happy monday, everyone!  lately i’ve been feeling a bit stir-crazy (maybe after months of winter, and anxiously awaiting spring?) and have been playing more and more with color as an outlet. 

as a sunday (and monday) routine, my friend julie and i have been taking ballet lessons, which has led me to researching new dance outfits, which has led me to the world of crazy tights on ebay.  i’ve been collecting the weirdest, brightest collection of tights, leotards and dancewear that you can imagine.  the best pair of dance tights i found (a two-toned purple and black jester tights) were on ebay, titled ‘party tights mardi gras clown dance’.  how can you deny a pair of tights with that name? 

in any case, all of this has started to carry over into my real-world outfits, and when hansel from basel had a sale a few weeks ago, i bought this pair of over-the-knee socks, in the brightest blue with red knees.  i love the little color on the knees.  if an impromptu paula abdul ‘cold hearted snake’ dance routine breaks out on the street, i’m so ready.

i’ve actually had these boots for a long time, but could never figure out what to wear them with.  when these tights appeared and were an exact color match, i figured it was destiny and they must be worn together. 

also, one thing i can’t believe i haven’t mentioned yet is this lipgloss/lipstick palette.  since i’ve been wearing bright orange and reds, i always want a similar lipshade, but bright orange can be a teensy bit crazy on your lips.  i got this smashbox ‘lip service 2’ palette in a goodie bag from an event a while back, and it’s perfect for mixing and matching the reds/corals/pinks into the perfect shade……and they’re sheer enough to where they don’t make you look crazy.  i’m a tad scared what i’m going to do when it runs out, and hopefully i can find it in a store somewhere.

and finally, my latest finished project. i LOVE this thing.  the pattern, the yarn, the detailing, the size, the drape…everything.  the pattern is guernsey from brooklyn tweed, and the yarn is cascade 220 wool in charcoal.  i’ve been working on this for about a week or so, and just finished and blocked it this weekend.  the  pattern is so easy, but looks SO nice.  i’d definitely recommend this pattern to any knitting beginners who want to make a scarf.  (the stitches are no harder than any garter stitch scarf, it teaches you how to read and follow a pattern, and the result is SOOO much better).

alright, have a great week, everyone!

vintage shirt and skirt, hansel from basel tights, cobalt boots (can’t remember!), scarf knit by me from guernsey pattern by brooklyn tweed, essie ‘clambake’ nails, lipgloss a concoction of colors from smashbox lipservice 2 palette

i was finally able to take some photos this past weekend of my FINISHED mustard/honey/golden cowl.  the pattern is from madeline tosh, and was a pretty quick and fun knit.  i used knit picks capra yarn, which is a cashmere blend and it is SO soft and squishy.  especially in this honeycomb pattern with lots of slipped stitches. 

moving along, my new pair of favorite jeans, designed by my friend Jacqueline at Madewell.  i picked these out during fashion week when madewell hosted the CUTEST breakfast for us in their shop.  we had a gift card easter egg hunt around their store, munched on deliciously weird bagels (like peanut butter & jelly), had our fortunes told, and manicures.  AND we all put on a pants fashion show for ourselves and walked out with a new pair of jeans (thanks, madewell!)  i ended up going with the ‘vintage rocker’ because of the flare cut and the amazingly soft fabric. 

alright, have a happy friday everyone.  this weekend, i’m going to be joining in several bachelorette activities, including TRAPEZE lessons tomorrow!  i’m terrified.  but will let you know how it goes, next week. 

vintage rocker jeans c/o madewell, vintage coat, purse & shoes, uniqlo chambray shirt & cardigan, h&m men’s belt, KISS sunglasses

i’ve been working on a lot of knit projects lately, the latest being this little adorable knit panda pin.  having a little leftover yarn from the scarf, and wanting more adorable accessories, i created this little guy.  read down below for the pattern.

so many new things to talk about!  first of all, besides knitting like crazy this weekend, i went to see the bill cunningham documentary which is nothing short of amazing.  he is so brilliant, adorable, witty, smart and dedicated.  i love peeking into the life behind this man.  if you get the chance, you have to go see this movie!

moving on to the outfit, i decided that my wardrobe was missing a pair of red pants.  i rarely go outside of my apartment to shop (i’m much more of an online buyer) so i walked into zara saying ‘i want a pair of red pants’.  and there they were.  they make me so happy!  turns out everything matches red pants.  and they happen to be a lovely match with my freshly knitted scarf. 

you’ll remember that i started this scarf only less than a week ago!  i’m getting so good at not only finishing my projects, but finishing them quick.  i LOVE how this scarf turned out.  i used the baktus pattern, alternating colors every 2 rows.  it’s garter stitch (which i normally despise) but i think the alternating colors won me over.  and i used this basic knitting as a time to practice on my speed.

after finishing a relatively big project, i wanted something super quick to work on.  which brings me to the panda. he’s a very quick (like 20 minute) knit.  you can download the pattern here. let me know if you decide to make one!

and finally a new pair of shoes!  buying boots on the cusp of spring is not ideal, which is why i’ll be wearing these as much as i can til the weather finally turns around here.

