Oh, hello there.

 So! 

Not sure anything will come of dusting off a blog that's a million years old... who even BLOGS anymore?

But I am thinking I'd like a longform spot to dig into thoughts about design and wardrobe and round up some of the things happening in my head around redefining style.

I love clothes.

I have real, honest-to-God closet space for the first time in 4 years.  

And I am putting on yoga pants more than I am getting dressed.

So thanks to Seamwork Radio and all of their oh-so-accessible (in some ways) thoughts on wardrobe and style I have been diving back in.  First came The Style Workshop.  Making plans, getting rid of 4 trash bags of clothes at a first pass. You know, the usual.

I will throw posts up in the community, and expand upon them over here.  Because this craving for authenticity and simplicity isn't going anywhere.  

Checking in: A year of stash-busting

I made a resolution that I would finish 3 things a month.  And then I did that thing I do where I disappeared for months at a time... Life took over, y'all.  There's a big stack of projects that are SO CLOSE to being done, and a smaller stack that only want a photo and a little note before they can be shared.  I have sewn.  Some quilty things, some mendy things... A couple of wearable muslins, and even a finished-up UFO.  Because y'all, sewing is one of those things that is necessary to a balanced life for me, and I am SO THANKFUL to the Stash-busting Sew-along for the encouragement to see that.
But I have not taken pictures because mending is blah, and quilting happens in spurts, and, to be honest, I wanted to spend more time this summer with my tomatoes right now than my camera.   I taught a block of the month for 6 months, but it's been on hiatus, so I have a quilt to shape up and share after that.

And hopefully, slowly, as I come up for air and make time for myself, recording these things will gain some more importance, and I will make the time to share some things here.  I think for me it might become more about telling the stories about the things.  See, in my day job, I get to tell stories, and people who know me will tell you I am a talker and a memory-maker and a story-teller, and I reply with phrases like 'guilty as charged'.  In the last year, I have gotten to slow down and embrace that side of myself, and I am seeing the benefits in my life and in my relationships... And I think, if I can get myself out of the garden and in front of the computer, they would show up here too.

2016 by the numbers:
More in than out, I'm afraid... I've been jotting purchased fabric down on little sheets, and when emptying the 30-gal bin(!) of fabric I bought this year, I kind of gave up on counting.

But things I made:
-Tiny Pocket Tank, times 3!
     -First wearable muslin was a wadder.
     -Then 2 successful ones! Green dottie fabric from the 70s and gingham.
-Moji pants, times 3!
     -First wearable muslin was a fail.
     -a white pair finished the week after labor day, and a red pair in November.
-Baby quilt, times 2!
     -quarter-log cabin that ended up looking like tetris blocks
     -scrappy trip around the world from old shirts for a cowboy-themed nursery
-Friend Quilt, times 1!
     -Charm squares for the win.  This one was a labor of love.

Now, off to photograph and blog about these things... Maybe some stories and catch-up posts soon.  And plans for the new year are coming at you too!

Housekeeping

Hi all,

It's time for some housekeeping... which I realized and thought about while I was away from computers and sleeping a ton... Thanks flu.

But, now that I'm feeling better, I thought I'd drop y'all a line, and say that I'm alive, and will pass on more wedding dress updates this week.  I've gotten a couple things made since then, so I am going to try to write them up as well, and in the next few weeks I'm hoping you'll start to see some changes on the appearance side of things... I have buttons hanging out from forever ago, and I'm missing others, and there's this quilting thing I've been dabbling in, which I would like to post a bit about as well, so I am going to see if I can make a schedule and stick to it.  The creative juices are flowing! I can't wait to share more!

Hobbies, earn your keep!

Oy.

Y'all, I hate it when you look at costs.

How much do our hobbies cost us?  Now, before you click away because you don't wanna think about it, wait a second... Because I don't wanna talk about money, or personal finances...

