Some lovely birthday totes for some lovely ladies.

Remember the first tote I made? I did that, but without the lining. Instead, for the handles, i folded down the top and sewed across, like a hem at the top of your bag. Then sewed the pieces together to make the bag. Super easy and super cute.

Forgot to post on Friday. My work outfit, complete with my new bag.

anna

My favorite quotes from the Wall Street Journal article on Ms. Wintour.

• “She didn’t need my authority to do it—she has a remarkable ability to impose her will. If I had had reservations, she probably would have gone ahead anyway.”
• During a trip to China last fall, she was asked during a press conference whether she was really like that. “It’s true, of course, that I beat all my assistants, lock them in a cupboard and don’t pay them,” she deadpanned.
• In 1967, 17-year-old Anna dropped out of school to join London’s wild fashion dance. (17 years old! dropped out of school! now is one of the most powerful business women in the world!)
• Grace Mirabella, then Vogue’s editor, asked Wintour what job she would like if she came to the magazine. “Your job,” Wintour is said to have replied without blinking.
• Wintour concedes she might have pushed the point there: “I’m not terribly proud of putting the Spice Girls on the cover,” she says
• She threw all of Italy into a tizzy last year when it was discovered she would spend only four days in Milan during February’s fashion week. Emergency meetings were called, designers frantically demanded to reschedule their shows and every one scrambled to squeeze 88 runway shows into 70 hours to accommodate her abbreviated stay.
• Her own CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, which raises millions for young American designers, has become something of a model in Europe. She got the idea in 2001, when the World Trade Center disaster disrupted New York’s fashion week, leaving young designers financially stranded. The fund now has a $10 million endowment, and has launched similar programs in Milan and London.
• At a screening of “The Devil Wears Prada,” based on a roman à clef by a former Wintour assistant, she wore Prada (she also wore Prada on the cover shot. perhaps a little wink to the idea?)

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704893604576200722939264658.html#ixzz1HTNUueW1
She’s amazing. Also, I saw her once in real life. On Fashion’s Night Out. She walked in front of me with her entourage and her giant sunglasses, even though it was nighttime. It was just as awesome as you’d expect.

if spring were here tomorrow

if spring were here tomorrow by rcln featuring retro sunglasses

Proenza Schouler knit cardigan
$504 - boutique1.com

Proenza Schouler striped tee
$325 - lagarconne.com

Proenza Schouler cotton short
$760 - thecorner.com

Proenza Schouler platform high heels
501 GBP - net-a-porter.com

Proenza Schouler wrap bracelet
$125 - ssense.com

Elizabeth and James retro sunglass
$155 - saksfifthavenue.com

Project uno

hey heyyy here goes.

I totes made a tote.

Looks good, yeah? (this was before I ironed it, don't tell my mom)

To begin, I drew on my (only) sewing experience of making a tote bag with lining.

So, to begin. I had all my fabric lined up on top of each other so I could cut out the pieces at the same time. Then I used my cool marker that disappears on fabric with water and marked out a 16 by 14 inch rectangle. I was mostly following these instructions from the Purl Bee for a tote bag, but adding some things of my own.

Once the pieces were cut out, I placed wrong side of fabric to wrong side of fabric and pinned the pieces together. And then I sewed them together.

Until I got TWO pieces of sewed together fabric. (Don't forget, you are not sewing all four sides. Also, in the lining, leave a hole in the bottom. Trust me. Also, I forgot to take a picture of this hole, ugh.)

I ironed the seams flat as I went because that is what the nice sewing teacher told me to do. Once two pieces are ready, turn the lining right side out. This is when I sewed the straps to the bag, but I forgot to take a picture of it. Basically, I measured two-and-a-half inches in from each side and pinned the straps there. Then I sewed the straps to the lining. They will get sewed more securely into the bag in a few moments.

When the lining is right side out and straps are attached, you want to place the lining inside the outside fabric--right side to right side and both facing up, so that the openings and all the seams line up. It will look like an inside-out pocket. You want the straps to be in between the lining and the outside fabric so that you can't see them and they aren't poking out. Next time I make a bag, I will not forget pictures of this crucial step. Once it is all lined up, pin and sew the lining and the fabric together following the top edge of your bag. Am I making sense? Maybe I should make a video.

Once it is sewed together, pull the lining out and reach your hand through the hole and turn everything inside out. Pull and squish and pull all the fabric through the hole. It will be attached at the top and look something like this:

See how the straps come out! Now you can push the lining back in the bag and iron everything flat.

