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Hello! A busy and rainy week delayed me in finishing this dress, but it finally happened and I'm very happy with it! This is my Music of the Night Dress, which was made using the fantastic Lonsdale Dress from Sewaholic Patterns . I've loved all of Tasia's versions, and knew I wanted to make it when she first sent out the announcement in her e-newsletter. She loves fitted bodices and full skirts (like me!); I can't wait to see her future designs. ...The Basics... Pattern: Lonsdale Dress from Sewaholic Patterns (2011) Fabric: 3.5 yards of thrifted black and beige poly/silk (?); cotton underlining for the skirt Notions: stay tape at the front bodice neckline; fusible woven interfacing at the waistband, black 16" zipper trimmed down to about 13"; black hem tape at inner hem. **Time in Stash: only a few months for both pattern and fabric! **I'm trying to use as much of my fabric/pattern stash as possible these next few months; I've even set a personal goal...

Hi everyone! Just wanted to say I am sewing these days - the Lonsdale Dress from Sewaholic Patterns, to be exact. I've cut out all the pieces and have sewn the bodice together. It feels so good to be sewing again! 2011 has been a really tough year personally, but I am all focused on happier things now (such as patterns and fabric in my stash just waiting to be tackled!). Here's my dress preview. Please excuse the not-so-great photo taken with the flash late at night. Also visible is a cute mini dress form pincushion my aunt recently gave me! I love, love, love it! And, yes, I'm very, very sad not to be able to attend the Sew Weekly extravaganza in NYC at the end of the month. Mena, Meg the Grand, Debi and Oonaballoona all in one day, how cool is that going to be!?!?! Quel dommage, indeed!

(I think I am the worst blogger ever.) But, hey, I'm so glad I actually made MPB Day! Yay! I didn't take photos, but that's okay because Peter ran a quality day complete with photo documentation here! I was even excited to get a photo with Peter, the first blogebrity (is there an actual made-up word for blog celebs already out there?) I've met. I also managed to bring my sister and 2 cousins with me! Basically, Peter did a great job wrapping up the day on his blog. I somehow missed the House of Spandex so consider that on the list for next time. I did pick up wool gabardine for a fall CP Rooibos dress and some polka-dot cotton for a bombshell dress. I can feel that I'm actually going to start sewing again! And how fun was it to mention Gertie's bombshell dress and The Sew Weekly and actually have people know what you're talking about? Very fun, indeed. Thanks, Peter, for the great day! I know Cathy will enjoy those classy gloves. So long from the Big Apple...

Does anyone else have the opening music to Gertie's Sew Retro class stuck in their head? So snazzy! Wouldn't it be fun to make your own mini movie version in different dresses dancing around in place like that? Or hailing a cab in NYC? Amazing. Have you signed up for this class? I can't wait to make it, although I also have no idea where I'll wear it! Kind of a revealing neckline on me, but we shall see... And, hey, if you're joining Peter for MPB Day in NYC perhaps I'll see you there! At this point, I'm planning on being there as I have family and friends to visit as well. On a side note, I've been told the comments section on tis blog hasn't been working. I think someone mentioned on the Sew Weekly Sewing Circle forum that Blogger has been having a problem of late with this. Hopefully, it's been fixed, I'm not sure what else it could be?? Over and out, folks!

Last weekend I visited a friend in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Little towns and villages popped up around the countryside, and every once in awhile we'd pass an abandoned century-old building that'd make me wonder just how long it had been sitting there vacant. We checked out a couple of main streets with brick buildings no more than a story or two high, a definite sleepy Southern town vibe to it. ...Thrifty Finds... Ever since I started sewing I've loved visiting sewing-related stores when I travel. There was one antiques store we wandered into that had a bunch of different stalls. At the back of the store I spotted it -- a basket of sewing patterns! Jackpot, I thought to myself. I came away with two patterns, a knit wrap dress from 1972 (McCalls 3080) and a skirt from 1982 (Simplicity 5454). Unfortunately, the wrap dress is a few sizes too big for me, but I couldn't pass it up for $1. I also grabbed a bag filled with bias tape, piping, lace, etc. 1972 Wrap Dress (the...

This is just a quick post to say there will be a completed Beignet Skirt blog post by Sunday...or else! It was going to be a skirt for Easter, but Easter came and went. My sewing time has been minimal of late because we've been lucky to have lots of family visitors these past few weeks, but now I need to get back in the game. So I'm writing this post in an attempt to peer pressure myself (me pressure myself???) into finishing this skirt by this weekend. I bought this really beautiful cotton blend tweed on my last trip to New York, oooo Garment District goodness :) I guess I should consider myself lucky that I learned to sew after leaving NYC; where would I have fit all that fabric and sewing equipment in my tiny room? Methinks my roommate would've been none too pleased about everything spread out in the living room -- unless I made her a coat or two -- she has about 30, no joke! On a side note, I happened to see last week that I was averaging 2.3 posts per week and couldn...

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...