Boden: 20% Off Clearance...Plus Two Clearance Dress Reviews.

Ottoman Shift Dress, on sale for $66.24

Hey you all!  How have you all been?

May has been great, raining constantly (barring my daughter's First Holy Communion Day, thank goodness).  I have been wearing a ton of Made by Me items for this month, as a bunch of us on Instagram celebrate our "memade" (shudder at that grammar, btw) outfits every day. 

Recently I chose to buy some very nicely reduced work jersey dresses from Boden from clearance.  Alas I missed both of these with the extra 20% off, but I will say I was happy enough with the price I paid (clearly as I have already worn both!).  (To fit in the "memade" month, I wore both with made by me circle scarves.)

I will get to the info on the extra 20% off at the bottom of this post, so if you don't need these reviews, that's where that 411 is. 

The Ottoman Shift Dress was a bit hit from last fall at Boden.  I actually know, in real life, a French lady who purchased this and has worn it to pick up her kids from school.  She pointed to it, smiled, and said "Boden."  I winked back and said I could probably never wear it (big ole hips) and called it a day.

But then I tried this Ottoman top after buying it from my friend after she decided she wanted the smaller size, and realizing how much I love the fabric, I decided I should give this shift a try after all since it is so stretchy.

I purchased the shift in a size 8 Long, and it turned out the size was more than big enough.  In fact, with the cotton jersey being a bit less "bouncebackable*," I maybe could have gone with a 6 Long, but I think with multiple washings, plus the fact that I work in a conservative environment, makes the 8 the best choice, even if it means I will have a bit of a saggy Sally dress at the end of the work day (only a bit, and only at the back bit).

Plus, those darn pockets!  They are amazing.  Especially if you are a teacher (can hold a phone, pencils, kleenex, you name it). 

*Bouncebackable--totally a word.

This picture shoes how it has gone a bit saggy at the back, right under the bum, and at the elbows.  But, really, truly not that big of a deal.

The cozy comfy more than makes up any negative I can muster about the lack of bounce back it has.


Ottoman Shift Dress.  There are plenty in this color and the orange/pink available.  If you think you like this style, but are unsure of the fit, this extra 20% off time is a good time to pick one up.

Louise Ponte Dress, on sale for $55.20

Size 8 Regular.  I tried the 6 Regular, too.

This dress does come in a long, and though I normally buy the longs, this one was set to hit at my lower kneecap and I wasn't really digging the thought of this shape skirt at that length on me.  It would have been fine for the modesty requirements at the school, but honestly, this one is fine, too.

The 6 regular fit, but it was like a glove.  And this ponte, though lined in a very soft and thick jersey fabric, shows everything.  The 8 regular is a much better choice for my frame.

If you look at the models on the page, even they have wrinkling throughout, so I know that at least I am in good company.  :-)

The dress did have bouncebackability, so that gave it some points, fabric-wise.  The ponte is thick and warm, and the color combo is so beautiful together.

The back view is weird.  I don't mind the zip, but I wonder how much nicer it would have looked without it.  The 8 fit fine enough that I could keep the zip zipped up and pull it over my head (though that day I did unzip and step into it, as evidenced by the fact that it didn't make it all the way back up).

The colors, btw, are true to color for what I see on my monitor versus the actual dress.

The seam at the waist does fall as a slight curve.  It could make one look a bit "with child."  Even fully sucking in, I felt like there was a big old arrow to my tummy, and I actually rather like my belly (lol, what an odd thing to type), unlike my poor bottom, which bears all my body wrath.  ;-)  Just a thought to bear in mind if you worry about your waist silhouette.

Louise Ponte Dress.  There are virtually no sizes left in both colors.  So despite wrinkles, weird colored zip, and some tummy bits, it is a popular dress.  The Louise of What Lou Wore 365 doesn't own it, sadly.  I hope that changes one day.  I personally think she would look amazing in the darker blue version!

So this clearance extra 20% off lasts until Sunday night.  I will likely pick up an item or two.  There are a TON of leftovers from last summer, so you can even shop for what you need right now.

There are always popbacks, so if you check a few times over the weekend, you may catch an item you formerly thought sold out, is now back in stock.  If an item is low stock, though, remember that it means there are five or less of the item available.

Okay, that's all for now.  I hope you have a great weekend, and enjoy (sale) shopping!

