in a blue mood and loving it

ooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOH!!!  I AM SO HAPPY WITH THIS DRESS!!!

I'm not lying to you when I say I sang songs to this dress. I cooed and petted it. Diane Reeves and I serenaded it many an evening. The three of us harmonize quite well together, if I do say so myself.

When she is quiet (or, at least, as quiet as this print can be) she looks like this. But when she gets frisky...

PEEP SHOW YO!

I adore this panel print. She is silk. She is Anna Sui. She is from Mood, los angeles locale, I haven't been able to find her online, but she's still available there. I defy you to stand in front of the Anna Sui section there and not choose something. DEFY.

I first spied this delicacy rolled up in the remnants box. Misha (my mood LA muse) happily unrolled it for me, then, upon seeing my dismay at the lone panel, pointed me to the actual bolt. I walked out with 4 yards (16 dollas a yard!) and another 6 yards of feathers.

Yes, feathers. The feathers did not make it to their final destination of le hem. I was vehemently voted down, several times. More on that to come.

And she is completely draped!  had 4 yards.  hat equaled 4 panels.  My remnant amputee panel was lonely, so after a good swig of courage (whiskey), I sliced the remaining 3 panels into separate squares, then box pleated each square once to hide the smaller design. The middle of each pleat became center front, side seams, and center back zipper (a slash zipper insertion right down the middle of the box pleat). I sewed the 4 pleats down to about mid hip level. Each panel was then reattached, making pretty much a large tube, which I then took in until I had the shape I wanted. Makadesense? No? I could whip up some drawings if you desire...

the side seams open and close at will as well.

And the panels ended up to be just right for my desired length. Well, I mean, there were supposed to be 5 inch long feathers which would have made it floor length...  but apparently that would have made the dress "tacky". Again, evidence and arguments to come.  However, I could not be stopped from using a leatherish bias tape along the neckline (which you can see in the first shot).  

I don't know how to end this post. All I can think to do is holler THIS DRESS ROCKS AND I AM A GOLDEN GOD but somehow that has an air of pomposity to it. That said, this dress rocks and I am a golden god. 'kbye!

this creation was made using my monthly fabric "allowance" as part of the Mood Sewing Network.

momballoona up next!

take pictures in seattle, my mom said during our birthday chat this morning.  so, most colorful of august birthday celebrants, whom all flowers flock to, here is our first seattle picture... a birthday bloom for you!  i studied this very rose during our cross country call, a perfect technicolor flower for a perfect technicolor mom.  

HAPPIEST OF COLOR FILLED BIRTHDAYS MOMBALLOONA!!!

if only we weren't on the lam again

i feel a bit like your kalkatroonaan cruise director, what with the gentle nudges towards maps of the world and online jazz concerts (which was BRILLIANT), but peeps, if you're in the city of angels, i haz your friday night planned.  did you know crafted of los angeles will be throwing an etsy shindig?  these are the same gals frolicking at promaballoona in purple tulle, eighties floral, and a soupcon of tres chic black and white.  they know how to party.  if you're in town, take my advice and head for the nail bar, then beeline to the wine showcase.  sipping wine while the paint dries?  that's just good planning.  rsvp right here!

me?  oh yes, i'll be in town... in front of several suitcases, trying to figure out how to fit seven months of living into four bags.  we're slipping out in the wee hours of saturday morning to our next hideout stop, seattle.  seattle, baby!  and none too soon.  it's actually grown toxic here.  first, nature attacked, in some wild new pollen heretofore foreign to us.  five minutes of fresh air and we're both coughing and hacking like we just returned from silkwood.  this is not right.  flowers love me.  then... food began to attack.  shellfish took ruggy, mozzarella felled me.

this is most definitely not right.  CHEESE LOVES ME LIKE FOR REAL, YO.

i can only assume we are being singled out by the very soil we walk upon. i have come to the conclusion there are two possible reasons for this unprovoked aggression:

1.  we have been partying / entertaining for three weeks straight and it's catching up with us.

