blooming leopold handmade.. chambray dresses and polka dot overalls

New handmade pieces hitting the shop in the morning! Navy and white polka dot overalls, chambray swing dress, and a couple of summer hair wreaths. And if you didn't catch the chambray playsuit or cross stitch maxi skirt the last time, now's your chance! I'll be adding one more of each to the shop.

Thanks again to Maria for modeling! Stay tuned for the update, coming super soon.

memorial day outings and outfits

All clothing courtesy of Topshop, Madewell, Steven Alan, ASOS, and La Garconne.. specific credits coming soon.

In place of a sewing post this weekend, I've been dreaming up some outfits for Memorial Day festivities. Gingham crop tops, super huge straw hats, floral hair wreaths, navy and white polka dots, oversized stripe dresses.. stuff I'll be living in all summer. The white halter dress is a favorite! As for those woven leather oxfords, I swear every single coworker of mine owns a pair just like them and I have the worst luck finding them.. apparently, they're in every thrift store in Nashville (except for the ones I visit).

Man alive, when is the last time you went to a bonfire? I remember going to them all the time in high school, and I miss it.

Tomorrow night, Neil and I are headed to a friend's for an old fashioned barbecue.. grilling out, s'mores, southern style food, and beer. What are your plans for this weekend?

edwardian white

Photos by Neil!

Edwardian White Lawn Dress - courtesy of Kim Vintage

Two Tone Oxfords - Southern Thrift

Daisy Hair Comb - handmade

I lucked out the last time I met up with Kim. Kim is a good friend of mine who I meet with regularly to have coffee and sort through her storage rooms completely filled with vintage stock (including dresses worn by the coolest old country stars back in the day). I think she once took inventory, and she has over 6500 pieces? Anyway, the last time we met she lent me three dresses, one of which is this lovely edwardian lawn dress.. ethereally lightweight and simple, breathable, embroidered with intricate detail. When I saw it, I immediately thought of my sister Rhi's wedding coming up (she's been looking for a simple antique dress to buy for the ceremony), but when it didn't work out, I decided to wear it for an afternoon before returning it to Kim.

I conveniently forgot my hairbrush in my friend's car recently so my hair is probably accurate for the period.. unkempt. Not intentional.

I watched The Bostonians the other day and haven't really gotten Edwardian style dress out of my mind. I'm usually a big fan of Merchant Ivory films, but that one was by far my least favorite.. I didn't like any of the characters, which made me lose interest in the story and their goals and the dramatic finale (for those who know the story, is that Henry James' fault or the filmmakers? from the reviews, I'm having a hard time figuring out which). Not that it means I won't be taking screenshots later.. the movie had some beautiful costumes and the beachfront scenes were equally lovely.

And on another note, I'm making plenty of daisy hair combs for the vintage sale coming up next week in East Nashville! It might be my favorite hair piece I've made so far, and it's really simple. More soon.

Be sure to check out Kim's shop, and if you're in Nashville, her pieces are for sale at the Downtown and Tennessee Antique Malls (where you might catch me now and then!).

shop update! 90s florals and accordion pleats

Shop update! These pieces are hitting the shop in the morning.. 1950s peter pan collar blouse, accordion pleated midi skirt, and a couple of 90s floral dresses.

Neil and I are watching The Country Girl (you can't make Grace Kelly look dowdy, no matter what you do) and listening to the swarm of cicadas outside - cicadas have taken Nashville by storm and it's kind of fun. Happy Tuesday!

silent sundays

I'm sure you all may be a little tired of hearing me talk about my sisters, but I still can't get over how proud and inspired I am of (and by) both of them.. they're beautiful, loyal and loving, and accomplished. The best older sisters to have - the ones you want to be like. So, watching my sister Rhiannon (and her business partner and friend Jamie Hopper) begin their own online shop, I get those proud feelings all over again.

Silent Sundays is a mix of handpicked pieces from beloved international designers and southern-bred vintage finds, all personally selected for the store by Rhiannon and Jamie. It has a languidly dreamy yet classic and clean aesthetic - with the loveliest cotton and silk dresses, crochet lace tops, and pleated midi skirts always in focus. These are pieces that are worth every penny.

Be sure to check out their blog and lookbook, as well!

sewing saturday! heather gray maxi dress

Sewing Saturday! Today, I finished a sleeveless maxi dress using rayon stretch fabric in heather gray.

