Finished Project: Cat Print Dress

One of my favorite spring and summer activities is walking around tag sale hunting. Last year, I came across one in my neighborhood in Albany, and found this vintage cat print sheet set for probably 50 cents. The pillowcases featured cats on roller skates, and the sheets had cats with kisses on their cheeks. I knew it was destined to be a dress, but I kept putting it off for other projects. Finally, during quarantine, I decided I would finally make the dress – and the results were just what I wanted!

I know you can’t really see the front of the dress in this one but….isn’t she cute??

This pattern is self-drafted, based very loosely on a BurdaStyle shirt pattern. It’s fully lined, since sheets tend to be a bit sheer, as well as for structure. I also used the lining fabric on the outside of the collar and the inside of the pockets.

Speaking of pockets….these loop pockets, which I found the tutorial for on Carbon Chic’s blog (check out her blog, it’s a great read and she makes adorable stuff!). They were extremely labor intensive but just look how cute they are! And they are real pockets – I can put things in them.

The buttons are also real. You have to unbutton them to get it on and off! It does have a side zip as well to make it easier.

I slightly elasticized the back waist to make it comfier.

Here’s two more with special guest Sansa – she is so precious!

Travel: California and Nevada

This winter, our escape to warm weather was to Southern California and Nevada. We were fantastically lucky that it came JUST before everything started happening with COVID-19, and we didn’t have to modify our travel plans at all.

Our first destination was San Diego. Daytime temperatures were between 65 and 70 F – this was in February – and residents were apologizing to us that it was so unseasonably cold! We sure weren’t complaining, though. It was gorgeous and sunny.

Honestly, of all the things we did, I think I most enjoyed just sitting in Balboa Park, enjoying the sun and eating vegan hot dogs. Runners up were visiting the local coffee shop, Dark Horse, and visiting my aunt and cousin for dinner in Little Italy.

We then took the drive to Death Valley National Park. As soon as we got out of the major metro areas, and headed west, we encountered a vast desert, the Mojave. It got hotter the further west we got, and more and more desolate. We drove through a few towns, briefly stopping at a cactus and gift shop populated by an older woman who owned the shop, and her three cats. The one pictured is (ironically, some might say) named Handsome.

Finally, after a few sightseeing stops and bathroom breaks, we made it to the park, setting up our tent just as the sun set.

The following days were filled with hiking, exploring, and reading spooky stories at the campfire. It got quite chilly at night, but during the day it stayed in the mid-70s.

Our drive out of Death Valley to Las Vegas featured two interesting stops: the historic Amargosa Opera House and the Area 51 Alien Center.

Amargosa Opera House was built in Death Valley Junction, an old borax mining town, by a semi-famous vaudeville performer in the mid-20th century. She happened upon the tiny outpost, which was run-down and unused, and made it her life’s work to turn it into a desert performance center and hotel. The opera house still hosts performances today, and the hotel is in operation, with a small cafe next door. I once stopped here with my family on a road trip when I was a teenager, and it was interesting to see it again as an adult. Naturally, I also took photos of the resident cat, a friendly, fluffy boy named Wilson.

The second stop, the Area 51 Alien Center, was completely different – a kitschy tourist trap with alien themed foods, gifts, decor, and even a legal brothel. It featured fun alien memorabilia and photo ops, and of course I bought a sweatshirt to show off my silly roadside stop.

At long last, we arrived in Las Vegas, admittedly exhausted. Immediately upon entry to our Air BnB, we collapsed and took a nice, long nap, before going out to explore Fremont Street, also known as Old Vegas. Since I had played Fallout New Vegas, this was of particular interest to me – some of the landmarks on Fremont matched the ones in the game, albeit a bit less dilapidated.

We also explored the strip which, to be honest, was both underwhelming and overwhelming at the same time. It was certainly something to see, but the other things we did were way more fun. One notable place we visited was the Erotic Heritage Museum. Not only was it novel and weird, it was actually quite informative. The photos we took of the exhibits, however, were maybe a little too salacious for my blog.

One attraction I was quite impressed by was the Wynn. It was absolutely covered in gorgeous flowers – real and fake – and every single restaurant featured several non-salad vegan items. We had what may have been the best lunch either of us had every had, overlooking the gardens and pool. I will not tell you how much it cost, though (it was a lot).

The last night we were there, we had drinks atop the Stratosphere, where we watched the sun set, and saw bungee jumpers falling from the tower, which was terrifying to even see. I can’t imagine actually doing it.

Just weeks after we got back, the entire country went on lockdown. So, I guess we got really lucky with this one. A lot of people I know have had to cancel vacations, which of course is a bummer, even if it is in the name of safety. I’m hoping that the country will be open again by September, since we have a Cape Cod trip booked! I’ll try to be optimistic. In the meantime I’m doubling down on sewing to keep myself occupied, so stay tuned!

Finished Project: Holiday Dress

Guess I’m kind of on a sewing roll for the time being, because I have another project I just finished – a velvet holiday dress.

I lucked out on the materials for this one. The fabric was on sale for less than $5 a yard at JoAnn’s because it was from a fall collection. I just had to buy a yard of stretch mesh for the yoke which is already pretty cheap, in addition to 2 yards of velvet, and it all came out to about $10 after the addition of a coupon.

