Sew What?! Looking Our Gift Horse in the Mouth

Where do we come up with these crazy phrases, phrases like, "Never look a gift horse in the mouth?"  I have never found a single occasion to look any standard-issue horse in the mouth, let alone a benevolent gift horse.  I must admit that until very recently I hadn't given much thought to this particular barnyard idiom.  In actual fact, whenever the phrase was uttered I couldn't help but picture a nattily-dressed thoroughbred rapping at the door with a beautifully-wrapped gift box in hand hoof.  But who was this horse and on what occasion would he be obliged to give me a gift?  I kind of assumed that this was vestigial phraseology, lingering long after the demise of some ancient culture whose venerated horse figure, "Father Equus," - very much akin to our Santa Claus - once a year blessed the good, little children with a bounty of gold, and frankincense, and myrrh (if it's good enough for Him, it's good enough for me), and hay.  However, the question remained, why would I look in his mouth?!!  

Upon reflection, I suppose the real sentiment is that when given a gift (in this case a horse), it is decidedly bad form for one to appraise the quality and value of the gift (in this case inspecting the mouth of said horse).  Instead, one should simply be thankful for the generosity behind such a spectacular gift - I mean, who at some point in his life hasn't wished (in vain) for a pony?  This was a full-grown horse!  

Our gift fabric...or is it our fabric horse???

Not so very long ago, our pal, Charles Phoenix, gifted us with roughly two-and-a-half yards of the most brilliantly-colored, vaguely-tiki (maybe rustic, mid-century Scandinavian folk?) printed material, exhorting me to turn it into something great.  The yardage turned out to be a decent-sized, vintage tablecloth.  As a collector of vintage tablecloths, I am typically one to "let sleeping tablecloths lie," unless they have completely outlived their use as such.  This tablecloth happened to be in excellent condition; nevertheless, Charles had issued the gift with a specific challenge.  Not wanting to appear the equine equivalent of the Grinch, I figured the best way to honor our great Gift Horse was to give his tablecloth a brand new life (and avoid even a fleeting glance into his mouth).

Proof that not all of my sketches skew blonde!
Letting the fabric be my guide, I opted to make Mary a three-
piece, tiki-inspired playsuit (shorts, top, and cover-up).

With a matching Put A Lid On It Sun Hat, of course!!!

It was an outfit that seemed ideally suited for the scorching heat of the Viva Las Vegas car show and for her Ponyboy Magazine photo shoot.

I thought it was a bit cheeky to feature the large flower pattern on the
bra top which also features traditional shoulder and halter straps.
(Photo courtesy of Alexander Thompson/Ponyboy Magazine)

After making a fully-lined top and shorts, the tablecloth fabric was running low.  To subsidize it, I used a coordinating cotton in solid yellow for the body of the cover-up, binding the center front and side vents in tablecloth remnants.  There was just enough material left to make patch pockets and a sash (finished with those signature yarn pom poms).

(Photo courtesy of Alexander Thompson/Ponyboy Magazine)

I trimmed the "Put A Lid On It" sun hat with coordinating yarn (vertical stripes and the obligatory pom pom) and bound it with the fashion fabric.  Isolating a couple of flowers from the design motif, I machine-appliquèed them onto the headscarf.  The sunglasses were an acquisition made during our trip to Japan last year.
(Photo courtesy of Alexander Thompson/Ponyboy Magazine)

In the end, by examining the fabric, measuring it, and determining its worth as a garment, I suppose that I am guilty of the very behavior I was so earnestly trying to avoid - looking a gift horse in the mouth.  The thing is, I like what I saw and indeed it made me all the more grateful for the gift...or the horse.  I really think this whole thing could be cleared up with some simple rewording; "Never look a horse gift in the mouth."  "Never look in a horse's gift mouth?"  "Never gift a horse's mouth without looking in it?"  Shoot, when someone gives you a gift, just say "Thank you."  Thank you, Charles.

These pictures are a bit of a bonus because they are probably my favorites from the Ponyboy style editorial by the generous and talented photographer, Alexander Thompson.  Of course, my favorite photos feature an outfit of which I only really made half.  The entire outfit is vintage, but the simple, dirndl skirt was made by me from a length of vintage material that was also a gift from Charles.  Teal and white dahlias/spider mums highlighted in gold - they just don't make exciting border prints like they used to!!!
(Photo courtesy of Alexander Thompson/Ponyboy Magazine)

Replace "Ed" with "Tiny" and it all makes so much sense...

So where do you stand on the gift/horse/mouth issue?  Have you ever looked a gift horse in the mouth,  yea or naaaaaaaay?  Did you like what you saw?

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Sew What?! Red, White, and NEW!

I often get sentimental thinking of my grandparents - particularly during holiday celebrations (the 4th of July being no exception).  Although it has been many years since their passing (as romantic as it seems, they did not have The Notebook ending; they died quite separately and years apart), I find myself wanting to visit them, to bask in the warmth of their gentle, old-timey, unconditional, grandparental love.  As much as I appreciated having them as such an integral part of my youth, I find myself craving their love and counsel even more as an adult.

