MMM'20: Housedresses for the Win!

~ Housedress with Baseball Cap and Mask ~

~ I'm on the PAO team ~

~ it was too big then ~

I made this dress out of challis from old, old stash so look ago, hmmm.  Let's see if I can remember...ah yes, thank goodness for the blog.  Last worn here in 2015 and it seems I made it up as I went along.

~ and it's too big now ~

Fits comfy, like a housedress should.

~ worn with plaid Mary Jane Doc Martens from ebay ~

~ and today's hair-in-my-eyes Masked Mug Shot ~

Until tomorrow,

MMM'20: Whatever...

Do I have On?

~ Yes, that is the question. ~

It's a hodgepodge of all sorts of things I just kept piling on.   An old chiffon dress that I attempted to retro-fit and never finished.  A chiffon shirt I retro-fitted that's now too big (so is the dress, by the way).    A refashioned pair of gauze shorts extended into chiffon bloomers.  Complete with a recycled necklace made by a friend.

~ I was shocked at how big everything had become.  ~

~ hmmm ~

~ I also found out there's still pins in this thing. ~

Tell me, do you think it's actually wearable?  Does it need to go back into time out for another several years?  Maybe some re-layering would help a bit? 

~ rain boots from the neighborhood thrift store ~

Attempting to show off my camouflaged necklace here:

~ with the masked mug shot of the day ~

And that's a wrap.

MMM'20: A Handmaid's Tale

When I was undressing last night 
and saw this red dress without the overdress, 
I realized I had everything I needed:  cap, mask, boots 
and even St. Corona gloves.  

Well, those were a bonus.  

~ for my version of a Handmaid ~

~ Don't you think so? ~

~ here's a back view of it all ~

The dress is from Katherine Tilton's OOP Vogue 6334 made in a mesh stretch knit.  

I copied the hat from one I bought from Secret Lentil, but apparently she's closed right now.  You can see the one I purchased from her, here.  I know she has more of the same style in a variety of interesting colors.

You can see the one I made out of a thick canvas last worn in MMM'19, here.

~ Handmaid in her docile, subservient role ~

~ and here she is not taking it any more ~

~ with Doc Marten combat boots ready for anything ~

~ an extra large masked and capped mug shot ~

So you're able to see the details of my decorated St Corona gloves. 

I was seriously compelled to make these after reading Catherine McEver's Corona posts.  I liberally combined several of her ideas, techniques and fascinating information from Stuff You Can't Have.  

A truly must read blog for our time, or any time.

Hope to see you soon,

MMM'20: Chocolate Maraschino

~ as my costume for the day ~

I'm wearing a double dip of two dresses: 

a chocolate embellished corduroy made from Tina Givens Clara Kaftan pattern over

a cherry red mesh knit made from Katherine Tilton's OOP Butterick 5986 dress pattern. 

I eliminated the back center doodad as well as the front slit on the kaftan, added pockets in the flanges, and chiffon rolled up cuffs to the sleeves.  

You can see previous wears here and here.

The red dress has only been worn a few times.  

See other reiterations here and here.

~ with some fav shoes from ebay ~

~ and Ye Olde Masked Mug Shot ~

Later,

MMM'20: Not Ready To Wear

~ No joke ~

This dress has been sitting in time-out since last year.

Yes, it was even in my Top 5 What Was I Thinking List for 2019.

You can go there for lots of pix and all the details.

~ and it's still unfinished ~

The sleeves are just pinned in.  
The lining needs to be attached to the back zip, etc.  

The sleeves and hem need to be, well, hemmed.  
And pockets added.
Then I'll see what needs to happen next.

~ Meanwhile...  ~

I thought I'd trot it out for MMM'20 

and see if I get a spark of inspiration, or not.  

Maybe someone will offer some insight or a fresh take on it?

I know it's hard to believe, 

but this dress is from Vogue DKNY 1461.

Okay, I did make it about 5 feet longer, 

but other than that, it's pretty much the same.

Oh, I didn't put in the hair canvas hem trim either,

because I didn't want that ballerina skirt look.

~ a close-up ~

I don't particularly care for my handmade necklace here.  

I think it works better on this dress.

And I don't think the brown ribbon sash adds much either.  

I have an obi belt that gives it a medieval vibe that might be better...

~ worn with metallic Trippens from ebay ~

 

~ and another mask mug shot ~

See you tomorrow,

MMM'20: Purple with Some Other Color

~ hmmm, I say ~

What do you think?

~ It does seem a wee bit odd ~

But anyway, I've got it on, so that's that.

The jacket is made from faux suede with an attached silk scarf.  It closes with hook and eyes.  I made it decades ago and don't recall what pattern it was from.  It only fits me again now.

