Testing... Testing

New iPad, new blog hope it works. Let's try the dictation button:

 

I'm also trying me wrong Magic wheelbarrow seriously.

 

Wow. Less than accurate.

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Teaching a summer fashion course. What?

My summer plans in static image form. There will be cows.

I haven't posted lately, although I've been sewing and thus probably should have been posting more. Eh. being responsible in my non-work life is hard. Also, most of my free time has been filled with prepping for my summer job, which is the first one I've had since I finished my MSAE a while back. I've taught summer camp classes before, so that's not new. However, this is a new subject for me - fashion design.

I'm doing my usual "OH GOD THIS IS A NEW THING" routine, which has included accumulating a giant pile of useful fashion books, collecting about a billion links and Pinterest pins, finding all of my Project Runway DVD's, and writing list after list of project ideas. I figure between my enormous pile of resources and the mountain of used clothes fabric I've accumulated from By-The-Pound, I should be all set. Hopefully I'll stop having fashion dreams before I'm knee-deep in fabric for six weeks, because I'm starting to forget how to think about anything else and my friends, family, and students must be getting really sick of my Putney-related ramblings by now.

Depending on my internet connectivity situation up north I should have plenty new things to blog about. We'll see in a few weeks, eh?

Custom dress form - one day I will have one.

Photo courtesy of jezebel.com.

This is definitely a project for an upcoming vacation. I tried to make one via the duct tape method and it was an absolute train wreck. Within a couple of hours, my form was so saggy and smooshed that it looked more like Jabba the Hut with scoliosis than it looked like me. This seems a hell of a lot more involved, but since the form is rigid I think it'll hold up better. Man, I am so glad I went to art school.

Between this and learning to make patterns fit my non-standard body, my family is going to absolutely hate me. It's such a shame I don't have a robot assistant to do all the measuring, hemming, body casting, and other time-consuming, pain in the butt things I keep asking my loved ones to do. Hopefully once I get these things down I'll need to bug them less?

Bill Cunningham - coolest guy ever.

The movie poster, for those who like pictures.

While poking through teh internets for movie recommendations I came across Bill Cunningham New York, and I'm so glad I found it. It follows Bill Cunningham as he does his thing in the fashion world, biking around the city, shooting street fashion, fashion shows, and basically being a fixture in the community. I had no idea who he was before I saw this, and now I wish I knew him because he seems like a wonderful man.

What an interesting dude. For someone so in love with fashion, he doesn't live a hugely luxurious life. He lives for his photography, and that's all that matters. He goes to these amazingly fancy shows in a button down shirt and casual blue jacket. He doesn't have a giant, tricked out studio because his medium is on the streets of the city. Through everything he does he seems so comfortable and happy. I envy him.

Seriously, look how happy he is!

What strikes me most about this film is how wonderfully unapologetic he is. I always associate that term with being a giant jerk and then screaming "come at me bro" to anyone who questions you, and I forget that it doesn't have to be that extreme. Bill Cunningham simply is who he is, and he loves what he loves, and he seems so content. Not only that, he doesn't seem to do anything for attention, or to get rich, or even to get any kind of thanks. He just shoots beautiful clothes and interesting people, and if anyone cares, well, that's fine, but it's not the point. How wonderful.

When talking about his work, he said "it's not work." Looking at his face you can totally see that. I know that they say that if you love what you do you will never work a day in your life. He's clearly evidence of that. What a lucky, lucky man.

Side thing

Also, when I walk down the street in dresses I've made I get attention. Like, people stopping me to say how nice I look kind of attention. This never happens in clothes I buy. I must be doing something right.

I wonder how I'd see myself if I learned this earlier in life. I'm looking back at a lot of wasted years. I mean, how long did I look at myself and see this:

It's amazing what bad things those shoulder
pieces are doing. Yikes.

When I could have been looking at the exact same person and seeing this instead:

Angles and flattering lines are amazing, eh?

