a workshop and some babies, baby!

excited news! my brother kyle- who i mentioned was having a baby, is having twins! aaaaaah! i am so thrilled :) it was bound to happen sooner or later. twins run in his wife's family, and twins and triplets run in ours! in fact- kyle is a twin!

look at those sweet little peanuts!

i have known this for a few weeks now, so i should have posted about it already, but you know how i love to procrastinate! they should find out the sex(es) soon, so i will definitely post about that sooner since i already have a crap-ton of baby patterns set aside. i just need to know what colors to use....

in other news, i got all sorts of giddy last week when my friend kiki asked me if i would be interested in teaching a quick 1-hour workshop on how to use a vintage pattern at a d.i.y. clothing fest on the 21st! of course i said yes! i looooove teaching people how to sew! i think everyone should know how, it is soooo nice knowing that when i leave the house everyday, i am wearing something that no one else in the entire world has! it feels gooooooooooooood!

so, there is also going to be a market at the workshop. i've been busting my little hump to crank out a lot of new dresses, skirts and tops.... and i've also been raiding my own closet since i recently lost enough weight to not fit in some of my favorite handmade dresses! hopefully i will have a bunch of new photos of my market clothing and myself kicking workshop ass this weekend!

oh yeah, i got photos of my baked potato new years dress! enjoy!

i think its pretty obvious i don't like taking pictures of myself...

good thing booboo jumped in to make the pictures better!

and now some new stuff!

last week i made two cute new dresses! it felt sooooo good. i haven't made myself anything since november... and as someone who NORMALLY makes at LEAST a garments per week for myself, i was going crazy. but, that's the holidays for ya! i made a pretty great new years dress, but i made it from a metallic brocade and photos do NOT do me or the dress any justice. i look like a baked potato in every photo i took. it was bad. so, instead of embarrassing myself, ill just post my other dress for now....

i made this cute black and white dress from some super soft vintage cotton i got a while back.

gotta say, i feel pretty damn cute in this....

also, those aren't orange stains. those are fluffs from another project

i used simplicity 1538,

view 2, obviously....

which i have had for a couple of years but never used. i don't know why i haven't... it was SO easy and only took a little bit of altering to get the fit right. needless to say, i will show up again in the near future.
the fabric i got from the mother theresa of sewing patterns, a woman named yvette. i don't think i've ever mentioned her, so let me tell you about ol' homegirl real quick...

so, when i first started sewing from vintage patterns in 2008, i put an ad on craigslist that said something like "i am looking for vintage sewing patterns, if you have any i would love to take them off you hands, blah, blah, blah, blah..." and like, the next day i had an email from a girl named yvette that said something like "oh, i have a few small boxes of patterns you can just have, you can pick them up or ill drop them off, blah, blah, blah, blah..." so we arranged a day for me to go get my "few small boxes" and let me just say, what an understatement.


she gave me like, 18 large postal boxes overflowing with patterns from the 1930's thru the 2000's, plus fabric, plus a machine carrying case, plus permission to use any of HER patterns anytime i needed.... and let me just tell you-- i would bet no one on the planet has such an incredible collection of early vogue and 1920's mccalls patterns!!! it will make you pee your pants its so amazing! so, i took home what was actually like, 1,000 patterns, sorted them out by date and type of garment, filed them into 22 boxes and started my pattern collection.... and then i lost all of her contact info.


fast forward to november 2011... and there i was cruising through craigslist again, looking for awesome estate sales and patterns.... and i saw an ad that said somthing like "looking for old vintage patterns, let me know your price, very interested in 1920s, blah, blah, blah, blah..." and i just had this feeling that even though i live in a city with 1.33 million residents, there are only two people who would make a post like that on san antonio craigslist... me and yvette. so, i took a shot in the dark and sent an email about how IF this was the person i thought it was, how greatful i was for the patterns, how i've made my living off of sewing because of her for the past 3 years, how appreciative i am for her generous gift... and more mushy stuff. and- IT WAS HER! she didn't just email me back, but she also said she had more stuff i can have!!!! AAAAAND- we have both moved since our last meeting and now we only live a mile and a half apart! ISN'T THAT NUTS??!!?!? so, i went over, and she gave me 4 sewing machines (two don't work, they are decoration for a friend's vintage shop now), lots of fabric (including the fabric my black and white dress is made of) and a couple hundred new patterns!!!! check it out-- here it is while i was sorting

