needed: snuggly warm things

I've come to the conclusion winter is never going to end, so I've temporarily put aside my lovely pink dress and will be making more warm things.

(Even the early morning sunlight is all wintery and dull)  (It knows.  It taunts me)

The problems of going rogue

Happily knitting away on my sleeve, when I noticed I only had three skeins left and no sense of how much I'd already used....   So I promptly stopped and am knitting the other sleeve to match.   Once they are the same size, I'll divide the remaining yarn in half and hope for the best.... but things are looking a little short right now.

::fingers crossed this doesn't end up being totally ridiculous::

someday my spring will come.....

Theoretically, someday it will be warm again, and in that hazy someday, I have a couple of weddings to attend and sundresses will once again be my standard fair.  Bring on the bright colors!

A few months ago, my mother, the enabler, blithely ignored my fabric fast and offered me a cotton eyelet and lining she had left over from one of her own projects, which I was powerless to resist.   (Fun fact:  I'd swear this was a bright pink, but she claims it is red.  Thoughts?)

pink or red?

I decided to go with more or less the same frankenpattern I'd used for my new year's eve dress - although instead of using a third pattern for the skirt, I'm using the original from V1174.  I lust after pockets with an unholy desire.

pockets and straps.  I will win the weddings.

Thus far I have the outer shell of the bodice put together.   (It won't look that pointy when I'm wearing it.  I'm afraid the table and I have rather different figures.)  The next step is overcoming my winter induced malaise and cutting out the lining (the same cotton) and catch-stitching all the seam allowances so it lays flat and pretty.

and so it begins...

 Does anyone else loose productivity in winter?    I can sew up a storm on summer nights, but in winter I just turn into a lump on the couch and watch movies sideways.

34 degrees is sundress weather

the long awaited hem.   

I have overcome my own lumpishness and sewn the hem!!!!

For weeks I had put it off because I was three pins shy of having it fully pinned in place, and it somehow never occurred to me to just shift things slightly.  (I've decided to blame winter and a lack of sunlight on me devolving once again into evil hermit mode.)

stomp, stomp, stomp

Having finally finished the dress, I merrily stomped about the yard, crushing the snow beneath my boots, and generally showing it who is in charge.  This all happened very quickly, as it was just slightly above freezing and more than a little windy.

super hero style.

Once again, I'm happy with how the dress came out - although its a bit tighter this time as I didn't take the allowances into account for french seams - having decided to use them after I cut it all out.  

pink pouf!

As mentioned in an earlier post, the fabric is a very thin shot cotton - it looks great, but doesn't have enough body for this style of dress on its own (B5748) so I'm wearing it with the pink cotton crinoline I made a week or so ago.  Cotton-on-cotton means I need to make sure nothing is sticking oddly when I first get dressed, but should be good for summer when I want it to breath and be able to just toss everything into the washing machine.

Happy Valentine's Day

Bits and pieces

chrysanthemum style

The cotton crinoline is finished... and I started getting artsy.   It's finished in eighth inch double fold bias tape, for a nice clean edge and no lost length.   It has an added bonus of making the bottom ruffle nice and firm.

nearly finished....

At this point, all the dress needs is a hem.   I've got it all pinned and ready, I just need to sew it.   However, I keep getting distracted from one hobby with the other...

the beginning of the sleeve

I'm now onto the sleeves!   I have no idea how to shape things properly for arm holes (for knitting) so, I decided to start from the bottom up and worry about it when I got there...

It's starting to look like a sweater....

Check this out - body, neck, arm holes -- its getting all garmenty

The patterned border continues around the neck, to the center back, where it joins in a slightly lumpy manner (in my defense, its my first time sewing knitted stuff together, so I'm actually rather pleased with the result)

And thanks to Penny, diffusing some of the sunlight, this is a more accurate shot of the real color of the yarn.

Next challenge:   sleeves!