Lost Along the Way

I was laughing at myself a little while ago.  I remembered I was going to sell my sewing machine.  I was angry and no longer had time to sew.  I was going to change my world and my world did not include the hokey craft of sewing.  This was many many years ago and obviously I kept the sewing machine or I wouldn't have a sewing blog.  I thought about that thought for a moment as I have a room full of fabric, patterns, and notions waiting to transform into clothes.  A complete, planned out wardrobe for work.  Pants, tops, skirts, and matching cardigans.  Instead I've sewn two Halloween costumes and a retro party dress.  I've replaced a zipper in a coat and will replace some letters on a football jersey.  The work wardrobe waits and hangs over my head, but the point is, I still have time to sew.

That's the laugh.  I remember how I felt that day.  I didn't want to sew anymore.  It was a useless, dated "hobby" that never profited me.  In reality, it hasn't.  I've not become rich repairing a little girl's dress, countless costumes and uniforms, dance troupe skirts, the list would continue back in time to a full wardrobe for my niece as well as my son.  However, sometimes it feels like some other wordly magic occurs when I hold up a finished piece regardless of what it is, a quilt, a dress, shorts, a skirt, a uniform, scrubs.  It is an amazing act of giving that cannot be measured or duplicated.

B6018 Part 1

B6018

Isn't this dress amazing?  Even if you doing think so, I'm about to embark on an adventure.  Create this dress as close to the spirit of the original 1952 dress as possible.  I am working full time now, so the postings may get patchy or downright bad, but it's been a very long time since I was this excited about sewing something.  I already got the material I chose in.  PLAID!  Holy smokes, I don't know what I was thinking, but I am still excited and hoping to wear the dress to a company Christmas party and maybe even start a trend of dressing/costuming it up a little for the party rather than jumping into whatever, to think it through and go with something fun with having a good time in mind.  Here's the fabric:

School Uniform Plaid Green/Grey

 

Check it out at fabric.com.  EXCEPT I couldn't find the blue and grey I bought, so this is a sample of the green.  A very tempting $6.98 per yard I ordered gobs of extra to match the plaid.  Yes.  I plan on matching the plaid to the very last moment.  There are a lot of pieces and they are all quite large, so I decided to almost double the yardage and just met their free shipping requirements.  I haven't fully decided if I am going to set the plaid on the bias for the bodice, but I guarantee you will be the first to know.  I am thinking about using some yellow piping in some strategic areas to accentuate the yellow in the fabric.  My husband will be wearing a blue shirt to match the blues and possibly an awesome yellow knit tie to match the yellow stripe.

I'm also looking at muslin, lining, crinoline, and a new dress form.  I looked at vintage shoes, hats and purses over the weekend, so this is going to be a way too awesome project to miss!

Promises, Promises

I am now two projects behind on my sewing blog.  I need to post the projects as I go so this doesn't keep happening.  I hope to get some time and get myself organized, take the pictures and get back to posting here.  I'm enjoying the idea to change my teaching room into a sewing room.  I can leave stuff out on the table, leave the ironing board open, or create a mess and don't feel like I have to pick it up before I quit for the day.

I've been visiting some other sewing blogs.  So many of these ladies have it together!  Great blogs, tutorials, pictures.  All leave me wondering what I have to offer anyone with so many good blogs out there.  Well, as I said, for those 38 people that might be interested, I'm trying to get my act together and get going on this blog again.

Simplicity 4632 -- Petite Pear

I have a lot of project going right now, one of which is this great little pattern from Simplicity.  I accidentally bought this pattern in the wrong size and didn't realized it until I'd drug it out and couldn't return it.  Lucky for me, I got someone looking for just this very thing for work.  She eventually wants five pants and five 3/4 tunics.  I am looking forward to this challenge as she is barely five foot four and an extreme pear shape.  I have some great ideas in mind for eliminating the gobs and gobs of gathers in the elastic coming from the hips and small waist.  I have also been studying some ideas for the collar to draw the eye up to the top.  We've picked a dark navy paisley for the tunic and navy for the pants.

Did you Make That? Part IV -- Practicing and Preaching

Late in April it was time to put what I'd been studying and writing about to the test.  It was my sister's birthday and I had promised her the beginning of a custom fitted wardrobe.  This would be my first time to the fabric store since I'd started my campaign to rid myself of that urge to go cutesy.

"Did You Make That?" Part III -- Color Therapy

Some colors recede while others advance.  I knew this, but never really paid enough attention to use it to my advantage.

"Did You Make That?" Part II -- Breaking Free From Cows and Toasters

In my effort to break myself of using silly fabric to sew with, I discovered something kind of cool that requires a scanner and some cropping techniques.

Pick your pattern.  Choose wisely, this can make or break your whole project.

Vogue has a great feature to help choose flattering lines for different proportions like hourglass and pear.

This is the cool part.  If you have the time, scan the pattern onto the computer, save the picture to a program that can be used to edit and crop.  Zero in on the view you want to sew.  Crop everything else out and blow it up to print on as big a piece of paper that you can.  11X17, or bigger.  You should have an image at least 11" tall--if not 17".

Really, this is pretty cool.

Take the pattern to the fabric store with you and use it to drape a corner of the various fabrics over the dress.  Even better, purchase a swatch, while you are in the store or take it home and roughly cut the fabric out to the shape of the outfit.  Lay it on the paper and look at it.  Really look at it.  Picture yourself in it with your proportions.  The thicker waist, the bigger arms, the skinny neck, etc.  This will really help you see the item finished.