Accordions? In a Country Song? Why Not!?

I love Dwight Yoakam with a secret burning passion. His odd voice, skintight pants and love of Buck Owens (and by inference Merle Haggard) mean he's all right by me.

I want you to look at the concho belt he's wearing, though. It bugs me. Because it's not doing a gosh-darn thing but look pretty. And that's his face's job.

Happy weekend!

Garnet

70s Sophisticate

Hello all!

I can't wait for this cute pattern from Etsy seller Elyse72 to land in my mailbox:

I love the forward shoulder detail, the swingy, shift-y shape of the thing, and the lovely hair on Mistress Pink Frock over there.

I can't wait to make up View C, with A's collar in the black and gold burnout velvet from this post.

I hope. Of course, as we all know (me most of all) the best laid plans...

Garnet

Today was a good day. I have no class on Tuesday, so I got a lot of stuff done.

First, I rode my bicycle to the supermarket for groceries, and then to Target for a bike horn (much more fun than bells).

When I got home, I had a package waiting for me! It was a box of old Harlequin Presents novels--20 to be exact--from eBay. Here's a random sample of the delightful covers:

Then, after cleaning the floors and doing a load of laundry, I baked a cake!

It's vanilla with vanilla buttercream frosting.  So sweet.  So so so sweet.

Aren't good, lazy days like this the best?

Garnet

40s Does 40s

Browsing Etsy earlier, I came across this pattern and thought there was something odd about it, but couldn't quite put my finger on what that was. All of a sudden it came to me.

This pattern is so 40s, it's a parody of itself.

Garnet

P.S. If you simply must have this lovely dress pattern, it is for sale here.

Oh My Goodness!

Hello all! I'm so excited!

I've finally received affirmation of my stylishness! From the very talented Mary Danielson, authoress of Idle Fancy. I'm to reveal seven interesting/unknown facts about myself, and since I love talking about myself (who doesn't?) this should be easy!

Fact #1: I have a lot of lipsticks. When I say 'a lot,' I mean somewhere around 30. They're difficult to accurately number because I'm constantly misplacing and then finding tubes everywhere. Strangely enough, they're almost all in the same pink/coral color family!

A recent favorite is "Siren," by Revlon

Fact #2: There is a line in "The Philadelphia Story," one of my favorite movies, that I'm afraidsums up most of my life. Katharine Hepburn says to a crowd of wedding guests, "I've made a terrible fool of myself, which isn't unusual."

I'm very silly, you see, and that results in lots of silly goings-on, which in turn result in me being embarrassed by myself.

Fact #3: I'm currently in culinary school. I usually have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm good at faking it. I'm also not allowed to wear nail polish, but I am allowed to wear lipstick, so I consider it a fair compromise. I decided to go to culinary school after a harrowing couple of years of indecision. I finally realized that, like Kierkegaard warned, if I don't make my own decisions, someone else will make them for me. So I asked myself what it is I really want to do, and my reflexive desire was "bread!" Hence the uniform and mushroom hat.

Fact #4: I love old Harlequin Presents novel(la)s. The ones from the 80s, with their silly story-lines and exotic locales get to me the most. This is probably why "Romancing the Stone" is my favorite movie. Ever.

Yes, please!

Fact #5: Goes hand in hand with #4. I have a secret, incredibly fiery desire to become a romance novelist. I even have my nom de plume all picked out. I think I'd be excellent at it, too. I'm very good at overwrought emotional speeches.

Fact #6: I'm a counselor at a Hungarian church camp in the summertime. It's a rather big part of my life, and I love the sense of belonging I get when I go to a function like camp, or a bonfire, or ministers' conferences. There aren't very many Hungarian Reformed churches in the US, but they all know and care for each other, and being a part of that is wonderful.

Fact #7: I adore cats. Most of my friends would tell you that I am in serious danger of becoming a crazy cat lady in my golden years. But sometimes, sometimes I have this niggling little feeling deep down inside that I may, in fact, like dogs just a teensy little bit more. I only get this feeling when I'm around a big, old, cuddly, smelly dog. Newfoundlands tend to do the trick. Luckily for the cats and my own reputation, this doesn't happen very often.

The bloggers that I nominate for this incredibly prestigious award are:

Cinquefoil, who writes with the loveliest voice.

Smart, Pretty, and Awkward, who is super clever (although I doubt she reads this blog).

Dragonfly Lifestyle, who has a life straight out of an 80s Harlequin. Which is probably why I love her blog so much!

French Knots and Polka Dots, who is my sister, so this kind of smells like nepotism.

Moxie Tonic, who has the kind of bangs I always wanted.

I know this is only 5, but it seems that most bloggers I admire have already done this.

Garnet

Portfolio Dress

Simplicity 2245, also known as the Lisette Portfolio dress, is such a wonderful pattern. I love the little pockets, and kimono sleeves are a design feature to which I'm always attracted.

Here are some new pictures, as I just wasn't satisfied with the others. I've madeit up in black cotton sateen, which, as far as fabric weaves go, is a personal favorite. I cut out the tunic length because I like short dresses in the summertime, but decided that it was just a little too short, so instead of a proper hemming, the bottom is finished with bias tape. I also decided not to include the neck yoke, because I prefer a slightly lower decollete.

One of the bad things that I hadn't anticipated was that the black makes the lovely details of this dress nearly invisible. The interest seaming and top-stitched seams are all but lost. However, one of the good things is that the plain black makes statement necklaces and accessories that much more necessary!

Ones like this, handmade (by my sister!) of felted beads. You can also see the bias binding around the neck, and the turned-up cuffs of the sleeves (one of my favorite things!).

I hope to see more people make this pattern, as it's very attractive and comfortable. Oh, and easy! Did I mention that it's super simple? 'Cause it is.

Just for the fun of it, I decided to make a short video, with all views of the dress. It showcases the fact that it's not really fitted, and that cotton sateen wrinkles when a body sits in it for several hours.

Garnet

License to Steele

Hulu is wonderful. Not only full to overflowing with lovely old westerns and fascinating documentaries, it also has a lot of older television shows. One of which is a new favorite.

Remington Steele.

I just started watching yesterday, and already I'm on the sixth episode. It's kind of like Murder, She Wrote, but younger. And with wittier banter (I'm such a sucker for witty banter!). In addition to that, it has that lovely soft 80s aesthetic I just love. The kind displayed so well by Victoria magazine. No neon or crazy permed hair to be found.

You're welcome.

Garnet

P.S. Each and every episode incorporates the name 'Steele' into the title. No matter what.

Two Navy Dresses

Hi all! I've finally gotten (dim and begrudgingly granted) pictures of Simplicity 2250.

I should know better than to choose linen by now. It wrinkles like the dickens, which to me cancels out all moisture-wicking properties. I'm hoping it's just projecting 'irreverently rumpled,' though.

In other news, I love this dress! I read that it tends to run short, so I added an inch-and-a-half to the bodice pieces, and it fits really well! I also made the matching jacket, which I also really like. It's fitted enough to look good unbelted, but not tight at all!

I've also made Simplicity 3823. It's some kind of heavy drapery fabric. I sincerely have no idea what it's made of.

It's kind of grosgrain-ish, but I'm not so sure grosgrain comes in actual fabric form. There is absolutely no stretch. I added pretty pink piping to the midriff and around the bottom of the skirt. This is the second dress I've made from this pattern, the first was pre-blog, pre-sewing skills, and long gone.

Vanity shot (gosh, I love poladroid):

In addition to the halter, I had time to make one more dress this vacation, but it's not navy blue, so it will be getting its own post later.

Garnet