Flip-flop thinking over which pattern to use

I've spent the past week+ dithering over which pattern to use for the linen fabric.

I had been thinking of  either of these Mail Order patterns but the first (4698) has a more enclosed neckline than I even want to think about.

 The second #3356 is more likely though I might scoop the neckline a little lower.

 The third  #9039 will take more work as I need to franken pattern it to a pattern that fits (as it's smaller than me).

I'm even more indecisive on the subject of sleeves.  I really don't like my upper arms - they've been beefy my whole life and the combination of them with narrow shoulders and I feel less like a weightlifter when they're covered.  The point of this dress is to not overheat so no 3/4 sleeves. Short sleeves kinda draw attention to my bust - it's like a solid line across my body.  Cap sleeve, hmmm, they're a bit irritating but perhaps an option.   I'm more than likely overthinking as until I've checked the fabric layout of either of the last 2 patterns (altered to fit me) then I don't know if I have enough yardage for sleeves.

Ramblings on the Lost at Sea UFO dress

One of the procrastinatory reasons is that along with the dress losing it's mojo when I took apart the dress and separated the dodgy bodice from the workign skirt and salvageable sleeves I misplaced the bodice buttons. Ahem.

So when I emptied the 50 litre tub of sewing "stuff" and found the vintage button stash I not only got buttons for the martini print dress but more of the blue buttons for the Lost at Sea dress. I'm aiming to finish that dress this weekend.

Using the gifted button stash

I reminded myself to shop from the vintage button stash I was gifted by re-enactor friends. I have 3 sets, his mum's stash (that I got a few weeks ago) and her mum's 2 stashes that I got last year.    

The martini print fabric that I'm finishing to wear at CoCo - using a different bodice pattern - was incredibly difficult to find buttons for 18 months ago, and now I'm using a different bodice that uses more than 1 button.  I was going to psych myself to catch trains at lunchtime to go to Buttons Buttons Buttons at the Dymocks Building but reminded myself to look in the stash buttons first.

I looked in the 1940-1965 buttons and there were 3 that I really liked, but the 2 larger button designs are all in the photo and I need more than 1 or 2 for this bodice.  The other button has more than enough so I'm really excited to use them.

trying to clear the UFO dress projects

I've realised that as well as making costumes for JAFK & CoCo I need to finish some UFO dresses so I can pack them to wear in the states as it'll be summer there (and midwinter here at home).

One that isn't the oldest unfinished dress is the martini print, and it's unfinished because when I packed (like a drunken sailor) to move house somehow the front bodice pattern piece+cut out piece ended up not with the rest, and haven't been found so far. There's one tea-chest that's still unpacked and it will stay that way cos I'm still trying to downsize all sorts of things. Once I've got room to unpack the teachest, then I'll explore the contents.

On Sunday it finally dawned on me that I don't need to wait any longer if I change my pattern idea - and I have enough fabric for 2 dresses so I can still use the original bodice pieces on a second dress.

I've decided to use this half size Simplicity pattern and get the dress done.

My next problem is getting buttons - I didn't make any notes about where I got them and will have to try all the button options again. Including going to a button shop that relocated closer to Town Hall Station.

December dress plan

I'm not sure why I'm twitching to sew the rayon print, but I have been.  Black in summer - what's wrong with my brain.

So this is the combination I'm going for, though I shall change the sleeves cos my upper arms are the thing I always try to cover/hide.

November dress plan

I'm flip flopping between making the vintage aqua cotton or the rayon print of blue flowers on black.

I'm leaning towards the cotton, so the next decision is the pattern. I'm tempted to wait for #4936 to arrive but instead will frankenpattern #9039 bodice, with 3/4 sleeves. As soon as I've finished the mermaid (July) dress then I can franken pattern and cut out my November dress.

January (Lost at Sea) dress revisited and getting closed to finished. Again.

This dress seemed to have limped along until I finished it at a sewing retreat in May - when I was very disappointed that it just didn't fit. I don't have a photo to share or I would, of the first version where I look like I'm a child playing dress ups cos it's a size too big everywhere, and after I tried to take in the bodice enough for me to be happy.  Not only was it still too large, with the neckline not a clear V shape to suit me but the sleeves were too long, and the underarm too low.

I ended up completely recutting the bodice after buying more fabric. I did unpick the sleeves and recut them - the finished edge of the old sleeve is the new cutting line, along with the header showing how the armscye was too low for me.

The yoke placement that I took so much care over got completely omitted, and the collar is from 9137 instead without the bows at centre front.  In fact the finished dress will look like this if it was button through to the hem (though the skirt is fake buttons).

