Simplicity 7990

Pattern: Simplicity 7990 (vintage) - sleeveless, surplice bodice view.

Size: 8

Fabric: A gorgeous border print fabric from Fabric Mart.


Project Photo:

Comments:
I have made this dress before in several incarnations (here, here & here - P.S. Nancy K., you can see my camera in the last link), always with great results. I find this particular dress perfect for my pear-shaped body - it's snug where I'm small (bust and waist) and loose where I'm not so small (hips and thighs).

For this version of Simplicity 7990, I used a nifty border print fabric that has a blue, lime, yellow, black and white print. It is medium weight fabric with a lovely jacquard weave. I placed the border at the hem of the dress. This required a bit of finagling as the original pattern had a curved hem. Since the skirt was already dirndl-ish in nature, it was easy enough to manipulate the pattern piece to run the hem along the border.

The bodice of the dress is underlined in a thin cotton batiste - this allows for the invisible hand stitching of the facings to the underlining. This finish always gives such a beautiful look to the inside of the garment and it gives the dress more of a high end feel. The skirt however was left without underlining as the fashion fabric is already hefty enough without added bulk at the waist seam.

Conclusion:
Once again, I love this pattern. This version of S7990 is definitely one of my favourites. I will really enjoy wearing this dress to work this fall.

BWOF 103 (5/08) & 105 (3/06)

Pattern: The top (which I have made before) is BWOF 103 (5/08) and the skirt is BWOF 105 (3/06). ETA: BWOF = Burda World of Fashion magazine.












Size: The top is a size 36 and the skirt is a size 38 (with the yoke tapered in to fit my waist better).

Fabric: Skirt - paisley rayon woven from Fabric Mart; top - rayon blend knit from Wazoodle.


Project Photo:

Comments:
Each summer vacation I sew like a woman possessed and I always try to do so with some sort of plan in mind. And what is a plan without a cool name? This year it is the Super Summer Sewing Spectacular (or QuadS for short) I have decided that most of my sewing this summer will be focused on my professional wardrobe. That's not to say I won't toss in a few casual outfits, but my main focus will be on supplementing my teaching togs. In that vein, I started with a skirt and top combo.

The top was created using a pebbly textured rayon/cotton/poly blend knit (with minimal stretch) from Wazoodle. As with the other version of this top, I lengthened the centre front to ensure belly coverage - a midriff baring top could cause irreparable mental scarring of my students.

The skirt is made using a pretty paisley rayon challis fabric, purchased from Fabric Mart last summer. I actually had enough of this fabric left over to make up a simple scarf as well. The skirt is lined with some white mystery fabric (from a FM free bundle) so it's not see-through. The only difficulty with this skirt is installing the invisible zipper so that it lays flat on the hip. Some patience and plenty of basting took care of any issues. ETA: The skirt was finished at the bottom with a simple serger rolled hem - quick and easy!

Conclusion:
Both pieces went together easily and are a nice addition to my wardrobe. So begins the QuadS!

Lacquer Lundi

Three months ago I started taking biotin, also known as vitamin H or B7, because I discovered that it was supposed to help strengthen nails and promote quicker growth. At that time I had two nails that would always split vertically as soon as the nail grew past the nail bed. Not only was this splitting unsightly, but it was also painful when the tear would rip into the living nail bed. Ouch!

Well, I'm happy to report that biotin has been heaven sent. Each day I take 2000-3000 mcg (it is essentially impossible to overdose on biotin as it is a water-soluble vitamin and any excess is expelled in the urine). The two split prone nails have now completely grown out and are super strong (yet flexible) and I have no issues with breakage, tearing, splitting or peeling any longer. I could not be happier with my results!

In the first three weeks, the only issue I had with taking the biotin was some minor nausea when I would take the pills on an empty stomach (I had no such problems if there was food in my stomach). I have also heard that some people have biotin-induced headaches and/or skin breakouts, but thankfully I was not plagued by either of these problems.

So, here is a hearty thumbs-up for biotin!


Now, on to the pretties:

New York Color Nail Glossies - Fusion Pink
- purchased at Rexall (local chain drug store) for $2.26 CDN

As faithful Lacquer Lundi readers know, I am not a pink girl. I don't do soft and sweet. However, I'm not adverse to fuchsia (it's like pink, but on cool-enhancing steroids). Enter NYC Fusion Pink. This polish is a shiny, hot cavalcade of summery goodness.

Fusion Pink went on smoothly and covered in two coats. I love the brush - it's nice and wide and lays on the polish well. The bottle is aesthetically pleasing too - I like the bold rectangular look. Note that the chunky black top slides off to reveal a more user friendly handle below. This polish dried quickly and wore very well for the two days I had it on - only minor tip wear.

All in all, a great polish at an excellent price.


