May Showers and Apple Blossom Flowers

Posted on May 8, 2017May 8, 2017 by Melissa Harrison

May Showers and Apple Blossom Flowers - Sophster-Toaster Blog

It feels like I haven’t blogged in forever. I’ve been so busy getting ready for my biggest market of the spring/ summer season, the Spring HandMade Market, that I haven’t had time for much else. It doesn’t help that it rained for days and days and days after a fairly calm early spring. A friend told me over the weekend that we passed the average rainfall amounts for the month of May in the first two days of the month.

I don’t think I’ve ever done a rainy day outfit, actually shot in the rain, before. So at the end of a week so rainy we had a road bridge guardrail collapse and both of our piers by the beach flood over, I decided to rectify this and use the gloomy weather to challenge myself to take some photos in less than ideal conditions. Plus, I couldn’t risk waiting another day and letting those beautiful crab apple blossoms go to waste!

May Showers and Apple Blossom Flowers - Sophster-Toaster Blog

Dress GAP
Sweater H&M
Stockings ModCloth
Necklace street vendor in Panama
Ring Blue Ridge Notions
Shoes ModCloth
Umbrella Amazon

All photos by me.

Tea Rex Dress

Posted on March 22, 2017March 21, 2017 by Melissa Harrison

I always forget how much I love pencil and straight skirt dresses. I tend to stick to fit and flare styles – it’s definitely my comfort zone. I think I have a fairly balanced, hourglass body type, but on my small, just a little too tall to shop in the petite section, frame, clothes never seem to fit my bust, waist and hip at the same time. I’m always in a pick two situation. Buying dresses with fitted bodices and open hips are just so much easier than finding and then maybe tailoring fitted pencil dresses. But, oh my, do properly fitting pencil dresses make me feel amazing!

This forgotten love and lost confidence started showing up in my designs recently. I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but I noticed, while planning my new spring pieces, that every dress currently available in my shop was a fit and flare. Oh no!

The design for the Tea Rex Dress came easy, I always admire this particular silhouette when watching shows and movies set in the 1950s and 60s. Making the sample was a breeze too, other than the special attention needed at the neckline, it’s a pretty simple cut. I was dreading photographing it though.

The closer I came to finishing the dress, the more nervous I got – especially after a winter of pants and full skirts. Pulling back the winter layers and showing more shape and skin makes me feel weird every spring. It’s not exactly a self-conscious feeling, more of an uncomfortable increase in the awareness of my body and any eyes that may be on it. Not one to let fear get in my way, I slipped into the dress, out of my comfort zone, and in front of the camera.

I strapped on my favourite shoes, opened the window in my studio to let the cool, spring air in, but some load, feel-good music on and got to work. I felt great. The poses and pictures were almost effortless. It was then that I remembered how much I love the way I feel in a pencil dress. All that worry for nothing.

Dress Sophster-Toaster
Shoes ModCloth

All photos by me.

Daydreamer Dress: the Dress that Almost Wasn’t

Posted on March 9, 2017March 8, 2017 by Melissa Harrison

I thought this ethereal, marble print fabric was perfect for winter the first time I saw it, almost a year ago. Through spring and summer I kept looking at it, excited to design a dress when the right season came around – but that pined for design never came to me. Nothing I could think of seemed right when I tried to picture the finished dress. When winter came, desperate and defeated, ready to give up on this fabric I loved, I realized it was never destined to be a winter dress.

Once I let go of the idea that this fabric would make a beautiful, winter pastels type dress, the concept for the new Daydreamer Dress came to me so freely, I knew this was how it was always meant to be.

Dress Sophster-Toaster
Shoes ModCloth
Bow Sophster-Toaster
Sunglasses ModCloth

All photos by me.

How To Care for Knits

Posted on January 20, 2017January 25, 2017 by Melissa Harrison

I went thrift shopping for second hand sweaters recently and was somewhat shocked to see just how poorly people were taking care of their knits. Many sweaters, no more than decade old, were falling apart while those made of similar materials from 20 and 30 years ago were holding up just fine. I had to turn down several cute sweaters that had clearly been washed and even dried (gasp) with the regular laundry and then hung up in the closet. These sweaters with pilled, stretched and distorted to within an inch of their lives. Luckily, I still found plenty of well cared for pieces to choose from.

I wasn’t always a good knit respecting person. When I was a teenager I threw my knits into the regular wash without thinking, but I always pulled them out to dry, sometimes flat, sometimes on the clothesline – though I’m sure my brother just tossed them in the dryer when he was on laundry duty. I only started folding my sweaters instead of hanging them a few months ago when I realized it was the best way to avoid stretched out sleeves and shoulder dents. Here’s what I’ve learned since coming to respect the wool, cotton and acrylic yarn of my sweaters, knee socks and knit tights.

How To Wash Knits

Sort your knits like you would your other laundry, into at least two different washes: lights and darks. This is especially important with knits as your lighter coloured items will pick up fuzz and pill in the darker colours with age.
Use a laundry detergent compatible with knits/delicates, I use Woolite for everything.
Wash on a gentle or wool setting (I wash my knits with my dresses and other delicates) with a low spin so your wool doesn’t get stretched.
Remove promptly before weird creases can set in.
Dry flat no matter what the care label says! Never hang a knit to dry. (I use a clotheshorse drying rack with a flat top.)

How To Store Knits

Once dry, fold up your knits and store them in a drawer or on a closet shelf with good air circulation. You can hang chalk in your closet to decrease humidity or cedar chips to help prevent moths.

Knits will take a little bit of damage every time you wash them, so try to wear them a few times before tossing them in the laundry basket. Follow these steps and your knits will look new for years!

Top H&M
Cardigan ModCloth
Skirt Sophster-Toaster
Tights Shopper’s Drug Mart
Shoes ModCloth
Necklace Craft Arts Market / Sweetheart Jewelry Box

All photos by me.