Cape in progress

Somehow I forgot we live in Texas and decided to make a cape. My first adventure in outerwear! I will probably get to wear it twice, because apparently seasons don't exist here. It's still hot outside and it's November. You'd think being a Texan my whole life I'd be used to it, but nope. I still have dreams of winter wonderlands where you wear scarves and sweaters and capes.

I am using this Burda Style Magazine pattern. And when I say "in progress", I mean seriously in progress. That hood is definitely not attached to the rest of the cape in that picture. It's just hanging out on my head. And it's held together by pins, not stitches. It took me a good half hour to figure out how those hood pieces went together. The pattern is very.... simple. As in no pictures and very minimal instructions. Luckily I have something that might resemble a brain in my skull and a decent amount of sewing experience. But it has still been a challenge. Once I figure out where things go I'm like, "duh, that makes absolute sense!" but getting there is the rough part.

But I have high hopes, it's a simple and classic design and it seems to be coming together beautifully, although slowly. I'm using the softest charcoal grey wool/poly blend. It's a dream to sew. And although there are no instructions for it, I'm fully lining it with some pretty maroon lining. Flying by the seat of my pants with that lining nonsense, so wish me luck.

I have roughly 100 projects lined up. Holidays, y'all. I'm interested to see how many get finished and how many get pushed onto the giant pile of would-be-but-Marie-doesn't-have-the-time-or-the-attention-span-to-see-through projects. It's like the Island of Misfit Toys. All my almost and unfinished projects hang out together and talk about how ridiculous I am. One day I will rescue (finish) them all. Maybe.

Headed to the beach!

We have a little family beach trip coming up and I am excited! Not only is it a little vacation, but we haven't been to the beach in YEARS. I'd say probably since 2008? Well, scratch that, we went to Galveston last year in February, but that doesn't really count since it was cold and foggy. Regardless, I'm ready for some sunshine and ocean air! I'm not really a beach person, I actually fear getting into water in general (especially water that contains biological life that may eat me), but we are long over due and I can't wait!

In preparation for this trip we got new swimsuits today! We have had the same old swimsuits forever (since we rarely swim) and I'm pretty sure the last one I bought was from Walmart and was like $8. Classy, I know. So today I ventured out to the mall (dangerous) and got us some new beach wear! Exciting stuff!

Brendon got this little number:

And I got these two:

These are the fanciest swimsuits I've had since probably high school. Coming up in the world y'all. And obviously homegirl looks way more fab in them than I will. I'm a little concerned about my extreme paleness out in the sunlight, but I plan on bathing in spf 100 everyday. Hopefully I will survive and avoid the lobsterness. 

If you are in the market for a swimsuit, both GAP and Old Navy are having hella sales. Get you some. I'm also thinking of investing in a straw hat. Too old lady? Whatev. I'm going all out, it could be the last time we see the ocean for years. I have to make a good show!

Anniversary Celebration!

Yesterday was a very good day filled with love and cuddles and calling everything "the anniversary (whatever)". For instance, I sat in "the anniversary traffic", took "the anniversary nap", and we found "the anniversary awesome parking spot downtown". Just kidding about that last part, not sure if we actually said that, but we did find LEGIT parking downtown. Like steps from the restaurant, while fools were paying $8 to valet park their Mercedes. RICH PEOPLE.

For real though, yesterday was wonderful and once again Brendon spoiled me rotten with his awesome-husband skills. Even though we agreed NO PRESENTS, Brendon was bad (wonderful) and got me beautiful aquamarine (my birthstone y'all!) earrings and a necklace to match a ring he got me a few years back. I love them! He is too good to me! So for my gift, since Mr. H has been hankering for another tattoo, I agreed to fund it for him whenever we finalize his idea and find a good tattoo artist (know of any in Austin? holla atcha girl!). He wins in the gift giving department obviously. Slacker wife!

