Best of April

Yay!  My Venda skirt is on Burdastyle's Best of April.
Go vote for me (although I have no idea what I get if I get votes, but anyhoo....)

We're all going to Hell in a Handbasket

(To be read in my worst pissed-off Mom Voice):  "I leave the country for one week, and look what kind of mess I come back to!  Conservative majority government.  CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY GOVERNMENT!  Now who's going to clean up this mess?!"

What the fruck.  I saw the news on Cuban TV and assumed I wasn't understanding the spanish, since I only speak about 20 words of the language, but oh no, it was only too true.  I had to go get a bunch of mojitos at the bar to dull the disappointment.  Then I had to lie down for a while. 

Anyway, back to sewing. 

I started off with the very good intention of doing the Sew Weekly "Inspired by a TV character" challenge of 3 weeks ago.  I knew right away that I wanted to do something '80s, since I wanted to fill a gap in my Sewing Through the Decades project.  I remembered loving Lisa Bonet's style from The Cosby Show, and I used to think she was the most beautiful girl on TV.  I wanted Denise Huxtable's sloppy oversized style and curly asymetrical hairdo.  I even remembered this cool halter-style belt that the character's friend wore in one episode and decided to try to make it:

But then I thought I should make a dress to go with it, and chose this pattern from one of my Value Village raids.  It isn't dated, but it looks Totally '80s to me. 

I used some polyester that I got from an amazing estate sale, dated 1972 on the selvage. 

I think that this was the first time I have made a pattern without making any size alterations.  I am usually a 12 on top and 14-16 on bottom, but because this is pretty loose, it worked as is.  I had to topstitch the facings down because the polyester would not take a crease no matter how hot I dared iron it, but because of the stripe pattern, it isn't too obvious.  I never got around to making the belt though.  Meh.  I finished it just in time to wear out that evening with some friends who were visiting from Halifax.

**********************************************************************

Shhhhhhh!  If we're quiet, we'll get a chance to observe the Totally '80s dress in its natural habitat: the Duran Duran show at Le National.  Let's observe:

(I have no idea why I have that odd strained look on my face and neck.  Maybe because I was sweating like a whore in church and I was trying to see above all the heads of all those 40-something ladies who were getting between me and my teen-aged obsession - John Taylor.)

Mmm.  Nice.  My man granted me a 30min. Celebrity Free Pass, but alas, I had eaten an Iranian onion salad before the show, and didn't want to risk killing the poor boy with stink breath.

1940s    1950s    1960s    1970s  1980s    1990s    2000s    2010s 

This post has absolutely nothing to do with sewing

Tanit-Isis and I were talking about the upcoming election on her blog the other day, and I just had to share this little tidbit of Canadian content for any foreign readers of my blog.  Hell, for any Canadian readers who haven't yet seen this site (if such a citizen exists!):

Shit Harper Did

We really need to get out and vote guys.  Even if you do vote Conservative, I won't hold it against you (as long as you don't admit it to me).  If there is anyone in your household that is over 18 and they haven't yet voted, kick their butt out to the polling station.  If they need some incentive, promise to sew them something nice.

Hey, I guess this post does have something to do with sewing after all.

McCall's makes A Single Man Dress?

McCall's has a new pattern that is styled in a similar way to my Single Man Dress.  Although looking back now, there are a lot of things I would alter in that dress.  See how they did the seaming to create the white panel?  I just stitched a panel on the front of the dress because I couldn't figure out a way to do it neatly back in November.  But I guess that's why I'm keeping track of my progress on this blog: so I can see where I've improved and where I still need some work ;)

*************************************************************************

STOP PRESS!

Guess what just arrived in my mailbox... Simplicity 2591!  Angela from RiAnge creations offered it to me when I put out my desperate plea for a copy - and then it arrived like a wonderful birthday present :)  If I weren't leaving town in a couple of days I would have that pattern traced, cut and basted by bedtime tonight.  I think I am going to make a blatant rip-off of Farah's, which was a copy of Adey's which was based on Michelle Tan's Renee 1950s Retro Dress.  This is starting to become a meme.....

IAAT?

