Simplicity 2638, Take 3

While I love the second version of this dress, I'm really happy with the new third version as well. I've just about convinced myself that no one will ever really figure out that this is the same dress, even if I wear them on two adjacent days. In the photo above, I'm wearing a black shrug from the Limited. I think in fact I've missed the warm weather and this dress will have to wait for spring before it is worn (I was cold inside trying to get pictures today!) Here's a shot without the shrug:

I cut a size 8, but in addition to shortening the pattern significantly and color blocking the dress, I also added an inch to the shoulder straps on the front, because the second version of this dress has the empire waistband sitting on my bust, not below it. I also gathered the skirt evenly across the top, rather than putting all the gathering in the front over my stomach. I've noticed I tend to have a problem with gaping across the back of my shoulders, so I tucked out a smidge of fabric in the back at the neckline on both sides (maybe 1/4" on each side). I put in an invisible zipper and a hook-and-eye closure, rather than a lapped zipper and a button. Here's a shot of the back:

To keep the inside neat and tidy, I used french seams on two of the skirt seams. And I sewed my first blind hem on this skirt, which turned out quite nicely. I didn't have thread that exactly matched the skirt and I didn't want to run to the store, so a blind hem seemed the best way to minimize the color difference in thread and fabric along the hem. The colors are off in this picture, but it was the best one showing the details:

I dove into my stash of seam lace to tidy up the seam where the skirt attaches to the bodice, as I did with the second version of this dress. You can see the inside here as well as the invisible zipper.

I'm really quite proud of how this dress turned out and I wish I had gotten around to making it sooner while the weather was still warm enough to wear it. Seems like I need to switch to some more fall/winter appropriate sewing, but I may continue making cute summer dresses or skirts for a while since I know they will get a lot of use, even if I'll have to wait a few months before wearing them. Then again, I may curl up with a blanket on the couch and put more effort into my knitting instead. It's cold by my sewing machine. :P

New Look 6643, Take 2

I did end up wearing this to work on Monday (or was it Tuesday?) with a sweater and my tall black boots. I got home a bit late for pictures outside, so I managed to throw it on again and get some pictures inside this afternoon. The pictures aren't the greatest and the dress isn't hanging properly in this shot, but oh well, the dress is finished and here's the proof. I was a little happier with it today than the last time I put it on. Maybe it will grow on me a bit. The fit isn't perfect, but I still think I'll get some wear out of this dress, especially when the weather gets hot and humid again. Here's the back:



I was really proud of how the invisible zipper went in on this dress. It was only my second invisible zipper and I think it looks great.

FO and next project

After fiddling and tweaking and fiddling some more, I've decided that I'm finished with this version of New Look 6643. I had to redraft the top of the pattern since the smallest size is a 10 and I'm closer to an 8. While that helped a lot, it still wasn't quite right and required some extra work to get it to fit properly. I've gotten it close and decided for now, it's close enough.

Any further changes would likely have to be done to the pattern before cutting it out. And I'm tired of fiddling with this project, frankly. Pictures coming tomorrow, hopefully.

I'm planning to make another version (third time's a charm, right?), but not yet. Although I'm determined to finish editing this pattern to get a basic sheath dress pattern I can rely on, right now I need a project that will be finished much more quickly and not give me so much trouble. And while the summer weather is probably gone for good around here, I can still wear this next project with a light sweater on our warmer fall days. So up next is Simplicity 2638 again, because I've made it before, it goes really quickly, I know it fits, and it's a dress I wore quite a lot over the summer. But this time, I'm color blocking the dress so that hopefully it will look completely different and my coworkers won't realize I've made the same dress twice.

I bought some inexpensive poly/cotton broadcloth at fabric.com a while ago with this dress in mind ($10 total fabric cost). The top will be white, with a black waistband and an azure-ish colored skirt. I'm sticking with a knee-length skirt, rather than the full length that is drafted in the pattern. And I'm going to substitute the lapped zipper for an invisible zipper this time. It should end up looking something like this:

And hopefully I'll have it done later this week. If so, you'll know about it because I'll post pictures. It will be nice to have a quick finished product, rather than spending a month scratching my head, ripping out, resewing, ripping out, thinking, etc. Work is challenging enough that I don't really want a sewing challenge right now. :P

Busy busy

We're well into the fall semester here and with so much travel right before the semester started and then the usual interruptions and myriad other details to take care of, I've rather neglected this little blog, along with my sewing and knitting and pretty much every other "fun" thing I'm supposed to find time for. Except reading. I guess I've been reading in my bits of spare time because it requires no moving whatever, especially on a kindle where only a tiny pressure from the thumb will turn the "page".

I know this sounds terribly lazy, but I've been exhausted lately. One thing I did find the time for was to go get a new cell phone. I finally dumped AT&T and their lack of customer service or recognition of brand loyalty or any of the other niceties you might expect from a company you've given hundreds of dollars to (probably a few thousand at this point since I've been with them since 2000). And finally got rid of my Ohio phone number, which was a few states back in the saga of my residences. I've joined the year 2011 with my technology, and am now the proud owner of a Droid Incredible 2 (ok, not the newest smartphone on the market, but it was only $50 at Costco!).

Isn't it snazzy? I'm looking forward to having google at my fingertips no matter where I am, and being able to use the odd moment usually spent waiting for the train or whatever to check my email if I like and have one less thing to do at home or the office.

I know that I will probably drastically underutilize the capabilities of this phone, but whatever. I can figure out how to do the most complex remote login tunneling session later if I want to. It only took me a few hours yesterday to get the basics down and customize everything, so for now, that's good enough for me.

I plan to try to finish that dress today, you know, the one I posted about a month ago or whenever that was. I don't have that much to do, just finish the neck, armscyes, and hem the bottom. Honestly, I haven't even had the energy for that lately. But I've decided today is the day. We'll see. Pictures soon, hopefully.