Sewing and lifestyle blog of a wannabe "full-time vixen"

Vintage Patterns!!

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I just bought three patterns off Etsy from the store Opals Owl Vintage! The top one is has just the loveliest collar. The next two show how CRAZY for scallops I am.



I cannot wait to receive them. The owner of the store is away till March 24th on vacation so I will have to wait even longer to receive them. But that is okay! I am a very patient person when it comes to ordering things online. Also the shop is located in Seattle so that’s just a hop and skip away from Vancouver! The first two patterns are just one size off from me and the one on the bottom is exactly my size! Perfecto!

In the meantime, I am going to be making a slip for a pink skirt that I have yet to blog about (but soon!). It was the project from my intro to pattern drafting class last term and I quite love how it turned out. But my instructor did not want us to have to deal with lining our skirts and my skirt is made out of a somewhat thin fabric so I’ll have to make a slip for it!

I’ll use this tutorial from Gertie and I will also add a scalloped edge to it using this tutorial (also via Gertie). Can you tell I LOVE scallops?

I am also going to make a nice spring coat for that transitional period from rainy, cool early-Spring and into late-Spring/early-Summer. It is this pattern:


I am making the long coat on the right but not in such a bright pink, I’m going to have to find a light grey coloured fabric. I used to have a grey jacket from Urban Behaviour that I bought for $10 which I’ve worn to heck. The fabric is cheap so the dye has been fading in many areas. I find a light grey jacket/coat works really well with my wardrobe and style.

That’s all for now! Can you tell I’m excited for my future projects now that my classes are almost done?

My Sewing Studio!

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So it’s been a long time again and I apologize for that. My goal from now on is at least one post per week. For my next posts, I’ll take pictures of the projects I’m working on in my classes – Haute Couture Pattern Drafting, Fashion Illustration, and Sewing Level One.

For this post though I took some pictures of my sewing studio. Sure it’s really just a room but I like to think of it as my studio, it’s got EVERYTHING I could ever need in one room. The only qualm would be a larger table for fabric cutting but the one I have in there right now is quite adequate. No more cutting on the floor!



These are my two dress forms! The one on the right is Peggy Sue, my duct tape double/clone and the one on the left is unnamed at the moment but if you have a suggestion I’m open to one. I named the duct tape one Peggy Sue because I was listening to Buddy Holly one time and I just really loved how he mentions this girl named Peggy Sue in a couple of his songs. The red one is an adjustable one I got from Dressew for $125 + tax which is 50% off the original price! Whooooooooooo! It was during Dressew’s 50% off Everything in the store due it being their 50th anniversary recently.



The adjustable one is great for me because I’m not very “shapely” and I actually only need to adjust the waist a little larger, the bust and hips are just fine. Peggy Sue (duct tape dummy) is problematic because she’s a whole inch or two larger everywhere due to the nature of duct taping. Also, she’s not pinnable. But I can’t seem to think of where to put her or if I should just dismantle Peggy Sue. The base is a Christmas tree stand and I used a PVC pipe from Home Depot to mount her. My sewing studio is not very big so she might have to go!


The curtains I made! Wooden dowel is from Home Depot, fabric and lace from Dressew. It’s difficult to see due to my poor photography skills but that is mint fabric with white and pink lace. I love the colour combination of mint and white or cream right now….




My horde of patterns…..I also have a goal of getting through EACH one at least two or three per month after my classes for this term end. Must obtain cute clothing….


Serger! I love her so so much. I think she might need a tune-up although the other day when I was using her, she wasn’t doing so bad.


AND THIS PRETTY BABY! I sold my other machine on Craigslist and actually made a little bit more money than I had originally paid for it. And then I put that money towards this sweet pea. She’s a BEAUT. The machine of my dreams, does I think 5 different buttonholes, including the highly coveted (by me) keyhole buttonhole.



And my fabric and cone thread stash. I am also starting a mini spools of Gutterman thread stash. My fabric stash is actually not as large as other sewists mostly because I like to work on one project at a time and buy the fabric with a specific project in mind. This means I don’t waste money on fabric too! But alas, I cannot control my pattern stashing.

So that’s my sewing studio and I love being in it! It’s a room I’ve rented out from Brianne who lives 8 blocks away from me, it’s a nice jolly little 10 min walk from my apartment! Very convenient, it’d be more convenient if Mr Vixen and I just moved into a two bedroom but we’re kinda attached to our current apartment (despite its many downfalls) and he just doesn’t have the money to move.

Finally, an update!

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Hello again! I really apologize for having not updated this for so long, it’s been months. This is because Mr Vixen’s camera broke and I didn’t really have enough money for a new one. I bought a new camera a week or two ago and these are the first batch of photos since the new purchase.



These photos were taken before my first shift at Two of Hearts, a little shop here in Vancouver on Main St. The clothing and accessories sold at this store are almost all (save a few items) made locally and the two owners of the store also design the clothing and run a studio in Vancouver. They are a very little store right now and just opened up in 2008. The recession has been hard on them though but I am glad for them to be here! I am only working there during the weekends until Dec 21 because they are going to be a bit busy with a show they are participating in.

But back to my outfit, the jacket in the photo is something I sewed in high school as my final assignment one year. I am very proud of it, I got 100% on it! I will take better photos of it later when I have more time and show all the little details, like top stitching and the beautiful purple lining.

The little heart medal I’m pinning on the jacket is from Modcloth, it opens up and is a locket. Very military cute!


This dress is my new favourite dress! It was a splurge from an online store called Ruche. The necklace is also from the same store. You can’t see it well but here is a picture from the store:


And now for the shoes! I saw them first on Ruche but they didn’t have my size to begin with so I bought them from Amazon.com and had my friend help me get them to Canada (they would only ship to a US address.)


Product photo here:


They are quite amazing! I love these shoes! I am developing quite the shoe collection so more shoes to be seen in the future!

Alright, that is all for now. I think I will manage to get a new post up next weekend after all my schooling is done. I should be doing readings right now but……..yea.

My first pin curls

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I promised that I would show you guys how I did my pin curls and what they look like. So here goes! First of all, pin curls are curls which are just shaped into a curl shape and then pinned to the head. You can shape the curls with your fingers and pin them, or use a curling iron on dry hair and then pin them down. I did my set as a wet set which means I showered first and curled my hair when it was damp. I have to do this because I have stubborn Asian hair which will naturally go stick straight when drying. While I’m curling, I spray the pieces of hair I’m curling with this setting lotion I got from a beauty supply store in Surrey. It works well! And now some pictures.

I have a head scarf and tied it around my head so I could sleep in the pin curls. It actually wasn’t very uncomfortable and I slept fine. Sleeping in pin curls or rollers is really the best way to do it if you want curls that last.

This is how they look after much brushing and some hair spray and pins. My haircut at the moment is not good for trying to recreate 40s or 50s styles but it seems to be great to get that 20s or 30s look! To recreate 40s or 50s styles you need a heavily layered style. There was a particular style called the “middy” which was the ideal cut. My haircut at the moment is not very layered except for the back so it is more like a bob right now. I have to wait for the back to catch up before getting a middy.

I bought this hat from Forever 21, it’s a beautiful black boater styled hat. Reminds me of the cartoon Madeline that I watched as a little girl. The dress is from Front & Company, it was a good deal, only $20 for it!

Kendra says I look like Bette Davis here. I’m so flattered. :D Anyways, that’s all for now, Mr Vixen’s camera is broken so I don’t know when I’ll be able to post picture heavy posts like this until it gets figured out or we get a new one.



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