Out with the Old, In with the New

Time to do some trading out in the sewing room.

First, Ye Olde Red Pin Cushion Tomato:


At Joann's last night this green tomato pin cushion caught my eye. How perfect for a green sewing room, right? And so much more fun and whimsical than the Ye Olde Red One.

Next up, sewing mats:

Before, and …


After.


Yes, it's going to need a day or so to flatten out.

I grabbed some stacks of sewing books from the nearby bookcase to help it along.


I'm tired of running off the edges of my mis-matched mats so I hope I like this new one. It's not self-healing and has a completely different feel to it, but it seems sturdy after a few trial cuts of nothing. My green Olfa mat has seen better days. The edges are chipped (not really chipped but I don't know how else to describe it) and there are a number of rough spots. The smaller gray mat was my first (sigh) and was more geared toward fitting on my cutting table when I had to store it closed at the other house. I bought the green mat because I was tired of sliding the gray one all around the place. The've done their job and have done it well, but it's time to spread out to the full width of the table now that I've got a real sewing room.

While at Joann's, of course I couldn't help but wander around the fabric department.


1. Crosshatched non-stretch denim, 5+ yds (remainder of bolt). This pic shows the denim lighter than the indigo it really is, more like in the pic below. There's enough here for jeans for me and jeans or shorts for DS. When I get to whatever is made for DS, I won't tell him that we're the Bobsy Twins.


2. Brown rayon blend doubleknit, 3+ yds and, again, the last of the bolt.

3. Green rayon blend doubleknit, 3+ yds and yes, the end of the bolt again. So someone besides me is buying Joann's good stuff. I hope they're paying attention. I'm thinking Yoga-type pants for both of these knits.

4. Brown RPL (rayon/poly/Lycra) woven, 3 yds and I left some on the bolt this time. I'll see how this launders before I decide if I like it or if it will be muslining stock.

All were $5/yd and under, plus my 10% ASG discount card, plus a 40% off coupon and the 10% ASG discount on the mat. I think I did OK. I would've done even worse but it was getting on 9 PM and they were starting to shoo us out the door.

On a semi-related note, I kept running into a cute teenage girl walking around with her pattern (and her mom), picking out fabric, notions, etc. She seemed to know exactly what she was doing and it made me smile to see a sewer in the making.

I also picked up one of the upcoming class brochures. It was full-color glossy, which makes it more expensive than the newsprint brochures I've seen in the past, which means Joann's is spending more to promote its classes. A Good Thing. But even better, is that their garment sewing classes are on the front cover. Not knitting, not quilting, but *garment* sewing.

Two classes in particular caught my eye. The first is really part of a series of 3, starting with very basic beginner. But the third set in this series is for what they're calling a wardrobe (jacket and skirt or pants) and includes more advanced skills (zippers, buttonholes, etc.). Usually, Joann's teaches making a pillow or pull-on PJ pants. That kind of thing. This series looks like it is actually building some skills and ending with something a bit more stylish than their usual fare and which someone might actually want to wear out of the house.

The other is a class for planning and sewing your own prom dress. How fun and what a great way to entice those teenagers. I should make a note of the class days and time and go spy on them. I bet that would be fun to see, and I mean that in a good way.

Now I don't know who the teachers are or how well they teach, but it does seem like Joann's is starting to listen. First with all the better fabrics I'm finding there lately and also by appealing to the younger set. Yes, the fleece was still in abundance, but at the store I frequent, the whole department has been rearranged and the fleece is not front and center in your face anymore. Instead, it's all on shelving in its own section and you don't even see it until you're deep into the other fabrics.

I was obviously more tired than I realized when I wrote yesterday's entry. I'm *not* going to meet up with my mom today. That's tomorrow. Sheesh. I knew that. So, maybe I'll get some time to start on my jacket muslin today. Around paying bills and sorting paperwork and meeting with our business attorney this afternoon.