Homemade

My outfit is done! I finished the shirt last night (with some expected imperfections) and am making plans for a self-portrait shoot very soon. Here's a sneak peak at the final pieces (for challenge no. 28):

 I plan on styling it with this belt.

 A homemade shirt. Clearly.

The Whole Nine Yards

As the first part of challenge no. 28 is learning to sew, my needle-and-thread escapades continue, this time with homemade floor-to-ceiling curtains for our new bedroom.

I ordered the fabric (nine yards of it) online for $11 a yard, which I got all giggly about because I saw the exact same fabric at Mood Fabrics in NYC for more than double that price.

Curtains are insanely simple to sew. The challenge with these was just keeping the hem consistent for fourteen feet. But I pulled it off with the help of some hem tape, an iron, and my trusty Brother sewing machine.

The pictures don't do them justice. They are dramatic and soften the room, giving it an elegant, hotel-like feel. I'm pretty much in love with them.

Thank you to Austin, who channeled his inner rock climbing handyman to install these 14-foot decorative beasts.

Fashion Sketches

I never sketched out my idea for my DIY outfit (challenge no. 28), primarily because I can't draw. But I do have the vision in my head and my fabrics have been purchased, which I'd argue is half the battle.

But speaking of fashion sketches, here are some beautiful ones I came across recently:

And just to prove that I have no sketching talent whatsoever, here are two of my own:

 

No one would ever buy this outfit.

 At least the hair is better in this one, but there is the problem of the chicken bone hand.

And Sew it Begins

Last Friday evening my very generous Uncle Richard took me fabric shopping at Mood for my sewing challenge (learn to sew, design your own outfit, make it, and take a self portrait in it).

Mood Fabrics is always a bit overwhelming. Combine that with my tendency to be crippled by indecision and there was a chance I would walk out empty handed. But alas, I found two fabrics that inspired me:

The striped fabric, which has a nice tooth to it, is going to become a pair of tailored shorts. The minty teal fabric, which is light and airy, has a future as a beautifully draped top.

I can see the outfit very clearly in my mind, but making it a reality is going to take a few practice runs and probably a lot of yelling at the sewing machine.

Or maybe I'll just linger outside the Fashion Institute on 27th with some cookies and a wad of cash.

I Am a Sewing Machine

The first part of challenge no. 28 is to learn how to sew. My grandmother, the sewing guru that she is, was kind enough to give me one of her smaller machines, this Project Runway edition by Brother:

My first sewing project had to be a simple one. I found a tutorial (here) that seemed to be within my realm of capabilities. Then I skipped on over to Mood Fabrics and happened upon exactly what I was looking for. A classic wool fabric with an interesting chevron pattern.

But the first hurdle I had to get over was threading the machine. On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 represents simple things like "breathing" and 10 represents difficult things like "juggling poisonous snakes while climbing Mt. Everest naked," threading my sewing machine was about a 9.5. It took me way longer than it should have, but I did it. I threaded the s**t out of that machine.

Then the sewing began. I sewed like a champ. I made a beautiful throw for my mom's birthday gift, and I couldn't have been prouder of myself. You would have thought I solved the country's debt problem.

My mom sent me these pictures of the throw after it arrived. Please note that the very first thing she did was give it to the dogs.

 Pooh modeling the throw.

Look at those edges! I did that!