valley of the dolls

there is a seemingly tiny shop across the street from one of the many Whole Foods that litter dallas. its entrance boasts handpainted signs, garden ephemera, and small pieces of rustic wood furniture. 

the dolls made it look that way so that they can get you inside and kill you.  

the guts of curiousities is actually a cavernous carnival of nightmares.  upon entering, i was glad i still had still had a good thirty minutes left to my dinner break, as i was obviously going to need it to examine what would surely be truckloads of vintage treasures.  as my eyes adjusted, however, i realized i was being watched by said treasures....

....from every angle.

it brought back that universal childhood fear: your playthings are silently plotting against you while you sleep.  

but the santa VS jesus installation reminded me of a very strange and (i think) more singular underage fear: if i happened to be the last one up at night, and had to turn off all the lights before going upstairs, i was certain that as i reached the fourth step, jesus would turn the corner, eyes glowing, float-marching slowly and silently psychotically towards me.  i have no idea where killer jesus came from.  i was the town's first altar girl (because obviously, boys-only is not acceptable), and i was stupendously bad at my job, so maybe it was born out of guilt.

either way, you didn't want to meet that jesus in a dark alley.  he would whip santa's ass.

the only inanimate horrors missing were haunted porcelain masks.

yes, there were indeed some sewing treasures in there; a vintage featherweight at $175 and a box of jock straps from 1932 among them.  the proprietress breezed by in an absolutely gorgeous silky top of a thousand colors.  i thought she was there to chastise me about my large (read: tj maxx) sized bag, but we were destined to exchange clothing compliments.  i was sporting a new me-made.  oh!  you made that??  i really need to learn how to sew.  i need something to do when i get old and can't move anymore.  it's just around the corner. hahahahahahahahahHAHAHAHahhahahahahahhaaaaaaaa

i think the atmosphere of death might be getting to her.

i walked away with a great silk scarf, a luxuriously long strand of wooden beads, and my life.

MY PRECIOUS, PRECIOUS LIFE.

keep this train rollin'

nope, no derailing in the here and now, although i have derailed in blogland in order to stay on track!!  this eve is opening night in dallas...ruggy is by my side, and oh by the way we were apart for FIFTY TWO FRIGGIN DAYS HASH TAG NEVERDOINGTHATAGAIN.  

ahem.  in the middle of the usual madness surrounding this sort of event, ruggy and i found some time to vintage shop hop.  gotta get the man looking right for the par-tay tonight.  as for me, i'm choosing between this silk and this bombshell.  it's a big decision, 'cause i'm gonna go ahead and say it: this show is the most magical, beautiful performance i've ever been so lucky to be part of.  and as y'all know, we show our love and respect in the cloth we wear.  hash.  tag.  truth.

happy weekend to all!  see you when the train slows down next week!

kick off your shoes and jump around like a firecracker

extra boozy points for anyone who can name that song.

this fourth of july, i decided to go a bit less literal.  i’ve tried the red, white ‘n blue route before, but the outfit usually ends up doomed to the costume section of my closet (there’s also a cow print skirt in there for when i have to audition for the role of Hooker With A Heart Of Gold).  however, italian fireworks are very much my friend.  so when i saw this symphony of italian stretch cotton color online at mood fabrics, i gleefully jumped into four yards of starburst.

i had previously pounced on a double face neoprene as well, found in-store before my dash to dallas.  when the two met in my hotel room, sparks flew.  one can never stand in the way of true love, especially when one of the star crossed lovers possesses the overpowering personality of neon.  i put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door and left them alone for awhile.  

i must tell you now that this neoprene has the smoothest of touch.  absolutely slippery against the skin.  barry white, stand back.  the front desk received several complaints that day.

chastised, Neon decided to show its demure side.  the grey tone brought the noise level down just enough to make everyone happy (including those debating with me on facebook & instagram).  this split personality yardage was the perfect candidate for by hand london’s newest (fabulous amazing holy cow get in nownownow) pattern, the victoria blazer, the third lover in this threesome.   how amazing are those style lines?!  i adore that neckline dart! and once again, a perfect right-out-of-the-envelope stunner.  not a SINGLE adjustment.  unless you count the fact that i took advantage of the schizophrenic fabric to go for lining and shell all-in-one...  i will most definitely be making another with full on lining.

lemme just gush screamtype for a couple sentences more: THE DELECTABLE LADIES OF BY HAND LONDON ROCK MY WORLD.  THEIR BRILLIANT HANDS SHOULD BE DIPPED IN GOLD.  GOLD, I TELL YOU.

okay, let’s chat about the stretch cotton, we don’t want it to get jealous.  this italian can confirm, jealousy in a relationship is a killer.  i’d snagged simplicity 2212 on a joann’s grab-every-blue-envelope-sale-run, and the stretch was perfect for its figure hugging curves.  it's a medium weight, and it feels substantial on the skin (read: no underoo lines).  not a single little bit of color bleed in the prewash!  i spent a good five hours laying out my pattern pieces–although i knew i didn’t have enough to match up the print on this 14 piece pattern, i didn’t want any twinning going on.

or any firecrackers exploding in the wrong areas.  mount crackatoa is dangerous.  safety first, yo.

 happy fourth to those stateside!  may you be covered in color!

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

taking care of business

always better with cupcake and coffee.  so, our pal beth is nowhere to be found, time for a redo of nikki's book giveaway! i actually started down a rabbithole of clicking on everyone's names to see who might reeeeeaaaalllly want it.  that was dumb.  a lotta people want it.  random number generator, take it away...

lucky number thirteen, liza jane, who said  i love that draped tee dress pattern. i also peeped at her purse patterns. i've always wanted to make a frame purse.  holler at me mama and let's get you making purses!  

i've been on a book kick lately-- read about you sew, girl! here, and patternmaking here.  and have a cupcake while you're at it.