OOTDs: 13 on the 13th and a Stunned Sewer.

Before I start the ootds post, I wanted to let you know there is a reason I am a "stunned sewer."  Turns out that I *won* the Fabric Mart Fashion Challenge.  Woah!  I honestly thought I was going to come in third, *maybe* second if I was really lucky, but nope, first!  I wrote this all over the place this morning, but I was really glad that I was sitting when I received the news since I had to compose myself, so weird, right?  :-)  I guess I was a tiny bit excited!

Nakisha came in second with her gorgeous interpretation of minimalism architecture, and Sue's amazing, yellow trench coat inspired by Pop Art came in third.  It was a true honor to be in the last challenge with them.  

I have a lot of thoughts about the competition, what I learned, what I experienced, and how the whole thing went, but I will save that for another time (I do want to dissect it, though, since the progress was pretty significant overall--more so than I expected it to be).  I do really want to say thank you to Fabric Mart for hosting the competition, the judges for all their thoughts and words about the garments I sewed up, and to my fellow sewing friends in the contest with me, it was wonderful to be part of such a cool thing with such gracious, generous, and gifted sewers.  And of course, I *know* so many of you voted for me, or left incredibly kind comments here or at my FB page, so thank you for that.  I had many moments where comments were what I needed to keep my head up high, since there were points in the challenge where I wondered if I should keep on keeping on...

Okay, onto the outfits...both featuring dresses I sewed up in the competition (there's the connection, lol).

Day: Monday, October 13, 2014.

Where:  To celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary, Mr. Dina took me to America Eats, which has moved from its downtown DC location (featured at this post and here at this post) to the Ritz Carlton Tysons (ooh, fancy!).

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I made this dress for me (read more on that here), but it is still a fancy dress worn with heels.  It won't be the most comfortable dress ever, but considering that normally dresses feel too tight in my hips, it was a nice change of pace to feel not restricted there, for once.  :-)

Cool Factor: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  I love it.  I think I looked really nice, and I always, ALWAYS want my hair to look that good *why can't it always behave--WHIIIIINE!*. 

Anecdote from the day:  Driving to Tysons it was SUPER FOGGY out.  We have a few tall buildings in our neighborhood and there are really tall buildings (well, by DC standards anyhow) in Tysons, and the tops of the buildings were completely hidden behind the wall of fog.  I love fog, so I was really into it, but Mr. Dina was freaked out.

Yeah, we've been married for 13 years and it was awesome that it was on the 13th.  Wish it had been a Friday, too, that would have been even better.

Day: Saturday, October 18, 2014.

Where:  International Fair at the school.

Ease of Wear: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Yeah, this dress is so comfortable.  I am really glad I spent all those hours patterning out the original and sewing up a gazillion gathers (wrote the process up here).  Worth all the effort.  Such a breezy, lovely dress. 

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Very pretty and presentable outfit, and perfection for the weather we had here today (umm, gorgeous, with a slight breeze).

Anecdote from the day:  We have been a house of sick lately.  I was sick with the flu for a week and then both CW and I came down with laryngitis.  Unfortunately Mr. Dina and Angus now have it, too, and they are struggling.  Only Rex seems immune.  I bet he scares the germs away.  :-)  We had a good time at the International Fair, though.  One of my favorite families from the school are Ethiopian and they remembered how much Rex likes the yellow pea dish, so they made that special so Rex would be able to enjoy his favorite.  Isn't that so sweet?  What a nice and generous gesture. 

Okay, that's all for now.  Still pinching myself over the win, cannot wait to give another sewing project a go, and now that I have a bit more time, I think I will be tackling a coat or jacket, which I have always wanted to sew up. 

Have a great night!

Made by Me File: Vintage Simplicity 7984. The Little Red Dress that Could.

UPDATE (10/1/2014): Voting is now open.  :-)  If you so desire, send a vote my way!

Tonight's post will be twofold--first will be the "red dress" story as required by the Fabric Mart Fashion Challenge for week four (read more on it here).  The second part of this post will be more on the construction of this dress (fabrics used, pattern info, changes and alterations, etc.)

