It's about exploring and sharing my creative adventures (mostly sewing these days) ~
~those activities that sometimes obsess, usually inspire, occasionally frustrate
~and always provide a delightful maze to wander through.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

PR Wknd Shopping Aftermath + Jumping on the Bandwagon.....

The Me-Made-May bandwagon, that is.    And dang if it isn't getting crowded!!!  313 participants on Zoe's site as of this writing!   I've not done this before, but I'm pretty sure that I  have enough me-made items in my closet to make it through the month, so here's my promise:

I, Jilly of jillybejoyful, sign up as a particpant in Me-Made-May '13.  I endeavor to wear at least one handmade item at all times, all day each day for the duration of May 2013.   There WILL be repeats, and I highly doubt that I'll manage a picture every single day, but you'll have to trust me when I say I did it.  (I'm inherently honest, really!)  I know I won't be posting a pic every day, but I'll do my best at a weekly update.

Thanks, Zoe, for starting this inspirational challenge and for keeping it going!   I couldn't imagine that I'd ever participate when I first heard about it a couple of years ago, but now that my me-made wardrobe has grown, I think it will only take a bit of conscious awareness for me to make sure I make it through the month successfully :)   And hopefully point to any holes I have in my wardrobe, and set to work filling them in :)

Now then, about that shopping....

I thought I didn't buy much at all (and compared to many, I'm sure I didn't!), but when I gathered everything together I realized that I have a rather happy little haul...

Britex offered a free tote bag to all of the PR participants who visited the store.   Not only did I visit, but I actually BOUGHT something!   Just a touch of ribbon...only to find out that nothing on the notions floor was included in the 10% discount they were offering us.   Ah well, I like the ribbon :).   I also got some of the fusible cotton Japanese trim from Sandra (people rave about this!) in black and in white.  And some horsehair canvas (for bags) and a copper remnant (for bustles) from Stonemountain.

More Stonemountain Remnants - a particularly yummy thin wool, and a lovely cotton, both with unknown destinations:

The black wool gauze that had me rushing to Stonemountain first thing in the morning (yep, we cleaned them out of this one)  Even the selvedge is lovely :)

And then, since I had to go to Marin to pick up something from my Vet, who just happens to be right across the street from Dharma Trading, I popped in to get a set of the Colorhue dyes used in the Wabi-Sabi technique I recently blogged about.   And a bag of silk remnants - they bag up their remnants and sell them at 1/3 off - a great deal for projects like this!   My bag contained various weights of charmeuse, habotai, gauze, chiffon, flat crepe - I'm itching to do some more dyeing & weaving!


I actually tried and failed to spend a little more $$ - I finally got in to the Vogue website last night and put 2 patterns in my cart, but it was still running so slowly I wanted to wait until this morning to figure out a third (3 is the magic number - 4 bumps you into the next shipping charge).  By today everything I wanted was sold out.   Sold out!?  I guess that's what happens when they put the brand new releases on sale the day they're released.  Ah well, I can be patient until the next sale rolls around.   I really wanted to make up Sandra's new pants though!  They have just the sort of shape that I like, a unique way of puddling at the ankles, no elastic at the waistband, and they're one-seam pants that fit well.   Must get!

I wave goodbye to all of the PR attendees who are taking off - do come back, and next time, I hope to spend a little more time with some of you!

**UPDATE**  Before I knew that everyone was having trouble getting in to the Vogue site, I  emailed a report to them stating the troubles I was having, and said that I hoped the problems would get resolved before the sale ended.   I just got an email back from them apologizing for the difficulties, and they told me they would honor the sale price for me.

Sometimes it pays to speak up :)

19 comments:

Louisa said...

Sounds like a lovely PR weekend in SF! So fun to spend time with people who understand what you're on about, isn't it? And I love the way you just HAD to stop into Dharma! Last time I was there, I had to drive about 1000 miles south first. I also hit Lacis which is a fabulous treasure trove. Next time I'll try for Stonemountain too. Thanks for the good review.

The Hojnackes said...

So what will you make with the wool gauze? I have some but it has a print and I'm at a loss about how to use it.

Jillybejoyful said...

I'm thinking I'll make a light weight summer jacket - perhaps even another of Marcy's V8088, except that it might be too similar to the vintage kimono version I made. And I have enough to use as piece work in other tops as well. I think it will be one of those fabrics that will jump out as a perfect "aha!" when I'm working on something else entirely and need a little something to mix it up. Sleeves? An underlay or overlay at a hemline? Possibilities..... :)

The Hojnackes said...

Thanks! I will keep these things in mind.

shams said...

LOL. When I was at Dharma on Thursday with Claudine, I too, bought the Colorhue dyes and the bag of silk scraps. Not sure how soon I'll get to this, though.

Jillybejoyful said...

You were the one who gave me the idea for the bag of remnants in the first place! Seems like a no-brainer, but sometimes you need a good enabler type friend to point out the obvious :D

luckylibbet said...

Can't wait to see your version of the pants! Heather

Jillybejoyful said...

I can't wait to actually get the pattern lol!

Jillybejoyful said...

I'm actually happy when I have to visit the Vet lol! If I actually have a cat with me, I feel guilty about thinking of Dharma, so it's nice if I'm just picking something up there. 1000 miles....I will never complain about the bridge toll again lol :D

Carolyn said...

I'm so glad you had a wonderful time, and am completely jealous that you got to hang out with all those sewing ladies!!! How I wish I could join you all! Thanks so much for your gorgeous comment Jilly; you say the nicest things that brighten my day :)

Ann said...

So envious of your PR weekend. I wanted to be there. About the new Vogue patterns, they are available today. Not sold out. Pretty obvious that they didn't intend them to be sold at the sale prices.

Jillybejoyful said...

The only thing in the sewing world better than Hanging out with other sewists is actually SEWING with other sewists! ;D

I'm delighted that my comments can brighten your day - it's just a reflection back to you :)

Jillybejoyful said...

Oh, how interesting! Either that, or they purposely put up a limited number of available ones just to see if it would create a feeding frenzy. Which it obviously did!

Interesting to see if they'll do it again with the next release.....

Anonymous said...

The cynical side of me says that Vouge extended the sale, but did not make the new releases available...the new ones I wanted were sold out Saturday...and yes the site was painfully slow. ~Teri

Jillybejoyful said...

Teri I just posted an update - I squeaked, and it looks like they're going to honor my squeakiness :)

Dixie said...

Glad you were able to meet some new people at the retreat. I decided to wait and come out another time when I can have you and Shams (and maybe some others) to myself!

Jillybejoyful said...

Perfect! That's what I would rather do with you too :)

Mary said...

Nice haul Jillian! I love the copper color of the remnant. Agree with you about Sandra's new pants pattern-I cannot wait to try it. I think the shape will be flattering. I also like the little top with the subtle flair.

Jean said...

Of course there was a run on the wool gauze! Darn it -- missed my opportunity! Thank you for letting me know about the bearded iris -- they are blooming like crazy right now!