fashion machine.

Today I am thankful for:

2011-03-21T09:21:00.000-05:00

making a new friend
reconnecting with old friends
quiet, safe drives
silly dances
old movies
my awesome sewing machine
caffiene
unlimited supply of coffee at work
having a job
false bravado
inside jokes
my boys
fresh flowers
lunch dates

things i am thankful for and love:

2011-03-16T19:42:00.000-05:00

kittens
my super amazingly comfortable bed
having a job that pays well
being able to choose what time i set my alarm
milk and cookies
hula hooping
being able to go to the beach recently
my partners laughing with me as i overcompensate for my lack of dancing skills with over-the-top gestures and fake confidence
cuddling
hot tubs
eating lunch in the sunshine
music
hot showers
seeing my mom on a daily basis
netflix
being mostly normal and functional on a daily basis

Ye ole fashion blog.

2011-03-01T10:01:00.005-06:00

The Renfest is in town again, and in honor, I will share a medieval post!

A few years ago, my friend purchased a red peasant top and a blue corset from the festival. She had a friend who was a teacher that asked her to help chaperon a a highschool field trip to the festival, and she decided to dress up for the kids. She didn't have a skirt to go with her corset top, so she asked me to make her one.

We went to the store and picked out a few fabrics that matched the corset top - a dark blue, a dark red, and an off-white to resemble a petty coat. I didn't have a pattern (as usual), so I took her measurements and just started cutting away. We wanted the skirt to look as authentic as possible while staying on our zero-to-none budget.

I essentially made three skirts out of the three different colors, each one slightly different in fullness. I layered the skirts from bottom to top: white (for a petty coat), dark red, and then dark blue.

In order to create some fullness in the skirt, as well as show off all of the layers, I scrunched up the top two layers and sewed them in place. The result was some-what of a curtain effect.

I finished off the waist band with elastic, and the skirt was done! It took several yards of fabric, and just a few hours, and her outfit was complete.

WHAT YOU SAY!?

2011-02-25T16:39:00.004-06:00

I am applying for a travel blogging internship this summer, and for my application video I decided to make a music video (a spoof on black & yellow by Wiz Khalifa) to show them my editing skillz.

My application page is here: http://www.worldtravelerinternship.com/member/cindy-lyons/

A full version of the video is on my youtube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMiZeBc4GWc

Production crew: Sug Cain, Kate Cain, and Billy Mays. They are awesome and I owe them huge for their help!

tips & tricks: short cuts that aren't really short cuts

2011-02-24T12:16:00.004-06:00

When you teach yourself a new art, you often miss out on the tips and tricks that you would get from a teacher. So, for those of you teaching yourself to sew solely by written or video tutorials, I am going to start posting tips and tricks that I've learned along the way.

I started sewing when I was 14. As most do, my first experiences were creating pillows, pajama pants, and draw-string back packs. My mom bought me some patterns for simple pants, shirts, and dresses. I would pour over the instructions, following every word. Always pinning, ironing, and basting when I supposed to.

Lolz, not really. Okay, not at all.

I think I went mostly by the instructions, but I've always been a bit lazy, which made me reluctant to spend as much time as I should on the small details. Then, once I had more experience, I basically strayed away from patterns all together. I often get inspired by clothes that I like to make a slightly different version of my own. Or if there is a style that I want, but can't find in stores, I'll usually just picture it in my head and then get to work.

So when I say I don't use patterns, I don't just mean store-bought patterns. I don't use patterns at all. I don't make my own. I don't even really plan. I just pick a place to start and then keep going until it is done. Sometimes my pieces come out awesome and sometimes they suck. Sometimes they end up completely different where they started, for better or worse. I don't really like patterns, and making things up as I go is more interesting to me.

That being said, it should be obvious that I have made my fair share of mistakes in sewing. Most of them were due to trying to save time. If there is one tip I can give to you it is this:

Trying to save time DOES NOT EVER SAVE TIME.

Seriously.

I can't tell you how many time I've skipped steps to save time, and then realized I made a dumb mistake that I had to undo and then redo the proper way.