I feel like such an incredible dumbass.

Shape.

Some of these lines apply to me!

I'm taking a break from cutting version 2 of the Crepe dress because I've had a crazy discovery. I knew that my bust measurement was causing me to cut my patterns a few sizes too big, and anticipated having to nip this dress in at the waist, back, and shoulders like last time. However, this time I'm trying to correct the pattern so I don't have to constantly do mathematical jumping jacks every time I make something from it. Because of this I have the other sizes right in front of me, and I realized how many places I need to adjust will line up to an actual size if I just follow the line. Apparently my bust is a size eighteen, and the rest of my torso is a size ten.

TEN. Seriously.

Pictured: interesting
clothes I actually like.

This is messing with me right now. My body image has always been pretty wonky, but this is really screwing with my perception that I'm wicked plus sized and barely on the edge of being able to even buy a proper pattern let alone find clothes in a retail store that will fit me. Part of the reason I never get new clothes anymore is because I can't find any that suit my personal style that come in my size. It feels horrible to have to choose between interesting clothes I actually like that won't fit and boring clothes that will more or less fit. I hate it, and I just avoid the problem by not getting clothes and feeling schlumpy all the time. Other than the occasional Stop Staring dress (which I can't afford anyway), I'm basically screwed when it comes to ready-to-wear clothes.

Pictured: boring tents that
are ordinary and unflattering

So yeah, in my mind I'm this too-big size all over. Now, well, holy crap. I checked my other measurements and it makes sense too - everything else is in the size-ten range, except for my bust and my low hips which are a solid eighteen. The reason nothing ever fits me at all, ever, isn't because I'm an eighteen or more all over, I'm actually just even more hourglass than I thought. That's why the small clothes don't fit, and why the big clothes don't fit either.

I'm not someone who deeply longs to be a tiny, flat-bottomed, basketball-boobed magazine cover lady, so this isn't about that. It's just that I can barely remember a time when I was happy with my body because I've always assumed I was too big to wear nice clothes. I always assumed that the reason nothing ever fit was because I was just too huge. I'd look in the mirror and see myself as one shape, but then I'd try things on and I'd feel bigger, and then when I'd tell clerks in stores what size I was no one would believe me because they said I didn't look that big. I felt like a crazy person because all the evidence in front of me (clothes in stores, math) said my body was impossibly wrong, but people (even my own eyes) would disagree.

Writing that makes it sound so stupid. How can my body be wrong? Still, that's how it felt.

So now that I'm learning how to make clothes that actually fit, I'm learning about how my body really is, and I'm amazed at how different it is than the supposed "evidence" I've collected has been telling me. I had no idea this would happen simply because of learning how to sew.

Wardrobe Refashion - taking the 6 month pledge.

I was bopping around online and I came across this link to the Wardrobe Refashion pledge. I like this idea so much that I figured I'd give it a go. Basically, you make a pledge to take a break from buying mass-produced clothing and make your own clothes for a set number of months (or a lifetime, if you're feeling SERIOUS BUSINESS about this whole thing). You can buy handmade things if you have to, and work-related specialty clothes and underwear aren't subject to the rule. Also, you get one get out of jail free card for desperate times, like a wedding or once-in-a-lifetime sale.

It was hard to take a photo without
looking like I was adjusting my bra.

The downside is that the Wardrobe Refashion group is closed, so I can't exactly sign up and have a handy community of mysterious online people to help hold me to this. However, that's probably a good thing. I'm naturally contrary, and whenever everyone around me is telling me to do something I have a tendency to buck against it and sabotage myself so I fail spectacularly. Therefore, I'm making my own pledge:

I, Jessica Young, will not buy new clothes for the next 6 months. I will instead create, refashion, deconstruct, reconstruct, or otherwise hand-make my clothes from now until the end of my 2012 summer vacation. I am still allowed to buy shoes (duh), underthings, and specialty items that are used for a specific activity (like safety gear, uniforms, etc.), and I am allowed one "get out of jail free" card in case of emergency. I will post everything I make on my various online publishing sources so I can track my progress and share my experiences. 


