Miz Bagg's poser video, new garbage shirt maxi, and more

My new feather boa. It's been too frigging hot to dress like a non-colour-fast bird but my new character, Helen, didn't give a flightless flying feck. Helen is the host of my new YouTube series called Helen's Hot Hauties - as in Haute Couture (hauties pronounced hoe'-tees). Think of it as VOGOFF in motion, with an exuberant host. Those are stills from video footage but Helen wears glasses now.

Episode 1 features a selection of Miz Bagg's award-winning original poses in a segment I'd pieced together before I thought of Hot Hauties. Sadly, most of Helen was chopped; there was no room left. Ah well, she's only the host who explains everything. More than a minute of me in video is simply too fabularsenic. I'm not sure where I'll take HH, but I can say: talking to myself in public with grand animation set a new record of shamelessness.

And this is Hat Attack #13, is it true? Thirteen?! And here I am in a hat.

This photo was dark so I had to up my levels all around, but you get the idea. I love cloches and I wore this blue cotton one, which I bought retail years ago, for most of my inspiration walk today; I had to take it off and ruffle my hair in the breeze once in a while. I also felt invisible under this hat with my shades on, but I enjoyed slinking around in Spy Mode. Thanks, Judith of Style Crone, for the party, Hat Attack #13. Her hat collection is incredible. 

I'm also linking up to Sheila's Shoe Shine at her blog Ephemera. There's a good view of my hairy thrifted D&G shoes in the photo below.

BUT GUESS WHAT I'M WEARING!! You'll never guess. It's a dress I made! I'm am so excited I had to make a drainage hole in the bottom of it. 

I got a new serger, a special gift from O. I had been having trouble with knits on my regular sewing machine. I tried sandwiching the fabric with paper, taping it, using interfacing, stabilizers, starching, zigzagging, stretch stitching, every single trick to stop that annoying ruffle. It would also have helped if my machine had a presser foot pressure adjustment knob, but NON! Soooo.... Hahahah! 

My serger is a Brother "Lock 1034D", less than $300. It arrived pre-threaded, and after untangling the mess I just started sewing. I'm going to use this thread until it runs out. 

This dress is made of three garbage shirts, a navy blue regular T on top, a darker navy golf shirt turned upside down, collar and buttons removed and pockets turned into sleeves near my knees, and a khaki T-shirt, also upside-down with the collar removed and sleeve turned into drainage hole. I finished the piece off with a bleach pen, inspired by Megan Mae's recent bleach projects.

I was feeling very angsty about the Machine so I just. started. sewing. The freedom! Aaaah. Breaking the learned no-no of sewing without a plan felt like writing in library books with black marker and folding their pages over and dribbling coffee and food all over them. Now that I have done sewing like this and didn't get heck or have to pay a fine, I'm committed to doing more. I'm scouring the house for more garbage T's. 

I am so pleased with this garbage shirt maxi dress that I feel like a writer who has first-novel writer's block. Can I live up to this mess again?! A huge hug to all my sew-sisters out there - you know who you are - for inspiring me to take this next step with the Machine.

If you're still reading - yes, this is a packed post - a reminder to watch the video, Helen's Hot Hauties, with Miz Bagg's award-winning poses. I hope you too try these poses out at home. 

Finally, THANKS, EVERYONE, for your VOGOFF submissions! As I suspected, I had quite a few come in these past few days. It's going to be the best issue, a bit different, as it should be, and hopefully worthy of our collective efforts.

See you in the funny papers. Who used to say that? I hope you're all finding inspiration around every corner. I look forward to visiting you.