It all started with...

Early this summer (June or July 2006) I needed some pants altered. I know how to sew just about anything, but alterations, other than the occasional hem change, have always escaped me. I asked my friend Karen, who is very good at alterations, if she would do it for me. Unfortunately, she was not longer doing alterations because of time constraints. (Actually, this was very fortunate for me, as you will soon see) She was kind enough to agree to show me how to do the alterations so that I could do them myself. A few days later I met with her at her home and she showed me a few different ways to make the alterations I needed. I have a small waist (or would that be large hips?) and a slightly swayed back, so my waistbands usually poke out in the back. Within a few days, I dusted off my machine, took a deep breath, and decided to tackle the alterations. The alterations came out great, but even better than that, I remembered how much I love sewing! I was ready to start on a new project. I picked up a copy of Threads magazine at our local JoAnns and read it cover to cover. The issue (which I can't find right now) had a cute gypsy skirt in it. I've always sewn with a pattern, but this looked easy enough, so I tried it. I made the cutest skirt for my daughter Grace. Now it was supposed to be a 2 hour skirt, but I lined it, added ribbon embellishment, and lace ruffle to the hem. Since I haven't sewn anything in years, it took me a lot longer than 2 hours. I think the next one will go quite quickly.
Now I was truly inspired. I had purchased some of Nancy Zeimans fitting books from the internet (to add to my collection) and wanted to make a sleeveless blouse. I follwed her LBA technique and altered my pattern. I really like the way it turned out, but I need to make an even larger adjustment. I think next time I will use the slash and spread method in Painless Sewing.