2.  los angeles has had enough of us and wants us to get the hell out.

i do believe i'll go with número dos, as we show no signs of calling it quits on the partying.  cool, LA, we catch your drift, it ain't no thang.  seattle calls!  i know you lovely peeps have some cruise directing of your own to do! anything we shouldn't miss?  anything we shouldn't drink?

(just kidding, we're going to drink EVERYTHING.  including the rye whiskey we're packing.  godsakes, never leave a man behind.)

in mere moments

...tootie heath, ben street and ethan iverson will take the stage at village vanguard.  lucky listeners with access to NPR online can join them virtually.

you might remember ethan from this heated conversation about women and clothing.  just wait till you hear how this absolute gentleman talks with a piano.

ruggy's made manhattans for us transplanted new yorkers, naturally.  cheers!

happy birthday to a most curious man

around this hour, in his part of the globe, i imagine my father is sipping high west double rye, neat, and furthering one of his many talents (he is already accomplished in the drink, i'm talking practicing scales and building computers).  i would say my father knows something about everything there is in the world.  and i would not be lying.  some things a pinch, some things a metric ton, but some thing about every thing.  so, to a very curious and learned man, i offer up the magical maps of eric fisher via his flickr photostream... he's cataloged the differences between cities round the world, including new york and los angeles.

a map of locals and tourists: new york vs la

red dots = pictures taken by tourists

blue dots = pictures taken by locals

yellow dots = pictures taken by others

a map of race and ethnicity: new york vs la

red dots = white peeps

blue dots = black peeps

green = asian peeps 

orange = hispanic peeps

yellow = other peeps (possibly kalkatroonaans)

all photos by eric fisher, who has many more locales from around this big beautiful globe in his flickr sets, where you can scroll over the images and find landmarks.  race and ethnicity here, locals and tourists here.  go find your hometown!  and happy birthday big daddy... can't wait to be a yellow dot with a blue camera in new york with you!

the after party

so.  many.  beautiful.  peeps.  my head is still spinning from the party.  i have limited words but overflowing cups, of both happiness and rye whiskey...

kissing at prom!!!! EEEEK! where the hell was the chaperone?!  don't sleep on that polyester three piece tigress' beau donned.  and how about vintage clad ruth's steve... the only guest to walk away from the booze long enough to make a yellow corsage.  kelsey doesn't dance, apparently, but she does wear technicolor tulle.

i adore that shot of KC and amity in the middle!  KC finished her dress minutes before her entrance, and amity dyed her houndstooth to a shocking pink.  they are flanked by angela (self drafted lace dress), latrice (HAWT maxi!) and cath (check out that smocking).  i must have had booze on my mind when i put these together, as the bread in this photo sandwich brought me alcohol of three kinds.  YOU KNOW ME SO WELL.

and that lovely gal in white, the other KC, brought me a ring sized pincushion, you're gonna die when i show you! (oh, yes, kelsey does dance, but maybe only with the gals of make shop live).  nhi sported a gorgeous lacy green and was quite helpful in tiara placement.

the lovely ladies of Sew LA.  devon, christine (in another perfect peony), shaerie, and haley.  you freaking goddesses.  the brat in the middle is wearing a christine haynes pattern, dontcha know...

we were able to coax the gods of the party into a little posing.

my forever prom king, who, when asked should we vote for prom queen?  immediately said NO.  EVERYONE should be prom queen.  and so it was decided.  multicolored tiaras for everyone.  i'll say it again.  What.  A.  MAN.

sandra & jill, in white, red and black, rocked the hell out of those glow stick necklaces.  rachel, in the black dress avec white collar, told me her gown was made out of a bomber jacket.  WHAT?! 

princess leah in the house, in three kinds of green silk!   

