Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Mood Fabric Shirt

Yesterday and today, I spent my free moments sewing.  I was able to finish a shirt made from one of my fabrics.
Mood Fabric shirt
I used a Cynthia Rowley pattern that I had used before.  It was Simplicity 2593.  This pattern is really simple to make and really showcases the print of the shirt.  The fabric that I got from Mood was a silk/cotton blend and it feels amazing, but it was very slippery and flimsy to work with.  I had a hard time with it, but I am so happy with the final product and how well it drapes.
Old version of shirt
The last time I made this shirt, I was super unhappy with the neckband.  It did not look like the pattern envelope.  I messed with it and redid it several times, but never ended up liking it so I took it off.  This time, I added a lot more twists to the band and then added gathered areas where I stitched the band to the shirt.  After I took this picture, I also tacked the neckband in place to secure the detail a little more.  I'm so much happier with it this time around.  I think I'll get a lot of wear out of this blouse this spring and summer.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Castle

As I mentioned in my Mood Fabric post, our reason for coming to L.A. was to go to the Saban Theater to see a panel discussion with the actors and writers of Castle. Phil and I love this murder mystery show and look forward to watching it each week.


Phil and I first went to Mood where we were greeted by


Oscar the dog. After Mood, we went to lunch at the King's Road cafe, which is a favorite spot for coffee and breakfast or lunch. The food is outstanding and their coffee is roasted and brewed on site. We love it. After lunch, we did a little shopping, then checked into the Redbury Hotel.


Each floor had a sitting area like this.


And I saw this print a few places in the hotel. I loved that it had an MG like my dad is restoring and the marquee had some of his favorite bands on it.


I loved the sitting area in our room. It was separated from the bedroom by a credenza where the TV sat.


The TV swiveled to be viewed in bed or on the couch. The room also had a record player and the hotel had stocked the room with some vinyl that we had requested (CSNY and John Coltrane). The whole hotel had the eclectic design aesthetic of Emily Henderson.





After relaxing in the hotel, we headed to the Saban to see the show. Parking was a mess so I was really worried about getting there on time. We ended up parking several blocks away and it felt like quite a trek in my 3 inch heels. We made it just minutes before the show started.



The show began with the actress who plays Lanie singing the song from the "Blue Butterfly" episode. Next, we got to see the next episode of Castle even though the post production work wasn't finished yet. I loved sitting in a theater full of fans and watching the episode together. The mutual laughter and excitement for the show brought more life to the episode.


Finally, they brought the actors out. I got butterflies when I saw Nathan Fillion and had to remind myself to breathe. He was as charming last night as he is on the show. I was not disappointed.


Lastly, we went back to the hotel's bar called, "The Library" and had a drink. Phil and I were a little starstruck as we reminisced about the day. A very memorable day indeed.

Mood Fabric

For Christmas, Phil bought me a gift certificate to Mood Fabric in L.A. because of my love for sewing and Project Runway. We journeyed to L.A. yesterday to see a panel discussion with the cast and writers from Castle, which was an amazing experience and another blog post in itself.
We got to L.A. early enough to go to Mood. It's a fabulous store with designer fabrics galore. Beautiful. And there is a cute chihuahua named Oscar that greets visitors at the entrance. I took my time perusing the fabrics and finally settled on two.




I'm planning on making a top with the first fabric. It's a silk/cotton blend that feels divine. I think I'm going to make this Cynthia Rowley Simplicity top.



I'm planning on making a dress with the second fabric. I like the Collette Macaron dress for that fabric.



I'm so glad to have a sewing inspiration again and I can't wait to get started.