Next project for Lorna: Advance 9066 (1950s) done in yellow check and yellow roses.

Simplicity Apron Top in Review

I really like it! I think the finished product looks just like the picture (minus my alterations which were admittedly slight). The child "dress form" is actually a free cast off Victoria's Secret jewelry holder thingy I obtained through somewhat nefarious means but it holds the apron up so I can't complain. The breasts on it are mostly disturbing but I can look past those. I really think Izzy is going to like it. I finished it up in record time and didn't even get any peanut butter or jelly on it from the kids lunch. I don't know how it happens but I always somehow manage to get their lunch on all of my stuff. Needless to say it's done and I can now start.. ahem.... I mean finish my mother-in-law's (MILs) pillow covers.

Reversible apron top for Izzy's birthday.

This is my very "exact" altered size two and a half-ish pattern for Izzy. I added 3/4 inch to the arm and body and 1/2 inch to the top strap. Izzy is not terribly tall so I'm leaving the original length.

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Besides working on my MIL's pillow covers I'm working on the second apron for my son's friend. Simplicity 8537 needs to get altered a bit to make it bigger but here is the start.

Too bad i was not smart enough to take a picture of someone actually wearing it.

Slight detour on my current projects... It's a birthday present for Stevie's friend Maya.

My real life is getting in the way of my sewing life

Well, in my urgent need to finish the NYP dress I hastily attached the collar (which I will undo again because I don't like it... again), I inserted an invisible zipper (which I topstiched; duh, I cannot even begin to describe what happened there), and I haven't hemmed it. Yup, I'm on total brain meltdown or something. I mean really, topstitching an invisible zipper..... jumbo shrimp much. Anyway, since Mother Nature has finally decided to bless us with her presence up here in Upstate NY I have been spending all my free time in my garden and not in my basement sewing. Alas, that dress needs to be finished. I was so excited about it and wearing it and bla bla bla but this whole resewing it a zillion times is leaving me less than thrilled to finish it. I just need a few more minutes of uninterrupted sewing time to fall back in love with it. Sigh....

There is no such thing as time out

I'd love to post pics of my finished NYP dress however it is still in exactly the same state of undone as it was yesterday. Its been raining horribly and the kids are going insane; we have a nest of Starling living in our dryer vent (on the 2nd story no less!!) and our dryer died. Tonight is the night to finish I know it! I tacked on the vintage buttons and vintage belt buckle just to see how it looks and I'm so excited! After such a long day I usually do some therapy sewing. This usually involves sewing an apron. I tend to make lots of mistakes if I sew when I'm grumpy but sewing an apron is like buttering bread.

I did finish Soft Apocalypse and it wasn't a happy ending. In fact I'm now so paranoid of impending doom that I contemplated stockpiling cans of vegetables and hair conditioner. Nightmares will surely follow.

Note to Self

I love using old patterns. I really love the old styles and shapes and flow of a vintage dress. I do not love however being an idiot and not realizing that the skirt was not fitting to the bodice of my NYP because I somehow overlook a series of tiny, minuscule really, die cut dots indicating back darts. So of course I was mad that I pulled apart perfectly good French seams only to resew them. I also realized that the collar is twice the size it needs to be because the directions of constructing were not clear (Hello Burda). Riiiiiiiiip was the sound coming from my sewing table. But after all that, the skirt is attached and fits like a dream. I have to quick sew and turn the collar and tack on the belt. My little dude said said "Oh mommy! You look so pretty in your new dress! That fabwick (lol, his lisp is cute) is pretty." Can't wait to post pics tomorrow!

Double Ugh!

So I just google'd NYP #932 and not surprisingly there are no sites including this pattern, no Flickr pics featuring this dress and astonishingly not a single entry in the  http://vintagepatterns.wikia.com website. Oh well, I just may be the last person in the world to make this late 1930s or early 1940s  dress. The only solace I have is that maybe the woman who used the pattern before me 70 years ago had the same problem. Hopefully she didn't chuck her dress out the window like I'm inclined to do right about now.

One a side note, I"m reading Soft Apocalypse and it's giving me nightmares. I feel the need to stock up on toilet paper and aspirin now.

New York Pattern #932

Well, NYP #932 is giving me some trouble. The other pattern pieces (unmarked) all fit perfectly and are the correct sizes etc. however the skirt is waaaaaay off. I'm starting to think that there is some 'operator error' on the seams but honestly I'm not sure whats up. The skirt back has more fabric that the skirt front . When the side seam is lined up on one side there is approximately 2.5 inches of xtra fabric. So to fix this I have to rip both the seams. Normally this would not be a big deal but I did French seams on the entire dress. Ugh!  Once the baby lays down for her afternoon nap I think I'm going to attack the seams. I'd really like to be able to wear this for a birthday party on Friday but at the rate I'm going I'll still be stuck in seam-land.

Almost done!