6.29.2015

a pocketful of LOVE

oonaballoona | a pocketful of love | moschino midi skirt | a sewing blog

WHAT IS UP PARTY PEOPLE!!! CAN I GET A WHOOP WHOOP FOR ONE OF THE BEST WEEKENDS IN RECENT AMERICAN HISTORY?!! FLAGS CAME DOWN! BANS CAME DOWN! AND GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES YO, SO WHO KNOWS WHAT IS NEXT!!!!

oonaballoona | a pocketful of love | moschino midi skirt | a sewing blog

I MEAN. FOR REAL. I'M TRYING TO STOP SHOUTING BUT I CAN'T. HOLD ON A MINUTE.

oonaballoona | a pocketful of love | moschino midi skirt | a sewing blog

Okay, I've disengaged the caps lock. But I'm still hollering inside. 

This past weekend, I used every inch of the communal joy going around to make one of the loudest, happiest, silliest things I've ever stitched. My beloved janky store (39th street, red trim, handwritten closing signs up for the past five years) currently has three bolts of this Moschino print in stock. I went in last week for some regular old denim, and this stuff scream whispered at me from the back left corner of the store, burning itself into my brain until I went stomping back to snag a yard and a half.

This is the hacked bottom half to Salme's Yoke dress. The fit on the bodice gives me grief, but the skirt is perfection, especially when one flares it out a bit for a swoopier silhouette. As drafted, it's more fitted. I've made it with minor tweaks a ton of times. I used this momentous weekend as an excuse to try something I've always wanted to try on a skirt, but never did, due to the side eye it would surely incur from the Rugster...

oonaballoona | a pocketful of love | moschino midi skirt | a sewing blog

CRAZY ASS HUGE STRUCTURAL HIP WIDENING PLEATED PATCH POCKETS.

And yes, when I walked out of the house in this, I got major side eye from my man, accompanied by an appreciative laughter that bubbled up uncontrollably. Got the same response from several complimentary ladies and gents on the street! If the print doesn't make you giggle the pockets will...

oonaballoona | a pocketful of love | moschino midi skirt | a sewing blog

oonaballoona | a pocketful of love | moschino midi skirt | a sewing blog

To be honest, size-wise they feel just about right for my gorilla paws. They held my phone, keys, and huge camera-- and that was only one pocket! It was like having an assistant ON MY CLOTHING! 

However, I took these shots solo...because....

oonaballoona | a pocketful of love | moschino midi skirt | a sewing blog

THIS IS NOT A RUGGY SILHOUETTE.

oonaballoona | a pocketful of love | moschino midi skirt | a sewing blog

That's okay, there's another guy in my life who is all in on this project. If you happen to follow me on instagram, you've seen the new purple man. I can't wait to introduce you to him properly, but for now we're having a secret love affair. 

This skirt was our first date, a getting-to-know-you make. A spiked coffee date, if you will. TNT pattern, lots of straight & topstitching, a buttonhole, and fun with bar tacks. And of course playing with mixed materials, as the top left corner shows: super soft home dec trim from Vardhman on 39th.

oonaballoona | a pocketful of love | moschino midi skirt | a sewing blog

QUE DEMURE OONA! I caught myself mid-twirl here, and so did the bros at the gym across the street. Bros! Focus! Those abs aren't going to six pack themselves!

This is the skirt I make every Thanksgiving, usually in maxi length. And if this weekend wasn't cause for some Thanks-giving, I don't know what it. Man, we're a blip in time here in the scope of things. A mere 48 years ago, SCOTUS ruled anti-miscegenation laws unconstitutional. UNDER FIFTY YEARS AGO. Does that not blow your mind? Pretty much ALL of my family was committing a crime, depending on where they set up their home & hearth. Where will we be fifty years from now? Hopefully shaking our heads bemusedly at how it took us so long to get to this next step. Hopefully in a country without pieces of cloth that remind us of how we are divided, rather than how we are human, and so very much alike.

Love. Might sound cheesy, but it's undeniable: we've got lots of that in common.

65 comments:

  1. Your skirt says everything about how happy I am for that damn ruling. ABOUT DAMN TIME. Best news to wake up to, probably ever.

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  2. Love the skirt, love the sentiments, just SO full of love right now!!

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  3. Love the skirt! Billboard to everyone that Oona is coming!

    My Dad was a kid when the segregation thing was going on. He lived in Ottawa at that time, and said it was the first time his class had focused on American current events because his teachers wanted them to understand why it was such a big moment in history. When you're removed from something, it seems as tangible as a fairy tale. Congratulations to the USA for declaring that you don't have to agree with someone's sexual orientation, but you have to allow it without persecution. I hope this is the start of many more incidents of reason over passion.

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    1. reason over passion, i do think that can be such a wonderful phrase! in fact there's a lot of beautiful imagery in your comment...it is so hard to understand something happening a world away. even the takeover of social media can't fully express it!

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  4. Only you could pull off this outfit, I love it!!!! And yes, to LOVE! xo

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  5. Yes to love and this is an amazing time to be aware! Those POCKETS! I want!!

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    1. YOU CAN HAZ! just get crazy happy and start cutting shapes!

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  6. This outfit is so wonderful and so you. Love the print and the pockets.

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  7. You are a true original! This outfit looks great on you and the writing complements it perfectly.

