212. Knock-off City: Cherry Print Knock-off Dress

On the left is my latest summer dress, and on the right is the knock-off point:

But really, nothing is truly original, right?

211. Easter + Earth Day Shirt from the remnant bin!

Happy Easter!  Happy Earth Day!  And Happy Birthday to my boy, whose birthday overshadows everything within a 1-week vicinity:

There's something about a sewing challenge that I especially love.  When I have enough fabric, when the pattern is a perfect fit out of the envelope, when the stars all shine down on a project, I kind of get bored.  Sometimes I'm so bored I don't even start!  Ridiculous.  A few months back, I purchased a yard remnant of Alexander Henry cotton from the remnant bin at The Common Thread, because it was really cute, and a few days later I found a half yard of gray cotton with white polka dots from the remnant bin at Hancock.  Even though they were both quilting cottons, I knew they were destined to become one in the form of a shirt -- nee, a statement shirt -- somehow, from those two meager remnants.

It's basically Simplicity 4179, with a modified front placket, longer length, and no back darts.  It's an Easter shirt because of the crazy hen/ rooster print, and an Earth Day shirt because it was made from the leftovers of two bolts of fabric (and vintage buttons from a recent estate sale button bag purchase -- score!).  It's yet another article of clothing that kind of makes ME look like an 8-year-old, but hey.  In another 10 years I will look insane wearing it, so for now, no sweat.  ;)

BTW any ideas on why the top of the placket rolls forward?  Is my interfacing for the collar too stiff?  Is the interfacing on the front placket too floppy?  Have a super week!

209. I Don't Craft! Christmas Edition.

When I think about combining various related topics because I don't blog frequently, one thing I may have alluded to or outright mentioned a long time ago is that our household size has more than doubled with the addition of my sister and her two children!  They are with us until June of next year.  This means there are twice as many residents in the house and, somehow, four times as many presents under the Christmas tree!

It also means more indecision about the Christmas tree dilemma.  Long ago we stopped buying fresh trees.  Just didn't seem right to chop down a tree that we'd enjoy for 30 days.  We had a fakey-fakey tree for a long time, but it got all bent out of shape and we tossed it a few years ago.  One year we bought a rosemary tree and intended to plant it in the garden after the holidays, but I'm sad to say that somehow it died before January!  This year I decided to make one.

208. Thanks + friends + a new refashion

Another set of related updates...  Happy Belated Thanksgiving to all who celebrated last weekend!  I am thankful for a great family.  I am thankful for fall foods, which are my favorite from any season.  I am thankful for the enduring handsome that is Kenneth Branagh, and it is clear many of you are, too (and if I can get my hands on those Swedish Wallander DVD's a couple of you mentioned, I will, but Netflix doesn't have them).  I am thankful for my friends, both in real life and in Blogland.  Super-thankful for this lady, Kyle...:

... who, in late September, took a half day off work to drive to Philadelphia to pick me up from the airport, take me to Jomar, experience vegan cupcakes from Virago Baking Company in Lansdale, and ultimately drop me off at my hotel in yet another town when the car rental company wouldn't rent me a car without my drivers license (which I'd lost at an airport and not replaced yet).  Can we say "national drivers license database, please"?!  Whatever - I first met Kyle in person less than two years ago and I think she's super-nifty.  So, so glad we are both friends in Blogland and friends IRL.  She blogged about our Septmber meeting in Philly here.

207. Zero Waste

My infrequent blogging creates a backlog of things I want to share with you, and then comes the task of grouping some of those things together into one post in an attempt to catch up.  Zero waste seems like a good place to start.

I really, really dig the concept of zero waste!  The idea that nothing is wasted while making something new is super-cool.  Soy jersey is probably the softest and most luxurious fabric I've ever laid hands on, and it happens to make full use of the soy plant.  (Technically I wouldn't say closed loop and zero waste are the same, but they both apply to soy fabric production.)  Zero waste can apply to clothing design, too.  This gentleman has certainly made waves in his pursuit of zero-waste fashion by designing zero-waste garments, and this lady is refashioning straight from the fast fashion sale racks.

