E for Excellent!

How exciting! I've been tagged as an E for Excellent blog by not one, but TWO Excellent Bloggers. Vintage Threads (Charity in Alaska) and Diary of a Sewing Fanatic (Carolyn) both named me in their lists. I am so honored and flattered. They are both on my list of bloggers that I read regularly, and it's so nice to know that my posts aren't completely frivolous.

Carolyn is a long-time friend from the old Sewing World, and now Stitcher's Guild. She is fearless and committed to excellence in her sewing and design. She has shown me that it's not only unnecessary but silly to "reinvent the wheel" with each new garment when we have patterns we've slaved over until they fit perfectly that we could tweak a bit and make again with a totally different look. I'd done some of this before, but Carolyn takes it to a new level, and her embellishments are subtle, wearable, and beautifully unique.

Charity is an indefatigable stitcher and designer who is always doing something interesting, and who can take a technique we all know and add a small improvement/variation and come up with something that will make you say "Ooh, that's wonderful!" Right now she's in the middle of a Hundred Skirt Project in which she and some other bloggers who've volunteered are making a hundred skirts with coordinating Tees to send to a Guatemalan orphanage with which she has a connection. The skirts are spread across the size range beginning I think, at T3 through adult. These aren't just plain old skirts either. Each one is embellished to show off the fabric pattern and the Tees are coordinated as noted above, and each ensemble has a name. She's aiming to finish by August. There is one that I hope to shamelessly copy the pocket from. It's this one called Pocket Pals.

I love the knotted strip at the top of the pocket, and I think the fabric combination is darling.

Now, I have to think up 10 (only 10!) deserving blogs as well. I will try to choose blogs that haven't already been chosen, so I'll be leaving out quite a few favorites.

Sew Distracted is Mardel's sewing and knitting blog. She has a wonderful eye for fashion, and uses the most fabulous fabrics and yarns to create her personal style. She is also a source of books-to-read ideas for me, and she reviews them when she's done too. Her taste is exquisite.

Barbara at Cat Fur Studio is a real bundle of energy as she seems to sew most of her wardrobe while effortlessly performing her very high-powered 'real' job. Her shoe choices with her outfits are always instructive as well.

You Can Have It Made which is always an interesting read, and often quite witty. One of my favorite recent posts is
Dirty Tricks Patterns Play, or: Things to Know #10.

Stitchworks is a very seriously art and especially fiber-art blog, with some sewing, but lately more fabric design and manipulation. This is pure inspiration.

May Studio's M&M is a knitting maven. If it can be knit, she will knit it and it will be gorgeous, perfectly done, perfectly fitted, and done very quickly. She is also extremely generous with her time to those of us who beg for translations of the Japanese sewing and knitting patternbooks. She and Hellenne did all the translations for the Mrs Stylebook instructions available at Stitcher's Guild, and helped walk a group of us through a skirt draft from the magazine, which turned out perfectly due to her excellent skills.

Patty Hudson at Fiberly One is another fabulous knitter who is concentrating on lace knitting recently, but knitted things drop from her needles in perfection with great rapidity. She has done sample knitting for KnitPicks at times, especially when they need something on a tight deadline. She also sews beautifully, and as she sews many shirts for her husband, I feel we're kindred spirits in this endeavor.

Gaile Online has a great blog that's been a favorite for a long time. She's a Canadian knitter/photographer who is an engaging writer as well on just about any topic. Her bird photos are some of my favorites.


Pam Erny has 2 blogs that are well-worth following.
The first is Off The Cuff Style which details her custom shirtmaking. She most often does hand drafted patterns with subtle details to perfectly tailor a shirt and its details to her client and his activities.
The second is Sewing for the Divas which has detailed her efforts at clothing her fashionista nieces in the style in which they are thrilled to be becoming accustomed. It appears to have been folded into her first blog above, but the photos and tips still on it are worth looking at if you're interested in very cute and innovative customization of children's wear and of Ottobre patterns in particular.

NancyW at encue creations is always inspiring. I like her photographic record of fitting challenges and her solutions. She does some beautiful work, and has just finished her 2008 SWAP. Congratulations, Nancy!