Already wasting my day

Pretty, huh? This is China Glaze Strawberry Fields. I chipped my lovely green polish while sewing and had to do something new. This went on very nice. I had tried something else first, oh so ugly, I should just toss the bottle.

It's a lovely sunny morning and I'm wasting it in my jammies. Actually, I've been trying to figure out how to put a little starburst in my image. Look closely, it's there. I finally found out how after a bunch of searching online.

I don't know what to sew. Straight t-shirts are boring, but I do need them, plus I get to practice technique, which I need to do. So I guess that's what I'll do. I have some nice rayon lycra blends, but I'm scared to use them, they cost so much. They'll be nicer for dancing in though. The last rayon lycra I used didn't turn out well, and I'm using it as a pj top. I will later make some bottoms to match.

I think I'll keep working with the cheap poly lycras I bought first. So hopefully I'll have something new to show later today.

I did another shirt

So I did another shirt with the same Ottobre pattern from the 02-2007 issue. You know, the one with all the t-shirts.

I changed the fit on this one and I'm happy I did. I added 1" to the upper back and took away the same 1" from the upper front. I adjusted the sleeve by sliding it forward and redrafting. I removed some of the giant gathered "dart" on the side of the bust, and added some to the underarm.

It fits so comfortably now.

And my lovely green nail polish chipped right off my thumb when I jammed it. Better the polish chip off than my nail cracking though. So tonight I'll have to do them new.

OMG...lots today

I entered my 5 pairs of capris in the Pattern Review, One Pattern, Many Looks contest.

Here is the link to my review. Link to Burda 7746 review.

Here's an image of the composite.


I also posted a review of a t-shirt from Ottobre Woman Magazine, the 02-2007 issue, the one with all the t-shirts.

Here are my photos.


Even more fun are the Nails Of the Day (NOTD)
I did China Glaze Grape Juice a couple days ago.


And you can see it here in this photo too.


And just now I did China Glaze Watermelon Rind....Gotta love it!!!

NOTD China Glaze Raspberry Fields

The nail thing may seem silly to some, but I've been a lifetime nailbiter, so for me to keep from doing that, I have to do this. On Feb 19 I went into a beauty supply store with the intent of buying some great products. I was just about ready to get acrylics again, which I've had numerous times in the past, and I always say "never again." I was hearing that in my head again, so I started to read the "nail forums" at MakeupAlley.com and I got motivated to do it on my own. I wish I had some first photos.

This is basically a way for me to keep at it. Plus, it's fun to try pretty new colors. I definitely like dark better than bright, and bright better than light. I hate sheer nude colors on my nails.

So with gobs of lotions, creams, oils and polishes, I'm going to have decent nails I'm not embarrassed to show.

Stuff from today

Well, today I did two reviews of garments sewn.

Here is the skirt from Simplicity 4095.



And I also did some capris from Burda 7746.



Neither are too terrible exciting. The shirt I'm wearing is a tad too tight though, so I look forward to making a better fitting one. The capris look a zillion times better in the photo than in real life, go figure.

I did do a nail of the day. It's Sally Hansen's In the Navy. I think it's wonderful!!!

NOTD Tropez Miami Pearl

I'm not digging the orange polish. Trust me, it looks better in the photo than on me.

Sewing when I was younger

This is going to be a fun post. I scoured some old photos to find ones of me in outfits I made. What's sad is that I remember certain outfits and don't have photos of them. Such as the 3 piece maroon polyester suit I made and wore the first day of 9th grade. Or the black dress with bright flowers, the one I cut a hole in when hemming.

I hope you enjoy my little journey back.

And a little reference guide, I graduated in 1981.


This dress I made in 6th grade home ec and wore it to our end of year presentations. I won an award of "Most Likely to Land on Mars." I was a big science freak (and throughout HS.)


I sewed both the blouse and skirt in 9th grade dance.


This dress was sewn in 10th grade.


This was my senior year. I cheated the year before and bought a dress from GunnySacks at the Nordstroms Rack for $5.


A very untraditional prom dress. I went shopping with friends who were all looking at the ruffles and lace, so popular in the early 80's, and I saw a white mandarin necked dress. I found a similar pattern, bought the fabric, and made one exactly the same.


I was really into square dancing throughout HS, and this dress is the one I designed for our group. I also enjoyed sewing them for others, and charged $20 a dress (they supplied fabric and stuff.) I even made a few matching yoked shirts for the guys, but they were just tacked over a regular yoked shirt.


Another skirt, but I didn't make the blouse. I think it was connected to the panties underneath.


Here I am, posing out in front of the house in my new pink blouse. I used to wear a lot of camp styled shirts and Levi 501's (with my letter jacket.)


This was taken when I had my senior photos taken. I remember sewing all the little gathers on this dress. I also remember those shoes (I loved them) and I can't help but laugh at the pantyhose.


Outside of my dorm at Washington State University. Culottes were big back then and I remember not liking how that blouse fit. I also sewed it on a machine that was in the basement of the dorm.


I was just engaged and dressed up for my fiances pinning ceremony. I was also very skinny at this time. I also sewed this on the dorm sewing machine


This was such a fun outfit. Though I'm posing for Xmas, I made it for an AROTC Xmas party. And yes, I was also in ROTC, had a full scholarship, but I ended up dropping it after I got married. But I called this my Pirate Outfit. The top was white satin, and you've gotta love the ruffles, but the pants were cuffed under my knees and of black velvet. It was super stylish. I wish I knew what shoes I wore.


One last photo, and no, this I didn't sew...but you've gotta love a gal who will wear a red and white checked ski suit.

NOTD is bright

This is a $0.99 polish from Walgreens called Tropez in Aqua Pearl. It went on easily enough, the brush was not great, but okay. I'm not sure what I think of a color like this, but I have to try them all. Heck, why not.

Burda WOF drawstring neck blouse - March 2009 - 106

Oh, I'm so happy with this blouse. The styling is interesting and different. The drawstring neckline is very feminine.

Here's the link to my Pattern Review

NOTD OPI Yukon Do It

NOTD for Saint Patrick's Day

Hey, hey, my first post. The nail polish is SinFul Colors San Francisco.