Wire Hanger

I'm really grumpy today. Everything Steve or Bridgette does irritates me beyond belief. All I can do is lock myself up in my sewing room and sew away my anger into my new blouse mock-up. Although the mock-up looks great on me, I still need to escape in my room tonight, perhaps go to bed early or watch Jane Eyre for the fourth time in three days. 

Now you may think that the hounds tooth looks great, but I can't bring myself to use this cheap polyester chiffon. It's bad enough I used it to line one of my jackets. I'm definitely going to use my Anna Sui silk chiffon, and the red chiffon once I get it. I'm becoming a fabric snob. 

Ah, hell. I've always been a snob.

Like I said, I'm using a jersey to line the blouse so it hugs my body and is uber comfy. I'm still hammering out the details to do this. With the mock-up, it worked out pretty well. I didn't finish it completely, I just serged the jersey to the neckline and arm openings. For the sleeves, I know I want something of a lining... but I'm still figuring it out, like I said. 

More tomorrow. As long I don't throw my laptop across the room in frustration.

no Internet

Internet out at my place. Feel a needs to type cryptic sentences with iPhone.

One tip for the night: when this happens, change your needle to a sharper one.

Wrinkles

Last week was a busy week for me. Too busy to blog. Sorry for the belated post. 

I ordered my fabric today (as it is payday), so the stuff I need for Robin Hood will be here in probably a week and a half. For the meantime, I started on a chiffon blouse that for I already had fabric.I want to make this blouse, see how it goes, and model my red one that I will be making after it. 

The fabric is s ilk chiffon Anna Sui print. It's gorgeous. I'm scared to use it before I really know about my pattern, so I'm going to make it first with a cheap polyester chiffon I bought at Joann's. Isn't it great (even if only draped over a chair)?

My blouse is going to be flow-y with or without a belt, like my two favorite blouses; the first one is from Banana, the second from Ann Taylor. The wrinkled Ann Taylor is what I talked about last time, in that it has a knit lining that hugs the body as the chiffon glides over you. I have a great black jersey that I'll try for my blouse. 

 

Cross Fingers! Hopefully I'll have the cheap mock-up ready for ya'll tomorrow. 

What was i thinking?

Sewing Man Statue in NYC

 For Robin Hood dress, I want to make the bell sleeves out of black silk chiffon. I went to Joann's today to see if they had it.

Joann's would never have SILK chiffon. Silk doesn't even exist for them. Since when does Joann's have quality fabric? Since when am I an idiot? 

I have to resort to the good ol' Fashion Fabrics Club for my quality fabrics. I find that this online vendor has the best prices and such a HUGE selection. It can't be beat. If I'm not going to Yellow Bird, I'm going to FFC.

I found this black silk chiffon...I know the price is a bit much, but for one dress, one NICE dress, it is worth the extra pennies for quality. That is professional opinion.

I don't know what to do about lining my petal skirt, because the only tricot I can find comes in a 12 yard bolt...I don't even need that much, but I might buy it anyway. I guess it would be nice to have for $111. Geesh. Why is it so hard to come buy? Tricot is used A TON in knit suits and dresses for fashion houses, so why would it be so hard for home sewers to come by? I'm buying that bolt...but I need to wait for my next paycheck...

I'm already planning my next project...a red silk chiffon blouse. I've never made anything red before, isn't that crazy? I have this outfit in my head... red silk blouse...black skinnies... black boots....in NYC, of course. Whenever I imagine outfits I'm in New York City. Steve asked me today what I think about when I'm bored at work, and this was the order of my reply: Clothes to make, clothes to buy, what we are eating for dinner, and New York City. And then him.

For my outfit I found this red silk chiffon and this red jersey to use as a lining. I have a blouse from Anne Taylor that is chiffon with a knit undershirt...It's totally genius to have a knit underlining to a breezy silk blouse, because then the blouse has structure and comfort built in for the wearer. I can't wait to make this. And wear it in the Large Apple.

Problem is: I have to wait to buy all this fabric and for it all to come in...so these projects are halted as of now. I guess it's time to return to the stock piles in my sewing room and make a few skirts, maybe even a blouse. Hooray for being economical and using the fabric I already have for projects!

Horrible picture

But this skirt is going to be rockin. I cut out the ponte knit for a petal skirt for my Robin Hood dress. I need to figure out what I am going to line the ponte knit with...tricot, maybe? Off to the fabric store tomorrow.

Crafty Crafty

I have no jewelry box. All I have is this tiny earring box I bought in London on my study abroad, so all my necklaces get shoved into a drawer, and I always forget about what I have because I can never see it. So today I thought I'd make something pretty and functional-- my two favorite adjectives. 

I knew that a tack board was the way to go, but I didn't want the ugly brown color to distract from my jewels. I got the idea to wrap it in a fabric that would go with the rest of my bedroom. And because I'm a blogger, I wanted to share with all of you how to make a pretty, yet functional "Jewel Frame". 

