Dress For My Mom

So my mom came to visit. We only had her here for three weeks and I had to work, but I did get to accomplish one of her requests. She wanted this purple tank turned into a dress. Actually, she wanted me to show her how to do this, so I guess I only fulfilled half of her request. I kinda took over an ran with it. You've probably seen these dresses other places. I made one way back in 2010 that I still wear. Most just call for cutting the tank, gathering your fabric and sewing it on. Most people wear a belt or sash to give it a more fitted look because otherwise, frankly, it looks a bit droopy. To prevent that and yet make it comfortable I went back to an old favorite, elastic thread. I think I did 4 or 5 rows. Now it can be worn as is or Mom can throw on a belt for a second look. I chose a very bold print in a rayon challis that flows beautifully and feels great.

I was so down to the wire on this one, I only got one non blurry photo and no close ups.

 Hope it hasn't fallen apart Mom!

Love you!

My New Top

This started out as something completely different. Have you ever picked the right project and the wrong fabric? Well that happened last week. Normally I may have called it quits but the wrong fabric was a pretty fabric, some of my Hilco fabric. It's a beautiful, light, crisp, soft, cotton.

So when the disater happened, I already had five rows of shirring done. Instead of taking them out, I added 20 more rows. Then I chopped off what was to have been the top of the blouse and that became one of the upper bodice peices. I had just enough fabric to make the other side of the bodice.

I've decided once and for all that I need a dress form. This would have been much easier with a dress form. It would have prevented some mistakes that I would like to fix but I'm not sure if I will.

So, anyway, tell me what you think. Would it be worth remaking. Should I just let it go?

Didn't mean to be gone so long

It was a long week. It was a good week. It was a not so good week. For those of you who dropped by Wednesday after seeing me here and here thank you! I was hard at work getting more things done but was having some difficulty getting things photographed and posted.

Thank goodness for weekends.

I am not a sports fan but when the world cup happens and the weather is good, it's fun to go sit outside and watch a game or two. It's fun to watch people get crazy. Seriously crazy. This place is a short walk from our apartment. I'll miss it.

 I've had this toile for years (thanks Sherie). I'd been wanting to make it into a skirt but was having trouble thinking of a shirt I had to wear with it. Kelly wore her Cabo halter last week and a light went on. I made mine with Kona Cotton in a shade of blue that I've forgotten.
The skirt is Simplicity 8664. I did a bias trim for the hem because I cut it a bit shorter than I meant to. Mistake? Opportunity?
This detail is around the top of the skirt. I pulled the facing up just enough to make it look like cording. It may never be seen but I know it's there and I like it! By the way, I used my ever quickly dwindling supply of Wonder Tape for both zipper applications. The skirt was a sort of lapped version ( sorry totally meant to take a close up) and the shirt has an invisible zip. It was wonderful for both. Seriously, as Jess said, it changes lives. Well, mine anyway.

Three more of the shirred skirts. Two for Jess, one for me. Hers are out of Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt and mine is Pastry Line voile from Anna Maria Horner.

Last and maybe least is a project that turned out differently than I had planned. Not bad, just different. I took a tank cut it off and attached the voile skirt. I did five rows of shirring around the bodice and skirt to give it a more fitted look. If I had a garden, this would be my gardening dress. Right now I have scaffolding, a dying rose and soon to be very, very bright yellow walls outside.