Wednesday 30 October 2013

thud as the penny drops - thinking, not stitching

Ugh, ugh, UGH.

So the band around the neck on this pattern, which I just assumed was a facing applied to the outside ...


Actually a separate neckband. Which I totally skimmed over when I looked at the pattern instructions AND I realised this only after I'd cut out the nightie. Possibly I made that assumption because that's how it's done on the pattern I'm using for my Vamps-of-Venice nightie for the Dr Who party.

See, *that* pattern I read thoroughly.

As I'm using this tunic/top pattern as a summer nightie I actually wanted the open neckline, so I actually do not want to fill it in all the way around. So last night packed it all up neatly and left it to my subconcious to decide what to do. So, I'm going to add the band in the CF - I wondered why the front could be so narrow.

I'll be using the contrast lawn I got for the Decades of Style negligee, and make bias binding from that lawn to bind the rest of the neck. Which is what I was thinking of doing in the first place. If I already had pale pink I'd use that - for something different to the DOS. But I won't need all the pale blue for the DOS neck & tie on the back, so this is an effective use of the fabric

Tuesday 29 October 2013

time for paper collage to ensue

Yesterday I had the MOANday grumps, so my lunch break was spent with a work buddy which helped me stay perkier. (I think hormones aren't helping my mood either).

Today's lunch break, just over, I cut out the Simp2254 pieces I need to use, measured the hip to be sure it would be loose, and started altering the bodice pieces.

In reference to Monty Python, with huge tracts of land even a simple nightgown needs an FBA (Full Bust Alteration). This is the paper collage moment. Plus I'm trying to decide if I'll do a crossover front as the underbust seam isn't straight across, but rises to a centre front highpoint. Without being pointy if you see what I mean. By the time I get home I'll have decided because I'm going to cut this sucker out & start sewing.

I want to snuggle up with kittehs that don't give me asthma!

Monday 28 October 2013

sleepwear - switcheroo to the kittens

I washed/dried/preshrank the flies print knit and then remeasured the piece and I have 2m of 140cm wide. So more than enough to make the nightie, and have approx 0.5 left over which isn't much use to me. so I had the 'idea' to make a robe with it instead - something I can use at home or when travelling to have a knee length wrapover robe. But I still want a nightie in this style. Actually need it for travelling. Cos no matter how hot it is (and it can be ridiculously warm on this continent) if I'm staying away from home I make sure I'm decently covered even if it's 40C and humid - because I sleep walk.

I thougth about my kitty print lawn - which I'm using for the Decades of Style negligee - and remembered that I have 5m of 150cm wide so enough for both.
 
At lunch today I'm cutting out the pattern & doing a rough FBA (full bust alteration) on the bodice pieces and measuring the skirt section to see if it's wide enough for my hips.

Oh, and an update on the red poly (that should have been rayon), they've given me a credit for the fabric as it was incorrectly described. I'll be looking at dress fabrics for summer.

Thursday 24 October 2013

sudden whim for a nightie

As I've said, my brain is skittery-skattering across fabrics and patterns and clothing ideas. Anyhoo, a non-sewing/non-costume friend stay over as we were seeing a movie after work and like her I wouldn't want a 90 minute trip home after that!

Long story short - her nightie impressed me as being easy inspiration, and after work tonight I skipped to Spotlight as they now have Simplicity, Burda & New Look patterns for $5.  Can you guess which pattern books I skimmed ... and came hope with Simplicity 2254 which is close enough.


View C with instead an overlapping bodice, and view D/E length.

I'm hoping there's enough of this knit fabric remnant in my stash to make it.

a pattern idea for my faux-hooverette

Hmm, re my wraparound house dress - a faux-hooverette - I was wondering if I could adapt this dress pattern to be wrap front. I got it earlier this year and it's a good excuse the play with the pattern. I could put tape or ribbon at the crossing point & tie in a bow.

[edited to add:] a ribbon tie at the crossover point as well as a waist tie-belt.

Wednesday 23 October 2013

the closer I get, the more ideas I'm getting

I'm pretty much posting this as a reminder of what I'd like to have in my wardrobe so that once I've got the full use of my sewing machine knee back (2 weeks + 2 days, wheeee) I'll remember that I had this gap in my Real Life wardrobe.

