How to Get Back To Sewing After a 2 Month Vacation

Well here it is February, we got back from our vacation in December and this is the first month that I have had so many projects going at once.  It is very hard to get back in the flow of sewing and designing new creations when you have been on a long vacation.  One thing I did before I left was reorganized my sewing room, that was not such a good idea, why? When I returned and tried to get started, I could not remember where I put everything. Ha ha. I had rearranged so well that it took me a week to get everything back the way it was so that I could find it. I know it doesn't make sense to you but it does to me.
On thing I made was this vest for my husband. He asked me to make him a vest to go with a suit he had and I looked through my stash and found this beautiful upholstery fabric. It goes perfectly with his suit.

This is a close-up of the fabric.

A real nice fit.

Looks nice with the suit.

I also made this 3 piece linen ensemble and have listed it in my Etsy Shop.  You can check it out there and also check out some of the other items I have listed there.

It is really a cute outfit.

I love the buttons they really make the fabrics come alive.

Check out my shop to see all the pieces. This is a very comfortable easy going suit and you will feel so cute in it.
I had to just get myself in gear and get back in the groove.  Every day after my vacation I did a little more than I did before.  I reorganized my sewing room, and went through all my fabrics to remind myself what I had.  Also before I left I had a stack of things that I wanted to make, so I just pulled one thing and started working on it. I did not try to finish it right away. I did not want to put any pressure on myself.  I did set some new goals and challenges for myself.  Just taking it a day at a time. But guess what, it is time for another vacation.

Cloth Basket

This is a basket I made out of clothesline rope. I know that you have seen these where you wrap the fabric around the rope and zigzag stitch it on. Then you assemble the basket with a zigzag stitch. It is pretty big. I was really happy with it. Although I wish I had found a more neutral thread to sew it together with. I used white thread (ha ha). Next time I will not make it so big.
Well I was so excited about making this that I got out one of my scrap bags and cut all the scraps into 2" strips. I am going to make another string quilt. I really enjoyed the last one I made. It was so much fun.




As you can see, I have a lot of scraps. This basket makes a great display for them.
I also made this jacket that is on display in my Etsy Shop
You can read the details when you go to my shop. You can look around while you are in there.

I love the button

This is a Great Vest

It is called begger's cloth because of the process used to texturize the denim; take a razor blade or something sharp and poke holes throughout the fabric then wash the fabric.To finish, layer the fabric over another fabric and topstitch, you can either topstitch by sewing straight lines every inch or so or you can (what I did) free-motion quilt the whole thing. I used taffeta for the the layer under the cloth then I lined the vest with taffeta. The weight and hand of the fabric is very pliable like your favorite pair of jeans. This vest is a must for your wardrobe. It is a one of a kindvest that you will want to put on with almost everything you wear. It has two 5 1/2" X 4 3/4" lined pockets on the front and I like the way the pockets blend in with the fabric. And it also has a 5" welted inside pocket. Over all this vest is made from the inside out. And,of course it has the PJBSW seal of approval.

You can go to my Etsy shop to get all the other details. You don't want to miss out on this vest it is a great buy and a great design. See how nice it looks with your favorite white shirt?

As you can see, if you view my other posts that I have used this cloth in other garments, it is a unique look.

I would like to talk about a couple of items that I have in my Etsy shop. You see I know that it is hard to tell what an item looks like on a dressform which I am using to photograph the garments, so I thought I would take some time and talk about each item. The first item I would like to present is the Strike it Rich Gold Trenchcoat, when you put this coat on you will feel like you have hit the jackpot, because #1 the price and #2 the fact that it is so well made. I really took some time and thought this over and over, what to do with this beautiful piece of fabric that was sent to me by my sister in Chicago. She told me to do whatever I wanted with the fabric, she was going to make drapes but decided not to or she changed her decor. I thought "what can I do with drapery fabric" But when I received the fabric I was surprised at how beautiful it was and how it was so easy to sew. The fabric is a heavy drapery taffeta that has a kind of jaquard design. Then to top it off, I remembered the beautiful buttons that I had ordered from Buttonsgalore they are amber colored rhinestone buttons. When I put these buttons next to the fabric they looked delicious. So there I had the buttons, the fabric now the hunt for the perfect lining and wouldn't you know it, I found the lining at Hancocks fabric. I chose a bright yellow lining because I wanted the lining to contrast without making the coat hard to wear with other garments. The great thing about this coat is you can wear it as a dress. It is a great traveling piece because you don't have to iron it. Can't you see yourself "stepping off the plane" in this beautiful coat. You can email me or comment on this post if you would like more information about this coat. It is one of a kind and the nice thing about a trench is that it will not go out of style, it is a great piece to wear anytime. Oh and isn't it great that I found the pin to match the buttons? This is a great buy and if you mention my blog when you purchase it I will give you 20% off the price. Check it out.

