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SEXI COUCH TIME

I know! The title of this post is super misleading! We are not having sexi time so much as this is the time for the Sexi Couch to shine. Got it?

This blog is going to be a bit quiet over the next couple of weeks – I’m working on a dress right now, but let’s be real, I’ve got parties to make a drunk ass of myself at and therefore that shit won’t be finished before the weekend. My family is going to Gatlinburg on Friday – we’re staying in a cabin! Yeah! – and then I’m taking the entire week off after Christmas (and hopefully getting a LOT of sewing done! Yay!). So I’ll be taking a break from the blogworld for a bit 🙂
Speaking of Gatlinburg – anyone have suggestions for fun stuff to check out (or eat!) while we’re there? I know all about Ripley’s Believe It Or Not (and you best believe that I will be all up in that shit!), but I haven’t actually been in at least a decade so I’m not sure what kind of stuff there is to do anymore. Sadly, Dollywood parks are closed for the season, or else that would be my #1 choice, obviously.

Anyway, check out this babely babe-

Green-gold 60s velvet, yeah! Looks quite different from the last time I showed you guys my living room, huh?

I bought this beauty from Lauren Winter over the weekend. They were upgrading to a bigger couch in a more neutral color, and I about shat myself with delight when I realized that meant I could have the old couch. Aha! It *is* old – probably from the 60s, but they bought it from the original owners and it’s in very good shape. And it’s long enough for us to stretch out on 🙂 Plus: VELVET.

(Ignore that lamp; I have a really sweet gold 60s floor lamp that I’m going to replace it with, but it’s currently getting some new wiring :))

We finally mounted that beast of a tv, so I guess I can show y’all the other side of my living room!

I just picked up this painting at the flea market over the weekend… the market as a whole was pretty dead (December-April tends to be a little sad; only like a third of the vendors were there!), but hey, at least the painting matches my living room, eh? 🙂

This is a pretty shitty picture, but I just wanted to show the weird shape of the living room… and why we had to hang the tv. There really wasn’t anywhere to put it! I guess that’s what happens when you live in a house that was built before most families had a television 🙂

My silver tree is one of the original tinsel ones (the kind you’re not supposed to put lights on) – it was my Great-Grandmother’s 🙂 I really love it and I’m so glad she took such good care of it.

I’d give you guys a list of where everything in this room came from, but honestly like 99% of it is from the flea market, the thrift store, a yard sale, or given to me by a friend/family member. What can I say – I’m a gatherer when it comes to decor 😉

As a side note, a lot of y’all were commenting on my sewing room corner and wondering if it usually stays that clean…

And here’s a shot I took this morning. So in general – yeah! I can’t work in a messy space. I’m not terribly organized, though, especially when I’m in the middle of a project 🙂

I guess that’s it! I’ll still be lurking Instagram and Twitter and checking emails if you need me! Have a happy winter holiday, whatever you celebrate 🙂 I’ll see y’all next year – I’ve got a couple pieces of exciting news that I’m just bursting to share 🙂

Tags: my rad house, sexi couch

Comments 56 Comments
Categories misc

Review: eShakti.com

19 Nov

Fair Warning: I did not sew this dress at all. This is a product review for eShakti. They mailed me a dress of my choosing, and now I get to talk about it on the internet woohoo!

When I was first contacted for a review, my initial thought was, “lolwut.” I mean, this is a sewing blog. I make clothes and then we talk about how awesome (or not awesome, I can swing both ways) the finished piece is. Trying out something for someone else’s clothing line just seemed weird and completely against the entire point of this damn blog. I’m not ~punk rock~ anymore, but I still get real weirded out at the idea of selling out, if that means anything.

Then I realized that there are lots of people who read this blog who don’t sew – or don’t sew clothes. There are a lot of us out there who struggle with getting a good fit (and yep, I’m part of this crew! Always learning new stuff!), and it sure would be nice to have a grey area between “Making Everything I Wear” and “Buying Bullshit At The Mall That Doesn’t Fit Over My Ass.” You know?

So, my non-sewing readers. This is for you. And also for me, because, hey, free purple dress 😀

If you’re not familiar with eShakti, it is a website that sells cute lady clothes. Mostly dresses, but there are also tops and coats and even skirts floating around if you look hard enough. Everything is adorable, and there is a wide range of styles to cover most events, from cocktail parties to a semi-professional office. What makes them unique, though, is that they not only offer a serious slew of sizes – 0-36! – but you can customize the fit to accommodate your ass. Or boobs, or petite stature, or whatever. In addition (I know, I’m just blowing your mind over here), you can change certain design elements as it strikes your fancy. Changing up sleeves, hem length, and sometimes even the neckline. So basically, it’s like the seamstresses’ dream wardrobe without actually pulling out the sewing machine and doing it yourself. FANCY.