I want to talk about space.  I want to talk about time.  I want to talk about effort, and what the cost of THOSE is.  Because many of us stash... I know I am guilty, and I am certainly dreading getting that counter with yards in and out up to date.
I live in a small city apartment, and that means the cost of storage is high.  And, while sewing does not have to use up much room, I am woefully lacking in the discipline required to do the thing where you buy the things for one project, finish it, and move onto the next one with very little left over and carried over to store- maybe a few basic notions and a scraps bin.
On the other hand, I'd really much rather have 5 bins of fabric and one bin of Christmas decor... Inspiration doesn't mean adorning my home for me, although I certainly love having my home feel like one.

I want to love this gift of creativity.  I want to grow into it, and for things to take shape out of those bins of supplies...  And I want to talk about it.

Lovely readers, if you still exist, I want you to hold me to embarking on a renewed relationship with my hobbies.  I want to show you silly cell phone pictures of earrings, tell you the stories of my creation, and share with you this part of my life.

Ira Glass says it best.

Something we all should know:

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.” 
― Ira Glass 


Here's to fighting through it.  
One garment, one necklace, one recipe... one whatever at a time.  

my sailor shirt

First, we're going to play pretend... and pretend this is green oxford cloth you see on your left.

Then, we're going to pretend it's the super-huge(read:17.5" neck) shirt I found at the thrift store, and not from Rusty Zipper.

After that, we're going to pretend I wasn't just distracted by all of that fun vintage-n

ess.

Now let's talk about my first refashion in toooo long. I used the aforementioned fun green shirt, and started with Simplicity 2593, which I have used before for this dress, which is now just missing the collar and is on the list of UFOs...

I changed the scoop neck to a v-neck, the gathers to pleats, and drafted and added the collar. I shortened the thing by an inch at the middle and just started at the curve to keep the hem. One more round of pretend, and then I'm done... We're going to pretend I took pictures of the whole process. Here is the finished product.

I'm really digging it as is, just about... I think if I made it again, I'd remove a little width from the center to make things stay up better with this wide neckline. As is, the plan is to add bra-strap carriers. I am really proud of my mitered corners, and the little detailed shot shows the first one, which is a bit iffy, and the last one, which was nice! My seams are also all enclosed somehow, and I am proud to say this shirt survived the washer and dryer without incident!

Hope all of y'all are having a good week... I hope to squeeze in some sewing soon so there's something for you to read about, but it's a busy week, and yesterday was crazy... I wrote about it over here at In a Nutshell, Life... the blog I started a while back about life outside of sewing. I made the choice to start that blog as a place where I can talk more about school and life without raining on the sewing parade. Check it out, if you wish... I post there on most days I don't post here.

finals...

... begin Thursday, when the first take-home is handed out.

We have practice exams, and I have pages to write for classes... and translation.

So, my contribution- what I offer for the week- is a queue of what will be done when I finish.

1. The Burda Turtleneck,

2. draft a skirt to make a SWAPtastic tneck dress

3. The suit jacket- alterations first, of course, but I'm hoping there won't be many evident on the tissue fit.

4. cut, cut, cut... SWAP sewing will be here before we know it, and I have bias strips to make, and many many things to cut out... I'm looking to cut all of my knits before I go home so I can get some quality time in with my serger, thus fulfilling the challenge to sew with knots on the serger... I have no idea how I will do hems... I don't have access to a coverstitch machine currently, and also don't have a serger manual yet because I don't know my model number...

5. some alterations for W, and, of course, gifts.

What are YOU up to?

Soul-Filling and Soul-Killing

Alright. This is a bullet point post because I have noooo energy. I'm gonna start with the bad to end on a good note...

Soul-Killing:

• the sheep VOLUME of stuff we have to read for all of these classes
• being away from the people I've thought of as family- my college circle is very much missed.
• 3-hour night classes
• class sizes- I have one class with 61 people- most of my entering class.
• adjusting to adult life- budgeting, getting up before 8 every day...

