Another Hot Patterns 1120: Primavera Dress

It's been 6 years since I first made this dress. (Old blog post here.) I'm much happier with this one than the last because I tweaked the fit better. And it doesn't look like a quasi skeleton costume (reference to previous fabric). Time flies, because I certainly wasn't planning on a 6-year break from the first try. This pattern is currently on clearance on the HotPatterns website. I guess it seems like an old pattern now to them, but it's actually still on trend. I would recommend the pattern. It's got some nice shaping and details that could be a bit tricky/time consuming to just hack yourself.

Once again, you're getting work bathroom selfies. I did get a new, more portable, little tripod thingie but I haven't tried it out yet so the bathroom it is. Wild-eyed sideways glance.

I already had the pattern cut from last time but I did need to review my notes to deal with the fitting problems. First up was raising the scandalously low neckline. Not quite sure who would ever wear it as it was. Even with the 2 inches I added, it's still on the low side on me, but I'm not flashing anyone anymore so that's good. The bust darts (which are French darts) needed no adjustment, nor did I need to add bust room.

Here's the finished dress on Zillie. The gathers at center front make me think I'm disguising my tummy. I'm probably not, but it's a good thought.

The pattern is originally designed with a facing which gets sewn into the waist seam. Since I recently finished the Turner dress, which has a fully lined bodice, it inspired me to ditch the facing and copy the lined bodice idea. I'm not a fan of facings in general and I usually have problems with HP's facings in particular so I try to eliminate them whenever I can. It did take a little reimagining the construction steps, but it wasn't too complicated.

In this photo below you can also see how the pockets are made. It's really one big pocket which spans the front of the skirt, but it functions as two separate sideseam pockets. Even though it's one piece and you could actually touch hands inside across it, you don't really notice it's not normal separate pockets since the shape is such that your hands just go downward and don't want to meet up.

Closer pocket bag pic. I recall having a hard time figuring out these pockets from the instructions the first time but I had no problem at all this time so I guess I was just being a blockhead before.

I did interface the pocket facing piece, which gives the opening a bit of stability, which you can see below.  You might also see that I forgot to snip the seam allowance to lay flat around the pocket facing and my sleeve hem needs a bit of trimming too. And by "needs," I mean I've already worn this as-is and am too lazy to go back and trim anything. ;-)

I did face the hem as per the instructions, and I understitched the joining seam before coverstitching the hem facing in place. I really like the extra something that a wide, faced hem adds to a knit dress. It just feels fancier and more substantial and it definitely hangs nicer.

The sleeves are kind of a hybrid between set-in and raglan. HotPatterns calls it semi-raglan. The armsyce is set inward further than a true set-in sleeve and there's a shoulder dart.

I didn't reshape the shoulder dart for my very square shoulders as I usually do with darted raglans and I love the semi-structured shape that resulted. Slight Crystal Carrington vibe, but my shoulders are narrow so the illusion of a little width there is a good thing on me.

The understitched inside neckline.

Below shows I edgestitched waistline to stabilize joining seam allowances, skipping the gathered areas. I used a small ZZ for this to allow some give when sitting, etc.

Rear view. Not quite as symmetric as I thought I had it laid out before cutting. Oh well. Plus, even though I adjusted the back this time, I still had to take in the CB seam about an inch at the neckline, tapering to nothing by mid upper back, and I still needed to remove an additional 3/4" from the back bodice length, tapering to nothing at the sideseams. You can see this if you're looking for it. Tweaking the fit would have been a whole lot easier if I had basted that CB seam instead of sewing it for reals AND adding the understitched lining. The dress had to stand in time out for a week before I wanted to deal with it again. But I'm glad I did. I really like the dress. It's comfortable any time but especially good for hot Florida summer days.

Me, still in that bathroom. Woo.

Parting funny shots. While I was nearly done sewing this dress, I noticed the spool was running dangerously low. I was on the homestretch attaching the hem facing, which would leave only coverstitching (with different thread spools) to do after this seam. Could I make it? It was going to be close.

And then the bobbin ran out. Yeah. (Really should get that bobbin sensor fixed.)

See ya next time! Click on my Instagram link in the upper right to see an animated me compiled of more work bathroom selfies than anyone needs.

