5.05.2011

godsakes, not the paisley.

do you know what i've found helps me immensely in my sewing?  tequila.


no, no, actually, this is a much more recent development than my love for the beverage alcoholic.  i've found that when i'm stumped on a project, if i take a break and work on a UFO, i finish said UFO, and i get an ahah! moment on what i took a break on!  that's a win WIN, baby!

(this revelation came to me during my three day birthdaycation last year, when i was working on no less than three projects at all times while ruggy poured wine for me.  i wore something new out every night.)


i'm five minutes away from finishing my sew weekly challenge, but of course i made a very simple one-seam pattern freaking Einstein Harder than it needed to be and i was stumped.  so i drug out this here little number. this is the bottom half seulement to that simplicity pattern i showed y'all last week.  you guys, the project runway patterns rock.  you get like ten patterns for the price of one.  find them on sale?  that's a win WIN, baby.  

the fabric for this came in great big flowered square panels, surrounded by a paisley border, surrounded by white.  i loved this print so much i was afraid to do anything to it.  so i cut away the white, sewed what was left together and made a cape.

so not a good idea.


(yeeeaaahhhh purple invisible topstitched zip!)

i ripped it up one day and embarked on this skirt.  only at first, it was a mini skirt.  umm, i was in a phase, a micro mini phase in the middle of winter, no less; i really don't know what that was about.  having snapped out of it, i realized i would not ever never wear the skirt in its hoochie mama condition, so into the bag it went.

however, i had my scraps.  i ALWAYS have my scraps.  and i had plans, BIG plans, i tell ya, to use the floral scraps to extend the bottom of the skirt.  not, i repeat, NOT the paisley scraps.  they were deemed unusable, since i had already used that pattern for the waistband.  too matchy.

then we celebrated our friend's birthday with a big ass surprise fancy dinner and i used up the flower scraps to make a temporary table runner.  she loves flowers.  and purple.  she was so in love with it, she immediately exclaimed, oh my god and i get to KEEP this?!  so all plans for seam ripper and extra skirtage flew out the window.

but today, stumped by the sparkly thing on the ironing board (oh yes, i cut into the burnt gold stuff), and going for my UFO break, i thought, why not use the matchy paisley scraps?  what's the worst that could happen? so it'll be an occasional wear, as least it'll be finished.


YOU GUYS I LOVE THIS FRIGGIN SKIRT SO MUCH IT HURTS.

(ruggy walks into the apartment to find oona jumping around the living room, singing along with ben folds at the top of her lungs.)

ruggy:  what's goin on?

oona:  I MADE A SKIRT!  and i had to take pictures!

ruggy:  oh.

oona:  do you LIKE it?  it's my most favorite skirt EVER!

ruggy:  it's kind of hard to tell, what with the yellow shirt.

oona:  .

ruggy:   but i love it!  seriously, babe!  the yellow just gets in my way!  it doesn't match!

ah, matching.  my roadblock in the first place.  we just never went for matching in kalkatroona.  possibly because we drink too much and our judgement is impaired.  matter of fact, parental kalkatroonans left a voicemail about grabbing a marguerita just as i was wishing for a reason to wear this out tonight.  i missed the message.  

that's a lose LOSE, baby.

but as it is cinco de mayo-nnaise, i'm off to imbibe anyways.


you didn't think i'd forgotten, did you?

cheers, peeps!  in lieu of raising a glass, share some drunken sewing tips with me if you got em!

22 comments:

  1. Not matching? I never noticed. Once again, Oona, I'm amazed at what you can come up with! I just finished sewing a crib organizer and its okay, but not really what I'd like... practice, practice... I think that's what I need.

    I've noticed you like high waist bands. Those drive me nuts, I can't stand to have something rise above my hip bones. I wonder, is that a style thing, a generational thing, a location thing? Ah, who knows! Not I.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Drunk sewing is the best kind of sewing. Or the worst. But I would recommend not inserting any zippers, because that will MESS YOU UP and you will be so made in the morning. I always am....and don't do any measuring or cutting, just nice seams, assuming you can still see a straight line. No judgment, I've done it...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sip and stich yes, but not with the scissors. I tend to get "creative" when cutting and boozing it up can be dangerous.

    I'm always afraid to cut into my favorite fabrics, but I now see it's possible to reverse some poor couture choices.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Omg. my favourite topic.
    Love drunk sewing....my only advise is DO NOT GET ON the computer...that is if you want to get any sewing done...I always have a couple of glasses, do some sort of half assed hem and then get on the computer to watch three episodes straight of Mad Men. sigh. To say I have the attention span of a goldfish when drinking is an understatement....LOOK a castle!

    LOVE this skirt!! And I can't wait to see the shiny stuff!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the skirt and it's superbly made (of course!)!!!!!

    YAY for drunken sewing room adventures! You get a bit fearless, I find, and that fearless can mostly be GOOD TASTE!

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  6. I don't sew while drinking, at least not so far, but that will probably change. I tend to dream up new projects that sound really good at the time, not so good when i'm sober....I even once sent my BF an email suggesting he should learn to sew due to his engineering background and good clothes sense...poor guy...

    Anyhow, i LOVE your skirt. Great colors...