Signed, Jessica Young.


I admit that this might be easier for me because I don't buy a lot of new clothes, but hey, now it feels official. I hope this will force me to blog more because I have a reason to make more clothes and accessories.

Coming out of a nasty flu with a new dress.

Ignore the unfinished hem. I'm
fixing that as soon as I hit publish.

This week is February break. I had hoped to spend the whole break having fun, doing things, and generally making the most of having so much free time. However, by Friday afternoon it became apparent that I was stricken with whatever sinus-filling, nasty, gross flu that everyone else has already had, and I spent the last few days curled up on the couch being miserable. That's why it's taken me so damned long to post about my latest achievement: a new dress.

This is based off of the Crepe dress by Colette Patterns. I write "based off of" because I had to screw with this pattern a LOT to make it work for me. As usual, I'm still choosing "beginner" and "easy" patterns because I know that I have to make all kinds of wacky adjustments because I'm such a non-standard shape. The more I sew, the more I learn why this is, and I think this dress really hammered a few things home:

1. I'm high waisted, especially in the back. After hours of screwing with the dress I just couldn't get anything to sit right, and after reluctantly taking the entire waist apart and re-doing it 2" higher, every single problem was magically solved. Steve loves my booty, but man, it makes it hard to fit clothes.

2. I need a v-neck or low scoop neck or I look like I'm wearing a prairie dress. Thanks for that, giant boobs. I re-cut the neck so it had more of a plunge and it looks great. I absolutely hate the original neck in either version of the dress and I'm glad I trusted my gut.

Hershey Kisses make great pattern weights.

3. If I go by the usual "bust, waist, hip" measurements, my dresses will be enormous. Maritza told me that I'm actually at least 2 sizes smaller than most pattern measurements say that I am because of my giant rack. In this pattern, my boobs and butt call for a size 18, but my shoulders, waist, arms, and ribcage call for a 14, maybe even a 12. Once again, I made the dress in the larger size and had to take in each side about 3.5". One of these days I'll try making the smaller size and expanding the chest to see if that's a wiser course of action.

4. The skirt is deceptively large. I actually made the skirt a lot closer to a circle skirt because I figured an A-line wouldn't be roomy enough. I had to take out TONS of fabric because I was swimming in it. Apparently my math skills aren't so hot, and all those "I'm back in math class" nightmares are pretty appropriate. My bum could probably fit the original skirt shape and I'll probably try that next time.

I made this version in a stretchy bamboo denim I got at Gather Here. That store is AWESOME and I want to go back soon. I want to make another one of these in different fabric because it's a very flattering dress. Also, I'm a real stickler for doing something more than once so I can really understand the process and hammer home everything I've learned. I'm thinking maybe a dark fabric with some kind of polka dot pattern with a darker contrast trim to slim my waist.

Upcoming events

When it rains, it pours. I've confirmed a bunch of craft fair dates and I'm thrilled! Time to get better tables, a canopy, and a decent sign.

RISD Spring Sale (May 5)
Providence, RI

SOWA Open Market (Sept 16 and 28 and Oct 14, 21, and 28)
Boston, MA

It'll be nice to get a chance to sell my scarves face to face instead of just online. Plus, I'm so psyched to have an excuse to go to RISD for a day. I've missed the past few sales and it'll be nice to see my old neighborhood again.

[insert bag-related pun here]

Out of nowhere I developed an urge to make bags. I have always hated purses, and only recently started carrying a purse that wasn't technically a messenger bag because I finally got sick of carrying so much weight on my back. Because I'm really bad at being a girl, I tried to just use the same purse all the time, and I'm starting to see some merit in having different bags to suit different occasions. Rather than buy a bunch of bags that are never quite good enough, I'm going to suck it up and make some.

