Thursday, February 24, 2011

A Wrench In My Plans

I was just about finished my Crepe dress when my serger decided to stop working...  ARG!!!  So that puts my dress on hold for now until I can get my machine fixed.  Boo....  I guess now I'll have to finish all that hand-sewing I've been putting off.  *sigh*

I was poking around online yesterday and saw the Spring Palette Challenge on Colette Patterns' website.  I think I'm going to join it, as I want to make a couple of new dresses for work.  That's right - I got a job!  Woo hoo!  And for the first time since before I started university, my job has a dress code - business casual.  Considering that most of my jobs (in the natural resources sector) often have my co-workers wearing sweatpants to work, this is basically like going to a friggin' ball.

Like everything else I sign up for, I joined this Challenge a bit late so please bear with me as I try to catch up!
Here is my Inspiration Board (created using Polyvore):  
Welcome to Polyvore!
Welcome to Polyvore!  featuring victoria beckham dresses
And here are my colour palettes (I couldn't find just one that I liked):

The pastels are traditionally "Spring-y" and I love them, but I do love a bright hit of colour especially after a long, grey winter.  Plus they transition nicely into Summer.

I need to go through my patterns and see what I want to make first!  Decisions, decisions...

Monday, February 21, 2011

Crepe Sew-Along (Update #1)

I'm pleased to report that I am finished the top of my Crepe dress as part of Gertie's Crepe Sew-Along!  I think the sew-along has been a great way for me to learn better sewing techniques, but the actual sewing schedule doesn't really work for me...  I'm definitely more of a "guerrilla style" sewer where I like to tackle one project at a time and finish it in (more or less) a single day, rather than someone who only does one small bit each day, dragging it out over a long period of time.  That being said, I do realize that I am fortunate to have lots of spare time - no kids to take to soccer after school, etc etc.  So fair enough - it works for lots of folks.




See feedback and fitting tips on Flickr
I followed Gertie's alterations and moved the bust darts down about an inch, but now it seems a bit weird.  The fabric keeps bunching up under the bust, and some ladies commented on my Flickr photo saying that I should probably move the bust dart back up to its original spot as well as take it in a bit under the bust.  So far, I've just pinned the fabric (no photos yet) and it definitely seems to improve things.  So a big shout out to the Flickr folks!

Anyhow, we took a week-long vacation to the coast (Vancouver Island and Squamish) to visit some friends and just get away from it all, so I fell behind a bit in the Sew Along.  Oh well, I will try and finish the last of it this week.  Possibly tomorrow, I'm rather sleepy now.  Good night!
A picture I took at the Victoria Butterfly Garden - a great place to go on a wet, grey day in February!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

An Ode to Newfoundland...

I'm sure I've mentioned before that my very best friend lives on the complete OPPOSITE side of the country from me.  And Canada is a very large country.  She is getting married this summer and I am hoping very much to be able to go out to Newfoundland for her wedding.  In case you have never been to (or heard of) Newfoundland, it is a breathtakingly beautiful island province on the very east coast of Canada.  Cape Spear (just outside the capital city of St John's) is the most eastern point in all of North America.  The next stop on your eastward travels would be Ireland (incidentally where a large percentage of Newfoundlanders trace their ancestry back to).  A fact you can easily hear in the speech of the fine folks of Newfoundland.

So without further ado, here is a fantastic song from the band Hey Rosetta from St John's, NF.  Enjoy!


Crepe Sew-Along update: photos have been posted at Flickr.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Shuswap Beach Tunic - Photo update!

We finally got some sunshine, so I ventured outside in my Shuswap Beach Tunic to get some photos.  I used the Palm Beach Tunic from the Built By Wendy Dresses book I've blogged about in the past, and an old vintage bedsheet from the 1970s.  I think the dress has a fun, Marimekko-esque vibe to it.  Enjoy!
Front view
Back view
Side profile


 
Definitely NOT Summer!!!
Beaucoup de neige :'(