The below link is the banner the affiliate gave me, but it is 20% off (to dream of 25% off!):


For non-clearance items, you can use this link and code:
15% off plus free shipping and returns with code 3K9M, valid 5/1-5/25

OOTDs: School Style September and Early October.

Quick reminder: Boden's big mid-season sale ends tonight. The details about the sale are in the original post here with updated information in the latest BWRR.

The extra 20% off Boden's spring 2015 preview ends on the 15th.  I have plans to do a picks post tomorrow or Wednesday.

Onto the latest teacher outfits.  :-)  Note, unless I have something to mention outside of the teaching arena (after school and with family and friends), there won't be any anecdotes of the day in the teaching ootd posts. 

Day: Thursday, September 3, 2015.

Where:  First Day of Teaching and a baseball game.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I have made this skirt for myself before in a pretty blue and brown and white floral (last time I wore it and the original sewing review), so I expected this version would be a slam dunk fit-wise.  (It was!)  I love the stretch cotton sateen, it's even from Joann's, which if you are a sewer, usually indicates a fabric that may not be up to snuff.  This one is...so pretty and looks like it will last a while.

Outfit Details: Skirt, handmade (Vogue 8916); Top, J. Crew; Shoes, A2 by Aerosoles; Shorts (from last photo), Boden; Necklace, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Anthropologie.

Anecdote of the Day: I was so stinking tired after school that day that I was *this* close to skipping out on the game.  I probably should have, I actually closed my eyes a few times while watching the game, and considering I normally can't sleep anyplace other than a quiet, dark room in my bed, I nearly fell asleep in those hard chairs in the bright baseball lights.  Yow.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Friday, September 10, 2015.

Where:  Teaching and church.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I felt fine, but I was worn out from the day before, so the tiniest bit of irritation felt enhanced.  This time it was the dress being just a skitch too tight on the upper hip.  Since the dress is made of a cotton, it stretched out and was fine an hour after putting it on, but still.  Boo.

Outfit Details:  Dress, Boden; Shoes, J. Crew; Necklace, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Anthropologie.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Thursday, September 17, 2015.

Where:  Teaching.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Well this *dress* keeps getting shorter, but I am thinking I was more daring with my skirt length before I was teaching at the Catholic school.  You really do need to have the skirts as long as the knee (or right there close to it), unless you are wearing it with leggings.  So leggings it was!  The whole outfit is wonderfully, deliciously comfortable. And it's a pretty print, so yay!

Outfit Details:  Dress, J. Crew Factory; Shoes, J. Crew; Necklace, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Target.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Friday, September 18, 2015.

Where:  Teaching, Church, and CW's birthday dinner.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)

Outfit Details:  Dress, Ideology (from Macy's a gazillion years ago); Shoes, Cole Haan (similar here at amazon.com); Necklace, Tiffany's; Sunglasses, Target.

Anecdote of the Day:  CW's middle name is in honor our great grandmother (many greats added to it, of course) who had an apple variety in Minnesota named after her by my great grandfather (many greats there, too).  CW's favorite color is pink.  It was also her birthday that day, so wearing a pink, apple printed dress seemed especially appropriate.  I also love that I looked like Ms. Frizzle.  (#msfrizzleforever)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Thursday, October 8, 2015.

Where:  Teaching.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Lands' End really has something special with this ponte sheath dress. So much so that I plan on going back for another version of it soon.  I wish it was a touch longer, but Lands' End lengthens their torsos on their dresses in the longs, so I can't purchase the long without it being too long in the bodice.  Sigh.  I am fine with it where it ends but would add an inch in an ideal world.

Outfit Details:  Dress, Lands' End; Shoes, Boden; Cardigan, Anthropologie; Sunglasses, Target.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Friday, October 9, 2015.

Where:  Teaching and church.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Well I caved on this year's version of the Casual Weekend Dress.  I love last year's so much, and I love this green polka dot print (I have a long dress from Boden in this exact print from 2006!), I knew I would love this dress.  I do!  It is super cute, and the pockets are fab, of course.

Outfit Details:  Dress, Boden (here on clearance); Shoes, J. Crew; Necklace, Stella and Dot; Cardigan, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Target.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

I hope you have a great night!  :-) Thanks for reading!  I am glad I am back with something other than Boden sales alerts for once.  LOL.

