s e w : o r a n g e y

Hey there gang! Today I thought I'd share with you my first sewing project for the summer. I picked up this little 1950's sundress about a month ago, and figured it was the perfect thing to celebrate Andrew and I's two year anniversary in! It's a nice cotton summer dress that was just a size or two big on me, so I figured it wouldn't be too hard to take it in. 

At first glance I felt like it would be a piece of cake, but after I examined how it laid on me, I realized that more than one seam had to be re-cut. I needed to take in 1in from the shoulder seams, roughly 1in from the under arm seams, re-center the back buckle, take on the pleats on each side of the skirt, shorten the sleeves, and hem the bottom.. yikes! It was definatly more work than I originally thought.

 Since I had my work cut out for me, tried to get hopping on it! With alittle help from mom, I measured out how much to take in where and started marking, pinning, opening, and sewing. (My little pin cushion started to look like a forest of needles from all of the pinning I had to do!)

 One thing that I love about working on vintage garments is the little details that you have to pay attention to. The way that the sleeves and hemline of the dress were sewn in were very characteristic of that time. They used to use ribbons to sew onto the edges of your garment so it would not start to unravel or fray (this was a standard way of closing cuffs and the bottoms or pants or dresses). So instead of using the modern methods (like using a serge machine to sew up the edges), I made a point to sew the ribbons back on to ensure that the dress would only be slightly altered. (I also used pinking scissors to cut the seams on the inside of the garment - another way for stopping the fabric from fraying from that time period.) Whenever I alter a vintage garment, I try to keep the methods and materials authentic!

So here's the finished result!!

I was thrilled to get to wear the little orange hat I featured in the last blog post with my newly altered dress and a pair of vintage sandals that I recently thrifted. It all matched perfectly :]

So on our anniversary date night, we took a little walk in a park and got some cocktails at our favorite bar before dinner. It was definatly a great way to spend some time enjoying each other's company!

And I couldn't help but take a few extra photos of my favorite little hat. Its so hard to find the netting un-torn in old hats - I got really lucky with this one!

 After an evening of tasty food and drink, we dallied back to Andrew's house where a bunch of friends came over and we projected some movies on their outdoor movie screen. Definatly the best way to end a night!

project time: 7hrs
snack breaks: does dinner and breakfast count?
price of dress: $8
number of time being pokes by needles: 100's

So stay tuned - I have endless projects in my pile of goodies! Ta ta for now :]

onward and upward

Hello friends! I'm finally back from my reclusive state (I survived college hooray!) haha. Now that I can start my sewing projects up again, I just have to sort through all of the goodies I've found and figure out which ones to do first. 

My sewing table (shown bellow) started to house all kinds of projects - from repairing a pair of beaded rain boots, to extra ribbons and strings that I had used for design projects. I had been a busy bee these past few months!

Here are a few of my favorite finds that I've gotten recently :} The suitcase was from an estate sale "basement excursion" that I tidied up, the hats were found on two separate thrifting occasions, and the camera was a recent find that I'm super excited to use.

The matching necklace and earrings were a graduation gift from my good friend Ryan, who is not only a talented jewelry maker himself, but a swell antique finder as well! He nabbed these pretties for me and I've been squealing over them ever since.

This honey is an old 35mm film 'Argus' camera. I have a nice digital SLR that I've been working with for years and I wanted to try getting into film. So I'm quite excited (and quite nervous) to see how my first roll will turn out!

And lastly I'll leave you with a quick snippet of a few garments that I plan to fix/alter/display soon. The beaded blue dress you already know, but the others are new to this blog!

I'm so thankful for everything that's been happening this year - I'm thrilled to be graduated, and I'm blessed to have so much support of my friends and family through all of the rocky climbs and turbulent times! Thanks everyone :]

Get ready gang! Pins + Needles is on the roll again!!

(p.s. if you want to check out some of the design projects I've been working on, go to my dribbble page! I have definatly been a busy bee.)

a little bit of time

Hello gang, I just thought I'd make a quick check in post to let you know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. In fact, I've been so extremely busy with finishing up this last semester that I assure you that I still have a pulse. (a heightened pulse from running all over the place - but still a pulse!)

