and the winner is....

ALF for best costume overall. Yeah! Way to go Bri guy. All your boogying onstage and all my hard work sewing and eating the fur while I was sewing was worth it.

I'm so proud of us.

Care Bear and ALF had a hugely Happy Halloween. We went to a really sweet party with a group of incredible friends in downtown Orlando. It was amazing with stilt walkers, performers, a deejay stage with lighting and screens and lots of incredible costumes. I'm so super stoked about the win...and Bri didn't pass out in all that fur. Thank God for the CamelBak. That thing really works well.

I'm already thinking about costumes for next year.

ALF is alive and well.

I made that bad boy costume. Foot covers and all! Well, we did get the mask on eBay. He is totally hot in this thing. Glad it is a cool 69 here.

By the way, my hubby's pumpkin is in support of the A-Team. Yeah!

Pumpkin carving party

Well, even though I am a Marshall grad, I am married to a WVU man. So, yes, I carved a WVU pumpkin with the help of a template provided by my cool mother-in-law.

On a side note, my mother-in-law is even cooler, because she sends us Omaha Steaks. Nummy in my tummy.

Care Bear Stare

Yeah, that's right. That is me, saving the world's problems, one Care Bear stare at a time! Bobbers agrees. Oh yeah, and ALF is lying beside me. Bri is waiting until the last possible minute to put it on, so he doesn't pass out.

I'm waving my Love-A-Lot palm at you. May I spread love and cheer throughout the Halloween season.

And don't forget the random hard red heart for the backside. Whey was that thing hard anyway?

ALF to come later...

Fashion show a huge success.

I volunteered for a local fashion show this weekend and assisted a buyer from two men's stores for the show. It was an incredible learning experience. I put in some false hems before and at the show. Here is a quick one I had to do right before the model went on.

It is a simple flat catchstitch that is done loosely and very quickly.

The tent was air-conditioned and really nice. It was so chilly backstage though. I mean buuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

The guys for the two stores I assisted performed wonderfully. I think the show went really well. It was incredible to be a part of it.
Now, back to working on ALF....

Putting in the perfect collar.

I thought I would add the collar stays to Bri's shirt as a surprise. Pretty easy actually.

And, I sewed them shut. You know, those bad boys always come out in the washer anyway, so this way, they should be all set.

Also, I wanted to post this skirt I finished a couple of weeks ago. I learned quite a bit making this skirt. It is a wool back piece that has lace glued on it. It came that way, and I just love the look of the fabric.

I did an exposed zipper on the back with that super thick fabric, and I bought the thinnest silk habotai lining, so that was a challenge marrying those two fabrics together.

Finishing the cuffs...

Got these nice cuffs on Bri's shirt. I decided to use a tan thread on the buttonholes, which I think is a cool trend.

Also, I got to sneak in some linen on the inside of the cuff. I think it really looks nice.

Making and putting in a shirt placket for my man.

So, the pattern I bought didn't have a very nice placket in it for Bri's sleeves, but as always, youtube, saved the day. The Sewing Guru on there showed how to put one on. The only problem is that I didn't have the pattern pieces, so I had to use some of my math skills my parents gave me. Luckily, I think it turned out just fine.

Vinyl dress is done. WhewWhoo!

Man, am I relieved. I completed my vinyl dress for the fashion show. Glad that bad boy is done.

Front check.

Back check.
Celebrate, celebrate, dance to the music!

Cool hair swoop

For some reason today, my hair has a nice swoop.

So, I did a side ponytail. I feel like the side ponytail is not given enough credit. I wore it every Saturday in fifth grade when I cheered for Jerry West's H.L. Hustlers. Crazy name, but fun cheering squad. I think it was some kind of air conditioning repair place, but I am not sure about that. Anyway, back to the hair. I want to bring the side ponytail back. It has earned its due.

Got the exposed zipper in the plastic dress. Yeah!

Check out the exposed zipper in this vinyl. I think it looks pretty sweet.

Also, we had to figure out a way to keep the seams open, so we topstitched them.

Got to get these done by the end of the week. Shouldn't be a problem at t'all.

Working on some plastic dresses.

Today, I was working on placing in an exposed zipper on see thru vinyl. Laying it out and sampling it today. Should put it in there tomorrow and hopefully it will look cool for the fashion show. A couple of the other students have been asked to do the same design, as well along with our teacher completing one, too.

Additionally, yesterday and today, I went to help with model fittings for the fashion show they are having in Winter Park. I'm looking forward to working on the final fittings and the night of the show, making sure the buyer has all that she needs.

Make it and take it day a success at the store.

The fascinators were totally cool, and the make it and take its were awesome. Check out my Winky pincushion by none other than the La Todera extraordinaire Julie Creus.

Julie is an extremely nice person and a gifted artist. Check out her website here, if you are interested in any other of her creations. latodera.com

On a side note, my hubby took me to 4Rivers Smokehouse in Winter Park, and it was stupendous. I have never had fried pickles in my life, and I fell in love with them tonight. It is is totally worth the wait in line.