My eyes say it all... Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had as great a Halloween as I did! Luckily, I was able to get work off for the weekend to travel home for the festivities. And in case I forgot to mention, I now work in a fabric store! Anywho, I was going to be a dia de los muertos bride for Halloween, but felt to lazy as there was practically no effort put into the costume. So in light of recent events involving spiders everywhere in my life, I decided if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. One afternoon before Halloween, my roommate and I popped Casper into the DVD player, and went to work on our costumes. I assisted her in making her raccoon tail and she assisted me in assembling my eyeball hair combs for my spider costume. My boyfriend Kris was Fido, and his costume turned out wonderfully as well! We bought the patch from Etsy which I just sewed onto his shirt, and he designed the collar himself. He's a crafty man, whether he wants to admit it or not :)

I bought some black crepe that was discounted to $1.97 a yard for having a flaw and I couldn't seem to find, and some felt and plastic hair combs for the eyeballs. This costume was under 10 bucks to make. Seriously. I just made a little body, stuffed some spider legs, and connected them with some string. I also used elastic to attach the legs to my wrists so I could have my hands free for eating and playing games during the evening. Some black leggings combat boots, and fun make-up were the finishing touches! Kris used a grey belt, some metal rings, the metal bottom of two lightbulbs, and a little wooden block to make his Zomcon collar.

We were quite the festive and crafty couple!

 He and his buddies also made all sorts of crazy food including a graveyard cake, zombie punch with spooky dry ice fog, jalapeno artichoke dip that looked like brains, bat wings, and other great things. They used (sanitized!) barbie and doll parts as drink stirrers and food servers, too!

This Halloween was fun, festive, and made from the heart!

P.S... I'm planning on making a dress this weekend :)

Happy Autumn!

It's my favorite time of year. Getting all cozied up under a pile of blankeys with a warm mug of citrus green tea and my new Fall shows couldn't get any dreamier. Well, except that there is a nagging pile of textbooks waiting for me in my bedroom. But that aside, Fall in Michigan is glorious. I loved UP Fall best of all, but Grand Rapids Fall isn't so bad either. I have already broke out my puffy vest and scarf, and can't wait for it to get chilly enough to wear my sock monkey hat that my parents got me for my birthday!

I have a chili pepper red peacoat with buttons down the back that this will complement nicely :)

Switching gears completely, I have something new and adorable to show you:

I've been meaning to make a purse out of this fabric for months, and bought this pattern, Vogue 7889, with such intention, but never got around to it. This pattern came with instructions for 4 different purses, and I had originally planned on view D, but changed my mind at the very last second and just impulse made view A instead. I love it! The outer shell is a Michael Miller fabric the inside shell is Heather Bailey. Here's what the inside looks like, it could almost be reversible:

It fits all of my things really nicely, with room to spare for when I need to throw in my headphones or a pepsi for the road. My last purse didn't have any pockets and was lined with black cotton, the same color as my phone, so I could never find it. This one little pocket is PERFECT for my phone, and is in a nice struggle free reach zone. The top also opens up nice and wide so I can easily scrounge around for what I need.

I highly recommend this style handbag for the fall. Something easy, quick to sew, and casual with spare room for mittens!

Mr. Tiki

It's been so long! But I'm back with something new and exciting. I embroidered a tiki dude onto a shirt for my Mr to wear to a wedding this past weekend. He loved it! And I thought he looked quite dapper in it, as well. This is my second embroidery project i've completed, and I am thrilled with how it turned out.

And here's a close-up of Mr. Tiki, fresh out of the hoop!

I used the Tiki Freak pattern from Sublime Stitching, with their transfer paper and stylus as well, since it was on a black shirt. The white transfer paper didn't really work that well on this shirt material, so I mostly just eyeballed the pattern and went free-hand. I changed the pattern around the eyes a bit because I thought it was too busy, but otherwise I tried to stay pretty true to the pattern. I love this design because it is colorful, yet still masculine and to boyfriend's taste.

Next on the list: a birthday dress (I hope!). My 23rd birthday is next Friday, the 11th, and I would LOVE to have the time to make a new dress to wear out to dinner and then maybe a drink or two at the voodoo bar. Wishful thinking everyone!!

I'll be back soon!

