mod.

Do you shop ModCloth? Because I can't tear myself away. It's like kitsch meets indie fashion meets retro vintage goodness. Like this dress/jumper, which I am now sadly obsessed with:


It immediately made me think of this pattern, Simplicity 3678 I didn't even realize the cover photo featured a similar b&w houndstooth!


It doesn't have that amazing collar though, so...any pattern suggestions out there??

While I was at Modcloth, I might **MIGHT** have bought these amazing loafers with my birthday money.
Note how great they're going to look with my new BWOF skirt! See. I'm not just using sneaky Oh! Pretty! shoe distraction to erase the memory of your patient waiting for skirt to arrive. Skirt is still on the front burner. Skirt wants you to know it is excited to meet you too, but good things come to those who wait.

And wait.

Ok I had to scroll up to look at that dress again. Please give me a pattern suggestion! Skirt won't mind. Promise.

skirted.

I'm sewing! Well not right this second. Right this second, I'm typing a blog post and curled up on the couch in my birthday snuggy (the goofiest, but best birthday present! The kiddos got me a snuggy and a book, and I have a hard time convincing myself to get out of it.)

I traced this yesterday. It's BWOF 12/09 #122:
Cute little skirt, but I really like the back view. The triangular flanges you see on the front view are part of a crescent shaped piece that creates a cute flounce in the back. Vaguely similar to the Hotpatterns Flippy skirt, if you have that pattern. The crescent just goes in the opposite direction vertically (Ugh. It's too early to be thinking).


That's a good thing, because while I love the look of the line drawing of the HP skirt, I'm not sure my bum needs to be hugged by that seam line. The BWOF skirt has more of a swishy effect, moving away from the bum. Aren't you glad I take the time to piece all this together for you?

Here's the garment view from Burda's website, which is kind of screwed up it seems. This particular skirt doesn't have a line drawing link. I found the teeny tiny line drawing (which I enlarged a bit) in the "table of fabric amounts" link. I hope they don't go to "no line drawings" on the website the way Simplicity did at first!! That's the only way you know what the garment looks like half the time!!

Their version is in fine wale corduroy, and I would totally use the same if I had any in stash! I never seem to find it in my local store and never think about ordering it online until I want to make a project.

I'm using a faded (on purpose) red gabardine I've had lying around forever. I once had it earmarked for Simplicity 4068 trouser/pants, shown in this storyboard (still one of my favorite plans):



Such a fun, happy summer SWAP plan! I actually made two of these garments, the black capri's and the red print knit top. I used the dotted georgette for another top that was very similar to the one shown in the plan. I blogged about it in January.

Hopefully I can work on the little skirt throughout the week. It looks pretty straightforward. I need to read the construction instructions. (Is the Conjunction Junction song playing in your head now, the way it is in mine?)

I'm especially wondering about the zip...it has a side zip marking on the pattern but the "real" photo clearly has a fly zip. Really? I'm doing one or the other, not both. Right now I'm leaning toward fly front, because I don't think I have a red invisible zip (and my idiotic local Wal-Mart got rid of all sewing supplies except elastic. Actually even elastic may be gone by now.)

Getting late...Have a Marvelous Monday!!

retro.

Beangirl got me up and surfing early this morning. heh. While at MyShape I discovered a few clearly 80's influenced outfits. (We really were the best decade for music and...music.)

I'll admit I might venture into a blast from my past long enough to revisit the low-slung belt a'la this......
but this just ain't happenin:Remind me if I forget in the midst of a mid-life crisis.

whew.

Ok, where did November go?? Have I already mentioned it like totally up and ditched me this year? I went straight from Halloween to Christmas. I hope the next couple of weeks sloooow down so I can enjoy them.

So, I guess you know your blog has finally made it when you get hit heavy by the spammers n' the haters. Right?

Note to spammers...I delete you.

Note to anonymous hate & run commenters...I delete you.

