Oak Leaf Beignet

Beignet skirt with oak leaf applique

Have you ever been so intimidated by a project that you put it aside for days/weeks/months? This was one of those projects for me. I started with beautiful dreams of romantic embroidery and charming woolen appliqued silhouettes. However, when I started trying to do embroidery on my machine - I hit a wall. It was much more difficult than I anticipated. I was also intimidated by the buttons. I've sewn buttonholes before, but this skirt has 11! I knew it would try my patience.

This is what a dizzying amount of buttonholes looks like.

I used vintage Czech glass buttons from my trip to Czech Village.

Intimidation and irrational fears are not your friend when you are learning new skills. Although your mind may tell you that if you stop working on a project - you can't mess it up, keep in mind that you also can't finish a project you aren't working on. This seems obvious, but I have to remind myself sometimes. The best medicine I've found for intimidating tasks, is charging head-on and taking no prisoners. That is exactly what I did with my embroidery and buttonhole concerns. I made myself finish them, and although the outcome wasn't perfect, I'm still pleased. Not everything has to be perfect. Even with imperfections - this skirt turned out super cute! Now I'm less afraid of buttonholes too!

Melissa - Buttonhole Champion - Ready to take on the world

The skirt is made out of wool fabric with cotton lining. The oak leaves are cut out of wool and the buttons are vintage Czech glass buttons. I used the Colette Patterns Beignet pattern. Josh and I celebrated the finished skirt with a trip to Galena, IL and a photo shoot. Galena has a historic downtown area with fun boutiques, beautiful old buildings, and several great restaurants and coffee shops.

We stopped for coffee at one of these local shops - yum! Josh, my photographer / fiance-extraordinaire liked the coffee too.

Josh at Rendezvous Coffee & Tea in Galena

It was another lovely day in Galena. I'm soo happy this skirt is finally done, I felt so guilty looking at it without buttonholes for months. Now I just need to finish my Colette Violet blouse. How many projects do you all have waiting to be finished?

The Velvet Collar

I love vintage clothes. This little number I picked up at Fred and Ethel's in Rock Island, IL. I was really attracted to the bright colors and of course the velvet collar and bolero! And if that wasn't enough - it buttons up the back!

I usually like dresses that cinch-in at my natural waistline. The waistline of this dress hits somewhere between a natural waistline and an empire waist. Later I saw the tag and realized why the fit is a little strange... It says "SEARS - Girls Fashions - Designed for the Growing Girl." Haha! At my age, I hope I'm not growing too much - unless it's more fabulous.

Growing pains aside, this vintage-find is a keeper. Now a dance for joy!

More exciting news

My friend Jessica just started an amazing blog - Musings of Mice and Men. She is an uber talented, hilarious, and creative woman. Her blog focuses on fashion, literature, and anything else she comes across. Check it out and welcome her to the Blogosphere!

My Valentine

Happy February 15th one and all! I hope you all had a marvelous February 14th. Josh and I kept it simple. We exchanged gifts on the 13th (because we didn't want to wait) and we made dinner together last night - stroganoff! Yum!

I recently designed some Valentine's Day paper for work, and I used one of the unchosen samples to wrap Josh's present (he got a harmonica). It was so fun to wrap with something I designed!

Now I am inspired to make more of my own wrapping paper. Printing might be more expensive, but I could save it for special occasions. Oh what fun I could have  :D

Chocolate covered pretzels with crushed Andes mints

We also had our work Christmas party recently. The original party was canceled because of a snow storm. I made chocolate covered pretzels with crushed Andes peppermint mints sprinkled on top. They were so yummy! Next time I want to make them with dark chocolate - that would be heaven.

Peplumed Peony

My new peplumed peony!

What a relaxing day! I Slept in and then made johnny cakes, sausage, and coffee. We had an ice storm today in Iowa, so Josh and I were forced to stay in.

johnnies, yum!

It was the perfect day to photograph my new blouse that I finished yesterday. This blouse started out as a Colette Peony for my mother. When I gave her the dress last Christmas, the top was far too small! So I made her Peony a new top, and I decided to keep this one for me. I added a peplum to it, by cutting out a long rectangle and gathering the fabric. I would have liked a puffier peplum - but I didn't have enough fabric. Next time I will have the puffiest peplum ever, but for now I love me new peony top!

We decided to brave the cold and the ice.

Pretty soon the cold was too much for us.

Next we explored the creepy basement of our apartment building.

I found some kind of animal skeleton.

I can't wait for winter to be over, this cold weather is such a downer. On the bright side, the ice storm did give me time to make some fresh bread today. I found a recipe in The Joy of Cooking for milk bread, a yeast bread with  milk, butter, and an egg in it. Yum!

Long Time No Post!

Wow, it has really been awhile. What a crazy few months, I moved, started a new job, and then the Holidays hit. I started working for a company that makes vintage-inspired holiday decorations. It's a small company so I get to help with a lot of different things, like marketing, graphic design, product design, some photography, and anything that comes up!

For my birthday in December, I went to the National Czech and Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids, IA to see an Alphonse Mucha exhibit. Mucha has been one of my favorite artists for many years. The exhibit had 230 pieces of his work. I love art nouveau and I am part Czech, so the exhibit was a perfect birthday treat. We also walked through Czech Village, ate Czech food, and went antiquing! I scored some pretty Czech glass buttons - Happy Birthday indeed!

My sister and I outside the museum.

A couple of Czechs hangin' out.

I bought a book of his work!

A cute shop with Czech glass!

Next on my sewing table:

After putting my sewing aside for a few months, I'm ready to get back in the game! I have a few sewing projects on my table that I really need to finish up. Sometimes when they get too stagnant, it is hard to start working on them again. I am finishing up a Colette Beignet skirt, a Violet top, and I just started buying fabric for my wedding dress! I will have to show pictures of the fabric when it comes in!

Smitten with Mittens

My mom has been making really cute - warm mitties out of felted wool sweaters. Last year she gave a bunch away as gifts, and this year she will be selling them at local stores and through her email. I designed the logos above and tags for her to put on her mittens!

Mitten mountain!

I really love how the tags and logo turned out. I think they look especially great on the mittens!

In other news, I started cutting out my pattern for the beignet skirt! Yay!

Negroni's Day Out

My first try at an intermediate pattern was a success! Labor Day weekend I finished the Colette Negroni shirt for Josh and he wore it the next day! I had many reservations going into the project, but the pattern was easy to follow and the instructions and pictures were so helpful.

Back yoke of the cowboy inspired negroni.

Lately Josh has been getting more adventurous with his style. He is especially attracted to retro and vintage clothing, and he loves cowboy shirts. Who doesn't love cowboy shirts? You have the pockets and yokes to play with, there are so many possibilities!

Piecing the Negroni together.

Yikes! 1st fitting  :)

Negroni basking in the sun

Every year my family goes to the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion in Mt. Pleasant, IA. It's a fair that celebrates the history of midwest farmers and rural life. I've never really been too interested in farming, but it's a fun family tradition and we always have a great time  :)

Old picture of people threshing and a special guest!

   

I found a little friend!

What a fun day! Eventually I am going to make him a Negroni with long sleeves  :)