see that gorgeous gal clad in silk, holding a flame waaaaay too close to my polyester?  that's the heavenly haley. not only did she make her dress... she made the spiked sherbet punch as well.  and she haz some sort of magical powers, as she surprised me with the most perfect oona sized birthday cake in the world: pink snow ball.

miss make and her beau naturally took the best prom pictures, and were immediately crowned the most bitchy popular couple of the night.  nothing could be further from the truth.  THEY WERE SO UNPOPULAR.  i still ate all her m&m chip cookies, though.

what's that?  you came to the party virtually and didn't get a prom picture?  way?  NO way!  you totally did!

never in my wildest dreams would i have imagined inventing a birthday prom and spending the evening with a room full of virtual strangers... and adoring every minute of it.  it bears repeating: thank you again, and again. 

among the party guests: 

kc, angie, le tigress, christine, miss make, amity, jill, nhi, sandra, kelso, trice, the make shop live slash crafted la crew,

the virtual princesses:

diana & me, mokosha, cation designs, angie a, renaissance bombshell, codos on the windowsills, puu, meg & grand aldi, the slow steady family, majella, wanett, daughter fish, taran, vicki and obviously underaged princess, symon, sew classic, and the girl with the star spangled heart (who almost made it IRL!).

picture credits: princess leah, miss make, and many wobbly iphones.hop over to sew LA's facebook page for more photos!

you would think i landed on mars

it is my actual birthday, and i'm surrounded by approximately six thousand balloons in three different shades of pink, a surprise from ruggy.  this was a hard won surprise, as the mall he went to had put a ban on balloons.  no lie.  i laughed in shock.  who does that?  the grinch who stole hallmark...

but my ruggy would not be defeated!  he has the lungs of adonis!  and no grinch could put a damper on this day, as i'm still grinning from last night's prom at sew LA.  thank you all, ever so very head-to-toe much, for coming out and celebrating with me, in all manners of reality.  Best.  Prom.  EVER.

evidence on that to come!  but now, i'm going to spend some birthday time with my greek god, and have a little hair of the dog.  how fortunate that several lovely ladies supplied me with several lovely bottles...

a thousand thank you's, a million merci's... the sewing blogisphere rocks the known and unknown universe!

LAST STOP Y'ALL... get in the limo: debi!!!

y'all, we almost didn't make it to our last guest.  i thought she might be too busy to take a ride (and to be honest, this is One Busy Lady), but when i saw meg's beaming face in the virtual limo i knew we had to get to edinburgh and entice the ever lovely debi, of my happy sewing place, to jump in the cooper.  i think we can all agree, she makes the sewing blogisphere a very happy place indeed.  and let's not forget david, who i can only imagine will be giving ruggy a run for his money at this year's oscars.  (you may notice i've gone ahead and awarded ruggy a crown early.  he deserves it for all that driving.  rob, you best step up those sewing skillz if you hope to compete.)  woohoo debi!  get in the limo, and bring debonair david with you!!!

I'm super excited that Oona asked me to contribute to her party extravaganza!  And I have to say that at our next meet-up we should totally get a limo and then pick up all these lovely ladies (and gents) and so many more! How fun would that be??

Let's start with a bit of background on little Debi. As a child, I loved dressing up and I loved vintage fashion.  I would play for hours with paper dolls (the 1930s hollywood ones and the international paper dolls were my favourites).  It's weird because I now see so many parallels with my current love of sewing.  So, as you can imagine, any event that requires dressing up would have thrilled my little heart.

Moving onto little high school Debi...I was very studious, very shy and somewhat naive but once I made friends, they were friends for life.  I had so many interests and felt that all things were possible.  I saw no reason why I couldn't be the President of the Future Homemakers of America and also be in the Future Business Leaders of America clubs.  I'd never had a boyfriend (until senior year) and the entire scope of my universe was my hometown.....that is,until her junior year of high school.

