Many Adventures of Madeline

Hello there! I'm Madeline, a mental health counselor, sewist, and full-time Star Wars fan. This is a collection of my sewing projects and blog style musings.

[madduhhline]

Quarantine Life: Houndstooth and Red

This dress was part of my Make Nine project for this year. I love how it turned out and looking at in almost 6 months later makes me wonder why I never wore it to work since we had to return. 

This is another one of those project that you can tell was from the beginning of the year because my hair isn’t pink yet. Whoops, it’s be a strange year but this dress is still fabulous. This was another project I did with Minerva Crafts too!

I dreamt up this dress. The red pops in the waist and matching covered buttons are my favorite part of this dress. It has pockets too! What more can you ask for in a dress?

Gosh, looking at this dress makes me wonder why I haven’t made another one. It fit so nicely right off the back with minimal modifications to the pattern. It has my favorite petticoat on under it too. 

Houndstooth Fabric // Pattern

Happy Sewing!

[madduhhline]

Quarantine Life: Bougie Pajamas

Okay, these photos were very obviously taken at the beginning of lockdown. This was for a project I did with Minerva Crafts and just never posted them here too. Better late then never? 

If you follow me on Instagram this photo is from February, can you believe it? It is almost December! Anyways, I made Simplicity 8995 with a minor modification to the sweatshirt... I chopped off the bottom. Hear me out though, it is because the elasticated bottom looked awful on me and I live in Florida so a cropped sweatshirt just makes more sense.

See? Isn’t that cuter? Anyways, you can see how much this room has changed since the beginning of the year now too. When I took these photos I wish I could have caught a photo of the silver threads in the sweatshirt material.

Bottoms: Nostalgic Crepe Back Satin Fabric Top: Lurex Sweatshirt Fleece Knit Fabric

Happy Sewing!

[madduhhline]

Quarantine Life: Gingham Leftovers

I am a “buy the extra half yard just in case” kind of sewer. Which came in handy when it came to mask making a few months back. However, that does mean I’m almost always left with about a half yard or more of fabric. So I figured it was time to do something about it... well besides masks.

I made Simplicity 8645 in view D out of my remnant fabric from my dress. Rarely can I cut something out of the pattern packet and it fit right away. I don’t make a lot of separates (I’m a one article of clothing kind of girl) but this was too cute to not make. 

But this came out so cute and it was so quick to make. I lined it in white cotton since it is sheer and I didn’t have enough to line it in matching fabric.

It has 4 buttons down the back that I just pulled out of my stash. They are most likely also from Joann Fabrics. 

I mentioned previously that I was super in to adding labels to my makes in my last post. I found these at Joann’s a few weeks ago and it felt perfect to add to this top. I found them on the Simplicity website for you because everyone needs them for vintage Simplicity patterns.

[madduhhline]

Quarantine Life: Flamingos

One of the best feelings is when you finish a project and you put it on and you feel completely like yourself in it. Quarantine, work from home, safer at home, whatever you’re calling it is weird. Some days I feel great, some days I just miss everything. The last few days have been weird but I put this on and I felt like me again.

I’ve made this Butterick 5033 before but in view A. This time I made a very Florida vibe view B. It isn’t available on the Butterick website anymore so I’d check Etsy if you’re looking for it!

I’ve fully lined the bodice with a contrasting white collar. This pattern is surprisingly easy as long as you have some hand sewing skills for the collar. 

It has more than a full circle skirt and I honestly should have added pockets but I didn’t? It is the one flaw of this dress. The belt is from my wardrobe already, bonus that is matched perfectly! 

You can see the pleats in the front of the skirt in this photo really well. It makes it the perfect dress for twirling and hopefully for tiki drinks one day. 

It has an invisible zip up the back. Honestly, these are the only zip I can do really well so I almost put them in everything...

I mean how could you be unhappy in this dress? It is so vibrant and such a mood. It really made me feel like myself again, even for a few hours. I miss having reasons to get dressed up but I look forward to being able to do so again!

