Oven like weather, also known as a heatwave

It hit 43.4C (110F) out west yesterday, and "only" got to around 34C or 93F in the city where I work, and the forecast  out west for today is 42C, so I've already bought a cheap movie ticket for in the city after work. Anything to delay travelling back out to the oven.

We've already had a 44.5C day - which was insane but bearable cos once it got over 40C the humidity went away.

Sadly, the humid days before I came back to work triggered an auto-immune flare that has been ridiculously painful. I'm grateful that I have some endone tablets (oxycodine!) left over from after being in hospital. I've not taken any yet, but knowing they're there has helped me cope mentally.

It took me longer than I expected to get back to feeling well, so I've not started sewing yet.  I'm definitely getting twitchy to do that, which helps me feel even closer to my normal.

I wanted to make a loose/light weight dress or two for wearing around the house, and got out of stash a 4m length of lawn that I was going to use for a caftan-like gown. Instead I decided it would be better as a 1920s day dress. Scratch than from this project.

I have a couple of other fabrics and will locate them, but suddenly realised that the babydoll woven cotton nightie with a built in bra (wire free) that I bought from Bravissimo a few years ago would be an ideal style, providing comfortable support but it's too short for this purpose.  I'll take a couple of photos to share of how they manage the back closure without the dress back being fixed to the bra band.

I scoped out wirefree bras in my size (giant boobs of doom) and found Ulla by makebra.com and it was and will be available as a PDF download, except they're updating their website so their shop is down at the moment. So hopefully it'll be up again by the end of the month.  They still have the page available for instructions on making Ulla style.
















At home, once everything is unpacked properly - or enough to be seen as a reliable tenant - and I have some $ saved I'll ask the real estate for permission to install ceiling fans in the bedrooms. It'll make sewing and sleeping easier in weather like this.  Heatwaves suck, it only got down to 29C/84F overnight and was already 34.5C/94F at 7am when I got up to get ready for work.

a quick pic of my1920s outfit

I had a fabulous time at the 1920s lawn party & will post more photos when I have time on my computer at home (not tonight cos I'm going to see the Cure in concert).

I used a bone brooch to gather up the centre front of the collar, and am really pleased with much better the dress looked. Wearing the right underwear, accessories and make-up also helped me feel much happier with me+the dress. It's looser than I would like, but as it has no side fastening it needs to be able to go over my acreage of boobage.

Here's a quick post with a photo taken by Desir Brulant. I haven't even seen my own photos from the weekend.

Sewing project completed at last - waiting from back in January

Way back in January I was dithering over a 1920s dress for the Roaring 20s festival.  A dress that I didn't finish then cos I got some virus and the start of my missing sewing mojo (which would normally have me power through regardless).

What I didn't blog about was the dress I started making back then.

I borrowed this OOP Vintage Vogue pattern #2535 from a bestie.

I found some black rayon in the stash, and got enough of this embroidered border silk/cotton to use on the lower band with a straight hemline.  I used the plain top half of the silk/cotton to line the sleeveless bodice.  I'm planning to do a shaped hand rolled hem, following the lower edge of the embroidery. 

Inspired by reading this blog post by witness2fashion on 1920s Accessories: what's missing? I'm also going to gather the centre front line of the cape collar because with my boobs it just doesn't look quite right, and I'm thinking of placing a 20s-ish brooch over that. I also have a giant peony fabric flower that I'll put towards my left shoulder to draw the eye up towards my face. 

I'm not going to look my prettiest because I'm a short stout woman and not the ideal figure for 20s, but I'll look fashionably dressed and that's what counts.

Oh, and I finished the dress earlier this week, and am wearing it to a 1920s lawn party on Sunday.

In lieu of actual sewing - here's a new-to-me 1920s drawers pattern

I bought this Pictorial Review Pattern on The eBay earlier this year because I was fascinated by how it's a fusion or mash up of bloomers and 20s loose leg drawers.  So fascinated that I had to buy it - it wasn't spendy - and I do plan to grade it to my size and make some myself.  I've seen open legged patterns, and fully banded  but not this half'n'half version.

PPS I still haven't finished my strawberry print dress. That sewing mojo is still in hiding.

Needing a non dress-a-month 1920s dress

Last night I got my January dress fabric out of storage and pre-shrunk it. I also discovered that it's only 112cm wide, not the 150cm. I'd thought for the past 6 years.  Thankfully I have enough fabric for the pattern, though there won't be enough for a dress and blouse.

My Dress-A-Month plan is external to any costume sewing I have to do, so the Australia Day weekend I'll be making another dress to wear early in February.

The Roaring 20s festival is on next month in the Blue Mountains and I've nothing suitable in either my real life or costume wardrobes (yes I have one for each).  To be honest I'm so not a flapper era shape. What I am is a bit of a nerd/geek/dork who cares about being well dressed.  So I also scoped my 1920s suitable fabrics, and with a lot of flip-flopping on decisions I'm going to use some silk/cotton voile I bought near the end of 2007.  It's seafoam, a colour that isn't out of period and angular enough a floral to be art deco.  I don't think I'll ever get around to using it as a sheer crinoline era dress - my original vision - but I can get use from the fabric now. I still might have 10metres left at the end so we'll see if I can have my cake and eat it too.

I'm borrowing a pattern - mainly cos I refuse to have bare arms as my shoulders are narrow and my arms and bust are not. It makes me feel uncomfortable and I can't quite see this fabric in the dress pattern I have (Past Patterns 3212, a 1925-26 dress) or maybe I should.  I'm borrowing a Vintage Vogue pattern 2535 from Desir Brulant, which has a capelet to cover my upper arms.

Now I'm flip flopping on the pattern to use.  I'm not usually so indecisive, so it shows that i can't see myself in this era.

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.