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.

You Wear Those Shoes & I Will Wear That Dress

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.)

Patchwork Dress

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!

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!

"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?

Diamonds in the Rough

I made this shirt absolute ages ago, but had decided it was too plain & hung it on the rack. I planned to eventually screen/stencil something onto it, but could never decide on the right design. Right before the Christmas Sale, I whipped it out, furrowed my brow, and decided that diamonds were exactly what this top needed. (Everything looks good with diamonds, after all!)

The details on the shirt itself: bamboo knit, cowl neck, 3/4 length sleeves, side pocket, long cut. It's like cashmere against the skin!





It's been mad busy here, but I'll try to get more posts up over the next few days. They might edge towards some sentimental nonsense because it's the end of the year, and I'm moving out in three short weeks. (!)

I'm expecting to have separation anxiety because I have to part from my serger. It will be painful.

(This shirt will be listed within a few days, so check the shop soon!)

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.