The Singing Costumer

     I’m kinda funny about my vintage style dresses. I love them and I sew them, but I don’t actually wear them. I need to change that. But I only wear dresses to church, and I wear choir robes every Sunday. I always feel like it’s a waste to dress up nicely when it’s only going to be covered up. This is, of course, nonsense. I need to be wearing pretty dresses more. I need to make some fall and winter-appropriate dresses. The only vintage style dresses I have are very much spring-only dresses. This needs to be remedied soon. I’ve been dreaming of a 1930s velvet number for a Christmas dress for a couple years. Maybe this is the year?      The fabric came from Joann Fabrics, as usual. It’s a dotted swiss cotton. Purple is my favorite color, and I especially love this particular shade of maroon-ish purple. And of course, florals are classic for springtime. I don’t know how many yards I bought all those years ago, but it was at least 7 yards. My plan is to mak...

YouTube video associated with this blog post This dress has been long in the making. Originally, I bought it from Hot Topic, I think, years ago. We all know my obsession with Disney's Beauty and the Beast. So it was just perfect for me. A few years later, I found another of the same dress on eBay. And a few years after that, I found (what I thought was) a matching fabric on Aliexpress. (Which I don't really recommend). So using all of these items, I was able to make an adorable ensemble of a dress and a shrug. I was never completely pleased with the fit of the original dress. There were 3 issues. Number 1: My waist is longer then the average, I guess. Many times, the waist seam of dresses are 1 or 2 inches higher then my natural waist. It isn't flattering for me. This dress is no exception. Number 2: The skirt is slightly too short for my taste. And Number 3: I always hate sleeveless dresses on myself. It isn't flattering to my body. And I'm always cold, so...

I have had this pretty fabric in my stash for a long time, and I decided 2020 was the year to do something with it. It's a lightweight, almost sheer purple-pink cotton blend with a floral print. Some of the flowers are flocked and soft, too! It looks vintage (it might be), so I thought a vintage Easter dress would be just the thing. This spring, I am especially loving pastel colors and dainty flowers. Of course, these come in fashion every year. But for some reason, I am just obsessed this year. Another new obsession is Splendette reproduction jewelry. They are inspired by Bakelite jewelry of the 1940's and 1950's. They have such a wide range, including bangles in 3 widths, earrings, brooches, and necklaces. They offer each bangle in Maiden, Regular, or Duchess size (small, medium, or large). I own 9 pieces so far and I have an incredibly long wishlist. Here, I am wearing their Drop Hoop earrings and Midi bangle in Amethyst. Sadly , this color was discontinued and th...