August 22, 2011

A little handiwork has been done.....


but soooooo long between posts.

Not really sure that I have a good reason for my absence except that life gets busier and busier and I believe I've been eaten by Facebook! Anyway I do have a few items to show for all those lost hours!

First - a maxi dress that I made using a very fine cotton-silk blend I picked up in NYC last season. The fabric feels like butter and was a bliss to work with! I used Vogue 8241 - easy peasy with very straightforward instructions. No real design changes/enhancements except that I used a different technique than offered in the instructions for "flipping" the bodice - same result - and I lined only the bodice in a black china silk. I've wore it out for a nice summer dinner as well as to a beach party - - really versatile!
(I apologize for the poor quality of my photos -
anyone out there with a suggestion for a good, small, versatile, moderately priced camera -
my old standby is failing me!?)


And then there's my newest, um, obsession/time sink/money hole - knitting! And here is my first real, DRUM ROLL, sweater!!!
I did it! I made a real live sweater from the top down! And it fits! And I like it! And I wore it! None of these statements did I EVER think would ever be uttered from my mouth about something I knitted! I owe my success to Rachel at Looped Yarns for her support and stellar instructions (and did I mention her support???) The pattern is designed by Elizabeth Smith from The Brown Stitch. Great pattern for a beginner - pretty straight forward but with lots of challenges from which to learn!

Thanks for peeking in on my progress! Am working on a great mid-weight linen jacket for fall! About to head in to cut it out now!

xxoo
Laura


5 comments:

Anne-Marie said...

I love your choice of fabric for this pattern. You dress is lovely. As for the camera, I suggest the Canon Power Shot S95. Very small and very good quality of image. The reviews are excellent http://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/compacts/canon_s95

The Slapdash Sewist said...

What a gorgeous dress! I just love silk-cotton.

I have the Canon Powershot as well; mine is the SD780. Its weaknesses: the self-timer has a hard time finding my face (and not using the face recognition results in blurry photos), it washes out indoor photos about 8% of the time, and doesn't take good night photos. Pros: In good light conditions it takes wonderful photos and I *love* that it will do 3 self timer shots in a row (I'm not photogenic and need lots of photos to choose from for blogging). Lightweight. Comes in several fabulous colors.

Lisette M said...

The maxi is gorgeous! Once you start knitting you will never stop, congratulations on making your first sweater.

Thirty Seven West said...

That dress is stunning! I absolutely LOVE the fabric you chose. And you are so right, that dress is very versatile. I would love to have that dress in my closet!

chel wakley said...

Hi, I'm with an online vintage dress boutique called Shabby Apple (www.shabbyapple.com) and I adore your blog. Shabby Apple offers affordable, stylish attire perfect for a day at work or play, or a night on the town. We would love to partner with you and offer your readers a 10% off coupon as well as the opportunity to giveaway one of our dresses on your blog. Please check us out at www.shabbyapple.com and let me know if you are interested.

I look forward to hearing back from you soon!

Thanks,

Chelsea Wakley

cwakely@shabbyapple.com
(this is only open to US residents, if this is not a possibility please let me know)