I got the tack board and fabric from Ikea (Tip No. 1: don't go to Ikea on a Saturday afternoon. It's the stinky, crowded pits). You'll only need half a yard of fabric for the 22.5"x15.5" board, cut 3 inches larger on each side than the board. Ikea only sells one size, but I found it big enough to fit my very limited collection. The materials cost me about 10 dollars.

Simply put, I wrapped the tack board in fabric like a present, so that even the wood frame is covered in fabric. All I used was hot glue to do so. This is really really easy, and looking at the picture of the finished product would mean that you wouldn't have to read the rest of the post... so I'm placing that picture at the end. :D

Start by placing a bead of hot glue down the inside of the frame, on the edge of the tack board.

And place a bead on the frame itself.

Do this one edge at a time, gluing down the fabric into the edge of the frame. If you just wrap the tack board ignoring the edge that the frame creates, you wouldn't be able to put tacks in the finished board very effectively. Trust me, I thought about this extensively, standing in Ikea for 30 minutes in the check-out line. Also, make sure the fabric is tight across the cork-- a bubble wouldn't look too great.

Once you do all sides, it'll look like this:

For the back, just glue down one side at a time, folding the corners and gluing them down really well. I didn't want to put glue on the actual frame on the back, like I did on the front, so that I could screw the hanging eyes in without going through a layer of hot glue. I just did hot glue on the back of the cork, and it held fine. 

 

The Ikea tack board comes with hanging materials, the eyes and yarn. But I didn't like how flimsy the yarn was, so I just used the wire that most picture frames use. Tip No. 2: When screwing in the eyes, make a hole in the frame with a nail and hammer first. It's much easier than just sitting there trying to screw in a framing eye through fabric and wood.

Viola! And it's done. It took me about 30 minutes to make, and I have to say it feels great to look up and see all my jewelry all nice and pretty like. I used clear tacks (that came with the board) to hand up my necklaces and earrings, Stud earrings I stuck right into the cork, and placed their backs in my old, little jewelry box. My rose brooch is just pinned into the fabric layer. I love it love it love it. There is nothing like showcasing everyday things to make you and your home more beautiful. 

Then again... It also looks like I have no jewelry! I'll just buy some more I guess...

Robin Hood

The juices are flowin, people! I am back on this wagon for good! I'm so into sewing for myself again that I started sketching during down time at work! It felt incredible! Like I could breathe again.

I thought up a new detail to my new dress to make it more interesting. I LOVE color blocking, so I thought I'd add a giant black V down center front. I was doing pretty good until two things:

1. I snipped through too many layers as I was cutting out the green fabric that would be replaced by the black, and now I have a giant snip right in the front! I'll find a doo-dad to cover it, I guess. 

2. When I tried it on for Steve, the first thing he asked was :

Are you going to keep that sleeve? No wait, you can't be. Then he looked at my face. Oh... well, all you need is a bow and arrow and you'll look like Robin Hood. 

Great.  I think I might try a lighter fabric, like a black chiffon for the bell sleeves. I want to keep this style, though. OO! Black chiffon sleeves with some black lace on the shoulders, perhaps!!

I LOVE SEWING!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hold on to your hats, people. I've learned photoshop at work!

Another reason why I love Costco

Today I found another reason to be grateful for Costco. Other than it's amazing cheese selection and free samples, I met someone today who has literally turned my life around-- and I don't think she even knew what she was really doing for me.

Emily approached me today in the checkout line. I had just got off work, I was exhausted, and I made a few indulgent purchases that I am now wondering where my mind was-- in candy land?

"don't think I'm weird", she said, "but I read your blog!"

Me. Recognized for my blog. FIRST TIME.

"I think you are a great seamstress, and when I'm rich I'm going to have YOU sew all my clothes for me!"

Oddly enough, this is what about everyone says in an email. ???

I then complained to her that I can't sew when I get home from work and blah blah blah everything all of you have already read here. I told her I wish I could quit, and I do. Bridgette has grown accustomed to her  new lifestyle of brand name dog treats and toys from Ikea. 

She told me when she got pregnant she had to quit her teaching job, which she loved, to take care of her kids. Our passions are different, but our situations the same. I suppose she is working for a far greater good than me, but for a moment we understood each other. 

So, that's it. I'm in this people. And no more excuses. Emily has inspired me to continue to work on my personal sewing even when I'm dog tired from work and my fingers are all dried out from messing with polyester satins all day. 

Luckily, to get myself going, I called in "sick" on Monday and actually sat down and sewed for about 5 hours. It felt wonderful to do whatever I wanted for a whole day! It felt like old times. My previous post has a sketch I had done of a PD variation. I decided to nix the ruffles in order to have a more flattering chest line. But I do love my bell sleeves. The skirt I am still figuring out-- the one I had made (the first circle skirt I had ever done) is BEYOND not flattering on me. Circle skirt on large derriere = even larger looking butt. So I'm back to the drawing board. Here is the progress so far (one bell sleeve on a bodice):

Oh! and I'm making it out of forest green ponte knit