Month: October 2012

Wearable Wednesday Alice Auaa

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Happy Halloween everyone…..that thought is totally unrelated to our designer. I am in no way implying that these are costumey. Perish the thought. It’s beneath us. This is Spring 2013 RTW, dang it!

Now lets get back to our depressing tea party.

I wore this to my last job interview…it went well. Ok, here’s a trench pattern Burda doesn’t have yet-Since Rhonda will need a little more info to whip us up a pattern, here is the back view, too. Get on that for us, will you?

I fully expect you to guide me thru this next one. I’m not sure….Good luck getting a good seat on the bus, lady. Wait- my cats think that this one deserves a back view too:

I hate parties where you have nowhere to set your drink. Well, at least this model kept her drawers on. Oh, I’m funny, gosh, I really do amuse myself and apologize to others.  Why so sad? You at least have comfortable shoes….Oh, you wanted to be in the wolf finale, yeah, thats a bummer. photo credits: style.com, Japanese Streets

When bad peplums happen to good people

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There are some things that just can’t be bad. Kittens, ice cream, noir movies on a rainy evening….until this weekend I would have included the peplum in this sacred group. Until I spent 5 hours in the Sewist Bordello wrestling a zipper and creating  UFU…..yes, UF..U the U is for Ugh. Much Ugh. I had my little Butterick monster up on Ms Holloway and trying to decide if contrasting sleeves were the right idea.

The picture is from my phone and the bodice is not yet attached. So I was visualising myself at a meeting as Lady Beckham…

and here comes the husband…..’Oh, I like it. It looks like a formal uniform for a space hottie.’

Um.

Huh.

Eh.

When one is picturing themselves as Peplum Pulchritude Incarnate, they don’t need THIS to be their guiding visual:  Really! It totally put me off my hamster dinner. then the zipper decided to take on a life of its own and just flat-out refuse to lay down and behave. I had ripply buttedness and ridges like a baby stegosaurus?! By the 3rd zipperectomy and zipperplasty, I had a fine map of previous zipper scars all down the back and a headache behind my left eye. I finally decided that enough was enough. My visions of this dress turning me into the darling of the steno pool were totally dashed. Luckily the fabric was one of those free pieces from Fabricmart and no deeply loved textiles suffered at the hands of Peplum Apocalypse 2012! 

So my question is- when is it time to let something go?  This dress did not end up in the closet with a revisit plan- it ended up going out with the cat litter and old pizza crust. It hurt to waste the fabric, it did. I felt totally guilty about it  and sure that all the well-planning, planet loving sewists out there were struck down with horrible pains when that frock hit the hefty bag. I try to be good, I do. I try to utilize the fabric and resources I’ve been given and appreciate the spoiledness that I revel in, I truly do. Sometimes tho, I’m just sewing for the love of the activity and things can get ugly and I just have to let the project go. If I don’t, I just know finishing the piece and keeping it will not serve any purpose-I’ll probably never wear it and even resent it a little bit…..so tell me- have you ever just tossed something out?  Give me your most encouraging tale of bad pattern horror…make me fel better.

photo credits: google images, pattern review

Wearable Wednesday Altuzarra

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I understand a collection needs a theme- I’ve seen Nina Garcia rant, I know stuff. Lets see if we can spot the themes that stood out here: Ok, now this:

Did you say angry girls needing podiatrists?  Lord, those toes are freaking me out- are model toes longer than regular peoples? Ok, I totaly digressed there.. back to the theme search-Drapery fringe! Gladiator Boots- workmans coats- I do want the coat. It features multiple snack pockets!

Hmm- well upholstered gladiators in theatrical drapes!

That’s a lot of fringe… I like this jacket, altho I just know I’ll drag my tails in my soup  too much and it will constantly be at the cleaners?! Oh, now this one simply cries out for the gladiator boots, not just these toe vents!So what do we think? Great pieces, but together? It isn’t flying for me….I’m not even sure how to get in and out of this.My cat loves all these fringes tho…she votes ‘yes’. Now in honor of the usually high level of comments- I refer to the  level of wit, of course- I will be awarding a pattern prize for the best Scarlett O’hara comment! I do love it when you all do the work for me!

photo credits: style.com

A little Stymied.

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Yah, that’s me. A little Stymied. I have all of this fabulous new fabric all pre-washed and waiting and I am feeling overwhelmed and underskilled. Yes, 2 emotional crises at once- at least I can say I am finally an overachiever!

When we last left our heroine, a week ago, I was so giddy to sew that I whipped up 2 of my fav ‘go to’ patterns- Vogue 1247 and Simplicity 2059. I love both because you can use any fabric and get a great result. Also, I have this strange vision that the aliens will arrive and make us their meat slaves and we will all have to wear a uniform. If we base it on something we all already have, Vogue 1247 is bound to be chosen! Hopefully not with Ugg boots.

