Wondering about the header image on this blog? Wanna know how that piece of blue fabric and yellow embroidery ended up? Read on.  Are you wondering what I was making and why I did not choose a better graphic? Are you questioning whether I was able to get those marks out of the fabric?

For starters, here’s an un-cropped version of the image where my Brother embroidery machine is doing all the work.  The image depicts part of the construction process of a much-loved top! Truthfully, I find the unintended composition quite interesting.

I found inspiration in an  InStyle magazine page. I love this magazine. Each month they have a feature called “Color Crash Course” which focuses on one color and suggests ideas on how to wear it. This particular issue featured yellow, which the In Style editors named “lemon”.

 I looked at this page, and then glanced at a pile of my fabric stash which had the same shade of yellow beckoning me. It is rayon microfiber which I paired with a leftover blue denim-like rayon. The sewing stars began to align….

The pattern used is Simplicity 2594, in which the version shown in plaid has become my favorite. I used this pattern twice before.  Then came inspiration for the embroidered blue yoke with a yellow bodice, and I was in fashion sewing euphoria (it doesn’t take much to be propelled there).  All three tops are rotated frequently in my closet. Isn’t that what fashion sewing is about? As my friend Nancy Erickson’s  book title says “Do You Love What You Sew?” (notwithstanding the occasional dud).

Here it is!!!

Wait… what about those marks which are quite visible on the header??  Well, they’re FriXion pens, new-ish on the sewing market. I used them mainly to mark the yoke pattern outline and seam allowances which made embroidery placement easier.  Their claim to fame is that the marks disappear when you apply a hot iron.  That claim proved correct, which is why you see me freely using the pens on the right side of my blue fabric.  However, please test them on a scrap before using in your project!  There are some sewing enthusiasts who had a different experience with the FriXion pens. Disclaimer: I am not paid for writing these words, and the manufacturer does not know me from thread. These pens are my own purchase and I find them intriguing, and so far very useful.

There you have it; these are the origins of the graphic on my blog. OK, now it’s your turn to give me some feedback about this post. Any questions? Comments? I’ll be thrilled to read your thoughts or questions!

Please do follow me on Twitter @seweverything and Facebook! I promise the links to Twitter and Facebook will go up soon. Just before I scheduled this post, I was technically traumatized by a computer crash!

Lots of sewing love from me to you…..

Samina