Oh, I forgot to mention the price range. Most of the stuff they offer is under $80, and any customization is $7.50. Not too shabby, eh?

For my dress, I went with the Ruffled Tiers, except mine is purple, obviously, and not black. I didn’t see the purple one on the site anywhere, so sorry if you’re salivating in jealousy over mine (on the other hand, I did just discover this green goddess one, this silk (!!!) one, and this one that is totally channeling Liz Taylor, and now I’m really jealous haha). It was really hard to NOT just get a fancy cocktail dress, but seriously? I own like a dozen of those things and I couldn’t tell you the last time I actually wore one. So I went with something office-appropriate, in a pattern/fabric that I wouldn’t sew myself (too slinky!), that would also be suitable for biking. I did end up customizing the sizing (since this is normally an issue for me with RTW), but I kept the general style of the dress the same as it looks on the site.

And how did that turn out, you might ask?

ME GUSTA.

Seriously, though, isn’t it just adorable? I’m a big fan of the color, especially… and all the cascading ruffles. The off-center neck bow is my favorite part.

From a construction perspective, I have no complaints. Obviously, we’re not talking about the finest couture here – this dress is polyester, after all – but I will say that I was pleasantly surprised. I actually studied the insides like I was studying for a test, except that I was giving it the Evil Eye the entire time and waiting for it to slip up somewhere.

I would like everyone to know that this dress is absolutely perfect for cycling in – a good length to prevent flashing, and the shirring in the back keeps it snug without cutting off circulation.

My only beef is that the armholes are a bit low on me – see my bra peeking out? Yikes! I think this problem is pretty unique to me and my body, though – I definitely have low shoulders in comparison to my bust size (hence why it is so important to do a FBA on sewing patterns and not just size up), and most stuff has to be taken up quite a bit there. Out of all the measurements I gave, shoulder height was not one. So I’m going to chalk this up to LT-body problems and not point fingers back to eShakti.

That one doesn’t bother me too bad, though, because…

THIS DRESS LOOKS SO FUCKING AWESOME WITH MY MUSTARD AGATHA CARDIGAN.
Doesn’t it?! I knew it as soon as I spied it on the site. Actually – it looks good with ALL my handknits, including the Chuck sweater. The top is fairly sleek and smooth, so there isn’t much bulk when you wear stuff over it. Add in a ruffly tiered skirt and a little bow at the neck and now we’re just talking straight-up adorable.

Right now, they are offering $25 off your first purchase! Someone should go buy this dress, because holy shit I want.

In conclusion: Big thanks and thumbs up for eShakti!
In other news, I have a new garment on the sewing table that just needs picture… hope to get a post up this week 🙂

~*~Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post, although I did receive a sample to review & keep. All opinions on this product are my own.

Tags: dress, eShakti, review

Comments 41 Comments
Categories misc

I’m Creepin’ All Over Your ‘Nets

1 Nov

Just dropping in to alert y’all of a couple guest posts that some of my favorite bloggers have been kind enough to dedicate to meeee.

First up, I’ve got a little Q&A with Joanne over at Stitch and Witter about my handmade style:

Super fun stuff, and I’m so honored to join the ranks of all the other lovely ladies who have been interviewed! Here’s my interview if you care to know more about my handmade style 🙂

Second up, this is kind of old news (and I’m taking full responsibility of being a Shitty Blogger right now, ok), but I also had a guest post over on Lucky Lucille and this one is all about the Peony and it’s mysterious bust darts:

A few people have already told me they found it very helpful, so do click over if you’re having trouble fitting your bust on this dress (or any dress with a similar dart setup, for that matter – I won’t judge you :)).

As a side kind-of-unrelated-but-not-really note, I just want to announce that today I paid off my credit card and I’m officially debt-free! AND FUCK YES I FEEL PRETTY AWESOME ABOUT IT AND I AM TOTALLY PUMPING MY FIST RIGHT NOW.