OOTE/Made by Me File: Spaced Out in McCall's 2401.

Outfit of the Evening:

Day: Saturday, March 21, 2015.

Where:  Auction for my kids' school.  Past years' outfits can be found here and here.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Well, I made the darn dress out of a knit, so it fit me and it was super comfortable.  My only issue was that static cling thing again...the dang poly sticks to everything when there is even the vaguest hint of dry air (shaking fist furiously at the winter sticking around, boo).  So I had to wear a slip with this and it was a bit too long and even after taking up the straps on it with my sewing machine, the slip still managed to show its lacy hem.  Not exactly the look I was going for, if you kwim.  So I ended up tucking in part of the slip in my tights (about seven inches total at the slip's waist, leaving the skirt to hang loose below the tucked in bit), and crazily enough that worked.  Huh.  I didn't even feel it untuck once.  Of course I drank enough that by 9:45 it could have untucked and fully shown its pretty lace, and I definitely wouldn't have noticed, but based on everyone else there, I am sure I wasn't the only one too sloshed to care.

Outfit Details:  None of these are available, but if you are a seamstress you can find the fabric here at Spoonflower (called Sparkle Star Field).

Anecdote of the Day:  My hubby decided he wanted me to go on my own to the "Space Odyssey" themed auction.  I spent $125 on two things--two cosmopolitans (there was an open bar, but I am always a sucker for the "themed" drinks), and a night of babysitting with three gifts cards for a date with Mr. Dina.  So though by myself, I exhibited restraint in the auction venue.  (Some of those people throw the money DOWN, though.  Dang--what it would be like to say, "hey, I want a $3000 Capitals Jersey or a $1000 wine package.")  Anyhow.  What I needed him there for, though, was a reminder to eat.  Yeah, at my age you think I would know better.  No.  I ended up drinking four strong beverages and had a half a plate of food.  DUMB.  DUMB.

So one of the parents comes up to me at the auction and says, "I knew I knew you, but I just figured out how."  Turns out that we were in the same program at Mason together in college, he was just two years older than me.  Woah.  That is a crazy good face memory on his part.  Anyhow he now lives a few blocks from me and one of his kids is in Rex's class.  Tiny a$$ little world here, you all.


MADE BY ME FILE:

McCall's 2401.  This is a very basic sheath dress pattern that has loads of neckline and sleeve options, and based on the fact that there are three pages of reviews for it over at Pattern Review, this is a beloved pattern, too.  It has probably been around since 1996 if we are going on cover art alone.

I know that Burda 7137 has been made by me twice as a basic sheath dress, but that pattern has far fewer options for necklines and sleeves, and to be honest I don't want to keep making the same thing over and over, even though it is really tempting.

Anyhow, this pattern is not specifically for knits, but I saw some of the reviewers had made it up in knits similar to this performance knit, and I figured as long as I did what they did, I should be successful.

Definitely glad I left off the zipper, didn't need it at all, and glad that I decided to stay with my same size as I would have in the wovens (10 at shoulders and waist, graded out to a 12 and 14 at my high and low hip/hem).  Though the knit has a good amount of stretch, the print is on a white base, so if the fabric was too stretch too much, the white would come through and make the black background far less black, ruining the effect I was hoping to get.

The next time I make this in a knit, though, I will likely size down to the size below since I could tell that a lot of the drag lines/wrinkles came from the dress being a bit too large in certain parts.  It would have been fine in a structured woven fabric, but a drapey, stretchy knit, not as awesome looking.  Plus pressing this fabric was a bit of a difficulty, it kind of reminds me of ITY, in that it is awesome for packing, but really hard to iron.

So--lesson here--the form of the black galaxy print was more important to me than the function with the proper fit with no drag lines.  That doesn't mean I won't bitch about it below, though.  Ha.

This shot shows the full potential of this dress, but I am most definitely standing at my best posture, and the light from the direct sunlight isn't hitting the dress showing off all the wrinkles and drag lines.