Sorry I've been away so long! This past month has been a whirlwind of craziness, and I haven't gotten any down-time to work on anything new. I have so many projects lined up that I want to get started on asap, but other things have to come first. I started a new job as a keyholder at Francesca's Collections, a brand new store that opened last week, so that's been gobbling up my time, on top of being a full-time summer student. My classes will be wrapping up at the end of June so my free time should be my own after that. I will have to squeeze in a little bit of time for a project as my Mr. want's me to embroider him a shirt to wear to a wedding in early June, but that's pretty much all I have time for right now. Hopefully, I'll be back soon!

Lantern Embroidery!!

I tried my hand at a little embroidery for the very first time last night... and I loved it! I ordered a few patterns and supplies from Sublime Stitching and got right to stitching in the little free time that I could find. It was a good de-stresser, but now i'm looking around my apartment thinking "hmm, what in here could I embroider?" haha.

The patterns that I am now the proud owner of are:
- ChinaTown
- Tiki Freak
- Krazy Kitchen
- Tattoo Alphabet
- Dia De Los Muertos
- Craftopia

I used three lanterns from the Chinatown pattern sheet to embroider my pillowcase.

The comforter on my bed is patchwork that's supposed to resemble a rice bag, and I have little paper lanterns hanging above my bed as well, so I thought that these colorful lanterns would tie in my plain-jane pillowcase nicely.

Not too shabby for my first try, eh? I'm pleased.

Now does anyone have suggestions on things that I can embroider for dudes?

The Slippery Pepper

My boyfriend and his crew like to get together and cook something wild as often as they can. It can get out of control. And now they have started a blog to chronicle those events and tasty, tasty meals! Their first post is very down to earth and subtle for them, but if you have any interest in reading about mind blowing cuisine in the future, I'd suggest you check it out!

A little update...

I have been mind-bogglingly busy lately between finishing up the semester and job-hunting, and haven't been able to get any sewing in, but I do have a few small updates:

I had an interview this morning for a position in a clothing and gift boutique called Francesca's, and I wore my bird-swing dress for good luck and confidence. I think it went very well!! I have another interview this weekend at Delia*s, and I think I might wear this dress for that one as well. This dress is definitely getting good wear And good feedback :)

I also received a surprise package in the mail today from my parents in appreciation of all of my hard work in school. And inside was an awesome unique bike bell, some candy, and...... some limited edition cheetah print Gingher 8" dressmaker's shears!!!

They are absolutely gorgeous and cut though fabric like butter!! It was the perfect pick-me-up that I've been needing.

My herbs are sprouting like it's nobodies business! It's too cold here to put them outside for some sunshine (there is STILL a frost warning for this weekend!), but they seem pleased as punch in the windowsill. There is something so satisfying about something electric green and full of life springing out of a minuscule dry seed.

I hope to have something summery to show you soon!!

The calm before the storm

I kicked off the week to a good start, even though I fear it is going to be a perilous week none-the-less (as the semester winds down, the professors realize they haven't taught us anything and really pile it on). It was a gorgeous day in lower Michigan, and my wonderful housemate and I seized the crap out of it! Even though I live right next to Grand Rapids, I rarely go into the city. But there is an amazing (and cheap!) Mediterranean grill called Parsley that has good deals for students, so we decided to head to the big city for a late lunch. It felt so nice to sit out in the sunshine enjoying good food and people watching. It was almost like a little vacation :) We went for a good walk around the city and stopped in an awesome little bookshop (If I hadn't accidentally left my debit card in the pocket of the pants I had worn the day before on the floor at home, I may have purchased everything in the store!).

We still hadn't had enough sunshine when we got home, so we plopped ourselves on our front landing and chilled. Julie was hard at work on her many "lists" of things and I took the opportunity to pot some herbs. I have never grown herbs before, so here's to hoping I get at least one little sprig of something to grow! I planted some Lavender, Greek Basil, Parsley, and planned on some Sweet Peppers, but can't seem to locate the packet of seeds, so I'll have to run out and find some more of those. I was going to leave them out on the landing for some fresh air last night, but took them in and put them on the windowsill last minute... boy am I ever glad I did because we had outrageous storms all night and half of the day so far today! They would have been washed right away!

