2009 #2 Summer casual wardrobe

It is done! Three dresses and two sleeveless tops - my summer wardrobe is pretty much complete.



The dresses are all from my TNT pattern, all three made up exactly the same. I would like to play with the neckline but this month was not the time for it - I needed dresses to wear right now. I am happy with all three, have worn the white and the print already. The blue dress was just born this afternoon. They are all unlined and I wear them with a half-slip. In the interest of speedy sewing, I faced the necklines but used a bias strip to finish the armholes. It looks nice, though it won't work in every situation - the topstitching is not invisible.

The two tops are from New Look 6895, much adjusted in the back. First I took out 1" at CB neck, tapering to nothing at the hem, then adjusted for an erect posture. I added a lining in a lightweight solid white poly crepe, sewed a wide band of the shell fabric to the hem of the lining, and hemmed the top 1.5" shorter to get the look of a double hem. I got the idea from an Ann Taylor top I love. The necklines are bias-bound and wide enough to go over my head without a closure. I changed the gathering in the front to a series of pleats because I liked it better. The tops are flowy, which makes them comfortable even in Florida's humid heat, despite the fact that they are polyester. I wear these tops with white shorts but they look great with blue jeans and a cardigan as well.

This was my first time sewing with polyester. I'd avoided it all these years thinking it was hot and uncomfortable and difficult to sew. Then I bought the Ann Taylor top and fell in love with it. It's made of polyester and I thought if AT can use it, so can I. As it turns out, it's easy to cut and sew, and the right pattern can provide comfort even in hot weather. *Disclaimer: I keep the thermostat set on 77-80F so my idea of "hot" and yours may differ (I freeze below 75F).

It's been a while...

...I know. It's been hectic, it's been fun... and the time just flew by. The house is now furnished and comfortable. I've settled into my new old job. I've even done some sewing.

One of my goals for this year was to make more dresses. To that end, I've been working on improving my TNT sheath pattern. There was a bit of extra ease in the lower front that resisted all attempts at removal. Several mock-ups later, the pattern is now fixed.

My fabric collection stayed in Germany; it will move with us when we come back stateside in 2011. My wonderful mom-in-law sent me the few pieces I had stashed at their house so I have some basics but no real stash here and I don't want to build a new one. Instead, I subscribed to the Vogue Fabrics By Mail service. I wasn't really sure what to expect but figured $30 was a small price to pay for someone to coordinate fabrics for me. At the beginning of May, my first mailer arrived and I was impressed. Nine color-coordinated collections of very affordably-priced fabrics of very decent quality.

Two collections immediately caught my eye - they would be perfect for a casual summer wardrobe. A few days later, these lovely pieces showed up at my doorstep.



From the top: polyester plisse print and polyester faille print for loose tank tops, poly/rayon/flax textured suiting solid for a simple sheath, rayon/poly "painterly" print for another sheath, white textured cotton/lycra suiting for a sheath (and maybe a jacket or skirt, or both, I wasn't sure so I ordered 5 yards), and a cotton blend novelty tweed that will make a lovely cardigan jacket.

Now, my main fabric collection consists of timeless basics that I buy in 5 or 10 yards lengths and intend to use over time. However, these fabrics are for immediate sewing and, with the exception of the white cotton suiting, came in 2yd pieces, which I thought should be enough to cut a summer top or dress and still leave enough to re-cut in case of emergency. Also, having seen how Carolyn works embellishment, I thought having a half-yard or so left over might come in handy one day.

The cardigan jacket will be a project for later this year when it gets cool enough here to actually wear one. Other than that, my only rule was that the rest of the fabrics would have to be sewn up into garments before I could order more fabrics. That gave me two months to sew. Well, not quite because I had company most of May, but still plenty of time to sew. Otherwise, there would be no new fabric from the next mailer.

So far, I have finished two dresses - the white cotton and the painterly blue/green/white print, and two tank tops from the poly prints. This week I'll make a dress from the blue suiting and then wait contentedly for the next mailer. Pictures coming soon.

Why I haven't been sewing...

Posted by Alexandra at Studio Alexandra

Well, it's been a busy few weeks. I painted two bedrooms and two bathrooms. It sounds pretty simple, but have you ever tried painting a popcorn ceiling? Those things should be illegal.

The rooms started out a fairly inoffensive shade of beige, with "contractor white" ceilings and trim. Well, where there is trim, because as you'll see in the pictures, there aren't casings around the windows, not to mention crown moldings. (Those will be a later project after I get approval from the property owner.) I picked out a very pale sunny yellow for the ceiling and a grayish blue shade for the walls about the color of the ocean on a slightly overcast day.

