I'll Have A Blue Christmas

Elizabeth the fabric fairy surprised me with some lovely fabric she picked up at Marden's. Her husband, Josh, tried to dissuade her from something so "seedy", but fortunately she paid no heed. This fabric is awesome! Elvis Christmas - is there anything better? I say no.
And little did she know that I had already started amassing Elvis Christmas fabric. I still don't know what I'm going to make, but it's going to rock!










References:
LizaP Design
Josh Zyber
Cranston Village (Fabric Manufacturer)
Marden's Surplus and Salvage

Blue Star Banner Quilt

I really wish I didn't have to make any more of these but they keep sending kids over to war, so I'm still at it. I made this one for a friend at work whose son is off to Afghanistan.  I modified my pattern from some of my earlier ones, and went with the more traditional longer format. I got the pattern from Military Moms and it worked great.I made the wavy quilting lines using my Leaves Galore template from Sue Pelland Designs, love that thing.

References:
Military Mom's Blue Star Banner Quilt Pattern
Sue Pelland Designs Leaves Galore Template
History of the Blue Star Service Banner

Calaveras Tunic

Last year I picked up a vintage Vogue pattern at Brimfield with Elizabeth. I don't normally do much apparel sewing, but this looked pretty easy and reminded me of something Mrs. Roper on Three's Company would wear, so how could I resist.



Fast forward a year and Elizabeth and I were wandering around Franklin Mills and I found this great Alexander Henry "Indigo Skull" fabric on the sale rack. Again, how could I resist? Even though I didn't know what I was going to do with it, I needed to have it. And then I recalled the tunic pattern and got to sewing the very next weekend.


It came together in a few hours with relatively few issues. I had to get out the sewing machine manual to remind myself how to do a blind hem and I modified the sleeves a bit so they weren't quite so gigantic. I made the sash with a yellow fat quarter I had from a collection of Amish solids (you never know where you're going to find that piece of fabric you need in your stash). Overall, very pleased with the result!

References:
Brimfield Antique Show
Elizabeth's Blog
Franklin Mill Store
Alexander Henry Fabric