Cedros Design District, Solana Beach

A hidden gem named the Cedros Design District exists in Solana Beach ( north San Diego county ).

There are about 85 quirky, independently owned shops selling everything from antiques to plants to home furnishings to pet supplies to clothing and more.

It's a great way to spend a beautiful afternoon.

www.cedrosavenue.com

House of Vintage is one of the Cedros Design District most quirky shops and I believe the sign out front says it all,

"This is not a museum-this junk is for sale"

In the back of the converted house is a room full of vintage everything sewing- from patterns to trims to notions to threads to all sorts of odds and ends. 

But make no mistake- the stuff is OLD.

The doors of this cabinet are old wooden yardsticks glued together. 

I'm totally using this idea somewhere in my sewing studio...

now I just have to start buying up wooden yardsticks! 

And on top of the fabulous wooden yardstick door cabinet was the crown jewel of sewing related items.

A vintage Brother sewing machine in the most delicious shade of PINK!

No idea if it works or not but, when it's that pretty who cares.

2012 Saddleback College Fashion Show

Once upon a time a class of college students decided to use a somewhat dark fairy tale theme for the annual fashion show. 

The idea was Twisted...

and fabulous.

Guests were fabulously fashionable,

Students were fabulously talented,

The food was just fabulous.

Members of the fabulous Fashion Club 

And basket after basket filled with fabulous goodies to be raffled off...

at the fabulous Twisted Fashion Show at Saddleback College

Let the Twisted Fashion Show Begin!

The Twisted Fashion Show stage was set and the Saddleback students transported the audience to a place  dreamt up in their imaginations and created by hours and hours of hard work.

. 

Once the lighting and music started it really felt like a scene out of some bizarre twisted fairy tale.

There were easily 50+ fashions in the show. I tried to photograph them all but, lots were blurry or I snapped an awkward pose. So the pics that follow are the best photos of some of the best fashions.

ALL student work. 

Actually great student work.

Fantasy at the Twisted Fashion Show

Next the Twisted Fashion Show got really wild with the Fantasy garments that were made from anything BUT fabric...

( Hum the captions to the tune of  'These are a Few of my Favorite Things' )

Napkins and cardboard...

and Palm fronds and plastic...

Black bags for garbage...

and sixteen shower curtains of white...

Feathers, a birdcage skirt made out of paper,

these are a few of the Fantasy things.

After a great show I congratulated a few of my students that won prizes for their garments...

and Lisa and I got lucky in the basket raffle drawing.

At the end of the evening I opened my raffle basket and lived happily ever after.

It was a fabulous evening!!


THE END

Update for Spring with Lace

Spring and summer fashions are featuring a lot of bits and pieces of lace.

Lace is great to incorporate into any design because it won't fray and can be used in so many different ways. 

I do like when lace is used for part of the garment ( ie., yoke, sleeve, collar,  etc. ).

 I also like when lace is an overlay for the entire garment.

But, my favorite is the lace insert surprise! 

So I decided to update my tired old black knit cardigan. It had ribbing at the bottom and the end of the sleeves that made the silhouette quite bulbous.

I cut off the unfashionable ribbing and since it was a good quality knit I did not have to worry about any unraveling.  I simply machine hemmed the bottom and sleeves.

Free of the ribbing the sweater had a new, much nicer boxy shape.

Good looking lace is hard to find and I don't remember where I found these bits of lace, but I really liked the lace pattern.

I wish I had purchased more than two...however working with just two bits of lace I placed one high on left side ( where I normally would wear a brooch ) and the other low on my right side wrapping from front to back.

Hopefully the placement makes it more edgy and not too old lady...