Appreciating zero waste means I have a few bags and piles of fabric scraps and remnants.  My sewing room looks like a pit at the moment for lots of reasons (too much travel, not enough sewing, too many friends/ family members cleaning out their closets and forwarding perfectly usable castoffs, my deep love of a good challenge, I keep lots of scraps because I like zero waste), so I watched the entire first season of Hoarders and concluded that I'm messy, but not a hoarder.

I sewed a few bags, to get rid of some of the larger scraps and remnants.  There is always a need for bags in my house, between the shopping and sewing meetups and hauling food to PTA meetings and my sister and niece, who are always ready to claim a new tote as soon as it rolls off the back of the presser foot!  I'm happy to report that I had no emotional issues using the fabric and giving the bags away.  The bag on the left was made with parts of khakis left over from the Austin Museum of Art khaki dress, the bag in the middle used a printed home dec remnant and the bottom of a bedskirt that my nephew didn't want, and the bag on the right was just scrap cotton print and scrap denim:

Then I turned to the pile of knit scraps.  My 7-year-old needs long sleeved t-shirts.  Correction:  he needed them for the two weeks of fall-like weather we had last month, and since has lived in short sleeved tees and shorts in the lingering heat.  But I bet he will need those long sleeved t-shirts at least by Christmas.  So I snagged a stack of brand new t-shirts my dad gave me last summer -- some promotional t-shirts and some plain ol' men's cotton tees -- and using a pattern made from a traced tee in my son's drawer, cranked out a couple of new long sleeved shirts.

The first (all black tee) was a quick cut-up and small-izing of a men's long sleeved tee, keeping the ribbing at the neckline and wrists.  The second tee was a little more challenging, because I used a black promo tee with a logo so prominent that I couldn't cut an entire new shirt front from the existing shirt front.  So I grabbed some red knit from my scrap pile, leftover from a previous t-shirt project, and used it for the top of the new tee.  And because the original tee had short sleeves, I used the red and some other black knit scraps to cobble together long sleeves.  I didn't think I'd like the shirt while I was putting it together, but I kind of do now.

Totally unrelated to hoarding and the sad state of my sewing room, but related to my 15+ year crush on Kenneth Branagh and my love of all things Scandinavian, is the PBS series Wallander.  All three of the new episodes have aired on PBS but they are available to watch online till mid-November.  See them!  Love them!  They are excellent and the bullies meet their right fates.  ;)

205. A whole lot of refashioning going on

Geez, I haven't shared a sewing post with you in a month.  Totally not reflective of what I've been up to.  Let's start with a simple tank-style woven top and altered jeans.  The tank is a refashioned men's shirt (short sleeve button down and SOFTASALLGETOUT) and the jeans were a standard pair of bootlegged Banana Republic jeans I have not worn because the bootlegs never really worked for me.

203. Austin Museum of Art Fashion Show

Or, How Lucky I Am.

I know, every day, how lucky I am.  Not everyone gets to do something they love for a living and do stuff they love for fun.  I know that.

These are two dresses I made for a fashion show this past Sunday, one from two pairs of men's black denim jeans, and one from two pairs of men's khaki pants:

runway photos courtesy of Sterling Images

202. In Mociun (knockoff #2) to Seattle

Or, my amazing and super-cool summer trip to Seattle, during which I wore my Mociun knockoff #2.  Why 2?  Read on to find out!

201. The World Needs Another Mociun Tie-Front Dress Knockoff!

I am telling you!  I had once upon a time thought about buying the actual Mociun dress (on sale).  But I changed my mind last winter and decided to buy The Boots That Changed My Life instead, which I have not yet shared with you but oh, their time in the blog spotlight is coming.


For now, back to the Mociun dress.  I liked the tie front and the deep v but with the rest of the neckline and decolletage generally concealed, and the version I'd considered buying had a band at the bottom, creating a real tulip effect.  I succumbed to the peer pressure after Cindy revealed her version during Week of Dresses and Meg posted hers the same week.  Turns out a gracefullady was kind enough to share some detailed notes of how she knocked off this dress (how she managed to eke it out of 2 yards of vintage 36" wide fabric, I'll never know) -- and the instructions were spot-on for me.  Behold, Another Mociun Knockoff:

197. McCall's 4892: Trickster Dress in Plaid Linen

Tricked me once? Shame on you. Tricked me twice?......

