Pavlova Wrap Top, Redeemed, AND...

BANGS!!

You know what... thank you all for all of the votes on the bangs vs. no bangs debate. Bangs won, and really, I really wanted bangs anyway. Plus, it's only hair, right? I can always grow them back out. Check out the awesome red. Huge shout out to Freddie at Jamison Shaw Hairdressers in Atlanta. He is a genius with color!

Oh, yeah. And I made another Pavlova wrap top today. This is one that I'm proud to model. A few notes about this one:

• Fabric is a rayon jersey from fabric.com. Super soft and thin enough to wrap successfully!
• I narrowed the neck/collar area by placing the back section that goes on the fold 1/2" over the fold. Did that make sense?
• I added 1/2" back to each back side to make sure the muffin area was sufficiently covered.
• I lengthened both the front and back 1-1/2". Could have added even another 1" to the back.
• IT'S NOT BLACK!
• The skirt in the picture is the Pavlova circle skirt.

A Marilyn Moment:

The dog shot. What are those pups behind me up to?

Twirl It, Baby!

What's the best part about a circle skirt? That's the twirling fabulosity, of course!! I finished my Pavlova skirt (position 1) Thursday, just in time to get to work (and wear the skirt). That means it's black, so don't get too excited about this reveal. Before I show you pictures though, how about a few details.

• Fabric is a black gabardine. A great fabric, nice and drapey, that feels lightweight, but does have some sponge-y thickness (this came into play making the "waistband")
• I was in a hurry, so the seam edges are serged.
• Hurrying continued, so the hem is the folded over twice, top stitched per the instructions in the pattern.
• The waistline stretched, and while it was wearable, kept slipping down during the workday.
• I fixed the above problem by stitching, at the waistline, a 1-1/4" wide elastic on the inside. I'll be wearing that skirt a lot!!

Now, the pictures... the pocket:

The skirt:

Looking professional (no, I can't wear the jacket at work, except to arrive. C'est la vie.):

The twirling (thanks, Ashley, for the great picture-taking!)

I've got the next Pavlova circle skirt cut out, and it's not black!! Hall.E.Lu.Jah! And I'm giving the wrap top another go, this time in a soft, thin, drapey jersey.

Darn It, Google Reader!

OK, ok! I'm in on the bloglovin' thing too. Over there in the side bar, right at the top. When I joined, all the blogs that I follow on Google Reader were automatically transferred to bloglovin'... but if you are a new reader to me... don't join on that google friend thingie, because, well, I'm sure you know the story if you read blogs.

Have a great weekend!

Pavlova Wrap Top #1... Finished!

I'm such a sucker for a sewing competition. It takes the sew along to the next level, really, and totally keeps me engaged. I've finished my first wrap top, and I have to admit... I'm a little disappointed. Not with the pattern, or even the sewing, or the fit. Steph warned us... a thicker sweater knit might not be suitable. That's essentially what I used.

It was in a free bundle from FabricMart Fabrics, so I'm not even 100% sure of its contents, but there IS something synthetic in it. The ribs are stiff, and didn't want to cooperate under the needle. But after reading about Steph's crinkle linen version, and how the ties in her woven top didn't stretch, and she tied it in the back, I think maybe MAYBE this one will work.

OK, enough disclaiming. No picture of me in it... just on the dress form (I don't call her anything, but perhaps she does need a name).

 Wrapped and tied in the back. For the record, I made the size 35 straight up (i.e., no alterations at all).

Tied in the back. See the size of that knot? It's a whopper. I swear this fabric didn't feel that thick in a single layer!

Tied in the front. It barely reaches on DF. On me, yeah, reaches even less. And it's really thick in the back (not pictured).

Bottom line... it's going to have to hang out in the magic closet for awhile. Lucky for it, we're approaching hot weather time, and it's more of a spring/fall thickness. Definitely not summer.

And, I'm hoping tomorrow to finish the skirt. No promises on that though.

Mad Monday Reveal: Lacy Renfrew

I've decided to change the Mad Men Monday thing to just a Mad Monday Reveal. Trivial, perhaps. Anyway, a few points of business.

First, I'm pretty sure all my readers know all about the Google Reader thing. I've signed up for Bloglovin', but haven't gotten the whole widget thing organized. Thankfully, we have a few months to get this worked out, but I've gotten the "Reader" blogs I follow already synced up with Bloglovin. OK, that's all I have to say about that.