Soul-Filling:

• classes. Focusing and learning.
• my first apartment
• people. This is the only thing that makes me miss undergrad less- I have been blessed with a second group of really truly amazing people to grow with over the next 3 years
• Decatur. Need I say more? This is a great place to live.
• encouragement abounds here, in everything. Our half marathon training group brings back some awesome memories of times at Transy
• an awesome church job
• being close to family. My mama has already visited once, and I've visited her once. I have no crazy long car trip for Thanksgiving, and can be with family for a weekend anytime I feel the urge.

Today, I'm thankful the good outweighs the bad.

settling in

Slowly but surely, it's happening.

Seminary really is a learning and growing process, and I feel at home. My mom visited last week, and she can attest to the fact that there are things on my walls, that my sewing machine has a home, and that it's shaping up to be a cute apartment. Pictures soon. The last of my first classes is tonight, and then I suppose I owe y'all a real post.

For now,

S

Holy Cow.

That seems to be a dominant phrase in my vocabulary this week. Really and truly. It's been a holy cow kind of month. As in Holy COW it's gone by fast. And it's picking up some more. And there's a ton going on. And my body choses, when all of this was happening, to hit me with 2 days of stomach ick. Thank goodness I feel better. I have a (busy) countdown...

6 days till the move-in date.
5 days till my last Sunday in church.
4 days till my last mom-date before school starts.
3 days till I see my Godmother and go to the beach!
2 days till a meeting that's pretty important. And till I see W.
1 day till a job interview for a pretty awesome position.

That list doesn't mention packing. Or sewing. Both of which I have plenty of left to do! 2 summer dresses to finish up- one with a hem and a collar, and one attaching a bottom to its top. And then I have to wear them. Before Labor Day. Too much white to push it in either of them.

I suppose I should get back at it... and be thankful for all of the amazing things that are the cause of the busy-ness. I'm starting SEMINARY! Holy COW!!!

Countdown....

13 days.

WOW. What with an amazing hiking trip with my best friend W from camp and a sermon(which went really well... I thought about posting pieces but I dunno...) to fill up the last 2 weeks of my life, I didn't notice the last of my summer slipping by me as well! Oh, and the tutus. Which were an all-around hit.

In the next 2 weeks I have...

Alterations/sewing galore.
-I am conquering duplicates this week... The goal is 3 shirts, 2 pairs of shorts, a pair of eyelet pants, a pair of slinky knit pants, and an additional, non-duplicate shirt. A pretty full box to be sure, and about that much to do next week too.
-I'm hoping to do 3 hours a day in alterations, and hoping, REALLY hoping, that it'll knock out the pile and send off multiple boxes a week.
-I have alterations to do for me too... so I will fill up a box and take a day to sew for myself before filling up the next box.... I have curtains- lined silk- that I want to be able to knock out as one of my first tasks in my new apartment.
-Remember I worked on a skirt and a dress? I have to finish those too, and I found CUTE, wide elastic for some quick-and-easy transition dresses, for the times in August/September where I wanna dress like it's fall but it's just too hot.

Time with my boys.
-I've been soaking up babysitting time for two boys, 3 and almost 6, like no other this summer, and wow will I miss them!
-I hope to get some pictures and their mom's permission to share them in the next week. Today I'll spend the afternoon with them.

Packing. Planning around a floor plan.
-I did a box for my kitchen today. Triumph! The big task will be to start gathering the things I need- setting up an apartment is a more expensive endeavor than I thought it would be, but I've been blessed to have some help and the ability to spread out some of the big expenses.
-I need to figure out what's left in the category of big expenses... And how to prioritize that.
-I might have friends helping me UN-pack! Which would be amazing... I miss my girls soo much and we've talked a bit about them possibly visiting before too much time elapses, which means I might have help doing some of my unpacking, and I'd get to explore my city with them.

Baking and sending.
-Care packages go to those who are starting school or have started, and cookies for the first day will be delivered by my boys this afternoon... Which means a quick batch is in order before I leave. Bar cookies to the rescue!

