Author: Erin

Fall Fabric Splurge

Erin13 Comments

Couldn't help myself — Sawyer Brook had Milly fabric:

Abid-Road

Such a perfect fabric for autumn, don't you think? Once the months start ending with "-ber," I start thinking about olive. For some reason olive just feels right for fall. I'm not sure what dress this will turn into, but it will probably be accessorized with tights, a scarf, a slice of pumpkin bread, and a cup of hot chocolate. (Or possibly a pocketful of leftover Halloween candy. Those orange-wrapped peanut butter chews, amirite?)

Of course, I haven't completely let go of summer yet … this was on sale, and it would take a much, much stronger woman than me to pass this up:

Cuidad_1

This might be another Simplicity 1577 …

What's your fall fabric splurge?

 

 

PatternReview Saves My Ass

Erin22 Comments

I fell in love with this skirt (Vogue 1247) a while back, because, pockets!

Vogue_1247_line

(Ignore the floppy blouse. What is it with the giant floppy asymmetrical t-shirtish thing? </old person>)

This pattern looked easy, quick, and best of all, pockets! So I did what everyone ought to do before making a new pattern and checked PatternReview to see what other folks have said about it. 

And I'm so glad I did, because the general consensus was to lengthen the skirt by FIVE INCHES. Yep. Five inches. If I hadn't checked, I probably wouldn't have noticed how short the skirt was, and then Mister Evans would have thrown me out of the Junior High Dance I wouldn't have ever worn the skirt. Plus, there were several suggestions to leave off the waistband and just finish the waist with a petersham ribbon facing (which is what I ended up doing). 

There are lots of great things about this skirt, I mean, besides the pockets. It went together in less than an hour, including (machine) hemming. Also, it takes barely any fabric. I think I had less than 1.5 yards of this green-overdyed denim. 

Greendenimskirt_1

I did a little subtle topstitching on the back, which I don't think you can see here:

Greendenimskirt_2

And here's a better glimpse of the pockets (that's an index card): 

Greendenimskirt_3

With the new longer length it hits me just at the knee. And it's really comfortable. I'm hoping (at some point in the distant future) to make a couple more with fancier treatments of the horizontal seams (Piping, maybe colorblocking? I have some pink satin that I've been meaning to overlay with some violently yellow lace and this would be an awesome pattern for that …)

But the first person to mention that a horizontal seam at the hips may, possibly, conceivably, make you look slightly wider gets a resounding Bronx cheer in the comments. C'mon, live a little! You can't always worry about the width of your hips, sometimes you have to worry about where to put your wallet & cell phone! Or about why everyone under 30 seems to only wear a short tight skirt, a big floppy blouse, and four-inch nude-colored platform pumps!  Worrying about looking wider fell off my worry-about list some time ago. (But zombies are still on my list. Oh, yes, those pesky zombies …)

I'm Only Happy When It's Complicated

Erin24 Comments

It may just be the crashing head cold I have while writing this (blogging on Dayquil: the package doesn't say you shouldn't do it) but this dress seems really appealing right now:

Screen shot 2011-09-11 at 12.46.48 PM

I like this color blue (or is it green?), and the pleats in the skirt, and the odd collar. Not entirely sure how I feel about the descended pocket, but I'm willing to take it under consideration. The whole thing is more than a little Star-Trekky; not in a bad way, in some future Star Trek universe where Martha Stewart and her heirloom-chicken-egg colors had their way with the petroleum-based fabrics of the future. 

Did I mention I like those skirt pleats? I really do. It's a complicated dress, and I don't care how much disheveled hair and leather bracelet and casually.jpgcked grassy/flower things you add to the picture, it's still going to be complicated. And note that you can't see any shoes in the picture, I have no idea what you'd wear with these. (Round-toe pumps with a low square heel is my best guess.)

This is one of those dresses, though, that look best on body types that are 80% limb; and, of course, on models who are pogoing up and down for the camera. I know that jumping makes the clothes move and everything look alive, but jeez, it seems a bit hard on the knees. And, really, how much jumping up and down do we do in our day-to-day lives? (Maybe if you're a game-show contestant? A trampoline tester? Pogo-stick demonstrator?)

It's for sale. In Australia, although it looks like you can buy it with NZ money, too. Speaking of Australia, I'll be there in December. Should we try for a meetup?  

Thanks to Yvonne for the link! 

Happy Jen-niversary!

Erin4 Comments

Simplicity_2762

What are you wearing to the party? (Which party? The party to celebrate Jen's fifth anniversary with MOMSPatterns — that party!) I'm wearing this. And eating pigs in blankets. In my head.

It's a virtual party, happening this weekend, and in celebration and as a THANK YOU, she'd like to run YOU a 20% off weekend sale on all patterns on her site! Use the coupon code 'happyfiver' when you check out from right now until midnight EST Monday, September 12, 2011, and the discount will be applied. Please remember that Jen ships for free in the USA & Canada with the purchase of 5 or more patterns, and offers discounted shipping internationally  

(Discounts may be used on any patterns, regularly priced or sale priced!)