I want to start with a pattern first so I don't make major proportion mistakes. Also, I know that it will help me learn finishing techniques that will help me avoid my work looking too Holly Hobby. I'm thinking maybe this one from Butterick:

In some kind of tweed with black leather.

Or perhaps this one from the same pattern:

I'll need to add more internal pockets for sure, and feet. My goal is to make a well-sewn bag using proper materials, and if I can pull this off I'll try something more ambitious. Man, I am so grateful for that heavy duty machine my folks got me for Xmas!

Sometimes I hope I get to keep certain items.

I have a couple of items on my shop that I want to keep for myself the more I look at them. This is the main one right now:

It's on Etsy, yadda yadda.

Also this one too. Of course I want to sell them because I need the cash like whoa. However, I think that if they don't sell I'll likely hang onto them rather than relisting them.

I keep meaning to make myself some new scarves because I don't have many to actually wear. I know that they make a great advertisement and I keep meaning to make some to keep. However, the urge to list them on Etsy is just too overwhelming. Perhaps if I make a list it'll help. These are the scarves I need to make for just me:

1. One high ruffled collar in black with black or dark grey stitching and lots of sparkly, faceted buttons.
2. One long scarf in ruffled black fabric with gray or white stitching.
3. One long black and white striped scarf.
4. One ruffled choker in black and white stripes.
5. One ruffled choker in dark blue or black with mostly fabric-covered buttons.

I tend to respond well to lists, so hopefully this will help remind me to NOT sell these if I make them.

Craft fair yay! Head cold boo.

Big me, small table. 

In the grand Jessie tradition, now that [insert busy activity here] is over I have a cold. Post Craftershock, I feel like poo, and am thus staying away from my pile o' scarves until I'm less likely to accidentally jam my thumb between the serger blades in a cold medicine induced haze. Boo. Hiss. However miserable I might feel, at least I have a billiondy scarves to show for it. They're now for sale on my Etsy shop if anyone is doing some last-minute gift shopping.

The craft fair was pretty neat. The people were really nice, and there was a great range of stuff for sale.  I lucked out in that I had nice neighbors - one quiet gentleman to my right selling fine art, and a talkative gentleman to my left also selling fine art. My talkative neighbor was awesome - he was entertaining and friendly, and Steve and I had a blast chatting it up with him the whole day. We also enjoyed being across the way from Bettie Off Dead who was selling her Boo Boo Cakes. She fed us throughout the event, and I suspect I left a few pounds heavier. So worth it though.

This wasn't the first time I'd had a booth at some type of event (ahem rollerderbyquilt.com ahem), but it was the first time I've sold these particular scarves. I have a lot of changes I'd like to make in the way I set things up, many of which I would have done for this fair had I not signed up so last-minute:

1. More vertical display stuff.  People brought boxes, bookcases, and professional displays to maximize their spaces and I'd like to do the same next time. Specifically, all of my chokers look similar if they're laid flat, but when they're on a person they hang very differently. Getting more neck display things would help a lot. Thank goodness they're cheap!

2. A long, rectangular folding table. I knew I needed this, but we couldn't get one in time. Instead, we used a circular table and it was a little weird. It maximized sitting space, sure, but it didn't do the same for display space.

3. Move the "Visa and Mastercard Accepted" sign up higher. The scarves kept obscuring it and I don't think everyone knew that I took other methods of payment.

4. Make a sign showing the price of general styles in addition to the individual item tags. More than one way to see item prices might help cut down on the "how much are these?" questions. I had thought the tags would be enough, but apparently that wasn't so.

5. Make items in a >$10 price range and a >$25 price range. I had some ideas for smaller items (cuffs brooches, etc.) but none of them were fully-fleshed-out enough to sell before the fair so that will have to wait until next time.

