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Sunday, February 28, 2010

Dress Update

Look! My lemon tree is blooming! Too bad I can't upload the smell, it smells wonderful!
The bodice is almost like a camisole with a bolero over it. I have made the skirt and most of the camisole. It isn't sewn together at the waist yet, so that's why it looks weird.
I am highly suspicious of how it made me do tucks on the side of the boobs. Plus, I realized I haven't sewn a plain fabric for a looonnnggg time. I of course did them all perfectly, but on the wrong side of the fabric, so i got to pick out all my stitches and do it again. Hooray! Now I am using my tailor's chalk to make a big D for dull on the wrong side as soon as I take off the pattern piece. Live and learn!
Next up is the neckline binding and the straps. I'll work on it tonight or tomorrow night, depnds on how quickly I finish making my stuff for school tomorrow. And how many Law and Order reruns I watch.

I must say, I felt like an expert teaching my 7th graders the Bill of Rights, simply due to all of the Law and Order I watch. I could answer every question they threw at me! LOL :)

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Birthday Spoils and Dress Update


My birthday was this week and everyone was very nice- family, friends and students! Unfortunately, I was also sick this whole week and had to get a sub for two days of school. Turns out it was strep throat turning into bronchitis, so I'm glad I didn't try to tough this one out and actually went to the doctor for once. Although it helps that I have heath insurance now, after several years of having none...

On to presents!

Andrew sent me these beautiful flowers at school, which I brought home.


He also got me a Meyer lemon tree, which is exactly what I asked for. As you can see, it's about to bloom, so we'll have lemons this year! I wanted this kind because it's self-pollinating, and the lemons are big and juicy with a thin peel. After so many years of slicing lemons for drinks in restaurants as a waitress, I have strong opinions on what makes a good lemon!! lol



My mommy also got me exactly what I asked for. I wanted new make-up brushes and she got me some fancy Clinique ones. Nice brushes make a world of difference in how make-up looks, especially eyeshadow, I am discovering...

She also got me a new cell phone. My old phone looked like a stone age artifact that had been bashed around pretty good, which it had been. Now I have a fancy touch screen smart phone- welcome to the 2010s, Molly!

Finally, my dress update. Since I was sick all week, I only have put together the skirt so far. It looks lumpy on the dummy, but much better in real life!

Last, but not least, Mary (you can see her blog here) a fellow SewRetro member kindly sent me the feed cover plate so that I can use my buttonholer! Yay! She is awesome and nice!

In conclusion, practically everyone was super nice and I had a happy birthday despite being sick. Hooray, I'm 26! Where's my "quarterlife crisis"? LOL (I think it's ridiculous and melodramatic, but decide for yourselves here)

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Next up....

This is my new project I'm starting. McCall's 4885 from 1959. They date their patterns, so that's easy to find...right on the back! Look! If you love the pattern and have a 33 bust (misses 13) there's one on sale here on ebay! Only $6.50!
I had planned on making the full-skirted version, but I saw this blue fabric at Jo-Ann and was enthralled. It is the exact color of the girl on the left!
My receipt says it's "blue danube stretch". My thread is "rocket blue" and my zipper is "parakeet"- call it what you will, it's awesome. It almost looks like polished cotton and is fairly heavy, but also stretchy. I'm excited- this dress could be stunning! I am going to take my time and not (bleep) this one up! I think I will look like a barbie doll in this dress- but in a fun way!

So far I have cut out all the pieces....

Good-bye Gold Shoes!!

I went to wear my gold shoes for the Superbowl, only to discover they are literally falling apart. So, gold shoes, it is time to say goodbye...
I bought them at Value Village in 2001 for 80s day, in my senior year of high school.
They have served me well over the years, whenever I needed outrageous gold shoes, or for my aerobics instructor halloween costume, or whenever. (PS can you tell the dog loooovesss his squeaky tennis ball?)
Now they are cracking and the soles are not only peeling off, but the rubber is crumbling into bits.... so, goodbye, awesome gold LA Gear shoes.... goodbye....

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

La robe de la petite maison du prairie or The Little House on the Prairie dress aka EPIC FAIL

This is my pattern. It is a 14, which is a little big for me. I liked the scalloped waist.
Now, due to the ridiculously busy, medium-size floral print I used, that detailing is nearly invisible. Can you even see the 20 pleats? no! Now I understand why people say quilter's cotton = looks homemade. I have learned my lesson.

Between the print, the high neck, and the long sleeves, I look like I jumped off a covered wagon in 1855. Boo! (I am pinching in about 2 inches in the back in this picture)
Faux happiness
Sad and frumpy? Oui!

If I ever wear it, I will make it into short sleeves and wear a sweater over it to break up the print. Not this stretched out sweater, but you get the idea.

Pattern: cute, but would need to be scaled down a few inches if I ever make it again.

Fabric: -15 out of 100

Little House on the Prairie role in my future? Possibly, I can bring my own costume!

In Progress

This is halfway done on my dress. I think I did a nice job on the sleeves and finally found a gathering technique for set-in sleeves that might work for me.

I bought this book at a garage sale a long time ago, and it is full of good explanations. It is from 1967.
It has lots of funny illustrations.
Then I decided to dig through my drawer of attachments for my machine. My machine is a 15 series from 1952, and although I got it for free from a nice woman on freecycle.org, it came with lots of the original equipment. Manual, oil, feet for different things. I started looking for a zipper foot, and I have 2. Then I started looking at the menacing buttonholer.

It has all of the gear, including manual, 2 sets of guides for sizes- everything you need except....
the feed plate cover that stops the machine from moving the fabric.

Wahhhh.


So, I wasted a great deal of time online. In the end, it looks like I would have to buy the whole buttonholer set on ebay for 15-20 bucks, just to get that one stupid part.

I don't know what I will do yet. I do think that if I am going to say that I "sew," if only for fun, I need to learn how to make a buttonhole at some point....

Monday, February 8, 2010

Saint-sational Superbowl Champion Capes


We live in New Orleans and love the Saints, and the city went crazy for the SuperBowl! So Sunday morning. my boyfriend and I slapped together matching capes for the parades (it's also almost Mardi Gras) and then the game. I ended up making the out of felt, because Jo-Ann's was sold out of practically every yellow and black fabric there.

This is mine. With my matching fleur-de-lis on my face!
This is my boyfriend's. They both have the trim at the bottom. He refuses to be on the blog, so I blurred out his face. lol.
He drew and cut out the fleur-de-lis for both, while i sewed it all together. I pinked all the edges so it looks interesting and the tie is gold cord (his) and ribbon (mine). And yes, that is a box of Vella. We are nothing but classy here!

This is a terrible, self-portrait of the other day. I wasted part of a Saturday morning tring to do something like victory rolls. I even watched youtube tutorials. My hair is long, and fine, and slippery and I suck at trying to do things with it. This is just one example of the monstrosities I created. I am not meant to be a hair stylist, I guess!