the seuss is loose

Welcome to winter in Galveston! Seriously, the weather in these parts has been so topsy turvy I can't even keep up. One day I'm wearing a sleeveless dress and dreamily meandering the streets on my bike on the way into work, the next day I'm bundled up in my handknitted woolies and bumping up the heat! But one thing is definitely for sure, this time of year always gets me thinking about planting things, growing things, digging my fingers into cool dirt, watching anxiously as seedlings start popping their little heads up... I guess in some parts of the continent it's still a bit early for that sort of thing, but round here we're just on that cusp before everything decides to burst into color again (color besides green, of course). 

Anyways! How's your winter going?? Hopefully if you're in the cooler climates you've managed to stay warm. As much as I love our relatively mild winters here, I do sometimes get a bit nostalgic when I see pictures of people all bundled up in their wooly layers and snow boots.  Or when I see people like Sonja making freaking fabulous faux fur coats!!! Seriously, I'm considering braving heat stroke and the proverbial sweating-of-bullets just so I can call such stunning, muppet-y outerwear mine...

Where was I...? Oh that's right, I have something new(ish) to show you. I say 'newish' because this was my January make for the Mood Sewing Network and chances are you may have already caught a glimpse of it, but I like to make sure my MSN makes make an appearance on my home turf as well. 

So for this go around I’ve got a fun new skirt to show you.  I’ve realized a bit of a pattern with my fabric purchases in the last year – if I don’t have a specific project in mind that I’m buying for I tend to just zero in on the wackiest fabric I can find at that moment.  This Marc Jacobs floral print, poly double-cloth-what-have-you was one of those purchases for me.  (It is now, of course, sadly sold out – but check out all these amazing Marc Jacobs fabrics from Mood’s online selection.  Marc Jacobs is seriously one of my favorite fabric designers, he just comes out with such fun stuff, like this vintage inspired floral silk, or this cuh-razy wool knit.) I know this fabric probably doesn’t look all that wacky at first glance, but trust me, its weirdness abounds…

First of all, you have the print. We start with a nice, sedate, oyster colored backdrop, all cool so far, right? Right. Then there’s a medium scaled floral print – also nothing amiss. But hold up! Now we take a major detour into Dr. Seuss-land because those flowers have stripes all over them. And all of a sudden a nice, normal, floral print turns a little trippy and weird. (And gives me inspiration for the title of this post - in case you were wondering. You probably weren't.)

Then there is the fabric itself.  The face of this fabric is a smooth, satin-like poly with a dull sheen, very soft to the touch.  This is fused to a heather gray poly knit on the backside, also smooth, but still… a knit.  Am I the only one that thinks this is weird? The fabric has no stretch and is a medium weight. I’m just so curious what this fabric was originally used for? Any ideas? One commenter on the MSN site remarked that it may have been used for a knit garment with the floral print satin used as a fun lining, which definitely would work, as this fabric could totally be reversible. It definitely made finishing my skirt really easy! I didn't worry about lining, but rather just serged all the raw edges. This step was actually almost just a formality because the raw edges didn't fray at all. 

Well, whatever the original use for this fabric was, I thought it would make an awesome pencil skirt, but I wanted a pattern with a little bit of a twist to match the fabric.  I eventually landed on the Zoe skirt from Style Arc.  I really liked the longer length and unusual style lines of this skirt – the angled side seam, and the long darts in the back most especially.  I added black faux leather piping (leftover from these pants) to the side seam to really highlight that line.

This was my first time making a Style Arc pattern.  I've always been a bit nervous about these patterns because the sizes aren't nested, so when you order the pattern you have to choose your size, and you only get that size. Doesn't leave a whole lot of wiggle room for fitting cock-ups (did I just type cock-ups??) In addition, the sewing directions are minimal. Like, the instructions for this skirt are not even 1/4 of a page. However the styles are always so intriguing, and just a little bit more fashion forward than what you normally see offered by the Big 4 pattern companies, and even many indie pattern designers, so I was just too tempted to not give it a go! 

Now, you'd think with all that trepidation I would have been careful to make a muslin, wouldn't you? Uh no.  I decided to throw caution to the wind and live dangerously! Jump on the back of that motorcycle and ride into the sunset... hair blowing in the breeze. Where will we stop? Who knows! Who cares! It's all about the ride, man, the riiidddeee.... Where was I? Oh yes. It probably would have been prudent for me to do a little basting test fit prior to stitching everything in place because I definitely am getting some fabric bubbling around my high hip area. This is a pretty standard issue with me and fitted skirts. I think it has something to do with the fact that I have a pretty narrow upper hip/pelvic area, but a full lower hip... I believe the conventional (and rather degrading) term for that would be saddlebags. It's an easy adjustment to make, and one that I'll make a note of if I make this pattern again. As is, I don't intend on this being an everyday type garment, so I'm not too fussed if the fit is not quite perfect.

