Time Changes Things...But Does It?

This past Sunday, I was able to spend time with a special member of my family. She had said that I could meet her, and sit with her during her hair appointment, and then we could go for lunch. What I thought would be maybe an hour turned out to be a number of hours since she also had color done. I told her that when I saw the foils come out, I thought, "oh no!!!, I'm going to be sitting here for quite some time." I thought too about what I could possibly do for the next 3 hours :/ As it turned out, the salon had a current edition of Vogue magazine which I had not read. And yes, I read it from cover to cover ;)

I so enjoy Vogue magazine. Always have. Not only do they have wonderful fashion editorials, the writers are amazing, and I always learn something new. In this issue, they had a lovely article on an exhibit that is currently at The Metropolitan Museum of Art entitled, About Time: Fashion and Duration. While most of us will not be able to take a trip to New York City to see the exhibit, we can visit it virtually. 

In the video below, the curator, Andrew Bolton explains the thought process behind the exhibition, and he also walks us through the collection. What an incredible opportunity!   

The video below showcases many of the garments that are in the exhibition. It shows how we are so much a part of our past. It's really quite fascinating.

You can see a few of the pieces that have been paired together HERE. Below is an example.

(Left) Timeline:  Cristóbal Balenciaga (Spanish, 1895–1972). Dress, fall/winter 1958–59 haute couture. Gift of Rosamond Bernier, 1973 (1973.58.1a, b)
(Right) Interruption: Nicolas Ghesquière (French, born 1971) for Louis Vuitton (French, founded 1854). Dress, spring/summer 2018. Courtesy of Collection Louis Vuitton 

I have so enjoyed the virtual tour of this exhibit. 

Both videos will only take about a half hour. Time well spent! And think about it this way, no airline ticket, no crowds, and you can enjoy a cup of tea during your tour. And...you may as well add a lovely sweet treat to go with that cup of tea ;) 

Enjoy!

Rhonda

Monday Morning Inspiration/Too Cool To Sweat

It's a rainy, gray, quite cool day in Chicago this morning. I so love days like this. Feels like the universe has given me a blanket to snuggle into. 

I recently shared that I was having a problem with getting pictures from my phone onto the blog. Well, low and behold, one day, everything just came through, like magic. It all seems to be working just fine at this point. I think there are mean little trolls that live in "the internet cloud" who just enjoy having a little fun with us. I think that once they had their fun with me, they released my pictures ;) Whatever, I'm just happy to have it all working once again!

Last week, I shared the romper I made using the Ellie and Mac pattern. I loved it so much that I made another in brown. For those of you who are following my shoe collection...I even bought a new pair of booties to wear with the outfit. You'll see them soon :) I'm typically not a person to wear sweatpants and sweatshirts, but this pattern made me a new convert.

With the thought of wanting some sweatshirt inspiration, something a little less ordinary, I began to look, and found some fun ideas.

Adding a placket down center front, and doing lace up ties really takes this sweatshirt beyond typical.  

I love the idea of a wrapped/overlapped front. Adding the ties with a ring closure makes it all the more special.

Here's another example where they played with the an asymmetrical design.

With this sweatshirt dress, a simple ribbon belt was stitched on and a ring used to keep it all together. Gives the piece a waist definition without any pattern work.  

A more complicated design, but I so love the tie at the neckline. This would work best with a sweater knit rather than an actual piece of sweatshirt knit.

With this top, the band was cut off the bottom, and an asymmetrical casing sewn in. So easy to do, and eye catching.  

Basically the same design as the top above, just done in a sweater knit.

I LOVE this piece! The curved hemline, and the ties, so cute!!! 

Another top with an overlay, and a side tie. 

I think this is my favorite. I love that the pants have a fly front. As for the top, the wrap around aspect is fabulous!

Here the waistline is accented, but not at all fitted. I also like the small bell-shaped cuff.

Another favorite. This is a take on a piece I did for a Fabulous Free Pattern Friday post that you can see HERE. With this, the back section is cut away and then slashed and spread apart. A tutorial for this will be up soon.

I hope this has spurred your imagination, and maybe inspired you to make your casual wear a little more fashion forward :)

Have a wonderful week!

And keep sewing!!!

Rhonda 

All the Same, and Yet Different

It's a rainy Sunday in Chicago. A day that feels peaceful, quiet, restorative. I think that days like this are a gift, at least for me, as they are so very good for my soul. It's a day that makes me want to make soup ;) My soup posts are coming back. I don't know what happened. Maybe it's COVID...maybe. I always find it interesting how events have an effect on us. 

