Plaid matching!

Woot!

Fashion Illustration ~ Animal Prints

Illustration assignment - A spring line featuring at least 4 different animal prints. Prints used: tiger, zebra, pony, leopard, crocodile.

Fashion Illustration ~ Red, Black, White

Illustration assignment - A winter line using only  red, black, and white, and featuring houndstooth, quilting, denim,  herringbone, knit, and fur.

BRAAAAAINSSSSS

I really haven't had a lot of time to sew lately, with the exception of school stuff, but I do knit when I get the odd chance. One of the things I've recently finished is this awesome Zombie Cowl.

Remember a while back when I spun up the fluffy, fluffy brains yarn? Well, it finally jumped onto my needles and ended up as a crazy awesome scarf.

As much as I am in love with this one of a kind creation, I've decided that it's going into my shop. I have lots of scarves as it is, and I figure someone out there will love it way more than I ever will. Perhaps they would appreciate is as a Giftmas present?

I think it's perfect for all the zombie lovers out there!

Goth Cupcakes? Is that a thing?

Apparently, it is! And what a perfect print for my birthday dress!!!

I was browsing for fabric online a few months ago, and came across this super fun Michael Miller print and just had to have it. I mean, how could anyone possibly resist this dark but whimsy goodness?

With my birthday coming up, I knew that this would become my birthday dress. I figured I'd try out McCalls M6741. While the dress was in progress, I tried on the dress and thought it was cute, but it needed a little something extra. So I drafted myself a little Peter Pan collar and am pretty pleased with the results.

One additional change I made is to move the pockets. I don't think that pockets in the princess seams would be flattering on anyone, so I stuck them in the side seams instead (I gotta have my pockets!). The skirt was pretty full to begin with, so it didn't add too much in the way of additional bulk/width. 

One thing I wish I had done different is to not cut it so short. I wanted to go a little shorter than I normally do, as I knew this dress would be worn with tights, but I completely misjudged how short it was when cutting. OOPS. Oh well, my bum is covered so I'm not all that concerned.

Sadly, I didn't get to celebrate my birthday this year on account of being sick, but I wore the dress to school this week, so that's got to count for something, right?

OH! Did you notice my hair? I had a haircut go wrong recently, so I'm rocking a short 'hawk now for a bit of a change. What do you think? Have fun with it for a while or grow it back out?

Procrastination

School has had me crazy busy, and to be honest, I'm getting a little burnt out. And do you know what happens when I start to get burnt out? I procrastinate. BIG TIME. And today, that happened. Want to see what I did instead of homework?

I made a few circle scarves....AND got them photographed! (That's a feat in itself!)

I also pulled out some OOAK yarn I spun a while back and started knitting an awesome OOAK scarf....will post about that when it's finished.

I've kept one of the scarves I made today for myself (I made many), but the rest have all been sent to my etsy shop to seek new homes. I have the feeling I'll be making many more of these though. They're super quick and addictive to make!

What do you do when you procrastinate?

Back to school!

I'm a student again, and super excited about it! But do you know what isn't exciting? This homework....

Elvis and The Polka Dots

Sometimes it seems that I never a chance to get pictures of some of my finished garments, and these 2 dresses are a great example of that. I made these both way back in May and wear the shit out of them, yet I keep forgetting to get proper pics. So apologies for the crappy "quick I need a picture of my dress" pics....but I guess a crappy picture is better than no picture, right?

Anyhoo, the first dress is my Elvis dress, and I love it to bits. I've been hoarding this spectacular Elvis print cotton for a couple years now just waiting for the right dress to come along.

Little did I know, I had the pattern staring me in the face right at home! I've had New Look 6557 forever and ever, and randomly pulled it out of hiding and had a eureka moment. Thus my Elvis dress was born!

When cutting the fabric, I wasn't really paying attention, so I didn't even think to line up the print, but I accidentally almost did at the waist seam anyway. Sweet!