Here I am attempting my best impression of a 1960s pattern model.  I feel like I look so jaunty.  LOL.

This dress is based on a 1969 Simplicity Pattern, 7984.  You can view an image of it here.

I don't wear much red.  At all.  I am a spring colored kind of lady, so spring greens, yellows, and oranges are much more my speed, so when I read that we would need to make a little red dress and have a good story on where we would go to in the LRD, I was *just* a bit freaked out, to be honest.

The one red dress I own is a gorgeous J. Crew dress from a few years back*, and it seems to be in the one color of red that suits my complexion, that red that has a lot of yellow in it.  Unfortunately for me, I had only one yard cuts of any red that was similar in hue and that meant that any dress I would be making would have to be a LRD with some red printed material thrown into the mix.  Fortunately for me Julie's Picks (a subscription swatch service at Fabric Mart) included this very pretty poly charmeuse in an abstract animal print that is the same red as the red solid fabric I had on hand.  Score!

And since I am a bit wary of wearing solid red near my face (barring that one red dress from J. Crew and this top), I figured a pretty two fabric dress would be just the right answer to my LRD dilemma.

*I almost forgot this red dress--also a winner, but again, not a traditional blue-red.

So where am I going in my little red number?  Well...and this is freaking me out a bit to admit this...my hubby and I are at #13--that's right, 13 years of marriage, this October 13th.  (13 on the 13th! Hey!)  So like all my red dress in the past, and the red blouse of the same year, I am going to do something darn special while wearing it.

The J. Crew dress was worn out in Paris, the red top was worn to a French restaurant, and this lovely red frock will be worn out (I am hoping!) to a nice dinner out to a steak restaurant where I can get some amazing cut of meat AND a glass of red wine in the same exact shade as my dress.

I wish I could go to Paris in this, but I will settle for someplace nice here in DC or Alexandria.  ;-)

Of course, why limit a dress that I spent (countless, yeah I stopped counting) hours on to one special occasion?  Why not go out for another?

Since I didn't make this in time for my reunion last year, I think I should plan another get-together with all my high school friends this year so I can show it off.  LOL.  Well, and see all my buddies again.  ;-)  I am thinking it would be pretty great to have another dressy event, maybe drinks and dinner out?  Tysons Corner is halfway for most of us, and they have some pretty great restaurants we could all meet at and catch up.

(And laugh a LOT.  Turns out all those times I lamented not getting on with some folks at my kids school, etc., it was because I really need people in my life like my old high school friends.  I miss seeing them everyday.  They're good people.)

But of course what would I be if I didn't manage to at least try and make a piece that could also be worn to mass or teaching?  Yep, add a cute jacket or cardigan and you have a work appropriate look.  Yay!  LRD multi-tasking.

DETAILS OF SIMPLICITY 7984:

These instructions are what I wish all companies would do nowadays.  Print the details all on one page, clearly, with great line drawings.  I never get confused using vintage patterns.  They also print one size per envelope, so if you are a straight size in one garment (fortunately this one I was a straight size 12, with some tweaking), you only have to use one pattern envelope, and don't have to fiddle around with a gazillion size lines.  What is in the envelope is exactly what you need.

Since I am a short-torso, wide-hipped, yet small-chested lady, this dress pretty much fit everything I needed in one go.  It featured a fitted bodice, an empire waist (which actually falls closer to my real waist, so yeah!), and an a-line skirt.  It is a very sweet pattern.  Though many patterns today are nice enough, the detail and little extras in this one make seeking out vintage patterns worth it.  Even though I didn't end up adding a button to the collar or sewing on belt carriers, it is nice to have that option.  I did add the sash, though, and even made it double-sided so it could be worn two ways for two different (sort of) looks.

I LOVE any pattern that includes back neck darts.  I know I could just add them myself to modern patterns, but for easiness, it is good to have them there ready to go.  Necklines almost always fit me better with neck darts.  The Burda 7137 I made in week two features back neck darts, as well.