Use pins. I know, they are annoying. It takes forever to pin something and then have to unpin it later. They prick your fingers and get stuck in the carpet and they suck, but just do it. Your seams will come out neater and your whole piece will come together better overall.
Baste. Baste pleats, hems, large continuous sections, zippers, gathered sections, whatever. If it is not a plain, straight stitch, baste it. Especially gathered sections. For real.
Iron. Yep. Iron folded sections. Iron pleats, iron seams, iron waist bands and hems. This will make sewing much easier and will make the final piece look better crafted in general. NOTE: Pay attention to the setting on your iron. Don't use a hot, steam setting meant for cotton on a satin material. Be smart. Or look it up.
Measure. Yeah, it seems silly to mention it, but I tend to just start cutting without really measuring anything. Eye-balling it doesn't always work.
Try it out as you go. If you are making clothes, try them on throughout the process. That way, if something doesn't fit the way it is supposed to, you can adjust it before it is too late. If you are making a bag or a purse, make sure the pockets/straps/whatevers are the right size and are placed properly.

Those are my general tips for beginners. I'll start posting more specific tips with more details on things such as bag straps, hems, waist bands, zippers, and so forth in the future.

Get it?

2011-02-15T19:26:00.008-06:00

I kind of have this obsession with home-made halloween costumes.

Freshman Year - Old scifi movie robot.

Sophomore Year - Link from the Zelda series

Junior Year - Jessie from Team Rocket (not pictured because it was kind of ugly)

Senior Year - Steampunk Zatana

This past year for Halloween I finally did a costume I've been wanting to do for a while: a lion.
This costume was very hit or miss, as it is a play off of my last name. Those who know me well loved it, but those who know me by first name only thought it was cute, but didn't get why it was supposed to be clever. Either way, I consider it a success.

I have also always wanted to wear a child's Halloween costume as it is always humorous.

I found a toddler's lion costume and performed some reconstructive surgery to make it fit.

This involved taking the elastic out of the hood so I had enough room for my twenty-something-year-old head (the easiest part).

I cut up each side and made biased tape out of ribbon to line the edges. I hammered in eyelets (I quickly learned that it is not the easiest task in the world). Then I strung it up with lace. The corset-like result allow me to easily fit the vest over my giant man-shoulders, but then fit it to my chest. As you can see, the vest stopped right at my natural waist.
I also cut and tucked the arm bands to make them look neater.

I then made a simple, short circle skirt using fabric given to me by a friend.

I took the tail that I had removed from the back of the lion vest and added it to the skirt (so there wasn't an awkward tail sticking out of my mid-back).

And viola, my lion costume was born.

Admittedly, the first two parties that I wore the costume to, I didn't have time to make the skirt, so I just wore it with jean shorts and tights, which made me look even more typical of a lazy college student. The costume went over well both ways.

What's it worth to you?

2011-02-15T10:56:00.004-06:00

I went to Girl Talk's website today and was checking out his discography. I knew that he had produced more albums (four) than I owned (two), but I couldn't remember why I hadn't downloaded them as I had the two that I did own.

Side note: For those of you who do not know Girl Talk, he is DJ that produces long, continuous mash-ups. Since he does not own the materials that he uses, he cannot charge money for his work. If you would like to know more about this topic, see Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial.

So, I went to download the other two albums he released and found that they were not available for free download. Confused, I clicked "add to cart" to see how much the CDs cost. At this point I was given three options: mp3 format, FLAC, or CD+download. I was also given the choice of how much I would like to pay for the each type of file.

This may not be a new concept to some of you (Radiohead did it with the album In Rainbows), but I have never seen this before today. Let me just tell you: I love the idea of "Pay us however much you think it's worth." WHAT! Yes. Whereas before I would have preferred to get the albums for free, I respect this idea so much that I am willing, scratch that, want to pay for these albums.

Perhaps it is because I am no longer required to pay a certain amount that I am now willing to buy it. Perhaps it is because the artist isn't putting a value or worth on the material, and I am able to determine it's worth on my own. Perhaps it's because I can get three albums for a dollar.

