Done Deal!

The wedding was June 10, 2012!

I'm STILL giddy!!! I'll be back with the good the bad and the ugly in a bit. Let me catch my breath.

Halt(er)

This weekend, I was ready to start fitting the muslin for the dress top. These are the before pics:

For the muslin I just used some more of the flimsy satin from Joann's. The pattern is old - McCall's 3584 I had in the stash from years ago.

Fitting a halter is such a challenge because the patterns are so low cut.
I closed up some of the top - about three inches - just based on the way it looked on the dressform. The other thing I had to do based on the form was pin out some gaping on each side of the halter.

Here is the lace we got from Exquisite Fabrics in DC. It was labelled French lace, I don't know much about lace, but this is really pretty and very comparable to the lace on the skirt.

My plan was to layer the lace over the satin bodice and midriff. I would also like to shape the bottom hem instead of it being straight across.

And now the after...
















My sister ended up finding a RTW dress on clearance!!! LMAO!!!! She tried it on for me yesterday before I got a chance to show her the top and get the fitting worked out, so she hasn't seen this part yet.

When I saw her in the RTW dress, I was brought to tears because she looked soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo beautiful!! And I knew that it was THE dress. It is completely different from her original inspiration dress but I think the new one is better.

She really found the perfect dress and I am extremely happy for her. It does need a few adjustments so we'll work those out.

Then it hit me that I WAS FREE from the pressure of making the dress (passes out) and I shed a few more tears -- of relief.

All in all, I'm happy with what (little) I accomplished, and I'm happy that I can get back to sewing things for me to wear (not that I'm selfish or anything.)

(happy dance)



...and BTW Baltimore/DC peeps they have very nice bridal satin at G Street Fabrics in Rockville, pricey, but nice :)

The couple

Awww.... my boos were featured on The Belvedere Bride yesterday (and I'm just finding out today, hmph.)

Check them out!!!

Short hair, don't care

Here are the pics I promised (late, got the final haircut last night)

It was a shock initially, but I'm glad I went through with it.
I don't miss my locs at all, I just feel a little bare.

The extent of make-up for me is Maybelline Great Lash and Burt's Bees (clear) lip balm.
I let my co-worker talk me into colored eye liner so I'll be playing around with it soon. I have a bronze color on but it's not very noticeable - which is ok with me! As much as I love fashion I'm not into makeup at all -- except nail polish.

...A few days after I chopped the locks off looking....wild, lol!

I was gonna keep some of the length but I got brave and went for it.

I have been itching to to sew but not finding the time. Here's to hoping things slow downnnnnnnnn soon.

Gone

are my locs...

Click here for full sized pics on my Flickr set.

I did it!!!

I feel great but my hair is a mess right now. I see the barber Tuesday morning so I'll post pics of what's left on my head then, lol.

It's easy being green

Gotta get back into it.

I need the energy for the big project.



How to make a green smoothie

Today's kind of a big deal

I'm 35 today!

(I'll get my latest sewing projects posted eventually...)

Hope you are enjoying the season/holidays/life in general!

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!

Finally Organized

Thanks for the encouragement/comments from last post!

This past weekend I cleaned up and rearranged my sewing area to make it feel like a real workroom instead of just a bunch of "junk" stashed in the corner.

Previously, I let my husband talk me into believing my sewing stuff was junk, so my setup mode was hide my "junk" as much as possible. I was so embarrassed about my stash, that I kept moving my stuff around the room trying to constantly organize it, constantly purging and regretting, that I almost just gave up and got rid of it all. No more of that - new attitude.

I live here and so does my "junk."

Now my things are a LIVE part of the basement which is the family room / play room and now part craft room. Everything is organized - easy to get to and easy to put away. I won't be embarrased when guests come over. Everyone knows I sew anyway.

Jr's play area. He loves his decorated wall. 
It's all from Dollar Tree, except what I printed from online and my little craft project up top, lol.
My "junk" used to be on this side.

mommy's play area :)
ALL this used to be crammed on the other side which is a lot smaller. It was a mess, lol.
White dresser holds patterns, it's from Ikea.
 I didn't buy anything new except the tabletop for my sewing machines(below). everything else I had somewhere in the house.

...machines & stuff. I can turn and see the TV from here! 
My sewing table is just a bunch of craft cubes from Michael's that I have collected over time, on sale, and a piece of melamine shelving from Home Depot. Ikea chair was thrifted. The red ottoman will be recovered soon and put back on the TV side of the basement.

