My last post was in June?

How is that possible? :)

Well....time has been spent collecting patterns (at a *much* slower rate and this one is the new fave):

and sewing:

(Almost done---after major alterations, it still needs to be pressed, buttoned, and hemmed--with about five inches whacked off the bottom first!)

and whipping up simple skirts seen on other people's blogs...... :)

and baking bread! Mmmmmmmm....this is the year to really dive in and get the science down.

Fall is in the air.....and life is good good good. :)

Firstly,

I want these shoes.

I also need them in brown.

And coffee and cream.

And red.

But brown would probably be best, so they would go with almost everything, and I could wear them all the time.

Sigh.

How does two months pass so quickly??

I did a play, it was fun, I feel better.

But now it's time to sew!

Today I am making a t-shirt from my original SWAP plan and cutting out a 30's dress in this fabric:

So mote it be.

I also have some great plans in the works for my 4th of July dress.

The dress on the right.

And that's the fabric I am thinking of using.

With white revers and navy ric-rac....with a red bow.

Or maybe red ric-rac and a navy bow.

Or maybe navy revers with white ric-rac!

I just don't know!!

(Or maybe a NAVY dress with that fabric as the revers and trim. DRAT. Too many choices!)

However.....

The temptation to use that fabric to sew up a flouncy 70's dress is overwhelming.

We shall see.

Edit: I LIED.

I may have to use THIS pattern instead:

Not Dead Yet!

It's been awhile, but Mama has been busy......in a good, but stressful way. :)

The wardrobe overhaul was interrupted by preparations for our family visit from the UK. I quit my job on the 13th of March and spent the next two weeks scrubbing floors and organizing closets.

It's a good thing I'd already gotten rid of so much or there wouldn't have been any room for our guests :) .....HOWEVER.....because I got rid of darned near *all my old clothes* and did not have a chance to sew, I feel like I have been wearing the *same three outfits* over and over since February.

Now that the wee bairns are no longer sleeping in my sewing room, I am spending the next couple hours putting it back together so I can get some things put together this weekend......I hope.

As I said, life has been BUSY. I got cast in a show (hurrah hooroh hurreee) and have lines to memorize, I am in the midst of a nutritional overhaul (no shite sugar, flour, or processed foods for the next three weeks----you know, that was supposed to say "white" sugar, but I think I'll leave the Freudian typo) and doing some very interesting cognitive work with a kick-ass psychologist (speaking of Freud....).

Also....the highschool production opens late next week, so I am helping the kids this week with their makeup application, and I am sure I will be there before a few of the performances lending a hand and support.

Sooooo....sewing may have to wait a few. But we'll see. I've been known to sneak in a few stitches. ;)

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.

Well, shoot. The last few weeks I have been a bit under the weather in the health/happiness department but it appears things have taken a wonderous turn. For the first time in a long while I feel hopeful and excited.

1. I've been dreaming again....which is awesome. What's the point of sleep if you can't play in dreamland?

2. I have been asked to pretty much assistant direct the after-school production of "Guys and Dolls" after a 6 year hiatus from theatre.

3. I have an *audition* on Saturday which scares the ever-loving-crap out of me, see above.

4. Career counseling starts Tuesday.

5. My yoga instructor told me she would extend the 100 bucks I put toward unlimited classes in November, to the NEXT 30 days, as I started my job November 2nd and have not been able to hit a single class SINCE. Until yesterday.

6. Our trees and flowers are blooming like MAD!

7. I finished a skirt, a pair of pants, and 2 shirts....one of which is pictured below.

The rest will be posted soon....the hubby has not been home to take pics of me---except for this one last night after I returned from my meeting with the drama teacher. He took three photos and my eyes were closed in all of them.

The sad thing?

There was no flash.

It's New Look 6816 and went together in under an hour.

Fabrique

Okey Dokey.

These are the bits from my stash.....the prints will be skirts (and maybe a matching blouse here and there to create a dress effect) and the solids are knit tops.

For the most part, I am working with rusts, various shades of olive green, brick red, mustard and purple.

I am not a huge pink fan, but I realized that some of the pinks on my fabric shelf would make fun bottoms to match the tops.

I also received a bright green blouse for Xmas from my hubby and need to make something to match it....so the pink and green burn-your-retinas-Kaffe Fassett below will serve that purpose.

A fine circle skirt it shall make.

I have other ideas for the rust woolen and green twill....probably more tailored pants or pencil skirts.