Either way, I love this concept and I seriously hope that the rest of the music industry follows suit. If that is the case, I guarantee you that I will stop mooching music off of friends and start paying for it. Do you hear that, corporate america? I guarantee I will pay for it. Make it happen.

I am the bracelets you sport, everything you have ever missed, and more

2011-01-30T21:01:00.004-06:00

For my birthday this year my mom got me subscriptions to two magazines: a diy clothes magazine and a diy jewelry magazine. This bracelet was inspired by one of the articles in the jewelry magazine.

I started by sewing together a few scraps of pink and black fabric as a base.
The blue flower was taken from scraps of a dress I remodeled (see this blog post), the red flower was made from lace, the beading was taken from pre-made chain of beads, and the X is an iron-on letter.
The bracelet ties closed with soft white lace. It looks pretty awesome, but can be tricky to tie by myself.

The bracelet is really soft and super comfortable.
I feel that it is a very cindiasaurus-esque piece of jewelry.
I basically heart it a lot.

Paaartay skirt!

2011-01-30T20:36:00.010-06:00

Made this skirt for clubbing! Partly modeled it after another skirt I own. No pattern used, just kinda put it together as I went. Material given to me by a friend. It's super comfy and nice and cool - great for dancing!

High waisted skirt.

Thick waist band and wide pleating!

First time playing with big pleating - fitted waist opens up to a loose, puffy bottom.

back view.

back pleating/zipper detail.

double layer band on bottom.

big ole bow!

so this is the new year, but i don't feel any different

2009-01-01T14:54:00.004-06:00

A while ago when my Nana came to visit, she gave me a bunch of crazy old lady dresses that I could cut up and play around with.
While I was waiting around for the New Years Eve festivities to start, I decided to make a new outfit for the occasion.

Before!
I didn't think to take a picture of me wearing it before I started cutting it up.

After!
I combined it with a little bit of fabric Jimmie gave me for Christmas.

The Back!
The skirt was a lot wider than I am, so its bunched up in the back and it ties to close.

Winter break went by a lot quicker than I had planned and I didn't get to do as much sewing as I had hoped. But it's not over yet, so we'll see what I manage before next week.

if the shoe fits..

2008-12-14T23:22:00.003-06:00

Now, I'm not much of a shoe-girl, or a spender for that matter. But I can't think of anything else I want more than this pair of boots right now.

them is dancing pants

2008-12-14T20:24:00.002-06:00

pants!

I'm going on a cruise this week, but expect lots of updating when I get back, because I'm gonna have way too much free time over the break.

you can't fix what's already spoiled.

2008-12-02T15:25:00.007-06:00

WARNING: spoilers.

