roseate spoonbill

I can't say I've ever had a particular affinity for birds. Growing up, the only birds I could actually identify were Canadian Geese, of which there were an abundance of.  I also got pretty good at identifying goose poop... of which there was also an abundance of... Which is why it's pretty remarkable that these days I'm able to recall the names of a lot of our feathered friends that I see about.  Galveston has some pretty spectacular birding, and I guess it's the sort of thing that just rubs off after spending time in a place.  But of all the birds I see about, there's really only one that I get super excited about when I spot it, and that's the Roseate Spoonbill.

I remember the first time I saw a Roseate Spoonbill I was driving across the causeway that connects the island to mainland Texas, and out of the corner of my eye I saw this flash of pink in the sky.  It was shortly after we had moved to Galveston and I remember coming home and saying to my husband (not totally sure if I had imagined the whole thing or not) "Nick, I think there are pink birds here..." He, of course, already knew about the pink birds, being much more... well... just generally better informed about these things than I am.  To me, living in a place with such technicolor fowl flapping about, makes me feel like I'm in the most exotic place in the world, even if it is just costal Texas.

So why am I waxing romantic about pink birds today? I swear there's a reason, and that reason does indeed tie into one of my two newest makes. So let me introduce you to...

My second Archer, made up in a silk crepe de chine.  This silk started it's life as plain white, and I was truly this close to leaving it white, because there is something pretty classic about a white, silk, button-up shirt, is there not? But I felt like maybe I could love it a little bit more if it was, I don't know, a little pinker.  So I dyed it.  Easy peasy.  Just a one step, good ol' fashioned, dunk-it-in-a-bucket-and-swish-it-around dye job. I mixed just the teensiest amounts of chocolate brown and coral pink dye (both from Dharma) to get the color I was aiming for.  And the color on my mind, my inspiration, was the pale shade of rose that the Roseate Spoonbill displays on it's soft, downy feathers.  See? Told you I had a point with all that bird nonsense!!

As this is my second time making Grainline's Archer, I won't go into too many details here (to read about my first Archer, go here). And while I wear my first Archer a ton (like, multiple times a week, sometimes) I did make some changes to the pattern this time around to get the fit closer to how I like my button-ups.  I've been very jealous of the fit on all of Andrea's Archers, and so decided to take a page out of her book and decrease some of the width through the shoulders (I used this tutorial) and take in the side seams a bit at the waist for a more feminine shape.  The changes were subtle (only half an inch at the shoulders and about an inch at the waist) and I think my finished shirt keeps some of the 'boyfriend' vibe that I love so much about this pattern, while making it just a bit more flattering on my body.  Score. 

Sewing this was also one of those experiences that sewists simply live for.  Everything came together absolutely gorgeously, the silk pressed beautifully, and because this shirt has so many sweet little details on it, it was one of those makes where you can actually see that you've made progress with your technique.  Very satisfying indeed.

I also made up Tessuti's Suzy Pants pattern in this navy and white patterned silk crepe that I scored while in NYC.  I can't remember the name of the store, because I was in such a post-blogger-meetup euphoria that I wasn't really paying attention, but I do remember that I spotted it and immediately thought, "Suzy Pants".  I've been obsessed with Kelli's Suzy's since she posted them, and felt like they would make the perfect transition pants for fall.

I had already made one of Tessuti's patterns (here) and found them to be perfectly delightful to sew with.  I think much like Kelli, I was drawn to the Suzy pattern because they closely resemble a lot of the pleated, lightweight trousers that I've been seeing a lot from ready-to-wear lines.  While I probably could have done the work and converted my beloved Built By Wendy pants pattern to this style, it was much much easier to just download the Suzy pattern! I made these in a size XS, based off of my measurements and the finished garment measurements, and the fit was just what I was hoping for, loose, but not baggy. I also took a page from Kelli's book and made my Suzy's with a flat-front waistband and just elastic in the back.  I tapered the leg towards the ankle, and cropped the length, as well. I always think a tapered leg looks most stylish when it's cropped, plus, now they're the perfect length to wear with my fall/winter staples - my black booties! 

