What a Tweet!

This weekend, I took the Husbeast on a little adventure for our anniversary. I combined his love of boats, Toronto, craft beer, and me, and took him on the Indie Boat Hop Craft Beer cruise. We cruised around the Toronto harbour, sampling "beers only available at sea". There wasn't a bad brew on offer. It's such a shame we won't be able to get these one-off beers again.

When planning this little adventure, it occurred to me that I should have a new dress for the occasion. It was for our anniversary after all! So I dove into my stash, and made myself a cute little birdie dress.

This is yet another version of New Look 6557. This pattern is so well used by me (I've made it at least 6 times now) that the tissue is starting to get destroyed! I'll have to do something to preserve the pattern ASAP.

I find I've been wearing way too many circle skirts for the last little while, so it is super nice to wear something that's just a simple flared skirt. Also, let's be honest, it's much less likely that a Marilyn moment will happen on board the ship should a gust of wind blow up off the lake.

Two dresses made by me were on board!

Nothing major to report about the construction. Because I've made it so many times, I could cut and sew this in my sleep. It's super fast and easy. The only thing I changed is I added a lining to the skirt so it won't cling when I wear tights.
We have another cruise coming up in a couple weeks, Tease on the Seas, a burlesque boat cruise with a dress code theme of Naughty Nautical. I'll have to come up with something cute for that soon!

What a month!

Wow! This month sure has been busy! It flew by in a flash! Hence the radio silence (sorry about that!)

I've been doing a shit ton of sewing, 95% of which has not been for me. I am interning this summer with Victory Patterns, which is super fun! I've been madly sewing away with Kristiann, helping her with a super secret project, so I can't really elaborate more on that ;)

I also decided to use the skully fabric I posted about previously to make a dress for the bride for the backyard wedding party I attended yesterday. And I'm so glad I did!

I essentially had free reign to do whatever I wanted for this dress, so I decided to have some fun with it. I wanted to make sure the dress was light and comfortable, for what could potentially be a super hot day. Luckily, the weather cooperated and was absolutely perfect, no rain or super heat/humidity!

I opted for a fitted, v-neck bodice, with a full circle skirt for maximum twirling potential and girliness. She sure loved making that thing twirl!

And had a lot of fun wearing it!

At the end of what ended up being an 11 hour party, she was still comfortable, so I think I can deem this dress a huge success! And I'm glad that it's not "bridal", so she can wear it again, and again, and again.

Look at how happy she is!

Congratulations again, S&R!

No Pants Summer Has Officialy Begun!

And I nearly forgot about it! Thankfully, Haizle gave me a reminder the day before we started. Otherwise, it would have been pants for a day spent at the park. Instead, I fished this dress out of my closet, gave it a quick hem, and voila! An old dress was given new life :D

I made this dress a few years ago, and always felt it was too long, so it just languished in my closet. I feel like it will end up coming out to play a lot more often now.

I've been busy busy all of May, with 6 day weeks, so I haven't had as much time to make things as I'd like, but I did manage to bang out 3 dresses. I finished 2 more for my etsy shop:

I'm obscenely in love with that crab fabric

And a dress for me!

I used Simplicity 2886 for this dress. This is the third time I've used this pattern, and I gotta say, every time I make this dress, I like it less and less. I changed the neckline to give it a proper scoop, as the pattern is actually a weird almost-scoop-but-almost-v-neckline. It does a weird gape-y thing at the armholes, which would have been a simple fix had I remembered that it does that. Oh well.

I also added a little more flare to the skirt. There's actually nothing wrong with the skirt as it was, I just like really flowy skirts.

All in all, the dress is okay. It's wearable and has pockets, but I'm wishing I had saved this fabric for something else. I had been waiting for the perfect project to use it for, and this just wasn't it. C'est la vie.

maybe I should try to hunt more of this down

Is anyone else out there playing along for NO PANTS SUMMER?

Hooray for free time!

Hello everyone!

I'm on the tail end of a two week break from school, and I've gotta say, as stressed out as I was by the end of the semester, I sure do miss it! BUT, these two weeks have allowed me to be very productive! I have made two dresses, got started on a few knitting projects, and opened up a new etsy shop. That's right! I'm selling dresses now!

So far, there are only three dresses in the shop, but I have three more cut out to be sewn up, as well as a dress for me (selfish sewing rocks).

The two dresses I made over the break (so far anyway) are these pretties:

They're simple sundresses of my own design, that are very much a style that I like to wear myself. In fact, I'll be making myself a couple of these very soon :)

I have a few more ideas that I'm working on right now, so stay tuned for something new within the next few weeks :D

Because I'm a glutton for punishment, I have signed up for a couple of classes over the summer (well, they are only in May and June, so I'll still get a bit of a break before the next semester starts), so I'll have a little less free time as of next week. But that's fine by me, as there will still be time to sew! Which is good, as I have four weddings to attend this year, and I need to get started on dresses to wear!

