Dearest Thanks for the Nomination!

I am always surprise when I get comments on my sewing blog... But what a delightful surprise it was on Valentine's Day to find out one of my favorite bloggers, Kathy from The Nerdy Seamstress, nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award!

Liebster means "Dearest" in German!

I love the Kathy's blog because :

• I love her color/fabric choice
• I love how she reuse her favorite patterns and mix them up to achieve different looks
• I believe we have a similar body type so I take note of the silhouette I love most on her...
• She is super prolific! And this is quite impressive for a snailstress like me!

Moreover, I won a giveaway on her blog in 2013 ; the Colette's Anise Jacket pattern. I plan on sewing it this spring/summer to wear it this autumn since I sew so slowly!!

Kathy was nominated by Siri, from The Pinhouse Playmate. Siri described the award as : "a token of recognition that bloggers award to fellow bloggers who they think deserve more recognition."

I think it is fun to discover all the nominees Blogs, going from one to another! I sometimes wonder what would happen first : My Feedly feed reaching the maximum amount of Blog subscriptions or running out of time in my lifetime to read all those interesting Blogs!

So I will answers Kathy's questions and state some facts about me in this post, but I decided to postponed my own nominations to my next post. Mostly because I am submerged by homework assignments this semester and I would like to take the time to properly offer the award to my nominees!

11 facts about me :

1. I love learning.
2. I adore eating in good restaurant!
3. I always buy fabric with/for a pattern : so my stash mostly consist of fabrics for projects not started yet and remnant of projects' fabrics. I must confess I have some backlogs now so it fits in 4 drawers...
4. I am always longing to go visit a new place/country...
5. I would love to have a super hero power like teleportation. 
6. I am a planner : I do not mind a change of plan, but I like having a plan.
7. I am longing for idleness (farniente) but I am a super busy gal with several projects at once!
8. I tried to get rid of harmful chemicals in my household, in both soaps and food.
9. I am both against consumerism and feeling trapped in it, drowning under gifted kids toys and possessions! I seldom buy things for myself, I could spend all my money on resto, outings and travels!
10. I am one of those hangry person ; so is my son, sigh!
11. I am a night owl (as opposed to morning gal) aka see last point and let me eat my breakfast!

My answers to Kathy's 11 questions :

1) What interesting fact about yourself that you want people to know?

My husband and I are VW enthousiasts. We had a VW Westfalia camper since 2003 ; first our superb vintage Sheryl Cherrywagon (1966 model) and then, when the second kid has underway, our practical and reliable Vester Winfriend (1988 model). Few times a summer, we go to VW campout events to chill out with our friends. I can fine tune an old VW air cooled engine and can sew upholstery, awning and build a new camper interior! See the details on my VW Westfalia Customizations page.

Engine Rebuild with my Husband

Sewing Upholstery

2) Why did you take up sewing?

Because I love to be different, to constantly learn and the sound of the sewing machine is soothing to me ; I guess from my childhood memory of playing at my mother's feet while she sew!

I sewed 2 items of clothing in high school. Then put this hobby aside until after graduating University. I then inherited my grand-mother's machine. I sewed mostly home decor, gifts and things for my camper until 2010 when I started to read sewing blogs while nursing my second child and started sewing clothing for myself again!

3) Other than sewing, if time weren't a concern, how would you spend your day?

In a hammock gently rocking in the hot summer breeze, hanging out with my husband and kids without the drama of preparing the next thing on the crazy life agenda and reading books to my soul's content! My answers to Kathy's questions got me thinking ; I really need to move the kids' plastic playhouse and buy a new hammock this Spring!

Our yard, before the kids' toys invasion!

4) What have you learned most from maintaining a blog? 

I am always surprise when I find out people follow my blog. I blog mostly because I love reading review of patterns and seeing the results on different women bodies. So my goal is just to help someone by having my version of a pattern appear in their Google search when they need it... I do not maintain a blog really, I just put my construction note on my blog (and patternreview.com) for everyone that is interested to see! I try to do like Modcloth, I find review of clothing (or sewing patterns) to be most useful with the reviewer's mensuration and alterations notes.

5) What other artistic/crafty things do you like to do? 

I like drawing ; I am always disappointed when the kids say they had enough of coloring and want to play something else! At one point (before kids) I started baking cakes and decorating them... I would have said that I love home decorating, but I figured out that I mostly like organizing space to be more efficient in pretty coordinating  colors. But I am not super good with the finishing touches. Similarly, when I dress I don't accessorize much...

6) What's your favorite outdoor activity? 

I love going camping and all associated activities : hiking, canoeing, kayaking, marshmallow roasting... I have yet to convinced my kids that it is fun to hike! I used to love alpine skiing but stopped when I moved away for University since I was broke... I remember a time when the first snow got me all excited about skiing again! I am looking forward to try it again when are older and I go back to work because I find it to be quite an expensive sport...

Camping in the woods

Canoeing with my family

Pic-nic during a hike

Parc de la Jacque-Cartier, Québec

7) If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it? 

Pay my mortgage, just like that, bam! Then some money aside for the kids' education and spend the rest traveling! I would like to go to different places for a couple of months per year and live there, learn the language, learn a specific skill from there... I would hit all sunny and warm destinations! I would eventually become a full timer ; someone who lives full time in a camper. I guess I would need a generator or a treadling sewing machine...

Full timers in a superb vintage Flxible red RV!

8) What's your favorite childhood memory? 

Time spent on our boat, in the forest and long lazy afternoon naps in the sun. Going to my friends cottage and doing "nothing" all day, no schedule, eating when hungry, reading, swimming... I guess this is the feeling I always try to recreate! (but fail misery as I get older and get more and more enslaved by my todo list!)

 

9) What's your make that you're proud of? 

I was very proud of my bridesmaids dresses. But the perspective of 3 years of sewing blog reading make me she their flaws now... My sister and best friend were still rocking those dresses like pros!

2005 - My bridesmaids dresses

Then, I sew a tiny little baby dress (NL 6575) as a gift for one of my bride maid's baby shower. That dress was fiddly to sew, so tiny little sleeves! I made the smallest size, thinking it would be for a baby, but it was around a size 3T! I am proud that it looked beautiful, not only for my best friend's daughter, then mine, then her second girl and at least 2 others little princesses and still counting!

The dress on my daughter

Finally, I am really proud of the inside and outside of my birthday dress (S 1882) ; I really applied myself! I made it just in time for my first Montreal Sewing Bloggers meetup and my birthday party!

2013 - My Birthday Dress

10) What have you learned most from sewing? 

I learned more about my flaws, I find it hard to get started, but then will go on until done. I need to just start and stop over thinking! One of the last post by Sarai over at the Colleterie resonated with me : to separate decision making time from the actual doing. I think it will help me!

11) What's your guilty pleasure?

Reading a book in a hot bubble bath while drinking baileys with an ice cream floater. Also, eating cake for breakfast and long afternoon naps in the sun!

Cheers!

Stay tune for the next post where 

I nominate my favorites bloggers!