Sewing Dry-spell Over! Or Simplicity 1810

So I've actually found a bit of time to sew, with my first wedding of the season all wrapped up (I'm a photographer FYI). I chose something simple, because I have a few daunting projects coming up, mainly a evening gown for my brothers wedding. So I choose simplicity 1810, which was really simple. 

I'll try and remember not to wear a black bra with those one again ._. This fabric was pretty sheer, maybe I need to make a full slip to be able to wear this in public ha!

Yes, this is quite an optimistic dress weather wise. I'm hoping the midwest won't get anymore snow or below zero temperatures! I'm a summer girl and this winter has had me down in the dumps. It was in the 50's today, so maybe there's hope yet! 

Pattern Description: 

pullover dress in two lengths, tunic or top with shoulder pleat detailing, sleeve variation and tie belt at the waist and pull-on pants. Simplicity sewing pattern.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?:

Very close! I feel like the model has way less ease than what I ended up with. Her skirt seems a bit less full.

Were the instructions easy to follow?:

The only part I actually read was attaching the pleated part to the yoke and setting the ties into the back darts. Those instructions were east enough to follow for someone whose sewn a bit more like I have. But it's just a simple facing with bias bound armholes, and I could do both of those in my sleep at this point. 

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?:

I liked how to waist ties are sewn into the back dart. It makes for a much cleaner look that just having a fabric tie. I also like that the facings were sewing to the bias binding on the armholes. Helps keep a floppy facing down where it should be.

Fabric Used:

Some old light weight quilting cotton that I got very cheap on ebay. This dress was a wearable muslin to see if I liked the pattern.  I have some really beautiful silky black and white floral fabric in mind since this went well. 

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I Had to take out about an inch from the side seam armpits. Were talking huge armholes, and stuff that like is normally tight on me. I might try and see what happens when I size down, but it's not too horrible. 

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Sure, but definitely keeping in mind how much ease this pattern had in the armpits. But it's a quick sew and would make for a good summer dress. 

Conclusion:

As long as you're okay with checking the fit, this is an easy pattern that makes a very comfortable dress. The way the fabric waist ties are inset are interesting.

Spring Sewing Plans

What are your spring sewing plans?

So I'm finally ready to get back into the swing of sewing, which probably has a lot to do with all the snow melting outside! I've pulled a few patterns from my pattern stash I'd optimistically like to finish this spring. I say optimistically because I never finish these sewing to do lists, but they do help to keep me on track! 

First thing I'd like to sew is Simplicity 1810. I actually like all these patterns and think they work well together. I'm going to try version B first. It's got ties that are inset into the darts and seems very wearable! I'm making it in a silky black and white floral. 

Next is Simplicity 1620. The only piece I'm really interested in is the belted jacket. It's something that if I make in a neutral color I can wear with a lot of my spring stuff! 

Confession, I've never actually made a bag before, or many accessories for that matter. But I'm in desperate need of a yoga bag, so this pattern looks like it'll fit the bill. I have some "vegan" leather I could use for the accents as well. 

I had a lot of fit problems with zinnia last time I sewed it and really want to try and solve them. It has the possibility to really be a good staple piece if I can get it right. 

Chantilly, a pattern I've had for a very long time but never attempted. Time to get cracking I suppose. Plus it really screams spring to me. I can see it made up in a really lovely pastel. 

Shorts! I haven't owned a pair since middle school. But these seem pretty flattering and easy to wear. I'm worried about fitting my butt though to be honest. I have a pretty massive glutes so this should be some interesting fitting. 

More pants! These are either going to be amazing or terrible.

Total icing dress right here. But how cute is this pattern? Wouldn't it be an amazing base for julia bobbins mad men challenge? So very Betty.

I also need to finish up my sew bossy swap. See terrible with deadlines! 

My brother is having a formal wedding in april, I have nothing to wear and a total lack of budget to speak of. I'm thinking this pattern would be a good choice if I can find enough fabric at a decent price. 

Review: BH Cosmetics 28 Color Smoky Eye Palette

So I've been not buying makeup at all recently to save for my Paris trip. I wanted a new eye palette though. I've heard good things about B&H in the past so I decided to give it a go at 11.95 on amazon. (that's just a normal non affiliate link) I purchased the BH Cosmetics 28 Color Smoky Eye Pallette and am pretty impressed for the price. 

Below I put some swatches, without primer. Let's be real, I'm not wasting enough primer to cover my entire forearm. 

