Once in a while.......

 Here is the latest shots of the grey hair grow out. I got my hair cut short in late June and you can see that I have a lot of natural wave now and a lot of grey hair is peaking through. I think it works just fine.
I have so much make-up on in this picture but it looks like I have a little. Just goes to show you how much photography drowns out the make-up. I also took my glasses off because of the glare they cause. I am not great with photo editing so excuse the white dot in the pupils.

 Here is the back view of my hair so you can see the shortness of my hair. Yes I have a 'duck tail'.

 This is the maxi dress I picked up at a store in up state N.Y. called Maurice'

ignore the pink sports bra please eeekkkk

s. They are they same company that owns Dressbarn. I liked the paisley print and the colors. I also liked the fabric mix of the lace in the back yoke

 

Just goes to show you that you don't have to be 5' 10" to pull off a maxi!

On a whim off with the @hair!!!!!

Sometimes coming up with a new look is an evolutionary process. I went on such a trip over the past three years. Feeling a bit bored with my hairstyle and not knowing where to go with it I decided to grow my hair out. It took me three years and many hairdos and I grew it out. When I got there I played with the color and the texture and decided I didn't really like it after all and I am a short haired girl at heart. Here is a photographic trip of my hair style evolutions.

Start Fall of 2012

yesterday June 28, 2014

too much sun for my eyes but you can see the color better

I have noticed that face has gotten fuller over time and that to balance it I really need the volume to be on top above my eyebrows. I do like the brown/grey mix of my hair which you cannot see in this picture. I am much happier with my sporty chic haircut. I almost did the Mohawk look but the nice lady at the haircut place said,"I think you wont be happy with that look." Today I am glad I didn't go there. My next chore will be to grow out to my natural level of grayness. I am a lot grayer than you think stay tuned for pictures at that evolves.

Project Runway inspired wardrobe two new pieces finished!!!

Here are some glimpses of three finished pieces of my Project Runway inspired wardrobe.
I have completed four tops and three bottoms. None are stellar but each has taught me something about fitting and embellishments. I am also getting a better idea of what will work with my body type.
Here is my gingham blouse with embellishments and my linen skirt with embellishments.

 I added a yoke in the back that I had appliqued on and I added gussets down the side seams to add room and interest to the rather basic blouse.

used my circle foot attachment to sew these

I faced the front of the blouse with the same fabric that I sewed around the hem as a bias trim.

I made the view of the skirt with the curved hem. I added top-stitching and an embroidery design to the skirt on the bottom. I wanted to keep it very casual like the top. I was just trying out this pattern and wanting to add embellishment since I have learning a lot about machine embroidery for the past year. I am learning how to fit items better since I got a 'body double'.
I recommend doing the same if you want fitting to be so much easier. I am realizing that I pick out the wrong styles for my height and body build. I love loose wide tops but that isn't the most flattering look on me. I need more width at the bottom of an outfit. I am still sewing out of my stash. No fabrics purchases until I have depleted it. That still may take some time but I have two new dresses cut out. One is actually going to be a bathing suit cover up. The other is more dressy.

hem detail and embroidery design

skirt and top together

Millinery ABHats 2014 hats and trims

It has taken me about 2 years to learn how to do machine embroidery. I wanted to learn it so I could utilize it in making trims for my millinery business. Here are some examples now that I finally have a machine that works well and I know how to do it.

The purple ribbon was made with a rolled edge setting on my Baby lock Serger.

These flowers were stitched out onto shimmery organza with an outline stitch. I added the purl centers. the hat is a blush color which the flash washed out a bit in the picture.

This hat has millinery grade flower which I did not make but will soon be making some and posting those pictures as well. Enjoy. I'm headed over to Not Dead Yet Style Blog to see what everyone else has been up to.

The birth of a new hat

I am making a hat for someone to wear at a horse race in Dubai, Saudi Arabia. We talked about the style she wanted and looked at the dress she would be wearing and her accessories. We came up with a color that is sort of a neutral luggage tan/brown. The color was complimentary to peacock feathers and her dress. So here are a few shots of the beginning of the blocking process. I have dyed the sinemay prior to draping and blocking it on the hatblocks.

Brim block with sinemay draped over it

crown block with the ribbon I was to match

The brim and crown actually are the same color but the camera made the brim look lighter. Tomorrow stiffner will be applied. Drying time is needed in between these steps.

The edge has been wired and a bias binding sewn on over it.

here the brim is ready for the crown to be attached. I added a collar from buckram for support. A Petersham head band will be sewn on as well. The blue tape marks center back.

hat with hat band before sewn on

finished hat with decor that is detachable for travel

The dress will be worn with an emerald green sheath dress.

Sweatshirt makeover revealed

I wanted to makeover a sweatshirt so I could tie into the trend of upscale sweatshirt tops. I embroidered on mine and replaced the sleeves with a sheer material. I then styled it with some elements I already had in my wardrobe: skinny leggins, motor-cross booties, a 3/4 length coat, and silk chiffon black/white scarf. Hope you like the effect.

American Sewing Guild (a plug) sweatshirt makeover project

Have or do you know there is a national sewing organization called American Sewing Guild ? Well two years ago I became a member because I was able to spend more time doing my hobbies. It is a very worthwhile organization. It is especially helpful when none of your friends sew.

Not so crafty

very cute and crafty but not me

Another cute crafty version

another crafty version

We are doing sweatshirt makeovers in my local wearable arts group. Yes some of them can turn out very artsy crafty which may not be chic by your standards. I saw that sweatshirt type tops are in and I like the look. I am going to give one a go and so far I have embroidered a Fleur de Lis on mine. The next step is to replace the sleeves with a sheer fabric. I am not sure I will like the look but may try it anyways here is a picture of the project so far.