Note to all the wonderful, creative, fabulous girls (& guys), anonymous or otherwise, from around the world who pop in for a visit now and then... I heart you. Thanks for leaving me messages, sending sweet emails, giving awards, and most of all, for coming back.

You're the reason I keep writing.

a Yiruma song

link via youtube

a-dorable.

Zooey Deschanel, I mean. Could she get any cuter?

I'm especially enamored of her Cotton commercial, and this skirt in particular is my favorite piece (I think! I love everything she wears in the commercial!)


That's a screenshot of the cotton commercial, so not the clearest. Here's another view, from behind.


I'm loving the exposed zip!! Anyone know of a tutorial somewhere for that look? I've seen it in RTW but I don't know that I've seen it in BWOF or another pattern co.??

If you haven't seen the commercial, you can watch it in entirety on their website here. You can also watch the other commercials in their new campaign, I like all of them!! Very interesting and fun marketing. I like the "Stylebook" aspect of the site too.

I was thinking this New Look pattern I have in stash would be a great starting point:

And I have this McCall's too:



Of the two, I think I prefer the NL, because I've already muslined the McCalls and it takes a LOT of fabric. It's pleated, THEN gathered. It's very full, which is nice I suppose. I'm not sure Zooey's skirt is quite that full.

My fabric is a cotton/linen blend. It's this fabric (in the pants) but in black & white.


Zooey's skirt fabric appears to be a voile or other lightweight fabric, but I'd freeze my tush off (even with tights) and I really want to wear it now with one of my new cute cardigans I got from Old Navy last week!

I need some ribbon for trim too. (I think the stripe is just part of the print in Zooey's skirt, but I really like it.) Grosgrain would probably work, if I could find it that narrow. Velvet I could find this time of year in that narrow width, but would be a pain to stitch on.

So...that's what I've been doing so far as sewing goes this week! Mostly daydreaming about projects. Do you ever get so overwhelmed by all the things you WANT to make that you get paralyzed by the indecision of where to start?

Now because I have Zooey fluffy bunny happiness in my head, I'm going to go watch me some of this:

link via youtube for song!

a very domo christmas

If you've been on the nets for any amount of time, you're most likely familiar with this little guy:


It's Domo Kun, originally a Japanese television mascot, now harbinger of cute on the internet.

Since I've had all that mute and lounge-y on the couch time (btw, I can actually speak today! Like, out loud and everything! This is the first day I've been able to really talk --hoarsely, but actually talk-- in 10 days.) I decided to borrow Domo's cuteness for an ornament tutorial. Cause Domo's love Christmas too!

Here he is hanging out on my tree with my blown glass Santa's:


Really? Does it get any cuter?? Let's get started!

You'll need to grab this pattern: A Very Domo Christmas pattern. It's a pdf, so make sure you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed to open it! You'll also need:
~Wool blend felt in tan/brown, red, and cream.
~3/8" black buttons for eyes **you could also use black felt for eyes!
~Matching embroidery floss or thread (tan & black)
~Optional: Fabric Glue like FabriTac

Domo is really simple to sew, and he's all hand-stitched, so perfect to whip up while watching those holiday movie marathons! You could have a whole army of Domos!

Cut all pieces from the felt as shown on the pattern. Domo's body is one pattern piece, except for the bottom.

Attach the teeth to the red mouth with a little FabriTac (or just baste them in place).

Trim away the opening for the mouth from the body piece as marked. Don't make this too large! Cut inside the markings, or the red mouth won't cover the opening from inside.

Center the mouth/teeth piece behind the open rectangle. Secure to the body with a small running stitch. You can see my running stitch in the photo below. Don't make this perfect! I think it has more charm if its a little crooked.


I dug around in my vintage button tins for 3/8" black buttons. They seem to be the perfect size for this pattern! Attach now, while the pattern is still flat!

