Shirtwaist Dress: Planning Phase Complete. (Yay!)

Seersucker. Black and white seersucker is what I finally decided for my shirtwaist dress. It is in my washing machine right now. Yay (again)! I am working on the muslin and had my trusty superfriend come and check the fit. I was getting concerned that the collar was a bit too big, but she thinks it will work. I am going to have to take in the bust area as it seemed a little too loose on me. But all in all, the fit was pretty good. If I can find someone to take pictures (hint, hint...you know who you are), I will post them.

Shirtwaist Dress: Planning Part II

I don't sleep well at night. I sound like a broken record, I know, but the other night my normal tossing and turning was even worse. Why? Fabric. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Polka dots, silks, linens and cottons. At night I write my posts before I go to bed and I think my fabric post from yesterday crept into every aspect of my dreams. I know now that I am not alone. But sheesh! It was a little crazy.

Project Planning with Fabric Choices

Now that my Vogue dress is done, I am now on to my next project. I have this great shirtwaist dress pattern that I bought (from this lovely etsy seller) the same time I received my vintage Dubarry dress pattern, which turned out to be a little disastrous unfortunately. I am determined to sew this and to make it work (when you say that, does the voice of Tim Gunn ring in your head, or is it just me?)

My Sewing Machine Repair Man: A Tale of a Cranky Old Man

Maybe that is not exactly what he looked like, but it is pretty close. My new sewing machine arrived and I picked it up at the end of last week. Hmmm. "Maybe," I thought, "I should probably take it to get the tension checked and just have it cleaned-up. But where?" Nothing came immediately, so I called my superfriend (let's call her Laurel). She had taken her vintage Necchi to a guy in town a few years back, and she thought he might be able to help. I called to see if I could bring my aqua Janome New Home to his shop.  Let's call my sewing machine guy Gramps.

Ta-Da!: Vogue 1153, Linen Dress Completed!

Yay! My navy linen dress is completed. This was Vogue pattern 1153 with difficulty level of Average (I can only assume because of the ruffles and/or the lining?) There are a few things I would like to tweak should I ever make it again, like the front bodice ruffles and the amount of fabric at the waist. This may be fixed by cutting the correct size. I cut out a size 6, but I wonder if I should have cut out the 4. But, all in all, it was a nice pattern to work with and fun to put together.  As some of you know, the details of the ribbons and buttons gave me such a bad case of indecisiveness. Even more than normal ;)

Vogue 1153: So Close...

I am just putting on the final touches to this dress. I do want to apologize for the not-so-great photos, my camera charger is missing, so I had to use my phone. You can see (kind of) that I went with blue buttons on the belt. They are shell, so that have a nice change of color depending on the way the light hits them. Combined with the linen, I thought it made for a nice summery look. You can also check out the vintage ribbon that I used on the belt. I love it.

Vintage Sewing Machines and The Seduction of Aqua

I have been reading a lot of Peter's blog recently, and he has finally convinced me. Or brainwashed me. Either way, I need a vintage machine. Honestly, I can't put all the blame on Peter, although his one post on the top ten reasons to buy a vintage machine definitely moved me closer to the edge. The final push was the fact that the machine above was - aqua. How cute is that?! I know, it is not the reason to buy a machine, but it certainly did help. And, it was also around forty bucks.

Vogue 1153: Indecision Thy Name is Ribbon (and buttons)

Being decisive has never been my strong point. When it comes to sewing, my indecision levels rise to new heights. I am convinced that since the options are limitless when sewing your own clothes that it makes committing harder. I am constantly second guessing, and always wondering if should have picked the other fabric/button/ribbon/or fill-in-the-blank. My new project is no different. Surprising? Not really.