Swim break!

I almost never sew anything for myself.  I really needed a swimsuit before we leave for vacation so I decided to take a break from stocking my Etsy shop and put this together today.

I used this tutorial for the bikini top but I suspected the style would not be flattering for my body shape and I planned to adjust it (read: boobless girl wants definition).  I planned to cinch the center front rather than just shirr it.  I was not crazy about the bikini bottom with this tutorial so I made my own pattern for that.

The bikini top was taller than I expected.  I had anticipated that it would be a bit too tall when I compared the pattern to bikini tops I usually wear, and had cut 1/2" off the bottom before I began sewing.  I ended up taking another 1/2" or so up from the bottom hem under the boobs after I put the top together.  I also discovered that my fabric was not substantial enough to give me the coverage I wanted in cold temps (heehee) so I added some bra cups purchased at Hobby Lobby.  These babies were more enhancement than I wanted but they were all that Hobby Lobby had to choose from.  Hellooooooo, ta-tas!

Um, did I just post a picture of myself in a bikini on the internets?  It must be cold down south.

For the bikini bottom, I traced a bikini that fit me well that had side ties.  I LOVE the concept of side ties since my weight tends to fluctuate.  It is so easy to get a great fit without having to go so tiny as a string bikini or buy granny bottoms.  I do think the side ties are too long and if I do this again I'll shorten them 1-2".  It's not bothersome enough for me to mess with it now, though.

What I liked about the tutorial:

1. It was free.
2. You really could make a pattern that fit YOU, not a range of sizes.
3. It was free.  Oh, did I already mention that?

What I didn't like:

1. The fit, mostly.  I think this top would be better suited to a larger-chested woman.  For someone like me without many curves, the bikini top in the tutorial looks more like a cropped tank top and is not flattering.  That doesn't really have anything to do with the tutorial itself - it is just a personal style preference.
2. The straps.  I ended up making wider straps because the thin ones weren't supportive enough.  The wider straps were also easier to turn inside-out and had a bigger area to stitch to the bodice, making me feel a little less like a strap might pop free at any given moment.

I'm pretty proud of myself for actually finishing a project for myself in less than 5 years.  Go me!  Now I'd better post this before I lose my nerve.

My kids will be home early in the morning.  As usual, they will ask what I did while they were gone.  They won't see the hours I spent on the floor cutting out patterns and fiddling with new designs.  They won't see the 16+ yards of fabric that I had to stretch out in the living room to dry because it was too cold to hang it outside yesterday.  They won't see the 18+ hours I spent working as an accompanist, writer, and seamstress today alone or the rushed cleaning I did before bed so the house wouldn't swallow them alive when they walked in the door.

They'll see this:

And they'll say something nice like, "Good job, Mom.  Looks like you had a nice weekend."

Indeed.

Review - Simplicity 4110

There's something you should know about me: I'm a little behind, trend-wise.  I might see something I'd like to try and even take steps to get there but overall, I'm probably a good ten years behind the curve.

Case in point: these pants.

I cut out these pants 7 or 8 years ago, intending to make a muslin for Simplicity 4110.  I had two toddlers at the time and ended up stashing the pieces away for some time when I had a little backup.  Then we decided to put our house up for sale and the pieces went to my mom's house for storage.  Recently my mom brought over a bag of stuff...and guess what was in that bag?  If you guessed a load of guilt, you are right!

I've tripped over that bag for months now and finally decided to do something about it.  This week was going to be THE WEEK.  I pulled out the pattern pieces and thought about how stylish these pants would have been about ten years ago.  Then I decided that if I kept them for another ten years, I'd be right on top of the next trend.  That was enough to get me going...

Panic struck as I got ready to sew up the side seams.  When I cut out these pants, I weighed at least ten pounds less than I do now.  It didn't really occur to me that they might not fit me now!  And indeed, I could not fit into these pants with my long underwear on.

The back pockets seem to be a bit low on the seat.  Or perhaps they are just too long.  At any rate, they were a little bunchy and I will want to adjust them when I make my next pair.  I also think the back yoke is a little too tall for my body shape.

It would be pretty easy to make these into skinny pants.  If I do try, it will be my first pair of skinny pants ever.  I told you I am a little behind the curve.  :)

I'm not crazy about all the hammer loops, although my kids pointed out that I would never need a tool belt if I wore these for repair work.  They also offered to find me five hammers to fill the loops so maybe I'll just leave them next time too.  A girl with five hammers is not someone to be trifled with.