So much to do! But SO much I've soaked If I were to look at the summer as a whole, it's taught me life is too short... To do things you hate, to be mean, to miss out on things and people you love. It's too short for me not to be thankful and loving and use these two hands to do great things for other people. Use my time and prayer and all of it because I'm blessed. And remember that few things are more precious and worth soaking up than the words of wisdom from an older generation.

What have YOU soaked up this summer?

Pardon our mess

I'm restructuring a bit. Trying to streamline and be more accessible. Get some features back that my old look lost for me. Review the categories I have listed, and work on improving them, too. So if things disappear, I'll do my best to make them reappear if they're honest-to-goodness supposed to be there.
Did I mention a new look? I have one. Click through to the page, let me know what you think. The old template wasn't really playing nice with Blogger. And it may change again before all is said and done, but I really just like Blogger and the new templates... There are some really neat choices!

And the eleventy-million phone calls? Ohhh boy.

Here's to the day!

Modesty?

There is a thoughtful and thought-provoking discussion on modesty taking place in the blog-o-sphere this week, as Sophie, Peter, and Gertie and their many commenters have attested to. They've had their say, and I am going to speak my mind too... This really seems to be a charged, comment-generating topic.And before I continue, I have to say I don't mean to offend... I simply wanted to state my viewpoint on the matter at hand, and I really am going to try to do so in such a way as to keep the sensibilities of those less liberal or feminist than myself in mind.
The word modesty has extreme connotations with very charged religious and sexual undercurrents, and that was noted by the others who posted. The ideas of exposed skin and sexual charge seem to be connected in the minds of many- and the repression of those thoughts in Christian culture is a discussion for another time and place alltogether.
A survey- I couldn't read too much of it, it was really appalling to me as a Christian and as a woman- gave Christian men an oppurtunity to answer questions about the way women dress on a sliding scale, and then comment. The comments were, in the case of some responders- effectively telling women how to dress, outlining what is appropriate in what situations- and advising women to "be cautious" of anything remotely "tempting". I think that survey effectively ties up the issue of how much of a religious connotation modesty can take on, and goes a step further to say how sexist the ideas of modesty can be... The idea of a woman dresses to please men, or to entrap them... ugh. It's enough to make me pull my hair out.
What I wear should have no bearing on what a man thinks. If he is "tempted", he should keep his thoughts to himself. And those thoughts are just as likely to be there if there's more left to the imagination than if I were a bare-all kind of girl. Sophie mentioned not showing any skin she wouldn't want touched in a social setting, and I have to note that no man has a right to infringe on my personal space in any way I would find uncomfortable, bare skin or not. How I dress shouldn't make me an object, and any man looking me up and down or forming an opinion of me based on how much or little skin is showing is probably not one I want in my acquaintance. His thoughts are not my responsibility, and I'm not going to dignify the notion of those who show more skin "asking for it" with a response.
Let's step back for a second from the word "modesty". I can't honestly say I ever really think about it outside of the horrible connotations it takes on in a religious sense. When I'm thinking about how things look on me and appear to others, I want to look and feel classy. I want for fit to be as it's meant to be, not painted on or hanging off of me. I want to FEEL good- confident in my curves and lovely in my own skin. If that means I show a bit of cleavage or shoulders or leg, I think I have the right to. It's always been about how what I wear makes me feel. I'll wear a bikini on the beach to feel the sun on my skin and a wiggle dress in church or at work because it makes me feel sassy. I'll put tights on not to cover up, but because I like what the texture and color add to an outfit. A suit or a cocktail dress aren't worn to catch the eye, but because they make me feel good.
Women dress for women, first and foremost. We look each other up and down, and my sorority sisters and other women I trust have more influence over how I dress and are able to give me more of a confidence boost than anything a guy can say. I can't tell you how many amazing women I call friends and sisters I trust keep these rules or some like them in mind... I'll leave you with their words of wisdom:

• Knee-length skirts are MUCH sexier than miniskirts in many situations, and the elegance that comes with them is something desirable.
• Baring leg and shoulder/chest in one outfit is baring too much. Some of either is wonderful.
• The saying "If you've got it, flaunt it" doesn't mean bare it all.
• No matter the outfit, keep the place you're going in mind, and keep it classy!

