Isn't She Lovely...

Singer 151G Dress Form

...this new dress form of mine!  yippee.  yippee again.

My darling dearest just bought it for me from Amazon and boy, am I grinning!  It should be here by Thursday Sept. 8th!  heeheehee.  I'm so thrilled I can barely write about it!!!!!!!

Only those who sew can know how cool this is.  No more trying on E N D L E S S L Y whatever you're working on, especially when it's re-constructing or working without a pattern.  No more getting stabbed by pins and having them fall out.  No more just sewing it anyway, having it not work out, and ripping it apart to start over - again.  And just being able to see how it looks on.  woo-hoo!  And won't it look better being photographed on her rather than a hanger?   Stay tuned.

Full Transparency Here

Image by Helen Heibert

Yep, another sheer one is up and ready to wear.  geez louise, it took a long time - that stuff is so hard to handle.

Anyway, I de-constructed an old, cool, see-thru, bohemian dress - like totally, man.  And added a middle insert to lengthen and widen it a bit.  Then embellished it with navy lace of varying widths in between the sections.  So it's basically the same idea: a big-style, funky, see-thru dress.

Next up:  another sheer sheath to wear underneath it?...

You Know You Got It, If It Makes You Feel Good

Art Dress by Cecile Belmont

Worked on a nightie, in fact, I have it on now!  So comfy.  This one was really ready for the trash-ola.  But fished it out and thought why not play around - there's nothing left to lose here.

First up, I took out all the tucks and then the button tab down the front bodiice.  Now there was room for me to actually wear it. 

I Love Calla Lilies, Rally Ah Do

Still of Katherine Hepburn from Stage Door

My oh my.  I have just completed an ensemble I do believe.  It was tres difficile pour moi since I was working from large bits of irregularly cut scraps that I had on hand and built it up into a dress from that starting point.  If you get my drift.  Plus it was a sheer, slippery, ravel-y material and I had to try it on endlessly to see where it was all going: how it was fitting

Because 2 Sheers Can Make It Right

Installation by Helen Storey

Okay there's been many days since I was here last, but it was not for lack of doing.  Heck no, I was doing like crazy.  I am happening, man.  I have so many pieces going I just can't stop.  Really.  I am having fun.  And just so you don't get worried - this is not in a bad way.  no, no, no.  A bit obsessive, yes, but that's me with my laser vision when I get onto some creative idea.

Enough about my process. Here's what I've been working on:  I completed a dark navy sheath.  I don't know what it would actually be called, but it's very simple and comfortable and lightweight.  Originally made awhile back and never worn, now I cut off the top/yoke, added some wide straps and side extensions and that's it!  But it got me going onto all these other dresses because it's somewhat sheer and I thought it would look too cool with a sheer undershift...or maybe a sheer overshift.  So I went through my closet and fabric stash for other sheer-ish stuff and, well, that'll just have to be another story.

Mending My Wares

Installation by Mary Tuma

Doing some mending and seam ripping lately.  yin and yang, ya know.  And finished my fav p.j. top while I was at it.  I had thought it was a goner with a big rip in the middle of the fabric on the top front.  But now that I'm a rehab specialist, I had another look-see.  No problem, says I, and while I'm at it, might as well adjust the fit to, well, fit better. 

So I worked my magic as you can see for yourself.  I put a pocket (you can never have enough!) over the mended rip. yada yada yada...

I found lots of extra fabric behind both the button flap and the loops (rather than button hole) flap.  So with some effort (seam ripping), I was able to

Viva Madonna

Painting by Kris Dodd

Continuing in the same mood, so to speak, I took on some old white cotton pillow cases and turned them into a lovely summer skirt.  The cotton was really worn and so soft, ahhh, and had heavy crocheted lace trim, ohhh.  It was the easiest thing.  Open them up along the seams, sew the sides

Bits and Pieces

Drawing by Kiki Smith

Rehabbed a very old, way too small camisole yesterday and this morning.  Used some left-over scraps of white cotton and a nice bit of ribbon trim, a little snip here, some seam ripping there, pinning to test for fit, and then sewing it on up.

Not too bad for turning old into wearable...

Come Sail Away with Me

Installation by Susan Stockwell

Actually started this way back when, but didn't know how to end it until a couple days ago.  Made from a couple of lightweight white cotton blouses taken apart and put back together to make one that fits nicely.
Kinda like a poet shirt...or is it a pirate shirt?  You know the type - all romantic and flow y.  That's me.

Look Out for Big Tanks

Installation by Robin Lasser and Adrienne Pao

Whipped out a sweet tank top to wear under whatever...It was a rehab that went relatively smoothly, especially since I had extra fabric stashed from days gone by.  Again, I can be so organized!

It looks just like it did before - only a gazillion times bigger in size.  Too bad you can't really judge scale in my pix...yeah.

Oxford Gone Wild

Sculpture by Guerra de la Paz

A plain vanilla button-down oxford shirt no longer, that's for sure.  Well, it wasn't actually vanilla, it was charcoal gray with tiny white grid lines, but still a very conservative, very plain shirt.  I don't think I ever wore it.  And now it was too snug anyway.

I had already cut the bottom half off to use as a waistband for the gray cotton skirt I recently reconstructed, so the rest of it was laying around.  And I thought...what the h~ll, I might as well.  hee hee.  So check out what happens when dear ole oxford finally just let it go.