reem acra girly dress

This dress by Reem Acra is exactly what I wanted to make for myself (the skirt part only) in the form also of a dress. My interpretation of something like this resulted in the blue MONKEY CHEF dress I made (a pattern from the net... September 2007). Got this from Style Hive.

Where do I get eyelet lace lilke this?! It's been a long search and none have tickled my fancy. I've seen ready to wear stuff for sure, but fabric is a different story. Most of what's available are not as stylish as I'd like... Oh well, the search continues. The dress above is by Trina Turk.

This is where I've been practicing my sewing machine operating skills on! Curtains, duvet covers, and bedskirts! I recently finished this labor of love, and it proved to be so rewarding! It's amazing how yards of affordable fabric, a little measuring, cutting, and sewing can transform a room into a cocoon into which one can retreat. This is my mom's room, and I think it couldn't have turned out better! She said she feels like she's in a soothing garden while in her newly coordinated suite!

PINk cushion

I came accross this thing of beauty while looking for an appropriate logo for my blog... Isn't it just perfectly literal?! It's pink; it's a cushion (a cushioned seat, alright!); and it's a PIN cushion. It's amazing how a little google-ing can find you a picture of almost anything you want to see (or don't want to see, for that matter)!

grecian blouse

I finished this blouse recently, and I love the way it draped on my torso. Draping is currently my dream thing to master, so I'm so glad this turned out so well. My husband got me the fabric knowing I'd love it, and I did! It's amazing how expensive something can look after a little effort from the heart : )

my husband Robert and his garden

This is my lovely husband Robert, displaying one of the fruits of HIS passion -- GARDENING!!! He loves how this garden turned out-- the simplicity of it, as well as its understated grandness. Isn't he a cutie!?!

I say this is one of his gardens because he has designed and executed several, for his family and mine. This pictured here is actually a second-floor-concrete-porch- turned-garden-oasis!!!

Carolina Herrera gowns

Carolina Herrera's runway shows always fascinate and entertain me. Her designs seem so simple and wearable
that they actually run the risk of being nothing new (in my humble, novice opinion)! But upon closer inspection her choice of fabrics, cuts, detailing, and combinations thereof, are indeed genius, and new : )

The picture of this dress has been on my inspiration board for the last two months. I haven't gotten around to turning it into a project but as soon as I do, I'll be sure to post it here : )

a pattern from the net is a gift from God

This pattern is truly a gift! I've been trying to form in my head how to make a balloon skirt like all the lady-like women are wearing. And one day I struck gold with a free pattern from a website. I printed all 35 pages, taped them together, and started making this one in size SMALL. However, I have to take pure credit for the mini-box-pleats detailing at the sleeves. It took me 6 hours to make all of those by hand! Plus, I love how big sleeves mean smaller looking arms, hahaha! The pattern, however, gave me a few problems, since the chest portion did not fit me at all. I guess their small size is not small enough. But after a few minor alterations, and addition of another dart from chest to shoulder, it finally fit perfectly! I love how this print always gives people a reason to smile. Who doesn't love monkeys -- monkey chefs for that matter?!?

Puff-sleeves eyelet dress with buttons and collar

This dress I am particularly proud of, because it turned out beautifully, in my humble opinion! The fit (on me) was superb, and my application of newly-learned collar and puff sleeves techniques was a success. My husband and I agreed on the perfect buttons for this project, after a lengthy consideration of choices of our ten finalist would-be buttons. I guess my obsessive compulsive attention to detail and to overall look, paid off in this case, as I received many compliments while shopping at the mall. It's a bit dressy, I know, but I was feeling like a million bucks that day, so I wanted to dress like a million bucks as well, hahaha : )

eyelet bubble hem dress

This (third picture from the top) is my first and only attempt at a bubble hem dress, so it took a lot of trial and error on my part, to get this to turn into something close to what I originally wanted. The original inspiration was by Sass & Bide (shown above in stripe black and white), but the lacey black (eyelet) fabric was inspired by a Monique Lhuillier number of similar shape (shown second from the top). It doesn't show in the picture too clearly but this is lined in shocking orange, matching the glass beads ring buckle. I wanted to keep it young and fun, as black lace is too serious and safe on its own. The bow at the back was removable with the belt for versatility.

standing collar summer dress

Again a first attempt. This time at a 60's style standing collar! I love this fabric-- the color, the pattern, and the texture. For this project, the most noteworthy thing I think is my braided belt. I think it brings a sense of handmade-ness to the rather straightforward dress.

scarf blouses

This yellow scarf blouse is one of my earliest projects while this blue one is one of my latest. The yellow one was finished without an overlocking edger, and without me having any skills at properly forming gathers (I used a garter to gather the sides, instead!). But I love this blouse, and I don't think anyone notices the very simple techniques I applied as a beginner : ) The Swarovski baguette-shaped crystals I sewed to four points really gave it a finished haute couture look! I have since learned the techniques necessary for making professional looking gathered fabric blouses. So, this time, for the blue one, I used this lovely pattern, also in sheer drape-y fabric. I love it when animal prints are mixed with flowers, especially roses! The electric blue certainly makes it less mother-ly, and more pop divalicious!

'Barbie' dress with pockets and Swarovski belt

This pattern is a hit for kids and adults alike! And the pockets always get me compliments from friends and strangers. The crystal detail and great fit don't hurt me either. But bragging aside, this dress is really a good representation of my sense of style-- not too safe and not too playful. For a party I was to attend, I beaded the top front portion with Swarovski beads (silver, rainbow, and yellow, in different sizes), thereby upping its wow factor (back to bragging, hahaha).

floral cocktail dress

This is one of my early projects, and I made it for a graduation ceremony I was invited to. The fabric was stretch-y and shiny, so it was perfect material for a pencil cut at the hem. To not make it too body-conscious, I designed it to hang away from the body from below the breast. For that purpose, I had to experiment with ruching for the first time. The ruched portion was to be body-hugging, while the rest of the top was more relaxed and flattering to my petite frame. The result: a pencil cut empire dress that was very me!

dress with pockets, RELOADED

I loved the result of the dress with pockets ('Barbie' dress) that I decided to make another one using the exact same pattern. Prints are my passion rightnow, so I used this flora and fauna patchwork print, which is a lot of fun. It's actually just up close that one can see that elephants and giraffes mingle with flowers and trees in this great pattern. The colors also make it a dress that can brighten up the darkest of days. Again I used a crystal buckle (The dress comes with a custom belt in an exactly matching green) to up the wow factor and downplay the kindergarten-y theme in the material.