Boden: Not Giving Me Any Time Off! Sale and Spring Preview 2015 News!

Edda!  She's in a pretty dress!

Hi, all!  Well this would have been published this morning except that I had to finish up some last minute details on my red dress for the Fashion Challenge over at Fabric Mart.  I was all sure that I was doing well during this week's challenge, all caught up, BUT NOOOOOO, lol.  Anyhow, for those of you curious, I included a photo of me in it at the end of this post.  I will do the made by me file tonight or tomorrow morning. 

Extra 30% Off Clearance:
ANYHOW.  Turns out that Boden may be sneaking in some "American" type ideas in their business model since this morning my affiliate program let me know that *for two days only* (today and tomorrow), they would be giving an additional 30% off all clearance items.  SO *that's* why the prices went back up.  Sneaky.  If you see something in clearance that you love that is a good price after the 30% off, definitely go for it, and hopefully it is at the same price it was when they had their awesomeness sale a few weeks back, when the clearance items were up to 80% off.

(Just checked the link, btw, below, and I can't seem to make it work.  I will email the affiliate manager and ask what is up, but if you manage to make it work, would you let us know?)

Link to the Extra 30% Off Clearance:
Shop Boden for an additional 30% off clearance!

Spring Preview 2015:
Lou, and CC through her, let us know that the spring preview is live.  *Yes, cc, that is really early.*  Geez, if the items were in production now, I could buy them and wear them for an additional month around here, lol.  But, still, PRETTY SPRING ITEMS!  The email with the 20% off plus free shipping/returns came while I was writing this, and it is F9Z8 (the code expires October 13).  Enjoy!  Boden Preview is here.

Okay, there's more out there to talk about, but I have to get going, so I am going to wait to talk about other Boden news for a couple of days.  ;-)

This is my red dress.  This is based off a vintage 1969 Simplicity pattern (7984, here).  I chose to make the sash double-sided, one side is the same red fabric as the skirt, while the other side is black.  I will show off images of the dress worn without the sash, with the black side of the sash, and more in the made by me file.  But that won't be for a bit, so here's a sneak peek.  BTW, after sewing it up, I realized it reminded me a lot of the Vestiges Dress from Anthropologie, which I still have and love.  I guess I just really like the "it looks like it could be a skirt and a top with a big ole sash kind of dress."

Okay, off to go to do parental duties!  Have a great Tuesday afternoon!

OOTE/Made by Me Files: Halloween. Glinda. Witch. Bad Pig. Blue Bird. And a Lone Fox.

Hey, all.  I am feeling mildly uninspired lately.  I 100% know it has to do with pain and feeling like the bottom is going to drop out if I don't get things done *right* now.  Because I am super crazy (obviously), I decided that I would handmake 70% of my gifts this Christmas, all the while knowing full well I would be recovering from wisdom teeth extraction.

So the actual wisdom teeth procedure went fine, as I have told you all already, but unfortunately some "tooth bits" were left in my upper left wisdom tooth cavity (this happens often enough that it isn't a big deal) and they have to. work. themselves. out.  WORK. THEMSELVES. OUT.  Read that as:

"Oh my God, it feels like a dagger is attacking my gumline and my cheek." 

Followed by:

"Why aren't there more painkillers over the counter?"

Followed by:

"Just leave me alone."

Followed by:

"Fine, Mr. Dina, call the doctor."

And of course she did what she needed to and now I feel marginally better, but I am irritated at myself for not calling her two days ago.  Sigh.  Stupid stubborn streak.

Anyhow, because I have zero energy, but figure I should let you all know that...

Onto a secret, and I really hope Boden fans are reading this, 'cause this is good...

Boden has allowed some of us to pre-order from the Boden clearance sale this weekend.  I noticed that the Boden Preview site was down for maintenance yesterday and thought, "hmm, that's odd."  Turns out they have the sale section there, with the great prices ready to go, and you can preorder.  At least I could.  Now, I received an e-mail that stated it was for my eyes only, but it seems that we should all be able to do it, so long as we have a Boden account, right?  Would one of you who did not get the e-mail try it and let me know so we can officially confirm that we can do this? 

