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Good morning everyone! I have a special Monday treat for you all! Remember last week when I wrote about showcasing more of your projects and ideas on Deviantly Domesticated? Well...I'm kicking off this week by doing just that, with a little help from my friend, Whitney. 
I spotted this ADORABLE dress that Whitney made on her blog a couple weeks ago, and knew you all would love it too! Here are her thoughts on the project:
How long have you been sewing?
I actually only started sewing about 2 years ago. When I lived in Colorado I had a job that required me to be creative a minimum of 8 hrs a day so I didn't seek out any additional projects. It wasn't until we moved to Oregon and I took a job outside the design field that I required a creative outlet. I grew up with a mother that sewed 99% of all my dresses until I was in the 6th grade, I'm talking years of matching mother/daughter Easter dresses, so sewing seemed like the natural choice. I decided to take a beginner sewing class to learn the basics, bought myself a machine for $100, and the rest is history. I feel like sewing is really making a comeback and it couldn't have made a grander re-entrance.....seriously have you seen such amazing fabric choices & patterns???
Tell us a little bit about this project:
This project was inspired by a dress that kept popping up all over my Google Reader. Every time I saw it I thought "I could make that" so I decided that is exactly what I would do. I used a $6 tank top from Old Navy and a red stretch cotton from JoAnn Fabric for the skirt and sash. The entire dress cost a grand total of $12 and only took a couple hours to finish. I think this type of project is perfect for beginner sewers because you really only need a simple skirt pattern and a store bought top.
What are you working on now?
I'm currently working on a dress that I mangled on my first try. I decided to stray from the pattern the first go-around and things didn't end up so pretty. This time I'm following the pattern which is making my life a lot easier. When that's done I'm planning on making myself a half-dozen rompers for the summer.......they are going to be my summer staple.
What advice would you give to beginners?
I have 3 suggestions for beginners:
1. Save perfection for the professionals. If you're sewing a bag and you put something in the bag and it doesn't fall out......consider it a victory.
2. Take a beginner's class. These classes will teach you how your machine works along with basic stitches and sewing techniques.
3. Make stuff for other people. Nothing makes me happier then to finish a project and send it to someone else to enjoy. {Since I'm on the topic of giving, if you absolutely hate how a project turns out send it to your parents or grandparents......they are required to love everything you create.}
Thank you, Whitney, for sharing! What do you all think of her dress? Submit your lavish praise below:)
DO YOU have a project that you'd like to share as part of the Crafty Girl series? Send me an email today at shillberry@stephaniehillberry.com!
JOIN the CRAFTY GIRL flickr pool by sharing your latest project photos today! Click here!
When Diane von Furstenberg created and debuted the wrap dress in 1973, I wasn't even born yet. But when I secured my ticket for a benefit event happening tomorrow night, I knew that I needed something to wear. And I knew that almost 40 years later, Diane's creation would be my inspiration.
The wrap dress is iconic for many reasons. For one thing, it's pure genius. No buttons. No zippers. No belts. It is the kind of dress you can just throw on in the morning and look fabulous in all day.
Two, it is flattering to all types of shapes and sizes. I hardly know of a woman who could go wrong in this silhouette. Even in a zany print it showcases a woman's curves. 
Third, the wrap dress is comfy. Made from knit jersey, it stretches. And drapes elegantly. And moves. And feels soft.
In other words, it isn't stiff or starched or tight or scratchy.
Lastly, Diane's dress is easy to make. It is a great project for newbie seamstresses (again, no zippers, no buttons, no belts...) and could be completed over a weekend. So give it a try!
As for me, I'll be showing off a little Diane tomorrow evening.
For information about this Vogue pattern, click here.
For information about the benefit I'm attending, click here.
There comes a time in every lady's life when she needs a little fashion advice from friends. This is one of those times for me, so please bear with me as I implore you for your help...
You see, I've been knitting this delightful sweater dress--so chic and graceful--for a few weeks (pattern courtesy of Lynne Barr's Reversible Knitting), and I've almost completed it.
But I'm having a bit of a hard time making some final decisions. For instance, the original pattern calls for a mini skirt , but I lengthened it while knitting because I thought a longer one would be more classic and thus stay with me for years to come.
However, now that it is complete, it certainly is adorable short...
Furthermore, the original pattern is sleeveless, but I thought I would add a small cap sleeve just to see what it looks like. I'm leaning toward the sleeves, but wouldn't mind a second opinion.
And so I'm throwing these two questions out to you, dear readers, to see what you think:
Is this dress more alluring with or without sleeves?
And is it more lovely shorter or longer?
Please share your opinion with me by posting your comment below! Hopefully with your advice, and a little more time, I'll be happily wearing this flirty little number this weekend!
I’m fairly sure that my obsession with Jane Austen is to blame for my ever mounting pursuit of femininity, because I have not always been so girlishly inclined. In fact, I used to fancy myself to be a bit of a tomboy (although this might have been a delusion considering that I was a “tomboy” with long hair and painted fingernails...). And I scorned the notion of being high maintenance or bearing any appearances of prissiness. 
But beneath my thinly veiled scorn was, in fact, a hidden fondness for ball gowns and french twists and rhinestones. A hidden fondness that started to grow in my twenties, no doubt spurred on by the aforementioned affection for Austen novels and their fantastically feminine (and yet also strong and virtuous) heroines. 