I know this is supposed to be a fashion blog, but since it's my blog, I can write whatever I want, and today I want to write about how terrible the movie "Twilight" was.
I'll be the first to admit that I was hesitant about reading "Twilight" or seeing the movie because of the obsessive tween craze associated with it. However, after my 27-year-old sister demanded that I read the whole series during Thanksgiving break so that we could see the movie together, I thought hey why not? I don't even have to tell anyone if it's really that bad. And you know what? I was surprised. Twilight was amazing! I can't say the same for the rest of the series (the other books were just okay), but the first book is definitely worth reading. But be prepared: YES, its a romance geared towards teenage girls. Yes, it is at times annoying naive and innocent. Yes, you probably do deserve Edwards more than Bella. No, it's not likely that after reading the book you will magically have a vampire encounter (I woke up this morning infuriated and abashed that I was able to hold down breakfast and had no unbearable cravings for blood). That said, read the book now, thank me later.
I did finished the books and we did go see the movie, and ladies and gentlemen I am despaired to tell you that it was terrible! Now, I'll be honest, I am biased against movies made from books. The translation is almost always terrible (exception: The Princess Bride, love it!), the movie never does the story justice (exception: A Walk to Remember - the movie was actually better than the book), and I just can't handle it when what I see on screen differ so greatly from what's in my head (sup, Harry Potter?). But I went into this movie with those facts in mind, forcing myself to make the best of it.
This book had so much potential: the plot line was simple, the characters were distinct and unique, and the dialog was practically already in script form.
I was so disappointed.
I'll start with the cast. Not what I had in mind, not who I would have picked, but still not bad (minus Eric: in the book he was an acne-ridden chess geek, yet the movie portrayed him as a charming journalist played devastatingly gorgeous Korean actor Justin Chon). Most of the lines were delivered convincingly (though I'll come back to the lines themselves), and the actors seemed to do what the could with what they were given. I watched a couple of interviews, and I'll be honest, the secondary character actors all seemed much cooler than the two primary actors. Robert Pattinson (Edward) seemed kind of arrogant and out of touch in his interviews, and Kristen Stewart (Bella) looked like she was either high or bored. I will admit, Pattinson looked rather dashing in the prom scene, but for most of the movie, the Cullen gang just didn't look as gorgeous at the book promised.
The shooting, ahh the shooting. Every shot was the same. The colors seemed all wrong and the movement was off. Some scenes were unnecessarily long while incredibly important ones seemed too short. And with all of the money this movie grossed (what was it, 30 mil in the first day?) I think you guys could have afforded slightly better special effects.
The characters' depths weren't captured like they should've been, and the relationships seemed all wrong. The interaction between Bella and Edward was weird and confusing, their romance seemed rushed and shallow. The movie left out vital points in the book and added unnecessary scenes (The field trip? What was that? It didn't even make sense). Secondary characters like Mike, Jessica, Tyler, and Angela had their significance taken away so fiercely that I wondered why they even left them in the movie.
And Catherin Hardwicke? Really? The woman directed "Thirteen," probably one of the worst movies ever made. It only took her six weeks to write the script, and if you see the movie you'll understand how. It was so terrible. All she had to do was pull out major plot points and memorable lines from the book, but she couldn't even do that. She had to add irrelevant (not to mention peculiar) scenes and details, taking away from the beautiful shape and composition of the book's story. Oh, how I mourn for you, Ms. Meyers, for your work of art was smashed with a hammer and put back together with chicken feathers* and glitter glue. And the dialog, oh dear. It was corny, jumbled, it made no sense! Important lines from the book were changed, and for what reason? Why change the heart-stabbing line Bella gives her father as she storms from the house, leaving for Arizona? The one that replaced it was not nearly as effective or gut-wrenching. And why leave out all of the dazzling lines that Edward delivers that makes Bella (and more importantly, us) love him so, when that would've filled the heart of every 13-15 year old girl in the theater.
I could go on (and on and on) but I should probably stop before I sound like a resentful bitch (too late?).
Overall? You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting.

*a little joke for those of you who made it to breaking dawn

it's been such a long time, i guess i should be goin'.

2008-10-26T15:28:00.004-05:00

I lost my camera for forever, but I finally found it on Thursday!
So this is what has become of the zebra pants. An over-sized racer-back tank top (I just love them) with an adjustable back strap thing. I forgot to take a picture of the back, but perhaps I'll get one up soon.

blue tanktop (walmart), volleyball shorts (walmart), zebra tank (handmade)
A lovely mirror shot.

I made this vest a while back. I tried to make a dress out of this fabric last summer or winter but failed horribly and so I cut the skirt up for this. It looks like an old man vest and I love it dearly, but it needs some vintage or over-sized buttons.

I have a lot of new clothes that have yet to be photographed, so expect frequent posting!

It is to late ta pologize?

2008-10-08T16:41:00.003-05:00

Dear readers,

I apologize for my unannounced hiatus. School is ridiculous. Consider this my pledge to update those who are curious of my silly outfits, crazy creations, or general musings at the very least every Wednesday and Saturday, starting tonight.

Don't give up on me!
Cindiasaurus

so this zebra wants to know if he's white with black stripes or black with white stripes...