It took about a year, and it was pretty fucking shitty – remember when I said I wasn’t going to let myself buy new fabric in 2012 (with a couple of exceptions)? Well, now you know why. But it’s paid off – and I’m ahead of schedule, even, considering my goal date was 12/21/12 (yes. The end of the world). I’ve already blasted this all over the web & I’m sure people are real sick of hearing about it at this point – but I’m just so excited! And it’s totally relevant to this blog since I no longer need to take commissioned projects (which frees up time for LT-sewing), and I can actually spend money on sewing things that don’t come from the flea market. So yay!

To keep this sewing-relevant, this is what I wore last night for the Trick-Or-Treaters:

Me-made, of course 🙂 I drew the template and stencilled it on a plain black sweatsuit. Everyone needs a skeleton costume, yes?

Tags: guest post, hot damn this is my jam, randumb

Comments 26 Comments
Categories misc

NO! Bad Vogue!

31 Oct

Soooooo Vogue just released their fall/winter sewing patterns. (Un?)Forunately, they aren’t too bad this time around. Not a lot of snark here; these are actually pretty boring & blah and ughh I almost didn’t bother posting because I was just so fucking underwhelmed. Seriously – even Koos van den Akker appears to have left the crazy at home this time. But, I dunno, it’s a slow day & the requests have started trickling in so I’ll just consider this my Treat to y’all. No tricks, please!

One thing that stuck out to me this go-round was the sheer amount of unnecessarily frivolous patterns.

Vogue 8858
Such as… oh, I don’t know, this ~~flamingo~~ flamenco skirt?

Vogue 8850
Or this vintage repro – while beautiful, I just don’t see a modern woman waltzing around the office with a giant slab of fabric hanging off her waist like a forgotten napkin. Or am I just being a bitter old hag here? Maybe it’s the cheap shiny satin, but this pattern is getting the serious side-eye from me right now.

Vogue 8853
A flowy ruffled blouse with a matching flowy ruffled caplet in the same eye-bleedingly busy print? SIGN ME UP.

Vogue 8846
Or perhaps you fancy a dress with a built-in cape? It is Halloween, after all.

Vogue 1335
Buzz Lightyear, to the rescue!

Vogue 8868
I know everyone is freaking out over the fascinators, and I’m not going to rain on your parade for fear y’all are gonna eat me alive.
All I am gonna say is, it looks like the black-eyed children have finally found a way to be invited into your home (spooky link alert, FYI!)

Vogue 1334
Nothing earth-shattering here, only the most unflattering outfit I think I’ve ever seen.

Vogue 1332
REAL TALK: This straight-up looks like a vagina.

Vogue 8855
Wonderful pocket place y’all got there!

Vogue 8867
They finally did away with the randumb giant leaves this time, and instead settled on using decapitated arms.

Vogue 8869
“BLIIIINDED BY THE LIGHT- WRAPPED UP LIKE A DOUCHE, ANOTHER BONER IN THE NIGHT~”

More Vogue WTF:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Tags: are you serious with this shit, omg wtf lol, patterns, vogue, WTF

Comments 81 Comments
Categories misc

A Day at the Flea – October 2012

30 Oct

Lord have mercy, the flea market was GOOD to me this month. I’m almost embarrassed by the excess, although I keep telling myself I’m saving money & keeping trash out of landfills. Right? Right!? Humor me here.

Anyway, I went on Saturday with my best-flea-market-buddy-ever, Lauren (and you should definitely go lurk her blog if you enjoy being jealous of beautiful white crocheted lace dresses, because, hot damn). My first mistake was forgetting that October was the “big” month for this flea market. I don’t know what people have against November & December, but for whatever reason, they choose October as their month go to Christmas shopping. The place was PACKED – lots of slow-moving old folks with their dogs in covered baby strollers (sidenote: why? Why wouldn’t you just leave your dog at home? I DO NOT UNDERSTAND). On the flip side, it meant that all the sellers brought out their big guns this month… and we made out like bandits.

Here’s a shitty Instagram pictures of my haul, minus the clothes I bought (oh yes… there are clothes).

This is the very first thing I bought – like, within 15 minutes of getting there. Isn’t she a beaut! I’m pretty sure this is from the 40s/early 50s. I (unsuccessfully)tried to lighten the image; it’s a lovely forest green velvet. The buttons are mother-of-pearl with gold edges. This will definitely be my Christmas dress 🙂

The second dress is a navy day dress from the 40s. I’m not totally sure of the fabric content, but I’m thinking rayon. Sidenote- the seller & I bickered over the age of this dress. She said it was late 30s, I said early 40s. She said she knew her vintage, I said I know my sewing patterns. Later when I was hemming it up (don’t worry – the original hem is still there, I didn’t cut anything off :)), I found a tag on the inside of the skirt that dates it to 1940. I guess that’s kind of a compromise, huh?
Ps – I know it looks totally ugly on the hanger, here’s an action shot of it on me 🙂

I also got some patterns. Aren’t these darling? The seller remembered me from last month & saved me a box!