As I have shared, my One Year Challenge of wearing a garment everyday that I have made is proving to teach me so much. It's really taking on a life of itself. All good though :) 

The last few days have been difficult, quite difficult. I spent the better of the last 2 days crying. I'll be fine, in time. My husband has been so kind and gentle with me. He came home yesterday and said that he needed me to come to the door. He had purchased 2 containers of yellow chrysanthemums, my favorite color. It was a lovely day in Chicago. He suggested that we go out for dinner. We went to a wonderful Italian restaurant that I have never been to before. We had an appetizer of polenta with mushrooms that made me want to lick the bowl clean. We will be going back. If by chance you live in the Chicagoland area, the restaurant is Osteria Rusticana. Truly amazing food!

So, I dressed for dinner. As I've shared, I'm celebrating everything :) I made the dress below a few years ago. It's a very asymmetrical piece.   

Last Saturday, we were out to celebrate my mother's birthday. While it looks like a dress, I am actually wearing 3 pieces, and the top is exactly the same as the dress above. 

Here's the top paired with a pair of jeans. Each outfit looks so very different, and yet, they are all basically the same.

Here's a flat of the top.

And a flat of the dress. The only difference with the dress is that I added a flounce on the side. I think that with the flat of the dress, you can see how it was executed. I just began with a basic t-shirt pattern. It was cut and spread just under the but area to obtain the asymmetrical form. Other than the flounce that was added to the side seam, the bottom of the dress is just a straight piece. Really quite easy to do. 

If you would like me to do a tutorial on how to make this piece, I'll be happy to do so. Just let me know in the comments, or email me.

I hope you are having a lovely Sunday, and finding someway to celebrate the day :)

 Rhonda

Monday Morning Inspiration

 Whenever I travel, I love finding unique stores, be it boutiques, or fabric stores. My curiosity has given me the chance to meet some of the most interesting people. A number of years ago, I met a very unique woman who had the most fabulous boutique in Galveston, Texas. She had such a great eye for designers who were cutting edge. Many of the designers that she carried in her store were from Austin, Texas, of all places! Something that no one would think to go to Galveston to purchase would be tights. After all, it can be ungodly hot there. But, this owner who became a friend told me how she loved tights and that they had given her the opportunity to once again wear a mini skirt. I bought a number of pairs of tights from her, as I love them too!!!

I literally have a drawer full of tights. Yes, a bit of an addiction I guess. But, I so love fabulous and unique tights. They can elevate a simple garment, give interest to a solid color garment, and change the feel from funky to sexy with just the change of the tights. And then, there's just the utilitarian aspect of keeping my legs warm in winter. Regardless of the weather, I still love wearing skirts. 

Now, with all of that said, finding tights can be a bit difficult. I was walking down Michigan Ave. here in Chicago. Walked past Neiman's, and saw a fabulous pair of tights on a mannequin. I went in, asked where the hosiery department was. For the life of me, I think it must exist in an alternate universe as I could not find it. I then went to Bloomingdale's. They had tights, but just simple, run of the mill tights. I asked a friend who works for Neiman's about the tights that were featured in the window. She told me that one would think that if they are displaying it in the window that it would be sold in the store. But no!!! Crazy!

Thankfully, there are online shops that carry fabulous, fun tights.

I love the idea of adding a pop of color with a basic outfit. Mustard is BIG this fall. 

Flowers are always fun. The pair above and the pair below were originally sold at Mod Cloth. Sadly, neither pair is currently available, but you can find some interesting tights HERE. 

 

This pair screams fall to me. I think they would be great with a corduroy skirt. This pair was sold on the Anthropology website. Nothing there at the moment, but maybe when fall is in full swing, they'll have something.

Tights that tell a fairy tale. These are actually leggings, but still fun. How cute would these be with a solid black skirt or dress?!! You can find them on Etsy HERE. 

 

In the same vein as the leggings above, I love the trailing flowers, birds, and butterflies.

 

Velvet tights. I actually made a pair last winter and I lived in them!

Lace tights won't keep your legs warm, but here's a situation where a pair of tights can take an outfit from ho hum, to drop dead sexy!  

I added this pair of antique Edwardian tights just for the ooo and ahh factor. They were actually silk, and hand embroidered!!! Absolutely lovely!   

So, a question for you.

Do you know of a great, footed tight pattern? I have 2, but sadly, neither are available. I have looked, but didn't find any patterns. A thought just occurred to me, maybe Jalie. I'll check that out. But, in the meantime, if you know of a great footed tight pattern, please let me know. 

Sadly, my Galveston friend has died. She had breast cancer. Fought a very courageous fight, and she finally succumbed to the disease. But, every time I pull on a pair of tights, I think of her, and I think that makes her smile :)

If you've given up on wearing skirts, and or dresses, go get a pair of tights. Give 'em a try ;)

Have a wonderful week!

Rhonda

Fun With Fashion and Scrap Busting Too

Since I am so late in getting to this post, I decided to just call it fun with fashion rather than our usual Monday Morning Inspiration post.

My husband broke his ankle a few weeks ago. Of course it was his right ankle, so no driving, and no much of anything else either. So, I am doing all the driving, and running all the errands. I have always been extremely grateful for all he does to help me, but now that it's all on me...I am all the more grateful!!! 

