Addie Marie

just close your eyes

2012-01-09T20:01:00.003-06:00

Thanks for your nice comments on my last post, guys! I can't believe you haven't forgotten about my in my long sabbatical. I know I always say this, but I think I will have more time to post this next semester! Hopefully. I'm taking three Apparel classes, though, so I guess we'll see. Advanced Pattern Development will be my hardest class by a mile: it's more draping than flat patterning, which my first pattern class was on. I've heard the professor just draws a design on the board and you have to figure out, in class, how to drape it with your chunk of muslin and box of pins. Eeek! I'm also taking Quality Analysis of Sewn Products, and I'm not totally sure what it will be like. My third Apparel class is Textile Evaluation, where we test fabrics for, say, tensile strength, or flexibility, or abrasion resistance.

dress & scarf / handmade | sweater / new york & co | petticoat / thrifted | boots / urban original

I live in this scarf, it's true! And these boots, for that matter. What's in your closet that you can't help putting on most days?

Bleak Midwinter

2012-01-03T16:21:00.003-06:00

Oh hi!

It was a crazy semester. That's really the only reason I have for my absence here. I hardly slept, let alone made any clothes. I had never worked so hard on anything until I worked on my Line Development homework--learning to draw, design, and put together cohesive lines of clothing. Getting a portfolio together, learning photoshop... it all required a lot of time and effort and I seriously pushed myself to my limits. It was so, so worth it--worth skipping other classes to finish projects, worth pretty much letting go of my social life, worth all the consecutive nights stayed up before projects were due, sitting for 24 hours in one spot, working nonstop.

Because now that it's over, now that I'm home and can remember to eat normal meals, get a full nights sleep, and let go of the massive doses of caffeine, I can proudly look at my portfolio and know that it is a kind of quality I am proud to show potential employers, something I can bring to internship interviews. That I created something I'm proud of and loved doing it (for the most part) and know I'm still passionate about this--that's worth it, in the end.

Oh, and I achieved a 4.0 GPA for the first time! That was pretty gratifying, too.

I am sorry for any emails that went unanswered, attempts to contact me that were to no avail. I really let a lot of things go this fall. I'm playing catch-up, but if you tried to contact me and I didn't reply, do try again!

This is a dress I made spontaneously on New Year's Eve. It was the first garment I'd made in months! I was sick of everything in my closet, and I'd happened to throw two table cloths on top of each other while cleaning my sewing room. One was a thrift store find from the summer, and the other I had dyed several years ago with the intent of making something eventually. After staring at them a little while, I decided I needed a new dress to wear that night. So I copied a pattern from the dress I posted pictures of on my birthday, and got to work right then. Four hours later, I had myself a new dress and a couple hours left to make some desserts for our annual party.

It's really rather poorly thrown together on the inside--I didn't use seam finishes or anything--and the waist is a smidgen big on me. But it's fun and new and I'm okay if it doesn't last forever.

I also made my cowl: it was a little exercise in maintaining sanity during the semester. My friends and I went out, bought yarn and needles, and just sat and knit to unwind. It worked!

cowl & dress / handmade | jacket / gift | socks & gloves / target | boots / urban original

My New Year's Eve was lovely--food, music, friends, fun, and a bonfire, as usual! How was yours? What are your resolutions, if you made any? Hope your fall went well--tell me about it!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:29:00.003-06:00

Wishing you a blessed Christmas!

I'm finally home after the hardest semester ever, am spending time with my family, and recuperating. I hope everyone's holiday is wonderful and snowy and cozy!

20

2011-09-17T15:46:00.000-05:00

It's my birthday today. :) I have an agenda of things to do, so I'll leave you with a few pictures of a dress I made right before I came to school!

My dad & I were target practicing, and it's always way more fun to do it in a dress. I love using his .44 magnum (the big silver one) because it's extremely accurate and has so much power, but it's kind of heavy for me. My arms start shaking by the last few shots! The .42 is easier. We also shot his .22, pictured below in the non-posed pictures, haha.

Oh, yeah, and the dress! I used some fabric I had on hand, just a nice cotton plainweave. I slightly altered my little red dress pattern to fit me better, made a full gathered skirt with inseam pockets, and had pretty details like the tabs at the waist, a handpicked zipper (which I put in twice... the first time, I put it in backwards. Remind me not to sew at 11 at night while watching tv!), lace hem tape and a handstitched hem. It's a super comfy casual dress!

Twenty isn't really a landmark birthday, but I'm a little excited to no longer be a teenager. Now I get to do big kid things, like look at a house to rent for next year (the showing is on Monday!) and polish up my resume to apply for waitressing jobs while I'm at school. And pay bills, and stuff like that. Ah, growing up.

Tonight I'm celebrating with friends in the cities: going out for cheap food and eating cake. A friend whose birthday was about a week ago is coming too, and we'll wear birthday tiaras all night long! It's nice to be with my favorite people--my closest friends and my brother.

Hope you're all having a beautiful weekend!

barefoot on a summer night

2011-08-24T10:21:00.000-05:00

Can you believe how fast this summer went? There were so many things I had wanted to do, including completely revamping my wardrobe. But work just sucked the energy out of me, and I didn't get my act together! I still have a week and a half left of work, and then I'm leaving for school on the 6th. Classes start the 7th. Crazy but mad exciting. I can't wait to see everyone and dive into class and be in that environment again!

I did decide that I want to be at home next summer. I missed this place so much, and to not be able to go to campfires with friends, swim when I wanted, or drink afternoon coffee on the screen porch with my family ("Hot Beverage Club")... well, it kind of sucked. I really missed talking to my parents and hanging out with my brother! I see them rarely enough as it is during the year (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring break are the only times I go home). So I'm going to try to work things out to work part time at a restaurant nearby after I study abroad (fingers crossed!).

Enough of my rambling! I took these photos last week in my favorite grassy field. Wearing bandannas has been my newest trend: they're now my favorite accessory! And these moccs have been my summer staple. My brother and I went moccasin shopping together to treat ourselves, and I couldn't love them more! So comfortable, versatile, and adorable!

shirt & skirt / handmade | belt / thrifted | moccasins / minnetonka

Black Piped Dress Prototype

2011-07-30T15:34:00.000-05:00

I am finally sewing.

And it has taken way too long for me to be able to make that statement this summer. But between working and taking an online class for a month, I never made the time actually sit down and start a project. I mean, I sort of did--I drafted a new bodice pattern a couple weeks ago, but didn't get any further than adding seam allowances and cleaning up my pencil lines. (The latter is a school habit pounded into me! If you had any chicken scratchy-lines, it was an automatic ten percent off the pattern grade. Ouch.)

But finally, I found a whole new pocket of the web, full of super-talented seamstresses who work with vintage patterns and use all the fancy finishing techniques I've been learning and (some of them) make and sell their own pattern lines! (I'll share links soon!) Inspiring doesn't even begin to describe it. I didn't have time to become necessarily disillusioned with making clothes, but I guess I haven't been chomping at the bit to get back to it. But after reading about these amazing women, I am completely re-invigorated.

When people ask me what I want to do after I graduate, as they inevitably tend to, I'm always a little unsure of how to respond. I have three more years, at least, to figure that out. Why narrow my options now? It's important to work towards goals and know what you want, sure, but right now I'm enjoying learning about every aspect of the industry. I also know that I change my mind all the time. First semester, I would tentatively say I'd like to be a technical designer. Having completed my freshman year, I now tell people I wouldn't mind being a patternmaker. But the truth is, I have no idea. I don't know if I'd care to make patterns for other people's designs, and I'm kind of terrified that the only options I'd have would be in, I don't know, sportswear or really practical clothing. I want to work with clothes that make people feel amazing--finely tailored garments and careful details, finer fabrics and inspired techniques.

But having your own patternmaking business? Can you imagine? Self-employment, your own designs, a challenging creative process from start to finish, the option to test your own patterns (thus, getting to sew), working with fit, problem solving, and the ability to inspire other sewers AND give them designs that make them feel great about themselves. I see no downside in this scenario as far as the process goes!

This is just a new thought for me to toss around. I know I'll end up working in the industry for a period of time, but it isn't too soon to think about the eventual future, is it?

Anyway. The main point of all this rambling is that I was very, very inspired to test out the pattern I'd drafted. So I made a muslin, and miraculously, it fit with very little adjustment. I went ahead and cut out my fabric--some nice, lightweight cotton--and underlined the bodice. I piped the neckline and armholes and it took forever, but it was so worth it. I took a little extra time on the skirt to give it inseam pockets, and it's totally lined. It has an elastic waist so there is some ease for fit--since I don't know who will be wearing it, I figured a looser style would be appropriate.

My favorite detail is the lace hem tape. I love this stuff! I figured a contrast would give it some fun kick if the inside hem ever showed! I insisted on doing tons of handstiching on this dress, including the invisible hem. I am so good at picking threads, let me tell you. It takes forever but it looks like a million bucks!

What do you think? I think it's too short for me, haha! But my plan has been to put it in the shop all along. Would you wear something of a similar style, in different fabrics with variation in details? What if it had a cut out in back?

And if you're still reading after all that, then you deserve a bucket of strawberries. Thanks for sticking with me throughout all my hiatuses, dearies!

you said you loved me, with a lot of conviction

2011-06-04T16:43:00.000-05:00

This is a work outfit! (Minus the heels--I'd fall & drop things if I didn't wear flats at work!) I am working a split shift today, so I had about 3 hours off, during which I read, sketched, and took a blogging break. I'm narrowing down some designs I can easily make multiples of, because while one-of-a-kinds are great, it's hard to go through the creative process, pattern making, and initial sewing stages every single time I make a garment for the shop. If I can make patterns (in several sizes, hopefully) for a few designs and then just sew like a machine, I think I'll be able to load the shop up much more.

So, I really love my work! I enjoy the fast pace--I hate not being busy, and we're pretty much always running around. I haven't been making as many mistakes as I thought I would, which is hopefully going to continue--fingers crossed! Plus, it's fun to see so many different people in one day, in and out. Speaking of seeing so many people... at school, when someone found out I was homeschooled and lived in the middle of nowhere and sometimes, during the middle of winter, would only see my parents during the day--they asked, "Wait, so what's the most amount of people you've seen in one place before?" I was a little taken aback, and then I was like, "Um... thousands?" Haha, just because I grew up in the middle of woods doesn't mean I've never left! It was just such an odd question to receive.

I finally have internet at my house, which is certainly exciting, but it also means my online summer class is starting, too. Yuck! At least it's only a month--then I'm back to normal summer break again.

shirt / work | dress / handmade | belt / traded | shoes / urban original

Little Red Dress

2011-05-29T13:45:00.000-05:00

For my final project in my Pattern Development class, I had to make a Little Red Dress. We were given a bunch of guidelines for the project, because the top 5 dresses were going to be selected to enter a contest in Dallas in Spring 2012. So I chose a lightweight wool fabric, and built my design around a technique I saw in one of my professor's fabric manipulation books: lattice (or Canadian) smocking. Here's what I came up with:

I did a whole bunch of tedious techniques on this dress, and there was a ton of handstitching involved. The smocking alone took me a whopping seven hours. This was my first experience doing a hand-picked zipper--also time consuming. The nice thing about my kind of homework is that I can watch movies while doing it, which makes the time go by marginally faster.

Close-up of the smocking:

I did a princess seamed bodice, which miraculously fit my mannequin perfectly. This was a wonderful thing, because I didn't get to fit the dress until the day before it was due.

& finally, lace hem tape: my new favorite thing!

I was working on the dress & neatening up the final pattern pieces until 6AM the day it was due. It wasn't that I'd left everything to the last minute--the dress simply took me that long to complete! My roommate was able to finish hers by 3:30 AM. She, too, had chosen to do time-consuming detailing, so at least we were stuck in the same boat together! I think we were given 2 weeks to do this, from design to completion, which isn't very much time when you have four other classes and plenty of finals!

But, our hard work paid off. Out of 25 eligible dresses, mine was one of the ones chosen to enter the contest in Dallas! My roommate got chosen as well--we're super stoked to go there together! So, a successful first year? I think yes.

i'm always pretty happy when i'm just kickin' back with you

2011-05-24T16:01:00.000-05:00

So, I’m finally done with my freshman year of college. It’s been the craziest, busiest time ever. But I had an amazing second semester and some experiences I wouldn’t trade for anything. Now I’m home… well, kind of. I’m doing something new this year: living in town, instead of 50 miles into the woods. I’ve been applying to jobs, and I had an interview at a restaurant today. I’ve never actually had a job interview before, oddly enough—all my prior jobs have been offered to me, or through people I knew really well, so no interview was needed. As my first interview, I think it went okay… I never really relaxed, but I didn’t have trouble with it. And I wasn’t too nervous. We’ll see how it goes… I really want this job!
Here’s what I wore:

A simple combination. It was kind of chilly/foggy, and I was biking around, so tights seemed like a good option.

Even though these are taken in the most boring location, I’m really looking forward to finding cool places to take outfit photos. I forgot my tripod, so I have to find things to balance my camera for a while. But, there are so many cool locations here! I can even take sidewalk shots if I want, haha!

Home sweet home. First on the priority list to bring? Sewing machine, ironing board. Haha.

I don’t have internet access right now from my place either, so I am making use of coffee shops and the library. It is despicable how bored I get at times without the option of checking my email!

I hope to update much, much more often now that I’m out of school. I have some exciting news, too, that I’ll post about in the next couple of days!

