Author: ~LOLA~

Well good evening everybody!  How’s it going and stuff?…I’m doing all right; and feeling good because I’m sewing….that’s how I know I’m feeling like myself is when I cant help but sew…..Within the last month I’ve copped at least 12-15 new patterns…some from my recent thrifting trips and some from Hancock’s….I took my time sifting through the patterns this go’ round; maybe because I had the stores to myself…some trips were on my lunch break…what did I eat for lunch you ask?…some gummy worms and a water! hahahahaahaha!…..I always try to make a good dinner though when I do myself like that for lunch….but I really grabbed some good ones; and was even able to find some Fashion Star ones that I thought were discontinued….I recently cleaned my sewing room too and purged two big bags of scraps I had been hoarding for waaaaaayyyyy too long and threw away other unnecessary stuff I had thrown in there….my sewing space can breath again! Whew!….
This evening I decided to make myself a new a top…I need one for tomorrow; a few of my besties are having a cookout…My friend got a new place and invited everyone over this weekend for fun and festivities!…I bought some printed pants a few weeks ago from Ross but I didn’t get a shirt; matter of fact I didn’t even look…and I didn’t have one I wanted to pair with the pants in my closet….I could have actually sewn the pants I bought with no problem buuuuuut they were only like $11 dollars and I hadn’t seen that particular chevron printed fabric…soooooo I grabbed ’em up……McCall’s M6751 View D to the rescue for the top dilemma though….I went to my stash and grabbed a yard of some aqua-colored stretch lace from Hancock’s the other day and it turned out perfect for the project….it sewed up quick too; it only had two pattern pieces with no facings or anything…I serged the inside seams to clean ’em up….that serger boy I tell ya’; I love that thing and my Auntie is thee BEST for sending it to me….the lace fabric will come in handy too being as though its supposed to be 100+ degrees tomorrow here, Lawd….
Well I’ll share the pictures now and stop my rambling….y’all know how I can go on with my sewing stuff (wink-wink)…talk to you good people soon!
~~MsKRS~~

OMGGGGGGG I’m soooo sorry for the too long hiatus from my modest little blog….I’ve since been forced to deal with one of the necessary evils of life; I finally snagged a gig….It has seriously, dangerously, seriously, and horribly cut into my sewing time….there is always a flip side though….I’ve been thrifting a lot lately and coming up with some super cute things….I copped quite a few old school patterns on those trips too….I’m ready for sewing whenever I get to go in my sewing room….I don’t feel like its lonely though (my sewing room) because I still have to do some kinda sewing….Mending is whats been on the board….my serger is just the bee’s knees for that kinda stuff….I’ve been ordering good stuff from Wawak too; although I now feel that I need an “L” ruler and some #9 needles….if you sew you NEED to get familiar with those folks; Wawak that is…..they have thee best customer service and anything you may need to sew whether its for home sewing or on the industrial level…they are AWESOME…..My childhood friend Keith even dropped me off a purty little sewing box filled with notions but that’s another post…I’ll save it….now this post is about my floral midi dress…yall remember when I posted about it?….here is the link if yall wanna read about it:

http://mskrspinkstitches.blogspot.com/2014/04/april-showers-brings-mskrs-pretty.html
 (I dont know why its not highlighted but I guess you can just copy and paste it in your browsers)

this post is just showing me wearing it….my Sweetest took a set of the worst piccies this go’ round so I only have a few…but the few I have will do….I definitely should have participated in the MeMadeMay’14 thingy this year but time just got away from me….I literally wear my creations every day so I guess I didn’t need a month to show em off; just keep doing what I do to let folks see….of course I was going to Target and a couple other places…I even went to the library and copped a couple of sewing books….also had a bill I didn’t know I had and didn’t know why either….I paid it anyway; I don’t want ANY restrictions from a place full of books!!!!!….well here they are and I’ll talk to you good folks soon I promise…..