I had to throw out my house dress as it reached the point even I didn't like it. My Shoebox home is 2 levels above the laundry, so in summer when what I'm wearing is minimal to deal with the 38C+90% humidity I need to put on something to make me publicly decent while I pop down to the laundry. I now have a hankering to make a 'hooverette' dress. A depression era wrap dress for doing housework in. Not a high status garment, but a functional one, and they often wrapped both ways so that if one front got grubby you could swap it over. Functional! Now I do have a gift of a 1930s wrap dress pattern that I intend to use this summer, but it's got a glitzy large collar that I wouldn't want on a house dress. Pretty much I don't want a structured collar - layers = heat.

crazy ideas with craft & fashion

Somewhere I think I've seen someone turn a wooden artist's body model into a regency poupée de mode. And I want to do this. Not using a wooden repro doll but using a more affordable/easier to find artist's jointed doll thingy. Like this 12" wooden artist's manikin. The head would need to be re-fashioned for the more ball shaped doll of the time.

Sunday 20 October 2013

going to the aussie Jane Austen festival)

I'm trying to decide how I blog my costume plans for next April's aussie Austen festival. I could start a separate blog or start a new tab thing on this blog.

Anyway, a teaser. I've been planning to make this dress for ages, but first want to make new stays to fit it over.   It's from a 1799 fashion plate, and I had both white and red fabric for it already. 


However, I'm using the white fabric for my Dr Who nightie costume, and am going to make this out of black voile.  Possibly with blue trim - as I've seen a few extant black gowns with blue trim.

Friday 18 October 2013

plans for Saturday sewing guild group

Even though I can't sit & sew (need to chock up my right leg & too hard in the setting), I'm dead keen to get to my group. I'm taking my current dress pattern to work on, will dig out my Dr Who pattern tonight & take that to look at and cut out.

I'm also taking some clothing that's had a wardrobe cull due to style or stains. I'm going to cut them into squares and make a scrap lapquilt. I tend to dress from colour families so there will be a good enough mix but not wildly clashing.

So I have a plan

Thursday 17 October 2013

paper tiles+ sticky tape

I'm trying to do something sewing every day - the past 2 days that's meant half an hour each day sticking a tiled pattern together. I really find this tedious, which I wasn't expecting. So tedious I'm unlikely to use a downloaded pattern again, unless it's a small item.

Today I'll cut out the pattern pieces so that I can start the alterations. I think this is why I found it so blerghhhhh - I always have pattern collage wtih alterations so to me this was a pointless collage even though it resulted in a pattern. I think if the overlap had been greater (even though that would have resulted in more pages) and had been able to line them up through the overlap it wouldn't ahve been fine, but my printer margin was at least 6mm or 1/4" bigger than the overlap so I had to use a ruler to ensure it was done properly. Maybe I'll have a pic of the next stage for you.

Tuesday 15 October 2013

polyster is unlike rayon, and I dislike it.

My FFC order arrived at the post office on Friday, & I picked it up after work yesterday. I was definitely disappointed that the red rayon (#2912) is in fact a heavy polyester crushed satin. It melted and stank horribly. It's more cost effective to accept the loss than pay to post it back, though I'm definitely asking them to update the description of the fabric on their website.

So, that means I'll be making the vampire of venice nightgown from my stash fabric & pattern after all.

I can't wear heavy polyester. It's going to be 32C on Thursday (89.6F), was 35C/95F on Sunday and 39C/102.2F last Thursday. And it's only the middle of spring.

So wearing a long cotton nightie in 6 weeks time is going to be hot enough for the Dr Who party. No poly for me.

Friday 11 October 2013

blergh, leg/life balance is out of kilter

I've been carrying around for a week the printed pages for the Lilly Rose dress. Back & forth from work to home. In the morning I feel full of "I can do all the things" but by the end of a working day I'm tired, achey & grumpy and even with the best intentions don't get anything done (bar feeding myself) once I get home.