Though the pattern didn't include lining pattern pieces or instructions, I knew to wear this in winter with tights would necessitate the sewing of a lining.  So I cut the bodice and skirt pieces out of an acetate, sewed them up, and carefully attached them to the dress after installing the collar.  I would like to act like I did it, no problem, but I am not a liar.  It was HARD.  The neckline was easier for me to attach the lining to, but I got all confused at the armholes.  I figured it out, but ended up having to stitch part of the armhole shut by hand since I couldn't work out how to completely machine sew the armhole lining to the armhole main fabric.

I also hand-stitched the lining to the zip.  It takes a long time to do that, but I watched the awesomeful show Sleepy Hollow with my hubby while sewing.  Have you all seen that show?  As a history teacher I was a bit mortified.  But I laughed my you know what off...

For all of the problems the lining gave me at the armhole, it did turn out well, so yippee! 

I do want to mention that I did a square shoulder adjustment on this pattern and I have to say this may be one of the best fitting bodices I have ever sewn.  I am so stoked to have something fit me so precisely!

Fabric Used:

1. Julie's Pick Abstract Animal Print Poly Charmeuse in a red/black/silver/white used for the bodice and pockets.

2. Red Stretch Corduroy from Fabric Mart (remnant) used for the skirt and half of the sash.

3. Black Textured Cotton Canvas from Fabric Mart (remnant) used for half of the sash.

4. Ivory Acetate for the lining.

I mentioned this in the other post today, but this dress reminds me a lot of the Vestiges Dress from Anthropologie, which I do own and love.  I guess I was inspired partially by that.  I look at Antrho catalogs and think, "hey, how can I make that myself?"

I am a sucker for pockets, so even though there was no instructions or pocket pattern piece, I used the same one I used for the first challenge for this dress and it worked very well.  I love little surprises, so I made the pocket from the same material as the bodice.

Okay, that's all for tonight.  By tomorrow the blog post with all of our creations will be up.  Voting is now open here!  I haven't won any challenge yet, and though that is never my goal (really love being challenged, because hey why not?), this week's prize is pretty darn good, so there you go.  ;-)

Have a great night--talk soon!

Five Years. New Items. And a Giveaway.

Well, look at that...five years of blogging.  I am still amazed that I have kept this personal style/OMG I love Boden/J. Crew/SAHM craziness blog up for all this time.  If it were April Fool's Day I would totally tell you all that I was shuttering the doors to My Superfluities, but since it isn't, I will just take this opportunity to thank you all for coming here and reading/commenting/supporting me and mine throughout the years.  It has been a process and I cannot believe how much of a difference putting myself "out there" has made in my life.  I will probably write down the "five things I have learned from five years of blogging" post sometime soon, but for now I think I will focus on the most tangible difference, that of personal confidence.  I may still have days of worry and doubt and insecurity, but for the most part I wake up every morning feeling so much better about myself, my situation, and the future of my family than I would have five years ago.  I may have gotten there on my own, without this blog, since I am in my thirties, and most women gain self-confidence in their thirties, but I cannot deny that this blog helped my evolution.

Anyhow, I will blather on about all of this when I have more time, but for now, I wanted to share with you all two separate things...

1. I received a HUGE package of Boden/mini Boden in the mail today.  I took photos of the Boden items and can give you a very brief overview of the clothing, but do expect more information in the next Boden Weekly Review Roundup which I desperately need to do already.  I must say that receiving the package on the birthday of this blog seemed like perfect timing, so yay for that.  ;-)

2. Because I love celebrating the years of blogging with a giveaway, I will be giving away a $50 gift card to Boden.  To enter you will need to leave a comment below with your name and e-mail, plus one item that you just LOVE from the Boden spring rollout.  I can give this gift card to anyone, so international friends, don't hesitate to enter, either!

In order to enter, I would appreciate you following this blog in some format or another.  Bloglovin' seems to be the favorite, but I know that many of you follow (or can follow) through other formats, so go ahead and mention how you follow, if you wouldn't mind.  I don't need huge numbers of followers, but it is nice to see an uptick as the years go on and on...