After relaxing and chillin' (and napping on my part) all afternoon yesterday we headed downtown to grub! We ate at Eddy V's and it was amazing. It's a fancy sea food and steak place. Pricey, but everything was so good. And I love, love, love seafood. The service was great, the food was phenomenal, and we had fun pretending we were fancy pants people. We got a giant crab cake as an appetizer, then Brendon got the sword fish, and I got ahi tuna. Oh and we had parmesan french fries and truffled macaroni and cheese on the side. It was all delicious. I consider myself a connoisseur of ahi tuna (HA) and that's seriously the best I have ever had, not to mention the biggest ahi tuna steak I've ever seen. And the dessert menu! Oh my goodness. I want to go there and just feast on desserts. They had so many good choices. We settled on the chocolate mousse because it is literally, my favorite food. It was divine. Seriously eat there if you ever get a chance (they are in Dallas and Ft. Worth too, northern friends!). I told Brendon last night he should have never taken me there because now it's my favorite place to eat ever. I am drooling now after typing all that. End food rave.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE! How sweet is that? Our server was so nice! We even got a card that a bunch of the staff signed. I want to go back. Right now.

After dinner we wandered a block over to 6th street. We wanted to go to this bar called Darwin's that we had seen last time we wandering around there. We are big geeks and fans of Charles Darwin, so of course we wanted to check it out.

Turns out that place has absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Darwin and was just a grungy bar like all the others on 6th. We were really let down, we were expecting pictures of finches! Too nerdy for you? Props if you understood that. So we had one beer and watched some extremely drunk older people act a fool. And then peaced out.

Jim Beam dude as decor? Not Darwin-esque at all. Also, my cute husband.

Awkward there-are-wasted-old-ladies-dancing-behind-me face.

After leaving the un-naturalist inspired bar, we wandered around and people watched for a while. I think that is the only value 6th street holds for us. People watching. There are just sooo many weirdos (some of them a tad on the scary side). There was this lady walking around with grocery bags on her feet and around her neck while she was carrying her shoes. Whaaa?

Handsome husband! Oh how I love you! At the "Darwin" bar he untucked his shirt, rolled up his sleeves, and said "it just got casual". Endless love for this ever entertaining man.

And I'd like to take this moment to take a short break from our anniversary recap to introduce you to my latest sewing creation, the purple anniversary dress:

It's made of a super comfy and pretty purple linen. I'd say by far this is the most "well made" dress I've made so far. It's super tailored and I tried it on a gazillion times while making it to make sure it fit perfectly. I can't tell you how many times I restitched the waistline and back stitches to make sure it was perfect and everything was lined up. And there are pockets!

I used the same pattern as my holiday dress, just went with a different skirt and sleeve style. I added the collar just for fun. I made up my own pattern for it and everything! Can you tell I'm proud? Even Brendon said it was the best thing I've made! Yay!

And here's my handsome husband again:

Thanks for letting me take pictures of you, even if you make the fake smile.

When we got home we had some of our wedding cake! We (my dad and Lynne, as we were skipping off merrily (not soberly) into our limo post-wedding) saved the top tier so we could eat it on our one year anniversary because I guess that's what you do?

Mostly it tasted like freezer. It was delicious a year ago, but last night it was pretty gross. We ate enough so we have good luck, or whatever it's supposed to mean, and then chunked it. I think it probably would have tasted better if it was in some sort of air tight container, but it was just in the cake box freezin' all year. Word to the wise if you're getting hitched soon, invest in a big tupperware for your cake!

So that was our evening! We ended it by watching a movie and cuddling. We even stayed up until midnight! Not quite the wild night we had a year ago, but it was perfect. Brendon spoils me so badly! He wonders why I have a princess complex. I am so in love with my husband! One year of goodness down, bring on another!

Side note: after walking all night in heels (and eating 800lbs of food) my run this morning was brutal. My ankles said no, no, no! I guess maybe I should walk in heels more, because apparently my legs are out of practice.

Skirt and shirt shenanigans

My most recent sewing creation is a shirt and skirt combo! Made from the same set of patterns I made my last dress from. I know I always say that whatever I happen to be talking about is my favorite thing I've made, but this really is! I love this skirt and shirt, they've got a retro 50's feel. And I love the fabric. That fabric I made the skirt with was $2 y'all, for 2 very wide yards of awesome fabric. On clearance. TWO DOLLARS!!! It is plaid and gold and shiny and perfect. And I have a bunch left over still. The fabric for the shirt was a little pricier, but it's good soft stuff that is super comfy. And pretty! It's lacy! And both of these things fit me perfectly. Which is a nice change from things always being a bit big (I suck at sizing myself).

This beautiful fabric came with an extra set of challenges however. It was pretty dang see through! No bueno for a skirt unless you're into showing off your panties (I am not). So I had to improvise and whip up a lining. It was a fun problem to solve. I basically made another shorter mirrored version of the skirt and sewed it into the waistband and around the zipper. It's kind of nice because not only is it no longer see through, but it hides all the seams and makes it look pretty from the inside as well! It also adds a little bulk to it to make it a little... fluffier?

Now here are some wonky pictures Brendon took of me wearing this little ensemble. I apologize for the flash. I know that's like a blogging (and photography?) no-no, but we ran out of daylight and I ran out of energy for creative pictures.

Ignore the creases on the skirt from where I sat on it. That fabric is super weird (it's acetate? I need to google it) and likes to hold creases and folds. Forever. I haven't figured out how I'm going to wash it.

I am very happy with how it all turned out. The skirt and shirt were both a lot of fun to make. It felt good to get my hands working on something constructive after a week of laziness. And I already have my pattern and fabric for my next project picked out! Purple linen y'all, get ready.

And just for the hell of it, I'll leave you with some borderline ridiculous pictures:

Sophie. Seriously. That cat is FAT.

And this is what 9pm after getting up at 4am looks like. Tired, tired, tired.

Step by Step Sewing Part 3 - Construction

Alrighty, finally the next installment of the sewing project! I've named this dress the "candy striper" dress, for obvious reasons. Check out Part 1 and Part 2. Now let's tackle putting this thing together!

First things first we'll make the bodice. Really what you're making here is a kind of vest that eventually will be attached to the skirt. I ironed the interfacing onto the fabric, giving the fabric some stiffness and strength in places you'll need it. Most importantly here, where we'll be putting the buttons and button holes.

Next up, we sew in some darts onto the bodice pieces as well as the bodice lining. You basically have two mirrored copies of the bodice, one in your good fabric and one in lining. You'll sew them together so that on the inside of the bodice there are no exposed seams.

That up there is the lining. There are bust and waist line darts in the two front pieces (left and right sides) and then two waist line darts in the back piece. Darts are super easy, you basically are sewing out a wedge in your fabric, creating some definition/three dimensionality to your fabric. It makes your garment more fitted and tailored to your body. It also creates space to put your lovely boobs. Yes I just said boobs.

So I sewed in all my darts to all the bodice pieces and lining, then I sewed the front pieces to the back piece at the shoulder seam. Then I sewed the fabric and lining versions of the bodice together, good sides facing, so when you flip it right side out you can't see the seams on the inside or outside. Secrets of the trade here y'all. Just kidding, if you've sewn a pillow, you can do this.

Inside out:



Right side out:

Next up, the skirt! I pleated the top edge following the pattern guide. The nice thing about this pattern is that the pleats are intentionally uneven and random, so if they're not perfect, no worries! I love pleating. The other option is usually gathering, which I am not a fan of. More on that another time.

The pleated front and back skirt pieces:

Here come the pockets! Each pocket is half lining, half good fabric sewn together.The side with the lining goes on the front side of the skirt and the fabric side goes on the back. This is because when you've got your hands in the pockets or they're partially open, you'll see more of the back of the pocket than the front. Ideally, I guess this is saving you on fabric, but since the pocket pieces are so small it would be easy and just fine to make both sides of them out of your good fabric.

The right pocket is super easy. You sew the pocket made of lining to the front half of the skirt and the one made of good fabric to the back half. Then you basically sew the sides of the skirt and the pocket pieces together at the same time in one long stitch, leaving an opening for the pocket.