I've had 6 weeks of not bending my right knee, with 4 to go. Even though I'm going "yay, the tumour is gone & it wasn't cancer", I'm equally frustrated with rarely being able to sit comfortably, and I even cross a road to walk on the left footpath, as the very slight angle makes enough difference that my right hip doesn't ache like the devil. I'm totally seeing a remedial massage therapist or physio after this, but it feels like a waste to do it now when I've got another 4 weeks (not that I'm counting or anything. [yeah right]).

It really feels like this has been a year of my life on hold - the gallbladder started mid-November last year, and I get my knee back in use mid-November this year. 10 weeks of going up the stairs at home 1 at a time is tediously dull & ragey making.

I'm so very very happy that I had a holiday in Brisbane, staying with Desir Brulant, sewing a couple of great costumes and catching up with my friends up there. That interlude reminds me that once I get past the next month I'll get back to my normal sewing self.

I do have things to look forward to, tomorrow I'm going to a Dr Who 1 day con, that I won tix to. wheeee. And at the end of this month a costume BBQ, and the end of November when I have my leg/life back a Dr Who costume party. My fabric still hasn't arrived so I may make the vampire nightgown, even if I'm unwilling to wear alien fangs!

Wednesday 9 October 2013

hoping to Frocktober

I'm aiming to join in Frocktober, and get a summer dress made - it's mid-spring and 28C today so I really need summer dresses and all mine have worn out.

The fabric I'm aiming to use came from my November 2012 swag of Brisbane goodies - top left in this photo.


The pattern I'm planning to use for this dress is the one I bought at the launch of The Miss Page Collection in Katoomba last year [July?]. http://www.thetailorsapprentice.com/index.php/patterns/category/1940s I got the Lilly Rose


I'm not going to do the contrast waist, but may pipe it instead. Also will do 3/4 sleeves, cos short just isn't flattering. Not only do I now have bingo arms but the line drawn across the Acreage isn't flattering.

Monday 7 October 2013

next choice -- skirt pattern

Part of me wants to use a TNT pattern (ie tried n true) but part of me wants something new for the blueberry skirt.  I'd like a 30s vibe, so probably not this Lekala skirt 5861 and though I prefer longer length, shorter would be cooler in our hot & humid summers. Plus I'd like to try using Lekala but perhaps not with so many pieces as 5687,

So part of me is tempted to again use Mccall 4161 which I've only used once, in wool crepe

or McCall 4593


 or even vogue 7640 which I haven't worn in ages, but for some reason I think of it as a winter pattern.

Also, I'm tempted to finally order the Onion pattern 3019


Regardless of which pattern I pick, I need to accept that nothing is going to make me look slender.  A sleek seal is what I'm aiming for, not a pudding.

blueberry not from pale pink

Before I dyed the fabrics, I overlocked the ends so it wouldn't unravel.  For the After photo I placed the trimmings on the respective fabrics to show how much they changed.  The burnout design in the voile is much more visible, and I'm looking forward to using them. 

Sunday 6 October 2013

pink to berry - if the dyepot allows

I'm dyeing this baby /shell pink linen/rayon herringbone to [hopefully] berry.  I'm using iDye, 1 packet violet : 0.5 black.  I'm also going to toss in 3m of baby pink cotton lawn as I'd like to use it and baby pink no longer suits me the way it used to.


I've picked through the stash for these print cottons - they're lawn or voile weight, and should go with either the blue UFO skirt and/or the berry skirt to be.

So although not actually sewing yet, I'm plotting, schemeing and dyeing to get started

Friday 4 October 2013

dagnabbit, it could have been a 100% stash project

Yesterday I dozed through the Dr Who Episode "Vampires of Venice, and had a massive "D'OH" moment. I'd been loving the main villainess's costume (the matriach) more than the 'Brides' day-wear, but I had completely forgotten the nightgowns which I loved more than their formal gowns. Here's the nightgowns on the left and the matriarch's dress on the right.


And guess what pattern I have unused in my stash but Simplicity 4111 (a Built by Wendy design).


Wouldn't it have been ideal! Yes, there is in my stash a tub full of white fabrics to use in underpinnings. Aiyyyy, I'm not ragey over it but a bit sad. I could still do it, but then I have 5m of red shimmer rayon to use. Though it would be fun to wear a costume I could just sleep in .... at luv2costume's last costume party I made blue/white stripe pjs and then slept in them.