Let Them Eat Cupcakes!

I had the fabulous opportunity to put a couple items in a show at a local art gallery. I chose to put my previously posted Cross My Heart vest, and had originally planned to make a scrappy skirt as well.

Being me, I left it off until the last weekend before the show. I started making a skirt, and I really didn't like where it was going. Distraught, I brought it before my mom, and together we brainstormed new ideas for it. I decided to make a dress, using a lovely bird print chiffon I'd had on hand for months. The only thing I had originally planned on was that it would be scrappy, and it would be blue & pink--candy colors. I sketched out a design.

As these things tend to, once I began to sew it, it drifted even further from the design. I wanted it airy, fluffy, over-the-top and wonderfully ridiculous. I wanted the scraps to be eating up the dress and taking over, a conversion from formal to madness. I won't bore you with too many details, but a few bobbins worth of thread, singed fingers from melting chiffon edges, a couple more discussions with my mom, and four layers of skirt later, I had myself a dress.

It's a magical thing, to get so excited about something you're making that your heart starts beating faster. :) I named this the "Let Them Eat Cupcakes!" dress because its color scheme and fantastic craziness reminded me of the clothing (and hair!) of Marie Antoinette's time.

So once the dress was totally completed, I needed it properly photographed! I teased my hair up high, stuck some flowers in it, did my makeup all fancy-like, and got my dad to use his fancy camera to take some pictures.













I went to the show opening on Friday, and it was on display amidst a bunch of amazing treasures handcrafted by others. (If you know me, message me for details on the gallery! You must go see everything!) People were incredibly and wonderfully sweet, and the whole night was absolutely fantastic.

Hugs and kisses! <3

Featured Artist: MissMabe

Today I am proudly blogging about a beautiful, talented fellow TBGuild member, MissMabe. She rocks a style that is somewhat punk inspired, but quite definitely her own. She skillfully makes clothing and accessories. A newer member of the guild, she has jumped right into the activities, which I love. It's an absolute delight to have such a talented, lovely lady working with us on the team!!

Some of my favorite things in her shop are her skirts, and especially these two:


(Gasp! Shoe love!)



Please, visit her shop HERE (or click on the pictures!).

& as always, you can find out more on the TBGuild here,
and find all our shops at our Etsy profile.

Wrap Skirt

This is a rather old project, but since I don't have photos of anything knew, I figured I would post it here for you! I made this skirt for my darling friend Dana, who lives in Alaska. She's one of the sweetest people I know, and I felt that this skirt fit her personality and style quite well!

It's made from the softest rayon, which has an impeccable drape. I love the pairing of the solid with the polka-dots. It's a two-layer adjustable wrap, with the polka dot layer peeking out on the bottom. It's made from circles, so it twirls marvelously!

Here is my (absolutely beautiful) friend modeling:







Heh, you can even see the frozen Alaska wilderness outside the window! Of course, these were taken last January, and it hardly looks like that anymore.

I love this style in a skirt, because they're extremely flattering, comfortable, and wonderfully adjustable!

Also:
Happy Birthday, Dana!! I hope you have an amazing year...filled with plenty of visits to Minnesota. :) Love you!

Featured Artist: Mlssfshn

Malissa (of Mlssfshn.etsy.com) is a talented seamstress and artist, an active member on Threadbanger, and part of our lovely guild! She has been sewing for years, and has accumulated many skills in that time! She never fails to impress, with her projects ranging from bottlecap jackets to a custom recreation of Bella's prom dress from the Twilight movie. My favorite things from her shop:

This lovely headband was made from grilled aluminum (recycled from a soda can!):



This beautiful infinity dress was made for a custom order:



Be sure to check out her shop HERE!

& as always, you can find out more on the TBGuild here,
and find all our shops at our Etsy profile.

"Hey, I recognize that sheet!" (Summer Dress!)

...Because some things are, undoubtedly, quite recognizable for sheets. Even if you've turned them into dresses.

This was me, sitting down one evening (see: 9:45 PM) and thinking, "I don't have enough dresses. If I'm going to go through with this plan of wearing dresses and heels all summer, I will have to make more."

So I sewed until after midnight, and finished the zipper right after breakfast the next morning. Yes, I am freakishly obsessive about my sewing. No, there is nothing unusual about this.





So there you have it: another dress to go with my yellow shoes! It was only after I cut everything out that I realized the skirt portion was more faded than the top. The belt kind of breaks it up, but maybe I'll screen print on it to draw the eye away. I'm awfully excited to have new dresses to wear this summer!

Also, a small note on the watermarks: There was a bit of drama over on Threadbanger when a guy stole photos of someone else's work and claimed they were his own--and had people believing him for a few months until it was discovered. While I don't mean to flatter myself into thinking someone would want to do this to me, I would really rather not take the risk. I'm trying to watermark my photos from now on, although sometimes I do forget. So... that's why. ^^

Featured Artist: Checkered Heart

This time around I get to blog about the super talented, incredibly sweet Amie. Her shop, Checkered Heart, is filled with an array of totally sweet items, from bags to shirts to earrings. My favorite, without a doubt, is the Sewing Machine Tote.