I hope to vend at other events in the future, and a ton of opportunities are coming up in the spring. That should give me plenty of time to play with new designs, find decent jersey in a broader range of colors, and try out new fabrics.

Vending! Woo!

This Sunday I'll be hawking my scarves at Craftershock!, a craft fair being put on by Worcester Roller Derby:

Hanging the flyer on my virtual tree, here.

In case you can't see the flyer, here are the deets:

Where?

WoRD's warehouse

34 Suffolk St.

Worcester MA

When?

December 18th

11AM-5PM

Come check it out! The vendors look amazing and I'm psyched to be included in such wonderful company. Thanks Worcester Roller Derby!

Buttons on everything. All the buttons.

I don't know if I have the heart to sell this. I LOVE this one.

 I've gotten very, very into sewing buttons onto things. A while back I made a trip to Windsor Button and almost didn't buy anything. However, on my way out the door I noticed a giant bin of assorted buttons and I spent about an hour and a half picking through it. $10 worth of buttons later, I had both feet squarely on the road towards wherever I am now.

My mother taught me about how awesome even really ordinary things look in excess. A vase full of 30 lemons looks just as awesome as a vase of flowers, and usually more so because it's really odd. I'm having similar feelings about these buttons. A couple look ok, but very ordinary. Add about 50 more and it looks pretty awesome.

The best part about making these is that it's nicely mindless. During our DnD game today I sewed about a milliondy  buttons onto a purple choker and it actually helped me concentrate more on the game. Granted, I was accidentally dropping buttons all over the game map, but they made for very useful "bloodied" and "marked" tokens.

I know that all of my posts this weekend have been all "go to my Etsy shop!"and all, but still, go to my Etsy shop. There are more of these scarves almost every day, and each one is helping me make Xmas happen for my family. They make great gifts too. I'm so thrilled that I stumbled upon this stuff now because it's really helping at a tough time. Man, I love the internet, my sewing machine, and buttons. Oh, how I love those buttons.

Making Christmas

With my newfound love of sewing comes a very handmade Christmas. I can't say what I'm giving out, but I can say that I'm terrifically proud of everything I'm making. Hooray for being raised by makers of things, and hooray for inheriting their useful hands. Thanks mom and dad. <3

I have more scarves up for sale in my Etsy store. I finally got photos of the pink and orange striped scarf I made a few days ago. The fabric is so bright that it's almost impossible to get an honest shot of it. The photos were getting to saturated that you couldn't even see the shape! This is close enough, though:

Almost true to life color. The real thing
is much brighter, though.

Like it? Buy it on Etsy! 

I'm also really excited about a few smaller pieces I've been making. I had a narrower piece of jersey that I wanted to use, but the strips I made from it were too short to make a full scarf. However, they made for awesome chokers. I'm selling these two, but I may need to make one for myself. Any Nutcrackers need a pink and black accessory?

Choker with 3 ruffles in pink and black.

... and a slightly simpler version.

I have a pile of other colors waiting to be made into scarves, too. Soon I'll have some in red, navy, dark purple, and a few weird patterns. This serger may have been the best purchase I've made in years. Seriously.

New items up. Whee!

I spent waaaay too much time sewing today. However, I'm proud of the results. Here are two photos, with more to come when I can get better lighting.

Available for sale in my Etsy shop.

This one too!

That was fast.

I listed three items on my Etsy store, and two sold within 12 hours. That's a utility bill right there. Huzzah!

Side note: I need this shirt, I think.

Making Christmas

I'm naturally contrary, and thus I'm terrible at doing what I'm supposed to do. When I was supposed to be working on a dress, I decided that I'd rather sew a ton of scarves instead:

Ruffled white jersey with black stitching
Available for sale on Etsy.

Black and white striped jersey with black stitching

Light blue linen with black stitching

Grey and black jersey with grey stitching

I am having a crazy good time making these. After a bunch of people asked me if I would make them one, I decided to open an Etsy shop. I just put up a couple of listings for now, but I intend to take more photos to show details, different lighting, and "action shots" of helpful friends wearing them. Anyone need a great holiday gift for a stylish friend or relative?

