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Whether it's a greater awareness of fit or improved skills or simply self preservation, I've learned both to pin fit and thread baste seams and to try a garment on before stitching anything permanent. It's a version of slowing down to speed up.
My new serger, a Janome 1110DX, has a mark on the foot that when lined up with the basting line will stitch and serger along it. I like that feature.
The waist of this dress was going to be snug so I angled the side seam from the underarm out at the waist and then back in again at the hip using a chalk line to mark where the stitching went.
Notice that a portion of the waist seam is pressed open. I'm thinking about how to do that neater next time. This method reduces bulk in the sideseam but exposes a portion of the seam allowance. The same thing would happen if I pressed one seam allowance one way and one the other although that would give me a fabulous, bulk free, intersection. Pressing them both open would again expose one side of the seam allowance and that might be okay IF I finished it in a fun thread color or IF I add a lined skirt.
Isn't this little back vent cute? Details are so fun. The whole dress is coming together nicely and I'm not unhappy with the weight of the test fabric since the pleats are hanging correctly. However, I do think the fabric has too much lycra in it. I'm wondering if I'll have saggy butt syndrome after the first wearing. I'm not too worried about that since this is not a color I'd wear often. It's what Ron Collins described as dirty denim in the Jeans Couture DVD. I almost feel like I should be taking out the sandpaper and stressing it - VBG.
Apparently, I had too many coffee dates yesterday as I'm not done the dress yet but there's not much left to do - tack the lining along the zipper, top stitch the neckline, and that's it. When I pinned the lining in place, I started to laugh. Now isn't this "necklace" quite the distinctive marking of an uncommon seamstress - an eye-catching piece of "jewelry". Too fun. It had me thinking about creating some kind of necklace and then... did you notice in their new spring pattern line-up that McCall's has a jewelry pattern?
Yesterday morning, I was debating adding button loops to the dress and then ran across this image on another blog. It's the Michelle Dress from Mod Cloth for $59.99. Apparently I will "exude first-lady class" and become a "style icon when onlookers notice the fine details" if I wear this dress... or mine... which looks darn near the same only I like the sleeves and neckline of mine way better and it only cost $6.00.
Isn't this dress GORGEOUS. It's the Emerald City Dress from ModCloth for $179.99. It will - apparently - "provide you with all the stylish panache your event requires". LOVE the linen. I have a New Look 6808 pattern that would be a good starting point. I'd make a top and skirt rather than a dress.
Guess what I saw yesterday. Foreign objects. Slips. Yes... exactly... slips in black and white and full and half. Something that we haven't been able to find anywhere in forever because apparently nobody was wearing them. I have - for years and years and years - been an advocate of three things: slips, pantyhose, and back combing. I laughed at some of Christopher's comments in Staging Your Comeback. Here's what he says on page 116...
I don't know when this bare essential got left by the wayside but a slip can vastly improve even the most flimsy unlined skirt or dress...... For styles that reveal what lies beneath, show us something pretty. A little lining goes a long way in helping your garments slip and glide rather than stick and cling.
... and about pantyhose on page 109-110...
Tanned, toned and spray-painted legs might make it in the evening but white, scrappy-kneed, spider-veined legs simply will not. In most cases sheer hosiery is just more flattering than going bare... I'm not talking about what feels good or what's fashionable; I'm talking about what is considered attractive.
... and about backcombing on page 152...
No, it doesn't damage your hair. No, it won't look like a beehive if you do it right. Learn how. It will always and forever give you control over that split in the crown.
THAT split in the crown - when I see it on other women because mine is backcombed and glued in place - DRIVES ME CRAZY. It's all I can do not to pull out my comb and fix them. Remember, I'm a dramatic. Hair is important to me to say nothing of the fact that I used to be a hairstylist.
Staging Your Comeback is an excellent book. I finished it yesterday and there are a lot of solid, useful tips aimed at women in their second act as he calls it. The makeovers in the back are jaw dropping amazing. Christopher obviously knows his stuff - even if he never ever talked about eye-glasses. Reading the book made me want a make-over. Wouldn't that just be so much fun. What I liked about Christopher's approach was his intent to make me look my best me and not what someone else thought I should be. YES YES. It' s a keeper.
I'm off to sew. I plan to wear the dress on Sunday and will get a finished picture for you then. Have a great weekend - Myrna
Grateful - enjoying a wonderful mother-daughter relationship with Jessica and that both of us have a willingness to work at it
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Personal Growth - Your creative self is alive and waiting for your invitation to evolve! Dare to embrace your creative self and manifest your dreams. Recognizing your creativity leads you into a life of self-expression, fulfillment, and contribution. - from The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women by Gail McMeekin.
It's easy to overlook the thing that we good at and passionate about and fail to realize that not only is it our sanity saver, it's also our outward expression of our inner self and a way to share, support, and encourage others. I'm so thankful for what creativity has added to my life. I can't imagine what life would be like without this drive and ability to create. In particular, I'm thankful for a return to sewing fashions. These last four months have been a healing and nurturing time for me. Sometimes, I think it's "only sewing". It's so much more.
Tanned, toned and spray-painted legs might make it in the evening but white, scrappy-kneed, spider-veined legs simply will not. In most cases sheer hosiery is just more flattering than going bare... I'm not talking about what feels good or what's fashionable; I'm talking about what is considered attractive.
... and about backcombing on page 152...
No, it doesn't damage your hair. No, it won't look like a beehive if you do it right. Learn how. It will always and forever give you control over that split in the crown.
THAT split in the crown - when I see it on other women because mine is backcombed and glued in place - DRIVES ME CRAZY. It's all I can do not to pull out my comb and fix them. Remember, I'm a dramatic. Hair is important to me to say nothing of the fact that I used to be a hairstylist.
Staging Your Comeback is an excellent book. I finished it yesterday and there are a lot of solid, useful tips aimed at women in their second act as he calls it. The makeovers in the back are jaw dropping amazing. Christopher obviously knows his stuff - even if he never ever talked about eye-glasses. Reading the book made me want a make-over. Wouldn't that just be so much fun. What I liked about Christopher's approach was his intent to make me look my best me and not what someone else thought I should be. YES YES. It' s a keeper.
I'm off to sew. I plan to wear the dress on Sunday and will get a finished picture for you then. Have a great weekend - Myrna
Grateful - enjoying a wonderful mother-daughter relationship with Jessica and that both of us have a willingness to work at it
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Personal Growth - Your creative self is alive and waiting for your invitation to evolve! Dare to embrace your creative self and manifest your dreams. Recognizing your creativity leads you into a life of self-expression, fulfillment, and contribution. - from The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women by Gail McMeekin.
It's easy to overlook the thing that we good at and passionate about and fail to realize that not only is it our sanity saver, it's also our outward expression of our inner self and a way to share, support, and encourage others. I'm so thankful for what creativity has added to my life. I can't imagine what life would be like without this drive and ability to create. In particular, I'm thankful for a return to sewing fashions. These last four months have been a healing and nurturing time for me. Sometimes, I think it's "only sewing". It's so much more.
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