Half a Century

The number I am today ain't thrillin' me, but, really, a lot of good things have happened in the last year and I'm happier through and through than I've been in a long time, so it could be worse. And, I had a great day. It's just a number, right? But damn, it's a BIG number. lol

My mom called me, Tyler called me, Alex texted me (lazy slug), the big boss sent me a gorgeous birthday card via interoffice mail from the office where she was today and also profusely showered praise via email about the projects I'm working on and thanked me again for being part of our team, my Marketing coworkers gave me a card with funny little things written on it (one of which was a drawing of a "carb-free" birthday cake, lol) and they all gathered around my desk and sang Happy Birhday, and I got another card from the firm (HR, I'm guessing).

We're in the middle of another big project and I did go in early and stay late, but at 6:00 we threw in the towel and went out for dinner at a great restaurant in Ybor City. I had Chicken Marsala and it was DEE-lish. I just got home, remembered to snap a couple of pics for YOU, and now I'm sitting here in my jammies typing away. All in all, one of the best birthdays I've had a while. Even if I can't freakin' believe I'm this old already.

Then, when I got home, there were more cards in the mailbox, including one from Tyler and one from my sister, and they both compete for funniest card ever.

Alex gave me these earrings, which are Marine Corps Eagle, Globe and Anchors. LOVE them!

And, finally, this is the outfit:

The top is kind of a fail because the bow weighs it down so it still wanted to show more than I wanted which meant I had to adjust all day. The skirt is on the big side around my waist, but wearable for now. That's what I get for cutting tissue and sewing without fitting. Still, the outfit looks pretty good and at some point I'll probably re-make this top so it fits better and retire this one. I do like the style.

And that was my day. The end. ;-)

In for a Return and Out With Shoes

I stopped by Dillard's on the way home tonight to return the three dresses I'm not keeping. My bank account sighed in relief. On the way out, I tried on 6 pairs of party shoes and left with one pair. I've pretty much decided that strappy ain't for me, both in comfort and in flattery. The end of a work day in heels is a good time to try on new shoes. If they feel good then, they will feel good all night at the wedding.

And, yes, I've heard the anguished cries against my sheer black hose thoughts. Truthfully, black wouldn't look good with these shoes anyway. But sheer black hose are 1980s? Really? I'm not convinced. So now I've got to find some sparkly NUDE hose that both fit my thighs and stay up all night. I'll probably go undergarment shopping over the weekend and pick up some then to try.

These shoes are a lot more sparkly than they look in the pics - the "body" of the shoe is silver metallic texture and the front thingie is covered in rhinestones. The heel and platform are silver. I will probably look at more shoes because I was really hoping for something more decorated but these are pretty and comfortable and if I don't find anything else I like better, they will be just fine.

The big boss is taking us out to lunch tomorrow, for some relaxation and laughing now that the big weekend event is over. We're going back to the Hyatt. It was nice last time and we had a great big private table. Word is they have a fajita bar on Tuesdays. Yum! And good for me since I can eat everything except the tortillas with no guilt. I'm down another 2 lbs since last week and I don't want to stop the momentum. Now that I'm THE graphic designer, it's up to me to come up with the "awards" in the morning. I started them Friday, actually, since I knew they were coming. Good thinking, 99. (If you get that, you're old like me. Yes, I'm looking at you Belinda!)

And hey — look what was delivered to me today!! I'm SOMEBODY! lol Now I need to make myself a business card holder.

And, finally, I'm curious — did anyone else receive what was essentially spam from McCall's? An ad for skin care crap? How exactly does that relate to sewing? I would unsubscribe but then I'd miss the pattern sale notices. Which might be a good idea after all. ;-)

That's it for me tonight. Time for some DVR vegging and planning tomorrow's outfit, with shoes I can walk 5 blocks in.

A little tour

Still no sewing going on, but I've been thinking about it now that I'm on the countdown to NEXT weekend. Does that count? In the meantime, I snapped some cell pics this morning while I was alone in the office. Not that anyone would care if they saw me, just that I would feel weird with an audience.

This is PART of the hallway I used to have to walk down each time I needed to go back to Marketing. To get to Finance, I walked down this entire length, THEN turned left at the end and walked down that direction just as long. Pretty much the equivalent of two city blocks, one way. I'm very glad THAT is over with, but I also realize that I'm going to be losing some exercise time so I'll need a Plan B for that. Cool colors, right? They are part of our new brand colors.