I also inherited my mom's old "rootbeer" bike that I was lucky enough to bring down with me. It's from 1982, but is in perfect condition. It's a rust-orange-brown color (hence the "rootbeer" bike) with fenders, a nice big seat with springs, big handlebars... the whole bit! I love it, I really do... all it needs is a nice big wire basket on the front and maybe a few silk flowers for decoration. I'll post a picture of it when I get those things. Of course there is rain in the forecast for much of the week so I can't really cruise around that much, but it's a blessing in disguise because I have too much on my plate as it is...

I also found a little bit of time before I went to sleep to cut out a new project, Simplicity 2654, view A (the pants).

I have a job shadow and some presentations coming up very quickly and need some snappy new dress pants. This is my first attempt at ever sewing pants, so any tips or tricks would be much appreciated!! They don't look very complicated, which makes me even more worried, hehe. I hope to have them done by tomorrow evening since I have a job shadow on Thursday, so wish me luck! I'll keep you posted on the process.

P.S.... isn't there something so Zen about cutting out a new pattern to the sound of a thunderstorm and pouring rain??

A little birdie told me...

that I finished another dress!

I finished this little birdie summer dress today! I think it is my favorite so far, and it fits me to a tee! It's made from Simplicity 2588 with the flared skirt, designer tabs, and neckband options. On the skirt there is a center front pleat, two more on each side of this pleat, two back pleats, 22" zipper, princess bodice seams, and back bodice darts. It went together rather quickly and nicely, until I accidentally cut a big hole in the skirt with my pinking shears. I had to patch it up, but it hides in a fold in the back of the skirt.

Here's a little close up of the green buttons on the tabs:

It was one of the first beautiful days of Spring here in Michigan, so my housemate suggested that we head over to Grand Haven and have a walk on the boardwalk. What a perfect opportunity to break in my new dress!

We took a stroll to the lighthouse:

And then we decided to climb some big rocks down to the beach... which I was not properly dressed for, but conquered anyway:

Unfortunately for the pedestrians around, it was windy and I was bent over maneuvering throughout the rocks. I had to try and tuck my skirt between my legs, but to no avail:

So my new dress went out on an adventure not even an hour after it was completed. I really recommend this pattern to anyone looking for something cute and simple for summer. Its a project runway inspiration pattern so there are a ton of options including a slim skirt, a few different types of sleeves, and a yoke that will suit anyone!

There I am mingling with my fellow mad men at Sterling Cooper! AMC has this fun little Mad Men Yourself interactive character builder on their website. Its a good boredom killer.

P.S. I'll have a completed dress to show you by the end of the week!

Spring projects

I'm getting antsy and excited to start all sorts of springy things! I just started working on a muslin of a chef coat for my boyfriend. He loves to cook and requested I make him one, but since we live 10 hours away from each other I knew fitting was going to be a challenge, and I really want it to be impeccable, so that's why I'm doing a muslin of this. This project is a pretty different experience than what I've sewn so far. With the dresses and tops I've done most of the construction is at the waist and necklines, all about shaping around a woman's curves. With this coat, there are no darts or zippers or linings! The emphasis is put on the sleeves and the collar. Its almost a breath of fresh air to sew a straight piece and focus on something other than how its going to curve around the bust and waist and bum! The only adjustments I foresee are widening the shoulders and lengthening the sleeves, which will be relatively easy-peasy (am I speaking too soon?!). I got a good start on this chef coat, and will be working on it off and on when I'm in the mood, but for the rest of this weekend sewing, I'm going to work on a spring purse!

The pattern that I'm going to use is Vogue 7889, view D (in the top right corner of this picture). I want something simple. fun, and retro, so here are the materials I've chosen so far:

The vintage trailer Michael Miller fabric will be the outside shell, while the hop dot Heather Bailey fabric will be used for the lining. I really wanted some fun handles, but for the size and shape I needed, Bamboo or plain plastic handles were my only options. However, I think the bamboo kind of goes with the retro feel of the purse, so i'm not that disappointed. I can not wait to get started!

I also have many spring dresses in mind. I have the fabric and patterns all ready to go, I just need the time!!