The first wedding is a more laid back backyard party, but I still want to have something pretty to wear. I've narrowed down my choices to five different fabrics from my stash, but I need your help deciding which one to use. So please, dear readers, help me choose which fabric to use. The pieces I've picked  out are:

Red and Black Poppy type fabric

Roses fabric (pardon the blurriness of the pic)

Skulls and Roses fabric

Black, White, and Blue Hibiscus fabric

Lobster fabric (just for fun)

Please let me know what you think in the poll below. 

I can't wait to see what you choose!

Planning ahead...Sorta

Winter is finally starting to let up! Well, it is today anyway. It's finally sunny and above freezing, but we're expecting a snow storm tomorrow so, well, yeah. With all the grey skies we've been living with this winter, it's no wonder this super sunny fabric came home with me the other day when I stopped into the local Fabricland for some school supplies...

I wasn't supposed to buy anything other than interfacing... This just jumped into my arms! I swear!

This fabric is super bright and sunny, which is kind of the opposite of how I normally dress, but the brightness of it just makes me so happy! Also, I love that it's basically a print that is meant for children. I can be 10 again, right?

Of course, I'm struggling with what to make with this, as it's a whole lot of yellow. And yellow tends to look pretty crap on me. I do know it wants to be a cute summer dress, but which dress? At first I thought I'd go with my go-to dress, McCalls M6646, but I think I'd have to do something to it to make it less yellow.

I suppose I could add some black detailing to it...

So I'm turning to you, dear readers, for your suggestions as what to do with this lovely stuff. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

I won't be sewing this up for the next couple weeks, as I'm still eyeballs deep in homework, but as soon as I'm done with all the school stuff, I'm diving head first into my stash to sew my summer wardrobe. I need to make a shit-ton of skirts and dresses before May 19, as my dear friend Haizle of 365 Days of Sweat, Yarn, and Laughter and I are having a NO PANTS SUMMER! The rules are simple. No pants all summer long. This means I need way more skirts and dresses in my closet than I currently have.

Anyone else want to join in on the No Pants Summer fun?

Red, Polka Dots, and Panels

So, this dress was supposed to be finished back in September to wear for Mr. Social's birthday. And, yeah, that didn't happen. But I did get to wear it today!

I've made McCall's M6741 again, this time without pockets, or adding a collar of my own. I kinda love this pattern, and expect I'll end up making it a few more times, as it's a super simple dress that can work in any fabric and for any occasion. The cut is flattering for a number of body types, and the skirt has a perfect amount of flare.

The one thing I will do the next time I make this dress is make it a wee bit longer. I made it the length of View A without the bottom panel, and it's.....really short. I'm a short person and didn't expect it would be that short, but hey, live and learn. It's not so short that I can't wear it, but just short enough that I will never be able to bend over in public while wearing it :P

Until soon! xoxoxo

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

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

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...

100th Post!

OMGallifrey guys! It's my 100th post! AND it's my birthday! Happy birthday to me!!!

If you make/get me this cake I'll be your BFF forever

It seems like I'm all excited about my birthday, but in actual fact, I'm not. I'm not all afeerd of getting older or anything, I'm just not big on celebrating my own birthday (I love other people's birthdays). Or maybe I'm just tired. I've been exhausted all week and doing my best impression of Brittany S. Pierce with über-delicious Pumpkin Spice lattes.

So, what do I have planned for today? Well, I think that I will be working on my cherry dress tonight. You see, I made this dress a couple years ago and discovered that it no longer fits. It's too big! .:happy dance:. I'll be adjusting it so that I can hopefully wear it out this weekend when I go for birthday cocktails with friends. If I can't finish it in time, well, I have another me-made creation I can wear, which hopefully means I'll get some pics of it to share with y'all.

In the meantime, let's have a look at my Olde Timey Tractor dress. This dress is super comfy and it being made of cotton is perfect for warm summery weather, but I feel like quilting cotton and this pattern (Simplicity 2886) just weren't a good match.

This fabric is just a little too stiff for this dress. From the front it looks alright, but from the side the way it hangs makes me look... preggers...

Queen of the Castle!

I think if I made this dress again, I'd definitely use a drapier fabric, as well as modify the neckline a bit. I think that this one, on me anyway, is a little dowdy. Or maybe it was the fabric. Who knows? At any rate, this dress won't last too long in my wardrobe, despite it fitting perfectly when I made it, it's too big now! Hurray for weight loss and a perfect excuse to make shiny new dresses!