My computer and office stuff is in the cabinet.
Table top is a 1x40x72 inch piece of plywood from Home Depot. I have a vinyl table cloth over it. Ikea lamps. On three sides of the table are Target cube shelves I collected over time, on sale. They hold his toys, and my fabric & books.

On the fourth side is two file cabinets with patterns and office files. The ironing board is against the wall by the pattern dresser. And there is one more plastic Ikea ottoman/hamper full of fabric on the side. I still have a lot of fabric. There's two more tubs behind the curtains on Jr's side. I'm working on it though.

Of course my dream is to have a room that I can lock myself in, but this will work. At least I can supervise the kids.

wooo-saaaah

I wasn't going to share this at first, but my Sister said it was OK.

Now, back to my whiny post the other day. The real reason I was feeling inadequate in my sewing is because I have been tasked with making a wedding gown for my sister.

Yea...

holy.crap.com
what.is.i'm.gonna.do.com
give.me.oxygen.com

Background: So when my sister announced this summer her upcoming nuptials (congrats Boo!) I knew I wanted to be a big part of the behind the scenes, so I offered up my services for the bridesmaid's gown. The problem with that was coming up with a dress for multiple body types. My suggestion was the convertible dress, something like:

via www.mccall.com

Everyone agreed and she found the dresses in RTW. Fine, that saves me some time/effort for something else. But I told her I'm still making mine because I don't want to pay $90 for a polyester dress, when I can make a silk one for equal or less. I'm the Matron of Honor anyway, and I can be "special". So that solved, up next was the problem of the wedding gown.

now, my sister (middle child) is...... how can I say this without pissing her off........

a dreamer

delusional.

The dress she envisioned was not working out on the day of our gown search. I felt really sad for her that day and wished that her dream could come true somehow. She really deserves it. As fate would have it, the very next day (or week later) she found a dress in a vintage shop that she could modify into her dream dress. So we got the gown cleaned, and came up with a game plan.

Now guess who became the lead on that project?

I'm making a wedding gown.

The panic/sheer terror/heart arrhythmias have settled. But, I'm making a wedding gown. Not from scratch, gosh no, I am modifying an existing gown.

but it's my sister's wedding gown.

I am honored and excited and and and... there is miles of lace/tulle/satin/beading involved.

Of course I didn't tell her I was nervous about it, but I let her know what I was comfortable doing, and you know what? I am going to ROCK THIS THING OUT!! I think it's the perfect challenge and confidence booster to take me to the next level in my sewing and creativity. I'm not going to let any self doubt and negative thoughts cloud our vision and block her dream.

So, I guess I will be sharing a new "adventure." (I really am taking several deep breaths here.) The plan, the prep, the process and the progress. While I won't be able to reveal the dress until it's all over, I will share the things I make for myself and my daughter, Miss Junior Bridesmaid. Possibly some things for the bride to be.

So stay tuned...

Summer dresses part I

Forgot about showing you the dresses I made for this summer's vacation. I took many pics, but the ones of me mostly turned out goofy looking because my photog was being 13. Shoot, it can't be me, lol...

But here goes:

Nothing "interesting" but very laid back comfortable. I pretty much wore loose maxi dresses

Butterick 5643 - made 2 more (in awesome non wrinkling cottons!), first one here 
5652 - swimsuit coverup, sheer polyester chiffon
5313 from this post
& a pair of cropped cotton harem pants from last summer (McCalls 5889 - sorry forgot to take pics)

We went to amusements parks, on walking tours and the beach. And it was hooooooot so everything in my summer vacation "wardrobe" worked out perfectly.

The blue dress was a thrifted "muu-muu" in a crinkled cotton/rayon with a small floral print and tiered bottom. Soooo cute. I felt very "prairie" in it. I need to wear this again soon to get a better pic.

I lost my freaking hat at the park though. So mad cause it's hard to find hats that fit me.
I need to take pics of the dress that I didn't get to wear at all!

Ah well, at least I made it.

laters...