P.S. I wrote this a couple days ago in my internetless house, and now that I can post it… I got the job! :D So excited!

workin' the catwalk

2011-04-24T16:50:00.000-05:00

photo credit briana underdahl

Last weekend, the apparel department at my school held its annual fashion show. It was my first ever fashion show: the first time I ever saw one of my garments walk down a runway. Exciting? I think yes. But I'm getting ahead of myself!

I posted about my design a while back, but of course the real thing turned out a little differently. I ended up using two different weights of silk habotai, painting it with a couple shades of Serasilk dyes. I laid the fabric out on our kitchen table over spring break, got it damp all over, and just kind of went crazy. I threw salt on it for color variation, and used stronger paint in some places.

It turned out exactly as I wanted!

I'd already done two muslin fits of the dress, so once the fabric was done I went ahead started putting together the dress. It wasn't exactly a picnic--I did french seams and went about everything super carefully so it took a long time to make. At 11:30 pm, two days before I had to bring the garment in for to be evaluated for the show, I was trekking along, understitching the neck facing. I was thatclose to being finished. I went to clip my threads, and--disaster struck. The main fabric of the back panel got caught in my shears and I cut a hole in the dress. It was a tiny, 1" v-shaped snip, but it was a hole nonetheless and I couldn't possibly turn it in looking like it did.

I sat and stared at the hole in utter shock, and then looked up at my roommate. We discussed possible options for fixing it--add another cutout? Applique a patch? Embroidery? Replace the panel? And then I set the dress down, went to the bathroom, and started sobbing. I seriously bawled my eyes out. After the countless hours, all the money, all the work... this stupid mistake was going to mess this up! I wouldn't be able to have my dress in the show!

Sure, it was maybe an overreaction. But you pour your entire self into things like this, and when something so awful stops you up, it's kind of heartbreaking. I went and found my dear friend Lindsay, who had serged a hole in her dress just the week before. All hiccup-y, I said, "I just cut a hole in my dress.... and I knew you'd understand." She gave me a huge hug and then looked at me and said, "Addie. You're going to be able to fix it. It's going to be okay."

And she was right, of course.

I made a little heart applique and slipstitched it on top of the hole, and when I brought it in for judging, my professors were none the wiser.

So. The show. It was a lot of work a whirlwind, but so amazing.

This was me & Carissa, keeping tabs on all the models in this big ol' room behind the runway. This meant a lot of down time, so... homework time.

The girls backstage!

Friends, models, and designers! Left to right: Cassie (my model), me, Kym (Lindsay's model), Lindsay (modeling a garment for a senior), Alex, and Sarah (Alex's model). These girls all live on my floor/level and are such dear friends. We had a blast coming out afterward to take photos--we're behind the scenes the rest of the time so it was nice to pretend like us little freshmen had a bit of the spotlight. :)

Me & Cassie!

Cassie took this cute series that shows the dress very nicely.

So, that was the show! It was such a great experience, and I'm already plotting out ideas for next year. My first fashion show, a success!

PNW

2011-03-18T17:32:00.000-05:00

If photos were moods, these would be mine:

all images courtesy weheartit

who wants to be right as rain?

2011-03-17T17:34:00.000-05:00

Thank you for all your comments on my last post. You all give me such warm fuzzies! It's comforting to know that we're all in this together, and with the help of others, we can be that much better at loving ourselves. Aw. Virtual hugs, all around!

I'm on spring break right now, so I'm lounging around at home. I've been doing a disgusting amount of homework, but not getting nearly as much done as I ought... seems I've piled my plate too high, as usual! But really, it's so restful to be at home and to not have any commitments. I love not rushing around to places.

This is such a non-outfit that I almost feel like it's cheating to post it. But today, I'm really not doing much. I baked some awesome brioche fruit pizza with creme patissiere, did my laundry, and am now planning on sewing. All in all, a good, easy-going day. Not gonna lie, though, I feel a little guilty for not dressing on-theme--shouldn't I be wearing green? It is St. Patrick's Day, and I am part Irish! Maybe I'll change later to make up for it.

sweater / wholesale-dress | leggings / ll bean | flats / target

Speaking of the holiday! Got any plans for tonight? If you're going out, have fun and be safe!

that keeps me so off balance

2011-03-08T16:30:00.002-06:00

Here are some photos I took about a week before I left home in September. I never posted this set because I wasn't a fan--and it was a jeans-and-tshirt look. I make it no secret that I hate jeans, but sometimes they're necessary. So yeah, I own a pair or two, but it's been about three months since I've worn them! They're just uncomfortable, and to be completely honest, I don't like the way they look on me. I'd rather have a dress, thanks!

On your own website, it's so easy to completely control the image you put out. You can bet your bottom dollar that I pick through my photos and take out a minimum of two thirds of them, a generous portion because of how I don't like how I appear. Sure, I want to present my best self to the public; what's wrong with that? But maybe there is something wrong if I consistently avoid something (such as pants)--maybe I am, to an extent, being dishonest with my readers. I don't love my shape the way I ought, and I avoid showing off my legs because I can't stand what I look like. I have a screwed-up self image, just like most girls I know. It's not overpowering, but I can't help but let it affect me. Of course I love myself, but at the same time, I often wish myself different.

Does this make any sense? I've tried to put this into a post before but I'm not sure it comes out very coherent. Make of it what you will. I'm not looking for compliments or reassurances; I just wanted to put this in writing to sort out my thoughts a little more--and maybe you can relate and understand a bit! I hope to someday be completely happy with the way I am, but in the meantime, I'm a work in progress. Aren't we all?

top / handmade | jeans / jcpenney | boots / lulu's

Delights

2011-02-28T09:30:00.000-06:00

Me & Hannah, photo courtesy the darling Solveig.

I'm so deliciously happy right now that I feel like bursting. I need to put it down somewhere, so I figured I'd share it with you here.

LOVING:

My friends keep being wonderful.

I just spent the weekend with some of my favorite people and even though there were some pretty painful moments, it was worth every second. Nothing beats breakfast potlucks and really, really good people. They're just the best.

My parents are just the nicest, most helpful, understanding, and just plain superb people.

I'm wearing a cardigan.

Wonderful people randomly start talking with me.

There are more reasons to smile every day.

Spring break is two measly weeks away.

We learned to waltz.

I keep having things to look forward to, every single week.

Nothing is drudgery, and it's all about your outlook.

Things are coming together, & even where they aren't, I'm okay with the unknown.

It's almost spring.

Kept promises are the sweetest.

I wore a huge red hairbow the other day (and I'm convinced that's why), and this guy walked by me, did a full spin right in front of me and smiled, and then kept walking. It was adorable.

Complaining is overrated.

Coffee is still one of my favorite things.

Cute boys saying, "When are we going to hang out again?" out of the blue make me smile like mad.

Classic things are always the best.

Sending love your way. I hope your week is full of wonder. What is making your heart beat a little faster right now?

we love colors

2011-02-18T13:04:00.000-06:00

I'm featured today on the We Love Colors Style Blog! This is super flattering. This company makes such quality, durable tights that I adore. They were lovely enough to send me a pair of microfiber tights (featured in the post below), and they're not only really comfy and stretchy, but they're durable, too. I go through so many tights that it's nice to finally have a pair that feels like they'll last.

Real updates soon! We are working on making our first designs in my pattern class, and I have a bunch of process photos to show you. Hope your February is going well thus far!

Green & Yellow.

2011-02-06T19:55:00.000-06:00

Hello. I am a Packers fan.

& we're going to win.

I've always been a Packers fan, but this fall, when I started college in Wisconsin & began to hang out with a bunch of guys who were hardcore fans, it became somewhat infectious. It's hard to not watch every game when that's how your buddies spend their Sunday afternoons, and pretty soon, it became my priority, too. So here we are, rooting for our team like it's nobody's business. We need this. GO PACK GO!

top / handmade | skirt / vintage & altered | tights / courtesy of We Love Colors | moccasins / target

Bye, January!

2011-01-31T23:05:00.000-06:00

Will you post more often now? Did you have fun? Was it a ridiculous idea? What do you think? I learned a few things: I need to get better at replying to comments and commenting on posts! Also, weheartit was my saving grace when I didn't have content prepared. I also realized that quality > quantity... I felt like a loser when I was posting only to meet the daily quota, instead of genuinely posting good content I was proud of. What did you learn?

Thanks for joining in this crazy plot--I sincerely loved getting to see different parts of your lives, and even when I was in lurker mode (not commenting as much), it was so enjoyable to read what you had to say!

Here's to a beautiful February.

Dress Design

2011-01-30T23:52:00.001-06:00

Oh dear. I missed a day! And I was doing so well. Well, kind of okay, that is. Truth is, I totally blanked on it until I hauled myself up into bed (which is a loft, by the way), and by then I was too exhausted to get back down, put together content, and post something. I'm a little disappointed in myself, but here's to doing better!

This isn't much to offer, but it's a little something I worked on this evening... the dress I'm making for our fashion show here at school!

Heart cutouts, full skirt, capped sleeves, pleating detail at hem and sleeves, and made out of...

...silk! I'm going to hand paint it a peachy-cream color. It's a simple design, I know, but I wanted to make something I could handle with classes and all, and I figure a good portion of the detail will be in the fabric and the coloring. I hope it comes together just as I've envisioned it!

Drafted Skirt

2011-01-28T23:57:00.000-06:00

Homework!

warmth

2011-01-27T23:36:00.001-06:00

Um, can winter be over yet? Please?

Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone

2011-01-26T22:29:00.000-06:00

This is a bag I made for the lovely Jessica for a Secret Santa Swap with the TB Gang. I was horribly late to make it and send it off--about a month, actually--but she got it a couple days ago so I get to post these photos. Isn't it neat, Jessica, that here this bag hung (from a moose antler...) in -10 degree weather, which you hate, and now it's sitting somewhere across the world on your sunny shores just a few days later? Airmail is awesome like that!

Aw, shoot, I don't remember the pattern I used for this. Something Simplicity. It wasn't too hard but I forgot to buy bias tape & since I live an hour from town, I made my own. Which wasn't a picnic. But it was worth it! This bag reminds me of a vintage apron a little bit. What do you think?

textbooks

2011-01-25T23:11:00.000-06:00

Verdict: Textiles is the most boring thing ever, Pattern is the most amazing, crazy confusing, complicated, important & exciting thing ever.

first day back

2011-01-24T20:38:00.000-06:00

Finally, an outfit! It was the first day of classes today, so I had to get gussied up for it. Actually, I was totally out of inspiration for outfits until I saw this look on Lookbook. I decided to recreate it the best I could, with what I had lying around. Of course, I had to add the huge scarf my friend got me from China...

scarf / gift | jacket & shirt / walmart | dress underneath / handmade | tights / urban outfitters | boots / target

Classes were alright. It's always hard to tell how things are going to go the first few days, but I think this semester will go well. My apparel classes are Textiles and Pattern Development... Pattern starts tomorrow, and I'm stoked for it! I'll keep you updated. :)

9 Tools I Can't Live Without (& You Shouldn't Either!)

2011-01-23T23:08:00.000-06:00

1. Shears

Investing in a good pair of shears will make a world of difference in your sewing life. Really, I have no idea how I used plain ol' scissors for so many years. My Ginghers were part of my graduation present from my parents, & they are kind of my best friend now. Twelve layers of corduroy to cut through using only the very tip? No problem! <3

2. Wrist Pin Cushion

Such a simple thing--but it makes sewing so much easier! I made my own using fabric scraps, elastic, cardboard, & serger cuttings for stuffing. Never will I hold pins in my mouth again! Just make sure you don't try to stick pins in your wrist if you forget you're not wearing it... it's happened to me before! The Long Thread has a cute tutorial.

3. Razor Blade

It will make seam ripping more fun, I promise! Just be careful to not catch your garment fabric at all. Faster & cleaner than a seam ripper!

4. Clear Lightweight Ruler

Mine is 2x18, flexible, and SO useful. It's nice that it's bendy so that you can measure curves, it's good for cutting bias strips, and it's just generally useful to have around. Grid rulers are wonderful, but flexy, 3$ rulers kind of rule. ;)

5. Chalk Roller

This may just be personal preference, but it is so much easier to mark things, particularly straight, defined lines, with a chalk roller. Plus, they're refillable, don't need to be sharpened, & wash out easily.

6. Basting Tape

Use it to put in zippers. It will make you want to hug puppies. Enough said.

7. Tube Turner

Amazing tool. I use it to mostly pull serger tails back into the seam, but of course, it's great at doing what it is named for as well!

8. Rotary Cutter

Not just for quilters anymore! If you have bias tape to cut, layers of fabric, or anything without sharp curves, it's super fun & way quicker and very precise. Use it with a...

9. Self Healing Mat

I don't really know what these are made out of to cause them to work so well, but work they do. You don't get deep gashes or fraying plastic or anything with these boards, which also helps with precision. &, precision is everything. If you can't cut straight, your garment won't hang straight! (I guess that has more to do with grain, but still.)

So these are my favorite tools to get the job done! Do these work for you? What are your own Must Have tools?

i can only fall short for so long

2011-01-23T00:45:00.001-06:00

Preparing for my next classes, & getting inspired!

It's Gonna Be Owl-Right

2011-01-22T01:16:00.000-06:00

This is the owl dress! I tried to take photos of it while I was at home, but this is really the only one that turned out, so I'll have to re-photograph it asap!

Getting Gone

2011-01-20T23:44:00.000-06:00

Most of the items in my suitcase are some shade of blue.

