I've lost my mind....again

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a great holiday full of loved ones and indulgences. I know my holiday hangover has certainly set-in, hopefully it's not too bad for everyone else.

My whirlwind of holiday craziness resulted in a couple insane ideas. The first of which is I've joined Goodbye Valentino's Ready to Wear fast again this year. While Sarah herself is not 100% committed to the fast this year (see her blog for details why), I've joined up with many others in swearing off buying retail for 2015.

Hopefully I have enough time between school, work, and homework to keep myself clothed!

One thing that may be tricky is I'm taking a 120% course load this semester....and I'm still toying with the idea of adding 1 more class to my already very full schedule. A few people are trying to talk me out of my crazy tree, so we'll see if their attempts to keep me sane work. But the idea of learning to work with leather is just so tempting, and the Leather Apparel Design class is what is currently missing from my schedule. Let's just ay I'm still thinking very seriously about this...

Speaking of school, I made this super pretty dress last semester. I didn't design it, it's one we were assigned for our construction class, but I love how it turned out!

When we were assigned this dress and given the pattern, I thought it was pretty hideous. But with the right fabric, it ended up as a cute wiggle dress! Once I get the final measurements of the dress (I haven't had a chance to get the final measurements yet), I'll be posting this for sale in my etsy shop soon! As much as I wish I fit into our sample sizes, alas, I do not.

Is anyone else jumping in and taking the RTW Fast pledge?

xo
Andi

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?

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

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

WIP Wednesday - December 12, 2012

Holy shit that was a LOT of custom knits! But, I'm finally done! And since Mr. Social and I are currently rearranging everything in our home, I can't sew. Which means my Thurlows remain unfinished *grumble grumble*

But you know what I can do when I have a few spare minutes? I can knit! And since I've been unselfishly knitting for weeks, it's time to knit something for me!

Can you guess what that is? No, it's not a Jayne hat.

Gorramit, this is the happiest sweater I have ever knit!

Why is this the happiest sweater I ever knit? Well, that's simple. It's the brightest sweater I ever knit. You see, I tend to wear a lot of black. And more black. And sometimes even grey. In an attempt to change up my wardrobe and throw myself way out of my comfort zone, I took a bunch of leftover yarn that was supposed to be for Jayne hats and decided to use it for a sweater.


Wow, my mirror is dirty

The pattern is a variation of Buttony Sweater by Katie Marcus. I've had my eye on this sweater for a while now but socks and hats always seemed to get in the way. But I decided I didn't ant a cardi, so instead I've turned it into a henley. I love that the button band is off to the side instead of down the centre. Makes it moer interesting, n'est-ce pas?

The body of this sweater went so fast. Like, I cranked it out in about 3 days fast. Sometimes I forget how fast things knit up in a bulky yarn go. I'm running dangerously low on the yellow yarn though, so I may need to get just a wee bit more to finish off the sleeves. I can't wait for this to be finished!

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

I ♥ Gingham

Mr. Social and I recently travelled to Portugal and I gotta say, Portugal is totally amazeballs! I loved absolutely everything about it! The people, the scenery, everything! It may just be my new favourite place in the world.

Seriously, how great is this view?

While there, I wore a few me-made garments and *gasp* I actually got some pics of them! (We all know how bad I am at that)

On our first day in Portugal, the weather was perfect, and much warmer than the fall chill we had left behind in Toronto, so it was the perfect opportunity to wear my gingham top.


Mr. Social and I...and my gingham top

I have a couple confessions to make.

I actually made this top (McCall's M5664) last year, but it originally had sleeves and I hated them! So, it sat in the closet unloved and lonely for a year until I decided to rip them off and make it sleeveless.

Also? I love gingham! I have tons of it in my stash. And no real plans for most of it. But I often pull it out and pet it :)

Vasco Da Gama approves of this top

This top is perfect for summer weather. It's light and airy, and one of the few times I think that quilting cotton was a good choice (I've had some hits and misses with quilting cotton for dresses, more on that later). And, about quilting cotton, am I the only one who can't resist it? The prints are so darn cute!

Anyway, this top has had it's last hurrah for the season, and is nestled in the closet for the winter.

Fashion on the Ration Stats!!

Coupons Used: 30 - Coupons Remaining: 36

Projects Completed:
Red Gingham Shirt - 0 coupons
Old Timey Tractor Dress - to be posted soon - 0 coupons
Molly Weasley Dress - to be posted as soon as I get some pics - fabric used from purchase listed below
Leopard Print Top - to be posted as soon as I get some pics - 0 coupons

Items Purchased:
Black and Grey Striped Sweater - 5 Coupons
6.5 metres of cotton fabric - 13 Coupons
Brown Boots - 7 Coupons
Sweater with funky spiky collar - 5 Coupons

Awesome Score:
Brand new Docs given to me by a friend - 0 Coupons

Embarking on yet another adventure/challenge

I can't count how many times I've been browsing clothes in shops and caught myself thinking (or saying aloud) "I can make that". And usually after trying things on and finding them ill fitting or of poor quality, that statement is followed by "I can do a better job too". Occasionally, I do just that. I go home, pull out some fabric, and voila! A few hours/days and lots of scotch and swearing later I have a new garment. Sometimes even a whole outfit. So, this got me thinking, I'm already doing a Fashion on the Ration challenge, why not step it up and go on a RTW fast as well?

I will be joining Linda of Goodbye Valentino and many others in swearing off buying RTW clothing in favour of making our own. We wll be refraining from buying all outerwear, dresses, tops, pants, shorts, sweaters, coats, exercise clothes, jeans, and well, you get the idea. If you' like to join us, click here for info :)