Tiki Tiki Tiki

The Tiki dress is done, and I love it! This dress was initially intended to be worn to Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge in Minneapolis, MN, during a spring break vaca with my lovely boyfriend (a trip that I think I will add a little post on). I planned on finishing during the week of break back home and brought my machine and all of my sewing goodies home, but when I went to set up my things to finish it the night before we were supposed to leave for Suzi's, I noticed that I seem to have left the pedal and power cord still plugged into the wall at my apartment 8 hours away... and it was midnight... so there was no way I was going to be able to finish this dress :( I sulked a little, and Kris and I came to the conclusion that we would just have to have a summer tiki party, and I don't really need a special occasion to wear this dress anyway.

Now onto the dress itself: I am really pleased with how it turned out. The pattern I used was Vogue 8280, and I was a little worried because I usually make a size 12 for myself, and the only pattern I could snatch up in such short notice had it's largest size at 8... I have slimmed down a bit lately so I convinced myself that it would work. And what do you know? It fits wonderfully, with a little breathing room to spare! It is so comfortable and the cotton is so soft and wonderful. Its print is little hula huts, tiki men, and vintage red cars! The bodice is lined with the same contrasting cotton as the waistband and shoulders, which was a subject of debate. I really loved this contrasting retro fabric, but I was pretty much alone in that. Those that I asked the opinions of said they didn't like it and that a solid would be a better choice. I took their advice and  headed to my local fabric store to find something more suitable, but all I could envision was this brown retro fabric. So I just went with my gut and what I truly loved, and stuck with the brown fabric. I am still pleased with this choice. I did a blind hem on the bottom, two little wooden buttons at the sweetheart neckline, and darts in the waist and bust of the bodice and the waist of the skirt (which all lined up perfectly without a fuss!). The contrasting waistband is also detachable. Now, there is supposed to be a 22" zipper up the back, that I am still debating with myself on. I basted the back seam when I was preparing to put the zipper in, and was able to slip it on over my head! So I took out the basting and put in a true stabilized seam. No zipper. I am able to slip it on, with a little fussing over the bust, and a little wiggling and dancing. I really don't mind the process of putting a zipper in, I've got it down by now, but the back just looks so clean and flawless without that pesky zipper. So for now, I'm going zipper-less. I can always put one in later if I feel its too much of a workout to get in and out of.

Now I just need sunshine and fruity drinks to come my way! Unfortunately, there is still more snow in the forecast. Oh, Michigan, we need to have a little chat.

P.S... please excuse my hair in the picture... it was St. Patrick's day yesterday and this picture was taken after we got back from the bar, haha.

letting the leopard loose

 

It was my housemate's 22nd birthday this weekend (and we celebrated ALL weekend long, let me tell you!) and we went out for a night on the town! I never get to wear this lovely leopard wiggle dress, since it isn't so appropriate to wear to usual fancy dressed things such as weddings or funerals, so I was more than tickled to be able to wear it out! I went all out... the wooden tiki inspired earrings, the ruby beaded necklace, a bright red flower in my hair, my AWESOME shiny red patent handbag! This was the first time I got to use this handbag! It reminds me of the interior of some awesome bad ass retro convertible. I decided to just top it off with some simple black flats, since there was a night of dancing in store. I go for comfort when it comes to dancing. We didn't end up getting to dance downtown, but we had a dance party right in our living room that was just as peachy.

We went to TGIFriday's for dinner and I got a cosmo that was poured over a cotton candy fluff! It was called the pink punk cosmo!

 

I also got an absurd amount of broccoli that took up more space than my steak...

 

This weekend was also a good opportunity for some quality house mate bonding time that I rather enjoyed. Even though we all live under the same roof we rarely get to see each other let alone all hang out.

 

So Julie, I hope your Birthday weekend was a wonderful way to ring in 22!

P.S... I saved this dress from a goodwill pile! It belonged to my boyfriend's little sister. When she was moving to Chicago she weeded out a lot of her clothes and left them in a pile to bag and bring to goodwill. Luckily, I am a pile raider whenever his sisters get rid of clothes and squealed with unrelenting joy when I came across this gem! It fits me perfectly, too!

Blouse on the town!!