I had been asked by a boy to go to junior prom.  He was very socially awkward and I really didn't enjoy hanging out with him but since there weren't really any boys in my life at that point, I agreed to go with him.  I bought a dress that I adored--the type of dress that says 'I am going to a ball!'  Not two days before the prom, this boy says he doesn't want to go.  HE STOOD ME UP!  Who does that???  I can't say I wasn't relieved but what was I going to do?

This is where Annika comes into the picture... but first a bit of backstory.  I started taking German my sophomore year in high school and I loved it.  Our high school participated in an informal exchange with a sister high school in Germany.  One day, my german teacher says that there are three german students that will be coming to our high school for a semester and she wondered if any of us wanted to host them.  My hand shot up in the air (I should mention that this is before actually talking to my parents....god bless teenagers....).  Well, somehow my strategy worked.  I told my parents what the teacher proposed and they thought about, talked about it...and I was waiting on edge for their answer...and they said yes--we could host an exchange student for six months!  I felt a little like Anne Shirley did with Diana--I just knew we would be kindred spirits. 

During the second semester of my junior year, Annika arrived to stay with us.  We were best friends the instant we met.  We had so much fun together.  In fact, not more than a week into her stay with us, she suggested that I come to Germany to stay with her family for a semester (which I did my senior year).  All of a sudden, my little world opened up.  I enjoyed spending time with Annika and the two other German students and learning about their experiences growing up, what their high school was like and just their whole way of looking at the world.

So when prom rolled around, the other two german students decided to go together (as friends) which left Annika without a date.  So you can see how my potential prom disaster turned into a much better night after all. Annika and I decided to go together and just enjoy the prom--dancing with our friends and dressing up!

And enjoy it we did....I had a blast...I then went on to stay with Annika and her family and that's when I first fell in love with Europe.  There were no proms, but there was a lot of disco dancing ;-)  I still keep in touch with Annika and my host family and that joyous feeling of exploring new cultures and traveling has never left me!

Fast forward to today and how I still love to dress up!  Luckily, I now have the perfect prom partner for life.  We recently attended a graduation ball and it was really fun to be back in a prom experience but as adults! 

OKAY Y'ALL!  if that wasn't an uplifting tale to end on, i don't know what is!  what an Awesome. Freaking.  Ride. i can't thank you lovely ladies (and gents) enough for joining us in the cooper.  


are you partying with us virtually?  holler at me with a link so we don't miss you in the wrap up!  now, between tonight's Sew LA shindig and my actual day du birth tomorrow, i'm guessing you'll have a little extra time to get those links & pics in.  


we're pulling up to promaballoona now... i can see the twinkling lights and smell the booze... cheers, peeps everywhere!

get in the limo: daughter fish!

you KNOW i'm wearing a tiara tonight... are you attending?  you just might get one too....

woooEEE, it's good to be back on the east coast, even if it's virtually!  it's time to grab my homegirl christine of daughter fish.  when i read her first ever post, i said something like PLEASE DON'T STOP POSTING.  luckily for all of us, she didn't.   and even more lucky for moi, we've stomped, drunk, and eaten around new york together many times and solemnly swear to do so again... but for now, get in this virtual ride, mizz fish!

Happy birthday, Oona! For this promaballoona extravaganza I racked my brain trying to remember what the heck happened at my prom. You see, large chunks of the evening seem to be missing from my memory. I figured this must be the inevitable result of time passing. After all, if it weren’t for Facebook, I probably wouldn’t remember what 95 percent of my high school peers looked like. 

But then, I found this:

My mom made my dress, I do remember that much. It was silk and I vaguely remember spilling something on it at dinner. I don’t know where my date’s face went, though. Pictures also prove that I wore this dress to Homecoming. 

I expected these pictures to bring a flood of warm, feel-good high school memories. But still, nothing came. Curious, I dug out my high school journal, and discovered a major clue to the memory loss. I’ll save you from the long, unedited version. Here, just an excerpt.

5-11-96

10:09 p.m.