UPDATE (10:13 pm): Stephanie has confirmed that only us with the official e-mail are able to access the early sale.  She says:

it wouldn't let me on the preview sale site, i randomly found it earlier today and when i tried to log in it said i wasn't on the list to get it :( very sad.

Thanks for letting us know, Stephanie.  Agreed.  :-(

Anyhow, if you go over there you can see many items that are very greatly reduced as well as many items that are MUCH greater reduced right now.  So basically if you like something that won't be greatly reduced at the clearance time, I definitely encourage you to grab it before the "officially" starts on Sunday.

About the above, I commented this back to Stephanie: 

I certainly can't go over the whole list of items, but I will say that if you like something that is popular, it appears that it is only reduced between 10% to 20% off. If the item is unpopular, there a whole lot of 40% to 60% off items. :)

Maybe this can help you all a little bit?

I decided to throw this info in here because I don't really know if I am allowed to tell you all, and would hate to find out I screwed up.  Heck, I might get in some trouble, but the percocet is making me all sorts of wild and daring.  ;-)

Okay, onto Halloween.  Right, Halloween.  Forgive me, month of December.

I had spent most of that day creating CW's Glinda costume.  I was spent by the time trick or treating came.  I figured the orange sweater, shoes, and pumpkin earrings was definitely festive enough.

I could have gone as Glinda my own self, but eh, maybe next year.  ;-)

So this Glinda costume basically exacted the same amount of time and energy as CW's Rapunzel costume did.  In other words, WAY too long.  And then of course I jumped into the Vogue Paris Original dress right after that, so I guess I should just accept I like a challenge.  My stepmom thinks now that I have made three insane outfits, I should attempt a jacket or coat.  And of course I was all, "yeah, let's do that."  Let me sleep straight for three months first, though.

(The Christmas presents I am making are far easier than any of these dresses, a bunch of pretty infinity scarves, some tote bags, a few stuffed animals, a few *simple* dresses and jackets, and a pillowcase.)

This dress is made from Simplicity 4139 ( here) and is a pretty close replication of what Glinda looks like in the movie.  (The original movie, not the most recent one.)  My daughter isn't an exact Billie Burke, but there is absolutely no mistaking who she is.  So mission accomplished, two ginormous "it looks like it can eat CW's head" puffy sleeves and all.

Most of the dress gave me little challenge.  In fact, this material is a plastic nylon fabric of some sort, probably meant for rain jackets, that I got at G Street fabrics at one of their "$2.97" tables.  It wasn't terrible to sew, it made a funny sucking kind of sound as I sewed it, but I loved that I didn't have to finish off the seams to prevent fraying fabric (plastic doesn't fray, hey!).

What ended up getting to me was the stinking sleeves since although they look fully puffy and definitely "good witch,' they are not evenly placed in the armhole and that irritates me.  No one else probably even notices, but after watching "Breaking the Faith" on TLC and seeing all the FLDS and their perfectly formed puffy sleeves, I just know I could have done better.  I did puff out her sleeves with the help of poly-fill.  That stuff is really great for more than just stuffing stuffed animals. 

I also hated the princess seams (they are covered by the silver rick rack to make up for the horrible job I did on sewing them).  Apparently you are supposed to ease the seam before you sew it (basically cutting it to fit the curve on the other piece).  I didn't know that and desperately wondered how I was supposed to fit them together.  By the back, I had figured it out, but the front was a mess.  So yay silver rick rack, I appreciate your hiding powers.

I did like that I chose to use a very sheer sparkly tulle over the puffy sleeves and collar, and a very light application of silver fabric spray on the skirt.  She literally shined as she moved.  It's pretty darn magical.

I think the back looks way better than the front. 