Then you can wear it.

Now, I made two mistakes and would like to make one improvement.

• Mistake 1: Remember how I was worried a messy bobbin would mess me up? Well, it did. DO NOT USE MESSY BOBBINS. Things got caught, string got snipped, and I ended up using an already-made, nice, neat bobbin that mismatched my thread. In this project, you can't see the thread so it didn't matter so much. But still.
• Mistake 2: I may or may not have sewed the lining in the bag wrong side out. OK, I definitely did. Again, not something you can see (from the outside anyway) but the inside of the bag shows the seams because the lining is wrong side out. HA turns out you can see the thread.
• Improvement: I would have liked to line up the pattern on both sides of the bag. Its misaligned on the edges, which isn't really a mistake but would have been baller skillz if I did it.
  

So, now that I've done this post, I'm thinking maybe about making a new tab on here for project instructions. That way, I can spell them out step by step and you can check it out and come back to it if you are interested, and skip it if you aren't.

And I promise to take better pictures of each step next time.

tulle

tulle by rcln featuring a sleeveless dress

I've fallen in love with the Vera Wang and thought, maybe I haven't given tulle a fair chance...

Was exhausted tonight and didn't have energy for much more than polyvore playing and curling up on the couch with my armwarmers.

Which are now |-----this----| long

success

This morning I studied the sewing machine manual, which my dad graciously found on the Internet and e-mailed to me. I didn't understand everything, but it helped me get a grasp on things and I am feeling much more confident in my ability to know what all the knobs and buttons do.

I picked up some thread and a pin cushion today and got right to winding a bobbin. The bobbin that came with the machine from home is on the right. Mine is on the left.


Mine is clearly subpar. The thread kept slipping and winding on everything except the bobbin. I would stop, and unwind and wind again, but the result is a little messier than it should be. Hopefully this will not trip me up later. Then, I threaded the machine (looking closely at the manual as I went) and stuck a scrap of fabric in to see how it went.

And I ended up with....

Ta da!

tour de new york

Yesterday I went out to get some sewing supplies.

But I got distracted by the Kate Spade store

The fabric store I had my heart set on checking out was closed on Saturdays, so I stopped by my usual store, but they didn't have the exact color thread that I wanted. At about that time, I got a call from a friend who is hosting some friends for their first-ever visit to New York. So, I joined up with them and we went to the Staten Island ferry. Staten Island looks way foreboding in this picture, I promise our trip wasn't that scary. But it does sort of make me feel like a sailor.

Then, Times Square

And Rockefeller Center

Then, we went back to Brooklyn, where we made friends with the neighbor's cat who was hanging out at the bar. Can you see him in the window? At one point, he jumped on our friend's lap and hopped up onto our table. Friendly little guy.

We finished the tour with delicious pizza and great conversation at Motorino

It was so great to be a tourist again for the day, and to finish up with one of my favorite Brooklyn restaurants.

Since I’ve got bags on the brain, here’s some inspiration… (thanks to polyvore)

Day 1 of handwarmers. Well, I think I’ve made them longer than I meant to. They are henceforth named half-way up my arm warmers. Or arm warmers for short. I think I’m kind of digging the idea, so I’ll see where it leads me.

Well, @Bergdorfs might be glad to know I received a compliment on my fishtail-braid hair (inspired by HER fishtail-braid hair) before I even finished checking my e-mail.

Two pieces of good news:

• I wore my new jacket and received compliments. OK, one compliment. From my friend at work who I talked up my jacket to. But you know what, I’m stoked about it anyway. (outfit was black skinny pants, black sweater, jacket, nude heels)
• According to my sources (aka my parents who are sending it to me) the sewing machine should arrive somewhere around Friday. GET EXCITED.

Until then, I am combining this and this to fit my needs and make some handwarmers of my very own.

I’m really into the idea of handwarmers, and for the record, I thought it was cool before Brittany on Glee, who definitely stole my idea.

Right now all I’ve done is cast on but I’ll post my progress as it happens. My plan is to knit a rectangle, and then stitch up the seam leaving a hole for my thumb, a la the crocheted striped handwarmer example. But, I like the size of the knitted handwarmers (they are longer), and I’d rather knit, since, you know, I already know how to do that. However, right now I don’t have the patience for ribbing, so I’ll just do all knit and no purl. Plus, that might give it a little more rugged look. Or at least that is what I am telling myself to justify going quicker and knitting the whole time.

Other things on my to-do list: Get better lighting in bathroom. Get full-length mirror.