I was so happy with this dress that I decided to make a second one. I used a lovely stretch cotton polka dot fabric for the second version. I also added a little more coverage to the neckline (just a wee little bit as my bra poked out in the Elvis version) and a little more flare to the skirt and ended up with this lovely creation:

Again, in hindsight, I should have made some effort to line up the print at the waist seam, but other than that, I'm super happy with both dresses, which is evidenced by how often I wear them. Love, love, love this pattern! I'll probably end up with a few more of these in my closet :) And hopefully, I will also end up getting some proper pictures of them to show off more detail than random quick shots while waiting in the monorail station in Vegas (just as an example).

xoxoxo

Well, this sucks

See that? That's a huge ass cast for a wee fracture in my foot. The foot I use to operate my sewing machines... Ugh. So for the next couple weeks (until I am able to stand enough to cut fabric....and learn to use my left foot on the pedal) I am relegated to only knitting.... at least I can still create, right?

 

In the meantime I do have a couple of dresses photographed, so watch this space for a sewing post soon!

 

xoxoxo

WIP Wednesday: August 7, 2013

Lots of changes are coming up soon, one of which involves moving, so I decided it's time to clean up the WIP pile. It seems I have a whole bunch of baby items on the needles, and they knit up quick so I want them done and sent off to their respective new homes.

First thing I picked out to finish is this Cutethulu:

All he needed was his body finished and stuffed, and wings added. It was a super quick job so not only am I showing off this cute and nerdy WIP, but it also became an FO:

Squee!!!

He will be sent off to his new home this week! And I'll continue rummaging through the WIP pile to see what else I can bang out.

 

Check out more WIPs (and share your own!) with Tami's Amis

This time I went girly...

In this next installment of my adventures in repeatedly making the same dress over and over and over again, I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone and go girly and floral. I've been really trying to change things up in my wardrobe, and get more colour in there. I found this super pretty floral cotton voile on super sale at Fabricland (I think I paid something ridiculous like $2/meter) and decided to give it a go. Everyone needs a light summer dress, right?

Once again, I used McCall's M6646 to make this dress, but this time I kept the fluttery sleeve thingies. I also added an inch to the bodice length (I may be short but I have a long torso), shortened the hem a bit and added pockets. I think all dresses should have pockets. Not gonna lie, they do add a bit of bulk to the already full circle skirt, but I needs me my pockets!

Sadly, I didn't get any twirly pics of this dress. There were too many people around in The Secret Garden to have room to twirl, and you have to keep your eye on the big cats in there or they will mark you as their territory. Not even lying. I saw a tiger spray a kid last time I was there. Eeeew.

Until soon. xoxoxo

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas...

Except that I got married y'all!!!!!

While I didn't make my own wedding dress (I got talked out of it by my Mother, and the RTWfaster folks approved of the decision not to make it if I chose not to), I still loved my dress very much. I took it as an opportunity to finally get a dress by local designer, Pam Chorley. I've loved her stuff forever and ever! A whole crew of us descended upon Las Vegas and much fun was had.

That's my awesome yellow dress!

While I didn't make my wedding dress, I did make the dress I wore later that night (I didn't want to spill on/rip/ruin my wedding dress before the reception back home). Also, a shorter, cotton dress was much more temperature appropriate (although it was still way too damn hot for my taste).

This was my final (for now) version of McCalls M6646, although you'll see a few more of them in upcoming posts. I've made this pattern what feels like 847 times now, and am pretty sure I am producing more of them in my sleep. I love that it can be dressed up or down depending on fabric and embellishment choice. For this dress, I went a little more casual using a quilting cotton that someone gifted me forever ago. It's red and black gingham, and I had been holding on to it for something special, and I think wedding night dress certainly fits that description.

And look, it's awesome for twirling!

Mr. Social even wore his awesome plaid shorts that night so he could be part of the me-made fun.

They look great with his Giant Pompadour

Good thing too as it was hotter than Hell when we visited the Neon Graveyard. Gross!

Until soon!
xoxoxoxoxo

Always a bridesmaid....

