Just finished this dress a few moments ago. Well, it’s not quite finished…I haven’t hemmed the sleeves yet, but who can wait to hem the friggin’ sleeves when the dress turns out this perfectly???? I slipped it on to check the fit after finishing the side seams and an involuntary “holy shit!” escaped my mouth. Huzzah! Just ignore those horrible ‘camel’ coloured tights. They match … Continue reading V8904: I am on FIRE!
Over the past few weeks I watched the first two seasons (well, only two seasons) of The Hour, a British TV series about a current affairs TV show on the BBC in the 1950’s. If you can get past the first season, which was only just OK (it featured a fairly implausible KGB spy plot), then you’ll uncover the gold which is season 2. I … Continue reading Feelin’ Royal Blue
On Saturday night I was hanging out with my nephew who was discovering vinyl records for the first time, so we were going through some dusty crates of records in the basement, trotting out some weird old stuff like Bauhaus, Jesus & Mary Chain, and Nina Hagen. What’s a kid’s musical education without a little Nina Hagen? LOL. Anyway, it seems fitting that I suddenly … Continue reading Back to School in 80s Style
I did it! I tamed the beast! I sewed this chiffon blouse, which I had been dreading, and it wasn’t so bad after all. I sewed the shit out of it, in fact. Five-headed hydra fabric, you are no match for ME! This is Burda’s 10/2011 Chiffon blouse with tie band #128B. Here’s the picture of Burda’s model: It’s got a baggy, 70s type feel, … Continue reading I Just Opened a Can of Whoop-Ass on this Blouse
Just ask me how goddamned pleased I am with myself! Go on, ask me! I’m pretty goddamned pleased, thanks for asking. This shirt turned out pretty great and you can tell how I feel by that cat-who-swallowed-the-canary grin on my face. (Or maybe that’s just the look I get when I’m waiting for the camera’s self-timer to go off. Must get a remote shutter release.) … Continue reading Kaboom! Circles Stars Bombs & Flowers shirt is finished!
I am scared stitchless. I purchased the pattern for the Burda 10/2011 Chiffon blouse with tie band #128B almost a month ago, and bought fabric for it soon after, but I can’t seem to bring myself to sew it. Trouble is, I’m pretty sure that sewing that fabric is gonna be the death of me. It’s a thin, sheer, ravel-y, drooling monster that keeps me awake … Continue reading Scared Stitchless
The movie Gone With the Wind made a big impression on me when I was a kid. It seemed to be on TV an awful lot on Sunday afternoons, right up there with The Sound of Music, so I saw it a lot. But Carol Burnett’s spoof of GWTW might have made a bigger impression. I’ll never forget how she spoofed the scene where Scarlett, … Continue reading The Scarlett O’Hara Apron
I had some fun the last couple of days putting together a basic tote bag for my niece (by request from her). It came out pretty big; I’m hoping it’s not too big for her 11-year-old frame. Because to make it the right size would have required me to actually plan out its finished size and then, um, MEASURE the damn pieces, which always just … Continue reading The Crooked Pocket Tote Bag Conundrum
This amazing vintage pattern just arrived in my mailbox, and when I find the right fabric I’m going to sew the shit out of it! Props & gratitude to Colleen from Proctor Creations on Etsy, as not only did she wrap this up in the cutest package, AND enclose a lovely thank you card that was made from what appears to be an original photograph … Continue reading 60’s Revival: mod dress & fabrics
This may be the most flattering dress I’ve worn in a long time. It’s from the downloadable Burda pattern #122A and, as Clio on her Clio & Phineas blog put it, has “mystical bum enhancing properties”. Definite agree on that one! I wore it last week to my students’ convocation ceremony and got a ton of compliments on it. Don’t you love being able to … Continue reading Paneled Sheath Dress: sewing success!
Frivolous At Last 