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?

Skirt Progress

My Edwardian skirt progresses.  I found a sueded cream fabric to use as a facing for the scallops.  The picture above shows the joining process.  I really like the result.  On the other hand, those buttons were giving me fits!  I had no idea the buttons wouldn't practically snap themselves together!  Now maybe I was doing something wrong, or maybe my fabric was too thick, but this was not easy.

And, I don't think they came out that great...however, I have 12 little buttons for the side of my skirt.  Have any of you ever used one of these kits?  How were your results?

Hopefully I will finish this tomorrow.  Please come back to see how this came out!  Thanks!

I'd Like to Thank...

I am floating on cloud nine this morning because one of my projects, the Upcycled T Shirt, was named as one of the top ten projects submitted to the Green Craft Showcase for March on Crafting A Green World!  I am so honored to be included amongst some fabulous green artists, and I'm thrilled that my entry was the only garment on the top ten.  Thank you to all of you for your support, and your wonderful comments on that project, and on all of my work.  I really appreciate all of you.

And a huge thank you to the very wonderful Denise at The Blue Gardenia learns to sow her blossoms for nominating me for a Liebster Blog Award!  I love Denise's blog, where she chronicles not only her sewing progress, but also gives us little snippets of her life.  I love it when she talks about her dogs, or when one sneeks into a picture when she's showing a completed project.

This is an award for blogs with less than 200 Followers, so, alas, I do qualify.  What's great about this is the extra encouragement and support, and that is the award's intended purpose.  I'm feeling quite encouraged and supported!  It's working already!

What are the rules attached to this award, you might ask? 

1. Thank the person who nominated me on my blog - Thank you, Denise, I really do appreciate it!
2. Link to that writer's blog - done, and please do visit not only her blog, but her fabulous pattern shop.
3. Exhibit the badge on my blog - done.
4. Nominate five other blogs for the honor to keep the love going!
5. Leave a comment to let those bloggers know they've gotten a Liebster.

Here are my five picks:

1. Sewing and Music
2. Scared Stitchless
3. Cotton Creek Sewing
4. Sew Vintage, So Fun!
5. biblioblog

All of these blogs are great fun, so please be sure to check them out.  I'm very sure you'll be glad you did.

Favorite Early Re-Style

Spring is so beautiful and cleansing!  Here's a picture from last weekend at my favorite retreat center!

I wanted to have something to show you at the end of the week, but I'm really spending a lot of time on my 1912 Skirt.  So, I thought I'd show you one of my first restyles.  It's not a major overhaul, but an enhancement that I love.  I wear this jacket constantly in spring and fall!  Even sometimes when the air conditioning is too intense in the summer.  It's my go to outdoor jacket.

You may remember that I LOVE dragonflies.  I had found the denim jacket in a thrift store for about $3.  And, though I wanted to wear it as a jacket and not alter the structure, it was a little plain.  So, I drew my little friend dragonfly amid the moon and stars. 

I made a pattern using paper and cut out each piece with an extra quarter inch allowance for tucking under.  Using the paper applique method, I stitched each piece of fabric onto the paper pattern, turning under the allowances as I went.  Then, I pressed the pieces and gently tore away the paper.  I placed the pieces on the starry sky background fabric and stitched them in place!

If you ever see the crazy lady with the dragonfly jacket at a yard sale or sewing show, that's me!  Stop me and say hello!

Edwardian Skirt Update

I am working on this lovely Edwardian Skirt from Vintage Pattern Lending Library.  I'm planning to pair it with my Armistice Blouse.  I fell in love with this skirt the second I saw it.  Of course, there's nothing to all the straight sewing, but that cute little scalloped edge detail on the left side of the skirt is taking some machinations, let me tell you. 

This one is going to take a little longer than planned, probably going into next week.  I want to do self fabric covered buttons, and I'm considering some possible details for the binding on the scallops.  Please, if any of you have done this skirt, please do leave a comment and give me any advice you have!

Instead of completing this little gem by tomorrow, I think I'll do a little refashioning tomorrow so that I can chock up an accomplishment for the week.  I couldn't let a week go by without finishing something!

Would You Consider Making Your Own Wedding Dress?

I'm sincerely interested in your answers to that question.  You see I'm getting married in August and I assumed I'd be making my own gown.  I've made them for others, so why not for myself?

I want to do it for economic reasons, for environmental reasons, for romantic reasons, and for sentimental reasons. DIY certainly seems to be the choice of most brides today when it comes to the favors, decor, flowers, etc.  At least it seems that way when you look at Pinterest pinboards, or the myriad of wedding sites in the blogosphere.

Then I started reading some other sewing blogs on the subject.  In her recent post, What I Learned While Sewing My Wedding Dress, Kim from Cotton Creek Sewing has some really great advice, including buying extra fabric and being willing to start over.  I plan on using satin from my mother's wedding gown, so extra fabric may not be an option, though I am looking for some look-alike satin just in case. 

I already incorporated my Mother's wedding gown in my daughter's Odette tutu.  To  make the basque, I separated the bodice from the skirts, removed the sleeves, and replaced the zipper with a grommeted lace-up closure.  The tutu was made from scratch, but the top layers were netting and re-embroidered lace from the skirt of my Mother's gown.

I saved all the other bits and pieces, but not with the idea of ever using them for a dress for myself. I never thought I'd get married the first time, let alone remarry!  I like the idea of wearing at least parts of my mother's gown, I like the ecology of refashioning, I like that most of the fabric will be free, and I like that the result will be uniquely me.  I have some vague visions of what the completed dress will look like.

Meg, from A Practical Wedding, started out with a family  (group effort) sewn wedding gown, only to find that the dress, despite a muslin and multiple mailed back and forth fittings,  did not fit properly.  The hand sewn gown was jettisoned in favor of a vintage find.  Though I plan to do all the sewing myself, could I end up needing a "Plan B gown"?

Many sewists do their own gowns.  Examples includes Melissa of FehrTrade, The Curious Kiwi,  and the totally impressive Iowahoodlum of FeatherPetalSilk, who learned to sew by doing her wedding gown! 

Well, would you do it?  Let me know!

Book Review: Amy Barickman's Vintage Notions

Vintage Notions was written by Amy Barickman as a tribute to the pioneering work of Mary Brooks Picken and her Women's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences.  During her career Ms. Picken wrote almost 100 books and texts on sewing and fashion.  She also brought the growing movement for correspondence education into the purview of women with the Women's Institute, enabling many women to learn skills as dressmakers and milliners, which would allow them to work from home in these trades.

The book's subtitle is "An Inspirational Guide to Needlework, Cooking, Sewing Fashion and Fun".  True to these words, there's lots of inspiration here, particularly for those interested in the thirties as an era.  Many parts of the book are taken directly from the curriculum of the Women's Institute in the words of the teachers themselves.  Ms. Barickman has annotated these to provide insights on when a modern update might work better for today's reader.

While I wish the book were heavier on sewing, because that is my particular interest, there really are some great recipes, and some very timely perspectives on beauty and grooming which still apply today.  The book is arranged by seasons and has cute little pockets inside to hold other bits of inspiration like pictures or fabric swatches.  All in all, a fun book with lots to do and try.