[madduhhline]

Quarantine Life: A Reading List

Here is a booklist for 4th of July that we White people need to read instead of just blindly celebrating 4th of July. Special thanks to Bookstgram Represent for additional resources on bookstore and additional readings. They’ve answered so many questions and helped me make sure that this list focuses on Black writers. Only one book on this list has a white author but it came as a suggestion from a group I was in from a Black teacher so it is included. This isn’t a complete list but over the last few weeks these are what I’ve started my readings with. So, let’s get started.

This post does contain affiliate links to Bookshop.org

Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad

This eye-opening book challenges you to do the essential work of unpacking your biases, and helps white people take action and dismantle the privilege within themselves so that you can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on people of color, and in turn, help other white people do better, too.

Diversify by June Sarpong

Putting the spotlight on groups who are often marginalised in our society, including women, ethnic minorities, those living with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community, Diversify uncovers the hidden cost of exclusion and shows how a new approach to how we learn, live and do business can solve some of the most stubborn challenges we face.

With unshakeable case studies, brand-new research from Oxford University, and six revolutionary steps to help you overcome unconscious bias, this book will help you become part of a better society.

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness: Austin Channing Brown

Austin Channing Brown's first encounter with a racialized America came at age 7, when she discovered her parents named her Austin to deceive future employers into thinking she was a white man. Growing up in majority-white schools, organizations, and churches, Austin writes, "I had to learn what it means to love blackness," a journey that led to a lifetime spent navigating America's racial divide as a writer, speaker and expert who helps organizations practice genuine inclusion.In a time when nearly all institutions (schools, churches, universities, businesses) claim to value "diversity" in their mission statements, I'm Still Here is a powerful account of how and why our actions so often fall short of our words. Austin writes in breathtaking detail about her journey to self-worth and the pitfalls that kill our attempts at racial justice, in stories that bear witness to the complexity of America's social fabric--from Black Cleveland neighborhoods to private schools in the middle-class suburbs, from prison walls to the boardrooms at majority-white organizations.

Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Monique W. Morris

In a work that Lisa Delpit calls "imperative reading," Monique W. Morris (Black Stats, Too Beautiful for Words) chronicles the experiences of Black girls across the country whose intricate lives are misunderstood, highly judged--by teachers, administrators, and the justice system--and degraded by the very institutions charged with helping them flourish. Called "compelling" and "thought-provoking" by Kirkus Reviews, Pushout exposes a world of confined potential and supports the rising movement to challenge the policies, practices, and cultural illiteracy that push countless students out of school and into unhealthy, unstable, and often unsafe futures.

Called a book "for everyone who cares about children" by the Washington Post, Morris's illumination of these critical issues is "timely and important" (Booklist) at a moment when Black girls are the fastest growing population in the juvenile justice system. Praised by voices as wide-ranging as Gloria Steinem and Roland Martin, and highlighted for the audiences of Elle and Jet right alongside those of EdWeek and the Leonard Lopate Show, Pushout is a book that "will stay with you long after you turn the final page" (Bookish).

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen

Since its first publication in 1995, Lies My Teacher Told Me has become one of the most important--and successful--history books of our time. Having sold nearly two million copies, the book also won an American Book Award and the Oliver Cromwell Cox Award for Distinguished Anti-Racist Scholarship and was heralded on the front page of the New York Times.

For this new edition, Loewen has added a new preface that shows how inadequate history courses in high school help produce adult Americans who think Donald Trump can solve their problems, and calls out academic historians for abandoning the concept of truth in a misguided effort to be "objective."

What started out as a survey of the twelve leading American history textbooks has ended up being what the San Francisco Chronicle calls "an extremely convincing plea for truth in education." In Lies My Teacher Told Me, James W. Loewen brings history alive in all its complexity and ambiguity. Beginning with pre-Columbian history and ranging over characters and events as diverse as Reconstruction, Helen Keller, the first Thanksgiving, the My Lai massacre, 9/11, and the Iraq War, Loewen offers an eye-opening critique of existing textbooks, and a wonderful retelling of American history as it should--and could--be taught to American students.