I came across that giant box of zippers right before we left. As in, “Let’s lurk this last shed and then go home, I’m cold.” The seller and I haggled a bit on the price, then settled on $15 for the whole box, plus whatever else I wanted to stuff in there. I added a few scraps of fabric, giant covered buttons, and a purse pattern that Lauren was eyeballing. I wasn’t sure if I got a good deal or not, I just grabbed the box & hi-tailed it home.

I know it doesn’t look like much, but there are 83 zippers here! Almost all of them are 22″ (some longer), and they are about 50/50 nylon and metal. Every color of the rainbow! That comes out to about $.18 per zipper, so yeah, I reckon I got a good deal 😉 Add that to the giant bag of metal zippers I scored a few months ago; I’m pretty sure I’ll never need to buy another zipper again trololol

You’re probably wondering what my second mistake was.
My second mistake was going back the next day.

This time, I went with my parents & niece Caroline, who is the sassiest little sass that ever sassed.

I would have bought this if it wasn’t $10.

I discovered that I was a designer in a past life.

And here’s haul #2, combined with some stuff my parents bought. Aren’t those side tables amazing?

I missed one of my regular sellers the first go-round, so I was interested to see if he still had anything for me (I usually get my patterns from him):

OH! Ok!

(yes, the “kloth” is in there and yes I plan on using it)

Change purse gloves!? DED.

I actually have no need for these (you should see my collection of fitting books), I was just amused that they were from the US Department of Agriculture. So randumb haha!

I found this pattern at a different booth. I was really excited about it – it was only $1 – until I realized that some idiot piece of shit waste of life SEALED THE ENTIRE THING UP IN CONTACT PAPER. S/he had arranged it in some weird cardboard shadow box with a bunch of sewing notions (not cool vintage sewing notions… like, shit from Joann’s) and plastic-wrapped the whole thing closed. I only wanted the pattern, so the seller punched the front out and gave it to me lol. I was able to rip the top open very carefully with a razorblade, and the envelope contains one pattern piece & the instructions. So boo 😦 Oh well, at least the artwork is pretty enough to display.

I also bought more clothes!

50s wool skirt that feels like a blanket.

50s party dress that fits me perfectly (and yes… that is a bird shit stain on the collar lol. I need to clean it!)
This dress was only $5. Hold onto your hats – there is a significant amount of fading down one side of the dress, all the way to the hem. Those spots have been lightened to purple. Hence why it was so cheap. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it – the sun damage isn’t terribly noticeable when worn (the seller suggested I wear it in the dark haha), but you can still see it. I thought about dying it, but I really like the color as-is. So idk yet. But for $5 – I couldn’t leave it behind!

This square dancing dress was also $5. I’m not sure of it’s age – it’s handmade, at any rate – but it fits and that skirt is super twirly. MINE.

I also found these beat-up 70s wooden platform sandals for $5.

All in all, a good 2 day haul – and I spent way less than $100 total!

And just to keep this related to all things blog~

I’m wearing the blanket skirt today – it goes perfectly with my Chuck sweater 😉

Tags: fabric hoarding, flea market, hot damn this is my jam, patterns, vintage, zipper

Comments 30 Comments
Categories misc

What I Do When I’m Not Blogging

17 Oct

Just in case you were wondering where I’ve been all week…

I was making bear costumes.

Of course I tried one on and took pictures. It’s a teddy bear costume. Anyone who pretends like they don’t try on the weird stuff they sew for other people is absolutely full of shit.

I know you are just totally jealous right now, so calm yourself.

This is Simplicity 2853. No, it’s not for me – it’s a commissioned sewing job (hence the sudden radio silence – gotta get the work done before I can play again!). I actually made three of these, all in this incredibly soft, cushy, fleecy fur. That shit was a BITCH to cut out because it loooved shedding; I think I spent more time sweeping teddy bear fur off the floor (and onto the cat) than I did anything else. At any rate, I’m 99% done – just need to finish the arm/leg hems & sew the ears on the last one. THEN IT’S PARTY TIME.