But now onto my dilemma what to make next? Do I bend to the wise peer pressure and sew with a plan? Or continue sewing like I have a rich cultured event attending lifestyle and keep making patterns I’d just like to play with? Ok, let’s have some opinions:

I just came across the coolest version of Vogue 1225– go see Steppenpuppy’s Blog! She made this a little more fun, don’t you think? Is it wrong to copy Homage someone’s make an hour after they post it? Or is that just major flattery? I’m going with flattery! It made me look at this pattern again, too.  Maybe I could winterize this one and not make poor Steppenpuppy feel like I’m peeking into her windows! Ok, I’m off to visit the closet of egregious  textile hoarding for some fabric fondling and inspiration!

But before I do- let me share that Ms Velosewer has made an announcement about the Pattern Pyramid Pile!

photo credits: pattern review, google images, meadhawg

Me Made Mickey Day 5

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Apparently it was romp-tober in Disney World…I swear everyone had on a romper- I could do an all romper post, but it wouldn’t include me- I do think they are cute, but they are very Humpty-dumpty-esque on little me…sigh. Bah! I give you the grumpy old woman face! Thats how I feel about these young people in their tight little outfits! Boo-hiss! Why does everyone have to be so stinking cute?!I was melting and retaining Lake Erie at the same time, not fair!Arrgh!! Check out this dress- it’s like she doesn’t feel the heat at all! Next year, I vow to find the cutest sandals that my archless hooves will allow and I will be dewy and frocked! Well,  this almost concludes our vacation. We did see several new rides- including a sneak preview of the new Fantasyland area. Oh, and one more very promising new attraction….may I present the lovely and quite swaddled Baby Callie Sydelle Corless! Special thanks to Nathan and DeAnna for design and execution- I love your work!!!I’m sorry you can’t see more of her little face, I kept futzing with her hands and this is the only pic that doesn’t look like I’m hand feeding her cocktail shrimp. Which I don’t do.  I DO know that much about babies. Cocktail sauce makes them  sneeze, duh.

photo credits: meadhawg

Me Made Mickey Day 4

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There was much stylishness in the parks yesterday!

and this-

And this sassy youth in her salute to Hong Kong- yup, I shamelessly theme dressed for the International Food and Wine Festival…so sad.

We covered half of the World Showcase and after our midday break (we are old, people!) we returned for the second half- or as I like to think of it- drunks on parade. Me thinks it may be darker in Epcot than is safe in such an alcohol infused thorough fare!? Much unnecessary tripping and sloshing. Maybe trick or treating with mickey’s little friends is more my speed!

Here I am hiding in the England pavillion- I even found a book! 

photo credits: meadhawg

Me Made Mickey Day 3 (the one with Halloween costumes!!)

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Ok, here we go! Recognize this? It’s the blouse we all have at least 2 of!

I always end up having to put a little panel in the front of this- it worked well with this batik from the trip to Maryjo’s last month. See? It’s stashbustin’ at it’s best! I embellished it with some wood buttons and used gold bias tape for the neck and hem. My rolled hem foot is still a mystery to me, but I’ve got bias down now!

Ok, now I must rant. We always plan our trip around Mickey’s Halloween party. A huge ticketed event involving 4000 of our closest friends. It’s the only time adults can dress up in the parks. So we return to the hotel midday to change, rest, whathaveyou. We return to the bus stop all tricked out as the best part of the Nemo cast and ….NO ONE IS DRESSED UP. No one. We are getting the weirdest looks. Seriously. Fine, adults, don’t dress, but your kids? You just spent how much to attend a closed park ticketed event and didn’t dress up the kids??? Do you really want them to have the ‘why am I the only one under 17 not in costume,WAAAAAAHHHHH!’ meltdown inside a park full of overprissed/priced Princess costumes? Well, the big white glove of commercial Mickey does! Seriously folks, we could hear the insurrection mounting….parents stage whispering, ‘it’s ok, no one else will be dressed up’ and glaring at us. ‘Oh, honey, maybe those are their regular clothes’……a small boy broke the camels back by asking Mr B what was up…he made parents everywhere scream by responding, ‘oh, it’s for the party! We get to trick or treat and EVERYONE dresses up!’ Yup, we are bad people. The glares at us were enough to induce tumors, folks. My husband loves to stir a boiling pot! A foolish Dad muttered, ‘well maybe they will have something in the park…’ oh, the look he got from his wife was pure hate. We left the bus the most loathed adults in Orlando!!!

Now this family gest our full participation award- Mom- you totally rock!

and Dad- you seriously took one for the team!

Here are some other favs: tho I have already vetoed SOMEONES idea that I dress as a dalek next year?! 

No, minnies! Not the dark side!

Now, I apologize for this pic- it’s the best we could do- couldn’t find a pic taking volunteer- certainly not on the bus!

Next year Mr B wants to pick out the costumes- he kept getting asked if we were ‘katie perry and her surgeon’…..so sad. The sting was lessened slightly because the new areas of Fantasyland were previewing and we got to ride the Ariel ride! Squealll!!!!

photo credits: meadhawg