Tunic with Embedded Recycle

As part of my stash and UFO busting crusade, I came across a cotton T Tunic I had cut, probably years ago.  In case you were not aware, a T Tunic is a tunic cut using a shirt from your wardrobe as a pattern.

In this instance I wanted to incorporate an antique pillowcase that had a few holes in it.  I love clothing made from antique linens, and the white of the pillowcase and the dainty embroidery contrasted nicely with the blue check.

I cut off the body of the tunic, turned it sideways and stitched a center back seam.  Then I added in the area of the pillowcase I wanted to use.  I gathered the new body of the tunic and attached it to the kimono arms.  Here is the resulting tunic.

I've already worn it, and it's light and airy and comfortable for summer, but could carry into fall with a long sleeved top underneath. This was a quick project to do, allowing me to wind down from more intense painstaking work on the Downton Dress.  Thanks for looking!

Completed Project: FUFO

Sue from Sewin' Steady says it's a FUFO - a finished unfinished object!  Butterick 4355 Dress completed!

It came out well, but retains some deeply set wrinkles from its time in the bag as a UFO.  I've pressed and pressed and they seem to come back.  I'm gonna let it stay on Betsy for a few days and see if then I can steam them out. 

As I mentioned previously, the back vent needed some reinforcement, so I put in a decorative little diamond.

This was not designed by the pattern company to be a fully lined dress, but the fabric was very lightweight, so I made it fully lined.  As I anticipated, it is snug, as I cut it a few years ago when I was a little thinner.  I'm working hard to get back there, so hopefully it will fit well soon.  All in all a success!

My plan is to complete an upcycle or two, do one of my new vintage patterns, and then return to the UFO pile to complete the jacket that I cut to go with this dress.

Workin' on the UFO

I get so angry with myself over these UFOs sometimes!  It frustrates me that I would begin a project and cast it aside without finishing.  That's just not something I would do in any other aspect of my life.  And yes, I suppose sewing is a "hobby" and perhaps not on the same plane as, say child rearing (Imagine putting your baby in a closet and coming back years later to finish "bringing him up"!), but there is an investment here.

First of all, it comes out of the bag looking as though someone slept in it!  This is the dress lining.

This is the fashion fabric for both the dress and the jacket, after pressing.  It's a charcoal grey with a subtle white check.  I think it's a good pick for the pattern.  It's deceptive in this picture but it's a very light weight suiting, definitely wearable in spring, summer and fall.

And I even managed to save the instructions!  Yay, me!  Well, heigh ho, heigh ho, it's off to work I go.

Another UFO Project: Butterick 4355

OK, so several years ago I started this pattern.  At the time, my job entailed dressing professionally for meetings and conferences.  Now my job entails sewing in jeans and a t shirt, mopping the floor in my jammies and walking the dog.  This will not exactly meet my everyday needs.  Perhaps an interview suit, should something open up locally in my line of work.  In any case I cut it ages ago, the dress and the jacket.  As you know, my goal is to sew through all my UFOs until there are no more, so, now's the time to finish this one.  Dress first, then the jacket at a future date.  What do you think?  Is it too dated?

The Amazing Shrinking Pattern?

I am puzzled, befuddled and bamboozled!  I am sad and bereft.  My beautiful Edwardian Skirt does not fit me!  In fact, It came out INCHES too small.  I am confused.  And I want to cry.  The pattern was for a 34 - 36 inch waist.  Check.  I followed all instructions and the 3/8ths inch seam allowances to the letter.

So, why oh why did the waist on the finished garment come out to 31.5 inches?  It didn't even fit Betsy, my dress dummy, with all her dials dialed to the smallest possible numbers.  Oh well. live and learn.  I didn't think I needed to do a muslin for a skirt.  I thought wrong!  And it came out so awesome, too, and I can't even wear it. 

Back to the drawing board... another restyle?  A UFO?  Or the Colette Meringue I cut a couple of weeks ago?

Completed Project: An Upcycle UFO

I began this project last summer.  It was planned to be the first tutorial on my blog, but life intervened and I had to put the project aside.  Looking through the stash for the next UFO, I came upon everything to do the project, all in one bag, so I took that as a message that this should be this week's project.  It's a simple T shirt upcycle.  First, find a T shirt that you do not wish to wear as is.  The T shirt certainly does not need to be new, but it should be in good condition.

Cut the torso off the shirt just below the armpits.

