Oh, the Sewing Woes!

I found this fabulous fabric on Joann.com that used two things I love: Vintage Simplicity Pattern Illustrations and Autumnal Hues.  So, I purchased three yards hoping to use a new pattern, Simplicity 8736 Vintage 1940s Blouses, and to create two separates, a blouse and a basic skirt, that I could wear lots of ways instead of just one dress.  

I figured that a blouse would only be half as difficult as sewing a dress and a skirt would be no problem.  I've come a long way since I began sewing a few years ago and at this point I can sew a basic gathered skirt in my sleep.  So, all in all, I expected this to be one of my easiest sewing projects ever.  Oh, foolish Leandra, that was not to be the case at all.

It wasn't just that a few things went wrong; it's that everything that could go wrong did.  It was the sewing equivalent of Murphy's Law, not just with the trying out of the new pattern for the blouse, but also with the skirt, which I had to take apart and redo three times as I learned to use the new machine, ran out of thread, and broke the gathering thread when I was 75% of the way done.  The blouse was another matter entirely.  As a purely visual learner, I called on Mr. B yet again to help me decipher the instructions, and in the end, I'm still not sure I did it right.

Then the bodice was miserably tight as it consisted of a series of 8 darts around the waist and none at all in the bust.  Yes, I made the mistake of not checking my measurements against the pattern, because I always wear the same size in all previous patterns, but not this time.  These darts made the waist forever riding up and the chest puffing and puckering out awkwardly.  I was extremely disappointed with the silhouette, but determined to find a way to fix it since I couldn't re-cut the blouse in a bigger size.

I also learned how to use the button hole setting on this new machine which I've never used before on any machine.  In the case of the buttons, I did have a small pieces of scrap fabric to practice on and when I was happy with the results, decided to test it out on the blouse.  

It turned out acceptably.  Not great, but acceptably.  There is one button in particular that I can tell is out of line, but by the time it came to the buttons, I was emotionally too numb to care about changing it.  Plus, I'm always saying that little imperfections make things more interesting, so now buttoning the back of my blouse is "interesting" not difficult.

In order to make the blouse wearable, I went around the bodice taking out every single dart.  I still need to re-hem, but this did fix the creeping and blousing.  While the blouse isn't quite as nice as I'd hoped, it is at least presentable now and I've already worn it to work and on my mini-vacation which you can see pictured here.

The skirt, as you can see from its absence in these photos, is still not finished.  Although I measured multiple times and cut once, then remeasured and cut again, it is still about two inches too big and has to be taken in yet again.  So, currently it is sitting on the sewing table, gathering dust, until I am rested from my trip and ready to pick it back up again.

 

The worst part of all of this was that the fabric went out-of-stock both online and instore so I felt like I had wasted this lovely fabric.  Of course I know that one should always test a new pattern on sacrificial fabric and save your best for after you've perfected the new style, but fabric is so expensive that I don't really have anything but beloved pieces on hand at the moment.  I just can't afford to buy something I'm going to deliberately tear up.

Thankfully this Simplicity fabric has recently come back in-stock online and I've ordered an additional four yards, so determined am I to try again with the blouse and perhaps make a dress and save myself the headache of separates, because clearly, I'm not ready for the responsibility.

Shopping Info:  Paper Bag Waist Trousers from Princess Highway, Espresso Flats from Charlie Stone, Simplicity Fabric from Joann, Simplicity Pattern 8736

Pink Awareness

Years ago when I was a young mother, I started a little tradition of throwing a tea party each October for all the women in my life.  It was a simple way to express gratitude to these lovely ladies for being in my life, to express recognition for all the hard work they had done and continued to do each day, and it was a quick reminder to make self care a priority.

It was only a small mention at the beginning of our festivities that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and that it's important to perform self-checks and keep annual physician appointments, but it was a good reminder and a chance for us to in some small way, take care of each other. 