I drafted the pattern myself, based on another self-drafted pattern I have used several times. I added a mock neck which I think was a very cool touch, and gave it a hook-and-eye closure back with an opening along the top center back.

One thing I would change next time would be to make both the waist and skirt a little longer. The waist is a little above my natural waist, which isn’t ideal, although I still think it looks good. The short skirt is fine with tights, which I’d wear it with anyway since it’s meant to be a holiday dress, but if I made a spring or summer version it would have to be a little longer.

I debuted the dress on a fun date with Chris. We went to Savoy, a local cocktail bar with vegan pizza options. I felt so classy and festive. Plus it looked really cute with my favorite handmade coat:

Overall, I am very happy with this dress. It’s comfortable, versatile, and looks really good, in my opinion, plus it cost next to nothing to make. What more can you ask?

Travel: Madrid, Spain

To be honest I am not sure why I didn’t post about Spain on this blog the minute I got back. It was an amazing trip. But here we are, 3 months later, and not a peep. Well, dear reader, today is your lucky day, because I am here to wax poetic about Madrid. Get ready for a long-winded post.

The neighborhood we stayed in, Lavapies, has the highest concentration of immigrants of any neighborhood in Madrid. It was also super punk. Anarchist, leftist, and progressive students abounded; when we arrived, a DIY zine and craft fair had popped up at the local plaza, Tirso de Molina, and a vegan activist group was engaging with the public on animal rights. Every night, young leftists gave out presumably donated or rescued food to the community; when a formalized event wasn’t happening, folks were drinking, playing music, and chatting through the night at Plaza Tirso de Molina as well as Plaza Nelson Mandela, just a few blocks down the street.

The view from our accommodations

Another cool thing in our neighborhood, as well as the neighboring hood La Latina, was the sticker graffiti. Local artists create characters who they then produce stickers of in varying sizes. These stickers are made of a material that is very difficult to remove, ensuring the longevity of their art. The below character is Bloo, a tiger found all over Lavapies and La Latina.

It took us a day or two to get used to the time change as well as the differences in standard mealtimes and siesta (yes, this is a real thing and it’s glorious) but when you’re on vacation you can sleep whenever you want, so we recovered relatively quickly. Typically, lunch and dinner are both eaten much later in Spain than in the US. We had dinner around 9pm most days, and lucky for me, there were TONS of vegan tapas places. We had tapas veganas almost every night, and honestly I lost track of some of the delicious cafes we ate at, there were so many!

I didn’t take a lot of pictures of the tapas since I was busy devouring them, but on our very first night I took a photo of our very first Spanish sangrias. 

In addition to food there’s a LOT of wine and cocktails to be had in Madrid. They aren’t as big on the craft beer I’m more used to in the states but we weren’t upset. The abundance of sangria y vermut more than made up for it. I have never seen vermouth regularly offered up straight in so many varieties on a menu – I just saw it as a cocktail ingredient – but turns out, plain vermouth is delicious! Not so much the standard Martini&Rossi you see at cocktail bars so much in the US, but all different flavor profiles and shades.

Vermouth comes in tiny glasses that look like half a rocks glass, usually with ice.

A few of the more interesting cocktails we tried – I’m not even going to try to remember the names and locations on these:

 

We took two day trips. The first one, to Segovia, was on the bullet train, which cost 22 euros per person round trip, and brought us to Segovia very quickly at a speed of 130 miles per hour. When we arrived it was rainy and cold, but once it dried up and warmed up, we were able to appreciate the beautiful architecture of the city.

The famed Aqueducto de Segovia

A spiral staircase in the alcazar

Our other day trip was to Cercedilla, which we took an hour-long bus ride to. It’s a small, rural mountain town with a walking trail around the perimeter. The trail overlooks farms, villages, and a mountain view.

 

Honestly this is just a small fraction of all the experiences Chris and I had in Spain. There is just so much to see and do in and around Madrid I could not possibly fit it into a blog post without it becoming a novella. Honestly though – it was one of my favorite cities I have ever visited. Like, I keep fantasizing about moving there. And the flight from Logan was only around $360 RT. Go!

Finished Project: Cozy Fuzzy Robe

When Chris requested I make him a robe to keep warm in the winter, I helped him pick the fuzziest fabric we could find at JoAnn’s. It’s a plush royal blue. I used a self-drafted robe pattern, based on a robe pattern I made myself a few years back.

Doesn’t he look cozy? It’s basically like he’s wearing a blanket. The fabric was a bit of a pain to work with – it did quite a bit of shedding in my studio too. But he’s quite happy with it and has been wearing it quite a bit. It’s so warm that when I offer to share a blanket with him he’s like, “nah, I’m good.” So, mission successful, I guess.

Lucky for me, Chris is a huge ham, and he loves to pose for my sewing project photo shoots. And doesn’t he look handsome?

Finished Project: Buttoned Up Miniskirt

I had a little leftover denim from making Chris’  jacket last winter, so I threw together this skirt over the summer. I somehow never got around to wearing it, though, so I finally debuted it last night. It looked so cute with my turtleneck and tights.