Leona & Bob
(Read more about them here and here)

And so I do visit them.  As well as visiting their "final resting place," when I am in the area, I also make a habit of driving past the home in which they lived out their last days (Neighborhood Watch is on high alert).  I've even eaten at the local coffee shop they frequented, confirming that the food is just as terrible as I remembered.  It brings an immeasurable amount of comfort to revisit some of their old stomping grounds, including their local thrift store.  It was there that I nabbed a length of tricolor, floral seersucker for the bargain price of $3.00 (I like to think it was grandmotherly providence; she was both thrifty and a sewing fiend).

As an inveterate fabric hoarder, rare is the occasion when I know
exactly what form the fabric will assume; usually I just hoard and hope for
the best.  Because the amount of fabric was limited, so were my options!

In the end, short supply and color palette dictated that this would be a fun, 1940s-style sun suit comprised of a ruched bikini top and a short, semi-circle skirt with attached bloomers.  Mary would have a red, white, and new outfit for the 4th of July!

I'm going to try and continue including my sketches in an attempt at
practice making perfect - both in drawing and silencing the nagging
voice inside that says the drawings are never "good enough." 

In spite of what I like to believe, my sewing skills are also rather amateurish.
Hoping to expand the breadth of my abilities with each new project, I try to
challenge myself with some easy but new-to-me techniques.  This time,
I drafted my own pattern for the fully-lined, elasticized bikini bottoms/bloomers
and made a shaped hem-facing for the skirt from the fashion fabric.  

Luckily, my efforts made the cut for Mary's Las Vegas shoot with the photography phenom, Alexander Thompson, for a style editorial in Ponyboy Magazine.

Capturing simple beauty is a task I think often more difficult than documenting
"grittiness" and "edge" - not that there is anything wrong with grit and edge.
I just know that our grandparents would have truly appreciated the simplicity
and loveliness of this photograph.
(Photo courtesy of Alexander Thompson/Ponyboy Magazine)

Feeling the pressure of last-minute holiday preparations, I am grateful that this ensemble was completed with a few months to spare!  I am also grateful for the talents of Alexander Thompson and Ponyboy Magazine, without whom we would not have these great photos - THANK YOU!!!

Do you hoard fabric with the intention of making themed, holiday outfits?  Were your grandmothers sewing fiends like mine?  Do certain sounds, sights, or smells remind you of your loved ones?  Are you a sucker for seersucker?

While you are pondering these questions, we hope that you have a safe, sane, and Happy 4th of July!!!


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Sew What?! Spot, the Pet Zebra!!

Call it too many viewings of The African Queen and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, but I can't seem to escape the unwitting inspiration of my latest sewing projects.  I have never seriously considered a trip to the African continent but after our "Rick-y Rack-y Safari" and "Serengeti Serenade" ensembles, all the subconscious arrows are pointing in that direction.  This most recent look is yet another indicator as to the location from which the next stamp in my passport might come - zebra territory!!!

Question: What did the blonde call her pet zebra?
Answer: SPOT!

A quick Google search of zebra-themed jokes devolves quickly from kindergarten domain to the terribly vile and profane.  Knowing that head-to-toe animal print is often relegated to the jokey end of the fashion spectrum, I thought I would attempt to instill my "pet zebra" with a serious touch of 1940s resort wear.

Among other things considered to be a joke is my pitiful lack of photography skills; if there is a way to get every angle wrong and treat lighting like a non-issue, I will find it.  Our photography woes were all but driven to extinction when Mary was recently shot by that talented man behind the golden camera, Alexander Thompson, for a music/fashion feature in "Ponyboy Magazine."  I knew that in his capable hands, these photographs would be no laughing matter!

"The Mary Simich Look"
(Photo courtesy of Alexander Thompson/Ponyboy Magazine)

So the question must be asked, is there such a thing as too much animal print?
If there is, we haven't found the cutoff; I almost forgot that I had made a matching handbag!
(Photo courtesy of Alexander Thompson/Ponyboy Magazine)

Mary has both a long torso AND long legs (I know, cry me a river) but at approximately
4.5' long, the whole of this six-gored, floor-length skirt couldn't be contained in the frame!
(Photo courtesy of Alexander Thompson/Ponyboy Magazine)

Were I to remake this outfit, there are definitely a few tweaks I would make.  I would try to cover the bare midriff just a touch by widening the bra top's bottom binding and possibly raising the waistband of the skirt.  I would also spend time redrafting the sleeve to minimize the fullness at the shoulder seam and add even more fullness at the cuff.  As is, it all can go so quickly from 1940s screen siren to...

Full-on Fly Girl realness!!!
Mary is too young to remember In Living Color,
but I couldn't help but think of it!

Do you walk on the wild side with extreme animal prints?  Do you think that there is a line one can cross into animal print overload or is too much never enough?

We extend a heartfelt "THANK YOU" to Alexander Thompson  and Ponyboy Magazine for this incredible feature on Mary.  You continue to prove that photography is definitely a fine art and you've given a whole lot of credibility to Mr. Tiny's humble workshop!


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny