Random Thoughts

1. When I said 4.5" heels, remember there's also a 1"+ platform. So net heel height is about 3.5", which is manageable. I just feel like I'm walking in the clouds.

2. The orange skirt is from JCP.

3. The print skirt from the other day is from Coldwater Creek.

4. The network was back up today when I got in.

5. Our brass had a come-to-Jesus meeting with IBM brass this morning, since this is the third time in 2 months we've had this hardware problem.

6. Lawyers vs. suits. Wonder who wins that one? ;-)

7. Four more days until I get "my" desk back, although I was told over the weekend that they would've re-arranged to squeeze me in somewhere in Marketing.

8. Yesterday's post was not aimed at anyone in particular, especially Carolyn. Just that she put down some things I had already been thinking. She seems to do that a lot, which saves me a lot of writing. ;-)

9. The birthday I'm not having is next month.

10. Looks like a trip to NYC is not happening in March, since I'll be packing and hopefully moving.

11. But it WILL happen in 2012.

12. I "only" bought the one pair of pumps, Carolyn. But I did buy a blouse and a pair of flat sandals. The blouse is definitely going back because the darts look like my dog sewed them. Can we say poofy points? Woof.

13. I got my hair cut last Wednesday. Today was the first day it felt like my hair again. Does anyone else's hair go completely limp after a haircut?

14. I've been losing the same 3-5 lbs for a few weeks now.

15. Do you think giving myself permission for celebration cake, happy hour, and Super Bowl snacks has anything to do with that?

16. Back on the wagon Friday night and I'm already down 2 again.

17. Keeping on because I have a cool new ORANGE skirt to wear soon.

18. I'm going to miss Downton Abbey.

19. When does Sons of Anarchy come back on?

20. And speaking of Suits, when does that one come back on? I think I love Harvey.

21. Why wasn't today a holiday for us? Hmmmm. Not that I wouldn't have worked anyway.

22. I still can't believe I'm getting paid to play in graphics programs all day. But I'm NOT complaining.

23. Would it be in poor taste to ask my predecessor before she leaves what her Christmas bonus was? Yeah, I know.

24. She's been coming in tardy and leaving early. I think she's as ready to be home as I am to be not. Synchronity and all that.

25. I love my job.

26. Are you sick of me yet? lol

27. It's not just my job I love, though. It's the whole team and how everyone has a necessary part in the big picture. It's really an amazing group.

28. One of my first "solo" projects next week will be to order myself business cards. lol

29. Who wants one? roflol

30. I fit a LOT of crap into my new tote bag this morning. It's definitely The One.

32. Is anyone else going to go see Act of Valor?

33. I wish I could go see it with the Marine.

34. Or the whole platoon. ;-)

35. I woke up at 5:30 a.m. today because I had to pee. My alarm is set for 6:01. I hate that.

36. TMI?

37. I was really early into the office today. Early departure and light holiday traffic.

38. Did you see KMQ's V1257 dress? Is she smokin' or WHAT?

39. I still haven't worn mine. Those snug sleeves just bug the crap outta me.

40. I'm going to use different sleeves and add real armholes and make another, because I really do like the dress. And maybe I'll cut off the sleeves for the one I made and wear it that way.

41. When I get back to sewing, that is.

Can You Stand Another Shopping Post?

I promise this will be a sewing blog again one of these days, just not for a couple of weeks at least. Carolyn's post the other day really resonated with me, because even before she wrote it I was thinking the same thing about my blog. I like sharing details and usually do when I have them, but lately, my sewing has been down and dirty, with pretty easy projects, and my time for details has been limited so I've been putting out more "look at what I did" posts instead of sharing the process. But I tend to go in cycles with most aspects of my life, so if you're hoping for construction details on more complicated projects, hang in there — they'll be back eventually.

I worked yesterday from 9:30-4:00 and again today from 9:00-3:00, and I got a lot done. Yesterday morning, our network went down. Thankfully, everything I had planned to do is not on the network so it didn't affect me too badly. But our email is down, which means Outlook is down, which means I can't access the emails and lists of stuff I need to do other things on my long list. It was still down when I left the office today, so I'm sure there will be grumbling in the morning, but, really, what can you do? It will be fixed when it's fixed. I'm sure the IT peeps had better things to do on their weekend too.

