Make It -- Don't Buy It!

I have been watching a certain reality series which takes place in NYC. These girls are wearing crazy tights, ankle boots, patterns and skirts. I am suddenly considering donning a wig of long hair that I would wear in a carefully disheveled morning-after look. After getting through about half the season, I went straight to Urban Outfitter's website. I literally drool over their stuff. I can feel my pupils dilate after each new page refreshes, my mind whizzing. Could I find that here? Is that vintage inspired? Where's my credit card?! Wait -- could I make that myself?

And then I reeled it in. I closed out the UO website. I wiped away my tears and blew my nose after taking one last look at the shoe section. And then I went straight to BurdaStyle's website. Fact is, I can sew. I can sew pretty dang well. I found this free pattern for a "Wild Heart" dress, and decided to go for it. It's rated at a novice level, and so I thought this would be a good place to start, especially if anyone following is thinking about sewing, too. I'll print the pages out at home and piece it together here.

Which leads me to part deux: Montana Vintage Clothing. O. M. G. This place was amazing. I had to resist the urge to fanatically run from corner to corner, wall to wall, Supermarket Sweepstake style. The website for this store does it zero justice. It is packed full of hand-picked vintage clothing, shoes, hats and accessories from the 1920s through the 1970s. Old music was playing, and it was very neat and clean. And this is where I found the fabric I'm going to use for my new dress. I'm guessing it's a 1950s era fabric because of the shapes on it and the shade of red, and it's made from a silky material. I'll keep you all updated on the progress of said dress.

I also found the bias tape, buttons and thread at a second-hand store; I just need to go back for a zipper.

I think that we all tend to underestimate our own creative capabilities, especially in a society where you can basically buy anything you can think of. Challenge yourself to make something that you would have ordinarily bought. It's amazing what a sense of self-reliance and sustainability can do you for your ego and your wallet.