The Bridal Shower

One of the fun and exciting events I attended during my recent trip to Dallas was The Future Sister-in-laws bridal shower.

Somehow this is the only picture I got of her.

Stalker much?

The Mama Hart came to the bridal shower.

As did The Aunt Connie.

Mini Cordelia/ Cordeliaette came too.

I smuggled her in by throwing her into my purse.

The bridal shower was held at a Viking retailer/ culinary school, so after an amazing brunch we all gathered in a super impressive classroom and had a cooking demonstration.

The chef showed us how to make quarto leches cake.

That’s right, tres leches aren’t enough for us so we threw in a 4th milk, and let me tell you, that forth milk makes all the difference.

Not that I can remember what it is.

Something to do with boiling sweetened condensed milk (still in the can) until it turns to a caramel type sauce and then dribbling this over the top of the cake.

Talk about yum!

Cordeliaette loved the cake too.

 

She wanted to dive in (literally—sister’s small enough she could have done backstrokes around the cake) and eat the whole thing on her own.

Luckily I caught her before she took the plunge so there was enough cake to share with the bride.

It's also lucky we had to share cause otherwise we would have eaten enough we would not have fit into our fashion challenge garments later that day.

Happy Cooking

~Melisa & Cordelia & Cordeliaette.

Dallas Design Challange, the Grand Event

Hi Ya’ll

Cordelia and I have been MIA for a bit. A little over a week to be exact, but we think we have a very good excuse for taking a blogging break. For example, we were in Texas doing super important Texas type things. Like participating in fabric challenges and impressing all the independent pattern company owners, or attending glamorous wedding parties. And then we spent a few crazy days cleaning and organizing our new studio. For the first time ever, it’s mostly box free!

Because I know you are just DYING to see what Cordelia has been up to, we will share a few of our trip pictures with you. Yay!

As you may recall, I have been prepping for a fashion challenge for several weeks, and the challenge took place last weekend in Dallas so Cordelia and I went, seeing as how we had made 3 outfits for it.

In case you don’t remember, here are the rules for the challenge.

I was given a hypothetical scenario—I was headed to a beach wedding and needed 3 outfits, one to wear to a rehearsal brunch, one for the wedding and one for the morning after breakfast. One garment had to be reversible, and another had to be visibly worn with every outfit. Also, because that’s not enough, I was sent 5 fabrics and had to use some of all and was not allowed to introduce any other unless I needed it for a lining.

Oh, and I had to use the patterns designed by the independent pattern drafters who were sponsoring the challenge.

Well, after several nights of planning, I came up with my game plan and came up with 3 satisfactory outfits.

I took The Mama Hart to the challenge with me.

Because she is such a good slave and agreed to carry my garment bag.

Plus she was wearing a beautiful brown skirt I made her and was a great walking billboard for Hart Designs.

Cordelia came too. Or at least a mini, black version of Cordelia came. She fits in my purse and is significantly easer to carry than the real Cordelia.

I had to model each of my outfits, and while the following pictures don’t do much in terms of showing off my outfits, they do a fantastic job of showing off how debonair I look on stage, so I’ll show them to you so we can all cringe and how awkward I look.

Here I am talking about the Hong Kong finish I applied to the skirt for a decorative touch.

And here I am doing bizarre things with my hands. Err Melisa.

Why?

Do I always walk around like this?

I sure hope not!

Thankfully everyone was so inspired by the skirt that I don’t think any of them were paying too much attention to my awkward hand movements.

Right!?!?!

I died the fabric for these capris, and the ladies just thought that was the cleverest thing ever. Boy were these girls easy to impress. One lady even told me they looked like expensive designer jeans! Yay, just the look I was going for!

And I was so worried that they wouldn’t like them cause I hadn’t gotten the fit just right and bizarre things were happening in my crotchial aria.

 Silly me, all that worry for nothing.

Well someday in the somewhat nearish future, I promise to put my outfits back on and take more pictures where you can actually see what’s going on. So get excited, cause this is thrilling stuff people!

Happy Travels,

~Melisa & Cord

Lauren Gets A New Coat.

As some of you may have heard, The Brother Hart is getting hitched.

 As you may have also heard, the wedding is to take place at Lake Tahoe in April, which means we can expect cold, snowy, wintry blizzard-like conditions.

And so The Future Sister-in-law Hart has asked me to make her a coat to wear over her wedding dress.

Naturally, I said yes cause I love making coats.

We started our coating adventure when we went fabric shopping in San Francisco.

Hello Britex (amazing fabric store)!

You are the love of my life (except for maybe my glorious new cutting table).

Lauren picked out this lush, divine, scrumptious, yummy white wool fabric which happens to be a remnant from our good friend Giorgio Armani.

I know this because it’s printed right on the salvage.

Well I cut the fabric up,

 sewed a few seams and now the coat looks like this.

Don’t worry, it’s supposed to have only one arm.

Lauren was involved in the same tragic synchronized swimming accident as Alex and they both lost their arms.

Crazy.

I know.

Just kidding!

Both Lauren and Alex are happy owners of two arms.

It’s just easier to make sure I’ve got the armhole fit correct when no sleeve is getting in the way.

Now the final coat is going to have some super cool, amazing, beautiful detailing that I’m not going to show you yet because A. I don’t know if Lauren wants to keep it secret or not, and B. I haven’t quite decided what it will be yet, but I can tell you that this might possibly be the single most stunning thing I have made to date.

Except maybe for Rosie's Wedding Dress.

That thing's a beaut.

Try to stay warm,

~Melisa & Cordelia

The One in which I Get a Job with Giorgio Armani.

 A while back I got a very interesting phone call from Giorgio Armani.