I know I should be less hard on the dress, since (hello!) it was worn to a party in a dark space, and honestly, besides the few issues, looks really nice on me, but I am a notorious perfectionist about these things.  >:-(

There is one issue that I absolutely need to correct, and it has noting to do with excess ease from using a knit instead of a woven, and that is my square shoulder.  I often will do a square shoulder adjustment on my woven makes, but not on my knits since the knit fabric stretches to accommodate my straight across shoulder (most patterns make their shoulders sloping), but it didn't work this time, I can see the frown lines radiating from my armpit (especially the right shoulder, that's the one that is "up" more than the left).  I suspect those come from not making the square shoulder adjustment.  I always adjust for my hips, I should just get over it and always adjust for my shoulders.  :-)

Side view.  Haha, I needed to pull that belly in, eh?  I didn't hem the sleeves or the skirt.  The fabric is deliciously fray resistant/proof.  However, I will bring the sleeve hem up.  Unlike most patterns, this sleeve runs long...most of the reviewers with the long sleeves have the hem right at the wrist.  I have long arms and while technically I could get away with it hitting at my wrist, I know if I hem it up, that will take away some of the lower sleeve wrinkles/drag lines.

Back View. Hey! No drag lines or wrinkles at my butt!  It fits nice and proper there and at my upper neckline.  Woo.  (How's that for positivity?)

The waistline clearly shows that I need to make a swayback adjustment OR make a smaller pattern size at the waist.  The ease at the waist is around 7 inches, I believe, and with a 28" waist, which is three inches bigger than what is normally expected from a size 10 to wear, it should have a waist measurement of 32".  That extra few inches of ease is probably too much in a fabric like this and the sway back only makes it worse.  And it is also very possible that I need to reduce the length on the bodice since I have a short back measurement (it is 15.5 inches, and the size 10 calls for a 16" back measurement).

But the skirt fits at the hips!  WOO!

I finished the neckline with a foldover elastic, quartering it and stretching it to fit the neckline while I sewed it on with a zig-zag stitch.

The fabric was in honor of the "Space Odyssey" theme for the school auction I went to that night (I made it in one afternoon, yay, thankyouverymuchserger!), and if you like it you can find it here at Spoonflower. 

The dress was a hit.  Galaxy print dresses and leggings were everywhere a few years ago, but are out of favor right now (don't care!).  I had hoped to find more galaxy print fabric for sale, but really only Spoonflower had the best versions, so I just jumped right in and purchased two yards.  I loved the fabric and really do love the way the dress ended up looking (despite my fitting gripes). 

In addition to making the dress, I sewed up this pillow (it is a 28 x 28 form) for the auction.  It took a lot of work, especially appliqueing the stars on the fabric, but it was worth it.  I actually found quilting the stars very peaceful, but boy was I glad when it was done.  Don't ask me how much it went for, all I know is I couldn't have afforded it.  LOL.

You all have a great night!!!  Talk with you soon!

OOTD/Review: Squirrels in the Hartland.

Just a very quick reminder before I get this post written, Boden has been offering an extra 10% off all sale items for the past few days, and it is set to end tomorrow night (December 27, 2014), so if you wanted to receive the additional amount off, make sure to get those purchases done before it expires.  I have a sidebar link for the 10% off, but I have also included that link at the bottom of this post.  For more information on this sale, go to this post I wrote a few days ago.

Many of you have been asking me to show off the Hartland Dress (here at Boden, the white one is EXTREMELY well-priced with the extra 10% off), but because of a few reasons, I am only able to review it now, but better late than never, I suppose.

This dress is a size 6 Long, and that is actually one of the reasons why I waited so long to show it off to you on me, I simply did not have it in this size.  I originally purchased it in a size 8 Long (that written review is here), but after losing some weight, I discovered the 8 L was ridiculously oversized in my bust and somewhat oversized in my hips, so I knew getting the 6 L would make it work better on my frame.

It was the right choice, ultimately, but it took a long time to get to me.  In fact it wasn't until I got back from our trip to MS that I received it.

Before I move on to the next photo, the pockets are fab.  They are patch pockets, but they work well, and I found I was slipping my hands in them all day, so while my preference is side pockets, these were great!

Boden did a great job with the sewing of this dress.  The squirrels line up perfectly at the seams and through the sleeves.  It would look *off* if they weren't properly laid out, so bravo. 

I find this dress favors those with curves, so if you are more straight up-and-down, you may have a bit of a challenge getting it to fit properly through the bust, waist, and hips.  Because I am straight from bust to waist, my bust area is not filled out at all, even in the smaller size (there is a bit of bagginess from my lack of boobage), but as you can see my bottom fills out the curve in the back of the skirt well.

