belt/sash

I bought a dress online a few months ago. The model was probably a size 0 and it looked great on her. But it looked like a mumu on me. I hardly wore it. It needed a belt.

Stores didn't have a belt that would work well. I found one eventually but it was an XL. First I'm not a size 0 and then I'm not an XL. This dress was giving me a run for my money.

So I just made one. Yes, just. I just finished. I see a few ends to tidy up, but here's my attempt at photographing it. I made a sash belt... part sash, and part belt. Asymetrical on purpose and with two purple buttons. I'm crabby because my machine was making it very difficult today to make a buttonhole; they're they ugliest buttonholes I've ever made. 

It'll do, and I like it too! I think it looks a lot better when you can see the whole dress but it's just me in the house these days, so these self shots will have to do.

bicycle hankies

While my sweetie has been recovering from surgery for the past week and a half, I've been sewing hankies for her and stitching her favorite bicycles into the corners. I started out with a few yards of fabric, some embroidery floss and a needle. This is one final result:

 

I started out by finding images of each bicycle on the internet, then using Photoshop to turn them into black and white drawings:

I then printed each bicycle and backlit the images with fabric on top. After sketching the bicycles onto the fabric, I embroidered. Each bicycle is about three inches wide. I then backed each bicycle with a cloth heart, mostly to hide the loose ends underneath.

The unicycle:

... and its heart (whose stars are actually sparkly and silver):
The tandem:
... and its heart:
The Redline 925:
... and its heart:
The Motobecane (my second favorite): 
... and its heart:
The cruiser (my favorite):

... and its heart:
The classic cycle:
... and its heart:
The Surly Big Dummy:
... and its heart:

It's been a very fine thing to do while it's snowy and cold out.

Cloth hankies save trees! 

crazy old people

Hugo and I have long yearned for old age and our expectations that it will allow us complete and total freedom from the self consciousness so characteristic of youth.

It's happening - slowly, as it should. As we age, we increasingly lean toward wearing whatever we damn please and acting however we damn want. It is safe to say, however, that we're far from our ideals.

So, in the sprint of being (finally) in our third decade of life, let this blog be our guiding light: Advanced Style. It's a chronicle of what old people wear, and I really love it.

legwarmers

I finished knitting these tonight. My mother bought the wool yarn in Santa Fe at least four years ago and just this year did I get around to using it. I'm deeply in love with them! Bring it on, winter!

a little gift for Hugo

easy screen printing

The next at home project: easy screen printing! From Instructables.

Tyra tee

My amazing sister Nancy taught me how to make t-shirts with freezer paper and fabric paint. Tyra N. Saurus' uniform is starting to take form.