... Well then, shame on me.  This time, I'm referring to McCall's 5892.  (And the first time, it was Vogue 1046.)  It reads like a mystery in three parts, or maybe more like an episode of Blue's Clues.  Not the full-on cartoon newer ones, but the original ones, with Steve, where Blue doesn't talk.

194. Happy Mother's Day! Pantone 2010 Dress

Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas!  It can be a tough job but we asked for it and do it with style.  Hats off, sisters.

BTW, my name is Antoinette.  You may have forgotten me, as it's been about six weeks since I last posted.  Yeah, sorry about that.  Springtime is extra-nuts around here, between spring break, family birthdays (and parties), Easter, seasonally heavy workload, and volunteer stuff at the elementary school.  The school yearbook is due at the printer this Friday, which will leave me with more spare time.  I've got a busy couple of weeks after that with work, and then school's.... out.. for.. summer!!!

193. Wednesday Workshop: The W Bag v1 :: Free Pattern

Did you think Wednesday Workshop was limited to Wednesdays?  No way!  I just returned home from a week in White Plains/ Westchester County, NY, and Summit, NJ -- lots and lots and lots of travel, and lots of work!!!  I tried to include a day or two extra on this trip to venture into NYC, WHERE I HAVE NEVER EVER BEEN, but it wasn't meant to be.  Do you know how it is when sometimes you feel like you are pushing so hard for something to happen, but nothing falls into place no matter what?  That's how it was, so I figure NYC is meant for another trip.  Garment District, I've still got my eye on you!

Did you follow the recent story about W Magazine's search for a new editorial director?  While I was out of town, it seems they found one.  Meanwhile, this past Sunday, Kyle visited Austin and commented on my bag, which I'd made and called my "W Bag version 1," as I designed it especially to accommodate the oversized dimensions of W Magazine without damaging the corners.  Reminded me that I'd intended to share this pattern in case anyone else was looking for a brand new bag.  It has been my go-to bag all fall and winter long!  I will try it soon in a spring-appropriate fabric because the dimensions of the bag, for me, are just right.  Big enough for lots of stuff, like a big W magazine and a light sweater and wallet and keys, but not Mary-Kate-and-Ashley-Olson-bag big.  Maybe it will work for you, too?  Click through for the pattern link and directions.

191. Read All About It! Newsboy Cap: Free Pattern + Tutorial

Being invited by the ever-creative Dana to participate in Celebrate the Boy month gave me an opportunity to revisit one of my favorite topics: my 6-year-old son's head.  I've traced the story back to labor: I checked into the hospital when I was 6 cm dilated, at which point the doctor remarked that, based on my baby’s head size, the baby would weigh at least 8 pounds. I was stunned and scared! Hours later I was surprised not only by my baby’s gender (BOY) but also by his 8-pound baby head on a 6-pound baby body.  Mmmm hmmmm.

After the initial head pointiness from that trip into the outside world, my son’s head bounced back into admirably round form.  It has always been enormous, enormously round, and an enormous source of pride for me, with its glossy, healthy hair and housing the most amazing, wondrous brain!  Sometimes I am allowed views into the brain in that head, with thoughts both fantastical (“When I grow up I am going to buy my own chocolate factory”) and mystifying (“If I had a turtle, I would punch it in the face”).

I will always remember his first store-bought driving cap, allowing me to Celebrate the Enormous Head.  Given that, it was exciting to be invited by Dana to participate in Celebrate the Boy and find a way to share the joys of adorning our beloved boys' heads.  When I read that newsboy caps were traditionally made of 8 panels, I scoffed at the wimpiness of the commercially made 6-panelled caps, and I vowed that our handmade caps would return to the illustrious glory of 8 panels. Don’t our boys deserve that???

Of course they do, but after drafting from scratch and sewing three total samples to get to this point, I only have a cap pattern to offer for ages 6-8.  Tiny changes in the pattern make a big difference, and I need more time to grade and fit for smaller heads.  So stay tuned for a cap pattern I'll share in the future for ages 2-4 or something like that.  Or, if you're brave and try your hand at grading it for other sizes, please let us know where we can download your version.

