The Vampire Seamstress Returns (and some reviews)

I only get any sewing done when the sun (and son) is down.

Summer's officially here and it definitely feels like it. It's so bright and skin meltingly hot that doing anything, even moving, is difficult. These days, I limit my sewing when it gets dark and a little cooler. It's also a little more quiet with both boys (my little brother and my son) asleep and not curiously rifling through my scissors and pins (!!!) I'm so glad my dad gave me a nice lighting set up so I don't have any trouble seeing tiny details and mishandling sharp objects. Thanks, Dad!

The wedding gown is progressing slowly but surely. Cutting the silk and tulle was the hard part but sandwiching the fabric between pattern paper was the solution that worked perfectly. I pinned the heck out of each selvage on the bottom paper and pinned the pattern pieces (uncut) on top. I also used very fine glass-headed pins to minimize those scary looking puckers that look a bit like stocking runs. I still can't believe my pieces aren't distorted. I stay-stitched every single piece just in case.

I also got a lot of help from the classes I took at Craftsy.

Sewing With Silk with Linda Lee

Sewing with Silks with Linda Lee tackled things like types of thread, stitch width, the best way to cut fabric, stitch lengths and seam finishes for silk. If you've ever doubted yourself while working with slippery fabric (not just silk) this is the perfect class to guide you and hold your hand while you go through the process step by step. The instructor is so pleasant and has a soothing voice and demeanor. I can listen to her all day. There is a paper pattern that comes with the class and it's a lovely bonus.

Sew Retro: The Perfect Bombshell Dress with Gretchen Hirsch

Sew Retro: The Perfect Bombshell Dress with Gretchen Hirsch was the first Craftsy class I ever took and it was the start of my Craftsy online class addiction. Gertie's teaching style is so easy and friendly, it's like you're having a craft date with a close friend. She has so many sewing tips gained from her own experience in making dresses. I love the little tricks she has like reinforcing the vee of a sweetheart neckline and adding a waist-stay. Those techniques alone make the class worth taking.  There's a downloadable pattern included and it's definitely a dress I'd wear.

The Couture Dress with Susan Khalje

The Couture Dress with Susan Khalje is the ultimate class to take if you're serious about construction techniques. This class will teach you how to be meticulous with your garments. Shortcuts are all well and good but she taught me joy in your own handiwork and that silk organza is something that you should never do without.  This class comes with a paper pattern of a very wearable and customizable dress. 

I cannot recommend these classes enough! The information you will get from each class is invaluable.   I'm only naming the three classes I had to watch and re-watch to help me with the wedding dress that I'm working on, but I also signed up for other sewing classes that are just as informative as well as entertaining.  They have free classes so you can try those and see if you like it. 

So while the sun is out, I will stay away from the light and take my long skirts and long sleeved blouses and put them in storage. Later at dusk, the real work begins.

Review: Pond's Cold Cream

We all know what this is. My mother, two grandmothers and my aunts used it. There was always a pot of it on their vanities and bathroom counters, right next to their makeup and hairbrushes. Being young and lacking foresight, I didn't want anything to do with cold cream because to me it was some kind of anti-aging device (it's not, but I used to think it was) Arrogant younger me didn't want to think of myself having wrinkles, dry skin, fine lines or the possibility of actually struggling with hard to remove mascara and eyeliner.


Then I turned thirty. Suddenly, the reality of age-related imperfections were all too real. My short stint in the mid-west with its bitter winters left me with dry spots on my face the won't QUIT. I also live in a congested city, so just living and doing stuff everyday make my face dirty. I can just sit and do nothing all day and I'll still end up with a coal miner's face.


I picked up a pot of it on a whim the last time I went grocery shopping with my parents. It was at the bottom shelf in small packages. It made me a little sad because I remember my grandmothers dipping into gigantic pots of Pond's back in the day. It was used liberally everyday, so they needed a lot of it. Oh yeah, the pot was made of glass. I do miss that.


I was wearing my usual makeup look that day: MAC Studio Tech in NC-30, MAC Russian Red lipstick and MAC Gel Liner (black). I used to use Connor's baby wipes to take my makeup off, then do my usual Apricot Scrub and Neutrogena facial wash, then finish with a moisturizer. I found that I needed to scrub extra hard to get the liner and the lipstick off with the wipes and I'd still end up with raccoon eyes the next day, even after the scrub and facial wash.


So I try the cold cream: I dot pea sized amounts of cold cream on several places on my face and I rub gently then I wipe it off with facial tissue. KABOOM. All the garbage and makeup went from my face to the facial tissue. It was delightfully DISGUSTING. I wiped it all off and did another round of application until the tissue was clear of dirt and makeup. HOLY COW! Where WAS this stuff when I was a tragic, heavily-eyelinered Goth teenager? The knowledge that is was there all along just made me so sad. 


It has been about two weeks of daily Pond's use and my dry spots are gone, my fine lines are hardly discernible and I seem to have regained some my skin's lost elasticity. I also don't sleep with a face full of makeup anymore, even after repeated scrubbings. I'm just very happy with it. Best part of all this? It's CHEAP. I can drown myself in this stuff and still have leftover cash for more fabric.


So yeah, I'm a believer!


P.S. Your mileage may vary, okay? Pond's cold cream may work for me, but it may not work for you ESPECIALLY if you have sensitive skin. I don't have sensitive skin, it's pretty close to cast iron (my stomach's the same way, I can eat practically anything) So here's my disclaimer in case you break out in bleeding sores after using this product. Also, Unilever's not paying me to review this product. They used to pay our bills, but Mom changed companies.


P.P.S. So what's next on my agenda? Why, making my own cold cream of course. I shall indulge my inner mad scientist using a wire whisk and a bain-marie. Mwahahahahaha!