New Shoes: Fluevog Worlds

Sweater/Cardi: Motel Rocks via ModCloth | Top: Old Navy | Jeans: GAP | Loafers: Fluevog Nzame (World family)

This past season I have been craving flats as much as heels from the Fluevog line, mostly because I want shoes that I can quickly slip on as I run out of the house to drive my son to and from school everyday. Of course, I could have spent less and gotten, say, more Blowfish flats, but I actually got these gorgeous red loafers on very steep sale through Amazon earlier this month (they were less than $55 for me but are also on sale right now at Fluevog for $99) ... meaning that, for just a little more than a pair of full-price Blowfish shoes, I got these amazing, supremely comfortable leather shoes that will last me YEARS. I can attest that they hold up well for dancing, too; after several hours of dancing contra last weekend, my toes didn't feel so much as a twinge. :-)

(Sorry, not to rag on Blowfish. After all, I have five pairs of their shoes -- 3 flats and 2 booties -- that I still wear sometimes. I just meant to use it as an example of cute, good-quality shoes that nevertheless are not made to last. Fluevogs are obviously in a different league; they are far more comfortable and they mold almost perfectly to your shape once broken-in; and given the choice, with price being comparable, I'd simply pick Fluevogs every time.)

{Oh, and don't worry. I've been selling off some of my minimally-used Fluevogs to make room for new pairs. These didn't fit me that well, so I rarely wore them. If you're in the market for some beautiful vintage size 6 Fluevogs in excellent condition, let me know! See here, here, and here.}

Fluevog World: Nzame (also comes in black, cream/brown, and purple/blue colorways)

I tried these on when they came out in last spring's line, and for some reason I remembered thinking that they were comfortable but a little big for me. I was willing to overlook that when I bought them, however, because they were supposed to be quick to slip on, anyway. But it turns out that they fit my feet just fine and are snug with socks on, so I would say they run almost 1/2 size small (I own the size 6 but am a true 5.5).

They're such an easy and comfortable way to add color to my boring everyday outfits as I run around getting errands done. This is a representative of what I've been wearing everyday this past fall and winter: jeans, a casual tee, and some kind of sweater or jacket. Usually not this already-very-bright sweater, which I don't wear more than once a week or two weeks outside the house. (Inside the house is different. It's been cold here, and the sweater is like wearing a cozy blanket all day. Prrrrr. It's among the best purchases I've made at ModCloth, and that's saying something!)

Something interesting about the red colorway that you might or might not have noticed: If you look at the stock photo above, you'll notice that the tassels on the right shoe are longer than those on the left. I believe that's the case for every red pair that was made. When I first received the shoes from Amazon, I considered returning them or complaining because I thought they were defective, but the stock photo on the Fluevog website showed the exact same issue. It's not the case with the other colorways. I'm sure other folks have noticed too and were bothered by this, but you know what, I actually like the subtle difference between the left and right shoes. Makes them more special that way, at least to me. :-)

xo, Gladys

P.S. Do I need to trim my bangs or what?!

Sewing Inspiration: Enchantment under the Sea Dress

One of my goals this year is to finally make a dress for myself (my Halloween Regency dress doesn't count because I can't wear it more than once a year).

After buying Stitch Savvy: 25 Skill-Building Projects to Take Your Sewing Technique to the Next Level by Deborah Moebes of Whipstitch, I think I've found the perfect candidate. It will be great for spring and summer. I mean, look at it!

Granted, I'll probably make the option with the straps. After having a kid, my body just ain't built the way it used to be. ;-) This is made with regular quilting cotton, too, so it'll be something that won't stretch my limits too much but will still be lovely and fitted to my measurements. Looking forward to it!

xo, Gladys

Sewing: Wonder Woman Stuffed Pillow

This stuffed pillow was an Xmas present for Joanne, who is a huge Wonder Woman fan. (She's still on a search for the perfect Wonder Woman boots for her.) As you can see below, it was meant to be a stuffed doll. I bought the fabric from Spoonflower, and I was quite excited to make it. However, after I carefully cut out the front and back according to the directions, I found out to my deep dismay that they were not mirror images as they are supposed to be if you're going to sew them right sides together. Fabric design FAIL. So while it is a cute image and a great idea, you should know this before buying the fabric yourself.

What to do?

Well, it took me a while to commit to it, but I decided to applique the Wonder Woman cutouts onto fabric and create a stuffed pillow that would complement the birthday pillowcases I made for her. For added strength and to prevent the fabric from wrinkling while appliqueing, I used fusible web (Heat'n Bond Lite) on the backs of the cutouts, then I ironed the cutouts onto the pillow fabric.

Above is a closeup of the applique. Not too shabby ... but this is another skill that I'd like to practice and perfect.

Here are both sides appliqued. I pinned the fabric right sides together and sewed the edges of the pillowcase closed, but I left about six inches unsewn so that I could stuff the pillow.

Now time to stuff. These huge clouds were Poly-Fil and I used the majority of my bag. After stuffing, I stitched the opening closed by hand, using an even slipstitch.

All done!

Here's an iPhone photo of all of her three pillow(case)s together, courtesy of Joanne. (Nice Fluevog sandals, chica!)

xo, Gladys

Cousin Love

Whereas before he was indifferent to them (or maybe even jealous), my son recently decided that he really loved his 3.5-month-old twin cousins and wanted to learn how to hold them. Here are the adorable results of that, with the babies taking turns being hugged on his lap. The babies don't look like they mind, do they?

And here's a funny animated GIF of the kiddo chugging down a bit of root beer at a recent party. What a party animal ... or perhaps sugar fiend.

xo, Gladys

Sewing: Pillowcases Galore

I made several pillowcases for holiday presents this past season. I'm embarrassed to say that one pillowcase took me until last week to finish, but they're all finally finished and mailed off. I'm saving the last-made one for a later post this week, but here are the rest. They are all fun in their own way.

Yoda

You've seen me make a pillow like this before ... except the back fabric is different, and at this point I've basically perfected the envelope pillow cover. I made this for my dear friend Dorothy (one of the MotleyFlue), who loves Master Yoda. The measurements on this baby are almost exact. French seams inside. I dig how badass Yoda looks.

Thomas and Friends

My nephew wanted another set of Thomas pillows for Xmas. I made a set using different fabric for his birthday last September, but I didn't blog about it. I sewed the previous pillowcases as envelope covers. These are more like the typical pillowcases that you buy, open with a wide hem on one end. I just used a standard-size pillowcase that we already had to create my measurements. Again, my measurements for these were meticulous, and they needed to be because of the directional prints.

Invisible Zipper

I made these color-block pillowcases for Joanne's birthday which was in early December ... and, um, she hasn't received them yet. (She'll get them along with her also-late Xmas present, hopefully by tomorrow.) She asked for simple pillowcases to brighten up her couch, but I couldn't make the easy version, i.e. envelope. I knew I needed to use zippers on these. Thing is, I'd never sewed zippers on the edges like this, and I'd never sewed invisible zippers before. I had to do tons of research and look through different tutorials online to psych myself up to do it. In the end, it worked, though I used a slightly different method for each pillowcase. The stuffed pillowcase above isn't how it's supposed to look, but I just wanted to show you how invisible the invisible zipper actually is. (It's supposed to look more full and stuffed; I used a smaller pillow form than what Joanne has, just for demonstration purposes.) I'm happy with the way they turned out, but I am planning to practice sewing more invisible zippers. It's not that difficult, but it is a somewhat fussy business, and this is one of the sewing skills I'd like to perfect ... because I am seriously planning to make a dress for myself in time for spring. :-)

xo, Gladys