The dress features a back zip, which is my favorite, as it makes getting in and out of the dress so much easier.

You can also see here how well Boden lined up the squirrels.

The length is awesome, hitting right at my knee.  The sleeve length is odd, I think I would have preferred full-length, but the combo of full-length sleeve and shape of the dress could have read frumpy, so I guess that was why they went 3/4 length instead.

The fabric is super soft, btw, made from a baby cord material.  It also stretches a bit, though the lining doesn't, so it is neither here nor there ultimately regarding stretch.  The lining helps when wearing tights, though, so I will happily give up stretch for ease of wearing with tights in the winter.

The squirrel print is not super obvious until you get up close.  From far away it definitely looks like a geometric print.  It is for sure a perfect teaching dress, especially if you teach younger kids.

And that is what I did that day, I was on day #3 of teaching second-graders, but it was also my first day back after finding out that my friend, W., had killed himself, so it really was a matter of finding something easy to wear, modest enough for school, and cheerful enough to take away some of the sting of losing a good friend.  It worked, sort of, but truth be told (and those of you that have read the last few posts know this), I still majorly struggled to get through the day (and it was a half-day on top of it).  W. loved the outdoors and hiking and the woods, so the squirrels were a bit of a nod to his love for all things nature.  (I wore a tree print cardigan to his funeral, too.)  So that was my day, figuring out how to simply get through the day.

Okay, that's all for now.  I really hope you all are having a lovely Friday.  I love having the kids home with me for vacation (it's a long one this year, too, two weeks total).

Have any of you tried the Hartland and would like to put in your two cents?  Would love to see your comments!

Link to the extra 10% off is below:
Extra 10% Off Sale and Clearance Items + Free Shipping!

OOTDs: Casual Substitute Teacher.

Hi, all!  Before I start, I want to let you know that I heard from the Boden affiliate regarding Boden's Black Friday sale.  It's decent, but not as amazing as I have seen in the past.  This definitely means Boden is doing well this year, which *yay* for them, but for sale shoppers, *boo*.  Anyhow, it is still better than we have seen for the most part this season, so worth it if you have items you would like to purchase. 

Because of this, I would love to publish a long overdue Boden Weekly Review Roundup tomorrow morning.  I have most of the regulars' blog posts saved, but if you have reviewed something and you are afraid I will miss it, do send me an email at dinagideon AT aim DOT com or go ahead and drop the link in a comment over at the Boden Reviews tab.  If you don't have a blog, you are always welcome to leave a review at the Boden Reviews tab.  If you get the the review to me by tomorrow, I will make sure to include it in the BWRR.

Alrighty, onto some casual substitute teacher looks.

I normally go for more dressy when subbing, but the past few weeks of subbing have included working with active little ones (think second grade and younger--and chaperoning one field trip), so I knew I wanted to be ready for anything they could throw my way, which means going for sneakers, tunics, leggings, and the like.  I have had dressier substitute looks, but those were when I was with older students, so I am saving those looks for another post.

I am going to dispense with the anecdote of the day as there really isn't much I can tell about my days subbing, plus it makes writing these posts a touch easier.  Yay for ease, right?

Day: Thursday, November 20, 2014.

Where:  Chaperoning Rex's class's field trip to the Air and Space Museum.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I think the potential for comfort was there, but because the jeans rise was a touch low and the shirt's tails were a bit high (read: short), the outfit was not as comfy as it is pictured here.  In reality I had to untuck the shirt and kind of hide it behind the vest to maintain this look.  And since I am a fussmonster, this bugged me all day.  I probably should have just given up the vest and worn it as a shirt/jeans/cute shoes combo instead.  Oh, well.

At least the new balance 620 sneakers (did my initial review of them here) were insanely comfortable for running around after my son and his kind of crazy second grade friends (said as a devoted mom of a wild and crazy second grader herself).  ;-)

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  The shoes are the coolest part of this outfit.  The shirt will always be my favorite Liberty print shirt, ever, and will be cool to me until the day I die.  Mr. Dina loved this outfit.  But he also wears white tennis shoes unironically, so take that into consideration.  It really is just a nice "mom chaperoning a field trip" outfit.

Day: Friday, November 21, 2014.

