Pony Express

I brought my beautiful, leather-bound world atlas to university my first semester because I thought it would make me look scholarly to have it on my bookshelf. Also, I'm perfectly horrid at geography, so I thought I might actually use it. The first time I've used it between August 2010 and October 2011 is just today, to take these pictures. 

Moral of the story: atlases make good photo props, but are otherwise useless in a world with google maps.

I was inspired today by the fact that I haven't worn this gorgeous shirt since I made it, and was about damn time. Therefore, this happened.

This red eyeshadow (Siren by Lime Crime) came in the mail  yesterday and I was so excited to wear it! I bought it with their Candy-eyed Eyeshadow Helper in their recent sale with the earnings from an art commission I did for the Celestial Opera Company's next production (I'll show you soon, promise!). I'm REALLY happy with both the products, the primer is actually kind of amazing. The eyeshadow kept transferring to my top lid, so I hairsprayed my face. I'll let you know how bad of an idea that was depending on how bad I break out tonight, but it seems to have worked. 

Incidentally, I've also got on a yellow-gold shadow and a peach-iridescent shadow above Siren, from a palette my mom had back in high school. Woe betide me when the palette runs out!

I made the hairbow with a barette finding from JoAnn Fabrics, some scrap fabric I had lying around, some string, and hot glue. High-tech, I know.

A standing picture, yay.

Belt borrowed from my mom's closet. Can't remember whether I told her I was taking it this semester, but she has plenty other Western-style belts, so no worries there. Phew!

I think it's kind of awesome, btw.

Character shoes from Danny's Dance Warehouse in LA.

Tights-like socks from Charlotte Russe.

I love the print on this heavy cotton skirt my maternal grandmother gave me. Isn't it great?

As for the Gibson Girl blouse, this was the progeny of my shirt project in Sewing I last semester. 

It was... a labour of love, in the truest sense of the phrase.

I started with GREAT fabric, a butternut-colored Swiss Dot of very light cotton, and two types of lace (only one of which shows in these pictures).

All the pin-tucks and set-in lace had to be done before the pieces could be sewn together, and some even before the piece could be completely cut out, like on the front yoke.

Sewing on the Swiss Dot was a bitch--to keep the machine from spazzing out all the time, I had to sew over a sheet of wax paper--I spent at least twice as much time pulling out little bits of wax paper from the seams than I spent actually sewing the lace in. Plus each seam sewing lace in had to be done twice--once to sew it to the fabric, and once to sew the cut-away edges of the fabric to the remaining edges so you can see through the lace. Not to mention that I bought the fabric and lace in downtown LA and ran out of lace halfway through--in Waco, Texas. AAAAAAAGGGHHH!!! That's why I'm done now.

The pattern I used was Gibson Girl Blouse by Folkwear Pattern Company.

It happened.

And now there are pretty pintucks down the front. :)

I <3 U

Then, I went sepia-happy... 

All the best to you, my lovely friends and readers!

<3LW