Preview: DIY Leather Patch Leggings!

I have too much work today to linger here long, so this post is merely a preview to whet your tastebuds for some sweet DIY Leather Patch Legging Action. Here's the inspiration (from H&M):

 

And my first attempt, which I made using fake leather from AK Fabrics on 39th Street ($10/yard) and a pair of old Mountain Equipment Co-op long johns:

 

I love the way they look, but I need to work out the easiest way to accomplish this cool DIY project. My first pair involved some trial and error. I'll be back soon with a tutorial after I get the time to make another pair of these!

Never Look a Gift Horse (Bearing Fabric) in the Mouth

I KNOW what you're thinking (because you're judgey, aren't you? Plus you've already scrolled past my words to the photo below and are no doubt disgusted by the black stretch crushed velvet hanging on my dress form). But this is not something I plan on wearing. It's a muslin for a top I'm drafting that will be made from one of the amazing printed jerseys I mentioned in my last post (scroll down further if you want to see those too. I have yet to buy them, but a girl can dream — and get ready with a new pattern for when that dream comes true).

Sewing a test garment is the best way to find and correct any mistakes or alterations that need to be made in your pattern. And since my resolution this year is to take more damn care with the things I make, this seemed like a decent way to spend my spare hours this week. Anyway: scoop neck for some cleavage, flutter sleeves to show off my arms, and a goodly length to cover everything else:



It's about time I got back to drafting a pattern of my own — for myself to wear. I just checked and the last thing I designed, drafted and sewed for myself was this chevron-striped jersey dress, made in August — more innocent times around these parts:

I love that dress. And it's so cold in NYC this week, it hurts to look at this photo.

Anyway, the point here is not to show off my Blue Steel face again. The point with the muslin/test garment your see above is this: nearly every test garment I have sewn in the past year has been made with fabric passed down to me from sewers culling their stash.  I accept all, and gratefully, for I never have to spend money on muslin when I have significant yardage of ugly fabrics I care little for cutting into. I'm guessing this black, stretch crushed velvet was the remnant from a Halloween costume. Or perhaps from my neighbor's Goth phase. No matter. I don't judge. She was getting rid of it, after all.

It's not hoarding if you do something with it eventually. And you never know when your kid may ask to be a disco witch queen for Halloween.

Fabric rationing in these tough times

You know that sad feeling you get halfway through a vacation that something you looked so forward to is almost over? (I was going to say Christmas, but I wanted to be more inclusive and I am so OVER Christmas right now).

Anyway, That's the feeling I have in using up the remainder of this amazing peacock printed silk I bought at Metro Textile Corp. on 37th Street — which readers may recognize as the fabric from my beloved Bombshell Dress. But my husband started school today which means our budget is tighter than ever, so when the whim hit this week to make something new, rather than go shopping, I had to fish out some remnants and decide what to do. I should have worked harder on the pattern to ensure I didn't mess up and waste these last precious scraps, because the results are a little wonky. But the fabric and the silhouette are lovely and it just looks adorable on.

Keep in mind this is not finished (and the photo was shot on my phone because my husband took our SLR to school with him today). The cord on my iron sparked and sizzled last night in a truly frightening foreshadowing of the gigantic fire that burned up nearly a block in my old neighborhood of Inwood a couple hours later. I threw the offending iron in the trash (with a note on it to say it's a fire hazard because I know our super would fish it out. New York City gives supers stiff fines if tenants don't sort out their recyclables. So the crank who keeps our building clean sifts through the trash, picking out the paper and bottles my elderly neighbours can't be bothered to put in another bin. What this means is he sees everything. So now I am extra careful about what I throw away — if I think he can identify me as the tosser. See what you're missing, those of you lucky enough to live in houses?) Anyway, the dress-in-progress:

The skirt in this (very-short; don't worry, I plan on wearing tights with it) dress was made from the black silk satin I used to make this junior bridesmaid dress:

Anyway, I started sewing this on New Year's Eve, so I guess it squeaked in under the gate as a 2011 project, which means I didn't yet break my resolution to take more damn care with the things I make — especially when using such precious pieces of printed fabric. I'll reveal more about the mistakes I made when I post this as a finished project.

As for the iron, I ordered a new one from Amazon this morning, so hopefully I can hem my new dress soon. To that end: without an iron, I can't really do anything — other than plan what I want to sew in the future:

-The Minoru jacket. The pattern arrived in the mail yesterday, but I have yet to buy fabric.
-Pants that fit better than the ones I sewed in 2011 and NEVER wear.
-A bra — to go with all the underpants I made near the end of 2011. It sounds crazy, but Novita of the blog Very Purple Person does it, and hers are amazing. If she hosts a sew-along, I am so on board.
-Soft, comfy, things made from jersey that I will actually put into heavy rotation in my wardrobe (probably atop a pair of black leggings. Here are the prints I am coveting (both available at Harts Fabric).

And, speaking of leggings, I covet these H&M leggings with knee patches:

But I can't be bothered to go into an H&M and spend any money on them (and nor can I afford to), so I'm thinking of trying to finesse my own pair. Any thoughts on what would work best for the patches? Faux leather/vinyl? Any readers out there purging their closet of a pair of faux leather pants or an old icky jacket? Cut me off a leg or an arm and I will figure out how to do this and then post directions! Let's do this, team!

