The Wednesday Showcase

We haven't had a Wednesday Showcase post for a while and it's time to get back on track!
Before we begin, I would like to showcase a lovely lady who lives in Australia. She does not have a blog, but I think her efforts deserve to be showcased. Here's the note I received.

Hi Rhonda,
I am a self taught beginner, and was delighted when I opened your blog on Saturday morning (Aussie time). I had downloaded the Libby pattern last week and bought material, but I wanted to line it. Needless to say I had a big smile on my face, with you by my side I had the confidence to start cutting. This was my first invisible zipper, the Tessuti instructions were very helpful. Sunday it was finished, but I lost the light to hem, so finished it off this morning. We have a B&W dress policy at work and I am going to wear it tomorrow, my princess took a photo so I could send to you. Again I can’t thank you enough. Best wishes Liz

Liz and her finished skirt.

I love the smiling face of someone who is wearing a garment that they have made. Congratulations Liz on your masterpiece!!!
Now, speaking of masterpieces, I have 2 ladies to introduce you to who both love art and incorporate it into their blogs and clothing. First up is Janice. Her blog is not about sewing, but inspiration and fashion. She says that she is "the happiest woman alive! Working, working out, eating too much, watching rugby, and enjoying every second of it all." I especially like her "Start with Art" posts. She begins with a piece of artwork and then pulls out the colors.

From there, she compiles a travel wardrobe. She gathers pieces that would be perfect for the plane ride,

and shows the pieces that you would have in your bag.

Then finally, a compilation of all the pieces that shows how well everything would mix and match.

You can find all of her "Start with Art posts HERE.
There's another feature on her blog that I think you might find especially interesting. It's called Project 333 and it "is the idea, initiated by Courtney Carver, that all your need to get through a season is 33 total items. Her plan includes shoes and accessories." Janice provides a worksheet and posts about the project HERE. I had the pleasure of meeting Janice recently at the neighborhood American Sewing Guild meeting where I spoke. She's just a lot of fun and I think you will enjoy getting to know her too. You can find her blog here, http://www.theviviennefiles.com/.

Next up is a lovely lady from Germany. Although her blog is written in German, thanks to Google, we no longer need to speak another language in order to enjoy a blog written in another language. Her name is MaxLau and you can find her blog here, http://vonmaxlau.blogspot.de/ Her interests are reading and sewing.
When I initially clicked on her blog, this was what I saw and oh my goodness would I ever love to have a piece of this fabric!! She now has her very own Rembrandt!

What a gorgeous coat!

Inspired by this Dolce and Gabbana piece,

she created this beautiful, spot on dress.

She enjoys doing these fun little sketches to map out what she would like. Take note of the lace in the corner.

I think this is such a great idea for pieces of lace you may have leftover from another project. Look closely and you'll see that she used linen to make the blouse and then did an overlay of the lace on the front panels. Lovely.

So there you have it! We have zoomed all over the world, from Australia, to Germany and back to Chicago!! Hope you've been inspired as much as I have been.
Have a wonderful day!!!
Rhonda