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love it! such a gorgeous fabric, and i love some nice sort of matchy prints. I even like the yellow top, so there.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow I love that skirt! And actually I really like it with the yellow top. ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a sexy skirt! That print is fabu. Isn't great when it all works out?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Not match? That totally matches! I saw the picture in google reader and clicked to get to the real post 'cuz I knew I'd want to comment. This is pattern matching 101. Awesome! And you look like you're wearing oonaflauge - the skirt should hang on your walls when not being worn. It fits perfectly in your dwelling!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I like it! I think the not matching works in this case b/c it look intentional; much better than trying to match colors and being off by a shade or two. I think the results are beautiful, i'd definitely wear it.

    I've never attempted drunk sewing, I'm just not that talented. I'm sure for me the night would end with a needle through a finger and a trip to urgent care. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ahhh drunken sewing, the best! But I have a fear that at some point I'll sew over my fingers…that'll teach me. But your skirt rocks and so does your yellow shirt and your red belt!

    Odd what I buy on the internet when drinking…wheeeee!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Looks good to me :) Love the skirt, and glad you made something that makes you happy ;)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Love the entire outfit. I want to try a high waist-ed skirt look very flattering.

    I always need a drink after sewing something in backward, which happens almost every time I sew. A sleeve, leg or some other essential piece that needs to be ripped out.

    Though I will say don't use the razor edged seam ripper and anything to strong, blood's a pain to get out of some fabrics.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Matching??? What is this matching you speak of???

    Love the skirt - the colors are totally fabulous and perfect for summer. And I did paisley - to me it looks like happy little amoebas swimming in paint...or maybe I am just speaking about the paisley fabric I just found in my closet.

    PS My morning was "meh" until I saw that I had four unread items on your blog! It was like Christmas/Birthday/Half Birthday all rolled into one. Your sense of humor kills me...and my laughter confuses my coworkers. Win win!

    Word Verification: Mance, otherwise known as "Immobile dance" - moving the arms as if in Zumba class while legs remain stiff.

    ReplyDelete
  16. younger rachael: look girl, pregnant + sewing a crib organizer immediately = best c.o. on EARTH. & very intriguing question.... i love the high waist because i have a very high waist/ aka short torso, so skirts & pants gravitate there anyway. when i finally threw out the notion of "no high waists on short women" life became easier. but style/generation/location ... i like thinking about how that plays into fashion choices!

    leah: i agree. i once made a rectangular apron while under the influence, and i had to recut the damn thing four times.

    sigrid: sip and stitch.... oh what a wonderful phrase... i am IN LOVE with those words!

    debi: okay girl, you and i need to get together with a bottle of wine and plenty distractions and sew something!

    veronica: fearless in this instance paid off... i should show you the reverse sometime :)

    karen: that's not drunken emailing, that's just good sense. every man should sew for himself. they're far too picky for us to do it.

    farah: i got several votes now for the yellow top! ruggy is OVERTURNED!

    meg n: ah! another vote!

    lisette: man, it's SO great when it does. i'm still smiling about it.

    patty: OONAFLAUGE. oh good god that's perfect. when i looked at the pics i thought it was busy yet couldn't figure out why. you've nailed it!

    ashley: i recommend a little hand sewng for your first night avec wine. no hospitals, please.

    cathe: drunken web shopping is almost as good as drunken sewing! think of the things you could send to your folks!

    spinneretta (um, love your name!): thank you, happiness is top priority round here :)

    head bather: ah yes, using the drink as the soother to sloppy sewing. nice usage. no blood tho. pen marks suck too (i've been known to use them even when sober).

    meg the g: hah, i love it! i get the same feeling when i've somehow missed on my faves (yours being a fave!).... i have taken the zumba. and this mancing image is hilarious.

    ReplyDelete
  17. It doesn't have to "match" it has to "go". Duh. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Ah that was a fantastic read, you're a riot. Well done on the skirt I love that feeling of achieving something that just makes you want to pat yourself on the back *ching ching* to you.

    ReplyDelete
  19. That skirt is freaking awesome! Maybe make an addition to the Ruggian dictionary: "Matching: 1. in fashion: a subjective term used to describe any combination of clothing that makes you happy".

    Drunken sewing is a dear companion of mine! I don't seem to sew anymore without a glass of something in my hand or nearby. I would recommend though not balancing the wine glass on the ironing board (that doesn't end well) and hand sewing hems can be hazardous (difficulties encountered may include, but are not limited to: stabbed fingers, spending 20mins trying to thread the needle and accidentally sewing the hem onto the clothes you're wearing)

    ReplyDelete
  20. OMG! I'm not alone in drunken sewing?! I chime in on the zippers though, I've broken more needles that way... I also do what i call "Medicated sewing". Where I just popped the pain pill for my back.

    Its vodka for me, though, as I'm allergic to agave.

    ReplyDelete
  21. >> angie a: HAH! perfect response!

    >> kazz: thanks girl. glad i gave you a laugh!

    >> amanda: the ruggian dictionary. i'm starting it now. filled only with words to assist in his understanding of oona. ah yes! many i time i've put ruggy's birthday reidel on the ironing board, paused, and reconsidered that decision. no stabbed fingers yet, but hem secured nicely to pjs is a must.

    >> ladykatza: you have found your people! vodka is most certainly accepted here.

    ReplyDelete
  22. :) Lovely skirt!
    I really like reading your posts. They crack me up after a long day. :)
    Now, I'd better have a nice glass of red...

    ReplyDelete

i thankya truly for taking the time to comment, i love a good conversation-- and hope you know my thanks are always implied, if not always written!