It’s Friday! It’s Friday! It’s Friday. Was it just me or was this week the longest week to date? Maybe it’s because we all know this is the last week before a three or four day holiday weekend and in my opinion, the week prior to any long weekend seems to draw out endlessly.

Although I ventured out and did not follow my to-do list last weekend, I still need a little more of it this weekend. The laid back and easy-going mentality is definitely pumping through my system these days. And who can blame me? The the mornings here is Philly have been a cool 61 degrees and the afternoons have been a mild 78 degrees. Everyone needs to ditch the schedule sometimes and right now is my time. I believe that it is during these times (when we’re not living by a schedule) that refreshes the mind. Breaks from the ordinary in turn makes us motivated to get back to work. And when we go back to work, we’re usually faster and more efficient. So this weekend, that’s what I’m doing, ditching the schedule and venturing out, big time. I’m going to do something so out of character. When the urge popped into my head, it even surprised me. I’m going to go hiking. Yep. Hiking. That’s right. Hiking. You heard me right. Hiking. Miss bona-fide city gal needs to get away from the concrete and steel and breath some fresh air. Don’t you think I’m going to let hiking put a damper of my ensemble. I’m going to be one stylish hiker, I’m sure of it.

Now it’s your turn. What are you all up to this weekend?

The photograph was shot by Good Exposure Photography and styling for the was done by Brandy Swope. Thanks again ladies!

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Well… my next project is moving along quite nicely. I originally planned to finish draping and drafting the pattern last weekend but it was such a beautiful weekend that I couldn’t resist venturing outside my apartment. The sun was shining so bright, even with all my curtains closed, and the temperature was perfect, a not too-cool not too-warm 76 degrees. Even the breeze was just right, only slightly gusting when the sun shown a tad too long. So, I negotiated with my weekend to-do list and decided that it would be okay if I spent ½ the day draping/drafting and ½ the day just enjoying the day. Although I spent the latter ½ fabric shopping for my project, it was the perfect dose of spontaneity and getting away from a “planned weekend.” So that’s where my project stands as of now. I have draped half the garment and I have bought the fabric, an awesome vintage yellow tweed of Jack’s Fabric store on Fabric’s Row (yes, Jack still works there). I’m excited to keep going. This is going to be a good project, I know it.

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First of all, I’ve decided that going forward, I am going to name the garments I make. I named my car Rose and I named my bike Selena, so why not my clothes? I have always had an affinity towards cool names; a page in my sketchbook (which I take EVERYWHERE) has a page dedicated to names I like – Landon, Tallullah, Peonia. Plus, naming this is fun.

So this is Harryett, a mint green maxi skirt (I added a little panache by changing the spelling of her name) I made for no particular reason. There was no event to attend and there was no hot date coming up on the calendar. I simply made it because I saw and fell in love with a bridal outfit that was in a J. Crew catalog last year. Amidst all the traditional gowns featured in the catalog was this ensemble. How cool of a bride would you and I be if we wore this to our wedding! Even better would be if we wore Converse’s to top off the whole ensemble.

Let’s talk construction and patterns. The pattern for this skirt was very simple to draft. I didn’t use my block because the pattern was simply a square/rectangle that was shirred into a straight-cut waistband. All I had to figure out was the shirring ratio (2:1) and the length. The length is a little short but intentionally so. I wanted this skirt to be a dress-up or a dress-down piece. I wanted to be able to wear it with flat shoes (i.e. sandals or Converse’s) and a tee (as the model wore in the J. Crew catalog) or with heels and a fancy blouse. If worn with heels, I wanted the length to be short enough to showcase a pair of crazy shoes (as I did in the photo).

The skirt is completely reversible! Yes. One hundred percent reversible! The skirt is made of a mint green taffeta and a sheer white organza. I chose the two fabric to go along with the dress-up, dress-down theme of the skirt. Wearing the skirt with the organza on the exterior would be for a more formal occasion while wearing the skirt with the taffeta on the exterior would be for a less formal occasion. To make it completely reversible, I clean finished the waist band and button and loop closure (which is at center back and isn’t shown in the photos). Also, when inserting the two layers into the waistband, I inserted it so that the side seams and bottom hem seam allowances (French seams on side seams and clean turnback at bottom hem) faced each other on the interior. And just as a little detail, I inserted a picot trim at the top and bottom of waistband.

Click on the image at the beginning of the post to view bigger pictures. All photographs were done by Good Exposure Photography and all styling was done by Brandy Swope. Thanks again ladies!

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I think it’s really cool to see how things are transformed from their original function into an entirely new one. This was asked of me for my final when I was a student at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). The particular assignment was the buy a garment for less than $5, rip it apart, recut it, and transform it into an entirely new garment. I bought a suit for $3 at a local vintage shop and transformed it into a jumpsuit. Although it wasn’t a wearable garment, it was a cool project and concept (I won best in class). So on this Monday, I will do the same, showing you how measuring tapes have been turned into something entirely different. Cool, huh?