Me and the First Lady!

I was invited to a friend's house for her birthday. And guess who came to the party! Yes Michelle Obama. She even let me have my picture taken with her. The first thing Michelle did when she came in the door was kick her shoes off. She is a very nice person.
The person who had the birthday was Helen Miller, she is the state senate representative for Fort Dodge, IA. She commissioned me to make a jacket for her and she is also a very nice person.
This is a very historical event and I am so proud to be a part of it.

The Scrappy Jacket

This is the Scrappy Jacket that is listed in my Esty shop. I thought I should model it myself. I grabbed a bag of my silky scraps and sewed them all together (randomly) then I cut out the jacket. It was interesting how it came out. I also lined the jacket with a soft coral silk fabric. I also hand sewed small square (plastic) crystal beads all around the band and sleeves. This jacket is so nice, it is light and airy and you feel good when you wear it because it does not feel like you have anything on. If I look good in it you know you will too. If you want to purchase the jacket, you can leave a comment on this blog, go purchase the jacket and I will give you 25% discount. Just purchase the jacket (using paypal) and I will refund you the 25%, what a bargain.

Random Acts of Fans Quilt

This quilt started me back into the world of quilt making. For me, I think I have been making quilts all my life. I don't remember a time in my life when sewing was not the center. My grandmother quilted and won a few competitions with her quilts. She used to have me sit with her cutting pieces for her quilts. Each piece has to be precise. As I grew older I turned my intrest to making clothes. Then I started making quilted jackets and I really love making them. Each jacket that I make comes out so different from the last. Each one that I make, makes me want to make another. I love blending the colors and finding colors in fabric that don't come to life until you add another color with it. So when my Quilts and Heirloom team presented the fans challenge on our blog I decided to take the challenge and make a quilt. We was supposed to do 36 squares any size.

So I cut 36 squares and used the crazy quilting technique on each of the 36 squares. I will tell you that after about the 10 square I was ready to quit. But I don't like to start and not finish so I kept on going. It took about 4 days, to crazy quilt the 36 squares, I did 9 squares a day. Then I sewed the squares together randomly. I did not try to match colors or angles. As I finished each square I turned it upside down so that I would not try to coordinate it with the one I was working on. That is how I came up with the name "Random Acts Of Fans" I love the way it looks sporatic and unconventional. I also made a pillow that looks so prettly with it. It is a small quilt, 48 X 48 inches. Just big enough to cover your legs while you watch tv. I made one for my friend and she uses it at work to cover her legs from the air conditioner she says it is the perfect size. I am often asked how long it took for me to make a quilt. Well this quilt took me about 1 week. I try to do projects that go fast, that is what keeps my art interesting. Thanks for checking out my blog. Please visit my Etsy shop for more details about this quilt and to see some of my other designs I have available.

Sudoku Quilt

After I did the Sudoku Oops with the jacket, I wanted to follow with the Sudoku Quilt. This time I started with a Sudoku puzzle that was already solved. Then I cut squares from 9 different fabrics,put them in piles and gave each pile a number from 1-9. Then used my (solved) puzzle to arrange the top. Now what I had to do was sew together 9 nine patch squares. It was easy, I got a little carried away and the last square that I put in was upside down. But that was the great thing about the way I put the quilt together because it was easy to take that one square out and turn it around. The part I really enjoyed was the free-motion quilting. I did not do any handstitching on this quilt, thank God for free-motion quilting. I like making small lap quilts. I am not ready to commit to large bed quilts. I like to get done in a couple of days. I love the way the colors came together on this quilt it is bright and cheerful. You can go to my Etsy shop to get more details.

