Sew over it.

Sometimes, things don't work out. Sometimes, you just need to channel your inner, "not-amused" Kristen Stewart (does she ever actually look happy? If you find one where she does, it's fake.) and face facts. This blouse is not working, and there's no point in even hemming it.

yes, we hang laundry to dry on the shower curtain rod in this house.

dirty, smudged mirror!

Ugh, at least my nails are gold and sparkly, haha. SOMETHING cheerful. Anyway, these bust darts are not happening, the armholes are too large and gapey, the center seam is ripply like fried bacon (fail on really capturing it in these photos), the back NECKLINE is a saggy blob, the whole dang thing looks wrinkly and sloppy beyond belief, AND I AM NOT AMUSED. The end.

Moving on! (why does this keep happening?) Perhaps I'll revisit the Jasmine blouse by Colette Patterns at a later date, but right now I'm over it. On to new and exciting things. Like mending the mr's  sweater that has been sitting in my to-mend pile for...a year?

Also, maybe starting a new project for me soon. Updates to come...

Do you like... sparkles?

Because I do! Here are my two latest vintage finds: (oh - I also should have asked if you like the 1960s, because otherwise these might be lost on you...)

This fantastic beaded, sequin-covered, rhinestone-strewn sweater top is my latest favorite thing. I didn't actually have to go digging through a thrift store or estate sale for it, but I'll still call it a "find." I spied it on etsy at the cute vintage shop Lemon Icebox Pie. There's currently a sale goin' on over there, so I suggest you check it out. As for my new top, I'm thinking I'll pair it with some dark, slim-leg pants (RTW, not sewn by me - someday, I'll be cool enough to sew pants) for a festive look around the holidays. One thing I definitely like about this top is that it's jeweled...meaning I don't have to try to pair any major jewelry with it! It takes care of itself.
 

My other latest vintage find, was more of a "find," since I dug through racks and racks of clothing at the flea market I went to last weekend in order to find and rescue it. It's a blue and black nylon material dress with bias-bound neck and arm openings and a peek-a-boo closure in the back (no zipper). I particularly love the little cord belt it has and the cute little belt-loops. The waist has some hidden elastic strips, one on each side to give it a bit of controlled gathering for a consistent look when the belt is tied.

I wore this to work last week with some black tights. One of my coworkers was lik, "oh, Susan looking nice today. Is that a sundress?" I didn't even know where to start, because, it's not really a sundress, but it's not really anything else either - oh, plus it's a dress, and everyone I work with pretty much just wears t-shirts and jeans. What would you call this style of dress? A shift? It just seems like it has a little bit more going on than what I picture for a shift dress. Is it a sheath? Is that the same thing? I obviously have no idea what to call it, but I do think it's adorable.

In other news, my Colette Jasmine blouse is coming along. I was making good progress this weekend and even had the sneaking thought to myself "hmm, maybe I'll finish this today!" but, alas, that was wishful thinking. I got to the point where it was time for me to attach the collar, and things started to get a little hairy. 1st, it seems like whenever I'm making something with a collar, no matter how much I measure and cut carefully, the two halves of the collar never come out the same size. Then, I pin the crap out of them to get the collar pieces onto the shirt for sewing, and once I've stitched, the collar has somehow become slightly off-centered and crooked. THEN, when I go to make the bias tape to use instead of facings for the neck and armholes (I'm omitting the sleeves on this version), using the Colette Handbook, I manage to eff it up so many times that I end up with 1" bias tape, folded in half, to make 1/2" strips, that baaaarely cover up my seam allowance and are impossible to fully stitch down, since I can't get the dang raw edges to ever line up completely to begin with. ANYWAY, just in case I lost you there, here's a kind of a visual.

Jasmine is currently in a blob on my sewing table, with some hand-stitching half done to try to make my scrappy bias tape do its job. I'll be revisiting her later this week, if not next weekend in hopes of finishing up. I've got some other projects planned that I'd rather be working on, so, yeah.

Sewing with Sheets

First off, thanks for your comments on my last post about my plaid skirt. I was a little underwhelmed with the final product when writing that post up and after re-reading it now, I just wanted to thank you guys for being supportive, even when I'm being a bit overly critical of something I've made.

That aside, I have a question for you. Bedsheets - do you ever sew with them?

I personally have always thought it was a great idea to sew with fabric from a sheet, but have yet to try it out. I love that you can pretty much count on (used) sheets always being soft, easy to find, cheap, and available in cute, funky, and eye-catching colors and patters. And, as if that weren't making them tempting enough to sew with, there are MANY cute examples out there of adorable outfits stitched from bedsheets. The two bloggers whose bedsheet makes have really stuck with me are Adey Lim of The Sew Convert, and Cindy of Cation Designs (who hasn't drooled over one of her cute outfits?).

The Conquering My Fears Shirtdress

This cute top above and below is Adey Lim's “Darling Stash” Peter Pan Collar Blouse

This cuff inspired the cuffs on my polka-dotted Peony.

And more dresses from Cation Designs...

Miss Lavender Goes to Hawaii

Anthropologie Knock-Off: Artist's Rendering Dress

That's right - all of these were made from BEDSHEETS!

I'm obviously quite inspired by these ladies' cute makes. So much so, that, when I was at the thrift store today browsing through the linens section where cuts of fabric are sometimes hidden, I made a b-line for this floral sheet. Before I knew it, I'd purchased it and was skipping out the door. $2.50? GIMME!

check out my new sheet!

I really like the autumn-y color scheme of this floral sheet, especially the mustard-yellow shade that's in there! I've been trying to scheme some way for me to wear mustard colored clothing, without having the unflattering hue right next to my face - this fabric could be the ticket! There's a white background and enough other colors going on, that I dont think it would make me look like I have Jaundice. Yay! There's enough fabric here in this sheet for a dress... but I'm kind of leaning towards a blouse.

What do you think?

Dress? Blouse? Skirt? PJ's?

Have you ever sewn clothing with a bedsheet? Pros/cons? Any tips or tricks to keep in mind? I'm dying to know.