As part of VIVAIA's commitment to be a company that cares, they sustainably create comfortable shoes from 100% recycled materials.  Even the box the shoes arrive in is recycled cardboard and the shoe forms inside are made to be easily compostable.  In addition to caring for the planet, VIVAIA cares about people too, that's why for the month of October, VIVAIA has begun Wednesdays We Wear Pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month.  And, all month long, for every pair of pink shoes sold, VIVAIA will donate $10 to the United Breast Cancer Foundation.

As someone who lost a beloved Aunt to breast cancer several years ago, I can tell you that though we go on, we never really get over the loss of someone so caring and so wonderful.  Her grown children, still speak of her constantly, the legacy of love she has left behind.  For yourself, for the people who love you, perform monthly checks and get your annual physical so you can be around for many, many years.

In solidarity with Breast Cancer Awareness Month and VIVAIA, this Wednesday I am wearing the pink Wallflower Ritz gown from Selkie and Aria 5° pink flats from VIVAIA with the Removable Bows also in pink.  Follow up story about this Ritz and the alterations I made to is coming next month!

Be well, my friends.

Shopping Info:  Aria 5° Flats from VIVAIA-$79, Removable Bow Clips-$9.75, Selkie Wallflower Ritz Gown-$399

Perfectly Imperfect

On a recent trip to the library, I was browsing the sale books and free magazines when I noticed some covers that seemed a little older than the rest.  I pulled them from the stack to find that they were old photography magazines.  The first half of each magazine was devoted to articles on improving photography skills and ads selling photography equipment.  The last half of each magazine was devoted to amateur photographer's submissions to the magazine.  While a few of them were tasteful landscapes and portraits, most of them were nudes--some artistic, most sub-par even for amateurs.

I suspect most of these nudes were taken, submitted, and published with less than admirable and artistic intentions, but the skill or lack thereof displayed by these photos isn't really what I want to discuss.  Rather, what caught my eye, was the wide range in body and facial features on display in these photos.  It was such a marked departure from the current trend of cookie-cutter looks on parade in movies and social media today that I spent several long minutes appreciating the variety since I couldn't appreciate the "art." 

There were no perfect bodies, only natural, healthy, normal ones, and while they were all different, they were attractive, fairly symmetrical, and diverse.  If anything, it was the imperfections that made them interesting and worth looking at longer.  In a world of artificial perfection, it was refreshing to see so many real people, each different from the others instead of all eerily the same.  This pretty plastic world, has really grown into a monster just in my lifetime and I can't wrap my head around it.  I like the imperfections, including my own, which is why I have always been dead set against plastic surgery or straightening my teeth, even though many dentists have plied with the phrase, "are you happy with your smile the way it is?"   Most recently when asked, I replied, "I'm 41 darlin' and I've been to hell and back. I'm happy that I can even keep smiling, my teeth don't bother me at all."

So, in honor of imperfections, I thought I would post some photos today that nearly went into the recycle bin, because they just weren't perfect.  No one gets it right all the time and no one is perfect, no matter how hard we try.  So why not appreciate our differences, our imperfections which create uniqueness and just relax a bit and cut ourselves a break from time to time.

A Forever Fox

Another flashback post, this outfit has been one of my most popular blog posts. The photo above is actually one of my all-time favorite photos.  The excitement is genuine and my hair looks amazing for once.  Normally the curls would fall out before I could make it from the bathroom across the hall to this room to take the photo.  This was also taken before my hair was mostly grey, which it is now.

This little fox sweater is still my favorite of all my fox print tops, and I wear it every autumn with different skirts.  It was just a fluke finding this sweater on ThredUp.  Even though I'd been searching for a fox sweater, this one turned up in the kids' department.  I guess that's why it fits me better than most adult sweaters which seem to be too wide and baggy or hopelessly long for my high-waist skirts and trousers.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, a really great piece of clothing is one that will give you lots of outfit options and work well with your changing style for years to come.  This little fox sweater certainly fits the bill.