As always, I included in-seam pockets, although in retrospect patch pockets might have been a better choice. The pockets are lined with a polka-dot polyester silk lining fabric. The pattern was self-drafted. There is no zipper – the buttons are real! I made a somewhat similar dress a few years back, but the buttons were fake and it had a back zipper; this time I was trying for a different look, and I think I achieved it with the real buttons.

Had to throw in this back view of me hanging out with my roommate’s foster cat, Sansa. She’s a sweet little cutie, plus you can see the polka-dot pocket lining in this shot.

On a related note, I have to give credit where credit is due. My roommate, Rae, put the fabric wallpaper up by using nothing but liquid starch, and they did an excellent job! What a cute print, and a great backdrop for my photos 🙂

Finished Project: Tiki Party Ensemble

My boyfriend, Chris, is a big fan of throwing fancy cocktail parties. And I am certainly not mad about it – it gives me an opportunity to exercise some artistic creativity! This year, he decided to make the party luau themed, and guests were asked to dress accordingly. Since Chris is the host, he of course wanted to go all out, so I made us matching outfits! How much more sickeningly cute can you get??

The fabric was a shirting cotton from JoAnn’s. Chris helped me pick it out remotely (I sent him photos and he voted on his favorites).

The dress pattern was self-drafted by me. I knew I wanted a back cut-out and a partially elasticized waist for comfort. This dress turned out extremely comfortable. I wore it all night – didn’t feel the need to change into shorts and a t-shirt halfway through as I am wont to do.

The shirt pattern is a very modified version of a BurdaStyle pattern. I think it may be the best-fitting Hawaiian shirt I’ve ever seen. Doesn’t hurt to have such a handsome subject, either.

By the way, the party was just as cool as our outfits. Delicious cocktails (painkillers and Port Chester Revivers), vegan pulled pork sandwiches, pineapple upside down cake, etc, etc. Great music, great crowd. Next up, I guess, will be a Halloween at my new place! I’m moving back to Connecticut in a week – wow! Once I move I’ll have time again to get my sew on in a dedicated studio room. Very exciting for me.

Finished Project: Black Swimsuit

I wear a lot of black these days. It matches everything, it’s classy, and it makes me look slightly intimidating – what’s not to love? Naturally, I needed a black swimsuit to top off my summer wardrobe. I used Ohhh Lulu’s Abigail swimsuit pattern and a black swimwear spandex from Fabric.com.

Construction was straightforward, no different from any other swimsuit I’ve made. I lined the cups and crotch with black, and used black elastic on the back and leg holes. The back closure uses a swimsuit hook.

 

It held up well swimming – I think the extensive elastic was really helpful here. It’s also comfy and of course, classy as hell. Black like my soul. 😀

Finished Project: Jeans, Extra Dark Denim Edition

I sure make a lot of pairs of jeans. But, they are such a useful garment, I can’t stop making them! I decided I needed an almost-black pair, so I bought myself some nice stretch denim I found at JoAnn’s, and here we are: brand spanking-new custom fit jeans.

I like my jeans kinda long, so I added extra length to the hem. I didn’t even think they were quite long enough after I made them, so I added a tiny bit of length in the form of a cuff, made to look like a hem at the bottom, and it turned out alright. This denim was also stretchier than the last I used – each denim is a little different – so I had to take the legs in a bit, and I put a bit of elastic in the back. It’s not noticeable when it’s on, but it adds a bit of comfort and keeps the waistband in place better.

Honestly I’ve got my jeans game down at this point, now that I’ve made so many pairs. It probably takes less time for me to make myself a pair than it would to go shopping and find a pair that fits off the rack, and definitely less expensive than a good pair of ready-to-wear.

As always, I have deep pockets and a cute button. Not shown: I lined the pockets with a polka dot fabric!

I still feel a little iffy about the waistband – I wish I’d lined it with a non-stretch fabric because it puckers a bit – but overall I’m quite happy with the fit and look.

Finished Project: Rugged Denim Jacket

When Chris requested a sherpa-lined denim jacket, I knew it would be a challenge, and I was even a little intimidated. It was for sure the most complex project I’d ever taken on. We carefully selected the fabrics, and I began with a mockup to make adjustments to the pattern before creating the real thing. When I began making it, I found that though it was time-consuming for sure, if I divided it up into small tasks and did just a little bit of research on technique, it was really not as difficult a project as I thought it would be. It took many hours to complete, but the final product came out just as we had envisioned.

The outer is made from a medium-weight denim, with a tan twill yoke; the collar and body are lined with faux sherpa; and the sleeves are double-lined with a polyester lining. It has two sets of pockets – patch pockets in the front, and in-seam pockets on the sides. The buttons are brushed metal shank buttons. I used 7/8 inch buttons on the front, and 1/2 inch buttons for the sleeve vents.

I guess I’m probably a little bit biased here, but I sure think he looks handsome in his new jacket. He also tells me it’s toasty warm, which was the goal. We took the photos at Elizabeth Park, a beautiful place in Hartford with gardens, gazebos, and an overlook of the skyline.

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