Sonya Nimri

This is probably one of the most brilliant Halloween costumes that I've ever seen and I wish I had thought of it but helas, the very clever author of the blog Mod Mischief  has come up with it before me.  Thanks to the wonderful internet, I was able to use her fabulous instructions to make a version for the Halloween segment of the Marie show.  It's a great trompe d'oeil isn't it? Oh no!  Let me go! Heave ho! My model on the Marie show. This is my short-cut version of the costume... Freehand sewed mermaid tail on two layers of shiny fabric. Cut out. Give your patient assistant the Hollowfill and let him ponder stuffing the tail. Finally he gets his turn! Make a cast of your body with duct tape and stuff cut up back to free yourself.  Stuff with Hollowfill and add two sticks.  add a foam head to the neck.  You will also have to add straps to the chest so you can wear it on your back. Get a foam cooler and hol...

Here on the show with Marie and her daughter Rachel wearing another suit  project . Another exciting suit project from the Marie Show airing today- this is a little harder to show because it happened so organically on the floor with a little hand sewing and some freehand cutting and patching.  I simply cut the legs down the seams on both sides, then cut out the zipper.  I added a collar to hold up the waistband of the pants from the suit leaving the front open.  Then added the bottom part of the suit jacket to the waist of the dress- an inspiration from my favorite show Downton Abbey ! The original pants ready to be cut. The jacket. And all together as something new. The waistline with the added jacket bottom. Above the bust sewn to the suit collar with a sewing machine. This is where the fly gets cut out of at the collar. The back of the pants taken in at the waist. The tails added built in pockets and touch...

It's October, which for anyone with a kid can only mean one thing- it's time for Halloween!  I just taped a segment for the Marie show that will air closer to Halloween, but for those of you kind folks who check out my blog on a regular basis, here's a head start on all the costuming action.  This spaghetti costume is not only totally adorable but really comfortable for the baby: they can wear their favorite one-piece underneath and be bundled in loops of spaghetti-like yarn- warm on a cold October night and totally practical and yummy enough to eat! Chef and spaghetti Yummy meatball! Inspiration The chef and spaghetti on with Marie! Draw a circle around a tub, two layers of felt or velvet, this will be the sauce collar. Make it wavy like sauce Sew together and stuff with Hollowfill.  Sew a ribbon with 4-5 inches excess on either side of the back opening. Take a break to overturn furniture and play spin-round. Cut a rectang...

It's crazy, I know, the queen of recycling has never hosted a swap.  Well, I finally did it. No one else had the time or set-up this go round and I'm lucky enough to have access to the neighbor's yard so I made it happen.  I was nervous.  Would anyone come, would anyone bring anything good, would there be too much left over for me to handle?  I was mostly concerned about the turn-out- a leftover sentiment from my middle school anxiety-ridden fear of birthday party hosting.  Well, it turned out awesome.  Plenty of style starved ladies turned out and took out tons of clothes.  At one point, I was wondering if I was going to have to rent a UHaul to take it all away there was so much.  Thankfully, it dissipated, as people took their fair share of loot and I was only left with eight boxes to take to the shelter. Chaise de bijoux More tops than anyone could ever handle. Food on the porch, clothes on the patio and a man?  Believe it or ...