Isn't it fantastic?? As a huge lover of sewing machines & all things vintage (it probably goes without saying, but especially vintage sewing machines), this caught my eye immediately. She also has a t-shirt printed with the same image. She has such awesome stuff. You should definitely check her out! (<--Click there for her shop, or the image above.)

& as always, you can find out more on the TBGuild here,
and find all our shops at our Etsy profile.

Reconstruction: Pink Eyelet Dress

I got the replacement shoes for my blue "Porch Swing Peep Toes" (as seen in my spring collection photoshoot--the Taos pictures. The strap had broken.)--but in yellow. They were out of blue in my size! So the last couple of days, I've been wracking my brain--and my dresser--to try to find things to work with them. The idea to reconstruct this dress came to me late one night as I was trying to fall asleep.


This is a vintage dress, and I highly suspect it was handmade. This is just a guess based on what I found as I was taking it apart, but at first I felt guilty for cutting into the loving handiwork of someone. But then I realized that, as a seamstress, they'd probably be pleased that it was getting a second life, and would be worn for years to come. Maybe someday, in 50 or 60 years, someone will be reworking what I've made into something else--the idea delights me!

I was somewhat terrified of cutting into this dress, and my first idea for it was quite different than what it has turned out to be. I had hoped for it to be somewhat like this dress from ModCloth, but as I tried to create the pattern, I realized it just wasn't working for me. I scrapped it, and decided to do a ruffled bust instead. I admit, I need to work on these! The shaping didn't go as well as I'd hoped, and the fit isn't perfect, but for my second try--and first in non-stretch--I'm pleased.




Corset: optional. Only when I'm in the mood for pain & constriction (because that's steel boning, there, baby! **). I'm also planning on making a black vinyl belt/waist cincher to go with this, for days when I'm feeling less "Pretty in Pink". (Can I hear a woOt for movies featuring DIYers?) I'm really glad to have a dress all set to wear with my new shoes!

ALSO, big epic news... I've defeated the Evil Invisible Zipper with the help of a simple, 3$ Coats & Clarke Invisible Zipper foot. These things are easier than normal zippers! Count me impressed and completely converted to an invisible zipper fan. (Maybe I'll post pictures of my disaster attempt on my prom dress someday--back when I didn't even have a regular zipper foot!) This is, truly, invisible. Hoorah for new skills!

**Steel boning, yes, but not proper, healthy & good for your ribs kind of boning. More like steel strapping from a bundle of lumber --but recycled!!-- boning. So who knows what kind of rearranging my organs are doing right now.

Threadless "Foxy" Reconstruction

I had a lot of fun with this shirt. I really like the print, and although orange isn't the easiest color to work with, there was enough black in the print itself that I could add black fabric and not overwhelm it.

Before:

After:

Much better! I love the triangle insert... and there's a pocket there, too! It was cool to play around, seeing how I could incorporate the black fabric into it more subtly.

Right now it is raining, but they say tomorrow will be in the 70's here, so if it is nice I'll dress up in my new sundresses and take some photos for you. :)

Daily Outfit

I'm figuring that because this is my blog, I can make my own rules for it (haha)... and stray away a little from the construction of clothing, and a little towards the wearing of it, at least for a post here and there. I'm trying to take photos of what I'm wearing--when it's somewhat interesting--to find out what does & does not work, and as a sort of guide if I'm in a rush and don't know what to throw together.

So I got my brother (home from college! ^_^) to come take photos on our porch. It was freezing yesterday, so I went for layers & warmth.

I am wearing:

Big wooden circle earrings: Modcloth
Adorable owl necklace: www.adriannemae.etsy.com
Long gray toggle cardigan: My brother gave it to me. :)
"Liberty" Tee: Threadless, resized by me
Bubble dress: Me!
Tights
Vintage French heels: www.wonderwardrobe.etsy.com


I love these shoes. Pure, pure love. They're leather, made in France, found in a vintage market in Paris, and sent to me from Dublin. We were meant to be, these shoes and I. They're a little tight, but as my mom would say, "It hurts to be beautiful!" (It was always in jest when she said it, but it tends to be true at times!)

Sometimes I feel far too dressed up for the life I live, but it is so much fun to wear nice things, and if I don't wear them here, where else will I?

Threadless "Liberty" Reconstruction

Oh, Threadless. How I love thee. I've been absolutely drooling over this shirt for ages, and a couple months ago (time flies!) they had a 5$ tee sale... and I had to get it! By the time I was ready to order, they had only 3XL. I ordered two--one for me!--and waited impatiently for their arrival.

These are so amazing. First, the name "Liberty" is fantastic--we all know I go for that stuff. :) The color is unusual for a Threadless shirt, and I really like it! And, of course, the print. I lovelovelove it. The bird glows in the dark, too! How awesome is that?

Anyway, I resized one for me, because I wanted just a regular tee, and then made the second one into this. It has a ruched bust, a super long cut, and capped sleeve-style straps.




So. It's spring here! I'm suddenly going to become overwhelmingly busy for the next few months (I have three jobs this summer!), so if I'm not around much... that will be why! I'm going to try my very hardest to at least not neglect my shop, and when I update that I'll try to post here as well. Bear with me, and know I'll be back to posting regularly this fall!