I also made the crown from posterboard, also sprayed with the silver fabric spray.  The crown is destroyed now, though, sigh.  Kids!  ;-)

My dad and my son's Angry Birds costumes also needed some polyfill.  Good thing I had some, just hanging out, huh?

My stepmom wanted to match CW, so she dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West.  CW was sad to hear that the wicked witch was not supposed to be her friend.  She almost cried, in fact.  We changed the story just a touch to make her feel better.

And there is our lone fox.  I bought that for Tiny at Carters in September, and he has actually worn it as a coat a handful of times since then.  He gets a lot of smiles, and yep, a lot of "what does the fox say?"  Ha.  He says "yip yip yip yip yip yip yip," of course.  (We have a few foxes in our forest behind the house, and I assure you foxes sound weird and deranged.  Turns out that angry zebras do, too.  Yeah, that's right, I have heard an angry zebra!)

Rex saw that and was all, "I want a fox coat, Momma!"  So guess what one of the coats for Christmas will be?  Yep, McCall's 6828 (here).  I am such a freaking pushover.

Okay, that's it for now.  Remember to try the Boden preview site (sign into your account first!) and let me know if you can access the sale.  Also, if you see something that goes UP in price at the clearance time, definitely better to buy now.

The coupon link below says it's expired, even though the affiliate program says it is good until tonight.  The link barely matters since the prices are all around 25% off, and lolcatgirl has let us know that you can use the code Z2H4 for free shipping.  If I get a new promo, I will update this post and my sidebar!

Made by Me Files: Vogue Paris Original 2048 (Laroche Dress).

It's been a while since I have written a "made by me file," but that doesn't mean I haven't been sewing.  In fact, I have been sewing, almost like a crazy mad woman, but because the main focus of this blog is ootd posts and big Boden sales, I have not had the virtual blog space to publish more made by me files.  :-)  (I vaguely remember a time when I was updating the blog more--the time before third kids and school activities started elbowing into all the spare time I had to do updates!)  If you want to take a gander at some of the items I have sewn, take a look here at this Kwik Sew top, these Style Arc pants, and this vintage Butterick girls coat.  I also sewed up a complete Glinda costume for CW, but haven't had the strength to publish that one here or there.  (I am haunted by the ridiculous and over the top puffy sleeves on that one--they are so big they looked like they could eat CW's head for breakfast.)

Anyhow, back to this particular project...

This a favorite of mine, and boy am I glad I expended the energy on creating it.  I fell in love with vintage Vogue patterns after my sewing teacher gave me a few of her patterns from the late 60s and 70s.  From there I realized that while I could enjoy today's patterns (and definitely still do), there is a lot to be said for hunting down these vintage finds on ebay and etsy instead.  For one, all the vintage patterns are single sized, which means cutting out a pattern is much easier.  (I typically take a 12 or 14 in vintage patterns but if I can't find my size, I am willing to put in some extra work on grading up or down to make the pattern fit me.)  Another nice thing about these patterns is that the style of the decade can be made up in more modern fabrics, so while you have a "vintage" dress, it won't come with all the issues of vintage fabric.  (That said, I do have a few yards of vintage fabric that has held up well, but for the most part, it does start to wear down with age unless properly stored.)

I also love the directions that come with vintage patterns, while not overly wordy, they have precisely the right way of explaining how to attempt something while sewing, so I am never confused.  I do find that they expect more from me by hand, but that was also because many machines of that era were unable to do the things my current machine can do.  I decided for this pattern that I would follow the directions as precisely as possible because I had entered a vintage pattern contest over at PatternReview.com and one of the ideas was that sewing up the vintage pattern would be as close to what ladies of the era would have done.  Obviously we can't do everything exactly as the vintage patterns ask us to, but when I could, I did.