These are my thoughts as a moderately liberal individual with feminist sensibilities... I'd really enjoy hearing your thoughts, and even more, I'd like to say again I had absolutely NO intention of offending with mine.

SERGER!!!

... Quite possibly the BEST GIFT EVER!

Sorry. I'll stop yelling now. But I'm still really excited. The minister's new wife, is a really neat person- a Presby turned DOC by marriage and we love her dearly... She's open, easy to talk to, and has adapted quickly from having 2 boys at home to having 3 girls and 2 boys at home. We've talked about a little bit of everything, and I am glad to call her a friend.

For fixing a monstrosity (fills up a large garbage bag) of crinoline, and doing some teeny alterations for her and the kiddos, as in an afternoon, I was gifted/traded a serger! Excitement? HECK YES!

On a more spiritual/cerebral note, I realized yesterday how blessed we are to have those of an older generation among us. Our church is very inter-generational, and we celebrate that on a weekly basis with a communion service every Wednesday night where anyone and everyone is able to come to the table and to share thoughts and concerns. The times I love the most are those where I get to sit around and hear the STORIES. And see what a blessing these people are, educating us all in the way that only they can.

WOW! A month and a half? Really?!?

Yep... Really.

I have...

... seen 2 distilleries on the Bourbon Tour, and peeked at a third... The Kentucky Bourbon Tour is made up of 6 distilleries with historic prominence in KY. They've got passports, and each distillery has a stamp.
Woodford Reserve is AMAZING. The drive out is beautiful and all of it really just takes your breath away. And the Angel's Share, which is where they store the barrels for the aging process, is truly heavenly. I see more now why Woodford is an artisan bourbon, because the small batches are BIG on quality, and it's a loving process!

Wild Turkey meant we got to see a larger distillery in the works... It was no Woodford, but it was still pretty neat! We had some amazing peach tea before the tour started, and got to meet the Master Distiller... 3 of the 5 of us who went got bottles signed of the same stuff he drinks, which is a 10-year small batch.
And Four Roses, which happens to be my favorite bourbon by far... We really just saw the grounds because we were too late for the tour, but I was glad to get to see it because the grounds really are stunning. But my passport is filling up!

...experienced an amazing trip to Los Fresnos, TX and Matamoros, MX with 24 amazing youth and 5 other amazing sponsors. We built a bouse! Made a home for someone! AND made the temporary home for those working on houses at the Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries campus more liveable. we tiled a floor, painted walls, scraped ceilings, and painted tons!
We made a difference, stateside and in the poorest areas of Matamoros... Working with the young woman who would be living in the house was probably one of the most rewarding parts of it for the youth. They all walked away changed and renewed because we took a time of rest after our hard work at South Padre Island! And then we saw San Antonio for an afternoon before we flew home.

...spent a week in Heaven on Earth at Camp Christian with 51 amazing campers. I led the Small Group for the oldest kids at camp- those going into 9th grade. It was more awesome than I can put into words to be able to give back to a place that gave me soooo much when I was still a camper there. And the youth I had in Small Group were the ones who I started out with when I was graduating from high school and starting out as a counselor... They've grown and changed a lot over the years, but I have too. It's the best kind of different to be a counselor in the same place I was a camper. And to be a part of someone coming to the descision to be baptized was HUGE. Unfortunately, I didn't have a good group photo... I was really more concerned with being a part of camp, not recording it... or, that's what I told myself when I forgot to recharge my camera battery...