Break is over... back to college I go. Hence, I'm a bit of a shade of blue. (Really and truly, I'm excited. It's just hard leaving and knowing the insanity I'm headed back to.)

Outfits for a Perfect Day

2011-01-19T23:42:00.003-06:00

Perfect Day: Jetsetter Edition

To be spent: exploring shops with a mysterious demeanor, discovering a new city, pounding pavement (and taking frequent coffee breaks at cafes to rest the feet), & speaking in a fake accent for no reason at all.

Perfect Day: Dance Party Edition

To be spent: Walking into the room and owning the place, mingling tastefully with non-dancers until a proper beat begins to play, & convincing a couple wallflowers to come join in the dancing. Later, dancing alone in the street under soft-glowing lamps & grinning ear-to-ear.

Perfect Day: Roadtrip Edition

To be spent: Traveling, map-less, west. Through mountains and dry, dusty deserts, stopping in almost-abandoned towns to scope them out and photograph their quirks, & cruising down empty highways with music blasting & wind whipping about.

A Day In Pictures

2011-01-18T23:33:00.001-06:00

Chai tea, 7:30 AM.

Orange/strawberry/banana smoothie, 8:30 AM. (I promise this won't all be food pictures.)

Internet & make-up, 9:30 AM. I multi-task.

Choosing what to wear... I went with the black dress due to certain planned activities. 10:30 AM.

While talking with my mom & drinking more caffeine, I made a to-do list to aid in summer plans & scholarship stuff... Very important! 11:30 AM.

Major project of the day: printing Christmas cards! (Better late than never.) 12:30 PM.

Quick lunch break & some light reading... 1:30 PM.

Still printing cards! We have to do about 500 for guests, friends, and family. Basically, I barely scratched the surface. 2:30 PM.

Skiing with my mom, such a beautiful afternoon! 3:30 PM.

Hot chocolate on a stick? Yes, please. (Thanks, Giverslog!) Best way to warm up! 4:30 PM.

Finishing up this hem... yay, handsewing. 5:30 PM.

Dinner + dessert. 6:30 PM.

Movie with the parents. Despicable Me was both hilarious and adorable! We all loved it. 7:30 PM.

Still watching the movie... & wearing my moccs! 8:30 PM.

Everything else later finds me reading, editing photos, and putting this together. I hope you enjoyed this! I did, and I'm amazed I remembered to take pictures pretty much every hour. What does your day in pictures look like?

Hoarfrost

2011-01-17T23:48:00.000-06:00

This is just a sampling of some of the nonsense we have to put up with in northern Minnesota... ;)

photos taken by me & my father

Hemming & Hawing

2011-01-16T23:52:00.003-06:00

So I'm sitting here, watching stupid movies and handsewing the entire hem of a pretty full skirt and it's less than fabulous. I couldn't bear to ruin my streak of fine techniques on this dress by machine stitching the hem, so here I am. Yes, I'm a bit of a masochist, why do you ask? Anyway. This has pretty much been my entire weekend:

all images via weheartit

I'm woefully behind on reading blogs and such, I promise I'll catch up soon. Kisses.

Chemise Top

2011-01-15T22:29:00.001-06:00

Forgive the lackluster picture! I know it's lame to have two sneak peeks in a row, but I finished this thing when it was dark out and this is the best I could do for a photo. I wanted to see if I could do a continuous lapped placket on this tank top. It worked! I think it will be a great layering piece, to have the pleats peeping out. More pictures soon to come! (Oh, & this is also a peek of the pants I made in class! Yay, zippered fly.)

hoot

2011-01-14T12:34:00.001-06:00

I am making something amazing from this fabric. Hopefully I'll be able to show you before the end of the weekend.

English

2011-01-13T21:46:00.000-06:00

Oh guys. I'm in such a weird mood. All full of contradictions. I promise I'll be back to my overly-optimistic self shortly. In the meantime, bear with me!

I feel like such a bad style blogger. Today, I put together an outfit, got distracted for a mere five minutes, and then decided I hated what I was wearing so much that only sweatpants would suffice for today. When you're planning on writing and sewing and not touching the door handle all day, it's pretty difficult to find motivation to look cute.

Writing, you say? Yes, indeed. Back in November, right before Thanksgiving, I turned in the second research paper I'd ever written (on text messaging and its influence on grammar, our language, and our communication as a society) after a three week stretch of torturous late nights from working on other projects for different classes. I was stressed out, I'd kind of, sadly, thrown most of the paper together at the last minute, and to boot, I turned it in late (don't scold, I knew it was a Bad Thing when I did it). I expected a C.

When I got my graded paper back with a much better grade than I expected, I was stunned. I seriously almost cried, I was that shocked and grateful and flattered. My professor had this to say:

"This is an intelligent, beautifully written paper. As I’m sure you would expect, it’s a subject after my own heart. Your argument is an elegant one; it makes a strong case for the survival of good grammar, but it acknowledges language’s ability to change. The fact that you contextualize your thesis by examining it in light of language’s transitive properties makes your ultimate conclusion even more powerful. I urge you to consider submitting this to [the university's] undergraduate research journal. If you’re interested in that, talk to me. There are a few areas in which the paper could grow, but that’s only if you’re thinking about publishing it. This is a remarkable essay even as it is."

I don't intend to toot my own horn here, and even now, I'm uncertain this praise is fully deserved. But regardless, I jumped at the chance to get it published. Now, the last date for submissions is the 15th and of course I'm not done reworking the thing. I'm worried it's not the kind of material the journal will publish--I don't go to a liberal arts school, and there's way less emphasis on Humanities.

But anyway. I'm working on a paper I turned in almost two months ago, how amusing. I do love taking English classes, though! I am seriously considering adding an English minor, just for kicks. It wouldn't contribute to my major at all, but since I'm already at school and it's something I'm interested in, why not?

Enough academic chatter. Just so that this isn't a text-only post, here are some things of interest:

Our Apparel Society had an event where you could have a mini-class with upperclassmen on various fashion-related topics. I signed up for the Fashion Photography one, and my friend Lindsay signed up for Styling. Nicely enough, ours collaborated; after her group styled, our group photographed. These two images were my favorites of the ones I took.

This girl was awesome. The tape idea was completely hers, and I think it's just crazy enough to work. And, group photo of the stylists & photographers:

wanderlust

2011-01-12T21:48:00.003-06:00

I don't know why I'm so restless...

all photos (unless otherwise credited) courtesty weheartit

...I just need a new adventure.

Coldest Winter

2011-01-11T16:27:00.000-06:00

I'm not very colorful today! I almost made it out of the house wearing a massive pink & purple pashmina scarf my friend brought me from China, but then thought better of it. I'm glad--it would've been too much with this outfit--so you'll just have to wait to see the scarf. Oh, but it is amazing!

In other news, it's snowing a lot today. (If you didn't notice.) So much so that we couldn't see Canada across the lake! I love when that happens. I like the snow for now, but give me a month & I'll be pining for some 60 degree spring weather. Happens every year.

I know there's a lot of texture in this outfit, but I feel like that takes the place of color here. It certainly doesn't bother me to be wearing polkadots, stripes, triangles, and lace all at once, haha.

hat & necklace / gift | shirt & skirt / thrifted | tights / f21 | socks & boots / target

Swing Low

2011-01-10T23:57:00.001-06:00

Today I realized that I'm really excited to go back to school. Stoked, even. I miss a lot of people and a lot of things about being there. As much as I love being home--and no, I don't really want break to be over--I won't be sad to go back.

One thing I'm really looking forward to is again participating in swing club! I don't claim to be a good dancer (ha), but I am really good at wearing outfits that twirl, and sometimes, that's enough to make up for my lack of skills. Really, cute boys (who can actually dance), good music, and an excuse to dress up? Obviously I'm there!

But that got me thinking about wardrobe choices... and about how I should dress more vintage/pin-up when I go. Which, of course, requires new clothes. I'm thinking about a few new dresses, maybe some skirts I can rotate through the mix. All with a few requirements: allowance for movement (arms/shoulders); nothing that needs adjusting, ever; short sleeves; & always, maximum twirling capabilities.

So here are some things that have been inspiring me to make a new wardrobe for myself...

Alright, so the last isn't inspiration for clothing, but I adore the photo.

I promise, I'll put something substantial together for tomorrow's post. I was boring & wore jeans today (ew), but I'll throw something cute on tomorrow and make myself look presentable. Sometimes I look at my clothes and feel so uninspired to wear any of it, which is clear indication of a need to get some more workable pieces into it! Hopefully I can scrap some new clothes together before the end of break.

Sketches

2011-01-09T16:25:00.001-06:00

I am not an artist. Not in the typical sense of the word, at least. I've always been better with what you can work with in your hands than creating something out of thin air--in other words, I've never been able to draw very well. You only get better with practice, but for a long time, I didn't even like practicing because I was never able to make anything look like it did in my head, and since I could do it with fabric, why even bother putting it on paper first?

But I had to sketch for an assignment for class (and it was only be the beginning of such assignments, I know). We were supposed to choose five design sections (I chose dresses, skirts, coats, sweaters, and necklines), and then choose elements from each section (sundresses, cocktail dresses, tube skirts, bubble skirts, peacoats, sweater dresses, aran sweaters, cowls, one-shouldered, etc.), roughly sketch a design for every element from each section, do polished sketches of one garment in each section, and then put together a final look combining some of the polished sketches. In all, it came to 20-something sketches.

Because there was a lot of prep-work involved (putting together inspiration pages of photos and such) & I had massive amounts of other homework, and (let's be honest and get to the real reason) because I'm such a procrastinator, I put the actually designing off til the last minute. The night before it was due, I stayed up all night, listening to music and sketching and putting together swatch cards, eating french silk pie at 3AM for caffeine, and really enjoying the process. The most difficult part of it was, surprisingly, the actually designing. Some things were really easy for me to design, and for other categories I'd spend ages staring at the paper before I got ideas. Maybe if I hadn't left if off til the end it wouldn't have been so hard? I had never had to sit down and design so much, and such a range, all at once. So it was tough.

But worth it. I like what I put together, and I think the experience was really good for me. I've definitely gotten better since then, as I've been sketching almost every day of break so far. (Practice really does help!) I think I'm doing a better job of making the clothing less 2-dimensional, and my girls look better--and have different poses, haha. So, with all of that said, here are some quick photos I snapped before I turned it in. Some of these designs are good, some aren't. Some are innovative, and others are decidedly less so...

This was one of my favorites. I was kicking myself at the time for choosing an Aran sweater as a category, thinking, "how am I going to design--and then draw!--knitting??" But I love how it turned out and absolutely would wear it.

& the final look:

One of these days I'll scan my more recent sketches. I've been doing the technical flats along with the fashion sketches, & I'm much better at those--and my brain understands them better!

Fur & Pocket

2011-01-08T12:30:00.001-06:00

I bought this dress back in October at this crazy little thrift store. The lady who runs it has wild hair and is always holding her ratty little dog. She sits in the middle of the clutter, watching videos on her computer and mending clothes. She rings purchases up in this huge old cash register, but stores all money in a little embroidered pouch stuffed under her chair. There's a big sign at the door proclaiming, "No backpacks! No large groups of college students!" Haha, it's nuts. But there are some amazing finds amid the piles of junk, and prices are pretty spiffy.

The first thing I noticed about this dress--obviously--was the pocket. Isn't it fantastic? It has these snaps on it so that a little doll (which I took off) can snap onto the pocket. That was a little too weird for me, but I love the wild pocket on an otherwise simple, rustic-like dress. Besides, look at the size of the pocket! It can hold books! Yes, that's plural. It eliminates the need to carry around a shopping bag or a purse! Fantastic.

The hat was a gift from my grandma a couple years back. I never really wore it because I didn't think I could rock it... but I think I can now. Besides, it's super cozy! Perfect for today. It was so cold that I didn't want to bother setting up the tripod only to experience the pain I had yesterday after freezing, so my dad helped me out & snapped these photos for me. It was so much quicker!

hat / mad bomber | cardigan / american eagle | dress/ thrifted | tights / urban outfitters | boots / urban original

I Got A Thing About You

2011-01-07T14:37:00.001-06:00

For my Apparel Construction class, we had to make a button-down shirt (with a collar & cuffs) for our final project. We had to use a pattern, so I honestly just chose the cheapest one at Wal-Mart (some New Look pattern, can't recall the number). I wish I had chosen one with a traditional neckline now, instead of a V, but ah, well. I'll wear this regardless. Anyway, it was pretty intense to make. I'd never done anything with a collar & neckband before, so doing that was difficult--but the finished product is so awesome! I love clean finishes. So much.

It has flat-felled seams everywhere but the arms, slipstitched cuffs, and 6 darts throughout. (Psst. I got an A on it! :D)

This is my "I can't feel my fingers and I just got snow in my boots" expression. It was snowing and really, really cold when I was taking these. By the end of it, I was having extreme difficulty pressing the buttons on the camera because my fingers were totally numb. When I finally got inside, it hurt SO much for them to be in the warm air! I was bouncing around like little goats do, wailing, "Whyyyy do I doooooo this to myself??" (Answer: Because I not-so-secretly love it.)

head scarf / vintage | knit scarf & pendant /gifts | shirt & skirt / handmade | belt / trade | boots & socks / target

I think I'm going to turn on my heater, crank up some Tom Petty, set up my sewing machine, & sew all weekend. What are your plans for the weekend?

try to imagine a careless life

2011-01-06T16:00:00.001-06:00

Somehow, the majority of the photos I took today were out of focus. I hate when I'm lazy & just assume that autofocus is doing its job... and then I get inside to edit them, & it clearly wasn't. Now, it's too dim out to re-take them, so here is what I salvaged.

cardigan / american eagle | dress / handmade | tights / f21 | boots / target

I finally permanently sewed the skirt of this dress into a bubble--and now I am much more apt to wear it. It's so comfy!