I made these a few weeks ago, now (they go together super quickly) and have worn them at least twice a week since (and sometimes I change into them when I get home from work, because they are just that comfortable). So I guess that is testament to how much I love them? My husband kind of chuckles at me when I wear them and refers to them (fondly I'm sure...) as my fancy Zubaz pants.  I mean... I guess they do sort of have a '90's Mom' vibe (maybe in a cool way???) but definitely not a bad 90's pants vibe... right?? Right???

Man, taking blog photos is just always awkward, right? Today the weirdos were in particularly rare form (or am I the weirdo in this scenario... so hard to tell...) While I was darting back and forth between my posing and adjusting the camera I noticed that there was some old dude in a BATHROBE standing on his porch watching me!! Just, like, leaning up against the post, giving me an eye-full of his silvery chest rug.  So I say, "Hey there" and kind of wave, and dude just growls at me in the thickest Russian accent, "Are you Russian?? You look like you could be Russian..."  Um. Huh? So I smile and say, "No, I'm not Russian"... And my man just keeps on standing there, smiling and staring!! Thus, the incredibly uncomfortable look on my face in that second-to-last picture! So finally I ask if I'm bothering him, and he says 'no' and goes back inside (to continue to creep at me behind his lace curtains...) but not without leaving a strong whiff of heebie-jeebies in his wake! Granted, I was taking pictures on the sidewalk right in front of his house, so, yeah... not really sure who's the bigger weirdo in this scenario... I mean, I did just shame a dude off his own porch so I could take pictures for my sewing blog on his private property.... Like, clearly  the robed Russian is the weirdo... right? Right...?

xx

art teacher

I know! Two posts in one week!! Craziness! And the excitement doesn't end here... hint hint...

So, do you guys remember your art teachers growing up? I was really lucky to have some wonderful art teachers (one of whom was my Mom - hi Mom!!  I might be biased, but she was my favorite!) and while I may have found my way into a creative field all on my own, I definitely would not have had the amount of confidence and wherewithal to pursue my degrees in Painting without the support and encouragement of my art teachers.  I mean... I certainly wasn't getting any encouragement to continue on with math or science... so, I'm glad someone saw something in me!

But this post isn't just a testimonial to the importance of arts education in public schools (although don't get me started...) It's about some of the other effects that art teachers had on me.  I'm talking about style here.  One of my style inspirations is always some kind of mish-mash of all my art teachers.  There's just such an amazing, eclectic mix of professional/bohemian, practical/elegant, modern/vintage vibes going on with the art educator set! Not to mention a (typically) keen eye for color, proportion, and texture.  

This jacket feels like something that one of my art teachers (or maybe just my Mom...this is a good thing) would have worn.  There were lots of sneak peeks of this make in my last post because I literally wore it every. single. day while I was in NYC.  I have to say - up to this date - this might be one of my favorite handmade additions to my closet.  It's just seriously cool.

A few months ago, Colette from Tessuti contacted me to see if I'd like to review one of their patterns.  Have you guys been keeping up on the patterns that have been coming out of there? Really great stuff. Basics with a twist - definitely my kind of thing.  And also the sort of garments that would be flattering on a wide range of women, both age-wise and body-type.  I chose to make the Tokyo Jacket - a loose, unstructured, kimono-inspired jacket that works well in lighter, drape-ier fabrics.  I could just tell immediately from the line-drawings and the pictures on their site that this would be my kind of thing.  I love clothing with a somewhat Japanese aesthetic, and a dramatic fit. I will also be ordering the Suzy Pant as soon as payday comes... hello favorite new fall pant!

It took me a little while to get around making this jacket - mainly because I couldn't quite wrap my head around making a jacket, no matter how lightweight, when the temperatures were over 100 degrees! But with the approach of fall I decided it was time to delve in, and boy am I glad I did! This seems to go with everything in my closet!

This was one of those times that I had a really clear idea about what kind of fabric I wanted to pair with the pattern.  I knew as soon as I had the pattern in my hands that I wanted to make this out of some kind of shibori-dyed fabric, to highlight the kimono silhouette.  I used some silk noil (the same stuff I used to make this dress) and tried a itajime-shibori technique.  This basically means that the fabric was folded and then used some kind of shape-resist to prevent the dye from penetrating all the way through.  I was dyeing about 2 1/2 yards... you guys... that was a lot of folding! I can't totally say if my process was legit-shibori (I'm an internet learner) but I loved the outcome!

