I finally had a chance to sit down and savor the new issue of STYLO and I am in awe. Having worked in high end/big budget catalog production and having held a number of other jobs involving print and online media production, I’m pretty familiar with grueling work that goes into creating a visually-driven publication. Which is why I’m astounded by how Celina and Jess produced such stellar quality and quantity with so few core people on their team. Blown away. It would be mind-blowing if this was their only job, but this is one of about a trillion cool projects they’re working on!!

So I had contributed one more outfit to the magazine, and this one was based on pure whimsy. You know how fashion magazines often have those outfits which have absolutely no practical value or application, but are visually arresting? Well, that was my thought process, though I’m not sure that I achieved the “visually arresting” bit.

I felt good about meeting the “fresh-citrus” criteria with the cadette coat and pintuck dress, but I also wanted very much to sew something with metallic zing. Before my fabric fast began, I’d snared these baby-bottom soft faux leather pieces in copper, silver and nickel from here, and I’d made some juggling balls for K with them (for which she finds infinite uses, and I’m constantly tripping over them). Wait, is using a baby’s bottom as a descriptor inappropriate?

I loved the Perri Pullover pattern from Cali Faye — in fact, I loved all the patterns from her shop and wanted to make them all. As I was perusing the shop, a metallic, color-blocked version popped into my head. It would be so futuristic, quasi-industrial and hipster, I thought. Well…the jury’s still out on that one. At any rate, the pattern was a quick and easy sew, and I want the Perri pattern for myself!

Because of the thickness of the faux leather, I didn’t bother hemming and actually liked the raw edges. Cute sandals, right? I thought the gold and clear vinyl matched the top nicely and they were on mega-sale at Baby Gap (where I basically bought all accessories for this shoot last minute).

The leggings are the ones I use all the time from this book and the fabric is the same knit I used for the knit Meridian cardigan. This is my go-to leggings pattern and they haven’t disappointed me yet.

It was tricky getting the collar to lay flat and so I just rolled it out as a “design element”. Of course, this caused all sorts of off-the-shoulder shenanigans on K’s part.

It was fun sewing this up, though it’s less futuristic and more metalsmith apron than I’d envisioned. And yes, it’s probably not the most comfortable top to wear for K, at least not in this heat wave we’re currently having in Seattle. I imagine it would come in very handy for dress-up come autumn/winter time. She could pretend to be a fashion-conscious welder.

So that’s it for my STYLO sewing. I’m so inspired by all the other contributors and it just makes me want to improve more and more!

 

Oooh, I get my own STYLO cover version! Celina powered through technical snafus, and it looks like the second issue  is now live, and it was so worth the wait, no? Look at K, giving her best bossy look in what has to be the most beloved creation to date: the Cali Faye Cadette Coat. It trumps the Frozen costume, which says it all. Tons of pictures alert!

So the theme was “fresh-citrus-metallics,” and I immediately knew I had to use this mint wool from my stash. The Cadette Coat pattern seemed like a natural fit (and a little surprising, I hope), and I utilized every last bit of silver poly lining I had. The buttons are military-esque and silver and incredibly awesome. K was a spot-on size 7 according to the measurements so I thought I should sew the 8, but with my usual eyeballing method I had an inkling the 7 was a better bet. It might be just a smidgen short on length, which makes it more of a jacket than a coat, but K has publicly declared this her favorite outerwear ever.

With her $9.99 Baby Gap shades, I’m wowed by how much older she looks. She refused to take them off for several days and nights, and of course we now have no idea where they are. Doesn’t it look like she’s channeling Audrey Hepburn in her Tiffany’s-blue coat?

As this was going to be in a magazine (can you tell how very thrilled I am about this?), I felt like i needed to bring my A-game and actually venture out of the house for the photoshoot. Since I had to go drop off the car in the Queen Anne neighborhood to get it serviced and there are a number of picturesque locations within the nearby Seattle Center, I conned K with a promise of gluttonous amounts of sweets and dragged her with me. Above she’s standing in front of the International Fountain, which brought back a lot of memories since I used to hang out here all the time when K was a baby.

She thought it would be funny to use her doll’s umbrella as a prop. Those sweet ballet flats are also from Baby Gap, but they turned out to be toe-pinchers and hobble-inducing so we had to change shoes. It played out like this: I lugged my camera and a heavy bag filled with extra shoes, clothes, props, and commanded K to pose this way and while we both got soaked in the rain and pretty soon, things started unraveling…

Exhibit A – A refusal to stop reading her book (we also had a kerfuffle about the tights as she didn’t want to take them off):

 

Exhibit B – Hints of discontent on her face:

Exhibit C – All out mutiny:

And so the whole adventure reminded me of why I continue to take pictures in my bedroom against the same wall week in and week out. We’re both creatures of habit and the novelty of the new location wore off quickly. But there were some gems from the photoshoot, and I’m so glad we made the effort.

By the way, I also sewed this sweet pintuck dress in a quilting cotton that I’ve had so long, I believe I might have purchased it when K was a baby. It’s a cream base with slightly lighter polka dots and feels fresh and a little retro at the same time. The dress is a pattern by Heidi and Finn, which like Cali Faye, was new to me, and it’s such a great dress! There’s a blouse version too that I definitely want to make.

Outfit #1 was a hit with K, and I’m pleased with it myself. Stay tuned for outfit #2 tomorrow!

 

 

STYLO!! I’m having serious impostor syndrome, friends — I did an awkward yet exuberant polka/hip hop dance move when Jess and Celina contacted me about contributing to their uber cool new online magazine and was gripped with both inspired elation and bone-quaking terror of letting this dynamic duo down. Issue 2 is hot off the press, and if you have any interest in kids’ fashion and sewing at all, you’re probably well aware of this fresh and stylish take the magazine offers for handmade clothes. The talent pool for Issue 1 and Issue 2 are daunting to say the least (hence the impostor syndrome). I mean, look at that cover! Helen of Curly Birds captured that perfect blend of unbridled joy and sassy impishness that is so natural to kids, all topped with a fabulous bow.

It’s like Christmas Eve for me, since I don’t know exactly what’s included in the issue yet as I type this, but I’m beyond excited to find out along with you! I’m devoting the next few days to talk about the outfits I sewed for the issue and will include some behind-the-scenes stuff along with outtakes (not that there was anything super juicy, but I’m always interested in reading about the nuts and bolts that go on beyond the photos).

For today, I leave you with my favorite photo from the photoshoot, which is also a bit of a teaser:

 

You won’t want to miss STYLO!