Where:  Subbing Computer for PK-1st Grade.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  This outfit kept me warm, which was most important since it was STUPID cold that day, and as long as that happened, I could have been wearing a burlap sack and been comfortable.

The rest of the outfit allowed me to properly keep up with the youngins I was teaching that day, and at no point did I feel like the shoes were too high (had purchased those last year from Boden), the pants too tight, or the cardigan too short.  I definitely will be wearing this combo again to substitute.

Cool Factor: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  I love the stained glass cardigan with a mid-century modern art look to it.  Feel like that element really makes the outfit.  I think the scarf was tied improperly for the look, though, but really, I needed it tied as close as possible to my neck to keep me warm.

Day: Monday, November 3, 2014.

Where:  Subbing for Kindergarten.

Ease of Wear: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Seriously so comfortable.  Perfect for working with the 5-years olds I had all day.  They were exhausting.  I tip my hat to every kindergarten teacher out there, especially those of you without aides (they don't have aides in K at the school, only Pre-K).

The dress is part jersey so easy to wear, and when have leggings not been very comfortable?  The ancient tennis shoes are clearly fun, but kept my feet feeling great all day.

The long merino wool cardigan coat is one I bought from J. Crew in 2005.  I thought the silhouette was nice for our Virginia falls (not too warm, but just right for the cool temperatures we normally receive), but the real reason I bought it was because it was called the "Arlington" coat, I believe, and since I am from Arlington, I couldn't resist.  Still a great choice since it has held up for nine years and still looks brand new.  Ahhh, old school J. Crew quality.

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Well, I'll be honest with myself...it isn't especially cool.  It is very fun, and there is no doubt I enjoyed wearing it all day, but yeah, it is very kooky.  LOL.

Okay, that's it for today.  I look forward to publishing the Boden Weekly Review Roundup tomorrow morning!

OOTDs/Made by Me Files: Floral Stretch Twill Skirt (Vogue 8916) and Graphic Wrap Maxi (Vogue 8850 c. 1975).

Hey, all!  Happy Monday.

I am sorry if the last post came to you too late to enjoy the 30% off everything at Boden this weekend.  Unfortunately Johnnie and co. didn't feel enough sympathy to extend it into today, but they did start off another round of 30% off items, this time on dresses, shoes/sandals, and accessories.  I am not officially going to be announcing this in its own post, so no picks or anything, but I do recommend that if you really want to grab something from them that is at 30% off to head over to the last few BWRRs that I have published since there are quite a few reviews from those three categories.

Okay, onto the made by me/ootd action!  I will do the ootd portion first followed by a quick look at the sewing details after.

Day: Saturday, June 14, 2014.

Where: To go get drunk.  LOL.  No, we had "won" two school auction tickets (for twenty people total) to go to a BBQ/Mixed Drinks party at one of the school's parents' house. 

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Bad Boden shirt.  I actually felt that everything was super comfortable from waist down, but this Boden shirt, while it looks great with the outfit, is just a wrong fit for me.  It is very narrow in the hips, so I can't wear it loose, but tucking it in can be a challenge.  Meh.  Bummer is that I only own one top in this color.  I may just have to alter the hem (probably up a couple of inches so it falls higher on the hips where I am narrower) to get this to fit better.

Cool Factor: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) This is a rock solid look.  The lines are clean and classic, and the floral looks fresh but not too stuffy.  I fit the skirt to my exact measurements so the pencil skirt could be fitted but not too fitted.

Anecdote from the Day:  So the house where we were set to go to for the party is literally five houses from us...but not down the sidewalk.  No, the house is behind ours and four down, but since we live on the edge of the forest, we had to trek through the forest and into our back neighbor's sideyard to get to their home. Note the wedges I was wearing.  Well Little Miss Confidence was fine on the way there but the way back, well, let's just say...limoncello...whiskey...big branch...cut on leg.  Ah, yeah.  So graceful.  :-)  At least the skirt is okay.

To add to the weirdness, as soon as we step out of our neighbor's sideyard, I hear my "teacher name" and was greeted by one of Rex's friends from his class, out for a walk with her mom and dad, sister, and twin brothers.  And they don't even live on the street, they are about a mile down, they just were walking to enjoy the glorious evening. 

