Winter is here!

Cooler weather has finally arrived here in Ohio after a long (and fabulous) Indian summer. I am so not ready for 30s and 40s weather! (And it snowed yesterday too!) I've been day dreaming of sharp fall suits, sweater dresses and fabulous coats. Last year, I survived winter on one long sleeved shirt and a pile of hoodies. I so need a better plan this year.

I just love the 30s for fall and not just for the longer skirt length.

A suit, gloves and a smart hat will brighten any dreary weather.

These coats are so luxurious! I love the idea of a fur collar. It'd be crazy warm.

I love this dress! So simple and elegant and a total day to evening piece.

I love all of the bow blouses! A nice feminine touch and another little layer on your neck.

Scarfs are a great way to switch up a great winter basic so you don't feel stuck in the same outfit all the time.

Great his and hers jackets!

On a side note, exams are quickly approaching so posts may be a bit sketchy around here for a while. I've already limited myself to no sewing and no youtube video making until after finals and my 10 page term paper are done. :(

Pattern Love

Remember the great mail order patterns I got a while back? Here are some more patterns from that stash.

Sailor top! Score!

The sleeveless dress reminds me so much of 30s beach pjs.

As does this maxi dress!

Speaking of maxi dresses, I love this one too!

I adore the pleated skirt on this dress.

This dress looks chic and comfy.

These skirts are right up my alley!

Boxy jackets are not really me but there's still some potential here.

I think this is my favorite jacket pattern out of the lot. I love the collar and the pockets!

Sewing Machines!

My dad and stepmom want to buy me a new sewing machine for Christmas and want to know what kind I want. I've never shopped for one before. Are there any brands or features out there to look for or avoid?

Black Friday Haul

Here's my very first haul video! I tried to keep it short for you all. Enjoy!

Sephora:
pink travel makeup brush kit $10
bare minerals makeup kit $10
Kat Von d lightening lip gloss in Marg $5
Kat Von D true romance eyeshadow palette $15

Charming Charlie:
grey belt $10*
pink and white scarf $15*

Kohl's:
Apt 9 tights lace pattern and argyle $6 each

Target:
Merona teal tights $8*
Merona green suede gloves $20*
Conair wave clips $5*

Jo-Ann Fabric:
Stitch Nation full o' sheep yarn in honeycomb (x4) $3.74 each
circular knitting needles size 11 and 15 $7* each
Singer shears $16*
plus 25% off total bill (yay coupons!)

*indicates no black friday promotion or sale (i.e. I was out and I wanted it.)

Guest blogging again

I'm guest blogging over at Rhinestones and Telephones today!

Traditons

One reason we love the holidays is those little traditions that connect the memories over the years. Last year, I made a lovely plaid dress for Thanksgiving. It turned out excellent considering that I'd only been sewing for a couple months but it had some fitting issues. Plus I had this lovely plaid fabric hanging out in my stash so I decided to start my own little tradition of plaid Thanksgiving dresses.

This dress is from Simplicity 3673 which I made before but this is one of the other views. For some reason, the back of this dress is really huge! The first version I made gaped a little but this one is really ridiculous. Guess I'll be ripping out that lovely lapped zipper and putting it back in again. *sigh* I did have great success with the plaid matching on the seams! Woot!

I'm batting two for two here with sewing projects and my husband. He LOVED the black double agent dress and he thought I looked sexy in this one. Could have just been my crazy awesome approaching hooker height black stiletto oxfords scored for only $30 but I'm betting on the rad plaid matching sewing skills. ;)

Sew Grateful and the Magic of Jersey

The lovely Debi challenged people to use gifted patterns or fabric, nothing really came to mind that I could do (or have time to do), but when Oona posted this tutorial (and I remembered that Debi said you could be thankful for tutorials too!) that hit the spot!

And let me tell you, I am grateful for this awesome tutorial.

Who doesn't need a simple black cowl dress?

Or a slinky black dress?

Or an off the shoulder dress?

Or a one shoulder dress?

Or a back bearing dress?