Keep reading for the Read All About It! Newsboy Cap: Free Pattern + Tutorial.

190. Wednesday Workshop: Simple Sweatshirt Recon

It has been a busy and a bizzy February!  I just got back from a short trip to New Orleans, and I had not seen the city since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  I didn't visit the Lower Ninth Ward or go on a self-guided photo tour of other areas that had been ravaged by Katrina, because I was working a lot and, in between, nursing a cold in the comfort of my hotel room.  Still, it was good to see spirits so very high.  The French Quarter was bustling and all outward signs say ongoing recovery.  Esp. with the recent Saints Superbowl win.  WHO DAT?!

I have thought a lot about sewing but don't have much new clothing to show for it (but lots of crafting!  I'm just not used to blogging those crafty projects...).

Well, I have one new garment to share.  After the sad news of Alexander McQueen's untimely death two weeks ago, I felt a little down and knew the best way out was to start one of the many sewing projects in my mental queue.  Behold: the simple sweatshirt reconstruction.

182. First garment from Japanese pattern book!

How is your winter shaping up? Mine's great -- I've been home for almost two weeks straight! Another three weeks to go before getting on another plane and that's just right. There's so much to catch you up on... bit by bit, though. Here's the first bit -- a dress, refashioned from two men's short-sleeved button down shirts. Before:

After:

And here's the photo I would have used to show the dress, if it wasn't blurry (and don't ask me what my hair is up to these days. That's a matter for another post):

The pattern is from the popular Stylish Dress Book 1:

All the dresses in this book are labeled A-Z, and this one is Dress H. I was sold on the shaped, gathered straps, falling over the shoulders just so:

And I was feeling like a lunatic for having a stash of Japanese pattern books for 2 1/2 years and not sewing from a single one. Several people have suggested I sew from these books as the sizing might have a better unmodified fit for me than American patterns. Oh, and Karyn from The Workroom has sewn a bunch of garments from Japanese pattern books that are very inspirational. So I finally got off my duff and sewed this dress.

In many of these books, there is a lump of paper stapled in the back of the book with all the patterns printed on them, overlapped in a big jumble (very much like Burda and other magazines). You unfold the oversized sheets of paper and trace out the pieces you need, then add your seam allowance.

There is a great series of posts with detailed instructions on sewing from Japanese pattern books over at Label-Free. I mean, the whole thing is beautifully written and photographed. As an adult learning professional I was blown away by the quality of these instructions! Aaaaand it won't surprise you that I didn't use those great instructions at all -- I just sort of went on instinct with the whole process, from selecting the pattern to construction. I think most advanced beginners/ intermediate or vaguely adventurous sewists who aren't native Japanese speakers should be OK half-winging like I did. And for everyone else, there are those great Label-Free instructions! My strongest suggestion is to be diligent about transferring notches/ markings. Really pays off later.

As for oversized paper to trace onto... sometimes I finish a class and I've written notes for everyone on the flip chart, and I frequently don't re-use those flip chart pages because they are specific for that group of learners. Since I don't trust most hotels to recycle, I end up taking the oversized sheets from the flip chart (I think the standard size is 24" x 36", or 61cm x 91 cm for my metrically-inclined pals) home to draw on the back with my son before it goes into recycling. In this case, I recycled two of these oversized sheets to trace out the bodice pattern pieces. Bonus: I happened to recycle flip chart paper with the strip of adhesive on the top, like a sticky note -- and it's just the right stickiness to hold the tracing paper to the pattern piece and peels off easily when tracing is done!

The pattern itself was perfect for me. I chose a size 7 based on the sizing chart, and even though my measurements fall between a 7 and 9, all the styles are so loose that I went with the smaller size. It is still loose enough that I omitted the side zipper and it slips on over my head easily. Everything lined up and the shape (though on the less shaped side for sure) was already petite-ified, requiring no pinching an inch in length at the waist as I typically do for a Big 4 pattern. I shortened the dress by a good 5" at the bottom hem, as it seems many of these dresses are meant to fall mid-calf -- not the most flattering length for me. I might get away with it if I could sport a softer voice and waifish demeanor, as I imagine these models have. But not me.

