Finally Done

Yay! I finally finished the Purple Pinafore for Miss V.  Thankfully she enjoyed wearing it, too. I didn't know that I had also designed swimwear. :)  She gave the piece it's maiden voyage today at the park.  Such fun!  Here she is modeling it for you:

(designed by me, no pattern used)

Evolution of a Sweater (semi-tutorial)

                                                            

            Cut sleeves.

Gather Shoulders.

Hmmm....cut sleeves shorter.

Gather waist.

Add a tie.

And "Voila'!", out the door you go.  That was fun, let's do it again sometime.

Surf Chips

I was having too much fun sewing things, like the baby bib above, to take pics outside.  So you get a silly montage of me eating potato chips in my surf tee, with Missy. Look at her licking the salt off her lips! lol

At least I was wearing my new favorite earrings.  They're actual paper cranes that belonged to my Grandmother.  She must've received them as a gift when she was in Japan.  I bought the vintage romper at Thrift Town and the bib I made, is from one of her tea towels.  It was nice to get so many little things to remember her by.  I didn't think she would've minded me using her towel to give to  a new baby at my church, and it makes it extra special.

(tee: thrifted, skirt: gift from my friend's trip to the Philippines, no shoes, of course)

Pool of Contentment

I love days like today.  I finished altering a skirt, sewing a bib, and unloading the dishwasher.  Tasks accomplished and 2 other tasks begun.  Thank you, Lord.  Since I was doing so well I took my new tripod out by the pool and took some photos.  I am missing the world of international dance and all my friends there.  That's why I put on my blouse.  And it's such a nice cool breezy day today that I didn't mind the long sleeves.

Well I have a utility apron to make for my friend, before her medical mission trip back to her homeland of Romania.  So I better get back to it.

(antique romanian peasant blouse: gift, jeans: thrifted, shell earrings: from Gramma)

Stop Traffick

"Right now millions of women and children are being enslaved and exploited in the multi-billion dollar commercial sex trade."  Check out this blog and store, Stop Traffick.  They're using fashion to help stop human trafficking.  They have some beautiful pieces for sale and the proceeds help survivors.
They're also holding a design challenge so you can get involved  by lending your artistic skills.  Here is my favorite piece:

  

Shoe Stay-cation

Whew! It's been hot here, folks.  We've been doing alot of swimming with visiting family, and it's been fun.  And man, have I had a sweet-tooth lately, too!  Check out all this adorableness:

Well today my mom and my aunt and I, tracked down a great Thrift Store:  Eco Thrift.  We 'bout wore ourselves out with shopping.  I went a little shoe crazy.  We were highly amused by these disastrous jeans; they were split open at the bottom.  

Well, anyhoo, ......then I decided it might be fun to cruise on over to the Asian Supermarket,  And we found alot of interesting wares, there.  It's more like an international market.  There were products from all over the globe.  I snapped some pics of the calabasa melons and the ginormous durians.  If you've eaten a durian or "jack fruit", leave a comment to tell me what it tastes like. See the watermelons in the background that look small in comparison?  Have you ever eaten a lotus seed? I haven't, but I am curious.  How about "hot fruit-flavored jerky"?  I'm not curious about that one.  

All in all, it was a fun stay-cation in the good ol' "Sac Town"!

Reluctant Blogger

You know those days when ya just don't feel like it?  Yeah,....so here I am standing in my sewing room in my easy knock-around outfit for the day. BUT, I am in love with my new necklace that my friend, Wendy, made for me.  As I was leaving church last Sunday, talking on the cell, she sneakily placed a blue tissue package into my hand.  And when I opened it, I found this lovely necklace that looks good enough to eat!  It reminds me of jewel-like candied fruits.  Thank you, Wendy! You are so thoughtful.

Tar and Feathers

These shoes are for sale in my little teeny-weeny etsy store, Stormybelle.

So cute! I want to make one!

http://www.modabakeshop.com/2010/07/oopsie-octopus.html

The Naiad Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

The Naiad Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

A Work in Progress

Here's "babygirl" sporting the still unfinished purple pinafore.  You can see I need to take it in at the sides to fit her.  But, ain't she cute?!

After I get it perfectly fitted to her, I'll take some nicer shots and add them to my header. Yay!  I'm fascinated by fabric flowers right now.  It was fun to sculpt this rather large rose for my beautiful niece.  I'm curious to see how it will come out of the wash.  Thank you for posing for "Auntie Lala", Miss V!

Just a Hint

Been working on my "flagship" garment. I hope to have it done tomorrow. Here's a sneak peek.

Lovely Spoonflower

http://www.spoonflower.com/welcomeEeek! I'm so excited about this website that I found, thanks to the Fabled Needle.  It's called Spoonflower, and you can design your own fabric!
I KNOW! So neato-speedo. I've been wanting to create my own fabric for, like EVER.  Check it out.

http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome

Dead Tree

I took a break from sewing for some play-time with the camera.  Missy was a great model.  She used to just run off and explore, now she stays close to me.  After looking at so many beautiful and inspiring blogs; my head is spinning with creative ideas.  I need to pin them down on paper before they run off on me.  

The capri pants that I'm wearing were just plain beige until they got bleach spots on them.  I had planned to just dye them beige, over the spots.  But, they came out tie-dye brown.  Oh well, I'm just gonna go with it.  I guess they're kinda like CA brown grass camouflage, now.  That works.  Ok, gotta get back to the sewing machine, now.  If I can get my paid projects done then I can make a 4th of July outfit! 

Bye for now :)

(top: Ross, Capris: thrifted)