...except in less than 2 weeks, I'll be the bride!

In the meantime, I also had the honour of standing up for some dear friends of mine on their most special of days. When I asked the lovely bride if I could make my dress she was all for it! RTWfast FTW! She wanted us girls to wear a simple strapless LBD, so I went to my current go-to pattern McCall's M6646. (You'll see why it's my current go-to pattern very, very soon....just need to get a few more pics taken).

The only problem I have with this dress is....I made it 2 weeks ago and it fit like a glove, when I wore it

this past weekend it was too big! Now I know this isn't the patterns fault, methinks it was just a quick weight drop on account of wedding stress.  

Circle skirt = TWIRLING!!!

This dress was also the first time I've ever used boning in a dress, which was WAY EASIER than I expected it to be. But since it was too big the boning didn't help support the dress much....let's not talk about my near-nip-slip mmmmmmmkay?

More pics? Why not!

Me, the Groom, and the lovely Ms. C

The wedding party - photo by Lor/Madness Inspiring Images (check her out, she's amazeballs!!!)

Mr. Social and I

That time I found the Bride's tiara sitting on a table unattended...

And a super fun group shot, also by Lor/Madness Inspiring Images

The next 2 weeks shall be a terrifying whirlwind of last minute wedding stuff, but I also have 2 more dresses to make before we head off to LVNV!

Until soon....xoxoxo

I can't decide!

So, we're down to the wire with my summer holiday sewing (we leave in a few short weeks and there's still so much post-vacay house guest cleaning to do!) and I'm currently paralyzed with indecision on something.

I picked up some crepe rayon from fabric.com with the intetnion of making a maxi dress with it.

I figured a maxi dress is super easy to wear and would be great for the crazy heat that will be Vegas in July. I got to cutting and as soon as I cut out the bodice I started re-thinking things. Do I make it a sundress? A hi-low (aka mullet) dress? Stick with the maxi dress?

Help!!!

In the meantime, I'm finishing up a bridesmaid dress for an upcoming wedding, and desperately trying to get pics of all the other pretties I've made in the last few months. I promise to have something to share soon!

Sewing has been happening...

...I promise! Dresses have been made (and worn)! The camera just hasn't been around. I will try to remedy this soon! In the meantime...

I've also been spinning! And knitting, but the knit stuff is for a secret swap so it's in hiding for the time being. But check out this yarn:

I was feeling fancy and decided to spin up this Hilltop Cloud fibre. It's a Shetland/Merino/Bamboo blend and the colours just SCREAM Mr. Social. But rather than just spin up a plain old 2-ply yarn, I decided to spin it thick and thin and add in some beehives, you know, just to funk it up a bit.

Part of it looks simple and lets the colour speak for itself, but other parts are just all kinds of fun.

I thought that this would look really fun as a section of a big warm scarf for Mr. Social for the winter, and that the texture of the yarn would add a point of interest to an otherwise simple garter stitch scarf.

 Grand plans, and not much time right now. But as soon as the wedding madness is all over (44 mo days!) I'll have lots of time to relax and get back to ADD crafting.

xoxoxo

The Copycat is Complete!

Hello, lovelies!

It's been a while, but I've been sewing like mad and have finally managed to get some pics to show off!

Remember when I said I'd be making a copycat? Well, it's done! Overall I'm very happy with it, but there are a few things I would change (which I'll get into in a moment).

Don't feel like clicking the link? Well, let's refresh your memory, shall we?

Long story short, Pin Up Girl Clothing is selling some super pretty dresses, and I decided to make one for myself. Example of said pretty dresses:

How cute is that?

Anyhoo, I've had this super fun fabric in my stash for a while, waiting for just the right project, and a summer dress was just the ticket!

It's just simple quilting cotton (snore, right?), but cotton is just so perfect for the upcoming hot temperatures.

So one rainy Saturday later I ended up with a dress!

