January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

It was a good year, I do believe!

Made (almost) entirely from the skirt of the dress.  I reused the pockets, and I used muslin for the inside of the waistband.  For added flourish, it has several rows of stitching near the hemline.

ME [holding up skirt to show Evan]: It’s not ugly anymore, is it?

EVAN [smiling uncomfortably]: Not as ugly.

I then punch him lightly in the arm as he grimaces and flinches a bit.  Then we laugh, and I tell him how he doesn’t know what’s in style. :)

And here I am sporting my dyed jacket with it.  Collar popped and all.  I’m so freakin’ cool.  I look like I’m pretending to model it on a runway, but really I’m just running away from my camera, trying to get a clear shot in my allotted 2 seconds.  And nearly falling over in my wedges.

I wish I’d made it a smidge shorter (same way I felt about this skirt).  But what if someone tall wanted to buy it?  Then it would be perfect, right?

It’s finished.  It has pockets and a slight tulip shape.  This was fashioned almost entirely from the bottom ruffle of the dress.

To cinch the waist but leave a little wiggle room, I made it so that the waistband wraps around from the back and ties in the front.  Does that even make sense?  Anyway, I can tie it in a bow or twist it (as it is in the picture) or whatever.  Maybe even a brooch could hold it together on the side.

I think it could be 2 inches shorter.  Because less is more. ;)

Come see my house tour and interview on Vintage Indie today! :)

Thanks again, Sarah.

So I told you last week that I had a shirt to finish before I would allow myself to cut into this dress.  Here’s the shirt, for which I used Simplicity 2863 as a starting point, and made it up from there.  Not that it looks all that different, but I stopped following the directions when I realized that the pattern is intended for knits.  The material I used was, I think, acetate.  I don’t know for sure because I found it at an antique store last year.  And I honestly thought it was cotton until I got it home.  How does a somewhat-seasoned sewist make a mistake like that?

Anyway.

So I was showing my friend, Heather, the unfinished garment on Friday night, and somehow I found myself, well… you’ll see.

Do you have a friend who brings out your inner crazies?

Heather is that kind of awesome friend.  (So is Jacquie.)

WARNING: You’re about to see my home in disarray, unflattering use of the flash, and me, looking like an idiot.  Or a Floral Ninja.  Enjoy!

I finally decided to cut the edging off this thrifted blanket I found about a year ago.  The funny thing is that I think the brightness of the orange threw off my white balance.  So you can’t even tell how deafeningly bright it is.  Yes, deafeningly.

So why am I doing this right now?  I’m getting ready to photograph my house for Vintage Indie Magazine.  Actually, Sarah’s taking the pictures.  Because she’s so totally awesome & rad. :)

Okay, so this sounds frou-frou, but it’s not!  I promised Evan that I wouldn’t put lace or ruffles or flowers on his beloved XBox.  Just a plain and simple dust jacket, if you will.

There you have it.  So simple that you hardly even see it.  (It’s on the left, in case you’re wondering.) ;)

I refashioned this slipcover from linen pants that my friend Heather gave me when she found out I liked to do this cut-up-old-stuff-and-breathe-new-life-into-it deal.  Thanks, Heather!  Love you, girl.

I kept it simple because… I know Evan will never take the time to tie pretty little ribbons in the back.  If you were a boy, would you?  So it just sits over the front, top, and sides.  Nice and neat. :D

Planning to make something like these tonight…

So this is what the room looks like as of 15 minutes ago.  Mind you, my children are taking their afternoon naps.  It does not normally look this tidy.

Okay, I hope this doesn’t bore you too much, but I made another pillow today.  I used leftover chambray from this tunic and a lacy vest my Aunt Heather sent me (Thanks, Aunt Heather!).  You just never know where you might find inspiration.

Here’s the vest:

So I guess this qualifies as a refashion too, huh?

I made this pillow from a large piece of vintage barkcloth that I found at America’s Thrift Store in Chattanooga ($2.50!).  I used a pillowform that I already had, so this was super-quick and easy.

Also worth noting: I replaced the TV tray we were using as a side table with our old TV stand.  Notice a theme here?  Anyway, it provides tons of book storage and looks much more finished in the corner.  Plus, we can adorn it with our very most pretentious books and look Smart.

Now.  I would really like lamps that are round and squat.  And maybe red.  Or glass.  And totally not squat at all.  Oh, I don’t know.  Maybe a swing-arm lamp would do the trick.  What do you think?

Here are some Flickr Favorites for your Friday joy.

1. but i like candy when it’s wrapped in a sweater, 2. New love plate, 3. Dining Room, 4. Ruffle dress, 5. Black Key, 6. ., 7. Patchwork apple, 8. Superior-envelope-#154, 9. Design-7380-sample 5, 10. houses cushion #05- indisponivel, 11. Houses cushion #04, 12. The Vintage Letter, 13. Vintage Silhouettes, 14. Marie Claire Idées - fabric plates, 15. IMG_2393, 16. flor de sempre, 17. Simply Grove Interiors, 18. babette w/all the bedstuff on the bed, 19. mer bleue, 20. proud client, 21. Untitled, 22. Favorite cup of tea, 23. Girls room inspiration, 24. Sew What Skirts, wrap around (tied at the front), 25. Tunic with jabot, 26. raspberry and pink peppercorn macarons, 27. So, here is the dress…, 28. Orquidea Dendobrium ” Olho de Boneca “, 29. Marie Claire Idées 70, 30. Embalagem pra presente

Next week is going to be awesome!  Now go have a great weekend. :)