Autumn Week in Feminine Dress

This past week I participated in my third WIFD on the Sensibility.com forum, with a little help from Twirly Girl.

Sunday

For church this morning Twirly Girl wore a purchased white shirt with her Ottobre skirt (which is getting a little too short). I wore my Romantic Blouse with my newly completed four gore skirt.

Monday

It was definitely an autumn day, so Twirly Girl wore a Lands End turtleneck and tights with her purple ribbon skirt. I’m wearing the blouse I made this September with my well-worn L.L. Bean denim skirt.

Tuesday

Tuesday is CSA pick up day, so by the time pictures were taken even my hair was tired! I’m wearing my recently sewn six gore brown skirt, and my blouse is a Kwik Sew pattern, sewn years ago but seldom worn–three buttons per cuff make it impractical as I am frequently rolling up my sleeves to cook. Silly Boy thought I needed company since Twirly Girl didn’t want her picture taken tonight.

Wednesday

As you can see, Twirly Girl manages to look feminine even in slacks. The khakis are from Lands End; her Hanna sweater was a consignment find. I wore my L.L. Bean skirt again, this time with a second hand blue blouse. My pink cardigan used to be part of a Talbots twinset that I wore for years, but it was always too big. A few years ago I cut it down using a pattern from the first issue of Ottobre Woman.

Thursday

Twirly Girl wore a Lands End dress with tights from Target, I think. I wore my brown twill skirt again, this time with the blouse I made before vacation. Since it turned out a bit snug, I decided to try wearing it open over a shell.

Friday

Heading off to the boys’ science class. . .my blouse and skirt are old favorites; my scarf is an attempt to add a bit of style; and my wool sweater is my favorite way to keep warm. Twirly Girl wore her denim skirt with a Lands End shirt and a sweater handed down from a friend.

Saturday

Yes, I usually wear skirts twice before washing–here’s the olive green from yesterday again. Since I knew I would spend most of today wearing  my apron, I just pulled on this brown knit top from Lands End and put my hair up. So far I have an apple pie and three loaves of wheat bread cooling on the counter, plus a pan of cinnamon rolls in the fridge to rise overnight.

Week in Feminine Dress, spring version

Last week was a little busy here, so I decided not to post daily but rather once at the end of the week (or, as it turned out, halfway into the next week!). Also, this time the focus was on hats. . .I only own a sunhat best suited to a day at Yellowstone. Well, it was rainy and I didn’t go to Yellowstone. Instead I decided to put more effort into my daily hairstyles than usual. With growing out my bangs, I have gotten rather lazy about either letting it all fall in my face OR pulling my bangs back tightly–trust me, neither one is a good look. And with growing out the rest of my hair, it’s not yet long enough for the styles I used to use.

Sunday

Just a simple braid to pull back some of my hair. I wore my Regency dress again so Twirly Girl and I matched for Mother’s Day. She also was kind enough to take this picture after church. . .you can tell it’s after because I’m not being bookended by little boys!

Monday

Oops, stray bangs gone amok! This is a half-up version of a style I have used with longer hair. On each side I twist two small sections, adding in more hair from the front as for french braids. Normally I would continue down to the nape of my neck and then secure the rest in a ponytail or bun; this time after a few twists I used a small clip to hold both sides together at the top of my head. I believe my skirt and blouse are a rerun from the last WIFD, although the puppy is new.

Tuesday

My hair is not quite long enough for a full bun yet–I can do it, but it takes a lot of pins and the ends usually still escape. So here is a small bun using only part of my hair. I really like my new brown skirt and shoes from Lands End, and they go well with the knit top and vest I sewed 5 or 6 years ago. Please pardon the spot on my camera lens. . .oops, I guess I better clean that before tomorrow.

Wednesday

I was starting to run out of ideas, so today I used a headband (pattern from Ottobre Woman, 2007ish). I think I need to stop thinking about my hair, though: last night I dreamed about split ends. Yikes! I still love this linen blouse I made about 5 years ago; I made the khaki twill skirt last fall.

Thursday

I tried to do a french braid this morning but I’m out of practice. . .after 1.5 attempts I gave up and went with a braid as on Sunday. This is the olive skirt I made last fall before vacation, paired with a calico blouse I made several years ago AND I tried on my new brown wool vest, freshly blocked. I’ll post more about the vest later; today I’m busy getting ready to go out of town for the weekend (though by the time this post is published for you to read I’ll be gone. . .). In case you can’t see it against his red sweatshirt, Baby Boy is wearing his super hero cape again–you know, it’s kind of nice to have personal bodyguards.

Friday

Over the weekend I was too busy visiting to ask someone to photograph my clothes, but Suzanne graciously shared some of her snapshots. Wendi and I were on the road shortly after 6:00 am, so this was a day for the sunglasses-as-headband look. I’m wearing the same Lands End knit skirt as I wore on Tuesday, this time with an ivory knit top that I sewed years ago and the brown wool vest I just finished.

Saturday

I don’t remember this picture being taken, but I’m pretty sure I’m in my standard stork (crane?) position–Mom will know the one I mean. I think it’s also a yoga pose but obviously I was making no effort to align my hips. Anyhow! I’m probably a little over the hill for braided pigtails but there they are. My knit top is a Kohls clearance rack find, and my tent skirt is a self drafted wrap, based on online directions I won’t link as I had to make some major alterations and it still doesn’t lay nicely. But the fabric is fun–besides the scattered flowers, it has scattered words such as Latte and Mocha and Cappucino.

