tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90325449921410163352024-03-13T17:18:06.307-04:00Sew Get DressedThe story of a woman, a sewing machine, and an empty closetAbbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-36694353337678395622013-12-05T13:46:00.002-05:002013-12-05T13:47:55.260-05:00Red Knit Dress - CompletedSaying that I've been neglecting my blog would be the understatement
of the year. Between completing my Master's Degree in Library and Information Science, job searching, and then acquiring and working four part-time jobs, I haven't posted since February. Since so much time has
passed, I'd be lying to you if I said I had nothing to post here. I do
have a few new(ish) makes. Not as many as I would have liked by now, and not enough to keep the <a href="http://didyoumakethat.wordpress.com/2013/12/04/the-mistress-of-the-jar-wishes-us-a-hellish-christmas/">Mistress of the Sewlutions Jar</a> at bay, but
hopefully enough to make up for my disappearance from the blogosphere.<br />
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My make from March/April is actually on the drying rack right now, so that will have to come later.<br />
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This dress was my June make. It was my first foray into knits, and I
can't possibly tell you how happy it makes me. Every time I put it on, I
feel good, and I almost always get compliments on it, which makes me
feel even better. :) I wear it more than any other article of clothing
in my closet, except perhaps the black wrap cardi I'm wearing it with
today. (I must get the <a href="http://papercutpatterns.com/products/coppelia">Coppelia</a> pattern to make a replacement. This cardi is starting to die, and I'll be devastated when it goes.)</div>
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So. The red dress. It's Vogue 8787, view C with the cap sleeves from another view. I honestly have no idea what size this dress is, just that it spans several. 8-12? 6-10? No clue. I did shorten the bodice by 1 1/4", and I took in massive amounts of side and back seams. I also ditched the zipper because...knit. In retrospect, this particular knit probably could have used the zipper. But I do what I want!</div>
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I added the cap sleeves to this version of the dress to make it more work appropriate. Not that sleeveless wouldn't have been appropriate, but, well, I also wanted to make this dress a dozen times and have all of them look different. So there. Those were the only modifications I made to the dress, and it fits like a dream.<br />
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I love the interesting details on the bodice. The side gathering and the swooping asymmetrical neckline make the dress interesting, rather than it just being a boring basic knit dress.<br />
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Also, pockets!<br />
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Onyx was fascinated by the whole photoshoot thing. Also a little miffed that I was up in his space when he was trying to take a nap.<br />
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Honestly, Onyx doesn't get miffed about anything. Ever. He's one of the most mild-mannered dogs I've ever met. Except on walks. And when there are cats. But our other dog can steal his toys, bones, etc., and he just looks at her and lets her take what she wants. In these photos, he looks more like a statue of a dog than a real dog. He hardly moved at all! :)<br />
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And just because when you make a full circle skirt, you have to have a twirly picture:<br />
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Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-49158477648610195572013-02-28T23:30:00.000-05:002013-03-01T09:47:02.064-05:00Two Altered Pairs of Jeans - Completed!Okay. So. Y'all almost didn't get a blog post from me this month. It's been a crazy month. Three classes and an 8-hour-a-week practicum plus a part-time job and dogs, my wife, and friends have all made for a very busy semester. In spite of all of that, I did manage a tiny bit of sewing, and I'm here to share it with you. :)<br />
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I didn't actually sew these jeans from scratch. I feel obliged to tell you that. One pair is from Banana Republic, and the other pair is from Express. What I did was make basically unwearable items into super cute, perfectly fitting jeans. Sadly, I don't have before pictures, but they looked kind of like this:<br />
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And now, they look like this:<br />
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And this:<br />
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No more gape! One pair of perfectly hemmed short jeans for flats and long jeans for heels! Yay! So how did I work this miracle, you ask? You would. ;) I found a tutorial through <a href="http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-taking-in-the-waist-on-a-pair-of-jeans/2009/01/11/">sewing.craftgossip.com</a> that shows you <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4494397_waist-pair-blue-jeans.html">how</a>. Basically, you rip out the waistband seams, cut out however much you need to in the center of the waistband, put a couple of darts in above the pockets (like below), </div>
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...then you stitch the whole thing together again, and you end up with this:<br />
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I took two inches out of each waistband and two more inches off the hem of my "skinny" jeans (the ones I'm wearing with gray flats...those are about as skinny as it's going to get around here). I hand-stitched the topstitching, because I wasn't super confident about my sewing-two-perfectly-straight-parallel-lines skills with the machine, but the darts, the center seam, and the hem were done by machine.<br />
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These are the first pairs of jeans I've ever had that fit properly, and I'm super excited about it. I couldn't manage to get the back beltloops back on prettily, so I just tossed them both, and I don't really care, because my shirts always cover the waistbands of my jeans anyway.<br />
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Just skating in with a February post. I hope you all had a wonderful short month and are looking forward to March and maybe some spring weather (or fall, for those of you in the southern hemisphere)!Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-85913128407700753872013-01-31T10:07:00.000-05:002013-01-31T10:07:29.124-05:00Wool Flannel PJ Pants - Completed!If you haven't yet heard about Karen's <a href="http://didyoumakethat.wordpress.com/2013/01/12/whats-in-the-jar/">Sewlutions Jar</a>, it's time to come out from under that rock! My Sewlution is in the jar, and like 21% of other Sewlutionists (new word? can I coin it?), I've vowed to complete at least one garment every month for a minimum of 12 garments, and post about them for evidence. My blog posts tend to be few and far between sometimes (all right, often!), but you're guaranteed at least one new make post every month, starting now! Yay!!<br />
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My first make is pj pants for my wife. They were part of her Christmas gift, but I wanted to make sure that I made the style she wanted, so I didn't make them until we came home after the holidays. I finished them two weeks ago, but the weather has been sucky for photos, so I didn't get any good ones until today.<br />
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<b>Fabric:</b> gray plaid wool flannel from Mood, maroon satin for waistband, tie, bias binding on hems<br />
<b>Pattern:</b> none - traced my own pjs onto pattern paper<br />
<b>Notions:</b> athletic elastic for the waistband, thread<br />
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complete:</b> 4 hours<br />
<b>First worn</b>: January 26<br />
<b>Wear again?</b> Every day since, and hopefully a lot more to come! <br />
<b>Total cost:</b> ~$33<br />
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The fabric is a gray wool flannel from Mood fabrics, and it's really just delicious. One side is super soft and slightly fuzzy, and the other side is smooth and looks like it could be used for a casual button-down (the fuzzy side faces inside, of course!). I have more of it (not quite enough for another pair of pjs), and I'm not sure what to do with it! I used a maroon satin (also from Mood) for the waistband, tie, and the bias binding on the hems.<br />
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Instead of using a pattern, I traced my own pj pants onto tracing paper and used that as a pattern. I also checked out the construction of my pjs as I went. I vaguely followed the instructions from the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Patternmaking-Perfect-Fit-Technique-Re-create/dp/0823026663">Patternmaking for a Perfect Fit</a>, which I got for Christmas, and I found it useful and pretty intuitive. I think the book will be even more useful for more complicated garments.<br />
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There was a minor problem with what I did, though. I couldn't figure out how to get the proper grainline, so I just kind of made it up, and I ended up with the plaid not quite matching up. So I forced the plaid to match, cut the waistband and hem to make up for it, and hoped that the pjs wouldn't skew because of my mistake. :) Next time, I think I'll use a pattern instead of going prancing off into Pants-making Land with no map. (Sorry for the wrinkly photos! The pants have been super well-loved!)<br />
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I used French seams for all four seams, so the pants are just as pretty inside as outside. Also, see how fuzzy? :) </div>
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Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-15264216289033106952012-12-10T09:06:00.001-05:002012-12-10T09:06:18.243-05:00Gender Expectations - Is Umbrella the Key to Equality?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a while since my last post, but next week is finals week, and I'll have so much more time to sew and blog after the semester is over. You'll definitely get more frequent posts starting next week. For now, though, I do have one thing to share with you.</div>
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I've been thinking a lot lately about gender norms. It comes up everywhere I look, from class discussions about how male graduates from my program get higher-paying assistant-director and administrative jobs while female graduates get lower-paying reference librarian jobs, to the presidential debate question about equal pay for equal work, to the expectation of gender role conformity in lesbian relationships (I'm supposed to wear dresses, and she's supposed to wear men's button-downs and ties...she actually questioned whether or not I'd still be attracted to her if she stepped just to the other side of androgyny and started wearing women's clothing...my answer, of course, was to tell her I'd love her in whatever she wore, and to be honest, the women's pants and button-downs and sweaters she's purchased recently are really flattering), to shopping at Target.</div>
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Yes, you did read that right. Shopping at Target yesterday, I came upon some pretty awesome wall art for kids:</div>
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How amazing, right? Fun, bright, and educational (The alphabet! With animals! The names of states and their capitals and pictures of what they're known for! Dinosaurs!), these are exactly the kinds of pieces I would want in my (future) kids' rooms.<br />
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The three pieces above were on the right side of the aisle. When I turned to the left, this is what I saw:<br />
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Umm... Yeah. Flowers, fairies, and ballerinas, all in pastels. No one actually comes out and says, "this side of the aisle is for boys, and that side over there is for girls," but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the right side of the aisle was almost certainly intended for boys while the left side was similarly intended for girls. Is there anyone reading this who disagrees with my assessment of the artists', distributer's, and Target's intentions for these canvases? For the sake of this post, I'm going to assume that those are the intended recipients of the above wall art.<br />
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The lower three pieces are very pretty, but what does this say about our expectations for our children? What does art like this tell our children about themselves and their abilities? Why is it that the colors that represent boys (and possibly the boys
themselves) are expected to be bold and bright, while the colors that
represent girls (and possibly the girls themselves) are expected to be
soft and muted? When I looked at Target's website to see if maybe the best girl's art was online and not on the shelves (maybe it was all bought up?), I found that everything was very gender-defined. There was a picture of the solar system in "boy" colors, complete with the names of the planets, and there was a dollhouse in varying shades of pink, to list just two among several other items that implied through various images that boys are somehow worth more than girls. If we create things like this for our children and put them on their walls, we tell our children that boys are more athletic, more intelligent, more talented, and girls are only good for being pretty, empty-headed future housewives (and possibly pop music stars?).<br />
