The Slippery Pepper

My boyfriend and his crew like to get together and cook something wild as often as they can. It can get out of control. And now they have started a blog to chronicle those events and tasty, tasty meals! Their first post is very down to earth and subtle for them, but if you have any interest in reading about mind blowing cuisine in the future, I'd suggest you check it out!

A little update...

I have been mind-bogglingly busy lately between finishing up the semester and job-hunting, and haven't been able to get any sewing in, but I do have a few small updates:

I had an interview this morning for a position in a clothing and gift boutique called Francesca's, and I wore my bird-swing dress for good luck and confidence. I think it went very well!! I have another interview this weekend at Delia*s, and I think I might wear this dress for that one as well. This dress is definitely getting good wear And good feedback :)

I also received a surprise package in the mail today from my parents in appreciation of all of my hard work in school. And inside was an awesome unique bike bell, some candy, and...... some limited edition cheetah print Gingher 8" dressmaker's shears!!!

They are absolutely gorgeous and cut though fabric like butter!! It was the perfect pick-me-up that I've been needing.

My herbs are sprouting like it's nobodies business! It's too cold here to put them outside for some sunshine (there is STILL a frost warning for this weekend!), but they seem pleased as punch in the windowsill. There is something so satisfying about something electric green and full of life springing out of a minuscule dry seed.

I hope to have something summery to show you soon!!

The calm before the storm

I kicked off the week to a good start, even though I fear it is going to be a perilous week none-the-less (as the semester winds down, the professors realize they haven't taught us anything and really pile it on). It was a gorgeous day in lower Michigan, and my wonderful housemate and I seized the crap out of it! Even though I live right next to Grand Rapids, I rarely go into the city. But there is an amazing (and cheap!) Mediterranean grill called Parsley that has good deals for students, so we decided to head to the big city for a late lunch. It felt so nice to sit out in the sunshine enjoying good food and people watching. It was almost like a little vacation :) We went for a good walk around the city and stopped in an awesome little bookshop (If I hadn't accidentally left my debit card in the pocket of the pants I had worn the day before on the floor at home, I may have purchased everything in the store!).

We still hadn't had enough sunshine when we got home, so we plopped ourselves on our front landing and chilled. Julie was hard at work on her many "lists" of things and I took the opportunity to pot some herbs. I have never grown herbs before, so here's to hoping I get at least one little sprig of something to grow! I planted some Lavender, Greek Basil, Parsley, and planned on some Sweet Peppers, but can't seem to locate the packet of seeds, so I'll have to run out and find some more of those. I was going to leave them out on the landing for some fresh air last night, but took them in and put them on the windowsill last minute... boy am I ever glad I did because we had outrageous storms all night and half of the day so far today! They would have been washed right away!

I also inherited my mom's old "rootbeer" bike that I was lucky enough to bring down with me. It's from 1982, but is in perfect condition. It's a rust-orange-brown color (hence the "rootbeer" bike) with fenders, a nice big seat with springs, big handlebars... the whole bit! I love it, I really do... all it needs is a nice big wire basket on the front and maybe a few silk flowers for decoration. I'll post a picture of it when I get those things. Of course there is rain in the forecast for much of the week so I can't really cruise around that much, but it's a blessing in disguise because I have too much on my plate as it is...

I also found a little bit of time before I went to sleep to cut out a new project, Simplicity 2654, view A (the pants).

I have a job shadow and some presentations coming up very quickly and need some snappy new dress pants. This is my first attempt at ever sewing pants, so any tips or tricks would be much appreciated!! They don't look very complicated, which makes me even more worried, hehe. I hope to have them done by tomorrow evening since I have a job shadow on Thursday, so wish me luck! I'll keep you posted on the process.

P.S.... isn't there something so Zen about cutting out a new pattern to the sound of a thunderstorm and pouring rain??

A little birdie told me...

that I finished another dress!

I finished this little birdie summer dress today! I think it is my favorite so far, and it fits me to a tee! It's made from Simplicity 2588 with the flared skirt, designer tabs, and neckband options. On the skirt there is a center front pleat, two more on each side of this pleat, two back pleats, 22" zipper, princess bodice seams, and back bodice darts. It went together rather quickly and nicely, until I accidentally cut a big hole in the skirt with my pinking shears. I had to patch it up, but it hides in a fold in the back of the skirt.

Here's a little close up of the green buttons on the tabs:

It was one of the first beautiful days of Spring here in Michigan, so my housemate suggested that we head over to Grand Haven and have a walk on the boardwalk. What a perfect opportunity to break in my new dress!