Tonight I'm hoping to cut/fuse interfacing to the facings and under collar, and finish assembling the bodice.  I didn't unpick the waist seam on the badly fitting dress, instead simply cut the seam off forgetting to rescue the loop for my security pass. So I also need to make another loop, and If I get the bodice done quickly, then for the 3rd and final time I can repleat the skirt to the bodice and insert the zip.

November July Dress already cut out

Editing this post cos I picked/named this dress in July when I cut it out.

I cut this dress out about 3 months ago on a meeting room table after work - and my statement that the print is NSFW (not safe for work) amused the two colleagues who walked past and wanted to see what I was doing.  I may dress less conservatively than I did in the past (lobster print and strawberry dresses) but I'm not sure they knew that I completely grasped the NSFW filter.

I'm using the same pattern as the strawberry dress, but cut slightly shorter to fit onto the 5 yards - yet again a one direction print means a less frugal layout.  I was also very careful how the mermaids were placed on the front & back bodice pieces. I don't want to end up with a starfish placed on bust point!

I got the microdot in navy/teal for the undercollar. Not only do I like the visual contrast, fabric yardage was tight.

October dress is finished

I don't have a full length picture as yet - I'll have to figure out how to set up a timed photo on my phone.  I'm really happy with it, and it's had a lot of appreciation from my colleagues - including from strangers in the lift. I remembered to snap a pic on the train at the start of my commute.

I had to seam the centre back of the upper collar as it's a 1 direction print and I didn't want an upside down cat/bowl on one side.  I carefully placed the upper collar so that there's a cat+bowl in the same spot on each lapel and didn't add a button as it would have looked awkward with this print.

Thankfully I got this finished within 2 weeks of the fabric arriving - as that was a self imposed condition of buying it.

getting back to sewing - an almost finished October Dress

It took me longer than expected to reshuffle the bed & sewing rooms, as I ended up buying a long neglected art deco bed and restoring it as part of the drawn out process.

I'm also looking at my options for 3rd party photo hosting as I'd used Photobucket for over 10 years and they suddenly changed their conditions of use. They're entitled but the complete lack of advance notification, and the dramatically higher than others annual fee ($US400 vs $US40-50) means that I'm going elsewhere.  I know I'm not going to use flickr.

In the past week I've cut out and almost finished a dress - that I'm intending to wear tomorrow.

The fabric is skeleton cats playing with skeleton goldfish bowls.

The pattern is a revisit of mail order 4866, with a pleated skirt, not gores.  This time using the bodice pieces of the strawberry dress as the lobster print dress is a size too big even after taking it in!

I'm making and wearing it an admittedly eccentric In Memory of my father.  That it was a difficult relationship because he was an alcoholic makes it no less sad that he died young - 30 years ago today.

Sewing is so therapeutic - I feel happier for having made something that's worked out.  It's giving me the motivation to finish the tattoo print, and start making my NSFW mermaid print dress.

Cutting out the July mermaid dress.

I would be finishing the martini print but the bodife front pieces are sewn & hiding in sewing stuff. With the pattern piece or I would simply recut & sew.

The mermaid fabric has been insisting that it should be next. Even though I need work dresses, I'm listening to the mojo and cut it out this week. The pattern is the same as the strawberry print because not only was that always the plan but I know it fits. As its a single direction print, and 5 yards is shorter than 5 metres by 20cm the skirt has to be 5cm shorter. I've little wriggle room how I place the front bodice, so I'm going to play with it to ensure there isnt an awkward placing of mermaid boob on my bust point. Not a starfish either.

Rounding up my dress-a-month fabrics

So that I don't have the same "oops where's this month's fabric choice" I've started putting all the dress-a-month fabrics that I spot in one single place - at the moment the end of my chaise lounge.

I have the chocolate with mint, mermaids and blue flower sprays on black. If I can't find the vintage fabric I could switch to the blue flowers on black and 9030 (with extra skirt width by pleats/darts). Way way back when I made a rough plan it was my April choice so this would be early. Also, it would push me towards switching the overlocker to dark. Incentive to finish the February and the poor sadly unfinished March 2016 dress so that I can stay with dark on the overlocker (martini, lobster, blueflowers, mermaid).

March dress plan: vintage aqua abstract + 9392

My work is relocating later in March and I'd mentioned to a couple of colleagues that I had the ideal fabric to go with the colour scheme in the renovated floor in the new building.  So I'd like to have this to wear on my first day in the new building ...

I like this bodice, and will do a quick mock up to see how high that neckline is. I'll probably have to move it down a little, as too high a neckline doesn't work with the family chest. I like the skirt also, but will add more pleats to the back skirt so long as I have enough of it.

The forecast but abandoned plan for January would also work, however I think that pattern will take more altering to fit, so I'll possibly make that in April.

Trying to make the February dress sneakily safe for work

I managed to avoid the extremely hot Saturday by going to stay with a friend who has air-con. Friday was hot enough, but Saturday got to a crazy 46.9C or 116.4F. Yes I'll admit that I've become a little obsessed with the heatwave this summer. This is that day's low / high.