Last night at this time I was at my last high school prom….we had a big party afterwards, at a beach house we all chipped in to rent. There was a lot of alcohol and I drank far too much. I had a grand old time from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m., then I was puking and put to bed. I got pretty wild and now have whiplash! I even woke up drunk.

Me in my new prom dress. It's vintage, which was sort of my style in high school. And, of course, I'm drinking (while reading my journal).

A grand old time? Whiplash? Really? I sounded like a geriatric alcoholic. I began to consider whether, perhaps, I had had a problem in high school. Then it dawned on me that this journal excerpt sounds suspiciously like my wedding reception. Whiplash? Check! Puking the next morning? You betcha! Only hazy memories of the party? Absolutely! No, I don’t have a problem. It’s just, when I go big, I GO BIG!

So Oona, be warned. When you’re back east side of the continent, we’ve got to go big for your birthday! Can you handle it?

YOU KNOW IT.  can we skip the whiplash part though?  'kthnxseeyouinamonth!!!!!  

we've got one more globetrotter to pick up before this pink party pops up at its promaballoona destination... see you there IRL as the kids say, and if you're celebrating virtually be sure to document and shoot me a link of YOUR party, the wrapup limo is being waxed as we speak..............................................................................
come back tonight for the very last and FABULOUS installment in this cruise down memory lane!   

get in the limo: lady katza!

those fiesty redheads.  they're tipping the scales in the cooper, and lady katza of peanut butter macrame is about to bring the house down with some booty shakin'.  LOOK OUT.  get in the limo, lady, and tell us about PAYBACK!

The Revenge Prom

Some of you may have guessed that I'm not normal.  I don't fit in with the crowd, period.  The only high school prom I went to while I was in high school was my Senior Prom.  I went with my boyfriend and my best friend/soul sister. Here's me and Veronika at MY Senior Prom. 

(This is a great photo of me, and a bad one of her.  She's an actress in Germany now and is amazingly attractive. )

Notice I said "while I was in high school".  Yes, that's right.  I WENT BACK!  See, my boyfriend at the time was a year younger than me and I went back with him to HIS high school prom.  Our relationship was pretty rocky at this point because I'd all but moved out and had hit the magic 18 and was able to get into a lot of the Goth clubs.  And I started working Renaissance festivals and otherwise doing a lot of things you do when coming of age.  The biggest revelation of all was that I was attractive.

Yup. Attractive. I was CONVINCED all through K-12 that I was the Ugly Duckling, that I was fat (HA!) and my pale skin and reddish hair made me undesirable.  Upon moving to Georgia, one of the biggest contributors to this was some Varsity hotshot named Tripp.  My soul sister, Veronika, called him Cro-Magnon man.  Which, in retrospect, he totally was.  The top of his head was flat from ramming it into other men in tight pants and padding, but I digress.  He's important later in this story. 

So, in any case, the beau asked me to go to his Senior Prom and I had just spotted THE MOST AMAZING DRESS EVER!  But it had to be special ordered, and after batting my eyelashes at Dad, he agreed to buy it for me. I still have this dress hanging in my closet.  It was worn by one of my good friend's daughters, who is openly homosexual, and on Homecoming Court.  Which is why its the Magical Dress that will never be given away.  

It took me a while to find some photos, but this is what I dug up:

(Please to be noticing the computer.  Yes, even then I was Total Geek.)

The beau wore a matching vest.  We looked Fabulous!  And it was at this point in my life was finally convinced that I could stop traffic. It was that sort of confidence that I went back to High School Prom.  And I got one of the girl's at the Renaissance Festival to do my hair. 

Much of the rest of it was a blur.  I know that me and the beau started to fight, but I was mostly ignoring it because there was music and a dance floor.  I've always loved to get down and had been having a blast at the different Goth clubs on the 18+ nights.  I kicked off my shoes and started to drop it like its hot. 

