skirt tutorial envy.

Oh, you know how it is. Cut out a shiny new skirt. Can't find time to sew. Discover shiny new skirt tutorial online.

I haven't been on the paperbag waist skirt train yet. For one thing, I rarely used to tuck anything in, and this skirt really needs a tucked in, slim-fitting top for the full effect. Now that I'm wearing more cardigans and things, I'm pretty sure I can rock the whole paperbag waist.

Here are some cute RTW versions for inspiration and ogling (albeit several are so short your pootenanny might need covering to prevent said ogling of another sort):


I'm lovin the paperbag pencil skirt from Asos above (actually I think all of these but one are from Asos. The khaki is by Tulle.)

Anywho. I randomly landed at this adorable paperbag waist skirt tutorial in two versions, a zipper with pleated version and an elastic/gathered version. Here's a pic from Suzannah's blog:


Adventures in Dressmaking is a new blog to me. I think sewing (and especially fashion sewing) blogs exploded among the 30 and under set in the past 15 months or so. I've kind of been oblivious since I had my favorites and not a lot of time to venture out and find new blogs to read.

The author of this blog is an easy read and she's talented and full of great ideas. I read through most of her archives last weekend while in a turkey coma. If you haven't found her before (some of you are followers I know) you might jump over there via the link above.

Just so you know, it is an ad-supported blog, which I usually prefer to avoid (because the ads tend to be very distracting and clutter-y) but I love her style and her carefree sewing mojo.

The real question is...do I shove aside the HP and go for the shiny new or persevere?

Wait. Isn't that always the question??

mojo madness.

Long before I loved Mondo:


I loved Kate Spade. Which might explain why I loved Mondo.








Ahhh Kate. (who is a front for someone with a much less cool fashion name than Kate Spade.) You understand me so well. Dots. Stripes. Juicy shots of unexpected color. Tights. ♥ ♥ ♥

Speaking of tights love... As an, erm, curvy girl, tights can be hard to come by. Target's a good place for cool, funky color tights in my size. The website We Love Colors is good too, in a wide variety of colors and sizes.

But...if you've got some serious crushing (like I do) on that middle photo above, the one with the aqua top, goldenrod skirt, LEOPARD JACKET (OMG), and black dotty tights... but, alas, you have generous thigh-age and boot-ay...have I got some www for you.

Forever 21 Plus, black dotty tights. Better hurry though. I already ordered two pair.

You're welcome.

ps poetry...

Oh, lovely sewing mojo,
why doth you abandon me so,
in the wee few hours of the weekend?

pps... Just a little note for clarity: Yup, I do know "Kate Spade" is an actual, living, breathing person. :) I remember when she launched her handbag line. But she is no longer the designer for Kate Spade. She & her husband left the company a few years ago, and I can never remember the new creative director's name. It can't be as good as Kate Spade. Now THAT'S a name.

Vday 2

This V-Day movie fest just keeps going and going. Today's take included an old fave:



and some more Mr. Angie.A:

(I most especially like this one cause he reads & writes. That's so cute.)

Even my sap-o-meter has a limit, so I ended the day with Mel & Joaquin,


and just one more with Mr. Yummy, this one chock full of alpha male, explosions, guns & biceps.

(Note there's none of that extemporaneous reading in this one. Silly boy.)

On the sewing front...I sorted my patterns. Oh, and I went through 2 years of BWOF making sure there wasn't a "better" next project than the project I figured I'd do next. (You still with me?)

Truthfully...nothing is interesting me right now. None of my stash, none of my patterns, none of my magazines. Why does lack of mojo always seem to go hand in hand with a long weekend or vacation? Please someone explain this to me. Because its uber frustrating.

Shannon's making this skirt (BWOF 1/09 #132) and I'd really like one too. Wonder if she'd just go ahead and make it for me? Too bad her bum is more than a smidge smaller than mine.Drat her.


I would have never noticed this skirt if she hadn't pointed it out. The lines are adorable though, and it will definitely go into the "when I have more mojo" pile of to-do's.

For now, my future husband's biceps are calling, so I gotta run.