See & Sew 5593 and Weekend Trip

I finished the dress and took these pics last Thursday, but Blogger was down and so this post had to wait until I got back from my trip to North Carolina and Virginia.

This pattern is definitely a keeper. I'll be trying out the crossover bodice view next because this scoop view was super fast and easy to make and my alterations were minimal.

I also quickly (as in less than 2 hours cutting to done) made up a short-sleeved version of the cardigan from Jalie 2566 to wear with my dress.

I had made this pattern years ago and the first cardi still fits, so the alterations were already done and all I had to do was cut and sew. The orange of the cardi is a perfect match for some areas of the dress print, despite my camera colors being a little off in the pics. My orange sandals from DS#2's graduation last year were also great with the print. I guess they are now the Official Graduation Sandals, having been worn to two in a row.

I left off the belt because it made my chest look like All-Boob-All-The-Time, and I turned the neck "binding" outward and coverstitched it instead of folding inward and topstitching because I liked the bit of contrast. I think next time I will bind the neckline and armholes with my coverstitch machine. The instructions have you just turn under those areas 5/8" and stitch, but I like a more finished look. A new necklace and matching drop earrings completed the look.

Here are my altered pattern pieces. My floor is disgustingly dirty so please ignore that — I know I have been. ;-) I added 3 inches of length to the bottom but I should've added another inch or so. I ended up adding an additional 1-inch band to the bottom edge, which you can't discern at all because of the print so no harm no foul on that quick fix.

For both bodice sections (front and back), I made a 3/8" tuck to remove length and altered for square shoulders as I cut the tissue, which are usuals for me. For the front, my (ahem) super-technical FBA was to start with the 18 for the shoulders/upper chest, morph out to the 22 width at the sideseams, and add length at the empire seam by graduating from the sideseam. I didn't need the entire width of the 22, and ended up sewing back to the 18-ish line (I'd call it 19) at the waist area and then keeping the 22 width from hip downward. I will probably keep the pattern as-is, though, as "just in case" insurance for different fabrics. It's easy enough to remove what isn't needed and not so easy the other way around.

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Now onto the weekend …

Alex and I drove to Cherry Point, NC all day Friday. ALL day. We left Florida in both vehicles at 6 AM and arrived to the base gate just before 7 PM. We  had walkie-talkies and had fun with them during the trip. Boys and walkie-talkies seem to go hand in hand. I never would have thought to bring them on my own.

After checking in and getting our temporary base passes, we dropped off Tyler's Jeep in his barracks parking lot and then went up to Tyler's room for a quick tour while he changed into civvies and grabbed his "assault pack" (backpack to you and me) with his change of clothes. I have to say it was SO COOL being met by him at the gate in full cammie gear. He really is a Marine. ;-)

We went out for a leisurely dinner off base. The "boys" had steaks and ribs. Still nursing my very sore teeth, I had soft fish and a soft crab cake and a few bites of a not-so-soft baked potato. I  would have picked the seafood anyway so there was no sacrifice involved in that. After dinner, we drove to a hotel about 20 minutes north of the base. After partaking of the hotel's free breakfast buffet (Tyler had one of everything and still eats at boot camp speed!) Saturday morning, we left the hotel about 10 AM and drove 4 hours to my sister's in Richmond, VA.

Upon our arrival, we hung out and visited for a few hours before the start of her party. Once it was party time, we consumed way too much beer and lemon drop shots. I would've eaten more and drank less, but the teeth situation forced me to drink more and eat less. Yeah, that's my story. There was a DJ, karaoke, cornhole competitions (who knew how popular that game is??) and dancing.

I'd show you pics of the party, but my sister hasn't sent them yet. And they will probably be too incriminating anyway. It POURED rain all during the party, which was outside in her back yard, but luckily my BIL had rented a huge party tent and had set it and other smaller canopies up that morning so we all stayed dry and comfortable. Well, except for my sister who ended up on her backside in the mud. But that's another story and nothing unusual for her. Her nickname is "Grace." ;-) Use your imagination.

Sunday morning, we left Richmond and headed back to North Carolina. Once we arrived at the base, Tyler high-tailed it into the barbershop and got his weekly "regulation" haircut. He goes into withdrawal if his hair is more than 1/8" long in the back. Then I hung around outside his barracks while Tyler and Alex pulled off the Jeep's plastic wheel guards to allow the big tires more clearance. (Tyler's room is on the 3rd floor, the 4th door from the left in the pic below.)

He looks pretty happy with his stuff from home, doesn't he? That's my cammie purse on the chair. The Marine guard at the front gate asked about it and commented positively, which made me happy.

Alex had fun trying on Big Bro's combat gear.

The view from the "kitchenette" to the outside door.

It was a GREAT weekend. It was so nice spending time with my sons and my sister, her husband,  and her friends, some of which I've known since they were all 12 years old. But it's back to the real world this week, and looking for that perfect job. Plus one more follow-up trip to the dentist tomorrow and I'm done there for another month or so.