All over the place...

That's where I've been, sewing wise. DD's jacket, a dress for her as well, BWOF 11-2008-111, which is almost done. And this dress that I decided it was time to make.

Check out my shoes and nails - gotta bring the dress little more into the summer :)) 

And about the fabric from NY Fashion Center; it arrived the day before yesterday. Almost one month... I'm not sure I love it either. The color is more fuchsia than carmine. It's called silk zibeline and is very crisp, similar to duchess satin but with more of a twill weave. I think it will work for the vintage suit, but now I have plenty of time to decide :)) Bye bye contest, maybe next year.

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Thank you for all your praise of DD's jacket. She loves it and will send me a picture of her wearing it. If you go back and read the comments you will find that she actually left me one -a first for her. So proud of you, darling :)) She told me she's even linking to my blog from her Facebook page... 

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And the coat... well it's still missing two buttonholes. I'm planning to take it to Warren's - the coat is too nice to fool with a silly buttonhole lever!

Bubblegum 4 Christmas

The dress is done. She won't get it until the 14th because it goes on the advent calendar, but here are the photos on the mannequin (which is a bit bigger and taller). Silk, silk silk... I always end up with silk. But you know, it's a wondrous fiber, not at all what some people might think. It's strong and durable, can be washed in hot water, takes dye with brilliant results, and of course, it feels like a million bucks :)) I had the good sense this time and ordered in bulk from Dharma Trading- one bolt each of black and white habotai, as well as a bolt of 4.5mm white gauze. I use the gauze for nuno felts, which, btw,  I haven't made in more than a year !!  Oh well.

As you can see I manipulated the fabric as I did with my blouse, only this time I used Jet AB crystal beads.

And the shoes... Aren't they gorgeous? And the color matching went pretty well, if I may say so myself :)

Some details: I made a little bow at the back, using the extended bias. That was a tip from Roberta Carr's book. Hook and loop closure. My label under the ruffle.

Here's the lining being attached, and the finished dress inside out.

Vicky asked if I cut the ruffles on the grain: 

Yes. The sheerness of the gauze worked well this way, and the lace is very light as well. I used a 3-1 gather ratio.

Thank you for your well wishes. I feel a little better today, and having this done was a relief. I'm not sure if I'm ready to go into the black, so to speak, but I probably should. I really need that black dress...

Got Shoes- Where Are My Spanx?

I think I've finally lost it.

My good sense, that is.

If I ever had one in the first place.

I was gonna make a skirt out of this leftover piece of knit that I used for a top last year. My very first Pattern Review. Then, after putting together the parka... No no no!!! Unless, of course, I want to walk around like a giant shapeless blob.

The stiffness and airy bulk (?) of this fabric/design can only be excused by some super slender legs with no- and I mean NO- room to spare. That's when I got this brilliant idea to make a pair of pants in the same BWOF pattern I did my recent Black ones. Trouble is, I'm not twenty, and this is a knit (although it's got some kind of coating, no idea what the content is). So, before I complete my super-duper-tight-squeeze-your-butt-into-these pants, I need my Spanx. 

Funny how Bare Necessity (and I mean literally  as well, since that's where I ordered from) makes you stumble upon new inventions... After reading up on this stuff, I suppose I'm late to the party. Nothing new there. I live in Tinseltown, but might as well be in a shack in the mountains. That's how much I get around. Don't feel bad, I like I like. And when I do get out, like today, armed with a purpose, Rodeo Drive is five minutes away.

Waiting for my Spanx, I thought a pair of shoes would be a good idea. I was gonna order online, where I do most of my shopping. Even had a pair in my shopping bag at Zappos. Then DH walks in. I proudly show him my find, whereby he gets this look. "What?!", I say, actually quite irked since I thought I'd done a marvelous job. "They look too cheap", he says, looking over at the ensemble on the dress form. My heart sank. They were cheap, and that's precisely why I was proud. Go figure. Okay, I thought, you want sticker shock? Let me cruise over to Saks, Neimen, and Barneys. "How about these", I say, and he nods his head in agreement. Versace sandals, $900.00. "Will you be wearing them with other things?" ... Wow, he never ceases to amaze me. 

Bottom line; we went to Versace, they didn't have the same ones, but something equally glam- and on sale. 

So that's where I'm at: A pair of glorious shoes and a half finished pair of pants and a parka that still needs a zipper and a tie band. And no Spanx.

And no idea what to wear under the parka. Like I said, I may very well have lost it.