I needed something to wear

As I was in my room selecting my wardrobe for my all so needed holiday vacation my mother called. As always, I was happy to speak with her. Before she got off the phone she said "Don't forget to bring clothes for church!" I assured her that I wouldn't forget... In my head I was saying "YIKES, I don't have anything to wear!!!" Being in the military, church clothes are often times the farthest thing from my mind when I go shopping. Most of the time I'm just looking for something that I can lounge in because, lets face it, I don't have time to go to church! (I'm alllllllllways working... even on Sunday...)

I decided to make something so I took a trip to Wal-Mart and got a pattern. The dress is coming along nicely. It has a ruffled collar but the dress itself is pretty basic. It has a total of 10 darts (6 on the bodice and 4 on the skirt). The bodice is also lined! This is my first time putting a lining on the bodice section and it hasn't proven to be difficult... yet...

To be honest, this is going to be the first project that I've finished in a long time!!!! I usually don't have time to finish projects, or I just don't like it sooooo... I drop the ball on it. But, I liked this pattern a lot and made time to finish it. It's been about a week now because I've been working little by little every day.

So with out further ado...... here come the pictures!

These are the pictures that are shown on the front cover. The pattern is made by McCalls and it was designed by Laura Ashley. I liked it because of the ruffles on the neck. I am NOT making this dress in pink. Although pink is a fan of me... I'm not a fan of pink. I chose a cute printed cotton fabric which is primarily grey. ( In the next update ill post pics of the fabric... sorry)

For the ruffles I decided to go with a white chiffon. The pattern only calls for one layer of fabric for these pieces but I wanted them to be more voluminous so I made each piece with two layers of fabric.
I wanted to skimp so bad and leave the seams on the inside of the ruffles unfinished but i decided to finish them by using a french seam... This almost killed me because I created sooooooooooooo much more work for myself.  All in all, they came out nicely!

When it was time to gather the neck pieces together (in this case pattern piece 5 and pattern piece 6) I found that I preffer to hand baste instead of machine baste. It makes the gathering process easier! Can you tell the difference?

So far the most time consuming part of this project was putting all of the ruffles together and attatching them to the bodice. Putting the lining together was a breeze and so was putting the bodice together. Im excited that its almost done! All I have left now is putting it all together and inserting the zipper! YAAAAY

Talk Talk Tuesday...

Hello Every One!!!

Today is the first official Talk Talk Tuesday...
There's supposed to be a video but, the Internet doesn't want to agree with me  :(

Favorite Vintage Finds This Week

I love Clara Bow.
I would love to make a coat like that. ( if only i had the time... sigh.)
I saw a really good article in Threads Magazine explaining how to attach fur to other fabrics.

This week was Halloween... that means sales everywhere!!!
PLNDR is a great website for both males and females to find great deals on designer items. The thing I love about websites like PLNDR and Karma Loop is that they have a good selection of both mainstream designers and what I like to call "Indie" designers.

Here are some of my faves from the website...

i have a thing for patterns... they make life more interesting

krypyonite???

Soooo...
Those were my favorite finds of the week! What do you think? Comment Comment Comment!

Hmmm... What should the topic the next "Talk Talk Tuesday" video?
Ideas Please!!!  

Shes My Cherry Pie

So here it is!!!

I started this jacket over the weekend. Its starting to come together and will be finished by the time the weekend is over! I can't wait until I'm done constructing it. This will be my first time putting in a lining so..... we'll see how that goes. But, all in all I have faith that can get this project done and looking good!

There are a lot of minor details that I'm thinking of adding. So far I've top stitched everything with decorative stitches (mostly because I know that they are very forgiving and will hide anything if the lines aren't exactly straight!) and they've come out nicely. I've also added some hooks to the shoulder but you'll have to check out later updates to see how that comes out!

Yaaaay top stitching!

love this button

sweet cherry pie

lovely little hooks





Ive been thinking about making videos to display my project... what do you think?

Not Enough Hours In The Day!!!!

I SWEAR!!!! The authorities need to add more hours to the day! At least three... at least! I have been so busy lately. I've recently started online classes (yay!), I've been in and out of the field (like a good soldier), and I've been trying not to lose my mind. All of this has left little time for sewing but, when there's a will there's a way, and I made time for my favorite hobby.

Many things have happened since my last post...

• I've decided to turn this thing into something big!
• I want PIN to be amazing... so I've been thinking about ways to do just that. I've been trying to get more organized lately by keeping actual records of everyone that wants something made and the project details to go along with what they want. I was thinking about making the whole system paperless, but to be perfectly honest the system itself isn't even set in stone yet (YIKES).
• To jump start my success with this whole "thing" I created this blog to share... but I can't seem to get any viewers. :( HELP, SOMEONE!!!! PLLLEEEEAAAASSE!!! I'm not asking to be the most famous blogger ever but, I want somebody, anybody to read!!!
• More patterns and new fabric
• I don't have any pictures of them right now but I'll be sure to post them later!
• One of them is a FABULOUS vintage Vogue pattern. Its a wrap dress. I haven't figured out which fabric I want to use or anything! I also need to find someone to make it for because I bought the wrong size (shucks!)
• New Sewing Machine
• After having my Singer for only a month, it broke down on me! .... I know right... I was thinking the same thing you are. So I went and bought a new one. I'll write a post about it soon.
• It's made by brother and is computerised. I absolutely love it - its perfect!

So ... before I go I'll say this...

I, Caridad Roman, do solemnly swear to post more often and in a regular pattern... NO MORE SLACKING!

THE BEST MOVIE EVER!!!!!

THE HELP was such an outstanding movie. Yes, I could write about the story line, and empowerment... and all those great things, but lets face it >>> the wardrobe was the best! So much vintage fashion! I even liked the maid's uniforms. I wish I could've taken pictures of my favorite looks right there in the theatre, but sadly, I couldn't. This was all I could salvage from google.



I think what I enjoyed the most was how some of the characters displayed a more unorthodox use of clothing in the "Pleasantville" like town. Did anyone notice how the writers didn't forget to mention the fact that a lot of the women in the town made their own clothing? I was really inspired by that! If they could do it... why can't I!?

A Beautiful Little Place

Today I've found myself in one of the most beautiful places in the country... Big Bear, California.
Yes, the military can be a stressful and time consuming occupation, but, every once in a while the golden opportunity for relaxation comes around. Myself and a group of soldiers came to the Single Soldiers Retreat for Ft. Irwin, CA.

Big Bear is such a wonderful place filled with vintage charm at every turn. The movie theatre still only plays 2 shows at a time, just like back in the day. There are vintage posters and reminders of how things used to be everywhere.

Today I stumbled across some lovely vehicles and I couldn't help but photograph them!!! I wonder what's in store for my camera tomorrow!!!

SEW new at this!

Hey everyone!!! Sooooo I'm pretty new at this! My mother put me in sewing classes when I was younger and I really enjoyed it. I fell off a little but now I'M BACK AT IT!!! I'm slowly re - teaching myself some of the techniques I've forgotten, but I'm sure with a lot of practice I'll be a great seamstress in no time (hopefully). I get most of my inspiration from vintage fashion. I really enjoy the 20's through the 40's, although, I do like the 50's and 60's sometimes. I hope you enjoy this little blog I've started up. Please comment !!! comment !!! comment !!!