I planned to stop at the mall today on the way home to return some things from my recent JCPenney  and Coldwater Creek orders. Well, I didn't make it out of JCP so CWC will have to wait until another day. But I hit the mother lode, and had to talk myself OUT of many things because my closet is close to bursting at the seams as it is and I do plan to sew soon, AND I still had the things waiting at home that I kept. But what's working overtime good for if you don't spend some of the bonus money on fun stuff, right? ;-)

So, here we go …

I love this outfit. The blouse has a flounce around the vee neck and cute cap sleeves. It's lined front and back (sans sleeves), and I'm digging the 1940s vibe. Now I *need* some spectator pumps. The skirt is black, with gray dots …

… which you can see a little better here if you click the pic to enlarge it.

This skirt below is a little tight at the moment, but how could I resist an ORANGE skirt? You *know* my love affair with that color! Plus, look at it with my recent blouse purchase from CWC. I'm pretty sure by summer, the skirt will fit great. It really only needs about 5 more lbs gone. I think I may get the turquoise one too. At $20, fully lined with back welt pockets, I can't even THINK about making it for less.

I'm not sure about this top. It's really more for the weekend, but it blouses in a way that makes me look like I have jelly rolls around my waist. I think if I hem it shorter, that will fix it, but I'm still thinking about it. It's brown/beige, not black. The skirt is a jeans skirt (fly front, scoop front pockets, back jeans-style pockets). Also for the weekend, and jeans Fridays. (I not especially fond of jeans Fridays, BTW. I just don't like dressing DOWN for work. I feel schlumpy.) New shoes also, which I just ADORE!! They are 4.5" platform espadrilles, with bone patent leather cris-cross peep toe uppers, and they are extremely comfortable. I'm going to wear the heck out of these this summer and I'm already regretting not buying a back-up pair, since they're now sold out.

This blouse looks better without a flash photo, since all the contrast is washed out and it (and me) looks like a big blob. It's ivory, with a matching separate cami underneath and a bias tube belt with rings on either side. It's has seamed, gathered shoulders and is very floaty and pretty. And it's ONLY NINE BUCKS. Run to JCP and buy yourself one.

It's also got lingerie guards already in place. I nearly fainted when I saw that, FOR ONLY NINE BUCKS!

Green jacket. This is badly in need of a pressing and the back vent is still stitched closed so it's sitting a little snug at the hips until I snip that. Only $35. And more new shoes. Black loafer platform pumps. I'm still deciding on these. I like them and they're comfortable, but will I kill myself walking around in such high heels? Trust me, they are MUCH taller than they look in this pic.I'm almost 5'10" in these suckers since I could look Alex in the eye, and look at where my head hits on the door compared to the pic below. I also bought the white tee today too. You can't see any details, but it's a ruffle knit and will be a good basic underlayer. It's too long at the moment, though, so it needs a trip through the coverstitcher. There! I mentioned sewing. ;-)

This blouse is gauze-like, but a little more substantial. It has flounces on the 3/4 sleeves and the matching tank came with it. The blouse definitely needs to be belted and the armholes are low/wide, but it will be so comfortable when the humidity is at 3000% in August that I'm willing to overlook those deficiencies. And are you diggin' my Carolyn shoes?? I love them! Unfortunately, they are a little too wide (in the regular width) which you can sorta see at the back of the foot on your left, but I'm going to buy some foam insoles and I'm keeping them. I loved them when I saw them on Carolyn and I love them in person. Better a little too wide than too tight. ;-)

A new necklace.

And, finally, another new tote bag. I like this one better because it's bigger and costs less, so I'm sending the other one back to Zappos. If you're like me and don't need someone else's name or logo on your bag, then JCP is the place to shop. They always have a ton of nice bags at great prices. I can buy shoes all day (and night!), but I'm really cheap when it comes to purses.

So what did YOU do this weekend? I think NEXT weekend, I need to be dumping all the things in my closet I've been holding on to that are really just too darn big. I now desperately need the space.

Permanent Working Girl

This is what a working girl with a real job with real PAID benefits looks like after a long day at the office. Woooo!