I spent my day working on custom orders, writing, and plotting out designs. Tonight, I'll probably sew... finally! It's been too long. I want to make some tutorials this month, so we'll see how that goes. It's pretty chilly out, so all I feel like doing is staying inside. Unfortunate, because I should be out and about, skiing & such while I can!

Inspiration Wednesday

2011-01-05T22:00:00.001-06:00

all photos courtesy weheartit

I want to go someplace wide open, someplace beautiful, someplace new.

FUSED. part 2

2011-01-04T14:03:00.001-06:00

We had our photoshoot & it was marvelous. We totally achieved the look we were going for!

Alex is wearing our cape--necessary for a late fall line!

Kelly is wearing the Fiesta leggings. (Aren't they fantastic?)

Kendra is wearing the harem pants. I kind of threw these together, and they weren't very good, but she wore them really well! She's so striking in this picture.

Molly is wearing our fringed, one-sleeved top. It's out of bamboo & suede. :)

Paige is wearing the Safari skirt. It's got a knot in the back that kind of shortens it & adds visual interest.

Lindsay is wearing the Fiesta top: business in front & party in the back!

I'm wearing the cowl-neck dress. This is the piece I'm keeping, & I'm super stoked to get it back and wear it out!

This is what our billboard would look like...

& this is a magazine cover I put together! (Haha, we were ripping off Teen Vogue.)

Our group shots are my favorite.

Alex & Kendra made company t-shirts with our logo to wear while we presented, too.

Here we are, super relieved that it's almost over!

We presented the first day & it went incredibly well. We were on such a high afterward--after a month of work and practically going insane over the project, it was finally over and it had been a success. So, um, I love my major, if you were wondering!

January Blog Challenge

2011-01-04T00:02:00.008-06:00

So typical of me to start this late, but here we go:

The January Blog Challenge is my ideal way to kick off the New Year: with a steady stream of new content & encouragement from/for my blogging friends!

Here's the deal, and it's pretty basic:

Post, at least once, every single day in January. (Ignore the first few days, or backdate your posts and just pretend!) No guidelines on content, no other commitments. That means that if your 31 posts turn out to be all photos, so be it! The goal is just to sit down and update every day.

On my right sidebar, I made a little badge you can put on your blog if you so choose (because badges are fun! And really, I just spent far too long figuring out how to make a scrolling text box, so you should make it worth my while, haha.), and if you click on it, it will lead you back to this post, where you can scroll down and see a freshly updated list participating blogs. That's the other fun part about this: comments! Try to leave some daily comments on the other participating blogs--you never know what fun people you'll discover or which friends you'll make--& expect the same for your posts! It's nice to have an audience & this is a sure-fire way of hearing from them! So let me know if you choose to participate, & I will add you to the list.

Give it a go & see what you can make happen! (Can be NSFW)

Participating Blogs:

Ruthography

ladyjanewriter und so weiter

This Ain't Rocket Science, It's Food

Found in Translation

Leah Leaf Designs

Gagarin Talks (Can be NSFW)

Shilyn Joy

an (un)superb happenstance

Recap: Part 3

2011-01-03T20:06:00.001-06:00

I was a really bad blogger in the fall. School overwhelmed my life... you guys know the story. So there isn't much that I put on the blog that I can recap on, but there are some things I haven't told you!

For example... the time I stayed up til 3am working on my muslin sample book... I started falling asleep on my computer so I decided I'd wake up at 7:30, print my mounting pages off and put it together before the 10:10 class. I didn't wake up til 9:30, and even though I scrambled to get the book together, I was an hour late to my 2 1/2 hour long class. After some apologies and extra credit, things turned out perfectly okay, but I thought for a while that I was going to lose all credit for the project--and there were definitely some tears involved with that.

Or the time I got a great grade on my research paper & my English professor told me he wanted me to submit it to my school's undergrad research paper (that was a good day, and yes, I'm going to follow through with that)... or when my friend gave me highlighter tattoos of owls and hearts (perfect combination!) under blacklights at some odd hour of the night... or the time my friend Tommy & I decided we'd find a shortcut home from church, and there ended up being this 6' chain-link fence... and I was in a dress, and heels, of course. (You'd better believe I climbed it!)

2010 was big and grand, with so many changes. I had a lot of ups and downs, but I did things I'm proud of & made choices I'm happy with. I learned SO much, am much more independent, and feel more confident than I ever have before.

Enough with the recapping! Let's get on with the new year. It's going to be magnificent, I can tell. This year, I'm making choices that are right for me. I'm going to be spontaneous and I'm going to kick my procrastination habit in the bum (for real!). I'm also going to blog... a lot more! Thought you were rid of me this fall, didn't you? Think again! Haha. I'm starting a challenge with a few friends of mine where we blog every day of January & comment on each other's posts. Care to join in? Leave a comment & a link to your blog & I'll swing by every day to check out your posts!

So, bring on the goodness, 2011!

FUSED. part 1

2011-01-02T13:51:00.000-06:00

Our final project in my Apparel 101 class was to work with a group to create a company, design a seven piece line, & figure out marketing techniques and a brand and sourcing and everything that goes along with starting a company. I wanted to share ours with you because we're all super proud of it, and it completely took over our lives for about a month.

Our brand is called FUSED, inspired by different cultures and based off of the idea that our line is a melting pot of different ethnic styles mixed--fused--together. We make sophisticated clothing marketed to 18-25 year old women, and this particular line was for Fall 2011.

We started out by deciding on our brand, market, and competitors. Lindsay sketched up a bunch of possible designs for us to pick from, and we all started gathering fabrics. Although it wasn't part of the requirement, we chose to make our entire line, hoping to wow our professor. We spent eight hours sewing one chilly Sunday, after spending eight hours the day before putting together our presentation boards and working on the charity foundation we created to go along with the company.

We did so much and spent so much time on it that I don't think I can even begin to cover it all, so I'll just dive in and show you some pictures. This is a two-part post because there are so many!

Here we are, hard at work in the CAD lab. We had to outline our designs in heavy black pen, scan them in, scan in our prints, & then fill the designs in with color & fabric.

Finished flats & sketches!

We took over our entire lounge when we started to piece the boards together.

Making bracelets for our charity, "Fire."

We hand-stenciled about 90 ribbons, strung them together with some nice cording, and handed them out to the class the day we presented. Everyone loves free stuff, so it was a hit!

Sewing day! Ah, typical apparel majors... I'm pretty certain we had more machines than people in that room!

When we finished our line, we of course had to put together a photoshoot! We hunted around in one of the buildings on campus one evening, and came across this mostly empty, unlocked gallery. It was so perfect for our purpose! Our fried Hannah & I took the pictures, trying to work super quickly so we wouldn't get caught/into trouble for being in there.

More to come soon!

Recap: Part 2

2011-01-02T10:26:00.001-06:00

Summer was amazing. May was about finishing up finals & going home, going to orientation at the university I currently attend, and graduating. Hurrah! I also gave up coffee for the summer... I'm not sure if I wrote about that, but it was kind of a big deal.

I was crazy productive in June. I made several dresses, put together tutorials (video style!), snapped outfit photos often, whipped my internet life into shape, and bought my domain. I also re-did a room in one of our cabins--sanding the floor, painting the walls, and refinishing.

I sewed more in July, worked more, threw my graduation party, went camping, had countless campfires, went canoeing and had adventures, splashed in the beautiful water, & watched as the summer flew by.

August was lovely. More of the same summer business with particularly memorable campfires (burning cabinets, eating marshmallows, and reading Shel Silverstein poems)... and then, at the end of the month, my brother and his fiancee flew down from Alaska and got married at our place. It was a beautiful wedding and the reception was a blast... a perfect end to a wonderful summer!

Recap: Part 1

2011-01-01T23:59:00.000-06:00

Happy 2011! In the spirit of moving on, I figured I'd recap the last year and put the past in the past before moving on to bigger and better things this year. So!

Last January, I moved away from home for the first time to go to college--while still in high school. It was difficult and exciting and I learned a lot about myself, how to deal, and how to balance.

In February, I began to get into a routine. It was when I made my final decision to transfer in the fall to a school more suited to my interests. I met people, had fantastic times with my brother & our friends, had some rough days where I really questioned my decision to move away, and finally settled in.

March was a fun month. Classes were good, friends were good, and spring break was right in the middle of the month. Went home, made dresses, had a jolly time, etc.

April was crazy busy. I was not only busy with college classes, but I was working on graduating high school as well. Somehow I still fit in time to sew, go to concerts and plays, and swing dance with cute boys. (Recap parts 2 & 3 coming shortly!)

I always wait a couple days to write out my official resolutions, and then I end up making a massive list that is hardly accomplish-able. But I chalk it up to always trying to be better, & one can't say that that's a bad thing! What are your resolutions this year? Do you even make resolutions or do you ignore the tradition?

Playing Catch-Up

2010-12-28T17:49:00.000-06:00

It's been a while and I have so much to catch up on! But for the last four days, I've been thoroughly enjoying being home and on break, and I couldn't bring myself to do anything responsible, haha. Now it's time to whip my internet life into shape and get back into the swing of things! I have some major plans for the next few weeks (I don't go back to school until the 23rd or so), and I doubtlessly will run out of time to execute them all, but hopefully I'll be able to surprise you guys with some special stuff to make up for my absences this fall.

How was your Christmas? I hope you all had a lovely day spent with your families. I certainly did! I think my favorite part of the day was after all the festivities and eating and extended family visiting and such. My parents, my brother and I all sat down, and after a devotion, we listened to Loreena McKennitt's latest Christmas album and were just together. My mom was sitting at her spinning wheel, I was sketching, and we finally got to spend some quality family time. That sounds so tame, but it was really the best of times.

hat / handmade by mom | scarf / the niche | shirt / handmade | skirt / mom's closet, shortened by me | sweater / boden | tights / welovecolors.com | flats / gift

More to come soon! Belated Merry Christmas to you all.

i built a fort

2010-11-30T19:32:00.000-06:00

Hey lovelies. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families... I know I did! I went home for the first time since the semester started and it was the most amazing thing to be back. We had about a foot of snow on the ground, so we went sledding, hung out and played board games, talked, ate good food, and relaxed. I slept until noon one day! I never do that. But it was needed and it was wonderful. As hard as it was to come back and get back into my routine, it's very comforting to know there are a scant three weeks between me and Christmas break. I couldn't be more excited! Plus, coming back to friends here at school made things easier.

I wish I could describe to you how insane things have been. Basically, I've been learning way more than I thought I would, and not just in class. I had a pile up of exams and papers and huge projects this past month, making for a rough November. I stayed up for 40 straight hours one instance, learned that coffee trumps caffeine pills (at least in how you feel later), broke down a couple times, and probably wouldn't have made it without writing to my mom and hearing back from her. She always knows exactly what I need to hear, somehow. So, it's been a very stressful semester, but I'm hanging in there and have successfully made it through the worst. I think. Basically, this is why I haven't been blogging. Some things just have to fall to the way side when life takes over!

In my classic, airheaded fashion, I left the pants I made for Apparel Construction at home, so I can't show you photos until break. But this skirt is something I made back when I had more time. It's a heavier cotton mini with an asymmetrical separating zipper up the front.

shirt / wal-mart | skirt / handmade | tights / forever21

I got hair extensions, too, if you were wondering. My hair doesn't quite grow that fast! They're just clip-in ones, so I can take them out and put them in whenever. I love the length and thickness they give my hair, so awesome!

Haha, so, I made this little fort in my room and was trying to take photos just with the self timer but there wasn't much space and I was having a hard time of it. My neighbor Lindsay, also an apparel major, knocked on my door and burst out laughing when she saw what I was up to. Then she offered to take photos for me, which worked much better. This is the result of our fun!

Oh, guys. There's so much that's been happening that I don't think I can even put a dent in it. Maybe when the semester is over I'll do a long write-up of all the work I've done and show you a bunch of photos and such. I miss you all and I've been so terrible at following blogs. If you've been up to anything cool or have had anything happen lately, tell me about it! <3

Madison on Halloween

2010-11-05T09:36:00.000-05:00

Making excuses is pointless right now, am I correct? Shame on me for being neglectful, etc, etc. It has been unbelievably crazy, guys, and I have so much to tell you! I am mastering flys in pants and fancy hand-stitched hems and having lectures from technical designers from Target and giving speeches (and failing at it) and re-evaluating and it's been fantastic and utter madness. I've been realizing a lot of things lately, and also questioning a lot of things. I don't know. My head is so full of thoughts and life has been going by too quickly to sit and breathe. All I'm trying to do is make it through the semester in one piece with decent grades. Everything else is a bonus. Please, forgive me if this post is all over the place; and if it is, then it mirrors my life perfectly.

First off, how was your Halloween weekend? What did you dress up as? Where did you go and what did you do? I went with a group of friends to Madison. We stayed at one girl's house and went to the Badgers hockey game on Friday--not very Halloween of us, but still awesome--and then Saturday we went to Freakfest, ran into a lot of crazy people in crazy costumes, and saw Little Big Town play. It was such a blast, and people watching was the best part.