He said, “Melisa, I have seen your blog and I’m interested in having you come work for me.”

I said, “Errrr, um, what? Armani who?”

Because I have a super stellar communication skills when under pressure.

NOT.

Well turns out Armani is much more eloquent while on the phone than I am and he ignored my idiotic babbling and said, “I’m sending you some fabric for a trial run. Make what you want, and if I like it, you’re hired.”

And then he hung up which was a good thing cause I think I started to drool, and it would just be unfortunate to drool all over Armani.

Even if all drooling occurred through a phone.

Then a few days later this fabric showed up in my mail.

 

So I cut it up, worked a little magic, sent a coat to Armani and he said ,”Melisa! You are a genius. I’ve been searching for you all my life! You must take over for me so I can finally retire and feel confident I’m leaving the company in good hands.”

And I said. “........…”

Actually I didn’t say anything because by then I had woken up. The whole ordeal was just a beautifully glorious dream.

But I did really get to cut up some beautiful Armani fabric to make a wedding coat for The Future Sister In-Law Hart, and that was probably just as fabulous.

This fabric is luxurious to the 9 billionth degree.

Like totally.

You should feel it.

I might have to drape it all over my body and refuse to take it off.

Check back tomorrow and I’ll have some pictures of the coat so far. But not too many, because I don’t want to ruin the grand wedding surprise.

Happy Dreaming

~Melisa & Cordelia

Alex Gets A Civil War Greatcoat the Grand Finale

Haaaave you met Alex?

Sure you have. Alex is one of the Brother Hart’s friends and I talk about him, like, all the time man. As some of you may have heard, I’ve been making him a Civil War inspired greatcoat.

If you didn’t know about the coat, you should probably take a moment to read about it here.

And here.

And if you really want to be informed here.

And you can even catch a glimpse of it here.

Who knew one coat could provide so much blogging material?

Well, just in case you are like me and you are too lazy to catch yourself up, I’ll go ahead and give you a brief run through.

When we first started our little project, the coat looked like this:

Cause it was just an idea and I wanted to make sure Alex and I had the same idea in our heads.

Then I cut up a little fabric, threw in a few stitches and the coat looked like this:

 

I had made a muslin--or rough draft---to make sure the coat fit Alex. Which it did---sort of.

Then we visited the coat again and it looked like this:

 

Because I had been busy traveling and snowboarding and other non sewing related stuff.

But then I got my sewing butt in gear and the coat soon looked like this:

I shipped it off to Alex with only one arm so he could try it on again.
And, because Alex only has one arm.
He lost one in a tragic synchronized swimming incident.

Just Kidding!

Alex has both arms.

You still fell for that joke?

Geesh.

Talk about gullible.

This time it fit beautifully. Yay! Go team Melisa & Cordelia.

Which brings us to today when I walked into my studio and it looked like this:

 

Wow Cordelia, you stayed up all night finishing that for me? How nice of you! Wait, what was I thinking? Cordelia has no hands, Oadie must have helped.

It’s been a bit of a slow process, but finally, at long last I have finished this here dang coat, and so I thought I would share it with the world. And by world I mean my two readers, both of which have probably already seen the coat in person, but that’s besides the point.

So sit back, relax and enjoy as I take you on a magical greatcoat tour.

The cape is removable.  What a great idea Alex, and not just cause I don't know if my machine could handle sewing through the cape, and the hood and the body and the lining.

Oh, wait, I have a Bernina. 

Yes it could have handled all that bulk.

But could I have held it all?

Most likely not.

This puppy ways about a million and 10 pounds.

The Papa Hart thought the coat was so cool he had to hijack it for a photo shoot before I was allowed to ship it to Boston.

Hope you like the new coat Alex.  Be nice to the post man and you'll be getting it soon!

Oh PS.  I'm suppose to ask you why you crazy Bostonians don't just dump all you piles of snow into the Massachusetts Bay?!?!

Stay warm,

~Melisa &Cordelia

The Maiden Voyage

Cordelia and I moved into a new studio a week ago.

And, despite being here a week, we are nowhere near close to being completely unpacked as this pile of boxes I have not yet had the energy to tackle demonstrates oh so well.

 

But we did manage to get the important stuff like our sewing machines and iron unpacked and set up.

 

And I was able to get my new cutting table cleared off enough to be functional. 

I have a cutting table!!! 

One big enough to cut whole garments out on!

I've been dreaming about this day since I was 5. 

Good by days of crawling around the floor on my hands and knees!

Hello civilized cutting!

I feel like a real grown up seamstress now.

It is February so please bear with me as I take a moment to write a love note to my Cutting Table.

Dear Sweet, Adoring, Cutting Table,

I am so very excited to make your acquaintance.

Your existence has fulfilled all my secretest innermost desires and dreams.

I love your green counter tops and I adore you massive storage abilities.

I believe we shall be long time friends.

And I promise to keep you neat and pretty, just as soon as I get all this clutter cleared off you.

XOXO,

Melisa & Cordelia

Oh, I dream of the days when my cutting table no longer claims host to the random odds and ends no one knows what to do with.

Anyone want some seriously outdated electronic stuff.

Anyone?

Anyone?

It's free to a good home.

All you have to do is clear it away and get it off my beautiful new cutting table.

Anyhow, Cordelia and I dove right into sewing again. And, because the entire country is getting hit with about a billion inches of snow, the very first project Cordelia and I made in our new studio was the lining to Alex’s  Civil War Inspired Greatcoat

 Cause it’s time we finish this thing already. Poor boy’s buried under 20” of snow.

Pictures of the finished coat to come tomorrow!

Happy Unpacking

~Melisa & Cordelia