 

I wore my blouse out and about today while running around job applications, and it turned some heads! I am going to definitely make a couple more from this pattern, it's just lovely :)

My Favorite Beauty Items

One of the best parts about being a woman is all of the wonderful products we get to play with to enhance our beauty. I will admit that sometimes I envy my boyfriend when he can just hop out of bed in the morning, or emerge fresh from the shower in 5 minutes flat, and be ready for the day. I take a little (ok, a lot) more time to become how I see myself as presentable. But then I think, his morning look is the best its going to get for him, all naturale, all day, every day! (Kris, if you're reading this, I mean no offense! I love your morning look, it just wouldn't look so good on me :) ) So once I get past the whole getting out and bed and getting motivated bit, I rather enjoy sitting at my vanity and putting on a new look for the day.

I thought i'd compile a few of my favorite beauty items in hopes that one or two might become your new favorite beauty item!

First up is a wonderful blush called "Papa Don't Peach" from Too Faced cosmetics:

It gives the perfect warm glow to the cheekbone, and goes with almost any eye color I wear. There's a light shimmer, but its not to the point of sparkly. And need I even mention the packaging?

Next up is Carbon Black Lineur Intense from L'Oreal:

I actually picked this up on accident and never would have dreamed that it would be the best liquid liner i'd ever tried. I initially thought it was a pen liner, and almost returned it when I discovered it wasn't, but i'm sure glad I didn't. I gave it a whirl and now I will never be without it. Other liquid liners I've tried sweat off into my lid crease, creating a horrific black line halfway up my eyelid, or got flaky and chunky throughout the course of the day. Others with a fine brush were very hard to work with and made creating a simple cat eye quite challenging. This liner has the perfect felt tip to create a smooth thin or thick line, depending on the pressure. It's wonderfully flexible so you can get a good "flick" to the point of your cat eye. I don't usually buy drug store makeup brands, so I was shocked that this is one of the best beauty products I have ever owned.

Ok, moving onto the best face cloth IN THE WORLD! I know, that's a pretty big statement, but I truly believe it. This title belongs to the "Off Your Face" clothes from Soap and Glory:

 

Soap and Glory products are only available at Target in the US, but i'm there all the time so it's quite convenient. These clothes cleanse, moisturize, and tone your face without leaving a sticky dewy feeling that I have come across with other face clothes. They have a durable, yet unbelievably soft texture to the cloth that clears off your make-up without much effort or time at all. I use a mac waterproof base (paint pot in soft ochre) under my eyeshadow that won't budge with other make-up removers, but with a couple swipes of these clothes it doesn't stand a chance. With other clothes I had to sit and rub my eyes with them, or pull on my lids to get the liner off, and it really worried me that all that yanking and stretching of that delicate eye skin was going to catch up with me one day. A big plus with these clothes is that you can be gentle with these, but still get great results

Next is another Too Faced item from their Quickie Chronicles Collection. This is the Vixen Palette: 

 

I could only find this palette on ebay since these are limited edition palettes, but it was brand new in in sealed wrap. The pigment of these colors and the variety of ways that you can use them together really makes this a wonderful beauty piece. It is by far my most often used palette, and the colors are pretty outfit neutral. I also love how each palette has it's own little personality, and these shadows and glosses do make me feel like a little bit of a vixen ;)

Another beauty favorite of mine is CHI Silk Infusion:

This. is. amazing. I use it every time I get out of the shower, and my hair becomes so silky and sleek that I can't stop touching it! My hair gets pretty damaged from flat ironing it daily (with my CHI flatiron, naturally), icey, drying snow blasts at the bus stop, and my most recent bleaching/coloring experience, but this product makes it feel like the healthiest hair in the world. I don't really like to use products in my hair because they all seem to gum it up, weigh it down, or make it look greasy, but silk infusion does none of those things. It is undetectable in your hair after you blow dry (other than the wonderful transformation to a luscious, silky do). If you go to your local JC Penney Salon, they usually have a really cheap bundle of CHI products. I got a full size silk infusion, a travel silk infusion, and a full size thermal protector spray all for $7.99! So keep an eye peeled for this wonderful product.

