So I initially planned on ranting about what an absolute failure this dress was. Then M saw me in it, and made googly eyes, and when I hear words like "Wow, that looks like something from Mad Men!"...Well, I had to revise my plan. It has a lot going for it, this Vogue 8511 dress. I like the grey. Of course I do. It has a bit of shimmer, and could potentially rise to a party occasion if paired with some sparkly accessories. The fabric is maybe some kind of suiting? There's a good amount of ... Read more
International Women’s Club
I've been thinking of you, lovely readers of this little blog. As I assembled the post for the Secret Valentine Exchange yesterday, I was struck by a feeling of déjà vu. I dug around the roots of my memories, and realized that almost everything about this blog takes me back to a very particular time in my life: grad school. After teaching English in Japan for a couple of years in my mid-twenties, I knew that I would be a basket case trying to transition back into American society (ironically ... Read more
The Secret Valentine Exchange!
I am giddy with excitement to announce an idea that's been brewing for a while! One of my loveliest readers and friend Ute contacted me a few months ago wondering whether I'd be up for hosting a sewing/craft gift exchange based on the idea of Julklapp, which is a Scandinavian version of Secret Santa. We decided that the holidays would be pretty crazy, so we agreed that a Valentine's-themed secret exchange would be spectacular. Thus, the Secret Valentine Exchange was born. It will be somewhat ... Read more
Monday Outfit: Koi Top + Grey Stretch Pants
Good morning, friends! I don't know about you, but I'm having a bit of a sewing mojo crisis. I thought I would be all pumped and ready to get cracking on tons of sewing projects with the new year, and in theory I definitely am. Maybe it was seeing the sheer number of clothes I made for K en masse a couple of weeks ago, but I started to hear whispers of "what are you doing?" in the back of my mind. And as I stitched up this absolutely lovely top from this absolutely lovely book in an ... Read more
Happy Friday + Randomness
Happy Friday! I'm guest posting over at the KCW blog again today, hooray! You'll get a sneak peak of my winter sewing plans and I've featured some cute outfits I'd like to sew from a couple of new Japanese sewing books I got recently. ************************************************************ A conversation I had with K on the way to school yesterday... K: When I grow up, I want to be an inventor. Me: Oh yeah? K: Yeah, I'm going to invent this cool brush with a tree on the end ... Read more