Monday Morning Inspiration/Not Your Grandmother's Lace...Once Again

It's snowing!!! And I don't think there is one soul in Chicago who is happy about it :/ My husband showed me a picture from his sister's farm in upper Wisconsin where the horses were running in knee deep snow. We basically have a covering, so nothing to complain about, other than the poor souls who have to get out and drive in it. As for me, I have a busy day ahead with lots to do, indoors, so I get to just enjoy the beauty. 

To add to the morning's beauty, a cardinal has been singing just outside my window since about 6 this morning. I love to hear them sing, and when I do, I feel that all will be fine. To see a little creature that is so vibrant, and so beautiful, singing his little head off, what a gift :)  

Regardless of what your hobby may be, you end up with bits and pieces that you feel are just too good to throw away. Sometimes we find a home, and then sometimes we just hold on to them waiting for something to inspire us. I came across some fun ideas on Pinterest for lace.

If you have a small piece of the border left, do an asymmetrical cut on a knit top and pair it with 1 lace sleeve. So pretty.

I loved the addition of the lace trim on both of these dresses. Each dress would be pretty on its own, but the lace makes them eye catching, and the placement really narrows the waist.

Rather than just another boring pencil skirt, take lace pieces and applique them on top. 

This is a lovely idea for a piece of lace that's just not quite large enough. Just pair it with a coordinating piece of fabric.

This is much more than a remnant, but I thought it was just so pretty. The lace is actually an entire skirt under the overlay.

This piece could have been executed better as you can see the navy blue lace seams through the pink and white lace, but what a great idea for combining 3 small pieces of lace to create a lovely skirt.  

This little color blocked dress is a great use of fabric scraps. Adding the lace to the center block really makes it pop.

Another pencil skirt idea. What a lovely way to accent a slit opening. 

If by chance you have a bunch of lace that can be cut into motifs, this would be a great idea for giving an old skirt new life.

And finally, add a little flirt factor to the inside of a pleat. All it takes is just a few inches of lace.

For those of you who are basking in warm, balmy temperatures, well, lucky you! As for the rest of us, I hope you can find a little beauty in your day :)
Rhonda 

A New Dress For Christmas

Well, a sorta new dress for Christmas ;)

I love popping into a resale shop just to see what I can find. We were away over the Thanksgiving holiday, in a small little town up in the mountains. As small as the town is, they have a fabulous resale shop, in fact, I call it a department store as you can find just about anything you may need there.

On this recent trip, I went in and found this little dress, and for some reason it spoke to me.
  

I rather like the black lace trim along the bottom of the skirt. When I saw the dress, I thought, hmmm, I can do something with this, but it was marked at $15.00. Not that $15.00 is a lot of money, but it was just more than I wanted to pay for something I am going to tear apart. In the past, Mondays are half price clothing days, so I decided to wait. Monday finally rolled around, I happily went skipping back into the store thinking I would get my dress for $7.50, but was surprised to see that the clothing wasn't on sale. I asked, and I was told that they are no longer doing the Monday sale. 

Bummer :( But I decided that persistence can pay off, so I went back the next day. On that trip, I found a super cute belt that I can wear with my ski pants, and it was only a dollar...SCORE!!! But, no half-price clothing. So, I went back the next day, fingers crossed as it was my last chance before we left. No luck. I was so bummed that I just stood at the front of the store while my husband took a look around.

As I stood there, the lady behind the register looked at me and asked if I bought the belt there at the store. I said yes. She commented on how cute it was with my ski pants. Totally unlike me, I told her that we had come back that day as I was hoping that it was half price day as there were 2 pieces that I wanted. The first was a little cashmere sweater that was completely trashed as it had holes in it, but it has beautiful rhinestone buttons. When I told her that it had holes in it, she said that it shouldn't be on the rack and that I could have it for free. Wow! But I told her no, the buttons are well worth $2.00 to me, so I would pay the $2.00. She asked about the second piece. I showed her the dress. She said that it had been there for quite sometime and that she would mark it down to $5.00. WOW, again!     

When I purchased the dress, I thought I would take the top off and add a velvet bodice, but then I remembered that I have this piece of black stretch lace.

As I said, I initially thought that I would take the bodice off, but when I laid the dress down and threw the lace over it, I changed my mind. I think I may keep the bodice and cut the halter straps off, making it a bustier. I would like long lace sleeves and a lace overlay. So, I'll see how it turns out. I also plan to add more beads and sparkle to the lace along the hem, make it a little more festive. It'll be fun to see how it all comes together. I'll be working on this later today, so I should be able to share the finished dress on Thursday.   

As I stood at the register paying for my little treasures, I couldn't help but think about asking for what you want... 

Seek and you will find, ask and it will be given...even a little resale shop dress :)

Have a wonderful day!
  Rhonda

Monday Morning Inspiration/Oscar de la Renta Resort 2017

Last week, I told you about a book that I was reading, Gary, The Most American of All American Cities. I found the book to be extremely interesting, and enlightening. Rather than watch the Grammy Awards last night, I finished my book. How are you when you finish a book that you have thoroughly enjoyed? Maybe you're like me, I close the book, hold it for a moment, turn it over and re-read the back cover, hold it in my hands for a few moments longer as I ponder what I've just read, and then rather sadly say goodbye. Isn't it wonderful though when you read something that really touches you? Now the search is on for the next great read :)


I've been sharing quite a bit of lace inspiration recently. The Haute Couture Club of Chicago will have a lace challenge at our next meeting. What usually takes place is our speaker will have about 45 minutes to give their presentation. Then we move into the challenge. Everyone who participates will have made something that they feel fits the criteria of the challenge. They put on their garment and then explain what they have done. It's always a lot of fun to see what everyone has made. So I am hoping that with all the inspiration that I've found, we'll have some knock out pieces for our fashion show which will be Sunday, May 7, 2017.

