sweat pants tara

made this top last night, using my husband sweat pants. he's never worn the pants, and didnt want them anymore, so i recycled them!
i love the result - i think it goes well with bulky sweater cardigan and jeans on weekends. the fabric is cotton flannel.

retro tweed dress

sorry for the serious look on my face. i had a small argument with my husband while we were taking pictures:(
im satisfied with how this mini jumper came out. i started using the pattern that i purchased from etsy, the vintage pattern from 1968, but decided to drastically modify it. took off sleeve, change the shape of the skirt, made button closure instead of zipper, and added pocket. oh, also shorten the length. it is available for purchase here:)

New this week 2

I'm into purple now! i worked on this while i was in ny at my in-law's house. available here!

New this week

This purple dress is available at my shop this week! Perfect for New year's eve party.

next project

my next sewing project is coat! coat for myself. i collected some images from japanese magazines, and am brainstorming for my dream coat. 

i bought the fabric for it the other day, its 70% wool and 30% silk gray fabric, and i love it. i would need thick lining for it though to bear this cold weather. im so excited! 

speaking of coat... i found this coat from vintage shop on etsy. what a beautiful coat! it is from 1950s, and $125. 

photo originally downloaded from allentown company inc. 

happy 2nd year anniversary

andy (my husband) and i try to do something fun for our anniversary which is on dec 12th. last year, we went to le bec fin, which is the only 5 star restaurant in philly.

this year, we decided to escape the cold cold weather in north east, and flew to las vegas! however, the entire time we were there, it rained. it was so sad. we stayed at luxor.

the hotel we stayed...

downtown vegas

merry christmas

boys dying to open the gifts... 

im in ballston spa NY for christmas:) merry christmas everyone! 

firm christmas party

if im not making clothes at home, im working at this wonderful law firm during the day! we had a christmas party last friday. it was fun! i look very pink (or red). alcohole does this to me.:( im wearing the dress i made with purple sparkly cardigan.

mom jacket

although i made this for my mom for christmas gift, i'd end up using as much as she does...when i go back to japan in january! its too cold to wear it in philly, but in tokyo, this jacket would be perfect with turtle neck in side. 

i used the japanese pattern book, called, "shiroi fuku kuroi fuku" by sato watabe. i bought this when i went to ny, thinking, id use it to make the purchase worth it. however, i would give this book 3 stars out of 5.. one of the reasons is that i have to trace the patterns, and many patterns are intertwined in big sheet of paper and its really really hard to see what lines are connected to what. i get so frustrated with this! i spent more time tracing the pattern than actually making it.  another reason for 3 stars is that most garments are so boxy. i like fitted styles much better, and when i bought the pattern, i didnt consider that. 

but over all, the book is nice to have and i like how this jacket turned out. the pattern book is like $25 in US. 

i love bow

i made this skirt using the left over fabric from my mom's jacket. its a wool mix, probably tweed, white and beige. i didnt use any pattern to make this skirt. i cut out two squares and put darts and slit. easy and fun! fully lined. 

little black dress

since i started sewing clothes in april of this year, ive sold 40 something clothes on and off etsy, sewed more clothes for family and friends, and did not have time to make anything for myself. but finally, i made a little black dress for my self this week! i had a firm christmas party yesterday, and i desperately needed something to wear to. 

i love how it turned out!! i modified the danielle pattern from burdastyle. i love danielle pattern - i used it so many times, and it has a lot of possibilities for different versions. i cut out the smallest pattern, and then made 2 more sizes smaller to make it really fitted to me. for waist band, i narrowed it a bit, front skirt, i added darts instead of pleats. shortened the length for like 5 inches. i wore it with shimmery  purple cardigan that i got from flea market with tights and pumps. 

new this week

I added this to my shop this week. It's a super comfy t-shirt dress made of cotton jersey. this ruffle around the neckline got many different feed back from my family and friends. some hated it and told me that i look like a crown. some liked it. what do you think? 

belated thanksgiving wishes & recipe

belated happy thanksgiving! i had about 15 people over for thanksgiving this year. i made turkey and sweet potato casserole, and people brought other dishes. it was fun! 

since sweet potato casserole was so popular at the party, i will share the recipe here:) 

its sweet, and almost like a desert! 

casserole ingredients:

1.5 lbs of mashed sweet potatoes (peeled, cut and boiled)

3/4 stick butter at room temperature

1 egg

6 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

salt

topping ingredients:

1.5 cups crushed cornflakes

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

3/4 stick melted butter

preheat oven to 400

beat egg, potatoes, sugar, butter, spice and salt till smooth and blended

pour into baking dish and bake until brown around the edges (25 min)

prepare topping while potatoes are baking (just mix topping ingredients)

spoon over baked potatoes and put back in oven until topping is brown and crisp (10 min) 

its so easy and good! enjoy 

red tights inspiration

i went to flickr to get some inspiration in how to wear a red tights. the one i bought was more like wine color, darker red. but i thought those two pics above were so cute.

also, liebemarlene pairs color tights with vintage skirts and dresses, and i love her wardrobe! 

i rarely wear pants during the day. 4 days out of 5 days at work, i wear either dress or skirt. so i must wear tights now since its 30 degrees outside in philly!