Finished right pocket:

The left pocket is a little different, and was easily the most challenging part of the dress. Since there is a zipper along the left side seam of the dress, you have to sew that side differently. The pattern calls for an invisible zipper, but since that requires an invisible zipper sewing foot (and way more steps), I just got a regular zipper. I might actually have an invisible zipper foot, but I lost my machine's manual years ago so I'm pretty clueless as to what a lot of my machine's accessories do. I need to buy a new manual online.

So anyway, I sewed the zipper and the left pocket in on the same seam line, leaving the pocket open. It was way more complicated than that sentence, but I don't think it's worth explaining. And I took no pictures of that part because it was stressful haha.

After sewing the skirt sides together, you attach the bodice to the skirt. Super easy, just a straight seam. Here's the dress, inside out, with the pockets sewn in:

Adding the buttons and button holes is up next! Using the button hole guide the pattern came with, I marked out where the holes would be sewn in.

I love sewing in button holes. Mostly because the machine does all the work, and they look so fancy! You just use a button foot on your machine, use the button hole settings to make stitches that reinforce the area around the hole, use a seam ripper to cut open the area between stitches and BOOM, button holes.

Then use the guide again on the other side and sew on your buttons. Sophie is helping me out here, by sitting exactly where I need to sew. She's awesome like that.

The bodice is all done! 

All that's left is to hem the skirt:

And we're done son! Obviously this is a highly simplified version of what took a few days. But as far as sewing projects go, this dress was fairly simple. And it would be a super easy pattern to alter.

I'll save pictures of the whole finished dress for later. I want to build suspense! But mostly I look terrible and there's no way I'm taking any pictures of myself today. But soon y'all!

the Woman in Black

Do you guys want to see the Woman in Black? I do. Although it looks spooky as all get out and I am a HUGE baby, my man Daniel Radcliffe is in it and I have to support my Harry Potter alumni. So much love for all the cast. I wish them nothing but great success in their post-hp careers. The movie comes out today so go see it if you feel like getting scared or seeing HP without glasses.

And on that note, guess who finished her recent sewing project that just so happens to coordinate perfectly with today's movie release? Me, obviously.

BOOM, favorite outfit ever. Seriously. I love this outfit. I have wanted a good pencil skirt for SO LONG, but have had the hardest time finding one that fit/wasn't $100+. This skirt cost me $9 (NINE BONE$ Y'ALL, sooo cheap) to make and it fits perfectly. It's black corduroy and so comfy. It was a breeze to make, aside from the fact that I somehow sewed the zipper on the wrong side. Rules about zippers are dumb anyways. I plan on making more of these skirts. It was so easy! I knocked it out last night after work, fabric cutting and everything. I am thinking something like this next.

That shirt on the other hand, was a pain in the ass to make.

This picture is lame, but you can see the detail of the shirt a little better. You can also see Greg coming in from the great bright beyond that is behind our blinds. Obviously it's an entrance to a parallel universe.

Chiffon is easily the most irritating and frustrating fabric I have ever sewn on. Ever. I almost gave up and ripped that shirt to pieces so many times. Cutting the fabric was ridiculous. I had to cut the collars twice because the fabric shifted the first time and the pieces did not match up at all. Chiffon also does not like be pressed. It wouldn't hold a crease for anything (on the bright side, it's pretty much wrinkle free) which made sewing the hems and facings a pain. This shirt took me forever, simply because it was constantly sliding around everywhere and being really stupid.

But I LOVE the finished product. I had to alter the original pattern to take out the bow and switch the button closure from the back to the front. I lengthened the key hole opening in the front to make it a bit... sexier. HA. It is cute wearing unbuttoned as well, it makes it a lot more casual. I also didn't use any interfacing to stiffen up the collar as obviously I was going for something sheer. And sheer it is! It definitely requires wearing a little something underneath. Unless you're going for that whole show off your bra look, which I am not.

As always, a sewing post is not complete without a cat. Or a giant picture of my face.

And this might have happened...

Not sure at all what's going on there. I'm sure my cats found it amusing. Someone needs to take those sunglasses away from me.

Next up on the project list: BUILDING AN EASEL. That's right. It's finally happening. I'm going down to my dads tomorrow after work to hopefully knock it out. Wish me luck and safety near power tools, I would love to come back with all my fingers and limbs intact.

