The Great Cover Up....

So, how's everyone doing?  I hope you are enjoying the upcoming season.   So far I had been enjoying the last couple of weeks.  Too bad with the drastic change of temperature...the days being 60 degrees and higher to the nights being around 40, made me a little sick.  Yup! (sniffles)
  So last month I went shopping. Since I had the time and a gift card that I had yet to use since Christmas.  I figured it was the perfect opportunity to get around and start looking around. I purchased a shirt from the store which at the time was being sold for two dollars....YES!!!!! TWO DOLLARS!!!!  Hey you can never beat a clearance rack.  Well this girl stocked up!  Hell I even bought a Christmas sweater!  You never know!
Well long story short I was excited about my new purchase that I decided to wear it to a family dinner.  Good idea...until I spilled sauce all over it.  I was like DAMN!  I told you it was two dollars.  I couldn't let go...Yeah throw it away.  Nah! not my style, and I certainly wasn't going to fight the stain...it might put a hole in my shirt.
So I thought to myself...what can I do to salvage it? It took a little while but it hit me.  Why not draw on it?  What's the worst that can happen?  So I did.

I think it came out pretty good.  And hey it's one of a kind.  So I'm happy with it.

As far as my other projects are concerned.  Everything seems to be coming together.  On my next post I will be talking about my new favorite tool.  Plastic....no, well I mean the carpenters plastic drop cloth.  It's an amazing product especially when creating and altering patterns.  Ah, more on that later.
Well enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Later,
A.S.

Update...

Over the weekend I went to my favorite fabric store. Which is an hour away from where I live. So it's always exciting to make a special trip there. The customer service isn't the best, but the deals make up for it. I had my eye on this beautiful green flower print fabric, the last time I went there but I wasn't to sure about it. I said to myself the best you could do with this is make another dress. And at the time, the thought of making another dress wasn't so appealing.  I mean how many dresses does a girl need?  Dumb question, I know.  So I thought to myself "leave it alone". But the damn thing haunted me all the way back home, played horrible thoughts before I went to bed, then it taunted me in my dreams and even followed me at work. I was wrestling with guilt, anxiety and stress. How dare I leave a fabric behind? What kind of wannabe seamstress leave any fabric behind? And what really killed me was the price. Just about two dollars a yard. AUGH!!!
So this time I made it my mission to ensure that this baby was going home with me. And so it did. 
I didn't think it was right for me to just walk away with just one selection.  It needed a buddy something to relate too so I got four yards of a mysterious fabric.  Well I have to be honest the other bad thing about buying fabric from a discount store is that all the fabrics I get are mysterious.  At least to me.  I can't just touch a fabric and know it source. I don't think I ever will honestly.  That would be just weird.  And I am not doing any kind of test that requires me to burn anything.  Knowing my luck the whole house will burn down too. 


These two are just fabrics I picked up from the initial trip.  I am still trying to figure out how my husband got more fabric than me.  I must of lost my focus with my internal battle.

 

And we move on.....this is what I have so far for my self-drafted peplum top. Well honestly I never thought the day I would try to draft my own pattern. But I think it's a skill I should try to perfect. It's really difficult to do it on yourself especially if you don't have a dress form. But it's doable. (Is that a word or did I just made that up?) This is my attempt at making a peplum top.

People let me tell you something I surprised myself, when I realized I wanted a peplum top. When I saw it becoming a trend again. I was like hell no, that is way too eighties for me. But damn it. I saw a high-low version of one, and man did I fall in love. So I have to have one.
Now I know I could of just purchased one, or made life so much simpler and at least get a pattern. The problem is the design I want is so specific by the time I make all the alterations. I would be better of just starting from scratch. I have to say though it was more pleasant of a journey than disappointing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well that's it for now.  Hope all is well.  A.S.

Self Drafted Shirt Update....

So far I am enjoying the process of sewing my top together. The biggest issue for me was how to make this look very neat. I didn't want anything to look out of place or weird. So I decided to make some changes,the sleeves I orignally wanted wasn't going to work. It looked out of place and just wrong. I don't know if I didn't measure it correctly or did I overlook some details. But it just wouldn't sit right. It overlap onto my front shoulder. Which made it look awkward. So I decided to change things up and try using flutter sleeves instead. I have to say I was very happy with the turn out. It looks fresher, cleaner, and even fits with the spring/summer look.
I have to say though as of late I have been really into sewing. I am not sure why? But I am really happy my mojo has made a comeback. Right now I am working on making a pattern for a peplum top. So far I have made the alterations for the front bodice now I am starting the back. I am kind of curious to see what comes of it. Hmph, we will see.
And there is this summer dress that I am working on which I hope to post soon on it's progress. It's a washable silk fabric which has a beautiful drape to it. I love the feel to it and the print is beautiful. But more on that later.
I hope all is well with everyone.
Later,
A.S.