I didn't use a traditional indigo dye bath, but instead just used my trusty Dharma procion dyes.  Believe it or not, this dye color was supposed to black! That just goes to show you how unpredictable dye colors can be! It turned out more of a gray-ish blue with (though you can't see it in these pictures) an almost pink-ish haze around the blue.

My yardage of this silk noil was pretty narrow, so I had to fold it on the cross-grain in order to cut the pattern pieces.  My one regret with this jacket is that I did not follow my gut and cut the back piece on the fold (the instructions were to cut two).  There was just no way I was going to get the pattern to match up at that center back seam otherwise.  But like many things, this felt like a bit of a bummer at the time, but after wearing it around for a whole weekend, it really doesn't bother me (we'll call it a 'design feature').  Next time...

So the pattern! I requested a paper pattern because I was feeling a bit burnt out on all the printing and taping of digital patterns, but these patterns are available both ways.  They have a handmade look to them which is pleasant - like a pattern your friend drafted for you.  Everything matched up perfectly and the fit was spot on. I made a size S based on my measurements.  Obviously this jacket is very roomy so I probably could have made an XS, but when a garment like this is designed to have excessive ease I like to follow the designers size suggestions so it fits how they envision (interestingly enough, this is the total opposite to when I'm making a more fitted garment - then I base everything off of the finished garment measurements).

The instructions were impeccable! So, so thorough.  I didn't run into any problems sewing this up! The pattern says it is for Intermediate to Super-Advanced sewers, but honestly, based on how descriptive the instructions are I think a beginner-intermediate sewer could handle this, no problem. The trickiest part (in my opinion) was the pockets, and this was simply because they come together in a way I have never quite seen before, but I just trusted Tessuti and followed the instructions and lo-and-behold! Perfect pockets! 

I had the bare minimum of my yardage to make this  jacket, so I opted to do the cuffs and pocket trim in a contrast fabric.  This was one of the other reasons it took me a while to finally make this jacket - I was searching for the perfect trim fabric. You know, that mythical fabric that will just magically take this jacket from "awesome" to "amaze-balls"..? Well I found it, but it wasn't in any of my local stores.  

You see, I really wanted to have this jacket ready for my trip to New York, so I ended up rooting around in my scraps until I found something that struck my fancy - leather! I had left-over cream lamb-skin from making this jacket, and leftover black pleather from making these pants, and after a brief consultation on Instagram I followed the overwhelming advice to go with cream and I was off and away! And, wow, you guys I am  so glad  I took your advice and went with the cream leather! It just looks, and feels (and smells) so luxe! I added a small ribbon of trim along the collar to separate the collar from the body of the jacket, and to balance the other leather accents.  Those little bits of leather are really what makes this jacket extra-special to me. I just love the combined textures of the nubby silk-noil and buttery soft leather... mmmm.... Side note: this has totally renewed my love of sewing with leather... I am already scheming... many schemes...

So yeah! I'm super excited about this jacket!! A huge 'thank you' to Colette for sending me this pattern, and for always being such a huge supporter of this sewing-blog community! 

And now... for something extra exciting!! Tessuti is giving away one Tokyo Jacket pattern to one of my readers!! If you're in the Northern hemisphere, this jacket will make a great layering piece for fall - and if you're about to enter spring, this is the perfect lightweight layer to throw on over a sleeveless shirt (or, in my case, jumpsuit!) Basically - transitional weather perfection! 

Leave a comment with an email address where I can reach you - extra points if you make me laugh - and I'll choose a winner at random... oh... say... next Monday, September 30th at 8pm?  Sounds like a great way to cap off September! 

xx

disco butt

Things my husband said after seeing my newest, completed make:

"Ooooh baby, you've got disco butt..." (what does that mean..?)
"What I really like about this is that you can go right from the roller skating rink to a karate dojo without having to change your outfit!" (and I added: "And then right to BED!!!")
"This makes you look really skinny. Like Mia Farrow!" (I didn't even pay him...)