~  very plain, but still interesting, I think ~

The dress is from Tina Givens Nani Lee pattern which I've worn before, here.  Made out of an orange and olive green cotton/tencel two-toned twill.  I think the neckline is just lovely.  I did made the sleeves longer, added pockets, and eliminated the zipper because I could easily slip it on and off over my head.

Oh, and I added a scrap piece of velvet for a belt, part of it is a dusty maroon and the other is a vivid cherry red.  The maroon side is showing now.

Great luck stumbling across lavender fishnets in the sock drawer(s).

~ worn with my PSKaufman Oxfords from ebay (brand new for $21.50)! ~

And Last, but not Least...

~ a doctored Mask Mug Shot of Yours Truly ~

See ya later...

MMM'20: Cold in May Wear

~Yes, I'm Very Cool Here ~

The necklace is made from a striped knit someone gave me that I tied into intermittant knots.  There was still enough leftover for a matching mask!

~ and trying to stay warm ~

The dress is an easy make from this free pattern using a mystery knit from deep stash. I just made it a little longer and added the bright blue cuffs and inner collar.  And pockets.

~ worn with matching over-the-knee sox and Doc Marten boots ~

~ Le Mask Mug Shot ~

'til tomorrow...

MMM'20: Unadorned.

Lockdown does that to you.

~ and mask-less too! ~

This is from Simplicity 9018 made in a heathered sweater knit.   

So soft and comfy, to say the least.  

~ woo-hoo, and a side view ~

And very plain.

So I decided to add the "vest" shown on the pattern cover.  

You may recall one of my top 5 disasters from 2019 here.   

I chose to resurrect it into what you see below:

~ ta-dah ~

Yes, I modified the vest pattern a bit,

since I was working from something already cut and made.  

But I do think it works much better than what I had originally.  

(How could it not?!)  

The neckline helps immensely, in my opinion.  

And having shorter sleeves means 

I don't get caught on everything with all those loose loops.

~ But wait, there's more... ~

I added ruching to the dress!  

All the way from the hem, up the side seam, to above the waist.  

First I tried self-fabric ties, 

but they were was way too thick and bulky.  

In rummaging through my sundries stash, 

I found a length of gray grosgrain ribbon that worked perfectly.  

I ran it up through one side of the casing I had created,

and then down the other side.

Ending with both ribbon ends dangling out at the hemline.

 Pull to ruche and then tie in a double bow.

They won't slip out cuz...grosgrain.  

I liked the way it created an asymmetrical hemline 

and just added more interest in general.  

But if I wanted a straight up and down look, 

I can just un-ruche it. 

~ worn with super comfy shoes from ebay ~

'til the morrow.

What Was I Thinking?!

~ Sewcialists Top Misses ~

in no particular order that I can tell...

~ Yes, the picture tells the story. ~

You can read more about it here, oh my.

~ Oh boy, another black, white and gray one. ~

This was actually on two posts!  You can read/ see more here and here.


And now for ones that never made it to the blog...

~ A Miyake Mock-up ~

~ made out of a bed sheet ~

~ Egyptian, no less ~

Nevertheless, no matter what I do, I cannot get it to fit right.  I believe I've tried every possible iteration.  It's Vogue 2315 if you haven't guessed.



Another uncompleted masterpiece (ahem).

~ A Sparkling Organza Rift on a Tina Givens Slip Pattern ~

~ by the way, it is assymentrical ~

Last, but not least, etc., etc.

~ I have been working on this thing for months on end ~

Pathetic, isn't it.  Yet, I've persisted.  With brown plaid linen in stash for a lifetime.  Believe it or not, I used Vogue DKNY 1461 which I have to say wins the award for the ULTIMATE in WHAT WAS I THINKING?!   P.S.  I also decided to make it longer than micro mini.

It has plaid pleats, people! All the way around the front and the back, from the shoulders/ neckline to below the hips.  And the entire width and length of the sleeves.

~ a close-up of the fact that you can't see the pleating when it's plaid ~

Especially if you make sure you match everything up as you go. 

~ oh, there you go, the pleats make an appearance  ~

 Finally, some excitement.

No, but wait, I could stand it no more.  After putting in the not so invisible 22" zipper, I added lace on either side to really show it off.

~ yeah, bay-bee! ~

 It's not over yet...


There's still lining to put in.

~ Not to mention, hand sewing it down the zipper area. ~

Then, instanity inspiration struck, ala Chanel. 

~ All I need is more zips! ~

  All the way down the sleeves

~ Even down the skirt! ~

From the hip to the edge of the skirt.  Oh, and pockets, if I can think of where to place them.  Of course, there would be lace surrounding the zippers, just like with Chanel my first zipper. 

Who knows, if the dress ever gets out of TIME OUT, maybe it'll make it into my Top 5 of 2020.  Or not.

Thoughts?


I'll be showing up at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style and Catherine's I Will Wear What I Like when they go live.  Hope to see you there.