A bracelet and a necklace I strung up tonight. Glass beads, hematite beads, and plastic glow-in-the-dark beads with metal charms. The stars glow in the dark :-)

Dress is all finished… tons of tiny stitches later, the hem is completed :-) I can’t wait to show this off in Memphis :-D

I decided April will be a 2-for-1 month. This dress whipped up easily. I just need to do the hem and I’m set to go…sounds easy but the skirt is at least 7 yards at the hem which needs blind-hemmed (otherwise, it won’t look right).

The dressmaking form doesn’t do it justice because the form is NOT close to my proprortions. When it’s worn, it looks flattering and those awesome peacock shoes? Those really bring it together along with the fascinator I made!

I was afraid it’d look too fussy, but it really is a perfect look for a night out in Memphis (or anywhere, for that matter)! Even makes a great day-dress. Suffice to say, I’m in LOVE with the outfit. Will pair it with some vintage black beads from my grandma.

This is what happens when you’ve realized… with horror, that indeed, your blue suede shoes were in that box that was mistakingly sent off to Goodwill when you moved.

Some of us simply can’t go to Memphis without a pair of blue suede shoes… and how could *I*, of all people, board a plane and touch down in the valley of the Delta Blues in shoes of another color??

Ahh, in two weeks I’ll be walking with my feet 10 feet off of Beale :-D Then I’ll be off to Texas spend time with a friend I’ve known more than half of my life, followed by taking one of my best girlfriends out to dinner for her birthday in Louisiana… followed by another afternoon in my beautiful Memphis! 

I finally got around to snapping pictures of the fabrics for May and June’s dresses. HOWEVER… if things go as I *hope*, I may *ahem* “need” my May dress for mid-April ;-)

The May dress fabrics are linens in plum, teal, and ivory and they match those amazing peacock shoes I ordered…which arrived today and were love at first sight and everything I could have asked for!

The June fabric is gold organza, ivory dupioni silk, and a green-gold taffeta.

The facinator is finished, but I’d like to get pictures of it *on*, which will have to wait for a day when I can be bothered to put in my rollers, put on some make-up, and do it justice. Otherwise, it looks… flat. Impressive, but the picture of it not being worn doesn’t really “make sense”.

Fascinator I am working on. It’s a purple-blue dupioni silk base. It will have three gradual layers of netting in plum, black, and white with black trim. It is surrounded by white and blue feathers. Sequined flower from Hobby Lobby. Middle piece is a vintage clip-on earring. This will go with those AMAZING peacock shoes and the dress I am making to go with them :-)

Still painstakingly sewing the black satin ribbon to the netting…!

Accessories to go with the black-and-white dress. Going to “dress-up” the coral rose…some green tulle “leaves” and some white feathers to put on the waistband of the dress- nothing permanent, just something big, fun, and temporary.

Rose and earrings by New York and Company. MANY thanks to Tenille @ Joey Eric Style in Dayton, OH, for helping me find the perfect accessories today!

Shoes were previously ordered from Lulus.com. Use coupon code DLISTEDLOVE to get 15% off your order.

Green necklace is vintage… belonged to my grandma :-)

Sometimes half the fun of putting together the perfect outfit can be finding all the fun things to go with it….!!!

This is March’s project for my 2011 sewing challenge where I sew one new thing for myself each month. This gives me a break from sewing dolls, a chance to play with fabrics and new designs, and a chance to fill up my closet with pretty new things

This dress is a black satin A-line dress with an organza overlay consisting of a black pleated bodice and a gold skirt. Carnations accent the waistline in black, pink, and platinum.

This design is from ModCloth.com (gotta give credit where credit is due) but the dress is sewn together by me. I’d have ordered the ModCloth dress if I thought it’d fit me up top correctly, but few off-the-rack/pret-a-porter dresses ever do

The best part about the dress is it is flattering and doesn’t show any cleavage… I can’t wait to wear it to my cousin’s wedding!!!

I really wish pictures did it justice… the organza is a bit metallic but the weather hasn’t been nice enough for outdoor non-flash pictures

I had an absolute BLAST finding accessories for it and putting together the whole look. The one-of-a-kind necklace is “Snake Said Nom” made by Lad Named Felix on Etsy. The rest of the jewelry (two bracelets, earrings) as well as the gold clutch (not pictured) came from Deb. Fascinator is made from two hairclips from Icing. I also purchased these amazing glitter pumps from Journey’s.

This dress has lit a fire under me for not only making clothing pieces, but assembling full ensembles from head-to-toe… literally!

2011 Sewing Challenge: January

This year I have challenged myself to make one new clothing item for myself each month to keep my skills sharp and further enhance my spoiled-brat-with-custom-stuff image.

This jacket was made from a houndstooth corduroy I had spotted at Hobby Lobby. I immediately snatched it up! It’s lined with a really adorable cotton print and is WARM!!! The sleeves and yokes are lined with hot pink linen-like fabric.

One reason I made it is because people like me can’t blend in amongst the group of tourists in the lobby waiting for their White House tour to start. Yes. The White House… spoiled-brat me can’t wear just any off-the-rack jacket to this!

It had the desired effect. The Secretary of the Treasury walked past, looked at me, and said “That’s a nice jacket!!” I was the only one he talked to *big grin*

My items for the sewing challenge are shaping up to be colorful, feminine, retro-inspired, and/or a style that my podunk little town’s mall would never dream of carrying and if they DO, I can be assured that the top would be too skimpy, empire waist too high- like coming up on my boobs too high and making me look 9 months pregnant, cleavage hanging out, etc.