Sew the Show F.R.I.E.N.D.S. !!!

I am soooo excited right now. This Sew the Show month was SO MUCH FUN!! Not only am I proud to have actually done something with a deadline (not my forte), this concept got me out of a sewing rut! I made pieces and tried shapes that I wouldn't have otherwise.

Without further ado, here are my looks for the Friends-inspired Sew-the-Show month!

 It just so happens, Casey and I have been watching Friends again from the beginning, so I knew I wanted to something from those early years. I think the denim vest is classic Rachel for those first few seasons. I had denim and I had Simplicity 2556. Instant inspiration and I got to work. Then I pulled out a crinkly floral knit that a friend gave me and whipped up New Look 6271 for a high-waisted skirt to match. Rachel's coffee shop look was pretty much a denim vest or a tiny tee (or both) with a flippy skirt or mini skirt. If I had the time and the wherewithall, I'd have hunted down a choker, Keds and a little half apron, but I'm just glad I got this far, ha!

My girls were making fun of me posing for my own pictures. 

Speaking of tiny tees and mini skirts, I tried my vest on with my black scalloped skirt I made awhile ago (love it, wear it all the time) and a recently upcycled black tee. If this doesn't say Rachel, I don't know what does! Just a note, I added a placket under the buttonhole side of the vest, so that I can wear it on its own without skin showing through the front.

 I was on a roll and just couldn't stop! Also, I was surprised how much I liked the cropped tee with high waisted skirt on me, so I wanted to try more things. The same friend recently gave me this crazy rayon too and I didn't know what I'd ever do with it because this much print near my face isn't something I'd do. But it screams Phoebe, right!? Phoebe loves her bold maxi skirts! Too bad I didn't have clogs, haha! This is the same pattern, New Look 6271.

That does it. This was a blast. Added bonus, I only bought buttons. The denim has been in my stash forever and and the other fabrics were given to me. And the patterns were already in my stash. So this was practically free! Not bad.  think next month, you should join in the fun. I'm on pins and needles waiting to see which show she picks next month!

Here's the linky party so you can see the other entries!

sewing simply

I made a couple pieces last weekend that make up sort of a different look for me. It started when I decided to give the Colette Astoria a try, from the current issue of Seamwork (I subscribe and highly recommend it! It includes two new pdf patterns for basic garments each month!)  I don't have a photo of that successful top yet, but it inspired me to try a high waisted skirt I'd just made with a cropped top.

I have a black rayon jersey t-shirt that I've had for probably five years. It's just from Target, but it's lasted forever! I noticed recently it had a tiny hole near the hem, though. This was the perfect chance to see if a cropped top could look good on me, so I hemmed it up three inches and wore it with this crinkle knit skirt I'd just made.

I like it! I'll try to share the Colette one soon. I can't pull off a tucked in look because I'm kinda short waisted, so this is a good alternative for me.

I've had company the last few days, but I'll be back in my sewing room this weekend! I'm inspired to make more basic things lately, which is why I love Seamwork!

Sew the Show

I don't often enter sewing contests or link-ups because I can't handle the pressure. BUT, if you follow Alida Makes, you know she started a Sew the Show series a few months ago. Every month she picks a Netflix show and everyone sews up a look based on the show's fashions. This month is FRIENDS!!!! You guys, Casey and I have watched this show from start to finish so many times, it's not even funny. I'd been in a sewing slump (the last few things I've made have turned out to be duds!) so this was just the creative boost I needed! I immediately started looking for ideas.

The Facebook page associated with the contest is a pretty fun place. Today someone posted the infamous Rachel in Barbados dress. Don't we all need a statement sundress like this in our closet?

So far I have this denim vest. Do you know how many denim vests Rachel wears in the first few seasons? And overalls too, but I have exited the age bracket for pulling off overalls, haha. If you follow me on Instagram (which you can find via my pretty new button over there to the right, hehe), you may have already seen this.

It needs buttons and then it'll be done. I've made another piece to go with it, but I'm saving the finished look for the linky party!

I've been watching Murdoch Mysteries on Netflix while I sew lately. As long as my Internet cooperates, that is. It doesn't like to reach all the way upstairs! Frustrating, but oh, well. What do you watch or listen to while you sew?

Check it ooouutt!

Ok, I have learned some coding skillz. And I'm pretty darn proud of myself! It's good to self-educate, right?? How's it look?? I'm so excited about how it's coming along, even though I have lots left to do! Some of the tabs up there are still blank, but I'm working on it!

You'll notice the change of name, I'm sure. All past Fancy That links will now redirect to the new URL. I waffled for weeks about whether to change the name of my blog to Eat, Pray, Diffuse, which is how I have branded my essential oil business. In the end, I went for it. Fancy That, although it will always be special to me, is not an available domain name and there are multiple blogs and businesses with that name. But, no one has claimed Eat, Pray, Diffuse and that name is so fitting, I bought the domain name, along with nikkischreiner.com and took the plunge!

Before I go further, don't worry, my blog will still be updated on Bloglovin' and other readers as far as I know, I'm just working on getting names changed over. Also, I'm going to go ahead and shut down the Fancy That Facebook page. If any of you rely only on that page for new posts, you'll want to be sure and follow me another way. I'm sorry! Although, I really don't think that anyone who follows me there doesn't also follow me on a reader. Let me know if I'm wrong.

But I want to tell you about the new name! Casey and I racked our brains for the perfect team name for our essential oil biz and I finally landed on Eat, Pray, Diffuse. That's the name of our team's Facebook page too, which I'll be happy to add you to when you take the essential oil plunge with me, hehe. It's not only quippy, it's how I deal with stress, in that order: Eat, Pray, Diffuse. And then I sew, of course ;)

This blog will remain a blog about sewing and our life and all the things I've always blogged about but, I'm so excited to share how we use essential oils in our family too, including tips and "recipes". I'm trying a homemade laundry detergent right now that's amazing!

Thanks for listening and I'd love to hear your feedback on the new look!

(This was taken by my dear photographer friend Angela when she visited me and I love it :)

It works!!!

The Internet will not beat me! If you didn't notice the redirect, I am the proud owner of nikkischreiner.com!! Check it out up there, yippee! This may seem like an easy thing, but once you have the domains purchased, you must redirect your blog's old URL to the new one and this is harder than it seems. For me, anyway, sheesh. I'm sure most people do this without a hitch, but I feel rather accomplished right now ;) I went with Bluehost for my domain, in case you're interested. I do think it's user friendly and the one time I called customer service, they were awesome. I'm still blogging on Blogger, though. I tried switching to Wordpress, but decided I wasn't up for the learning curve right now, haha.

So changes are coming! A change of name, for one, and some new tabs and links. I'm working on it, piece by piece!

We had a lovely Easter weekend. My mom came to visit! We were excited to see her :)

So, our weekend in photos:

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter too!

P.S. It occurs to me that I have no idea if I need to do anything on BlogLovin' or anywhere else to make sure my followers are still updated with my blog posts, now that my url has changed. If you have any insight on that, I'm all ears.