Some New Toys

I recently received some new sewing "toys".  For Christmas I received sewing books (and a scanner that's not pictured) from my husband.

(Hmm... I still don't know how to rotate these pictures on blogger.)

I'm very excited about these books.  I already know I'll get valuable information from these based on others' reviews.  :)  I started reading the Shirtmaking and the Tailoring books.  Next up are Gingher scissors!!  I bought these when they were on sale at Joann.  One is pinking shears and the other is dressmaker's shears.

The pinking shears are my first pair and I love them!  The dressmaker's shears are super nice, too!  They're not as comfortable to cut with for long periods of time, but boy do they make some clean cuts.  Then, I recently bought some Colette patterns from The Common Thread, a local independent fabric shop.  I love this shop!!  If you're in the Austin area, I definitely recommend it.  The store has a great selection of fabric and the owner, Jeanie, is super nice and very personable.  She personally emailed me when she got the Lady Grey pattern in and saved it for me!

I've heard great things about Colette patterns and I can't wait to try one out.  I will definitely be starting with the Sencha blouse since it's rated beginner.

Summer SWAP Mini Wardrobe

I love to plan things out... even if it doesn't come into fruition.  =)  I started planning out some classic pieces to add to my summer wardrobe.  Since I have TONS of fabric AND patterns, I'm going to make everything out of my stash.  Here are the essentials I want:

1. Lightweight (which translates to unlined) short-sleeve jacket

2. Skirt

3. Wide-legged pants

4. Summer dress

5. One or two coordinating tops

Here are the patterns I want to use for 1-4:

The jacket, skirt, and pants will be made out of white cotton twill.  The dress will be made from quilting cotton from Joann which is a pretty blue color.  (The one in the picture is the right design and colors, but the colors are arranged differently... the dark blue is the main color, with white flowers and baby blue accents.)  

I'm not quite sure about the tops... I have couple of things in mind, but we'll see.  Pretty excited about this SWAP and hopefully I can actually follow through on it.

I also ordered Weekend Sewing and T-shirt Makeovers from Barnes and Noble.  These should be coming in this week... I'm so excited about them!  More to come once I receive them.