When I started sewing again last summer, I decided to take a quick look online for some free patterns.  I stumbled upon Elaine's Coffee Date Dress, which led me to Burdastyle, which opened up a whole world of sewing blogs that I never knew existed.  A great help when I can't figure something out, and a great inspiration  when I fear I'm straying into Becky Home-ec-y territory!

And now Katja from Of Dreams and Seams  has passed on Beangirl's cheeky IAAT award ;)  Am I?

1) What size shoe do you wear?  If you wear a size 7, can I borrow your shoes?

My left foot is around 7.5 and my right around 8, so shoes never fit properly.  The left shoe is always flopping off or the right is too tight, but at least they seem to have gone back to their normal size after the general body trauma that is pregnancy and childbirth.....

2) 30's or 60's?

Uh......'30s evening wear and '60s daywear.  

3)  Have you ever kissed someone you shouldn't have?

Like someone else's man (or woman)?  No, never.  How boring is that!

4) Have you ever been poisoned?  Was it by the girlfriend of the person you kissed??  That is awesomely "Knot's Landing".

I think I may have been.  It was almost 20 years ago in Hong Kong.  I brushed it off as some kind of shellfish poisoning or something, but looking back now as a wiser adult, I don't think shellfish poisoning makes everything go black and dizzy.  

5) Who's on your "Celebrity Free Pass" list?

Since we're playing with reality here, I say Leonard Cohen in 1967.  What?  I'm Canadian.  I'm "of a certain age".  I was a bookworm-ish teenager in the '80s. 'Nuff said.  

(Although now that I'm an exhausted mom of 2 pre-schoolers, I can't really imagine getting up enough energy to actually use the Free Pass.  There's a song by fellow Canadian Nancy White called "Leonard Cohen's Never Gonna Bring my Groceries In".  Google the lyrics:  that's me.)

or,

Since I'm taking a little trip back in time to the '80s tomorrow night by going to a Duran Duran concert with some other 40-something friends of mine, I'll take John Taylor.  But 1982 John Taylor, before the speedballs and what I imagine must have been the microbia of 100s of rabid groupies took their toll .....*shudder*....

I've got to go finish my '80s dress for the Sew Weekly Challenge, so it's ready for the concert tomorrow night, so I'll pass it on to some worthy bloggers when I get a chance.  

Simplicity 2591? Are you out there?

Ok, I should have bought it before it went OOP.  But it wasn't available at my local Fabricville, and I didn't want to pay $17 shipping from the US.

Then I saw laceumbrella's version.

Then stitchywitchy's

Then Farah's

And of course Adey's

and these:  here and here and  here!

Now I can't find it anywhere.  Checked all the pattern stores in Montreal.  Checked etsy.  Checked ebay.  It's only available on Simplicity.com, but it will cost me ~$30US.  Ugh.  And may be slapped with extra taxes and duty at the border by Canadian Customs.  Ugh.

Damn damn damn damn.  Anyone have #2591 (cut or uncut) that they want to sell me?  Please?

Inspired by Childhood Sew Weekly Challenge

1976 - Grade 1

Over at Sew Weekly, the inspiration this time around is Photos from Childhood.  Since I don't have very many photos at my place, and my parents are traveling and can't send me any right now, you'll just have to let your mind wander back to the '70s.....calico, bohemian, handmade, macrame, crewel embroidery... Everyone's Mom made their clothes and they all wore wrap-around skirts like this Simplicity 7876.  In fact, I think my Mom *did* have this pattern way back when.

So here's my version:  2011 does 1976.

Super fun to take these photos, but I have to find another backdrop to use.  That bookshelf is so visually busy (and messy.  I should really do a spring cleaning.  Yeah, that's going to happen sometime soon.)

Sewing notes:  I shorted by about 8" because it was too stiff and dumpy looking.  Because it had a lining, I was able to turn all the seams inward to give it a clean, finished look.  I made one for my daughter, but trying to get her into it this morning was like trying to dress one of the cats.  She *really* doesn't like the boho style. Only 2 and full of such strong fashion opinions already....my son OTOH told me that I looked beautiful and he wanted to see how I was going to finish the hem, so I may start teaching him to sew a bit.  I was only about 6 when my Mom started letting me use her Singer Featherweight in 1976.

ps.  Oops, forgot to add the Sewing Through the Decades countdown!

1940s  1950s  1960s  1970s  1980s  1990s  2000s  2010s