Good morning! It was, of course, essential that I make a Christmas dress for K, and for the occasion, I pulled out a fabric that I've been saving for a long time. It's a metallic aqua linen, and I knew it would be perfect as a festive frock. The metallic coating stiffens the fabric,which gives it a taffeta-like texture, and I found that I could finger-press pintucks quite effectively. This was helpful because ironing required a press cloth, and sometimes I would forget and my iron would ... Read more
Monday Outfit: Spring-Like Cheer
Good morning! Did you have a lovely weekend? We've been watching with wonder as K cuts down house after house of the advent calendar, and now we're a mere 9 days away from the big day. I should be focusing on Christmas presents, I really should. Instead, I made an outfit that practically shouts 'spring' because the weather has been quintessentially grey and these colors are so cheerful. All we need to complete the look is a vintage bicycle with a loaf of french bread and fresh flowers filling ... Read more
Monday Outfit on Friday: Collaboration
Happy Friday! I'm finally getting around to posting the Monday outfit today. It's a special one -- a collaboration of sorts. This ultra chic long cardi is the handiwork of the one and only Ba-chan (aka "Grandma" in Japanese, aka my mom). This is a noteworthy garment for many reasons, but mostly because this is perhaps the most restrained creation I have ever seen materialize from my mom's hands. The woman's favorite color is shocking pink, and no embellishment is safe from her clutches. The fact ... Read more
Sewing for Me: Fandango Pullover + Stripey Tee
My sewing machine is making funny noises. It started as a soft rattle, but now it sounds like an especially angry jackhammer -- so distressing. It's time to get it serviced, which means I am going to be without a machine for who knows how long. The timing couldn't be worse. But I tried to squeeze out as many projects as I could before sending it out, so that's something. This here is McCall's 6603, view B. The fabric, much like my sister-wife-on-the-compound-dress, is most likely some ... Read more
DIY Faux Leather Luggage Tags
As a going away present, I made some luggage tags for a friend some weeks ago. They struck me as good holiday gifts that you can whip up in no time, so I'm putting it out there. My friend was very sweet and complimentary about them, and I think they're quite pretty myself. And did I mention easy to make? The ones I made are about 3.5in x 5.5 inches. I tried out a couple of different methods, and there's a wealth of customization opportunities with these. I liked using ribbon from my stash ... Read more