Whatever Happened to the BIG FLOUNCE?

Friends, on this final day of 2012, many of you are no doubt dressing for glamorous New Year's Eve parties.  Are any of you planning to wear something with a big taffeta flounce?  (A little taffeta flounce?)

Peter's Best and Worst of 2012!

Gracious me, is it that time already?

Friends, 2012 is already something of a blur, but going back through the archives, I do recall a great deal of it, especially since November.  If I've forgotten anything key, please remind me.

The Oversized Eighties Jacket -- YEA or NAY?

Friends, if there's one thing I learned living through the Eighties, it's that oversized clothing does not flatter undersized people.  The Eighties was a bad decade for me style-wise and perhaps for you too.

Hats Entertainment!

The balder older I get, the more I like hats.

Seriously, I do think hats are great.  Not only do they keep your head warm in winter and cool in summer, they can give an ordinary face a little something extra and they can certainly pull together an outfit.  I have never made a hat myself (a few makeshift turbans notwithstanding) but I've come close.  Remember when I planned to make myself a bucket hat?  For various reasons, that never happened.

Peter's Christmas Corset and Other Holiday Hoopla

We made it through the holidays, readers!   Most of them, anyway.

I have so many exciting things to share with you, so let's get started.  I couldn't be happier after days of overeating than to slip into my new Rago waist cincher.  I was going to include an Amazon link, but I noticed that the price went up from approximately $25 to $38 in the week since I ordered it.  Isn't that wack?  I've noticed price shifts on Amazon before, but this is ridiculous.

MPB KITSCH-mas Spectacular or "Name that Pattern - Holiday Edition!"

Readers near and far, the holidays are finally here!

There are two ways to celebrate Christmas (and all those other end-of-year winter holidays): straight, or with a twist of irony.  Of course, many people would rather have just the twist, but irony doesn't work that way.

Things I Don't Get, Vol. 9: Sky Mall Fashion

Friends, so many of us will be traveling this holiday season, a great many by air.

I'm sure most American MPB readers -- a sophisticated, nomadic bunch -- are familiar with Sky Mall.  How many of us have flipped through the colorful Sky Mall catalog while taxiing on the runway,  calming our nerves during a bit of turbulence over the Rockies, or distracting ourselves from the child vomiting across the aisle?

While Visions of Wool Jackets Danced in My Head...

Readers, I know what I want for Christmas: this jacket!

Good News, Bad News

Good news, readers:  I laundered the cotton velveteen I bought yesterday and it dried considerably softer and drapier -- gorgeous!

When You Buy the Wrong Fabric, or "ARGH"

In life there are big problems and small problems.  What I'm about to relate is admittedly a small problem, but it's still substantial enough to be blog-worthy.  Or at least MPB-worthy.

Today I bought the wrong fabric.

The Finished Pendleton Plaid Shirt!

Presenting Version 2.0 of my Pendleton plaid.  I like it.

Pendleton Plaid Shirt, Version 2.0: Progress

I still have another day's work on this, readers, but I am liking this version of my Pendleton plaid shirt so much better.

Reworking a Shirt I Never, Ever Wear

So three years ago I made this Western-style shirt.  I used a vintage Seventies McCall's pattern and fabric I found locally for $2/yd. which turned out to be Pendleton wool.  I was so proud of the result.  I mean, I'd only been sewing for four months.

Can't Help Tweakin' Those Shirts of Mine

Readers, I've tweaked my polka-dot shirts once again.

Here's why:

Oh, the Glamour! The Pattern Review Anniversary Party!

Me and Eugenia of Elliott Berman Textiles

As promised, readers, here are some photos from last night's star-studded, super-fun Pattern Review NYC anniversary bash at Elliott Berman.  I met so many interesting people, the food was delicious, and I even won fabric!