What I'm Wearing: My Darling Ranges

It's done! I sewed the final buttons on my Megan Nielsen Darling Ranges dress last night, and of course I had to wear it today.  Let me tell you, Megan did such an amazing job on this pattern.  It looks complicated but came together super easily - my favorite kind of crafting project!  I didn't shed one tear or utter one angry curse word over this dress, which is definitely a rarity for me when it comes to sewing with patterns.  I had a great time from start to finish!

Dress: made by me! 

Grey tee: Banana Republic, Hebron Gap Outlet
Belt: Old Navy

Maroon tights: TJ Maxx

Grey socks: Kohls

Boots: Nine West, Hebron Gap Outlet

Jewelry: wedding rings, pearl studs (gift from my parents), greyhound necklace (gift from S.)

The weather is *beautiful* today (seriously, it's a little unnerving, seeing as we should be buried in snow and ice right now), so there was no need to layer up much this morning.  The neckline of the Darling Ranges is just a teensy bit low on me, so I added a tee underneath.  With some layered socks and my favorite slouchy brown boots, I'm plenty warm.



I already have a sleeveless version of this dress in mind - I just need to find the perfect fabric.  I'd say the project took me 6-7 hours from start to finish; I cut out the fabric last Sunday night, worked on it in one or two hour chunks Monday-Thursday to finish the bulk of the dress, hemmed it this Sunday, and put the buttons on last night.  Easy peasy!  It was a busy and semi-stressful week, and carving out some sewing time was just what I needed at the end of the day.  This time around I made it exactly according to the pattern; next time I'll probably try a small bust adjustment.

I think this project has reigninted my love of sewing clothing; I suddenly have tons of ideas and plans for sewing my spring wardrobe.  At the top of my list are Megan's Banksia Top (a brand new release!) and the Colette Patterns Sorbetto top.  Plus, I have some refashions in mind...now I just need to find the time to do it all!  

Have a great day, and let me know if you try out your own Darling Ranges!

Life on Film: A Different Season

Sure, there's something to be said for the instant gratification of digital and Polaroid photography.  Stopping time at an instant's notice is nothing to scoff at.  But by playing with 35mm film this year, I'm learning to appreciate the magic in waiting to see photos.  The beginning of the damaged roll I had developed a few weeks ago featured photos from the fall, which already seems like a long time ago.  Seeing them now almost feels like opening a time capsule.

Have I told you how happy I am that I didn't lose this roll?

I hope you are having a fantastic Tuesday!

What I Wore: A Teaching Day

 

Grey blouse: Forever 21

Lacy black shirt: hand-me-down from my friend E

Pants: Gap, Hebron Gap Outlet

Cardigan: Banana Republic, Hebron Gap Outlet

Pumps: Target

Belt: Came with a tunic

Pumps: Target

Jewelry: Wedding rings, locket (my grandma's), Moorea Seal earrings 

I'm not teaching this year, but occasionally I'll fill in for a class here and there as a favor.  I wore this outfit on Tuesday to teach my advisor's Pompeian archaeology class.  It was a little more polished than my normal everyday wear, but still comfortable enough to spend most of the day curled up in front of my computer, typing away at the dissertation. 

I've been wearing pants almost exclusively lately.  It's weird, because I've been a skirt girl for years, but I suppose my style is changing.  I tried to make a few different skirt outfits work before putting this on, but just wasn't happy in any of them.  Or maybe I need to update my skirt wardrobe?  I'm not sure, but I'm definitely most comfortable in slim pants and a blousy top these days.



Does your style ever go through shifts?

I hope you've been having a good week! 

Currently Sewing: The Darling Ranges Dress

I love all of Megan Nielsen's gorgeous designs, so I was thrilled when she came out with a line of sewing patterns, and even more thrilled when she sweetly sent me a pattern to try!  The Darling Ranges dress was one of my favorites from last year's collection, and I love the idea of making my own version at home.  

Megan actually sent me this pattern over two months ago, and I've been searching for the perfect fabric since then.  I wanted a print, but just couldn't find something that seemed right.  In the end, I shopped from my stash - I bought this lightweight blue shirting so long ago that I can't remember what I originally intended to do with it!  I'm glad to be using it (finally!).

The pattern is pretty darling, itself.  The pattern paper is nice and thick (no tissue, hooray!), and the instruction booklet is perfectly designed.