(Definitely check out the 40s and 50s patterns, there are tons of new ones …)

Today's Pattern Story: McCalls 4086

Erin5 Comments

McCalls_4086

Blue: My pensive, wistful look is the best. The director just has to give me this part. 

Pink Dot #1: I don't know why that blonde is even wasting her time. Everyone knows brunettes do coy and bashful best. This part is mine.

Pink Dot #2: Does this pose say "My life will be pointless unless I feed my cat "Fussy Cat" cat food"? I think it does. This role is mine! Besides, hats always sell pet products. I read it in Advertising Age.

Pattern from Jen at MOMSPatterns. 

Ooh, links!

Erin8 Comments

Check out this great dress from Steph in Brisbane. I love everything about it:

Steph_leaflace_August2011

Her whole blog is worth a visit. (Thanks to Robin for the link!)

This dress at LanetzLiving includes a picture of the previous owner wearing her version! So. Cool.

McCalls_9878_August2011

ModCloth did a great blog post on Ms. Frizzle … a sartorial heroine, to be sure. (Thanks to Mary Beth for the link!) 

NancyKay sent a link to this vintage ad — check it out: 

BettyBarclay1951_August2011

MEDIA UPDATE: I'm not sure what the overlap is between readers of this blog and of Scalzi's Whatever, but if you missed his blog a couple weeks back, he named something after me. (Awesome, yes.) And if you want to hear my opinions on the word "swagger" (and who doesn't, really) you can check out this article. And you all know I regularly write for the Boston Globe, yeah? (A reader of my blog told me last week she had no idea, so ….) And Wordnik is powering words of the week in the Wall Street Journal. Whew. I think that's it!

 

 

Idée fixe

Erin19 Comments

Dewberry_woodgrain_August2011

My latest idée fixe is to make a shirtdress out of this new Joel Dewberry fabric (Woodgrain in Vintage Yellow). (Faux bois idée fixe is probably the longest French phrase I can manage.)

I don’t know why — as with most of my dress-related brainstorms, it falls under the category of “it seemed like a good idea at the time”. 

Not sure WHICH shirtdress pattern this will be matched up with — I dragged out several contenders the other night, of which Butterick 2237:

Butterick_2237_August2011

and Advance 8524:

Advance_8524

are currently in the lead. 

Wooden buttons, naturally! Maybe even little twig ones … 

Don't Let the Door Hit You, Etc.

Erin30 Comments

Simplicity_5893_August2011

I've been thinking lately that I have Too Many Damn Patterns (which is just a few boxes shy of the next size up of patterns, which is Metric Buttload of Patterns, and well above the unit of measure I'm hoping to end up at, which is A Gracious Sufficiency of Patterns) and this one is going to be jettisoned in the next wave of, well, jettisoning. 

I didn't buy this pattern new (although probably 1983-me would have been sorely tempted) so how on earth did it get into my collection? Did I get it as ballast in a box of other patterns? Was it twenty-five cents and so I reflexively grabbed it, with big "I think I'll re-enact the movie 'Heathers'" plans? Is my attraction to colorblocking in all its forms enough to overwhelm my common sense (and dislike for puffed sleeves)? Was I intrigued by how it seems as if you can't stand with your weight evenly distributed across both feet while wearing this? Is there some part of my lizard brain that reacts with predatory avarice to asymmetrical ruffles? We'll never know.

(Also, the photo-girl looks like the 1983 version of Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl, doesn't she?)

A Great Little Fixer-Upper

Erin15 Comments

Circle_sundressAugust2011

This dress jumped out at me at my local Goodwill a few months back — I thought it was Liberty. (It looks very Liberty-ish, doesn't it?) It's not — the name on the label is "Isabella Bird," which seems to be a possibly-discontinued brand of A Territory Ahead. (Named after this Isabella Bird, perhaps?) 

It was only $5, so despite being not-Liberty, I grabbed it. And it has hung in my sewing room for yonks, because as pretty as it is (and as well as it fits!), it didn't have pockets.

Now it does:

Circle_sundresspocketAugust2011

(Sorry for the fuzzy picture.) 

The pockets are white batiste. It was easy-peasy to put them in — this dress zips up the back, so all I had to do was unpick the side seams, add pockets, and then sew things back up. It took (including cutting out the pockets, doing the seam-ripping, and sewing) about an hour.

I've been working on more of these fixer-uppers lately, because doing so reduces the number of useless objects in my house (if I can get them back into wearing rotation) and because it's faster than sewing something new from scratch. It's also less stress: if I screw something up or it turns out to be unfixable, well, I wasn't wearing it anyway! And it can go to the ragbag or right back to the Goodwill.

It's surprising (to me) at how satisfying it is, though, when these projects do turn out well — I usually hate alterations. (It probably helps that some of my other recent fixer-uppers have been dresses I made long ago that now fit again … I've been mostly upgrading the zipper/pocket combos in those, too. I'll try to post more pics soon.) 

Anyone else on a tear of renovation-sewing lately? I still refuse to alter anything tailored, but just about anything else seems like fair game!

 PS It turns out that this exact dress is up on eBay right now. Sans pockets, of course, but they're so easy to add …