China Glaze - Secret Peri-winkle
- purchased at Sally Beauty Supply for $3.99 CDN

Secret Peri-winkle is a gorgeous periwinkle (obviously) creme polish from China Glaze's Fall 2008 Operation Colour Collection. I have always loved this shade of lavender-blue. This lovely grayed-out pastel shade just seems so fresh and springy to me.

This polish applied well, however three coats were required to ensure opacity and cover all streakiness.

I wore this polish for two days and only saw minor tip wear.



China Glaze - Flying Dragon
- purchased at Sally Beauty Supply for $3.99 CDN

Flying Dragon has a reddish purple base with red, teal and silver glitter (click on the photos to see the glitter more clearly). As a neon polish it dries matte and thus needs a shiny top coat applied over top.

This polish was a bit difficult to apply as it dries quite quickly (like many of the other neon polishes that I own) and it is difficult to avoid unsightly clumping and dragging. However, due to the excellent pigmentation, only two coats were required to make the polish opaque.

Unfortunately this polish did not wear exceptionally well. At the one day mark, I already had appreciable tip wear and a few chips. Since the colour is so amazing I had higher hopes for this polish. Oh well.

Yeowch!

A few years ago, I put out my back lifting an object that was much too heavy for me. Now, about once or twice a year, I get a flare up (typically when I do something just as stupid as the original incident).

This time around, I was doing some crunches on my weight machine and I decided to increase the mass being lifted by five pounds. I felt a bit of strain on my lower back, but not enough to cause alarm. I finished off all my sets and got down to some sewing. A while later I turned to grab my tape measure and *zowie*.

So, for the last few days I have been just trying to heal. Unfortunately this put getting some pictures of my latest creations on the back burner. I am feeling better today, so I'm hoping to do a photo shoot tomorrow. I have 3 dresses, 4 tops, 3 skirts, 3 crops and 2 pants to show you - the sewing machine and I have become one (picture me sitting in front of my machine in the lotus position) since my summer vacation started two weeks ago.

Lacquer Lundi

Straight to the pretties...

Orly - Dazzle
- purchased at Sally Beauty Supply for $ 5.99 CDN

In the comments two Lacquer Lundis ago, Cindy asked about silver polish. Her question made me realize that I don't have any silvers in my polish collection. I had always avoided them because I am an autumn (in terms of colouring) and I thought silver polish would look like death on me. But, ever the trooper, I set out to see what I could find. Well, there is a distinct lack of silver polish at my local stores. The only silver polish I ran across was Orly Dazzle and I'm glad I did.

Dazzle is a great pure metallic silver polish, with no undertones of any other colours. It's easy to apply, opaque in two coats and provided excellent wear (no chipping and essentially non-existent tip wear over the two days I had it on). And, surprise, surprise, it actually looked good on me - nice!


Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear - Strawberry Icing
- purchased at Rexall (chain drug store) for $ 1.52 CDN

I have said before that I am not a huge fan of pink polish, but all sense went out the window when I saw Strawberry Icing on sale for $1.52. I figured why not pick it up -it's super cheap and I love this SH brand. You'd think by now I would have learned to listen to my inner voice that was screaming, "Are you nuts? Pink? Seriously??" Well my inner voice was right because apparently I am not meant to wear bubble gum pink polish - imagine that. I felt like a complete knob for the entire day that I had it on.

Don't get me wrong - it's a great polish, just not on me. If you like sparkly Barbie pink nails, go for it, you can't go wrong. I, however, will be giving this polish to my best friend's 17 year old daughter. I'm sure she'll look adorable in it.


Orly - Green with Envy
- purchased at Sally Beauty Supply for $ 5.99 CDN

While I was picking up the Orly Dazzle, Green with Envy caught my eye. It is such a strange green - kinda minty and weird. Needless to say, I had to give it a whirl.

It went on smoothly and the consistency was great. However, even after three coats it was not perfectly opaque, which might be okay for many ladies, but I don't like VNL (visible nail line), so I wish it was more pigmented. It stayed nice for the two days it was on - no chipping and very little tip wear. Unfortunately, this colour is horrific on me - it brings out the blue veins on my hands which is not the best look for anyone trying to look non-corpse-like. I'll keep it in my collection though - I can probably make it work by putting a crazy glitter polish over top of it next time.


Avon Nailwear Pro - Classic Fit
- purchased at Avon.ca for $ 2.99 CDN

Classic Fit is another new release from Avon and I love this navy polish. It's dark and vampy and all 'round fabu. Bear in mind though that this polish reads as black from a distance - it's only when you're very close and/or in high light that the polish appears navy.

