an outline for nine months of dress a month

In my mind I've got a loose plan for the order I think I'll use the fabrics, and the pattern I'll use with each.  Except for me plan sounds too close to rules and as said by Captain Barbossa of the Pirate Code these are more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules.

I do have some self imposed deadlines for a couple of fabrics.  The retro nautical print slated for December has to be used before I go to Canberra in late Dec/Jan to see the Versailles exhibition. That was the actual rule I imposed so that I could buy it (photo below). I don't want it stashed and I promised a bestie that I'd use it by then. This week I ordered a 5 yard piece of large scale red lobsters on black cotton to make a dress that I'll wear to see the B-52s in concert later this summer (can't remember the February date right now).  I'm looking forward to wearing it long before the concert though so I picked November because right now the mermaid, martini and vintage blue/green cotton have an emotional priority.

In brackets after the month, print & pattern are fabric amounts and when I bought them. EG 13Q3 was bought in the 3rd quarter of 2013 (between July-Sept).

August - Inky Martini, frankenpattern B9796 bodice with AA4571 (8m of 150cm, 14Q2)


September - Mermaids, AA4571 (4.5m of 112cm, 16Q1)


October - vintage green/blue abstract, AA4843 collar on AA4571 (5.5m of  90cm, 16Q2)


November - red lobsters on black, AA4571 (4.5m of 112cm, 16Q3)


December  - retro nautical, bodice 4803+skirt4571 (4.5m of 112cm, 16Q3)


January - brown with mint, NY 1930s wrap dress (4.0m of 150cm, 14Q4)


February - vintage maroon floral, AA2163 (5.5m of 90cm, 16Q2)


March - grape/purple splodges, AA4483 (4.0m of 112cm, 13Q3)


April - teal flowers on black, MO 9030 (5.5m of 112cm, 13Q4)


Most of my dress lengths are more recent purchases - recent compared to the bulk of my stash. Partly because when I first thought about making a couple of dresses I realised that I didn't have much in the way of dress lengths in the stash. In fact at the time, I literally had hundreds of metres of fabric but only two pieces long enough for a non-costume dress. Plus the long in progress before being tossed Lilly Rose dress. I'm sad about having to toss that but it didn't fit and was a series of one mistake after another. I think that even if it had fit, wearing it would only be a reminder of them.

Back on topic, I gave myself the option to buy a couple more pieces and the impulse to buy was under pretty good control until I got my Dress a Month idea. Of course I  then had a couple more purchases to replace those I'd cut out and *boom*. My job uncertainty hit and the mojo did a runner.

If I include (and I should) this year's January dress that is barely started, then I have 10 dresses to make from fabrics I already own.  No more buying dress lengths until I've 3 more dresses in my wardrobe.

Stashing another half size mail order pattern - 9030

Despite my foot issue, yesterday I managed to change the overlocker threads without resorting to profanity or alcohol.  Given past thread changes I view that as a definite victory.

I also unpicked the side seams, side bust darts and repinned the first of the two that it's being split into.  From my training & books I know that my decision to not have an arm extending all the way between the dart ends to side seam isn't technically correct, but I'm fixing it in progress not during drafting. If it works, it works.

I've also added another half size vintage mail order dress pattern to my stash - #9030 dating to the late 50s or 60s.

I'm fairly sure that this will be used this year, but I'm trying to decide which fabric will best work with it.  I'm wondering if the rayon print I got *cough* years ago from the states would be good.

Fifties Fair in my February dress

Yesterday I finally finished my February dress ... it's not perfect (bust dart hell!) but it'll do :)  I'd made covered buttons of the strawb print and I should have used the green collar fabric instead, because the card of green buttons that I grabbed months ago on sale as a guestimate at colour matching are what I ended up using. I'd thought the green buttons were a bit too big (20mm wide and my covered buttons were 15mm) however they were the right size and tied the collar in with the fabric, so thank goodness I grabbed them.

I meet my friend Colleen  to catch the shuttle bus from Turramurra Station to the 50s fair that's held every year at a historic house, Rose Seidler House.  It's usually held on the last weekend of August, so usually the same weekend as the costume ball in Adelaide. The previous year that I didn't go to the ball was when my knee was still in the do-not-bend phase after the tumour removal.  So this is the first year I could go to the 50s Fair. Mind you this year I'm not going to the ball anyway so could have gone to both for the first time.  Enough rambling onto photos!  (and apologies for not noticing the collar wasn't laying properly all day!



We didn't join the coffee queue early enough so skipped it when it got longer than my desire for a luxurious 2nd coffee.  Looked at all the pretties on sale in the market area - jewellery, umbrellas, teatowels etc and we forgot to take photos of other people.


The grounds are fairly uneven, and the food wasn't me-safe, the only picnic areas being on the ground for so many people on a non-domestic lawn site.  It's more a hillside native bush environment.  We ended up taking photos with some of the cars on display in the closed off road and catching the bus back to Turramurra for lunch & a great chat.









I'm not sitting on the car but balancing on my left leg (foolishly cos I upset the ankle/foot in my 3rd strain in a month)


and they didn't close the back door on the bus ... and of course we sat at the back seat both trips


I'll use this pattern again with my mermaid print ... and I'm excited to cut that out this week as the August dress and also finish the March dress.

I'm selling the gap between March & August as hibernation due to work stress.

a second vintage pattern in the mail ... plus patterns I already have

I couldn't resist buying another pattern - simple but that's what I'm really after! it's what happens after staying inside my work building while a big thunderstorm rolled over Sydney. The thunder started just as I was about to leave the office, so I thought I'd wait it out inside. So I trawled the interwebs looking at vintage patterns and new underwear.


Then, when I got home from work I looked in my vintage patterns to remind myself what I already have that I want to use very soon, and was a little gobsmacked to discover that I'd bought the same Home Journal pattern TWICE, in exactly the same size. The 2nd copy will have a home with Desir Brulant(assuming she likes it!).


I also have in my stash Marian Martin 9251 - but will need to add a photo to my album before I post a pic.