new dress in the shop.

Here is my newest dress, the “House Dress” which I have just added to the collection. I am thinking of phasing out my Big Cartel shop and going with Etsy instead. I’m also toying with the idea of starting my own online shop and website, but in the meantime, you can find all of my newest items on Etsy. Or you can always send me an email with the item(s) you would like, size and I will send you an invoice via PayPal.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend and are ready to start the new week! Happy Monday!


Photograph by John Allen

gingham pullover top for sale. {only one left}

{edit to add: only enough fabric now for one top. after that i'm not sure i'll be able to buy more of this particular fabric.}

Just a quick shop update. Here is a new top I finished. Size small is made and ready to ship and I have enough fabric for two more tops in whichever size you choose. It's made of 100% linen and it's real comfy! I wish I could steal it for myself...

photo shoot:: preview

My brother came over last Friday to do a photo shoot with me. He's such a fabulous photographer and I'm lucky to have him as my brother! Here are a few photos from the shoot. More coming soon.

::images by john allen photography.::

mailing list::

The mailing list is down at the moment, but I am working on getting it fixed!

another peek. a linen frock and flower top.

I was going to wait, but I just couldn't. Here are a few pictures I took the other day with my tripod. Hoping my brother will take some better ones for the final pics when he gets back.

Listening to:: The National. {listen to the entire album until the 27th. so hurry, go now!}

dresses are coming along...

Working on those dresses. Almost done. Almost!
Made Dutch Babies on Sunday for breakfast. Spent the whole day with J. It was tops.
Thank you for all the lovely sweet comments/emails lately! You guys are the best!!

parmesan crackers + another sneak peek.

I took a break from work today to make these awesome crackers from Smitten Kitchen. Only I didn't have heavy cream or half and half, so I just used plain old 1% milk. And I didn't have any freshly grated Parmesan cheese either, so I just used the cheapo stuff we have on hand. And they still taste awesome. One of these days I want to make some goat cheese (next on the list when I have time) which I think will taste great with these crackers.

Okay, this is not much of a sneak peek, but it's something! :) I finished grading my patterns, FINALLY! Next I just need to make up one more sample and I believe I can start cutting everything out and stitching like a sweatshop worker. Woohoo! On that note, what are your thoughts on Etsy vs. Big Cartel? After going back and forth for so long, I am actually leaning more towards setting up shop at Big Cartel. In the long run I believe it will be more affordable and I think it has a slightly more professional "storefront" than Etsy. No offense to Etsy users, I still love Etsy! Would love to hear your thoughts!

Seeing these guys on Saturday. PSYCHED!

Also, Happy Birthday to my dad! He turned 60 today! No foolin'.

p.s. these sandals are still up for sale! size 9. :)

what i've been up to.

I've been grading patterns mostly. I'm allllmost done with this dress pattern (and blouse/tunic as well). There's just a lot of work that goes into pattern making. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but it's very tedious. You have to test test test and there's a lot of numbers and things involved. (I'm not exactly what you'd call a math whiz...) Sometimes you just have to take a break from it all (hello chocolate chip cookie). :) But it's been fun! I'm excited to finally have some garments to sell from my own designs! They should be available soonish. I can't say when exactly, but once I have the patterns all wrapped up, I can start sewing! I'll keep you guys updated.

On a side note, I won't be selling the actual patterns at this time. There's so much work involved that I'd rather hold onto my designs for now. Perhaps someday when I have loads of time on my hands I will write directions and sell some of my patterns. Thanks for understanding!

P.S. Those sandals are still available if anyone is interested!

sneak peek

Yes, I'm going to toot my own horn and share some pictures I quickly took this afternoon. I'm really excited about these. They're trousers I am planning to sell in my shop very very soon. I have other items I plan to make as well, but it's been rough finding the time to work on these. I just got a huge commission from a living history site and that work load coupled with my regular work makes sewing on the side pretty difficult. BUT, I'm working as fast as I can and hopefully within a few months, I will have my shop open with my new (old-fashioned) line of clothes based on vintage patterns and original 1930s-'40s garments. I tell everyone I love men's working wear, so why can't women also pull off this look? Here's my attempt at it. Stay tuned for more sneak peeks!





{a few more pics here.}