That's the new tote bag I mentioned a couple of posts ago. It's still not exactly what I want, but it will do for the time being. I have a job now, I can buy another one later. ;-)

This is the Ottober 02/2007 re-TNT'd tee on its own. Too bad I didn't straighten my necklace before the camera clicked, but that's me - always a little skewed. lol

And this is REALLY what a working girl looks like after a long day at the office, changed into comfy lounging clothes. Both of these are huge on me, but I'm not going anywhere tonight so who cares.

This is the photo of the top (Burda plus mag from Feb 08) when I first made it. It's considerably shorter in this pic since there's considerably less me holding it up. It's also laying snug across the belly instead of loose and baggy as in the photo above. Plus, if I'm not paying attention, I end up flashing the bra now since there's less bazooms too. Well, not less — I still have two, just less of each.

So, about the job …Do you know how they say, "Be careful what you wish for?" Hah.

Yes, I have the job and I am absolutely thrilled, BUT … the woman who I first was filling in for while she was on maternity leave until she came back mid-December, well … she resigned this past Monday to be a SAHM. What that means is that I am going to be SUPER BUSY. Adding my job in addition to hers was approved so I would've been hired either way but until the new position is filled, I will be doing it all. Which I did from September to December, when I knew a lot less about the firm and its procedures, so I know I can handle it. But I also know from that time and to present that I'm going to be so busy the hours will just fly by. But that's OK. I really do love this job and being busy. I'm a dork, but on the drive in every morning this week, I said out loud, “I LOVE MY JOB” over and over. If cars next to me had been looking, they would've thought I had lost it.

What this also means is that a week from Monday, I get to leave my spot in the Finance department and return to the bigger, better spot in the Marketing department. I love that too! (No offense Finance types, but you were kind of driving me nuts. lol) I'm already re-decorating the area in my mind, and I can't wait to have that view back again.

Tomorrow is birthday cake day and I may even treat myself as a little celebration. We're also having a firm-wide video presentation by a Tuskeegee Airman in honor of Black History Month, with lunch catered. I'm really looking forward to the webinar because I think it's going to be fascinating. This firm is involved in a lot of diversity projects year-round, not just during February (and has won numerous national awards), and one of my upcoming projects is the annual diversity report. Another project I'm looking forward to, and it will be even more meaningful to me because I'll get to share my thoughts on tomorrow's presentation.

But the big thing on my plate right now is getting all the zillions of projects done for our annual invitation-only In-House Counsel Forum. Everything from a glossy 8-page program to foam core signs to name cards to gift bags to 100+ page "lookbooks" with bios for each attendee (about 80) and much, much more. My predecessor's last day is one week before this event, so it's pretty much all falling on my shoulders. I already know I'm working this weekend and next (putting sewing on hold), and I may even be going to the event, which is in Orlando. Exciting times ahead. Have I said how much I LOVE MY JOB!!!

I still can't believe how lucky I've been to land in the perfect job at the perfect time. Yes, it took some patience hanging in there, but it was so worth the wait.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of the congrats, good wishes, and nice comments. Your support has been so wonderful these last months.

Four Words

I got the job.


(Details later when I'm back home.)

Production Sewing

Yesterday was a bust sewing-wise, but I made up for it today with FOUR completed garments. I set out with new basics on my list and then maybe altering some too-big items. I did well in the basics department, but didn't even blow the dust off the to-do pile on the ironing board.

First up, my new TNT Ottobre tee. Since I still have too-big former TNTs from this pattern hanging in my closet, it was easy enough to try one on and pinch the sides to judge how much smaller it needed to be. I didn't feel right about just chopping up the original tracing since so many of my knit top patterns were based on it and I want to keep it as a reference. So I pulled out the pattern sheets, traced a new copy, sewed it up, and hoped for the best. And it worked.

It's a boring ivory Powerdry knit but I will wear the heck out of this, like with these pieces which have been waiting for it.

Next, McCall's 6078. This pattern comes in 2 size ranges XS-S-M and L-XL. When I first bought it, I spaced out and bought the smaller range. And then I used my bigger TNT Ottobre tee pattern to try to morph it. The result was OK but never great. Now, it's just plain too big and that one is in the donate pile. Today, I cut the M and sewed it as-is except that I morphed my "new" TNT sleeves onto the sleeveless version so I could have sleeves that I knew fit and sewed in without easing.

I made one in brown, to complete this outfit which I'm wearing tomorrow.

