Patterns With Issues

When placed with the rest of the bag, the beading looks like it belongs otherwise the flap is a bit busy and I'm not sure about the look BUT - since the beads took eight hours to stitch on - they're staying.

The flap is finished and sewn to the bag body. That's progress of a sort. Now I need to complete the beading on the back, insert the lining, and create the strap.

We've been busy giving away, selling, or returning whatever can be given away, sold, or returned. Near the end of last summer, we bought six chairs from Costco for over $500.00 and then stored them all winter. If you're not aware, Costco has an amazing return policy that allows you to return just about anything for just about any reason. We were able to take back the chairs which is fabulous because they won't fit on our new porch.

I had coffee with a friend yesterday morning and thought she might like this antique, parlour model stove for her back porch and she did. YEAH!

The stove used to be in my grandparent's guest house on their farm in Manitoba. Considering that they had neither running water nor electric heat, it was an important feature. From there, it was at my parent's cabin and then in my family room and is currently on the front porch. Any family member who might have wanted it lives too far away to ship such a heavy item and my friend will really enjoy it so that's great. We gave the trampoline to a family in the church and the basketball hoop to a family down the road. All good. There's more to go... like those antique sewing machines... hopefully someone wants them.

Carolyn (Cmarie12) wrote - Moving does have a way of making you look at and seriously re-evaluate the things you've been holding onto. Since I just went through that process, I understand where you are now. However, I don't think I was as merciless as you're being! Because wow - half your pattern stash - that alone gives me the willies. The fabric I don't mind so much but the patterns...

LOL - I've always been especially gifted at getting rid of stuff. For me, it's partially about giving back to the community by putting unused and unappreciated items out there for someone else to love and - even better than that - I've found that cleaning and giving away opens up flow, creates possibilities, and increases creativity. I'm okay with that.

Besides the fact that it's way too easy to buy inexpensively via the BMV Club, a huge factor in why I had so many give away patterns is the fact that I've only been back to sewing fashions for a relatively short time and now that the buy everything in sight first blush is off the sewing room rose, I can see how many of those patterns were not suited to my fashion personality, figure type, life style, or preferences. Better to move them along than have them taunting me from the overly full drawer.

Another deciding factor was cup sizing. Custom fit patterns with cup sizing are relatively new and they are so much easier than having to make a petite adjustment through the armhole and a full bust adjustment and a bust placement adjustment which was creating a lot of trial and error bodice work. With cup sizing, things are simplified and - generally speaking - if you've never sewn the pattern before and it's basic with no outstanding features, then one pattern is as good as another so in the case where one pattern had cup sizing and the other did not, I kept the one with cup sizing. That helped the weeding process considerably.

Beyond blouses, I'd bought quite a few skirt patterns that were full - and would make me look hippy - or had details over the stomach - and would make me look fat - or were high waisted - and I'm not - or had waist details that would never show because I never wear my tops tucked in. It was the same with pants, coats, dresses, and any other category. I eliminated any patterns with issues unless they had some distinguishing feature I wanted to keep. There are 203 patterns left in stash. I'm not suffering!

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - able to return the chairs for cash