I did fudge a little as this was a shirt refashion: specifically, I omitted 3" in width from the front bodice and 2.5" in width from the back bodice because the shirt simply wasn't wide enough. The fit is still fine and frankly, I think my version has a slightly more flattering shape than the original in the book. The dress buttons up the back.

I bought this pattern book and its follow-up, Stylish Dress Book 2, from YesAsia.com, which offers reasonable prices and free shipping. This is a great place to go if you know exactly which book you want to buy and they stock it, but Amazon.co.jp offers a much wider selection (and hefty shipping charges if you are buying less than about $200 in merchandise last time I checked). There are sellers on Ebay and Etsy who specialize in the Japanese sewing/ craft books, too, but the total cost including shipping sent me back to YesAsia.

I'm no expert sewing from these books so if you have some tips to share, please leave them in a comment! I can see myself using these books more in the future.

In case you're wondering why I made this dress in these fabrics in the middle of winter, it's because I'm going to Hawaii for a week in January and wanted a new dress or two to wear! Yes, a week on vacation with my BFF, sans husband and child. I know lots of men and women do this, but this is my first time and I have entertained feelings of guilt. I've left home for work tons of times, but to laze on the beach for seven full days? My husband is fully supportive! I kept reminding myself I need and deserve this trip. Maybe this new dress is a sign I'm getting on board emotionally. :)

What about you -- have you taken a luxurious holiday just for you? Did you feel guilty? Did you completely get over it?

181. Refashion 34: Cocktail Dress from Homecoming Dress

Or, All 100% Polyester/ Acetate.

Or, The Shortest Post You'll Ever See on This Blog.

Before:

After:

Can't say I love the neckline (which used to be the sleeve puffs!) but it was quick and hid a multitude of sins the original seamstress committed on the top of the front bodice. And I wore it to a holiday party with some of my fave Austin sewists tonight! Good times. I also see from this photo that the lace hem is lower on the left. So I'll keep you posted after this dress undergoes its next revision.

Thanks for your comments on the last 2 posts. I plan to catch up this weekend with my responses. xo

180. Coming Home & Homecoming Dress

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you're enjoying the holiday, all you who are celebrating today. Autumn is always so busy for my work and I had a bonus trip out of town last week. So I'm extra- glad to be home, with extended family visiting, cooking and eating up a storm, and taking some time off.

I am surprised in the best way at the responses to the coat/dress in my last post! I figured there wouldn't be (m)any polite comments, only from the few who truly appreciated it. I didn't think it would see much support, and I appreciate every comment! When faced with unavoidable opposition I somehow feel fine, but I prefer it when everyone is happy with my work. It is cooling down 'round here so I might get to wear it soon!

A few weeks ago, I happened to work in my hometown for a few days. I missed my high school's homecoming by two weeks! I stayed with my parents instead of bunking in a hotel, and they ended up sending me back to Austin with a bunch of clothes, many new, to refashion. One of the not-new refashion candidates was my high school homecoming dress. (!!!!!) After I got back to Austin, I put it on Clementine and found that it is in the same size range as I am now:

In fact, the armhole princess seamed bodice fits Clementine quite beautifully!:

And from the back:

Not only was I excited to wear this dress in 1990, I selected the pattern and all the fabric and it was made just for me! (Technically, I didn't wear this to Homecoming because I ended up very inconsiderately standing up my date that very day. I was quite a mean little shrew back then. But my would-be Homecoming date and I have def. made up and gotten over it since then. I did wear this dress to the parades and what-not that candidates for Homecoming court attend. But I didn't actually wear this to the dance.....)

How much my tastes have changed in 19 years! I don't wear drop-waists anymore, my sewing is pretty void of frou-frou, and I don't think a shred of this dress includes natural fiber.

And yet... I consider what's right with this dress: the bodice looks like a good fit, the velvet is soft, and there's black involved. I think those are the only redeemable qualities I can see here. I've got my first holiday party of the season on Tuesday, and this dress is screaming out for a makeover so I can re-introduce it to the world, 19 years later, with a kindler, gentler, more mature owner/ wearer. I have some interesting ideas but know that time is of the essence. So I will keep you apprised of developments! (If you have any unusual and simple ideas, let me know! I am considering the simplest version, which includes shortening the bodice at the natural waist and re-attaching a simplified, symmetrical, gathered skirt.)

