Julianne

0

goings on

by

After seeing Crazy Heart with Jason this afternoon I headed down Lincoln Blvd to Lincoln Fabrics, which is a wonderful slightly grungy warehouse filled with some gorgeous fabrics. There are cute cotton prints, jerseys in many different weights and colors, some fabulous vinyls, and so much more. I haven’t yet devised a project to use some of their awesome woven elastics, but Crazy Heart has given me an idea about how to use this beautiful ribbon. It will be a fun and challenging project that I’ll get a lot of use from.

floral woven ribbon

Continue reading →

When I was in Innsbruck I went to a folk art museum and saw some ribbon on a mini loom, and since then I’ve been eager to learn how to weave. No progress on that front yet, but this ribbon reminds me of that goal. Plus the colors and style will go perfectly with some vintage fabric I got a few months ago at the new Goodwill on Jefferson Davis in NOLA.

I’ve been working on lots of little projects since I’ve been in LA. I’ve got some bigger ones to post soon, but before I spend a few more hours on the interweb I’ve got to cross some things off my to-do list. Tonight’s main goal is to sew additional buttonholes and buttons onto a vintage men’s shirt that I tailored to my ladiness a couple years ago. But just to show that I keep busy, here’s something I did the other night.

octojar

I found a funny illustration of an octopus in the New Yorker and decided to put it on the lid of an empty pickle jar. I glued it on, slit the sides for a smooth fit, and coated the whole thing in tacky glue. I’m not sure what I’m going to put in the jar yet, but I’m sure it will be just the right thing.

Now it’s onto the buttonholes! And then the reverse applique…

to be continued

1

get your gear in order!

by

Talent and know-how play big roles in any project, but supplies are also important. At the very least, the appropriate tools make a project easier and more fun!

Continue reading →

My dad recently sent me a new foot pedal for my machine, and in the box there was also a pair of Gingher shears. I love these scissors! I thought the scissors I was using before were pretty nice, but since working with these shiny babies I’ve come to realize what crap I was cutting with before. Spring loaded, stainless steel, with a lovely gold snap to keep the shears closed…oooooh! I’ve developed a habit of whipping them out and snapping them open and shut to hear the sharp metal sound, and I swear I walk around with them like a gunslinger.

I also love my snap pliers. It’s quicker than sewing in snaps, but more than that, it gives the snaps such a nice touch. The grommet snaps are more expensive than their sew-in sisters, but totally worth it. Another fun resident of my sewing box is my extra-long needle set. Admittedly, I don’t use the 12-inch needle too often, but every once in a while the perfect project comes up, usually in the form of upholstery or pillow making. At the very least, whipping out one of these can be quite useful in impressing a point on someone.

sewing box

Speaking of sewing boxes, I love mine! I got it years ago at a garage sale and can’t imagine parting with it. Vintage sewing boxes are so much roomier and functional than the new ones I see at the fabric store. There’s space in the bottom for shears, stabilizer, patterns, notions, and so much more (I always keep hand creme with my sewing supplies). The top tray has so many little compartments that help me keep my space organized. Plus, I love the gold quilted exterior. They don’t make ’em like this anymore, too bad for the future generation of seam masters.

One last bit of wisdom! Every couple weeks I like to clean the lint out of my sewing machine. My machine always works much better when it’s lint free, and yes, I also like to clean things. I remove the bobbin plate and get in there with the little brush that came with my Singer, but today I grabbed Jason’s can of compressed air and with shining eyes blasted all the little linty bits out of the machinery. It was glorious! I even unscrewed the top of the arm cover and cleaned in there, which I usually do every few months. Now my machine is as clean as ever!

Happy making everybody!

0

teal corduroy jumper

by

I’ve had lots of fun playing in this dress! It’s comfortable, my favorite color, reasonably trendy, plus the pockets are the perfect size for beer bottles.

teal corduroy dress pockets/beer holders

I’ve had this fabric in my stash for years and didn’t know what to do with it until I saw Plummy’s jumper. I was a little uncertain about wearing a jumper, but it works with long and short sleeve shirts and possibly even with no shirt at all. I’ll hold that discovery until it’s a little less wintery in Los Angeles.

dancing in my dress

Continue reading →

Since the corduroy has a surprising amount of stretch I made the bodice tight with a center seam and front darts. In the spirit of simplicity I’m able to just pull it over my head and bam, I’m ready for some adventures. There’s elastic on the inside of the top so that it will fit snugly without any gaping. The skirt is cut at a slight A-line and gathered at the waist.

Yep, that’s me climbing on what I’m not supposed to touch. Those photos were taken at the Getty Villa in Malibu, which is a replica of the villa of Julius Caesar’s father-in-law. The other pictures were taken in our alleyway, less well known but not less picturesque.

1 2 … 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 … 94 95