My Poor Bobbin Casing

When I was shopping for fabric in LA I noticed one of the shop owners who had swept up his floor and then came outside to dump an entire dustpan full of glitter into the gutter.  Environmental issues aside, I thought it was crazy that he could generate that much glitter dust just from cutting fabric.

I shouldn't think such things because the universe has a certain way of laughing at me:

Neon organe glitter and velvet fuzz...

I am brushing it out about once an hour at the moment...
And I usually end up with a little mound of glitter in my palm.

It wouldn't be so bad if the floor didn't look the same way.  Actually the floor is worse.  I am going to have at least two dustpans worth of sweeping to do come July...

Birthday Fabric Stashing

I have been trying to be good and not buy too much fabric.  Then my birthday happened and I got coupons... Which I mostly was able to ignore until about 5 hours before they expired.  Which is when some really fantastic looking fabrics showed up in the "new arrivals" or "clearance" sections of my favorite fabric websites.  And I caved... I'm sure you know how it goes.  Anyway, here are my new birthday pretties:

From Fabric Mart:

Back: Navy cotton.  It actually has a striped look.
I think I want to line it and use it for a dress...
Front: Lavender silk charmeuse.  Too good a deal to pass up.

Left: Grey/black cotton velveteen houndstooth print.  Most likely for a blazer style jacket.
Back right: Plaid silk taffeta.  I have plans to use this in a RTW knockoff project.
Bottom right: Cream stretch wool gaberdine.  Lovely!  I am going to make some white trousers.

And from Fabric.com:

Left: Poly/cotton rainbow suiting fabric.  I have plans for a pencil skirt.
Right: Rayon challis print.  I am planning to use it for a summer dress.

ITY knit prints.  I am planning to use these for lightweight knit dresses.

Metallic cotton shirt-weight fabrics.
The photo does not do them justice.
Now I really need to get a TNT button-down shirt pattern sorted out.

Now if only I had time to sew for me...  At least these will be waiting in the stash when I have time to get to them around mid-summer!

Newsflash - Summer New Looks Announced

Simplicity has posted the summer New Look patterns to their website.  I have to say, the clothes are certainly geared towards summer, but I don't find them particularly inspiring.  There are more than a few generic t-shirt patterns, coupled together with some nondescript pants and skirts.  The dresses are probably the best thing in the release, and even them I am not that impressed.  I suppose we should have a look either way:

NL 6206 - A Project Runway Workroom pattern.
Although I was obsessing over the maxi dress in the May Burda,
this one leaves me less impressed.  Maybe it is the cleavage window?

NL 6207 - Another Project Runway Workroom pattern.
My general feeling on this... meh.  The neckline is cute, but the dress looks like a tent.

NL 6211 - A Suede Says Studio pattern.
Not really a fan of the cut outs on the side of the dress.
The placement seems... off.

NL 6208 - Probably my favorite of the new patterns.
The front of the dress looks rather generic, but the back is actually pretty cute!
Not exactly practical to wear with a bra, but cute.

NL 6209 - More cleavage windows!
Though the black/white and solid red versions aren't bad.

NL 6213 - I am not a fan of the line drawings, but the model photo isn't too bad.
I suppose this is a pattern with potential?

NL 6214 - Nothing exciting or different, but these tops do seem very summery,
and there are a lot of options in the same envelope.

So, all in all, meh.  Nothing super exciting that needs to join my stash.  Anything catch your eye?  Are you ready to start sewing for summer?  Or are you still trying to sew for spring?  (Or winter, as the case may be...)  Feel free to discuss in the comments.

Newsflash: May Burda Preview Posted (Sort Of)

I have been waiting for the preview of the May Burda all week.  Every time I checked the Russian website the page was up, but I couldn't see any of the model photos.  Actually, I still can't see the model photos on the main page, and according to my reader Sewing Sveta, the Russian website is only showing the preview to registered users.  Looks like I am going to need to register with Russian Burda. However, I was able to see the new designs when I clicked on the Garment Type links at the bottom of the page. And I have to say I am excited for May!  On the one hand, I can't really point to one all-out spectacular pattern that I am dying to sew.  On the other hand there are a lot of patterns that I really like and lots of projects I want to add to my summer wardrobe.  So on the whole I think this issue is a win.  Much better than April at any rate.  So let's take a look.

