Glorious Distraction

For a few years now I've been dissatisfied with my winter wardrobe - either I can look nice, or I can be warm -- and 98% of the time I choose warm and look like a shlump.    I hereby declare that this shall come to an end!  My current goal, which is concurrent to the stash bust, is 3 jackets by October 1^st.  I started on number one yesterday.    Like the lace shirt, it is based off Vogue 1086 -- but rather than leave the gathers in place, I turned the ones in the back into a single inverted box pleats, and those in the front into a series of knife pleats. 

pin-fitting - no pipping

sewn - with piping

While doing the final pin fitting, I decided it was a bit ...plain, which is odd for a brocade, but with all the seams there was nothing else going on, and it was looking homemade.  (I differentiate between the homemade look and handmade, the one implies screwing around while the other is craftsmanship)    I decided a little piping might help knock it up a notch, and fortunately I had *just* enough royal blue piping to do the midriff area.   I will need more for the collar and cuffs eventually, but those were never getting done this afternoon anyhow.    However, this change in design also required a change in construction order.   usually I put together the whole front, and the whole back and then sew them together.   Instead, I worked from the top down - I may start doing this more often.

original construction order

new order -- batwings are flat sleeves

I still need to tack down the interior seams, so it stops standing off my body oddly, line it, etc...    I also may reset the sleeves, as the heads are falling just short of the tops of my shoulders.    However, its coming together nicely and should be fun to wear.    The dirndl dress will probably be picked back up when I finish the jacket -- I kept having visions of the latter and couldn't concentrate on the former.   (Which means SWITCH PROJECTS!)

Anyhow, the past two days of Me-Made-June (This daily blogging thing is getting to be a bit much for me)

 Here we have a variation on Vogue 8543 - the variation being I didn't like how the seam in the front hit me, so I redrafted it to have 5 panels instead of three -- which I think evens up the 'arches' (I don't know what to call them) on the sides

 

Today was my perpetual friend and favorite, the franken-dress.more specifically the bodice is a modified Simplicity 2884, and the skirt is McCalls 5292, which I find to be quite full enough for every day wear. The modification was changing the back from a standard halter to crossed straps. I just find it more comfortable not to have pressure on the back of my neck all day. Also, although you cannot see it, there is a side seam pocket on the right side around knee level.