This, my friends, is a jumpsuit. And while we're on a roll here with the list making, I've been keeping a mental list of all the things that jumpsuits are awesome for:

• High kicks
• Impromptue yoga
• Looking dramatic in a breeze
• Lounging (obviously...)
• Striking poses
• Calling people "Daaahling"
• Riding bikes (but I roll up the legs, because those are some biiiig hems!!)
• Looking like you got dressed on those days when you don't want to get dressed
• Collecting cat hair (well... I can't speak for all jumpsuits on this one...)

And here's the list of things that jumpsuits are not awesome for:

• Ohmygodwhatthef**k TOILETS!!!

Here I was, thinking to myself:  "Why don't people wear jumpsuits all the time?? They are so comfy!!" And then I think I uttered an audible "oh shit" the first time I was confronted with a toilet while wearing my jumpsuit.

But how I manage to do my business in this jumpsuit is not the point of this post! I made a jumpsuit! This has been on my 'to make' list forever. I sort of "drafted" this pattern myself.  I say "drafted" because I'm not totally sure that my method of 'Just Drawing Shapes on Paper and Hoping For the Best' is really a method of pattern drafting.  If it is - than I am a master! I did test the bodice part out first in some leftover jersey I had laying around and deemed it 'good enough'.  The finished jumpsuit is made out of some black rayon modal jersey.  That stuff is just so slinky and soft! Perfect for this sort of swishy, drape-y, unstructured outfit. Also, completely forgiving of my haphazard drafting methods! 

One of the tricky things about (cough cough... ahem) drafting your own patterns, is that they don't come with any instructions! I mean, no duh, obviously, but you really have to spend a bit of time thinking through how you're going to construct your garment - how edges are going to be finished, what areas need to be interfaced, etc.  I was having a bit of trouble trying to figure out how to finish my neckline edges.  My first thought was to bind them, but no matter how careful I am, anytime I bind edges in jersey it always looks like a huge, hot, mess. Then I thought about encasing elastic - similar to how Heather instructs you to do it with the Bombshell swimsuit - but I wasn't sure I wanted all that zig-zag topstitching to be visible.  Finally, late at night (when I should be sleeping, but instead I'm thinking about sewing... come on... you do it too) I had the aha! moment of using facings! It's also a sort of 'no shit' solution, but for some reason I always underestimate the power of facings.

The other completely obvious, yet also revelatory discovery I made while making this jumpsuit is how effective a fusible knit interfacing can be on jersey (I know, I know... minds = blown I'm sure...).  The interfacing has just a teensy amount of stretch, so it works with the fabric, but it also stabilizes it, which is perfect for a 4-way stretch knit like modal.  I interfaced my facings, pocket edges and hems.  Interfacing the hem was totally revolutionary for me! No more crazy, ripple-y hems! I interfaced about an inch around the bottom, serged the raw edge, turned it up and did a double-needle topstitch.  Seriously the most gorgeous hem I've ever gotten with a knit. Of course this only works because I don't need the hems to stretch.

I've pretty much been wearing this jumpsuit non-stop, even despite the awkward bathroom moments. It's just that comfortable, and yet I also feel sort of chic in a  70's disco(butt) kind of way!

As a matter of fact, my jumpsuit was the first thing I packed when I jetted off to NYC two weekends ago! Yep... that happened!

All photos, except that last one, are from the lovely, amazing, Jennifer

Wanette, Oona, Sonja, Latrice, Devra, Jennifer, Kelli, and of course, my girl Heather.

So, forgive me for a second you guys - I'm sure this is going to sound like just another love-fest of a blogger meet-up recap - but let me put this in perspective for you: I have been sewing for a little over three years now, and blogging over two, and I have never had a real, live, in-depth chat with another sewist, let alone another sewing bogger! I was seriously over-the-moon. Getting to meet these women in real life, who's blogs I look to for inspiration, education, commiseration, to be awed and amazed, and for a good laugh, was such an incredible experience.  It re-newed my creative energy, and reminded me why I blog and make the effort to be a part of this space - because our little on-line community is made up of some of the most creative, talented, brilliant, kind, genuine, open-hearted and FUNNY women (and a few men) I have ever had the immense pleasure to come across. 

