A Long Overdo Goodbye

When I first started this blog I spent weeks cutting out a toile for a jacket from an old curtain I got from my
mum, and then put it aside after sewing one or two seams. All the parts are still in my spare room somewhere but they got lost in the mess.

Now I'm cleaning up my house so that it'll be easier to move back to my home town after Christmas, and I'm coming across the bits and bobs that I haven't payed attention to for months. I don't really know what I was thinking. Not only am I not really a toile person, I find it hard to sew things I AM going to be able to wear at the end. I don't want to spend ages sewing something that makes me bored. If I don't fit into it at the end I'll just have to find someone who does.

I have two other projects that need a decision as well, my bed-sheet dress and my gingham dress.

I only have two dresses in my wardrobe, neither of which I wear. It's not their fault, really. One's an airline hostess costume in quite horrible, stretchy fabric, and the other is my 40s dress that needs a summer event to shine and a petticoat (that I don't have) to hang right.

I'm afraid I'm chucking my bed-sheet dress. I know I was never going to wear it and the fabric was on it's last legs to begin with. It was dark from being used, like a carpet that's been walked on every day. It never would have coped with having butten holes put in it because of the weave, either. I'm kinda sad I didn't realize before I cut it up. Maybe I could have made some cushions by using the side that was on the inside, but it would have always looked weird. At least I learned something from this.

The gingham dress will get made, partly because my boyfriend helped me with it and that makes me think of him, and partly because there's a good chance it'll be wearable, at least in spring. If it's not then at least I can give it to the charity shop without feeling embarrassed..

Jackets

I've talked a lot about jackets on this blog for someone who owns so few of them. I talked about corseted jackets, Lilli Ann jackets and hoodies and touched on the subject in several other blog posts but I hardly ever buy them. I went snoop shopping a couple of days ago and spent ages trying on jackets only to leave disappointed. What can I say, I'm picky.

It also doesn't help that I spent most of my life responding to cold by either adding figure swallowing layers or hoodies. You just have to look through the old photo albums to see how much I've failed with jackets, and there was actually quite a nice figure hiding under there somewhere.

Maybe that's why I still have problems buying jackets. I never learned what I liked and what looked good. The combination of a desperate need and reading through the archives of Alreadypretty is making me take a hard, long look.

I pretty much already know that princess seams and nipped in at the waist is good for my shape but beyond that I'm stuck. I don't even know what's available. I guess I'll have to work through my small collection of jacket patterns and learn through trial and error.

As with all things like this, I turn to Google and Pinterest. The jacket below has the shape that I like but it's really the embellishments that sell it for me. I have a weak spot for sparkles.

(source)

This next one is only an illustration but I love the use of fur. It's definitely not a style I'd buy or make as is but there are parts of it I like.

(source)

I had to add this one just for the waist (doubtless requiring a corset) but the silver stripes and the embroidery are quite awesome. I also like the idea of a folded back collar like detail on the bottom corners.

(source)

Those of you who've been around for a while or read some of the earlier posts might remember Newlook 6035. I started trying to make a toile but then put it away to make my 40s dress and didn't go back. I'll definitely have to do that before it gets cold.

(source)

Maybe July will be the month of the UFO (unfinished object).

Got A Surprising Amount Done

I got a surprising amount done on Saturday... but almost none of it was on the jacket. I put in the last tailor tacks but put it aside so I could get some more pattern tracing done before I needed to put away my work station and make room for people to walk in the house.

I had it in my mind to make a 40s dress so that I could go to an event on a refurbished train with a group of friends all dressed up in their 40s clothes. Then I checked my calender. At the end of April, when my friends will be on the train sipping wine, I'll be on a family holiday to the coast.

Don't go thinking I won't be dressed up though! I'm going to the Whitby Goth Weekend! I go with my brother and my uncle so it's as close to a family holiday as I get. We stay in a cottage with my brother's boyfriend and some other people to save money and I'm starting to feel a bit of confidence making friends on my own as well so it's really fun.

(image source)

I won't be sewing while I'm there but I might be knitting, so wish me luck. I'll try and put up some pictures!

So Close to Sewing!

I'm starting to get bored with pinning and cutting this fabric. It's quite thick and a bit stiff so it's hard to pin and using pattern cutting paper instead of tracing paper doesn't make it any easier. I'm thinking for future projects I'll copy the pieces onto white paper to make alterations and then make tracing paper pieces from that. I may be making it a bit over-complicated but I like the idea of finding a few patterns I like and making a few versions.

I'm also thinking of trying to make a pattern or two of my own. I know a bit about making patterns so it's worth a try and if I make something that I think is worthy I could try selling it. I doubt that'll happen but it's a way to make me strive for a professional finish.

I'm putting in this picture in because I was quite proud of my paper placement. Silly, I know. (Sorry about the stripe. It wasn't on the preview screen.)

Some Overdue Maintenance Gets In The Way

I didn't get a lot of work done on my jacket yesterday because I had to go and get my bike fixed. Usually that wouldn't take that much time but I had to walk to drop it off at 9am and then pick it up at 12 noon, only it wasn't finished by then and I had to go back at 3pm.

Between that, going in to town to see if they had the right fabric for a future project (which would have taken half the time) and reading for uni I only got a bit done.

I managed to get the stripes aligned on a patch of the remaining fabric and pin down one and a half pattern pieces. And in case you were wondering, that's a mirror I'm working on. My table is tiny and round so I put an old mirror on the floor of my living-room.

Trimming and Time

Yesterdays progress was nothing to write home about but it was progress none the less. I trimmed the excess off the pattern pieces I cut out roughly a couple of days ago and got them all neat, but by the time I'd finished it was midnight.

I didn't have much time because I've gotten myself used to starting about 8pm but I have research for an essay to do as well now. The deadline for the essay is the 10th of April so I'm not rushing but I don't want to leave it all till the last minute. Time management is the name of the game this month.

The First Pins

I spent the evening last night (the 3rd) sitting on my own with a set of pins, lining up the stripes on my trial fabric (because I'm anal and it's nice to try these things before they're important). I got six of the pieces pinned and cut loosely around them and it'll be quite simple to do the rest.

I'm not able to sew on Mondays and Tuesdays because university and extra-curriculars take up my time from 9:30am to 10pm, so expect something a bit different.

Snip, Snip, Snip!

I didn't get as much done yesterday as I was planning to because work was busy but there's no rush. I cut out the pattern pieces and ironed the fabric for the trial jacket so it's not like I did nothing.

I also washed a swatch of the purple and black wool that I want to use for the final garment. I was a bit worried it was all going to fall apart or something because I've been told that wool needs to be hand washed but it just shrunk a bit like cotton. I'm probably going to wash the finished Jacket by hand and Jackets don't need washing as much as other items, but better safe than sorry.

Mondays and Tuesdays are when I go to university and clubs so I won't be able to do any sewing. I leave the house at 9am then get back at 11:30pm both days. Maybe I should take up knitting for the train journey?

The New Project!

Now that I've finally finished my first top I have a problem. I started that top in May and it's February at the moment. It's too cold to wear it on its own and it gets all wrinkled and squished under a coat so I'm putting it away till the weather warms up.

It's time for some cold weather clothing.

I've decided to make myself a Jacket from a pattern I bought on sale in my local sewing shop. I'm making view B, with pockets and cuffs, in a purple check wool.

I spent my evening yesterday tracing the pattern onto pattern cutting paper and today I need to test wash a swatch (because I've been told wool is hard to wash and I don't want to destroy it) and add the bust, waist and hips alterations. Then if I get time I can cut them out and start work on my trial jacket.