Good afternoon everybody….I’m sitting here watching re-runs of Sex and the City and thinking of new stuff to sew up….Every time I think of my next outfit this maxi dress with extreme side splits and booty shorts keeps popping up….now when I go in my sewing room and get going I’m almost certain that I still wont make that….LOL…Sewing is funny like that….I finally got a paid gig and I start next Monday….I’m not all that excited about it but I’m not all that irritated either….I knew after the Blood Moon I would crash and/or burn and the crash seems to have set in sometime yesterday….I went and celebrated another misguided holiday with my loved ones, enjoyed myself, and got home early….I just felt the crash setting in….A REAL MOON CHILD FORREAL…..but I did watch Mad Men last night and loved it of course…I probably stopped following the story line a long time ago because of the fashion…I still know whats going on though and Peggy irritated me last night….she’s still a sweetheart though hahaha!….
Now this post is about basically a wearable muslin I whipped up a while ago and I just love its country style….its Mad Men-ish because of the neckline and print IMO….I love it a lot and its totally comfortable…I blogged about the dress a while ago but I didn’t give it much attention….I believe Blogger was acting up so I may have put the photos on FB, I cant remember…….this fabric was thrifted on one of my many trips to the thrift store and I was quite surprised that it was a big enough piece to actually make a dress…I thought “muslin fabric” when I grabbed the bags of fabric that day….its always cool to make something right the first time around and the fabric isn’t too hideous to wear…..I have a load of laundry going, my sewing room needs tidying, and my mind’s eye needs to be rested…I’ll talk to you good folks soon!..Oh and the first set of photos (the ones of my with no shoes are when I first finished it last year sometime) are going to be included too…the ones with my lovely wedges I’m showing too; I went to Target and Sprout…I needed some more Fage…..;)
**MsKRS**
P.S. I would like to partipate in this years Me Made May and I believe I will….now who’s going to take all my flicks?….check out my photos now….and did I say how much I LOVE MAD MEN?….well, I do…almost as much as sewing….(insert hearts and smiles here)

Howdy folks and good afternoon to ya!…this post can be looked at as a continuance from my last post about my modified Indian Summer dress (pattern by the lovely Christine Haynes)…..I decided to wear it today and whadaya know, I also felt like taking pictures….I contribute my huge amount of energy to the Blood Moon last night and my bowl of Fage, pineapple, strawberries, and honey…..Yes, we ARE Ag Country (our nickname for our area) and our fresh fruit **and veggies** are always in abundance….I take full advantage like all the time; I believe I can live off fruit if I had to (I wouldn’t feel punished at all)….The honey came from a local honey guy and I I copped a few bottles on one of my many trips to Farmer’s Market….He has cool honey flavors like Pomegranate Blossom, Avocado, and Stonefruit…I bought so many he gave me a free bottle!…..We really are the shizzzznit when it comes to that kinda stuff….one of the good things I can boast about in this city in which I was born and raised….
Now on to this dress….I explained in the last post that I modified it a bit to MY tastes which meant eliminating the straps and using a woven fabric instead of the usual cotton….I just love it yall!…I really do…I like when my creations come out cool; I tend to wear them out which is the point of it all right?….I paired it with a wrist full o’ bangles (like I always rock) and some cool wedges…I LOVE WEDGES; that’s it and that’s all…and the wedges gave this outfit a much needed color pop as my flowers are blushing a bit….My sweetest has been taking my pictures so if they are crazy I blame him hehehehe….j/k he’s doing all right in my opinion; I just need to get a snazzier camera….I’ve been looking around too…..Well let me share the flicks now; Judge Judy comes on in 20 minutes and yall know thats my girl forreal! LOL!
Talk to you good people soon! (maybe around Easter time)
**MsKRS**
P.S.  Check out my belt too and of course its DIY….Sew now and foreva’ baby! 🙂

 Another awesome pattern from my Chic and Simple Sewing book by Christine Haynes….

 Now yall know I made my belt too right?….Yeah, I’m tight like that…LOL!

