Outfitted: A Great Outfit Can Make All The Difference!

Lately I have really enjoyed the small reasons to leave the house and travel out into the world, but even more, I have enjoyed dressing for the occasion.

Today I had this great feeling when I left the house of feeling like ME, and a lot of it was because of my outfit!  So I wanted to share it here since I believe this is what dressing is all about, and this is what the power of clothing can do.

It felt great to be wearing an Alabama Chanin skirt I made last summer paired with the blouse for my thesis A Felted Fit.  It was a handmade winning combination.

* I accessorized with my new favorite scarf from Anthropologie, some cute textured tights, and one of my favorite pairs of boots.*

Have you had a great day because of what you were wearing, or just worn an outfit you felt really expressed who you are?  Tell me about it in the comments!

Super Cute 3hr Apron

So last week while baking some delicious desserty treats for some friends we were having over for dinner, I realized I needed an apron.  Even though through some sort of miracle I managed to keep my cute white shirt free of brownie and cookie debris, I really thought in the future I should play it safe and have an apron on hand.  It can be so heartbreaking to get a smudge, spot or spill on a favorite new top!

This weekend while perusing Joanns I just happened to find the perfect prints for my new apron, score!

So yesterday I found myself with a good 3 hour window of opportunity...Can I make an apron from scratch in only 3 hrs, just in time for dinner?   Hmmmmm.  This will take speed, ingenuity, and a little bit of cheating:)

Knowing that half of the "time battle" would be creating a pattern, I decided to cheat and freehand the shape directly onto the lining fabric...although I did use my dress form for a bit of help, I trued up the lines right onto the fabric and in about 20 minutes was ready to cut!  After a little bit of pressing:)

  (I used tailors chalk in blue for the rough design lines, then trued the lines and added seam allowance in red)

*Dont forget! - When creating your own patterns for a symmetrical design, you only need to create a pattern for one side of the garment, then place on the fold.  This saves time and ensures that each side of the finished product is prefectly symmetrical*

I liked the look of pockets, but I wasn't sure that I would be carrying around any cooking utensils in my apron, and figured the only thing they would carry would be food debris.  So to add a bit of color and complimenting designs I went with a simple patchwork-esque wide waist band that would become the tie in the back.  And then decided to incorporate one of the fabrics from the waistband into the neck straps.
After some simple math and about 30 minutes I was cut, pressed and ready to sew!

(The fabrics appear a little less vibrant as they are pinned with right sides together, ready to be sewn)

Another 1hr and 20 minutes later: after a bit of sewing (and miraculously no need for a seam ripper) everything was pressed and top-stitched.  After deciding on some buttons I was ready to add the finishing touches!

(yes thats a cracker on the left next to the scissors...I was hungry)

After adding the buttons to secure the straps, I decided to also add some cute embroidery stitches, the blanket stitch to be exact (thanks to my new book Sublime Stitching: Embroidered Effects by Jenny Hart) to the edges of the strap to help secure the edges and highlight the buttons.

And at last the Super Cute Apron was Complete, mission accomplished!

I really am in love with how it came out, and even more excited that I was able to make it from scratch in a small amount of time with no mistakes, this has to be a first!  Cant wait to make the inaugural meal with it tonight...hmmm speaking of, what should I make for dinner?
- Japanese Curry with rice and salad
- Chicken and Pineapple Teriyaki Sausages with rice, miz veg, hummus and pita
- Good 'ol Gourmet Hamburgers with baked potatoes, salad and mix veg

What do you think my inaugural meal should be? :)

Fantastic Friday!

Well I must say today has been a Fantastic Day!
I started out by going to a big Fabric and Sewing Destash Sale. One of the women in my Knitting Guild (El Segundo Slipt Stitchers) is getting rid of over 70,000 yards of fabric along with trims, felts, crafty do-dads, sewing machines and sergers to make way for more yarn. So of course I had to stop by and just happened to find some really great ribbons, that were all just $1 a bag!



So far I think these are my favorites!



And I am not even sure what to do with these ribbons yet, but I am sure the inspiration will strike. What would You do with all these great ribbons? Leave me a comment with your ideas!

She also has an amazing vintage Singer up for auction that I may just have to win;) I mean I already have 2 sewing machines but who can pass up one of those beautiful old Singers!?

Then after arriving home I find my Books I ordered from Amazon waiting at my front door! Oh how I love the Amazon:) I am completely obsessed with books I want them all and my wish list on Amazon is never ending, from knitting to crochet to fibers to embroidery to sewing pretty much anything crafty. So I was especially excited today to get the 4 books I recently ordered,



Sublime Stitching: Embroidered Effects by Jenny Hart - an excellent book that I have wanted for a while, great beginner book with lots of cute and modern designs.
Doodle Stitching: Fresh and Fun Embroidery for Beginners by Aimee Ray - also an excellent book that Amazon suggested to me and after reading the reviews knew I had to have!
The Embroider's Handbook by Margie Bauer - a book with over 150 different creative stitches including ribbon embroidery, which was also suggested by Amazon.
And finally Lilly Chin's Knitting Tips and Tricks - a great small handy book for knitters that has all kinds of great stuff like lots of different cast-on methods, fixing mistake tips, blocking and joining new yarn. I believe this one was recommended by one of the many knitting websites.

So I am totally overwhelmed and cant decide what to play with first, but I think I am going to start with the Sublime Stitching book since I did just get some beautiful new linen fabric.
Stay tuned next week to see the results and have a great weekend!