2008-08-26T21:20:00.003-05:00

Today I saw my friend David, whom I haven't hung out with in approximately forever, and he had the marvelous idea to go to the thrift store.
I've only ever known of one thrift store near our store, but today he took me to a new one that I had no idea existed!
Turns out it was only separated from the other thrift store by a parking lot and a fence...
He got a sweet pair of boating shoes and a totally cute vintage fan.
And I got these!:

They're too big, but I think I may just fix the elastic around the waist and add elastic to the cuffs, so they're baggy and a bit like hammer pants.
If that looks terrible, then I'll just trim them down to size.
They were too good to pass by though, especially for $2.

hello, kitty!

2008-08-25T17:32:00.003-05:00

Today was the first day back to school, so I had to wake up at 7:45AM to be at school by 9:15! Bleh! But luckily, I only had one class and it was only 50 minutes long, haha, so I was done by 10:30 and ready to waste my day... erm, I mean get things done. Getting my books was easy, but don't get me started on parking permits.
Back to school outfit!

The bookstore is right next to a shoe store, and my airwalks are so broken they flap their mouth everytime I take a step, so I went in to find a new pair of sneakers.
Didn't find sneakers, but I did find these...

looove!

And of course, right next door to the shoe store was a Target, and I simply did not have a good backpack for my laptop...

I'm spendin' too much money, honey.

you can call for pizza, you can call your cat, you can even call the whitehouse, have a chat!

2008-08-24T19:13:00.002-05:00

I was looking through old pictures on my computer and I came across these pictures of a present I made for my friend a year or two ago.
It's an over-sized pillow phone!

Complete with 9, yes only 9, buttons for long-distance dialing!
Just don't call the operator!

Detachable ear and mouth piece!
New wireless technology!
You don't even need a phone line!

Hello?
Say that again, the line's a bit fuzzy...

shake what ya nana gave ya

2008-08-23T21:37:00.007-05:00

A little while back my Nana gave me a bunch of old dresses to cut up.

This is one of them.

The first couple of times I tried this dress on it just didn't fit right. So I decided to cut it up, perhaps make it a halter or racer-back type dress, taking it from Boho to Hippie.
However!, I tried it on again tonight to figure out what cut would work best with the top and for some odd reason it first for the first time.
Now I can't decide if I want to leave it as is or still cut it.
The sleeves aren't skin-tight, but they don't leave much room for growth, and the material doesn't allow for much flexibility. Also, it's a little warm for the sunny state of Florida.
The back is fully covered, so if I do leave the sleeves on, I might turn the back into a big plunging V.

I couldn't really get it in the picture, but the dress is exactly floor length.

Taking off the sleeves would probably give my arms a lot more mobility and take away the heat factor.
I can't seem to decide.

What do you think?

want!

2008-08-23T20:51:00.003-05:00

i'm sure i could make this if i bothered to figure out how it works, but if you want to buy me one, that's okay too.
<3

get the picture?

2008-08-17T11:51:00.007-05:00

WARNING: This post hosts approximately one billion photos.

Oh no!, again?
Yes, the green striped tank is back.
I'm in love with its versatility, perhaps.
I love the shape of the collar, but it's a little tight in the bust and the fabric doesn't stretch so it does the impossible and gives me some crazy cleavage.
Sometimes when I'm going into a situation where I know I'll feel uncomfortable or shy, I'll dress crazy or tough (I try, anyway).
I knew I was going to be spending the day with someone important that I barely knew, so I did my best to hide my timidness.

green striped tank (thrifted), vest (forever 21 - believe it or not, on rare occasion I actually do shop at mainstream stores), black skinny jeans (old navy), steel toed boots (used to belong to my mom)

I freaking love these boots. It's so fun to be able to run up and kick stuff or have people stand on my feet without feeling it. Makes me feel tough, for once?

I suppose this outfit is chic without being too dressy.

sunglasses (Claire's), green striped tank (thrifted), skinny gray jeans (Sears), jacket and shoes (Marshall's)

When I bought the jacket, it had these ugly lame blue buttons on it, so I replaced them with these sweet buttons from Walmart. They give the jacket a more nautical feel.