Green polka dotted dress

Hello internet, meet my latest sewing creation! I need to drag these projects out a bit more. It took me three days (and this was all after working) total, one to cut out the patterns and fabric and two to sew. And now I am left with nothing to work on while Brendon's at school on my day off today. Poorly planned on my part.

Princess Leia-esque hair is definitely happening here.

I really like the shape of the skirt, it's flattering and classic. Unfortunately this dress is actually a tad too big for me by one or two sizes. Whoops! So it should be a bit more fitted than it is. I was really sad about that when I tried it on for the first time. The pattern size to body measurements are never the same from one pattern to the next. It's a little frustrating, I even went down a size from my holiday dress which was also too big. Fortunately in that case I was able to easily size it down with a couple of quick alterations, but I can't do that with this green dress without completely taking it apart. Oh well! I'm hoping after a few washes it will shrink up a bit since it is cotton. And I added a little belt to cinch up the waist a bit.

And of course, there are pockets! This dress presented an interesting challenge since the zipper was on the left side along the seam line, which was also the home of the left pocket. The pattern called for a 12" invisible zipper, but I couldn't find one so I got a regular zipper instead. Turns out they are very different! I had to wing it since the instructions were for the invisible zipper. I had to figure out how to somehow attach the zipper without sewing the pocket shut. And I'm happy to say I was very successful! And I think my way is waaay easier than what they had planned.

Also, notice something different? Like maybe the standardization of photos here? We got a tripod a little while back and today I tried it out! It took me a little while to get the hang of it, but I like the results! Minus the crappy background. I despise those blinds. I think maybe I'll try venturing outdoors (obviously somewhere where NO ONE can witness me looking ridiculous) to shoot my next sewing project. Being able to photograph myself sporting my projects and not having to rely on a certain often grumpy (and tall, photos look so awkward when they're taken from above) someone to take my photos will be nice. Sorry Mr. H, looks like you may have been fired. I'm sure he's thrilled.

After I got some decent shots of the dress, I started being silly in front of the camera.

Can you believe that picture of Sophie? She's looking right at the camera. That NEVER happens. It might have had something to do with the blinking red light, but I'd like to think she was being nice and cooperative for once (HA). And isn't she HUGE? I can't believe how big that cat is. She's like a little bear! She looks absolutely ridiculous and I love it.

I'm ready to start my next project (which will hopefully take a little longer) but I don't have anything lined up! I have lots of patterns, I just need to pick one and get after it. Choosing is just so hard! I am no good at making decisions! You should see me try to decide what I want for dinner. It's BAD.

Little checkered shirt

My sewing machine and I finally got back into the swing of things and made something! I churned this baby out in a couple days. This shirt was a lot of fun and a challenge to make. It's from a "vintage" 60's pattern set that was re-released by Simplicity. There are coordinating pencil skirt, jacket, and cardigan patterns that go with it. I'm sure I'll get to them at some point. Until then, SHIRTS WITH BOWS AND CUTE COLLARS!

 Please excuse my face. And my hair. This is post-work hair, not so fab.

 

Cutest bow ever? Possibly. It's a big mofo for sure. And I LOVE the little collar. I plan on making another version of this shirt without the bow. The collar by itself is so cute! 

Even the back of this shirt is cute! I love how much detail there was in this pattern. The back is just as tailored as the front, something that doesn't always happen.

I love it with a cardigan (everything is better with a cardigan). I felt a little like a grade school teacher, but I dig it. When I make the next version I plan on lengthening the whole thing just a tad. It feels a little short on me, but that may just be because I'm a tall lady. I also want to try it in a gauzy/sheer-ish fabric. I've never sewn on anything like that before and I think I'm up for the challenge!

As always, Greg wanted in on the photo action. He's just too darn cute to stay away from the camera.

 

And because Greg and I don't want you to think we take ourselves too seriously, I'll leave you with this gem:

Photo cred as usual goes to my dear husband. Although he sometimes has the patience of a 5 year old, I wouldn't be able to share my sewing projects without him!