Snoozer Loser Fabric!

 Just before we went away for the weekend to Wisconsin for a wedding (alliteration unintentional, I swear), I received my bundle of Snoozer Loser fabric that I won through Burdastyle.com. It's a grey cotton printed with a large repeating pattern of owls on branches and ...I don't know, what are those? They look a little like Thunderbirds, or some other design you might see in traditional folk art from New Mexico, right? Interesting. One part "put a bird on it"/ one part screenprint Sante Fe.
Anyway, the challenge now is to figure out what I want to make with this. I'm thinking of working this menswear-style shirt I made into a short-sleeved shirt dress pattern. That would be great for spring in NYC. I could wear it with capri-length leggings and flats, then on its own with sandals once things warm up a bit here. Any other ideas? I haven't measured, but there is at least two yards, maybe three, so there's enough for any type of garment I might make. Here it is up close:

Tunic-in-progress

 Despite not being pregnant (see earlier post) everything I make seems to be maternity-like. It's due in part to the fact that I like my summer tops to allow as much air flow as possible around my midsection. New York is hot! (a new friend recently pointed out to me how much I complain about NYC in summer — even in the wintertime. It's true. I start sweating just thinking about summers here. As a West Coast (Canada) girl, I cannot take the heat. In the words of Rachel Zoe: I die!) Luckily, I just love the look of loose tunic-style tops with leggings or skinny jeans. This work-in-progress here is another version of the Lace Ruffle Tunic by Sew Daily — minus the ruffle, and made in silk (leftover from this project here) not jersey, like the pattern calls for. I loved this printed silk and had just enough left for this yoke and some details. I added a band of the contrasting printed silk at the hem, and on the sleeve cuffs. My yoke did not sew together nicely at all (silk is hard to sew!) so I have to take another crack at it.

Spring in New York Makes Me Feel...

I just took my first-ever negative pregnancy test.  Congrats are in order because we are not trying to get pregnant (actually, we are trying pretty hard not to). The reason I took the test was because I've been feeling a sort of fatigue I haven't experienced since I was pregnant with this girl here to the left (that's what getting a haircut looks like in 2011, BTW). The first third of pregnancy is like one long flu bout. The last third is one long back spasm. And the middle part...well, not too bad if you don't mind nightly heartburn and being sweaty all the time (now you see why I'm so happy about a negative result). 

I've been blaming my general lousy state of being on the Nasonex I started taking about two weeks ago in preparation for allergy season (which hits me HARD in NYC), but I just needed to be sure. I also came down with a sinus infection and had blood coming out of my sinuses, so I'm pretty sure it's the Nasonex, which I have since quit taking. You do get nosebleeds when you're pregnant, but not until much later (you get everything when you're pregnant; it's relentless). My allergist won't call me back so now she is dead to me. I'm switching to homeopathy (gemmotherapy, to be specific) and am going to wear a mask this allergy season.

Wearing a mask is so low-tech, but when all else has failed me (and made me feel pregnant), it just has to work, right? I was putting my kid down for a nap and was brainstorming ideas for allergy-proofing my life. Product idea: burqa with built-in HEPA filter. Or: beekeeper chic? (The mesh would have to be pollen-proof, obvs).

Then I thought to myself: Self, why don't you wear a mask? Duh! And then I Googled "Allergy mask" and it turns out there are dozens of masks for allergy sufferers. I'm going to look like a psycho germophobe, but at least it may keep me from making a trip to the emergency room this spring (it really is that bad. I know what you're thinking: allergies? Isn't that, like, itchy red eyes and a runny nose? But for me I cannot breathe when the pollen count is high.)

Anyway, all this feeling shitty has left me with little time to post, though I do have two finished projects and two others on the go. I've also had real, paid writing assignments to work on. Check back soon for more sewing goodness.

"Not Tonight Dear" Nightie?

 I'm trying to figure out how to cover the unsightly holes in this lace on the tunic I'm sewing. This embellishment (a number of lace circles, folded twice and then pinned on for now) does the trick of covering up the holes, but it may be having the unfortunate effect of making this top look even more like something Betty Draper would wear on the nights she doesn't want to be intimate with Henry. Maybe if the lace was black? It could use a little edge. Any suggestions?

More Works-in-Progress

I'm not sure who this blouse is for. Prissy librarian? Office administrator by day, Pride & Prejudice-role-playing secret sex nerd by night?

Either way, I'm not sure this top, which is another class project, is right for me. Maybe it will depend on the styling. We'll have to see whether this work-in-progress will get hung in my closet. My pattern worked well, and I think I did a good job sewing it. It's a size 10. Do you think it's perfect for you? Let me know.

Here's another work-in-progress: the Lace Ruffle Tunic from Sew Daily. So far it's looking very '70s sleepwear to me. Again, maybe it will be redeemed in the styling: skinny jeans and suede boots....a halo of light on my feathered hair...oh wait: it is '70s sleepwear!! (Except it's cotton jersey, not some icky poly blend).

 

I've hit a snag though — literally. After sewing together the yoke, ruffle and front, I realized there were holes in the lace that were not there when I cut the pieces. So I think the lightbulb on my sewing machine melted the synthetic lace. Yargh! (see up close)

So I'm going to have to figure out some means of covering this up. But I need to come up with something that will make this less precious — not more so. Some sort of applique? But no flowers. Any ideas? Comment!