Super: January 2015

Sunday, January 25, 2015

in another life

. . .i live in the American south.

. . .i am not enchanted by city lights or conceptual art and i live a quiet life, iced tea and needlework.

It's not this life, that's for sure.

Maybe i would bike more and wear floaty dresses more...

In both lives i will make my own bitters.

Yum!!!!!!!!

Oh yes of course in both worlds i would make those floaty dresses and the pantaloons to go underneath. I would use different words for them in that other life ;)

what's your alternate existence? and what do you call your underthings??

xoxo bex

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

EDITING

The PURGE continues! I've dropped 1 bag of goodies at the Depot and 1 bag of kid stuff at Bananas. There's 1 bag each of books and clothes to donate in the car and 1 bag of clothes for resale waiting for the right day. I have 1 bag of fabric for the fabric swap this weekend...which means I've purged what - SIX bags of stuff.*

i use my pockets for bloomin.

that's 60% to my arbitrary goal. Not bad for one week! Maybe i should do ten bags a month? hahahhahahhahahah...ok moving on.

one day i'll photgraph it in the light so you can see it SHINE.

Now i'm editing what's still in my wardrobe. I got Laurel happy this year and made 3. this one i made with all the frumpy options- long sleeves, heavier fabric, hmph.

silky satin binding? that's POSH.

So I shortened the sleeves and took it in 2 inches in the back. LOVE IT. gold!!!! METALLIC LINEN WINS.

this dress is...still an experiment. (it's the ESP dress from Decades of Style). There are like NO reviews online. That is a bad sign.

I did my standard "take it in 2 inches in the back" again and it fits...but it's not my style at all. TBD...

i like how i look like a sleepy doll. zzzz.

This dress was CRAZY but also dumpy.

http://effiesmakeupbox.blogspot.com/2013_05_01_archive.html

love this shot. it's not me. it's "effiesmakeupbox". thanks Effie!

I loved the crazy. So I chopped it and now it's a top!

and took it in on the side seams (i bought it at a store but there was only a size bigger than i wanted. I went for it because PEGASUS). Now, happpppily there is a really long leftover piece which needs a home.....

This thing...I dunno.

It feels kinda softball dykey for me. That's not really my style. I took off the collar but it's still kinda funny.

hey, flowers!

I may make the neckline v-necked? dunno.

I copied some great pants that came in the mail but didn't hold up for a test wear. I'll make them in a less saggy fabric and get super snazzy for work.

I made these tops from such beautiful fabric but both look dumb on me.

cowl = cute, drops LOW

the pattern is in the bin and the fabric is being repurposed (time to try this one out whuuuuutttt)

it doesn't look dumb in the picture somehow. Hmm.

AND I made unders to replace a few the ones I just shove aside when I'm getting dressed in the morning. love them.

I dunno folks...am i going clear (like this howling pegasus)?? watch out, travolta.

lets make a deal - don't give me things unless they're flowers. good?
xoxo
bex

* Wait a minute - i also dropped at least 1 extra bag of recycling...does that count too?

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

I can do anything: yep, i made JEANS!

I made the jeans.

I took the easiest route, and damn that made a difference: I bought the kit (it's sold out now but i think she's working on round 2?)! Threads, needles, great fabric, pattern, buttons, rivets, and zippers already picked out. Each of those pieces would have been A Decision and gawd I hate those.

I skipped some interfacing cause I was at my mom's house and she didn't have any.

MAMA DON'T CARE.

I cut a size 10 in the low waisted stovepipe version, cause those are my measurements. Then I took it in at least a size (added 1/4 to 1/2 inch on all seam allowances), and an extra 1/2" in the back crotch (my assets are more prominent up top). I'll start somewhere between 6-8 next time.

flat butt adjustment STAT

Heather suggested taking out a triangle in the upper thigh to match my shape better, but I got hung up on the geometry of that and didn't do it. I will next time! I did take a lot out of the yoke- an extra 1/4 wedge at the top of the center seam, and wedging into a 1/2" extra SA on the waist. I imagine that makes a different triangle slice, right? Yes. Trust. But DEFINITELY smaller pockets next time. Yikes.

Then I skinnied the legs just cause.

Whoops, I broke mom's machine with the topstitching (and then left the next day sorry mom!), but my machine did just fine. (For my notes, tension up to 6 on topstitching thread.) I love flat felled seams! They're so champ-looking. High tens for professional looking insides.

How cool is this pocket fabric? Looks legit, right? Button = fun. as does Red thread! So fun. Bar Tacks, all kinds of things.

I feel like I have all the jeans I need for now, but still fabric for another pair. Maybe next fall, or once a pair I have wears out. At the same time, I'm trying to PURGE EXTRA CRAP from my world/life/tiny apartment/psyche, so making for the sake of making has no appeal.

Right now I'm really into the cigarette line, and LOVE my uniqlo jeans with the ankle zips, so if that keeps up I'll treat myself to another pair later in the year (assuming some other pair - Gap please - gives up their slot in my closet. hmm. i could just make that happen couldn't i. tangent!).

So do you agree, is it true? Am i a ninja? And what's your ninja skill, hmm??

xxoo 4eee
bex