I absolutely love fun fabrics, something that's just a little out of the norm. I shared the jacket below earlier this summer. I had it in the Haute Couture fashion show this past May. It's such a fun jacket to wear, and I always get lots of compliments on the jacket. Look closely and you'll see the faces in the fabric pattern. 

I found the fabric below at Oak Fabrics here in Chicago. I ended up pairing the dress with the jacket. When I wear the two together, I call the combo, faces in the dark, and faces in the light :) 

Below is another fabric from the same designer. I found this on the Mood website. It sold out quickly! I actually bought this fabric before I found the white knit at Oak Fabrics. The white faces knit I just could not resist :/ I'm sure you know the feeling ;)...Anyway, I was just a little short on the fabric for this skirt, so the skirt is a little shorter than I would like. To remedy the issue, I added a black band around the hem. Rather than leave it a plain black band, I bought some embroidery floss and did a little stitching. I'll share that in an upcoming post. 

As I was going through Pinterest, I came across a number of ideas that I thought would be fun to do. We all love something a little fun, and too, if you've sewn for more than a minute, you have scraps. So not only are these ideas fun, they offer great ideas for doing a little scrap busting too!!! 

I absolutely love this little skirt! And it's a great way to use up scraps. 

This is the same skirt, but rather than fabrics, a tape was used to create the silhouette.

Another fun use of scraps. 

Here's the top in a skirt version.

I thought this top was especially sweet. It's patchwork, but super fun!

This is a gown that would get you noticed at any gala!

Another great way to use some scraps.

Wishing you an absolutely wonderful day, and have a little fun with YOUR fashion! 

Rhonda

Monday Morning Inspiration/Silver Screen to Mainstream

After so many months of not blogging as I would like, it has been difficult for me to get back in the groove :( Great intentions, but... 
Let's see what this week holds, fingers crossed :)

This past week I did something completely new for me, I took a weaving class! A few weeks ago, I taught 2 classes at the Michigan League of Handweavers Conference. I had a blast. I taught an all day class on seam finishes and stabilizing fabric. I also taught a class on working with rectangles to create lovely garments. Handweaving is something I've known about, but had not really been exposed to. The more I talked to the ladies, the more intrigued I became. The thought of being able to create my own fabric, wow!!!, the possibilities!!!

When I got home, I googled weaving guilds in the Chicago area and I was pleasantly surprised when the The Chicago Weaving School popped up. The school is only about 2 miles from my house. I knew it was there, but had completely forgotten about it. As I looked through the list of classes, I saw that there was a 2 hour introductory class. That sounded like a great way to get a taste, and decide if I would like to pursue it further. Last Wednesday evening I attended the class, and here's what I made!

I just love it! The woven portion is just a little over 24"long. Not long enough for a scarf, I could make it into a bag, but I have decided to just use it on my dining room table. That way I get to look at it everyday :)

So, guess what?!! I signed up for the 4 week class. The class meets once a week on Monday's from 10-2, so 4 hours. I can't wait to see what I do over the 4 week period!!! If that goes well, there is an 8 week class :/ 

This past week, I also went with a friend to the Chicago History Museum to see their current exhibit, Silver Screen to Mainstream: American Fashion in the 1930s and 40s. What a lovely exhibit! It's rather small, especially in comparison to the Dior exhibit. What I loved is that I really absorbed what I saw since it wasn't so overwhelming. The exhibit will be up until January 21, 2020, so if by chance you are going to be in Chicago over the holidays, by all means, see the exhibit! And by the way, the museum is free on Tuesdays!!!   

I always love sharing what I have enjoyed, so I thought I would share a few of the pieces that I especially found interesting.

I loved this gown! 

Such a lovely back. While I was viewing the exhibit, there was a group of ladies who were talking about prom dresses of today, and how the young women could take a little inspiration from these lovely pieces. My prom dress actually looked a lot like this this gown.

The belt is just amazing!

Another gorgeous piece.

The rhinestone pins at the neckline are just the perfect touch.

Such a simple and yet, intricate piece. 

So beautifully embroidered.

This gown made me think of the Dior gown that was designed for Nicole Kidman. I wonder if this is where the inspiration came from??? 

Simply elegant.

The cut and construction of this whimsical dress is beautiful.

And I loved how they copied the print with the pins on the belt!

Love the pleating on the sleeves.

There was a section of "house dresses." I loved how they took a pattern, made it up, and then turned it inside out.  

Here's the pattern that was used.

This gown was by far my favorite of the entire collection.

So simple, and yet intricate.

The back.

You can see in the picture below how the front was sewn to the opposite side of the dress. I would love to do this!!!

I'm off to my studio. I am going to spend an hour cleaning before I allow myself to dig into a new project. Sadly, I let my goal of cleaning my studio slip by. But, I am coming back to it, and that's a good thing :)

Have a wonderfully productive week!

Rhonda