*Specifically the chapters regarding slavery. This was a suggestion from a Black womxn in my Womxn for Tri for Justice. She said that Chapter’s 5 & 6 should start as required reading about slavery and then reading the whole book. The edition pictured above does not include the new preface. 

They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers

Bridging women's history, the history of the South, and African American history, this book makes a bold argument about the role of white women in American slavery. Historian Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers draws on a variety of sources to show that slave-owning women were sophisticated economic actors who directly engaged in and benefited from the South's slave market. Because women typically inherited more slaves than land, enslaved people were often their primary source of wealth. Not only did white women often refuse to cede ownership of their slaves to their husbands, they employed management techniques that were as effective and brutal as those used by slave-owning men. White women actively participated in the slave market, profited from it, and used it for economic and social empowerment. By examining the economically entangled lives of enslaved people and slave-owning women, Jones-Rogers presents a narrative that forces us to rethink the economics and social conventions of slaveholding America.

[madduhhline]

Quarantine Life: Gingham Myosotis

Talk about a dress that doesn’t fit my usual “fit and flare” makes. The Myosotis dress from Deer and Doe is designed to be oversized which feels perfect for all of this staying at home we are doing now days.

I picked up this gingham fabric from my local Joann’s to make this dress and had to order a slip to go under it to be able to wear it out of the house. As you can tell it is a little sheer. I opted for the short sleeved, teared skirt options on this pattern.

I cut based on the size suggested for my measurements which was a size 40. It has about 4 inches worth of ease. The pattern is very straight forward and was pretty easy to put together. I made some bust dart adjustments because of where the darts hit but besides that everything is as written in the pattern.

Added a cheeky tag from Pink Coat Club because this dress totally has room for cake! I started adding tags to my clothes in quarantine because why not?

These earrings are my newest obsession! They are from Human’s Before Handles! Ash Sims is an amazing Black designer that you all need to check out! Her earrings are gorgeous and as she says in her Insta bio, they are Beyonce approved!   

[madduhhline]

Quarantine Life: Golden Stars

Continuing with trying to blog about most of my stash busting while in stay home is this beautiful gold star boarder print. I bought this fabric last year white no real dress in mind until I saw this pattern from Lila and June on instagram.

The Picnic Dress from Lila and June only comes in a PDF format so I opted for an easily gathered skirt instead of the one in the pattern to show off the boarder print. 

And since she is currently only being worn at home I didn’t even bother to try to find shows to wear this time. Honestly, It was great to wear this around the house and I can’t wait to be able to wear her somewhere else besides my living room.

This dress has a super flattering silhouette with a gathered shelf-bust with a little built in support. The pattern was pretty easy to follow if you remember to transfer all your pattern markings, unlike me.

I’m honestly super happy with how it turned out. Next time I may make the waist a little snugger, just out of a personal preference. However, it turned out so beautiful in this boarder print so I couldn’t be happier. 

[madduhhline]

Quarantine Life: May the Fourth

You’d have to be new here if you thought I wasn’t going to post something for May the Fourth. I’ve got three past posts regarding adventure through Star Wars days at the parks. Since we can’t be there this year I made the outfit I was going to wear anyways!

This is the Jane Set from Charm Patterns by Gertie. It is designed to be made in something with a little stretch. Whoops. I made the romper version with the neckline band and halter strap. Since the pattern has negative ease, I sized accordingly and made a mockup to ensure I didn’t waste fabric.

This is honestly the most comfortable thing I’ve made in a while and I can’t wait to wear it to the parks when this is over. I may try adding pockets next time. I love how the shorts show off my Star Wars Rebels tattoo.

I opted to make the halter neck ties so I could untie it when I had to go to the bathroom at the parks. Nothing like taking all your clothes off to go to the bathroom in public.

The pompom trim is my favorite touch honestly. It also messed with me the first time since I sewed it on wrong and had to unpick it all and resew it. Ah, such is the life. I’m glad I did because it came out so cute!

Now on to spend the rest of the afternoon listening to Star Wars music and looking for cute May the Fourth merch!

