Back to work

This will be a fancy mullet dress by the weekend.

While most people try to get in as much beach time as possible this time of year, this pasty gal is trying to squeeze in as much sewing time as possible.  I took advantage of the 3-day weekend to do a few things for Cat, as you may have seen.

But after this last dress, its back to work.  Real work, and then after-work-dress-making-work.

Using what you've got...

No, I'm not talking about my womanly wiles, I'm talking about unused fabric of course!

I have had this fabric in my arsenal for a very long time.  Every time I do a purge, I tell myself, "Cat, this will make a pretty dress one day - keep!  Also, Cat, you are a terrific gal."  It usually goes something like that.

So, I made a quick summer dress with an elastic waist, really playing upon the pretty striped edge this fabric already had and I think it came out pretty cute, what do you think?

Now, to install the AC in the sewing room.  Wish me luck...or Chris - wish him luck.

Hooray for Sewtech!

Well ladies and gentlemen, I have eaten my words, after a week of cursing the name of Sewtech and being kind of a jerk on the phone no less than three times a day.

Long story short, the machine works.  Still needs a part to work at full capacity, but it works.  Knowing that I needed the machine over this weekend, the nice guys at Sewtech let me just take my machine back - no charge for labor - and said they'll call me when they have the part, and that I can pay for it after they fix the rest.  Just walked right out the door with a working machine, no charge.

With how mad I was on the phone with them, I absolutely didn't deserve that.

I dedicate this lovely silk dupioni ikat-print dress to Phil & Mike, of Sewtech on 26th St.

Knowing when to quit

I'm not actually quitting anything.  I was being dramatic...

Not having my serger is re-he-heally putting a crimp in my productivity for this week.  I keep trying to start projects thinking I can work around it, and I'm ending up wasting time and good fabric.  Its time to stop.  Its time to take the laptop, go to bed, and watch some True Blood.

I keep my bobbins in the box my engagement ring came in.

The pretty fabric I was just about to ruin.

But so help me god if that machine is not fixed by tomorrow, Sewtech is getting a piece of my cranky mind.

Two things

1.  My serger is broken.  For those of you that don't know, that's a special sewing machine that finishes the edges of fabric nicely and saves me tons of time on seams and hems.  It is still in the shop.  The shop with no working phone number that I have to stop by every few days to see if its done.

2.  I haven't made something for myself just for fun in a long time.  I'm so ridiculously busy and was having a particularly cranky few days.  It needed to be done for my sanity.

Those two things being said, I made myself a quick wrap-skirt that I skipped the finished interior edges on.

However, still cranky.

Drum roll please...

I've been working on this one for a while now and am finally done (and kind of relieved to be finished)!  I am not at liberty to say who its for at the moment, but rest assured I will when I can.  She's going to be fabulous - because let's be serious, it takes a pretty ambitious person to wear a blingy tu-tu to their wedding reception.  And that's just facts.

Not one, not two, but THREE layers of tulle on this guy,

Corseted back

Tulle overlay on bodice.

Hand-beaded embellishments.

Cannes-Cannes

I love me a red carpet.  I could scan through these photos all day (but alas, there is work to be done).  Here are some highlights of some things that jumped out at me whilst perusing red carpet images.

Berenice Bejo (Prada): LOVE the colors, but the cut of the top is slightly odd to me.

Cheryl Cole (Stephane Roland) : From far away she looks like she's floating, which I think is pretty awesome.

Jessica Chastain 1 (Gucci): Gold always seems to look amazing on this redhead. 

Jessica Chastain 2 (Armani): (since I have an enormo style crush on her) Looking every bit the old hollywood starlet.

Naomi Watts (Marchesa): I love the dainty petal details of this one (not so much the chunky necklace and black clutch), but she looks gorgeous.  The embellishments remind me of a my dream prom dress that I almost got and then didn't.  I don't want to talk about it...