Sunday, October 19, 2014

My Bigmama, a New Look revisited, and my Mad Men obsession continues.....

Good evening all!..I'm just sitting here enjoying my last few hours of relaxation before I head off to start the work week in the morning...I decided to write this post because I really wanted to share other stuff besides my cool new dress....I don't know if I've mentioned it before but my family is chock full of seamstresses, quilters, and tailors; yayyyy me amiright? (on my Daddy's side of the family)....A little tidbit of information that made my instant take to sewing out of the clear Blue sky much easier to understand....My Mama sewed for us too when my Brother and me were little....
My Auntie Brenda (my Daddy's Sister) was cleaning out some closets at my Bigmama's house and found a suitcase full of fabric....She of course called me and I came and picked it up....In my mind I KNEW that fabric was going to literally throw me right back into my Mad Men obsession.....I have been forever obsessed with the older styles; like the 50's and 60's and when Mad Men came out with that killer story line AND killer fashion I was hooked....I immediately started to look for patterns and fabric to whip up similar stuff....My Bigmama's suitcase though; was fulla' fabric that actually came from that era....Nothing but Mad Men stuff; there was no other way (or at least I didn't feel the need to look for one).....Sooooo last night at 11:32 pm I decided to start a new dress (yeah, in the middle of the night smh), my trusty New Look Pattern #0167...it has five super vintage-y views and I've sewn the majority of them....I whipped up View C and I promise you its that neckline that gets me every time....IMO, you don't have to accessorize as much when you have super cool design features on your clothes...
I used a very sturdy, Olive green, tartan kinda fabric; however I don't know what kind it is....its so and strong and awesome....it kinda reminds me of denim....it sewed up real nice because its so easy to work with so the dress was finished this afternoon....I put the sleeves on and hemmed it and was done....it photographed a kind of pea green but its really more Olive...I'm still in the market for a camera that takes sharper piccies....
I'm thinking I'll pair my new dress with some Navy boots I have in my shoe stash....I'll take more pictures later when I wear it too; if I don't add the photos to this post I'll make a short one and just share this one again with it....
I LOVE THIS DRESS....I LOVE THIS DRESS....DID I SAY I LOVE THIS DRESS?....not only is it from my beloved Bigmama's fabric stash, it's also satisfies my need to dress from another era, and lets me show off one of my favorite New Look Patterns once again.....Yasssssssssss....and of course I added more retro coolness by taking to my vintage zipper stash....and my luck allowed me to have a 22" zipper in Navy....Yeah baby!!!!! (in my Austin Powers voice)....the fabric smelled kind of stale so after I finished sewing it I put it in the wash and air dried it.....its now damn near perfect....
Well let me share these pictures because I can literally talk about my sewing and the ties that bind for-ever.....I'll share myself modeling it soon as I can but for now Pink Cookie has to assist....Belle didn't wear it well this go 'round....Que Sera Sera right?
~~MsKRS~~



the beginning, well at the end of the night....the sewing bug is very rude around here....just bites whenever it wants and the only way to stop the biting is to get on up and sew....sheesh...lol

Pattern pieces getting laid out....My Bigmama had at least three yards of this fabric in her stash....I wonder what she was going to do with it?....probably caught it on sale and just bought it...
I do that A LOT....

all cut out and ready to go!

Vintage goodness; booty from one of my thrift store trips....installed like magic too! ;)

just need to add the sleeves....it was three in the morning when I said okay I'll finish "tomorrow"....I didn't choose the sewing life, the sewing life chose me! (LMAO)

Neckline awesomeness....


the finished product, aaaaaand a very sh*tty picture of it.....excuse it; I swear I'll take better ones  later when I wear it......

My Bigmama would be proud.....Her grandbaby SEWS.....

Shot of that zipper.....Vintage everything...well, the boots are new.....

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

A "WTF" post

First off, let me say that I'm sorry I'm NOT sorry about this post....Earlier today, I experienced something quite annoying to say the least....Now if you've been following along or just "met" me then you know I AM A HAPPY BLACK GIRL.....I write about it, I live it, and I don't mind who knows....that is what I have always been ever since I could remember because my parents made sure I was...and no, not material sh*t but REAL LOVE....this made my brother and myself very happy and mentally sound kids....in fact, their teachings are the reason why I didn't flash today when I was referred to as "the Black girl"....now it may seem like I'm contradicting myself but this episode was blatant disrespect....there is a fine line that wise people do NOT cross when referring to folks and earlier this person sprinted over that line on purpose.....
I guess this post is about the still remaining stupidity of some folks when it comes to interacting with Black people....why is it so damned hard for folks to relax and talk like they do when they are addressing someone else?....I know exactly why; but I won't share because I for one don't generalize....I'm still "feeling some kinda way" about what was said to me earlier and I obviously have NOT gotten over it....I always flip out and cringe when I'm researching my ancestors and learn exactly how they were treated; however the shame about it is that there are folks who wouldn't mind if it were the same as it was...like the bi*ch I encountered earlier.....so. fukken. horrible. 
This is a vent post; just a bunch of rambling because I felt like I had to do something to get this sh*t out of my head....when I really want to bust hers....
Yeah, I'm a Black girl, a Black Woman to be exact....I also happen to be a human being with feelings, a mother, a sister, a friend, a blood born seamstress, and much more....So if your eyes are lacking clear vision when you look at me then turn your face that way......My name is Christy.....
~~MsKRS~~




