

Sooooooo.

This is just a little bit on the late side.

Ok, over a week on the late side.

I apologize.

But at long last, I bring to you the exciting conclusion on how to make your very own sewing apron.

To start, put right sides together and sew the apron backs to the front.

Finish the seams however you want and press open.

Repeat with the pocket front and backs.

If you want, sew rick rack down the seams and center front of the pocket piece.  The rick rack is sewn to the pocket section only!

Fold the top edge of the pocket section over and over again to hem.

 If you want it, apply rick rack by sewing down the center of the rick rack.

Place the right side of the pocket to the wrong side of the apron. line up the bottom and side edges and pin in place.

Use 1/2" seam allowance to sew the pocket to the apron.

Clip the curves....

Press the seam open.  Continue pressing the apron 1/2" above the pocket section.

Flip the pocket section so that the right sides of the pocket and skirt are facing both facing out.

Stitch through all layers over the seams and the center front to form the pocket sections.

Fold the straight edges of the apron under 1/4" to finish the hem of the edges.

Sew the side hems in place.  Attach rick rack around the outer edge of the skirt to hide the hemmed edge.

To make the waist band, sew the two strips together along one short end.

Press the seam open.

With wrong sides together, fold the waist band in half lengthwise and press.

Open the waist band up. 

Find the center of the waistband and the apron.

Pin the waist band to the apron matching the centers.

Sew in place with a 1/2" seam allowance.

Fold the remaining waist band--which will become the ties-- in half with right sides together and pin.

Sew together leaving the section where the apron is open..

Press the seams open.  I like to insert a yardstick into the tube to make a nice surface for pressing.

Turn the bands right side out.  This takes a bit of patience and tweezers help.

Press everything nice and flat.

Turn under the remaining seam allowance along the edge of the apron and pin in place.

Top stitch or slip stitch the opening closed and then...

voila!

You have finished your very own sewing apron!!!!

Wooot!

Happy Aproning

~Melisa & Cordelia