THIMBLE, NEEDLE, AND THREAD

Still sick, still shut-in, still not wearing pretty clothes -- and guess what? Our power went out during Winter Storm Q while I was ill. Gotta love that. So, to pass the time, I decided to read by the light of my LED flashlight I was gifted for Christmas -- which is the brightest thing I've ever gotten flashed in the eyes by. I was blind for about twenty minutes. Anyway, I'm trying to read "Beautiful Creatures" by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia. I went and saw the movie -- absolutely adored it. (Don't get mad at me for doing the movie first -- I'm usually a stanch book first type of person. I just really wanted to see that movie when I saw the previews during Warm Bodies.) It was really hard to read during the "storm" (hey, we only got four inches), though -- being sick and with the power out -- so I ended up screwing around with my camera and got a bunch of really blurry photos like above. Other than that, being ill doesn't give you a lot of stories to tell or outfits to show or anything else to gush about. Due to that, I'm going to share the sewing projects (with pictures) that I've been dying to do for a while now. Mostly just resewing buttons, etc., but here are a few that I'm really excited to do... and hopefully won't screw up. (Confession: I got a C- in my high school sewing class.)

1. Below are pictures of this beautiful vintage-esque flower-patterned dress I got from Charlotte Russe on Valentine's Day. I was so distraught when I tried it on and found that it was far to large in the chest area to really look good. (I'll admit it, this happens a lot.) Not to be discouraged, though -- primarily due to the price tag -- I decided to buy it and see if I could cut the straps and sew them up a little higher. So, that's going to be a chore for me, trying to figure out how to keep the shape (which is adorable!) and make it fit me in the places it obviously doesn't. Wish me luck on this one -- I'll admit it, I'm terrified! 

2. This is the least photogenic dress I've ever seen (the stripes make my camera go bonkers) and it hails from good ol' Forever 21 (their site currently has a cute red and blue version of it -- I'm more of a black and white person myself, though). I wore this dress once and, maybe due to my height or the tights I wear in the winter, the bottom of the dress is way too thick and gets folded and messed up in the least flattering way. Too bad I absolutely love the design. I tried layering it with a skirt, but the bottom bunched up really bad. So, in a moment of genius (let me flatter myself for a moment, please), I've decided to do away with the bottom and turn this cute dress into a cute top! I'll be able to tuck it into my high-waist skirts without it getting all bunched up! There will definitely be a lot of photos of this one when I'm done -- promise!

3. Okay, so this dress is from a little store called Francesca's that recently opened up in the mall. I love the place -- it's got so many cute knick knacks and vintage-y clothes... though, alas, many are quite expensive. I decided to splurge because it was Valentine's Day. Sadly, while trying this on in the changing room, I didn't realize there was a button on the back... yes, I broke it. Good thing it was cute and looked good on me to begin with, otherwise I would've had some troubles! This is such a little project, but I've never sewn buttons on anything, so it's exciting for me. I'm also going to look through my button collection to find a really cute button for it instead of its original! Hey, why not? 

So, those are the projects I'm hoping to accomplish when I feel better (between studying, of course -- I have a Politics exam coming up this week! Ugh). Look forward to seeing some of the outcomes (and, most likely, a few stories of the mental breakdowns that are sure to happen on the way there)!

Links to the dresses:

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