Totally off topic, but if anyone is in New York, I highly recommend a visit to the Uniqlo store in Soho. Aside from being a wonkaland of cashmere, their jeans fit like a dream and are extremely reasonably priced. I love their skinny jeans, which actually 1) fit me (most jeans that fit in the thigh are too big at the waist, and, in the case of skinny jeans, fail to hug the calf) and 2) come in only one wash: dark and unweathered, just how I like them.

As of yesterday I am the owner of the last pair of size 6 skinny fits in all of NY. The entire line was out of stock before christmas and when I went back yesterday it was almost out of stock again. A helpful saleswoman reported that there was ONE pair of size six left, which a customer had carried off to the fitting rooms. She then proceeded to speak to both fitting room attendants (to determine that the jeans had been rejected) and a multitude of floor personnel while I trailed her like a baby duck. Fifteen minutes later, the jeans were located and in my hands. I was really impressed by the level of customer service. You don't usually see that in chain stores so big that the employees wear headsets.

Sewing note: I do not make jeans. Got to draw the line somewhere. I might make pants, except for the fact that I don't wear pants (except jeans).

This is the aforementioned dress. Ignore the white - that's just the slip my rather dilapidated dummy wears to better keep her together. Below is the pattern I used to make this dress. I'm currently making a version for day in black wool with a houndstooth wool inset in the front, and with sleeves. Still unsure how I will do the skirt - the bell shape will not work with the rather drapey wool gab I'm working with.

Two projects this weekend, photos TK.

First is a party dress. I used to be someone who bought beatiful party dress all the time (most of them vintage), and then would try and find an excuse to wear them (Halloween, mostly). In the past 5 years or so I've reformed and don't really do that (unless its a very cheap dress... Or I am in the junior league thrift shop of Mobile, AL, and of the 5 pieces of good vintage in the place, this is the one that fits my shrimp-and-barbecue-stuffed body, even though its not at all my usual style. That is the story of how I ended up with an ice blue shantung 60s shift which is, lets face it, a little shapeless and big on me).

Anyway, now I DO have an occasion: the work holiday party. I have a few occasion-appropriate things in my closet (last year I wore all purpose vintage cocktail dress #1. This year I could wear #2, which I let out recently so I could wear it to a wedding). However, everyone knows I sew and I have had several people ask me if I'm making something to wear.

That sounds like a challenge. SO, I have embarked on this dress. Its shimmery-sheer brown with flocked polka-dots (also brown) over chocolate brown duchess satin to make it decent, and with an extra 3 inches of sheer at the hem for effect. It may sound monstrous, but I assure you its lovely. I just need to put in the armhole facings (I attempted a stupid short cut and had to rip them out. The amount of time I put into creating and removing the shortcut far surpases the amount of time it would have taken to just cut out the pattern pieces and do it properly) and hem the skirt.

The second dress I made this weekend is a salt-and-pepper wool shirtdress with a full skirt. I started it last weekend, with a straight skirt (Under encouragement of the BF, I was attempting to make it more modern. It looked horrible.) This weekend I ripped off the old skirt. Then, while I was at it, I took in the top so now it actually fits me properly. Then I ad hoced a full gathered skirt and sewed on some shiny black buttons. Muuuuuch better. This I will most likely wear to work tomorrow, possibly with my new fishnet effect Delman shoes I got for a pittance at DSW.*

*Last week my favorite round-toed mid heel shoes broke. The heel snapped right off. at work. I'm pretty upset. These were my automatic full-skirt shoes, they were by no means cheap shoes (OK, I didn't pay anything like retail, but still!) On top of it all it was a late night at work so I still had to run around for several hours. Fortunately my office-mate had not only his gym shoes but clean socks with him, so though I looked ridiculous, I was comfortably shod for the duration of the evening.

Anyway, I went to DSW to attempt to replace the gaping hole the loss of said shoes left in my shoe wardrobe, and also to keep an eye out for a good pair to wear with suits. Instead, I left with a pair of superhigh black satin platform peep toes, which are pretty stripper, although i love them, and some fishnet-effect low heeled pointy toes pumps, with the type of heel that has a magnetic attraction to subway grates. Yes, very practical, both pairs.