A Briar top, Torfino pants, and a blog makeover.

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Why is it that whenever you look your grossest you run into someone you know? I have some pretty heinous gear that I sometimes wear to bed (pink leopard pajama pants with small holes in the knee, old band t-shirts, fleece pajama pants with kittens on them, etc.) and sometimes I have to run some quick errands and don't feel like changing into something more respectable. Bottom line is: I'm lazy. For example, when I wake up I will take my dog, Frankie, on a walk in whatever clothing I slept in. I will look like a slob and probably see a frenemy. Or a client. Or a new friend that I don't know all that well and don't want to know that I dress sloppy in my free time.

Styled how I would wear it "in real life." Messy hair, wrinkled fabric, no makeup besides a tinted chap stick, and sandals.

 The Torfino pants by Sewaholic are changing up my game! When Tasia announced an online sale a while back I swooped in on the pants pattern that I had been eyeing for a bit and decided to make them up in a jersey that I got from The Fabric Store in Los Angeles. At first I wanted black pants, but I figured that if I'm lounging at home black pants are the equivalent to a cat hair magnet, so cream would be a better bet.

Guys, jersey pants are sooooo comfy! The fit isn't perfect and it needs a bigger hem, but this is technically a wearable muslin, so who cares? When I bought the ribbon I was a total dumb dumb and didn't get enough to go around my waist. Instead I used the small amount I had and stuck it through the button holes and tied a bow. It would probably look better if the ribbon went completely through the pants instead of through the buttonholes, but I was working with what I had. On the plus side it will be easy to switch up ribbons if I ever get bored!


The pattern itself was great, especially for someone like me that has a very limited knowledge of sewing pants. Last year I sewed my first pair from a 1940s reproduction pattern and I never wear them. My second try was with the Cake patterns leggings and those didn't work out very well. This is my third time experimenting with pants and I think it would be a really good "first pants pattern" to help you wrap your mind around how the pieces get sewn together.


The top is my seventh or eighth (I think?) Briar shirt, so I don't have anything exciting to say about it other than "I love it." I have been wearing it with jeans, but paired it with the pajama pants for the photos. Everyone needs a long sleeve white t-shirt, right? It was the first garment that I sewed with my new serger and I love how clean the sewing guts look. One of these days I will do a proper post about how awesome it is to have a serger!

In case you didn't notice by this point, my blog got a massive remodel courtesy of my buddy Kyle Applegate. I am so happy with all the work he put into my site! He came up with the logo completely on his own, chose the color scheme, and did all the coding. It's so perfect, it's like he is a mind reader! I will still be adding content to a couple of pages here and there, so it's not 100% done, but it's close. Oh, and now I have blog buttons if any of you would like one for your site! :)







So to wrap up my post: thanks to Tasia for creating a pajama pattern that I can use to be casual, comfortable, and cute when I have to run out last minute. Thanks to Megan Nielsen for one of my favorite t-shirt patterns. Thanks to Kyle for my awesome website! Thanks to you for reading this long post.

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I want to hang out with you in Los Angeles!

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Whenever I read about the sewing blogger meet ups that are organized in London or New York I get super jealous. I want to hang out with other ladies that sew too! Well, I'm going to get my chance on Saturday, June 14th.

Kathy, Jill, Laurie, and I have been scheming for the last month and have decided to organize a get-together for the ladies in southern California. We are going to meet up at 11:30 at the restaurant next to The Fabric Store, Cafe Midi, and have lunch, do a pattern/fabric swap (if you want to), and talk sewing. Afterwards we are going to The Fabric Store and then Mood for some shopping. If you are in the area I hope you will join us!

Just a couple of FYI things: you don't have to join us for lunch, although we hope you do! You can always join in for the shopping part of it, however I don't have an exact time on when we will be done eating. If you DO decide to join for lunch please comment on this post or e-mail me to let us know. I'm going to make reservations for Cafe Midi a week beforehand, so if you could please e-mail me before June 7th I would really appreciate it.




Feel free to post the button above (designed by Kathy) on your blog to spread the word :)

Hope to shop and buy some fabric with you! xo

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Project Sewn

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Did you guys hear the news? I'm a contestant on season four of Project Sewn! To those of you who aren't familiar with the site, here's the gist: six ladies are chosen to sew garments for challenges. The challenges were emailed to all of us at the beginning of this month (April) and in May we start debuting looks each week. The only catch is that there is an online voting process and based on the final scores someone is eliminated after each challenge. Kinda nerve-wracking, huh?

I was super flattered that Liz and Elizabeth (the ladies behind Project Sewn) invited me to participate, but I had my reservations. My first thought was, "I'm not good enough. Why would they choose me?" Ewwww, what a lame attitude! I thought about it for a few days, called Lauren and picked her brain (guys, her voice is so cute and she is just as hilarious as I thought she would be!), and ran it by some of my other friends. In the end I (obviously) decided to do it.

One of my main concerns is staying true to myself. I don't want to make a bunch of clothes that are fancy and cute, but will sit in my closet untouched. I want wearable and comfortable garments that will fit my lifestyle, not elaborate ball gowns. Sorry! However, sewing will still be a challenge for me, as I am making an item I haven't made before and I'm also trying out a fabric type that is new to me.

Project Sewn starts in May and I hope you guys will watch my progress. Cross your fingers for me, throw some pennies in a wishing well, and collect some four leaf clovers in my honor. I need all the luck I can get. xoxo

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A wild Laurel in honor of Megan Draper

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TEAM MEGAN! I love Megan Draper! I am hesitant to say that because the writers for Mad Men could have her do something super shady this season, but as of April 7th, 2014 at 12:15 pm PST I am a Megan fan. She's a super rad chick with an awesome wardrobe, so when Julia announced another Mad Men sewing challenge I knew I was in and I knew what look I was going for.

I got this wild fabric from Mood Los Angeles around a year ago. Originally, I had planned on making an Edie Sedgwick inspired look with it and never got around to it. I do think this fabric can work for Edie or Megan though.

The sewing pattern is Laurel by Colette Patterns , one of my all time favorite patterns. It's so straightforward to sew and with the clean lines it is perfect for letting a wild print take center stage. It's actually the third version of the dress I have sewn (see version one and two), so I don't have anything new and exciting to write about it, but it's definitely one of my TNT patterns.

Megan would rock those cuffed sleeves, don't you think?

Much thanks to Melissa for taking all of these photos. She's seriously the most amazing friend ever. She sews with me, tolerates my extreme motion sickness, chats with me about blogging, and drives me to cool places for photo shoots. For this photo shoot we went on a quick trip to Guadalupe, the town where The Ten Commandments was filmed. I guess there are still movie props from the movie buried in the sand! I'd like to go back and have a look sometime... and maybe take some Dramamine before I get in the car.

Peace, love, and Megan Draper.

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