Dreamer. I Am.

Supertramp is one of my favorite bands, and this song gets a lot of airplay... 

And this skirt and all its travails, pretty much sums it up; I dream. A lot. And sometimes it's a long and winding road... But what matters in the end is that I get to the end. If, for nothing else, to start anew.

When this journey began, my plan was quite simplistic. Yes, I did the smocking on the yoke and used dye, but the BWOF skirt was pretty much straight forward. Then mistakes happened, new designs incorporated to 'save' it from the trash can, and the final mistake turned everything on its head:

Seeing the basted pleats on the yoke, it became clear that the yoke color was too blue. Back to dying, this time using thickened water and a lot more dye. So far so good. BUT... after attaching the pleats, trying it on... oh my! Horrifying, beyond repair... The yoke was waaaay too dark, way too neat-o, and super unflattering. See below.

 

It was hard not to panic, not sure how I managed to think clearly. But I tried it on again, this time, inside out... Muuuuch better. The dye was uneven, and the raw seams were right for this skirt. After reversing the zipper insert, I still wasn't satisfied. The blouse color had to be repeated more than just the streaks on the pleats. I cut some bias strips of the habotai lining scraps and ran them over the smocking's joining SA. When the lining was attached,  I decided to keep the uneven hem- both pleats and lining. It's a side of me that comes out now and then- careless, fearless, live now.

If the text is now fixed, it is thanks to Grace, who emailed me the instructions. Thank you Grace!

Dye Oh My- How I Do Love Thee!

Here's the habotai silk lining, dyed with Charcoal Gray, willfully splattered. Check out the sloppy job I did on the French seam lol.

I finished the zipper and attached the insert to the yoke. Both top and bottom need to be stabilized with some hand stitching before I can attached the lining and skirt. I'm just so lazy at the moment, got a cold too. Hopefully I'll get it all done by tomorrow. Want to get started on DD's silver leather jacket. She's so patient- the little one, not the older :-)- it's been months since I made the promise. 

Pants To Go-Go

BWOF January 2008, style 110. These are sooooo comfortable. And, imo, stylish to boot. And into/over the boot. And over the shoe. Open or closed. Get how much I like these? The cotton/lycra fabric is very stretchy- and attracts cat hair and everything else like a giant magnet. But who cares, I'll just carry one of those roller-thingies in my purse. I didn't have to make major adjustments (see photos below, in no particular order), but the thing here is the yoke. Gotta be precise, mark and stabilize seams and points. I beaded the front zippers to add the "sparkle" and also attached my label in silver thread on the back waistband. I'm hoping these will go well with the YSL blouse, which I have finished draping. The fabric arrived a few days ago, and is washed and ready to be cut .

And look how they work with my coat :-)

Hugs and thank you to those who voted for me, it is greatly appreciated. We are going through a 'growing pain' period- those with past and present teenagers may know what I'm talking about. Nuff said. Sewing -and you- keep me sane.