what i brought home- all of those machines, 2 boxes, 4 bags and a sewing caddie

sorting out the complete patterns- yes, she goes through each pattern and marks 

what, if anything, is missing

 a more close up look at the 1930's - 1990's

 the highlights of the new 1930's and 40's patterns

isn't that all incredible??? this woman is a goddess. true story- i think i am in love.

aaaannnnnnd.... I'M BACK!

it only took me 2 months....

so, i have obviously been super busy lately...my part time job is working in a toy department at a hippie store... so as you could imagine, between the holidays and christmas craftin, i have had basically no time. 

so, UPDATES!

-my brother kyle has recently learned to sew. so far he has been a god damn CHAMP! he's been taking awesome old suits and jackets and giving them a more modern/european fit. he even started (after i nagged the crap out of him) his own blog! i think he probably intended it to be a blog about everything... he also makes wine and beer and is a great writer, but it's really hard not to want to write just about sewing when you are doing such a bad ass job at it! right? so-- check out his blog! 

-also in kyle news, he and his beautiful wife are expecting their first baby! 

I AM SO EXCITED!!!!! 

i will be the best aunt EVERRRRR!!!!! i already started sorting out my baby and maternity patterns! as soon as they find out the baby's sex, i will crank out so many outfits!!!!!

-oh! and my crack house is almost finished! in fact, check this out:

january 3, 2011

 january 3, 2012

not too shabby, huh? we moved in about two weeks after the first photo was taken. we still need to put on shutters and window screens.... and there is a little more of the house on the right that you can't see in these pictures- over there is the front door which i still need to paint red. on the inside we only have to finish the kitchen, and also our garage needs to be painted, but that is IT! once it is all done i'll post up before and after pictures that will knock your socks off!

aside from those things, i guess i don't really have anything. after my periods of no posting, i always feel like a little update needs to be done so my future ramblings will make *slightly* more sense. hopefully, this is a success!

not bad for a pair of curtains!

operation fall wedding guest dress accomplished! BOOYAH!

isn't that rad? i have been drooling over this dress 

from the tv show pushing daisies for a looooooooooooooong time now, and now i will drool no more! if you haven't seen that show, you should. even if you don't like the show itself, anna friel's (chuck) wardrobe is the most amazing thing i have ever seen! google it. i dare ya.

ok so the fabric i used i got from my momma last week with all of those cool patterns. she bought this one curtain panel at a yard sale, and when i started taking the seams and pleats out, we realized it was TWO panels doubled up! this was extra good because where were random paint sploches on one.

god i hope those are paint sploches. 

look at the texture of this fabric-- i think it makes the dress even more fabulous!

it isn't even itchy. i think it looks like it would be itchy or uncomfortable, but it isn't in the slightest!

ok so making this was easy and not so easy. it was a lot of frankensteining. the top is from simplicity 3430, the bottom is from simplicity 7995.... and the bubble skirt i drafted using my brain. its not hard. its a rectangle and a more different rectangle. anyone can do it. the worst part of this dress was trying to figure out how /where to put the zipper. i went with center back, and had to keep the top bubble layer open so that i could add tulle in there to poof it up if i want. which i do. and also i didnt want it to get flattened in a zipper. so, the top layer snaps together and the zipper is underneath! i hope that makes sense. you can kinda see it here....

the other worst part of this was when i kept breaking needles on my serger because i was so determined to serge all 4 layers of fabric at once and my serger was like "OOOOOOOMMMMFFFFGGGGG WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME???!?!! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!" and i was like, "DO IT BITCH! SERGE MY SHIT!" and then i WON. HA!

