Back and ready for more!

While this is mainly a sewing/crafting blog, I want to address some personal stuff before moving on.  Feel free to scroll down to a brief sewing bit at the end.

I feel the need to address the year-long silence here on my blog.  About this time last year, on Easter Sunday actually, my mom checked herself into the hospital with abdominal pain.  It was diagnosed as pancreatic cancer and she passed away just 4 months later.  My mom and I were very close, and it was a painful experience to say the least.  She was only 46. While this was going on, I also got laid off from San Diego Unified and things fell apart with my now ex-boyfriend.

So while this sounds a little sad, and I guess it was at the time, it launched me in such a good life trajectory.  I ended up moving to Sacramento, where I have some family.  I got a job teaching 7th grade.  I lost 20 pounds.  And I have a new man in my life. I've been sewing a bit off and on in the past year, but things are finally really settled and I've jumped 110% back into sewing and dipping my toes back into my blog.

And now that that's off my chest, onto sewing matters!

I'm currently working on Sewaholic's Alma blouse.

Waiting for sleeves and a hem!

I'm using a black and ivory stretch sateen that I think I bought from FabricMart, but it was years ago. For the contrast collar I'm using a fuchsia corduroy that has also been in the stash for a while.

I told you I had some stuff for years- Look how wrinkled that corduroy was!

I expect to be able to finish it tonight or (more realistically) tomorrow.  But the part I want to brag about is that fact that I installed an invisible zipper-like a boss! And without an invisible zipper foot either.

So invisible you can hardly even see it!

Here's some tutorials I used, if anybody else struggles with invisible zippers like me!
http://www.burdastyle.com/techniques/how-to-insert-an-invisible-zipper-without-an-invisible-zipper-foot/technique_steps/4
http://www.coletterie.com/tutorials-tips-tricks/tutorial-installing-an-invisible-zipper
http://blog.sewserendipity.com/2009/08/dont-fear-invisible-zipper.html
The key for me was to adjust the needle position to the far left and uncurl the teeth as I sewed.  Worked just fine!


Look for some finished pics in a few days. :)