the beastie that is bloglovin'

Because of all the talk about Google Reader dying its natural death this June, I've recently gotten a lot of information about blog readers. Blogrolls? Blogfeeds? I forget the technical term. Anyway, I use my Blogger dashboard. Which, you know, works pretty well. But in the mess of people changing, I got curious. So I've created a Bloglovin' account, because it's so popular and all and it seems like that's the format that most works with connecting with people. I'm giving it a trial run, and right now we're in the Getting to Know Each Other stage. Next I think we go out to dinner, and if it offers to pay, I might just let it stick around.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

internet detritus and driftwood

Usually, I try to come up with entertaining or at the very least interesting (to me) content. Something about what I sewed, maybe, or something that popped into my head. And other times I blankly stare at my computer because it's midterms and then it's spring break (where I head back to my home without Internet...) and then it's school again and I can't breathe through my nose, so I can barely think. These are the days that I can barely be bothered to put on clothes in the morning, let alone stir myself to do something other than watch Downton Abbey until I cry

Still. Faced with the option of editing my essay or writing something fun about the wonders of the Internet, it was an easy choice to procrastinate on the essay take a short break and look back at the stuff I've pinned lately. No real theme, just joy and love for pretty clothes and yummy food and Internet magic.

I found this dress while perusing McCall's. And then I promptly forgot about it. So re-finding it yesterday was nothing short of a small miracle. I celebrated with shouts of joy and a celebration dance. 

I watched Titanic over the weekend at an undisclosed late time. And then I couldn't go to bed because I was crying too much (over the random characters, not Rose and Jack--couldn't care less about their plotline, sorry folks), so I looked online at all the 1912 clothes! 

My introduction to Phantom was not with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman or even Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum. Nope, I watched the 25th anniversary with Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess (not actually true; I read Gaston Leroux's book back in high school, but for these purposes, it's Ramin and Sierra). And at the same time that I fell in love with the show in its entirety, I fell in love with this lovely blue gown that Christine wears after "Masquerade" in the second act until "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again". I want to make it...as soon as I can figure out a reason to sew an 1870s bustle gown. 

I'm hoping to cook more next year--despite not having a kitchen in my dorm building--so I've recently gone on a find-dinner-food-recipes kick recently (which caused a pause in my almost incessant repinning of the sweet stuff), and this soup made me excited. Vegetarian, protein, sounds yummy? Check, check, check! 

spring break sewing

May I introduce you to the most slowly, continuously sewn project, ever?

Look at that beautiful picture. Eyes closed and everything. I'm even in my pajama shirt. 

This, my friends is Simplicity 1732, from circa 1957. It came out of a box of retro patterns, dating all the way back to the mid-1950s, from when my grandmother was sewing teenage clothes for herself, and going forward through my mother's patterns from the 80s and 90s and a smattering of patterns from the 2000s. (My contemporary patterns are kept elsewhere).  

(Sidenote: 35 cents for a pattern. Can't help but be a little jealous. According to this website, that's still only $2.81 in today's dollars. Even with the new, multi-sized tissue and something like six or seven different views in a pattern, Simplicity can't really be justified in charging over ten dollars per pattern, can they? Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I'd prefer knowing that if I were to actually buy a pattern at full price that it would be worth it. Rather than the overwhelming guilt at the $14.99 price tag that makes me wait for the 99 cent sale day.)

I started this project late last July, with the intention of finishing it in time to stick in my suitcase for college. Needless to say, it's almost spring break, and I still don't have it finished. This is as close as I've gotten.

(I don't actually have an orange room in my house. Somehow, flash plus incandescent lighting plus late night equals walls the color of a beautiful, fiery sunset. Makes perfect sense, no?)

One thing that slowed me up is my newfound love for couture detailing according to a book my mother checked out of the library, Couture Sewing Techniques, by Claire Schaeffer (found here, if you want to have a look see), such as loads of hand-sewing and basting and marking darts carefully instead of slapdash. Still. I have dragged my feet about this every step of the way.

It's my spring break sewing project, for when I finally get to spend some quality time with the beloved sewing machine. Regardless of the seasonal appropriateness of a brown corduroy retro jumper, this will be done by the time classes start up again. All that's left to do now is to set in the zipper, hem it, and finish every seam, because I know to do that now. Pretty skirt guts!

Do you have any sewing projects you're planning on doing over an upcoming vacation/time away from school or work?

the lbld: little black lace dress

Because I'm tied to the academic calendar and now am living a thousand miles away from my sewing machine, I only get to sew during breaks anymore. Which is really depressing, because now I have constant Internet, which fills my little chispita brain with a thousand ideas for projects. It's like a big, theoretical sewing Clue. Lisa...with Butterick 4790...in navy blue calico!

More recently, I've gotten my heart set on having a black dress with a lace overlay and lace three-quarter sleeves and a black underlining. This is what my mind-dress looks like, except in black. 

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A little blousy, not too tailored, with a sash instead of a belt. And longer, because I'm a rather prudish modest teenage girl. 