I made myself a costume, of course! I sewed up a little sailor girl dress on Thursday night and borrowed a hat from a friend. I wore it with some shoes I bought for Urban Outfitters earlier that day (for $5! I've never been in the store before and their sale section was unbelievable!), a few layers of tights (it was cold!), and my peacoat.

Unfortunately, we didn't get awesome photos, but these work.

Good ol' bathroom mirror shots!

We were walking along State Street when I saw this guy dressed as Popeye, so I was like, "Hey! Can we take a picture?" and he enthusiastically responded, "Absolutely YES, I'll take a picture!" Result:

Best. Ever.

After Little Big Town (and almost being crushed/knocked over in the packed crowd) we went home at about 1AM and popped a movie in and didn't go to sleep until 4. It was a good night, in other words!

But of course, after the fun, one must buckle down and get back to work. We've been working on a group presentation on design elements in my Intro to Apparel Design class. My group specifically is working on Coats, Jackets, and Blazers. Basically, we put together a powerpoint presentation on our topic, talking about the design and history of them. It's a little tedious, to tell you the truth! But in Apparel Construction, we're making pants, which is actually super fun. I'm making navy blue slacks that come up past my belly button, haha. They're due next Thursday and coming along swimmingly: I finished the fly today (went in smoothly, for the most part -- thank goodness!), and I get to really start putting them together now that I've had my final fitting. I'll take pictures for you, okay? I love that class so much, because it's exactly what I want to be learning.

Besides that, I've been working away in my other classes and getting really excited to be home for Thanksgiving. I can't believe it's even time to get excited about Thanksgiving! Things have gone by so quickly. Have two months really passed? Crazy business.

Thank goodness it's Friday! Have any exciting plans for the weekend? I have plans to spend the entire weekend working on homework and having not very much fun (and not sleeping very much... hi, coffee)--but that's okay, it's what I'm here to do. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm going broke over college so I'd better manage my time and make it worth it. :)

College Girl

2010-10-05T21:20:00.002-05:00

Hey darlings. Things have been so crazy busy, but I know that's not really an excuse not to write. The truth is, there have been so many things I've wanted to blog about in the last month. Things I hope you'd find interest in, and things I know I want to document for myself. But I've been too much of a wuss to go find a place to take photos of outfits, to be honest. I'm trying to make it a mission to go out and about with a camera and tripod before it gets to cold, so hopefully I'll have some good shots coming up. (Until then, you get cheesy webcam shots.)

In the meantime, how does a recap sound? We did this back in the summer & it was fun, so shall we try again? College is terrific, and here's what it's been all about so far:

Spending money (ew), "We're fashion students! We can wear anything and get away with it.", late night movies, whispered secrets, coffee, flipping through magazines for homework, hopping fences in dresses, smiles, writing about my brother's old house for English Composition and caring more about it than anything I've written in a long time, sarcasm and wit, guys who like Zooey Deschanel movies, falling asleep to the Isley Brothers, time management, getting gussied up very often, homecoming excitement, gratifying A's and good feedback (I love feedback from profs!), four outfits in a day, adoring my roomie, amazing professional irons, vintage shopping downtown, making curtains on a Saturday night (we're that cool, yes), feeling really good, "Who doesn't have a crush on Robert Downey Jr.?!", falling into routine, swing dancing, mini-road trips, Packers games, highlighter tattoos under blacklights, owl decorations, construction paper & glue sticks in class (haha), doing things properly, and glittering tights.

What's your autumn been like so far?

edit:

P.S. Lame cell phone photo, but here's what I wore the other day while vintage shopping:

glasses & tights / f21 | cardi / american eagle | dress / handmade | bag / kakadu australia

19

2010-09-17T20:44:00.001-05:00

Uh, hi, guys. Remember me? Remember that one time I called my hiatus "brief" & then skidaddled my way out of the state? Yep. About that... classes are so crazy that I haven't had time to do much else! But you know what? It's a good kind of busy. Because a lot of my busy revolves around fabric types and seam finishes, pressing techniques, Vogue assignments, street style, and considering studying abroad at the London College of Fashion in a few years. I can't complain about that!

Honestly, as heavy a workload as it is, I couldn't be more ecstatic that this is what I'm studying. This is what I'm going to do forever and I don't know if I could possibly be more head-over-heels with it. (Not so head-over-heels for Fundamentals of Speech, but even English Composition & American Government aren't too bad.)

Oh, so, today is my birthday. I'm not planning on doing much--probably sleeping (after staying up until 12:30 to finish my outfit & then having to get up at 6:30 for class), convincing a friend to watch the Blues Brothers with me, & indulging in the adorable Hello Kitty cupcakes my darling roomie got me. (For serious, she's the best. She's leaving this weekend & felt bad about missing my birthday, so she got cupcakes & made a fabulous door decoration & gave me a present in a glittery-rainbow-winged-horse gift bag. Aw.) I'm okay with low-key. 19 isn't a big deal (though it's my last year as a teen, that's weird), and I'd rather focus on the whole year ahead than just one day. Also, I'm planning a mutual birthday party with a friend for two weeks from today & am inviting my favorite people, so I don't need to celebrate beyond that.

My gift to myself was a new outfit: this super soft t-shirt & ruby red skirt. I whipped them up last night (woefully, without matching thread... something to fix someday else). Nothing beats a brand new outfit! Everything was basic, except that I inserted pockets in the seams! Molly (roommate) & I studied a store-bought skirt with seam inserted pockets, figured out how they were put together, & then I kind of winged it. I am so excited! The only problem is that I made them a little low so the zipper would fit in okay, but I'm really happy we were able to figure it out.

Note--I wrote most of this post in the morning after class... had a good, lazy, not-too-homework-filled day. Now I'm off to maybe socialize, we'll see. :)

necklace / gift | shirt & skirt / handmade | shoes / vintage, wonderwardrobe.etsy.com

Movin' Out

2010-09-04T21:55:00.000-05:00

Just an explanation for any hiatus from posting, replying to comments, leaving you a note, or, you know, internet life in general. I'm headed to the land of cows & cheese & my favorite football team, leaving tomorrow morning at 8. My petticoat doesn't want to fit in any of my totes, and I'm bringing too much, as usual. Ah, back to packing. Have a beautiful Labor Day weekend, darlings.

Memory Lane

2010-09-03T22:55:00.000-05:00

My computer cable died, so I'm using my slow, decrepit Dell to get my internet fix. This also means that, in between jumping up to clean/pack, I am looking through all my old photos on here. It's fun, reminiscent, sometimes cringe-worthy (awkward phases, braces, etc.), and it makes me a little nostalgic. I bought this computer in fall of 2006, and used it up until April 2009, so there is quite a range of photos on it. While digging through old files, I found a couple things of interest.

This makes me smile. My braces! Goodness. This was from May of 2008, right after I opened my original Etsy shop. My dad came out & took photos of me in the gear I stocked up on, & I had no idea what I was doing. This suspender top was the first thing I'd ever sold, & it went to a gal in Germany! I remember the day I got the email notifying me... it was the best feeling ever. That someone liked my things enough to buy and wear them was so gratifying! It still is, but nothing beats the glee of that first sale. The skirt I'm wearing was purchased by my now sister-in-law (!), & she actually wore it to the wedding rehearsal & groom's dinner last week. :)

Haha. This was from April 2007, taken on the tail-end of a family vacation. We always stop for ice cream cones once on our roadtrips, and I think we'd almost forgotten or something, and were already in Minnesota for this. That's my brother, Paul. He's pretty much the coolest person I know... I'm going to miss going to school with him--I was so lucky to have class with him last semester! Oh, & this is relevant to my train of thought, because this was one of my first t-shirt surgeries. I think it came out of that book by Meghan Nicolay. I was so proud of this, and I wore it all the time. I hope I still have it somewhere!

It's nice to see how much I've improved from the beginning of my sewing adventures. Looking through my archives on this blog & seeing the learning curve I had is kind of rewarding--I had so much fun learning, & I started this blog as a way of recording it all, sort of as a portfolio. Everything was a stepping stone to where I am, just as what I'm doing right now is a stepping stone to where I'll be next year, and so on. I really like that there is always something to improve on, and new things to learn about sewing and design. Life would be so boring if one knew everything!

Do you document things so as to reflect later? I think internet makes this so easy--facebook photo albums, blogs, livejournal, and even twitter archives can all show where we were at a point in time, and how much we've changed. We're a part of a generation that documents rather obsessively, putting everything out there and being raw and utterly honest on the internet. I think these things are invaluable to viewing our self-improvement, even when we borderline on over-sharing. As I surely tend to on this blog, haha.

LBD

2010-09-01T20:11:00.001-05:00

I feel like this is my 60's film noir spy dress. I should get a wicked trench coat to go over it & go hunt down thieves or murderers or kidnappers, don't you think?

It's hard to photograph a black dress, but this is simple, so there aren't really details you need to see. It's a lot like one of my blue dresses, but this time I added sleeves & a built-in belt, and took out the v-back. It's out of nice black cotton I got in a bin of fabric from a sweet friend, & it's so comfortable I want to wear it all the time. Sleeves on dresses are the best. I forgot to add pockets, though: an unfortunate oversight! Next time, eh?

I actually made this dress last week, but it's been such a whirlwind of a weekend that I never got a chance to post it until now. I wore it to a bridal brunch on Friday for my brother's (then) fiancee, & then later that evening to the wedding rehearsal & dinner. I have photos from these events (& of course the event that followed the next day) just waiting to be edited & posted.

necklace / dazeoftheweek | earrings, bracelet / gift | dress / handmade | shoes / ebay

So, I'm not used to wearing this much makeup. At all. My daily maximum is just concealer, powder, and mascara. Putting on eyeshadow and liner is so foreign to me! I tried to do a slight smokey eye, but I have no idea what I'm doing so I don't know if I succeeded, haha.

Through The Viewfinder

2010-08-27T08:06:00.000-05:00

What does this:

+ the help of my dad:

+ a modern DSLR equal?

Wicked awesome vintage-style photos, that's what!

shirt / gift | dress / handmade | belt & tights / target | not pictured - moccasins

All thanks to this article!

Custom Dress

2010-08-26T11:07:00.000-05:00

This was the project I had such a rough time getting through. I get really anxious about custom orders fitting people, & I'd never made a dress like this that wasn't my size, & I had to redo some of it & try to make ruched panels work & it was just such a worrisome process. But it's DONE! I hope I learn to properly grade patterns (or how to properly make patterns, for that matter. I am sure I don't do it correctly.) at school this year.

Speaking of school! Have I mentioned the classes I'm taking? Well, here they are again: Intro Design, Intro Construction, college writing, U.S. history, intro speech, and "relaxation," my PE class. (Hope that's not too exerting. Haha.) I'm getting really excited. My roommate sounds like a total doll, & she's also an Apparel major, so we have some classes together! 1 1/2 weeks. :)

I'm officially out of my funk. After finishing this dress, I made myself a new dress, & I'm already plotting out another project. Getting work done while I still have time to! It feels amazing to be productive again. Busy is best!

Pop of Pink

2010-08-24T14:38:00.001-05:00

Thank you so much for your comments on my last post. Honestly, just knowing that you darlings were here for me, & that I wasn't alone in my lack of inspiration was wonderful encouragement. I spent an afternoon & evening with Veronika (through the internet, of course, though I wish I could spend a day with her in person--in France!), browsing online shops, photo sites, and concocting exciting new projects (which I'll do a separate post on to fill you in!). The company while I was working (custom order) was a welcome change from my usual solitary state of being hunched over my sewing machine, and really helped on the inspiration front. By the end of our chat, I'd come up with a crazy photoshoot idea that I had to try immediately. Following is the result:

I don't really think any explanation or elaboration is necessary here, is it?

Ridding my skirt of some of the water! This is the shirt I mentioned a bit ago. It took about 10 minutes to make, is seriously just a rectangle with slight sleeves and a bit of a boatneck. I didn't finish the edges because I'm lazy & it's for me so it doesn't matter. This fabric is super comfy & lightweight, and therefore perfect for a loose fitting shirt!

I did take some pre-water photos as well, when the sun was a bit brighter. It's setting so much sooner now!

glasses / f21 | necklace / vintage | shirt / handmade | belt / traded | skirt / thrifted | shoes / target

Inspiration?

2010-08-21T00:04:00.002-05:00

You know what is seriously a bummer? Running dry on inspiration. Not being able to finish things. Losing motivation. It's all sounding pretty depressing, isn't it?

I have two & a half weeks until I move into my dorm. While I'm excited for this new chapter in my life (excited doesn't describe the half of it!), I'm wondering if the transition period is contributing to my creative dry spell. But then I wonder, am I just trying to find an excuse for month-long general lack of creativity? Because honestly, that's what it's been. Besides a 10 minute shirt I made (which I will show soon!), I haven't made anything since the Sailor Girl dress, weeks and weeks ago. Sure, I've been working, and socializing, and doing plenty of other things... but it's no excuse. I need to learn to be creative on demand, to at least a certain extent.

Well, tomorrow I have to sew. I have to finish a custom order so it's ready to ship on Monday morning. But tonight, I'm going to bemoan my dry spell and pose this question to you: What sites do you visit for inspiration? Pretty pictures? Heartening quotes?

p.s. here are my favorites: ♥ - ♥ - ♥

& my friend Veronika linked me to what's become my new favorite site: ♥

[Old] Favorites

2010-08-16T19:54:00.001-05:00

Favorite truck. Favorite place to take photos. Favorite shirt (rawr!). Favorite new shoes. & probably most favorite outfit in a while!

