Attack of the Twee

Ye-haw 

Well, I finally did it. I succumbed to my inner twee urges. To be fair, I live in The South, so this really isn't all that out of place. Still, I'm not in love with this on me. I LOVE this dress, I'm just... it needs something else. Maybe red boots.

If I stand here too long I'll be covered in kudzu.

Ya know, I should probably back up a bit here. If you've followed for any amount of time you will know our very good friends (of the Wedding Cruise fame) live in THE COUNTRY. We went up to visit this weekend and the kids helped break in their new pool, and of course this is the best place to take photos of this dress. It had been hanging in my sewing room for weeks just needed a hem, and so I did a rolled hem about an hour before we left. I didn't iron it so this denim looking knit tends to roll up a bit.

I borrowed the boots from Dreama's father. He was working on the hay barn when I asked, "Hey (uh, no pun intended), so I am taking some photos for my sewing blog and I was wondering if you have any cowboy boots I could borrow?"

Completely nonplussed by this he said "SURE!". In fact he may have been a bit tickled I even asked. They are too big for my feet so merely a prop for this shoot. I now want to own some cowboy boots though.

Fun Fact: Kudzu flowers smell like grape koolaid.

Back view. If you haven't already noticed this is the Camino Cap with the Lady Skater skirt. Are y'all sick of Kitschy Coo yet? I hope not because at this rate my closet won't have anything else. I've been stuck on knits for a while because my weight is still in flux but I THINK I'm back on the downward swing. I've been working out on a regular schedule keeping what I learned in physical therapy in mind.

wiggle dance

The skirt has swish. I think a nice red petticoat might help me like this more. The blue denim is a cotton interlock knit that I picked up for some ridiculously cheap price at Fabric Mart (all gone). The gingham knit you can get here. I did have to stretch the LS skirt out to get it to attach to the bodice. I managed to keep the resulting gathers to the sides to keep it balanced out, though once I put it on you can barely notice.

This is my derp face

Obviously a country outfit in the country requires a pickup truck and tools, right? Now excuse me while go stick this dress in the magic closet.

Roses for Oonapalooza!

This is my Katie Kadiddlehopper pose.

Check out my make for this month's Sewcialists theme!  I know, I'm totally squeaking in just before the deadline. Obviously, this is the dress that sparked my last blog post thought train. If it was TL;DR the gist of it was "I'm too nerdy for this kind of dress and PINK". But then there are so many other brilliant women that do. It was a silly notion, and while Oona approves of silly, I don't think she goes for THAT kind of silly.

Speaking of silly, while taking these photos I was like "I feel ridiculous". Luckily our lush vegetation gives us a good bit of privacy from snoopy neighbors. Oh, and I took these the same day I took my kitschy coo hack pictures. Isn't amazing how much a wardrobe change can make you look different? I mean, I'm wearing the same makeup!

So this is the Camino Cap from Kitschy Coo just like my other one only I made the skirt down to the floor this time. Its pretty much a straight size 8 though I did curve in for the underbust. I didn't want contrasting bands on the sleeves but I did on the neckline just to break up the pink. Both fabrics are an ITY from Fabric Mart, which I got on sale. I did a rolled hem on the serger, easy peasy. Its gotten to the point I can whip up a knit dress in two hours. TWO HOURS. Its no wonder knits are so popular with this kind of production speed.

Unlike the other dress this one gets compliments everywhere I go. With such a vibrant print I'm keeping the accessories to a minimum. Its all about the dress you see.

This is me laughing at myself for ridiculous posing.

Obligatory mouth open Oona pose, except somehow she does it without looking like she's getting tested for Strep throat. This is one of the things that makes her so awesome and vibrant even on screen, she has that light and presence that makes it work. Love you Oona, you totally deserve the spotlight this month.

I can't wait for all the roundups at the end! What I've seen so far has been fantastic.

Kitschy Coo Hacks: The Cowl Neck Maxi in Blue

Hello Sailor.

 y'all. Y'ALL. This is like, my favorite knit garment I've ever made, FOR SERIOUS. Its a combination of Kitschy Coo patterns that have been modified from the original. The bodice is from the Lady Skater but I used a Threads tutorial to create a cowl neck.

The skirt is the maxi version of the Camino Cap, but this time I had enough to go all the way to the floor.  The fabric is a navy blue bamboo rayon from Fabric.com, its one of their reorderable medium weights that aren't quite so clingy as other rayons. Still, if I'm going to wear it out and about it needs proper foundation garments for a smooth silhouette.  And I have, in fact, already worn this to work.  It was a bit bizarre because if ever staring was audible, it was that day. No one actually complimented the dress, but one lady on the elevator had her mouth open. When she realized I was looking at her she said 'Your hair is... amazing".

I was like "Um, thanks! Oh hey look this is my floor".  Cause I suck at taking compliments, its taken years to learn to just say thank you.