176. Pay-It-Forward: Steph from Tragically Ordinary (Refashion 32: Lined Newsboy Cap & Scarf from Men's Sport Coat and Dress Shirt)

Back in July, I joined a pay-it-forward meme, and committed to handcrafting gifts for 5 people. I recently finished this hat and scarf set for Steph from Tragically Ordinary and popped it in the mail to her. She sent me a note yesterday that she received it, so now I will blog about it:

Steph deemed herself a hat girl in a previous post, and she is in love with fall. I do refashions, so after many other ideas came and went, this hat and matching scarf from repurposed fabrics was a good blend of what she likes and what I like.

The hat is a newsboy cap from that same Japanese hat book I used to make various hats for Louis this summer, made from the sleeves of a men's sport coat. In Kyle's birthday box of goodies she included a ReadyMade magazine with instructions for a dyed plaid scarf from men's shirts by Martha McQuade of Uniform Natural, so I used a men's shirt to make a scarf and lined the hat with the same fabric.

From a construction standpoint, I'd run out of the heavyweight craft interfacing I used on the summer hats. I went back to the same store I'd gotten it from, and bought their heaviest interfacing... but it was not the same! I double-interfaced the hat brim and it was still pretty floppy. I didn't interface the hat body at all but think maybe I should have -- when I wore it, the structure of the hat got lost a little and it kind of looked like a beret:

And, surprisingly, this is the smallest hat size and it's a good 2 inches too big around the crown. Do Japanese women have big heads? I'm totally kidding! Just wondering why the pattern is drafted so darn big?

I'm so glad I signed up for this pay-it-forward thingy with my 5. It has been a really neat experience to dig around like a detective, reading through blog archives to get a sense as to who someone is. And then to create based on what I found. Now onto the other four recipients!

Have a great weekend, everyone! :)

175. Kreativ Blogger Award

Before I forget again, let me first share photos of my first paid "commissioned" piece. I wore this dress, a prototype for a dress I thought I would make for Vocabulary this summer, to a party a few months ago. A friend saw it and wanted a work-appropriate version of her own, which I finished last week:

We lowered the waist to the natural waistline, nipped it in a couple of inches for a trimmer waistline, decreased the volume of the skirt and put most of the fullness at the front and back, extended the neckline placket to the skirt for easier on/ off, and lengthened the skirt to just above knee (for her). The fabric is this beautiful linen/ cotton blend, with brown warp and blue weft threads. The bronze sheen is amazing in the sun! And here, side and back views:

Onto the Kreativ Blogger Award: Thank you to the fabulous Faye for nominating me for this award! If you haven't visited Faye's blog yet, get ready for her great taste, mad sewing skillz, and authenticity and humility. I don't think there's anything quite like her blog in Blogland!

To earn this award I must share 7 things about me and nominate seven other bloggers. I think I've done a few "reveal" memes and shared random things and secret personal facts. I don't think there are rules this time so I will go random again:

1. I am your stereotypical morning person. Everything just feels better in the morning. In college I tried being a night person, thinking it was more romantic and college-y. I hated waking up when the sun was in high noon position and I could never rely on my brain to work well after 10 p.m.

2. I am a mosquito magnet. A few years back I did a little research on why this might be. Don't think I found out anything definitive. I'll go to an outdoor party with 50 people and be the only one covered in bug bites from head to toe. On days like that I will take a Claritin and try really hard not to scratch.

image from Wikipedia

3. I do not suffer from lack of ideas. Often I have more ideas than you can shake a stick at. No shortage of possibilities where I come from. Not to say that I am the best idea picker, though I've gotten good at that over the years, too. And, as witnessed by my two efforts this year to host or co-host sew-alongs, you see that follow-through on very long-term ideas on which I am not getting paid is hard for me... **whistles, fingers drumming table, eyes darting at the skies**

4. This has never been a blog topic but many friends IRL know that I have an aversion to chemicals. This is not the same as being a germophobe -- witness a recent conversation about H1N1, in which I remarked, "Meh, virus schmirus." Chalk that up to my college job in the microbiology lab, where no stinkin' bacteria made me wince. Nor am I a clean/ neat freak -- witness photos from earlier this year when I had pictures on the floor instead of on the walls.