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How is it that we are still (silently but very clearly) perpetuating this idea and yet we say that the time for feminism is past? How can we expect to get equality as adults when we treat our children so differently? Boys are given engaging information about exciting and interesting things, and they are encouraged to read and express an interest in geography and science, while girls are given flowers, ponies, dollhouses, and fairytale castles. Obviously, this is a slight exaggeration; I know that many of us (girls) learned to read before any of the boys in our class, we climbed trees and played sports and became scientists and IT gurus and CEOs. I guess my question is this: Why, in a time when women have supposedly gained so much equality, does the art we create for our children's rooms still reflect a massive gender divide?<br />
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The need for feminism is still here, and yet the extreme feminists in our society seem to have given the idea as a whole a bad name. I say feminism and you envision a mob of angry women burning bras in street protests and forcing other women to leave their children at home and go work. It's this warped extremist idea of feminism that has women like Katy Perry, and Carla Bruni claiming that they are not feminists. Feminists do not want to force women out of their homes and into the workplace. Feminism is the belief that women should have the choice, and should be treated (and compensated) equally should they choose to work. You don't have to be an activist to be a feminist.<br />
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Anyway, off my feminism soapbox, if I had children right now, I'd buy all three of those top pieces along with the outer space one online, regardless of my children's gender. :) And I wish I'd had that wall art as a kid. I kind of want them in my room now!<br />
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Back to my search of Target's website, I did find one (and only one) semi-educational item that was directed toward girls. It was an alphabet piece, and the reason I say semi-educational is because I'm not sure I'd want my little girl to learn that J is for Jeans when it could be for Jaguar or Jet, Jar, Joust, Jade, Jack-in-the-Box, Jay, Jam, Jelly, Jellyfish, Jester, Jungle, Jupiter... I'll leave you to compare it with the equivalent boy-intended alphabet and wonder why the girl one has jewelery, clothing, flowers, and fairies while the boy one has monsters, outerspace, sports, and a treasure map. The only similarity is U is for Umbrella. Is the umbrella the answer?<br />
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Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-36534794494025163972012-11-03T10:17:00.002-04:002012-11-03T10:17:52.527-04:00Blogtoberfest Giveaway WinnerHi y'all. I'm sorry it took me so long to announce the giveaway winner. I'm trying to keep up with more things than I can reasonably expect of myself. :/<br />
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Anyway, the winner is....<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: purple;">sois<span style="font-size: x-large;">ewed<span style="font-size: x-large;">this!!!</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you haven't yet checked out <a href="http://soisewedthis.blogspot.com/">her blog</a>, you really should. </span>She recently made an adorable Alma blouse. Some day, when I'm not being eaten alive by grad school, I'll make that blouse. :)<br />
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Congratulations! I'll contact you via email.Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-39033441705524998702012-10-26T09:39:00.002-04:002012-10-26T09:39:10.545-04:00Blogtoberfest Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As promised, I'm having a giveaway today, in celebration of Blogtoberfest. Today, you have a choice, and I hope I have something everyone would be interested in!</div>
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The giveaway is for a length of fabric and a pattern, your choice.</div>
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There are two options for fabrics, both a bit summery, but if you're anything like me, you like to sit on your fabric for a while before sewing it up. :) The first is 1 7/8 yards of a pale lavender linen blend. The photo doesn't really do it justice, since you can't see the color very well, but it's very pretty. It would make a great skirt. The second fabric is 1 1/4 yards of gray, white, and fushia striped seersucker. It would make an adorable top. Maybe the Sorbetto?</div>
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I have a couple of patterns up for grabs. The first is Simplicity 2996, a 1959 pattern for pants in four lengths. The pants have waistline darts front and back and side zipper closing. there's a pocket int he right side seam that's optional. It fits waist 25 and hip 34.<br />
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The second pattern is one that I posted for a giveaway a while ago but was never claimed. Oh, sad, beautiful vintage Vogue pattern! It's Vogue S-4067 from 1950, and you have to admit, it's just stunning. It's drafted for a 32" bust and 35" hip.<br />
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Pattern number three is Simplicity 5134, a shirt dress pattern from 1963. It's for a 33 bust.<br />
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If your taste runs a little more to the modern patterns or you prefer multi-size patterns (I do, just because my body spans about 4 sizes), I have something for you as well. Vogue 8787, in sizes 6-14.<br />
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The rules:<br />
- Leave a comment below telling me which fabric and which pattern you would like.<br />
- You must be a follower of my blog.<br />
- You have to have a way I can contact you (email, or a link to a blog profile with your email in it).<br />
- If you win, please don't sell the pattern. If you decide at some point
that you no longer want it, pass on the sewing love to someone else
in a giveaway or gift. :)<br />
- The giveaway will be open until noon (Central Time), Tuesday, October 30, and I will announce the winner on Halloween.Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-4831756539148317712012-10-24T11:06:00.000-04:002012-10-24T11:07:34.276-04:00Muslin for Craftsy Couture Dress - Vogue 8648This month is just flying by! I missed the last two posts, and suddenly it's the end of the month and I'm planning my giveaway post for Friday! :)
I finished constructing my muslin for the Couture Dress course, and I'm pretty excited about it. It took me a while to fit it, though, because it's not possible to do that for myself. :) Anyway, some photos and thoughts about my muslin.<br />
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The front. Here, you can see there's some weird wrinkling at the top of the midriff band, and you can also see a ton of horizontal lines across my hips. I need to do an FBA, take in the top of the midriff band, and let out the side seams in the skirt. The waist is a little too high, but it will be lowered when I do the FBA. <br />
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On the side view, you can also see a little fold pointing toward my bust point from the armhole, which is another indicator of the need for an FBA. You can also see a little bit of the diagonal lines at the top of the midriff band and the top of the skirt. These indicate a massive need for a swayback adjustment, which you'll see more of in the other two photos.<br />
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If ever I had any doubts that I was a pear shape, this photo has put them to rest. Damn! I need to let out the princess seams along my butt to make a little more room for it, and in this photo, you can see a whole lot of those swayback lines. I'm thinking about adding a vent in the back as well.<br />
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This last photo shows the lines at the hip and back as well as the way the side seams pull forward, which I'm hoping will be fixed with the swayback adjustment.<br />
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Do you see anything I don't see? I'm pretty happy with this muslin, even with all its issues.Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-86379504819734708452012-10-17T17:19:00.000-04:002012-10-17T17:20:13.963-04:00The Internet vs. Real LifeIn class this morning, we had a conversation about the Internet and web-based communities, and the difference between the web and real life was a huge topic of conversation. I, of course, immediately started thinking about it in terms of sewing: sewing blogs, the online sewing community, etc.<br />
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Online, there is this wonderful, thriving, growing community of sewists. We share our completed projects, works in progress, thoughts about sewing productivity (or lack thereof), wardrobe building, garment planning, exciting pattern and fabric finds, and sometimes parts of our personal lives. The more experienced among us generously write tutorials (for which the rest of us are so, so grateful!), which adds an element of learning and reference to the online sewing community. Sewing has become an underground movement, and the Internet has enabled it.<br />
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At the same time, a lot of us talk about time wasted browsing the web, reading blogs, posting on our own blogs, etc. So much time is spent in front of the computer screen instead of the sewing table, and I definitely have a love/hate relationship with the Internet. Love the information and the connection to other sewists, hate the way I lose time online.<br />
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The thing is, I don't know the first thing about finding the same kind of community in real life. How do you find other women (or men) who sew in your area and want to share their experiences with you (especially if you live in a small town)? How do you find someone to help you pin on your muslin to check for fit? Or someone to go fabric shopping with?<br />
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I'm totally jealous of all of you who have had the opportunity to meet up in person. I would love to do that, and am totally there next time there's one in Chicago.<br />
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Do any of you have sewing friends in real life? Do any of you live in Champaign-Urbana and wish you had someone to help you with fitting or go to our one little fabric store with? :)Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-4161562954691891342012-10-15T12:15:00.001-04:002012-10-15T12:16:43.051-04:00Five (or Seven) Things I Love to WearIn The Colette Sewing Handbook, Sarai suggests picking 5 things out of your closet that you love to wear, so that when you're planning your wardrobe and your sewing, the things you make reflect your personality and are things that make you comfortable and happy. I think this is a great idea, but I couldn't narrow it down to just five. I tried to pick five things. I really did. But I have seven, and I hope that's okay. :)<br />
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My seven things: my wedding ring, navy linen shirt dress, red Mary Janes, multi-colored scarf, jade bracelet, and Fossil necklace.<br />
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My wedding ring is my favorite piece of jewelery I've ever owned. I'm sure a lot of women say that, but for me... My partner and I each got completely different rings. Hers is a single sapphire set in a white gold puzzle ring. Very Celtic. Mine is, obviously, a very organic circle of vine, leaves, and buds set with miniscule diamonds, and it was made by a very talented artisan on Etsy. I would have picked out myself to wear as a right-hand ring if I'd seen it before my partner did (and could afford it!).<br />
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I've had this dress for so long I don't even remember when I bought it. I actually got it at H&M, which boggles my mind, because I feel like most of what I've gotten/seen from there in the last few years is the same quality as Forever 21, which is to say, it falls apart quickly. This dress has obviously not fallen apart, and I've had it at least since 2003. I think it's flattering, and it makes me feel feminine and pretty when I wear it. <br />
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Quite a few years ago, I went to see a play with my mom and some of her friends, and the main character went through several costume changes, but she always had on these spectacular red Mary Jane heels. I immediately started looking for them, and after just a week or two, I found the exact same pair. They're Nine West, and I'm really sad I didn't buy two pairs. These are the greatest shoes I've ever owned. Comfortable, feminine, sexy, red(!), and high-quality. I wish I had known anything about leather at the time, but I didn't, so they haven't been well cared for, and the leather is discolored and starting to crack. I've been looking for another pair, but so far with no success. <br />
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When my partner and I had our wedding ceremony last year, one of her family members gave her this jade bracelet. Jade is a pretty traditional gift for a Chinese wedding, but since it wasn't quite something she would wear, it went to me instead. I love the color and the speckling, and I wear it all the time. It reminds me of family.<br />
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This necklace is the best piece of jewelery I've ever purchased for myself. It's large enough to draw attention but not so large it's overwhelming. The color is possibly my favorite color ever, it has a tiny bird hanging from the chain and a tree on the back.<br />