And so to ring in the new year, I thought I would just quit all of the pretense and make it official: I want to be a lady. I want pencil skirts and finger curls and thick false eyelashes. I want cocktail hours and tea times and slightly garish costume jewelry. And I want style and grace and all those feminine wiles made famous by Victorian literature and timeless sonnets.
Of course, lady-ness is not all vapid. I’d also like to be, in the words of Darcy, “truly accomplished”--skilled in music and culture, language and thought. And naturally strong in character and charity, too. Lizzy Bennet, after all, was no priss. She had some serious fortitude tucked beneath her corset.
So, for the next several weeks, I invite you to join me in my often frivolous and yet also occasionally substantive pursuit...
...of being a lady.
If I were living in an alternate universe, here are the things I would do today....
I would panel the main wall in my office in wood. Warm, textural wood from floor to ceiling.
Of course, what I mean is that my husband would panel the wall while I instructed him. Because in my alternate universe he does everything I tell him to without complaining.
Then I would paint the remaining walls with Ralph Lauren's Candlelight finish. See it shimmer. See it shine.
The shimmer would provide a seriously overdue upgrade to my existing tan walls. I'd hardly recognize them. I'd walk into the room and think, "where am I? Have I walked into another world where everything shimmers?"
Because Everything would shimmer in my alternate universe.
Then I would replace the oh-so-lame art collage I currently have on my wall with something more polished, like this display above. I'm thinking sepia photos in black frames.
Wouldn't they look nice against the warm wood? I do think so.
And then I would add a few finishing touches, like a sparkly lamp and some images of deer and elk, like the one above from Noces de Coton. (For some reason I'm recently obsessed with combining feminine design with large game animals. I know--it's weird.)
And I would do it all wearing this ruffle shimmer dress from the Loft.
Naturally.
Of course, since I don't really live in an alternate universe, I'll just dream about doing these things and instead will go grocery shopping, work, and clean the house. And I'll be wearing jeans and a sweater.
What would you do in your alternate universe this Monday? Share by posting your comment here!
I've been watching a little Project Runway lately, so when Mrs. Marple gave a chat today about embracing flexibility, I couldn't help but think of the show. After all, those designers would never get anything down the runway if they stumbled over every little detail like perfectionists.
Or at least that is what I like to think as I'm trying to assemble my own fashion creation.
The last time you saw this dress, it had 3/4 sleeves and a scarf around the neck.
Well...as you can see, it's evolved. I wish I could say this evolution was intentional, but mainly I'm channeling Tim Gunn by "making it work."
Because the truth is that those 3/4 sleeves were so tight that I couldn't raise my arms above my shoulders. So I had a choice to make: either re-do the sleeves into something shorter, or pray that I don't have to do the YMCA at the wedding I'm attending in this dress.
I opted for the seam ripper, and yanked the sleeves out.
As for the neckline, obviously it has gone all ruffly (is "ruffly" a word?). Partly this is because I really am obsessed with ruffles this Fall. And also because the dress was gaping in the front.
And when I mean gaping, I mean that I couldn't wear it in polite company without some modifications. Like, say, a 4 inch neckline to hide my bust. I don't want to have some kind of "wardrobe malfunction," if you know what I mean...
The moral of the story with this dress-in-process is that Mr. Gunn is right--sometimes you just have to make it work. In order to be resourceful (aka not wasteful), creative problem solving is often required.
Of course Mrs. Marple is also right--perfectionism won't get me nearly as far as flexibility. So my bodice was vulgar and my sleeves effectively turned my dress into a straight jacket. Rather than give up and head out to the closest boutique (J. Crew is calling my name...), I'm hoping to make the most of my construction errors, and let my sewing shortcomings stretch my creative muscle.
In the end, I still might have to keep my eye open for a Plan B back-up dress, but maybe I really will be able to Make it Work!
Previous Days at the Institute:
Day 15: Redux
Day 14: Alterations
Day 13: Rest
After talking yesterday about avoiding burnout, and the day before about pursuing creative beauty, Mrs. Marple wanted to make sure that we weren't under the false impression that fine living was all about bon bons and leisure time.
Because it isn't.
"Industry is required," she said. Not work-your-fingers-to-the-bone per se, but also not veg-on-the-sofa-watching-design-tv (Project Runway Yay!) either.
So taking her advice to heart, I've got a few projects-in-progress, like this smoke and gold dress.
Thankfully perfection isn't required along with diligence, because this dress has a way to go before it's public-ready. But at least I'm on my way to converting this purple Goodwill fabric remnant into a wearable garment.
I've also got a quilt-in-progress, although it's not nearly as far along as the dress. 
Square by square I'm plugging away on my sewing machine (yes--it's back. Finally.)
It is hard to picture now, but someday these squares are going to make my bed look marvelous.
That "someday" may be 2012, but who's counting?
Finally, I also have another sweater-in-progress.
What can I say? I'm a knitting maniac. And apparently a pink maniac too. 
But being a maniac is presumably not a bad thing if my mania is directed in a positive way. Or so says Mrs. Marple. After all, fine living doesn't just happen by accident. Or by bon bons.
Too bad, though. I really like bon bons.
Previous Days at the Institute:
Day 10: the Balancing Act (as told through vintage advertisements)
Day 4: a Cooking StudentDay 3: Starting in the Kitchen