I love Paris Swing Jacket

I have always loved the swing jackets, I was going through some old photes in my family album and came across a photo of my mom in this swing jacket, it was a black and white phote so I don't know what color the jacket was she had on. It looked like it might have been white or off white. I always loved the way my mother looked in that jacket with it's big cuffed sleeves. So I decided to recreate that jacket. I made my jacket with denim fabric. Also I used a method where you cut the denim full of small holes, then wash the piece so that it frays, then quilt it to another piece of fabric. I used denim as a backing fabric for this project and I free-motion quilted the two layers together. Then I used that piece for the facings for the jacket and the cuffs. It gave a very nice contrast. I then lined the jacket with beautiful bright green satin lining. Oh and then I added a bag. You won't be able to resist it. It is so nice. And the denim is so soft.

Now that I live in Paris, Tennessee we have an Eiffel Tower Replica which I found to be a very nice spot to take pictures. My friend Yolanda, was a willing model and I think she complimented my swing jacket very well. Visit my Etsy shop for more information and pricing.

Featuring Tote Bags

Right now I am featuring tote bags in my Etsy shop. Yesterday I got carried away with this idea of taking the silk cuttings from my serger and arranging them on fabric. I covered it with tulle and free-motion quilted the top. What happened was I was serging some silk scarves for another project and when I got ready to throw out the cuttings they looked so beautiful that I just could not throw them away. So I decided to make something out of them. They add great texture. Please visit my shop to see more details.

Just Shirts

Right now I am featuring shirts in my Bobby Joe S40 Designs shop. My husband and I are working together to design unique and exciting shirts for men. You might think, what can you do different with shirts, well click on the link to our shop and see what we have designed so far. I hope that you will like what you see.

Here is a sample of what you will see there.

When you can't have a real dog.

Well I have never wanted a real dog, but I love dogs. I have only owned 2 dogs in my lifetime. But I do like dogs. But the other day I went over to my sister, Betty's house and another sister, Paulette was visiting from Iowa, and Paulette was making these fluffy cute little doggies out of yarn. At first I thought that they were real little dogs but come to find out, they were little yarn dogs that you can sit on your bed or on your couch. She made one for me and I set him on my couch, sometimes I set him on my bed, then sometimes I set him on the bottom step. Makes me feel like I have a little puppy that is getting under foot. You can have one too. Just go to my Etsy shop and you will see them for sell there. Or you can find them on my website. As you can see they come in all colors, you can even request a color.

The Cinderella Dress

I call this The Cinderell Dress because it is going to take a special person to wear this dress. It is a beautiful sundress, with beads down the back. The fabric content is 95% cotton with 5% lycra for a little stretch. It would not fit my mannequin so it is for someone whose hips are about 32-34 inches. The waist is 30" the length is 38"If it is too big, you can easily alter it, or have it altered. And guess what! It is free, if you are the "Cinderella" that can fit into this dress it's yours. I just need you to pay the $8.95 for shipping (through PayPal or RME). So all you Cinderella's get your tape measures out. The first one to respond and pay the shipping, receives the dress. It is a beautiful dress I would just like to have someone wear it before the summer is over. You can comment on this post if you are Cinderella.

My Newest Shop on Etsy

I would like to talk about my newest shop on Etsy. Well I started to just post these new items I created in my regular etsy store but then I decided to open a new shop. My husband has been giving me some ideas for men's shirts. So I thought that I would make some shirts and casual garments for men. I will be posting more. My idea is to use fabrics that are different and that are usually not used for making men's shirts. Come back and visit again to keep up with what I am doing. And also go to the new shop.

http://bobbyjoes40designs.etsy.com/

The Black Denim Trench Coat

When I was in 6Th grade, my mother bought me a plaid,black and white trench coat. I wore it all the time with a black or white turtleneck sweater and a black skirt. You could not touch me with a 10 foot pole. I loved seeing actresses with their trench coats and turtleneck sweaters. Now you see the same trench coats (but I don't think they have ever gone out of style) they are made in unusual fabrics now. I saw on Oprah that she had on a trench made out of gold organza, it was beautiful. So I don't think they will go out of style. I thought I would make a few. Here is my first one. They are also being worn like dresses now too. So they are made out of light weight dress fabrics, like silk, or satin. I put black lace on the lapels, and embellished it with rhinestone studds. Visit my online store at:

http://www.stormeejean.etsy.com/