The giveaway will be on January 30, so you have fifteen days to enter!  Usually I end them after a week, but feel like this will allow more folks to enter. 

I am paying for this giveaway out of pocket, btw.  Boden knows I love them, but they don't make it a habit of giving me gift cards to giveaway.  I just felt like I should make that clear since in the fall they *did* partner with some (much bigger and more established) bloggers to host giveaways, which did include those bloggers giving away a gift card from them, that Boden did pay for and not the bloggers who hosted the giveaway.  Being clear about this is important, since I am a Boden affiliate, as you all know, which means Boden works with me through an affiliate program.  That means I can offer you all some yummy coupons and codes and in turn Boden pays me a % when purchases are made.  They do all of this through an affiliate program which means I have *very little* interaction with Boden.

Okay, so onto the yummy goodies that I received in the mail!

L to R, clockwise order: Button Back Sweater, Must Have Tee, Sophia Sweater, Penny Loafers, and Bistro Short.

I will discuss the four clothing items below, but I didn't take a separate photo of the loafers and want to give a big huge thumbs up to the folks at Boden for making these in half sizes, since these are a 40.5 and fit my narrow 9.5 feet perfectly.  As many of you know, I have struggled in Boden shoes for years since it would often be that the size 40 would fit well width-wise, but not in length, but the 41 would be too wide and the right length.  The 40.5 is exactly what I needed, and these shoes confirm that. 

Button Back Sweater.  Size 6.  Fits well, just long enough, in a very soft, lightweight cotton/merino wool blend.  But all that aside, look at the pretty pretty print, swoon!

Must Have Tee. Size 6.  Runs ginormous, but because it is viscose (the stretchy knit type), I know that eventually it will shrink, even with careful washing and line drying, so I will keep the larger size with that in mind.  If I only planned to wear it for a year, I would buy the 4 and sell it when it got to short and narrow.

Bistro Short.  Size 10 L.  Perfection in all ways, length, fit, comfort, etc.  As per usual, the waist is a bit big since my waist is technically a 6 or 8 by Boden standards, but the bonus of buying up is I can wear the waist lower, which in turn makes the length a touch longer.  I need that with my height, so I am not complaining.  The print is so gorgeous, too, and made me smile.  I can't wait for warm weather.

Sophia Sweater.  Size 6.  This sweater (or jumper, for you British readers) runs really long.  Like it is "almost a tunic" on me long.  It's not something that looks bad, but I was expecting it to be a bit shorter.  I won't be able to wear it with shorts, but this will look adorable with the J. Crew minnies and a pair of ballet flats.

Okay, so don't forget to look around Boden so you can tell me what you would grab from the Spring rollout when you enter the giveaway.

OOTDs: Puff Sleeves and Pelicans.

Day: Sunday, October 13, 2013.

Where: Anniversary lunch at Oyamel and a trip to the Corcoran Art Museum, one of the only things that is still open while the government is shut down. 

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Well, we walked quite a bit and the whole outfit held up well to the slight drizzle and wind that overtook the area this weekend.  There was a bit of wrinkling on the dress, but that comes after sitting for a bit, so no biggie.  The Heeled Loafer was very comfortable, and having added the inserts to make them fit just a bit better (original review here) was a blessing in disguise since they provided extra cushioning for our long walk.

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) I think this dress, a Paul & Joe pelican printed silk frock that I got for a great price on sale last year from Net-a-Porter, was styled much cooler when I wore in New York City last April.  It still looked very pretty for my date with my husband and our son (lol, there's a date companion), but not as chic.  Mr. Dina liked it, though, especially since he went to college at Tulane in New Orleans, and pelicans are big down in Louisiana.  (They recently renamed the New Orleans basketball team the "Pelicans.")

