The Finished White Wendy Dress

On Sunday, a friend and I met in the middle and went fabric shopping and out for lunch in Vernon. I finished the white Wendy dress the day before so wore it and received lots of compliments. It's very comfortable to wear.

The original has caped sleeves only my friend wore it with a t-shirt underneath with 3/4 length sleeves. Since that's my preference, I drafted my version that way as well as lengthened it.

For the neckline, I let the wrong side of the knit roll over and then tacked it in place with an overlap stitch and top-stitched the seams. I'm really pleased with how it turned out and have some black fabrics to try it in again, probably later in the fall since that will be more of a fall/winter version.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - an outing with a friend

The White Wendy Dress

Tuesday was one of those days when a simple task that should have taken a couple hours ended up taking all day and still wasn't done and when any news was not good news. The great thing about those kinds of days is that there's plenty of room for improvement.

Cleaning the jewelry section took a little longer than I expected but now absolutely everything has been sorted into labelled jars. It's the beginning of a system that I am sure will be fine-tuned as I learn more about doing the work but for now, it's more organized than it was and this is good.

 

My friend Wendy is an amazing dresser. Her ability to put together and accessorize outfits inspires me and luckily we have the same body shape and similar taste. I've learned so much from her. The other day, she was wearing this white dress. The upper section is knit and the lower two are woven and between the upper and middle front pieces, there are inseam pockets. I told her when she took it off, I wanted to copy it and that's what I did yesterday.

The garment is symmetrical which made it easier to copy by folding on center and tracing each section. To do that, I lay white paper over my pressing surface, pin along the seam lines, and then mark the pin positions with a line of pencil dots that I then connect to get the shape of each piece. And then...

... I use a French curve to smooth out the lines. As you can see above right, copying can end up with some wonky lines that need to be reshaped. I sized up at the same time since Wendy is smaller than me and I wanted more width. I also...

... wanted the length to be just below the knee instead of just above so I added three inches to the middle and bottom sections and then cut apart the pieces and added seam allowances. When I traced the garment, I traced to the neck at center and to the underarm at the side and then used my favourite t-shirt pattern to draw the armhole, shoulder, and neckline shapes that I know work for me. On the original, the front has three sections and the back has two. On mine, both the front and the back have three sections.

Right now, I'm test sewing my draft and so far it's fitting together well. The top is a grey knit with a vertical, white pin-stripe that is hard to see. The middle section is linen and the bottom section is cotton - all remnants. It's basically a free dress! Next, I want to audition some fabrics for the neck binding and possibly for patch instead of in-seam pockets and figure out what sleeve length I want. I needed a fun, nurturing day in the studio and it was just perfect. YES YES!

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a studio day

Have More Fun

Last week was both a mix of stuff to do and a mess of stuff, both inside the house and out. I know it eventually comes together but in the soup of it all, mess can be a bit disconcerting. I've lost track of what I talked about in recent postings so I may repeat myself. If so, I'm sorry.

I was finally able to get back to work in the yard this past weekend and filled in the upper decking at the edge and built the stairs between levels. They are temporarily tacked in place at the moment. Part of the deck still needs leveling before I can finish the stairs however, this is progress. I also swept all the mud off the studio deck from when my grandsons were playing there and hung up the outdoor - battery operated - light that was part of my birthday gift from my husband. It looks lovely.

Inside, I'm having some changes made to the basement suite to make it more user friendly for my tenant, currently my youngest son. Originally, there was only one four foot wide closet that wasn't even full depth. It has now been extended into what was my storage space and is six feet wide and deep. I still have plenty of storage so this is a win-win. The workers also took down the wall between the very small bedroom and the main area creating a studio apartment which may sound counter-intuitive except that the suite is not very big, just under 300 square feet, so less needs to be more and this is more open and brighter. I also added some more kitchen cabinets. Ideally - says the mother in me - this will mean a cleaner, neater space now that there is actually somewhere to put things. I hope.

With all the work going on, it's been virtually impossible to get anything done in the studio so I've been sorting, sifting, clearing and cleaning. Several times a year, I like to go through absolutely every box, basket, closet, cupboard, drawer, and container and decide what stays and what goes. Not only does it open up space and create more flow, I literally touch everything I own which gives me plenty of ideas on what to do next.