Oh! We also managed to explore the attic over the weekend!

Sorry for the Instagram picture, but look at my twisty chimney! I don’t know about y’all but that is COOL AS SHIT.

Sadly, the attic was pretty much empty… although we did find this chair.

It has no legs (probably took them off to get it in the attic & then they disappeared over the years), but other than that it’s in pretty good shape!

Here’s the side. Anyone know what you’d call this style of chair? I thought it was a barrel chair, but those have arms… and this one doesn’t.

The other cool thing we found up there were little scraps of wallpaper that perfectly match the chair.

One of the openings to the attic still has wallpaper in the space between the real ceiling & the dropped ceiling. I know, I know – this photo looks like a nightmare. But isn’t the wallpaper crazy? And they even wallpapered the ceiling! God, this house must’ve been tacky as shit lol.

I also finished knitting my red sweater! It’s still blocking, though, so more on that later.

SEW-ALONGERS: The Mood Fabrics discount is still on for a few more days! Use the code LLADYBIRD to get 10% apparel fabric (for more info, check my blog post on fabrics)

I’ll be back later with more blog posts that are actually relevant to your interests.

Stay cool, y’all.

Tags: costume, randumb, what is this i don't even

Comments 54 Comments
Categories misc

The Chicago Meet-Up!

20 Sep

Chicago meet-up: definitely a success! Chicago itself: definitely one of my new favorite cities. You guys. The public transportation. I can’t even.

I CAN KNIT ON THE BUS WTF.

Anyway, I’m sure you’ve already read about the meet-up experience – it lasted two days (you jelly?) – but I wanted to add my two cents as well 🙂 I met up with Liz, Tasha, Meg & Nancy this past Saturday, bright & early. We started out at Bite Cafe, for a meet & eat and a swap that turned out to be of massive proportions. I should point out right now that Liz bent the fuck over backwards in arranging this whole meet-up – she planned the locales, drove our asses around, brought champagne to brunch, even made macarons for us to snack on. Seriously, Liz basically made the day. MADE IT. And I love her for that, and also because she is just awesome 🙂

Anyway, our swap turned out so big that the poor waitress didn’t have anywhere to put our food. Wah!

I swiped this picture from Liz, this was after we cleared out about half of it lol.
I even came home with a clown sewing pattern. You will all see that later, I promise.

After brunch, Nancy had to go home but the rest of us got to go fabric shopping!

Our first stop was Fishman’s. Doesn’t the store look kind of terrifying? It is, a little. Everyone warned me that it was super expensive, but honestly the prices aren’t that different than how they are here in Nashville. Ouch! We have a low cost of living, but I guess fabric isn’t considered part of that 😉 Anyway, lots of oohing & awing to be had – and much fabric petting. I touched so many beautiful pieces of cashmere that I actually did lose feeling in my fingertips for a minute there. No one bought anything – I was saving up all my energy for Vogue. And Vogue, you crazy bitch – you did not disappoint.

Also, pretty much everything was on sale! Aieee!!!

AND BEMBERG RAYON AMBIANCE LINING WAS LIKE $7 YARD.

I am not even ashamed for all my yelling, grunting while pulling logs of fabric out from under other logs of fabric, and using said logs of fabric as a third leg to hobble around the store. I am also not ashamed of the towering pile of fabric we all contributed to, which took up a significant part of the cutting counter.

I LOVE VOGUE FABRICS.

We took a short break in the parking lot, in which Liz took the opportunity to reveal the very best part of the day:

THE MACARONS.
Don’t they look like tiny, delicious hamburgers?!

I love this picture that Tasha took, of us taking pictures of them first hahaha.

After that, we went to Loopy Yarns, where I picked up some harlot red yarn to make my next sweater. They were *also* having a storewide sale, so my total came to under $25 FUCK YES.

Finally, we ended our shopper’s high at Hackney’s, for beers & ciders. I made our waiter take a picture of all of us:

This was the second attempt; my eyes were closed in the first one! I may or may not have upset the waiter by demanding a retake haha.

And thus ends the tale of the first day: The Day That We Filled The Trunk Of Liz’s Car With Fabric And Yarn And Macarons.