Next, line up one side "arm" of the pattern with the body front. You're basically making a little box. Use matching embroidery floss and whip stitch the sides together. Repeat for all sides.

Attach the bottom piece (the extra rectangle) to the sides and the front using a whip stitch. You're domo should be looking similar to this now:


We're going to leave one section open to stuff though, in this case, the "back" edge:


Stuff with fiber fill, poly fill, or your favorite stuffing! Not tooo firm though. You don't want to lose the nice boxy shape Domo has. Make sure to get some in the corners at the top of his head before stuffing the body.


Finish whipstitching the back opening closed!


Rawr.


Now, he's pretty darn cute just sitting around all boxy. But to hang him on the tree, he needs a ribbon hanger. I used an 1/8" red satin ribbon, knotted in a loop. Attach the loop to Domo's head by placing 1 or 2 French Knots in the center of the loop, right smack in the middle of his head:


And that's it! He's ready to hang from your favorite spot on the tree!


Just not too near any kitty ornaments. ;)

Domo would be a great hand stitching project for your young stitching buddies too! It involves basic skills: running stitch, whip stitch, sewing on a button. It's also a quick fix project for those empty Saturday afternoons!

I get my wool blend felt in packages of assorted colors from Prairie Point Junction. They're a friendly, fast shipping company & I recommend them!

giving thanks.

~I'm stupidly thankful for my children, G-man and Lu, who light up my life every single day. There were times I simply couldn't have gone on if it weren't for them.

~I'm thankful for my family who makes me fruit loopy crazy (but then, that's probably where my sense of snark came from!)

~I'm thankful for my amazing friends who astonish me all the time with their generosity.

~I'm thankful for my students, who break my heart when they grow up and go, but then do surprise visits on my birthday and make it all better.

~And I'm thankful for all of YOU! Who keep coming back, even though I'm almost never consistently on topic, and frequently breaking my own promised planned projects, and flit from one subject to another until my own head spins. But at least its never boring.

While this is more of an American holiday, it's never a bad thing to give gratitude! So I'm wishing all of you, near and far, a Happy Thanksgiving!! I'm smooshing you all together in a great big hug right now! (Even those who have a tiny bubble. Deal.)


Now I'm off to fix my sweet potato casserole and deviled eggs and broccoli salad...Wow. I'm super hungry. And finish watching the Macy's parade!! My favorite!!

Have a fabulous day! Safe travels for those of you on the road.

aged.

If you do, it's because I'm making this one from Ree! I make a mean Texas Sheet Cake (a near clone of Ree's), and I'm gonna try out her recipe today. Because...

it's my birthday!!

Say...I look pretty good for my age.

Famous Last Words
My Chemical Romance
link via youtube

shazam.

Me, Lu and StickGirl have switched sides.

Team Jacob!

(We loved New Moon. What say you?)

muted.

It's been kinda quiet around here. You know, since I woke up yesterday and discovered I was mute.
I'm basically Marcel Marceau. Except less creepy. And a girl.

Now I'm on the good meds, and a strict "no voice use" mandate for at least 2 days. That means it will be quiet around here for most of the weekend. The opera singing while vacuuming will have to wait for another day.

Stickgirl & I have plans to go see this on Sunday!


Aunty Christy, if youre reading, you should come with us! (I'll text you!) Stickgirl thinks the mute thing is just Too. Damn. Funny. (She would.)

After I spend the next day or two lying around in my pj's, I hope to muster up the willpower to trace & cut out a BWOF project or two. And a HP tee I've been meaning to make for, oh, 4 months or more? --Sorry Dawn! ;)-- But mostly this weekend, I plan to sleep and watch Christmas movies.

And make obscene hand gestures when people pretend they don't know what I need/want/mean. (just kidding. I would never do that.)

“We need to find God,
and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness.
God is the friend of silence.
See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence;
see the stars, the moon and the sun,
how they move in silence...
We need silence to be able to touch souls.”
--Mother Teresa