The amazing JoanneM from Miss Muslin tagged me, and like a good blogging friend, I will comply with her desire to know more about me!

Which pattern/vintage style have you been thinking about lately?   This is probably my favourite vintage pattern- and I have a lot of them! 

I have made it once- but not reviewed it..yet!   Here is the back.   I love the underbust gathering, and it has three nice darts at the elbow.  Really a well drafted pattern.  Which causes me to ponder.  Where are all those well drafted patterns in McButtVogue or SimLook?   It uses an interesting slash and gather method that I have never seen elsewhere.   I would like to use that drafting for a tee shirt, or excercise top, as I think it would be a neat feature!  For all of you techo geeks, here is the pattern layout!

What is the one place you want to visit you’ve never been before?  I’ve been lucky enough to do a fair bit of travelling.  When our girls were young, we would plan a trek every summer, either in Canada or the States.
One place that is is Very High on my to see list is California!  MyPR  friend Kathi has been “encouraging” me to visit, and sent me photo’s of great fabric stockpiling shoportunities.  We have a hiking trip planned for Peru with a bunch of friends for the winter first, then I can start California planning.

How do you relax?  Relax? What’s that?  For me, sewing is relaxing.  I think that is the way for most of the people who read this blog!  Other than that, I enjoy (in no particular order) golf, reading, skiing and geocaching.  Relaxing for me doesn’t involve sitting!  In fact I remember when the Fivemonsters whoops.. FiveBlondes were little, the only time I had the luxury to read was in the shower.  Yes I said the shower!   

What is your favorite holiday/vacation?  Truthfully, I’m  not much of a “holiday” person.  I always put way too much pressure on myself to make everything perfect, and end up stressing myself out.  It doesn’t help that our business is a 365 day a year job, so even on Easter and Christmas, we are in the barn.  I like the vacations that we sneak in – like going up for a day to Niagara on the Lake to cycle with friends, or taking a 1/2 day off to geocache with a friend.  Those are my favourites. 
If you were to change that phrase to ” what WAS your favourite vacation” – that is easy!  The time that I remember with the biggest smiles and laughs is the 2 weeks I spent with our five daughters (then aged 11-16) “vanning” our way through Europe, staying at hostels, and exploring.  We started in Prague, went across to Holland where we stayed in a convent, to Paris, sunbathed in Cannes, flew around scary curves in Nice,  gondeliered in Venice,  skiied in Austia, drank beer in Germany…I wish we could do that again!

What is/are your sewing skills you want to learn/try out? Can you knit? Crochet? Other crafting talents?   I can knit and I can crochet.  I don’t get as much enjoyment out of them as my daughters do.  I have tried my hand at pretty well every craft- I’m a pretty crafty person!  A good friend gifted me with a Cricut for my birthday!  I really want to master that this fall.

What garment/accessory do you wear most often?  I have a black/white  brocade coat that always gets complimented.  I didn’t make that.  I think though, that my leather croc purse that I made would top this list. 

How much time do you spend reading blogs(per day/week)?   Per Day- 10 minutes.  1/2 hour.  1 hour.  3 hours.  …Standing up.
“Hello my name is Connie and I am a blog addict”!!   I’mnottellingandyoucantmakeme!

Your Motto/Mantra?  ”On to the Next“  It comes from a book my husband and I both read years ago.  We can’t for the life of us remember the name!  In the book, the main character is a writer(?)or a student(I can’t even remember!)   HIs mentor, instead of praising him, when shown a piece of work  just says “…on to the next“.  Meaning, don’t dwell too long on your accomplishments, and what others think of them; instead strive to get to your next level of achievement. 

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There, that was fun!  Now it’s your turn…I tag any fellow blogger who was at the PR Weekends in either Philadelphia or Montreal to answer the same questions!  Come on- share time!  I’m not going to name names, cause you know who you are and I don’t want to leave anyone out “on accident” .  But link back to me when you do so that I know that you did it!

Ah, new patterns.  How is it that a woman with over 500 patterns, and pattern books in almost every language, can still drool over new pattern offerings?  One would think that by now I have every possible silhouette, every style, every bodice possibility, every everything!

There’s something about new patterns, however, that appeals to the creative side.  Fresh takes on ideas…  A new twist on twists…  A different flare to a skirt…

Ahh- who am I kidding!  I’m just a patternaholic!  Come on, I don’t smoke and I don’t drink to excess. As a hobby, I think pattern and fabric stashing are pretty cheap compared to some others.

I picked up a few Butterick’s this weekend, and a few Vogue’s the weekend before.  I might have bought a few more, but wiser eyes than mine- BabyGirl Lauren turned up her nose at a few. She has to keep reminding me that while I adore evening gown patterns, there are no weddings that we are attending this summer  that require gowns.    I like it that she, at 20, has an opinion on dress pattern lines! She much prefers Vogue and Simplicity to Butterick.

A quick rundown on what I bought, and why. 

Butterick 5485

  The yellow, middle top length.  Only in gray chambrey or linen.  Mayyyybe the dress length for summer. 

Butterick 5495  If I bought only one of the new Butterick’s, this would have been it.  Knip Mode (Dutch pattern magazine) had this top a few issues ago. but I didn’t get it.  Note to self to ask Dutch relatives to pick me up some issues and send them to me!  I will be making th sleeveless version today or tomorrow.  I need to wear this top this week!  There is a reason, one that I hope I can share with you soon!