I'm so glad that I don't know what that feels like, cos both times I've sweated through 45C with no air-con it was more than hot enough. She was actually going out on Saturday, and had no problems with me staying and sewing (or even just sitting & reading).

I took my lobster dress to sew if my back was OK with it, and it was whingy enough that I felt it best to let the ligament heal a little more before stitching. Part of me grumbled as she has an overlocker set up with black thread. However getting it out of the wardrobe and moving it could have been much more trouble than it was worth in this instance. Instead I slowly worked my way through cutting out the February Lost at Sea dress. 

It was obvious that Lost at Sea is an one directional print so I had to carefully cut it out with a nap style layout. The pleated skirt was going to be the main issue, as I typically top and tail the side front and side back pieces (sliding one down as otherwise they'd overlap. I might not be phrasing this clearly). I decided to cut the bodice & sleeves out, and other than the collar & front facing which didn't fit, the overall layout had very little wastage. Then I measured the remainder (308cm) divided by 4 and at 77cm, this was about 3cm shorter than the strawberry skirt. So I got the CF and CB cut out from a 77cm each, and the collar fitted next to the side front and the front bodice facing next to the side back.

Remarkably few scraps, especially when I tried very hard to not have the mermaid's "assets" clearly on the bodice, in the hope that although they couldn't be avoided in the skirt, if they weren't obvious on the bodice I could wear the dress to work.  On the back neck her chest will hopefully be covered by the collar, and on the front it'll be in the yoke's seam allowance.  Sadly I didn't notice the right front has a mermaid that isn't under the arm ... we'll see how the darts go.  I'm also hoping that an anchor isn't on target at a bust point.  If it is, then it'll be weekend or social wear only.

I cut the skirt out so that the dress looks like a fake button through - there will be buttons, but it will be sewn as an interfaced fold/pleat, with buttons sewn through all 3 layers.

I hadn't noticed until I got home on Sunday and looked at the half size pattern #4685 that it's a false button through. My reason for looking at it was to see the skirt facing width, except it has no facings. I'll be doing more than 2 false button holes/buttons on my dress.

February dress plan: Lost at Sea nautical print + 4803

Hopefully I'm back on track to making a new dress each month this year. My easy choice for February - because I committed to sewing it for Canberra is the vintage nautical print cotton, and the bodice from the half size pattern 4803.

I could do yet another FBA directly on [a copy of] this pattern, but as I've just done one for my January lobster dress so I'll morph the collar & yoke details onto #4866

Lobster dress gets Vintage buttons from the stash

The only sewing thing I did on Sunday (in the air-con at my friend's place) was to separate out all the red buttons from the vintage stash I was given last year. These are pre-1965, and as much as I like the larger button, they're coat size and far too large scale for a dress.

Given my sewing deadline, I shouldn't be so excited that I slept in until 6.30am today, but I am. The cool change has made it easier to sleep, even though the heatwave returns on Friday.

Edited to add: In my lunch break I pinned all the darts, so that I can start stitching as soon as I get home. I'm fudging the waist dart on the front bodice, partly because I did a dodgy split of the side dart, which meant something creative to keep the arms of each dart the same length. Ultimately I'm doing this by the seat of my pants. I also cut out the interfacing for the collar and facing, so they're also ready to go.

missing patterns and heatwave delays the Lobster dress

Too many 40C+ days in January (last month it was hotter overall in Penrith (Western Sydney) than Darwin. That ain't right.  It's heading to be a record month for February too, with today being the second 43C in a row day out there.  When it's not 40C+ it's humid and that's just as bad to sew in.

Also, my fitted pattern from the strawberry dress is in hiding somewhere, along with the pattern I morphed for the martini dress. I put them somewhere safe, and I'll come across them as I organise the sewing room. They're not in my bedroom nor in the lounge, nothing sewing there other than books in the bookcase.

I've given up trying to locate them and I'm staying in the office after I've clocked off work to use the air-con and meeting room table to do the alterations from scratch on the January dress pattern. I'm only using the bodice from #4866, and using the idea of the martini dress. I brought the Martini dress with me so I can replicate the pieces (by chalking directly onto the lobster print). It'll work out.

Since my insomnia has finally improved, my sleep pattern has dramatically changed. These days no matter what time I go to bed I wake up between 5 and 6am. I joked with a friend yesterday that after 53 years of being an extreme night owl, that perhaps this is a sign of the apocalypse.

I had thought my need to go to sleep hours earlier than I used to (midnight used to be my standard) was because I was so sick & recovering. However the nights I went to bed closer to my old normal, I woke up about 5am anyway.  It's been a bit of a head spinner, something that I have to get my head around the concept that I'm now an early bird. The past week I started going to bed consistently before 10.30pm so that when I wake up around 5am I've had enough sleep and am awake enough to get up by 6am and to the things that I used to do before midnight.