...so. i will be wearing this tonight to a wedding. nice photos to follow!

oh yeah! it has pockets. awwwww yeahhhhh!

this works for fall, right?

honestly, i don't think i've ever fully grasped fall and winter wardrobe colors. i try, but deep down i've never really gotten past my inability to dress weather appropriately, or even to match my own clothes for that matter. that, my dears, is why i wear dresses all the god damn time. no matching issues.
i blame a lot of that on the fact that we only get a couple weeks of cold weather here... its pretty summery most of the year. its hard to dress for cold when it isn't happening!
well, i decided to try to make something fallish for a change. i thought i would at least try to wear something that isn't unicorns or floral or bright! granted, this isn't the most adult thing i've ever made... for some reason i have been making nothing but silly dresses for the past month.... BUT it is still awesome!
SO, i pulled out my ol' pal simplicity 4982 again,

grabbed some fabric that i've been hoarding for a year or so, and whipped out this:

sorry the colors are so weird. that part of the house has the worst lighting ever.

reason #1 why i like this dress: pockets. big ones. i think that is one of the best parts of being a seamstress- being able to put pockets in everything!

reason #2: i feel pretty fierce in this. i think its the family of lions on my shoulder...

all of the other reasons (comfortable, easy, light) aren't as important. ya know? it hardly gets cold here, so i think this will work quite well for the remainder of 'fall.' also, you totally can't tell in the photo, but i have the greatest boots on with this. fo' real.

now my next challenge for the day is to make a NICE fall dress to wear to a wedding tomorrow! my fabric stash used to be incredible... but lately, it's been widdled away to (what feels like) nothing.

don't get me wrong, i have a lot of fabric still, plus now its all color coordinated! its just that none of it feels right for a wedding in november. i have a few ideas, but i think need a cocktail or something to help me decide...

finally- some skirts!

my momma loves me. she does. this weekend she picked up a bunch of patterns at a yard sale for me, and she did a great job picking them out! i've already made two skirts today using this one!

simplicity 7995

the first one i made was with this awesome horse fabric i got from the horder house last year-

you KNOW i have the best boots ever to go with this!

i did a little top stitching on the sides. the insides are all serged edges, but i thought it would have more of a blue-jean feel with this on the sides! 

 the print almost matched enough on this seam that all of the horses just look like martians


the second skirt is in a really nice print i think (if i remember right) is alexander henry... but i really might be remembering wrong. anywho, my friend lacee gave it to me earlier this year with a whole MESS of zippers, buttons and threads she had accumulated over the years.

this one is my favorite 

this pattern has a great shape to it. they are like, just between a pencil and an a line. i took in the bottom for a more shapely silhouette... i just have a real big booty so it doesn't quite look it here! 

so here are the other patterns momma got me:

 

 

 

 

the last two are my favorites of the bunch.... and i think that the vogue pattern is going to be made from this fabric i got last week from my secret san antonio fabric spot!

in other news- i have been working on this dress all day also, and was wondering if you guys might have a better idea of the date on it. i really wanna say 1940's... but i am not 100% on that. what do you think?

this is gonna be real nice when i'm done...

like i need anything else to drool over....

i'm not big on buying new fabrics... i prefer to sew from recycled or second hand materials.

BUT... my mom just told me about this fabric company and one line in particular, and after staring at all of the amazing patterns for like, and hour, am having a REALLY hard time convincing myself not to spend $16 a yard on this:

uuuuugggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!! i need this. i need this soooo badly....

someone be a dear and gimme.
that is all.

as long as i'm dying, i may as well be ridiculous

i couldn't do it. i just couldn't sit at home doing nothing anymore.
i stared at my fabric wall, sorted through my pattern boxes, and made the most ridiculous thing i possibly have ever made.... 