My weekend was epic. And one that I will hold close to my heart forever... at least until it happens again! And a special thank you to all you ladies up there that I had the chance to meet and talk to and get rowdy with.  Ya'll are precious.

xx

a new pair

Hey there! I'm back! I'm so pleased so many of you found the fabric dyeing tutorial instructive, and I do hope to see some hand-painted goodies popping up in my blog reader in the future! If any of you do decide to tackle some fabric dyeing yourself, please send me some pictures! I'd love to steal your ideas wait... that's not right... I mean, suck your creative juices... no... not that either... hmm... let's just go with see what you come up with! Kidding.. kidding...

So what brings me to this rambunctious crop of palmettos on this overcast summer day? I wanted to show off my two latest makes, of course! You might recognize the fabric for this top as the sample that I dyed in my tutorial.  Although the camera was being a bit silly with color - the blue dye is a deeper hue than it appears in these pictures.

I dyed just under two yards of this white silk crepe de chine - just enough to make a Scout tee! I've been craving some easy, basic summer staples this season, and the Scout definitely fit the bill. I also felt like the pattern lends itself really well to using fun fabrics, like this hand dyed number.  And I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't especially tempted to whip up a Scout as part of that awesome Kollabora contest, but in true Sallie fashion I just didn't get my shit together in time to meet the deadline! Which is a damn shame, because I love prizes. I love prizes almost as much as I hate deadlines! So, as you can see, I am doomed to a life of no prizes and dissatisfaction... woe is me.

All joking aside here (hehe... I never put the joking aside) I was destined to make this Scout sooner or later as part of my systematic attempt to have my wardrobe littered with Grainline patterns.  Jen, do you make these patterns specifically for me?? I just have to ask. And if so, have you been getting those brain waves I've been sending you? Great, thanks - I'll expect to see sketches on my table by next week then? 

Omigod, I just can't stop the kidding today. What's with me?? Alright. Serious face. Just the facts m'am. I made this top in a size 4, no adjustments.  While this size matches my measurements (exactly - I mean... she's gotta be making these just for me! Right... sorry... back to business...) I could also see me sizing up in the future to get an even slouchier fit for optimum cool-itude. And, as literally everyone everywhere has said about this pattern, it was a breeze to sew up, even in silk, making it a great project for a long afternoon.  I finished all the seams with french seams, not because I'm particularly partial to the, admittedly, pretty finish, but because I was too lazy to change my serger thread from black to white. Ahh yes... you know you have a problem when your laziness induces more work...

And on to project number two! This past spring I decided it was time for a new pair of jeans.  It had been about a year since I made my first pair - and then commenced to wear them every. single. day of the following 365 days. Funny that it took me an entire year to realize that I should really have more than one pair of jeans in my wardrobe! But after a year of hard wear, my first pair of jeans were no longer looking like my 'nice' jeans - but rather like my 'work' jeans.  Several gallery installs and deinstalls had resulted in paint stains - a years worth of bike commutes meant a few grease stains and the odd snag or two - and countless washings and dryings had meant faded color and tarnished buttons.

It was time.  This was also a great opportunity for me to refine the Built By Wendy pattern (only available in the Sew U book) I've been using as my base for pants. (Question: at what point does a commercial pattern become your own?) Gotta hand it to a years worth of wear 'n tear to show me where a pattern could be improved! Don't get me wrong, I was incredibly happy with my first pair of jeans. Obviously. But there were some small adjustments I wanted to make on this pair - like the depth of the front pocket opening and the overall width of the front pockets.  My first pair's zipper also had a tendency to show a teensy amount, so I used a different insertion method for the fly (Grainline's, in fact!)  But perhaps the biggest adjustment's happened with the fit.  I loved the fit of my first pair of jeans - at first. But over time I noticed that the grain was off on the legs and it really bothered me.  I knew this happened because I took the outer seam in to get them to fit after I sewed up the inseam.  I really needed to adjust the fit overall, and redraw the grainline. So that's what I did with this pair.