I was hunting around for some vintage Vogue patterns on ebay a couple of weeks after my teacher gave me hers when I discovered the pattern treasure trove known as Vogue Paris Original/Vogue Couturier/Vogue Americana.  These three pattern groups still exist in some form or another today, and still have some of the hallmarks, like a designer name, a large format envelope, and one or two designs within the packet, but the allure seems to be less so with today's pattern than the ones from the 50s, 60s, and 70s.  I am not sure why these patterns are less special, and they may not be, but wowza, some of the ones I have seen pop up on ebay and etsy have been grand, unique, and incredibly special.

So when I was able to buy a Guy Laroche dress pattern from 1968 or 1969 (still not sure of which year) for $16, I was all, "yes, please."  :-)

I only own a handful of these beauties, but slowly I plan on sewing all of them, even though I probably shouldn't even be attempting them owing to my overall lack of tailoring experience.  Eh, well, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?  I'm getting too old to let silly things like being less experienced stand in my way of making a really pretty dress, right?

Anyhow, here it is...my first attempt at a Vogue Paris Original.

This is my favorite image of the bunch since it most resembles the awesome cover photo of the pattern.

I found the brooch in a sewing project bag that I purchased for $12.  I have plans to make the bag for Christmas, but this brooch is exactly the right one for this dress, I decided to get the purse another bit of embellishment instead.  (BTW, that bag project usually retails for $80--I scored when I found that at a closeout sale recently!)

Here is the cover photo, thanks to the wonderful resource Vintage Patterns Wiki. 

I found the process very time consuming, every direction seemed like it was straightforward, but in my sewing reality, every step took two or three hours to complete.  The very easiest part of the pattern was the very first step which said to sew the darts up in the back bodice.  It fooled me, that first step.

I had the hardest time with the placement of the bib since I was off *just* a hair in one direction.  So while it isn't readily apparent, the bodice's bib is slightly skewing to my left shoulder.

I also struggled a bit with setting in those sleeves, and many of my sewing minutes were spent steaming the heck out of the shoulder seams.  Fortunately in the end, the sleeves look pretty good considering my beginner status.

For all of the time I spent, I realized pretty quickly just how well drafted all the pieces were together...it was nice to see edges lining up just so, and pockets fitting precisely in their place, seams lining up properly, etc., etc.  Today's patterns are fine, but because they are multi-sized, I think it can be pretty easy to accidentally improperly cut your size and end up finding the pattern doesn't work as well together as it could. 

If you don't look at me dead on straight, the bib looks really nice, right?  ;-)

This is a bit of a saucy pattern, at least for me since it is open from neckline to waistband.  I dig it, but this one can only be worn to church if I wear a cardigan or jacket over it.

I have plans to sew this pretty lady up in a heavier black wool (I used a lightweight sage green wool twill here) for the sleeveless version, and with that one I will go ahead and alter the back to zip all the way up instead, kind of like this lady did for hers.

On the hanger, ready for me to wear. 

1. The pattern didn't call for a ribbon at the waist, but I really loved how this satin bias ribbon looked with the green wool, so I figured out some way to add it to the waistband facing, which was kind of hard.  My brain loves puzzles, but you really have to bend it to truly get how something that gets sewn in face in and wrong way up will look when it is face out and right side down.

2. You can see a little of the lace hem facing that I used in the sleeves.  I also used the same lace facing for the hem, and I am a convert.  I may start using facings for all of my hems since they look really good and add a bit of interest to the inside of the item.

3. You can also see the interlining/underlining peeking out of the sleeve.  That was sewn up to the fashion fabric to act as one fabric together.  That was kind of a pain, but for the sake of this project, and for this wool material, it was the right call, so I am glad Laroche's pattern forced my hand.  The interlining also allowed me to hem the facings to the sleeves and hem without the thread showing through the top material, so the hems are seamless, which is pretty awesome.

I shouldn't have to interline/underline the heavier black wool with the next dress I make, which I am a *tiny* bit okay with.  LOL.