And I made one in white. This is unhemmed because the fabric has been in my stash so long it needed to be laundered again, and instead of pressing in the dust permanently, I will hem it after it's washed. It looks horrible here on Zillie, but it fits me perfectly and drapes much nicer.

I was making the white shell to wear with the wine plaid Magic Pencil. That's still a go, but then I got a wild hair and tried to force perfectly-matching french terry to become office wear. Yeah, not happening.

To be fair, it actually looks OK on me and will be good with jeans, but it's too warm and somewhat too bulky to wear in the office. So I'm back on the hunt for SOMETHING to go with this skirt so I can wear the darn thing. I have a few more stash possibilities so I haven't given up yet. And if I procrastinate long enough, it will be warm enough that just a short-sleeve top and a nice belt will be fine.

I made a big dent in the basics, but the ironing board pile — well, you can see for yourself. Plus the items hanging on the door, which are just too darn big now but it kills me to get rid of them. Especially the green outfit which hasn't even been worn.

* * * * *

I went to see The Grey last night. It was OK, but totally unrealistic in many respects so that disappointed me. But it's never a bad night if you can watch Liam Neeson for 2 hours. ;-)

On the drive back, I was saddened to hear about Whitney Houston's passing. RIP Whitney. Your great talent will be remembered always, but your candle burned out much too early.

Wadderville

This is Butterick 4132, meant for woven fabrics cut on the bias. I tried it with a knit and while it's sorta OK, it's not OK enough for what I want to wear it with. The neckline isn't drapey enough and is kind of sticking out. I'll hem it and maybe even sew lingerie guards into the too-wide neckline and then move on. It technically fits and maybe it will be useful for another combination.

So now I'm going to use my TNT gathered front Ottobre tee (except it's not really TNT anymore so I need to adjust the pattern smaller first) and try again from the same fabric. But today's sewing will soon come to an end because I'm going out for dinner and a movie. And since it's almost 3 and I haven't been through the shower yet, I need to get a move on!

TGIF

Whew! Another busy week under my belt. But since I love being busy at work, it's all good.

I did NOT go on the interview on Tuesday. All of the circumstances just weren't working out and I really just needed to cancel. Maybe it will be rescheduled. Maybe I won't need it to be. ;-) But at the moment, I'm not regretting it and I'm OK with the decision. The "big boss" actually jumped up and down with joy when I told her, so I'm taking that as a good sign.

This weekend will be filled with sewing for ME! All of my sewing last weekend was to finish up a cammie purse, which I did, and now I don't have that to make me feel guilty. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be doing anything too exciting as I really need to spend some time altering some items I'm not yet ready to part with and I also need a couple of basics, like a brown shell and an ivory shell. I miss those non-existent shells almost every morning. And I haven't been able to find anything suitable in RTW, even though I've been looking online almost every day. I guess that's a sign I need to just buckle down and make them. I know I have brown knits to use, but I'm not sure about the ivory. Maybe the stash will produce a welcome surprise.

This landed in my inbox this morning before I left for work. I'm not sure exactly what's up with Kwik Sew joining the McCall's family and how it bodes for the future of KS, but right now I'm THRILLED that I can order them at a discount with my BMV orders and even happier that the first Pattern of the Day was the exact one I was wanting. I just wish it was here NOW.

I just finished ordering it, and a few more KS and Buttericks fell into the cart too. Ahem. I really need to stop with the pattern orders because I'm certainly not sewing as fast as I'm buying. But on the other hand, it's relatively cheap entertainment and "research."

I also need to stop with the online ordering in general as I've now got things coming to me from Zappos (shoes and bags), Jessica London (shoes that are 100% Carolyn's fault!), and JCPenney (wardrobe basics that were too cheap to turn down). I ordered two "nice" totes from Zappos, only one of which I'll keep, but I wanted to see them both. I've been holding off buying a nice tote because I didn't want to jinx my job (I'm silly sometimes), but I finally reached the breaking point with my floppy black canvas tote and I wanted something more in keeping with being a working woman and not a football mom so I just went for it — jinx be damned.

Parting Shot: LCpl Cook is back from his training exercises at sea. There's been a lot of coverage of Operation Bold Alligator from the local papers (my mom is local so she's also been reporting). This was the biggest amphibious cross-service training exercise in more than 10 years. On board with Tyler, besides the U.S. Navy running the ship, were Canadian and Royal Marines. That's all good but I'm just glad to be able to talk to my son again, and it makes me dread when he's deployed on the ship for 6 months. Communication is going to suck. This picture is now the background for my work computer so I get to see him every day. I love the sunset and the silhouette.