I measured an old pair of Levi's to determine a few style points on this pair.  One interesting thing that I found in doing this is that the pants front were significantly narrower than the pants back.  I think this creates an optical illusion of being curvier in the back, and leaner in the front - and it also makes anatomical sense - since the muscles in the back of our legs tend to be much fuller than our front.  I also decided to have these jeans be a bit less 'skinny' in the ankle than my first pair, so they are cut a bit straighter from the knee down, and I hemmed them shorter.  I like to think of this as a gentle transition from my hipster art school days to a more 'mature' look. Ha!!

I used a Marc Jacobs denim from Mood, with just a hint of stretch along the cross-wise grain.  I know some people are anti-stretch denim, but me? I loves it.  I have to say, I'm really happy with this denim.  Definitely quality stuff. It has the color and feel of old school denim, and it didn't bleed nearly as much as the denim I used on my last pair. Which I take as a good sign. I get a lot of questions about where to buy jeans supplies, and I always recommend Mood for their denim. I order a couple of swatches and choose from there.  My buttons and rivets are from Taylor Tailor (who has a whole store full of really great looking jeans supplies, including some drool-worthy selvedge, non-stretch, denim that I think I might use to make my husband some jeans) and my thread is just Gutterman topstitching thread - though Taylor Tailor has some really gorgeous topstitching thread I might splurge on for my next pair!

Well that's all for now! I literally have a 'to sew' list a mile long... anyone else have this problem? I swear, all these gorgeous indie pattern companies keep releasing winners this season. I'm having a hard time saying 'no'!

xx

devil with the blue dress

Stop the presses, hold the phone, and all that jazz! You guys... I took these pictures in the morning. That's right. I'm packing my woolies for the afterlife,  because hell just froze over.

You see, I am not a morning person. Like, I've been known to breathe fire, speak in tongues, and spew green shit if I'm addressed directly before 8am. It should also be known that I'm not a night person either (person of the night? lady of the night?) rather, I think of myself as a day  person.  Between the hours of 9am and 9pm I'm golden, an utter joy to behold - anywhere beyond that and it's really a gamble.  But for some inexplicable reason, today I was literally champing at the bit to get out of bed! I made myself wait until 6am, for the sake of decency and so I wasn't blowing too many minds, but once 6 rolled around I was up and at 'em as they say.

So I made it my business to take some blog photos! Everyone knows that the best times to take photos outdoors is when the sun is at an oblique angle (late afternoon/early evening - or, as the case may be, morning).  So I did my morning routine, ate my breakfast, got myself gussied up and tramped out with camera in tote to pose in someone else's garden. And here I am! Home before 9am! Is this what it feels like to be an adult...?

This dress was one of those makes that sort of happened a bit unexpectedly.  Lately I've been trying to take care of some projects for other people, and as every selfish seamstress knows, there's only so much of this one can take before ohmygodihavtamakesomethingforMEEE happens. This also happens to be the time of year when I can often be found crawling on all fours, sweat pouring from my brow, my trembling hand reaching out for my sewing machine, gasping to no one in particular (but usually the cat) "need.... more.... summer... dresses...." And it was in this frenzied, heat stroke induced state that I made this dress.

This is V8810 that I purchased during one of the awesome $1.99 sales, not really all that sure what I'd do with it, but thinking it might make a nice basic summer dress. I haven't really seen this dress around on the sewing blogs, and while I know there are plenty of people out there that sew and don't choose to parade around on the internet for all the world to see, something about this dress' absence in blogland tells me that it's not particularly popular.  And I can kind of get why. It's a little meh. I mean, a drawstring waist dress...? It sort of says "potato sack". But I've also been known to be a sucker for a tie waist, and the gathered shoulders were definitely my thing, and I liked the skirt options, so I went for it! 

The fabric is some weird rayon that I think is trying to imitate a summer-weight wool.  It's slightly scratchy, but not uncomfortable, it has a nice drape and is lightweight but still opaque.  And I love the color. Like really really love it.  I used those Dritz fabric covered buttons, which I've had so-so luck with.  I actually think they look quite nice, and are surprisingly easy to make, but I've found that they don't last very well. The tops tend to pop off after a wear or two.  But since this is really such a plain dress I wanted to make sure the buttons were immaculate so this time I pulled out one of my favorite sewing tricks - some glue and a hammer! I glued the top and base together and then pounded the shit outta them with the hammer.  I'll let you know how they hold up...

