Artistry in Fashion 9/11

Wow, what a weekend! Mainly due to Sham's irresistable persuasions, I drove 4 1/2 hours on Saturday morning to make it to AIF in time for the 1st fashion show. Win/Win! S+I had only met by email, but I instantly realized we were identical twins (20 years apart, but that's what mothers are for...); we even bought the same sweaters:

and scarves:

I also met JillyBe, Joan71 from SG, lessalt, also from SG, Dorothy K from PR,

oh, I'm sure I've forgotten someone...it was an incredible experience, I told DH tonight it was like finding myself with my tribe, people who spoke the same language I do...I got my ego magnificently massaged, too! What a wonderful return on a 550 mile roundtrip! Like 

Douglas MacArthur

I shall return! (Some of you are too young to get this...Google it...)

And not to forget the Shoe connection, I bought my 6th pair of Trippens Friday night...they were the "sweet treat" on the Ped website, which means they were 20% off! Every percentage point counts...

Life is truly good....

McCalls 6291

This took a little longer than I thought it would, due mainly to the 8 pockets, six of which had to be flapped, edge stitched,  top stitched and buttonholed. I like the pants, they fit perfectly for what they are, microfiber cargo pants. I wore them on my daily 4-mile walk this morning and they were great; lightweight and comfortable. The only changes I will make when I try them again is to substitute the waistband that Louise Cutting uses on her pants and to try them without the elastic on the cuffs. I will either use elastic cord and cord-stoppers, or probably just hem them and add two buttoned straps to roll them up to crop length. More pictures here.

Travel Pants

I am "interviewing" various pants patterns for a travel pant to take on my trip to Ethiopia in January. I cut out McCalls 6291 tonight:

I am making the long ones, view C. I am using a lightweight microfiber/nylon from my favorite microfiber source,Sell Fabric. The color is cement, a light greenish-gray. (Unfortunately, all their gray shades have a greenish cast). I have used their fabrics several times and have been very happy with them (and the price!). They appear to be the same fabrics used by middle-end sportswear such as Spirithouse, Blanque, Planet, etc. I am planning to take some stretch cotton pants:

Vogue 8712, black and white polka dot from Marcy Tilton, for one, but I think I'll need some more rugged pants...(and I can't stand the generic khaki zip-offs!).

M 6291 is a cargo pant, so it has lots of pockets. I think I can get this put together tomorrow. 

I finished my 2nd SW Teagarden Tee

today...the jury is still out on this iteration....

Sewing Workshop TeagardenTee

Well, I finished it yesterday...it had me wringing my hands a couple of times, as it certainly is not an "intuitive" pattern. Here is the pattern view

and here is my interpretation:

The fabric is a rayon jersey knit from Marcy Tilton, a faux ikat print. I think it is too "wimpy" for this pattern; it not only is too limp, but it looks sort of faded and over-washed. IOW, I'm not too wild about it! However, this was a first try and I'm not giving up yet. I cut a Medium and added a little to the hips, which turned out not to be necessary. The length is not good on me; the waist shaping emphasizes my hips. Next time I make it, I'll lengthen it 3 or 4 inches. I do like the neckline...I can see why this pattern is a favorite top with many people. And maybe it'll go together a little more easily next time!

SHOE FE***H

As a teen, I had to wear “orthopedic” shoes due to fitting problems; also my mother (NOT Iris) refused to allow me to wear the loafers and Capezio ballet flats that were 

all the rage with my contemporaries. Oh, the horror and shame! Well, I’m making up

for it now...

Seeing the cool shoes and boots worn by my idol Jean, led me to Trippen shoes, a favorite of hers, and now of mine. Never mind that they are handmade in a little village in Germany, and have the price tag to go along with that...

These were my first

then shortly thereafter, I fell for these 

..what I was really searching for, of course, were the Geisha-style boots,

which came to live with me early last summer.

 I bought these at Maggie’s in Seattle, 

and recently got these

to take with me on my trip to Ethiopia in January.

All this research on the web led to  a fascination with spiked and studded shoes

(Geriatric Goth?) and  I found myself opening my pocketbook for these 

and THESE!

I could do some damage with this shoe.....

So, back to sewing...a Sewing WorkshopTeagarden Tee is in the works...my first. It has been so popular with many of the sewing people I follow...so, it is cut out, and I hope to start putting it together tomorrow...

Role Models

We're never too old for a role model. I would like to be her, on the left, when I grow up...but since I'm already older than she is, that's probably not going to happen. So, I have to be content with appropriating some ideas from her, and waiting eagerly for their blog every week.

Here's some more pictures: (check out those boots!) It helps that I, myself, have worn black and white for 25+ years...

Because of HER, I have developed a financially dangerous addiction to TRIPPEN SHOES and an on-going eBay search for faux Bakelite bangles (hers are real). But she sure is cute....

And then there's my REAL mother, Iris Apfel; I'm positive that she gave me up at birth, since i have so much more in common with her than the woman who masqueraded as my mother all these years...(I have those EXACT beads which I bought at a Buddhist Monk store in Burma 7 years ago).

So one of my ongoing pursuits is finding older women to be my role models...one of my dearest friends is approaching her 100th birthday on New Year's Day...and she has been a constant example of how to be a beautiful older woman...

Isn't she beautiful?

Who are YOUR role models?

New blog, new tote!

I've decided to join the fun with a blog; this will be mainly about my sewing adventures.

I've just made my first tote bag, the Professional Tote by Creative Thimble.

It was harder than I thought it would be...zillions of pieces, everything interfaced. The hardest part was that my new Bernina 430 didn't like sewing all the layers that came towards the end of the project. I hope I didn't damage the sewing machine!

I used a stretch denim from Emma One Sock for the outside with a black/white ikat from eQuilter as trim. The inside uses two red cotton prints, also from eQuilter. Here are some other views of the tote.

I'm intending to take this as a carry-on for our trip to Ethiopia in January. It will go with my work-in-progress Fall 2011 wardrobe...(but then I ALWAYS wear black, white and red).

If you're interested in my Fall 2010 wardrobe, it's here. (Black, white, red and a little gray...!)