call me a cabarita

Some of my titles are better than others. Moving on…

After I made my Tiramisu, I was halfway through cutting out another one when I got a request from Steph to test the Hummingbird skirt, which was quickly followed by the Cabarita. (As I mentioned in my last post, while I did receive advance copies of these two patterns for testing, that was weeks after I had actually purchased them in the pre-sale. No compensation was involved — except being able to get my grubby hands on the designs a few days early!)

That dress is still half cut, and I haven’t forgotten about it nor the other versions I want to create. In the meantime though, I have been adding some great new basics to my closet, including this latest. Pardon the sunburn.

the earth would not be able to stay on my shoulders

I have been dreaming in navy and mint for a while. I’ve even sketched up a few garments with this color combo, but they haven’t made it to the cutting table. Continue reading →

switzerland swedish skirt

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How do you define a “neutral” garment? Does it mean lacking in color, like white, black, tan? (Yes, technically those are colors, but you know.) Does neutral include jeans? And if so, are they only neutral if they are a classic shade of “jeans blue?” Or maybe you consider solids your neutrals?

Lately, I’ve noticed that I attribute the neutral characteristic to something based on its role. Does it coordinate with tons of stuff? It’s a neutral. Case in point, I’ve decided that these shoes go well with damn near every garment I own. Neutral!

blue blue blue suede shoes

(A gift from my lovely sister last Xmas! They’re Cole Haan Air Jenni Ballet II flats in cobalt suede. ♥)

And with that logic, this skirt is the latest neutral addition to my wardrobe: Continue reading →

me made retrospective, vol 1

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When I decided to join Me-Made-May for the first time, I decided I would take the opportunity to evaluate the pieces in my closet. I wanted to think through what I liked and didn’t like as I wore the garments, some of which haven’t been seen the outside of my closet for months, at least. Basically, I am using this to move closer along the spectrum towards I-LOVE-EVERYTHING-IN-HERE utopia, a goal I can’t imagine ever reaching but closer is better.

Apparently, I’ve decided by default to break my MMM reports into 3 posts over the month. Feels about right.

I, Susan of moonthirty.com, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May ’13. I endeavour to wear 5 me-made items each week for the duration of May 2013.

May 01 Continue reading →

the chopping block

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Take a long look at this one, if you’re so inclined. This post is the last you’ll see of it unless you shop at my friendly neighborhood thrift store. But I’m getting ahead of myself; let me back up…

McCall's 6754 / an unwearable muslin

This last round of McCall’s releases held fewer temptations for me than any in recent memory. I can’t imagine why, since clearly if you’re wearing these styles, you’ll instantly be whisked away to the most beautiful, exotic beachfront… Continue reading →

dressing myself

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Y’all. I pre-ordered the Tiramisu. As in, before it was released. As in, September 25, 2012, the day the pre-sale began. (I just double-checked my Etsy account to make sure.) So why – WHY – is this my first make from the pattern?

my first tira

I spent the better part of the time it took to construct this dress asking myself that exact question. I’m going to get all psycho – logical up in here, so take heed. Usually, when I’m avoiding something, the culprit is fear. So, that was an easy answer, but the hard part was fear of WHAT? Figuring that out took a process of elimination. Continue reading →

instability

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I recently finished a project that I’ll be sharing soon, and as I was doing a debrief of it in my mind, one of the things I decided was that it fell into that category of “better suited for stable knits.” I find myself declaring that often — this or that pattern is best for stable knits. Even if a pattern wasn’t necessarily designed for stables, if it’s fairly fitted, personally I’d want something a bit less clingy. And in light of my penchant for using knits on patterns designed for wovens, fuhgeddaboudit — definitely stable knit territory. For more on what defines a stable knit, Tasia has a great post here.

so many things to make from stable knits

But here’s the rub: I have a weakness for those rayon or mostly-rayon knits that aren’t so stable. The way they feel, the gorgeous prints, the beautiful drape, the way they feel, the light-as-air breathability, the way they feeeeeeel…. Continue reading →