la petite couteriere

shameless plug, but oh well: i've listed a couple of dresses from my collection on eBay. they are all in great shape, take a look! the Edwardian wedding gown is a gem, but unfortunately I don't have the time or skills to replicate it right now! they will put to better use in one of your closets, i'm sure! 

1960s blue silk casual dress

1950s beaded evening gown

Edwardian wedding gown!

thanks guys!

I've finished my second project ever! (oh dear, isn't that sad?)

it's a regency day dress made from red IKEA curtains, nothing too fancy but I like it a lot. it's been languishing in my closet for months, I think it was nearly done in January, but I only just got around to putting the finishing touches on it. my sister took a couple pictures of me in it tonight, but she's 14 and not particularly artistic with the camera ... hopefully I can rope someone into taking pictures of me in it tomorrow so I can show you all my work!

(just for dalarnahorse123, who poked me today and made me write this entry.)

hey everyone! *waves* it's been forever, and yet I have very little to say.

Halloween was decent, but nothing amazing ... the costume happened but I'm not proud of it, so no pictures ;)

I'm applied to college! the final list in Amherst, Bryn Mawr, Kenyon, Rhodes, Eckerd, Oberlin, Smith, Mount Holyoke, and Wellesley. I really want to go to Amherst or Kenyon, but we'll see. Eckerd has rolling admissions, and I got in at the beginning of this month (with a pretty nice merit scholarship package too). I'm not seriously considering it (it was one of my safeties) but it's still nice to know that I'll be going to college whatever happens.

I've been seeing a guy for a little more than a month, and I'm really happy! I used to think I had all these intimacy (physical and emotional) issues, but I'm realizing that I don't--I just needed to be with the right person. he makes me feel so beautiful and special; I can't imagine how I went so long not feeling this way :)

in addition to working about 8 hours a week at my new job (database support for a small business in my neighbor; it's way boring) I've been partying just about every week, so I haven't done any sewing in months. sad to say that I don't really miss it--my life is so full and I'm having so much fun that I don't have time to miss it, you know? I guess I haven't been inspired recently, either. I did make this indie tunic thing out IKEA curtains, maybe I'll take pictures of it. and I'm working on a black velvet minidress inspired by one from Anthropologie, but it's not even halfway done.

oh yeah, and I dropped AP art. it wasn't working ... I was moving too slow to have enough pieces for the final portfolio. just as well this way, anyway.

can I just tell you that I am SO EXCITED to be a second semester senior? it's going to be nice :)

how is everyone? I'm really far to lazy to read ALL of your posts since October (yikes), but I didn't realize how much I missed you all :)

after I got home from work at 2 pm today, I decided what I should be for Halloween '06: a gothic federal (doll? lady? I don't know yet)! (and yes, I will give credit where credit is due ... I was totally inspired by lachwen's beautiful gothic Photoshop doll. thank you!)

even though I do have a million other things to do for school/college/etc., I was too excited to not work on it today. I took one of my dad's old gray shirts and took the seams in to look more 18th century (point in the front, opening in the back). I sewed it all together with a layer of duck cloth to stabilize it. one of the added bonuses of working with an already-made shirt: I don't have to mess with sleeves! I took them in when I was taking in a side seam, which worked perfectly.

the plan:

1. wear my 1770s corset (which I have updated pictures of ... I'll put them on the site sometime), shift, bumroll, and 2 petticoats.

2. make a bodice. (almost there! I need to finish the sleeves, possibly put a little boning into it, possibly line it with an old t-shirt, do the placket, and bind the raw edges. for the placket, I'm doing button loops, like on bridal gowns. black fabric buttons with gray loops. more about the buttons later.)

3. get a cheap white sheet or two for the skirt. I'll pleat it: should be a one-day project. I'm going to dye it/spray paint it gray or black.

4. figure out what to do about shoes. worst comes to worst, I can use my 1778 shoes, minus the red cockades.

5. get a LONG wig from target and an empty 2-liter soda bottle. I'm going to do the same thing I did for my Cindy-Lou Who hair last year: you just pile hair around the bottle and it sticks straight up! I need to get some white spray paint for the wig and hairspray for the curls. I'd love to glue a little (black?) ship into the wig, but where should I look?

on that note, here's a nice fashion plate of 18th century hairstyles I found while researching a little bit today. how fun!

I'm so excited, but now I have to actually go do some homework ;)

we did gesture drawings (5 second sketches of a model) in art today. I felt for the first time in all my years of drawing that I was seeing, really seeing, what was in front of me, and then successfully transferring the angles and shapes to the paper. it was pretty amazing for me :)

and the reason I'm updating is that I just had some sort of epiphany about the AP costume porfolio theme. what if I did a study of nature reflected in costume? in particular, flowers and birds. I'll post more after I let it stew for a while.

not dead ... but pretty darn close!

college applications + schoolwork + field hockey + work = not enough hours in the day.

