Custom Dress

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!

More White Dress & Updates!

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.

Patchwork Dress (again!)

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

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 Skirt Tutorial

Finally. That's right, I have finally finished editing the tattered skirt tutorial. It's been 5 months, I know. I hope it's worth the wait!



The skirt is also for sale HERE.

Questions? Comments? Tips? Thoughts? You know I'd love to hear.

Announcement: SALE!

Because I'm leaving in about a week, I'd kind of like to clear out a lot of my stock. I'm having a huge sale on most things in my shop--seriously huge, things as low as $12--and I'd love it if you took a look. I should let you know, too, I'm flexible on sale prices. Make me an offer! My hope is to launch a collection in the late spring on a very clean slate, without all these older pieces still floating around.

[CLICK HERE] to head on over to the shop!

Threadbanger Guild -- on Threadbanger, the show!

I made a video for the Threadbanger guild last summer all about tagging your items properly. Yesterday, Threadbanger posted a Viewer Takeover video, & Maniacal Mickey and I are in it! I'm a little hesitant to post it because, well, it's hard to watch yourself on video! But Mickey is adorable, it's worth watching for her. (& this is good exposure for the guild.)



Remember, you can visit the Threadbanger Guild HERE to check out all the shops.

"Midnight Showing" Reconstruction

More Threadless love! This is an incredibly awesome shirt printed with glow-in-the-dark ink so it has a secret design on top of the run-down movie theater. I reconstructed it into a style much like the "My Crony" shirt that I did a while back, but I gave this one puffed sleeves. I made it this afternoon, and my friend Hannah photographed it this afternoon. (She's brilliant & I'm planning to bribe her with clothing to take photos for me this summer.)









The above is what the design looks like in the dark. Amazing, isn't it? I've never been to a drive in movie, but they seem so classic and terribly romantic. I'm so ridiculously excited about these pictures. They're exactly what I wanted. Hannah just totally got it! The shirt is listed HERE, if you're interested.

Okay, I'm off to sew again. I'll post about NYE (& what I was wearing) soon. How's 2010 going for you so far?

Unexpected Delights

Just a brief posting to let you know some exciting news: My Sailor Skirt was featured in an Etsy Finds article/newsletter on Friday!





My dear friend, Tany, was kind enough to grab these screenshots of it, and you can also check out the actual article right here.

I've never really been featured on Etsy ever before, except perhaps a gift guide last Christmas, so it was a completely new, thrilling experience! My traffic went way up, and to be featured alongside such awesome, beautiful items was terribly flattering.

So, good weekend? I think so.

(P.S. Substance-filled posts are coming soon! And after Christmas you will be bombarded with gift photos, I promise. <3)

"Rockstar" One-Shoulder Top

So, I cleaned my sewing room [insert gasps here] & ended up using the last of a couple of my older fabrics from my collection to make this top. I'm really on a one-shoulder kick right now. I also really, really love puffy sleeves. The puffier, the better, right? I'm pretty sure that's a rule.









I just listed it in my shop!

What else have I been making? Shhh, Christmas presents! You'll see the soon enough, and all I'll say is that I'm really, really pleased with how they're turning out. Here's a hint: I've been knitting. And felting. And cooking.

How about you guys? Are you doing handmade Christmas gifts this year? Buying on Etsy? I know most people are cutting back, & going handmade--or at least, supporting independent artists--is a terrific way of doing that. If you're lost for ideas, Threadbanger, TB Forums, and Craftster are some of my favorite places to go! There are oodles of tutorials to help you out.

Icicles!

It's pretty darn cold here in Minnesota. Whenever the temperature gets to zero or below in late November & early December, the lake starts steaming up a storm, covering the entire shoreline in a heavy, beautiful frost. You can be certain it'll freeze within a few weeks! When I saw how pretty the steam & frost looked this afternoon, I knew it would be the perfect backdrop for some photos. So I grabbed this new skirt & my mom (I couldn't be bothered to set up the tripod in this weather... it was far too cold to take the time!), & we got some pretty awesome shots in the snow!









It's just your basic, high-waisted skirt, but the fabric is to die for! It's a beautiful cotton with a bit of a sheen... very fine. I actually found it in the upholstery section of the store, but it wasn't very heavy and I knew it would make a beautiful garment. I'm floored by the way the lake & snow compliment the skirt so well!


