Cinderella's Rag Dress

From this......

...to this!

Cinderella's rag costume was one of my favorite costumes as a kid, so I've spent the last few weeks designing and sewing a version of it for my shop.

If you'd like to purchase this costume, please check out the shop, or email me at muxoriginals@mchsi.com.

The Label Fairy

18 in. Doll Golden Snowdrop Fairy Costume

This is my latest 18 in. doll fairy costume-- I've made a purple and a green one before. While rifling through my 'Fancy Fabrics' stash, I discovered that I had a lot of fabrics in cream, champagne, and gold, so I went with that color scheme. Then, in my button tin, I found that vintage 'diamond' button, which tied it all together.

I'm also making a hot pink fairy costume, and I'm considering doing a custom, pick-your-own color fairy listing as well.

This also happened to be the first doll garment where I got to use my new.........

Labels!

For People



For Dolls

I've wanted professional clothing labels for quite a while, but I couldn't find anything I liked. Then, while browsing Etsy, I stumbled over MommieMadeIt; she makes labels that look woven fabric but feel more like thin plastic. This lowers the price considerably, and I spent even less by buying uncut labels. She was very helpful as I tried to figure out what I wanted, and I'm really happy with the finished result! I definitely recommend her.

My Picks From New York Fashion Week

I was really impressed by this year's New York Fashion Week . I was surprised by how many collections I loved; recent couture fashion has seemed distant and freakish to me, so I love how it's returning to a wearable, cool-girl/guy-on-the-street look.

First of all, a few of my random favorites:

Love the tailored, retro librarian looks here. The colors are finally bold and pure (my favorites), the shilloutettes ladylike and flattering. That red houndstooth fabric is to die for!

This swimsuit is such a great, colorful alternative to a cliched bikini. I love the mod, hippie look at Betesy Johnson this year, and that Caroline Herrera dress is so classy and gorgeous. I'll bet you some celebrity will be wearing it on the the red carpet this year!

I adore that outfit in the middle. The plaid, the graphic tee, the purse--it's great. and these two dresses are the perfect mix of classic and eclectic.

And now, my two favorite collections:

For men, Perry Ellis.

This collection is near perfect. It captures a perfect collision of a American and European look. It manages to be stylish and unique while still masculine. I'd love to have those aviators :)

Michael Kors, for women.

I'm really a mod at heart, so this collection was a dream. I love how it takes the graphic prints and slim cuts of the 1960s and makes them modern and fresh.

I know I say it's for women, but I couldn't resist posting that guy's outfit. Those pants are sweet!

Plaid & Black

Ralph Lauren tee, Marshall's vest, Wet Seal pants (second-hand), Swatch watch, Air Walk sneakers

This is what I wore for a charity event this morning. Since the pants are so skinny, I decided to wear them like leggings (with a long top). I love how they add a burst of color to an otherwise neutral outfit.

Friday Series--My Favorite Etsy Shops

Study Hard Pinafore

Raspberry Cream Babydoll Dress

There are so many amazing artists and designers at Etsy.com, that I've decided to do a weekly series of my favorites. This week features necessityisthemother, an adorable little clothing shop with a style aesthetic I adore. Arielle's styles are very fresh, clean, and colorful, not to mention figure-flattering. I've put pictures of my favorite dresses above, but I really suggest checking out her shop.

If you've got a favorite Etsy shop (or you have a shop yourself) please comment with a link!

5 Things I'm Excited About

1.

Autumn. It’s my favorite season, and I’m ready for a few cozy months of homemade stew, new pencils and warm sweaters.

2.
The Great Courses: World History videos that I’m currently studying. The man who teaches them is both a teacher and a Shakespearean actor, so he wears costumes and acts out the time of history that he’s lecturing on. History’s always been my favorite subject, and this only makes it all the more interesting!

3.
The current GO collection at Target. I don’t think it’s any particular designer, but there were so many pieces that I wanted to buy. I really like what Target’s doing with fashion, and I hope my future collections will, like their GO line, be cheap, chic, classy, and youthful.

4.