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Me being goofy. This scarf gets worn more than all my other scarves combined. It's versatile, lightweight, cotton, has a lot of the colors I love in it, and it has a sort of abstract natural motif that I love.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CnNaAmTuzTQ/UHwtxiatTmI/AAAAAAAABL0/R9hDbE8b2MI/s1600/101512+08+Leather+Coat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CnNaAmTuzTQ/UHwtxiatTmI/AAAAAAAABL0/R9hDbE8b2MI/s400/101512+08+Leather+Coat.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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All right. So. The leather coat. It's from AllSaints, and when I put it on, I become a total sex bomb. Couldn't you tell? All that hotness just oozing off the screen? Well, it is. This jacket boosts my confidence like nothing else I've ever owned. I put it on and start strutting around like I own the town. Not kidding. I really do. :) It's the most expensive non-jewelery (really, non-wedding-ring) item in my closet, but when something makes you feel that amazing, you buy it.<br />
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What does all of this say about me? I like monochrome garments for the most part; I like navy, light teal, and red; I like things that are closely fitted; I love things that reflect nature in some way. I like to feel feminine, competent, and attractive, and I like to wear things that have emotional significance to me. I also like people to see certain things while I keep other things to myself. No one sees the back of that necklace but me. When I was younger, I had a pair of jeans with "You are beautiful" embroidered into the waistband. I bought them like that, and every time I pulled them on, they made me smile. If I ever make pants, I'm embroidering those words on the inside of the waistband. :)<br />
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If you picked out five (or seven) things in your wardrobe that made you feel good every time you put them on, what would they be? What do your favorite things say about you?<br />
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On a sewing note, I've finished putting together the muslin for the Couture Dress class dress, and my partner's going to pin me into it today or tomorrow for a fitting, so I'll be posting about it later this week. I'm so excited to be moving forward, even if it is slow going right now. :)Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-52229101398206999422012-10-12T07:00:00.000-04:002012-10-12T07:00:17.872-04:00Sewing Book Review - The Party Dress, by Mary AdamsAfter my last post, I started thinking that for someone who adores books and libraries as much as I do, I don't talk about them very much. I'm going to write a little bit about some of the books I borrow from the library, and if it goes well, I might make it a regular feature on the blog. Let me know what you think!<br />
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Since I talked about <i>The Party Dress Book</i> on Wednesday, I figured I might as well write my first review about that book.<br />
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I first found <i>The Party Dress Book </i>on a shelf at Borders (a
mental toast to a dearly departed bookstore...I feel so much sadness for
the slow demise of so many brick-and-mortar bookstores) and found
myself unwilling to put it down and unable to fork over the cash for it.
When I found it at the library, I had to take it home and pore over
every page.<br />
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The full title of this book is <i>The Party Dress Book: How to Sew the Best Dress in the Room</i>.
Some people might criticize the book for containing too much fluff and
not following through with enough how-to information, but I would have
to completely and utterly disagree with them. I adore this book
unabashedly. So much so that I might actually reach into my tiny pockets
and hand over the change so I can own my own copy. <br />
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As you can see from the Contents, Mary spends a lot of time discussing her own career, where she got her ideas, and what events/things were instrumental in the development of her unique and beautiful style.<br />
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The book begins with a forward by Amy Sedaris, and it's the perfect introduction. She describes her first view of Mary's shop as "a pastry shop full of cakes dripping in colorfully dyed buttercream icings. It was a deaf person's dream." Just look at the photo of the shop and try to disagree:<br />
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Mary spends the next 30 pages or so talking about color, which is
clearly very instrumental in her own sewing. If you want the best dress
in the room and you want people to notice it, the color has to be
perfect. Interspersed with the text are tons of gorgeous, colorful, inspiring photos.<br />
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Remember how I said the most amazing, stunning, gorgeous dress I've ever seen in my life is on pages 58 and 66? Here's page 58. To see the details of the dress, you'll have to check out the book yourself and flip to page 66.<br />
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The next three dozen pages are all about the techniques that Mary uses to create what I would call amazing works of wearable art. She discusses French seams, piecing, quilting, applique, pintucks, ruffles, and bias strips. The woman can work magic with bias strips, I'm telling you. She teaches the technique with clear photos and instructions, then gives examples of some of the amazingly creative things you can do with them (French seams are not just for hiding inside a garment!) <br />
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The majority of the book - almost 50 pages - discusses sewing your own version of the dress. Did I mention there's a pattern in the back of this book? There is. Actually, there are two, and they're awesome, and I really, really, really want to sew one up. I've only been able to find one blogger who's made this dress up (check out <a href="http://misskatie-littleredsquirrel.blogspot.com/2011/04/party-dress-book-dress-finished-dress.html">The Little Red Squirrel</a>), but her dress is stunning, and her posts about the pattern make it seem like the pattern is pretty well-drafted and easy to put together. My one criticism of this book is that the range of sizes of the patterns provided is not very great, since it only covers size 4 (33" bust) to size 14 (40" bust). However, I think that this book is worth the money I'll spend on it even considering the fact that I'll have to grade the pattern down slightly, and if you have to grade it up or down more significantly than I will or don't even end up using the pattern at all, I would still say it's worth it for the inspiration, information, and sheer volume of gorgeousness.<br />
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Anyway, moving on from the pattern, Mary covers the planning phase, focusing especially on fabric, and then goes on to discuss measurements, yardage requirements for different fabrics and versions of the dress, and fabric prep. Then she gets into the pattern itself, showing how to make up the dresses in three different ways. She provides thorough instructions for sewing the dress, and there are tons of photos to show as well as tell.<br />
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So. I don't know about you, but I'm definitely buying this book. Or asking for it for Christmas. I'm planning on sewing lots of cake this year, but after reading this book, all I really want is frosting. And I'm going to have some. Maybe for New Year's Eve? I think that means I should buy the book myself, since I can't start a New Year's Eve dress after Christmas. :)<br />
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Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-76225283363862157882012-10-10T09:17:00.000-04:002012-10-10T09:17:46.050-04:00Libraries and SewingDo you use your public library? It's not a loaded question, I promise. I'm studying to be a librarian, and I'm really curious about what gets people into their public libraries. If you use yours, what do you use it for? If you don't, why not?<br />
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I go to my public library about 5 - 6 times a week. I'm not kidding, I really do. I volunteer there on Thursdays, I go to the library book sale on Saturdays, and on the days in between...well, if my partner and I are looking for a movie for date night, we go there. If we just need a place to walk around after a slightly-too-large dinner, we go to the library. Any time I'm interested in a new project or technique or book, I get it from the library. Granted, I'm a little extreme. Obviously, I would live in the library if I could, and that's a large part of why I'm getting a masters' degree in LIS (Library and Information Science).<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The small portion of my book collection that sits directly behind my desk. School books and sewing books. :)</span></div>
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But over the last 6 years or so, I've discovered just how much the library has to offer. Did you know you can borrow board games from some libraries (maybe yours)? What about art? Did you know your library probably has story time for your kids, book clubs for you, and workshops (even personal lessons) for people who want to learn more about computer programs or research databases?<br />
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Did you know your library has sewing books?<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">That's a close-up of the photo above. Five of those books are actually library books. This isn't my whole personal collection of sewing books, but if it was, it would only have four more books in it, and it would just equal the number of sewing/style books I currently have checked out from the library. That's right. I can literally count the number of sewing books I own on one hand. (<i>Fit for Real People, The Vogue Sewing Book, The Burdastyle Sewing Handbook, Fabrics </i>by Ann Ladbury<i>, and The Colette Sewing Handbook</i>). But the number of sewing books/magazine subscriptions I have access to?</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></div>
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THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SEVEN!!! Granted, that number probably includes a small number of fiction books whose main character sew, but it also excludes all the books about style, fashion drawing, etc. What's awesome about this collection is that it includes books in the Urbana Free Library and the Douglass Branch, so even if the library down the street doesn't have the book I want, I can still get it if one of the other two libraries has it.<br />
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I just reserved a bunch of books about fabric dyeing, since I can't seem to find a nice light turquoise wool coating and I don't want to spend $$$$ a yard and screw it up with a poor dye job. Whenever I'm curious about a book but I'm not sure I want to invest in it yet, I check it out from the library first. If it's a new technique (like fabric dying or embroidery), I check out library books on it to supplement the vast amounts of information on the web.<br />
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Do you use your library's sewing books?<br />
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By the way, if you haven't looked through <i>The Party Dress Book </i>by Mary Adams, you really should. It's just one of the most beautiful, inspiring books I've seen, and the most amazing, stunning, gorgeous dress I've ever seen in my life is on pages 58 and 66.Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-75295450053993035142012-10-08T11:19:00.001-04:002012-10-10T09:18:24.429-04:00The Muted Firework Dress - Completed!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Okay, so this was completed a while ago, but I haven't had a chance to take photos until now. Forgive me? I doubt many of you have been reading this blog long enough to remember the <a href="http://sewgetdressed.blogspot.com/2011/06/ruminations-about-fitting-and-new.html">vintage dress pattern</a>
I bought last June. It's a truly adorable pattern, but something got
lost in translation. Well, a lot got lost in translation. I'm not really
sure how I feel about the dress I made from this pattern.</div>
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The most obvious things that have changed are the fact that I ditched
the bows and significantly shortened the dress. Actually, the length is
the one thing I really love about this dress. I've never been confident
about my legs, so most of my clothing has been long enough to cover my
thighs and sometimes my knees as well. When I made the muslin for this
dress, though, I made the skirt super, super short to save on muslin,
and I decided that, while 12" is too short for a shirt, I actually liked
the idea of something shorter than my usual 22" to 23". I'll be
shortening quite a few of the other items in my closet in an attempt to
nix some of the frump I have going on. :)<br />
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Other things I changed about this pattern: I got rid of the gathering at
the shoulder that happened with the bow, but I ended up with some
weirdness going on with the fit around the front of the armholes. I also
did an FBA, and something went rather awry with my darts. Darts and
I... we're not friends right now. I look like I have two extra nipples
on each breast because the darts just refuse to lie flat. I pressed them
with a ham. I made sure to sew them from the widest part to the
narrowest and tied off the thread to avoid the bulk of backtacking. I
added the side dart in addition to the waist dart to distribute the
vastness of my dartage. I checked and re-checked the angles, and they
look right to me. Then I pressed the darts over a ham again. And again.