And that's when I got the attention of the Varsity boys.  Suddenly I found myself in one of those dance circles shaking my tail feather while everyone cheered me on. Kinda like Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion.  And wouldn't you know it, Mr. Flat Head Tripp himself came out to the middle of the circle and tried to do the bump'n'grind with me.  WITH ME!!!  He didn't even know who I was.  What did I do?  I stopped dancing, turned around, put my hand in his face and walked away.  Everyone watching started laughing at him.

Best. Prom. Ever.  I don't have to remember the rest of it because THAT was worth everything else.  

turn up the music, ruggy, and lady, be good!  we're speeding back to our 'hood, our east coast 'hood, that is, for another virtual pickup in the morning.  and i have a feeling she'll be awake and partying when we get there...

get in the limo: my sis mokosha!

working up a few extra frills for my promaballoona dress...

meet my sister from another mister, mokosha.  i've lost track of how many times we've inspired each other.  in fact, i've outrighted copied her style.  i'll read her posts and finish the ends of her sentences before reading the end of them.  i'm certain we would have happily shared one closet growing up, one bookshelf, and one very well stocked bar cart.  it was a long drive to get to you, sis, but worth every mile... grab a drink and get in the limo!

so, here i am

beer in a hand

reasonably awake 

let's ride promballoona limo :)

..

my prom party no.1:

i'm 14 years old

my country is called yugoslavia

my hair is so short i'm almost bald

i wear maxi hippie dress that i designed 

(and had an old lady sew it for me)

and i'm spending entire night outside 

drinking beers and smoking

..

my prom party no. 2:

i'm 18 years old

my country is still called yugoslavia

(or maybe it's serbia and montenegro this time

i can't remember and am too lazy to google it)

my hair is a bit longer this time

i wear a maxi skirt and v neck blouse that i designed

(and had a friend's mom sew it for me)

no need to spend time outside

as we are over 18, and therefore allowed to drink alcohol

and smoke 

..

my prom party no. 3

aka my reunion party no. 1:

i'm 24 years old

who knows what's my country called

everyone lost their track..

i have a bob cut, and hair dyed fluorescent red

i wear black poofy halter dress with tulle petticoat

and all my girl friends are pregnant

meaning i'm the only one drinking 

and boy do i take that seriously..

i quit smoking some time ago

(some pics from the night prove me wrong though)

..

my prom party no. 4

aka my reunion party no. 2:

i'm 28 years old

my country is called serbia (for now)

i decided that i feel like a redhead

so i stick to it (just keep it natural, 'cause i'm a grown up now, right)

i wear the dress from these photos

one that i made myself

i even manage to walk in my huge platforms ('cause i'm a grown up, you know)

and dance and run and jump

and drink vodka like middle aged russian carpenter (how very grown up too)

and party and afterparty and watch the sunrise

..

my prom party no. 5:

i'm 29 years old

i live in a country called kalkatroona

i have a bad hair day

but i don't give a fuck

cause my dress is awesome

and i'm channeling my inner holly golightly

and my sister oona (the awesomest of all the sisters)  is going to pick me up with limo

and we're off to see the wizard 

the wonderful wizard of oz..

..

mokosha

sis, i'm pretty sure i'm never letting you out of this limo.

if you're coming to promaballoona virtually, remember to share your links with me this weekend for a big wrapup prom party here!  and meet us back in kalkatroona this evening for drinks and another redhead...

get in the limo: EVEN IF IT'S A STRUGGLE!

if you've laughed along with leah of struggle sews a straight seam as much as i have, you know her creative process can be... strugglesome.  her entrance into the limo was no different.  peeps, she got straight into the trunk.  i have no idea why.  i invite you to use those great big beautiful brains of yours and envision this pictureless post!  ooh, it's like a radio tale....

I just spent ten minutes scouring for photos and of course I have not a one. Sigh. Life is the worst sometimes....

Okay, so here is my story. Given that I'm at the back of the limo I feel like I should discuss AFTERprom, but I promise to keep it clean....

