fashion – My life on an unexpected path

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I am How Old?

Posted on January 16, 2016January 16, 2016 by Dede

Today I took a break get in sewing and turned on a Hallmark movie. The cast list said Willie Ames was in it. In the above photo he is the boy on the far right and if my memory serves me right, he was a teen heartthrob. And here he was playing the father of an adult daughter. He has gray hair and wrinkles! How could that be? So I looked him up on IMDB (internet movie database) and there in black and white it says he is 55.

55, he can’t be 55 because I’m only …. wait, I’m 56. How did that happen? I could have sworn I was 36 or maybe 46, but no. Right there on my driver’s license it says I am 56. I’m no fool. I know I look my age but I definitely don’t feel my age. Now I don’t feel like a teenager but I certainly don’t feel 56, whatever that is supposed to feel like. I know I don’t feel old enough to get a senior discount or an AARP discount.

I will admit that sometimes I will use age as an excuse. It’s a feeble one. Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first book at 65. Grandma Moses started painting at 70. Julia Child didn’t begin her TV career until age 51. Vera Wang didn’t enter fashion until 40. Carol Gardner of Zelda Wisdom a $50 million greeting card business didn’t start until she was 52. And there is a long list of people that were busy succeeding and living at 90 and beyond.

So I have to remove age from the table of excuses. It is no longer a card I can play. (Unless of course I can get a discount). 🙂

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See many bad habits

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Dede

Today I had my first class from http://www.stitch labs.biz in Austin. I’ve seen for years but have acquired many bad habits. Bad habits in sewing and life. Working on changing bad sewing habits and bad life habits.

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And Sew it Begins

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Dede

As I have said in my earlier posts, I’ve become a recluse. I have begun to worry if I am developing agoraphobia (the fear of public places). It’s so easy to stay in my apartment and the more I do it, the easier it becomes. I have made the first step towards to shutting the door or should I say opening the door to prevent that from happening.

I have signed up for three weeks of sewing classes at Stitch Labs in Austin. I have been sewing for more than 40 years, but didn’t want to take a class that would be so frustrating I would end up feeling like a failure. So I selected a beginner II class. We will make a pillow with piping and a zipper the first week. The following two weeks we will make a book style bag. I hope to brush up my skills and then possibly take a more advance class.

One of my most cherished memories are the dresses I made for my daughters and all the Halloweens I made costumes for them and then later on for my neighbors’ children. The photos bring back such happy memories. With this class, I hope to take the first step towards making happy memories again.

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Costume Exhibition Roundup

Posted on September 30, 2015September 30, 2015 by Dede

There is an Australian TV show that I absolutely love. It is Miss Phyrne Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. Her costumes are incredible and worthy to be worn even today. I am half a world away so I could not go to the exhibition but through the miracle of the internet, it was brought to me through a blog. Miss Fisher’s Costume Exhibition Here is a sneak peek of what you will see.

Of course Miss Fisher isn’t the only one that gets to wear fabulous costumes. The characters of Downton Abbey get to wear equally fabulous clothing. I was lucky enough to go to this exhibition but if you didn’t get a chance to see it, you can go to Costumes of Downton Abbey to see some photos. Costumes really do help the actors to get into character. I can’t imagine the Dowager having quite the same air of superiority without the right costumes.

This is the blog/website for the costume designer for Starz’s series Outlander. Use this link to see photos and blog posts about her design process. The costumes truly feel authentic. Terry Dresbach which takes the storytelling process to a higher level.

And if you are brave enough to try your own hand at making costumes or just want to know more about fashion through the centuries check out this blog. The American Duchess and have fun dreaming.