Wearing heels makes me want to kick shit over.
Then again, so did the steel-toed boots, so maybe I just have a problem.

But aren't they beautiful?
Very vintage.

I don't know if one is allowed to mix stripes with stripes, but I've never been one for following rules...
I made this skirt from a purple and very light pink pinstripe material.
I was going for a vintage sailor girl skirt feel.
Big white buttons found in my mother's sewing kit, and white piping separates the waist and the skirt.

front/back

And in final news, my boyfriend got me a screen press for my birthday! I just need to get a screen, and then I'm on my way to making bunches of sweet sweet shirts/pillows/wall art/whateverthehellifeellike.

this one will get her out of her clothes and into the sheets

2008-08-10T18:13:00.005-05:00

I was up by my school the other day and there is a JoAnn's that is relocating, so there was a massive sale. I figured I might be able to get some nice thread for my new serger for a little cheaper, so I went in.
And ended up buying $65 worth of sewing fabric/supplies.

But! All of it was 50-70% off, so I couldn't miss this opportunity.
Also, my family threw out my old bed (which was a full and all of the other beds in the house are queen size), so we were stuck with several sets of sheets that didn't fit any of our beds. My mom was just going to give the sheets away, so I snagged them before she had the chance.
All of my fabrics combined take up an entire 30 gal tub.
Exciting!

Keeping to my addiction to making new outfits every week, I used the flat sheet from my bed set that I had when I was about 11 (I grew out of the tulips as I got older, haha) to make a dress that was inspire by the first dress in this post by MODAna.

paired with a baseball belt stolen from my brother

The dress was supposed to have a very 70's feel to it. Floral and flowy.

I changed the style of the top part so that the sleeves would always be off-shoulder and couldn't ride up.

Double ruffle bottom!

I felt like the dress came out a little more German girl than 70's hippie, but I still like it.
I hope Dana doesn't mind me stealing some of her style! To be honest, I like her dress much better anyway.
:)

curtain call

2008-08-04T16:02:00.004-05:00

For my birthday, my friend Christopher gave me a giant roll of this beautiful thick purple fabric. It's almost as tall as I am!
You could make curtains out of this stuff, I love it.

The first thing I made with it was a high-waisted bubble skirt.

front/back

I wore it out dancing last night with the shirt and necklace Jimmie got me.

waistband detail.

I finally got my serger yesterday (It's a Kenmore). However, we didn't bother to any nice quality thread, which is apparently required for a serger to work properly. So!, when I got home and set it all up and tested it out, it would work for about a foot of fabric and then decide that it really didn't like the cheap thread that I put in it. So I'll have to go pick up some nice thread that is designed for sergers and form a new opinion on whether I love it or not. Has anyone else ever used one?

little thriftshop of horrors

2008-07-31T00:14:00.005-05:00

So for my birthday, my boyfriend and I went thrifting all day. I was hoping to find a crazy skirt or some old jewelery, but the thrift stores around here are mostly lame.
We did however go to the new Plato's Closet, which to be honest was in some respects more expensive than the mall, but I found a cute tank for only $3!

The colors look really good with my skin tone and it has a racer back! I love racer backs. They are so comfortable and I think they're sexy while maintaining modesty.

My boyfriend picked this purse out for me. He loved the guns; some revolutionary, huh?
I love the inside fabric. I think the purse is actually reversible. Or if it wasn't meant to be, then it definitely could be anyway.
$8!

I love love love this necklace. It's by a brand called 1928 (found at JC Penny's). All of their jewelery looks like it's from the 20's. I want the entire line. So gorgeous!
But for some reason just this piece was on mega sale, and when I pointed it out to my boyfriend, he insisted on buying it for me. Mostly because I wouldn't buy it for myself - I'm really cheap. And this necklace was only $6, if that tells you how stingy I am with my money. To be honest, my boyfriend fronted the bill for all of these items. He loves to spoil me. But I try my best to be a cheap date.