The second day, Liz & Felix picked us (us being me & Landon!) up for some vintage shopping with Tasha & Mel at the Vintage Garage. I confess I did not actually go with the expectation of buying anything – the flea market here has me really spoiled when it comes to prices – but I did manage to come home with 3 pieces of clothing, the whole lot for under $50 🙂 I met Leilani of Thriftaholic and she snapped pictures of me with two of the pieces, so hopefully I’ll see them on her website later! And ooh, even Landon found some cool vintage prints to take home. Which means now I get to shop for vintage frames woohoo.

All in all, a fabulously perfect meet-up. I had a WONDERFUL time & I will definitely be back in Chicago – especially after getting a look at their fabric prices. Liz seriously deserves a gold medal in hostessery for all that she pulled together to make everything special. Also, I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard for so long but I’d like that to be a daily event in my life, please & thank you.

Now, for some more not-sewing-related-but-still-Chicago-related pictures:

Riding the bus into the city. FUCK this place is huge!

City skyline

The other half of the skyline. Again: huge.

This geyser was just way too excited I think.

The park that we were strolling around had these massive gardens – some full of flowers, some full of vegetables (!!). I couldn’t get over the sunflowers, personally. They were as big as our heads!

This is the Millennium Park Amphitheater – isn’t it insane looking?!

Me & Landon in front of the Bean. I hated that Bean, it’s so weird & creepy. SORRY FOR NOT BEING SORRY.

I snapped this on the way to the Vintage Garage. So many dirty jokes come to mind.

This was where we stayed – obviously not a hotel. We booked a room through Airbnb, since even the cheap hotels outside the city are terribly expensive. It was a great experience & I’d do it again in a heartbeat – our host was really freaking cool (I mean, you have to be cool to live in an adorable apartment like that, amirite) and we paid less than half of what we would have paid with a traditional hotel. And coffee was on the house 🙂

Oh, wait, I guess you wanted to see what I came home with:

Fabric & yarn – this does not even count all the goodies I came home with post-swap!

Vintage duds 🙂

Oh, and for the lurkers in all of us – check out everyone else’s meet-up posts!
Liz’s post, day 1!
Liz’s post, day 2!
Tasha’s post!
Meg’s post!

Now, if you’ll excuse me… I have beautiful fabrics that I must turn into beautiful garments 🙂

Tags: Chicago, fabric hoarding, hot damn this is my jam, meet-up

Comments 46 Comments
Categories misc

Planning Ahead: Fall/Winter 2012

13 Sep

Ugh, guys, I miss sewing so so much. And by “sewing,” I mean, “making stuff that I want to make that is going to be worn by me.” Boo! I’m still slogging through THAT pile of stuff, but in the meantime, I thought I’d get my fall/winter planning a little under control. Plus, I really like making these little collages. Don’t stare too hard at my ‘shooping, though – it’s pretty bad. I’m sure all my web design friends are cringing right now lol.

Anyway, I made myself a big ol’ shopping list to take to the fabric store(s); most of this is procured from my stash, although there are a couple pieces that I’m currently on the hunt for. Won’t you take a walk with me?

Here is one of the fabrics I don’t actually have yet – I’m hoping to score big and find something EXACTLY like that delicious tweedy brown wool, though. I want old man pants and I want to wear them all winter. I had a really wonderful pair when I was 16-20, but unfortunately for me they were a size 10 in little boy’s & I grew an ass so they definitely don’t fit anymore. Good thing I can sew!

In addition to trousers, I’d love to make some winter-appropriate shorts. I know that sounds like a total oxymoron, but I have a vision & it involves velvet & tights. It’ll be totally ace, promise.

Who else has Gertie’s new book? Who else wants to make EVERYTHING in it?? Me me me! I actually picked this fabric up at the flea before I got the book – and I think this pattern is perfect match. Fingers crossed that I have enough!

Also courtesy of Gertie – a circle skirt with a scalloped waist. Yes, please!

A sexah classic – the red wool pencil skirt.

A sweet little collared dress, made up in grey wool with white accents. This will likely end up with long sleeves.

Another grey/white (I know, the color is really off in this picture) dress, this time with a scarf neck. This fabric is totally luscious, btw – it’s a linen & silk blend that I’ve been hoarding for like 2 years now.

Some fun tshirts in some wacky prints!

As much as I love my original Minoru, I really want to make an improved version with the hood. This is also fabric I’m currently trying to hunt down, I think the mustard will be visible enough at night without washing me out like most yellows tend to do. Plus, dots!

And, finally, what’s a winter sewing plan without a coat? I know, this is not the coat I was originally planning… but then this fabric came to me, and I could not say no. I love the idea of taking a beautiful feminine pattern like the Lady Grey & toughing it up with some fugly plaid. What color lining should I seek out? Mustard? Brown? Black? SOMETHING RANDUMB?