I'm not completely insane (rant)

You've got your home of the brave and I've got my land of the free
You conform to what society says and I conform to me
Looking for light in the corners getting caught in the spider web
You look at me as if I'm giving a performance when I'm just feeding my head
And you know that I'm doing all right
And I won't explain myself to you just to avoid a fight
How I'm living ain't correct but for me it's just right
I'm not completely insane, I'm maybe just a little bit crazy
Lyrics from "Crazy" by Alana Davis

Vogue 1161

Review

This post is more of a diary entry to air out my conflicting feelings on my sewing skills. Ultimately it's no big deal, but sometimes when I hear/read about how others are doing on the sewing blogs & boards it stirs me up a little bit. Sometimes I feel like I'm not "up to snuff" with my sewing, like I know I can be.

I pride myself on my sewing skills and being able to produce wearable and well made garments. I totally understand garment construction and I'm genuinely attracted to all things fashion and sewing. Sometimes I'm so desperate I watch the sewing machine demos on HSN (albeit with major side eye.) I feel like a super star when I receive compliments on my blog and in person and even better when I am wearing an RTW garment and someone who knows I sew asks if I've made it.

Reading about "couture" and "advanced fitting" techniques is truly enjoyable, and know I can do those things if I tried. I have learned and tried some really awesome things just by self study (not on any garment, just for fun. Truth is, I hardly ever employ them unless they contribute to the "sturdiness" of the garment. I make sure I do enough fit adjustments to not have me looking like a stuffed sausage. I barely read the pattern instructions: b-o-r-i-n-g, I'll just figure it out and do my own thing or look someting up in a pinch. Truth is I refuse to hand sew and try to avoid it whenever I possible can. I wear a lot of loose fit anyway, so unless I have some major potato sack-age, gaping or my rolls are showing, I don't bother doing any super custom fitting. Truth is realizing these things makes me feel like I'm not doing things the right way. and then I feel like I just want to get this thing made so I can wear it.

While in progress, I really don't care if the inside of my garment is as nice as the outside. I just make sure all the seams are neat and strong and that there's no fraying. Hand hemming - really? I use the machine blind hem in a heartbeat, it works and looks fine to me. I don't line anything unless the fabric is flimsy or it will be dry-cleaned - a rarity. I have learned the lesson about using quality fabrics, but I really feel like if it's sewn well and cared for well, it will last - even if it is polyester. (go polyester! yes roll ur eyes, lol.)

But then when I see other seamstress do couture techniques - even on simple garments - I am awestruck, motivated and then deflated because I felt like I shoulda-coulda done that.... But when the time comes to I sew, I just get in the zone. I just try to have a great time and make sure things are lined up well and don't fall apart. Does this make me a bad seamstress? Lazy? Can I even call myself a real seamstress? Impatient? How can I get the motivation to slow it down? What is my real skill level if I don't really practice any major techniques so I'm actually getting better? Am I being too sensitive?

Thanks for listening/reading.

The song:

My IV

A few months ago I discovered these at the grocery near where I work. I had no idea what the heck it was, but it looked "healthy." After trying each flavor over time, I found that my favorites are the grossest ones! (Original and Multi-Green)

I have to have one almost everyday. They aren't cheap, but cheaper than a Starbucks latte or a supersized can of RedBull (yes, I was a victim hostage drinker of both)

I can't even begin to describe how great I feel after my daily dose. They have replaced my Diet Coke, and I was a hardcore addict.

Yes, this one does taste like green sludge water, and the original tastes like cider vinegar, but I love it!

Does anyone else drink Kombucha?

Have you tried to make it? (im afraid)

PS: this aint a commercial I was just wondering if I'm the only swamp water lover...

Gotta take a break for a couple of weeks, it's family vacation time!! Yahoo!!!

Hubby & I celebrated our 15th anniversary on Saturday (8-6-1996) so I am in full party/relaxed/happy mode until we get back! Upon returning, I will have to face the end of my life as I know it prepping my first born for her first year of...


...high school  my hair falling out.

Yea... You might not hear from me for a minute.


Simplicity 2177

Check out my inspirations for this dress from Omega and Sewphisticated...

Weekend easy

Spent Saturday at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. That morning I whipped up an easy little tee with Butterick 5948, inspired by the boxy, cropped top look.

This is a pattern that is probably overlooked a whole lot, but is very cool and practical. Not to mention EASY. It's all straight lines, no curves, gathers, darts or easing. Anyone insterested in sewing should look into the "boring" patterns to learn on.

I really wasn't in the mood to take pics, it was hot, smelly and humid as fish grease in there! Get it?! - ha-ha!!