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I *will* have a reason to return to the Finance department from time to time, though. Last week I found out that the woman who sat next to me SEWS. She's about my age and complimented me on a blouse I was wearing. Taking the opportunity (because how else do you suss out sister stitchers?), I said, "I made it. And, I made everything I'm wearing today." The conversation took off. AND … she's a Viking girl too. Can this job GET any better? ;-) I feel some enabling coming on.

This is the view from my window. That's the Tampa River below, and just across it is The Tampa Tribune building. It's the white one you can sorta see on the right.

This is my old/new home. When I got to the office yesterday morning, I loaded up a cart with my stuff from my previous spot and wheeled it to my permanent (ahhh, permanent) home. My CPU had been moved already, but I also traded out mouse and monitor. I kept the "new" keyboard since I like it better and was really missing it. I am nowhere near organized, but I had actual work to do, so I just quickly put stuff in some sort of order and I'll tackle the rest at the end of the week after the crazy times have somewhat subsided. On my screen is a brochure I designed a couple of months ago that we're printing to bring to the upcoming event. When you think about law firms, you don't usually think about bold colors, shapes, and patterns. It's such a fun concept to work with. The blue/orange piece at the right is my Graphic Genuis "award" from the big boss.

Here's the distance view. It's obviously not a private office, but it's not a cubicle either. Where I was in the Finance department was much more cubicle-ish. I like the openness and there's only three of us here in the middle so there's plenty of space. We all get along great and we're quiet and respectful of each other when we have work to do. I know I've said it before, but it really is a great group. We each have very specific jobs to do and we do them well — alone and together. The big boss' office is at the back middle-right of this pic, where you can see a picture on the wall.

In other news, this morning on my way in to the office, I stopped for an appointment to look at a rental house that is about 2 miles from my current house. It was nice, but it's not the house for me and Alex. It's too big. I don't want to clean that much house anymore. But at least I've started the hunt. I'm hoping to find a stand-alone house, but am open to an apartment too if I can't find what I want at the price I can afford. Everything else has been working out, so I will just continue to have faith that my new home will work itself out too.

It's Official

I finally received my official offer letter today. The big boss had been out of town due to a death in the family, and the paperwork had to wait for her return. She was so cute hand-delivering it to my far-away location with a big you-know-what-eating grin on her face. Imagine my shock when I read the letter and saw that my salary offer is 10% more than what I'm making now through the agency, which was already pretty darn good (not bragging, just so happy I lucked into this whole thing). I couldn't sign that sucka fast enough. lol

My official start date on the firm's payroll is Monday. I have an appointment with HR that morning, which I'll have to squeeze into the middle of our big event preparation chaos, during which I'll sign the gazillion policy and benefit papers presented in this neat binder (ironically parts of which I actually helped design. lol). The benefits are more than very generous, and they begin immediately — no waiting period at all. Health, dental, vision, life, disability, 401k with matching funds, Flexible Spending Account, 18 days PTO for the first 2 years (then more) plus 10 holidays plus 1 floater, a year-end bonus, free financial planner advice, free mental health and other counseling if wanted, and probably other stuff I'm not remembering due to the haze of legalese on a gazillion papers. Woot!! Ya gotta love the big law firms!! So, not only did my actual expected salary go up 10% but if you add in the value of the benefits … well, let's just say I'm never quitting this job. Ever. (And if some years down the road I grumble about going to work, refer me to this post, please.)

A nice touch to all the paperwork was this little card, which says it all, plus inside, "We're so glad to have you here."

Today was another party day, even though we have SO MUCH work to get done by next Thursday. We had a catered lunch/meeting/goodbye-predecessor/welcome-me from 12:00-1:00 PM and at 4:00 PM, we pretty much shut down for a cocktail & goodies party to send off my predecessor, who looked like she was having second thoughts — I know I would be. lol

As I was leaving for the evening, my computer was being transferred to my new/old spot back in Marketing. I'll be working tomorrow and Sunday, and the first thing I'll do is move all my piles of projects to my new/old desk and get myself re-situated. I can't wait! And, it will be good practice for when I'm moving out of my current house and into a new place. ;-)

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.