My latest two finished projects are both repeats of a sort! And I'm pretty excited about both of them. This is my Shooting Star Bolero and my Cotton + Steel Arrow Dress. Oh yeah, if you missed that I went red and that photo surprised you, you can catch up on my hair color! Also we very recently painted our den and bedroom (FINALLY OMG) and hung up art, so welcome to a new place for me to take photos! I'll give you ... Read more »
The flirty day dress class and Craftsy giveaway
My latest collaboration with Craftsy had me watching a class on how to sew up a particularly cute, vintage-inspired dress! The class is Sewing Vintage: The Flirty Day Dress with Laura Nash. Source: Copyright © Craftsy, Sewing Vintage: The Flirty Day Dress Laura Nash, by the way, is completely adorable. Source: Copyright © Craftsy, Sewing Vintage: The Flirty Day Dress If I wasn't already enjoying the class, I was ... Read more »
The latest member of the redhead club!
For years and years, I've wanted to have red hair. Not that you've seen it since it was all pre-blog, but I've had loads of different hair colors over the years. From shades you might find springing from someone's head naturally (like black, brown, and blonde) to completely unnatural colors (like pink, green and purple), with the only real exceptions being light brown and natural reds. I say 'natural' reds to ... Read more »
Sewing lingerie freebie with Christine Haynes and Craftsy
Hi everyone! Well, I'm winding up my posts with Craftsy this summer and just have a couple left after this one. But today, it's a little something special! I always knew Craftsy offered video classes, but I had never really investigated that they have other downloadables, too. And one of their FREE downloads is a PDF called Success with Sewing Lingerie (Three Tutorials to Make You Say Ooh La La!). It's written by none ... Read more »
So I accidentally bought a vintage sewing machine
A few weeks ago, we went over to our friends Ben and Elisa's house. As it happened, their neighborhood was having a big yard sale earlier in the day that we couldn't attend, but some people still were selling when we got to their house in the late afternoon. Now, a house near them had recently been sold, as the 90+ year old woman who lived there was moving into a nursing home. And Ben and Elisa knew the house hadn't ... Read more »
A fabulous antiquing day in St. Louis
Hello, friends! Goodness have I ever been busy. So busy that I can't even seem to catch up with, well, about anything. We just got back from one road trip and here I am showing you photos from two road trips ago. Albeit, it was only last weekend. Like I said...busy! The weekend before the 4th of July holiday weekend, we drove to St. Louis to visit Mel's sister and our brother-in-law, niece, and nephew. We try to get ... Read more »
The cuckoo clock dress
This dress may well feature one of the pinnacles of amazing, kitschy novelty prints: cuckoo clocks. Ever since I got a cuckoo clock necklace from Classic Hardware, I've been obsessed with them. One day, this obsession took me on a hunt for cuckoo clock fabric. Surely, somewhere, there was fabric with cuckoo clocks on it, right? Well, the answer was yes! This fabric is from the Storybook Lane collection by Kelly ... Read more »
What have you ruined (or almost) lately?
This weekend, I worked on two sewing projects. The first involved a new-to-me dress pattern, and in the muslin stage I already knew it was going to need some serious work on the bodice (I did a successful full bust adjustment only to discover the rest of the bodice was going to be way too small). I didn't have it in me at that point, so I decided to shelve it until a later date. The second was a plain 6-gored skirt ... Read more »
Adjust the Bust class and Craftsy giveaway
In my latest post with Craftsy, it's all about the bust! The class Adjust the Bust with Kathleen Cheetham is literally an entire class focusing on making bust alterations when sewing. And at the end of this post, you can enter to win a copy of the class! Source: Adjust the Bust, copyright © Craftsy Full bust and small bust adjustments (FBAs and SBAs respectively) are keywords you see all over the sewing blogosphere. ... Read more »
Fenella yarn and a fair isle cowl
It's hot and humid out, and I have a brand new fair isle cowl to show you. Just what you would expect in June, right? What can I say, I knit for the wooly months all year around! If you're a knitter, you may have heard that vintage knitwear designer Susan Crawford has recently released a new yarn! It's called Fenella, and it's a 2-ply yarn that Susan designed to fill in a gap for vintage knitters. There are many ... Read more »
Uncommonly good anniversary mugs
Today is our third wedding anniversary! And with lucky timing, it actually ties in directly to a review I have to share, that I planned especially for today. Awhile back, I had the pleasure of being contacted by Uncommon Goods. Uncommon Goods is a socially-responsible and environmentally-conscious company featuring handcrafted and unique gift items, most of which are made in the US, and many of which are handmade. They ... Read more »
Eat Your Veggies dress
Anyone hungry for some vegetables? I am! This is another Emery by Christine Haynes, the bodice of which as you know has basically become my bodice block! This one has my usual modification of cut-on sleeves, paired with a square neckline. I love square necklines and for this version I went a bit deeper than I have in the past. I've had this nagging feeling all along that the Emery bodice was a bit short on me. I know ... Read more »
An outfit post that mostly was not
Last week we went out to dinner with our friend Jen, who was in town before heading back to Wales. (Emma had gone back a few days earlier.... you may recall me mentioning Jen and Emma both meeting us in Dublin.) I asked if Mel would take some outfit photos for me, however it was just the absolute wrong time of day and everywhere we went around the yard, the lighting just would not cooperate. After briefly looking at ... Read more »
A wood watch and a lighthouse
Awhile back, I had the pleasure of being contacted by JORD watches to see if I'd like to review one of their watches. Wood watches, as a matter of fact. Pretty unique, right? I was definitely intrigued. Honestly though, my first thought was that I'd politely decline, as I had recently bought myself an everyday watch. But then I realized I knew a special someone who would be able to give me an honest opinion and whose ... Read more »
Seahorses wrap dress
This is my Seahorses dress. Otherwise known as the Watch Me Chase Decent Lighting Around My Yard dress. Or maybe it's the Dress That Doesn't Want to Be Photographed. It's also the Dress That Nearly Did Me In. It's a dress. It was a bitch to sew. The end. Okay okay, not really the end, obviously. You've actually seen me sew this pattern before, it's Simplicity 1523 from 1945. I used the bodice and front skirt piece to ... Read more »
40 sewing techniques class and Craftsy giveaway!
For my latest collaboration post with Craftsy, I took the class 40 Techniques Every Sewer Should Know with Gail Yellen. This is really an in-depth class, chock full of little details! Both from the main topics she covers, and as she chats while going through the class. Which is something I secretly (okay, not so secretly) like–gleaning extra little tips in the in-between moments. The class covers pressing, ... Read more »