Last, but certainly not least, is from my favorite cosmetics brand of all time... Benefit Cosmetics! I have many of their products, but one in particular that really stands out to me is their gloss:

 

I have this gloss in "Zone Out" which is the perfect gloss to put over any lipstick. It is a thicker gloss, but not overly sticky, and it lasts for a long time. It has a little bit of a gold shimmer to it that I adore. As summer approaches I will probably pick up a few more shades of this gloss to pop on.

ok, that was a long one! But I hope this peaked your interest in discovering some new products!

Bold Blouse

I present to you my version of the oh-so-popular Sencha Blouse! I made a hybrid of versions 1 and 3, using snaps with buttons sewn over them instead of buttonholes. It seemed more practical for me at the moment. And I can always change snaps to buttonholes, but not buttonholes to snaps. Here's the back:


All in all I think it turned out as I had envisioned it to. The keyhole necktie is my favorite bit. It looks so clean and finished, too!


I also did a catch stitch for the first time on the sleeves. The thread color was a bit challenging on this blouse because if I used a white thread it would be very obvious on the black, and black would stand out on white. So I chose the lesser of two evils and went with white. I tried to make my catch stitch as small as possible, but still substantial enough to hold everything in it's proper place. I think it's mission accomplished. Here you can't really see the stitch where the white is:

And here you can see it a bit where the black pattern is, but I think i'm the only one who will notice only because I know its there:

I'm going to wear it soon when I go run job applications out and about, so I'll snap some pics before I go!

P.S... this blouse is super slippery and doesn't like to stay tucked into a skirt. Does anyone have some tips on how to keep it in it's rightful place??

Blouse Bandwagon

It seems everyone is sewing the Sencha Blouse lately, and I am no exception! I had a lovely lazy evening free tonight so I got started on it. I got it cut out, marked, the tucks sewn, and the shoulder seams done. I am doing version three with the key hole tie at the neck. Here's just a little progress shot, I'll be finishing it tomorrow so I'll post completed pics then! So far I am LOVING the way this blouse is shaping up :)


(Sorry that it's a little blurry...)

Itty Bitty Stash Committee

Since I am new to the world of sewing, I don't have much of a fabric stash, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to share what little I have!

I really like cotton prints because I can use them to make light and airy summer dresses, and I can wear a long sleeve top underneath them in the winter without a terrible amount of bulk. I am a big fan of a fun thermal shirt, tights, and a cute summer dress in the dead of winter, and I live in Michigan where we get a true winter, so I need a little print and color in my life when everything is white and brown.

I am most excited about this first one. My lovely boyfriend purchased it for me for Valentine's Day! I keep checking the mailbox feverishly, as I have the perfect pattern waiting so patiently for it. I feel like tomorrow will be the day it will arrive, which is perfect because I have decided to dedicate a good chunk of the day to sewing. It's called "Owl by myself" by Michael Miller. Goodness he has cute designs.


Okay, okay, so not much color to it, but those little owl eyes will just pop so brilliantly! The pattern is just sparse enough to be appropriate for a little summer dress.

The next one I found on a clearance table at a locally owned craft shop. It was love at first sight! I have been looking for a unique pattern to make a tiki dress, and all I could seem to find were things with palm trees or surf boards on them. These didn't suite me. This one has so many great elements to it!


Kris and I are planning a little trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota over our Spring Break to visit Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge, so I'm hoping to have this made up by then.

Also on the Clearance table was this amazingly soft mango print that just caught my eye. It has a vintagey feel to it, don't you think?


I went to Field's yesterday to pick up some notions and to browse at the new spring patterns, and this other Michael Miller number caught my eye. I saw it online a while ago and loved it, but never expected to find it in a store. I'm starting to brew some ideas for these little love birds.


This last print I have had since before I began sewing. In my bedroom at my parents there is a large window that looks into our breezeway that was added after the house was built. For insulation and decorative purposes, fabric is stretched across and pinned to foam insulation and then fitted into the window sill on the breezeway side, so the view from my room is a lovely decorative pane that I can change at a whim. This fabric was for one such whim, but clashed horribly with my wall color. I later chose this Alexander Henry one and it really adds a lot of charm to my room.


I have just a couple other apparel fabrics, but they aren't too exciting. I have a black and white speckled dress pant fabric and a silky light gold blend with black vines and leaves on it which will be used for the Sencha Blouse.

Hopefully I will have something exciting for you soon!