the sandy bali skirt!

remember when i said i was going to make view b of butterick 5249?

with this blue handwoven ikat fabric that i purchased in bali?

well here's the final result!  we're dubbing this the "sandy bali" skirt... as in i sewed a lot of it during hurricane sandy, and the fabric is from bali!!  (and bali has sandy beaches... gotta love the puns!)  before i reveal the final pics, i must note that after working with this ikat, my hands were blue, as the balinese did not treat the dye, and thus it bled like CRAZY.  so, prior to wearing it, i soaked it for 2 days in heavily salted water.  check out how much dye bled out:

i used dark mugs filled with water to weigh down the skirt.  per usual, i used my ridiculously teal cheong-sam fabric as lining!  (i still have TONS left.)

i did knock off 2.25 inches off the top, as i didn't want this skirt to be as high-waisted as the last burgundy one that i made (that one went as high as my bottom rib... yes, a bit ridiculous...)  here is the front.  if you can zoom in on the pic, notice the pleated gathers in the upper left and right of the skirt... to add girth to my nonexistant hips.

here's a zoomed-in view.  at the top of the pleats is a little pocket!!

and the back... i do love me some perfectly matched seams! 

oh, you don't believe that this isn't one panel?  here, let me zoom in for you... see, the back is actually 4 panels, but i worked hard to make it match!

 and here i am, donning this skirt at work today!!

with a bit of camera flash so you can see the detail:

yippee!!!  a new fav!

a sandy bunks

bunks loves storms...  i'm stuck at home with him, so he demands my attention.  because the apt was quite chilly, he insisted on snuggling ON me...

 while he napped on the floor, i'd tuck him in my fleece blanket...

 and when i vacuumed up his remnant woodchips, his bunnytail got sucked up too...

just kidding.  hehe.  still intact!

lucky for me, my apt didn't lose power, so i sewed through the storm.  a sandy bali skirt is coming up next!

lining of yesterday's skirt

oops, i forgot to include this pic yesterday.  the vintage cheong-sam silk of course.  i accidentally got a little carried away while serging the hem, so it's a bit short.  no worries though, since it's underneath and you can't see it anyway.  check out my stellar zipper insertion!

super high-waisted pencil skirt

for my october garment, i decided to make a super high-waisted skirt.  i started with the butterick 5249 pattern and used view c (but without the belt loops and belt parts), 

this thicker upholstery fabric and an exposed navy zipper,

to make this piece of wonderfulness.  the skirt is so high, it sits right under my ribs.  i had to let the waist out a bit... no shocker there.  this is my usual adjustment.

i had to shorten the pattern by 5 inches.  FIVE!  i'm of staggering height, as you all know.  my fav detail is certainly the exposed zipper!  i've never installed one before.  wasn't as bad as i'd expected!

i rarely chop my head off in pics, but the head had to go...  after 2 attempts, i couldn't get my face to look right, hehe.  i styled the skirt with a black patent skinny belt, black tights and black suede heels.

my hair was a hot mess today.  it's now back in a ponytail.  round back:

yippee!  i'm now making view b with some bali fabric!  

fall pies

burnt cinnamon on the top

burnt latticework, and i ran out of time and thus didn't let the apples soak in the juices for 15 mins before arranging in the crusts.  oops

next sewing project!!!  a really highwaisted skirt, that is currently a bit snug. must loosen. done soon!

cheesecake brownies!

a little sunday morning baking was needed...

happy bday, michelle!

disclaimer: michelle's bday was really sept 6.

but we all know i take forever to make gifts...  i used this sheer blue cotton

and made the "take manhattan tunic" from the twinkle sews line of patterns (the same pattern as for my october garment from last year).  here we are, ready to go out to the "dumbo arts festival," michelle donning my apparel of course!

happy bday, michelle!  a belated happy bday i mean!

muffins

bittersweet chocolate chip and butternut squash muffins.  39 of them, since i had no school yesterday due to yom kippur.  yippee!

carrot cake!!!