UNICORN DRESS!!!!

woop woop!

i am 100% sure that this is not anything close to what they had in mind when they made simplicity 3045,

got mine for a dollar!

but that is their problem, not mine. now, as soon as i am done being sick, i get to wear this dress out. 

come on crissy! suck it up! get that flu outta here!!!

i am dying.

or at least i feel like i am. i do not enjoy being sick, and i am sick as a dog. if you didn't already know, flu season is here! uuuughhhh.....so, while i'm at home drowning in my own snot, i figured i may as well get off the couch for a bit and make a post. finally-- the poodle dress!!!!

yesssssssssssssss...........

i totally made this weeks ago, but i haven't gotten around to taking decent photos of it until now! i used this pattern-

simplicity 3961

which i grabbed at the same estate sale as the fabric. as soon as i held them both up, i knew they were meant to be! well, actually my first thought was "oh my god-- these would be the BEST KITCHEN CURTAINS EVERRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!" but i didn't quite think tyler would go for it. our whole house is pretty bright and less than masculine already... so second thought... this dress:

woop woop!

i seriously loooove this dress! it has pockets, puppies, and looks fantastic with a big, big crinoline! i wasn't totally sold on the bows, so they are both detachable. so far i've worn this with just one bow attached, and i stuck this marvelous pin on it that tyler's lovely aunt sherry got me for christmas last year

go on, say it. d'awwwwwwwwwwww.....

speaking of the house....you know, a few paragraphs back.... we FINALLY got a coat of paint on it! holllaaaaaaa!

once i have my shutters and flower boxes, i will be happy

if you don't know already, tyler and i moved into this house in january of this year. true story- used to be a crack house. really. and it totally looked the part when we moved it. it took WEEKS before i would even get naked here! 

while it may not be the biggest or greatest house in the world, it has a lot of potential! it was built in 1948, has all wood floors, a detached garage, a fig tree, a pecan tree and two pomegranate trees, is in a nice neighborhood with MULTIPLE ice cream trucks, is walking distance from the grocery store... and also we have a KILLER back yard! it is huuuuuuge! 

we still have a lot of work to do, but fixing it up like we want it is pretty amazing. there is some more exterior work to be done, and the kitchen is pretty bare right now, but it does have a new ceiling, walls and tile floor! the bathroom has been our greatest accomplishment so far. we have some trim to paint and need to fix the window frame, but check this shit out! we are awesome!

i know these are too big, but you have to look at it up close to really appreciate the work we did!

so, it has been awesome! with all of the time im spending at home i wish i could be doing more productive things, but it just isn't gonna happen. i plan on doing nothing more than sitting on the couch eating soup and watching this show until i get better. 

poor, poor tyler....

too busy for the internets? perhaps....

i have just been caught in the middle of the busiest month of all time!

first-- there was this this dress for my friend emily

from simplicity 6465

then i got things ready for a local market (which ended up getting cancelled at the last minute!!!) so there was the big '15 dresses in 36 hours' ordeal

  

mccalls 4003                                               simplicity 4270

simplicity 7689                                             advance 9648

self drafted                                                   simplicity 3430

 simplicity 4270                                        simplicity 9152              

mccalls 7647                                                  spadea n-1171

yes i know that's only ten, but some of them really don't photograph

very well... so just trust me on this one!

there is some more detail on those at sew weekly...
and while that was going on, i also gave my friend kiki a quick silk screening lesson. she learned fast and whipped out a huge batch of these for the same market!

she still has tons-- let me know if you want one!!!

and i made my first renaissance fair outfit...

could of gotten a better photo.... really wish i did

and i have also been up to my ears in mending, alterations, fixing a brides maid dress and halloween costumes! AAAAAND the san antonio beard cultivation society needed a flag, so i made that too! i have been crazy busy!

....

oh! and THEN, there was this super cool estate sale i went to with my brother, and we got tons of cool sewing stuff! i have been teaching him to tailor his own clothes, and he has caught on really well! ok so here is the loot:

a future dress....

a future winter coat that i already have a fur collar picked out for....

i could not even wait to use this!!! im wearing the dress right now... 

photos to come!

more patterns i didn't need....

and a few more...

and OH MY GOD! that 3961 is the poodle dress!!!!

in anticipation of cool weather, a nice wool catalina sweater

and craftin' shit

basically, a pretty good haul! the yard sale probably should have been a separate post, but oh well! seeing as how it's only the 21st, and i've still got another 10 days left of this super month, i'd say i'm not even close to done yet... but we will have to see. i have to sleep some time!