An Unexpected Home Sweet Home

I have moved yet again, but I already feel at home. I never felt at home at the last two places, so this is a good start. I moved to Hayes Valley in the inner part of San Francisco. For almost 8 years I have lived in the outskirts of the city, where it has been mostly, quite, residential, families, no scenes and has parking. Now I live in Hayes Valley on a busy street and I hear the city out my window. The cars and sirens whizzing by actually make me feel happy and young. Yes I'm weird! My new sewing space is all set up and I love it. Every morning I wake up and feel inspired because I have a clean neat workable space. This is the creative space I have been wanting. My room has tall ceilings, a chandelier, fire place, bay windows and long curtains; all of which add to the lovely space.

I wouldn't have choose Hayes Valley for myself because the neighborhood is a little poshy, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity. It is a central location and close to most everything. My roommates are great! Super friendly, mature and fun. A few days ago we had a roommate dance party in the kitchen.

The neighborhood:

I look forward to creating my next projects in my new home...bikini, boat shade thing and a hairpiece.

A Simple Slip Back Into Sewing

Okay so I took the month of April off from sewing. I have been busy at work and enjoying life. But now this simple slip has got me thinking about sewing again. My coworker needed a slip to go under a dress she is going to wear to her brother's wedding. She came over with a linen fabric and trim and a bottle of wine and we made what resembles a slip.

I took a tight under dress that I already had and copied the outline on the fabric, making sure to add more seam allowances so that it wasn't tight. Then I sewed the two sides together, sewed on the trim at the bottom and cleaned up the edges.
Walla the slip!

In the 1900's, silk slips were born to be worn under clothes. Women nowadays don't really wear slips anymore. Women wear more pants now because clothes are not as thin and they are lined.

Here's a peek-a-boo of the slip on Sarah!

Last Day as a Twenty Something

6:15 am - Alarm goes off, hit snooze a couple times. What to wear? Oh yeah the same thing everyday!

7:00 am - Off load trees from the delivery at the office with Sarah, building muscles, feeling good.
7:30-11:00 - Sit on my butt and organize stuff for my next two plantings in my cubicle.

11:30- 12 - Meet a board member at Kaiser to mark 12 spots for trees. Yay!

12:30- 2:00 - Survey and work on 5 trees in Hayes Valley, that I planted in November. I should have brought a ladder. Oh well.

2-3:30 - Make calls and write e-mails for my upcoming plantings.

3:30 - 4:30 - Work my ass off at the gym, or should I say get an ass. :)

4:45 - Buy myself a Just Deserts cake, I deserve it!

5:15 - Shower my sweat off and look at my twenty something naked body one last time...
5:45 - Feeling good and high on life, dance around my room to 80's music, with my clothes on.

6:00 - Make a White Bean Fennel soup with many items from my CSA: fennel, onion, garlic,

chard, tomatoes...

6:30 - Wait for the soup to simmer and write on my blog. I wish I had a glass of wine, but I should save myself for tomorrow.

7:00 - Devour the soup. OMG it is so good! I have lunches for the rest of the week. I wonder what else I can eat, maybe some cake? I wish I had bought some good cheese and bread at the market :(

7:30 - I have no will power and eat a piece of cake.

7:30 - Sew the Rock N Roll dress (another post about this later) while listening to Radio Valencia

10:00 - Watch Bob's Burger's and some Dancing with the Star's on Hulu. I know Dancing with the Star's what? It's lame, but get sucked in....

10:45 - Think about tomorrow and how great the last week has been and drift into dream land...

Is that not what you expected for my last day as a twenty something? Well I thought it was a great last day!!!!!!!!

In my twenty's I had some very hard times, but also many good times. I am ready to say good bye to my twenty's and move onto a new chapter in my life in the dirty 30's club.

Birthday Suit

I started the curtains, but have not finished them. I like making things I can wear, so I am not surprised. I moved on to my Birthday Suit (outfit). It is exactly one week till I turn 30. My party is this Saturday and my outfit is actually done! This is what my room looked like as of this morning...

So I made a romper. A romper is a one-piece garment; a combo of a shirt & shorts. Rompers first a[ppoeared in the U.S. in the early 1900's as children's play suits, but now grown women wear them?????? I have always disliked them. I don't see the point. I like clothes that are simple and functional. Also, if you have to go to the bathroom, it takes a few extra seconds when wearing one of these.

Why would I want to wear one for my 30th?

Well I saw this new pattern, Mcalls 6331 with this 16 year old girl on the envelope and I said I can wear that better than her. 2nd I thought it might be fun to make. 3rd I still have the body for it. 4th I can wear whatever I want on my B-day so why not make something I haven't made yet.



I had these two pin-up camping fabrics that I think are hilarious. So I used the female camping pin-ups for the top of the romper and the male pin-ups for the shorts.

I added the sequined halter tie and a red zipper in back with a hook and eye.

I had the skinny blue belt that I think goes well with it.