Weekend Plans

Sorry, this will be a picture-less and quite wordy post.

Today, I'll be sewing — but not for me. I have to finish another cammie bag that is due to mail on Monday, plus I have one more waiting beyond that. I have mixed feelings about the bags. The extra money is great and I do like making them. I just don't like having orders hanging over my head, especially on those days when I'd rather be sewing for ME. lol But I'm OK with not sewing for me this weekend since I was so productive last weekend and, besides, my closet is kind of bulging with work clothes right now, even though I have a BIG stack of patterns I want to try. (What I really need to sew is some weekend wear.)

It was another good (and busy!) week at work and I still love my job! I can't believe how much I look forward to getting up early and going to work each day. And it's not just because life at home is pretty much crap, although I do admit that's probably part of it. But I just really like what I'm doing, who I work with, and this work environment and I can't wait to get back to it each morning. The days just fly by.

I was honest with my immediate boss and the "big boss" and told them I needed to come in late on Tuesday because of an interview. I just felt honesty was the best policy, especially since there's always the possibility that the agency would tell them anyway. But I assured them that I'm still quite willing to be patient for things to work out where I am, and that it's my definite preference and desire to stay put, but with the current economy and my present position up in the air, I couldn't afford to turn down an interview. And I told them that I definitely wasn't trying to push things, only being honest about where I was going to be since I didn't want them to find out another way. I know they understood and were not just giving me lip service. ;-) That's one of the things I like about where I am - no one plays games, which is rare in a corporate environment. And my philosophy in general is "what will be will be," so however things work out is how they're meant to.

The big boss took our Marketing department out to lunch at the Hyatt yesterday to thank us for the job well done with the new website launch and for us all to have some "down time" with each other. She handed out "Super Certificates" to each person and mine was for being a Graphics Genius. Which I am, of course. lol It was a fun lunch. But yesterday was horrible for my eating. The lunch, and then a Happy Hour at 5 PM. Oh well, one day off the wagon won't kill me, and I *needed* a little Happy Hour. ;-)

Sort of related, my work area is currently in the Finance department away from Marketing (where I'm really assigned) due to space constraints. At first, I missed being actually IN my department like I was before the woman on maternity leave returned but now I'm used to it and actually like it. I still interact quite frequently with my Marketing coworkers but when I'm busy (like always!), no one is looking over my shoulder or interrupting me and I can be really productive. So I'm independent and connected at the same time. Kind of the best of both worlds. And, really, I would sit in the closet if I had to to keep this job. ;-)

Anyway, what this is leading up to is that the Finance people, who are an entirely different breed than the Marketing people, lol, have now decided they actually like having a Marketing person with graphics skills nearby and they've been asking me for little projects here and there to brighten up their financial reports with the new logo and colors. It's been so cute … "Debbie, do you think you could …" and of course I can. I am a Graphics Genius. :snort:

I relayed this to the "big boss" and she lit up with a smile and I could see the gears turning. She told me to send her an email about it on Monday along with any other "side projects" so she could add it to her "ammunition" for creating a permanent position for me. So, making that list is another one of my projects this weekend. I've already thought of a few things for the ammunition list that were probably overlooked because of how busy and "nose-down" we've been with the launch. We walked out to the parking garage together after Happy Hour and she told me again to remember to email her on Monday.

The annual shareholders meeting is next week and we're really busy getting materials together for that. But once that's over and things have calmed down a little, it's the big boss' plan to then go to bat for me. So it shouldn't be too much longer now.

And tomorrow, I'll distract myself with one last weekend of football. Yay Super Bowl, but boo to no more football for a long time.

It Can't Be February

Wow, February already. I was so busy in January that I hardly noticed it was here. It was 80 degrees today, so summer is on the way. I'm not ready for warm weather yet. But at least it will give me something new to sew for since I'm getting a bit overloaded on winter(ish) clothes. I also need to make or buy some weekend tops because I have extremely slim (hah!) pickin's in that area.