I got these shoes a week ago, & have been wearing them nearly every day since. I really wanted a pair of Minnetonka moccasins, and they're terribly easy to get your paws on since I'm in Minnesota... except they're so darn expensive, especially for my broke college student budget. I can't justify spending much on shoes or clothing ever, but especially not now. So when I saw these $16 moccs at Target, I knew they had to be mine. It's downgrading, for sure, but they're still super comfy. I'll probably personalize them by adding little leather flowers, eventually.

top & belt & shoes / Target | skirt / handmade

Other things of note: I got my hair cut & my bangs trimmed! It feels so nice & fresh. I hadn't gotten a haircut since January, so it was needed! Things are pretty crazy here, as my brother is getting married in just a couple weeks. We're knee-deep in wedding prep, but it's a good kind of busy. I've also been working on a custom order (grading patterns! Learning new things!), picking up extra hours at a resort down the road, & working for my mom. Classes start in a little over three weeks, so I'm scraping things together for that, too. Pretty hectic--but that's how August always goes in the resort business!

Scrap Tank Tutorial

2010-08-12T11:03:00.001-05:00

Do you guys know Max California? If not, you should! She's a sewing extraordinaire, one of the coolest people around, & a total sweetheart. Max asked me to put together a tutorial for a guest post (read it HERE!), & I couldn't have been happier to oblige. I love this chick & her darling family--& you will too, so go visit! So, for her, I put together a video on how to make a scrap-embellished tank top (which you saw a few weeks ago) from start to finish. The technique is pretty simple & can be used on ready-to-wear clothing as well. Everything you need to know is in the video. Have fun!

Did I encourage you enough to send me photos if you make it? If not, here: addie@addie-marie.com. I'll love you forever!

P.S. Last week, I also guest-blogged for Chaucee over at The Searched And Found... Go check it out!

Hearts for Friends

2010-08-09T18:17:00.000-05:00

I finally can post these pictures, because I finally sent my friend her birthday present & she just received it today! I actually made this dress weeks ago, as my very first try doing a heart cutout, but I was very bad at finishing the handsewing bits, & since my darling friend reads the blog, I couldn't post the photos I took of it until after she got it. She sent me an email letting me know a few minutes ago that she got it, so here it is!

I think it looks classier without puffy sleeves. Mine is the floofy, girly version, while this is perfect for a cocktail party. The fabric came from the upholstery section of the fabric store, a spot I should really shop more often... I adore the print! The weight is also really nice, & the cotton has a bit of a sheen, which I adore.

She's just the darlingest, & I can't wait to see photos of it on her! She lives up in Alaska while I'm stuck down here in the midwest, & we haven't actually seen each other in three years. But we stay in touch regularly & can still gossip & gab as though we hang out regularly. Friendships like that are the best, don't you think? <3<3<3

Old School

2010-08-08T14:57:00.000-05:00

There is a price to having a social life, apparently! It means spending your Sunday afternoon catching up on everything you've put off during the week, like blogging & editing photos & making tutorials & answering email & writing thank you notes & getting things ready to send off.

I took these photos back on Tuesday, but then just never got a chance to edit them until now. I was so excited when I saw the sunset on that day because the gold of the light matched all the yellow in my outfit perfectly. I'm such a dork!

shirt / thrifted || belt / traded with friend || skirt (dress, actually) / handmade || shoes / modcloth

I really loved reading all your comments on my last post. It seriously made my day! Wouldn't it be fun to do a monthly summary or something like that? Just a sweet way to keep up with each others' lives & hear how things are going. What do you think?

When The Weather Is High

2010-08-02T12:33:00.001-05:00

Huge apologies (as seems to be the trend) for the lack of posts... it's been a pretty busy week work-wise here, & I've been getting some custom work done. I've got some sewing projects lined up for the next week, so hopefully I will be super productive.

Do you sum your summer up in brief or one-word phrases? I love the simplicity of describing things shortly, the mystery that it hints to, & the memories that follow when reading it later.

So my summer, thus far, has been:

Yellow nail polish, campfires campfires campfires, splashing in the water, rad canoe escapades, sand-covered clothes, dresses all the time, finding shapes in clouds in the moonlight, huddling on a wet dock, scooping ice cream, creative uniforms, discussing theology while star-gazing, s'mores, Rummy 500, almost-siblings, tiny desserts, so much yellow in every outfit, just jumping in, lounging in row boats, beach hair, Lovin' Spoonful & Fleetwood Mac, racing canoes in impractical clothing, anticipation of my brother's wedding, & smiling, always.

What's your summer been like?

More White Dress & Updates!

2010-07-27T19:21:00.000-05:00

Hey dears! Sorry I've gone missing--I hope you've all had a good weekend & such! I'm here with just a few quick updates. Hopefully I'll be posting more handmade things this week, it's been a while.

Hannah & I got some photos of the white dress for the shop, & I finally listed it! I'm so enamored with her photography skills.

Also, I've been featured in a beautiful treasury, so if you want to wander on over, click, & comment, that would be lovely! & hopefully soon I'll be able to show you some things you haven't seen before, haha.

Tea for One

2010-07-23T12:58:00.001-05:00

It is simply the most fun to come up with brand new ways to wear something that's generally not so convertible. This dress, for example, is something I never would've normally looked at as being versatile--but it just goes to show you that anything in your wardrobe can surprise you. So I tucked the top part under & tied the sashes, & voila! A new way to wear a dress.

So, it's all fun and fancy photoshoots until someone pulls into the cabin you're near, & you have to awkwardly explain why you have the table & chairs from their porch, and the curtain as a makeshift table cloth, before apologizing & dashing home with jostling, tinkling china in your bag. Ahem. In my defense, I hadn't realized we had guests arriving just then for that cabin!

I need to get more comfortable being around people when I take pictures, though, because I won't always have secluded little forests to pose it. It's just, it's hard enough to get the right shot when you're by yourself with a self-timer--I'd rather not have an audience! Nothing encourages you to wrap things up like a bystander, haha.

I was going for a dreamy quality here, hence the expressions. It's pretty fun to set up a totally random scene--it's kind of, in a way, like playing make believe. & tea parties are just so perfect for a dreamlike aesthetic. We used to have really classy tea parties all the time so I'm pretty partial to them!

top / reconstructed tee | dress (worn as a skirt) / handmade | shoes / vintage, wonderwardrobe.etsy.com

EDIT: I apologize about the photo hosting problems! I'm now switching over to Flickr so I never have to deal with Photobucket again, & I'll work on switching things over this weekend. However, I won't be switching my archives, so it may be a couple weeks before the bandwidth resets itself. I'll get the first few pages done, & this will not happen again! I'm super sorry. What a way to start the weekend!

Turn & Face the Strange

2010-07-21T08:30:00.002-05:00

I realized quite recently that I've been home for two months already... & I go back to school in six weeks. Except it's not really "back" since I'm starting all over in a new place, where I don't know anybody. Last semester, I was going to school with my brother, lived a floor above one of my best friends, and already had a "group" and people to spend time with on weekends. I made friends on my floor & with people from my classes as well, but starting out, it was so helpful to have family and dear friends nearby, since everyone in my dorm knew each other already. Some of it was hard at first--cursed shyness!--but for living away from home for the first time, I didn't have it too bad.

Starting over this fall, though, where I honestly don't know anyone, is daunting. I'm excited for my classes (well, most of them), and to be crazy busy, and to meet people & all... I just don't want to do the hard stuff again. I don't want to eat cafeteria food again, or live in a place where I can't really walk places alone at night (though this would come in handy if I had to), or learn my way around a new campus.

Oh, listen to me, complaining. I apologize. I truly am looking forward to the fall, & my new roommate seems nice, but I'm just a little jittery. (Bright side! I'll be nearer to the Twin Cities, sort of... um, shopping? Fabric warehouse? Yes, please!)

shirt / thrifted | dress / vintage, recon'd | belt / target | shoes / modcloth

For a while I really disliked how my hair looked in a beehive 'do, but today, with slight cat-eye make up (which I also never was able to pull off before!), it just kind of worked. So--here's to trying new things!

(Have you been trying new things this summer? Do you have changes coming up that are daunting? Do you work well with change? C'mon, spill!)

Morton Salt Girl

2010-07-20T14:01:00.002-05:00

I've mentioned the Morton Salt Girl before (pretty much whenever I talk about yellow dresses)--& I've wanted to take photos dressed like her for ages. When I got this dress in the mail yesterday from Shop Tacky & it was a bit short for my 5'6" frame, I realized that it's an ideal Morton Salt Girl-length!

I really love this dress. Actually unbelievably so. I usually have a whole host of issues with ready-to-wear clothing, but this dress, once I took out the bubble hem to give it 3 extra inches, fits perfectly, is super comfy & light for summer, & is just generally adorable. Isn't the embroidery the perfect touch? My mom has an embroidery machine; I should look into drawing some designs to put on fabric to make dresses equally lovely!

Umbrella - Vintage, Sophie Joe's
Dress - Shop Tacky
Tights - Forever21
Shoes - Modcloth

Patchwork Dress (again!)

2010-07-19T09:26:00.000-05:00

Is it cheating to post pictures of a dress you've already seen? Ah, well. Redundant at the least. But these photos are super lovely, so I'll re-show you the dress.

Isn't this fun? I should always have a photographer that I can bribe with custom-made dresses! (Haha, though Hannah was all gung-ho to help me out, dress or no dress!)

This, too, is listed! Go have a peek? Oh! & become a fan of my new facebook page!

Now, off to clean cabins. Glamorous!

Sailor Girl Dress

2010-07-17T21:57:00.000-05:00

Well hey, Sailor!

It's finally here! Ain't it pretty? I love this dress. It was worth the three movies of handsewing the bias tape, & I learned loads in the making of it, so it's all good!

Want to hear all the little details? Okay. It's made from a sheet (Recycled! Upcycled! Thrifty! Yeah!), has a scoop back & a little heart cutout, bias tape along the neck & arms, piping at the waist, buttons in the front, a circle skirt, and horsehair braid on the inside hem for volume. Whew!

The horsehair braid was actually really simple to do. I'd bought it back in the beginning of June because it was one of my summer goals to try it on a project, & I'm pretty pleased with the result! I think it would be more fun to use yards and yards of it on something like chiffon so you just have pools of that lovely shaping, but that's something to keep in mind for the future.

Oh, & guess what else? It's for sale! I finally listed something in my brand new shop. I'll be putting some other things up over the next few days, & hopefully will continue to steadily for the rest of summer (fingers crossed!). This brings my summer collection up to 5/20, including the scrappy tank I posted below. I'll get there yet!

All photographs by Hannah of Videre Photography.

Tattered Tank

2010-07-15T21:51:00.001-05:00

My friend Hannah (a fantastic photographer) and I went out this evening to get some super cool photos that I can't wait to show you, but they're unedited right now, so here's a little something in the meantime.

This is a top I made today, after looking through my fabric shelves & coming across some bamboo I'd forgotten I had. It's that 95/5 bamboo/lycra blend that I adore so much, & it's a dream to wear. I made a scrap-embellished tank last fall, and intended to do a whole bunch more but then never got around to it! So I dove right in & am super pleased with the result.

It's pretty basic, but my favorite part are the scraps climbing over the shoulder. You can't see it so well, but it's a piece of chiffon that has a vine print, & I melted all around the print and then stitched along with the pattern.

Hope the end of your week is super lovely.

Graduation Party

2010-07-11T10:50:00.001-05:00

Things have been pretty sparse around here (understatement!) & I owe you an apology! I hadn't realized how hectic prepping for my graduation party would be, and between that, work, & cramming sewing in, I never got a chance to show you the rest of the Sailor Girl dress! It's coming, I promise.

In the meantime, let me show you what I mean when I say I've been busy! These are the only photos I have from my party, I was too busy talking with people to take any afterward. Most of the desserts couldn't be made in advance, so we spent Thursday & Friday working hard on the treats (and my mom also made the delicious pork & rolls for sandwiches!) for the party at 3:30 on Friday.

Buttercream-chocolate cupcakes, meringue chocolate-dipped cupcakes, chocolate truffle tarts, lime custards, blueberry cheesecakes, and macarons. There were also berry-chocolate mousse chocolate boxes, white chocolate mousse in chocolate cups, and home made frozen desserts: raspberry lime sorbet, mint chip ice cream, strawberry gelato, and vanilla gelato.

It was delicious. :)

Eduardo, one of the dapper party guests, enjoyed himself immensely. I made the flower for his hat. (Real people came too, I promise!)

The winner of the Vest Giveaway was Erin! Congratulations! I'll be in contact with you shortly. (Winner was chosen using the number generator at random.org.) I'm hoping to do another giveaway soon, so stay tuned!

Sneak Peak: Sailor Girl!

2010-07-05T21:44:00.001-05:00

This has taken far too long, as I tried out a bunch of new things while doing it & there was oodles of handsewing, but I'm thinking it's worth it. Hopefully. :)

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T21:26:00.000-05:00

Well of course I dressed patriotically!

General silliness + new shoes!

I'm off to a campfire tonight (& scanning the lake for other people's fireworks)... hope your 4th is wonderful!

Vest Giveaway

2010-07-03T21:30:00.001-05:00

Enter to win this vest!

Details:

If you don't feel like watching the video, here are the quick rules:

-Become a follower of this blog (if you aren't already, & if you are, I do so adore you!)
-Leave a comment below, letting me know what your favorite thing to do on a hot summer day is

& that's it! Make sure I can contact you via email through your profile or by leaving your email address in the comment, and unfortunately, I can only ship to U.S. addresses. The winner will be chosen using a random number generator, & will be announced on Sunday, July 11th. The contest runs from now until Saturday the 10th at 11:59pm Central time!