And again. Any advice about fixing darts? I'd like to try this pattern
again (with some changes), and I want to avoid this puckering dart
thing. I had the same problem on another dress I started (and didn't
finish) last winter, so it seems to be a pretty regular issue for me. Is
it just that my bust is too large for darts, and perhaps it's time for
me to give it up and try a dress with princess seams? Or am I making darts for more bust than I actually have?<br />
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After all those changes, I decided that altering facings would be a
little too much effort, so I made some bias tape and used that to face
the neckline and armholes.<br />
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The last thing I changed was to raise the zipper all the way to the top
(it's a side zip), to make the dress a little easier for me to get into.
I hand-stitched the zipper, and it warps a tiny bit when I'm standing
in certain positions, because I sewed it from top to bottom on both
sides, which is the opposite of what Susan Khalje says to do in her
Couture Dress class on Craftsy. Whoops! I hadn't gotten to that part
before I did my zipper, though, so... next time! You can hardly see it, though!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_bms-X3mD6w/UHLqkt6KCaI/AAAAAAAABHU/fSl1LKYzICk/s1600/100812+06+Dress+Side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_bms-X3mD6w/UHLqkt6KCaI/AAAAAAAABHU/fSl1LKYzICk/s400/100812+06+Dress+Side.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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After a couple of washes, I am having some problems with the innards of the dress. I French-seamed everything that I could, but you can't exactly put a French seam in a dart that you're supposed to slash and spread. I hate slashing and spreading darts. How are you supposed to keep these things from unravelling like crazy? And how are you supposed to get them to lie flat?!?! Obviously, I had some dart issues.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2JHeHsPp9N0/UHLqo_KWOBI/AAAAAAAABHc/IHdUzfzGu78/s1600/100812+07+Bodice+Innards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2JHeHsPp9N0/UHLqo_KWOBI/AAAAAAAABHc/IHdUzfzGu78/s320/100812+07+Bodice+Innards.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The one thing that I think went perfectly with this dress? The fit of the back. Love it. I didn't have to change a thing about the back.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gl6m_hshvW0/UHLrUtiYcHI/AAAAAAAABH8/T0Pti4TcB18/s1600/100812+11+Dress+Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gl6m_hshvW0/UHLrUtiYcHI/AAAAAAAABH8/T0Pti4TcB18/s400/100812+11+Dress+Back.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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And because I know you all like to see the insides of garments, here's the hem. You can see the French seam for the side seam, and I hand-stitched the hem tape in. Time consuming, but you can't see a thing on the other side.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4OpMP17TOJs/UHLqvzdXprI/AAAAAAAABHs/tsrmAJLA4Qc/s1600/100812+09+Hem+Tape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4OpMP17TOJs/UHLqvzdXprI/AAAAAAAABHs/tsrmAJLA4Qc/s320/100812+09+Hem+Tape.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-59190611429053851562012-10-05T22:04:00.004-04:002012-10-10T09:18:58.484-04:00Fantasy Sewing: Winter CoatI bet you thought I wasn't going to post today, didn't you? Honestly, I thought I wouldn't post today either, but here I am! We're going to call this post Fantasy Sewing, in honor of <a href="http://tanitisis.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/fantasy-sewing-mccalls-8858/">Tanit-Isis</a>, whose blog I absolutely adore.<br />
<br />
I do a lot of fantasy sewing. I do it the most when the weather takes me by surprise and I'm wishing I already had a very specific beautiful garment in my closet. Today, it was a winter coat. Now, I know that it's not quite cold enough for the coat I'm dreaming about, but the weather today reminded me that winter is coming. In a Song-of-Ice-and-Fire kind of way. Minus the dragons. Winter would be so much better if there were dragons. :)<br />
<br />
So, I don't know how many of you were reading my blog last year when I wrote about <a href="http://sewgetdressed.blogspot.com/2011/11/pinterest-parade-4-warm-for-winter.html">coats</a>, but I've been fantasizing about this specific coat ever since then:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HSkY8zujqp0/UG-JdBXjMII/AAAAAAAABF0/hmxj5FMeiqg/s1600/111111-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HSkY8zujqp0/UG-JdBXjMII/AAAAAAAABF0/hmxj5FMeiqg/s400/111111-04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
This is the year, guys. After I'm done with the dress I'm working on (admittedly, this may take a while), this coat is next on my list. With maybe a small detour into Renfrew-land, because I'll need something quick and easy after the Couture Dress.<br />
<br />
How am I going to make it, you ask? Ummm.... I haven't quite figured that out yet. I also haven't figured out the fabric. Mustard is a terrible color for me, so I initially wanted a navy blue coat with a jade/seafoam lining, but I'm afraid that navy will drown out all those lovely details. So...maybe jade/seafoam wool with a navy lining? Except that I can't seem to find the exact shade of greenish blue I'm looking for. Remember the Pantone color Cockatoo? I want something like that, but maybe a little bluer? Am I asking too much? Is that too springy and not wintery enough? Should I just go with navy? Or maybe red?<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CXWwBLnbBCg/UG-QR_mPNQI/AAAAAAAABGY/wOsXwd5D1Mg/s1600/cockatoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CXWwBLnbBCg/UG-QR_mPNQI/AAAAAAAABGY/wOsXwd5D1Mg/s1600/cockatoo.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
The other problem, and of course, the more obvious one, is that there's no pattern for this coat, a fact which leaves me facing the possibility of drafting at least part of it. This is incredibly scary, so I've been looking for a pattern that covers at least some of the coat's aspects. This is the closest I've gotten so far:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--WZPjVG-DUc/UG-OQmgT1SI/AAAAAAAABGQ/rU_K2TuvtL8/s1600/B5425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--WZPjVG-DUc/UG-OQmgT1SI/AAAAAAAABGQ/rU_K2TuvtL8/s400/B5425.jpg" width="378" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Butterick 5425. It has princess seaming that goes to the shoulder instead of the sleeve, and it looks like that white one has a distinctly puffed sleeve. Maybe not, looking at the line drawing: </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSpuu6eN2EU/UG-OPw1FxjI/AAAAAAAABGI/eSVU2iDgJ_k/s1600/B5425.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSpuu6eN2EU/UG-OPw1FxjI/AAAAAAAABGI/eSVU2iDgJ_k/s400/B5425.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
Things I'd have to do to this pattern: add yokes at the shoulders, add a waistband, remove the skirt of the coat and draft a new one with full pleating, cut the sleeves off just below the elbow and create that gorgeously full pleated sleeve. That's a whole lot, but I have yet to find a pattern that's any closer. Have any of you seen a pattern that's sort of similar to this coat?<br />
<br />
The one thing I have figured out is how to make this coat truly winter-worthy. Have you seen the <a href="http://shop.afashionablestitch.com/product/lambswool-by-the-half-yard">lambswool interlining</a> Sunni's added to her shop?!? So expensive, but so exciting! If I'm going to spend the time and effort making the perfect winter coat, I'm going to spare no expense to make it the perfect one that will last forever and keep me warm in the coldest of weather. What are your thoughts? Have you used lambswool interlining before?Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-49723097416693860342012-10-03T07:00:00.000-04:002012-10-10T09:19:30.114-04:00On My Inspiration Board - October 2012 Oh, you want to see the rest of my [non-Pinterest]inspiration board? I did just leave that dangling in my last post. :) Here's my board:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KUOLAhmynpo/UGmUd3KhjuI/AAAAAAAABEE/bk25bOzznwU/s1600/100112+05+Inspiration+Board.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KUOLAhmynpo/UGmUd3KhjuI/AAAAAAAABEE/bk25bOzznwU/s400/100112+05+Inspiration+Board.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
It's
a dry-erase magnet board that my mom and I painted together before I
left home for college. Yes, I've had this thing for over a decade. When
we moved into the latest place, I thought about donating it to Goodwill,
but I just didn't have the heart to give it up, so here it is, back on the wall again. :)<br />
<br />
I'm
usually a little lost about the look I want to achieve, but when I look
at the items on this board, it all comes together a little bit better. I
want a look that's intelligent, sexy, put-together but not fussy, feminine, pretty, and maybe with a tiny bit of cute, because
it's simply not possible for me to get rid of the cute factor.<br />
<br />
I've been thinking about a more cohesive wardrobe, and the two colors in the photo from <a href="http://sewgetdressed.blogspot.com/2012/10/blogtober-and-on-my-table-1.html">Monday</a> - navy and stone/tan - are probably the best choice for
neutrals for me. You'll be seeing a lot of those in the near future.<br />
<br />
If you're interested in some better photos of the individual pictures on my inspiration board, here are some pretties for you to scroll through. :)<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3IW22uMBaKY/UGmhGMgwnRI/AAAAAAAABEY/PrktLzKTyPE/s1600/100312+01+Textured+Red+Dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3IW22uMBaKY/UGmhGMgwnRI/AAAAAAAABEY/PrktLzKTyPE/s400/100312+01+Textured+Red+Dress.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Love the texture on this dress! And the box pleating at the wasitline.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D3XVwgUHgKU/UGmhIqazWpI/AAAAAAAABEg/HbEEsxWKceQ/s1600/100312+02+Beige+Cross-over+Bodice+Dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D3XVwgUHgKU/UGmhIqazWpI/AAAAAAAABEg/HbEEsxWKceQ/s400/100312+02+Beige+Cross-over+Bodice+Dress.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