After I finished the dress and put it on I felt a wee bit lackluster about it. I was kind of expecting this, but it was still a bummer to actually see it. Something was just off. I loved the color,  but I felt like the shoulders were just too wide, despite the gathering.  So I decided to make these shoulder tabs for it to pull up the excess fabric and make the sleeve sit at a more flattering place on me.  I could have just gathered the sleeve more, but after trying on the dress I felt that it had a sort of uniform-y feel to it (not quite sure what kind of uniform... waitress? airflight attendant? armed forces...?) so I decided to kind of play up whatever utilitarian vibes I was getting from it by adding the little shoulder tab touch. Now I feel like the whole bodice is more flattering.  

All in all, this dress has been a pleasant surprise! I don't feel like the pattern envelope or drawings do the collar justice - it really has a lovely, almost mandarin-type, stand to it which I find really elegant and becoming as a neckline (necks can just be so lovely, can't they?) It was quick and easy to make, and while it may not be the most amazing thing I've ever made - I think it will serve me well as a great casual dress for work during the long hot summers.

Have you ever gone into a project with low expectations, only to be pleasantly surprised? I love it when it happens!

xx

desert dessert

Hey guys! So about a week ago Nick and I packed our car and headed out west to Marfa, TX for a little desert excursion.  I go out there once a year for work, to give the resident artists a break from the humid Gulf coast and to become oversaturated in minimalist art.  It's always great to get away, even if it is for work.  I become a bit militant about sneaking in hotel pool time, a hike or two and lots of staring off into sunsets in between the tours and the meetings and the dinners (I know, it sounds awful, right? hehe...) 

During one of our last nights there, Nick and I snuck off into the desert to snap some blog photos.  It was super windy, and I had been on a long hike earlier that day, so please excuse my slightly sun-dazed and less-than-polished appearance in these photos! I've been meaning to get photos of this little shimmery skirt for literally months now. This is Grainline's Moss mini skirt that I made up, um... back in March...? Yeah... and it's now almost June... bad blogger!!! But this was really the pattern that made me decide that Jen was a genius. I'll try to keep my pattern-romanticizing to a minimum with this one (if you'd like to hear me wax poetic about Grainline patterns, then look no further than this post) but let me just say that, once again, the fit is spot on, the design is both modern, streamlined and classic, and the drafting of the pockets show that subtle attention to detail that makes a sewist like me go all gooey on the inside. 

The fabric is a linen from Tessuti fabrics (no longer available, but isn't is beautiful??) that I bought last spring with the intention of making a pair of shorts.  The shorts never happened, summer passed, and this pretty gold-flecked linen sat in my fabric pile for far too long.  Fast forward to this spring and all of a sudden I became obsessed with highly wearable, casual separates that could easily be incorporated into my wardrobe (hence the sudden interest in button-up shirts like my Archer, or this guy).  Not that a pair of shorts wouldn't have fit the bill, but my closet is decidedly lacking in this sort of versatile skirt.  Or really any skirts. At all. And that's just a shame, isn't it? I'm glad I went with the Moss mini skirt because it has been getting some serious wear ever since!

I don't really have too much more to say about this make! It was a dream to sew up - everything from the pattern to the fabric just seemed to marry perfectly.  Once again, Jen's tutorials were a huge help - this time to hold my hand through her fly front zipper insertion method, which was different from the method I've used in the past.  While the skirt might look like a bit of a wrinkly mess on me in these pictures (blame it on the linen, the long day, and my 'I-don't-care-I'm-on-vacation' attitude) it's really a very flattering little guy! It's definitely a mini skirt, which made me feel a tiny bit exposed at first, but I swiftly got over it once I realized just how darn comfy and practical it is! And, also, I mean... I think I've posted far more risqué things than this... so what's with all the false modesty all of a sudden?

I'm excited to use this pattern for more makes - I've been envisioning some variations in bright wools (like chartreuse or fuschia...) for fall and winter...

And now... since I'm all out of things to say... some gratuitous vacation instagram shots!

 

xx