I Came Down the Mountain

(click to embiggen)

I'm back from camping. I'll fill ya'll in on the details later. In the mean time, meet the friendly neighborhood camp bear. See him? Its kinda like "spot the snake".

I don't see what the problem is...

So hey, did you know there's a sale on the Vogue Patterns site? After staring at this pattern since it came out I finally decided to buy it. What sealed the deal was the fact that this is made for stretchy stretchy knits. Since I'm top heavy the bottom heaviness of the pattern is good for me AND I think it would be a great 'fat day' dress. We all have those days, right? So in talking to one of my coworkers I mentioned I'd really like to make it out of this snake skin print.

She looked at it and was all like UM.... NO. Personally, I don't see the problem here. I think walking around looking like I'm about to shed my skin would be kinda awesome.

Question for my Readers

While primarily I try to focus on my sewing here, I also have several other hobbies and interest. Some of them have to do with researching history. In particularly pertaining to technology, fashion, politics and (oddly) epidemic diseases. Sometimes I run into things that link all those together. Others include photography(and scrapbooking as a side product), cooking, and crafty things.

Which leads me to my question; Would posting about these sorts of things chase you off or keep you interested? I'd promise to keep the political mostly out of it unless it is, in fact, a retrospective look at how feminism and fashion played a role. For the most part, I try not to push myself to be a prolific poster. Things for me tend to come in spurts and I like sharing my thoughts to a willing audience. Let me know what you think, even if you don't comment usually!

*In sewing news, I have three dresses cut out and ready to be sewn up. Once I recover from this hairbrained idea to go camping in the summer in the fucking south relaxing woodland get-a-way I'll sew them up and take pictures for your pleasure.

What?

source

(This is how I blow-dry my hair, doesn't everyone? )

Why no, I haven't gotten any sewing done lately. Why, you may ask? Well I was busy blow-drying my hair.

.....

Actually, I've been busy working and being a Good Mom by doing my once yearly visit to church to see my kids' play. They go with their Grandmother to the day camp every year and work really hard on it too. So despite my misgivings about organized religion I put on my Sunday Best and the hubby and I head out. This year my father went too.

I have cut out one knit dress and I'm about to cut out another, shorter version. And I've been taking inventory of on-hand fabrics and patterns and what I need and want to sew. Planning a wardrobe for the next couple years, as it were. Its also part of the Slow Clothes Initiative brought up on the Sew Weekly Forums. Despite my best efforts I've bought a great deal of fabric, but I was buying it with very purposeful planning. I'll probably put my sewing machine in the repair shop for servicing this coming Monday morning since I won't have any time to sew until we get back from camping. Look forward to fun photos of that!

In the meantime, here's a couple of photos I can post from the play.

(My daughter in the chorus)

(My son, sitting on the stool, playing "Stix". He likes his music LOUD!)

(forever the ham)

Just So You Know...

If you are going to wear a dress made out of yarn, this is how to do it.

Turns out I'm working four 12 hours shifts this week. Actual sewing blogging might be light.

I finally figured it out...

I kept wondering where I had seen this dress before. Then it hit me.

(They stole the blanket off the couch)

And apparently its not this first time its happened.

Desperately Seeking Shorts (With lots of Fitting Photos)

From Peanut Butter Macramé

Dear readers, I need your expertise! I have been wanting to make the above shorts (view B) for some time now. They seem the perfect type, high waist, slightly tailored with an almost skirt look to them. This means I could dress them up for the office, or down for a BBQ. Different fabrics for a different occasions. But I've hesitated because I just have NO clue how to fit shorts or trousers. I have "Pants Fit for Real People" and its been of some help. I decided to take pictures to not only help myself but to ask for your help too.

I probably should have used the same shirt for both sessions but I wanted something a bit thicker tucked in as that is one way I'll wear them (albeit with a more fitted blouse). Also, in the process of taking photos i realized that my hips are uneven. Probably due to my favoring my right side for a very very long time (back surgery). Anyway. Enough of that, on to photos!

(Front with wonky zipper installed)

(Front without zipper)

(Right side with zipper installed, as you can see, its pulling to the back)

(Right side without zipper. Seams are straight! I need to add more waist width)

(Back with zipper in. I actually like the way it hangs here)

(This is without the zipper, and oh yeah, I have elastic in at the waist. I pulled it u and the sides upper back is better, but the pleat comes open. Does anyone know how this would fix it?)

Ok, so I've determined I need more in the side seams to about the fullest part of my hip. That seems to take care of the full tummy problem. I know I need a swayback adjustment (you can't really see it, but I have it pulled up some). But how do I fix the pleat? Or do I need to? HELP!

Oh, there is a 1-inch waist band. With that said, the finished product should come just above my belly button (my high-waist). I really do appreciate any fitting feedback you wonderful people can help with! In the meantime, I leave you with my favorite photo I took on the Fourth of July!

From Eddie's 4th of July Party

Occupational Hazards of Being a Viking

So in case you're wondering where I've been, well lets just say I've been buried under piles of fabric and trying to get my body adjusted to my new work schedule. I'll be working 10pm to 10am three or four days a week. OH BOY. Oh, and I'm organizing a camping trip with horseback riding through the Appalachian mountains with a girlfriend of mine and our combined kids*. The horseback ride is what my son wants for his birthday.

But enough about that. I've been reorganizing my fabrics and planning projects. Thanks to Charlotte over at Sew Weekly, I've been inspired to built a basic wardrobe based on fabrics on hand and things we need in our daily rotation. More thoughtful planning as it were, but that's a whole blog post on its own.

See, the REAL reason I'm posting this is because of my futile search for a dress form that LOOKS LIKE ME. I made a duct tape form once but then used it for a corset project and once it gets bent out of shape, it doesn't go back to its original size. And duct tape gets sticky. We tried last night with packing tape, but it wasn't the kind that you wet and stick. SO that was no good.

We (me and hubby) have looked into getting me a custom form. Which is expensive, to say the least. I had emailed PGM Dressforms about help finding one that fits. They asked that I send my measurements and they can help me pick out a pre-made one. So I took my measurements and wrote them down and compared them to the chart. And what i saw crazy to me. So much so I made a visual representation for everyone else.

I would also like to point out that my x-shoulder measurements were 17 inches at the age of thirteen. So can you see why I have problems with finding a good dress form? Or find anything off the wrack that is non-knit that fits (or if it does, it looks like a tent). I am totally made for swinging battle axes from the back of a horse. This would explain why, even at under 150 pounds, I still had to wear large sizes and take them in at the waist. Long story short (TOO LATE!), if I want a dress form that is anywhere close to me-shape it will have to be custom made. Either by yours truly or for an absurd amount of money.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some fishing villages to terrorize.

*My friend has one boy age 5, I have an eight year old girl and an almost 10 year old boy. Its just going to be us two adults. No grown men coming with us. So two adults and three kids. Hopefully I won't go insane.