This cross-over bodice just sucks me in. Elegant and interesting.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B9rJHCclfN8/UGmhKzQvYQI/AAAAAAAABEo/qF2LmhXDRPg/s1600/100312+03+Gray+Sheath+Dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B9rJHCclfN8/UGmhKzQvYQI/AAAAAAAABEo/qF2LmhXDRPg/s400/100312+03+Gray+Sheath+Dress.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Again, with the pleating at the waistline. I prefer this so much over gathering!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cG6GPg3Ttds/UGmhMxuYOII/AAAAAAAABEw/Ah8g5CMA0L8/s1600/100312+04+Mustard+Bombshell+Dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cG6GPg3Ttds/UGmhMxuYOII/AAAAAAAABEw/Ah8g5CMA0L8/s400/100312+04+Mustard+Bombshell+Dress.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Umm... Have I mentioned how much I want to take Gertie's Bombshell class? I want to make this dress, except in a color that would be more flattering on me. This color's great on her, but it would make me look queasy. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wb32KbmfcSk/UGmhPnioDwI/AAAAAAAABE4/SDDlUAmm_XQ/s1600/100312+05+Drew+Barrymore+Lace+Skirt+Pleated+Trench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wb32KbmfcSk/UGmhPnioDwI/AAAAAAAABE4/SDDlUAmm_XQ/s400/100312+05+Drew+Barrymore+Lace+Skirt+Pleated+Trench.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Ah, Drew Barrymore. I want your whole outfit.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YjtAghhyp_s/UGmhSFertNI/AAAAAAAABFA/GTPMcKImT8A/s1600/100312+06+Beaded+Neckline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YjtAghhyp_s/UGmhSFertNI/AAAAAAAABFA/GTPMcKImT8A/s400/100312+06+Beaded+Neckline.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Inspired by the simple beading at the neckline of this top.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gZ-FyJEh-xg/UGmhVKEurEI/AAAAAAAABFI/Y7VQG53Qn7M/s1600/100312+07+Tasteful+Sequined+Pleated+and+Gathered+Top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gZ-FyJEh-xg/UGmhVKEurEI/AAAAAAAABFI/Y7VQG53Qn7M/s400/100312+07+Tasteful+Sequined+Pleated+and+Gathered+Top.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Not so simple, but I don't think it's overdone either. I love the pleat/tucks, the shoulder gathering, and the not-over-the-top sequins.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8pLruAeV_mQ/UGmhZStSqqI/AAAAAAAABFQ/_fbD7JflezI/s1600/100312+08+Ruffled+Neckline+with+Keyhole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8pLruAeV_mQ/UGmhZStSqqI/AAAAAAAABFQ/_fbD7JflezI/s320/100312+08+Ruffled+Neckline+with+Keyhole.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I can't wear such high necklines, but I can definitely be inspired by the ruffles and the bronze-buttoned keyhole.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2BdNOF5OiTY/UGmhdua2pNI/AAAAAAAABFY/08HnRZzewaY/s1600/100312+09+Floral+Boatneck+Woven+Tee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2BdNOF5OiTY/UGmhdua2pNI/AAAAAAAABFY/08HnRZzewaY/s400/100312+09+Floral+Boatneck+Woven+Tee.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
I adore this simple woven tee, with its boatneck and feminine fabric.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SnVcVUKek0Y/UGmhg1suN7I/AAAAAAAABFg/WBODxrHZaUo/s1600/100312+10+Pintuck+Skirt+Hem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SnVcVUKek0Y/UGmhg1suN7I/AAAAAAAABFg/WBODxrHZaUo/s320/100312+10+Pintuck+Skirt+Hem.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Pintucks in a hemline are such a great detail. I want to include more details like this in my own makes.Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-70845409227469396082012-10-01T09:25:00.003-04:002012-10-10T09:20:09.553-04:00Blogtoberfest and On My TableToday is the first week of October, and I'm participating in <a href="http://isawyoudancing.blogspot.com.au/p/blogtoberfest-2012.html">Blogtoberfest</a> again. Yay! This year, I won't be posting every day. I'm a graduate student, and I really won't have time for that. :) I will, however, be posting three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), and on the last week of October, I'll be hosting a giveaway. I'll announce the giveaway on Friday, October 26, and I'll announce the winner on Halloween.<br />
<br />
I've missed my blog. I've been trying to keep up with all the blogs of the people I follow, but my comments have been waning lately. I have a finished dress to show you all, but it'll have to wait until I have a little time to make myself presentable for photos. Don't worry, though, it'll be soon. I have some questions for you about darts!<br />
<br />
But in the meantime, I'm working on a new project. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-krxAHt_X7mI/UGmUPLSZZ6I/AAAAAAAABDk/d13iGEiKInY/s1600/100112+01+-+On+My+Table+V8646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-krxAHt_X7mI/UGmUPLSZZ6I/AAAAAAAABDk/d13iGEiKInY/s400/100112+01+-+On+My+Table+V8646.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Yup, that's Vogue 8648, the dress from Susan Khalje's Craftsy course <a href="http://www.craftsy.com/class/The-Couture-Dress/53">The Couture Dress</a>. I've traced the pattern (although I think this is the last time I'm going to do that...from now on, I'll just be drawing in stitching lines to avoid cutting into the pattern), pinned it onto muslin, and cut out the muslin pieces with lots of room to spare for the inevitable FBA. And that's my grandma's yellow-handled tracing wheel. I love using her things. :)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pf8mYJijKsw/UGmUVOUnKfI/AAAAAAAABDs/72bFDUp2cyU/s1600/100112+02+Navy+Pinstripe+Linen+Blend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pf8mYJijKsw/UGmUVOUnKfI/AAAAAAAABDs/72bFDUp2cyU/s400/100112+02+Navy+Pinstripe+Linen+Blend.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The fabric is a navy and white linen blend from JoAnn. It's mostly linen with a little...lycra? spandex?...in there for a tiny bit of stretch.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0O8lYL6xlSg/UGmUYvd74YI/AAAAAAAABD0/WOBoPVezlkY/s1600/100112+03+V8646+View+A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0O8lYL6xlSg/UGmUYvd74YI/AAAAAAAABD0/WOBoPVezlkY/s400/100112+03+V8646+View+A.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
I'll be doing View A, and I think I'm going to lay it out exactly like they did, with the side panels on the bias to provide some extra ease of movement.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0sixkajprbw/UGmUbF9EdvI/AAAAAAAABD8/8ghvqR4a7xY/s1600/100112+04+JCrew+Inspiration+Dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0sixkajprbw/UGmUbF9EdvI/AAAAAAAABD8/8ghvqR4a7xY/s400/100112+04+JCrew+Inspiration+Dress.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
Everyone has to get their inspiration from somewhere, and this dress from JCrew has been on my inspiration board for a long time.<br />
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Are any of you participating in Blogtoberfest this year? What's on your sewing table right now?Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-56810611625066980742012-09-10T09:55:00.002-04:002012-10-10T09:20:55.547-04:00Wardrobe Planning, Color, and New School Year GoalsI've started school! Two years ago, I decided I wanted to return to school to get my Master's degree and become a librarian. I applied to the iSchool at the University of Michigan, but after I was accepted, my partner was offered a post-doctoral position at the University of Illinois. By then, it was too late for me to apply to UofI's library program, so I waited until the next year rolled around. I not only got in; I also got one of the coveted graduate assistantship positions, which is really what enables me to afford out-of-state tuition.<br />
<br />
The week before classes started, our house was completely divided. On my side, it was "I'm so excited for classes to start!" and on my partner's side it was pure dread (she's teaching a 750-student class that's half online and half in person, and the amount of work she's putting into it is the equivalent of two or three normal classes).<br />
<br />
At any rate, all of this is to say that I've been incredibly busy. Just taking the time to type this out is... well... not exactly the best use of my time. But I miss blogging! And I really miss sewing! I haven't sewn anything since August 28.<br />
<br />
In spite of my lack of time right now, I wanted to share some of my thoughts about wardrobe planning with you. Have any of you been following <a href="http://3hourspast.com/">StephC's</a> Conversant in Color series? If you haven't been, you really should. It's inspiring, and it contains a lot of really useful information. My favorite post so far was about <a href="http://3hourspast.com/2012/09/04/conversant-in-color-buying-fabric-part-1/">buying fabric</a>. Her comments about buying prints are a little controversial, but I have to say that I agree 100%. I've been having the same thoughts about my own wardrobe. When I used to buy RTW clothing, I always purchased solids, but when I buy fabric to make my own clothes, I buy prints. Why?! The items I've made often match nothing else in my closet, or they only match one thing, or I thank God that I made it into a dress so it doesn't have to match much else. Either way, I stand in front of my closet every morning wondering how in the world I'm going to piece together an outfit from what I own.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--JlCEdtwREM/UE3vvm2v4mI/AAAAAAAABDM/rtc2Q1GRrXQ/s1600/20120910+Scarf+Collection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--JlCEdtwREM/UE3vvm2v4mI/AAAAAAAABDM/rtc2Q1GRrXQ/s400/20120910+Scarf+Collection.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">my scarf collection, around which I intend to base my sewing color palette</span></div>
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I decided to take a page out of Cindy's (from Cation Designs) book and write up a <a href="http://cationdesigns.blogspot.com/2012/08/new-school-year-resolutions.html">list of goals</a> for the school year, although I'm a little late. Lucky this isn't getting graded!<br />
<ul>
<li>Create a cohesive wardrobe of at least 9 interchangeable items (which can include items that already exist in my closet).</li>
<li>Edit my wardrobe and repair/alter anything that's not working.</li>
<li>Make a rain jacket - before the spring rains hit!</li>
<li>Make a blazer or similar jacket (I'm loving the Burdastyle Crossover Blazer).</li>
<li>Make at least three items from fabric in my stash.</li>
<li>Make at least three items from patterns in my stash (these can double count with fabric).</li>
<li>Sew something with a knit.</li>
<li>Make curtains for the living room.</li>
<li>Purchase or make jewelery/accessories that accent my wardrobe.</li>
<li>Invest in a good quality pair of shoes.</li>
<li>Try sewing bras & undies.</li>