( I posed for a quick snap with my little seafoam green winding clock to show off my newly colored hair. I think this shade is my favorite thus far!! )

I want to apologize for not posting anything in a while. I have alot of sewing projects to do but with graduation quickly approaching, I find myself with less time then I wish I had. So hang in there! I will resume more blog posting when this whole ordeal is over :] If you want to see some of the projects I've been working on, check out my newly planted landing page where you can find my personal tumblr and my dribbble shots.

ta ta until then!!

coral pink & fox red

Top of the morning to you, dear readers! Today I have my finished nightgown to show you - and a few victorious hair photos :]

At a clothing swap in the fall, I obtained this wonderful little nightgown - but since it was a very thin "summery" thing, I wasn't in a huge hurry to do the alterations. It seemed to fit nicely for the most part, except for the width. It definatly needed some taking in on the sides!

I decided to take in 3in on each side but keep the length because it would be more comfortable longer. I also was excited to use my zig-zag stitch - a stitch that would work well with the stretchy pink material.  I played around with the width and frequency of the stitch on some scrap material until I got the settings just right. Its always important to adjust your stitch the the material that your working with.

So after a few snack breaks and multiple record flips, the nighty was sewn! And having the evening to myself, I practiced making victory curls in my hair. It was alot of work, but I did it! I always wanted to do them but my hair wasn't long enough, until now!!

I felt so regal in my new do and couldn't help taking some dramatic pictures in it :] I even brought out my red fox fur to pose with! I think I had alittle too much fun haha..

Well I hope to start working on my next project in a couple weeks when my weekend class is over and I have a bit more free time. Meanwhile I want to show you some goodies I found, and take some outdoor photos because the weather has been so nice! And as a matter of fact, I am going to be in Detroit this week, so I'd love to show you my adventures there. 

So ta ta for now :]

Grace Marie

f i n a l y : s e w n

Hello there gang! Its finally spring break and I have a chance to do some posts. Here is the finished green skirt - and the green earrings that I featured last time!

So, I have a story to tell you. When I originally finished the skirt I wore it out to Dakota Inn, a german bar in Detroit, and before the polka band started playing.. my skirt ripped. The notorious back seam started a slow accent from my knees to my toosh! Once again I found myself in an awkward predicament. With a lucky save from my friend Julie, I quickly scattered off to the bathroom with two safety pins when "POP"... the hook from my clasp snapped off! So there I was, in the bathroom with a feisty skirt falling apart in public. Oh no!

I don't know how I would have made it through the night without Julie - once again she came to my rescue, this time bearing a needle and thread. I think I learned my lesson: always carry a repair kit because you never know what's going to happen!

So here is the re-mended skirt - this time I gave it a larger slit in the back and went over the seam twice.

What I really love about this skirt is that it can be easily dressed up or down. Here is how I wore it out today doing errands!

Another fun find I made since the last post was three beautifully designed records. I found them at my favorite antique store in Royal Oak. On that fateful friday, my mother and I went out to check out a fabric store in that area, searching for materials to make my 1957 dress out of. We stopped by to take a look and I picked up these beauties for a handful of change. (I'm so glad I did!) I adore the simplistic designs and smart use of color :] 

The "Russian Fantasy" one reminds me of my favorite designer, Javier Garcia's "Hail to the King"illustration.

And on a new and exciting note: I just printed my first official business cards - I really had fun designing them. I bought my domain name, but still need to finish designing my website. I hope you'll look forward to it's completion!

So thats it for now gang - I just started altering the pink nightgown and will finish it up by the end of the week :]
Ta ta for now,
Grace Marie

s e w : g r e e n

Hello there! Im back again with another post - and this time I squeezed in a quick project that I haven't mentioned before. I found this gorgeous green skirt at a second hand store, and I couldn't resist spending a few nickels and dimes on it. It was made by a seamstress with moderate experience who never ended up cutting the zipper to its needed length and who - apparently was a wild dancer like me - because the back seam was ripped from bottom to top!