I'm pretty pleased. Some of the shades are a bit powdery, but nothing that can't be dealt with. I really recommend that you use an eyelid primer. I used my cheap one here, the WNW fergie eyelid primer (Like sixish dollars?). It didn't make sense to use my urban decay primer with eye shadow this inexpensive. I also thought some of the neutrals were way too similar for inclusion. A true white would have been nice in one of those shades places. Overall  I like the versatility of this palette. It would be something I would be okay travelling with, because if it breaks or I lose it I'm ten bucks down the drain versus 50-100 dollars. It's a bit big for backpacking, but I might be able to finagle it. Here's what I did last night with some of the red shades, I hope it doesn't come across like I've got a raging case of pink eye. 

Do you like B&H Cosmetics? Any other frugal palettes you like?

Date Night : Hockey Game & New Sofa

So one of mine and Brian's New Years goals is to do new things we haven't done (or not in a long time) at least twice a month. I'm going to blog about a few of them. I know that when your in a long term relationship it can be hard to come up with new things to do on dates. Maybe some of our ideas will inspire my readers to get out there and try new things? I hope so! I'm definitely enjoying them so far.

Our first date of the year was going to see the Cincinnati Cyclones game! It's not something I've done since I moved to the Midwest! Even though the cyclones aren't part of the NHL it was still a really good game! I can definitely see us doing this again. 

We also stopped by IKEA and got a new addition for the craft room. A Minimalist Futon! I often host a craft night at my house, and thought it would be nice to have somewhere besides the craft table to sit if you doing yarn crafts. Also since crafting and cocktails seem to go hand in hand, the option to turn into a bed didn't seem like a bad idea either. We dragged it home from the big blue box right before we got hit with an ice storm. Maybe I'm weird, but I don't think building IKEA furniture is the worst way to pass the time when you're stuck inside. 

We chose this model because it was one of the few futons that folded up longways instead of hot dog style. The latter kind wouldn't fit in our small little nook. Also the shape is so simple I want to make some slipcovers for it! It didn't hurt either that is was one of the less expensive options by far. It fits out needs perfectly and is rather comfortable. 

On being content with less.

I mentioned the trip to Paris I'm taking this year in the last post. We've had to cut our spending budget down by quite a bit to be able to afford our already frugal trip. I've been taking practically any photography job I can get. I've also been weeding through our belongings to try and see what we really need and use. Then tossing or selling what falls by the wayside. 

When I started in this whole new frame of mind, I thought it was going to majorly blow. But you know what? It's not that bad. I kind of like it even. It's very different from how I was when I first bought the house. Heck even buying the house was the tiniest bit of keeping up with the Jones'. I'm glad I did, because it's turning out to be a very sound investment all the same. There's lots of stuff we could be improving in the house with the money were spending on this trip. Were in need of a new deck, and some other repairs. And I would love new floors throughout the house, or maybe even a new bathroom. You know what though? None of those things are going to need to be done. Sure the some deck boards definitely need replaced, but the whole deck replacement can wait. I'll just keep it clean and fix what I can in the meantime. Travelling and experience are important to me, so I'm making sacrifices to do it. 

I've decided that I'm not buying anything for the house unless it's perfect, and something I plan on using forever. There's no more of this phase one, or placeholder malarkey. You end up wasting money and adding to landfills that way. So while I still plan on blogging about the house, I don't think it will be to the kind of materialistic extent it was over the past few years. 

As far as sewing goes, I seem to be doing far more mending than actual sewing. But now that the holidays are officially over, I'll have much more time to get down to some wardrobe building. I have a few travel pieces I'd like to start working on, like a capsule wardrobe, soon. I'm heading to Joann's armed with some birthday gift cards to see if I can get all the fabric I need to start. 

I put in my passport application earlier in the month. Something I've put off doing for far too long. I was always afraid it would be too expensive and a hassle. Granted the fees are expensive, but worth it. We bought our travel packs as well last week. Isn't it funny how something as small as a backpack can get you so excited. I'm already seeing all the places beyond Paris we'll take these guys. 

It's also my 25th birthday today! I'm excited to say the goal from here on out is going to be experiences vs. things. I'd like to embrace a new minimalism in my life. A simplicity that will help facilitate everything I want to do, and everywhere I want to go. 

Danish Oil on Brasilla

So I know I've been a bad blogger, but for good reasons! I've been pinching pennies for a trip to europe this year! In fact I've even been selling some stuff that doesn't fit very well in my house anymore. The brasilla commodes are one of those things. They were one of my first purchases for the house at 30$ for the pair. While they worked that first year I haven't really been able to find a place for them since then. I decided to give them a little love and sell them to a dealer. Enter danish oil. For those of you who don't know, this stuff is the bomb.com. Like the easiest way to refresh wood, especially mid century wood.  Get ready for the easiest tutorial of all time.