[madduhhline]

Quarantine Life: Purple Garden Dress

Honestly, this dress was made almost a year ago. I just never had a chance to wear it to anything so what better time then now and in my backyard.

I had a dream about making this dress. This fabric sat in my stash for ages and I never made anything from it. I can’t even tell you why I bought it to begin with. But I dreamed of it made into the Night and Day Dress from Gertie. The fabric is from Joann’s ages ago!

This uses the square neckline, short sleeves and the yoke skirt from this pattern.

It is such a cute dress begging for a garden party when all of this is over. I really loved how this dress turned out. The skirt gives me some modern Marie Antoinette vibes.

The bodice is unlined and I’m wearing my old me-made petticoat for a little extra omph. I really love how it turned out! I rarely make things out of flocked fabric because I’m not the biggest fan of the texture (I don’t like the texture of velvet either) but I’m so glad I bought this fabric! 

[madduhhline]

2019, Sewing, and 2020 Projects

Last year I made 5 of my Make Nine, which is honestly better than past years. I then only blogged about one of them. However, I did a much better job sharing them over on my Instagram using the hashtag #magicalmakesof2019.

Butterick 5033 - Out of print 

Nina Lee - The Piccadilly

Vouge 9255 - 1960s Swimwear

Simplicity 8762

Charm Patterns - Lamour Dress

I’m actually quite surprised looking back at 2019 how many things I ended up making. The second half of 2019 was a hard time for me. I was hit with a nasty depression cycle towards the end of May and it took until just about mid-December for me to feel some semblance like myself again.  

2020 Make Nine

Sew Over It - Doris Dress

This was on last years Make Nine and I really want to try to make it this year! I love this sundress style and I think I have some good sashbusting fabric for this.

Simplicity 8259

Perfect dress for work! I have a houndstooth that would be perfect! I love the buttons and the longer sleeves in view A.

Sienna Trousers

This pattern was actually a gift from Pattern Preacher. I never make pants and I want to challenge myself this year so this will be perfect for that.

Adrienne Blouse

I bought this pattern last year and I kept putting it on my back burner. It is too nice to not be made and would be perfect for a new blouse for work.

Myosotis Dress

This is outside my usual look. I saw this made up on Instagram and I’d been eyeing the pattern for ages. It feels like it will be perfect for summers in Florida.

Liz Dress

I love the bodice line of this dress. I feel like making it out of a fun cotton with maybe a contrasting bodice piece.

Sirocco Jumpsuit

I own no jumpsuits in my wardrobe and once again this on from Deer & Doe just spoke to me and who am I not to listen?

Picnic Dress

Need I say more? I love this dress.

Rey - Force Awakens

I learned to sew so I could cosplay. For Christmas my sister gifted me Rey’s shoes and I finally felt the urge to make this. So, for the first time in forever I’m going to try cosplaying again.

There we go! 2019 recap and a follow up for the 2020 Make Nine! Hopefully I stick to it and make some of these this year.

[madduhhline]

Lemony Goodness

This little lemon playsuit may be my most worn look on the cruise we went on in June! 

I actually rescued the lemon fabric from a dress I never wore.I figured the best way would be to turn it into something I would wear more often. This retro playsuit is on Make Nine list for this year! This makes 2 of 9 projects I hoped to complete are finished!

For this pattern I used Vouge v9255 but left out the little middle tie because I didn’t have enough fabric. 

I do wish that I would have made the band for the top a little more snug. While it sat comfortably, I can tell I just need to adjust the button

The shorts and bodice are lined with a simple muslin fabric I had in my stash and the waist and legs both had facings to add to it.

The yellow jacket shown here will also have it’s own post soon!

[madduhhline]

Vintage Beach Coat

When I saw this fabric at Joann’s I knew it would make the perfect beach coat! I never like traditional cover ups I find at Target or anywhere else. They aren’t flattering at all! I knew I had to make something for myself.

I have actually made this pattern before but in a flannel. So now I’ve finally made it how it was designed, as a beach coat. Using Simplicity 8139 the over fabric is linen, lined with muslin.

