Wednesday, December 14, 2011

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 Here's a better look at my fresh-off-the-machine bootcut jeans. Just so you know, i am leaning heavily toward taking in the hip and thigh area a bit. You can see that they are kinda baggy in these pix, and i did not go to the extreme of tightness when i made them (it's easier to take in a little without creating a mark than when letting seams out). But - well, i wore these jeans last Friday. I hung them up to air all Saturday, then wore them during a long and active Sunday (dog-sitting two poochies). I hung them up to air overnite, then donned them once more Monday morning to take these pictures. A certain degree of bagginess ( :a lot) is unavoidable at that point! Really, a little vanity would not be out of order on this blog.




Winter is cold and clear thus far in the San Francisco Bay Area. Two factors are affecting me regarding this weather. One, it means many consecutive spare the air days, and me trying to avoid any asthma flare ups. So far, so good. Two, i had an excellent plan for beefing up my cold weather wardrobe from early last summer. Sadly, it was not put into effect. I definitely have enough to avoid the cold, but it's not all that varied and some of it is just plain frumptastic!




Not all of it, though. I am so glad i got on the jeans project as they are comfy, look good, and keep my legs warm. And i am happy that i splurged about fifteen years ago on this great L.L.Bean bomber jacket. It's toasty, comfy, and is awesome even thrown into the corner of a room or the backseat of a car. Do you hair, toss on some maquillage, cool heels and yowza! It also contains many pockets, even a zippered one.




I do need to come up with a better solution than this scarf.  Cold breezes used to creep all the way up to my armpits before i tightened the fit with this scarf one day in desperation. It works so well i've left it there for years.......and i never see myself from the back. Out of sight, out of mind. Sad but true. Having a tailor take in some of the excess would seem the rational, sensible course of action. Seeing as it costs from fifty to seventy five bucks just to get it cleaned, i can't imagine the cost involved. As it happens, the leather itself is not very thick and is quite soft and supple. And leather needles exist. I'm sure you see what i'm plotting.




We'll see if i manage the guts to try it. The success i've had with these jeans is only goading me on. I really liked how the topstitching turned out (i used the leftover medium taupe topstitching thread from my olive fly front skirt). While examining my Levi's for details i couldn't help but notice the red nametag sewed into the back pocket. Sewing a 'decoy tag' into my own jeans tickled my fancy. I raided my ribbon stash and found some leftovers from the ribbon i used when making this pin i gave to Sheila (who has worn it beautifully!!! - scroll down) I like the way the black and white stripes show up on the black denim, and the Sheila association of course makes me feel much more fabulous than i deserve! I'd love to use a ribbon with lime and tangerine stripes on a medium blue denim, or a ribbon with a woven floral design. The possibilities are endless!

I never want to wear a logo on my hiney, but a dadaist joke suits me fine! How are all of you handling your winter wardrobes? Any brilliant ideas for staying warm while looking stylish?

Jacket: vintage L.L.Bean
Blouse Bobeau
Jeans: from Palmer & Pletsch The Perfect Jeans McCall's 5894
Shoes: Maine Woods

5 comments:

  1. oh lord, the "too big" cinched back jacket, when flying open is The Complete Amelia Earhart. I'm drooling with envy. Kudos for your topstitching perfection, too.

    This year I'm trying the fuzzy inside tights. So far I like the fit of them much better than regular tights. More like leggings. I think that's because they're polyester and not nylon.
    Are they actually warmer? We've had mild weather here so far, so can't tell.

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  2. Perfect top stitching! Your jeans are much better made than the ones in retail. I wish I lived closer to you. I would beg you to help me learn how to tailor my clothes. I would love some tips on how to take up the legs on the pants.
    Could you put elastic in the waist of the jacket?
    With your skills, I would imagine you could fix it somehow.

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  3. Wow, your sewing skills are insane! Love your jeans in all their incarnations, and your leather jacket is probably getting better and better as time goes by. I am a know-nothing about alterations, but I am guessing you will find a fix for cinching in the sides. BTW, awesome hair too : >

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  4. heehee Vildy you do know that Amelia Aerhardt is one of my style icons!! so your comment is that much more fun to read :)

    the reason the topstitching looks so nice is because i used a double needle:
    http://tinyurl.com/35j24ad

    at the top righthand corner of the detail photo you can see a skipped stitch, because i used the double needle i had on hand instead of a denim double needle.

    Thank you for the info on the fleecy inside tights! Now i'm leaning towards giving them a try.....

    Hi Debbi!! well, as i said it's all in the double needle. They can be expensive, but the difference they make is worth it. (also, buy on sale!) You are very kind :) What type of pants are you interested in hemming? Taking account of the type of material is the main variable in turning out a great result.

    GHi Patti! you're a sweetheart and much too kind :) and this jacket is getting softer with time, there is no way i'm letting go of this baby!

    & ty for noticing the hair! as you well know, humidity helps bring out the curl. and after about a year of cutting my own, i seem to have gotten the hang of it with this last cut - if i say so meself ;)

    Happy Day Everybody! steph

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  5. I found out about the tights from YLF. They said they don't stretch quite as much so I sized up.

    Echoing that your hair looks amazing.

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