I feel like no one is going to believe me when I say this – but I actually really agonized over print placement with this skirt.  Don't laugh! It's the truth! You see, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to attempt to print match those center front and back seams or not.  In the end I, obviously, decided not to, as I thought the visual jar of the mis-matched print along those seam lines actually fit the print better, and also helped to highlight those style lines without me putting the faux leather piping into all my seams, which I felt might be a bit much. Also... lazy.

All in all, this was a fun, quick, and painless make, and I think the results are equally fun. Will this skirt get a ton of wear? Probably not. But it will be great to pull out for the next gallery opening or fancy event I have lined up. And I love how well it pairs with my faux fur top. I actually bought this Marc Jacobs fabric at the same time that I snagged this Black and Blue Faux Fur that I used for this top thinking that they might make a cool outfit together. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that I actually saw my plan through! A rare thing, indeed!

And on a final end note - I wanted to thank you guys for all your kind, encouraging, and heartfelt comments on my last year in review post. It's such a pleasure to know that when I put something out into the world it's being received by the nicest group of people this thing we call the 'internet' has ever seen. You guys...

xx

Disclaimer: the fabric for this project was provided to me as part of my monthly fabric allowance from Mood Fabrics in exchange for my participation in the Mood Sewing Network. All other supplies, and obviously thoughts, are scrounged together using my own resources.

back to school

Even though I've officially been finished with my education for seven years, this time of year will always make me think of going back to school. I swear, there's just something in the slight shift in the light that signals the end of sumer and with it the impending doom of a new school year! I know some people associate that 'back to school' feeling with excitement, but for me it always meant the return of stress and anxiety - juggling good grades with extracurricular activities and often more than one demeaning and depressing job (Lord, may I never again have to waitress at a chain restaurant where they make you stop what you're doing every 30 minutes to line dance in the aisles...) not to mention the social and emotional labyrinth that was being a teenager. Thankfully, the majority of this anxiety has abated as I've gotten older, got out of school, and just generally got on with life. But I still visit my high school in my anxiety-induced nightmares - you know the one... You forgot your locker combination, which is bad enough, but you can't even remember where your locker IS anymore, and come to think of it, it's the end of the semester and you don't think you've been to Calculus all year and surely you're failing, and where is your calculus classroom? Who's the teacher? Are you failing all your classes? Can you make up all the tests in one day?

Yeah. That one.

But there was one thing I always loved about going back to school, and that was getting a brand new 'back to school outfit'. Complete with shoes. Definitely the silver lining to the whole 'back to school' thing. Somehow that new outfit could convince me that this year was gonna be different, better. With my new outfit I'd suddenly understand Physics, I'd get the lead in the school musical, I wouldn't feel the sting of the mean girls, and I'd maybe get to skip out of gym (ha!). Apparently I thought a new outfit could do a lot! Even as a poor art student I still scraped together my money to carry on the tradition of buying myself a new somethingsomething for the upcoming year. I hung all my hopes and goals and aspirations on that outfit.

All this musing and tripping down memory lane has a point. I swear. True, it's a bit of an oblique point, but a point all the same. And the point is this: this outfit reminds me of a 'back to school' outfit. Okay, my skirt may not have passed dress code, but anytime I see gold paired with blue (bonus points if you throw in some cranberry red too) I'll always think of 'back to school'.  And you know, when I got dressed this morning, I still felt like today was gonna be a good day, because I was wearing some new duds. Of course that was before a hose leaked all down my back. Totally should've taken blog photos before I went in to work!

Aaaanywho! This skirt probably needs no introduction. It's V1247  one of those beloved (by me) Rachel Comey patterns, which plenty of other sewistas have made up before me. A few of my favorites are Sophie's (here, and here) Heather's (here) and Carolyn's (whose made a few, but here's one, and here's another).  Every time this little skirt makes a show in my blogroll I'm always pleased to see it, and without fail I'll ask myself, "Self, why haven't you made that skirt yet?" I've made the top from V1247 (click on that link if you want a throwback! My hair!!) but never got around to making the skirt. After seeing Sophie's latest versions I decided enough was enough and it was time to right this pattern negligence wrong.