I did go to my first real, high-school-movie-like party (complete with alcohol) this past friday. I didn't drink, but it was still fun!

field hockey record is now 3 and 6. we can still have a 500 season if we win the next (last) three games of the season. where did the time go? (I'm glad it's almost over, so I can actually take my life back, but still.)

and have I mentioned that I have NO FREAKING CLUE what to be for Halloween? I'm a costumer, this shouldn't be this hard.

maybe I'll update with something to say ... in November?

no pictures, but I did everything I said I would, except for hemming it and sewing the inside tapes. I'm dead on my feet.

I borrowed the new John Mayer CD from a neighbor, and wow. "Vultures" and "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" are ahmazing. does anyone else like John Mayer? none of my friends do :(

oh, and I got a part-time (for real this time) job today. I'll be doing data entry for a woman in my neighborhood, approx. 8 hours a week (maybe more after field hockey is over) for $8 or 8.50 an hour. a woman from my high school recommended me to her, which is very flattering. I spoke to the woman on the phone today, and the nice thing is that she's super flexible: I can come anytime (I'll get a house key) as long as I do my hours. it's nice to be trusted, and for people to expect that you're competent. and while data entry is boring, I'm optimistic that it'll be less boring than retail! on Wednesday after the field hockey game, I'm going over to her house for "training".

rather long practice tomorrow (until 6pm), but House! god, I have senioritis like crazy.

for various reasons, I'm going (partially) friends-only now.

Carole Lombard You scored 4% grit, 19% wit, 47% flair, and 35% class!

You're a little bit of a fruitcake, but you always act out in style. You have a good sense of humor, are game for almost anything, but you like to have nice things about you and are attracted to the high life. You're stylish and modern, but you've got a few rough edges that keep you from attaining true sophistication. Your leading men include William Powell, Fredric March, and Clark Gable. Watch out for small planes. Find out what kind of classic leading man you'd make by taking the Classic Leading Man Test.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on grit You scored higher than 99% on wit You scored higher than 99% on flair You scored higher than 99% on class

Link: The Classic Dames Test written by gidgetgoes on OkCupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

quick question: how should I shape ostrich feathers? (I need to bend one or two for the Marianne hat.) should I steam them?

"Smirnoff Tea Partay" on Google Video
this video is the funniest thing I've seen all day :) "MV, Martha's Vineyard. Holla back!"

hey, guess what? only 2 more seams to go on the 1800 skirt (of out 6, because I did french seams)!

it's been awhile, hasn't it? I've missed lj posting dearly ...

I'm so ansy: school is over, but I still have 3 exams to go (2 days)! :(

in sewing news, the second sleeve for the 1778 dress is almost all sewn on. earlier this week, I put the Pirates of the Caribbean DVD in my computer and sat down on my bed to finish the sleeve. I was pretty productive, despite watching and not sewing for most of it ;)

and in job news, I just got a call from American Apparel, and they want to interview me tomorrow! squeee! the only problem now is deciding what to wear (they said low-key, so I'm thinking my new, semi-nice shorts and a polo/sweater), and also that I need to redo my resume. they want me to bring a hardcopy, but I changed it when I applied to DSW recently and saved the new one, so I'll need to remake it. hmmm.

it's rather sticky out.

this is really quick post to say that this is really gross. (be sure to watch part 2, while you're at it. it's even worse!) it makes me so angry at big business! arrrrrrrrgh.

don't expect much from me until June 13th (the day after my last exam). time to buckle down, even though it's really hard to do :(

'06 left today. which means I'm (unofficially) a senior! :)

gah! stress!

what's between me and summer vacation:
6 5 days,
1 review day,
and 3 exams.

but also:
1 Pcalc quiz,
1 Pcalc test (the stabbing of my teacher is looking very good right now ... did I mention that the test is on the day before review day?),
1 book presentation (for which I have not yet read the book),
2 essays,
1 editorial on genetically engineered food,
1 final art project,
1 final project for Creative Writing,
1 vocab quiz,
3 pre-senior-year counseling forms,
2 fake teacher recommendations,
1 original French story,
1 CAP Porfolio (the culminating project for the program I'm in) status meeting,
1 Pcalc review packet,
random French work (as always),
and random Pcalc work (ditto).

sigh. it's going to be a lovely weekend.