Sunday, October 12, 2014

A Tulle skirt, some cool heels, and a DIY charm bracelet

Good afternoon everybody!...I'm sitting here watching my team (the Oakland Raiders) give another game away on this beautiful Sunday afternoon....at least the sun is shining right?.....Its somewhat Fall-y around here (a few leaves have turned colors and fallen) but the temperatures allow you to still wear what your warm weather gear if you want to....the night gets a little cool but nothing to worry about just yet....I made a tulle skirt a couple weeks back but I didn't feel like writing a blog post about it.....I put it on my Instagram but no where else...but that didnt stop me from swooning over it....I mean I immediately fell in ABSOLUTE LOVE with it as soon as it was done...I mean the puffiness and girly feel to it just sewed me up (pun intended)....it was another project that I felt I should have done a tutorial because it was fun to make and not at all difficult.....the princess feel was in full effect I tell you what! LOL!....
My heels inspired the skirt; I knew I would have to bring them out some kind of way as they are basic but pretty still....I probably should have taken a close-up of them too but of course I didn't.....Just know that they are quite awesome and were a bargain too!
I also made my own charm bracelet around the same time I made the skirt....I went to JoAnn's (yall know I dont care for them like at all) to get some charm bracelet stuff 'cause they are the only ones with that kinda thing around here that I know of.....and for once in life they didnt piss me off; maybe because I didnt go in there for anything sewing related....I ended up finding some super cool charms and my Huny helped me put it together....lets just say: I LOVE MY NEW BRACELET but I took some pretty sh*tty pictures of it though...its awesome in real life I promise...I swear this sewing and crafty stuff is just the best thing ever...you can literally have anything you want....I like that....I like it a lot....Sharing now; cause I'm trying to see what this man is doing on Cheaters LMMAOOOOOOOooooo
~~MsKRS~~










Sunday, October 5, 2014

Simplicity Back in the Day and my own doings....

Howdy, howdy, howdy!..I'm up wide awake when I should be winding down for the work week....My goodness I have had the absolute worst allergies this weekend too...OMGGGGG talk about annoying as hell!!!!!...I finally had to go and get something because I was just miserable....I still am a little bit, but I wanted to write....uggghhh....You would think I'd be used to it; having allergies my entire life so bad but each flare up is the pits....I've sneezed so much my chest hurts.....damn!!!!!...
As horrible as my sinuses are treating me I felt like taking pictures for some reason...of all days, today while I suffered so greatly with effin' allergies I felt like taking some pictures!...go figure......While I sneezed through them all my Sweetest managed to take a few pictures...please excuse them as they kinda jacked up and there was nothing I could really do about it but I wanted to take them anyway....the whole picture thing happened on a fluke too because I only got dressed to ride with my Sweetest to spend his birthday gift cards at Olive Garden (I didn't get Olive Garden though; I don't like it but my Huny did)....before I got dressed I was in my bed totally suffering...He coaxed me out of bed with promises of Sweet Tea and food...Good thing sewing is I and I is most definitely sewing; so much that I rarely wear anything I haven't sewn myself...and I always seem to have something to wear....I've sewn so many comfortable pieces and its cool as eva' to be able throw 'em on and be all right!...Yeah, I IS SEWING BAYBEE....hehehehehehe....
Now I made this top sometime last year; its an old school Simplicity pattern (#5933 to be exact) that I grabbed on one of my many trips to my local thrift stores....the skirt is a MsKRS original; its just a simple, pattern-less pencil skirt I made a while back too....the fabrics used all came from Hancock's Fabrics (MY FAVORITE FABRIC STORE **here locally**), the lace too...came out of my stash.....my shoes are Steve Madden but I grabbed mine up at Ross one day my Sweetest and I were at Sprout's...Score yeah?!.....the skirt fabric is a knit, the lace back and the micro polka dot fabric for the front of the top has a stretch rayon feel to it (the top fabrics)...and both were remnants...the pattern called for knits but both the lace is stretchy and I cut the front piece on the bias...I'm sure I actually made both of these pieces last year sometime....I wear my creations every day but I just can so not take pictures everyday...my moods just will not allow it....and I end up showing 'em all some time or another anyway....hence this here post! (smile)...well let me share some I-need-a-better-camera photos with you good people and I bid you all farewell until next time....
~~MsKRS~~
P.S. Meet my new friend Belle too! (my new dress form)....Pink Cookie (my 1st dress form) and I are more than happy to have her with us in my sewing room! (wink-wink)

My sneeze affected smile...smh....I feel like Rudolph (the red-nosed reindeer)....shirt kinda wrinkly too with all the violent sneezing going on....I swear I ironed it, I swear....

Back shot....

Side One....

MsKRS 
(trying not to sneeze)

Side Two....

Pic I took while waiting in the car for my Huny to get his food....and my beloved Pixie reusable bag....camera effects courtesy of the Sun itself.....ahhh good ole' nature....

Pink Cookie, MsKRS, and Belle!...BESTIES OKAY!....and my Huny's Olive Garden bag of bread sticks...He insists on eating at my cutting table when were upstairs (I love him anyway smh)....I'm convinced he just likes the coolness that surrounds him when he's in my sewing space...yeah, that's right what it is....