Mann traoch, Gott Lauch.

I have so many plans. However, I'm sure that the universe is laughing hysterically at all of them, because I am so bad at making things just for fun with no external deadline.

Right now I want to make ALL the things. I wake up and feel WICKED energetic and want to make this bracelet and that dress and that other dress and that scarf and that and that and that... and then I get so overwhelmed from all of this wanting that I get frustrated and don't wind up making anything. My other I-make-stuff friends apparently go through this too, so I guess it's normal. Or, at least my friends who have ADD experience this and thus make me feel less crazy.

I've learned that list-making can take the edge off of this manic feeling just long enough for me to start making said things, so here goes:

Minus the boob-bow, probably in another
color. Maybe seersucker with a contrast trim?

Things I Want to Make Next

 #1

At least one more ruffled dress like the "accidental lolita dress" that I'm wearing it right now. At first I was worried that it was too light - I always wear black and felt really weird in something that was all rose and white. However, now that I'm getting accustomed to being careful with my black pens and chocolate snacks, I'm discovering that light colors really suit my skin tone. Also, since I'd put ruffles on literally anything I make, ever, I'd like to make more of these fancy girly frill-fests using photos like these for inspiration.

Remove the white high neck part
and I'm all set.

I could totally use the same pattern I've been using for my other dresses to make the pink one above. I'd like to try sleeves like the ones shown, though, because I have enough thin-strapped summer dresses to last me a lifetime and I'd like something that's more of a year-round thing. The blue one to the right would require a new bodice pattern, but I could always use my usual pattern and adjust the neckline, or make the neckline look like the pink dress above instead. Either way, I like the color, the double ruffle at the hem, and the lace at the neck. I am all over everything about that dress like whoa.

......................

#2

Lace bracelets, headbands, and other accessories. I'm getting wicked into lace because of all of this girly crap I've been pinning on my Pinterest page, and I came across a link to some really simple bracelets. I could hit up the bead store today and get the parts to make these after school and finish them within a half hour. This strikes me as a good "I only have an hour but have to make something NOW" days. I figure the speedy gratification would help me feel like I was accomplishing more and thus encourage me to try the more ambitious projects listed in this post.

So fancy. Heck yes.

The biggest obstacle for me is working out when to wear the finished bracelets, because I don't wear many accessories. This is partly because I usually wear hair elastics around my wrist for tying up my massive hair. Also, I tend to feel over-dressed when I wear jewelry, and I'd have to get over that.

These are just so lovely that I could probably convince myself to wear them, and if not, hello to xmas gifts for girly friends. Win/win!

......................

#3

Totally not what I have in mind,
but I wanted to post this anyway.

Evening dresses. This wouldn't require a new pattern - I'd just use the old one and fancy-it-up. I have several ideas and I'm not sure which one to try first. I'll post some sketches later once I scan my sketchbook, but I either want to make an ombre evening dress with bias strips on a long silhouette, probably out of cotton because of all the pattern/color options. How cool would that be? Just the thought of making all those strips gives me a headache, though, so this might be a December break endeavor. I'd need tons of fabric, too, so I'll have to save up.

The other idea would be to make a three tiered skirt out of something light and translucent, like tulle or organza. I'm thinking black tulle so I could get away with something crazy-involved going on with the bodice. Black lace over a contrasting color of a base material? A black base with beads and/or sequins on the top? GAH! TOO MANY IDEAS!

Both of these dresses would likely have the "dark stuff at the waist, bright/light stuff at the boobs and  bottom edge" thing I like. I'm discovering that I'm rather good at slimming the waist of dresses with this stuff. Thanks, years of being a painting major, for teaching me about creating the illusion of depth.

......................