Most likely, the number one lesson I learned from this project is this. I HATE SEWING WITH STRETCH KNITS. Let that be said. The (100%) rayon was hard to press (and apparently dangerous to do so), hard to fold, hard to lay out for cutting, impossible to tell the right side from the wrong. I love the feel of cotton.. it irons out flat and you can tell which way the grain is going, when it's laid out correctly, everything.

Let it also be said that while this dress didn't turn out exactly as I would have hoped, I will probably wear it more than any other dress I've finished. I don't like sewing with rayon fabric, but it's absolutely wonderful to wear.. thin, drapey, so soft. And the color and cut are ideal for the summer months. I encourage you all to grab a few yards and try a similar pattern out - you'll probably have more luck than me and love your dress just as much.

But man alive. I hate stretch fabric.

The sewing pattern was a discontinued Vogue notion from the 1990s, and it was pretty easy to decipher.. only three pattern pieces in all, and I just needed two of them. The pattern calls for three yards (which is generous, I only used about two) of moderate stretch fabric.

First, I trimmed the pattern pieces and adjusted them (I folded them at the petite and shorten lines so they'd fit me a bit better), ironed them flat, then folded the fabric lengthwise (right sides in), matching the selvedges. I laid the pattern pieces out, pinned, and cut.

I then sewed the two front pieces together at the center seam and did the same to the two back pieces. I attached the two at the straps and then at the sides, making it a point to serge all seams, since it's stretch fabric.

Then, I trimmed the neck and arm openings to about halfway through their 5/8 seam allowance, serged the ends, and sewed the serged edges inwards. I did the same with the hem of the skirt.

That's it! It's a pretty fun project.. but next time, I'm using a nonstretch fabric to see how it turns out. Maybe cotton gauze? That has a bit of stretch to it. I just finished the dress yesterday afternoon and already, I've worn it out twice. Lightweight summer maxi dresses are the best.

Shop update tomorrow! I'm preparing a good number of handmade pieces this week with my new fabric, which should hit the shop a week from tomorrow. Stripes and ivory muslin and chambray and navy polka dots. Hope you had a great weekend!

summer blues

Some things we've been storing up for the summer.. handmade floral hair combs, AA faded denim backpack, Neil's new K Swiss lace ups by Billy Reid, and lots of cotton fabrics for sewing. Pin dot navy cotton, stripes, natural muslin, gray jersey.. I'm prewashing the fabric now to prep it for projects this weekend (handmade shop update on Monday).

The daisy comb is one of several that I'm making for Fanny's Vintage Sale, coming in June to East Nashville! More soon.

nadinoo

Not only is Nadia Izruna of Nadinoo a fantastic seamstress and designer, but she also captures the loveliest images. The shots of her sewing space and fabric are some of the most inspiring I've seen, and the film images of her on vacation with her husband are from another time and place.

All images courtesy of Nadia from her blog, which you should definitely check out.

sewing saturday! striped button up shirt dress

Sewing Saturday! I finished a simple project this past week.. how to create a sleeveless tent-style shirt dress out of an oversized button up. It's really fast and a great project for warm weather.

What you'll need for the project.. an oversized button up (long enough to fit you as a dress and wide enough to be able to size down and tailor to your shape), sharp scissors, pins, matching thread, and a tank top to serve as a guide. The tank should fit you comfortably.

To begin, simply lay the flat tank over the button up and pin it. Make sure it's evenly placed in the center of the shirt. Then, cut at the sides, leaving a bit extra for a seam allowance (anywhere from 3/8 to 5/8 of an inch).

Once I had removed the tank, I measured one inch from the bottom outer edge of the arm opening and cut at a diagonal at the sides, trimming less and less until it met the bottom edge of the dress. This is to give the dress a more tent-like shape.

Then, time to sew. I sewed the outer edges at the prescribed seam allowances, then serged the arm holes. I then folded the serged edges inward and sewed them, finishing the arm holes. For those of you without a serger, simply fold the edge 1/4 inch in and 1/4 inch again, sewing to finish. You can also use double fold bias tape.

And that's all! Another idea is to create a crop top with a tent-style fit out of an oversized button up by following these same instructions and simply shortening the dress.

Next Sewing Saturday, I'll be working with stretch knits - something I rarely sew with. I have plans to make a sleeveless maxi dress using some jersey knit rayon I ordered last week, and we'll see how it goes. Happy weekend!