But the quick-sew patterns come first, so I can change out of my sweats.

And waiting on these coordinating knits from Fabric.com:

Not EVERYTHING will match, but enough of it will coordinate that I will never have to say,

"I have nothing to wear!"

Ever Again.

Dammit.

Swappish Part Two.....or, "Git a Move On"

I have decided since I seriously have no clothes, that the vintagey thang is going out the window entirely for the first installment of my new wardrobe. I just can't be bothered to trace a bunch of brittle patterns, make and alter muslins, and *then* sew them up in apparel fabric when I am living in ill-fitting jeans and baggy flannels (and working close to full-time).

I JUST CAN'T BE BOTHERED.

So the bulk of this first round is comprised of *very* easy-peasy patterns (that have a good review base from the pattern review website...and were purchased at the Joann's President's Day Sale) made with knit fabric that will continue to fit if my weight goes up or down by 10 pounds.
They are also designs that supposedly enhance my so-called "body type" as outlined by Kendall Farr in her book, The Pocket Stylist....more on this later.


Since I am horrible at sticking to the rules...this will not follow an official "SWAP" to the letter. I am just gonna make a bunch of garments that match.


I went thru my stash and found a couple of blouse knits and a few bottomweight/flirty-skirty fabrics to work with. Then I ordered yardage of various inexpensive knits from Fabric.com to make tops to match said bottomweights and flirty-skirties.

I'll post pics and swatches of the fabrics on Tuesday.


Until then, here are the patterns:
(not *all* of the renderings--just one or 2 from each...click the images for info):






After these are done (couple pairs of pants, 6 tops, 4 or 5 skirts) I'll think about whipping up a vintage dress. :)

SWAP part one.....or, "Out of the Rut"

This the the tough part.

I went thru my closet this week and got rid of everything that did not fit, was out of style (that's out of *my* style), washed me out colorwise, and was too bloody uncomfortable to wear sensibly.

Which means I now have no clothing.

Like, nothing.

For real.

I have about ten items that don't match.

So.....I have been living in poorly-fitting jeans and an old flannel the last few days, thinking "Poo! Poo! Poo!!"

Clothes are a good thing to have. Especially clothes that make you feel good....and make you feel as though your outward appearance is a truthful expression of your inward selfy-self.

According to this philosophy, my inner self is a washed-up, sloppy grunge chick.

This lit a tremendous fire under my ass.

After I stopped feeling sorry for myself, I marched into the sewing room and began a mock up of a simple 1950's blouse.

I have the fabric on hand for a nice olive twill raised-waist pencil skirt to match said blouse, and to match two other shirts I plan to make this week.

I also have the fabric to make another skirt that will match those two blouses.....and pants that will match them.....etc etc etc.

So begins the journey.

Photos to follow soon.

:)

Sewing With a Plan

I am doing this.

Sewing With a Plan.

Nothing matches, nothing fits, and I feel like a frumpasaurus.

I have never really learned how to put things together.....how to combine different fabrics like a quilter. Chanel said fashion is proportion. And mine is changing faster than I can cram the Funions in my mouth. (I don't really eat Funions, but you get the gist).

So I am starting my wardrobe storyboard this week.
I will draw from my pattern collection and 30's / 40's fashion catalogs.

It looks like lots of people do this kind of thing, and the organization makes alot of sense....nothing in my life is organized and it is beginning to show in my closet.

It took me forever to pick something to wear out last night...and I felt like a linebacker in my off-white bolero.

sew on.

Work: Bad

You see what happens when I get a job?

MY CREATIVE LIFE STOPS.*

I have *GOT* to find a happy medium

Today is my day off.....

so before I meet a dear friend for half-priced apps this evening,

I am going to cut out my Amy Sedaris dress.





See? It kinda looks like her in the middle there.

I'll wear it with tights and make a cheeseball!

I've been waiting to find the perfect fabric, and the MOMENT I spotted this delicious vintage polyester at Valu-Village, I just knew.

It would be rad if I could finish it by this evening, but it's not required.
I've decided home projects don't need deadlines.

Otherwise it feels like a job....and you know where THAT gets me.

P.S. Just did a tissue fitting and the girls are too big! Looks like I will be making a mock-up of the shirt first before tackling the dress. Grrrrrrr. But that's cool. I'll stick that big butterfly collar on it and rock it with jeans! I guess there is a silver lining.

*I have not sewn anything for myself in months. Or written a fairy tale. Or gone to yoga.....wtf????