We took a stroll to the lighthouse:

And then we decided to climb some big rocks down to the beach... which I was not properly dressed for, but conquered anyway:

Unfortunately for the pedestrians around, it was windy and I was bent over maneuvering throughout the rocks. I had to try and tuck my skirt between my legs, but to no avail:

So my new dress went out on an adventure not even an hour after it was completed. I really recommend this pattern to anyone looking for something cute and simple for summer. Its a project runway inspiration pattern so there are a ton of options including a slim skirt, a few different types of sleeves, and a yoke that will suit anyone!

There I am mingling with my fellow mad men at Sterling Cooper! AMC has this fun little Mad Men Yourself interactive character builder on their website. Its a good boredom killer.

P.S. I'll have a completed dress to show you by the end of the week!

Spring projects

I'm getting antsy and excited to start all sorts of springy things! I just started working on a muslin of a chef coat for my boyfriend. He loves to cook and requested I make him one, but since we live 10 hours away from each other I knew fitting was going to be a challenge, and I really want it to be impeccable, so that's why I'm doing a muslin of this. This project is a pretty different experience than what I've sewn so far. With the dresses and tops I've done most of the construction is at the waist and necklines, all about shaping around a woman's curves. With this coat, there are no darts or zippers or linings! The emphasis is put on the sleeves and the collar. Its almost a breath of fresh air to sew a straight piece and focus on something other than how its going to curve around the bust and waist and bum! The only adjustments I foresee are widening the shoulders and lengthening the sleeves, which will be relatively easy-peasy (am I speaking too soon?!). I got a good start on this chef coat, and will be working on it off and on when I'm in the mood, but for the rest of this weekend sewing, I'm going to work on a spring purse!

The pattern that I'm going to use is Vogue 7889, view D (in the top right corner of this picture). I want something simple. fun, and retro, so here are the materials I've chosen so far:

The vintage trailer Michael Miller fabric will be the outside shell, while the hop dot Heather Bailey fabric will be used for the lining. I really wanted some fun handles, but for the size and shape I needed, Bamboo or plain plastic handles were my only options. However, I think the bamboo kind of goes with the retro feel of the purse, so i'm not that disappointed. I can not wait to get started!

I also have many spring dresses in mind. I have the fabric and patterns all ready to go, I just need the time!!

Tiki Tiki Tiki

The Tiki dress is done, and I love it! This dress was initially intended to be worn to Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge in Minneapolis, MN, during a spring break vaca with my lovely boyfriend (a trip that I think I will add a little post on). I planned on finishing during the week of break back home and brought my machine and all of my sewing goodies home, but when I went to set up my things to finish it the night before we were supposed to leave for Suzi's, I noticed that I seem to have left the pedal and power cord still plugged into the wall at my apartment 8 hours away... and it was midnight... so there was no way I was going to be able to finish this dress :( I sulked a little, and Kris and I came to the conclusion that we would just have to have a summer tiki party, and I don't really need a special occasion to wear this dress anyway.

Now onto the dress itself: I am really pleased with how it turned out. The pattern I used was Vogue 8280, and I was a little worried because I usually make a size 12 for myself, and the only pattern I could snatch up in such short notice had it's largest size at 8... I have slimmed down a bit lately so I convinced myself that it would work. And what do you know? It fits wonderfully, with a little breathing room to spare! It is so comfortable and the cotton is so soft and wonderful. Its print is little hula huts, tiki men, and vintage red cars! The bodice is lined with the same contrasting cotton as the waistband and shoulders, which was a subject of debate. I really loved this contrasting retro fabric, but I was pretty much alone in that. Those that I asked the opinions of said they didn't like it and that a solid would be a better choice. I took their advice and  headed to my local fabric store to find something more suitable, but all I could envision was this brown retro fabric. So I just went with my gut and what I truly loved, and stuck with the brown fabric. I am still pleased with this choice. I did a blind hem on the bottom, two little wooden buttons at the sweetheart neckline, and darts in the waist and bust of the bodice and the waist of the skirt (which all lined up perfectly without a fuss!). The contrasting waistband is also detachable. Now, there is supposed to be a 22" zipper up the back, that I am still debating with myself on. I basted the back seam when I was preparing to put the zipper in, and was able to slip it on over my head! So I took out the basting and put in a true stabilized seam. No zipper. I am able to slip it on, with a little fussing over the bust, and a little wiggling and dancing. I really don't mind the process of putting a zipper in, I've got it down by now, but the back just looks so clean and flawless without that pesky zipper. So for now, I'm going zipper-less. I can always put one in later if I feel its too much of a workout to get in and out of.

Now I just need sunshine and fruity drinks to come my way! Unfortunately, there is still more snow in the forecast. Oh, Michigan, we need to have a little chat.

P.S... please excuse my hair in the picture... it was St. Patrick's day yesterday and this picture was taken after we got back from the bar, haha.