And people, this is all the same dress! Through the magic of jersey and Oona's style genius, you too can have one of these lovely dresses! And it's ridiculously comfortable!

And because Oona asked, here's the beverage that helped me figure out this whole knit sewing thing.

HPNOTIQ and HPNOTIQ Harmonic!

I was really excited to learn that my machine had just as many stretch stitches as nonstretch stitiches! Woot! And I happened to have a double pointed needle to make the hem look all fancy.

Now, those of you who know Oona are probably thinking "How can you possibly do an Oona (aka the Queen of Prints) tutorial with *black* jersey?"

Don't worry. I also picked up this lovely print jersey and have whipped up Double Agent Dress #2 already! I even wore it out last night to see Les Miserables. I didn't get any pictures of me in the dress because yesterday was crazy busy. It's not a good idea to have two dresses to finish in one day (this rose dress for Les Mis and a Thanksgiving day dress) plus all that other getting ready for a holiday thing.

Happy Thanksgiving all! Eat some turkey for me since I can't stand the stuff!

Make a Statement

Lately, I've been day dreaming of statement pieces. Perhaps it's because I just made a little black dress and now I need something to wear with it! Here are some things that tickled my fancy on etsy.

Coral and yellow!

Mint!

Teal and red!

Peach and aqua!

Pink and black!

Pink and light blue!

Turquoise and Cinnabar!

I've been really drawn to the cinnabar beads made from a carved resin. I'm thinking of buying some and getting into some jewelry making.

Greenish-blue beads!

Red beads!

Green beads!

Do you have a favorite statement piece? Or are you more of a quiet jewelry type girl? What would you pair with a little black dress?

A new frock

There is nothing quite as thrilling as a new frock! And I just got two!

This darling 1940s dress is from Fab Gabs. (Psst! She just put quite a few things on 50% off clearance.)

It is just too darn much fun to wear. :)

These aren't exactly my first choice of shoes to wear with this dress, but I wore it to church (sand=no heals!) and I didn't really have many options. I think it'd be darling with my red pumps though.

My hair was cuter before church but it was a bit drizzly out today and it definitely fell out a bit.

Winter sewing palette

I am finally getting started on my last fall sewing project! I have two finished projects to show you and the Cadence sweater to finish knitting but I'm almost there! I did decided to bump the jacket I was planning on making till Christmas break when I'll actually have the time and energy to work on it properly.

I've already been dreaming about (and shopping for) winter sewing projects. I didn't set out with a particular color palette but one just sort of fell on me. (There is probably a reason for this and it has to do with a project I'm going to be starting over Christmas break as well.) But anyways, here is my winter sewing palette!

Perhaps I should have titled this post "Yes, I am still obsessed with Downton Abbey"....

Are you still in fall mode or have you already moved on-mentally or physically-to winter projects?

Youtube: Versatile Vintage Brows

Enjoy my latest video! Happy Wednesday all.

Outfit Post: Freddies of Pinewood

Yay for Freddies of Pinewood! I've worn these around a couple of times and I'm in love! Today I'm not doing a full review, just a quick outfit post. I really want to give these pants a good go before I do a review.

Today I paired them with a 40s style peasant blouse and my saddle shoes. I haven't gotten around to hemming these pants so I've just rolled up the hem. They are crazy long.

I just love the big pockets on the back! Perfect for de-emphasizing any junk in the trunk.

The zipper is hiding in the pocket and they close with a cute side button.

Orange you glad to see me

Not only is orange a great fall color, it's a fab color for the up coming Thanksgiving holiday! So here's some lovely orange fashion inspiration from the 30s to the 50s.

Yummy 30s fashion. I love the plaid dress!

Orange accessories!

No orange in your closet? Try an great apron.

Orange and polka dots is classy.

Told you so!

Not a fan of orange on yourself? Try it in a print with contrast at the neckline.

It's a great coat color.

Looks great in a sweater!

White details really pop!

Check out the scalloped neckline.

I love dresses with matching boleros.

I love the whimsy of the polka dot dress. Looks like it has rick rack trim.

What's your take on the color orange? Hate it or love it?