When I was looking for a fashion show of the Valentino 2017 Resort Collection last week, I stumbled upon the Oscar de la Renta Resort Collection. It's a beauty! This collection also showcases a number of lace pieces that I thought were especially lovely.

The collection mixes tweeds with lace and little sweaters. Love the peek-a-boo lace near the hem.

Lace godets add an airy touch to a tweed dress.

Love this little flapper inspired lace cocktail dress. Perfect combination of 2 laces and feathers.

This dress has applied lace on the tulle. The back of the bodice is lace.

Lace insets in the jacket.

Crochet is also a form of lace.

Love the combination of the stretch lace tee with the pieced skirt. 

I left the last 2 images in their larger size so you could really see the application of the lace. So pretty.

If you would like to see more still pictures from the collection, you can find them HERE at Vogue.com. 

There are many other pieces that are especially pretty, and there's nothing better than actually seeing the clothes move, so I've included the fashion show below. It's not too long :) 



Hope you enjoyed the show!
Have a great week!!!
Rhonda

Monday Morning Inspiration/Not Your Grandmother's Lace Part 2

Last Friday I received an email from Mood Fabrics showcasing a piece of red lace and a red polka dotted tulle. The dress below was the inspiration piece, and I was in love. If you are wondering...yep, I bought the fabric!!! HERE'S a link to the lace, and HERE's a link to the polka dot tulle. After all, misery loves company :)

I really don't care for the top of the dress, but I love the skirt. As it turns out, this is a piece from Valentino's 2017 Resort Collection, so I just had to take a look. What I found were some really beautiful lace pieces.    

I wouldn't wear the skirt without a slip or lining, but I think it's really pretty.

Another beautiful piece, and it looks wonderful paired with the coat.

Here again, I need a lining, but I do like the dress. The collection gains its inspiration from Cuba.

Love this little top below and the lace insets in the skirt.

The embroidered tulle is amazing.

Not a fan of a sheer dress, but I do like the print of the lace paired with the jacket.

Look at this amazing piece of lace!

Love the fitted lace top paired with the full skirt.

There are a number of pieces in the collection that have a wonderful tribal feel. 

Check out this amazing embroidered tulle skirt.

If you have a lot of lace strips that you don't know what to do with, combine them and make a circular skirt!

All of the pieces above are from the Valentino 2017 Resort Collection. By all means check it out. I only pulled out the lace pieces. There are some beautifully draped pieces in the collection as well. You can see the entire collection HERE at Vogue.com. 

The pieces below are also rather interesting. They are from the Red Valentino 2017 Resort Collection. It has a similar, but then again quite different feel.

The Haute Couture Club of Chicago will have a lace challenge at our March meeting. I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone creates. 

As it turns out, lace is HUGE for resort as well as spring this year. I can't wait for my lace and tulle to arrive!

Have a wonderful week!
Rhonda

Not Your Grandmother's Lace

A number of years ago, in order to encourage our members to sew, and create for our annual fashion show, we began having sewing challenges for our Haute Couture members. It's always fun to see what everyone creates. 

This year's show is shaping up to be fun and exciting. If by chance you are in Chicago the first part of May, we would love to have you attend. The show will be on Sunday May 7, 2017. More info on the location and show in another post.

Our next challenge is entitled, "Not Your Grandmother's Lace." Participants are welcomed to make anything they wish from lace, but it doesn't need to a traditional version of lace. Our fashion show chair is encouraging everyone to think bold. 

Since we all love to sew, create, and be inspired, I thought I would do a lace post not only for our members, but for anyone who happens to pop by the blog :)

I lost the link to this jacket, so if anyone knows the designer, please let me know. I love the idea of appliqued lace and velvet over tweed.

From Turkish designer Yildirim Mayruk, the unexpected interior lace accent on this coat makes for a spectacular presentation.  

Not so much out of the box, but just a touch of lace along the bottom of this skirt really makes the look a complete ensemble.

From Bebe, manipulating lace to form a pattern makes a simple silhouette eye catching.

I believe the designer of this jacket is Armani. A twist on a princess line seam with the inset lace makes this jacket so special. 

I was unable to find a credit for this lace skirt. The see through length of this skirt makes it drop dead sexy and yet the wearer is completely covered.

From Pamella Roland, an entire jumpsuit of lace. This could be paired with a denim or linen jacket and worn in a more casual fashion.

Love the lacy shoulder and how it was pulled together with the extension of the sleeve.  

Another Pamella Roland design. Macrame sleeves make this jumpsuit really pop.

Although not traditional lace, the weaving on this Thakoon design invites the eye to focus. 

From Monique Lhuillier, this simple lace dress really pops with this fabulous jacket.

What a spectacular combination from Dior, suede, lace and fur!

Give a trench coat an unexpected twist with a lace skirt.

For something very unexpected, a sweatshirt made of lace. Love the lace extensions on the coat too!

                               

I was unable to find the designer of this skirt, but I love the twist on a granny square!

I don't think that many of us would be so bold as to wear this piece without something underneath!!! From Lanvin, this crocheted and interlaced top is truly unexpected.

From Jean Louis Sabaji. Lace leaves created in various sizes give the illusion of leaves falling in fall. 

Another take on the same idea from Giambattista Valli.

If you would like to give the leaf idea a try, HERE'S an easy way to create leaves with 3-dimensional design fabric paint. 

And finally, lace and feathers from Chanel. Talk about an unexpected top with a pair of jeans!

I'm looking forward to seeing what our members create. The challenge won't take place until March. So for those of you in Haute Couture, fire up those machines and get creating! Hopefully I've inspired all of you to think a little differently about lace as well.

Have a wonderful day!
Rhonda