The formula is great - smooth, easy to apply and highly pigmented. If I had been very careful, I probably could have gotten away with just one coat - however I ended up doing two coats to ensure opacity. My only problem was the issue I have with all dark polishes - they are difficult to apply neatly. Any mishandling of the brush and the mistake is glaringly obvious - there is no hiding shoddy application with the vampy lacquers.

Super Separates

Most of my vintage pattern stash consists of dresses. I have very few patterns for separates. So, when I was searching through my stash for the perfect warm weather skirt and top, my choices were very limited. Then I got an email from Lanetz Living heralding a 25% off sale. Realizing this was sign, I partook of the sale and grabbed up a few cute patterns (3 patterns for separates and a nifty little dress I couldn't resist). As soon as they arrive, I will be putting them to good use.



I have been stitching up a storm this past week, but I have been so busy sewing, I haven't felt much like stopping to get photos. I hope to post some pictures of my latest progress over the next few days. So, stay tuned.

Lacquer Lundi

A few questions answered to start things off.

Summerset asks, "Do you have a favorite hand/nail moisturizer?"
I do. Check out this post for all the details. I am always on the prowl for the next greatest thing though, so if I ever run across anything that is better, I will post about it.

Cindy asks, "I have been wanting to find a good silver for my toes this summer. Have any recommendations?"
I must admit that I don't have many silver polishes in my collection. The ones that I do have are all holographic in nature. However, I will be on the look out for silver polishes and report back my findings.


Now on to the pretties:

Rimmel 60 Seconds - Camouflage
- purchased at Wal Mart for $3.14 CDN

There are a few polishes that hold me mesmerized by their beauty, unable to tear me eyes away from their splendour. Camouflage is one of those polishes. It is, in my opinion, one of the most enchanting greens on the market. From the rich, medium green base to the subtle gold micro shimmer, it is spectacular.

The formula is quite good. It slides on easily with a nice wide brush and it is extremely pigmented - the picture shows me wearing a single coat. It dries quickly (the 60 second boast on the bottle is fairly indicative of the true drying time). Unfortunately the wear on this polish is not so great. After less than 24 hours I had chipping. In all fairness, I was trying a new base coat with this polish, so I will have to try it again with my TNT base coat and see if that makes a difference.


Avon Nailwear Pro - Blue Flare
- purchased from avon.ca for $2.99 CDN

I haven't really used Avon cosmetics since I was a teenager. However, when I received a coupon code from avon.ca and noticed that many of the nail polishes were on sale, I decided to take the plunge. Since I am a huge fan of blue polish, Blue Flare was a no-brainer, so into the cart it went.

Blue Flare is a greyed-out blue with silver micro shimmer. I got many compliments on this colour. It really is unique and interesting - I don't have any other polish in my collection that is even close to this colour.

It went on smoothly and covered completely in two coats. It wore reasonably well for the three days I had it on - tip wear, but no chipping.


Sally Hansen Salon - Mulberry Wine
- purchased at Rexall (chain drug store) for $5.99 CDN

Mulberry Wine is a gorgeous bright medium purple creme with an extremely subtle shimmer. It is one of those colours that is good enough to eat. Unfortunately, it is a difficult colour to capture in a photograph (the second photo is more colour accurate, but still not perfect).

It applied well and was opaque in two thin coats. Over the two days I had it on, I had no chipping, but I did see a fair amount of tip wear. However, I should mention that I was cleaning up my classroom during those days, so the tip wear is mainly due to that.


Sally Hansen Insta-Dri - Racey Rouge
- purchased at Zehrs (chain grocery store) for $5.99 CDN

Another of my beloved SH Insta-Dri polishes - this time in a bright pinkish-red creme.

Once again, I loved the extra wide brush and the easy application (beware though, it seems most people either adore this polish or hate this polish due to the brush and the consistency). I chose to apply two coats, although I could have gotten away with one coat had I laid it on more thickly. As usual, my favourite part about this polish is the super fast dry time - I was out the door in 10 minutes total and that includes base coat, two coats of Racey Rouge and a quick dry top coat. Nice!

Uncaged

I AM FREE! Yesterday was my last day of work until September 2nd. Now I have weeks and weeks to sew and garden and lay around like a lump of goo. Wahoo!

I have already started going through my pattern and fabric stashes to figure out what is first up on the summer sewing frenzy list. Right now, a bunch of vintage patterns are calling my name, especially this cute little reversible wrap-around dress, Simplicity 8125. Please note that I scammed this image from the Vintage Sewing Patterns Wiki. If you are a vintage pattern lover, you have to check out this site - it is a treasure trove of vintage goodness!

I just have to find two lightweight wovens to pair together for this dress. The patterns calls for approximately 2.5 yards of 54" fabric for each side of the dress. Surprisingly, I don't have much in my stash that fits this criteria, so I may have to go fabric shopping. O-darn-it-all!