I don't have much new today so here's another What I Wore photo. I made this cardigan a couple of months ago and Alex "modeled" it for the blog, but I don't think I ever got a decent shot of me in it, but that's probably because I've not worn it until today. The dress is one of my Walmart $18.98 bargains and have I ever gotten my money's worth and then some from it. Dani was waiting for a treat.

As I was dressing this morning, I thought about belting the cardi but didn't pursue it any further because I was lazy. I'm glad I didn't. It looks so-so, but it feels horrible. Too bulky. I know belted cardigans are the look, but not for me, thank you.

Lest you think it's All Glamour All The Time around here (cough:cough), here's what I'm wearing right now. Old Spongebob PJ pants and an even older football tee shirt. Chili's turn to stare me down.

The pants are just a little too big, don't you think?

I have an interview for another job scheduled for Tuesday morning, so now I've got to decide what to wear to that. I want the job I have and I'm reasonably certain I'm going to get it, but it doesn't hurt to increase my options. I don't have any suits or even any jackets that fit for mix/match but I'm sure I can put together something appropriate even sans jacket. No sooner than I found out about the interview day/time then I was handed a ton of stuff for a new project for next week, so I'm already thinking I need to see if I can reschedule that interview for later next week when I have more of the project behind me. I'll think on it.

Parting Shot: Tyler's home for the next few weeks. It's a LOT bigger than it looks in this pic.

What I Wore, What I Bought

Yay, I left work tonight on time, read some email when I got home, snapped some pics before I changed into my lounging clothes, ate some dinner, loaded up the pics, and sat down to my blog *before* 7PM. Overtime is nice, but so are days that end when they're supposed to. It was also nice to need my sunglasses for the whole drive home.

The morning started great, when my boss said good morning and then told me (unsolicited) that there is NO WAY they are letting me leave and that she and her boss are going to do everything they can to get me hired on permanently. It will mean making a case to the CFO for creating a new position, but they feel confident they have plenty of ammunition. Fingers crossed that it won't be too much longer. And the agency called today too, with the possibility of an interview somewhere else, which I said "Set up!" so as to hopefully invoke Murphy's Law. You know, the one where I'm offered TWO jobs. ;-) My boss also mentioned that all of my extra pitching in has not gone unnoticed, to which I replied, "Thank you! And, really, I would feel bad if I didn't do what was needed to be done." (And I would.)

So, yes, good day all around. :-)

Here's the windowpane plaid Magic Pencil skirt in action, instead of in a hanger shot. Well, if you can call standing still in front of a door "action." I love this skirt. It's comfortable, stylish, flattering, and doesn't wrinkle too badly after a whole day of wearing. I can't believe such a big plaid on my lower half is flattering, but it is.

Rear view, which looks poochy after all day, but I sit on my butt at a desk and then in the car so pooch happens. At least you can see the vent on this one.

Now onto the Coldwater Creek purchases. This skirt is a definite keeper and the thing I was saying was SO ME. You can't see much detail, but it's a lined mesh knit that is pleated on one side to give the look of a faux wrap. Very comfy, very flow-y, and I want a pattern for more! And I definitely have to get those arms one color before the heat arrives. Yikes.

This is a wrap top, but the underlayer doesn't go all the way down, which I like because it cuts down on bulk and cups under the boob to make the neckline stay in place. It has turquoise in the print, so with the brown, it is also very ME.

A very sheer organza blouse. I will wear a cami under this one. But I love those colors and for summer (which will probably be here in about 5 weeks), I'm imagining a coral or cream skirt instead of brown. I'm also thinking of chopping the sleeves to 3/4 or shorter, since they're too long for me anyway. I know I don't have short arms, so what's with all the gorilla sleeves?

This blouse already has 3/4 sleeves. Much better. It's a little snug, but I'm not popping buttons and I will shrink into it soon enough. For summer, I'm thinking a linen skirt to go with this one. And my leopard-y pumps.

A sleeveless, lined shell with cross-over tie thing at the vee neck, which you can't see at all in this pic. This one is actually a little big but I'm going to take it in at the sideseams and/or waist darts. I love the colors on me, so a little fixing up will be worth it. It will look good with that coral or cream skirt I'm already planning for the organza blouse.

