Just Keep On Keeping On Dress

Frocking with a Sewing Injury is No Joke.   Alas, I've been in such a state going on 3 weeks now.  Just this dress has been eeked out during that time.   

~ I am bereft from the lack of sewing ~

The same injury is grossly limiting my computer time as well.  Yikes almighty.

~ oh, but look at the pretty flowers ~

Is it just because I've been sewing 8 hours a day for the 5+ years of Project Minima, that suddenly all the aches and pains have jumped up and taken over my left shoulder?   Along with bad sewing posture?

During this enforced time off, I have lowered my sewing machine 3.5" by cutting a hole in the computer desk and letting it sit on the keyboard sliding tray.  Perfect.  I also raised the cutting table 8" by setting the legs on empty coffee cans.  Perfect.  Raised the office chair some more.  Put a box under the desk to raise my feet.  Still not great, but better.

~ my 3 hour dress that took 3 weeks ~

Made from a Tina Givens Iris dress pattern.  I luv the design and it's only 2 pattern pieces:  the dress and the collar.  (Well, 3 counting the pockets).  Very simple.  Nevertheless, the instructions are off regarding the collar.  So just go your own way there.

~ the collar/ cowl can be worn all sorts of way - even as a hood! ~

I also spent quality time organizing my sox drawer(s).  For real.  sigh.   And lots of sleeping because I just couldn't stand it.  But then, these certainly helped...

~ les sox and docs ~

I'm off to meet with the always lively Patti and the Visibles at Not Dead Yet Style.  And then Catherine's I Will Wear What I Like and Cherie's Shoe and Tell when they go live.   Come on by.

Who Made My Clothes?

The Fashion Revolution wants you to ask that question.  Maybe become conscious of consumption.

 I know I make all my own clothes...

~ these are from old tablecloths ~

~ but where they came from, I have no idea ~

Is there a limit to how conscious one can be?  Probably not.  Maybe a balance?  Certainly rationalizations abound.   And questions.

~ I never expected to sew all my clothes once upon a time either ~ 

Like where do I buy my fabric?  Or better yet where is it manufactured, how, by whom?  That sort of thing.  I haven't gone that far, that deep.  Nor am I likely.  But who knows, I never expected to sew all my clothes...

 

~ nor get all my shoes from ebay ~

It's a start.

I'm linking up with:   the Ethical Fashion Bloggers for Fashion Revolution Week;  Patti and the Visibles at Not Dead Yet Style; Catherine at I Will Wear What I Like and Cherie at Shoe and Tell.  ooo, do you think there's any amethyst in there?  Let's see what Anne says at Spy Girls' 52-Pick me up: Amethyst.



 

Not A Knit Lover...

in the wearing or the sewing of 'em.   And yet, last post I've got on a double fused knit dress and this week...

~ a nice relaxing op art knit skirt ~

It's the outrageous prints that get me.  Okay, but this one wasn't my fault at all.  It was part of a mystery fabric bundle sent to me for free.

~ using Butterick 6219 skirt pattern ~

Made a little too big, but, I didn't know about knits - how they can be made smaller than wovens.  But hey, it's still works.

~ nice boots, huh ~

worn with my velvet and linen trimmed crop top from Tina Givens Frankie pattern along with a dotted swiss cotton blouse from Simplicity 3786.

~ Harley Davidson Moto Boots from ebay ~

worn with lace-capped crew sox.  mmmm, delicious.

And now is the time for all good women to come to the Visibles party with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style!  To I Will Wear What I Like at Catherine's and Shoe and Tell at Cherie's when they go live.  See you all there.

The Separate and Turn Around Dress

Yes, that's all it took.  Some major reconstructive surgery and then everything was a-ok.  See?

~ on the dress, I'm talking about on the dress ~

I was working with the Bristol Dress from the Sewing Workshop Pattern and they always run really large.  So this time I went with one size smaller than I usually do.  uh-oh.  I ended up with a bodycon mini.  Really not my style.


I separated the top yoke from the rest of the dress and decided to add an insert across the front and back horizontally.  That lowered the whole dress to make it both longer and not so tight.  The front band is about 4 inches wide and the back is 6.  Which was cool cuz it make the back sort of swoop down in a twenties kind of way. 

~ me and my back swooping/ swanning pose ~

But first I turned the body of the skirt part around so the back was in the front and vice versa.  It's hard to explain why, but there were no side seams or front seam.  Just 2 diagonal seams running down the back over the butt which was very not flattering.  Turned around it looked cool to have those diagonals running down the front.

I know this is too much information.   But if you sew, it's interesting.  For everyone else...

~  here's an unnecessary pix to look at ~

Too loosen up the skin-tight sleeves, I happened to have 2 very long, narrow triangles of fabric sitting there and I inserted each of them in the underarm sleeve seams.  Then I only had to make a small patch for the back to fit in between the sleeve edge and the back dress edge because of that switcheroo from back to front.  And because of the intense fabric pattern you don't notice them. 

~ oh, and there's another one of my fabric scrap, stitched & beaded necklaces ~

And pockets!  Believe it or not, there were no pockets for this dress.  How ridiculous.  I meant to sew them in the diagonal seams I had turned into the front, but then I forgot and top-stitched over them.  So I used what had been the pieces cut out for the sleeve cuffs for some patch pockets and placed them as discreetly as I could.  The sleeves I just rolled up to show off the other side of the fused knit fabric which was jet black.  Same for the bias binding neckline.

 

~ Les sox and shoe shot ~

Have I had too much caffeine?  I'm on my way to Patti's party with the Visibles at Not Dead Yet Style.  Then off to Shoe and Tell at Cherie's Style Nudge.  And finally Catherine's I Will Wear What I Like when she goes live.  I don't think I can get away with Royal Purple for Anne's 52 pick-me-up this time.  le sigh.