Good luck, dearies!

Inspiration Wednesday: LOOKBOOK Favorites

2010-07-01T00:36:00.002-05:00

For some reason, I chose to do a project in a way that involves a lot of hand sewing. As in, several movies worth. My fingers are kind of sore. But anyway, I've been stitching away all evening (& it looks great, and is somehow worth it, if you were wondering), and totally blanked on posting this. Here are some lovely looks from lookbook.nu, some newer, some very old.

Alright. Back to sewing for me!

Bathe Awhile, Awash in Slumber

2010-06-29T10:30:00.001-05:00

Since I've been posting more often now and making an effort to keep things interesting, I'm now always on the lookout for new places to take photos. It makes me cringe a bit to think that I used to take all my photos against the green wall in my room when I could've been utilizing all the picturesque locations on our property! It's been a bit of a game, walking places and deciding if I can make something into a magical world in the photos. There are so many opportunities all around, but I have to stay in the right mindset to remember to take advantage of them.

This is perhaps a less-than-magical place to pose: the humble gravel road. But I find that even dirt roads can be transformed with the fresh greenery of summer. Ha, summer. It was frustratingly cold today, so I had to dress appropriately to keep away the shivers. (I must admit, I'd been missing the comfort of tights a bit!)

I was going for a bit of whimsy today. Granny cardi, long necklace, flats... I think those are good ingredients for such a look. (I have a habit of not finishing my own dresses with hooks & eyes... hence the gap at the top of the zipper in the photo below.)

cardigan / thrifted | necklace / gift | dress / handmade | belt / traded | tights / kohl's | shoes/ target

The strawberries are ripening up! They're so tiny it's hardly worth it to pick them for anything other than eating immediately, unless you have incredible determination. (I don't.)

Can you believe I spent about 20 minutes trying to get this shot? Jumping photos are exceedingly hard to capture with a self timer, if you've never tried. I finally got a few, and... they're out of focus. So. Typical. Well, I'm posting it regardless because I put so much effort into it!

Dessert, Anyone?

2010-06-28T21:40:00.000-05:00

We had some family over for dinner last night, so my mom & I got busy and whipped up some desserts. Raspberry-lime sorbet (wonderfully palette cleansing!), chocolate ganache/banana/nilla parfaits, and lime custard pie. All tiny, all adorable, and all absolutely delicious.

The Music Can Free Her Whenever It Starts

2010-06-27T22:46:00.003-05:00

This is what I'm wearing today... and as a bonus, I'm sitting on what I've been working on! My mom and I worked last week to give the bedroom in one of our cabins a bit of a facelift. This involved sanding the old finish off the floor, re-varnishing, and repainting the walls from an ugly yellow-tan color to white.

Trust me when I say it looks tons better.

It's actually pretty fun to do work like this. For one, it's not as never-ending as cleaning tends to be, and for another, the results are incredibly rewarding! It's the best, being able to stand back and say, "We did that!" proudly. That's one thing I did get out of my Stage Craft class last semester: the gratification of building things that contributed to an incredible production.

It's pretty rare to have a nice white wall and a clean wood floor in a location that has nice lighting for photos, so I quickly took advantage of it before the furniture got moved back in. I wish I could have this spot all the time!

Here's the view out the window:

blouse / thrifted | dress / handmade | shoes / modcloth

I took a leaf out of my friend Veronika's book for the above shot. (Click on her name & visit her site! She's such a dear & she's terribly talented.) I can't say I'm totally sold on this outfit... I can't decide whether it makes me feel like a schoolgirl or not. However, this has got to be my favorite color combination pretty much ever. (Even if I'm wearing these shoes to death.)

Alright, I've been on a period-romance-film kick recently, having watched Bright Star and The Young Victoria in the space of a week. (I plan to re-watch Jane Eyre whilst sewing tomorrow.) However, I'm kind of running out of ones to put on my Netflix queue, having exhausted most of my options in the last few years. So, I have two questions: do you have any period film recommendations? (I enjoy BBC miniseries, films based on classic novels, and any costume dramas. Prefer romances because I'm girly like that.) &: What's your movie obsession as of late? Do you do it by genre or actor or not themed at all? (I get stuck in genres and themes, as well as actors: travel films, indie comedies, Zooey Deschanel films, & romantic comedy marathons, haha.)

Tutorial: Heart Cut-Out

2010-06-26T19:25:00.000-05:00

I've been neglectful this week, I apologize! But as I mentioned on Thursday, I have some fun stuff coming.

Ah, a tutorial! On something you perhaps didn't care to learn anyway? Well, here it is. It is much less daunting to make a tutorial for part of something, or a technique, than it is to make one for an entire garment. So I went ahead and filmed this. There are pattern recommendations in the description bar below the video. I haven't actually looked at these in the store, so I don't know if they have facings or a lining, but they looked pretty decent. Let me know if you have a pattern in mind that would work for this, & I'll add it to the description!

So that's that! If you have questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

After The Boys Of Summer Have Gone

2010-06-24T23:53:00.001-05:00

I'm sorry for skipping two days! I only meant to take one day off, but when I went to post yesterday night, the internet was down, so I went to bed instead. But I'm back, darlings, and hopefully will make up for it in the next week... I have a couple surprises plotted! I can't tell you yet, though.

Today was one of those days where I wasn't dressed pretty most of the time. I spent most of the afternoon painting a room in one of our cabins. The walls are log, so it takes foreverrrr. I can't complain about having work, though; really, I'm quite thankful. And working for my mom is definitely not the worst thing ever! I get to listen to my music, she gives me breaks, & is pretty lovely company! Still, I'll be glad when this particular job is over and we can stand back & admire our work.

owl necklace / adriannemae | top / handmade | skirt / thrifted | shoes / modcloth

There was weird light this evening. It'd been a very hazy day with wildfire smoke blowing in (there's currently a fire in Manitoba). Smelling the smoke always makes me a little uneasy, but I'm thankful right now that we've had recent rain and things aren't as dry as they were a couple months ago, despite low lake levels. We've had our share of forest fires in years past, and the destruction is devastating. (You can kind of see in my header... the land off in the distance? There's a reason the shore across the lake never looks particularly lush when I take photos by the water.) Anyway, I always think of the more worrisome times in my life when I smell wildfire smoke, and my thoughts are with anyone misplaced by fires right now in Manitoba.

I, I Love the Colorful Clothes She Wears...

2010-06-21T19:00:00.005-05:00

...and the way the sunlight plays upon her hair...

So, I actually wear this outfit quite a bit. It's just a perfect blend of cute and casual, is wonderfully summery (I can't get enough of yellow), and it's super comfortable. I love this shirt. There was a "fill a bag for a dollar" sale at Salvation Army when I was still away at school, and I got there in the last fifteen minutes, having barely heard about it in time. I basically threw anything that kind of might look okay into my bag (including a couple things that were most definitely donated back later). I'm so pleased I grabbed this! (Haha. I'm gushing about a t-shirt.)

I braved ticks and bees to hang out in the tall grass in front of "Gramps," the antique dump truck that has been in my family for several generations. This area actually used to be a pasture: once upon a time, we owned donkeys, and this lovely hill was a part of their old stomping grounds. (The donkeys have since gone to live with a friend of ours in Montana.)

Guys, I am having so much fun taking photos this summer! My dad's camera is magical. I don't know how to use it as well as he does but it's sure been an adventure figuring it out! I spent about twenty minutes sweating in the sun, trying to figure out how to turn off the autofocus but still retain the rest of the automatic settings, but did not succeed. (Maybe reading the manual will help. Haha.) So I'm slightly out of focus in some of these, but it's not too bad.

Ah, lying on a blanket in the sun reading a decadent cupcake recipe book. Sunday afternoons in the summertime are pretty wonderful. (Sorry my shoes aren't very visible in any of these shots! They're the yellow ones I always wear.)

earrings / handmade | top / thrifted | skirt / handmade | shoes / modcloth

Heart Cut-Out Dress

2010-06-20T19:08:00.001-05:00

This has been such a productive week. I finished four dresses, worked out a new pattern, filmed a tutorial, and put in hours here at the resort. I'm feeling a little pressure to get things done since I realized I've been home for over a month--only 2 1/2 months left of summer! Besides, it's harder to get as many things done once friends start arriving. So I'm sticking with my goal of getting a 20 piece collection done this summer ("collection" is used loosely, because I don't necessarily expect the pieces to fit cohesively). Officially, out of dresses for the collection, I have 2 finished. So. 2 down, 18 to go. Once I get more fabric, it'll be easier to do.

Oh, hey! You're probably wondering why I'm chattering so much and not showing you photos! Well, okay. Since you asked nicely.

I was super inspired by the heart cutout dress in my last Inspiration Wednesday post, and I even hinted to making one, but I didn't know if I'd actually be able to pull it of, having never done the technique before. On my second try, after some brainstorming with my mom, I cracked the code (interfacing, lining, topstitching, and then facings on the neckline). So this is my third go at it, and I think I'm addicted. It's incredibly fun, believe it or not, watching it come together. I kind of want to try a star cutout next.

I made my own pattern, using the same style as I had on my Audrey Hepburn-inspired dress (with a few fit-minded alterations), copying a vintage sleeve, a built-in rumpled belt, and box pleats on the skirt (which I am obsessed with!). It fits me perfectly, and it's just... perfect! I am so in love with how it turned out, I want to wear it everywhere!

In summary: This is my ideal summer dress. I can't wait to wear it all over the place.

Sneak Peak: Polkadots & Cutout

2010-06-19T22:00:00.002-05:00

I have been a busy little bee and it feels SO good! Stay tuned for some new-dress goodness, coming this way soon!

Whitney Sews - Bubble Skirt Tutorial

2010-06-19T17:38:00.000-05:00

The darling Whitney from Whitney Sews made the loveliest skirt inspired by my Jersey & Lace bubble dress--and she's generous enough to show you how, too!

All of her videos and well put together, with adorable and clever projects. I highly recommend you check them out! She's a super sweet gal & we've been poking around each other's blogs for years now. Follow, subscribe, rate, and comment!

Whitney Sews Blog
Whitney Sews Youtube Channel
Generation Gap Shop

P.S. I haven't actually been able to watch it yet; we're low on internet bandwidth & so I can't load any videos. But I'm 100% positive it's superb because all her tutorials are stellar.

Friday Favorites: Esther-fromthesticks

2010-06-18T22:57:00.000-05:00

I adore this girl so much. She's crazy talented, not only in sewing but in photography, absolutely stunning, and finds incredibly picturesque places for photo shoots.

She's got some skill, what did I say!

Her aesthetic, style, and photos are all perfect, in my opinion. Check her out & leave her some love!

Delightfully Feminine

2010-06-17T21:30:00.000-05:00

This is a dress I made early last summer. I think I wore it three times throughout the course of the summer: not a good sign! The truth is, I just didn't like it. It was too low cut for my taste, the top edge of the bust flared out, and most annoyingly, it didn't fit. It was too tight (and not shaped properly) up top, and so I was uncomfortable wearing it.

Well. This had to change--it was taking up space! So today I pulled it out, reworked the bodice using the same sort of pattern I used on the Patchwork Dress (except, kind of fudged because I wasn't building in a bra, and I didn't have as much fabric as I wanted), and tried it on. It's so much better! It's more comfortable and I like how it looks so much better. The ruffled bust it had before may have been cute, but I hadn't done it right. This top isn't perfect either, but I don't really mind.

dress / reconstructed vintage | belt / handmade | shoes / modcloth

I borrowed this belt from the white dress I'd made because I'm tentatively planning to make a better one for that dress, with adjustable hooks and eyes. That would mean I can have this one... which isn't a bad thing at all, haha.

The storm was building as I went out to take these photos, and now it's absolutely pouring. The internet is in and out, so I'm stealing an "in" moment to post this. At least the electricity hasn't gone yet. My brother is currently across the lake visiting with friends, and he thankfully hasn't tried to cross in this weather, but he might be stuck for the night! At least he'd be warm and dry. As we were just sitting down to eat, there was this huge crack of thunder, so loud it made us all jump. The lightning most likely struck on our property somewhere--seriously right near by. I always get a little scared by lightning because I'm wimpy like that.

In other, more exciting news, I registered myself a domain name! It is officially addie-marie.com, although if you type in the old MateyCouture address it will redirect you here anyway. I figured, why not officially switch over everything? I also set up a new Etsy shop in anticipation of listing new items for the summer (which I know I've been talking about for ages), and switched my Twitter name over.

I'm not quite sure yet what I'll be doing with the garments that are in my MateyCouture shop. Would you get something if it was at a super-reduced price? Make me an offer if you're interested in something. (Seriously. Even if you think it's crazy low. I'll consider it.) At this point, I'd like to see it go to a happy customer and I don't plan on listing these in my new shop.

Alright, I'm off to do some non-electric things while it's thundering like this!

Inspiration Wednesday: Smile-worthy Photos

2010-06-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

Here are some things from the tumblr-sphere that brightened up my week. Click on each photo for the source!

I so want this to be my life. Look at that sassy expression by woman on the left!

(I think a heart cut-out dress is in my future...)