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    1. thank you amanda! and may i say, excellent use of complement vs compliment, we just went off on a tangent here about it ;)

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  8. I'm Meg Ryan at the table screaming yes yes yes at your skirt and marriage equality for all! Love from me, the boss and his velvet rims xx

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  9. LOVE your pocket panniers! That skirt is so much fun. Wear it with joy and pride!

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  10. Love wins. That skirt wins. I wish I was celebrating this past weekend in bright technicolor, but instead I was celebrating with the flu. The flu does not win.

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    1. the flu should never win. SCOTUS should rule against the flu.

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  11. I love fun clothing and this one is a winner!

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    1. thank you! i laugh when i wear this, which always makes it a win in my book ;)

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  12. I'm still grateful for Loving v's Virginia, and I will fight anyone who tells me there is a better Supreme Court decision name than that, AND my home country got itself marriage for all BY POPULAR VOTE!! But still this was a super extra wonderful day in the history of love for the USA, and so we have no choice but to LOVE your skirt because of the inspiration and because it, and you are awesome.

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    1. i mean, LOVING WON. if a decision like that had happened today, imagine the hastags alone.

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  13. Love the skirt and your post xxx

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  14. An excellent tribute in skirt form! Those pockets are just amazing.

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  15. Beautiful skirt and a beautiful message, we need beauty and a bit of hope in our lives as much as ever.

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    1. truly, when we get a bit we really have to milk it for all it's worth!

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  16. It is gorgeous! Love the print, length and the pockets!!!

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    1. thank you faye! i had intended maxi length but didn't have enough fabric... i'm glad i didn't!

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  17. Ummm you need to meet me for lunch I need a couple yards of that fabric. BTW, this is sooooooo you I can't stand it!

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    1. it's on. i would LOVE to see what you do with this!! he had so much of it, i'm sure it will be there after the 4th masses vacate the city!

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  18. Not only have I re-learnt a word (miscegenation...I had to employ my dictionary to remember that I've run across it before and it was a dumb idea), but I've also seen an AMAZING skirt! LOVE it!! Especially the foofy pockets. They look fabulous. As is the fabric.

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    1. yes, miscegenation, now there's a foofy word. just ridiculous. it never ceases to amaze me how we create such divide over something as simple as pigmentation....

      only pockets should be foofy!

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  19. Such epic pockets and such an epic weekend! This skirt is a perfect celebration.

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  20. JUST the best all round... wonderful weekend and colourful just like the SCOTUS news... I LOVE those pockets and tell us how you did them with a photo of a pattern and I'll draft one myself... YES to this (sorry Ruggy) and all the fabrics and foof!

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    1. ah, i just went off the rails and drew a big old fat crescent shape! just go big for extra foof!

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  21. Love this. Skirt, pockets, post, you--- all of it!!

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    1. MWAH. by the way, i've been on a maxi length 1/4 circle skirt kick since seeing your beauties ;)

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  22. What is the name of the store on 39th that has this awesome fabric?

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    1. it has so many names... sometimes there's a banner that says "it's a material world", sometimes it's "h&m fabrics", but you will ALWAYS find fifty handwritten SALE! CLOSING! paper signs taped to the windows. it's on the same side of the street as paron's, one or two doors down towards 8th ave.

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  23. This skirt is so much fun, and yay for such a momentous weekend!

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  24. OMGaaaahhhhh, I'm on the floor rolling around dying of love for that skiiiiiiiirt and those pooooockeeeetzzzzz, amazing! Do you know just how perfect of an art teacherin' skirt that would be?! I could fit a coupla kindergarteners in dem thar pockets! I love this mucho much! xo!

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    1. HAHAHAAAA kindergarteners get time outs in me pocketses!!

      i was *this close* to starting this post with: "if this skirt doesn't make cassie stephens come a' runnin I DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL." now if only i could get on those lights....

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  25. Love everything about this post, especially that glorious fabric. And the pockets. And the LOVE! I'm going to be in the NY neck of the woods in a couple weeks and I'm thinking I'll have to make some time to stop and snag some of that awesomeness. I, too, loved the man on 39th. Will he ever close?

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    1. oooo, i do hope you'll holler for little fabric company when you're here... after all, the man in janky store is better handled in groups ;)))

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  26. This joyful thanksgiving skirt is so so YOU and so so supercalifragalustic! Love indeed wins.

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  27. This skirt is SO gorgeous! I am saddened by the lamentable lack of pockets of any kind of most women's clothing - If I had your talent, I'd sew up one of these babies for myself right now! And YAAHSSS to the historic ruling, we in the UK celebrated along with you - was coincidentally the same weekend as London pride festival and Facebook got a truly awesome rainbow makeover which made all the liberals so happy!

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  28. I love this post and your skirt. How can it not do anything but make you happy. Glad to hear you are loving your new purple friend!

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  29. Fantastic, and a perfect tribute to the week that was in it!! Serious fabric envy here and those pockets are amazeballs

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  30. What a wonderful tribute to an incredible week. I just love how you said it - Hopefully in a country without pieces of cloth that remind us of how we are divided, rather than how we are human, and so very much alike. Thank you for sharing such a fabulous skirt!

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  31. Love this larger-than-life skirt, and what a fab way to celebrate a wonderful event!

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  32. Beautiful, celebratory fashion!

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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!