Corset Story

While browsing in my favorite local vintage shop, I've often wondered why ladies of by gone eras donned dresses made with such heavy fabrics.  After shopping a recent sale from Unique Vintage, I purchased a metallic wiggle dress that is made for that bombshell hourglass figure that I do not possess.  Determined to create the shape I needed to make this dress look as it should, I purchased a vamp corset.  After a few alterations to the corset, I finally got my answer about those vintage fabrics.

Although the Vamp certainly creates some extreme curves that make my shape unrecognizable when I look in the mirror, it also comes with some rather noticeable lines and annoying protrusion particularly in the front lower half.  Unfortunately due to the thin fabric on the dress there's no way to hide it, even with some thick, high-waist shaping shorts which I am wearing in these photos.

For this particular outfit, I went full vintage and donned a corset, bullet bra, etc.  Turns out, those thick fabrics helped to hide all those lines created by garters, girdles, and corsets.  Undergarments were rather meticulous, consisting of lots of layers and interlocking parts.  It all adds up to be quite bulky, so thicker fabrics were necessary to smooth out those lines.

While I really adore the overall effect that these vintage undergarments create, I can certainly see why they gave way to lighter and more comfortable fare.  After all, the heyday of corsets was also when women began wearing dungarees to be more comfortable in their everyday lives and save the restrictive sundries for special occasions.

It is possible that some of this protrusion has come from the fact that I had to tailor the corset to my measurements to correct the gap at the back-top and at the hips, but I think this problem would have existed even if the corset had been a perfect fit due to how thin this fabric is.   

While I know that certain influencers like Rachel Jensen have videos of themselves wearing their corsets with no shame, I haven't quite come around to the idea of accepting the lines.  I'd rather keep everything smooth and concealed if at all possible.

Lines aside, this dress was a steal at the clearance price of roughly $32, so no regrets there.  I'll surely keep working with it until I figure out something I'm comfortable with, because I am determined to wear this dress out to date night and an exhibit at a local museum that I'm interested to see.

Shopping Info:  Unique Vintage Black & Metallic Houndstooth Jaqueline Pencil Dress-$32

Collaboration Vacation

This pretty little dress is a vacation dress dupe and I love it completely.  It's well made, fits perfectly and is so very pretty for so very little cost.  With so much going on, we decided to reallocate our vacation fund to other bills and all but a couple of days which happen to be coming up next week of our vacation time has been reallocated to other things on the schedule.  With the prices of gasoline and everything else being so high, this just wasn't the year for a trip, but I have this vacation dress dupe, so I thought I'd wear it anyway and write up a little post on vacations of another sort.

For just a few weeks, since we won't be going anywhere except on a little long weekend excursion that we make every year to a nearby resort town, I've decided to take a much needed break from deadlines.  As much as I love collaborating with brands, the deadlines can be a little harsh, especially when combined with my extra full work and home schedules.  I'm writing this post in advance, because when I post it, I will be working the hardest week of my year.  I typically put in 75 hours bookended by two 40 hour weeks (my typical work week is 30hrs).  It's not just a lot of time, it's very physically demanding and when it's all said and done, I usually get sick and have to be on the couch for a few days.  It's not something I look forward to, but it does pay for a few pretty dresses, so I do it with that goal in mind. 

So, with this extremely busy month staring me in the face demanding all my time and energy and then some, I don't have a minute to spare for collaborations.  When I have the time, I love the challenge, when I don't have the time, I find myself overly stressed trying to work everything in.  I once did multiple collaborations with a brand that was constantly pushing the deadline.  At first they said 40 days from delivery to blog post, by the end of our time together, it was usually 10 days from delivery to post and they kept requiring more content in those diminishing amounts of time.  They never paid me; I never asked and they never offered, although I always met their requirements and always before the deadline, and I knew they were paying others.  Part of me loved the challenge.  Part of me was grateful for the opportunity.  And a small part of me dreaded each new collab because I knew it was going to me mean more work in less time.