 Lawd my hair is so out of control these days…..the natural hair journey is real yall….

 the dress is swirly and girly….my kinda dress

the lovely Christine Haynes’ Chic and Simple Sewing book; her Indian Summer dress pattern….LOVE

Good afternoon everybody!…I seem to be on a roll with my sewing and blogging this month….Maybe because my sewing room and skills are growing so I just wanna sew up the world….I have to contribute all my new, snazzy projects my sewing book Chic and Simple Sewing by Christine Haynes….that lady knows simple but nice; very nice….Before I know it I’ll have sewn through the whole book….Last night as I unsuccessfully tried to fight the sewing bug off I broke down and sewed “The Indian Summer Dress”….I modified mine though, I didn’t want the straps; they kinda made the dress look “homely” to me….besides strapless numbers are just too cute…especially with my back piece I got a couple years ago…..The title is also very fitting for our weather (it says Here Comes the Sun) before the title of the dress and next week is going to creep right on up into the 90’s….no complaints here though, I love the heat….its the cold I cant stand….and its been crispy and cold this week with temperatures only reaching the high 60’s to low 70’s; at night dipping down to the low 30’s…oh hell no……been raining all week too; well at night….Yucky weather in my opinion….but the warmness always beckons me to come play in the Sun…..and I always comply….Piccies now….
**MsKRS**

Good evening everybody!…I just finished what was supposed to be a simple dress; well I guess it was….it just took a little longer than I thought it was….no matter though, it turned out super cute and I LOVE it….the sewing bug has been biting very hard this week and today was no different….I fiddled and fiddled until I came up with something I could sew….I looked in my pattern drawer but I didnt feel like sewing up anything in there…..I then took to my sewing books and voila!…I found what Christine Haynes simply refers to as “The Strapless Dress”…..I love her simplicity mixed with a touch of complexity….(remember my super cool sewing book  *Chic and Simple Sewing* my sweetest surprised me with?)….this was my first time whipping this particular dress up although I probably should have been making a top….I really do need more tops….
It took me a couple hours; maybe even three to get my new dress cut out and sewn up…..I added a matching sash just to use the last of the fabric…I’m lucky that I’ve been sewing for a while because I had to get real creative when cutting the pieces out…I only had two yards of this pretty, floral print linen (from Hancock’s Fabrics of course) when I probably needed another fourth or two….needless to say I handled that like a PRO and hooked my new dress right on up….this dress forced me to practice a lot of little techniques that sometimes irritate me such as casings and gathering but I went on ahead and did them anyway….I’m glad I didnt omit anything because the dress would NOT have been as cute forreal….Frasier just came on so I dont want to harass yall too long so here are the photos….thats something I do need to work on….my photos are just so-so like all the time….I need a brighter light and a white backdrop or something….oh well…in due time I guess….photos now….
**MsKRS**

Good evening everybody!….of course its late; well depending on what you consider late….its 11 pm around these parts….I was feeling sleepy earlier because I had a lot of dinner….I mean a lot and I was hungry for all I ate….Me and my sweetest went to the stores today to grab house stuff and I dragged asked my huny to accompany me to Sprouts….for those who do have a Sprouts store I explain it in a nutshell….its a awesome farmer’s market kind of store….produce that is just so fresh and chemical-free, along with other “clean” foods such as cheese made from grass-fed cow’s milk and free range chicken….I grabbed a buncha produce (my main reason for going over there) and also got a good deal on some chicken; whole and parts….I hate drumsticks though; I never buy ’em….
Now what prompted this post was my realization that I may just have too many damn social media accounts….I have my blog (which I LOVE), a twitter account, a Facebook page, a Pinterest account, and a Google+ account that I’m almost sure I didn’t want but was forced into….If I had to choose which one to get rid of I would say Facebook, mainly because of the nonsense that reigns on that network day in and day out….I tried once to deactivate my personal page and it deactivated my sewing page too….its almost like you have to deal with bullsh*t to have some happiness…such as life though right?….(shaking my damn head)
So I guess my faves would be my blog, my twitter account, and my Pinterest; in that order….Facebook and Google+ are just residual I guess…Google+ seemed to be forced on me by way of Picasa; a photo editing and sharing account….No matter, I don’t overshare on either of them….I’ll just keep it that way…..
Been sewing, well serging a little lately too…the other day the sewing bug was biting do I decided to make something simple….I grabbed my trusty old school maxi dress pattern, some knit fabric and on I went to both my machines….I made my super comfortable dress out of red and gray striped knit fabric I grabbed on one of my many trips to my Hancock’s Fabrics….I used the rest of the fabric as a head wrap which was right on time with my natural hair journey….I’m getting muscles trying to tame the thickness of my hair nowadays…the wrap allowed for simple styling without all the hassle….I love the easy stuff….I just felt like writing this evening because I probably won’t sew until I mop those damn bathrooms tomorrow morning….you make less mistakes when you sew guilt-free (with a clean house)….Well I just have a couple photos to show you and I bid you good people farewell until we “meet” again….
~~MsKRS~~