There are so many other patterns I want to make, and so much more fabric that hasn’t found it’s pattern-match yet. I want to make a set of classic flannel pajamas. I also want to make hats and gloves because, well, why not?

A few things worth mentioning:
– Colette Patterns is releasing two new fall patterns TODAY at noon (!!!). I’ve already had the sneakiest sneak peek that ever was at the both of them, and believe me when I say they are AMAZING. You will want to drop by and check them out. Trust me like you’ve never trusted me before.
– Need some new patterns to up your fall wardrobe? Sunni just took 30% off all patterns in her shop – so start stocking up!
– Andi just released a new sweater pattern and it is AMAZING. And perfect timing, too – since I’m ready to invest in some more yarn. I can’t wait to knit this one up!

All right then, I’m off to Chicago! We are having a small meet-up on Saturday morning – if you missed the first post about this, it’s not too late to come out! Send me an email (lladybirdlauren at gmail dot com) and I’ll pass on the deets 🙂

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Tags: fabric hoarding, Fall/Winter 2012, patterns, planning

Comments 47 Comments
Categories misc

Completed: Thurlow Shorts (the sequel)

27 Aug

Y’ALL. I am still having trouble getting over these Thurlow Shorts – I wear them all the time. Seriously! I actually worry that my friends are starting to think I only own one pair of shorts :B They are such a great fit, so comfortable, and look fantastic. Could this be love? Could this be TNT??

As a christening to my new sewing room – I made a second pair! Those gingham babes definitely need a break 🙂

I made these using leftover chambray from my last pair of trousers – at 60″, I only needed about a yard of material. Nice! The gingham insides are from a piece of fabric I found at the Goodwill Outlet. Overall, cheap cheap. And fast – I cannot believe how quickly these basically flew together.

There’s not much to say about the construction of these, since they are essentially the exact same as my previous pair. There are a couple of things I would like to point out, however.
– I forgot to interface the fly facing. DERP. I am quite sure that normally, this would not be a problem… however, my fabric is very lightweight. Which means there is wrinkling all over the fly since it’s not stablized. By the time I realized my error, I had already sewn on the waistband. Oh well! They’re chambray – they wrinkle everywhere else, so hopefully the fly doesn’t look too bad 🙂
– Instead of shortening the length, I just made the cuffs extra wide. Me likey!
– I couldn’t find a pants hook & eye – and trust me, I ripped my entire sewing room apart looking for them (which bums me out because I KNOW I recently bought some! Where are they!?) So these are closed with regular hooks & eyes. It works for now, although I’m still looking for my lost babies.
– The pockets as drafted are pretty shallow – you can’t really put anything in them. I slashed & taped mine so they would accommodate my phone and/or wallet:

Since this piece has to be folded at the line, I slashed both above & below the fold line & added 3″. I can still insert the pocket as instructed – and it will hold all my junk. Win!

I actually wore these out last night for a bike ride/dinner meet up with these awesome ladies. These definitely pass the cycling test – especially with my new rear pockets 🙂 This will also explain why they are super wrinkly. And also why there is a giant grease stain on my cuff & my leg. lol

I forgot to get a picture of the back! I’m sure you can imagine what it looks like.

Here I am yawning instead. I got up extra early to shoot these photos 🙂

Oh, and while I have your attention – check out all these crazy patterns I found at the flea market this past weekend! All $1 each!

McCall’s 1391
I am DYING to make some gloves, but this pattern is Large & I have child-sized hands… so I may be learning how to grade down a glove pattern haha.

Simplicity 1390
Would you guys still be my friend if I started channeling my inner Pilgrim?

Vogue 9993
This style of hat would look terrible on me. I couldn’t resist, though – the artwork is beautiful!

Vogue 9992
This style of hat, however, has been proven to look awesome on me 🙂

Advance 9046
Sleeves!

Butterick 7206
Because, why not?

Butterick 9945
I almost did not buy this one, but changed my mine at the last minute. I love the scallops with the peter pan collar – so sweet!

Vogue ?614 (sorry, I forgot to make sure the # was in the picture!)
Another sweet blouse.

Advance 8511
I really love the neckline darts on this thing.

And one piece of fabric:

I have enough to make a simple dress… but what pattern? Hmmmm.