No, for me it's about the chemicals. We don't wear shoes in my house because I can't stand the thought of all the chemicals from the street being spread all over my home, though I know they are spreading anyway, to a lesser degree. Nearly all of our household care items (cleaning products, bug sprays, etc.) are "natural". A few weeks ago I started tasting chemicals in the water. I knew how Julianne Moore's character in Safe felt (is it me or is it real???). I had a full-on freak-out until I theorized it wasn't the water -- it was the cups, being washed in the dishwasher with very toxic stuff that my husband insisted got the dishes the cleanest, and it was not being rinsed off well enough. And my theory has proven true. Moved back to the Seventh Generation dishwashing powder and everything tastes fine. I've contemplated no 'poo but struggle with the heavy, greasy feeling on my hair after skipping more than one day of shampoo. There is a shocking lack of hair and skincare products out there without parabens and sulfates, in case anyone is looking for a new business idea.

5. I love my 6-year-old son so much, and he's probably my favorite companion. But some days I just want to say, "You know, you really need to turn the intensity dial down a few notches, child." And then I realize it's very possible that... he gets that from me... **whistles again, averting eyes**

6. I have just taken up jogging again. Recent life stress pushed me back to my running shoes and I was amazed at how much better I felt, how much more creative I was, and how much more I got done. So I went again. And again. I'm no athlete but I think I will stick with this for a while.

7. I noticed as a child how much neater my handwriting was based on what I was writing with, so I am very picky about my pens and pencils. My doodling is much better with a 0.5mm mechanical pencil. One of my fave pens is the Pilot P-500 Extra Fine.

image from OfficeDepot.com

And now I nominate 7 others... I have tried to stick with sharing new blogs with you when I pass on these memes, but this time I will honor those bloggers who post often/ regularly, like I can set my clock to them. This takes a lot of time and commitment and I appreciate their efforts!

1. Pam - Sidewalk Shoes

2. Kyle - Vacuuming the Lawn

3. Outi - Outsapop

4. Lindsay T - Lindsay T Sews

5. Johanna Lu - The Last Stitch

6. Tina - glam.spoon

7. Winona - Daddy Likey

174. Refashion 31: Art Therapy Tunic from Skirt and Jeans

I've been absent from the blog.

It's been almost two weeks since my last post and I haven't even responded to the comments yet -- sorry. The last month has been a real doozy, ladies (and the occasional gentleman). It's been a tough year for my friends and family in the areas of jobs/ careers and divorce. Maybe because of our age, or the length of time most of the people we know have been married, or the economy, or some combination of all those things, there is an almost alarming frequency of major career or family upheaval around us. So the blogging has been slow. It has felt this past week like my creativity has been muffled.

After some news Saturday, it's fair to say that I felt quite funky (and not in the good way) on and off all day Sunday. I needed some art therapy big time.

Kyle recently posted a photo of her favorite skirt, and I recognized the fabric from a thrift store garment I bought to refashion. So I pulled it off the shelf and threw it on Clementine:

It was very big on Clementine as a skirt:

I didn't want to just make it a smaller skirt, though I guess that would have been the easiest route in retrospect. I pulled it up on Clementine and the size L skirt was fine around the bust with an extra inch or two to spare. From the front:

From the side:

From the back:

So I sewed pleats on the back, effectively taking up two inches of diameter around the waistband. I'd been working with some distressed black jeans, and I had one leg left from the previous project. I cut it open and draped out some sleeve-ish things. I worked up a sweat. Me, a pair of scissors, a handful of pins. I don't even know if I think it looks good! It's just barely "finished" -- but I'm done, I think:

Nothing like a fake moustache to lift the spirits. I'm 1000% sure the (un-?)sleeves were inspired by a houndstooth Alexander McQueen dress I've shown you before. Wednesday Workshop returns this week! xo