I've been working very diligently today, really!

it was only when I saw this dress over at go fug yourself (which is very funny, BTW) that I got Hopelessly Distracted (tm).



so what that it's Lindsay Lohan, and that it was the subject of an entry on the website devoted to yucky clothing. I like it.

this sea-foam chiffon has potential, as does this polka-dot cotton. this pink floral sateen kind of kills the eyes, but I'm weirdly attracted to it. this, this and this are all cute in a pop-art sort of way. opinions?

this project (if it ever happens) is bound to be one of the ones I'm planning for the summer :)

I forgot to add in yesterday's post: I've updated my website index with a new, slimmer banner. opinions?
I've been trying to find out how to write HTML for a sidebar, but it seems like there are no instructions out there for someone who doesn't know HTML backwards and forwards. rather irritating. for those of you with websites and sidebars, how in the world did you do it (or even better, where did you learn how to do it?)

I love having only 2 classes a day :)

I was going to order 2 yards of cotton lawn tonight, but it turns out I'm very broke. *sigh* I wish I had a job ... or that it was the beginning of June (so I could get my allowance). fabric will have to wait, unfortunately.

alright, last thing, I promise. my friend's boyfriend broke up with her twice this week (which sort of defies logic, but whatever). she was--understandably--pretty upset today, and called me in tears this afternoon to talk. so instead of doing homework, I baked her cookies that said "I <3 you", made her a card, and burned her a "feel better" mix CD. it feels so good to do nice things for people you love :)

on Friday, I went to Union Station with some friends for dinner and The Da Vinci Code. alright, so the movie got trashed by the Washington Post and just above everyone else, but I liked it! this is possibly due to the fact that I still haven't read the book. Tom Hanks was pretty bad (don't get me wrong: I love him in Forrest Gump and The Terminal), but he didn't ruin the really gripping plot :)

on Saturday, I did homework and watched Mean Girls for the first time. I've decided that my friends and I are really b*tchy (not as bad as the Plastics, but pretty bad), and I've decided to make a real effort not talk about anyone behind their backs anymore.

today, my sister went up the Fairy Festival with some neighbors, and my mom, dad, and I went up to Butler's Orchard to pick our own strawberries. I've never done that before, and it was really fun! the strawberries were/are delicious, and we picked like 15 pounds. I foresee a lot of strawberries in my future :)

I drove us there and back today, and it went really well. I'm up to 45 (out of 60) hours!

the closest I got to any sewing progress was to try on EVERYTHING for my 1778 gown (all the underpinnings and the gown, I mean), and I have decided I like the way the sleeve is sewn on. (I was questioning it because I tried the gown on without a corset on last week and wasn't too hot on the sleeve.) so eventually I'll sew the other sleeve on. something I need to fix is the reeeeallly tight fit of the upper part of the bodice. I don't know how easily that will be to fix, but we'll see.

delayed opening for school tomorrow morning (and all week), but I can't use it for sewing time. my plan is to get up at the normal time and work and/or tan. I was sitting out for maybe 20 minutes on Saturday morning and already got some ridiculous tan lines (racerback AND spaghetti straps!). I don't normally tan that fast, so it was weird.

this terrible month/school year is almost over! I have ambitious sewing plans for this summer, you'll see! (side note: I'm planning to go to the Claude Moore 18th century market next year, and my sister expressed some interest in it too ... I'm already scheming about how to make her outfit. combine all the undergarments into one, and make her a robe à l'anglaise? or maybe a robe à la polonaise?)

once again, I'm sick with a nasty cold. not the Cold from Hell ... yet ;)

this is a very inconsequential post just to say that I've recieved my Dharma Trading swatches in the mail today (in a very cute little box, too).

I'm torn three ways between the handkerchief linen, the cotton lawn, and the cotton voile. they're all so nice ... it might come down to price, because I really can't decide! I can't remember, but I think the Janet Arnold neckerchief I'm copying was lawn.

any opinions? which of the three is best for embroidery, and which drapes the nicest?

updates on the job front:

still haven't heard from american apparel.

still haven't heard from borders.

I drove my mom up to a local Trader Joe's on Sunday and they happened to be hiring! I applied right then and there (there was a frickin' math test on the application! I pretty much failed that ... I've handily forgotten how to do long division ;) ), but they don't generally hire people under 18. so much for that. the one good thing that came out of it was that while I was filling out the application in the back room, the manager who I spoke to was talking to my mom (embarassing), and said I was very charming and courteous and made a better first impression than most 16/17 year olds :)

this afternoon, I called up the local DSW store to find out how to apply and got thoroughly confused. I ended up sending 2 letters to this woman who seems like she's doing the hiring for the new store, each envelope with a resume and cover letter. we'll see how that goes, I suppose.

one and a half weeks left of May (how I loathe this month), 18 more days of school (8 for seniors! I'm so jealous), 4 more essays, 3 more fridays, 2 more mondays, 2 more projects, and many forms to fill out for senior year. we got this huge folder today with all this senior crap (teacher recommendations, college questionnaires, timelines, calendars, etc.) to fill out by June. good lord, it almost not want to be a senior.

almost :)

happy birthday, lacomesse!

(yes, I am updating from 7th period. I love that Livejournal isn't blocked here ... )