I may be quiet for the next couple of weeks while I knock out some commissioned sewing. It sucks, but mama’s got bills to pay! And by “bills,” I mean “fabric.” Haha!

Tags: completed, flea market, patterns, shorts, Thurlow

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Categories completed projects - new, misc

Introducing – My New Sewing Room!

24 Aug

I should really call this a sewing studio – it’s a HUGE room! Huge, I tell you!

Let’s back up a little. When I last left off – three freakin’ weeks ago, eeeewww! – I was still living in a sorry state of moving purgatory. You know what I’m talking about – everything is packed except one of each dish, getting anywhere requires maneuvering around piles of boxes & there are weird outlines on the wall where artwork used to hang. Pretty depressing living situation, if you ask me! We actually did not move until the end of that week, on the 10th. And lucky me – the power company refused to turn our power & water on until the following Monday, so we spent a couple of nights sleeping on the mattress in the middle of the old bedroom (I can handle living a couple of days without one or the other, but not both!). Then there was a full week of unpacking – and I refused to let myself do anything fun until the house was put together (mostly because I know me, and I know it’ll never get done otherwise. Hey, at least I’m honest haha).

Then my old landlord called & said the paint colors in the house were all wrong, and I needed to paint them back. Not wanting to spend $200+ on neutral paint, Landon & I went to Lowe’s & bought out all their OOPS paint, mixed it all together in a 5 gallon bucket & crossed our fingers. The end result was something that closely matches my flesh haha. So I had a painting party with a few awesome friends, PBR, pizza & 90s jams. We knocked out 3 rooms in about 2 hours and told ghost stories and yes, it was as fun as it sounds. And I just found out yesterday that I’m getting my full deposit back! Yay! Money!

So now let me show you my new sewing room!

Standing in the doorway – aren’t the hardwoods gorgeous?! Unfortunately, this room doesn’t get as good natural light as the bedroom does. Pretty sure I’ll manage 😉

Turning just a bit, my sewing & ironing stations.

There is actually a closet & more wall that I’m not showing; Landon still hasn’t unpacked all his clothes so I’m not going to show that section because it’s a MESS. Instead – cabinet! Patterns & books & yarn, yay!

I edited down my stash a bit before I moved, but I still have a metric shit ton of patterns. They are organized by garment type, fyi.

Speaking of things I have a metric shit-ton of – fabric!!

I forgot to take detail shots, sorrrry! Here are a couple of close-ups:

Hanging space for rulers & scissors & things that strike my fancy.

Have I posted this yet? I made this using an old frame (25¢, painted mint green), a fabric remnant & a sewing machine charm. It makes me so happy haha 🙂

Some notes on the sewing room, if anyone is curious.
– The cutting table is the Norden Gateleg (Ikea). It is on wood blocks because it’s a tad short for cutting. Eventually I’d like to buy castors, but those fuckers are expensive!
– The fabric shelf is the 4×4 Expedit (Ikea)
– Pretty much everything else (glass cabinet, sewing table, shelves, chairs, even the ironing board) was either thrifted, dumpstered, or a hand-me-down.
– The wall color is Behr Mint Majesty – my landlords painted it for me, but I got to pick the color woohooo!

Here are some other bits & pieces of my house, for those of you who want to be nosy without actually admitting to it (hey, no shame, I’m the same way :B)

This is the living room (I’m standing by the front door). I am looooooving these hardwood floors, even if they do make my feet filthy at the end of the day.

Here is an Instagram pic of the other side of the plant:

Someone asked me the other day if the dude bust was Jesus with his hair blowing – I WISH!

His name is Saul, actually.

This is an ugly picture (I need to hang that mirror, haaa), but I’m including it so you can see the layout of the house. The turquoise doorway is my sewing room (!!), that’s the dining room straight through, and then the kitchen is farther back. The bedroom door is on the other side of the wall.

Here is the dining room! The table/chairs (their matching hutch is in the previous picture) & the curtains are from the flea market. There is a pile of stuff in the floor because Landon’s desk is out of the frame; he’s still organizing that mess so I cropped it out of the picture. Oh, and the lady on the wall is not Marilyn Monroe 🙂
I don’t really care for that wall color, but it does go well with my curtains.
Sorry about all the bandannas everywhere. Wtf is up with me & bandannas?

So that’s it! I’m really loving my new house – and new neighborhood!! – and I’m looking forward to actually being able to start sewing again. It’s been too long! I just started a new project last night, actually-

Good stuff!