For those of you who are magic fans:
Today we went to Clearwater Beach to see Criss Angel escape from a building that was about to implode. I wasn't that impressed. Just watching the building fold in on itself was my favorite part. But it was fun just to say we went. Just to be a part of history.
Personally, I thought the trick would've been much more entertaining if it had been David Blaine walking out of the cloud of dust at the end instead of Criss Angel, but that's just me.

let's celebrate me.

2008-07-29T22:55:00.006-05:00

It's quite possible that I'm addicted to the idea of wearing a new outfit every time I go out dancing. This week I'd like to blame it on the fact that today is my birthday, so on Sunday I had my birthday dance at The Zendah Grotto. I was the center of attention, so naturally I had to create a new cute, yet still functional, look for myself.
I made this shirt-dress from the scrap of fabric leftover from the suspender skirt I made a couple of weeks ago, some stretchy white fabric from who knows what, and a button I took off of a jacket.

front / back

asymmetrical straps! yay!

button detail!

Sorry about the boob shots. The front of the shirt just doesn't look right on my dress form.

For anyone wondering, I had a lovely birthday.
I went thrifting with my boyfriend and scored a couple of really good finds. But more on that later, I'm sleepy.
Goodnight world!

her first job

2008-07-26T00:52:00.005-05:00

So my friend from work hired me to make her a dress for her and her boyfriend's one year anniversary. She wanted a tube-top with lace and such, I think I captured what she wanted.
The top is made out of eyelet fabric and the bottom is white cotton with that stuff that they make veils out of on top (hah, anyone know what that's called?).

without the flower

with the flower

the back

Also, a couple of my friends wanted to see the dress I made for senior prom.
Haha, gotta love my date's crazy hair.

And no, Jimmie, black jewelry is not just for old ladies.

the not-so-new girl in town

2008-07-23T23:57:00.007-05:00

Creeping through the online fashion kingdom in the quiet hours of the night (c'mon, you know you do it too), I came across this ridiculous article about the tiny tween fashionista Tavi. Naturally I slinked over to her site to check out what all the fuss was about. All I can say is wow. Being much closer to 21 than 12, I'm not sure if I should be a little embarrassed to admit that I found her fashion sense inspirational. I'm still having a difficult time adjusting to the idea that people were actually born in the 90's, let alone admitting that one trumps over the online fashion community.

photo taken from Tavi's blog

On a more personal level, today a hostage situation was resolved.
Last night I searched high and low for the little flower brooch that could, hoping to wear it to my friend's birthday party, but it was no where to be found. I finally gave up my search, resolving to the fact that one of the kittens (probably bart, he's such a little brat) had stolen it and hidden it away somewhere with the other dozen toys the kittens seem to have "lost." I approached the kittens as they lounged lazily by the window and demanded that they return the brooch at once or they'd never be allowed in my room again. Being kittens, they just ignored me. However, Bart's resentment did not go unheard, and in the middle of the night he came into my room, jumped on my desk, and spilt a bottle of water all over my power strip. With a firm spank on the tush and a loud NO, I sent him away and refused to pet him this morning. Then, when I came home from work tonight, what did I find lying on the kitchen floor but the little flower brooch that could? A little worse for wear, but there just the same. I gave Bart a little pat and a thank you and hid the brooch in a place where I'm hoping he'll never get to it again.

the little flower brooch that could...

2008-07-22T00:16:00.002-05:00

I was suddenly inspired to try to make my own flower brooch,
so a strip of old polka-dot fabric and a little bit of elastic turned into

with or without leaves (made from the same fabric as the messy patchwork skirt)!

Hope everyone's having a good night!

scarves in the summer

2008-07-21T20:38:00.019-05:00

I went shopping with my mom a couple of weekends ago, and found this fabulous scarf on sale at The Dress Barn. I was so excited, because I hadn't seen anything like anywhere before (Dress Barn isn't exactly the prime shopping spot of the typical trendy teenager) , and I'm all about creating a unique style. Right after, I went over to Target and found almost exactly the same scarf...

