Copycatting

Yesterday I saw this:

So I wore this:

Not perfectly the same but I thought my look got the feeling across. I love the dark charcoal skirt and it's made its way onto my Future Projects list. The dress is an infinity dress I made about a year ago. The leggings are an old par of tights that had a hole in the toe and now has no toes. Then to finish it off an oversized brown cardigan. 

Ps. Sorry about the picture quality I an still working out some kinks with lighting and background and the biggest kink of not liking the way I look on film. 

I want to run through the woods.

I love the weather in Santa Cruz this week, chilly and foggy with touch of sun. This is how it makes me feel:

When Patterns Fail

I keep seeing cute outfits consisting of a white dress, a black leather, and a pair of boots. I figured my boyfriend's 21st was the perfect time to try it out. I had an old king sized sheet that my cat had clawed some holes in. I couldn't throw it out, it has a pretty lace edge and tiny polka dots. I had a pattern I used for the dress I used for my sister's wedding. The pattern didn't work the first time but I thought it would be different the second time. My sewing skills have increased and I am using a thin cotton fabric instead of the heavy stretchy one I used before. I thought wrong. This is what I got. 

I felt like a little girl in a pinafore. 

I had extra fabric so I ripped of the top and did my own thing. And came up with this:

 

It took me twice as long as I had meant it to; I finished it 6 days after the party. And a lot of thread because of how many times I had to rip out a seem and redo it. But I really like it. 

No More Rain, Hello Skirt.

The sun has come back to Santa Cruz. This random cold and rainy spell had me quite sad because it was keeping me from wearing my new skirt. I made it from one of the white button downs, some dark blue fabric and buttons from a failed earlier project. 

Here's how: Cut the shirt straight across just under the arms. Subtract your waist measurement from the circumference measurement of the shirt. That number is how much you need to use in the pleats. Fold pin and baste. (I had 8" of extra fabric so I did a 2'' pleat on each side and two 1'' pleats in both the front and back. I did two small pleats facing each other; I think it gave the skirt a better shape than the larger pleats.)  Unbutton and lie flat.

Waistband: Take a piece of fabric that is about 7'' x (waist measurement + 3"). Fold in half longwise and press. Line up one of the the raw edges with the top of the skirt, right sides together. Make sure you leave 1/2" extra at each end. Trim if needed. Sew and press waist band up. Press the 1/2" on the ends toward center. Press under 1/2" on the remaining edge. Refold in half. Sew along the edges to finish attaching waistband. Add a button or two on the band and you're done!

I hope that made sense. Next time I'll take pictures of the steps. That should help with clarity.

A Reason To Start Sewing

Wednesday I needed new shoes for work. I wore a hole in the sole of my favorite pair. No fun. So I ended up at the Salvation Army, which happen to be selling all clothes for 50% off. No shoes to be found but I came home with:

1) A white & grey cotton dress.
2) Two green plaid men's shirts to make this.
3)A black men's shirt for this.
4) Two white men's shirts for projects unknown.
and
5) A men's tuxedo dress shirt. Not sure quite yet what to do with it but a couldn't resist the pleating on the front, a detail I would have to design, pin, sew and suffer over later.

This bundle of goodies cost me a total of $12.45. Yay!

Stay tuned for the finished products.