I cleaned and scraped off a bit of white paint that had gotten on one of the commodes. To be honest they were looking kind of rough. 

See, not the best looking top ever. I mean it's not horrible, but we can do better. So I picked up a small bottle of danish oil and some lint free rags for about 10 bucks. 

Now brace yourself, here's where it gets complicated. I poured a generous amount right on the top of the commode, took my lint free cloth, and rubbed it in. I coated it fairly generously, waited a half hour, then did it again. After another hour I took a clean dry cloth and removed any oil that didn't get absorbed into the wood (which wasn't a lot). And then... you're done. Look at how pretty these babies are now! 

They're still not perfect, but good enough for me to sell them to a dealer for 400$ (which is way under what they're worth, but I didn't want to deal with the hassle of finding someone willing to pay that like the dealer will.) Have you ever used danish oil? Or better yet what are you're favorite ways to make a bit of money on the side to fundraise for yourself? 

Sewing Goals

In 2013 I made a lot of dresses, and that's about it. Of those dresses I wore only a few more than once, and even fewer than that made it intact threw the wash. May I present the survivors of this years sewing.

• This year I intend to sew things that fill more gaps in my wardrobe. Separates are a must, pants in particular. I also have very little in the way of non jersey tops, so some blouses are in order. And since I work in a professional environment why not throw in a vintage suit, the kind I'm always waxing poetic on.
• 2014 will also be the year I focus on fit, and drafting for correct fit. I'm going to buy a whole bolt of muslin and actually make toiles this year. Yes it's tedious, and doubles the amount of work for a garment. I've had so many things I've made this year just fit so awful that it needs to be done. I'd say for every project I post three never saw the light of day. 
• This is also the year I spend more on high quality fabric. My last project of 2013 which you will never see what made out of some really horrible broadcloth. Never again! 

Do you have any sewing goals for this next year? 

A Very Crafty Christmas

So my family knows me well, or at least knows the link to my amazon wishlist. Can I share all my awesome craft related gifts with you guys? 

First up my largest gift! I got a real, non duct tape dress form. It's the Drizt My double dress form to be exact. I like it so far, but I have yet to drape anything on it. I'm thinking about buying some dress pads and padding her out to match me a bit more. She's also got a hem marker! I've never used one am I'm pretty stoked to have more even hems. 

A beautiful set of french curves. Some Chaco Pen Liners (which are my new favorite marking tool!). A pair of Gingher pinking shears, I'll admit I've never actually owned any pinking shears. This pair seems glorious though! And a very space age looking gingher seam ripper (two actually!).

This very Technical book which I have been lusting after. I'd like to start drafting some of my own patterns in the coming year. Wish me luck! 

My brand new, heavy duty, old fashioned iron! This thing is a beast and I love it. Also my first Tailors ham and seam roll, which I've already used to death. How I lived without them I'll never know. 

Did you guys get anything crafty for Christmas?

Happy New Year!

So how many of you will be writing 2013 still for the next couple of months? I know I will. I know I haven't been very present on the blog recently. I've got the same excuses as everyone else I suppose. The holidays, family, stomach flu. But don't worry, I'm not abandoning it yet! Now that things have slowed down a bit again around these parts I've got some free time. I also got some very nice sewing related Christmas presents I need to put to go use! As far as my new years goals go, I have a few!

• Blog more regularly.
• Take more personal photos with my "good" camera.
• Continue eating well and working out.
• Investing more time and effort into my personal appearance.
• Be more creative.
• Read More. (I've already got a bit of a head start on this one! in the past three months I've read three books a month. I'd like to at least stick with that.)
• Be more content in what I have, and take better care of the things I own.
• Write more. (I participated, and failed in nanowrimo this year, but I enjoyed getting back into writing fiction. I also like the story I started enough to finish it!)
• Work on my weekly 2014 scrapbook.

All of these seem well within reason, so I have high hopes to at least do well with most of them! What are some of your new years resolutions?

Oh Starry Sky

So maybe you readers remember when I said I was painting the dining room a royal tennebaum pink, like a million years ago? Well after having like a million pink paint swatches up on the wall for oh all of ten or so months, I decided it just wasn't working. So we went in an entirely different, darker, bluer, direction! 

Check out Valspar's Starry Sky. I know, I know, way different. I'm really super in love, even if there are a few spots I have to touch up. I'm really surprised at how evenly the 2-in-1 paint and primer covered everything though! 

It makes the trim look super white and my danish wood furniture come across even deeper and richer. I think I made the right choice. I'll have some finished, holiday decorated, photos up this weekend when I post about our tree! 

What do you think? Would you have stuck with pink?