Reflections on a Saturday Afternoon

These are just a few things roaming through my brain...

**It's December 1st.  There are only 30 more days until 2013 and my sewing vacay!  Yes!!!  Last year since I planned the cruise and took off two weeks in late August so I had to forego my winter sewing vacay.  But this year it's back on!  So of course, I'm already planning what to sew during my 9 days off from work!

**The Vogue 8824 dress is very similar to a dress that I made in 2011.  I was knocking off a DVF dress and used my TNT dress pattern to recreate it.  Here is my version:

Here is the V8824 version:

...and these are the differences between my amateurish pattern drafting skills and what the professionals did to make this such a great pattern...

• The darts at the neckline on the Vogue pattern are ingenious.  That's what my version is missing and what helps make the Vogue dress lay flat at the neckline and not gape open. 
• Honestly, my dress hangs a little funny at the front.  Probably because I added a seam down the front to get the v-neckline when the V8824 uses a place on fold application.
• I also think I made a better choice material-wise with the V8824 dress.
• My version is unlined.  The V8824 dress has a lining which I think helps with making the dress hang better.
• Finally my version has a zipper...the next V8824 dress will have a center back zipper.

**During the Black Friday after Thanksgiving Day sales, I bought the Colette Anise jacket pattern along with the additional download which I printed out and made into a flip book.  Seeing it this way has only made me want to move it up "the must sew" list.  I just have to figure out what fabric to use for it.

**I also bought a lot of patterns (10) during the last Club BMV sale.  In my defense, I was waiting for a good sale and had a wish list full, so ten new patterns showed up on Thursday.  You know how pattern purchasing is, you may or may not see them made up anytime soon so lets just leave it at that okay?!  *smile*  

However, I did purchase three little girl patterns for my one and only granddaughter.  I've decided that I want to make her some things for Christmas, so that's what I'll be working on for the next couple of weekends.  Here's what I got to start working on a wardrobe for her...

McCalls 5791

McCalls 6193

McCalls 6457

**This weekend, I'm working on two relatively easy projects.  A skirt using one of the Mood border prints and the lined pants for the CIW Collection that I didn't work on during the Thanksgiving break.  Or I could change my mind and work on something else.  I think I'm going where inspiration strikes!

**Also a few more pieces of fabric arrived. *sigh* What can I say?  I'm an addict...an admitted addict but an addict nonetheless! 

So I saw this dress in Dress Barn (local women's chain that carries regular and plus size goods) when I was there last Saturday morning (noticed that was after the Black Friday sales).  Now Dress Barn carries a really good selection of plus size garments, (although the fabrics they use definitely reflects their price points) however, this dress was not made into a plus size version.  

While browsing sewing blogs, MimiG made a sweater using Butterick 5679.  I'd never really looked at that pattern before but after seeing the dress at Dress Barn, I knew the pattern would work for how I wanted to interpret the dress especially the raglan sleeves.  So with my new fabric I'm going to try out this pattern.  Another garment that's not a part of the plan, *sigh* I know!  But I do intend on making several pieces from the CIW collection during my winter sewcation.

Robin author of the blog, A Little Sewing asked this question:
You have so many beautiful outfits - I bet you can go a month without wearing the same thing twice. I wear the same things over and over! What is your secret? 

I have a lot of clothes so you're right, I rarely repeat an outfit in a month or two unless I really want to wear something twice. How have I accomplished that? Well about 10 years ago I made a conscious decision to make most of my own clothing. At the beginning, I wore things more than once because it takes time to sew most of your wardrobe. Sewing a lot of TNT (tried and true) patterns has also increased the amount of clothing I own. Once you know something fits and have the time to spend on sewing instead of fitting garments, you can accumulate more faster.  

My second conscious decision was to make things I liked making and to purchase all others. That's probably why you haven't seen a sewn coat on my blog. I can buy that and it takes considerably more time to make a coat. Also I'm kinda impatient and need a lot of instant gratification. This is an interesting principle since I do make pants. So I guess it's what the sewist is comfortable sewing.

Anyway, the simple answer is that I sew a lot and most of it is from TNT patterns. If you're sewing and not fitting, you're accumulating quite a few new pieces.

I know this is one long post but there is one more thing, I would like to thank you all for the very kind and wonderful comments you've left on my last three garment posts.  I'm so appreciative of the fact that you stop by, read my ramblings and then take the time to leave a word of encouragement.  Even if you don't stop to say anything, just look at the pictures and move on...my appreciation extends to you too.  Every visit is important to me because you took the time to come by and check out what that obsessed sewing woman is doing now!  I mean I would still document what I do if no one came around but IT IS so much more fun sharing it all with you!  Thanks again!

...as always more later!