I’ve been silent because it’s been hot and sunny here (yay!) and I’ve been sitting out on the back patio reading and relaxing. I’m going to enjoy every minute of this gorgeous weather while it lasts!

In addition to trashy adventure novels, I’ve been devouring books on fashion. Tim Gunn is my new hero. Not only does he have an impeccable personal style, he knows how to behave decently to his fellow human beings–and he’s articulate on on that subject. I particularly liked reading Gunn’s Golden Rules: Life’s Little Lessons in Making it Work.

His narrative style is chatty but refined at the same time. He obviously draws from a broad and deep education–both the academic sort and the school of hard knocks sort. I agree with so much he has to say about etiquette and like the glimpses he provides into a world I’ll never be part of. I only wish there were some NICE way to gift this to the few people in my life who need a little schooling in manners.

I’ve also read Nina Garcia’s The Little Black Book of Style, which is interesting, particularly the introduction where she discusses how her parents influenced her. I personally would rather hear a lot more about that than what follows in the rest of the book: good, but basic fashion advice, which could be found on any number of websites or in magazines. She seems like a fascinating person–and, as she says, “beauty is not all that interesting [...] but when a confident woman walks into a room, it is entrancing.” I am “entranced” by the author, but not so much by the book.

Finally, I’ve been skimming through an e-version of Christian Sirriano’s book, Fierce Style: How to Be Your Most Fabulous Self, on my blackberry. It’s definitely not the best way to enjoy this book. I’m having trouble seeing the pictures, since they break up between one screen in the next. However, his lively voice comes through. What a FIERCE personality and brilliant designer! I love his enthusiasm for fashion and his encouragement to revel in what makes you special–a similar message to Nina Garcia’s but delivered in his unique colloquial style. Sirriano is far more taken with designer labels than I will be or ever could afford to be–just like he does, I admire the fabulous styles and high quality materials and craftsmanship, but unless I win the lottery, they’ll never be part of my life.

I haven’t been doing all that much sewing, with the exception of working a bit on a denim jacket. I’m making slow progress due to the heat, but also because I have some misgivings about how it will turn out. For starters, the bust darts are giving me fits. Ideally, I should have divided them into two sets of darts, horizontal and vertical, since that would distribute the fabric more evenly, but didn’t want to change the look of the jacket too much by adding extra darts. That was probably a mistake. So, now there area under the front appliques are puffier than I’d like.

The other thing that’s making me worried is the fabric. It’s really stretchy…almost like a rubber band. I don’t know what possessed me to buy it in the first place, but I’m trying to “Make it work.” Wish me luck!

• I lost my iPod. It’s broken, so I’m not sure why I’m hell-bent on finding it, but there you have it.
• I lost the collar stand for my blue blouse. I tore the house apart in search of it. I even dug through the garbage bin (the big one) to find some scraps I could use to replace it. I had to shower afterwards.

  

On the plus side, I’m using some techniques from the latest Threads magazine to add some pizazz to this blouse and I like how it’s turning out!

• I used to disregard advice to pick out the pattern sized based on your upper bust measurement. Instead I used the full bust measurement and worked a small FBA. Recently, I realized the larger size translated into a sloppy looking back. When I use the size based on my upper bust measurement, I end up with a nicely fitted back.

  

• I tried sewing a t-shirt yesterday and used fabric without enough stretch. I can get it on, but it feels a bit like a straight jacket. Oops.

A. A little number I whipped up to wear on a dinner date with my husband tomorrow night. We’re celebrating eleven years of marriage.

I’ll be sure to take photos!

Yes, I’m taking a break from my blouse. I sewed a dress. And I sewed a t-shirt:

I cut up an old t-shirt of my husband’s and fashioned it into one for myself. There were lots of holes in the fabric, which I tried to work around. Unfortunately, a couple of holes still remained in the piece used for the front, so I stitched them closed and covered them up with a PATCH pocket The original shirt had a pocket on it too, but it was huge on me. I made a smaller pocket based on a RTW t-shirt of my own. You can still see the darker spot where the original pocket was–perhaps I should dye this to help that blend in…hmmm…

I used two Ottobre patterns to create this t-shirt. The body was made from 02-2007-03 and the sleeves were taken from 02-2006-01. The armscyes in the two patterns were very similar, so the sleeves for the patterns could be substituted for one another. I prefer close-fitting sleeves like this on my tees, since I generally wear them as layering pieces and they fit nicely into the sleeves of sweaters and jackets–no bunching up!

I used to think I had the fit totally down on the Ottobre t-shirt, but now I’m wondering about the wrinkles at bust-level near the sides. Depending on the fabrics I’m using and how I’m holding my arms, they’re more or less noticeable. Am I doomed to have wrinkles there? I suppose I could add a dart, but that would be odd on a t-shirt…wouldn’t it?

I didn’t have enough non-holey fabric left to create binding for the neckline, so I used a little bit of fold-over elastic. I’ve never had a lot of luck with the stuff, but recently, Sue described how she sewed it on and I tried her method. It worked out fairly well, but I need to keep practicing to get a smoother, less floppy result.

THANK YOU!

Finally, thank you all for the nice comments about my new hairstyle. I’m enjoying my new look a lot! Did you see Mary’s recipe for volumizer? I’m going to give that a try!