The one heartbreaker of the bunch. This blouse is SO pretty. Off of me. It's got a flounce on one side and a banded vee neckline on the non-flounce side. I love the color, and the fabric feels like silk (but is washable poly). Unfortunately, it just doesn't fit and never will. It's too tight at the bust, too long in the sleeves, too "something" at the armholes, and it looks very boxy on me, which I didn't realize until I saw this pic. I'm sure I could copy it, but I probably won't. Oh well. They can't all be home runs and now I have an excuse to visit the brick and mortar CWC at the mall when I return it.

Sewing Weekend, Part 3

The plaid skirt I set out to make is done except for the hem, which will only take a few minutes — especially since my coverstitcher is already threaded and ready. I didn't add a kick pleat to this one, but I lined it since the plaid knit is very soft and I was afraid of Velcro-butt when wearing with pantyhose. I found a pair of PJs pants from which to nick some elastic, thereby avoiding an impulse trip to Joann's.

The main reason I omitted the kick pleat was this fabric was a PITA to lay straight on my cutting table. It's very drapey, even laying flat. I ended up cutting single layer, which was tedious enough with only half a pattern. I didn't want to risk a center back seam that was off just a smidge. Luckily, my OCD (and a gazillion pins) paid off and my side seams match exactly.

I like the skirt a lot. The only problem is that it's going to be an orphan unless/until I find/make something to wear with it.

Instead of starting on the top from the coordinating solid fabric, I decided I'm sending the fabric back. The color is perfect, but the knit is just not a nice knit. This (and the other colors I bought at the same time, which are also going back) are Fabric.com's single knit jerseys. Don't buy any. Luckily my 30-day return window still has 2 more days so I'm within the time limit. I don't even want any of this for crappy muslins.

So now I'm going to go veg for a while in front of the tube while shopping online fabric and apparel retailers to see what I can come up with. It's going to be hard to match the wine color so I'm thinking a drapey white blouse would work, with a scarf or a vest or something. I like to dress "in three's." I was hoping my off-white twinset would do, but the contrast in the plaid is white, not off-white, and the two (three?) don't look good together.

And now I see why the Muse was telling me to make those other items first. She was right.

Sewing Weekend, Part 2

I'm obviously suffering from Sewing ADD this weekend as this is clearly not the plaid Magic Pencil skirt I went upstairs to sew per last post. Although it IS plaid and it IS a Magic Pencil skirt.

Again, "old" fabric was yelling louder than the new piece, and since my machines were already set up with the appropriate color threads …

I bought this fabric back in July or August from Joann's (of all places), when I was getting ready to sew interview clothes. I'm not usually a windowpane plaid kind of girl but this one spoke to me then, and it made itself heard again tonight. To match the plaids across the sideseams, I had to really eek it out, cutting the hem of the front piece on the same cut as the waist of the back pieces and I still came out a little short on the front hem. But I serged it all even (mostly) and no one will ever be the wiser. I really have no idea how I was ever going to get a skirt from this piece back in August when (1) I was wider and (2) I didn't yet have this great pattern. It's a good thing I let it age.

This fabric is a stretch woven and I wasn't sure if there was enough stretch to enable the skirt to still fit without alteration, since my previous makes of it were from knits. I sewed 1/4" side seam allowances instead of the 1/2" per the pattern and the skirt fits perfectly. Whew! I really should've played it safer and cut bigger seam allowances but for some reason, it just didn't occur to me until it was too late. I also added a back kick pleat to this one but lowered the start of the opening 3/4" since the first one I made with a kick pleat was nearly too high.

The wine plaid skirt is actually cut out but … I'm now out of elastic. Figures! I'm going to run through Joann's tomorrow before I hit the grocery store and hope I find something suitable, or I'll have to wait for an internet order to arrive. Although the thought is now crossing my mind that maybe I can steal some from too-big pants or a skirt Hmmm, not sure if all that ripping out will be worth it and I don't think I have any waistbands that are free casings instead of serged on and turned/topstitched.

Well, I suppose I could always work on the top instead … or whatever else that distracts me.