Since May is traditionally Burda's spring/summer dress issue, let's start with the dresses:

Pretty!  I would so make this if I had a beach wedding to attend...

Still in love with the maxi.

Line drawing - the back is cute too!

This would be a nice simple dress for summer.

I would probably leave off the pockets myself,
but I like the basic shape of the dress.

I like the version with sleeves too!

I also like this more fitted dress, the vintage pattern for the month.

Much easier to see all the seams in the line drawing.

Still a bit torn over this dress.  I feel like the way the skirt is draped
might add a bit too much of a maternity look to the dress.

I was on the fence with this one in the preview, and I am sort of still on the fence now.

I would definitely leave off the dust ruffle skirt though.

But the back on the model is hot!
This might be a candidate for a frankenpattern...

Babydoll isn't really my style, but I suppose this might be cute on others?

I am also super excited for a lot of the new tops coming in this issue:

I know this is a basic tank with a keyhole, but this would be fabulous to wear under a
lightweight summer jacket or on its own.  I am thinking this is going my must-sew list.

Love the knot detail!  Another one I really want to sew.

The collar is so pretty!  Love this shirt.

Hooray it is a pattern!  Not sure how I feel about the center front
seam, but I LOVE the back of this knit top.

There are also a few other pieces I am really liking in this issue:

Ruffle skirt is pretty!

Line drawing for the ruffles...

I also like this wrap skirt...

But with a slit that high it wouldn't be practical except as a beach cover up.

Cardigan with a peplum looks interesting.

This sweater looks so cozy!  I might reduce the pocket size a bit though.

A slip pattern!  I have been wanting to make a slip after seeing so many awesome
ones on the blog-o-sphere, and this Burda one might be the way I go.

Hard to see in the photo though...

This year's bikini pattern.  The top is better than years past.
The bottom is still a bit wrinkly.

But it does look to provide decent coverage, so that is nice.

While there were a lot of good things in the regular sections the Burda Plus offerings this month aren't as exciting:

Can't decide how I feel about this dress.  Might be a bit too sweet for my taste.

I do like this top though.

But this skirt didn't look too flattering on the model.
And it looks like it is made out of lining fabric?

Though, to be fair, not all of the regular sized patterns were all that spectacular either:

Crazy flutter sleeves.  Which look cool in the garment photo,
but look crazy in the model photo.

Boring sack-tee of doom!
If you were eaten alive by fabric it would look like this.

The lace + sweatshirt combination is something I just don't get.
Lace makes me think of parties and dresses.
And sweatshirts make me think of, well, sweat.
Very very odd combination.

Ugh.  Another unflattering romper pattern.

But does it look even worse with longer pants?
I think it does.
And I am not a fan of the crooked crotch either.

So, yes, a few blah patterns this month.  But not enough to detract from the awesome dresses, tops, and skirts that are going to be showing up in my mail soon.  Yes, I am excited.  Which means it is time to do the best and worst picks of the month.  It was a bit difficult because there are so many tops I really want to sew, but in the end I think the Best of BS for May goes to:

Maxi dress of awesome!

Yes, the maxi dress.  I mean, how can you look at it and not want to immediately jump on a plane to some exotic beachy local?  I haven't been on board with the whole maxi dress trend that was super popular last year, but this one might have changed my mind.

As far as the worst pattern of the month, well, I think it is pretty obvious that the BWTF award goes to:

Quilting cotton playsuit.

It just looks a bit much like scrubs made out of quilting cotton.  And the print makes it so drab.  Not a fan.

But, all in all, a good issue!  Can't wait for mine to get here, though I know I won't have time to sew anything from it for a good long while.  What do you all think?  Are you excited?  Anything going on your must-sew list?  Or are the designs too similar to things you have already seen?  Feel free to discuss in the comments!