The last day

Even though I only had one quick errand to run today, I tried to be a little more creative in getting dressed than my typical grab a blouse and skirt. I decided to base my outfit on this half apron which I made two years ago; I don’t think I ever shared a picture here. If you look closely you might recognize my six favorite little people!

I cut out a string of 3 paper dolls and traced it on my muslin twice, adding pigtails and a skirt to the third one. I outlined them in back stitch, using six different colors of DMC floss to match the cotton print. I am actually more pleased with the embroidery than the rest of the apron; I made up the pattern as I went along, and it only turned out so-so. Still, it has rick rack and pockets, so it’s not a complete loss!

I wore my khaki skirt again, this time with a well-aged ivory knit top as background for my colorful apron, and brown Lands End tights with my Klogs to keep my feet warm. I also changed my regular necklace to this fun one I purchased from an Etsy shop a year or two ago.

And yes. . .I really did wear my apron downtown! I usually wear this one all day long as a fun accessory. My standard full apron is tied on for messy jobs like cooking and cleaning–although due to forgetfulness, I have occasionally gotten out the door still wearing an apron speckled with flour or smudged with buttery fingerprints.

Day 6

It’s Friday! 8) I’m feeling better but not myself yet, so I decided to cheer myself by wearing my 1912 Kimono Dress. I still like it as much as when I first made it, and have worn it occasionally through the winter on the days that aren’t so bitterly cold.

For variety, today I wore black (not brown!) tights and mary janes; both were purchased from Lands End several years ago. I seldom vary from my “standard” accessories, as you may have noticed: garnet earrings, small silver crucifix, wedding/engagement rings, and a little snuggle puppy by my side. Although today I did vary slightly: I’m wearing sapphire earrings.

Day 5

I almost didn’t post today; as you can see I am not feeling well still. I finally showered and dressed after lunch–no make up or combed hair though. The only reason I am sharing this picture is to show that it is possible to relax and be comfortable in a skirt! I’m wearing the plum nursing top I made last winter with a very old brown knit skirt from Lands End and polka dot bamboo socks (probably Target or Kohl’s).

Day 4

Well, whatever germs the kids are passing around have gotten to me. As soon as Larry gets home, I’m handing over Baby Boy, changing into my nightgown, and crawling into bed. . .but while I wait, here is a quick snapshot of today’s footwear:

These textured olive green tights from Kohls are fun, but very prone to snags and holes. The shoes are Klogs and I’ve been wear them a lot this winter: they give me a false sense of still being taller than Drama Boy. The rest of the outfit is the same as one I’ve shared before: the olive gored skirt I wore yesterday plus the Ottobre blouse I made earlier this month.

Day 3

I decided to be on top of things and get a picture taken first thing this morning, thus you see me with still-wet hair teaching Bouncy Boy to read using The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading.

Today I grabbed a purchased brown top (Kohl’s) and cardigan (Lands’ End) to wear with my new olive skirt (sewn this past November); footwear is a repeat from yesterday.

Day 2

Phew! It has been a long and crazy day here. We got a late start due to a lovely evening with friends yesterday, and then I was thrown for a loop by discovering my gmail account had been hijacked. I still haven’t been able to convince Google that it really is my account; I would start all over if it was just email, but it’s my calendar too (plus a few documents, only one of which I actually need). It makes me sick to realize that there are people out there who would cause this much inconvenience–while trying to steal money from the family members and friends on a contact list.

Here is my Monday entry for the Week in Feminine Dress:

I’m wearing the linen blouse I made several years ago with the olive twill skirt I made last winter. Over that is the apron Mom made for me a couple years ago; I’ve worn it so much that the stitches dividing the pocket into two sections is worn through at counter height. As for footwear, today I’m wearing a pair of Skechers with brown tights from Lands’ End (their tights are the sturdiest I’ve found so far, by the way).

A week in feminine dress

I’ve recently started spending some time reading at the Sense and Sensibility forum, which is for discussing the patterns of the same name as well as other general historic costume and sewing questions. It’s fun to see what others are sewing as well as learn more about the history of fashion. Anyhow, this week has been declared, for those who wish to participate, a Week in Feminine Dress. . .with an emphasis on footwear. I’m not sure if others are posting pictures to their blogs or only to the board. I decided to share here as well, remembering that several people mentioned shoes last summer when I blogged about wearing skirts daily.

Now I have to admit that my first thought was my winter shoes are rather boring! My second thought was that at least on Sunday I could take the picture while still wearing my cute church shoes. Unfortunately, Bouncy Boy tossed his cookies last night–so I never did get dressed for church this morning, even though he woke up mostly his bouncy self.

Twirly Girl agreed to pose with me, at least for today; her Christmas 2008 dress still fits, and she’s wearing a pair of black patent t-straps handed down from Julee’s girls. I’m wearing my new floral Romantic Blouse (more on that in another post), the khaki twill skirt I made right before vacation, a pair of cotton knee socks, and Birkenstock clogs.

My apologies for my hair this week!!! I am growing out my bangs, and they are long enough to be annoying but not long enough to pull back nicely. Today I went with the easy but uncomfortable headband option.