These are a size 4.  I normally wear a size 0 or 1 in store-bought low-rise pants.  The fit is not bad although if I use a heavy woven fabric next time I will add some width in the hips.  I am considering using some stretch denim that I have on hand for my next pair.  If I do that, I'll leave the pattern as is since the stretch should add enough give for a comfortable fit.

Upcycled No-Sew Cowl Tutorial

I hesitate to post this because it is so stinkin' easy...but I've had a few requests for a tutorial recently so I'm going to go for it.

It's February.  And it's cold still.  And sometimes you're getting ready for church and realize that you will be too cold in that cami & cardi but you'd prefer not to look like a beluga whale in a wool sweater. You need "something" and you feel the panic starting to rise because you know you don't have that perfect "something" ready and you're leaving in 15 minutes.  Deep breaths, girl.  Think.  Think.

You don't have time to crochet a scarf.

You don't have time to sew.

You need something quick...

And now you congratulate yourself for not throwing out that wool J. Crew sweater that you accidentally shrunk in the dryer 8 years ago and ended up saving for your 3-year-old to wear.  You may or may not have accidentally shrunk it again after that, too.  It doesn't matter.  Keeping it was genius.

Okay, set your timer because you will have this puppy done in 15 minutes.  You'll need:

• long-sleeved wool sweater (wool is thick and has plenty of body to keep it from getting saggy, but watch out for scratchies!  I think mine was merino...very soft)
• scissors
• 3 or 4 medium or large safety pins
• a package of two 1 1/2" cover buttons with the pusher thingie in the package (WHAT?! You don't have these on hand??  Go get some and keep them in your craft cupboard.  Seriously.  I use these.)
• fabric scraps to cover buttons

Step 1:

     Measure your neck.   A tape measure is handy but if you don't have one, cut a piece of yarn or thread the length of the circumference of your neck. Then measure that thread using a ruler and make a note of the circumference.  My neck measures 11.5".

Step 2:

     Cut sweater.  Yes, it might hurt...but it has to be done.  This is an emergency, remember?  Before you cut, look at the sleeve.  Is there a trim or special weave on part of the sleeve that you want to include on your cowl?  If so, orient the cut appropriately.  I especially liked the ribbed cuff on my sleeve so I measured 11.5" up from that end of the sleeve and added 8" for an overlap (19.5" total length, which happened to be the cuff-to-shoulder seam measurement).  If you are worried about messing it up, add a couple of extra inches to your measurement.  You can always trim it off later.

Step 3:

     Fiddle with your new cowl!  You'll need a mirror for this one.  Pin the cowl where you think you'd like it to lay.  You may need to trim off a bit of length if you made it a touch too long.  The cuff of my cowl was more narrow than I wanted, so I cut along the back seam to make it flare out a little.

Step 4:

     Cover your buttons.  Find some fabric you'd like to cover the buttons with, then follow the instructions on the back of your button package.  I chose some red silk dupioni because that was the most fabulous fabric I had on hand.

Step 5:

     Position your buttons.  Remember that fiddling you did in front of the mirror a few minutes ago? No? Okay, go do it again.  This time, mark where you want to put those buttons.

Step 6:

     Pin buttons.  Please, no groaning.  I told you this was easy.  Pin from the backside to hide those safety pins...

Step 7:

     Check the timer and admire your work.  This step is optional, but highly recommended.

Step 8:

     Put it on and pin it in place.  Um, yes, you really are done.  Pin from behind to hide your safety pins and watch out for photobombers!

the cheesy "Why I'm Writing This Blog" post and then we'll get to the good stuff

I started this blog a year ago.  Or maybe more.  (Obviously, I'm not counting.)  I had this urge to step out of the plain, drab grey world that I filled my closet with and branch out into, well, pretty stuff.  I wanted to start wearing pink.  And accessories.  Yep.  I'm one of those girls who gravitates toward the blah things of life because you can't go wrong with something neutral.  Also, I never learned how to accessorize properly.  This means that when I look in the mirror and think that my outfit needs "something", I panic and shut it down IMMEDIATELY because I know I have no idea what I am doing and I may inadvertently cause the retinas of the public I come in contact with to dissolve in pain as soon as I come into view.  I don't like to hurt people.  That means I play it safe and don't take any unnecessary risks.

That also means that I'm bored.

So as I was saying, I started this blog a year ago or so to chart my progress on the long, long road from Boring to Fashion-Forward.  (Keep in mind, it is a long, long journey to Fashion-Forward and I don't expect to make it that far.  I would like to make it as far as Put-Together before I kick off, though.)  I haven't actually posted anything in the year since I made that first step of choosing a blog name and a color scheme but that doesn't mean I haven't been making progress!  Hold on as we enter the risky world of Trying New Things and Living to Post About Them.