silk ribbon arrives

I have one less reason to procrastinate over the lounging robe, as today the silk ribbon arrived from the states.

Even better, it's a great colour match. Not perfect, but 99.5% ideal.  It ooks better in real life than in the photo so you'll just have to take my word for it.

 

I wonder how long it will take me ... but I'll have it for next summer!

ribbon trim selected at a distance

The selection of silk ribbons locally is the narrow embroidery stuff that's carded with a couple or 4 yards, and nothing wide enough for this.  So I've ordered a 15m roll of silk ribbon from Cam Creations, and I'm hoping that I picked the right blue. I didn't want pastel and royal would be wrong too.  So fingers crossed it blends in nicely once I have it in my grabby hands.  Then I'll be compelled to start sewing it, which should be quick. Though not as quick as if I stuck to the pattern.

At least the fiddly shaped, appliqued neck facing is the type of fiddly stuff I enjoy doing.

I started mentally flip flopping on my fabric choice, and trying to self-justify buying something else. Cos yes, this colouring is no longer as flattering as it used to be, but hey I need to use what I have and it's loungewear for a spinster who lives alone.  I have a vast and diverse stash of fabrics, nerdily spreadsheeted into categories, so I know I have high hundreds of metres.  I'm trying to use and not buy this year. Firstly cos I just have so much that needs and wants to be used. Secondly, it's money that I don't have to spend as it already has been. Surviving on fresh/frozen fish & fruit is unsuprisingly a spendy thing. I'd planned to pay off the nastycard this year but seem to be throwing $$ at food every week. Tinned fish is tolerated once a week, more than that and I get the squiffies.

But the compulsion to buy was strong in me, and I ended up trawling fashionfabricsclub and finding some lawns & light-weight cottons that might suit me better and I put a couple in the shopping cart, plus samples of more.  I managed to talk myself down to one yardage +samples,  and waited a couple hours. When I went to order it the servers at work were having issues & it timed out.

Saved by technology.

planning some loungewear

As I haven't had the oomph to sew yet, I've been doing a little scheming for when I can. I've fossicked in the stash for something suitable, or near enough for the 1920s Decades of Style #2601 negligee.

I found this cotton lawn, which I wasn't sure was right for the pattern and started looking at fabrics online.

And I had to give myself a good talking to about shopping the stash first, and then going back and either shopping the stash second or changing the pattern so that I can indeed use up the 100s of metres of fabric I already have.

There isn't enough of the plain blue, but there is of the kitty cotton lawn I got a few years ago in a moving sale.  I plan to make a design change on the neckline, such as a plain blue appliqued facing with a V- or maybe a russian-inspired opening. Something like Simplicity 1189 - not owned by me however.

I've also come up with a cunning plan to edge the sides of the DoS negligee. The original is hem stitched and slashed between to give a picot edge to the drapey bit. ugh, am so not handsewing if at all possible.

My first alternate solution was to make narrow bias from the plain blue cotton ... and whine the whole time to anyone and everyone.  Instead I now have the brighter idea of getting narrow china silk ribbon and binding the edges with that. It'll highlight the drape, and it's all straight lines so I can get away with ribbon.  Come payday this week I'll order it online.

pattern MIA for too long

late last night I decided that as I'd been missing half the pattern pieces for a year, that I would replace Decades of Style skirt pattern 3004.

That way I might find the half cut out skirt ... started on the first Saturday in 2012 and packed away in June/July. Now I can't find that, so I figure if I replace the pattern I might find the skirt and if I don't at least I have the pattern again.

While I was at it I ordered a 1926 negligee, I've always liked the look of it and if I was going to pay more for international postage than the single pattern, then I might as well add another pattern.  I'll change the neckline of the negligee, either a slit or v at the front. I hates things around my neck.