Sewing Diary: Pink Gauze Swing Dress

I have had a lovely few yards of dusty pink crinkled cotton gauze in my fabric stash for a few years, so since the weather is now summery, I decided it was time to use it up. I leafed through my collection of drawings and clippings for ideas on what to make with it, and came up with this design for a loose-fitting flowing dress:

Pink Gauze fabric and my dress design.

Because the shape was so simple, I did not use a pattern for this. I just drew my shape with a Sharpie marker and a yard stick onto the fabric and cut it out. I also made neck facings, and some very slim spaghetti straps. Speaking of skinny straps, I highly recommend this tube-turning tool. It makes strap-making as easy as pie!

Here are my homemade spaghetti straps, ready to be threaded through the casings.

Neck facing about to be attached.

This gauze fabric does stretch quite a bit while it's being handled, but for this design, it didn't matter too much. Usually though, I would have stay-stitched the neck and armholes to avoid the stretch.

The finished product.

This dress did not take me very long, and I am pretty pleased with how it came out. As you can see, the hem isn't Exactly how I planned it - the pointed are on the sides, instead of in the front, but I still like it. The only other negative is that the fabric is really sheer, so it won't really work as a dress, but I can wear it as a swimsuit cover-up or as a nightgown. I am in love with this shade of pink, the two rows of gathers at the neck and the straps.

San Diego: Gaslamp Quarter, Pacific Beach, and Balboa Park

On my first afternoon and evening in San Diego, I went to the Gaslamp Quarter which is in the real urban-looking downtown of San Diego. I chose that neighborhood because all the tourist publications and websites you find advise checking it out. But in my opinion, it can totally be skipped! I think the only way you would find it interesting is if you were from a small town or didn't get out much. It's a bunch of tall buildings, some old, some newer, crowded, no place to park, and filled with national chain stores and restaurants, like Hard Rock Cafe and Anthropologie. SNOOZE! Nothing unique or interesting here, people. I drove around for a bit, saw that there was nowhere to put the car, checked out all the shops and restaurants (that you could find in any big city or urban area in the U.S.), saw there was no uniqueness or personality to the place, and then left.

The amazing and huge carved bar at Isabel's Cantina in Pacific Beach, San Diego

But by now I was hungry for dinner so I headed to Isabel's Cantina in Pacific Beach. I would highly recommend this stylish, hip restaurant. It's a big open room, furnished with all kinds of cool ethnic details, like a huge carved wooden bar, a dragon suspended from the loft-height ceiling, and a giant Buddha.The food is Latin and Asian fusion, and very delicious and trendy. My waiter was a cute surfer-type dude who was very flirty. There were lots of younger couples, groups of friends and families at this restaurant, and it was bustling and noisy.

Amazing sunsets were my daily treat from the balcony of the Pantai Inn.

After dinner, I was delighted to find there was a laundromat across the street, so I spent an hour or so there doing the wash. Then the drive back to La Jolla to tuck in for the night. I was delighted to throw open the door to my balcony from my hotel room and snack on the really good, locally produced chocolate bars that had been left on my pillow. I could get so used to this!

Awe-inspiring open air theatre

Balboa Park Architecture

After a quiet morning of sitting on my balcony and drinking tea, followed by a generous free breakfast at my hotel, I headed out to see Balboa Park. This is an attraction that exceeded my expectations and it's definitely a "can't miss" experience. There is so so much to do here, it would take many, many days to do it all. There are several museums, the famous San Diego zoo, gardens, conservatories, restaurants, performances, exhibits and much more. I was fortunate to score parking close to the El Prado pedestrian walkway. I couldn't stop oohing and aahing at every turn. The architecture, most of which was constructed for the 1915-1916 Panama-California Exposition, is simply stunning, featuring an ornate Spanish Renaissance style. I walked around for about 2 hours, popped into the Conservatory, and moseyed along in the Japanese Friendship Garden, the latter of which is undergoing expansion.

Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park $6 admission

Balboa Park: Ornate!