Sewing Weekend, Part 1

(No, this is not a plaid Magic Pencil skirt, but that's coming.) I've had this sweater knit for a couple of months and it caught my eye one evening this past week and told me it needed to be sewn NOW. I didn't argue. I even picked out a pattern during the week and managed to get the tissue pressed and cut on Thursday, the one night in the last couple of weeks that I actually left work on time. Yesterday was another late one, with more coming next week. But I don't mind, and I love those overtime infused paychecks. Perfect for more SHOES. ;-)

I started cutting the fabric about 11 AM and then constructed until about 5 PM, with a LOT of breaks like dog outings, lunch, laundry. So it wasn't a solid 6 hours. Probably more like 4 and a good chunk of that time was spent making a perfect narrow hem on the bottom peplum/flounce. I decided to do a good job on this one and slow it down. Plus, I had my eyes half on catching up on the first 5 episodes of the new American Idol auditions, which is my favorite part of the show next to Steven Tyler doing anything. (My first-born son isn't named Tyler for naught!)

There was a little bit of potential trickiness around the neck/shoulders sewing the continuous neckband on with a pivot, but I paid attention to what I was doing and it went well. It's a nice design feature, giving the cardi princess seams on the front and a more shaped collar band in the back, with forward-sitting shoulder seams. The sleeves are sewn in the round by necessity due to the order of construction and they are actually decent sleeves that don't wrinkle/fold when my arms are hanging down. I left off the flounces at the wrists because they'd just get in my way and I really don't need any extra flounce at the hip on top of the peplum/flounce.

I cut a straight 16 and made no alterations and I'm happy with the fit. If I make it again, though, I will shorten the upper bodice a little so the "waist" seam hits me higher and the cardi ends up shorter. But that's a personal preference thing, not a fit thing, because the lengths on me are pretty much just like the envelope. I'll model it as soon as I figure out what the heck to wear under it. So right now, it's a semi-orphan but it won't be for long because I really want to wear it.

Here's the pattern envelope and line drawings, since I always want to see those when someone else blogs about weird pattern pieces. Piece 4,5,6,7,8,9 are what's relevant here.

As soon as I post this, I'm heading back to the sewing room to cut out and sew that plaid Magic Pencil. Tomorrow, I'll be sewing the top from the solid, around fitting in a trip to the grocery store.

I had thought I had this pattern in my stash …

… but it turns out I have this one instead, the Plus version. Sigh. It's too big now. So I think I'm going to try morphing the neck treatment onto my Ottobre tee, which itself is too big but I can just sew bigger sideseams to fix that. I'm going for the red-misses/blue-plus top, not the dress.

Speaking of shoes, my Zappos order arrived Thursday and is already on its way back. I struck out. One pair was too big and I was stepping right out of them and the other pair was iffy, even though I loved how they looked. I just don't do iffy anymore, and definitely not with 3-4" heels.

My Coldwater Creek order arrived Friday and I have some keepers. I'm sure I'll stage a modeling session soon. Wait 'til you see the skirt I forgot I ordered. It's SO ME. One blouse will have to go back, even though I love it. It's too tight in the bust and the sleeves are gorilla length. I wish there was a pattern somewhere for it, because I'd love to have one that actually fits (although I don't know how much I'd love to be sewing charmeuse!). In fact, I wish there were patterns for everything I bought. None of it is complex, but I just don't have time to try to draft each of the unique style elements. This is why I've been known to buy doubles and take one apart for a pattern. I'm almost tempted, but not at Coldwater Creek prices, even sale prices.

Ready for Launch

The launch went well today and the day was relatively low-key, but tomorrow will be the test since the new website wasn't switched over until late this afternoon and even then was running v-e-r-y s-l-o-w due to DNS replicating. Don't you love it when I talk all geekie? ;-)

In my department, we all decided we'd wear the new brand colors (blue, red, green, yellow) to "celebrate" and this was my outfit. Our new look also incorporates lots of patterns (repetitive, not sewing!), so I did doubly well with my skirt as part of my look.

This will be the last time wearing this skirt until I take it in because it's now about 2" too big around the waist. I should've tried it on last week, but truthfully I probably still wouldn't have done anything about it due to lack of time/energy in the evenings, although I actually left the office on time tonight, for the first time in about two weeks. Yay! The twinset is also on the big side, especially in the shoulders, but it will just be removed from the wardrobe once I can't stand it anymore. The skirt should be easy to take in since I did make it with taking-in in mind. Famous last words, and I won't count on that until it's actually done. For now, it's being added to the ironing board pile, and the next time I make this skirt pattern, I'm definitely adding a kick pleat in the back because it really needs one.

Now I'm going to go catch up on some reading while waiting for Project Runway to come on.