Frankenstein Dress Pictures

Well I wore the Frankenstein dress to work today and Andrew was home when I got home, so I finally took some pictures of the dress on.

I don't know about you, but I like seeing the clothes on people, instead of a dress form or a hanger. It just looks so much more interesting!

We took these in the vacant lot next door. Our neighborhood flooded during hurricane Katrina, although we didn't live over here then. So the house was torn down, but there are still kitchen and bathroom tiled spots on the ground and the "stairs that go nowhere."

Oh New Orleans, always lookin' so sketchy.

I probably should have shortened the bodice a bit, because it looks so slouchy. My sewing should compensate for my slouching, not accentuate it.

I do really like the neckline. It is very flattering. I was thinking about making the lemon fabric up in this dress' pattern, but looking at the pictures I don't know. I want something fresher and more summery.

Also, it must be sleeveless! My car has no a/c because it is so old it's not worth the cost to fix it ($1000). So I need dresses where I can wear a little sweater inside, and then be sleeveless for the 30 min drive home! Groan. I have maybe another month and a half before the 90 degree torture begins.

Any thoughts on:

styles for the lemon dress?

or

driving an old (but not vintage) car?

Lemons and Vanity Sizing

Random thoughts for the week:

1. I went to Joann to get covered buttons for my blue dress. I spent hours last night putting n the zipper. I just couldn't get it right! Operator error or the fact the fabric is kinda stretchy, it was seriously aggravating. It now looks ok, not even great. But I am done with it.

2. I had thought I would do my blouse pattern next, since I am obsessed with making buttonholes now. There was no fabric that I liked for it. No offense if you like loud, bright geometric prints, but ICK.

3. I saw this fabric and need to decide on a dress to make with it. How cute would that be? Then I'll go back and buy some.

4. Then I went to the mall. All I can wonder is does vanity sizing really make women feel better about themselves? Is anyone really that stupid?

All I can think of is when I was in middle school (maybe 97) I grew out of a 0 and became a 1/3. Now I can honestly say, at the age of 26, I am not thinner than when I was a flat-chested baby middle schooler. I am the same height and I weight maybe 5 lbs more.

So if my weight has remained consistent for the last decade, how is that I now cannot find clothes that fit? Or, they are absurd sizes, like the Express work pants I bought- a 00. Or a 0P (petite) at Banana Republic.

What happens 10 years from now when they have resized clothes again and none of them fit me? I can't sew all my clothes; it's a hobby, not a job. Should I have to dress in Junior's clothes for the rest of my life?

I'm not a martyr and I know other have fit issues.

Any thoughts on clothes that don't fit

or

new clothes for Spring?

Blue Dress Progress

Now that I have all the parts, I tried out my buttonhole attachment. It took me 20 minutes of bumbling to get it attached correctly, and then I busted out a perfect button hole in 10 seconds! Awesome! Why was I ever afraid of making these??????

Here is my menacing attachment. I love how shiny and black and cool looking it all is.

(I was just talking to my sewing machine telling it how pretty it is with its shiny blackness and fancy gold writing. Don't worry, I talk to the car and the dog too, comparing them to other cars/dogs and giving them compliments.)

Tonight I fit the skirt of my dress, because I didn't need any help pinning the back, unlike the bodice. It fit pretty well, but I lengthened all the darts about 2-3 inches. It had a weird poofiness between my waist and hips, and that fixed it. I also interfaced and made the belt. Since self-covered belt buckle kits are obnoxiously hard to find and don't meet my standards of "cheap", I decided it will just button. Which was an excuse to figure out this contraption.

My beautiful belt (don't look at the inside) and my perfect trial button hole.

This is my next project, which I blame entirely on Gertie's blog. She had a post about the necessity of owning a perfect blouse that buttons up the back. Thus, I HAD to buy one on ebay. It was preordained, meant to be, karmic. lol, excuses, excuses.

Isn't it cute?

Does anyone else have a Singer buttonholer and thinks it's awesome?

or

uses advice on other blogs to make impulse buys?

A vintage, yet modern car

I saw one of these on my drive to work the other day, and I am obsessed. I followed it for awhile trying to figure out what kind of car it was. You can see more pictures at the Dodge website, here. I do love most things that are vintage and that includes cars.

I have wanted a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia since I was about ten or so. I love old 50's cars with fins. This car is awesome. It looks like a vintage muscle car, but with a modern spin to it.

Plus, then you get all the modern things like power steering, and power windows and locks, and most importantly A/C! (Since it's Louisiana....)

So, if you win the Powerball this Saturday, think of me! ;) It's "only" $24,000!

P.S. Now that is not to say my 1996 Oldsmobile 88 is not a sexy beast, it is! Please don't break Oldsmobile, I am too poor to buy a new car!!! xoxoxoox, Molly

Blue dress update

This week has been stressful and work-filled, so I have made barely any progress. Most of this was done last Saturday morning. The bodice needs to be fitted on me, but I need my boyfriend to pin the back up for me. Then, adjustments can be made and then the process can be repeated for attaching the skirt..... then all it needs is a zipper and a hem!

This week has been stressful and work-filled, so I have made barely any progress. Most of this was done last Saturday morning. The bodice needs to be fitted on me, but I need my boyfriend to pin the back up for me. Then, adjustments can be made and then the process can be repeated for attaching the skirt..... then all it needs is a zipper and a hem!

Dress Update and Friday's Outfit

Here's the smidgen of progress I made this week. Basically, all I did was the neckline facing and the straps. It's all just pinned right now; after I make both parts, I will fit it on me and adjust it. It's starting to look good, I think.

Here's a scary picture where I look like a giant. Today's outfit, my zebra dress. More pix of it here.
Lots of the students really liked that I had made all my dresses this week. I also like talking about sewing, one of the other teachers sews crafty stuff, one of the secretaries quilts by hand.... Next year, I might see if anyone would join a sewing club....it would be fun encouraging young people to sew!

They did point out I wore a lot of green this week. It also made me realize i need more shoes and cardigan sweaters. The mall may be in my forecast for the weekend.

Thursday's Outfit

I wore the little house on the prairie monstrosity to work. Many middle schoolers liked it. One girl I don't even know came up at lunch to tell me how much she liked it?!? Kooky!

Anyhoo, I still don't like it and I don't feel pretty wearing it, so I think I'll sell it on etsy. Sometime. When I get some free time.