I was sad and a little hurt when that collaboration ended, they ended it, but overwhelmingly, I was grateful for out time together and relieved to have the pressure off.  I'm far more selective these days in what collaborations I'll accept because I don't like to do anything if I can't give my best effort and full attention and lately, all my best efforts are being spent on my work and family and I have a limited amount set aside for creativity.

For the time being, I've given myself permission to vacation from collabs and just relax a little.  Or maybe relax a lot, we'll see.  And, when I say relax, it's very much a mental sort of relaxation because with the school year starting and two children getting closer and closer to graduation, my schedule got even busier. 

I'm taking a vacation from spending my weekends getting up at 5 a.m. so I can take photos at dawn.  I'm taking a break from the endless outfit planning and accessorizing.  I'm taking a break from the days spent editing photo and video.  I'm taking a break from keywords and hyperlinks and promo codes.  What will I do instead?

I plan to sleep in, get in a few good workouts, read a book and sip coffee on the stone patio as all the cats gather for their share of attention.  I plan to have less screen time and more home time, cleaning, taking walks, listening to stories about my family's day time.

I intend to spend more time on the little crafty projects that have been sitting neglected on my sewing table.  I intend to wear my pretty clothes instead of just saving them for photos.  I'm going to go places when they're open instead of getting there at dawn just for pics.

Don't get me wrong, I love the collabs and I love all the brands I work with, just like I love my job, but I still need a vacation now and then in order to get some rest and feel refreshed to come back and work hard again.  

That's something I haven't really had much of with the blog even during all the lockdowns.  In fact, I got more work than ever because I had a farm so I could still go outside and take nice photos without people coming unglued.  Add to that the fact that I was putting in 9 hour days working from home and I'd say it's well past time for a little getaway.  I've earned it, I need it, and I'm going to enjoy a nice vacation from deadlines.

Shopping Info:  Blue Floral Vacation Dress-$44, Elvira Square toe Ballet Flats from Vivaia

Foxy Finds

Well, it has been a very grueling weekend.  I fully expect to be down for the count for a few days if not a few weeks after that, but hey, it's wasn't really optional, so I powered through by telling myself that this will earn enough with all this overtime pay to afford a few pretty dresses or some new-vintage home furnishings for a house we haven't built yet.

Since I will be out of commission for a while, I thought I'd just share a few more foxy outfit pics from previous years that I still love and wear, and I'll see you in a week or two with some new photos.

Paper Moon

Looking back on all my childhood favorites, I definitely see a pattern.  My favorite films growing up weren't the typical Say Anything/Clueless/10Things I Hate About You, although I did love those movies back then and still do.  But, the films that really drew me in and carried me away with them, the ones that will forever top my list are the unlikely father/daughter road-trip movies like True Grit and Paper Moon.

If you've never seen Paper Moon starring real life father-daughter duo, Ryan O'Neal and Tatum O'Neal,  then your life is lacking perhaps not all joy, but a fair share that this movie could bring to it.  Based on the novel Addie Pray by Joe David Brown, the movie adaptation covers only a small portion of the original story, but it is perhaps the very best of it too.  Set in Kansas and Missouri during the Great Depression, Ryan O'Neal's character, Moses Pray a.k.a Moze, is a swindler who sell Bibles to widows claiming their husbands purchased them as a gift before they passed and he has come to deliver the gift and collect on the bill.  Tatum's character is named Addie Loggins and her party-girl mother has recently died.  Since her mother had so many men in her life, Addie has no idea who her father is.  Moze comes to the funeral to pay his respects and sees an opportunity to make a little money before sending Addie to her family in Missouri.  What Moze did not foresee is that Addie is  not so easily played.  Learning of Moze's scheme Addie demands her fair share of his earnings.  The two then embark on a road trip to deliver her to her relatives and earn some cash along the way.

