With good friends you can't lose... oh wait, this isn't the Muppets.
It's 1:30 in the morning, and I have no desire to locate my camera. In the backpack? In a random purse? Right here on the table in the living room, which is current covered in random things because I haven't tidied up in a while? Who knows.
All I do know is that the fronts and back of my Cotton Bam Boo Sweater are DONE. And I already cast on for the sleeves.
I also finished the main sewing-up of my muslin for the dress I am attempting to sew. I paused it after last weekend because I couldn't figure out how to sew in the pocket, or the pooch pouch. Once I decided to ignore the pocket completely, it only took a few more hours to seam the whole thing up. Detailed inspection shows that it, unfortunately, does not quite fit. It's pretty close... but I have to do some thinking about how to fix it. I was so excited to finally fit a pattern size without alterations (even a pattern that already has done the Full Bust Adjustment for me). But I'm just a fraction too petite for the regular, and way too narrow in the back and shoulders compared to what the pattern company imagines for someone of my bust and waist. It's loose in the hips, too, but I actually quite like that!
I originally planned to make the muslin with 3/4 length sleeves, to get more practice with fitting them. If I get the main sheath part of the dress to fit, I'm going to just make it sleeveless. The cotton blend is so soft and cool, that even my cheap fakey muslin would be the perfect little summer dress. Again, if I can get it to stop gaping strangely in the bust and back... I have these hopes that installing a zipper will help, but I have definitely sewn enough to know that it isn't the panacea I could dream of.
This should be a very crafty weekend and week ahead. All I have on my calendar during the week are the Kabbalah class (more on that to come), and of course running. This weekend I'm checking out my neighborhood Saturday farmer's market for the first time, having dinner with a neighbor, and seeing BATMAN. Lots of time in between for working on sweater sleeves. The quicker I can finish them, the quicker I can do some steam blocking, sew it up, and do a whole bunch of ribbing for the neck and button bands! This sweater has to be done before the Olympics, so I am quickly running out of time.
Showing posts with label sheath dress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sheath dress. Show all posts
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
The things you do when you don't do what you should do
I had a huge to-do list for this weekend. Yesterday I blew most of it off. I chose instead to go for a run at the gym (day one of week 5!), and then I did some ab work- I can actually see a tiny bit of difference in my middle already, which is pretty fantastic. After I got back from the gym I moseyed upstairs to the pool, realized I forgot a towel, but managed to find one and get back up to the roof and take a dip despite my apparent lack of mental acuity post-run. The pool felt so delightful, though I only paddled about a few minutes and then read a bit in the sun. I am not a sun-worshipper by any means, but sometimes I just love to spend a half hour soaking it in. After my dip, I went straight to Silver Spring and watched The Muppet Movie at the AFI Silver. It was fantastic, though my pal Ben and I were about the only adults there sans kiddies. Nobody sang along, which I found a bit upsetting. We walked over to Downtown Silver Spring for dinner, and came upon a concert in progress. Live music outside- entertaining. We ate at Lebanese Taverna (oh the deliciousness) and had a nice chat, and cupcakes from CakeLove, before heading home.
After all that fun, I figured today would be chore day. I did manage to do four loads of laundry, and I changed the linens and cooked sloppy joes for dinner. I did some dishes, too. Other than that? Not a single thing crossed off the to-do list. Sure, I finished a book and read a comic. I worked a tiny bit on the sweater back, but am still a good 4 cm away from the back neck shaping (so maybe 5 or 6 cm from finishing the darn thing). I wasn't just sitting around watching DVR without being productive, however. I pulled out one of my sewing projects and got to work!
I realized this afternoon that the main reason I haven't been sewing is that I have no space in which to sew. In Bloomington I had a second bedroom to use as a study and sewing room- an entire bedroom that I could cut fabric in, a sewing machine on its own table, and plenty of room to have my ironing board set up full-time. In a studio, this is a bit more difficult. My big PC died a hard death last week, however, so I haven't been using my big desk at all since then. And I hardly ever use my balcony, so I decided it would be worthwhile to block off the doors by sticking the ironing board in front of them. Et voila, a fully functional workspace!
I didn't get super far on the dress, but that's because I got stymied by the directions for the front pocket. After looking up some reviews on Pattern Review, I realized not only that everyone had the same issue, but most people decided not to add the pocket anyway. Who wants a massive pocket right in the middle of the tummy- a pooch in front of the pooch, so to speak. I definitely am not doing enough crunches to feel comfortable with that myself, so hopefully putting the rest of the dress together should be a breeze this week! I'm making a muslin first, out of some fabric my mom gave me years ago- it's a light blue-green. It will probably be a wearable muslin, assuming the sizing works.
To review, this is the pattern I'm working with:
And here's my new and improved sewing space:
Now, to finish the muslin, make the dress, and finally vacuum and tidy the apartment. And do all those other things I decided not to bother with, in order to sew instead. Here's a sneak peek at what my "living room" looks like when I don't actually bother to tidy up on a weekend. On the sofa- two finished sweater fronts, a nearly-done sweater back, a sweater that needs ends woven in. On the table- 3 books finished this weekend, 7 library books to read, one in progress. Measuring tape. Pita chips and marshmallows (it's been a cocoa week). And next to the coffee table is a cross stitch project and the stain-guard I really need to use on the sofa!
After all that fun, I figured today would be chore day. I did manage to do four loads of laundry, and I changed the linens and cooked sloppy joes for dinner. I did some dishes, too. Other than that? Not a single thing crossed off the to-do list. Sure, I finished a book and read a comic. I worked a tiny bit on the sweater back, but am still a good 4 cm away from the back neck shaping (so maybe 5 or 6 cm from finishing the darn thing). I wasn't just sitting around watching DVR without being productive, however. I pulled out one of my sewing projects and got to work!
I realized this afternoon that the main reason I haven't been sewing is that I have no space in which to sew. In Bloomington I had a second bedroom to use as a study and sewing room- an entire bedroom that I could cut fabric in, a sewing machine on its own table, and plenty of room to have my ironing board set up full-time. In a studio, this is a bit more difficult. My big PC died a hard death last week, however, so I haven't been using my big desk at all since then. And I hardly ever use my balcony, so I decided it would be worthwhile to block off the doors by sticking the ironing board in front of them. Et voila, a fully functional workspace!
I didn't get super far on the dress, but that's because I got stymied by the directions for the front pocket. After looking up some reviews on Pattern Review, I realized not only that everyone had the same issue, but most people decided not to add the pocket anyway. Who wants a massive pocket right in the middle of the tummy- a pooch in front of the pooch, so to speak. I definitely am not doing enough crunches to feel comfortable with that myself, so hopefully putting the rest of the dress together should be a breeze this week! I'm making a muslin first, out of some fabric my mom gave me years ago- it's a light blue-green. It will probably be a wearable muslin, assuming the sizing works.
To review, this is the pattern I'm working with:
And here's my new and improved sewing space:
Now, to finish the muslin, make the dress, and finally vacuum and tidy the apartment. And do all those other things I decided not to bother with, in order to sew instead. Here's a sneak peek at what my "living room" looks like when I don't actually bother to tidy up on a weekend. On the sofa- two finished sweater fronts, a nearly-done sweater back, a sweater that needs ends woven in. On the table- 3 books finished this weekend, 7 library books to read, one in progress. Measuring tape. Pita chips and marshmallows (it's been a cocoa week). And next to the coffee table is a cross stitch project and the stain-guard I really need to use on the sofa!
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