El Prado pedestrian walkway

Covered walkways cool you in their shade: Balboa Park

After my long walk, I headed out to Mission Beach to try and dunk my feet in the surf and scope out the famous boardwalk. Alas, after driving in circles for 40 minutes in search of parking, I realized it wasn't going to happen. It was a gorgeous, sunny Friday afternoon so every place was mobbed. I gave up on the idea of people watching on the Mission Beach boardwalk, and instead sat down at Costa Brava for a yummy Spanish tapas lunch, set on their covered patio, an important soccer game on the tv.
(.... to be continued .... )

San Diego and Its Neighborhoods: Different and Yet, The Same

The view from La Jolla. Are those sea lions out there?

On my recent trip to California to celebrate turning 50, one of the places I wanted to visit was San Diego, mostly because of its reputation for "perfect weather." To me, perfect weather is sunny everyday, but not too hot (i.e. not above 80 degrees) and not humid. This is the opposite of Chicago-area summer weather, which is often grey, and often very humid.

Cute little roadside Mission around Desert Hot Springs

Leaving Palm Springs, I drove East to San Juan Capistrano, in order to make a stop at the famous mission there (to be discussed in a later post), and also because I didn't want to simply take the fastest route, which seemed to backtrack through the Los Angeles area. On my way to and from San Diego, I wanted to be able to see different sights.  Then I drove on to my hotel, which I'd booked, after much weighing of ALL possible options, in La Jolla, right on the water.

The view from my hotel room! I am a very lucky girl!

I found San Diego a little tricky to understand/navigate at first. The city is huge and sprawling, and it has many "neighborhoods" which are treated as if they are separate towns, but are really all still part of San Diego, the city. Each neighborhood/town has a distinct personality, different sorts of businesses and different types of beaches. Beaches, shopping and restaurants were my priorities of places to visit during my three days in the area.

The Pantai Inn in La Jolla

The pretty, little bohemian chic hotel I chose for my stay in the San Diego area was a bit pricey for me, but I was able to take advantage of a 30% off sale featured on their website, and I really wanted to stay someplace right on the water. The Pantai Inn is rated very highly online, so I decided that would be my splurge for the trip. It was well-worth the money! See my TripAdvisor review here.

Two snoozing sea lions on crumbling concrete steps at La Jolla Cove.

I headed down to the water immediately. The "beach" in front of my hotel was not really accessible to me - you had to carefully navigate slippery cliff areas and rocks to get down to it. There were a few young and fit people down there, but I chose to walk a bit down the road, through a pretty cliffside park and over to La Jolla Cove. This postage stamp-sized beach had stairs to take you down to the water, and some veteran sea lions just lounging about. The tide was coming in strong, so it was fun to watch kids and adults alike squeal with delight as the cold, salty water inched its way up onto the sand, and crashed against the boulders that littered the beach. It was crowded but not too bad, and there were also a lot of kayakers and snorklers enjoying the water. Of course, the weather was my ideal, but the water was very cold - too much for me to swim in, since the air was only about 70 degrees.

An adorable cliffside cottage in La Jolla.

After about an hour at the beach, I drove around La Jolla to look at all the pretty houses in all different styles, from cottage, to modern, to Spanish style, all jumbled together on top of each other along the unsteady (signs posted everywhere said so!) cliffs. Parking was very scarce so I didn't visit many of the interesting businesses I passed because there was literally nowhere to put the car. But I did enjoy the scenic drive.

It's a steep drop down to the water from cliffs in La Jolla.

After a while, I decided to drive to dinner in the Gaslamp Quarter of downtown San Diego, an area touted as "can't-miss" by many tourism blogs and books. All of the neighborhoods seem to be connected by the main highway, so as I explored them all, I spent A LOT of time on said highway.All the highway driving time started to get to me after a while - this city is very much about the SPRAWL! But I have to admit, the highways themselves were a lot prettier than the ones around Chicago.
(to be continued ....)

Palm Springs in March

For my Spring Break/Birthday Trip this year, I decided to go to Southern California. I have been to San Francisco and the Napa area three times, but never SoCal. I was craving arid, sunny weather and the beach.

I was there for ten days - I desperately want to go back! It's as beautiful as everyone says, and so much to do. I started my trip landing at the Ontario airport, outside of L.A. which was a great choice because it was so low-key and easy to navigate, and my rental car was much cheaper ($20 a day, including all taxes and fees!) than if I had gotten on at LAX. Here is what I saw when driving from the airport. Oh, the mountains! Brings tears of joy to my eyes!

