This post was brought to you by the letter B

I have done a *little* sewing, and have a skirt about half-finished but I've been swamped at work of late so I've set it aside for now.  I hope to be back to it before too much longer.  But enough about the alleged skirt -- what's this about the letter B?

Thanks to Bea of Butterflies and Hurricanes, I was inspired to buy some Seriously Awesome Jeans.  I've been having trouble finding good jeans in this era of the dastardly skinny pant, in which I look like a freak of nature, if I can get the damn things on at all.   Usually they don't pull up over my thighs.  I have a very curvy, muscular lower half, and it wasn't meant for this look.   The good news is that for Spring we apparently are to expect a 70s vibe, and while I can't say that in itself sounds like great news to me, it apparently means that higher-waisted flare-legged jeans are on their way in.

I never thought the high-waisted look was for me -- too mom-jeansy on my figure.  However, this morning I spotted Bea's me-made March post, which included some adorable high-waisted jeans that she made herself.   Alas, making my own pair is not on the map.  (Remember from just two paragraphs ago how I am struggling to finish a simple freakin' skirt?)  Anyhow, Bea's super-flattering jeans were enough to make me pause in front of the high-waisted jeans at the Gap.  I grabbed some.  I tried them on.  They were a tad too big, but I was surprised to find that I loved the look.  I went home without them, but checked online, to see if I could order them.  Nope, they were sold out in all but one size (not the one I was looking for, of course).  Uh oh ... now I was really sure I wanted them!   I went to a different Gap, where I found some the exact same size as the first pair, but these miraculously fit.   I could damn Gap for their inconsistent sizing, but I think I'll just be delighted that I got my jeans.  :)

I also bought another, not quite as high-waisted but equally nice fitting pair.   The first pair has now been taken off the website, so I can only show you the photo.  The other pair is here.  I think a big part of what makes these work is that the waist truly fits me (I'm used to higher waists being super gappy) and the back pocket placement, which is lower than the typical "mom jeans" look.  Now I need to get cracking on some vintage blouses to wear with them!  If I ever finish my skirt ...  Anyhow, thanks Bea for the inspiration!

Though I have not been sewing, I have managed to stock up on sale Butterick and Simplicity patterns from JoAnn's.  It kind of boggles the mind how modern patterns can be $17 most of the time and then suddenly $1 on sale.  Not that I'm complaining.

There's one more B to mention in this post ... this one is for Barbara, my neighbor, who gave me all this lovely fabric:

The fabrics in the upper left (a black one that's hard to see, and the two teal tweedy ones) are heavier, home-decor-like fabric that would be good for making bags and such.  In the upper right are some smallish (about 1 yard each) quilting fabrics, which could become bag linings, or perhaps used for trim, or facings, or with coordinating fabrics.  There are also some bigger pieces of cotton fabric (the purple striped one is probably seven or eight yards!) plus a sampling of rayon and/or poly fabrics that will be good for blouses.  And that lovely pin-striped wool suiting!   Anyhow, it's a wonderful windfall, and I look forward to using all of it!