i love carrot cake!  and not because i have a bunny, ehhehehe.  yesterday i made one while emma practiced psychological testing on me, for 6.5 hrs!!  according to her, if i was dumber, it would have taken less time.  =)

they're absolutely fool-proof because the carrots keep the cake moist.  of course i topped it with cream cheese frosting... my fav.  i didn't do such a bad job frosting it... thanks to my large icing spatula.

bunks overheard us talking of carrots, and perked up his ears...  "carrots?  did i hear carrots?"  hehe jk, this picture was from 2 nights ago, when i fed him pellets while i was sewing and listening to rap.  i think bunks finds my rap music too abrasive.  his ears stay perked the whole time:  "bunny thugs n harmony''

mom in her cocktail dress!

here's a pic of mom in the cocktail dress i made her for her bday, while at my cousin's wedding with jimmy! she looks awesome, if i do say so myself!

balinese textiles!

i went to bali, indonesia with my friends michelle and melissa at the end of august. my 30th bday happened to fall on our last night there. yippee! the trip was so fun and bali is incredibly beautiful and TOURISTY. sheesh. anyway, bali is known for handwoven ikat, such as the blue fabric on the left, and batik, such as the floral fabric on the right.
i plan on using the blue ikat on a skirt (it has a pretty hefty weight) and the floral fabric for a dress! i'm so excited to use both!! if only i had more time!

bunks' new doormat

gmommy and gdaddy got bunks a new doormat to his little birdie cage. without it, bunks has quite a bit of difficulty jumping into his cage to conduct business, as the hardwood floor is too slippery for his little bunny paws. thanks gmommy and gdaddy!

mom's bday cocktail dress

i made mom a superfly cocktail dress for her bday, to wear to my cousin's wedding. i used the butterick5353 pattern,

along with this pretty upholstery-weight fabric i snagged from gaffney's in philly, from back when i worked across the street!

the back of the fabric was pretty cool, and i really wanted to use it as contrasting fabric for the waistband and collar. however, the sticky coating on it, made this completely not an option.

therefore, i oriented the fabric so that the diamonds where vertical for the bodice and skirt and horizontal for the collar and waistband.

the contrast was subtle, yet classy. i love the bodice. it's very form-fitting.

here i am, trying on the dress. i made it for mom's build. it's a bit loose on me on top, and obviously way too long (although this was from before i hemmed up the bottom). hehehe.

stay tuned for a pic of mom in it at the wedding. jimmy was in charge of snapping one for me and he said they're on his camera. whoohoo!!

gingersnaps

heading home tonight to see the bunks and visit the momski. she loves gingersnaps. i made her some gingersnaps. i also ate some gingersnaps... oops.

next project on the docket: cocktail dress for mom for my cousin brenda's wedding. that's right... mom is gonna be wearing a cocktail dress. whee!!!

summery peach pie!

michelle hosted a dinner at her apartment this weekend. she made dinner, and i baked a peach pie! whee!!!! yay for summer!

july's summer dress

i'm alive! july's garment was a summer dress, using the Simplicity 2916 pattern. i realized i have very few cool summer dresses... the last 3 dresses that i made for myself are very fitted and thus are too hot. (really this should be my august garment because i was late by a couple days. settling in brooklyn took over my life, hehe.)for fabric, i used leftover dark grey linen from my october garment of 2011, the "take manhattan tunic," for the bust, and this cream, grey and coral striped shirting fabric for the bottom (this fabric is the same fabric i used to make dad's 4th shirt (still in progress... grrrrr)! when i finish his shirt, we can match, hehe. (isn't it every dad's dream to match their daughters? forget mother and daughter matching schemes. hahaha)
while this pattern was deemed "easy," of course i had to complicate things by sewing the top bar of the bust section on backwards. hahahahha! (i fixed it, of course. i'm too much of a perfectionist to leave such a mistake!)the skirt section was a pain to make. soo many pleats, each of which had to be hand-basted and pinned! however, the end result was fabulous! check out the neat and even pleats i made at the waistband!despite the heavy rains of sunday night, i met up with emma in west village for some $1 oysters, for the primary purpose of wearing my new dress. it was pouring. my hair is not usually this slicked down...check out the back. there was a cute tie for the back. see how wet the bottom is? oh the sacrifices i make for the garments i sew! i'm not really that fascinated with the posters. hehe