...sewn my fingers off altering clothes for my aunt... She's lost a good bit of weight and is shopping in her closet! It feels great for her to be able to do it, and I'm loving working with such NICE things... And I think I'm learning a lot about the changes the body goes thorough after menopause in the process, but how close the bodies of the women in my family really are is, by far, the coolest part of it all. There's a vintage dress Nana, my grandmother, made in the 50s and wore regularly. And my aunt wore it

... started writing a sermon. I preach on August 8. I've also been fortunate enough to take communion to nursing homes and meet some really amazing ladies who share a really unique friendship.

What can I say? I've had a very busy and very blessed summer so far.

Checking in

Once upon a time, I posted regularly, and had many things I really wanted to talk about.

Now... I don't know. A blog I regularly read, Mimi's Room, featured a post on "Blogger's Block". Maybe that's it. I hate the idea that I have outgrown this, but I feel like the shape of things might be changing. My life is changing so so much right now I feel it's understandable... But my love of sewing and creating hasn't magically disappeared, and I really do still read many many blogs... But I've lost a bit of steam about working on mine.

Granted, there is a TON of stuff going on in my life right now... I am a senior in college. A member of a sorority. A chair of a university committee. I have a boyfriend. School responsibilities. An internship at my church. Seminary applications. Family. Life outside of the internet.

And more memories to make before my life changes for forever over the course of the next few months. I have rediscovered what it is to live in the moment and be a friend and a part of the world around me, and I'm relishing in that chance to just... be. I think it really could stem back to the sunsets and times I spent in Istanbul, and everything I've experienced since then. Just learning to be IN the moment.

I'm working on a list of goals for the time between now and graduation, and I may make this blog part of them. I'm going to do my best, as always, not to disappear... But I might just have to be okay with some changes. That might mean more posts like this.

Sorry for rambling. If you read this, I appreciate that. Although I suspect my sporadic posts and lack of pictures means not many do.

Thankful for 30...

I really do have SOOO much to be thankful for, and as late in the month as it may be, I committed to doing it and have done poorly, but I will have 30 reasons, one that happened on each day. And I will put them all here!

1.Bad Descisions Brunch- a time my friends and I get together on Sunday mornings and revel in Saturday evening's events... including some bad descisions, and many more laughs and remembering good ones.

2. Boys who play girls in the theater

3. Dancing in Fall leaves... SOOOO many wonderful colors this year!

4.Tech Crew fun times backstage

5. The scene in V for Vendetta about Guy Fawkes Day... "Remember, remember the Fifth of November..." ...We watched it as a study break for a big exam

6. Knowing the answers for exams

7. Naps.

8. Lunch with my youth group followed by fun with my actors... AND no big long photo call!

9. A day during the run of a show in which I don't have to enter the theater... Feels magical!

10. Playing Powderpuff Football with my sorority sisters, and having friends come watch!

11. Times to laugh with my classmates.

12. Revisiting SG (Stitcher's Guild) for the first time in a long time

13. Simple exams

14. A smooth Strike for what could be my last Strike... It is really an amazing thing to have watched an organization grow, and then to be okay with the idea of letting it go. Sitting at pizza party after Strike that night, I was really... okay with it.

15. Nintendothon! A philanthropy event for Pi Kappa Alpha's chapter at my school... I sponsored 2 members of the fraternity and was sponsored by 2 members of the fraternity and 3 of my sorority sisters. It raises money for Toys for Tots. Over the course of the weekend I played 12 hours of video games!

16. good hugs

17. feeling pretty

18. an empty feed on Google Reader

19. new media to play with in Drawing for the Theater- playing with black paper is neat!

20. Good friends who will let me take over kitchen tables and get work done

21. Piling people onto couches and getting to spend time talking and laughing into the wee sma' hours- nights you may not completely remember with people you know you could never ever completely forget are the stuff college is made of.

22. good coffee and good friends- and any occasion, even homework, that brings the two together.

23. throwing lessons- I learned to build a teapot!

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

To SWAP or not to SWAP?

I am really torn. The format is SUPER attractive this year... I could see myself wearing a grouping like this, and it would fill out the wardrobe of a Seminarian nicely...