It just so happens that I had this funky little palm tree print stretch cotton twill that I picked up with my Mood allowance sitting around, gathering dust, with no real plan for.  Nothing like pairing an overlooked pattern with an overlooked fabric! I just love giving these things a happy ending!  I cut the skirt in a size 10, which would have been a close fit if it wasn't for this fabric's stretch. As is, it's a ridiculously comfy skirt! I also decided to keep the original length, though I noticed that many other ladies who've sewn this up added length. I was going to add an inch in length, but at the last minute I decided, nah, just go for it! I really love the super mini length paired with the high waist. It feels very 70's collegiate to me - a bit Gloria Steinem, or like something my Mom would've worn in her late teens and early 20's.

I did, however hem the back of the skirt a half inch longer than the front to compensate for the fact that my rump ate up some of the length back there. Also, pockets as design features are highly underrated.

This skirt came together pretty much without a hitch. Although I did almost lose it once or twice with the bias bound innards. The pattern calls for you to make your own bias binding, but I decided to just use up some random bits of pre-made bias binding that I've had lying around.  Therefore, my innards look a bit like a carnival! I have to admit, I hate this method of seam finishing. Sure it looks pretty, but it's a major pain in the tuckus. Bias binding is just so fiddly!! After a total hack-job on the curved pockets, I decided to forgo the idea of pinning the binding in place, and instead brought out my trusty glue stick and started glueing that shit down! It stopped me from ripping out my eyeballs. So there's that. To all you ladies who choose this method of seam finishing of your own accord (not because a pattern tells you to) well... I will readily admit that you are finer seamstresses than me!

I decided to wear my new skirt with my blue linen Archer, which looked quite sharp this morning, but after a day of sweating and leaking hoses... well, I was looking a bit rumpled by the evening! I'm also looking forward to pairing this skirt with my bodysuits for an overall svelte look. All in all, a fun little addition to the wardrobe!

So does anyone else get the 'back to school blues' this time of year, regardless of the fact that you're not actually going back to school?

xx

it's not easy being green

I'm sorry, I really couldn't help myself with this post title. I know it's lame, but then again... shhh.. don't tell anyone... I'm kinda lame!

Anyway! Hiya friends! Welcome to August. Time, man.... it's flying. I had a pretty wonderful July, if I do say so myself (and I do). I got a nice long visit in with my family in PA, doing nothing but lounging by the pool, reading alll the mystery novels, having looong chats with my Mom, and catching up with my sister, one of my two brothers, my Daddy-o, and playing with my little nieces and nephews (for as long as my energy would allow). Sometimes there's just nothing like family to recharge you and make you feel centered again. Although Nick always says that every time I come home from visiting my family I revert to being a little kid again. Eh... what can you do? Once the baby of the family, always the baby of the family!

Oh you wanted to talk about sewing! How silly of me! Yes, well this is my July make for the Mood Sewing Network, and I'm pretty stoked about it. The fabric for the skirt is this Ultramarine Green Embroidered Linen, and it's delicious. I almost didn't click 'buy' on this fabric because, quite frankly, I'm not a huge fan of the color green (had it been red, there would have been no hesitation). I mean, besides in nature. Obviously. I think my anti-green sentiments stem from my painting days when I discovered that Phthalo green (similar to this 'ultramarine' hue in the skirt) is an evil, evil color that does not play well with the other colors. It is a color bully, squashing out all the colors with a more delicate chemical makeup. And it doesn't occur in nature. So I kept it well and good away from my palette, just like I do with bullies in real life. 

Now that you understand my completely rational bias against green, let's talk about how this fabric won me over. Because it did. Completely. First of all - it's linen, the fabric of summer. Second of all - it's embroidered, which means it's full of both visual and textural candy. And finally - that print!! What would you call that print? Tribal? Aztec? I'm pretty down with Mood's description of it being simply 'geometric'. But whatever it is, I think it's pretty fantastic. So fantastic that I embraced it's green-ness and grabbed a couple yards to call my own. I actually had an immediate idea that I wanted to make it into a full skirt. I felt that with the embroidery and the print it would have a really lovely gypsy/bohemian/70's vibe when worn as a full skirt.