This fabric drapes beautifully,  I might add. LOVE IT. Let's see what else? Ah yes, I used clear elastic at the shoulders and the waist for stability. I did cut the bodice two inches shorter to have it hit at the right place with the weight of the full skirt. I just did a rolled hem on the serger because this is a knit and well, I was feeling lazy. Wanted to WEAR IT NOW!

This is the "Would you please do something about your dog barking all fucking day" face. Seriously people, if you are going to have a pet, don't neglect them!!

I want like, a closet full of these! I'm wearing it around the house right now and I can be active and do things in it without worrying. If I'm cooking there are aprons for a reason!  I also know that y'all are going to ask me about a tutorial, I've already mentioned to Amanda (Of Kitschy Coo) that I'm game. The kids are away with their Grandma this week going road tripping, so its been quiet and I've been concentrating on the six things already cut out. Yes, SIX. Crazy, I know. I have another hand full of things I've not yet blogged and need to share!  I've started working out again now that my pain management doctor has agreed that it will take more pain meds in the short term but be beneficial in the long term. I'm pretty determined to make that uphill journey for a second time (the first was before Mom went into hospice).

So tell me, have you ever hacked a pattern until is was barely recognizable from the original? Did you like it afterward?

Stay tuned, later this week I have photos for Oonapalooza!

Kitschy Coo Camino Cap Duo!

we're looking fierce today

Hey, Psst. You. YES YOU. Do you know what this is? If you guessed the latest pattern from Kitschy Coo then you would be correct! This latest addition to her pattern collection is purrrrfect! I was so happy I got to test from ground zero on this one. Its such a cute and sassy design wrapped up together.

The Camino Cap is a downloadable PDF (-->GET IT HERE<--) that can be made up as both a shirt and a dress. There's the contrast yoke or one piece, and it comes down and covers the shoulders very nicely. This is especially good for those of us in a work place that has two settings: beer cooler or meat locker. In any case, I made an almost maxi length for me, and I confess, did it to completely rip off Katie's wonderful version. I lengthened at the "lengthen here" line and at the bottom. But since I made Felicity one as well, I didn't have enough to reach all the way to the floor. Normally I would wear high heals but soft ground, nope.

Mama Cat and her Kitten

Yes, you read that correctly. Mother/daughter outfits. She was gracious enough to wear hers with me for photos. I'm in size eight, she's in size 1. I had to shorten the bodice for Felicity by about 2 inches, the waist is a bit low and its large at the high bust but that's ok, room to grow!

Spot the belt. GET IT? Hahahaha, I kill me.

This is the husband's favorite, cause I'm smiling.

Check it out, I didn't even need to do a sway back adjustment!

Lawd that girl, she's getting her red belt this Saturday, btw, WATCH OUT BOYS!

I love the little dip in the back, makes for a lovely show of the nap of the neck. Kitschy Coo has THE BEST necklines.

Its like looking in the mirror sometimes.

This is me basking in the glory that is this dress, and/or contemplating how many more I want to make. OH, I have even told you the BEST THING about all the Kitschy Coo patterns. They are made from the same block so most of the pieces are interchangeable. I've had several hacks stewing about and tested, and I want to make some tutorials. Maybe when the kids are visiting relatives with their Grandmother later this month.

That's all for now!

Trifecta Two and a TNT

I did not make just one Trifecta, I made two! In fact, if my main serger didn't need to go to the sewing machine doctor I'd probably have cranked out another  two or more. And a whole slew of Simplicity 2369 variations. But for this post we're going to focus on view D, the pants. But first the top.

Is this how I smile? 

Contrast lace sleeves! In fact this is almost an exact copy of one I made for Felicity and failed to blog about it. I did put it up on Instagram sometime last summer though. The stretch lace I got in 2011 at the Sewing Expo. The black fabric is a medium weight bamboo knit from Fabric.com. Its 5% lycra so has great recovery and doesn't grow like most bamboo knits which is awesome.  They have several basic colors that are re-orderable. I want all of them because they are so soft and snugly. I could just throw them all on the bed and make a fort.

I think I might be scowling at the neighbor's screaming kids.

Uh, I'm not sure how this one got so washed out but hey, at least you can see my butt clearly. And now would be a good time to mention the pants. I love them! I can actually pair them with a nice knit top and wear them to work, like this set, and be comfortable. Like I said, I want to make many more of these along with the view C tops from the Simplicity pattern. I could wear them and feel put together at work even during The Monthly Visit (its really the worst four days of the month).  In fact, a few more fancy stretch laces and such and I could get away with the Trifecta as well.

Almost bitchy resting face.

Did I mention that these pants go perfect with Kitschy Coo tops? They totally do. The blouse didn't require anything special other than elastic along the arm seams. I also put clear elastic in the crotch and inseams of the knit pants to help them keep their shape.

My husband posed this one.

Ya know, I'm not getting any kick backs or anything for telling you how much I love Kitschy Coo patterns. They really are just that awesome.

p.s. I just got my Espresso leggings and Riff shrug in the mail and its killing me not to start on them RIGHT NOW. I have to make some frosting.