So seeing how all I had to do was repair the back, hem the bottom to a suitable length, and cut the zipper, I figured it would be a quick fix! I was so excited to wear my new skirt and I originally didn't plan blog about it - but after trimming off 6in in length, my better judgement won and I started documenting my mini project.

** sorry gang! this "before" photo is after I cut off some material. It was ghastly long and was just too much green for one outfit to handle! But in this photo, the skirt is still not hemmed to it's correct length yet.**

I also am excited to introduce my sewing machine to you! I have been working on my mother's many machines up until now - because my machine was hidden in the dark and cold basement (which is not a nice working environment). So I gave it a spit shine and re-located it upstairs where it's warmer and I can get better aquatinted with it. It is a little japanese made machine by DeLuxe - with a "Dress Maker" logo on it. 

My mom made a little pin cushion when I first started sewing over 2 years ago, and it sits on top of my machine. She has a big lumpy red one that sits on her machine too - in the same spot :]

So after I cut the extra material away, I had to decide how long I actually wanted to keep the skirt.. decision - decisions! I decided to take the length up 2in and leave a 3in slit in the back for movement. 

Part of my purpose for this "green" post was to show you my newly thrifted green skirt - but the other reason was to make a point which I feel is my duty to make.

Many people have asked me,"why vintage? what's the big deal?" when it comes to my personal style and things I like. I'm actually glad when people ask me such questions because it gives me a chance to show them the reasons why these things are important to me. Now I'm sure for some people, "vintage" is just a trendy thing or a word to throw around be "hip". That is not why I like vintage clothing and antiques. That is not why I go thrifting. And to keep things clear, I'm not saying that I am right and others are wrong, I am just saying that vintage clothing and accessories can be many things to many people - but here is what it is to me.

Going to second hand stores is like treasure hunting to me - you never know what goodies are hidden, or what items you will find! I believe the sayings "One man's trash is another man's treasure", and "The more time you spend looking for something, the better it is when you find it" apply quite well :] Second hand stores, vintage & antique shops, and flea markets provide an array of items to choose from - and most of the things I find are completely unique! I rarely find another girl wearing the same dress, or another friend owning the same chair. Its a boundless resource of inspiration!

Another reason why I value vintage clothing is because they were made better! Most of todays clothing is made with cheap fabrics that pill up, tear, or are made for a couple months use and then thrown away. These garments were not made to last, nor were they created to be altered to fit you personally. And what's most shocking of all, is that most of today's clothing is designed to look good on a hanger - not on your body. They rely on the consumer's mentality to grab it off the hanger and purchase it without even trying it on. Thats really nuts :O 

Consumers in the past demanded better quality and got it! I think people used to be alot "greener" with their clothing because their clothes were meant to last. They bought garments that would be taken to a seamstress to be altered to fit them - to their own bodies! (Thats why alot of vintage clothing has wide seams and looks awkward on hangers. Its because you're meant to wear it, and keep wearing it!) I personally can attest to this - I have a gorgeous 1950's evening dress that doesn't look like much when its sitting in my closet, but when I put it on and straighten my posture - it lays on me like a dream :] Vintage clothing tends to make me look and feel my best while lasting for many years to come!

But my favorite reason for wearing vintage and collecting antiques is that it sends me back in time. I am a modern day time traveller!! 

My work as a graphic designer is also inspired from the past. I have been asked why I repeat some of the same elements that were characteristic of its own time, and why it applies today. My answer is that I believe that some things from the past are needed again today. I think many of the points that designers tried to drive home in "yesteryear" still apply - any many of them are lessons we need to re-learn. So in order to create a better future, designers need to think about what the world needs, and answer it for the good of all mankind! 

P H E W ! ! ! I hope I didn't rattle on too much :} Here are a few other green goodies that I found.

The earrings are a recent purchase, and the sweater is something I've been trying to find things to wear with. Perhaps I could wear them both together with that greeeeen skirt?.. too much green?.. I think so too. I promise to snap a photo of the finished skirt for my next post.

Project time: 2ish hrs 

Snack times: 2 (including dinner)

Cost: $3

Time wasted ranting: too long.

I hope you'll look forward to my next project: the pink nightgown!

well ta ta for now :]