Stash Busting & A New Dress

One of my many resolutions this year, is to use fabric from my stash first before buying anymore. My stash has gotten a bit out of hand over the past few years and with a remodeling project underway, I need to reign it in.

For my first 'stash-busting' project of 2012: a new dress.



I purchased this fabric years ago. As in close to twelve years ago. I've had this fabric longer than I have known my husband. :)

Initially purchased for a quilt, there was enough yardage to execute this dress and leave some fabric to do something else with. Like maybe a quilt.

ETA: I have linked up with Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday.

My Curtain Call Dress 2011

Every year my department hosts an end-of-the-year banquet. The students all get dolled up as we celebrate and recognize our graduating seniors.

Last year was the first year I attended and I felt that I was so, so, so under-dressed for the occasion that this year I was determined to wear a cute cocktail dress this year.

And here it is...



I finished it at 5:15pm on Saturday for a 6pm Curtain Call the same night.

Whoops.

When I blogged about it here, I seriously didn't think I would cut it that close. However, I ended up having to redraft the skirt twice on Saturday because I wasn't thinking when MGO made the first mock-up and again, when I made the second mock-up. We made both mock-ups on 120" muslin which is perfect for a large circular skirt; and a problem if your final fabric is 45" wide.

Major whoops (okay, I really said a lot of cusswords but you get the point).

So it took five hours to re-draft the skirt to include two seams so I could cut the skirt from the 45in fabric and two seams that lined up with existing seams in the bodice.

All in all, after a lot of tantrums and more than a few choice words, I love my new dress. It was surprisingly comfortable and I can't wait to wear it again.

Oh and my puppy approves of it too :)

WIP Wednesday -- April Edition

It has been a long, strange trip since the last time I posted my WIPs at Freshly Pieced. As such, I have been all-over-the-place with my projects. The semester is quickly coming to a close, so I'm hoping that I'll get some projects finished. Without further adieu, here is the short list of all the projects I have going on:

Something Not A Quilt aka The Dress MGO started

After re-drafting three pieces completely today, here is the latest mock-up of the dress (for the initial version that MGO did all by himself, click here)



It looks good-enough for me to cut out the 'real' dress tomorrow. Now I just have to make up my mind regarding the fabric :)

Quilts that Need the Binding Finished

Sadly, I have /two/ at this stage.

My 'Stripes' Quilt which I really need to get done, since it is a house-warming present that is um *cough, cough* two months overdue.



And my hand-pieced 'Broken Dishes' Quilt which my husband loves.



I can't wait to show everyone this finished project. I splurged on the no. 5 perle cotton I used and it just made all the colours pop more.

The Quilt I'm Quilting

I know the last time I posted, I said that this was the fourth project on my to-do list, but I still haven't decided how to quilt what was number 3, so I skipped to this one.



Hooking Project

Yes, I'm still working on this:



Because it is still not long enough for a twin-size bed.

Random Projects:

Or simply projects to distract me when I misplace the tools I need to complete other projects.

Like today, when I misplaced scotch tape /and/ tissue paper since you can't really draft patterns without either.



Or like Sunday, when MGO started working on the dress and my sewing table was cluttered.

Or like any other time, when I want to work and not think.



Hopefully, I'll have some finished projects to blog about in the near future; especially since the dress has to be done by Saturday :)

How I Spent My Easter Sunday...

Or more succinctly - "The Day I Learned that my Mother is a Saint."

Or better yet -- "The Day I Finally Agreed to Teach My Husband How To Sew."

Or in reality -- "The Day I Let My Husband Actually Touch My Bernina."

Anyway...

Mi Galego Obstinado and I realised that we had two items we needed to accomplish today: I needed to brew my Porter (oh have I mentioned I brew beer also? well, that is for another post where I explain how my husband became a demi-god amongst his friends because /I/ brew) and I also needed to start work on a dress for the end-of-the-year party my work hosts for our graduating seniors. And if you have ever brewed beer or had to make a muslin mock-up before you actually sew a dress (damn my measurements), you know that there was no way to do both in the same day.

So, MGO and I decided that he would work on the muslin mock-up.

You see, what I haven't told you is that he has been after me for YEARS to teach him how to sew and draft patterns enough that he can help me make clothes or for him to make them himself. MGO is completely fascinated with the process of how clothes are made. Half of his interest I swear is from him being an engineer and computer scientist but the more interesting aspect of his interest is because his aunts (from here on out referred to as Las Tias -- it's what we refer to them as in the collective) ran a clothing store in Vigo, Spain for years where they sold ready-made and custom clothing. The first time I met Las Tias we bonded over sewing and crafts despite the fact that they speak no English and I speak very little Spanish and Galego.

This all brings me back to why I think my mother is a saint - watching MGO use my Bernina: teaching him how to properly thread my machine, put in a new bobbin, hell- watching him sew with pins in the fabric - led me to calling my mum to tell her this because I literally had to sit on my hands or be fussed at to 'don't help me' in order to let my husband learn. All the things my mother admitted to doing when she started to teach me until she gave up and sent me to work for someone else.

However, at the end of the day, he was able to do this...



I've already tried it on, made mental notes on where I need to alter the pattern to fit my body better; so tomorrow, I'll re-draft parts of the pattern and make up a new mock-up so he can help me tailor it further when he gets home.

It may have tried my patience and sanity today, but in the end, can I say I'm a lucky girl?

And glad I brew beer.

I needed the drink :)

P.S. After much thought, I decided against telling everyone where I got the pattern as it is so poorly drafted that I doubt I could make a dress for my sister without serious tailoring -- and she is a sample size.