Life update

Well, people, it's happening -- I'm starting a new job at the end of the month!
What? You didn't know I'd been looking for one? Oh. Well...

This opportunity just kind of came out of nowhere and seemed like the kick I've needed to start pointing my career in a more creative direction. I'll be saying goodbye to the training company where I've worked as an editor/admin. on an (awesome!) curriculum development team for the past 2 and a half(ish) years. ...and saying HELLO! to something totally different. It was a tough decision to make, since I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my life, career-wise, and I've really bonded with and will miss my coworkers, but I'm excited to take this leap.

My new position is at a custom t-shirt company where I'll be working with customers via phone/email to proof and review their custom designs and help resolve any issues that may arise before their orders reach the Production Artists. I'll be learning a little bit about Adobe Illustrator, and maybe Photoshop, which is super exciting to me. Though it's not the most artistic role I can imagine, I really can't even express how thrilled I am to be joining a fun, design-oriented company.

Anyway, enough gushing...for now.

"Any other updates?" you ask.
Well, yes.
I've managed to finally switch out my spring/summer clothes from the boxes they've been hibernating in and shove everything into my closet. There was actually just enough room for them since I also weeded out all of the "useful" but un-loved office-appropriate pieces in there that were really just taking up space and detracting from my overall happiness (hah!). At my new job, I'll be able to dress very casually if I want, so I can chuck out all of the ill-fitting pencil skirts and secretly ugly tops I've collected over the years. Ahhh, what a relief.

non-ugly, vintage springy top, recently freed from storage

While doing my wardrobe rearranging, I dug out this cute little eyelet blouse I bought about a year ago (I think? ...how quickly vacations blur into the all-encompassing Past) when Tom and I visited Napa, CA. We stayed in a b&b in downtown Napa, and, between trips to nearby vineyards, we explored the town a bit and found Wildcat Vintage, a great little shop that sells both authentic and reproduction vintage clothing and accessories. I'm fairly certain I chatted the poor shop owner's ear off whilst trying on nearly everything in sight, but she was very tolerant of my feverish, crazy-person behavior, even though the store was about to close for the day.

little peter pan collar

The combination of a peter pan collar, sweet white eyelet, and the little pleated peplum-like detail at the waist, was irresistible to me. It's a top that just begs for a high-waisted skirt, or cropped pants/shorts to pair it with. I don't know its exact origin, but I'm guessing it's from the early 1960s...?

pleated peplum

Looking at this blouse for the first time in a while has really got me wanting to sew a top or something out of eyelet! (which I have yet to try) One thing I noticed construction-wise, which may seem obvious to you but wasn't to me, is that the under-collar appears to be white organza, rather than the usual fashion fabric + interfacing combination I've seen prescribed in collared blouse patterns -- I suppose most patterns aren't created specifically for sewing with eyelet or otherwise sheer fabric.

difficult to photograph, organza under-collar

I'm looking forward to wearing this with my Ginger skirt and any other high-waisted pieces I can come up with.

Hopefully, I'll have some dressmaking progress to share with y'all soon, though I do have another busy weekend coming up and haven't found time to sew much of anything lately. Blerg.