The "Bangs/No Bangs" question. I'm going with bangs (fringe for all you non-American English speakers). Looking youthful trumps sophisticated at my age. Thank you for all your lovely comments!

Finally... a couple of weeks ago I whipped up a 3/4 sleeve  Sewaholic Renfrew. It's my 4th, but my first with this sleeve length. I hadn't planned to add the cuff, but without it, the sleeve was just at my elbow. Kind of an unfortunate length, frankly.

It's black jersey knit, with an overlay of stretch lace on the front, and the sleeves are just the lace. It will get a LOT of wear!!

Have a great Monday!!

Bangs or No Bangs

If you only stop in to see the amazing sewing that happens here, then fair warning that this is not about sewing. It's about hair. So, since I've started working, I've already gone from blonde to red, and don't intend to go back anytime soon.

But, oh, I'm not sure I'm ready to completely give up bangs. Really, I've had them most of my life. I'm here to get your opinions, and according to my reader stats, there are a few of you out there. Come out of the woodwork, and leave me YOUR opinion in the comments. It can be as short as one or two words (bangs, or no bangs). Seriously, I need your help. ;)

I'll give you some help... photos of me both with and without bangs. But that's all the help you'll get from me. The order of the photos has no bearing on how I'm feeling about the situation.

Let the voting begin! 

Mad Advance 8623 Skirt Finished!

I've decided to make something else for the Mad Men Challenge, so I'm going to show off the Advance 8623 "pencil" skirt that was part of the original plan. Truthfully, it's really an A-line that I made more "pencil-y". Lopping off 9" off the bottom makes it more 2013, as well.

Finally, instead of a back vent, I added a feature that was inspired by a skirt I saw on Eugenia's blog (remember her?). This one. 

A couple of other changes to the original pattern... I added a lining, moved the zipper to the center back and used an invisible zipper.

Pictures taken at work, by my fellow bridesmaid consultant, Ashley...

Yep... there are a few wrinkles.

Vintage Pattern Sale

If you're not into vintage patterns, or sewing bloggers that promote stuff they're selling in posts in their blogs... well then, you can just skip right over this post.

1960s McCall's 8735

Here's the thing though. I started on Etsy 5(!) years ago with the idea that it would be my "full-time" job, the kind that gave me enough money to spend on hobbies without making too much of a dent in the family budget. Fast forward to last September when I started an actual full-time job in an actual brick and mortar retail shop where they actually expect you to spend all your waking time 40 hours a week there.

1990's Butterick 6662

But I do still have my Etsy shop, Down the Street, and you can still find lots of vintage patterns there. I just don't have the time to properly maintain and promote it. That means patterns are hanging around too long. In order to try to move some inventory, I have a new SALE SALE SALE section, where almost all the patterns will be $6 or less. Mostly less. All the patterns featured today are in that section.

1980s New Look 6664

And bonus if you happen to be still reading! Coupon Codes! These will work for anything you buy in the shop...

READER10 ... 10% off any purchase

READER15 ... 15% off purchases of $25 or more

READER20 ... 20% off purchases of $45 or more

There will be a maximum of 40 patterns in the Sale section, so start shopping, and new patterns will be added.

1970s Simplicity 8694

Please share with all your tweeting, facebooking, and blogging friends, too! Email me the link to ellen.sews (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll send you an unrestricted coupon code.

Thanks! and have a great day, y'all! 

It's the Pavlova, People!!

Um, and Mad Men week 5? I'm sad to say that I'm just not that into the Mad Men Challenge this year. I finished my black skirt, which I'll reveal once I get some photos taken of it, in action. And I love it! But it's not going to be part of the Mad Men Challenge. I do still plan to make a shirt dress, and have some great fabric for it, with muslin (bodice only) made yesterday. More on that when I have a bit more time.

But what am I Super Duper Excited About?!! The Pavlova! Got mine in the mail yesterday... 

You can see that I'm in the pink house! Strawberries, yum! If you're in the pink, let me know... if I'm not already following you, I'll be sure to add you to my reading list.

Ah, the life of the working girl... that's all I have time for this morning, but be sure that there will be lots to talk about in the coming weeks!

Have a great day, y'all!