I have a large thread collection from when I was a textile artist and the best system I've found for storing it is in jars by colour and by regular or specialty thread type. In the jewelry section, I need to come up with a similar system for pieces to be recycled as well as findings, chains, and other components. I've been given a lot of jewelry, accepted under the condition that I can decide what I want and donate the rest. I've decided not to keep anything that is plastic and to take apart the pieces and put similar parts together such as beads, focal stones, or clasps. This will - hopefully - be more useful but I don't really have enough experience to know yet. Time will tell.

Part of all this cleaning is my normal routine but part of it has to do with the pending second wave of the virus. I think we'll either be locked down again this fall or choose to stay home as much as possible and I want to make sure that I'm ready to maximize that time. I've been accumulating project supplies like interior and exterior paint for the house, stashing up on basics for the studio, and even Christmas shopping so I'm prepared with things to do and won't have to worry too much.

 

Earlier this month, I was thinking about a small, carefully curated, pattern collection and wondering how many of each pattern type - tops, pants, dresses, etc. - I would keep if I wanted to go small with potential. I thought about that idea for a while since there is a lot of creativity to be found working with T & T patterns however, when I thought further about what would nurture me and make a potentially very difficult fall and winter somewhat easier, I realized that I wanted to have more fun with sewing while not thinking too hard. A few months ago....

... I made the decision to not lose or gain weight but rather to work at staying the same size. One of the reasons for that decision was to have the ability to create a more extensive and interesting wardrobe. I am tired of growing out of my clothing in one direction or another, especially as I tend toward a limited wardrobe. Asking myself how would I like to have more fun with sewing clothing, I've decided to try some different styles as well as patterns that are more labour intensive with individually cut pieces or designer details.

With Butterick 6355, I liked that the tank-top-ish bodice would cover bra straps while the off the shoulder sleeves would add a fun element and the hi-low hemline will flatter my hips far more than a straight one. In stash, I have a floral linen that would be perfect. The flower is 6" across to give you an idea of the scale.

My preference is for lower garments that are more architecturally structured and upper garments like the Butterick top that are softer with more flow. That may be one of the reasons I haven't sewn Butterick 6459 yet even though I really like the pleat details and fabulous collar. This pattern came out quite a while ago and this fall may be the exact right time to get to it.

Vogue 1704 is also more structured. It reminds me of the sleeves on a dress I had at a much younger age. I like the way shape is achieved with seams and darts. The fabrics recommended are softer which will make it more approachable. Blouses as opposed to t-shirts are a somewhat of a new adventure which is quite funny because way back when I sewed that dress, I never sewed with knits and now I'm trying to go back the other way.

Five years ago, when I first moved here and was renovating the upstairs of my home, I fell head first down fourteen stairs because my left sock caught on a nail at the top. Luckily, it stayed caught and didn't let go so instead of pitching into the stairwell, I landed against the stair noses with most of the impact on my right hip which is now forever bigger and lower than my left hip. It could have been much worse. I am alive and walking which I remind myself of whenever I feel a grumpy about the styles I'll never wear again. I've always liked asymmetrical hemlines but now they are especially helpful in hiding that lack of balance. I'd like to sew McCall's 7904, view B, in a stable knit to see how that softness might bridge the move from t-shirts to blouses.

McCall's 8025 is again asymmetrical and flattering on my figure and a bit more fun to sew than a basic t-shirt as is McCall's 7975. I don't like the neckline on this later pattern but that's easily changed. What I really like is that I have more than enough fabric in stash to sew these patterns and more. In looking at the wardrobe gaps in my closet, one thing that's missing is some plain but not denim pants. Last Wednesday, I picked up a dark plum, almost black, cord that will make fabulous winter pants. That's another thing I'm working on - more seasonal clothes. Right now, the only difference between most of my summer and winter wardrobe is the addition of a sweater. I'd like more variety between seasons. What are you planning?

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a fabric stash

Slowly Moving Back To Normal

My grandsons left Friday morning and other than changing the beds, washing the sheets, and going fabric shopping, it took me until Monday afternoon to get back to work - namely mowing the lawn. I'm so glad that I'm old enough to realize when I need to rest rather than force myself to do the work, especially as work is never ending. Those repeat tasks never go away and if we don't manage them, they will manage us.