Lucky Magazine. I recently quit my Teen Vogue subscription because I was tired of the juvenile writing and the repetitive fashion layouts (Hey, look! It’s a tall white girl jumping around in a mismatched pile of expensive designer clothes!). I really think that they no longer have their finger on what’s cool in fashion. I much prefer Lucky’s fashion aesthetic and I can’t wait to receive the first issue.

5.
James McAvoy as Bilbo Baggins in the upcoming Hobbit movie. It’s as if, for a moment, the stars aligned and those casting agents finally saw things correctly. On the other hand, they were considering Jack Black, so maybe they’re not a great as I think.

(I couldn't resist using a picture of him in Regency costume :)

New Clothes At the Shop!

Green Plaid Size Small Reconstructed Skirt

Scarlet Whimsy Corduroy Size Small Skirt

Neo-Eighties Black and Gold Sweater

I finally photograhed the new winter items I've been sewing for the past few weeks! They're all for sale at the shop.

The skirt on top is a reconstruct made from a plaid skirt that was about calf-length. I cut it off to above-knee height and added a green ruffle, fraying the plaid edge for a bohemian touch.

The 2nd skirt is MadeFromScratch; I used a great wide-wale corduroy that I picked up at a second hand shop. To make it, I took the waist facing pattern piece from the skirt pattern, lengthened and reshaped it, and sewed it so that it was on the outside (instead of the inside). Then I added the red buttons to pull it all together.

The last shirt is my favorite. I made it from a black sweatshirt. I cut the sleeves off along the seam (since the sweatshirt was over-sized, it created a dolman sleeve effect). Then I cut a circle from the sleeve with pinking shears, turned so it so the fuzzy side is on top, and attached it like an applique. Then I added 3 vintage buttons on top to create a faux 'brooch'. A few random hand-stitches, and I was done!

Wardrobe Refashion

Hey, I just posted on the Wardrobe Refashion blog about my dress from this post. You can check it out here. Wardrobe Refashion is a really neat site if you're looking for sewing inspiration. I'd really suggest looking around.

Tuesday Baking Adventures

This afternoon the autumnal weather inspired me to bake a pumpkin pie. I would put a picture of the finished pie here, but it's being consumed as I type.

My sister had a random pancake craving at about the same time. Between scaling a recipe for 8-11 pancakes down to one serving and missing the part in the directions about greasing the pan, she ended up with this:

pancakes (sort of)

She told me they tasted good, but somehow I doubt it :)

Skittles

While I was baking, I turned around to find our kitten, Skittles, looking innocently up at me from my little sister's high chair! I thought the picture was too cute not to share.

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a nice week! Thank you for all the friendly comments.

Chucks & A Rag Rug

Old Navy hoodie, Jones New York tee, Anne Klein jeans,

Chuck Taylors, Swatch watch

This is what I wore to some out-of-home classes today. I had gym, so I couldn't wear a skirt or dress or non-sneaker shoes, so my options were fairly limited. Still, I liked this outfit, due predominantly to my pink & black Chucks. I've owned them for 3 years now, and I love how they add an artsy, street vibe to whatever I'm wearing.

In the projects realm, I'm working on a rag rug. My uncle visited last week and helped us build an awesome fort, and I took on the job of decorating the inside. Besides this rug, I'm also making curtains.
I purposely picked bright scraps and organized them by color to create a rainbow design. I'm very pleased with the result, and I think rag rugs are a practical, eco-friendly way to recycle fabric scraps. I used this tutorial (more or less). I didn't bother to cut perfect strips, and instead of sewing them together, I tied them. I've had some problems with buckling, but I found I can flatten in out fairly well with a hot steam iron. I'm considering writing my own tutorial, so if you'd be interested, please tell me.

ME!

I've been frequenting the blogging world as an interested outsider for about 6 months, and now I've finally got my own! I plan to post about my outfits and fashion inspiration, my favorite recipes, my sewing and crafting projects, and interesting snippets from life and the web. I'm also looking to make friends with people who are interested in the same things as me, so please comment or send me a link! I'd love to see your blog, too.