From SG's page on SWAP 2010:

This year, to accomodate the many different clothing needs of our members, we have three SWAP formats to choose from. Certainly you may make more than one if you have time, but if you do each finished SWAP must fit one of the three formats.

Option #1:
6 tops - t-shirts, shirts, blouses, or camisoles
4 bottoms - jeans, pants, shorts, skirts or kilts.
1 your choice (not an accesory)

Option #2:
2 dresses -single pieces consisting of top and bottom that can be worn alone.
6 tops - t-shirts, shirts, blouses, or camisoles
2 bottoms - jeans, pants, shorts, skirts or kilts.
1 your choice (not an accesory)

Option #3:
5 dresses -single pieces consisting of top and bottom that can be worn alone.
4 tops - t-shirts, shirts, blouses, or camisoles
1 bottom - jeans, pants, shorts, skirt or kilt.
1 your choice (not an accesory)

2 garments may be purchased or previously sewn.
1 may be knitted or crocheted.
1 will be a matched print or stripe.
1 will feature embroidery, beads or sashiko
1 will have buttons as the star feature OR use unusual or alternative closure(s).
-----------------------
This year's emphasis is going to be on making a wardrobe that fits your needs, and showcasing your sewing and embellishing skills.

Sewing will begin December 26th, and all garments must be finished by April 30th, 2010. Because this is a shorter time frame, pattern fitting and cutting may be done whenever you're ready.

I really like option 2, and I think I could do it. Especially since 2 items can be pre-existing, and it contains dresses. I am not penalized for not finishing, and I will be sewing for my Senior Seminar in costume design... these little challenges of embellishment and matching could be practice for real things in Senior Sem! The six tops could be difficult, but at the same time, they could be my 2 pre-existing items, AND a chance for me to get over whatever "thing" I have about making tops. I have some coordinating things I bought and never even touched for SWAP and Istanbul, and need more things I make on my body... I just don't know if this is the way to do it.

I'd love some input.

Jessica is coming along...

I have a date.

I have the hairstyle CLOSE to figured out after a practice run last night.

I have the shoes.

I have the makeup, false eyelashes, purple mascara and all.

As for the dress....

The bodice is the only thing being lined, and is only lined to add support and a place for ...extra "support". I basted that lining together while a friend was working on "trial hair" and then put it on to check fit, realizing how much I have learned in the course of the past few years. The dress is being based on one I made my Freshman year. I didn't line it at all, and though I have gained enough weight and muscle to add inches just about everywhere, the dress was a bit too big.

It's a teaching moment to be sure: I have definately learned how far I have come. I wouldn't even have thought to try to do a fit of the lining this time 3 years ago... and I do now largely because of the awesome theatre work and close fittings I have done there.

I am pretty proud of myself... now let's just wait for pictures of the awesomeness.

Some Sewing!

...Not done yet. But for Halloween...

I am making a red dress....

I found the shoes last night at Marshall's... Well I found A shoe. This lovely faux-snakeskin-5"ish metallic sandally heel. For the life of me, I couldn't find the other shoe... And of course, it was the only one.

Then, at closing time, I got a call that said they found the mate! So I have shoes. They are red with one of those awful stacked heel, so I will be sanding the bases down and painting them shiny fire engine red.

For 7 dollars and a bit of work, I have shoes. Can we say exciting?

I'm using the extra fabric from Sunset (there is about 3 yards) for the dress, and then I'm set once I find purple gloves.

I am also doing a bunch of sewing associated with Rosenrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. It's been fun to be back in the costume shop, and we have boys down there right now who are learning. It makes my heart happy!

And after Jessica Rabbit, there will be a little bit of craziness getting R&G up, and then onto my gold dress for sorority formal! I might be able to work a bit of everyday wear for the winter in as well, but I HAVE been buying things. It's putting my refashioning side to shame, but at the same time, there is much going on in my life. So I need the time.

Hope all is well! Sorry for long absences.