Here are the ones that show the top pretty goood. *Ignore the boo-boo faces.

The top is cropped,  but just long enough to cover "that area." I made sure not to raise my arms tho, lol...

I was fussing about something here, but aside from that,
Why was he scared of EVERYTHING!!??!?!  Dude had me & Dad carrying him around THE WHOLE TIME. I gotta get him out more, lol!

The Harris girls take New York!

Just some pics of my weekend...




Hotel view...



Mad that my mom asked why was I so tall in our pics.
Yes, my "little" sisters are really 3 and 5 inches taller than me but so what!!

Wanna move in, bad... (Parsons)

Obligatory pic

My first time in Mood Fabrics. I didn't go nuts fabric shopping. I just got one piece real quick, it was close to closing time. But I'm most def. coming back.

My sister walking up on my fabri-gasm..

Ha! Even the dogs are kewler in N.Y.C.

Guess who turned two???!?!

Time flies!! 



My attempts at being "domestic." I made strawberry/lemon cupcakes and they were a big hit.

I CAN BAKE!! (thanks to Duncan Hines, lol!)



Hanging out at Port Discovery.
That kiddo of mine is growing up...

Vogue 8413

A few months ago a coworker and I were looking at dresses on overstock.com and came across this dress:

It was love at first site for me, but I just knew I didn't have any occasion to wear it. I decided to make it anyway. Our holiday party at work is pretty casual and in past years I definitely went casual - and always looked a HAWTTTTT MESS in the photos. Not this year, I decided. This dress was perfect. I already had the pattern Vogue 8413 (so glad I'm a pattern hoarder collector)

I wore a mid-heels and black cardi to "casualise" it. No pics of that. I was minimal on jewelry and makeup-free so I didnt feel too "dressed." I'll get to wear it again for hubby's graduation so I'm glad I made it!

It was fairly easy to make, I'll review it later on to give the dirty deets. For now  Go here for the review and & check the pics below...

Forever - by Floacist & Musiq Soulchild

Love the new song, and I LOOOOOOVE her look. For years, I have secretly wished I had the confidence to shave my head bald and just forget about hair. I find it so beautiful. Not necessarily in looks, but inner beauty. Confidence. It just radiates. I want that. Locs give me some freedom - from doing much with my hair that is, but I'm talking true freedom. I'm talking SKI-BALD.

Naked.

I just don't have the guts.

I know this because when I did the "big chop" (cut off my relaxed hair to reveal my natural hair) eight years ago I was left with roughly 1-2 inches of hair and I immediately put my hair in braid extensions, and I kept getting it done for months until I felt like I had enough hair to wear it out in the world. I thought without hair, I looked like a 12 year old boy. (forgive me for this completely, un-PC quote: I said to Hubby that I looked like Lee Malvo)

But it really made me see me. I could not hide behind my hair. It was a different feeling. At the time I was not ready. Today though, I need to go there again, something is in there (here?) getting lost day by day. I'm ready, but "my world" is not.

A few years later it started getting too long for me to handle so I loc'd it at the urging of hubby. I really wanted to cut it off again. But I can't. Hair is too easy when you have lots of it. Its a distraction. Hubby (like most Black men. like most people) is hung up on long hair. Not so sure what would happen at work, I'm a presenter/Instructor. My mom might seek an intervention for me, etc...

Hubbs was so mad when kiddo cut off her locs. Now SHE (kiddo) on the other hand, loves her short afro hairstyle. She was able to see her and she loooves it. Rightly so. While she is looking forward to growing it out long again, un-loc'd, she is unwilling to get extensions in the meantime! I still put her in them to give her a break during basketball tournaments. My youngest sister, wears her hair natural and shorn, but she looks like a model so she don't count.

But I can dream, especially now that I have a new "muse." Maybe I can get the nerve one day. It's only freedom.

(P.S. I still miss Floetry tho)

Ahh-CHOOOOO!!!!!

*blows the dust off the blog*

Hello, it's me :)

 

What in the world have I been up to?

I have been sewing, and though there's nothing notable, I have reviewed most of it on PR over the past months. My mojo has been up & down, mostly because when I have had time to sew, I only had time for quickies.

Now that summer break's over and a certain someone is becoming more independent I'm ready to get back into my regular routine, and hopefully put myself up to some more challenging projects...

So how are ya'll doin?

*crickets*