It’s been quite awhile since my last post, but I have been keeping busy sewing! The school year has started again and with it the traditional hustle and bustle, so I’ve had less time to post about sewing. I’m actually not teaching this quarter — how fortunate am I! — but with writing, presentations, and family life, my schedule nevertheless gets a little packed.
Lately, I’ve been in the mood for going-out style outfits that highlight my curves (but are still wearable in a professional setting). It’s a midlife-crisis thing, I will freely admit. First up on my list was Butterick 6674, the same sundress I’d made previously in a pink-and-lemons rayon.
I’ve lost a little bit of weight since I made the original one — not enough for anyone to notice but enough that it doesn’t hang in quite the way I’d like. For this version I used a rayon from Art Gallery Fabrics. I love the deep pink against the turquoise. It’s surprisingly hard to get this dress to look neat and professional, perhaps because it’s relatively simple. This time I ignored the order of construction and basted the top together, adjusting as I went. I’m pretty happy with the result, except the top of the dress, the part that goes across my collarbones, is somehow way too big. It must be the narrow-shoulders thing I’ve noticed before. Perhaps next time I’ll pinch out a wedge.
Next up: A Cashmerette Holyoke top in a lightweight jersey. I’d originally made it as a dress, actually, but found it to be too short. I must’ve lengthened it the last time I made it. So I just chopped off the skirt and I’m pretty happy with it as a top. This is a really nice pattern, I find: easy and satisfying to sew. I’ve learned to interface the tie and (now) to add some length. I need to take some length out of the bodice, though. It always gapes open, so I’ve had to add strategic snaps to keep it decent.
The same went for the next version of the Appleton I made, in royal blue ponte. There’s not a lot more to say about this, but I like it. I actually wonder if I could go a size down; I have to pull the tie pretty tight to get the definition at the waist.
I’d gotten this silk charmeuse a year or so ago in the Fashion District and finally decided to just take the plunge and turn it into the newer, bra-friendly version of the Ogden cami, which I’d been meaning to try. I do like it a lot, but as you can see, it’s again too wide for my shoulders, which sort of defeats the purpose of the bra-friendly straps.
I went a little racy (by my standards) with the next dress I made, a body-hugging Givre dress by Deer & Doe. (I’m serious about the midlife-crisis thing.) I absolutely horrified my family by calling it a “MILF dress,” but listen: it is what it is. (Thanks in part to some industrial-strength undergarments.) I love it.
Next, a somewhat more mixed success. This skirt had been a dress (I need to look up the pattern number), but it was a disaster: despite my attempt at muslining, it bagged out horribly under my arms. I consigned it to the reject pile for awhile before cutting off the bodice, adding a waistband, and making it a skirt. It’s fine? The shininess of the fabric (some kind of polyester from Joann) highlights every curve and wrinkle. But it’s certainly wearable. And it’s lined, which is nice.
And finally, everyone’s favorite low-effort/high-reward dress: the Tilly and the Buttons Joni. It’s just a fun dress to make and wear. I made it in a cheap terrazzo-printed jersey from Joann and I like it quite a bit. One of these days, I’ll add pockets, though.
Incidentally, I feel I’ve discovered a useful trick for posing for photos. I’d been using a tripod and a remote and just snapping dozens of photos until I got a few I liked. But then it occurred to me: Why not just shoot a video of me posing and then grab the frames I like? I think the results are much more natural, and it doesn’t require a million snaps. You can see the difference in the photograph of the Appleton dress versus the Givre dress; I think I look a lot less stiffly posed and much more comfortable.
Next up: Halloween costumes, of course! Dora wants to be a witch and Davy, as her loyal sidekick, will be a black cat. Dora has issued very specific instructions: she just wants me to make her a black t-shirt and cape. So I will do as I’m told! Davy will get a black top and pants and, of course, kitty ears and a tail. I’m looking forward to a relatively normal Halloween this year. What a relief to have my daughter back in school and nearly back to her old, buoyant self.