stitch+sew

Summer Apron Dress

rachaelrocketstar — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 23:27:43 +0000

This vintage pattern is my go-to summer favorite. The pattern was my mom’s from the 70′s and it is a super-flattering simple apron style. I have made this both as a shorter summer top and as a longer sundress probably every summer since high school. I think this is the perfect pattern for the hot Austin summer. I made this year’s model in this amazing bright quilting fabric. Here is the finished product modeled by the lovely Arlene.

A Sweater in July

rachaelrocketstar — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:43:25 +0000

Today I made this super-simple cardigan for my best friend Lizzie. She has been asking me to make her a cardigan that ties all the way around since it was actually cold outside, but I am a procrastinator extraordinaire, so alas, she had to wait until summer. Procrastination aside, this lightweight cardigan will be useful since everyone keeps their buildings the temperature of Antarctica here in Texas in the summer, and will be stylish into the fall. I am really excited about the way it turned out. I used this McCall’s pattern.

I really don’t think the photo on the pattern does the sweater justice. When you tie it all the way around, you get some super flattering waist definition. On the model on the pattern cover it kind of looks like she is just wearing a blanket. Here’s the finished product, as modeled by my lovely assistant Arlene.

It was super-simple to make, just two pattern pieces. I love the way it turned out so much, I am on my way back into the sewing room to make one for myself!

More Blankets!

rachaelrocketstar — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 18:50:25 +0000

I promise that this blog will be about more than just sewing squares of flannel together, I promise! But it seems like there is a little baby boom and all of my friends will be giving birth soon. So this morning, I made another blanket for my friend and coworker, Allison, who is having a boy in July.

The Rebirth

rachaelrocketstar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:25:58 +0000

I originally started this blog to document my exploration into new career options. None of that has moved very far forward. I haven’t posted anything on this site in ages, and I am still in the same stressful job…

But I do need to fill my life with things that make me happy, and things that make me happy are sewing, crochet, banging my drums, being obsessed with style and fashion, singing, and of course, writing. So here I am. I thought I would use my blog to document some of my favorite things instead of the daunting task of trying to figure out what the heck I want to be when I grow up.

So in the spirit of rebirth (or just birth, I guess), here is a photo of my latest project, a baby blanket for the soon-to-come-into-the-world daughter of my friend Michelle.

I love this fabric. Michelle’s style is more sophisticated, and the flower pattern on this is so perfect. It’s pretty and sophisticated but not obviously babyish. These cozy, cotton flannel blankets are so sweet and functional and they make great, quick and easy gifts. I love giving handmade things to people because I love getting handmade things from people. I think it is so much more thoughtful to make a beautiful, personal gift for someone.

Things I Wanted to be When I Grew Up

rachaelrocketstar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:07:01 +0000

Here are some things I remember wanting to be when I was a kid:

bunny rabbit
horse
rock star
country singer
special ed teacher
opera singer

Here are a few things the career assessment test said I might like:

Poet and lyricist
Creative writer
Anthropologist

Why I’ve Always Wanted to be a Smoker

rachaelrocketstar — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:37:53 +0000

We were having a yardy the other day (translation: yard party), and a friend of mine told me that her boyfriend has recently taken up smoking. That’s a little silly, I thought – why, at the age when many of our friends are trying to quit smoking – would one take up the habit? But in all actuality, I can sympathize, and it gives me a great excuse to write about something that I’ve long wanted to write about: I have always wanted to be a smoker.

By the time I was in my teenage years, I was a very active member of my high school choir and smoking in that crowd was too taboo for this goody-two-shoes to even consider. I had also watched my mom quit and start and struggle with the habit so much that it just didn’t seem worth it. So, I just never took up smoking.

My first memory of wanting to be a smoker was probably when I was five years old. I vaguely remember there was one of those don’t-smoke-public-service-announcements. My memory may be skewed… after all, I was five, but I remember there were these active, happy kids, jumping around in bright 80′s florescent clothes, and I guess they were supposed to look like they were having lots of fun. Then there was this woman in all black with sunglasses smoking a cigarette. I think she was supposed to look boring, and I think the kids said something about her, like “she’s so boring.” But I remember thinking, even at age five, that I thought the mysteriously glamorous lady in all black was much better than the kids in florescent clothes, and I’d rather be like her.

And that’s just it. There is very much an old Hollywood glamour to smoking. Think Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly with her long cigarette holder, or Lauren Bacall in her film noir roles. Even Sarah Jessica Parker makes smoking look glamorous in Sex and the City. I’ve always wished that I could be that glamourous.

However, there are other, more mundane reasons that I’ve always wanted to be a smoker. One is that I am an awkward girl and I never know what to do with my hands. I am so jealous that smokers always have something to do with their hands. Maybe that is what makes them look so put-together. More important is the fact that smokers get to take so many more breaks than the average Joe, they always get to take longer breaks, and they always have an excuse to go outside. Taking a smoke break sounds so much more necessary than taking a fresh air break. In college, I would always make it a point to hang out with my smoking friends in between classes, and it was mostly because I wanted to be outside. I have always joked that I am a hardcore secondhand smoker. In the working world it hasn’t been as easy to get outside for breaks. Especially when I worked as a cashier. I would always see supervisors stand in for people so they could go outside and smoke, but there is no way I would have succeeded at all at my job, or had any friends or allies in the work place, if I had asked a supervisor to stand in for me so I could go outside for five minutes, but why shouldn’t everyone be allowed to go outside for five minutes every once in a while? It is a double standard that I have never understood.

Maybe I should be more sympathetic to smokers. After all, I have seen many a friend struggle to quit only to start up again and repeat the cycle all over again. I guess I should also take comfort in the fact that I can also be expected to live longer than my smoking friends, but I will always think smokers are cooler than me – rebellious and glamorous – things that I have always wanted to be.

The Inaugural Post

rachaelrocketstar — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 03:58:56 +0000

Here it is and what to write about? How about why:

I have decided to start blogging as sort of a test for myself. I am trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I have been in customer service since I started working for a certain natural and organic grocer at age 19 and it has become apparently clear to me that I do not want to be in customer service forever. Writing and literature have always been secret passions of mine, but my personal and creative writing has never been seen by the public eye. So here I am world. Let me know how I am doing.