western top

i finally got a chance to use a pattern from the sewing patterns book basic black, which eric got me for my bday.  i used pattern a, a peasant shirt.

i actually have minimal amounts of black in my wardrobe.  i prefer COLORS!  i was inspired to make this top from anthropologie.

shirley got me checkered cotton double gauze from her most recent trip to japan.  i particularly love that the checks are rectangular and not square on her fabric (unlike anthro's top which has square checks)!  here i am cutting the fabric, with lil' fuzz grooming himself in the background.

this fabric is so soft.  and even though the fabric is double-layered, the material is thin enough so that it is super breezy.  this pattern called for turning bias strips into...

bias binding.  blehhhh, my worst nightmare.  there is nothing i hate more than making and using bias binding.  i would rather handstitch 2 buttonholes than make bias binding.  i have this nifty gauge to make bias binding, but this fabric was too thin and fiddly to use the gauge.

i had serious doubts my narrow shoulders would fit the boatneck top, but the shoulders of the shirt are holding on for dear life!  it fits perfectly!  whoo!

i wore this on the 1st day back from spring break.  eric snapped pics for me in the morning before i left.  i wouldn't normally wear the ties tied, but at school, i have to be more modest hehe.

of course i had to test out the swingyness of the peplum bottom!

wheeeeeeeee!  i caged lil' fuzz just to make sure i wouldn't stomp him by accident.

back view, but blurry because i am such a speedy spinner:

the blue in the fabric started bleeding into the white whenever i ironed it with steam, so i still need to wash it in vinegar to hopefully set the dye.  didn't stop me from wearing it to school though!

and, the fuzzfeed:  this weekend, it was 68 degrees on sunday.  we decided to introduce lil' fuzz to the outside for the 1st time.  we started by confining him to this pen that eric got, just so he could get accustomed to the noises of nature (or brooklyn).

this lil' guy is bold.  he quickly started nosing around at the door, trying to figure out a way out.  soooo, we let him out!

fuzz went to town on the lawn.  he seemed to think there was a limit to the supply of grass available, so he tried to eat as much as possible.  i thought i'd be nice and show him the wild mint, as it is better for him to eat than random weeds, but of course he then started decimating our wild mint collection.  this might be my fav pic of the day:  "oooooh, fresh herbs?"