P.S. Pictures of “the dress” are back up. Scroll down to see

Clockwise from top left

Love Birds Wedding Cake Toppers

Retro Sewing Tools Stamp

I Am Not Measure Tape Fabric Tape

A Tutu For Your Writs Bracelet

Dress Form Gift Tags

Tape Measure Fabric Buttons

Vintage Style, Yellow Flower, Mini Scissor and Measuring Tape Headband

Journey Necklace/Bracelet Wrap

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Every Friday, I ask myself, “How the hell did I make it to today?” Between work, side projects, side hobbies, keeping in touch with friends, running errands, and all the other little things, Friday seems like the horizon – a place far in the distance that no matter how far you travel towards it, it will always be just as far as it was at the beginning. When I wake up Friday morning, I get so excited about the next 2 1/2 days (the weekend really begins at 12:30 p.m. on Friday in my opinion). I get excited not because I don’t have to work (I love my day job) but because the weekend is when I get to work on things for me and not someone else. It’s my time to sew, read, research for future projects, work on my blog, and most importantly, kick back and relax (usually with my couch and some good movies).

What’s up for this weekend in my world? Well, I’ll begin drafting and draping the pattern for my next project, I’ll make a trip to Free People to try on this top to wear underneath this crop top I made, I’ll ride my bike Selena (she’s so good to me), and watch this movie over and over again (it was filmed in my hometown). What are you up to?

Oh, and if you’re wondering where the photos and the post of my dress went (if you scroll down, it isn’t there anymore), WordPress did something funny with the formatting of the pictures and I had to take it down. I plan to rewrite and repost it over the weekend. Sorry.

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I wrote here that during the week, I am dolled up and dressed to the tee. I wear dresses, skirts, and all things feminine Monday through Friday. I might slip one day (usually Friday) and dress down, wearing a pair of boyfriend jeans or an oversized sweatshirt, but for the most part, I dress the part of a lady, a very cool lady. But what I didn’t mention is that many times I pair my super feminine ensembles with my Converse’s. Yep, that’s right, Converse’s. Not new Converse’s either. My Converse’s are 5 years old and I bought them while waitressing at my dad’s restaurant in college. They’re beat up and have been through many waitressing shifts, shopping trips, and aimless trips to and fro. I even wore them to my dad’s wedding last year (click here to see). Heels or a cute pair of flats would pair well with each one of my girly outfits but they’re an obvious choice. Sometimes I need to add a little personality and flair to my look and this does such that.

My Converse’s are what make me well… me. It’s my style, it’s Maddie (no, my name is not Madalynne). Do you have a similar styling characteristic that makes you… you? Maybe you can pull of the sneaker and dress/skirt combo just as I can. Or maybe you have a signature way of tying a scarf or pinning your hair up? What is your signature style or look?

Oh, and if you’d like to buy that lovely dress and those awesome pair of shoes in the image above, click here and here.

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The dress. The god damn dress. Well, here it is ladies (I highly doubt any gents are reading)! Like I have written many times, Brandy, Valerie and I spent an entire Friday photographing my creations that I have made over the past year when I was in Florida two weeks ago. We had such a blast and I couldn’t thank the two lovely ladies enough.

This particular dress began last November when I received an invitation to attend my dear friend Meme’s wedding. Because people know what my day job and side hobby are, they always ask me, “Did you make your outfit?” Since Meme’s wedding was going to be quite the event (think high school reunion), I wanted to make my outfit for the occasion so that I could answer their question with, “Why this old thing? Oh yeh, I made it; whipped it up in no time. Ain’t it fabulous?”

The dress was based (a better word is copied) off of a BHLD dress that I fell in love with the first moment I saw it online. I made many muslins for this dress, click here to see the first muslin and click here to see the second muslin, as the side cowl on the skirt was hard to achieve because it had to drape perfectly over my hips. Regardless of the fact that I spent many cold Saturdays and Sundays with my mannequin (her name is Avery) watching Saturday Night Fever (John Travolta a la 1970s is the only reason I made it through those cold winter weekends), I had a blast working on this project. From updating you with my progress to fabric shopping in Philly’s fabric row, I have a great memory attached to this dress. And how did the dress hold up during the wedding? Well, I didn’t look better than than Meme (a bride’s glow on her special day is hard to beat), but I looked pretty darn good, especially with my tropical printed shoes (aren’t they amazing?).