This is a closeup of the topstitching on the bib.  I don't know, it looks fine, but the topstitching thread and my machine don't like each other too much since the thread is nested under the topstitching.  Basically it works, but if I snag the thread on something, it easily comes out, which is not cool.  I may rip it out eventually and try again with two regular strands of thread in the needle instead of the topstitching thread.

This is actually my favorite thing on the entire dress, this back closure.  I bought both the fabric and the button from Fabric Mart in their famous bundles, which are these amazing bags full of leftover fabrics and buttons and such for really great prices.  I think the sage green wool came in a $10 small 6 yard bundle, and the button came in a FREE button bag (full of other buttons--I think there were close to fifty buttons).

If you look closely you will see the darts that were sewn in the first step of the project which led me to my mistaken thought that the dress would be easier to construct.  Ha.

Another back view.  I wish the closure of the zip was better, but I won't complain since it works and could look a WHOLE lot worse. 

I have plans to shorten the entire waistband of the bib and back by an inch with the next go since the bodice overall is too long, which leads to a very poufy top when I am seated.  The only place I can shorten the bodice is here since the rest of the bodice has too much going on for me to shorten it with any ease.

Close-up of the lace hem facing.  So pretty!  I hand sewed that darn topstitching thread to the interlining.  It took me about an hour and a half to hand sew the facing to the hem and the sleeves.  Labor of love, you all!

And there it is, in its infancy.  ;-)  If you look closely, you will see stitching lines, placement lines, cutting lines, etc.  The pattern makers of that period were very detail oriented.  You definitely don't see this amount of info on pattern pieces anymore!

Okay, that's it for now.  If you are interested in seeing my review over at Pattern Review, here it is.  I entered the Vintage Pattern contest, so if you are a member and want to vote for me, I won't say no.  Haha.  :-)

I will probably be back tomorrow morning with news of a Cyber Monday sale from Boden.  They had one last year, right? 

OOTD/Review: Cashmere Chevron Sweater and a Bunch of Oldies.

Hi, all.  :-)  Long time no talk.

I hope everyone in the United States is all ready for the Thanksgiving festivities.  I know that I have two separate grocery stores to visit, and one of them has the awesome (and just recently discovered) "order on-line and pickup all your ready and bagged grocery bags" feature.  To make my life even easier, they store all the past purchases I made, including everything I purchased in store...not just on-line.  I feel like a changed woman.  I can't say I will always use it ($5 fee), but on days like today (yucky 35 degree weather and rain, cold, soulless rain) makes the $5 more than worth it.  So if you are a local of the Mid-Atlantic region, give Harris Teeter's on-line grocery shopping a go.

Okay enough shilling for something probably only 5 of you even care about.  ;-)

Day: Thursday, November 21, 2013.

Where: Little Gym/Playdate with friends.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  The pants are loose in the waist, enough so that I had to keep hitching them up, but they fit great in the hips, so I will likely take the waist in a touch on the sewing machine soon.  It was enough of a bother for me to give the outfit a 3.5 instead of anything higher.

The sweater is so soft and comfortable, but more on that in the review portion (below).  The scarf and boots are great, and I wear them a ton when they are seasonally appropriate.  The Women's Blakeley Riding Boots were reviewed here, and they are back again this season, and still at the same price.  Lands' End is offering 30% off if you use the code WONDERLAND and pin 3050 (that brings the price down a touch).

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) Love this outfit, perfect for a mom on the go, not super cool, but definitely not awful.

Anecdote from the Day:  Very typical day around these parts, just nice to have great days here and there.  (And ones that don't involve migraines...have had way too many of these recently.)

Angus is dressed up in his Saints gear since it was the night they were set to play Thursday night football.  I don't care, but won't stop Mr. Dina from dressing him up.  Plus all the other Saints fans in the area just love it!

Collection Cashmere Chevron Sweater.  Still available on-line for the same price it was at when I purchased it, but I say wait until the website goes into the "extra 40% off" sale mode, since that makes the price fairly reasonable at $95.

