New Kwik Sew patterns!

I admit that I am a pattern junkie. I'm not a snob, I love them all. I subscribe to every major and minor pattern manufacturer's email updates: McCall's, Vogue, Butterick, Simplicity, New Look, Kwik Sew, Hot Patterns, Jalie, you name it. I stalk European pattern magazine websites like a hawk. Any time I get a whiff of new patterns (which is quite often, when you think about it), I pop on over to the appropriate website and click with breathlessness. Ah, new patterns; so full of promise and imaginary sewing.

Recently Kwik Sew released their Summer 2010 catalogue, and well, LOVE. I found so many that caught my eye, I just had to pick up a couple on a recent Yardage Town trip. Now, I have to mention that I am a very lucky sewer in the Kwik Sew department. I can get them at my local Yardage Town for a whopping 40% off, every day. Yes, that's right, whichever never-go-on-sale, not -available-very-many-places Kwik Sew pattern that I want is instantly available to me at a ridiculous discount on any given day of the week. Thank you, sewing gods.

Here are the two I picked out:

I want to make several of these tank tops to go over my leggings this Summer. This pattern happens to be drafted for woven fabrics, and I hope make view A out of a really floaty, champagne-colored silk I bought a while back. Kwik Sew also released a very similar pattern for knit fabrics, but I told myself that I don't need two patterns for basically the same thing. I will just adapt this one for knits and get more use out of it.

I was attracted to this bathing suit pattern, as it's becoming that time of year again (ugh) where I have to take my kids to the beach/swimming pool and feel like a pale, dumpy mom while surrounded by hot young things in do-me bikinis. Yay. My favorite season. I know, I know. I have an arguably slim figure and should not complain. But the fact is that people who look tan and hot and pre-childbirth in bikinis make everyone else feel bad, regardless of your size/shape. And I live in SoCal, where they seem to grow beautiful skinny girls on trees. With my pre-kneaded bread dough tummy and negative A-cup floppy breasts, looking cute in a swimsuit is a little bit more of a tall order than it used to be. So, I am planning to make view B in a pretty teal print and sew supportive bra cups into the bodice. How awesome does that shirring look for concealing mommy gush? Already I'm feeling better.

I also picked up this super-cute skull print. I am always looking out for girly, dare I say sweet? skull prints, so I was really excited to find this. I'm thinking jammies for presents, and possibly some for DD as well:

In other news, I'm working on a project for me out of this gaaaahgeous light, cotton print from Joanns. See, Joanns has cute, quality stuff sometimes! Never count that store out. This fabric came out of my mom's crappy agitator washer with hardly any wrinkles, and feels lovely. I got it off the quilting cotton wall for, like, $4 a yard on sale. I'm sewing up view A of Anna Maria Horner's Evening Empire Dress, the knee-length version with straps. Maybe I will start to like Summer more if I have some cute dresses? Eh, at least they might make it a little more bearable.


FYI, I don't hate Summer only because of bathing suits, I just plain don't like to be hot. And our Summer here lasts for-ev-er. Like, into November. Gimme Spring, or gimme Fall, but don't give me unending 80+ degree days.

Up next, hopefully I will show off this dress!