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It’s been a little over a week since I returned from my trip to Florida (it took me close to six days to recover from all the excitement and shenanigans) and I’m onto my next project. It is a fashion forward type of project but it started with the intention of being a versatile one. The dress I made for my friends wedding is occasion oriented. I made it for a specific event and I will probably only wear it once. It is an amazingly sewn garment but most likely, I will wear only once. Because of this, I decided to change focus for my next projects. I wanted to make more wearable pieces. When I drew sketches and tore pages from magazines of potential future designs, I noticed that a lot of my inspiration was from nighttime and pajama dressing with a 1950s vibe. Many of the garments I handle at work (I work in tech design in the sweaters, knits, and intimates category) can and are worn during the day and this is what draws me to the category. Who wouldn’t want to wear a chemise or a slip during to work, to dinner, or out and about on a Saturday? Their simplicity, daintiness, and femininity is too pretty to reserve for only nighttime. Shortly after sketching and compiling my torn images into a collage, I read this article about a fashion trend on the horizon – matching tops and bottoms. It’s a whole new look to my eye and it’s also a refreshing one. For many seasons, we’ve been on a kit about polished dresses and skirt suits a la Mad Men and I think this is a nice evolution of that trend. All of these influences came together to create my next project.

Each piece is meant to me worn and mixed and matched with each other. The sleeves can be sewn on either blouse and the bow can be on the front or the back. Also, both tops can be worn with the shorts (the two shorts shown with each blouse are the same short).

The silhouettes of each piece are simple because I wanted it to be all about the fabric. A beautiful, thick, and textural tweed (think Chanel) or a vintage, buttery (so soft to the touch), patterned cotton would be wonderful for the shorts. Because the bow on the blouse is functional, the design lends itself to be made with cotton rather than tweed (it’s hard to tie a bow with tweed).

(side note: The cotton in the image is from lovely Naughty Shorts. She has the most amazing fabrics and I suggest checking out her blog and Etsy shop if you haven’t. The tweed also in the image is from the Etsy shop Fabrics and Trimmings. I just fell in love with the color and texture of the tweed.)

The only stitch line on the flat sketches is at the bottom hem and at the inside back neck of the blouses. This is because I wanted the construction of each piece to go along with the 1950s vibe and have facings. I like facings better than bindings because it gives a cleaner and more polished look. Bindings are better and easier choices for knits but run the risk of looking sporty. I also like the idea of facings because how great would it be if the facing was a contrast pattern or fabric? Oh, I’m excited!

Best part about this project is that I hope you can wear it too. I am drafting and draping the patterns for each piece using my size 4 mannequin. Once the pattern is complete, I plan to grade it to all sizes and make it into a downloadable pattern (I originally planned thought my first downloadable pattern would be a scalloped top I made a couple weeks ago – pictures to come soon – but after completing it, I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would). It’s my first foray so I hope you will be patient with me. With that said, I want the design process to be interactive. If there’s anything you want to add or eliminate from the design or if you have any comments about the design, please let me know. I want to design this together with you.

Also on my sewing to-do list is a bra, underwear, and crinoline. These pieces will be for me as lingerie has been on my mind recently (Sallie of Sallie Oh recently sewed a bra and I must give her kudos on her first attempt at sewing lingerie). I bought the bra pattern here (thanks Novita of Very Purple Person for the reference), and I bought the underwear pattern here (thanks Lizz of a Good Wardrobe for introducing me to Sarah of Ohhh Lulu). For both the bra and underwear, I will use a stretch lace and jersey (two different fabrics sewed as one ply) from a trashed sample at work. For the crinoline, I’m using Gertie’s tutorial and fabric from this Etsy shop (they have the most amazing lace fabrics).

So that’s what I’ll be up to for the next couple of months. It’s just a plan and all you sewers know that you never know where life will take you. I hope to finish these projects in the next couple of months but who knows what will happen. Oh, and just as an FYI, after I finish these projects (if I finish), I plan to get back to my sloper tutorials (yay!).

One step at a time ladies. One step at a time…

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Well, I’m back from Florida. My escapade down south was everything I expected and more. The wedding was Saturday and I spent the days leading up to the event out and about in the warmth. Thursday was spent with my stepmom hunting for shoes for an event she was attending that night. Thanks to my stylish eye, we found an amazing pair of printed pumps. She hesitated at first but I eventually got her to don the heels and boy did she donned them well. Friday was the highlight of my trip. It has actually become the highlight of my year. My friends Valerie, Brandy, and I spent the day photographing all of my creations over the past year. We started the day early and we ended the day late. When 6 o’clock rolled around, we couldn’t believe so much time had passed by so fast. The day involved glitter, cut-out hearts strung on string, Christmas lights, a dog, antique furniture, Schwinn bikes, a vintage Polaroid camera, hairspray, hot pink lipstick, a polka dotted dress and most importantly, lots of laughs. I know I have been talking about my damn dress for months and I promise that you will finally see photographs of me in it the next week (Valerie is still editing the photos as of today). I’m so excited to show you the dress as well as my other wears I’ve made in the past year. If you want get a sneak peak of a few of the photos from the photo shoot (in addition to the one at the beginning of this post), click here.

I’m still on a high from last weekend and will probably spend this weekend enjoying this ride while starting my next project, which I’ll also show you next week. What are you lovely ones up to? As always, I’d love to hear…

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