Put aside the part with the arms (We'll do something with that later!).  Next, decide how you would like to embellish your top.  I had some old lace curtains in the attic, so I harvested a nice lace ruffle to go around the circumference of the T.

Next, I added some white satin ribbon for straps.  I cut the ends of the ribbon, and finished them with fray check.

Next, I sewed the lace curtain ruffle and the ribbons to the unfinished end of the T shirt tube.  Once this was completed, it seemed to need a bit of color, so I got out some fabric flowers I had leftover from one of my daughter's tutus.  You can find these in the wedding aisle at big box fabric stores and some craft stores.  I also had some organza ribbon on hand, and a tiny button.

And there you have it, a cute summer top, upcycled from a T shirt, an old curtain, and some random embellishments on hand in the sewing room. 

I hope you like it!  With another UFO down, and the Titanic anniversary looming, I think I'll do some Edwardian sewing!  Any thoughts?

Completed Project - Boxy Jacket

New Look 6619 is done!  I'm not sure why I relegated this to the UFO pile, but I'm glad it's out and done!  I'm happy with the way it looks with the previously completed skirt, and it fits nicely.  Here are some pictures:

My biggest critique of myself here is that I did not carefully match the plaid.  I remember not really caring at the time I cut it, which is very uncharacteristic of me.  I remember having enough fabric to cut it, but not to match.  All in all, not bad for a UFO completion project.  Have a super day!

Chipping Away

Just a short post today... I wanted you to see that I'm chipping away at the jacket.  The sleeves are in now, as well as the lining, though that is not complete, as it isn't completely sewn in and tacked in place.  After that, I plan to hem the sleeves, and then, more buttonhole and button fun!

Also, as you can see, the skirt I made to go with the jacket two years ago has been dug out of its place in the stash and pressed.  It looks nice on Betsy, and she needed something to go with the jacket. 

Better pictures once the whole ensemble has been finished, I promise!  Thanks for looking!

Next Project: UFO #1, New Look 6619

So, the first of my UFOs to be rectified is New Look 5519, a cute boxy jacket.  I believe I started this two years ago.  I had a great menswear wool suiting fabric on hand and I decided to make a suit.  I completed a nice pencil skirt, and chose this pattern to make a jacket from, and then cut it out and never began the sewing.  Though I have made many successful jackets in the past I remain intimidated by them - buttonholes and buttons and linings - oh, my! 

I have now gamely started the process of sewing and have put together the main body of the jacket, view C.  Next up is adding the sleeves.  I'll keep you posted!

UFOs

I'm sure you're quite aware that I speak not of the alien spaceship, but of the ever troublesome Unfinished Object. Recently, The Sew Weekly did a UFO challenge, and, inspired, I dusted off one of my own UFOs to complete. I have to acknowledge that I have quite a few of these, and so I began thinking about the psychology behind all those unfinished projects.

Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, captures the guilt associated with confronting UFOs, in a 2010 article for Psychology Today.  She says that "the thought “I should finish that…why haven’t I finished that?” makes [her] flinch". I have to agree, when I come across my little unfinished gems hidden in my fabric stashes, the feeling that I most often become aware of is guilt. The wastefulness of having cut into perfectly good fabric, but not completing the garment, seems almost sinful.

One theory about UFOs comes from the world of ADD literature, where it seems to be assumed that a body simply becomes distracted by other brighter and shinier projects. In other words, once the excitement of the initial phase of the project has worn off, the sewist just moves on to something else. While that may be the case for some people, I think my own answer lies elsewhere.

I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist. "Researchers have identified six major dimensions of perfectionism—extreme concern over making mistakes, high personal standards, the perception of high parental expectations and criticism, doubting the quality of one’s actions, and preference for order and organization". This describes me to a "T". I often fear that my work will be judged lacking if it is not absolutely perfect. Hence, most of my UFOs tend to be garments that challenge me, or require some skill or technique I've not yet perfected.

My plan for reducing my UFO guilt is to commit to pulling out these projects and completing them, or salvaging what I can, and moving on. My plan is to do one of these in between each new project taken on. I'm sure I'll learn some good skills along the way, and hopefully gain confidence as well. Perfection, after all, is an illusion that is not realistically attainable. And, I plan to bring you along for the ride to keep me motivated to follow through. Thanks, in advance, for your support. Tomorrow, the first of the UFOs!

References
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-happiness-project/201002/finish-the-projects-you-ve-started-or-call-end-them

http://adderworld.ning.com/forum/topics/the-saga-of-unfinished-projects

http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/eleanor-chin/200909154085