labor day weekend labor

For some reason, I got the sewing bug over the weekend and managed to refashion and sew three garments! Here is the first one - a shirt modeled after one of my favorites from anthropologie:

I made it out of one of H's old undershirts - cool huh? This next one is a dress modeled after this one from american apparel:


It is very soft, and very versatile. I made it from one of those old nineties skirts with slits up both sides. And finally this puff skirt was very simple to make. I just took a loop of fabric from a dress my sister threw out and sewed a tunnel for an elastic band (from the nineties skirt which is now a dress), then hemmed the bottom edge. Easy peasy :)


I have a ton of pictures of me modeling these to post soon. It's hard to get an idea of how it's supposed to look on a hanger or laying on a bed.

I also got into framing and hanging. The picture below shows a spectacular watercolor from my painting teacher that he gave me as a wedding gift. I have finally gotten on the wall!


I used a frame which used to have a strange portrait of H and I which neither of us loved a ton, and I cut the mat using my dad's old mat-cutter. I have since moved it to hang right over our bed. It is simple and magical - I absolutely love it.


I painted these three canvases while I was studying art in Italy. They are quite unlike any of my other student work - I had to keep them small and mobile for traveling back to the U.S., and two of them were painted outside in plein air. There is a certain lightness and carelessness about them which is refreshing. My other stuff can be a bit heavy and dramatic.


This was the first time I had ever worked from a nude model. Tons of fun and thrilling! I went to a very conservative christian school that didn't allow nude models (they had to wear swimsuits - ha!)


This was a passage way I used to get to class every day. It was secluded and peaceful - perfect for setting up an easel.

And this was a closeup of that garden wall. Some of those leaves are just shameful - I ran out of steam on this one. It was a very valuable exercise though.

More pictures to come of my surprisingly productive weekend!