Butterick 5497  I have never been a dolman sleeve fan- batwings- whatever.  I like like all the variations of this one though, the crossover bodice,  the empire crew neck style, and mayyybe the long sleeve version.  I really like the party in the back going on here!Butterick 5510  No, no baby boys in this family, but someday!  And for certain, when there are boys, this pattern will have been discontinued, so I bought it!  It is a nice and basic wardrobe for little gentlemen, isn’t it?!  And I Love it that the little guy looks just like Little Man Harry- who is the grandson of a good friend.  And the son of a good friend too.   And my future grandson-in-law in 25 years!  Yuppers! 

Butterick 3846.  Didn’t we ALL have this pattern, or a version of it, when our kids were young?  I’ve been looking for my old pattern for a few months, and finally decided that I wore it out!  I have some pink John Deere fabric that is destined to be this outfit in time for Hailey’s summer wardrobe!And on to the Vogue’s

Vogue by Marcie Tilton 8582  I have vowed, now that I have entered my fun decade (That is what I am calling it dammit!) that arty clothing choices are going to be included in  my wardrobe.  Enter the next couple of patterns.  You can’t see it on the photo, but the right side of the tee, is asymmetrical and drapes out and down. I’m worried what that will do to my hips, but I am game to find out! 

And this Vogue 8636.  Also a Marci Tilton.  I can hear you all.  Connie, it’s just a tee.  Surely you have a million renditions of a Simple Tee.  I knowwwww, but it is so darn cute!  I am going to try some colour blocking on this with black, black dotted, and black print fabrics.  It will either look stunning or like  a train wreck!

Vogue 8659  I bought this pattern last week and wore it on Saturday.  I didn’t start cutting till 2pm and even with all the welcome interuptions, wore it that evening.  No zippers, no buttons!  I’ll admit that I need to redo the hem and neckline, and the sleeves still aren’t quite right, but it was wearable.  Lisette- this is what I meant by the “Allyn dress“.  A new friend wore this dress last weekend and it looked stunning on her. I needed to try it.  One caveat- It is not a favourite with husbands who like to see curves on wives’  Ask me how I know!

Vogue 1052.  It’s not difficult to pick out an Issy Miyake isn’t it?  I love the draping of the neckline of the jacket.  And it even has welt pockets!  I will have to play with the length.  And the pants?  All that stuff going on around the hips is just screaming for trouble on me!

Vogue 1174  A simple strapless.  Yes, I have a dozen of them, but I like the skirt treatment.  And, as BabyGirl Lauren pointed out “Mom, it’s got pockets!”

I promised that I would share some vintage patterns.  I bought this one this week at our local Value Village.  It is McCall’s 2442.  Circa 1970.  Lauren thinks the jumpsuit on the right would rock it if it were to be shorts length.   

That’s it, that’s all.  Now to get some sewing done.  I am doing drapes for a friend’s office.  Drapes, people, are boring and thankless.

Man Oh Man, is that pile of wanna-do’s  getting   precariously and dangerously high!  I can’t see over the top, and I even forget some things that are on the bottom.  Would you all pretty please stop making so many incredible articles of clothing?!!

Enough about you now, and back to me! (You know that I’m not quite that narcissistic in real life don’t you?)   It’s just that I have a really special  project set that is bursting to be sewn!  After the wedding.  After some “me” sewing.  You know what I mean!

A hint…

I have been sorting through my ridiculously large collection of vintage patterns, and came up with a few that will  will give you an idea of what I am talking about.

Here is the first one. Cute no?!

and the second…

And a couple more…

 Still baffled?  Then let me tell you a story.

About a month ago, our daughter Katelyn  and her husband of a year and a half,  had us over for brunch.  During the course of the meal, I asked Kate about the status of her sewing machine, one she had “inherited”  from my mom who finally broke down and bought a new one. (Kate knows me VERY well, and knew that I would ask about the machine) She said that she hadn’t much time to use it, but did I want to see the patterns that she bought.  Of course I said yes, at the same time reminding her that she didn’t have to ever buy patterns, as I have over 500 of them!  She responded with “I know, but I wanted my own“.  Well, you can’t fault a girl for that!  She learns from the best you know!

When she handed me the patterns, I was confused.  Where I was expecting to see a couple of cute dress patterns, I was seeing patterns for babies! 

“Um, Kate- are you going to sew for Laura?”  I asked, as their good friends Matt and Laura had just announced their pregnancy the week before. 

“No, I’m going to sew for ME!” was the reply.

Knock me over with a feather- we’re going to be grandparents!   What thought went into how to tell me the wonderful, awesome news!  That makes it even so much more special.  It is so great as well that they will be sharing this part of their life adventure with such dear friends. 

An interesting side note.  Kate’s friend Laura’s family and ours are good friends.  Camping together when the kids were little, going on ski vacations together, ski patrolling , racing and intructing together kind of friends.  What makes this “sharing a pregnancy ” thing so interesting is that Laura’s parents and MyMike and I were also pregnant at the same time – FIVE TIMES!! That’s right, we each have 5 children and every time that I was pregnant, so was Norma!  We didn’t know each other aback then, but would see each other as we lived – and still live- in the same community.  We would giggle inwardly in amusement and amazement, not realizing at the time how our lives would intertwine.   The kids all became very good friends, as are we “parents”  and we find it so great that the pregnancy sharing tradition is continuing!!  Now if only Lauren and Owen would get together…(kidding, I’m just kidding!)

 So tell me- what is your favourite baby related sewing project?  What is a must-sew?  What can’t I forget to do?  What should I not bother making at all?  How can I talk them into letting the baby call me “Connie” and NOT Grandma or Oma!