Tatum O'Neal's brilliant performance was also her very first time acting. It won her an Academy Award at the age of ten and made her the youngest person to ever do so.  Paper Moon is funny and dark,  tragic yet delightful, but it has very little to do with its title.  In fact, when screen writer Alvin Sargent came up with the title, Orson Welles said something along the lines of, forget the movie, just make the title!  And so Sargent masterfully worked in the 1933 song It's Only a Paper Moon by Paul Whiteman and a scene with Addie having her picture taken on a paper moon, which she later gives to Moze to remember her by in order to make the title relevant.

Having said all that, Selkie's summer collection of the same title has nothing to do with the movie and more to do with the song according to their write up on the collection:   The record player buzzes, glossy French manicured fingers lift the needle to flip it to the other side. A pause, then Jazz explodes throughout the room, high ceilings reverberate sound that pours out through French doors and onto the back lawn. You rush upstairs, bare feet sticky against the marble staircase, through the art deco closet and onto the cool, beige bathroom tiles. Lipsticks lined up, gold tubes next to the mirror, you leave a kiss on the glass and spritz your wrist with a sweet blossom scent. Lacey lingerie (just for confidence) and a perfectly pink silk dress hanging on the back of the door, now pulled off it's hanger and slipped on over your hips....

The end of summer, like a sunset slipping away behind the hills, magical and fleeting, and needing to be soaked up in its entirety, like a piece of sourdough bread soaking up the last of the gazpacho, we celebrate this magical warm time with another all natural fabric collection. Inspired by the late 40's and 50's, dancing barefoot in an estate on the West Coast, and lighting sparklers on sprawling lawns. A collection to pose for pictures, arms wrapped around garden statues, or to step drunkenly into giant fountains with friends, voices cackling loudly, kissing, laughing, yelping into the rolling quiet of the Pasadena mountains.

It's a lovely image of a bygone era and the prints are of course the same loveliness I've come to love and obsess over from Selkie.  In this collection, there were several things that caught my eye like the Hanky/Scotty prints, the Day Dress in For Lamour print, and the Picnic Terrace Gown.  I love how each of Selkie's collections feature a few common colors but so many surprises as well.

More and more I find myself drawn to Selkie's cotton gowns.  I've had to shorten the cotton Ritz and this Terrace gown, by taking 9.5"/24cm off the ruffle on the Ritz and taking 4"/10cm off this gown the moment I got back from taking photos.  Although after trying it on, I probably should have taken off 6"/15cm but it was quite a lot of work and thread so I may just learn to navigate the extra length.

Although this is a very long dress, the fabric is just the perfect weight.  If it were any thicker this dress would be unbearably heavy, any lighter and it would be sheer.  As it is, it's the perfect weight so that I can move freely.

I purchased both pieces from the Paper Moon collection that I now own from Ivory Sheep because I trust Mackenzie to check my items for quality standards and also because she packages each order to beautifully that it's an extra treat to buy from her.

My Lavender Aria Flats from VIVAIA were a bit of a risk because I didn't know if I had anything in my wardrobe that would pair well with them, but I loved the color so much and the Arias are pretty much my go-to shoe now because they're so comfortable that I took the risk. I am so glad I did because I have found so many things that look well with them like this pretty dress.

Unlogical Poem is a place I would love to shop at but they just don't carry anything close to my size, so I for now I have to content myself with their adorable accessories.  I've bought one of these antique doll face rings in nearly every color they carry because I love them so much.

Because I am currently in the middle of a very strict seasonal wardrobe experiment, I will probably fold this dress neatly in some acid-free tissue paper and tuck it into a tub with some silica and lavender sachets until springtime.  I think the length and the colors will be much more suited to that time of year.

Shopping Info:  Picnic Terrace Gown from Ivory Sheep-$261 or at Selkie for $325, Aria 5° Flats in Lavender from VIVAIA-$79, Doll Head Ring from Unlogical Poem-$27.59