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It's a short list, but it kind of has to be. I am a crazy stresscase of a student again, after all!Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-22511828783011648032012-08-06T07:00:00.000-04:002012-08-06T07:00:02.365-04:00The Boho-Chic Ann Arbor Sun Dress - Completed!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fexTZMV7cIY/UB6cu8b8wQI/AAAAAAAABCA/Fch0CtiDKKc/s1600/IMG_0090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fexTZMV7cIY/UB6cu8b8wQI/AAAAAAAABCA/Fch0CtiDKKc/s400/IMG_0090.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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The little taste of a photo I gave you <a href="http://sewgetdressed.blogspot.com/2012/04/spring-craziness-and-sneak-peek.html">back in April</a> was a tiny piece of this gorgeous dress. I was happy with this dress every step of the way. It's a total Frankenstein of a dress. I used the bodice from Version C of New Look 6557, the midriff band from Simplicity 2886, and a skirt I cobbled together on my own.<br />
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So, in the style of Sew Weekly, the facts:<br />
<strong>Fabric:</strong> upcycled polyester from a maxi dress, underlined with white cotton batiste<br />
<strong>Pattern:</strong> New Look 6557, Simplicity 2886, self-drafted<br />
<strong>Year:</strong> Modern<br />
<strong>Notions:</strong> 32" petersham ribbon from <a href="http://shop.afashionablestitch.com/product/petersham-ribbon-by-the-yard-charcoal">A Fashionable Stitch</a> (it says charcoal, but to my eye, it looks more dark lavender... maybe I'm a bit colorblind?), 12" purple zipper<br />
<strong>Time to complete:</strong> 15 1/2 hours<br />
<strong>First worn</strong>: June<br />
<strong>Wear again?</strong> Yes, at least once a week since I finished it!<br />
<strong>Total cost:</strong> ~$21<br />
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The fabric came from a dress I bought at a little store downtown Ann Arbor called Orchid Lane (the warehouse, where everything is $15 or less), on one of the two or three days last summer when the heat was so oppressive I wanted to dive into a pool of ice. The fabric was so light and airy, and even though the dress itself was hideous, I bought it anyway with the intention of tearing it apart and upcycling the fabric. I wish I had a before photo for you. It was a maxi tube dress, with a widely-shirred cheap shiny black polyester bodice and this lovely fabric attached. I cut away that cheap black poly as soon as I got the dress home, and then the rest of the fabric sat in my stash until last week.<br />
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A couple of months ago, my sister gave me a bunch of her old clothes. She's purging her rather immense closet, and I'm the lucky beneficiary of said purge. Except that many (read "almost all") of those clothes weren't made to fit my body. My favorite dress in the pile I brought home was an adorable black and white dress. Minor problem: the dress was made for a girl with a B-cup, not my rather ample bosom (I don't know why, but I love finding opportunities to say "ample bosom." Maybe it has something to do with those romance novels my friends and I used to giggle over back in 10th-grade chemistry class).<br />
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Refusing to accept the inevitability of not owning said dress, I turned to my pattern stash and discovered that one of the bodice options for New Look 6557 (my blue daisy sheet dress) is almost an exact duplicate of my sister's dress's bodice. I thought it would be perfect for the summer and pulled out the pretty purple fabric I ripped off that ugly Orchid Lane dress last year.<br />
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As soon as I pulled it out, I remembered that that fabric is super flimsy and tears/pulls really easily. This was the first opportunity I've had to use Sullivan's fabric stabilizer, and I have to say, I'm totally addicted. I'm going to use it liberally every time I stitch up anything even remotely slippery. :) I also underlined all the dress pieces with white cotton batiste for extra strength.<br />
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I purchased Susan Kalje's The Couture Dress course from Craftsy last month, and I was watching it while I worked on this dress. It had more than a small influence on me. I hand-basted all of the underlining and stitched the seam allowances down by hand. "Control" became my watchword for this dress.<br />
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I loved the border print, and I wanted to use it in more places than just the hem, so I cut pieces from the top border for the midriff and the straps. The pattern calls for narrow ribbon for the straps, but I wanted more coverage, and I also didn't want it to look cheap, which I think ribbon would have done. After I cut, stitched, and pressed the straps, I found the stitches pulling on that stupid, flimsy fabric, the fabric wouldn't press properly, and I realized that I hadn't even considered underlining the straps. Silly.<br />
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My solution: dig through my stash in search of the 3/4" petersham ribbon I bought from A Fashionable Stitch. It matched perfectly, and I hand-stitched it to the backs of the straps. It makes the straps themselves a little more substantial, too. I didn't machine stitch them because I wanted the stitching to be invisible on the front (can you see it? I can, but only from about 12" away!), and I didn't want to put any more stress on the fabric than I already had. Now the straps are super strong, and will definitely last. And they're pretty on both sides as well. :) See the difference in how it lays? So much more body and less puckering!<br />
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I love this dress. It only has one problem, and it's one that I kind of knew about from the beginning. That flimsy fabric isn't going to last very long, even with meticulous hand-stitching and cotton batiste underlining and petersham ribbon stabilizing the straps. It's already starting to fray at the waist gathers, but I intend to wear this dress until I completely wear it out, I love it so much.</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Rather than wait for my new sun dress to wear out, I am actually working on my next project. We're pretty much fully moved into the house, and I have another new dress on my sewing table. All it needs is neckline and armhole finishing and a hem, and it'll be set to wear (and post)! Knowing me, that'll take more than just one day, but I apologize for my long internet absence, and promise some more frequent posting in the months to come.</span><br />
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</div>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-35325379909192218542012-05-10T14:09:00.001-04:002012-05-13T07:29:26.682-04:00Musings About the Reasons Behind Personal StyleI just read a post by Casey over at <a href="http://blog.caseybrowndesigns.com/2012/05/guest-post-vintage-style/">Casey's Elegant Musings</a>, and when I started writing a comment, I realized that I had so much to say that my comment was going to end up being longer than her post. Casey, that is the sign of an excellent post; when what you write is so thought-provoking that some readers turn around and write their own posts about the topic.<br />
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Casey's question was "If you find yourself drawn to vintage style... why have you chosen (or not!) to dress this way?" This question can obviously be applied to why we choose to dress in any particular way, not just vintage.<br />
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I'm strongly drawn to vintage styles. I think they're lovely, flattering, and attractive, but I don't actually wear any vintage clothing. There's something about me (my personality? the way I carry myself? the shape of my face? the style of my hair? the fact that I look best in muted colors?) that seems to scream "I'm sweet and innocent and ripe to be preyed upon!" This attribute, whatever it is, is only exaggerated by vintage clothing, so while I like vintage, it makes me incredibly uncomfortable. I like my clothing to make me feel powerful, sexy, attractive, and comfortable, so the vulnerability that I feel when trying on a sweet floral 50s dress means that that dress is not something that comes home with me, no matter how beautiful it is or how perfectly it fits. I'm so envious of the women who can pull of the edgy vintage look. I'm definitely missing whatever it is that would enable me to do that without looking either childishly sweet or scandalously tarty. :)<br />
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I do own one vintage dress, which I love, but I have yet to wear it. It's a solid sea green tea-length sun dress with a triangle lace bib at the neckline and more lace at the pockets. It's been in my closet for over nine months while I've tried to figure out how to style it or alter it so that I can still feel like a powerful woman while wearing it. The solution I've come up with is to remove the lace, raise the hemline, and find a leather jacket that will cut the sweetness of the dress. Hopefully I'll have time to do all three of those things some time in the near future!<br />
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I need a leather jacket in my life. I also feel like I would be more comfortable in my clothing (and feel like it's more representative of who I am) if I could combine more articles that are hard or edgy with the sweet, feminine things I already own. My style is in a bit of a flux right now, and I'm currently looking for a way to do that combination of edgy and feminine without too much leather (leather is just too hot for me in the middle of summer, and I don't want to wear the same thing every day) and without much - if any - black (black just really isn't my color, and I'm trying to phase it out).<br />
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So what's your style right now? Why do you wear what you wear? Are there particular aesthetics that just aren't you, or that you would feel uncomfortable in, and what about them keeps them from your closet? Or are you - like me - still figuring out where you want your style to go? If you are, where do you think your style is headed, and what about that attracts you?Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-19041327677829821342012-05-02T09:50:00.000-04:002012-05-03T13:35:04.056-04:00Vacation and Pattern Swap PatternsI don't think I mentioned that I was going on vacation with my sister. We went to Key West, and it was so much fun. We went on a tour of the Everglades, where it poured on us the whole time, but I got to hold a baby alligator (those things are heavier than they look!). <br />
