Fashion Friday: Canadian Tuxedo

It's true that I've never been to Canada, but I always thought the hilariously titled Canadian tuxedo was more country than anything else. You know, for farmers and folks who need sturdy clothing for heavy wear.

In any case, my favorite way to wear denim on denim is by mixing shades and adding knits for texture. Riding boots required.

Note to self - always by 2 pairs of jeans that fit well. Knee tear or not - I am not giving up on these faded black jeans.

Oh and yes, I did stack that enormous pile of wood!

Happy Friday!!

Jailhouse Rock

Oh my golly am I ever in love with this satiny stripe fabric! But it was definetly the most finicky fabric I've ever worked with and snags easily. Guess that's why it was on the clearance rack : / The only thing I could think of while making this skirt was jailbird stripes and so took a little inspiration from Elvis's Jailhouse Rock video + Guess girl ads for the styling.

Yes, its super silly but try to enjoy my dance moves. ;) The skirt is made from Cynthia Rowley's Simplicity pattern 2512. Love the design of the skirt but it didn't quite work out for me. The waist is baggy and the seams are bulky. It may be the fabric or it may just be me. Will def try this one out again with a sturdier fabric.

Also love the tie in front but would prefer it to be long enough to make a bow. Or maybe even a built in bow, that's just there to look cute. This was my first time adding piping. Love it. Next time I'll buy two packs so I can add it to the side seams as well. It even has pockets but one was sewn towards the back. Oopsie.

The result is wearable, but only with a jacket. Not a success but not a total failure. Heh. I blame it on the fabric. Yep, it's all the fabric's fault.

Thanks for stopping!

Pintuck Anda Dress

I am so excited to finally share this dress with you, regardless of how well the pics turned out! It came together Saturday evening after almost 5 straight hours of sewing and ironing. Phew, but I didn't even realize til my husband told me it was nearly 11 pm.

The difference between this dress and the original Anda (which can be made during one afternoon's nap, for anyone who might be interested) is the row of pintucks I added down the front center of the dress. I saw the full length pintucks on a Ferragamo resort 2011 dress and knew I wanted to make something similar, although that was more of a tank dress.

Here is the tutorial used to create the pintucks - you were supposed to make the pintucks before cutting out the pattern piece but I didn't listen and the shoulders ended up a little funny but nothing that will keep me from wearing it.

The leopard print fabric came from the clearance aisle at Joann's and was a steal at only $1.50/yard. The green satiny material and white lining came from a garage sale this past summer - a whole bag full for 25 cents.

The lining is in white cotton. I also added pintucks to the front of the lining and an elastic casing on the back. Both the side and shoulders seams were sewn using a french seam. There are no seams showing at all so I think it just may be reversable. Bonus! That is if I ever have the courage to wear a white dress - between the dusty cars and messy little people it wouldn't be long before that bright white was as spotted as the reverse side!

Both the lining and printed material are too sheer to be worn on there own, but together they give the dress the perfect weight - it almost feels like a designer dress, expensive and well made. But in reality it was really cheap and is, well, decently well made. Definitely the nicest thing I've made so far.

So 12 dresses, 1 down and I feel ready to get started on the next one! The pattern and material are ready to go - now if only I can find the time. Can I let you in on a secret? I love sewing at least as much and maybe more than scrapbooking. Working with paper is just so much faster and I like the instant gratification. But taking the time to sew a dress and to have it turn out well is satisfaction that lasts for seasons to come. I hope to be spending a little more time at the sewing machine in the coming months. I hope you'll join me!!

PS. Check out my Woodland Nymph Anda too.

What I Wore: December

Wow December must have been a busy month because although I recall deliberately putting together several cute outfits, it seems only 3 were photographed and none of them are quality. Bummer! But I'll share them with you regardless, if only because I have nothing other to post about today, hee hee!

Look 1: Grocery shopping

cropped turtleneck - Express, denim tunic - Miley Cyrus for Max Azria, skinny jeans - Converse, messy hair - au natural

Look 2: Preschool PJ Party

blue nightgown - aerie, grandpa cardigan - thrifted, puffy vest - Blue, scarf - Burlington Coat Factory, leg warmers - Victoria Secret, boots - Rocket dog

Look 3: Birthday Dinner

wool maxi dress - thrifted, belt - thrifted, bauble necklace - Walmart

Hmm, perhaps I should make it my goal this month to move beyond my standard color palette of gray, black and navy blue! There are so many other colors in my closet that are being neglected - why do I always reach for the gray sweater? Do any of you have this problem as well?

Have a colorful weekend!

What I Wore - November

Fashion is such a huge part of who I am. There was a time when I neglected it for the sake of inconvenience but thinking back to then something just didn't feel right. And when then I remembered how much fun it was to dress up and how much better it made me feel. Now that I don't work, I have to make do with occasions like grocery shopping and school activities. Unfortunately where I live showing up "put together" gets more strange looks than showing up in sweats. Maybe you can relate?
Inspired by some fashionable bloggers such as Elsie, Kathleen of Grosgrain and Jacinta of Model Mumma, I photographed some outfits to share with you and hope to keep this fashion round-up in rotation from here on out.

Now onto the outfits - I'm sure you're just DYING to see...

Look 1: Ballet class drop-off

Crotchet sweater - handmade gift, linen jacket - thrifted, skinny jeans - JCPenny,

ballet flats - thrifted, mink collar - vintage, red belt - thrifted, pearl pin - vintage

Look 2: Optometry appointment

cardigan - thrifted, yellow T - Proenza Schuler for Target, jeans - Target

peep-toe flats - Steve Madden, scarf - Marshall's, hair pin - made by me here

Look 3: Christmas Shopping

Woodland Nymph Anda Dress - made by me here, jean jacket - Gap, motorcycle boots - BCBG, tights - Victoria's Secret, belt - Gap, Scarf - Burlington Coat Factory, mittens - H&M, sunglasses - Dollar Store

Look 4: Date Night

Floral Top - thrifted, leather jacket - vintage, skinny jeans - Target

boots - Nine West, bag - thrifted

Let me know what you think!!