My prom wasn't exactly the fulfillment of all my deepest childhood fantasies, but it wasn't the worst thing ever, either. I went with a good friend of mine from Latin class (because cool kids take latin. Arms and the man and all that. Trust me on this one. Cool kids can decline and talk about pluperfect and all that mess because once you get past the grammar and the Vatican jokes you get to read Catullus and Catullus is awesome and dirty and hilarious. Cool kids study latin. Tell your friends. And at least I'm prepared if I'm ever transported back in time to the Roman empire, which is more then most people can say....). Anyway, my prom date, let's call him Claudius (because, well, Latin), was a friend who had literally no interest in me romantically, but that didn't matter, I still wore an awesome dress. I did not make said dress, because I didn't sew then, but I bought it from a boutique and it was like that dress Marilyn Monroe wore in The Seven Year Itch but in red. RED. I was one daring 17 year old...

So anyway, in my dress (would that I had a photo!) and my corsage (white, because it goes with everything, and before you ask he was a perfect gentleman and called me up to ask the color of the dress because he was raised correctly, well done Claudius), I was pretty hot, if I do say so myself. Much good it did me. I got less action on prom then a movie theater that only screens adaptations of Nicholas Sparks novels. But that was okay, our prom was in a nice hotel, I whirled around alone on the dance floor with my red dress and my hair all done up (I got to go to a hair dresser! What? Yes, and I got a manicure and a pedicure, my mom sure went all out for something she thought, and still thinks, is awfully silly). So if it wasn't MAGICAL then at least it was fun enough.

And then came the after prom. I had heard a lot about after prom from my older brother. I expected a night of debauchery, delights, and even maybe someone getting handsie. Yeah. None of that happens...we did the afterprom party at a a hotel down in Atlantic City. Claudius had, by this point, disappeared, he wasn't much of a partier. Neither was I, really, but this was a chance to cut lose, go nuts, do shots of something sweet and make some bad decisions! Yeah, not going to happen. For one thing, the hotel didn't have heating. And it was April. In New Jersey. It wasn't warm by any stretch of the imagination. I spent the evening wandering around in search of something decent to drink (even then I didn't drink beer) and someone interesting to talk to. Neither ever surfaced, and I huddled in one of the rooms we had paid a small fortune for, wishing I had brought more layers. Prom movies really don't prepare you very well for reality, now, do they?

Still, I went, I saw, and if I didn't exactly conquer then at least I didn't do anything really dumb. And I looked AWESOME. But you will just have to trust me on that one. 

i DO trust you, miss struggle, and if y'all need evidence, i present to you exhibits A, B, and C.  what about you? did you sacrifice comfort for fashion at your big teen night?  FASHION HURTS, Y'ALL!


we've got a loooooong way to go to pick up our next lovely lady... in fact i'm gonna hop up front and navigate. see you in the morning!

get in the limo: sown brooklyn!

you know i had to stick my mug up in here eventually!  i'm practicing my prom photo smile, thought i'd say hiya. 

do you remember the days when wanett of sown brooklyn was headless?  hey, it happens to the best of us. those days are GONE!  i do believe she could be recognized now not only by that beautiful face, but by that perky booty.  i can say that because she has outright challenged me to a booty battle.  (oh yes, it's on.)  

apparently there were also days when our vivacious wanett was not only headless, but a bit teary...

Be The Heroine

Oh, prom. That time that each girl looks forward to. That blissful, pre-wedding dress shopping experience of dropping fuckloads of cash on a one-time-wear garment. The makeup. The manicures. The salon appointments. Those were the days......just not for this girl.