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I only wore one me-made item on the trip, and it was my blue daisy dress. We rented bikes, and I biked in this dress with no problem. My crazy more-than-full-circle skirt, not so much. :) Anyway, here's the dress in action (sorry there's not much to see, but you can see the bright yellow wristlet I carried with it). Also, does anyone else feel like mojitos are the epitomy of summer?</div>
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While in Key West, I had the bad luck to lose my clutch (not the yellow one...that was the replacement), which had my camera in it. Sadly, this means no photos for the blog until I can afford to get a new one. :( Well, except for photos like the ones above, taken on my sister's camera, and photos like those below, gleaned from the generous interwebs.</div>
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On the bright side, when I got back, I had a lovely little package in the mail. I participated in the latest Sew Weekly swap, organized by Tina Crossgrove, and the talented and generous Seeks had sent me two different patterns! I also sent my partner two patterns, but I wasn't expecting to receive two! Anyway, check out these lovelies:</div>
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First up, this elegant 60s wrap dress. It's a bust 32 (who knows how the photo I managed to find just happens to be bust 32 as well, but I'm not questioning!), and I'm loving the short-sleeved version. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(because I borrowed this photo, I'm going to link to the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/81031827/vintage-60s-simplicity-5054-wrap-dress">Etsy seller</a> it belongs to, in case any of you would also like to own this lovely pattern)</span></div>
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Second was this stunning 70s gown. So... I love the 50s and 60s, and so many of the 70s fashions are just so.... tacky. But this gown? A-mazing. Maybe not so much all the ruffles (although, possibly some of them?), but I love the smooth lines, the flowing skirt, the fitted silhouette through the bodice and waist... I'm in love with this dress, and all the variations that don't really look all that different on the envelope. :) I even love the little jacket (especially the lace version, and even the ruffles at the wrists. It's bust 38, but I'm willing to try my hand at pattern grading because I love it so much.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(again, a borrowed photo warrants a link to the owner's <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/GreatScott?section_id=6018586">Etsy shop</a>. This particular pattern is no longer for sale, but the shop has a huge collection of awesome 70s patterns and a smaller collection of other vintage patterns.)</span></div>
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Thank you, Seeks! I'm so excited about these patterns!</div>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-17540500750124435882012-04-16T14:29:00.001-04:002012-04-16T14:29:58.442-04:00Spring Craziness and a Sneak PeekI haven't posted to my blog in over a month, and according to the posts that have been showing up in my feed, it looks like other bloggers have been away from their computers as well. It's been a wild month.<br />
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We're selling the house, and I'm joining my partner in Illinois in August, where I'll be starting grad school (library science!). We're leaving Ann Arbor and our first home and our wonderful neighbors behind, and I'm really hoping that where ever we end up (Illinois is just a brief stop on the road) is just as great as this place has been. Also, I can't even express how much work it is to prep a house for sale. Unless you've sold a house, you have no concept of all the work that goes into it. I'm super grateful for my parents and friends who have helped me out. I wouldn't have been able to do it on my own!<br />
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I wiped out on my morning bike commute a few weeks ago (hit a patch of gravel going way too fast for that particular ripped-up stretch of road), got a concussion, sprained my wrist, tore my blouse, and scraped up the right side of my body. I was wearing my helmet (as always) and am sending good gratitude vibes to the inventor of the helmet, because that person may have saved my life.<br />
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One of my dogs (Onyx, the almost-three-year-old black male) had a bad reaction to his flea and tick medication, and we had a fun vet visit and five days after that. By "fun," I mean, he hated every minute of it, he tried cowering behind me at the vet, he wouldn't let me spray the medication on the sore without squirming like crazy to get away from me, and he now has a bald patch in between his shoulders (I'm really, really hoping the fur grows back. If it doesn't, that company is going to hear from me).<br />
As I said: wild. But Onyx and I are both still alive and healing, our prospects for selling the house are looking really good, and I got to spend two weeks of March with my partner (one of which was unexpected). My sister started to tell me that I was so spoiled for being able to spend an entire week with my spouse at the beginning of the month and another whole week in the middle, then she stopped herself and instead commented on how absurd it is that she'd even think I might be spoiled by seeing my spouse for two weeks out of a whole month. Really, though, I am so grateful for all that time. And I'm so looking forward to August, when we'll all be living under one roof again!<br />
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At any rate, because of the recent craziness and my own plodding slowness, it's been a while since I've finished sewing anything. Or really, since I've even spent any amount of time in my sewing room at all. Over the weekend, I finally got a chance to really sit down with some fabric and my machine, and even though I'm not quite finished yet, here's a little sneak peek of what I've been working on. After all, no post is complete without a photo!<br />
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<br />Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-51928569210180720642012-02-23T10:55:00.000-05:002012-02-23T10:55:11.318-05:00PerfectionismOne of my biggest problems is perfectionism. I want something to be perfect before I show it to anyone (or even before I allow myself to finish it), which is a problem as a beginning sewer because it means I often don't finish anything. I honestly couldn't tell you how many UFOs I have in my sewing space right now. I've spent around 12 hours on the Colette Jasmine blouse. It's a simple design and should go together beautifully, but my perfectionism means that I was so dissatisfied with the wonky seams on my collar that I ripped the whole thing off and decided to cut new pieces for it and start the collar over again. Erm... Let's be honest here. SWAP is so not happening this year. :) I think it's time for some more modest goals, and possibly time for me to put some effort into letting go of perfect a little bit. Because really. No one would have noticed that collar but me. I'm going to really focus on just finishing the blouse this week, and after it's done, I'm going to go through my UFOS and make them into FOs. <br />
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Are there any other procrastinators out there? UFO hoarders? Do you have the same problem I do, with wanting it to be perfect and knowing it won't be, or do you have another problem altogether? Those of you who manage to finish multitudes of garments every year, how do you do it?! Are you speedy sewers? Fearless in the face of failure? Do you have mad time management skills? Please, spill your deepest sewing secrets!Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-75431623718869423902012-02-13T10:40:00.000-05:002012-02-14T09:08:37.582-05:00Sew Grateful Week Giveaway Winner!Hi all! I hope you had a fantastic weekend. I was sewing in the basement yesterday with the intention of finishing up my Jasmine blouse when I smelled something burning. When I went upstairs, it was to find the entire house filled with smoke. I didn't burn my house down, but the chicken carcass I was supposed to be cooking into soup was burnt to nothing but blackened char on the bottom of my big pot (which was also destroyed), and my whole house smells like fire now. Needless to say, I didn't finish the blouse. I evacuated the dogs into the back yard, opened all the windows, and spent my afternoon airing out the house and avoiding the windowless basement. :(<br />
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On the bright side, this morning, I wrote some names on bits of paper, dropped them in a bag, and picked one back out. The winner of Vogue 5867 is Rhia the <a href="http://www.evildressmaker.com/">Evil Dressmaker</a>! Congratulations, Rhia! Please email me your address so I can send off your new pattern!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6ycGbOTVVpk/TzkutCvSHxI/AAAAAAAAA98/b7cdsDtmhDc/s1600/Vogue+5867+-+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" sda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6ycGbOTVVpk/TzkutCvSHxI/AAAAAAAAA98/b7cdsDtmhDc/s400/Vogue+5867+-+01.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-58216617058233983022012-02-06T14:08:00.000-05:002012-02-07T10:56:31.411-05:00Sew Grateful Week - Giveaway!Debi over at <a href="http://fashionsfromthepast.blogspot.com/2012/02/sew-grateful-week-plan-button.html">My Happy Sewing Place</a> is hosting Sew Grateful week this week. I have to say, I love this idea, and since I just won a lovely giveaway myself, I've decided to pass on the sewing love.<br />
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<a href="http://fashionsfromthepast.blogspot.com/"><img alt="Sew Grateful Week" height="225" src="http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1198/30028992d81aa06m3.jpg" width="175" /></a> </div>
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I have another beautiful vintage pattern to give away. I love, love, love this pattern, but I have more patterns in my collection than I can reasonably expect to use in one lifetime. :) Since I am a firm believer patterns should be used, rather than stored until they turn to dust, I'm passing this stunning gown pattern on to one of you, who will be able to make it into something lovely and wearable.</div>