I spent a few hours last night and some time today to make it. It was pretty easy to follow the pattern. I tried it on and it fit perfectly and I look damn hot in it! That was a surprise!!!!

The weather might be rainy on Saturday so I will pair it with some tights and boots and it's ready to wear in San Francisco.

Now I am ready for my Scavenger Hunt/Karaoke 30th Birthday Party!

Has it really come to this?

I have been out of the sewing world for a bit. I can tell by the dust collecting on my blue machine. Sewing and coming up with project ideas is always in the back of my head, but I just can't sit down and sew. I haven't been spending a lot of time at home and when I am I just want to relax. I used to spend hours on burdastyle.com and now I barely check it for inspiration. Last night I went to a party and my old co-worker Zuha complemented me on my last project and asked me when I was going to be on Project Runway. She kinda stoked my ego and gave me a little motivation to pick it up again. I have a lot of big things coming up that I wanted to make things for: something for my 30th birthday and a rehearsal dinner dress for my bro's wedding. So to motivate me I have decided to start simple and make some much needed curtains for my room.


As you can see this is the state of my curtains. They are ghetto, let light and cold in and just are plain ugly. I have been eyeing these Anthropologie one's since early December. I love them, but I can't have them. They are $110 a panel and I need two, so needless to say I can't spend $220 on curtains. I have decided to sew my own curtains. I really didn't want to because it seems too easy, boring, I am not an old lady yet or a housewife and I can't wear it, but it will be cheaper and I can choose the fabric. So it only makes sense. I can't believe my sewing career has come to this, but what can I do.

I found some upholstery fabric I liked...


and I narrowed it down to these two....

Stay tuned to see which one I picked and how my curtains turn out...

Something Indigo

Today I took a little break from work and got fitted for my bridesmaid dress for my Brother's and Allison's wedding. Allison picked the bridesmaids dresses from a cute little shop in Pac Heights, called ...and Something Blue. I tried the dress on and they took my measurements. All in all I learned nothing. I am still a size 6 with small boobs. I will most likely have to get it altered on top and buy a really good push up bra so that I can boogie down.

The dress is a indigo crinkle chiffon strapless with an above the knee length side over drape skirt. I really like the dress. I think it is very flattering. I am so happy that it is not big, puffy or made of some tacky fabric like satin or taffeta. Alli wants us to all wear nude shoes which I think will look very classic.

Thanks Alli for having good taste! I look forward to having a sister-in-law!

New home New project New Year Wowzers!!!

NEW HOME
At the start of December I moved into a new place. After a year at my old place it was time for me to move on. I moved to a house across the park. I am still in a non-exciting SF neighborhood, but that's the way I like it. My three other roommates are super nice and chill. My room has a nice view of the GG Bridge and the Bay with a patio. The house has a couple decks that look out to a forested park and we have a large yard with many trees, a greenhouse and a little secret cove. I plan on turning part of the yard into a vegetable garden and prune the existing trees and remove and plant new one's. There will be garden work parties to come. :) I am super excited! I am glad I made the change to move. It really has changed my life in a positive way.


My girlfriends came over to help me organize all my stuff. It was more like an intervention. "Now Sally do you really need this?" They would say in a nice way and I would reply "Yes I frigin do, you don't understand!!!!!" :) It was a pretty intense afternoon, but it helped me get rid of stuff and get organized in my new smaller space. Luckily we are all still friends.
This
That
My new sewing area went from this to that. It's not as nice as my old one, but I will make it work!

NEW PROJECT
Now that I have my new space I have started a new project. I am going to make a button down
tunic, "the liverpool." A tunic is a shirt that is inbetween a top and a dress. I am using Amy Butler fabric and pattern. I will get to learn how to do a french seem and collar. Oh boy, fun stuff!


YEAR IN REVIEW
So last year my 2010 ten sewing resolutions were: make a dress form, be inspired by vintage, use recycled materials, be inspired by nature, use solid colors, use new techniques, buy a serger, make lingerie, explore men's wear, have fun, relax and sew sally sew.

Here is a collage of all my projects in 2010. I think I met about 50% of my resolutions. That's pretty good.

2011

I was asked by my brother what my resolutions are for 2011. I said I didn't really have any, but as I have had time to think about it I came up with a few:

SEWING: I keep buying things from thrift store to alter, so my goal this year is to alter them all and make them into new things before I start too many new projects.
LIFE & WORK: Next month I start taking a semester long Horticulture class and I hope to learn about gardening and urban farming and to clean up the back yard and start my own garden. I also want to have an even more positive outlook and just be happy as much as possible.

2010 has been the best year of my life so far. I still love San Francisco, I love my job and very thankful for it, I love my friends and family and I am healthy. I am looking forward to 2011 and turning 30. I am off to Tahoe tomorrow to celebrate New Years with close friends.

I hope you all have a Happy New Year!!!!!!!!! I have a feeling that 2011 will be great!