Yes, I said booklet, not pamphlet - Megan's directions are printed into an easy-to-follow book, rather than the confusing pamphlet style most big name pattern manufacturers use.

I love how she included ideas for customizing the dress in the back of the book.

And there's even a pattern log!

I cut out all the pieces this weekend (my least favorite part of the process), and now I can't wait to start sewing.  I'm a little nervous - it's been awhile since I've sewn anything from a pattern - but it looks like it should come together easily.  I'll let you all know how it goes!

If you'd like to make a Darling Ranges dress of your own, you can buy the pattern here.  Or, make it even easier on yourself and buy the Darling Ranges sewing kit - it comes with absolutely everything you need to make your dress!

Thanks, Megan! 

Nice Things

Winter has arrived in Cincinnati, and we've spent most of the weekend iced in.  I'm not a big fan of the cold weather, but it is nice to have a chance to catch up on some work, get some things organized (I FINALLY took holiday decorations down!), and of course, do some crafting.  Here's some creative inspiration for your weekend!

1.  Find pretty printable valentines at Love vs. Design: 

{via How About Orange}

2.  Learn how easy it is to customize your camera with this Chevron Holga Camera DIY at A Beautiful Mess:   

3.  Stitch up adorable penguin plushies with a pattern from The Purl Bee: 

4.  I love anything Portlandia-related (seriously, if you haven't watched it, stop what you are doing and start now), including this awesome pattern from Subversive Cross Stitch:

{via Craft}

5.  Elizabeth at Delightfully Tacky shared some great thrifting tips last week: 

6.  Make a summer-camp-chic friendship bracelet with LA's Arrow Bracelet Tutorial on Freckled Nest: 

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend! 

Life on Film: Christmas

Okay, this is the last Christmas post of the year (I promise!).  These were all on a roll of film from the Canon-AE1 that I developed this weekend.  I had a bit of a scare with this roll - I started to rewind the film, and must have done something wrong, because the film counter wasn't moving.  So I went into a closet, had Nate shove a towel under the door to keep as much light out as possible, and pulled the film out of the camera to attempt to wind it back into the canister manually.  No dice - it must have slipped off the spool inside the canister, because turning the spool wasn't working at all.  In a desperate effort, I attempted to shove the film back into the canister, which worked for about four inches of film, before no amount of shoving would budge it.  In the end, I pulled all the film out of the canister, wrapped it up in thick black fabric, stuck it inside a holiday-themed tin, put the whole thing inside a black zip-up wine carrier (all while inside a pitch-black closet!), and carried it to the photo store.  Luckily, the clerk did not treat me like crazy person (I felt pretty awesome explaining all of this to him, haha), and no photos were lost.  Hooray!  There's a little bit of damage to the pictures - you might notice some small white dots and blue lines - but considering I could have lost them entirely, I'm happy.

Happy Thursday!

What I'm Wearing: Yellow Pants, Again

Blue top: Banana Republic, Hebron Gap Outlet

Navy cardigan: Banana Republic, Hebron Gap Outlet

Blue tee (layered under top): Gap, Hebron Gap Outlet

Yellow cords: Gap, Hebron Gap Outlet

Belt: thrifted

Boots: Nine West, Hebron Gap Outlet*

Jewelry: wedding rings, pearl studs (gift from my parents), vintage micro-mosaic necklace

Okay, I didn't realize how heavy on the Hebron Gap Outlet this outfit was until typing up this list!  I swear, I do shop at other places.  Sometimes.  Anyway, moving on...

So it turns out that my most popular outfit post of 2011 was this one.  This was not a result of it being a good outfit (oh goodness, NO).  Instead, it seems that people are constantly googling some variation of the phrase "how to wear yellow pants."  Apparently, I'm not the only one who finds these things tricky!

Here's what I've discovered in the past year - I think yellow pants look best with color.  I once assumed they would be perfect as a pop of color in a neutral outfit, but I just can't find a combo I like as much as pairing them with another bright color.  In the past few months, my wardrobe seems to go either one way or the other - most days, I live in blacks, browns, and greys, but occasionally I go for serious color, head to toe.  There's no in-between!   

Cousin Itt time (yes, I did look up the proper spelling of "Cousin Itt")!  Have I mentioned how long my hair is getting?  It's kind of ridiculous, but I love it. 

I hope you have an awesome Wednesday!