This is my Seahorses dress. Otherwise known as the Watch Me Chase Decent Lighting Around My Yard dress. Or maybe it's the Dress That Doesn't Want to Be Photographed. It's also the Dress That Nearly Did Me In. It's a dress. It was a bitch to sew. The end. Okay okay, not really the end, obviously. You've actually seen me sew this pattern before, it's Simplicity 1523 from 1945. I used the bodice and front skirt piece to ... Read more »
40 sewing techniques class and Craftsy giveaway!
For my latest collaboration post with Craftsy, I took the class 40 Techniques Every Sewer Should Know with Gail Yellen. This is really an in-depth class, chock full of little details! Both from the main topics she covers, and as she chats while going through the class. Which is something I secretly (okay, not so secretly) like–gleaning extra little tips in the in-between moments. The class covers pressing, ... Read more »
Tropical Breeze dress
For my first sewing project once home from Ireland, I was in the mood to do a dress with a slightly different bodice. Something kind of easy breezy, loose-fitting for summer. So I whipped this up, and named it the Tropical Breeze dress. And I think it fits the bill! The construction of this dress is basically a dirndl skirt and an inset waistband (like my Cliffs of Insanity dress), with a loose-fitting bodice that was ... Read more »
Dublin holiday: what I wore and bought
I know some of you love architecture and scenery and gorgeous places, which I shared in my last Dublin post. Whereas some of you love outfit photos and a little bit of shopping. So this post is for you. ;) Our friends Jen and Emma who came over from Wales for the first few days aren't really big fans of having their photos taken, so I won't embarrass them with posting anything incriminating. So instead, here's a ... Read more »
Dublin holiday: places and spaces
My friends, I'm back from Dublin's Fair City! It was a wonderful vacation. Really and truly. Not a relaxing on the beach or hiking in the mountains holiday. But one where we planted ourselves in the same city the whole time (which we often haven't done and thus would find ourselves dead tired by the end), did as much as we could without feeling rushed, took a couple of day trips, got to see old friends, and generally ... Read more »
Frances and her novelty keys dress
Hello everyone! Today's guest post is brought to you by the gorgeous Frances, who blogs at Polka Polish. I love her vintage style, and am absolutely tickled that not only did she agree to do a guest post for me, she sewed a dress just for it. WOW. Read on below to see it, it's fantastic! I was incredibly flattered when Tasha asked me to do a guest post for her, and after a few moments of celebration I made a ... Read more »
A day at the Hill of Tara and Newgrange
Hello from Dublin! We've been here just under a week and are having a lovely time! For the first few days we got to frolic with our friends Jen and Emma who we visited in Wales last year (they relocated there from Chicago a couple of years ago). It was so wonderful that they were able to meet us here. There's something so fun and magical about four people meeting up in Dublin, two of whom live in Wales, one of whom grew ... Read more »
F***ed and fabulous: Sara’s take on vintage underdogs
Hello! Today's guest post comes while we're off gallivanting around Newgrange today. Awhile back, I saw a comment on another blog (I believe it was Janey's) from the ever-stylish Sara of Lilies & Remains. She used a term to refer to the dark horses in the vintage clothing world: they were fucked and fabulous. (Actually she was polite enough not to drop the f-bomb.) I though this was a fantastic turn of phrase, and ... Read more »
Marie dishes about the Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge
While I'm in Ireland, I'm very excited to have a few guest posts to share with you this week! Today's post is from the lovely sewing blogger Marie of A Stitching Odyssey. I adore Marie. She has such a charming and fun style, I always love seeing what she's sewn up next! This year, she launched a fabulous project called the Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge, and I was lucky enough that she was happy to share more about it ... Read more »
Nail care mini series: my favorite polishes and a round-up
On the last stop of my mini nail care series, I thought I'd just share with you some of my favorite polish colors and brands that you see on my regularly on my blog and Instagram, as well as colors that have made it into photos this week. Some of my favorite gel polish colors It's no secret I love a great, classic red polish, and that's what I wear at least 70% of the time. But I also love to switch it up to the ... Read more »
Nail care mini series: Couture Gel Nail Polish kit review
Today is day five of my mini series on nail care. I'm in Dublin right now, but today you'll get a very special review to cap off my series this week! I have been using my Sephora Gelshine kit for about two years, but I recently had the immense pleasure of being sent a new gel nail polish kit to review, courtesy of Couture Gel Nail Polish. New fun nail things to play with? Yes, please! Couture is a woman-owned ... Read more »
Nail care mini series: my 6 steps for happy nails
Today is day four in my mini series of nail care. Really, this is probably the shortest post in the whole series, but with some important tips! I get asked a lot what do I do to keep my nails looking good. Both using gel polish, and just in general. Some people who use gel polish regularly complain about peeling, but I haven't found this to be an issue. It can happen to me on occasion when I let my nails get really ... Read more »
Nail care mini series: how I apply and remove gel polish
Today is day three of my mini series on nail care. And I'm going to show you how to use a gel polish kit at home! There are lots of places you can buy gel polish and kits to get you started (I've even seen gel polish at Target). When I started using it a couple of years ago there weren't quite as many options readily available that I knew about, although you could still buy the individual supplies at places like like ... Read more »
Nail care mini series: why I love gel polish
Today is day two of my nail care mini series. Hoorah! I'm going to talk a little bit about why I love using gel nail polish. For the vintage gal who loves to look polished but don't want to fuss with her nails several times a week, gel nail polish is for you! I converted to using gel nail polish a couple of years ago. I seriously haven't looked back since! It's been kind of my little nail miracle for my previously ... Read more »
Mini series intro: a week of nail love from a vintage gal
In the last couple of years, I've gotten a lot of compliments on my nails. I am not one to keep a beauty secret, especially since I spent most of my life with nails that were decidedly not enviable! Any chance I get, I tell people that I use gel nail polish, and I do it myself at home! I personally think it's kind of the ideal solution for the vintage gal (or any gal!) who wants to keep her nails up but with minimum ... Read more »
The Birdcage Dirndl Skirt
On Wednesday, you got a sneaky peek at the pockets on my latest make, in my post on Crafty's creative closures class that inspired them. And now you get to see the whole skirt! And if you thought my Sew for Victory dress was more tame than normal, with plain ol' polka dots, how about polka dots with... birdcages? Yep, birdcages. The fabric is another Lecien print on a lovely lightweight cotton, from their Folk ... Read more »