Monthly Archives: September 2014

Neat Fashion Exhibitions in NYC

Posted in Musings & Everything Else by

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Photos from my visit to the Charles James exhibition at the Met this summer. Click for larger view.

One of the things I love most about my city is the endless opportunity for exploration. So many things going on, so much to see, not enough time to do it all! Nevertheless, it’s still fun to pick and choose to your heart’s content. On that end, I’ve noticed there are some cool ongoing and upcoming fashion-related exhibitions on show around the Big Apple.

Sorry in advance for the lack of images in this post. I was about to include ones from each museum’s page, but then worried I’d be doing so without permission. Wouldn’t want the museum police after me!

Anyway, here’s what I’ve found (click on the exhibition name to learn more about each):

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The Day I Learned To Sew

Posted in Musings & Everything Else, Reality? Check! by

firstprojectLook, it’s me! Exactly five years ago today I took my very first sewing lesson at Sew L.A. in – you guessed it – Los Angeles. I promptly came home and took this photo of me and my new tote bag (complete with ruler still in its packaging) to share with family back East. Yep, this is what I looked like the day I learned to sew.

Back then Sew L.A. was in a smaller shop in Silver Lake before moving into their spacious digs in Atwater Village (which I’ve yet to visit). Oh, how I thought it was the most magical place in the whole wide world! Shelves full of bolts of fabric, six tables with six sewing machines, lots of light, and lots of promise.

I honestly can’t remember what compelled me to sign up for a lesson (it was fate, I s’pose), but I do remember how popular their classes were. I had to sign up a month in advance for “Machine Intro”, the prerequisite for the other 100-level classes. Other than a handful of sewing sessions in middle school Home Ec., I didn’t have any experience (or interest in) sewing. I did get the Home Ec. award that year though, so maybe it was in the cards. Either that or my teacher was majorly impressed with my dish washing skills.

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Fall Essentials Sew Along 2014

Posted in Sewing Ideas by

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Riding on the “yay, I’ve successfully made it through two group challenges this year!” wave, I’ve signed on for yet another: the Fall Essentials Sew Along (FESA) hosted by Sarah and Lisette.

Cold weather clothes have always been a struggle for me, even when I was buying them in stores. In my first few years of sewing I only wanted to sew summer sundresses, but in the past couple of years I’ve been – dare I say it – excited to fill some major gaps in my fall and winter wardrobe. What can I say, it just gets a little tiring to wear the same three cardigans to winterize most of my clothes!

I’m going to keep my FESA plan simple (even so, it’ll be interesting to see what I can get done by November 30th). I find that the following patterns are essentials that fit my lifestyle, which is certainly a motivator.

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McCall’s 6696 Emerald Isle Shirtdress

Posted in 2014 Sewing, Finished Projects by

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Hello, you hot and humid September! Making up for that fall-like July and August we had, aren’t’cha?

I’m so pleased that I got around to making yet another McCall’s 6696 shirtdress! Is this pattern popular or what? And for good reason: it’s “top drawer” with lots of variation possibilities. This is my first attempt at the pleated version. Both my sleeveless summery and cozy flannel versions featured the fitted skirt option.

I’m particularly happy with how this one turned out. This dress is very fun to wear, and the color is even more amazing in real life! A really striking emerald green. I’ve never been to Ireland (sad face), but I’m told the green color of the landscape there is stunning so I’ve dubbed this the Emerald Isle Dress.

The fabric itself was bought on this side of the Atlantic at G Street Fabrics in northern Virginia back in October 2011. Nice to stash bust! I used up all two yards of this 58″ wide rayon/linen blend to create this dress. The pattern calls for 2 3/8 yards (60″ wide) so this ended up being a tight fit, but I made it work. Phew. I originally bought it with a circle skirt in mind.

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A Coral-Charcoal Belt

Posted in Knitting & Crafts by

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After my first cardigan came the question: what to knit next? I knew I wanted to make another cardigan, but when I saw this lace elastic belt tutorial I figured it’d be a small and quick project to break up the longer ones. Plus, I’d like to add more belts to my wardrobe even though I hardly ever think to wear them! I’m not big on accessorizing (I wear earrings and call it a day), but sometimes it’s nice to pair a belt with a dress. So here’s my attempt at doing just that.

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**Note: I found this Andi Satterlund tutorial on Tuts+, but there are errors on rounds 10 and 12. The corrections are noted on the Ravelry page so I’d recommend looking there as well.

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