I had spied this wonderful fabric in G Street Fabrics last fall, but if I recall correctly, it was almost $30 a yard, and as beautiful as it was, I knew that $90 for three yards (I usually try to have three yards on hand so if I want I can make a full dress, or a skirt/top and girls dress) was too much.  Then I saw it at Gorgeous Fabrics for $15 a yard and they had a coupon, so I happily bought my three yards and moved on...but then Fabric Mart had the same fabric on sale for $2.99 or some ridiculousness like that, and I was like, "umm, okay, well, why not add more to the stash and have pretty fabric for muslins, etc."  Then I was gifted a yard from Fabric Mart in one of their free bundles they send and well, I guess I have a lot of the pretty fabric ready to go.  I  think I can make a full dress, a top, a skirt, a sheath dress, and a couple of things for CW.  Really glad I didn't buy it at G Street originally.

This etsy seller has some available, btw. Not at $3 a yard, but still less than G Street or even Gorgeous Fabrics had theirs at...

So this skirt is made from the Vogue 8916 pattern, which is a wardrobe pattern and includes a top, jacket, skirt, and simple sleeveless dress.  I liked how long the skirt looked, and thought the silhouette was classic (neat tidy waistband added to the skirt and not folded over like some pencil skirt patterns have).  It also included instructions for lining the skirt, which I wanted to do so I could wear it in the winter with tights.

I was tremendously worried that the skirt in the largest size on the package would be too small (this is the smaller set of sizes--up to a 14), but I figured I would at least do some flat measurements.  Well, even after doing the flat measurements I was worried, but figured I could take the seams out a bit to 3/8" if need be.  Then I had the idea to measure this pattern against a stretchy pencil skirt of mine from J. Crew, and get this...the pattern was more than big enough in a 14, in fact a little bigger than the J. Crew skirt, so I knew I would be okay. 

Putting this skirt together took me AGES.  I labored on it for a month.  Now admittedly I was working on other things, including the dress below, but really, people...a MONTH for a pencil skirt.  I may win the slowest sewer on the planet award.  The pattern itself was not confusing, the instructions were fine, and the fabric wasn't especially tricky (other than getting bunched up on the sewing machine since the machine's foot tension was too loose and gathered this super thin fabric easily).  I just took a lot of time getting it done.

I think taking my time made the skirt look nicely finished though and when I grab a few moments, I will photograph the inside of the skirt since I properly finished all the seams and the hem.  It isn't 100% ready to wear, but it is the closest I have come since my Vogue Paris Original dress from last fall.

I would like to make the top from this pattern, but in a different fabric.  The fabric above I will likely use with this New Look pattern since it is a darling peplum and hey, the fabric is exactly the same.  So original.

Day: Thursday, June 5, 2014.

Where:  CW's Kindergarten Graduation.  Then to the city to celebrate with her at Pret-A-Manger and the Natural History Museum.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Although this dress was made for me by me, because I didn't take out extra length in the bodice portion, the overall shape was a bit too blousey for my frame, especially since the extra volume was extra extra in the skirt. 

I will say that running around the city with the breeze in place was very nice...the skirt kind of swirled around me and was very refreshing.  I just wonder how much more awesome it would have felt if the top portion fit a bit better.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) Very nice summer dress and cute sandals.  My baby was the star, though, and her outfit was the winner that day.  (She received a lot of "OH, SO CUTE!" comments.)  I did make that dress, btw, and you can see more on that one here.

Anecdote from the Day:  The IRS building was being evacuated when we were walking by.  The nice security fella walked with us to the end of the block (instead of making us cross the street with the employees) and he and CW got into a conversation about the stuffed owl she had just bought at the museum store.  We asked him his name and he said Laurence, and we said we would name the owl Laurence. But then CW thought about it and looked at him and said, "no wait, this is a girl owl, so I am going to name her Laura."  ;-)

The dress, based on the vintage Vogue pattern 8850 (from 1975) looks SO good on my form.  I feel like Triple D needs to wear this dress all the time.  Triple D is longer than me from neck to waist, though, so the extra volume is less present on her, and requires no fiddling with the wrap to make her perfect.

I am not going to go into the ins and outs of this sewing project, but I did publish a lot of information on it here at this review at Pattern Review.

Okay, that's it for now.  :-)

If you would like 30% off dresses, shoes/sandals, and accessories, this sale will go until next Sunday night.  For anything else that is on your list that is not one of the above categories, you can use the coupon below or in the sidebar for 25% off.