You Wear Those Shoes & I Will Wear That Dress

2010-06-16T00:47:00.000-05:00

Ah, this dress. I am so pleased with it, to tell you the very honest truth. The little details really pay off! It takes so much extra time, but proper ironing, topstitching, and blind hems all make my heart beat a little faster when I see the results of my hard work. I mean, I'm already going to be spending hours working on something... I might as well be a perfectionist, right?

Although, I don't know if the word "perfectionist" can be applied to my kind of sewing. Self-taught, I mean. Obviously I have plenty of projects where I let things slide, but I kind of feel like when I'm making something to sell, a switch in my brain flicks on and I do things properly. Because I don't want something to fall apart on a customer, and I want them to know they're getting quality for their money. How horrible would it be for something to fall apart? But because I'm always learning, and I wasn't taught to measure everything to the exact eighth inch, things aren't perfect. But darn it, I try!

Man, I don't mean to sound like I'm tooting my horn over here. I worry that some of the pieces I sold a few years ago when I was less experienced weren't up to par (although I'm hoping this is just me being overly critical) and I don't want to feel that way about the things I'm making now, so I just try my best.

So, I got photos by the mustang! I am so excited about this. I'm also hoping to get more pictures here sometime in better lighting. Maybe some soft sunlight. I was paranoid of getting grime on the dress (white is a hard color to manage!), so I washed the parts of the car that I'd be near. You can kind of tell where the washing stops.

Ready for some dress details? Okay, me too. It's out of a nice cotton with a subtle off-white floral pattern. My mom got the fabric at our Fiber Guild exchange thing--it was originally bought for a quilt backing, so I have yards left. The dress is quite a bit like my sheep dress, with a few key changes! The straps aren't halter style, there are five buttons in front, and I made a removable bow belt for it. I also did a lot of topsitched detailing on it, which helped make the skirt lie more smoothly. I'm thinking that this exact style in light blue would be perfect for an Alice In Wonderland-inspired dress!

While I'd love to give you a bunch of sweet details on the car, I can't! All I know is that it's a '67 Mustang something-back, and it needs a paint job. (And that the upholstery is stellar--houndstooth fabric on the seats! So awesome.)

After a bit, I noticed that the sun was setting, and headed down to the lake to get some shots in that golden light I love.

Wild roses are so beautiful, and very plentiful this time of year.

Also, new header! I'm trying it out, but it might not stick. I think this will be my new font, though; it's simple but fitting.

Can't believe it's only Tuesday. I worked on cabins and the lodge and stuff all day yesterday, and then cleaned my room (well, started to) and then sewed for about five straight hours today. Now after working on this post and editing photos for a few hours, I think my eyes need a rest! But seriously, having to post every day for a stretch of days has been really good for me. It's such a good motivator, and I think I'm more apt to sew just to get more material to post!

(Oh, by the way, this dress will be listed within a couple weeks when I open my new shop. I'll keep you posted.)

Sneak Peek: White Dress

2010-06-15T01:07:00.001-05:00

I am making a pretty white dress. I'm pretty excited about it. I'm also pretty exhausted--I cleaned cabins today and washed windows and am now staying up too late. So, I'm pretty much going to bed now.

You Are My Blue-Eyed Universe

2010-06-14T00:13:00.000-05:00

I love when a handful of safety pins can completely transform a dress. I've worn this dress in a couple different ways before, but I think this is my favorite. The silhouette is what gets me, I think! I just adore dresses that are fitted in the waist and HUGE on the bottom. Safety pinning the hem to a slip even fooled my mom, who saw me in this and at first said, "New dress?" And I show her everything I make, probably annoyingly so. We actually had a conversation about that once, which ended with me saying, "You're like my Tim Gunn!" and her quipping, "Make it work!"

But anyway, the point is, I'm all for wearing clothes over and over in different ways--clothes are meant to be loved. It makes me feel unsettled to know some people wear clothes once and then donate them and buy new ones. I want people who buy the clothes I make to have that feeling where you want to wear that piece, and nothing else will do.

glasses / f21 | necklace / adriannemae | dress / handmade | chain / gift | shoes / modcloth

Um, best time of day to take pictures ever! I seriously didn't edit the lighting or colors in these at all. It's got it all: saturated colors, sunspots, lens flare, and silhouettes. Perfect. (Makes up for yesterday's darkness, right?)

I'll let you in on a secret: I barely wore this today! To be honest, I was lazy and in sweatpants. How embarrassing! Haha. But I dressed up for you guys.

I like that, besides a log of projects and personal style, this blog is kind of a journal of sorts. I can look back on some of the best (and worst) days of the year so far to see what I was wearing and thinking. And you know what? I'm actually loving this posting every day thing. It's kind of a scramble sometimes, but as long as I can keep things of a certain quality, I'd like to try posting almost as often for most of the summer. We'll see how that goes! This is so fun. Ha.

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANA! I love you!

Patchwork Dress

2010-06-12T23:44:00.000-05:00

I know I promised a shoot by my brother's vintage mustang, but by the time I got this dress finished, the only place it was light enough to take photos was down by the lake, and even that was a bit sketchy. I recruited my dad to help take the photos since it had started to sprinkle and I didn't want to expose his camera to the moisture for the amount of time it takes to get photos with a self-timer. While the pictures he takes are always stellar, I am realizing now that I have a harder time being the model when someone is around. I always revert to the same pose, avoid looking at the camera, and don't move around much. This is a problem!

This dress was a total experiment. I'd never done a bodice like this before, so I was making it up as I went along. It has adjustable straps (!), a built-in bra, shirring in the back, an invisible side zipper, and is fully lined. The whole thing is carefully pieced together from three different fabrics (which you'll probably recognize if you've been around for a while!), and is all nicely topstitched.

I do plan on getting more brightly lit pictures at some point, as this is going to be one of the first things listed when I open my new shop. Have I mentioned that yet? I thought up the name "Matey Couture" when I was 14 or so, and I really don't identify with it at all anymore. I'm not doing as much costume-y stuff as I was back then, and my clothing certainly is not couture, so I'd rather not label it as such. Thus, I think I'm going with a much simpler name that I have to like, if only because it's mine and I'm stuck with it! I was thinking of just, "Addie Marie Clothing" or something. I'm not decided yet, but since I've plastered my first two names around just as commonly as my brand name, I'm figuring it will work. I'm open to suggestions for names if you have an idea, by the way!

Macarons

2010-06-11T22:14:00.001-05:00

Instead of sewing, today I played buck euchre with friends and made pink raspberry macarons. I froze most of them for my graduation party, but saved a plateful for dessert. I am going to practice making these throughout the summer because they'll be some of the desserts we're making for my brother's wedding in August. (I'm sure I'll be showing you all the mini desserts we'll be working on!)

Tomorrow will involve finishing a very exciting dress, listening to raindrops on a metal roof, and photoshoots with a vintage mustang.

Inspiration

2010-06-10T20:00:00.000-05:00

Remember when I did this? Remember when I actually did this on a Wednesday? Oops. But see, it's yucky out, and I've been working on stuff all day, so I haven't gotten a chance to take photos of anything. Instead, here's what's inspiring me despite the weather.

Aren't these gorgeous photos? The girl is stunning, the little details on the dress are perfect (those buttons! I really want to try that--it reminds me of vintage wedding dresses and their little lines of buttons), and the lighting is to die for. You can find more at Fashion Bits and Bobs--please go have a look at her blog!

Shepherdress

2010-06-10T00:42:00.000-05:00

I made this dress as a prototype a couple weeks ago and I'm not so sure how I feel about it. It's made out of an old flannel sheet (not really fuzzy anymore, but still definitely flannel--but the sheep print was too cute!), so it's a bit bulky, especially where the two-layer skirt connects to the bodice. However, there are a few things I love about it. Mainly: it fits. Perfectly. This was my first experiment inserting a shirred elastic panel in the back and I am in love with it! It's fitted without being tight and uncomfortable, a difficult happy medium to reach. It also means it can fit varied sizes, which is ideal for selling. Also, I love sheep, so this style combined with the print makes me feel like a shepherdess!

Haha, shaggy bangs. I'm less like a shepherdess and more like a sheep dog with hair like that!

I went down to take pictures on the rocks, which proved to be rather difficult, especially with that wind!

My face is in there somewhere. So, what do you think of the dress? While I said it was a prototype, I might not make any for the shop. I'm not sold on the design yet. I'd love to hear what you think!

Laundry on the Line

2010-06-08T22:36:00.002-05:00

I washed all of my dresses yesterday, and since it was such a beautiful day I decided to hang them all up on the line to dry--arranged by color, of course. (I thought of my roommate, who had all of her clothing hung in a perfect, lovely rainbow!) There's nothing better than the scent of line-dried clothing in the summer!

New Improvements!

2010-06-07T15:30:00.000-05:00

Something I didn't mention a couple days ago: I have a plot to blog for two weeks straight to make up for my two weeks of not posting. But, of course, Blogger had to go down yesterday evening. It didn't even save the long post I'd written up! So frustrating. Here we go again!

Two nights ago I did something I've been wanting to try since about January. I'd been looking at photos of Zooey Deschanel for a bit & had had a conversation with my friend Dana about it before deciding to take the plunge. So at about 11:30 at night I stood in front of the mirror, grabbed some scissors, and cut myself some bangs!

I made this skirt yesterday morning (in time to wear to church!). It's out of jersey knit, and it has a wide waistband, six darts in front, a blind hem, and nice pearl buttons in front to contribute to the sailor look. I was feeling very nautical. One day projects are the best!

After getting dressed, I felt like I needed something to pull the look together, so I found these chains my mom had given me, grabbed the anchor off a charm bracelet my aunt & cousin got for me, and put the two together! I actually love the two together, although maybe I should find silver chains if I keep the anchor as a necklace.

necklace / gift & diy'd | shirt / thrifted | skirt / handmade | shoes / vintage

I cut my bangs a little long, so they're very versatile, but I may trim them a little. Straight-up bangs:

Side-swept:

Not there at all:

And finally! I have mentioned The Clothes Horse blog in the past, I know. Rebecca, the genius behind it, always does these adorable animated GIFs, and so this is my little tribute to that. It is a kind of sloppy first try, but it was super fun to do so I'd like to try again so I can improve!

When it's over so they say / It'll rain on a sunny day

2010-06-05T18:00:00.000-05:00

Two weeks is far too long of a break. I apologize! Things got busy and I went through a stretch where I was wearing jeans and t-shirts (in spite of the fact that I hate jeans), and I didn't complete any sewing projects. Basically, I had nothing to post. But I missed blogging! & I have new followers--hello! Thanks for stopping by!

This is a vintage dress I'd picked up at Salvation Army before I finished school, but it was quite a few inches longer so I didn't get around to hemming it until today. I like the color, and it seems like it'll be easy to find new ways to wear it. It's also really light and comfortable--once the weather gets warm again it'll be nice to wear on hot days. But this is disgraceful, guys: I need to do laundry so badly that I've resorted to making/altering new clothes. Haha. But I promise, I'm doing it today!

It was rainy today, so I headed out onto our screen porch (which is currently a little rundown, but we're hoping to fix it up again this summer) and took some photos on the porch swing. I love the grey color of the wood; it feels so serene.

dress / vintage | tights / target | shoes / forever21

Today was commencement for my former classmates in town. I didn't go. I probably could've walked with them, but the truth is, I don't really know any of them anymore. I started homeschooling in 6th grade, and lost contact with most people after that, so I probably would've been uncomfortable if I'd gone. I don't know. Our newspaper published a little booklet thing with info about all of the graduates and their future plans, and I got a little sad when reading it. I realize full well that high school is not the "best years of your life" as some people dreamily reminisce them as, but I kind of missed out on some experiences I wouldn't mind having--Senior Prom, graduation, grad parties... you know. I'm not saying I regret homeschooling, or that I would change anything--I certainly wouldn't. I just didn't get to do the same things everyone else did. But after reading the booklet, I went upstairs to sew, knowing that making clothing was the best thing that came out of my homeschooling.

So, my question is this: How were your high school years? Did you go to your prom? Was commencement boring or sad or joyful? Do you wish you'd been able to skip all the silly traditions or are they the better part of your teenage memories?

Sewing on the Porch

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It was absolutely gorgeous this afternoon: in the 70's, sunny, and only a slight breeze. It was perfect sewing-on-the-porch weather, and you can bet that is what I did.

That's right. I ate cherries, drank lemonade, and worked on a dress. Who says this isn't heaven?

I did my hair up all vintage-esque today, wore my vintage heels, and threw on my gingham dress. Wonderfully 40's!

Trust me when I say that water is freezing. It'll be July before it's swimmable, late June if we're lucky.

Yesterday I went to the university I'll be attending in the fall. We went for some orientation & registering for classes, which was very informative. I'll be taking a lecture class (and introduction to design) and a beginning construction class, which I'm excited for, but I'll also have to muddle through for a few weeks. We will be constructing around 6 pieces, I think, for the first semester (I can't remember the exact number) which will be exciting. I am nervous, I must admit! It was bizarre, because I've always been a little unique in my interest in fashion and obsession with sewing, but going there--I was exactly the same as everyone else. It was a wake-up call to how competitive the business is, a bit of a reminder that there are thousands of other girls who want the same job as I do.

I'm excited, regardless. I'm also taking American Government, Fundamentals of Speech, English Composition, and a slightly bogus PE class that I haven't decided on yet. I might try to fit Archery in, but if not, it'll be "Walking/Jogging."

It's nice to have the summer ahead to get ready. I have an extra long summer break because I'm not starting until after Labor Day, although by then I'm sure I'll be rearing to get to school!

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