Another couple pieces...

I wanted to show off the last two pieces of clothing I had made pre-crazy-decision. I will show off new pieces on hangers instead of on me so it will be interesting to see my portraits every day through the month! Last summer I made a cute little tank top and I'm not sure why I never posted it on here:

It is made from a vintage pillowcase I had in my stash for a long time. I even left the old pillowcase care tag inside the shirt for giggles. I love the colors and the pattern, and while the fit is not the most perfectly flattering kind for my body shape, it is hands-down one of the most comfortable tops I have. I made it using a tutorial over on Betz White's blog, so thanks to her for sharing it. Her blog is full of a million wonderful ideas and she is all about using recycled materials, so if you have not seen it yet go check it out and get inspired!

And the last piece of clothing I have had finished for a bit is my crazy 1950's skirt:

This came out slightly different than I had envisioned it, but I am still pretty pleased. My friend Ivy from the stitch & bitch group is a fabric sales rep and is always bringing us fabric samples and such, which is so awesome! And one day she came in with a big bag of off-cuts from a woman around here who makes dresses. All the fabrics were amazing, and I snatched up a bunch of them. I was looking at their shape and I realized that they were the perfect dimensions to be skirt panels, so I sewed them all together just as they were, then I made a placket and waistband out of some vintage red velvet. I was hoping to have the skirt sit at my hips, but somewhere along the way I mixed up my measurements and the waistband ended up coming out too small, but it was fortuitous in a way because the design of the skirt, apart from the loud fabric, is decidedly 1950's, so wearing it at my natural waist and having the hem fall between my calf and my ankle is spot-on for the style. I know I could have ripped out the waistband and redone it, but I did not have much velvet left and it is precious because it is so old. So I just went with it, made some button holes and sewed on some vintage buttons and there you go, I will look like a 50's housewife who was punked by modern artists, and I like that ^_^.

I guess now I really have to start working hard on the necessary pieces I am still missing before May gets here. I really need a simple white button-down top to wear with that loud skirt... Also, I have been toying with the idea of sewing undergarments and even making shoes. I found a tutorial for how to make sneakers out of old jeans and an old tire on the Craft Magazine blog, here. And I happen to know where I can easily get an old tire, and I have one other pair of jeans from Dennis that are ripped in such a way that I cannot make them into pants for me but there is still a lot of usable fabric. Hmm... I better not get ahead of myself. I will do clothes first, but if things go well, who knows...