I'm Back!!

Wow, so August came and went!! It was a busy month spent preparing for the Scotland trip, travelling, competing in Scotland, and then recovering from the trip. I'm glad to be home, and back to sewing. I have lots of sewing plans for fall, it's my absolute favorite time of year! I especially look forward to the cooler weather and clothes that come with it. :-)

Here are a few shots from the trip!

TARDIS! ;-)

We were walking by this store, and as we approached I thought, those can't be old sewing machines can they???

And they WERE!! Wall to wall sewing machines on all three sides of the store!!

And finally, the reason for the trip! My pipe band, Silver Thistle Pipes and Drums. 

 

Instagram Friday

Working on a little something to wear to Scotland! #tartandress #lovetosew

A photo posted by Stephanie Lochet (@slochet) on Jul 26, 2015 at 8:38pm PDT

Red Pindot Tent Dress - Vogue 8807

This is another dress I made for a trip to France, this time it was for our trip in 2014.

In Burgundy, modeling my new bottle opener which happened to match the red pindots.

This is Vogue 8807, a very simple dress, essentially a kind of tent dress that you can cinch with a belt.

There's a belt included in the pattern, but of course you can use a store bought one just as easily.

It's fully lined with a light white cotton, and had pockets on both sides!

It was an easy make and a cute dress! Unfortunately, I didn't have quite as much fabric as I needed to make it longer, so it's just a bit short for my personal preference. (I like those pasty white knees covered!!) So it's going up for sale in my Etsy shop. :-)

Pinspiration Tuesday - Rain Bonnets

Running a bit late with my Monday post, mostly due to preparations for the trip! So as I was planning for the trip to Scotland and trying to anticipate appropriate attire for lots of rainy days, it was recommended to me by an online Scottish friend that I pick up a "rain mate." I had to google...and then fell in love! Also known as a rain bonnet, it's just a plastic little head covering to wear in the rain, and it used to be something ladies carried around in their purses to pop on when needed!

I'm always amazed when adorable and functional items like these suddenly disappear from cultural awareness. I mean, sure, ladies don't generally have to worry about pin-curled hair, and I don't really need this in Texas (when it rains here you can't really walk around in it, as it's usually torrential rain or nothing, so a plastic bonnet won't do much!) But I just love the concept, especially as it makes big bulky dripping wet umbrellas less of a necessity.  I went looking for any place I might find one, and I may even end up making something similar to take with me. I'll be sure to share what I end up doing! In the meantime, here are some lovely examples, both vintage and modern. :-)

 

The style above used to come in these tiny adorable boxes!!!

 

 

Here's a modern reincarnation! If I'd had time I would have ordered one, but no such luck!

 

Blue Paris Dress - McCalls 6599

Prior to our trip to France in 2013, I decided to make up as much of a wardrobe as I could for the trip! One of the dresses I made was this blue cotton dress.

I used the same pattern as I had used for the bodice on my Franken-pattern dress, McCalls 6599, since I already knew it fit me well. I decided to add sleeves this time around.

I wore this several times on the trip, including on my first trip to the Marché Saint-Pierre in Montmartre where I hit up several of les coupons, where you can get already cut fabric at a discount. I don't look nearly as happy as I was, here, lol!

It's one of my favorite places to visit in Paris, and of course the beautiful Sacré-Cœur is right down the street.

I hand picked the zipper, and lined it with a fun cotton scroll fabric.

I also included pockets, of course.

 

Since the trip, I haven't really worn this dress a whole lot! Not sure why, it fit well, it's just one of those things where it doesn't call out to me when I see it in the closet. (Though as with most of my things, once I put it on I thought, why don't I wear this more often?? Lol!)

 

But since it hasn't gotten much action in my own wardrobe, I've decided to list it for sale in my Etsy shop, and hopefully pass it along to someone who will wear it more than I have!

Pinspiration Monday - Tartan Fashions

So, in just a couple weeks I'll be heading to Glasgow, Scotland to compete in the Worlds with Silver Thistle Pipes and Drums! Clearly, this means I have tartan on the mind. ;-) So here are some fun tartan fashions I found while browsing Pinterest!