Well howdy everybody!….I just finished a top I’ve been working on for the last few days a little while ago and I’m super juiced about it….Its a vintage pattern from Simplicity; in fact its pattern # 1692….I originally wanted to make View A because the sleeves are to die for but when my fabric cut wasn’t enough to accommodate I changed it up….I just switched out the long sleeves for the short ones that View B called for….
The fabric is one of the cuts I “won” from a sewing group I’m in on FB….I really love all the fabric I was sent and appreciate it even more….I don’t know what kind of fabric it is; somewhat delicate but strong at the same time…I pressed and ironed it like nobody’s business with the iron on 4 w/ steam and it did just fine….I was kinda scared I would burn it but it obviously could stand the heat…..Being a slinky fabric I figured it would be the usual hard to work with but it was the complete opposite with that too…the fabric was just awesome and super easy to work with….it held all pressings the 1st time around and didn’t slip around at all….I thought about serging the edges but I figured I’d better leave well enough alone so the machine and hand sewing I opted for….(my serger is very, very temperamental)
Now on to the description of my first Spring piece…..Again this top is Simplicity’s 85th Anniversary Vintage 1940’s pattern # 1692….Its Franken-patterned from pieces of the same pattern; nowadays I just use the patterns pieces as guides because I really just do what I want with them….and the directions are just there for reference in my sewing world….for instance, the pattern called for an invisible zipper but I used a vintage fashion zipper that I wanted to show off; a  J. & P. Coats 12 inch vintage fashion zipper, “Cruise Blue”-colored to be exact….it was 60 cents “back then” and I got it at one of my local thrift stores for 45 cents….Ahhh I love nostalgia and this shirt boasts it all…I even used a vintage button and hand sewed it on with a vintage hand needle…..Yeah, this is a COOL shirt….Sewing and fashion is really all up to you and I take full advantage of that fact concerning the art….I have a ton of photos for this shirt because I treated it like a project and took photos every time I decided to work on it….
I started a new sewing journal too (have I already shared this?)….more like a sewing notebook because my sewing thoughts, measurements, and other sewing related ramblings are already crammed in there….Well pictures now because y’all know I can get my ramble on LOL…oh and enjoy the vintage-y goodness….
Talk to you good people soon!
**MsKRS**

 see the COOL ZIPPER AND PATTERN….yesssssss

 marked down to 45 cents….thrifting and vintage go hand in hand….

got these super sharp (after all this time) hand needles from a vintage sewing box that was gifted to me….Awesome overload with this project….seriously….

sh*tty, too close-up shot of the beyond cool button I sewed on….but nonetheless cool though…can you see the swirls on the button?…

crazy installation of my zipper…I could have perfected it but its just fine like it is….I’ve always liked a little craziness anyway….