I chose to buy a small since lately J. Crew's items have swung back to the sizing they had back in the mid-2000s.  Although I could have fit into the extra small, it would have been a touch shorter, definitely more snug, and the arms would have been super tight.  (These in the small were pretty tight, and I have skinny arms, so bear that in mind if you carry your weight in your arms.)

This sweater is really pretty and slightly 70s, but in a subtle way.  It does chevron without beating your head with it the way the sequined chevron sweater did last year.  So if you prefer trends like this to stay more classic, grab this one since it is likely to last in your wardrobe longer.

The pink version was enticing, but I didn't like the white binding at the neckline and the hemline, so I went with the grey version instead.

No pilling yet, barring a few bits under the arms, but I expect that after a day's worth of wear.

So what has kept me away from my blog?  I have been working like a mad beaver on this retro pattern from 1969 (Vogue Paris Original--Laroche 2048).  I have this idea that I can wear it to Thanksgiving dinner.  Clearly the above photo shows it unfinished (and it still is, btw), but I had to try it on to get an objective view of what I needed to fix and see how the overall fit is.  The gathering at the waist still needs some fixing, and if I could I would shorten the bodice's bib (I will on my next version, which I plan to do in a black wool), but overall it looks pretty good (yes, I know I have to hem the skirt and the sleeves).  So you know, the directions are beautifully written, and the pattern is drafted so well, but it is so time consuming.  Ridiculous, really.  I basically have to do couture procedures on this dress, all while trying to maintain a household of crazed children and a blog that is supposed to be on top of Boden massive sales.

Wish me luck...I am also in the process of making 70% of my Christmas presents, too.  Eeep.

So, I have been bad at alerting you all to the latest Boden sale, basically it is for 30% off all party pieces. You can find them all at this link.

You all have a great night, be back soon. 

OOTDs/Made by Me Files: Tangled Birthday Edition.

The ootds will be first followed by the "Tangled" made by me file (yes, it references the movie, and no, the outfit made wasn't for me).  ;-)

Day: Wednesday, September 18, 2013.

Where: CW's Birthday night with a trip to Whole Foods (Winesday), followed by her birthday dinner at El Paso Cafe. 

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  This beautiful Boden dress of mine from a few years ago is comfortable, but I wasn't over the top happy that it was so wrinkled so quickly.  Maybe the last time I wore it to a stand-up party, lol, and there were no wrinkles, but more than likely I was more sensitive to it this time.  ;-)

But I could be wearing a itchy burlap sack and feel great since Winesday is so much fun.

Cool Factor: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Nah, I looked exactly like what I was, a happy and proud momma of a now *five* year old girl.  Not especially cool, but the broderie on the dress is pretty and unique, and that is enough for me.  Plus there was wine...and later margaritas. 

Anecdote from the Day:  The people at the Winesday were thrilled that CW had turned five.  One of them gave her a gerbera daisy (in pink!), another gave her a VERY big cupcake decorated with flowers and leaves, etc., and one gave her two desserts from the dessert table.  She also got lots of, "ooh, look it's a princess," since CW insisted on wearing her Ariel costume to the store and then to dinner. 

Day: Friday, September 20, 2013.

Where: American Girl Store for a special birthday girl dinner followed by surprising CW with Kit, the American Girl she had been eyeing for about a year.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Oh this Anthro skirt is so comfortable, with its super soft jersey fabric and deep pockets.  The sequin tee from J. Crew was way more easy to wear than I thought it would be, but I did size up to a small, so I suspect that may have contributed.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  I really liked this outfit and feel like it looks decently cool.  I loved how the pieces all worked well together, both in silhouette and in color, with no one piece taking center stage.  Even the cool Ghanian-made necklace looked like a natural, even though I don't know that wooden beads and plastic sequins are meant to be next to each other.

(The necklace is from my father-in-law who has now gone to Ghana twice on mission trips.  I am very happy for him, and kind of jealous, too!  I have a lot of friends from Ghana and would love to see the country they are from.)

