I confess.  In the last ten years I have done mostly quilting, some curtain-making, and very little garment sewing.  This is the polar opposite of all of my prior years of sewing, when I designed and made so many items in my wardrobe.  I love the clothes that I make for myself.  But I’ve come to realize that it is not fun to design and construct clothing when I don’t like the way I look.  Over the last 15 years I have put on 7 to 10 pounds.  It has not been noticeable day-to-day or even year-to-year.  But it has accumulated.  It has been just enough to work with the aging process to change my core shape and posture.

In recent months I have gradually taken off about three of those pounds.  I can feel the difference in my posture, my outlook, and the way my clothes feel.  To make this a lasting change, one thing I think I need to do is focus on garment sewing and design.  With quilting, which I’ve done so much of in recent years, there is a disconnect and a diminished focus on me and what I look like.  When making a blanket, body size and shape don’t matter.  It is easy to ignore and rationalize subtle changes to my physique when I’m not fitting garments to my shape on a regular basis.  With garment sewing I know every spot and curve that is a part of me.  I think I need that constant awareness of the shape my body is in.

So anyway, I have two white summer vest/tops that are too tight.  I can fasten them and wear them in public, but when I wear one of them and then take it off at the end of the day I feel like I can start breathing again. Here is my favorite of the two:

So, I got this idea from a blouse designer I absolutely love:  Gretty Zueger.  I have several GZ blouses.  They are form-fitting but comfortable.  This is achieved by inserting a small side panel of stretch ribbing (i.e., “wife-beater” fabric) into the blouse.  Below are two blouses from her collection.  Unfortunately, the ribbing inset is not visible in either photo.

One of my Gretty Zueger blouses:

The side panel.

This week I bought some simple white ribbing at JoAnn’s, and last night spent about half an hour trying out the technique on the vest pictured above.  Here is the result.

The bottom and top edges are not smooth.  I was afraid of that, with applying the stretch knit ribbing to a woven, already-hemmed garment.  I’m going to shop tomorrow for a plain edging trim that I can apply to make everything appear to line up.

A close up of the ribbing.

The result is amazing, though.  The vest looks exactly the same when I wear it, but it doesn’t feel tight.

I’ll go ahead and do the other white vest and see if I can prevent the bumps at the top and bottom of the ribbing.

My quilting stash is stored in a large cupboard.  And a closet.  Occasionally I do a cleanout.  It is usually on a miserable day when it is rainy, bitter cold, or I’m snowed in.  Yesterday with yet another day of 100+ degree temps outdoors, I pulled out my stash of vintage scraps and UFOs (unfinished objects).  These cleanouts usually lead to the start of a new project, or more accurately stated, the finish of a long-ago-started project.  Here is my previous Lake House Closet project:

I actually titled this quilt, “Lake House Closet.”  It consists of two sets of blocks I had made at different times while experimenting with no clear goal in mind for a finished product.  The blocks in the center diamond were from a quilt book by Marcia McCloskey.  The rose bud blocks in the border were from a Pam Bono book.  The large floral blocks in the quilt were fabrics I had on hand but had not yet identified for a project.  Below is a slightly better view of the rose bud blocks.  And of Buddy, who insists on testing all of my works-in-progress.

So, yesterday I identified a project to finish.  It is a box of yoyo blocks started by my great-grandmother.

Also in the box are circles that have been cut but not made into yoyos; and her circle pattern.

Here is why I chose this project to finish now:

This week her circle pattern turns 70 years old.

So, I’ve decided to first sew together the existing blocks.  Here is the layout I have planned.

The dimensions are 35″ x 29″.  The green block is a place holder.  I’ll make up a block of the print yoyos to fit that spot.  There are only 2 and a half of those green blocks, with no fabric to make more, so I don’t know what I will do with those.  But I’ll think of something.

Once the existing yoyos and blocks are sewn together, then I’ll decide when and how to get the other yoyos made.  Maybe I’ll start taking them to guild meetings.  That is 2 hours per month of quality time for doing hand work.

There will be no estimated time frame for getting the rest of the yoyos made.  But I want to have the existing yoyos sewn together this week in something that on its own looks like a finished quilt.  Stay tuned for progress photos.

Simplicity SewSimple #1998.  I saw this simple, inexpensive dress pattern at the store, thought it was adorable and was compelled to try it.  No buttons or zippers.  No darts or plackets.  No set in sleeves.  No hand sewing.  Just a front center pleat.

I chose a large, bold print.  I have lots of fun with large prints.  Do they work for me?  I don’t know, but it is fun to wear them.

It took me about 30 minutes to construct the entire dress, which unfortunately turned out to be huge.  Then it took another few hours, off and on, to tailor it to my size, shape and taste.

I searched the internet for comments from others who had tried the pattern.  I was inspired by this blog to keep going with my adjustments:    http://montanachic.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/sew-simple-1998/                         I loved her design and write up.

Like Montanachic, I too had to first tame the “cone of shame” that was the collar.  In comparing the picture on the pattern envelope to my as-constructed collar, let me just say that “objects are larger than they appear.”   The collar on my dress was huge and flamboyant.  That might be a cool feature for an evening dress, but not for me and the simple wear-to-the-office-on-a-hot-day dress I was shooting for.

I took in the collar and dress by several inches in both the front and back.  In the front I accomplished this by enlarging the center dress pleat, and constructing a right angle fold in the collar.  Then I embellished the center front with a button.

In the back I added a center box pleat that took another 4 inches out of the collar.  I extended the pleat on down to a spot between my shoulder blades.  I stopped the pleat there so as to retain the fullness of the lower skirt, which was necessary because the skirt is not as wide as it looks on the pattern envelope.

The sleeves are almost too big and wing-like for my taste, but I think I can live with them.  This design would be a great alternative for someone who does not like to wear sleeveless dresses.  I would not want to use a stiffer fabric, though, as that would have made the sleeves stick out too much for me.

I can’t say this is the finished product.  The hem is temporary; I will probably let it out an inch.  I’m thinking a wide navy belt would also be an enhancement, which would necessitate letting the hem out a little more or wearing the dress as a tunic when it’s belted.

All in all, this dress won’t make my personal dress hall-of-fame.  But it will be light and comfortable on hot days.   I want to try another version that can be worn as a jumper in cold weather, with a blouse or turtleneck underneath, and tights.  The jumper will likely be a tweed rather than a shockingly large print.

The Pattern:  Simplicity Sew-Simple #1998

Another nice adaptation!   http://www.sewcountrychick.com/2011/12/silver-grey-new-years-dress-simplicity.html

I wore the dress to work today.  It was comfortable.  On my way home I stopped at Dillons, and a few steps into the door, I was stopped by a cashier who told me she loved my dress.  Yesss!