Leaving the Ontario, California airport and heading out to Palm Springs.

I did a lot of research and spent a lot of time on discount travel websites, and I got a great deal from Jetsetter for The Saguaro in Palm Springs. Quick lowdown: free parking, great pool, fun decor. Some of the staff was snooty. The "spa" was in the basement and felt kind of no-frills. The bar is cool. The food is good, but not great. But all in all, since I lot "atmosphere" and the decor is very important to me, I really enjoyed this hotel, which was mid-range in price.

Funky Barbie Doll Art Shadow Boxes Replicating Hotel Scenes

The Lobby of the Saguaro in Palm Springs

One of my favorite moment at this hotel was the first night when I went for a swim in the hotel pool after dinner. It was a clear night. There were only a few other guests around the pool, besides myself, so I mostly had it to myself. The large, full moon hung in the sky, suspended in between two palms that towered over the pool. The weather was perfect. The pool temperature was perfect. Everything was perfect. It was like a dream. Ahhhh California - your beauty is heart-breaking!

I spent the next two days in Palm Springs. I went to the town of Joshua Tree and bought snacks and water for the National Park, plus a cool green turquoise and sterling silver Native American-made ring.

Native American Green Turquoise and Sterling Silver Ring from Joshua Tree

Then I went to Joshua Tree park and hiked the closest and one of the easiest trails. I loved every minute of it. The views, the terrain - all gorgeous. There were plenty of other tourists, but it was not overcrowded. If you are ever in the area, this park is a "can't-miss" destination!

Joshua Tree in late March 2015

Joshua Tree spring cactus blossom in a crevice

Happiest in the desert!

Holding on to my hat. A windy scenic overlook, looking down into Coachella Valley.

This is a Joshua Tree!!! They are everywhere in the park.

Aside from the lazy walks in the park, my other favorite thing about that day was just soaking in the sun while driving around all the picturesquely named towns like Twenty Nine Palms and Desert Hot Springs. Even the names promise exotic beauty around every bend, and you are not disappointed. What a contrast from dull, grey Northern Illinois! A beautiful, arid, sunny landscape in every direction, as far as the eye can see. Long, dusty, curving roads seem to go on forever, and the peacefulness is Zen-like and soothing to the soul.

In my next post, I will talk about my second day in Palm Springs, California, where I visited some kitsch, did some shopping, some fancy dining, and a bit more desert hiking.

Driving California Highway 1 and the Beauty of Laguna Beach

(Photo not taken by me)

What a treasure I felt I "discovered" after driving up from San Diego on my way to L.A. Round and round some twisty curves, I let out an audible "Aaaah" as I approached Laguna Beach. Although I had the negative association from the TV show of dumb and vapid beautiful young girls and their equally beautiful caddish boyfriends, I had to give it up for the gorgeousness of this town. I wasn't going to stop but just had to. Stunning palm tree lined streets wound further and further up the hills overlooking the postcard worthy coves and beaches of the Pacific. Tons of cute shops and eateries lined the highway road - which was the main street of the town.

I decided I wanted a mid-morning bakery treat and came across C'Est La Vie, situated between the Coast Highway and Main Beach. The area serves as the town center. The bakery/restaurant was pretty, beachy white and bustling. I picked a couple of delicious pastries from the friendly counter lady, and taking advantage of the free parking (Amazeballs!) in the back of the restaurant, ate one of the pastries on the beach right out back. The beach was packed with families and young people alike and had a super fun atmosphere to it. Nice white sand gently rolled toward the water, and tall trees were everywhere for shade.

I was meeting my niece in L.A. so I couldn't afford to linger in Laguna Beach any longer, but I can't wait to go back! Just that little glimpse of the pretty cliff side homes, all the intriguingly unique and artsy shops and that gorgeous, easily-accessible beach has me craving more. Next time I visit Cali, I will stay a few days in Laguna Beach. I want to pick some little bohemian spot within walking distance of the beach (parking is, of course, difficult) and just laze there a few days. Heaven!