I'm so EXCITED!!!!

After my little dissappointment...I decided to work on a shirt that I always wanted to make. I had a shirt that I purchased from Old Navy several years back(the black one)that I really love. The shirt is so comfortable and stylish plus it fits perfectly. I knew I had to make one or two more. So ofcourse I waited and waited and pondered and put it off until one day inspiration hit me. Now at first I didn't think I was able to start of on my own. But nothing ventured nothing gained. So I went ahead and started. I had to tell you every step of the way was a question in whether or not will it be done, especially to my satisfaction. But patience and allot of "you can make it happen damn it". Got me to this point. And I am really happy so far.
Hopefully this will have a great ending. We will see, until next time.
A.S.

Vogue 1239...wadder?

Well this has been a disappointing outcome. There is a great deal of distortion in the fabric which I believe is caused by the lining. I think I should of underlined it instead of doing what was recommended. There was a good amount of adjusting and cutting which I think lead to this outcome. The collar is floppy because I didn't interface it, the closing is done half assed. The bottom of the skirt is bunched upwards, one of the pockets sticks out awkwardly....it is just a mess. It says homemade all over it.
My husband hates the dress, he suggested in a very direct manner to start over again. Because it is garbage. I think for the sake of my sanity. I will be sending this one to a tailor. It was way too costly and took to long for me to just throw it away.
Anyway that's it for right now.
Later,
A.S.

Thoughts..

This week has been a very blessed week. Actually it's been a learning experience. I realized that your attitude can dictate anything. I learned even faking a smile can alter people's reaction to you.
Although I have been tempted to go back to some old habits. I have been encouraging myself (through God's grace) to not let other people's temperment get the best of me. And what's more important don't ever assume anything. People are people you never know what an individual is going through.

Now moving on I am almost done with the Vogue dress. Honestly it's almost been a year since I work on this dress and I am not sure how I feel about that. I know everything is a process but A YEAR!!! This is poopoo.
But in the meantime I have been doing other things. I am trying to learn the art of upcycling which is something I always wanted to do. It's a sweater I purchased years ago and never wore it because it was too large. But it may turn into a wonderful cardigan or garbage. We will see.
And I still have not finished my butterick dress...it's always the little miscellaneous things that gets to me. Watch let there be a gathering you will find me on that dress real quick.
I hope to take pictures of the finished product tomorrow. If this damn thing called blogspot don't give me problems.
Anyway I hope all is well,
A.S.

Autumn Witches Tea Party!!!!!

Hey everyone,
The last couple of weeks has been a very interesting process. I have been totally dedicated to making something that I always wanted...happen. I don't know if I mentioned this before but I am a halloween fanatic and being one it's always a thrill to see the fall season take over. It's wonderful to watch the leaves change, to awesome hues of gold, orange and browns. The air gets crisper as the temperature cools down. Appreciating the natural elements taking place in the most beautiful way, excites me.
But most importantly it's all these changes that represents the most awesome Holiday of them all....Halloween. Well since I couldn't wait for Halloween, I decided for my Birthday I would do a sort of pre-party, pre-preperation, pre-holiday,gathering. In the guise of a birthday celebration.;) And what could be more perfect than an Autumn Witches Tea Party.
I have to say for the most part it was allot of fun. Most of my family memebers and co-workers came through. Which meant allot to me. But I have to say there was allot of lessons I have learned through this experience.
1. If you are a sensitive person.... Please make sure to invite people who are genuine friends, love to laugh, appreciate effort that has been made and drama free.
2. If you are a sensitive person..... Try not to take yourself too seriously nor the occassion...it's suppose to be fun.
3. Make the best of every situation and don't get caught up in expectations.
4. Make a mental note of things you can change and see what improvements you can make for the next gathering.
The list can get much longer than this but I think I will save it for another time.
One of my major concerns was the food, I figure I could save myself time and effort if I just concentrated on finger food. (Another lesson learned, if you just serve appetizers it will get very expensive.) I served the guest meatballs with teriyaki sauce, stuffed sausage and pepperoni rolls, pinwheel sandwiches, shrimp with cocktail sauce, bacon wrapped scallops, mini corndogs, chicken tenders, goat cheese with sliced bread and for desert the birthday cake with chocolate cupcakes. Yeah that wasn't my smartest move, but hey you live and learn.

These are a few pic's that I have taken of the day. The girls were allot of fun, and although things didn't go according to plan I still can say it was somewhat of a success. I hope to do it again.