Hillary Lipko: Frustrated Bunny

Before

After

I decided to try my hand at downsizing a couple of oversized polo shirts that I have in my possession, and I found that my experiment in tailoring was surprisingly successful. So I decided to post a photo tutorial of the process I used to Flickr. I’m not the greatest seamstress or tailor, but I can do most basic things, given enough time. The process to convert a shirt from circus tent to stylish takes me about 2 hours, but that’s probably because I don’t sew very much. My 1970s-era Kenmore sewing machine gets hauled out maybe about five or six times a year, at the absolute most.

The procedure could probably also be adapted to downsize other styles of shirts, as well, but it probably is best suited to polos and T-shirts. The entire process could also probably be sped up by using a Serger instead of a regular sewing machine, but a regular sewing machine is what I (and most other people) have, so that’s what I’ve got to work with. If anyone decides to try this with a Serger, let me know how it goes. Likewise, if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to comment here or on the Flickr set.

Secrets about haircare that the beauty industry doesn’t want you to know

If you have a long face you shouldn’t have hair longer than your shoulders. You must have a style to fit your face. If you’re over 40, you shouldn’t have long hair. Long hair looks old-fashioned. Really long hair is unhygienic. You should wash your hair every day. Layering and piecey-ness are the solution to all hair problems. If your hair is curly, it must be straightened. If your hair is straight, it must be curled. Never go to bed with wet hair. For hair to grow it must be trimmed regularly…

We’ve all heard these rules about hairstyles and haircare, and likely we’ve probably heard many others as well. We’ve also probably subscribed to all or most of them at some point in our lives. Maybe you still do. What you won’t hear many people tell you is that every single one of these “rules” is a lie. A complete falsehood. God only knows who made up some of these ridiculous rules, but I have a few theories. (more…)

I’ve never been what you’d call an organized person. I’m most certainly not a neat freak. If my room wasn’t a total mess when I was growing up, it was still cluttered, with a “residue” of mess around the edges of the room, stacks of books and papers, a messy desk and a layer of dust so thick in some places that an archaeologist might have a little fun excavating my trinkets. And don’t get me started on the hairballs that could be scraped up off of my carpet or pulled out of the vacuum cleaner. (Of course, with waist-length hair, the hairballs are inevitable no matter how often one vacuums.) My closet was the stuff of Flip This House nightmares. All three of them. Closets, not nightmares.

Strangely, however, I had this uncanny ability to know exactly where 99 percent of my belongings were at all times. Even more, I could usually tell if anything had been moved, or if anyone had even been in my room while I was gone. I retained this ability even after having been away from my room for months at a time during my first couple of years of college. All bets were off after my mother got it in her head to paint the room (which still hasn’t happened) and packed up all of the stuff I’d left behind. (more…)