The only sewing I got done while the boys were here was to make some more masks for my husband in a different style with a wire over the nose. Not that I need to tell my story but I can imagine there is some confusion in my writing about both living alone and being married... for thirty-nine years. My husband lives and works just over an hour away. His job is in an essential service so he hasn't been coming on weekends because he doesn't want me to get sick. The long and the short of it is that I have always wanted to live in a small creative community and after years of trying to discuss moving together, I gave up. It felt like I was stagnating in limbo waiting for someday. This is my one and only life too and since he had no idea when or if he would ever be willing to retire or move and I was tired of waiting, I moved. And it's been a good decision. We've found a way to make it work and I am thriving again which is so important. 

 

The boys and I spent one day colouring fabric in the studio. They are using regular crayons on prepared for dying cotton fabric. I took a workshop on this technique years and years ago and haven't used it much since but it definitely re-intrigued me. They created some fabric for Christmas gifts for their parents that I'll sew and wrap for them so there is a gift to give and an element of surprise. As silly as it might sound to some, I've been Christmas shopping because I think we're going to be locked down again and I want to have that all organized and taken care of and just relax. I've also been stocking up for fall projects both in the studio and around the house. Just in case.

In the summer, I find it hard to maintain my daily routine of coffee and then an hour in the studio. Usually that's because of the weather and wanting to get to the yard work before it gets too hot. Only whenever I miss the morning hour for days on end, I become both emotionally and physically tired because that definite hour a day energizes me. It's a daily vitamin. SO... I've been making an effort to take my morning time no matter what and started another version of the Burda 6323 top using some denim remnants. First, I had to figure out if I had enough larger pieces for the pattern.

In one spot on the lower back, the hemline was frayed. Since I normally fuse a strip of interfacing along this edge to help it finish and turn nicely, I was able to incorporate the fray into the interfaced portion and it will be okay. Right now, I'm painting the yoke. I'll talk more about that later.

Things are slowly getting back to normal... sort of. Cleaning up has led to a major cleaning out since - at the same time - I am having the closet in the basement suite made larger by extending it into my storage space which means shifting that stuff while the work is being done. Cleaning and shifting has, somehow but not surprisingly, led to the urge to purge which typically happens several times a year. Right now, I'm going through everything in the entire house with a minimalist, less is more, approach. I prefer to not keep things that I don't use and instead take them to the thrift store so someone else can use them. It always makes me feel lighter with more energy and it increases the potential and flow in my studio. YES YES.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - clean spaces

One Exhausted Grandma

My two grandsons arrived a week ago Saturday and are here until Friday morning - as in almost two weeks with Grandma, just the three of us, no parents. My youngest son is now twenty-six so those days are long gone and I have nothing but admiration for stay-at-home Moms. It's the hardest job ever. AND... I have tremendous admiration for my younger self who raised three kids, often alone while my husband traveled, and they turned out pretty good if I don't say so myself. I not only love them, I like them.

My boys used to play in the back yard with Tonka trucks. I found these two at the thrift shop on my one and only road trip a few weeks ago. What a bonus to find two, not just one, no arguments.

My youngest grandson took this picture. He was randomly shooting images however, blue sky and sun has been significantly missing so far this summer so it was definitely worth celebrating.

The boys used a pile of bricks to construct a fort in the back yard. I had waited on leveling the yard and putting in grass until after their visit so they could enjoy a HUGE sandbox. They love that and they are enjoying playing with the neighborhood kids since they live in more of a hot spot and have been self-isolated since mid March other than for a trip to their other grandparents. Boys need to play outside. This is good. 

This fort is version one - bricks, dirt, wood, an outdoor cushion, and some plants to decorate. While they were building this I was...

... placing rocks around another back garden bed. It's the first yard work I've done in weeks. Although, it felt good to get something done, I'm nowhere near finished the list of backyard chores I had hoped to accomplish while they were playing. Apparently, I am not that girl anymore. Instead...

... yesterday, while they were building version two of the fort, I knit some more of the throw for my swing... while sitting on my swing... which is the first time since I hung it at the beginning of June that I've been able to actually sit and enjoy it. YES YES. The boys like it too although they don't understand the swinging like a rocking chair style as opposed to the swinging like in the park style. It's good to have them. We're having fun. And I am one exhausted Grandma.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - grandchildren