Thursday 5 July 2012

Blue and white overload

 Remember this panelled shwe shwe I bought in Cape Town in May

 Here's how it looks all sewn together.  Insta-skirt.  (Well, insta if you don't include fitting, adding a waistband, zipper, hooks and eyes and hemming.  Kind insta.)
 I like this vaguely cowgirl look I have going here.  Full disclosure:  I used that belt because the waist needs to be taken in by the tiniest bit.  The panels are perfect trapezoids, and we all know that bodies are not trapezoidal.  


 Well, mine isn't.  

It sits on the hips and then gaps about 2cm on the waist, which is not enough to really notice, but it's enough for *me to notice* which is what really counts.  It's that tiny difference between being a well loved wardrobe staple and a not-quite-right-and-don't-wear-it-very-often garment.  (There is probably some tremendous compound word to express that in German, but since I only took intro German and have forgotten 99% of it, I'll leave that to you, dear readers, to figure out.)


During our last heat wave, I made this super simple tube dress with loops sewn into the top, so that the straps can be tied in lots of different ways.  Great except for two things:  I don't own a strapless bra, and the bottom hem is just slightly too narrow so I can't run.  And I run a lot.  There is an emergency in the family about every 30 minutes that requires me to quickly run to the rescue.  Both of those problems are easily fixed, but who has the time right now?  
I started using picmonkey for photo editing, and I like it better than anything else I've tried.  No more stitching together photos in powerpoint. 
 My three-year-old helped take the photos that week, and to tell the truth, they weren't half bad.  Here she is imitating some kind of "Who Me?  But I'm so adorable" pose. 
Then I remembered that the weekly theme for July 4th over at The Sew Weekly is Red, White and Blue.  Well, I'm pretty much white and blued out for now.  Maybe I'll try to finish up some UFO lying around here while I'm off work tomorrow, even though I should be preparing the family for our long road trip.  

Nah, sewing is more fun than packing and housecleaning. 

6 comments:

  1. I really like your skirt! it would be a shame if you don't wear it, hope you find the time to alter it. Blue and white always looks cool on hot days to me (not that I would know, constant rain in the UK right now!). Enjoy your trip!

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    1. Thanks Phil. I've been on the road, but I've finally gotten some wifi at this motel. We had a cool and rainy UK-style May, but now we're being spoiled with a nice hot summer so far (20-30C). Hope you get a bit too! I'm finally getting to wear all those sundresses that I sewed in the winter.

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  2. ah i LOVE these!!!! these are the two items i keep looking for in my closet!!!

    (not the child--- though i must agree, she IS adorable.)

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    1. Hey Oona - I know I'll wear that skirt a lot too.

      People I work with have already said, "Wait...let me guess....you bought that fabric in Africa and you made it yourself? Damn!"

      and they know better by now than to follow that statement with, "Can you make one for me too?"

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  3. Love the skirt, and you are totally rocking that tube dress! I think you should alter the skirt and take it in that bit so you wear it often - it's lovely on you and the fabric is just so fantastic :)

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    1. Thanks Meg. The only problem is finding a strapless bra for a not-quite-A-cup body. Where does one find something like that? Wait, why and I asking you?! You're the 50s bathing costume pin-up ;)

      BTW, I didn't even know about the NATO summit until I read it on your blog. The last time we had the city shut down like that was when Benjamin Netanyahu visited years ago (we have a significant Hasidic / Orthodox Jewish population paired with a very large Muslim population, so it was a recipe for disaster. They shut down the highways and we all just stayed home.)

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