#4

Original image replaced because the
link lead nowhere. Bummer.

Scarves. I never used to wear these, now I'm finally accepting that they can work over my giant rack if I choose the right ones. I found a bunch of images on Pinterest and immediately made plans to cut up some old shirts and make them into something a scarf/necklace/whatever you'd call this. It seems crazy easy. Cut shirt into strips, wrap in fancy ways and/or around a base structure (like a D ring or shower curtain ring), and wear. As Shore Leave would say, boom! Yummy.

Oh ruffles, I love you so.

I might do this one tonight. If it works out, hello xmas gifts for all of my scarf-wearing friends. If it doesn't, I'm sure I can find a use for strips of jersey. I can never get sick of that soft, stretchy, forgiving fabric.

Also, I've been meaning to make a few ruffly infinity scarves for myself out of a pile of white/black and grey/black striped jersey that I have lying around. Thanks to my serger I could whip a few of these up in an hour. More xmas gifts, perhaps? Depends on how generous I feel, because if it's made of striped jersey I'll want to keep it for myself. I'll wear striped-anything.

......................

So yeah, I have plans. SO MANY PLANS. Of course, I also need to complete the green dress I've been farting around with for weeks. I have come to hate this dress. Maritza had to show me how to completely reconfigure the pattern to fit me, because apparently my bust is absurdly huge compared to the pattern. I'm a size 18 dress (we think) and a size 24 bust. I've made 4 different muslins and she thinks the most recent alterations should make me good to go on cutting my real fabric.I'm cutting it this weekend, so fingers crossed. Between this and the unfinished corset pattern I have waiting for me, I should really buckle down before I even think of starting the stuff above.

Man, having ADHD is rough. How does anything ever finish anything with the temptation of new projects constantly getting in the way?

Accidental Lolita dress. How did this happen?

So far I've planned out all of the dresses I've made, and I know (more or less) what I want them to become when I buy the fabric. Not so with the lacy, girly Lolita-looking dress I've been making lately. Seriously, this thing went from "yeah, I have some ruffles" to "OMG I VOMIT PONIES" girly in a matter of one three-day weekend.

I started making a double-layered skirt this summer and never quite finished. I found a pile of white and rose striped shirting and grabbed it while it was on sale. I was very into making this skirt, but it was big and unwieldy, and involved enough pins that I didn't want to cart it around the house for fear of impaling the pets. I eventually got it to a point where it only needed a zipper, and stopped there because it looked absolutely awful on me. I don't have many photos, but below is an approximation I created by hiding the now-finished bottom as much as possible. It's a pretty faithful representation.

Too short, more like an apron than a skirt.
Also, OMG fatty fat fat. Unflattering!

The proportions were weird, and it hit me waaaaay too high in the waist to be flattering with any of the shirts I usually wear. I was really bummed that I wouldn't have a fun, stripy skirt to wear. I scrapped it for a few more months and regretted spending money on that fun fabric that I fell in love with this summer. It became the padding I wrapped around the sewing machine when I carted it to class.

This weekend I decided to give it one last attempt by making it into a dress, and I think I may have saved it. The picture to the left doesn't do it justice, but I didn't want to change into a half-finished dress in the middle of my classroom, even if it was my prep and no one was around. That would totally have been the moment that the principal showed up with, say, parents or school committee people in tow. Oh hai, school committee, no, I normally don't dress in pinned-together rags and/or resemble a frilly, pink homeless person. Don't judge me!

The ruffles cascade much more gracefully
when I actually have it on. Here, the
dress looks like it's pooping fabric.

I worry that it's too "junior" for me, and it's definitely waaaaaay more girly than anything I've ever worn. Also, I never wear light colors like this. I really hope I can make this into something I'll actually wear, because it's been tons of fun to make it and I really like the (nearly) finished result.

I'll post additional (flattering, higher quality) photos later once I attach the straps.  Yay for more clothes!