Anecdote from the Day:  We were married 12 years ago.  Gracious.  :-)

That dress gave me a bit of a heartache since I had always planned to wear it out for our anniversary lunch.  I thought I had hung it up after we came home from NYC in April, but after searching three separate closets (I have some off season storage), I couldn't find it anywhere.  Then I had the horrible thought that I had cleaned it at the dry cleaners and had left it there, but couldn't for the life of me remember leaving it there.  Then Mr. Dina suggested gently looking for it in the suitcase since it was possible I left it in there.  I just scoffed, tears ready to be shed over the loss of my pretty pretty dress, and looked there.  And he was right, there it was all nestled so in a garment bag in the front pocket of the suitcase.  :-)

Day: Saturday, October 12, 2013.

Where: G Street Fabrics for a class on how to work with vinyl, leather, and other "difficult" fabrics. 

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I like the outfit, but I guess I take a bit of an issue with the thinness of the Johnnie b. Harem Pants (there is a size 13-14 left, I took these in a 15-16) since I feel like they should be made from a bit thicker of a fabric if they are going to be for bottoms.  That said, they are really meant more for summer, so I can see the thinking behind the decision.

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) I love the outfit all done up with the trench coat and the bag, but the outfit without those two pieces is a bit meh.

Anecdote from the Day:  I love the G Street fabrics $2.97 remnant table SO much.  They have the most gorgeous fabrics shipped down from the fabric stores in New York all the time.  When I was there for that class, I grabbed a lovely poly (which I normally detest, but figure this one can be lined to take away some of the potential static that comes with it) in a sage green color with dandelions blowing in the wind.  There was also some yummy knit cottons, perfect for continuing how to figure out how to sew up my own tee-shirts.  (I made one already, and it turned out okay.)

Day: Saturday, April 20, 2013.

Where: Day out in NYC with my little lady--going to see Cinderella (Broadway show) and dinner out with our good friends, Marietta and her husband, A. 

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Besides the shoes, I did great walking all around NYC, since given the preference, I would rather walk than take the subway.  CW did great, too, but she was just four when we went, so by the time we were walking on the Upper East Side to meet Marietta, she was a little (maybe a lot) bit tired. 

I did end up changing right before my walk to the restaurant, but only into a pair of pants and a lace tee (didn't get a photo of that outfit), so the shoes stayed on my feet.  I will know better for next time.  ;-)

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) This is one of my favorite outfits ever.  I think I prefer the dress unbelted and tied up at the neck with the self-belt.  The Draycott Coat is fine, but maybe I will try another topper the next time I wear this out and about.

Anecdote from the Day:  Poor CW, the first scene of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella included a scary forest scene and she kind of freaked out.  I knew that the rest of the musical would be all flowers, rainbows, and happy sunshine, but of course she didn't.  It took a lot of convincing (quietly, of course) to assure her that the rest of the musical would be fine and she would really enjoy herself since she was ready to bolt.  :-P

And it was fine, she was positively swooning over Cinderella by the end of the show.

Okay, that's it for today!  I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday.

BTW, I am taking all these skirts to the consignment shop tomorrow (well, the ones not sold), so if you wanted one of them, let me know today.  :-)

OOTE: Jade, Gold, and a Sprinkle of Coral.

Gotta love a wonky picture on a wall.

Day: Saturday, June 22, 2013.

Where:  75th Anniversary Gala Dinner and Mass.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Yummy and easy fitting, I would be hard-pressed to find an evening wear piece more comfortable than this lovely silk dress from Anthropologie (Flickering Slip Dress).  I had purchased this while pregnant in 2011 and never did find an occasion to wear it until I realized I needed something summer appropriate and dressy.

Because I had to go to mass before the gala, I knew that I needed a cover of some sort, and this gold jacket from J. Crew was exactly the right shade and structure to complement the dress.  I had found this dress on ebay years ago for a song, if I am remembering correctly this jacket was fairly expensive when it was first rolled out by the Crew back in Holiday 2007.  I couldn't find the info on it in my *very quick* internet search, but I did find this photo.  If I have a moment later, I will look at the catalog and update this post.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  The outfit is pretty cool, even if it was worn for a Catholic Church's anniversary, which in some circles of cool would be the uncoolest event ever.  Don't care since I think the fact that the church is that old is pretty darn awesome.  ;-)

Didn't think about it while dressing, but the colors of the church are represented in my outfit.  For the 50th anniversary (which occurred while I was in school there--same one my kids go to, btw), they repainted and redecorated the interior of the church in jade, gold, and burgundy.  You can see photos of the interior here at this post.  I think I must have subconsciously worn the color combo to honor the church.