Like most things in my life, my prom going experience was not at all what I hoped it would be. I was generally unpopular with boys in that boyfriend/girlfriend way (due to my extremely overprotective family's desire for me to spend ALL of my time at home) so I didn't have a date. Dress shopping was a nightmare. Doubly so because, as the older sister, I had no one to swoop in and save me from shopping with my mother. I was allowed to get acrylic nails for the first time. Though, I was such a novice, I couldn't unbutton my pants and needed help to go pee. I was comically late for my hair "appointment". I'm misusing quotation marks to emphasize the ludicrous use of the word appointment when talking about a black hair salon. My hair was in a boring bob, anyway, thanks to the bad trim (that was really a haircut) I received at a previous salon visit.

By the time my mother and I were hurrying back home so I could make my limo on time I was a nervous, nauseous, crying mess.

Don't I look THRILLED!?!!?

I put on my boring (but quite risque for me, back then), black, spandex, one shoulder cliche of a dress, a pair of shoes I hated and a sheer button-up top because I suddenly felt shy with my one shoulder exposed. I topped it off with no makeup. At all. And dashed outside to meet the limo. Only it wasn't there.

Near tears (again) and feeling uncomfortable with everyone in my neighborhood eying me in my dress, we went looking around for where the limo might be. Remember, this is in an age before cell phones were prevalent. Just as I began to feel certain that it left me, I looked around and ALL of my friends had gotten out to come look for me! This act alone saved my mood and led me to have as fun a night as I could have with two left feet and no date, lol.

For this prom, Promaballoona 2012, things started off nearly as bad as my high school one. Due to a broken machine, new machine delivery madness, scheduling and lack of sewing mojo this prom was off the rails before it was on them. After it was all said and done I had no time to take fancy prom date like photos with my hubby. Which made me sad.

In an a massive push against that sadness and my innate tendency to procrastinate, I was up until all hours last night (July 28th) sewing not one but two PERFECT prom frocks!! As a reward for my efforts, I beat the rain as my daughter helped me with two separate photo shoots to capture my Barbie Pink and Sweet Cream frocks!

Barbie Pink
The Facts
Fabric | Sumptuous hot pink cotton sateen courtesy of Kollabora
Patterns | Vintage (1940s) Simplicity 2693 and my TNT skirt pattern, Simplicity 9823
Year | 1940s and current
Notions | Thread, a zipper and elastic. I did not interface the bodice, but it is doubled.
Time to complete | Made during an all night sewing marathon, so I'm not sure. It went together pretty effortlessly, I must say.
First worn | On a two part photo shoot with my big girl aka kick ass photographer!
Wear again? | HELL YEAH!! Try and stop me ;P
Total price | Nearly FREE!! I won the fabric, was given the elastic by my sister, the zipper from my granny, the bodice pattern is from a swap and the skirt pattern was probably .99 cents.

Sweet Cream
The Facts
Fabric | 100% cotton paisley embroidered fabric from fabric.com
Patterns | Vintage (1940s) Simplicity 2693 and Vivat Veritas' scalloped waist skirt pattern
Year | 1940s and current
Notions | Thread and a zipper.
Time to complete | Made during an all night sewing marathon, so I'm not sure. It went together pretty effortlessly, I must say. The entire dress is doubled. The fabric was slightly sheer and very lightweight. I sewed the two skirt sections together at the bottom edge, turned it right side out and pressed it. Worked like a charm!
First worn | On a two part photo shoot with my big girl aka kick ass photographer!
Wear again? | HELL YEAH!!
Total price | I don't remember what I paid for this fabric, but I can assure you it wasn't much. The bodice pattern is from a swap and the scalloped skirt pattern is free online.

I took some advice from the recently departed Nora Ephron. She said:

"Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim."

I saved my prom experience this time around. Snaps for me!

look out ruggy!  THE LIMO IS FULL OF HEROINES!!! and we're off to grab our next one.  what about you, peeps? are you sewing up your super princess heroine dress? turn that prom UPSIDE DOWN! 

whoah, okay, lemme calm down.  color explosion, man, it gets me amped up.  i think, for our next stop, we'll let our imaginations paint the picture... see you later for cocktail hour!