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Superwoman Mena at The Sew Weekly just announced her plan to make 7 dresses in 7 days from the Colette Patterns catalogue (I don't know why I spell that word the English way and not the "catalog" American way, same goes with dialogue). I figured I'd spread the word because (A) it's a crazy idea, but if anyone can do it, it's Mena (B) to prove that she's making each dress on the day she says she is she's invited readers to vote for the fabric of each dress ahead of time. A little community fun as we watch the madness unfold! Oh, and (C) I may be the only one to notice, but ever since starting this blog in January I have blogged 3 posts each month, what the heck?? May is going to the month I post, dare I say it,  4 posts! Thanks Mena for getting me to post 2 - the countdown begins! But Mena's countdown is far more interesting so head on over and vote ;-)

Another dress completed, and just in time for my upcoming vacation! I'm going to be in Florida so the color combination still works even though we're now in the midst of fall here in Virginia. I'm on a wee bit of a roll here, 2 dresses in a week, very satisfying indeed. The dress color is a little washed out in these photos, but scroll to the end to find a detail shot for the true pink color. ...The Basics... Fabric: 2 yards of pink and white striped seersucker from Joann's Pattern: None! Self-drafted, but based on this dress photo  from a class offered at Sew L.A. Details: Straps forming an X in the back made from the fabric's selvege; handmade self-fabric belt Time in Stash: (fabric) a little over 1 month; (pattern) in my imagination for about 4 or 5 months My aunt gave me these 2 yards of fabric from Joann's last month after I told her I liked her seersucker blouse. I knew I wanted to make a dress with it, but most of my patterns call for...

I did it! I successfully scared myself into finishing this skirt by today, Sunday! This is my second Beignet Skirt from Colette Patterns and I really loved how it turned out. I paired it with a hat to go with this week's "Hat Trick" challenge over at the Sew Weekly. Sorry for the poor-ish quality photos, I need to invest in a better camera (or steal my sister's!). I call this the Traveling Beignet because the materials are from all over the place! The shell is from New York's Garment District, the bias trim and lining is from Sew L.A. in Los Angeles, the cotton facings are from a Joann's in Connecticut (leftover from a bag I made for my cousin), the buttons are from a Joann's in Burbank, CA, and the lace is from a thrift store here in Virginia. The hat and the (on its way out) top are from my old neighborhood in Brooklyn and the shoes are from Tip Top Shoes on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I can just hear my ol' co-worker in L.A. lecturing me ...

Oh, happy day, my high-waisted, wide-leg "Seabee" trousers are finally finished! It all started when I decided to join  The Cupcake Goddess ' Trouser Sew-Along back in January, which finished in February I believe (it's been awhile). I didn't do the official sew-along BurdaStyle pattern. Instead I went with a pattern I already had in my stash, the 1940s Empire Waist Trousers from the Decades of Style Pattern Company  in Berkeley, CA. She updates vintage patterns from the 1910s to the 1950s, so this pattern is a style that would've been sewn up by home seamstresses of the early 1940s! These trousers are so incredibly comfy - I LOVE them!  Please excuse the overcast day. It's the best we can get around here lately. (And, I'm freezing!) I first bought this pattern at the Decades of Style Trunk Show at Sew L.A. in 2009, along with 4 other patterns. This is the first one I've made, which is a real surprise to me! I bought this particular...

I just couldn't pass up this week's theme challenge over at  The Sew Weekly .  You choose a movie that has been nominated for an Academy Award in Costume Design as your inspiration and have the week to complete the look.  The first thing I did was look through the list of nominees and pick out ones I'd seen.  I love old movies, but in the end I settled on Pleasantville .  The idea of making a '50s style dress and doing the black & white/color photo was too fun to pass up!  Plus, I love Pleasantville .  I watched it again the other night and enjoyed the thought-provoking story line. I based my inspiration on the dress Margaret Henderson wears when she and Bud go to Lovers Lane, the scene she changes from black & white to color. Margaret at Lovers Lane So, what's outside of Pleasantville?  Why, this hand-dyed batik print from Bali!  I bought the fabric on a trip to Hawaii and it was such a good price I bought 4+ yards of it ...

Here it is! My second Oolong dress, which I affectionately call the Sydney Harbour Dress, or "Hey Ma, I finally finished it!" Yep, after almost 2 months this dress is ready for the holidays. I've also included this in the Sew Weekly's "Free for All" challenge . Hereby Proclaimed: The Sydney Harbour Dress Pattern: Oolong Dress from Colette Patterns Fabric: Slightly over 3 yards (3 meters) of navy Japanese cotton from Tessuti Fabrics in Sydney, Australia(!) Pattern Level: Intermediate Size: 4 Alterations: Raised the waistline 1 1/2"; shortened the hem to above knee length Oh joy of joys, it's thrilling to have a completed project to share with you on the blog! I have been sewing away, but more so Christmas presents and other projects I can't chat about just yet. So, anyway, if you have been reading along with me this year, you'll know I've already tackled this pattern before in the spring. I loved the style and ease of constr...

I made a snood from the free pattern that Karen made WORLD FAMOUS on her blog, Did You Make That? , a few months ago. Now she can add New York City to her world map of snoods ! I bought this Merino wool yarn from the Brooklyn General Store in early December and started knitting it up at a friend's apartment nearby. The wool came from upstate New York and was so fresh it still had some hay in it. Talk about organic! Does that happen? I'm a novice knitter, so it was nice to work on a project and actually have something at the end of it! I knitted 2 more snoods (another Merino wool one and one from baby alpaca for my mom, both made in Virginia). I was able to whip up the 3rd one pretty quickly; after watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and The Philadelphia Story I was done! (By the way, I added this project to the  "Celebrations" theme  over at the Sew Weekly.) Some tips for those who are new to knitting: There's a contraption at the yarn store that...

Guy: So, what are you up to lately? Me: Sewing. Guy: What are you sewing? Me: (cheery) A 1920s robe! Guy: Ah .............why? I guess that does come off kind of random. But, hey, now I have a robe to stylishly drink mint juleps in on the front porch.......this winter. Though I have to say this keeps me quite warm, which for some reason surprised me but I'm not complaining! Pattern: 1920s Tulip Kimono from Decades of Style Fabric: "Van Gogh" rayon and chambray for the contrast, both from Sew L.A. Fabric Size: Group A, 32" bust Pattern Level: Beginner Paired with: My favorite pair of blue suede shoes! (Sofft brand Mary Janes, sooo comfy) This is my first item made for my Sewing Through the Decades challenge, coinciding with the Sew Weekly theme "lounging around" from last week! I've added a tab at the top of the blog to document the Decades challenge. I have to say, I'm not really a fan of the 1920s silhouette on me (I think it looks great in perio...

It was such a beautiful day out today, really more of a summer's day warmth-wise, so I took the opportunity to take a few photos of my newly completed Oolong dress from Colette Patterns. The day was also quite windy, which you can see in some of these photos (cue big hair!). I bought this pattern last year, but only got around to it when I included it as one of my pieces for the CP Spring Palette challenge! An Oolong in Dandelion Fields? I used this coral-colored cotton lawn from Sew L.A. Fabric along with a local purchase of Bemberg rayon for the lining. I've dubbed this my "strawberry fields" dress both in reference to my favorite band and one of my favorite places in New York's Central Park. Before my trip to NYC a couple weeks ago I had this idea I'd take photos of me in this dress in Strawberry Fields, but I know this time of year all too well in the northeast and decided against it. This is not built for snow and frigidness!  Anyway, back to the dress. I...