Saturday, August 1, 2009

July: Month End Review

Considering work, heat, holidays, cat stuff, sewing room renovations and other random interruptions, July was pretty productive. I was sitting here thinking it wasn't, but then I looked at the list, and yesh, I did stuff.

7 projects in all, including one (mostly) wadder that hasn't been reviewed or photographed yet so you'll have to take my word on that one. It was the Patrones top, and I think the issue was a combination of fabric, oddly-fitting pattern and lack of attention on my part. I think that's what you call it when you sew things backward, right?

Three dresses (surest sign of summer), one skirt, two tops, and a shirt for Mario.

I think my favorite project of the month was the Cherry Bomb dress, which when you think about the fact that I couldn't look at it when I finished, is pretty funny. Obviously, I got over that.

Next favorite was the Space Shirt - being right is a wonderful thing. The latest - and I hope final - admission is that he really doesn't like it very much, but since I did, he wore it to make me happy. That's almost as good as liking it, right? I still think it'll grow on him.

I still haven't worn the red-white-and-navy two piece. I want to make some coordinating pieces so I don't have to wear them together (and somehow I don't own any white clothes), and I haven't gotten there yet. Which is no excuse not to wear the outfit as is, but I just haven't.

Maybe this week, if it's not too sticky hot. I want to make a white skirt out of the same Ottobre pattern, and I have the white pique jacket from the thrift store suit that just needs new buttons (which I have) and maybe the lining opened up and the shoulder pads reduced. Still need to think on that.

The piece I've gotten the most wear out of, as expected, is the April Cornell knockoff dress. Want to hear something interesting about that project? I got a comment on the blog here from April Cornell herself, who said, "My team and I really enjoyed your post about the April Cornell design you sewed in a new fabric. Did you know I have a colorful and wide variety of fabrics with Moda?"

No, I did not know that she had a line of fabrics with Moda, but thank you, I do now and I will look at them more closely when I'm off my fabric diet. Always nice to find a new source of fabric.

I think my most successful project of the month, in terms of form meeting function, and time expanding to allow me to get it finished in time, was the stretch knit halter dress that I made on a Friday night to wear to my office party on the following day. It held up all day, it looked like what I had in mind, and I liked it enough that I'm willing to disassemble part of it to put a sturdier bra in for the next wearing. Oh, yeah, and I still have to hem it.

I haven't accomplished too much on Mario's jacket (which will probably be the bulk of August's work, since I'm trying to do it right, and take my time). I got all the pieces cut, interfaced everything that needed interfacing, and took the major pieces to work on Thursday to thread trace all the markings at my desk at lunch. Finally, a way to make them realize that just because I'm at my desk doesn't mean I'm working. Eating and reading are apparently too subtle.

Today I ran downtown to 4th Street for some leather for the collar and pocket flaps. I really thought I had something suitable in the leather scrap stash, but alas, no. PA Fabric Outlet had what I wanted, though, a nice warm medium brown leather, not too heavy, and just enough of it for the pieces I needed. Leather scraps there are $7.95 per pound and my purchase came in at half a pound. Not bad.

While we were in PA Fabric Outlet, I suggested to Mario that he look at the shirting and novelty cottons to see anything struck his fancy to make up for the space shirt. It's not going to happen anytime soon, but I figure he should pick out his own fabric once in a while. Nothing got him there (other than the Spiderman fabric which he knew better than to pick up), but next door at Kincus, he found a black/gray/purple/lavender floral that for me is even more in-your-face than the space fabric. And he'd like it long-sleeved, thank you very much.

Whatever floats your boat, right?

6 comments:

Tany said...

You managed to sew a lot of beautiful clothes!

Lori said...

You did a great deal of sewing in July, all wonderful things.

Nancy K said...

You managed to sew a lot of lovely things this month. I hope that Mario is properly appreciative of your sewing for him. I have been married for 37 years and the only sewing I've done for my dh is to hem his pants. He sews his own buttons on.

Little Hunting Creek said...

I love that halter dress and the Space shirt. He just doesn't know how lucky he is!

Meg said...

Nice work, Karen!

Ann Made Studio said...

What a productive month. All look wonderful.