Anecdote from the Day:  It was exactly like you would think it would be...a five year old in an American Girl store surrounded by dolls, pink flower lamps, and little itty bitty dining pieces for the doll that comes with you to the store (we brought Caroline, her other doll).  In other words, CW was overstimulated and over the moon.

Day: Saturday, September 21, 2013.

Where: CW's birthday party.  I promise this is the last event celebrating her birthday.  I don't do much for the kids when they turn one, but five is a pretty big deal, so I definitely indulge.  I bet #10, #16, #18, and #21 will be similar.  

Ease of Wear: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I have written enough poetry about the Garnet Hill jersey dresses in the past.  I love this dress so much, if it were human, I would have a big, fat crush on it.

Cool Factor: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  I have always loved resort wear and the "hostess" gown, which is what this reminds me of...a hostess gown.  But instead of being many hundreds of dollars and from Milly, it was far less.

Anecdote from the Day:  In addition to crafting a Rapunzel dress from scratch, I also had to get all the party favors and food ready for the party.  I almost did it all, but I finally had to break down and ask for help with the favor bags since I didn't have enough time to get those filled.  Thank goodness my good friend from bowling, S., and her daughter, I., helped me in my time of need.  Are any of you all like that?  You don't ask for help unless you desperately need it?  Why do we do that to ourselves?

I wrote more about the creation of this pattern ( Simplicity 2065) here at Pattern Review.  You will be able to see it for six months without joining Pattern Review, but past mid-March 2014 you won't be able to see it anymore.  Hopefully I remember to update this post with more info when that occurs.

Detail of the lace embellishment that I added to the sparkly purple tulle.  Like I mentioned over at Pattern Review, I was glad to have a walking foot on my machine because that helped me control both the velvet (the white skirt was made from that fabric) and the tulle.  Both velvet and tulle are such a pain to sew, and the walking foot keeps the fabric nice and smooth and even when sewing.

On CW.  She is holding her Rapunzel doll, natch.  :-)

Can you believe that I took out parts of the pattern because I didn't have quite enough fabric?  Yeah, I thought so...this pattern was supposed to have one additional skirt and overskirt piece, and some tulle lower sleeves.  Oh, and I was supposed to make an underskirt that would have added poofiness.  I think the dress looks more than poofy enough as is, thank you very much.

She *really* enjoyed posing.  Such a little ham.

The tank underneath is an addition since the bodice turned out to be too big.  Part of that is because I made the size 6, which is a bit big anyhow, and part of that is because I didn't add a zip to the back of the dress and had some extra ease (about 1.5 inches) added since the extra ease was supposed to be used to add the zip.  The plus side is she can wear it longer, but for now, she will have to have something under for modesty.

This is my favorite photo of her wearing the dress since it shows the full of effect of the time consuming details...the gathering of the waistband on both the tulle and velvet skirt, the application of the various trims, like the cord at the waist and sleeves, and the lace on the overskirt, and the insertion of the very puffy sleeves (setting in sleeves can be its own challenge).

Anyhow, I am glad I spent the week working on this dress, since it made her so happy and it allowed me to take on many new sewing skills that I hadn't tried before.  All in all, I would call this a success...but please, don't look to closely at the hem or the eyelets.  LOL.

Alright, that's it for now.  Thanks for reading all about my "tangled" week.  

If you are one of my readers who comes her for Boden stuff, I have a quick question for you.  How would you all feel if I created a page within my blog where comments would be allowed and you could post reviews of items you have received?  Since it would be powered through disqus, you could also add links to any photos you wearing them (photo sharing sites, facebook, etc.), which would add an extra layer to the review, if you have them.  (They aren't required, btw.)  I know that my BWRR is a big hit here at the blog, and as much as I can, I try to have it appear at least once a week, but as we know, I am very backlogged, and a page like that could help keep the reviews coming while the BWRR is written.  Once I am able to use your review in a BWRR, I would delete the comment from the page, and a fresh set of comments could be posted for the next BWRR.  Do let me know if this sounds like it work for you!