zara red pants, whyred boots, self knit scarf and panda pin, vintage coach purse, boyfriend’s sweatshirt (vintage), vintage coat, KISS sunglasses

after diligently preparing for today’s post and taking lots of pictures, this morning i frantically turned my apartment upside down looking my card reader, which is no where to be found.  so, unless i learn to telepathically beam them to you, they will have to wait til next week.  instead, today i decided to show you a few of the projects that have been keeping me busy lately.

the booties above were a project that i started back in december and kinda lost focus on.  which is why i only have one of them. still, it is a really cute bootie.

and the dress below is something i started on last week.  it’s from the built by wendy dress book, and i spent the entire first day just making the pattern.  who knew the ‘slash and spread’ would take so long to do?  the dress is about halfway done, so hopefully you’ll be seeing a finished product around here soon!

all in all, i really love the built by wendy books, only because i don’t think there is anything out there like this that will help you with pattern construction (short of taking a class).  however, the garment construction instructions skip over a lot of important steps (maybe to make sewing seem easier than it is?), so you really have to already know what you’re doing on construction.  i mainly just use the books to help me create the patterns.  i refer to my reader’s guide to sewing for everything in the construction department, which is the BEST reference book for sewing.

this cowl was something i was so proud of myself for starting, and finishing VERY quickly.  like in 2 days.  i still haven’t photographed the final finished piece yet, so i’m scared to wear it until i do….so i just wear it around my room alot and stroke it like it’s a cat.

this scarf is one that i don’t want to say i settled on making, but basically…it all started when i found the photo below from vanessa jackman’s blog and decided i needed it.  after consulting with many knitters and trying to knit up a swatch all day at work yesterday, i wasn’t happy with the result at all, found a pattern for the scarf above and started it instead. 

and finally, my last project is for my apartment.  i’ve been working on these dreaded floor cushions for years!  years!  not consistently, but i’m so sick of looking at them.  i finally finished knitting and seaming one (yay!) and just have to order the foam to go inside. 

so, that’s mainly what i’ve been working on lately!  what projects have you been up to?

inspired by alexa chung and rosemary’s baby, i put together this vintage-looking detachable collar pattern + tutorial.  make your own or enter the giveaway.  the tutorial is actually pretty easy, given you have a little bit of sewing experience.

Materials & Supplies

• pattern
• 1/4 yard of fabric (cotton or a lightweight woven)
• 1/4 yard of light-med fusible interfacing
• ribbon (I used about 1/4” grosgrain)
• iron
• scissors
• pencil & paper

1. print out or make your own collar pattern.  this pattern is designed to fit really close to your neck, to overlay high-necked dresses and blouses.  if you want a deeper neck collar, or one that is perfectly fit to a specific neckline you have in mind, you can make your own pattern.  just lay paper over the neckline of your shirt/dress, and trace around half of the collar (mid front, around the side to mid back), extend it out about 2.5” and round your front collar edge. 

next, cut out your fabric and interfacing.  double your main fabric, right sides together, and cut out 2 of the collar patterns (with the doubled fabric, that makes 4 pattern pieces).  then double your interfacing, right sides together, and cut out 1 pattern piece (which results in 2 interfacing collars).

2. iron the interfacing on to 2 pieces of the main fabric.  the pieces with interfacing will be your ‘upper collar’ (the part of the collar that is on top).

3. stitch the back seams of the upper collar together with a 1/2” seam allowance.  repeat for the under collar.  press seams open (important! don’t skip that!) and finish your seams (i cut them with pinking shears.) now you should have 2 pieces (complete upper and complete under collars) that look like this…

4. pin your upper and under collars, right sides together.  also, sandwich your ribbon in between the 2 layers, making sure to only catch the edge of the ribbon in the corner seam.  the left collar edge in the photo above is flipped back so you can see the placement of the ribbon, and the right collar edge is what it will look like after you place the collar on top.

5. stitch all around the edges of the collar with a 1/4” seam allowance.  make sure to leave a gap of about 2” to turn. 

6. trim your edges (i used pinking shears again).  then along the outer edges, make little snips (the whole way around) in the seam allowance almost right up to the seamline.  this will allow you to press your seams open.  then, along the inner edges (again, the whole way around), cut little Vs in the seam allowance, right up to the seamline. 

7. press your seams open (see above) - important if you want your collar to look normal.  don’t skip this!

8. turn your collar right side out (through the hole) and use something sharp (a seam opener if you have one, otherwise a chopstick works great) to go all along the edges and especially corners to make sure it’s completely turned out all of the way.  press flat.

9. hand stitch up the hole that you used to turn the collar using a blindstitch. basically just keep stitching the hole with the placement i have the needle above (where your thread stays on the inside and is invisible from the outside).  if you need more guidance, here’s a nice short blindstitch video.

10. topstitch all along the edges.  you’re done!

this collar is pretty basic, but there are so many variations you could do.

• make it in a bright print fabric
• use a contrasting thread for topstitching
• make it oversized
• change it into a pointed collar
• make the edges scalloped

if you make the collar, let me know!  send me photos!