Finished project! Vintage Simplicity 8360

Oh hey! I was just scratching the back of my head

This is my husband's favourite actor headshot pose. The classic scratch-the-back-of-your-head pose. I think it's popular because it sets your chin at a nice angle, making the jaw line look more defined. Think I'm crazy? Here are a few examples:

Shia LeBouef is itchy

So is Jason Segal

Justin Timberlake may be running his hand through his hair...but he's probably worried about his dandruff

As you can see, I finally got my husband out for a photo shoot in his new wool knit hooded sweatshirt, sewn from the vintage Simplicity 8360 pattern I bought on Etsy from Paulassewnice (she has another copy of the same pattern available RIGHT NOW for just $4.25 US).

Hello there, little man!

An awfully photogenic man, my husband Ryan makes for a good model — especially when he accepts direction gracefully. It was a wonderful day in NYC today. Winter? What winter? 

This look says "I question your authority."

I made this hoodie to replace a gray zip-up hooded sweater my husband wore well for a couple years before losing it in Fresno, California, during a fringe theatre festival. I haven't seen a suitable replacement since, so I thought I'd try making him one. Again, here he is in the original:

After a reader found me the perfect raglan-sleeved hoodie pattern (Simplicity 8360), I bought a gray wool knit at Mood in New York City. I tried and failed to find something suitable somewhere cheaper. When I finally checked Mood, I found a perfect match for $20/yard. I needed two yards for this hoodie. Pretty pricey, but it was for his Christmas gift, after all. And the poor guy works so hard and never gets to have anything nice. Look how happy he is now (I believe this look is called "Hey! There's the bus!"

I made a couple changes to the pattern to update it for a man who likes a little more length (the 1970s pattern is a little cropped; it also has very blousey sleeves, which I took in). Instead of a drawstring on the bottom hem, I added a two-inch band. And instead of putting elastic at the ends of the sleeves, I again added bands. It's a more modern (and less feminine, I think) sweatshirt than the one in the vintage pattern. See how tough he looks in it?

Lucy also wanted to give the head scratch pose a try:

So what's your favorite pose? 

I consider it success we made it out of 2011 alive

There was a point in 2011 when I somewhat seriously considered squatting. That's how desperate I felt this year.

Not squatting in an abandoned building, mind you. We have a three-year-old, after all, and I need a daily shower and coffee within moments of waking up in order to feel human. I just wondered what would happen if we stopped paying rent...how long would it take to get thrown out, and could we save enough cash in that time to make a new life somewhere other than New York? Because life in this city become pretty unbearable after I was attacked by a crackhead, just as my husband suffered a major loss of work, on the day an earthquake shook the city, in the calm before a hurricane hit. I don't remember the earthquake (nor do I recall the attack), and the hurricane proved to be no worse than any other sudden summer storm. But an intense feeling that the other shoe was about to drop remains just the same. My husband has it too; neither of us can get an email without the other one demanding what bit of bad news it could possibly be. It's a terrible way to exist.


(I also considered lottery tickets and corruption as possible ways out. But good sense and a lack of opportunity won out).

So with all this in mind you would think I'd be ready to say good riddance to 2011. But I can't run arms outstretched into the future without worrying that it could be even worse. (After I was mugged, people said to me, "Well, now you've been mugged...so you don't have to worry about THAT happening again." But life doesn't work that way. You don't get a punchcard with all the bad things that could possibly happen to you on it. If it did, there would never have been a second episode of "I Hate My Teenage Daughter").

I found out this week that the guy who punched me in the mouth is refusing a plea deal so I will have to testify in court in February. What that means is I will have to see him (most likely), and be cross-examined by his defense attorney. My brain has so far done me the huge favour of not remembering the attack (thanks, brain!). But when I saw the police detective who helped me again at the Grand Jury, I was overcome with the feeling that I knew him — that maybe we dated in highschool, and he was really sweet to me...or maybe I've seen him on TV? It's so hard to explain. But when I saw him, I thought: "I KNOW him. He was nice to me. I was grateful." I can't remember what he said, or how our interaction went, but I am certain of the feeling of relief I felt in his presence. So I am worried when I see the crackhead who punched my face in I will remember the terror I felt — though not necessarily any specifics. And then I will never be able to leave my apartment again. I really would like to be able to leave my apartment in 2012.

There were some good things about 2011, to be sure:

• I was chosen as a "Featured member" on Burdastyle.com
• My husband appeared on One Life to Live
• I won a bunch of awesome stuff
• I went to Mexico for the first time, with some of my closest friends, and had the best time ever
• Pie continued to be awesome in 2011. And I'm feeling good about its enduring greatness for 2012.
• I made some cute dresses, like this one, this one, and my favourite, which was chosen by Burdastyle.com as a top project for the year
• I won a Halloween costume contest after pestering the shit out of my friends and readers
• I won tickets to Saturday Night Live
• We moved into a bigger apartment in a quieter neighborhood, though every time we hear a car horn honk, my three-year-old daughter sighs audibly and says, "I thought this was a quiet neighbourhood." (Oy, such a kvetcher!)
• We now live across the street from the BEST bagel shop ever. There's not even a toaster (because you would be an idiot if you were to toast a Bagel Corner bagel, I guess)
• My husband got into advertising school for copywriting, and I'm so excited for him to make a career change. It will be a challenging year, but we just have to hang in there and work harder. There's no other option. Not when you have this to wake up to:

Happy New Year. Hang in there, everybody.