This made the perfect cover up for wandering around the ship during the day at sea and going to the private island for the day. It has huge patch pockets and it is lightweight enough that I felt like I wasn’t getting overheated.

I’ve really loved getting over my sewing slump this year. I’ve made some really cute projects that I’ve actually worn this year! This little coat will make so many appearances when going to the beach this summer.

[madduhhline]

A Galaxy Far Away

Almost 2 months after May the Fourth I’m blogging about my Clone Wars dress I made to wear to Hollywood Studios. 

The dress is made from bedsheets I found on etsy. I loved Clone Wars and felt like I needed to pay an homage to my favorite underrated charaters, the Clones.

The top is Simplicity 8330 and the skirt is Simplicity 8873. I’m wearing Malco Modes Samantha petticoat underneath. 

I’m wearing my favorite flats that I got off of Amazon!

I fussy cut the back so it would say Star Wars right up the centerback seam. I installed an invisible zipper all the way up the back.

I’ve made Star Wars bed sheet dresses before and even one for my dear friend Brooke! They are fun to put together because I love the fussy cutting of the bodice to make it interesting to look at. 

May the force be with you!

[madduhhline]

Spring Dapper Day

Our goal was to look like we stepped out of a vintage ad like this one. The pretty dresses that look like they are from the same set but are just a little different.

Cara, my forever Dapper Date, and I actually met at spring Dapper Day a few years ago so it is always so much fun to go together again.

Our dresses, bags and flower pins are all vintage. Shoes, belts, and hair flowers are all modern.

My Shoes // Cara’s Shoes // Hair Flowers

[madduhhline]

Race Report: Ironman Gulf Coast

If I am honest, I wrote this post in my head more times than I can count at this point. On long run training days when the miles never seemed to end I’d turn my mind to the gratitude of having the support needed to be able to train and then race at this level. This was a humbling experience on most days but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

Swim (1.2 miles) - I am grateful I stuck to my gut and wore my wetsuit. I am also grateful I listened to my Dad and swam in this water for the two days prior to this race so I knew what I was getting into. Make it to the sandbar, and it is smoother sailing! I went out, remained calm, my heart rate never elevated too high and I had a bad ass time. Made it to the first turn buoy and realized the Velcro on my neck was rubbing, but I kept going. Turned at the second buoy and got stung on my face by a jellyfish but kept going. Let the waves push me to shore. Popped out, made it to transition, and took my sweet sweet time getting that wetsuit off.

Bike (56 miles) - I felt like I was flying the first half of the bike. Stuck to my nutrition. Stopped at the aid stations, stretched, thanked my volunteers, and kept moving. Heard my Dad shout my name on his way back in (he was racing too!), which gave me the bonus I needed to make it to the turn-around. After passing that, I rode back in the whole time into a headwind. Stopped at another aid station and the kids were so nice and helpful. Hopped back on and made it back. Put one leg on the ground before the dismount line and it gave out, and next thing I knew I was on the ground. Laughed. Jumped up. Kept moving.

Run (13.1 miles) Woof! This was hot! Started my pace. Took Gatorade at the aid station and an orange. Everything I needed. Turned the corners on to the front side of the course and felt like dying. Picked up a buddy. Picked up another buddy who would ultimately finish the race with me (Shout out to Christina!). Maintained a good pace. Mile 8? Felt like garbage. Light headed. Dizzy. Spent the next 2 aid stations playing damage control. Kept moving. Took in some base salts. Felt even better. Lap 3. Thank god for Redbull! That stuff is actually jetfuel. Helped push myself and Christina to the last quarter mile. We fist bumped and high-fived and I pushed forward, promising to meet her at the finish.

Finisher’s shoot - Rounded the corner and cried and screamed. 8 hours and 10 minutes after starting, I was finishing. My Dad and husband waiting for me shouting with me. I cried. My Dad met me by the medical tent and gave me the biggest hug as I sobbed into his shoulder. I had so many feelings.

Tired. A little dehydrated. But mostly I felt grateful. Grateful that I have a body that let’s me do a thing like this. 

So I’ll leave you with my gratitude that I would self talk to myself on hard days.

