Apparently.
One of my recent projects, as such, was completing a few things that I had cut out ages ago but hadn’t put together. Since cutting is the biggest ass-pain in sewing, it should be logical that the construction stage should be a breeze and plenty of fun…so why do I have such a bad habit of putting it off? This article, via Jacquie Phelan’s blog, maybe explains a bit of it. I think we’re also culturally encouraged to delay gratification. It’s like a sign of maturity or self control or some other line of crap that I don’t always ascribe to.
Anyway, on to the good stuff since I’m on a “enjoy that gratification” kick over here.
If you could average these two shots, you would have a pretty good idea of how this dress looks. It’s not as shiny as the one on the left would have you believe, but it is way more intense and bright than the one on the left. This kind of iridescent fabric is hella hard to photograph with a flash.
The pattern is New Look 6674, which is produced by the Simplicity pattern company. New Look is their more trendy line.  I modified it from the original…I kept the more flared skirt from View A, but I shortened it to just below knee-length, as tea-length looks kind of stupid on me. I also changed the sleeves. Cap sleeves are not a good choice for someone whose shoulders are a little on the wide side…it can make my arms look unnecessarily chubby, and if I can easily avoid that, I sure as hell will. I added about 2.5″ to the cap sleeve, as I didn’t want the puffed sleeve…again with the wide shoulder thing. It makes a girl very picky about her sleeves. Either I want them hells of puffy, like my Minnie Pearl dress, or else I want them to be fitted more smoothly.
Here’s the back view.
With the modifications I made, I have to say that I am uniformly pleased with this pattern. The bodice fit was perfect out of the envelope, and the neckline isn’t too low, which is my usual concern about wraparound tops. I am incredibly shy about showing off too much boobage. Another nice feature is that the skirt fronts wrap ALL the way across, so you don’t run the risk of having your skirt blow open or fly back if you don’t have a particularly ladylike gait (can you guess this has been a problem for me in the past?)
While I have every intention of wearing this dress on any occasion I can make up (and maybe even sometimes for no occasion at all) I think I will use this pattern again in less formal fabric. I’m thinking a Hawaiian print rayon would be AWESOME, with solid color for the neckline band, waistband, and belt tie.
My other “I-cut-this-out-ages-ago” project was this exceedingly silly skirt which I made from some very odd sized scraps from an upholstery project I did for a friend:
The pattern is Simplicity 5304, but as usual, I didn’t make it exactly as originally designed. The original pattern is for a miniskirt, and I don’t really do minis anymore, so I added about 6″ to it (about 4.5″ after hemming) to make it hit right directly at the knee. I also should have been more punctilious about measuring because although I cut my correct size out, it turned out to be about 2″ to big in the waist, so I am wearing it as a hip-hugger skirt until I get motivated to put in some darts in the waistband.
The fabric, which is fabulous beyond all sense, is from Amy Butler, who has a pretty massive cult following among younger home-seamstresses.
I used a different view of this pattern ages ago, when I made a black a-line skirt that is trimmed with self-fabric applique flowers, a “vine” made out of super-long chenille yarn, and a frill of netting around the hemline:
I wear this skirt so frequently I know that when it finally becomes to shabby to wear in public anymore, I will immediately craft a replacement. I still have loads of the chenille yarn, and this is a pattern I will hold on to like crazy. It’s snap-easy…the six-panel skirt went together in maybe an hour, and that counts finishing seams. The applique one took longer because of the appliques and ruffle, but sans applique, this is a skirt that could go together in probably 45 minutes.
Anyway, I’m planning on rocking out in the new skirt at work tomorrow. I figure I’ll pair it with this top I made last winter:
(I’ve since changed it…I took off that stupid little tassel, and about 3″ above where that was, I appliqued another burnt-orange leafy to balance out that enormous fleur-de-lis thingy up on the shoulder. This top is about four shades darker than the orange on the skirt, but it works well with it nonetheless. A pair of brown herringbone tights and a vintage aqua-white-and-orange polka-dotted scarf to hold up my hairdo and all should be pretty darn spanky.
This is totally off-topic, but are you and joel coming to the handbuilt bikes thing in richmond this year? if so, if you need a place to stay, you can stay with us or we can hook you up with some cooler people who are into bikes. 🙂 just shoot me an email.
Unfortunately NAHBS isn’t in the budget this year due to both money and time. My new job is hells of stingy about the vacation time and we’ve kind of spent our discretionary money on the dining room project (photos of destruction forthcoming).
Too darn bad, too, ’cause it would be a lot of fun to get together, and the bike show really is a cool event.
I like the orange sweater. Then again, I tend to be a sucker for ladies in fall colors (browns, oranges, reds, etc)
Thank you! I wear those colors a lot because that is what works best with my complexion…also I just like them. It feels cheerful to me.
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Dude, having a new job is cool, I am into the “paycheck” thing, but the “no free time” thing is fully bogus, I am in sincere agreement. No sweat, just saw a flyer for it and thought I would extend an internet hello. 🙂
I sure do appreciate the offer of a crashing spot and all.
I’m still working on that whole work-life balance thing…long term plans are being made in that direction.
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[…] But I think I made one resolution that will actually stick. Last summer I started making myself a couple of lightweight el-cheapo cotton sundresses for wearing around home. I call them my “sweatin’ dresses,” and they’re little more than a glorified bathrobe that one could appear in public wearing without much shame. It’s based on a modification of New Look 6674, which is the same pattern I used to make my swanky orange silk wrap dress. […]