So the good news is that I can sew early in the morning when it's coolest, rather than struggle in the hot &/or humid evening.

January dress plan: rocking the lobster print

The B-52s concert is only 2 weeks away, so I need to start the dress this weekend, as the following Saturday I have a baby shower to go to, and I don't want to be finishing this dress the day before I need it - I've done that far too many times and it's no longer an exciting buzz but a dread of not finishing.

Last year a mid 20th century vintage button stash was passed on to me by historical costume friends who thought I could use it. At least one of the buttons in these will be perfect for this fabric. As I can't remember pre-shrinking the lobster print - thinking I did isn't certain enough - I'll try to do that tomorrow, and hope the predicted showers don't interfere with it drying.

Hopefully I can squeak this dress in as finished before the month ends, but at least it's not going to add to my UFO list.

I'm fairly sure that I'm going to use this bodice, and the multi pleated skirt of my Strawberry Dress. I really like all that fabric in a skirt.

Buttons as nemesis

Perhaps nemesis isn't the right word but so far with my dresses, finding the right button (or even a good enough button) has been a challenge.

It used to be that matching thread used to be the challenge but this year it's the buttons. The raspberry dress was a shocker. The navy of the dress was impossible to match. Ditto the strawberries and though green buttons were the best choice to make the collar not seem out of place, they were really hard to find. I wasn't convinced they were/are exactly the same green, but they work so I'm happy. 

Mermaid buttons, not too hard but the fabric grey isn't the same grey as 99.99% of the buttons.  Even the March dress buttons are niggling at me. Black is too contrasty, the vintage white ones feel the opposite but will likely be the ones I use. I might still end up making covered buttons of the microdot.

The cocktail dress - aiyyy. Navy, who knew a different navy would be just as hard to match as the strawberry dress.  Pale creamy yellow - I found a single one on Satuday, as in one button left in the tube, and it was cracked.  I ended up buying a couple of green buttons, as they were inexpensive and work when I wasn't considering green for a while. That they're not a solid green helps. If I find the holy grail of buttons for this fabric then I don't mind a couple of buttons for waistbands etc.

I always sew a spare button into the side seam allowance, so that it gets laundered as often as the garment. After once losing a button, and getting the spare out of the button box it was obvious that it had faded/changed a little. Enough for the perfectionist streak to be uncomfortable using it and to motivate me to stitch the spare button into the side seam. Given my dislike of hand sewing, that's how you know it really bothered me back then.

I need to look for buttons for the lobster dress, so maybe I'll visit the Newtown button shop on Thursday next week.

Morphing the August bodice front

After work yesterday I used the table to cut out most of the August dress pieces. Thankfully I noticed that the fabric is a single direction print - the half lime doesn't rotate unlike the other markings. I cut the AA4571 skirt (without the CF box pleats), the sleeves, and the bodice back - counting on it being an easier morph of the two bodice pieces.

It's been longer than I thought since I frankenpatterned something for real life clothing. My more recent eyeballing & educated guesses have been for costumes instead.

Today I got all the main seams on the skirt done, and finished cutting out  the bodice back. The easiest of the bodice pieces to adapt.  Then I started moved onto the front bodice pattern. I decided to morph the collar onto the front and rotate some of the crazy large side darting I need to the neck edge.

I started by tracing the top half of the Butterick bodice.

After folding out the neck edge pleats I then traced the neck edge onto my fitted bodice pattern piece, marking where the 2 pleats are on the neck edge.

Next I traced off the top half of the base already fitting bodice piece, making sure that I had enough matching points that I can overlay the end result back onto the full piece. I'd have copied the entire piece if I'd taken my wide tracing paper roll with me instead of the sandwich paper I packed. Then I rotated some of the side dart to the neck edge, aiming to have a similar portion of the pie wedge of darting taken up in these 2 pleats as in the Butterick pattern.

Comparing the two pieces I rotated less than the original, but hopefully it won't matter that much. I'm going to finish making a full copy of the base bodice piece and then match this back using CF and waist dart ends and the lower arm of the side dart.

Tomorrow I can out the front bodice pieces, the front neck [cut out V] facing, the front+back neck bands, and the band's interfacing. I'm also hoping to visit the button shop at The Rocks and get a single button for the neckband.

I'm also working on the March dress. Today the replacement revere/facing were cut out, interfaced, stitched to the back neck facing and once I got home overlocked where needed.  I want to finish the March dress before I switch overlocker threads back to navy for the next 2 dresses. Tomorrow I also tackle attaching the facing/collar to the bodice. After that it's a pretty fast progression to a finished dress.