Good evening y’all!…How’s everybody been doing?…Me, I’ve been just fine…I could complain (as anyone could at any given time) but I won’t…Instead today I’m choosing to NOT sweat the small stuff and be grateful for the good stuff in my little corner of the world….Now on to this here post….
My Aunt Peggy (my Daddy’s sister) called me a few weeks ago saying she bought a serger and didn’t know why (she’s been registered nurse for years so she has quite a nest egg and some purchases just get lost in the shuffle)….and she said she must have wanted to make something but she never did get around to doing what she bought it for…she sews a little, but not much…..she has a sewing machine and another serger too….however, she knows I sew my arse off (well I try to at least) so she called and said she had something for me….It was a brand new serger!!!!!…she hadn’t even taken it out of the box…..now I had never really needed or coveted a serger but I’ve always thought they were cool….but after she told me I was going to get one anyway, I got excited about owning one…..Sergers are quite good for knit fabrics and creating things that look store-bought and professional…..okay new machine with 4 spools of thread and two needles automatically begets issues….I’ve seen sergers before but I’ve never used one or even tried to…..sooooo, I guess tonight and the better part of tomorrow will be spent trying to figure out how this thing works….I had to bring my Mama’s sewing table back out because it has to have its own little station….I’m totally grateful to my family for so many things but my gift of sewing and their support in that is something invaluable….
My sewing room is one my favorite places because its so “ME”…I have a large picture of my Mama, a momento from a cool store from my side of town, green plants (4 to be exact), my Mama’s sewing machine and notions, my huny’s Mama’s dress form, and now my Auntie’s serger…..so many personal things in here; there are just too many to list…I’m at my best when I’m in here, in my shell so to speak…okay a few photos now….
Talk to you good people later….
~~MsKRS~~

my new addition to my sewing space…..

I have no idea where to start…..literally no idea whatsoever….(looking very confused)

my little helpers that come to inspect like they do everything that comes in this house….right before this they were playing leap frog in the foam popcorn in the box…..they ran away fast when I cleaned it up and turned on the vacuum! hahahahaha

Good evening everybody!…Remember in my last post I was talking a little bit about the drought that’s been going on around these parts?…well today we finally got some rain…I believe its still raining out there right now; and its supposed to last for a few days….I hope the farmers are collecting it because the new water allowances are kinda strict and not in a good way….When I left the house earlier it wasn’t raining but I knew it would be by the time I got to the house….I ended up going to my friends house for a couple hours; her Mom came in town this morning….
Who remembers my complete obsession with Mad Men?…well its STILL going strong and I on the lookout for the seasons on DVD or Blu-ray….I love the old school fashion and how its still so “me” now….I decided to rock a dress I made a few months ago with my Mad Men in mind….this is New Look’s pattern # 0110 View D….I know I blogged about it a while back when I finished it but I’ve never worn it until today….I was going to belt it but when I put it on it I felt it was cool how it was….I absolutely LOVE this dress…its so comfortable and the neckline is just awesome; I mean just friggin’ awesome….it came out so well…the zipper, along with the hook and eye also installed damn good…I’m getting so much better at those things….I always put my own spin on stuff and the sleeves show my style a little bit…I have serger stitches on my machine and I finished the sleeves that way….I used a printed knit fabric from Hancock’s (of course) and the drape and feel are just right….this pattern has 4 or 5 views and I’m pretty sure I’ll get around to whipping em all up sooner or later….Since it was kinda brisk and rainy I couldn’t rock my heels so I threw on my trusty boots….This dress was inspired by the lovely red-head named Joan from the show…and anybody that watches the show knows she can rock a dress honey!!!!!….Well since there are quite a few pictures I wanna share I’ll shut up now and show em….talk to you good folks soon!
~~MsKRS~~

 Neckline is FIERCE……check my sleeves though….this is “my dress is sooo HOT” face…LOL

vintage button from my Mama’s stash…..that neckline though…..

tried to get a shot of the hook and eye…they are pretty hard to photograph….well the small ones are….

 See Joan’s dress?…I had to have one similar….I just had to….

I made view D…..