Oh, and my muff. I love my muff! I feel like I should put on a long coat and a victorian hat to go skating with it! It's made from beautiful, white rabbit fur, and my hands have never been warmer. I found it in an antique store for a ridiculously inexpensive price--it was fate!

By the way, the skirt is listed in my shop HERE. Guen from Boardwinos put one of my pieces in a treasury on Etsy, alongside a bunch of talented artists, & it's beautifully put together. It's getting popular, and if you comment & click & click & CLICK on the items, we might make it to the front page! Check it out! Thanks, cuties.

Public Service Announcement

photo credit

FREE SHIPPING ON ALL UNITED STATES ORDERS BLACK FRIDAY WEEKEND! NOV. 27-30!

& discounted International shipping! Plus, sale items marked even further down & new items listed over the weekend! Check it out, darlings!

Raindrops (In Front of the Sunset)

I have yards and yards of this wonderfully soft bamboo/lycra knit in an off-white color, and I've been making very good use of it lately! This cowl-hoodie was fun to make, for the most part--just feeling the bamboo under my fingertips is a delight! I spent almost five hours appliqueing the rain cloud and rain drops, though, because it was all by hand. But, you know what? It was worth it. (Although, maybe next time I'll just screen print it.)









The first line of the description on its listing is, "This is a sweatshirt for the stormy days when all you want to do is snuggle with a blanket and tea, but elegantly, of course!" It's so true--you'll want to curl up in this hoodie forever.

For sale HERE.

Exposed Stitching: Drapey Cardigan

I've been meaning to make this for a couple months, because draped cardigans are too cool to pass up. I used this really neat slinky rib-knit fabric I found--it's perfect for this piece because of the sheen! There are all these crisscrossing lines of serger seams, and I finally dusted off the rolled hem plate for my serger and did a ruffly lettuce finish on all the edges. So exciting!







I'm also wearing this black bodysuit that I just made & fell in love with. I don't know why I didn't make one before; I wear high-waisted skirts all the time and it feels so messy when you have shirts tucked in. I've still got work to do on this one--I might add some kind of sleeves or finish the neckline differently... or just make a few more!

(The cardigan is for sale HERE!)

Space Hoodie

I was able to make a brief stop at the fabric store on my way home from visiting my 1st choice college, and I picked up this super soft, light fleece. It's so perfect for hoodies & sweatshirts! So I made this sweatshirt, giving it an immense cowl that can be a hood, and a cute little side pocket.











Of course I had to line the cowl in some of this amazing bamboo, and I love how it adds a splash of color! It's a little tight on me... which is very lucky for you, because I wouldn't want to sell it, otherwise! It's currently listed, if you're interested.

However, my shop will be going into Vacation Mode for the next week & a half, as I'm going to be out of town, away from my stock.

A quick update on my life, for the curious: I took the ACT (& it was awful, but I think I did alright--thank you all for the well wishes!), adored the college I went to visit (their fashion program sounds awesome!), & have basically just been busy with studying and college applications. Oh, and a super exciting and secret project you'll hear about in a few days!

Vines Entwining and Blossoming

I suppose this shirt is definitely better suited to spring than fall, but it's so beautiful that I can't wait the many months for warm to list & post it! I am currently absolutely infatuated with bamboo/lycra knit (heavenly fabric, I promise!), and used my beautiful olive colored bamboo for this one-shoulder top. It has a comfortable fit & cut, and of course, bamboo is like silk on the skin. Criss-crossing vines and purple lace blossoms are painstakingly hand sewn from the side pocket up across the neckline to the pleated shoulder. I think it's a terribly romantic shirt, a work of art, and wearable any time of the year!











(It's for sale! Here: www.mateycouture.etsy.com)

In other news, I just finished watching Marie Antoinette for the second time. (I originally saw it when it first came out, so, several years ago!) If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it; if not for the story, see it for the colors, the costumes, the aesthetics, the lighting, & the cakes. It's truly candy for the eyes! My plan for our New Year's Feast is to cover the dessert table (as I'm in charge of dessert!) in decadent cakes & goodies just like the ones in the movie. Maybe I'll even tease my hair up to high heavens and put a ship in it. Hey, it could happen! Why wasn't my 18th birthday nearly as spectacular as the one in the movie? Ah, maybe being a queen helps. Anyway, check out the movie and drool over it as much as you like.

Also, I might have opportunity to film a tutorial or two--definitely a long-promised one for the ruffle-bust shirt reconstruction, perhaps one more. I'll keep you updated, my darlings!