Thank you to my Dad. Without you I wouldn’t have even thought about this. I have been forever in awe of watching you doing Ironman races my whole life. Thank you for my bike. Thank you for my kit. Thank you for supporting all of my choices. For answering every single phone call and text with support. Without you I wouldn’t be here today. I’m lucky I have you on my team. Thank you.

Thank you to my husband. Thank you for all the cups of coffee and 5:30am so I could workout before work. Thank you for accepting all the missed Saturday morning breakfast dates so I could train. Thank you for sitting next to me and letting me cry on the beach after I had a panic attack in the open water. Thank you for being there on the course and at the finish line. Thank you for letting me follow this crazy dream and supporting me to the finish. You’d never read this post on your own unless I show it to you but everyone needs to know how grateful I am for you.

Thank you to Sam for listing to all of my triathlon talk over the last year. For all of your text messages. Being okay with me ditching on weekend adventures because of training. For supporting me even from your night shifts. ILY Thunderbae.

Thank you to the Tuesday night OWS crew. Especially Leo and Coral for inviting me out after seeing me at my DNF. Guys, you’re the real MVPs. I wouldn’t have conquered that swim without you. 

Thank you to Kasi for every single Friday First Watch date. 

Thank you to my work crew for letting me have the time off to pursue this dream. 

Thank you to my OG running crew. Ya’ll are amazing.

Thank you to everyone who understood me having to bail to train. You’ll never understand how much that means to me.

Thank you to Christina for being there on the run with me for 9.1 miles. Girl I’m super honored to be a tribuddy for life.

But special thanks to 21 year old me. That girl went out for a 10 minute run almost 10 years ago and hated it but kept trying. I’d like to think she would be more than proud of where I am now. So thank you for not giving up on your dreams girl.

See ya’ll at Ironman Augusta in September. 

[madduhhline]

Blueberries All Over

This is one of my favorite makes so far, but I’m sure I say that about most makes. But I adore the neckline of this dress so much. I wore it out to the local blueberry festival because I can never miss an excuse to dress up. 

The middle dress on the pattern was actually the inspiration for this dress. I loved it made up in that polka-dot fabric. I purchased this beautiful cotton from Joann’s last year and didn’t get around to using it until now. I’m so glad I did because it was perfect for this dress.

She is completely lined and finished. I know there are much cleaner ways to finish a zip but this is the only time it will be seen so here we are. The skirt is a little more than a full circle skirt with beautiful darts along the front.

I paired it with my favorite hat from Penny River Costumes which makes me feel the most fancy. My shoes are from the Kira in Spearmint from BAIT and my bag is from Amazon.

Also, if you’re a local you should totally check out the Keel and Curley Winery for the Tampa Bay Blueberry Festival! It was such a fun experience. They had pick your own blueberries, a ton of local vendors, blueberry cider, and wine and cider tastings. It was free to go enter and only $10 to park. I’ve really loved exploring my town outside of Disney World lately. Don’t get my wrong, I love Disney! But sometimes it is easy to forget how many amazing little experiences are right outside your front door.

This dress was so perfect for wearing to the festival! Florida is feeling fully like spring (which is feels like summer in most places). I’m glad that we finally got to go to the Keel & Curley Winery as well! It was the perfect day-date!

[madduhhline]

Space Dress

Okay, but if you’ve made a dress covered in space and didn’t wear it to Epcot have you really lived?

One day I’ll do a round up of all the dress I’ve made with Butterick B6453. I think I’ve made 5 or 6? I have two more in the line up and then I think it will be time to move on with this pattern for a few months.

It helps when you match a wall at Disney and my ears from Timbysia Creations match as well.

Oh and that there is not one but two rides currently devoted to space. If I am being honest I haven’t rode Mission Space. It is way too intense for me so I am better off just waiting for all my friends to be done then getting sick.

I actually made this dress to go to the space center last year an and a bunch of teenagers told me that I looked like Ms Frizzle and there are very few things I want more than life than that.

You can use my code MADELINE20 for a discount on your pair of ears fromTimbysia Creations