Remember the great anticipation of this post? You haven’t heard or seen anything since because UPS, the delivery company people love to hate, made a big boo-boo with my order. That’s the bad news.
The good news is the folks in The Fabric Store’s Auckland HQ & the LA store couldn’t be nicer to work with when it comes to problems.
So my holiday is postponed a bit, awaiting resolution with UPS.
After all, fabric isn’t a widget that can be restocked when it’s returned, whilst a duplicate widget is sent out right away. A wee bit diffy to re-weave fabric back onto the bolt.
So let’s all sit back, have another cuppa, and dream some more about what everything can become when it arrives. Meanwhile, we all know those wools are getting closer and closer, and so are cooler temperatures.
That fabric has a very pale pattern (which oddly shows clearly in photos) and I hadn’t chalked the wrong sides as usual. It was that fatal, “Oh, I’ve used this fabric once so it’ll be ok” thought that did me in. After I’d put sleeves in wrong way round and re-done them once, I discovered I’d still sewn 1 sleeve in wrong side-to wrong side, which meant the seam was on the outside. I gave up at that point, declared the piece a definite muslin, and ironed it anyway. That’s when I realized I’d also sewn the back to the front wrong way round.
Agh. Eeeeeck. Time to de-stress with a favourite “Midsomer Murders” dvd from the library & put me feet up.
When I went back to the capelet Sunday and tried it on, I liked the style & fit very much. However, with heat & humidity still in our weather forecast, something less fitted would better suit. As I said, the Vera Venus is a free pattern, downloadable here, and extremely easy to sew up. Except for me last Saturday.
Meanwhile, have had a lovely Peppermint Cape downloaded, printed out & ready to put together for adjusting & cutting out. Here’s the free pattern and instructions. It’s longer and less fitted than the Vera Venus capelet, and I’m going to try lengthening it even a bit more. A trio of Lovely kiwis have already got their versions made & posted as part of The Monthly Stitch, so you can see how it makes up.
Have yourselves a safe, restful, and creatively fun weekend, and I’ll try to stay outta trouble!
Autumn’s arrived, and it was time to go through clothes stashed away a year ago, dig out boots, start piles for mending (already hemmed 2 skirts), and charity shops, etc. Time away from real sewing. 😉
VOGUE 8750 doing green skirt, middle right
Have view B of Vogue 2637 (1991) cut and ready to zip up. Also have a new pattern (Vogue 8750 green skirt view) cut & ready to assemble. The skirt has so many pieces in such a tight layout it could easily have been a Depression era design. Cut a mid-calf length, and have a little extra fabric in case it needs walking room. Dying to put a godet into something!
Lots more projects in the pipeline at home & work, so posts will slow down.
Hope everyone is healthy, busy & productive!
how clever ! buttons & buttonholes on waistband are decorative on this RTW fall skirt
Have been in alternatively quite different states of mind lately, ogling through the Simplicity Sewing Books received in the mail (more about them later), trying to think 20s instead of 30s a laDownton, and discovering in the light of day that the 2 buttons for the transitional green skirt (currently in the wash before final elastic-waist fitting) don’t match after all.
So will give it all a go, and get it out of me system…
Transitional skirt + button = NOT!
Transitional green skirt. Well, that photo says it all. Off the carefully sewn 2 buttons will come, and we’re down to a plain dark green skirt. Could be worse. At this point, after all the pains from cutting to seam binding to matching thread for top stitching, guess I’m just grateful to have it wearable. We need work horses as well as confetti pieces. 😉
Downton Abbey-inspired. Although we won’t have Downton until 2013, we’ll be hearing and seeing a lot before then. Meanwhile, inspired by that sweeping arm of Lady Cora’s mum as she arrives at Downton and descends from her limo, I might have discovered what to do with a bit of stash from me golden years in California.
stash velour stretches…
Only sticky wicket is the fabric is velour, with a lot of lengthwise stretch. Will need to back it with something to stop gravity, and curtail the too slippery wrong side. Perhaps wool + interfacing. This will require some thought, but might be sorted by the time Downton rolls across the pond come January. Am currently thinking the tunic from Folkwear #264 Monte Carlo Dress…
Simplicity Sewing Books. Decided to use Amazon to purchase copies of the 1930, 1940, and 1950 editions of these, and compare them. Have 20s & 30s thus far. It’s been so great to read them, with 30s including a great section on godets, which the 40s doesn’t mention.
It’s also been tremendous because I’m reminded of how I learned to sew a home in the early 60s. We didn’t have many zippers around, so most of the skirts that got made by any of us had plackets and poppers for closure.
Belt-making kits were unheard of in our house! We used a length of interfaced fabric, or the stiffer belt interfacing if there was any about, and maybe an old buckle. As I recall, sometimes the buckle was the problem — no way to fasten it, so it became more of a sash. he-he!
Ever pursue sleep only to have vivid projects pop up instead of sleepy sheep?
Working on the transitional green skirt must have put wheels in motion without my realizing. You know there are plenty of UFOs lying around here! But those are summer-related, and Autumn’s starting — it’s already almost the middle of September!
~ Rather than waste possible inspiration, yours truly got up & dragged out a solid green silk that’s been hibernating in The Stash for several years.
~ Then, from the bottom of The Pile On The Sewing Table came a blue & green paisley piece contemplated last Spring.
~ Just for spice, I dragged out a blue Banana Republic skirt that needs its nonexistent hem lowered.
…it’s the glue that’s tenaciously holding a self-fabric bow in place. Some of the glue is gonna stay on the hat (see photo below – I pulled up a bottom corner of the bow), but I’d rather not worry about covering it up. I’m lazy!
thinking rayon seam binding. After spending over an hour trimming and zigzagging seams on the transitional green skirt, I realized the only way the seams will last and look decent after repeated launderings is if they’re bound. Continue reading whinging at seams……→
Here are the buttons I found for the skirt. I like the button on a point rather than a side, as the pocket is set on the diagonal. (Click any of the photos to go to the full screen slide show, then Escape or click the x in upper left corner to come back here.)
