right now: on my radar

My big sister's music. Her arrangements are getting more gorgeous all the time. Case in point.

The Honest Toddler. I don't really go for humor blogs, but this one is hee-larious.

French onion soup sandwiches, aka heaven on a plate.
Southwest-style sweaters in bright colors. This one's sold out, anyone know of something similar?
Seedfolks. A beautiful little morsel of a book. It would be amazing for a book group.
Field Study + simple strip quilt. I need to make this happen.

Safer birth in a barn. Oh yes.
Growing out a pixie cut, month by month. Rachel is my hair muse.
aaaand...
These guys.

giveaway: shabby apple $50 gift card

I've got a special treat for you today...

Shabby Apple is generously offering one lovely reader a $50 gift certificate to their online store!

I love SA's dress designs {modest is hottest} and their photography/styling has been to die for lately {mad hatter, anyone?}.

Know what I'd want if I were the lucky winner?

alice

el dorado

high marks

honey bee necklace

light as a feather

Decisions, decisions.

To enter, you need to do TWO THINGS.

1. Like Shabby Apple on Facebook.

2. Leave a comment, any comment. Make me smile!

You need to do BOTH THINGS to enter.

I'll randomly select a winner this Thursday, March 29, so you've got until then.

Good luck + happy shopping!

This giveaway is closed + the winner has been notified. 

gallery: colorful knit socks

Time for socks!

There weren't any socks in the laundry basket for months and months

{except for semi-damp Army socks, that is}

and now they are everywhere.

I used to knit & made a pair of socks that I still love to wear.

I was working on them on a flight to visit my parents {pre-kids, obviously}

and the really old lady sitting next to me said, "You must have the patience of Job."

All these gorgeous socks make me want to pick it up again!

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pattern review: simplicity 2594

My sewing mojo is back with a vengeance, and this little pattern is just what did it.

Fast, simple, and really satisfying.

Difficulty: intermediate; some familiarity with attaching a yoke is useful

Time: one evening, start to finish, including pre-washing and cutting fabric

Fabric: cotton sateen from Liesl Gibson's Lisette collection, purchased at Jo Ann

Special techniques: cutting pieces on the bias, pleats, gathering, yoke

Version: A, without the belt

Other notes: This pattern reminds me the Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress, only for grownups (and with a cowl neck, obvi). There are also pleats on one shoulder, which I (((love.))) The cotton sateen doesn't drape quite as nicely as I thought it would; it still looks ok, but I like to wear it with a cardigan or light coat to help smoosh down the cowl a little. Next time I plan to use something drapier. The dolman sleeves are very cute, but they are very roomy in the underarm and I will wear a little shirt beneath it in the warmer months. The pattern instructions for attaching the back yoke are a little confusing and it took a bit of head-scratching to figure out, even though I had done it before on the ice cream dress. I do like the fact that this top completely covers the booty-crack zone {mine is always escaping}.

gallery: tulle

If I owe you an email or a phone call or a visit or a carrier pigeon or anything like that, you should blame it on the tulle.

Our Battalion (Army) Ball is coming up in a few weeks, and it is crunch time as far as dresses go. I was going into this ridiculous longing/despair/anger cycle about not being able to find something that is at once modest, affordable, and fabulous 

(and I am so not in the mood to sew a ball gown). 

And then it hit me. Tulle. 

Wonderfully, Etsy is crawling with fabulous vintage tulle dresses, though modest and affordable dresses still elude me.
Some of my fave candidates for modestification:

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That last one is, like, my dream dress. It has sleeves, for pete's sake. 

But the price tag makes me go ha-gullllp. (More of my favorites right here.)

So, question for you: if you were to go with a minty-colored sleeveless vintage tulle dress, but needed sleeves, how would you make it modest? 

(Not a black shrug.)

Also, our visit with Grandma + Grandpa was totally rad. 

I got a great video of my mom crashing into the  TV cabinet while dancing ballet, but I think she might kill me if I posted it here.

friday finds: vintage girl scout dress + clip art freebies

How cool is this?! I found this vintage Girl Scout dress on sale for $20 at this fabulous little local shop. It fits perfectly, except that I need to do something to make it just a smidge longer (ideas? please??). As far as I can tell, it's from the 1930s(!) and is industrially made with several hand-stitched alterations. I am in love with the inverted box pleats at the sides and (of course!) the merit badges.

I wore this dress the other day when the girls and I went to get the car's oil changed. The Mobil on our little main street is a happenin' place -- it's where the old guys hang out (no really -- this is the awesomeness of living in a village with no stop lights -- they insist on filling your gas for you, remember your name, and notice when there's a chip in your windshield they didn't see last time).

Anyway. An old guy hanging out at the Mobil asked me if I was in Cub Scouts. I told him no, I just like the dress. I think he thought I was crazy.

And lo! I did a little scanny-scanning, et voila! The badge file is in PNG format, and the fabric is a really huge JPG for backgrounds + the like.

Have fun with these!

{download girl scout badges}

{download girl scout dress fabric}

design inspiration: asymmetry

I have been seeing so much asymmetry in clothing design lately. I love it, especially in dresses. I really want to make a midi/maxi skirt that's short in front and long in back, maybe with some lace in the front? Or maybe this first top?

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What do you think? Cute? Obnoxious? Worth a try?