I used McCalls M6646 and tweaked it just a little bit. The first thing I did was lengthen the bodice by 1". Next time I think 1/2" would be enough. I also made the neckline a little less sweetheart, but looking at the finished garment makes me wish I hadn't. This is why I should have made a muslin..... Live and learn, right?

The next change I made was to the skirt. The Pin Up Girl dress has a gathered skirt, which I think adds too much bulk for my taste, so I went with the circle skirt in the pattern. I took some of the fullness out, mainly just so I could fit it into the amount of fabric I had on hand. It's somewhere in between a 3/4 circle and full circle. I've already learned that this dress and a windy day are not the best of friends....too many Marilyn moments for my taste.

All in all, I'm very happy with this dress and am sure I'll end up with at least one more in my closet very soon!

Until soon.....xoxoxo

Just claiming my blog...

...on Bloglovin...

Since Uncle Google will be getting rid of the RSS feed/blogroll come July 1, 2013, I've finally joined Bloglovin and claimed my blog. I also just moved my entire blogroll over there so I can follow everyone after the change, lest I forget and miss some.

So far I'm pretty happy with Bloglovin, and it was super easy to transfer my reader list over.

If you'd like to follow my blog on Bloglovin, you can find me by clicking on the image or link below, or the button that's now in my sidebar.

 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I smell a copycat coming!

I've been a big fan of Pinup Girl Clothing for a very long time. I love the retro/rockabilly thing they have going on and often browse their site to drool over their wares. Yesterday, they posted this picture to the facebook feed of  their models during the Spring photo shoot:

And wouldn't you know it, I recently picked up a pattern that is nearly identical to the blue and purple dresses! I had actually got it as an option for a dress to wear to an upcoming wedding I have to attend, but now I'm thinking cute summer dress! Now I just need to carve out some time to get started on my summer sewing! And, you know, finish my winter sewing...

A little cuteness

I've been totally neglecting my sewing (and knitting, and spinning) lately on account of a crazy busy work schedule, taking classes, getting my fitness on, and general wedding planning stuff. I have promised myself to get back to sewing this coming weekend (as well as catching up on my homework). In the meantime, here's a little bit of cute for you all...

I'll also have to dig the pics out of my camera and make a wee post about the blogger meet up this past Saturday ;)

Toronto Sewing Blog Meet-Up!!!!!

Dude! A blogger meet up I can actually go to! I'm pretty excited guys!

Gillian at Crafting a Rainbow and Adrienne at All Style and All Substance have arranged this little meet up for this coming Saturday and I'm pretty stoked! Meeting people who will geek out over fabric and notions and stuff just like me? Sweet!

Of course, now all I can think about is what I'll be wearing to the event. Of course I want to wear something I made, but I also need to keep in mind that sensible shoes will be a must and most of my dresses are best paired with heels... unless I rock the DMs and a dress look..... Yo, '96, what's up?

I can't wait to meet everyone!

This is pretty damn cool!

Have you ever wondered if/where there are sewists/bloggers/sewing blogger near you? I know I have. And apparently so has Vicki over at Another Sewing Scientist. She's created a map where you can pin your location so others can stalk you! How fun!


View Map the Sewintists in a larger map 

Some people have also added stash enhancement centres around the world for easy reference if you're travelling and want to score some goodies.

I'm off to see who's close to me! TTFN!

Mad Men Challenge, Round 2 (But a first for me!)

By now, I'm sure you've seen that Julia Bobbin has announced the second Mad Men challenge.

I didn't participate last year, but I loved seeing what everyone came up with. Everything was truly fantastic! You can check them out for yourself and ooh and aah and drool over them here.

The Challenge:     

Find a dress from Mad Men that you love and create your own version. It doesn't have to be an exact copy, you can just be inspired by the style.

 

As luck would have it, the dress I'm currently working on was inspired by a favourite dress of mine that Peggy wore early on in the show.

 

 

Perhaps if I have enough time, I'll be able to make something inspired by a different character! How fun!

 

Are you planning to take the challenge?