Anecdote from the day:  The table we sat at for the dinner had other fans of the drink at it, and one of the men had even snuck in a bottle of Scotch whisky.  OMG, that's a good man there.  He had little wee drams with him, one for each of us, and proceeded to pour shots from the bottle for all of us.  I usually don't love whisky, in fact I only drink it to join in toasts, etc., but this time the whisky was delicious, tasted a bit of the peat bog the distillery is located near, and since the smell of peat burning in the Scottish countryside is one of my favorite scents ever (no, I am not kidding), I was immediately in love with the drink.  This man was my best friend for the evening.

Yes, the photo of my brother and me above shows that we may have enjoyed ourselves a bit.  Some of the other guests enjoyed themselves even more.  Hee.  ;-)

Okay, that's it for now...Boden should have their new line up and ready to go sometime later today, I think.  My affiliate site has no coupons, etc., available right now, which makes me think that there will be something on offer soon enough.  Will definitely keep you all updated. 

Early for Our Tenth Anniversary...

LOL.  We aren't all uber-ambitious trying to prove something by going out for our 10th anniversary a whole three days early, no, in fact, it turned out that someone else's 50th anniversary was far more important, hence turning our actual anniversary date into an "early-bird special."

Ten years ago yesterday (October 13, 2001), Mr. Dina and I were wed on a blissfully beautiful Saturday with nary a cloud in the sky and high temps in the 80s.  Yesterday the lovely weather was nowhere to be found.  In fact, on my way to meeting Mr. Dina for the 50th anniversary gala dinner for his work (sometimes work does come before play, and really...any excuse for me to get all dressed up is okay by me), there were TORNADO watches and warnings all over the area.  Nutso. 

Fortunately the cards were aligned to have our actual night out of celebration be on a similar sort of day to our actual wedding date.  On this past Monday, there were lovely temps and fairly clear skies, making for a lovely (not too cool, not too warm) night to have a lovely romantic meal at a French restaurant in Old Town (Le Refuge for those of you who know the area).

We wanted to give Mr. Dina a chance to try some real French food before we go to France next week (10 year of marriage to "Mr. White Tennis Shoes" means we get to go to Paris--hopefully the white tennis shoes stay home, lol).  He swears up and down he doesn't like French food, but from the evening we had out together, I would say he is lying.  He scarfed down all of his frog legs and part of my filet mignon (in a yummy pepper sauce) with room to spare (creme brulee also made an appearance at our table).

Anyhow, this wouldn't be my blog without photos of the outfit I wore to eat (very very) well...so without further ado, here it is.  You have already had a sneak peek here, I just made it more romantic and feminine and added a ton of makeup.

Just like the try-on in the J. Crew store, but I added Spanx hose and Cole Haan heels.

No food babies here (saw KDot in her similar outfit tonight using the term food baby and fell on the floor over the term, love it!), thank goodness for Spanx (seriously).

Added the Herringbone Bella Jacket in black (J. Crew retail version) to ward off any chill the restaurant may have had.  It didn't have a chill, btw, but the jacket seemed to work nicely with the overall look.  :)

The "Svetlana, spy from Moscow" smirk I am giving is optional, of course.  My hubby kept calling me that all night.  So funny.  "Da."

I did use the Poppy King lipstick from J. Crew.  I have to say the color is very nice for all skin tones, and can be applied lightly to full on, depending on the need.  I went somewhere in between.  The rest is Arbonne. :)

This look is Svetlana getting annoyed at hubby for mentioning how easy it would be to defect to the US, if that is so what she desires.

Mmm.  Frog Legs.  They taste like CHICKEN!

Happy Anniversary!  :)  You all will see the gifts in another post.

Red, Black, Brown, Cream. Yum. by dinagideon featuring patent leather handbags

Above is the polyvore of the outfit. 

Talk with you all soon, have a great night!