OOTD: Putting a Bird on It, Sequin Style.

Hi, all!

We're home today, even though I was *supposed* to be running around doing about a billion errands and getting the kids to school and back.  Last night was Rex's pageant at the school (Nativity pageant) and while it was theoretically enjoyable, I found I was a bit less than enthused.  Between the crowds of crowing and over-enthusiastic parents waving animatedly to their children many many rows away on the altar (was at the church) and the supremely loud conversation right next to my ears between woman a and woman b, I found I was getting aggravated.  Which I knew RIGHT AWAY meant I was coming down with something...my hubby makes fun of my ability to be patient with all irritations (he gets annoyed by everything, everyday), but I couldn't handle it all last night.  I felt crotchety because of the cacophony.

Anyhow, I am home trying to get over my achy, sore throaty, blegh something or another so I can go to the next "helicopter parent party" with a bit less "put upon dinagideon" attitude.  (There are at least fifteen more in the next two weeks--these schools these days, heartily celebrating over-involvement!)

Before I got all Surly Sue last night, I went out with CW to a playdate at one of my bowling friend's house.  She is like me...definitely the spring chickens of the bowling league.  She, like me, is far from the best of the bowlers, so we have a lot in common and a whole lot to talk about.  Her daughter is only 2 years older than CW, so they were able to draw, dance, and do princess play stuff while her mom and I talked about "mom" stuff. :)

I felt good in my outfit.  The bits together were comfy and the overall aesthetic is something I hope to replicate more often.

The bag and the pants are no longer available from Boden, but the Embellished cardigan is (I did a review here).

The Lands' End Blakely Riding boots are AMAZING and had I been told that I would ever think a pair of light caramel colored riding boots would work in my wardrobe, I would have given the side eye.  I figured I would limit my boots to black, brown, and grey.  However, since becoming a SAHM, I really get why so many of us have so many darn boots, they look great and feel great too.

The sequin bird tee by J. Crew is more lovely than I expected it to be.  I sometimes find that their sequined tees are lacking in some way, either the knit fabric is too thin (hole-prone) or the embellishments are not nearly well-secured enough.  This time, the tee is exactly right, a good thick cotton with sequins that will stay on the garment.

One thing, though, and you can definitely see it here, the top runs short.  I have a short torso, so it barely bothered me, but if you have a longer torso, this one may be too short, even if you size up.  (I think the one the model is wearing is longer, but isn't that just like a clothing company, making an item exactly the right length for the model?)

I purchased this tee in an extra-small and it fits fine, with no gaping, bagging, or pulling.  I also like where the sleeves end, but if that is one of your problem areas, take note.

From the side.  The Blakeley Riding Boots are fairly plain overall, but have a bit of detailing at the ankle.  I love how high they are, hitting right under my kneecap.  It is rare for a boot to hit that high on me.  In fact, the only reason I purchased these is because one of the reviews on the Lands' End site mentioned that these boots were perfect for the reviewer, one of the few boots she has ever purchased that was tall enough for her height.  (I had been mulling a purchase of boots at Long Tall Sally, but their prices were prohibitive, these boots were bought when Lands' End last had a 40% off sale.)

Makeup looked okay, and I like how the earrings "go" with the top.  My hair was a bit scraggly.  I find my hair looks worst the first day I wash it, but by the third day post-wash it looks awesome.  Any quick (emphasis on that word, please) ideas on how to get the bangs to look less fly away and stringy the day I wash my hair?

Pretty, non-twee "bird on it."

Detailing of the boots.

Speaking of Lands' End, this seems to be the month of promos (well, I gather that's true everywhere).  Today and tomorrow, they are offering $40 off $100 (with free ship). 


Any of you out there own this pretty sequin bird tee?  Thoughts?

Talk with you all soon!