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The pattern is Vogue 5867, and it's a size 14 (32 bust, 35 hip). After a little research, I think it's from the mid 1940s - possibly 1946. I got it as part of a lot of 100 patterns I bought last year, which was the combined collection of two women from Tennessee. As you can see, the envelope is slightly yellowed, but in fairly good condition. I haven't opened it, so I'm not sure about the condition of the pieces, but the patterns I have opened from this lot were all intact and had clearly been used but were still in great shape.</div>
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The back of the pattern says "Long or short length. three-piece skirt with straight or harem gathered peplum joined at waist-line. High round neck or optional collar band. Long fitted or short sleeves."</div>
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Here are the rules for this giveaway:</div>
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1. Comment and tell me what fabric you would use to make this dress in and where you would wear it.</div>
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2. Because one of the things I'm "Sew Grateful" for is the lovely support I've received in the form of your sweet comments, if you enter this giveaway by commenting on this post, you will automatically be entered a second time if you left me a comment on any post (other than my last giveaway) prior to today. (Did that make sense? I feel like it's a bit convoluted!)</div>
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3. You must have a way for me to contact you (email, or a link to a blog profile with your email in it).</div>
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4. If you win, you cannot sell the pattern. If you decide at some point that you no longer want it, please pass on the sewing love to someone else in the form of a giveaway or a gift.</div>
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5. The giveaway will be open until 7:00 am ET on Monday morning (February 13), at which time I will be writing all the names on slips of paper and picking one out of a hat. I'll announce the winner on Monday and will email you if you won as well.</div>
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Good luck, and thank you all so much!</div>
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Edit: Whoops! Since you all probably aren't psychic, I suppose I should add this instead of assuming you'll be able to gather this information by reading between the lines: this giveaway is open to everyone all over the world. :)</div>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-18507794514218657472012-02-01T12:05:00.001-05:002012-02-01T12:06:32.712-05:00Personal Style and a Few (er...several...) SketchesI took a four-day weekend last weekend, because A is back in the country. I did not take any sewing with me to Illinois, so I have nothing to show for my long weekend but a big smile and a lot of joy that my partner is back in the country. I spent yesterday evening grocery shopping and cleaning the house up a bit (things I usually do on Saturdays).<br />
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I've been thinking a lot about my personal style lately. When I was younger, I liked full, gathered skirts and tight t-shirts/tanks. It was a super cute look. Looking at that style now, I feel like I've grown out of cute, but I'm not sure where to go from there. I bought a gorgeous <a href="http://www.us.allsaints.com/women/shop_archive/allsaints-whitton-coat/?colour=1595&category=630">leather trench</a> while I was in Chicago over the weekend, and I absolutely adore it. It looks even better in person than it does in that photo, and it's edgy in a way that's not too extreme for daily wear. It's downright hot, and I feel so incredibly good when I put it on. I think it's time to take a good, hard look at the few items that are still in my closet and ask myself whether or not they make me feel like that, and if so, what about them does it.<br />
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I went virtual shopping - where I skim around the internet and save photos of clothes I want to my computer - and found a few things I liked. Before I put the effort into trying to replicate them, though, I decided to sketch them out on my croquis. Did I tell you guys I made one of these? It was a few months back, and I've sketched a few things on it, but I thought I'd share my latest sketches.</div>
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Knit top with lace/mesh panel and sleeves and leather skirt. In spite of the more fitted silhouette of this skirt, it's still reminiscent of my old clothing formula.</div>
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Full dress with leather belt and leather detail. I usually don't like any gathering around my waistline, but this one might be okay. Also, my shoulders are way more symmetrical than that back view would have you believe. My tracing skills just sometimes aren't up to par. :)<br />
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I found this adorable draped top, and I sketched it out with a pencil skirt on the bottom, and oh, man. Badness. That drapy hem hits right at the widest part of my hip, and it looks downright dowdy. Now, if you shorten it and tuck it into a pencil skirt, it looks way better. Or lengthen it and turn it into a dress. I love the draping and the shoulder detail, though!<br />
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Then I started thinking about my SWAP items and things I actually intend to sew. Why not see whether they'd actually look any good on me, before I started cutting and sewing? These are Butterick 2434 (vintage) and Simplicity 2145. I'm loving that Simplicity dress. Loving.<br />
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I went a little sketch-happy and did a few more. Like, almost all of my other SWAP items. Simplicity 3562 (vintage), Colette Jasmine, Burda/Gertie bombshell top, Simplicity 3520 (vintage), and Butterick 4042 (vintage, and also sheer...you can see the bombshell top sketched lightly underneath if you look closely).<br />
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What do you think? Have you jumped on the croquis bandwagon? It's definitely worth the time it takes to make one. I could have endless amounts of fun just sketching up ideas. But I'm not going to. I'm going to sew tonight instead. :) Perhaps I'll have something fun to show you next week!</div>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032544992141016335.post-57826744372940316652012-01-24T10:32:00.001-05:002012-01-24T15:14:48.488-05:00I'm a Winner! Also, Inspiration and Ruminations on Time Spent SewingI just won a giveaway! All right, not really "just," but I've been letting it simmer in my head for a couple of days. I almost never win things, and usually when I do, they're things like books about possible career options. So I'm obviously pretty excited about this one. <br />
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What is it, you ask? It's a half meter of the same gorgeous black guipure lace that Julia Bobbin used to make <a href="http://www.juliabobbin.com/2012/01/survivor.html">this gorgeous dress</a>. Thank you so much, Julia!</div>
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If for some reason you don't yet follow <a href="http://www.juliabobbin.com/">Julia's blog</a>, you really should. I want to live in her closet, or at least have her quickly-gained sewing skills. :) I only discovered her blog through BurdaStyle, and I'm glad I found her just a few months after she started blogging. I'm so excited to see what she does next!</div>
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I've also been pondering exactly what to do with this beautiful lace when it arrives on my doorstep. I'm not the kind of girl who likes to hold on to beautiful things because I'm afraid I'll screw them up. I firmly believe that beautiful, expensive fabrics are meant to be sewn up, worn, and appreciated. I'm actually working on a blouse right now that will use the most expensive, luxurious fabric (silk) in my tiny stash, which I just bought in December.</div>
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Most of my inspiration for this lace has been wedding inspired. Lace seems to be such a wedding-y kind of thing still, even though it's been breaking out of those confines. I've been thinking about using it to make a jacket/top, inspired by a company called <a href="http://www.airebarcelona.es/en/complementos_tops.php">Aire Barcelona</a>, that makes just beautiful things.</div>
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This is the first one I found. It's a lovely bare-shoulder top that goes over a strapless dress. Exactly what I'm thinking. If it's just the top, I'll be able to wear it more frequently than if it were attached to a dress. It could dress up anything strapless and make it more modest. The only problem with this one is that it would need a stretch lace or some sort of back closure. If I did something like this, the sleeves would also be much smaller, like only the top quarter.</div>
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The second one I found has a front button closure and is extremely modest. I like the general idea, but high necklines don't look the greatest on me, so I was thinking I would lower/widen the neckline and possibly raise the hem.</div>
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And that's when I saw this last one. It's just beautiful, it would be more versatile, since it could be used over a spaghetti-strap dress as well, and it's fun because you can wear it with a dress that has a midriff detail like the gorgeous beading on the dress the model's wearing. Imagine this in that black lace over a black strapless dress, or over nude, white, pink... Pretty much anything. :) Love.</div>
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We'll see. Lots of inspiration. For now, I'm going to keep working on that silk blouse, which I'm hoping to be able to show you soon. My sewing is not getting any speedier, but I'm learning a whole lot about fitting and my body. I apparently have to make tiny forward and narrow shoulder adjustments in addition to the swayback and FBA adjustments.</div>
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Random question of the day: when you're adding up the time it took you to sew something, what do you count? Just the sewing of the final garment? The cutting of your fashion fabric? The muslin and/or fitting/altering? The tracing from the original pattern (if you do that)? I count everything except that original tracing, since I know so many people skip that part, and I'll never have to do it again for that particular pattern. It's the fitting that takes me the longest, though. What's the most time-intensive part of sewing for you?</div>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596360832206980948noreply@blogger.com1