The rest of America now has access to my fabulous old lady scarf.
The good news? It'll continue to be above 80 degrees here in the sunny state of Florida until late November, so perhaps no one else will see the sense in buying a scarf mid-summer.
The bad news? It'll continue to be above 80 degrees until late November, so I'll have to travel out of state to show it off.
But! I don't want to wait, so I was trying to come up with different ways to wear it that make sense in the summer heat.

+ =

flower brooch (Goodwill), jean skirt (so old i can't remember)

And a thank you to to Dana from MODAna for the recognition on her blog!

tied up in knots

2008-07-17T23:13:00.007-05:00

A very simple reconstruction.
My brother had a pack of medium undershirts that were too small for him, so he gave them to me.

Cut the sleeves off, cut a wider neck, and then cut up the middle of the back and tied it back together.

shirt (hand-me-down hand-altered), pink tank (target), skinnies (sears), hat (walmart), bracelets (a present from my best friend keith, passed down from his grandma)

Simple, but I dig it. It makes me feel like I'm about to work out in the 80's.

a skirt and an attitude

2008-07-16T20:50:00.006-05:00

New skirt!
I got this fabric last summer from Walmart, only $1/yd!
It's white with dark green pin stripes. I originally picked out the fabric to make sailor pants, but there is plenty of it left for pants still, even after making this skirt.
I cut the fabric into a bunch of random shapes and then sewed them back together using a light pink thread that shows. Kind of going for a scruffy, rebellious teenager look.
The waistband is made out of a stretchy white fabric that's been hanging around for longer than I can remember. I like the fact that the clean, smooth waistband contradicts the rough, patched-together skirt.

front/back. It's actually a circle skirt, and has no real front or back.

close up on waistband/patchwork.

The waistband looks uneven in these pictures, but it's actually a fold-over waist band, and I was just too lazy to straighten it out completely.
:)

I also wore this one out dancing.

tank top (target), patch skirt (hand-made), pink tights (target)

what else is new?

2008-07-09T00:13:00.006-05:00

Two more pieces almost finished! I've got a taste for the long-baggy-shirt-with-a-low-fitted-waistband recently. They're easy to pair with leggings or tights and terribly comfy. Plus, they can travel with you through seasonal weight fluctuations...

Exhibit A: brown and blue stripped dress/shirt with racer back.

The edges on the top of this pieces aren't finished and I'm afraid they might fray. I don't have a serger (yet), and I think it's a little late to add a lining, so I'm not sure what to do next.

Exhibit B: A pink shirt/dress with a waterfall front.
Inspired by this top from Forever 21.

~~This blog hates me right now, and refuses to allow any pictures of the garment other than this one, so perhaps I can try to add more detail shots later.~~

Fixed it!

back view.

front detail.

Happy Humpday!

the brick jumper

2008-07-07T12:29:00.010-05:00

Another one of the fabulous fabrics from JoAnn's.

Basically just a high-waisted skirt with suspenders.
I had planned on the skirt being much baggier, I wanted it to have the poofy look to it, but I think the fabric is just too heavy. It's more form fitting than I was looking for, and I have to wear it a little longer than intended in order to balance out the fact that it won't "poof." I like it just the same.

button detail: i used gold thread to sew it on.

pockets!

bottom detail

I wore this out swing dancing last night, and I had a little trouble with the left pocket staying in, so I'll have to find a way to fix that.

grey head band (hand altered), black tank top (target), jumper (hand made), blue tights (target)

one of these days i'll figure out how to take flattering pictures of myself...

completion of the purple pants

2008-06-30T22:44:00.001-05:00

i went to joann's fabric the other day and got four fabulous fabrics. one of which happened to be a stretchy vivid purple fabric. what else could i use this fabric for but to make totally retro skinnies?

i cut up an old shirt to make snazzy blue cuffs

awkward butt shot. blue pockets made out of the same material as the cuffs.

close-up on the pockets.
this pictures shows the truest color.

a little ridiculous? maybe.
totally fabulous? i think so.