Then I just started getting excited and pinning a ton of lace dresses "for inspiration" (or 'cos they're so pretty!)

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I started fairly on topic--this has the basic, gathered bodice look I settled on. I even have a pattern kinda like this that I'll be using for my dress. 

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Just darned pretty, though much more formal than I had intended. But that lace! And that neckline! Isn't it just gorgeous?

And Julia's made me drool. Fortunately, I don't have my lace yet, so no beautiful fabric got wet. 

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This may not be the silhouette I'm aiming for, but I'd love for my dress to have as much classic beauty as the Duchess's!

Alas, I can't sew every lace dress I come across. I just don't have the time or frankly, the social calendar. But I do have this pattern, the one that's rather similar to Modcloth's Iced Tea dresses. 

It's McCall's 5804, from their now-extinct Hilary Duff line. It was my first dress, and boy, was it a mess. Wearable, and one of the things that I get complimented on all the time, but still a mess. Particularly if you, like me, get to open it up and see the guts and machine-sewn hem (I know, I know!) or how poorly it actually fits me. I took it in with poorly down darts twice, and it still swims. 

Needless to say, I'm quite excited for the second go-round this time. Armed with four extra years of sewing know-how, I hope it'll go better this time! I'll have to add in sleeves, but that's just a matter of finding a pattern with sleeves and stealing those. Pattern mash-up, anyone?

fo: red the color of desire

Though I have to admit, sometimes I pair this sweater with Blue, the color of little falls of rain, or White, the color of singing soliloquies about stars.

I really do like how this sweater turned out, even if it took forever and a half to get it done. And then pictures...I was going to reshoot these. Make myself look more like Eponine, who I love. Because seriously, the chair pictures in front of our one window? Not exactly cutting the mustard...But it's all I have.

What's that interesting thing on the floor?

I have some clothes that go out of wash, onto body. They're the things that always seem to be in the wash if I want to wear them, unless I just did the laundry. (Ah, the life of a lazy college freshman). This is one of them. I love this sweater...mostly. I made the sleeves a tad too short and the sleeve caps a tad too shallow, which makes it a little awkward to wear if I don't semi-block it well after the trip through the old washing machine.

Pattern: February Fitted Pullover by Amy Herzog

Yarn: Hobby Lobby Bamboospun in Dark Rust

Techniques and modifications: I added an inch in between the waist shaping. I also (and this is the big one) lengthened the sleeves from three-quarter to full length. Though apparently not enough.

Raveled here.

Parting thoughts: Considering I finished this over winter break (long time ago, especially as mid-terms approach!), these aren't really parting. But still, I liked the pattern a lot, but I thought a few things would make it better for me, as a lazy teenager. One would be knitting it top down, which I thought about, and then rejected. The seams aren't doing anything for shape and support in this sucker. So I could've just saved myself some time. (sigh) The good ideas that I don't do... I also am not sure what went on with the sleeve caps. Was it the yarn maybe?

This is the "self-timer go off already!" face. 

Lace detail: I love this lace in this yarn! So fluffy... :)

procrastination and vintage inspiration

I happen to love some of the style elements of the twenties. The detailing on all those gorgeous dresses, for one thing. Even a day dress was buttoned and a little experimental. Nothing plain for the flappers!

That being said, I'm not a very big fan of the silhouette. I don't have that figure--I have more in common with Marilyn than Twiggy. In other words, genes dictated that I would actually have curves. (Aside, why the heck did they decide it'd be flattering for a grown woman to wear clothes with the same cut as a five-year-old girl's? Not a good idea...) I do, however, like the fifties silhouette. New Look and I get along fairly well, what with all those waist friendly cuts.

So while I was looking through my copy of Decades of Fashion that my lovely roommate got me for Christmas, I found this picture and fell in love with the details...if not the cut.

Shamelessly taken from my book; source above.

So I got out my pencil and my sketchbook and got to thinking. How could this translate to a more flattering-to-me silhouette? This is what I came up with...my first attempt at translating one time period's qualities into another. 

It's not anything amazing artistically, but I love taking details from one time period and changing them up, so I'll probably doing more of this in the future, whether with princesses (like I thought about here with Belle) or with vintage pictures. It's so interesting to think about what would change and what would stay the same!

perfect timing: the American Duchess giveaway!

So what happens when you post about a favorite shoe company and their lovely new shoe that you wish you could but can't afford to buy?

Not only do you write convoluted sentences like the one above, that shoe company just might hold a giveaway for that very shoe that reinstated your shoe envy.

American Duchess is hosting a giveaway for her lovely, oh-so-Edwardian Gibson shoes. Which, coming after that shoe envy and a two episodes of Downton day, is the perfect addition to a slightly sick day.

I have to say, the Gibsons look amazing. They may not be Astorias (oh Astorias, someday I will own you!), but they are still amazingly cute. I could easily imagine wearing a black pair with my Titanic prom dress or with a skirt to look all shnazzy for walking to class in...or even jeans for just Those Days when caring is harder to do (I am a college student after all!). I would love to own these shoes--they're just beautiful!