I used Colette's Zinnia skirt pattern, view A, for the pattern. I haven't made something from Colette in ages. I guess for awhile it just felt like their styles weren't speaking to me, but I've already discussed how I feel like my style has been changing recently.  Anyway, it was nice to revisit this beloved indie brand.  Zinnia is a really straightforward skirt, definitely great for a beginner. It has an a-line shape and a gathered waist with a front button placket. I always feel a bit like a cheater making 'beginner' or simple patterns, but that feeling only lasts for a minute or two.  In reality, I just choose patterns that feel right stylistically, not based on skill level. And a gathered, full skirt is, yes, easy to sew, but it's also a classic that never goes out of style.

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I didn't even consider print matching until I was well into cutting out my pattern pieces. Thankfully I had just cut out the back skirt piece, and one half of the front before I stopped and was like, "Oh shit, yeah, this could be one hell of an eyesore if I don't do some print matching!" So I made the minimal effort of making sure that the horizontal bands of the print lined up across the front (true confessions: I thought I did a better job with matching up the print at the center front, but I forgot to take into account that the button placket would eat up some of the print. Whoops.) 

This linen took a little bit of finagling to get everything working right. After I pre-washed it and hung it to dry, the embroidered areas shrank up a bit, leaving the wide, plain, white, linen selvedges a bit wavy. I steamed it and pressed it, but the shrinkage was done. I had planned on using the plain white selvedges for the waistband and button placket, but now they were all buckled. In the end I just cut them away from the embroidered area and gave them a good press to restore their shape, and cut my pattern pieces from them that way.  It all worked out, as you can see. 

The linen was also slightly sheer, so I decided to line it with some white cotton lawn I had in my stash. I debated doing this, because the embroidered linen was also quite heavy and could get pretty thick in places, and I didn't want to add to the bulk of the gathered waist.  However I'm glad I went for it. It really gives the skirt some good support, and it's completely opaque, which makes getting dressed much easier (no digging around my unmentionables drawer for light colored undies, or, god forbid, a slip). The Zinnia pattern doesn't include instructions for lining this version, however it was really easy.  I just cut the skirt pieces out of the cotton lawn, minus about an inch in length. I sewed up the side seams and hemmed it before doing anything else.  Then I simply sewed the linen and the lawn as one layer when I created the button placket and the button band, enclosing the lawn along the center front, and allowing the rest of the hem to hang free.  Gathering the two layers of fabric was a bit touch and go, but it worked out just fine, and after some serious trimming, the waistband is pretty much bulk free!

Those of you that follow me on instagram know that I had a helluva time choosing buttons for this skirt. I bought two sets of buttons, the jade green plastic ones you see here, and also a set of bamboo buttons. Being genuinely stumped myself I took a poll of just about everyone I know - Nick, my Mom and sister, all of instagram - to see which they preferred, and the consensus was overwhelmingly pro-green! Who knew so many people like the color green?!? Of course I still wasn't totally sold, and delayed my decision making until the last minute, when I finally rationalized that these green buttons really were a perfect match with this fabric, and the bamboo buttons are more likely to go with some future fabric/project down the road. So practicality wins the day.

This striped top is also a new make. It's another of Closet Case File's Nettie bodysuit, made up in some navy and white striped rayon-y knit that I picked up at a Houston fabric joint. This summer has really been the season of Nettie's for me.  I actually have another Nettie hack all made up that I've been wearing out and about that I need to photograph and write a post about.  This bodysuit was a seriously quick make.  I honestly made it - from cutting to hammering on the crotch snaps - in one evening after work.  I even stopped to eat dinner somewhere in there.  And that's just one of the joys of sewing a knit with a pattern you know works.   This may also just be one of the best looking knit sewing jobs I've ever done.  The neck and leg bindings look ace, the stripes match up on the sides, and kinda on the sleeves too! The insides were all sewn on the serger, and the sleeves were hemmed with a twin needle. For the snap crotch binding I used self fabric interfaced with non-stretch fusible interfacing.  It worked much better than trying to handle a slippery, silky fabric, although it was a bit thick when it came time to hammer in my snaps.  Next time I might just interface some lightweight woven fabric and see how that works.

I've really been gravitating to this silhouette of a skin-tight bodice paired with a full skirted bottom.  It's a classically feminine look that just nails it 90% of the time.  However I'm always a bit wary of how I put this look together because I think it can read too '50's housewife' for me.  That look works for plenty of women, but it just looks silly on me.  I think the print mixing of this outfit, and the type of prints used, help the whole outfit feel more modern and bohemian than June Cleaver.  At least that was my aim! 

Well, my lovelies, I think that was plenty of words for this post! I have a few more summer makes planned over the next couple of weeks, so I should be back soon!

xx