At the beginning, the sewing room looked like this (I didn't think to take pictures until after I already took off the cover plates from outlets and light switches so just imagine they're there):

After priming, it looked like this:

At this point I was really questioning my sanity (...and what's the problem with beige walls? most people are happy not to have white walls, but no, leave it to me to fix what isn't broken... seriously what's wrong with beige? I love beige!) but I persisted and voila!

The small desk in the corner will hold the knitting machine and the long white desk will hold the sewing machine and serger. For now, I've left the trim white but I plan to paint it the color of sand (notice a pattern here? sunny yellow, ocean blue, sand...).

The other large piece of furniture in the room is the cutting table. It came from Jo-Ann's and is much like the old one they used to sell but this one is a little bit wider when folded and has two shelves. It feels more stable, too.

The room still needs some pretties to put on the wall and a chair (probably a stability ball, actually) but other than that, it's ready for the machines. And then, I can really do some sewing. I need some dresses.

I'm in Florida!

Posted by Alexandra at Studio Alexandra

I made it to Florida on Wednesday afternoon. It was a great day to drive - beautiful and sunny, if a little windy. I drove through the sticks of Georgia for what seemed like forever before hitting I-10 near Tallahassee. I spent the evening reacquainting myself with the base and the surrounding towns, even managing to look at a couple of townhouses for rent.

On Thursday, jet-lag caught up with me and I spent the afternoon napping. Friday turned out to be a very productive day - I was full of energy after all that sleep. I drove around to see quite a few more townhouses and found the right one in the right location. I signed the lease and will move in next Friday. Not that I have much to move in, having come here with two suitcases and one carry-on.

Next week will be mostly relaxing, taking care of utilities, and good old school work. Then after move-in day, the painting fun can start. I'm already looking forward to it.

Travel update

Posted by Alexandra at Studio Alexandra

I have just spent two days traveling and have one more day before I get to my destination. Getting out of Germany was interesting because the flight schedule kept changing, with flights getting canceled or postponed left and right. That's the downside of Space-A travel: you can't plan. The upside: it's free (with dorky $4 meals which are optional - save your sanity and get a Subway sandwich before departure). And unless you're used to flying first class, military aircraft can be much more comfortable than regular airlines. Of course, if you can afford first-class tickets on a transatlantic flight, you're in a whole another league and can I please be your friend? If you don't mind a little noise (you receive a set of ear plugs when you board the plane and trust me, you'll need them) and lack of televised entertainment, I heartily recommend you try to get on a C17 - lots of leg room, and if there aren't many passengers, even room to stretch out and get some zzz's.***

(***Disclaimer: Space-A travel is only available to military members and their families, and only in certain circumstances.)

Early this morning, as I started driving from Delaware, the weather was bad. It was cold and raining snowflakes (you know, when you can see them coming down but they don't actually stay on the ground so it just looks like it's raining). There was actually supposed to be a storm with snow. (Now, I've never driven on/in snow and I wasn't about to start today. I got a very early start.) In the darkness and this ugly weather, I drove to I-95, and somewhere in Virginia it finally stopped raining. Then in North Carolina, the sun came out from behind the clouds a little bit, then a little bit more, and eventually the clouds gave way to a beautiful blue sky and sunshine. In South Carolina, the hay-colored hibernating grass started showing green patches, completing the picture. What started out so dreadful this morning turned into an absolutely glorious day by the time I got to Charleston.

Tomorrow I will drive the rest of the way to the Emerald Coast of Florida. I hope the weather stays nice because there really is nothing better for a weary soul than a gorgeous sunny day.

Going on a trip

Posted by Alexandra at Studio Alexandra

I'm getting ready for an extended trip to Florida to set up a second household for us for a while (nothing bad happening, I just can't take this German weather anymore). I am in the middle of packing and totally stressing. Do you have any idea what it's like to go through all your sewing/knitting things (stash, tools, notions, trims, etc.) and decide what is absolutely essential and what you can do without? Harrowing and cruel, that's what it's like.

Now that I got that off my chest, I'm actually looking forward to finding a new place, painting, buying furniture (sparsely because it will have to fit into our next house with all the things we already have), and decorating. There won't be any sewing or machine knitting for me for a few weeks until the post office delivers my machines. There will, however, be pictures of the new place as it takes shape.

The blue wool crepe dress I cut out last week is almost finished; it only needs hemming. I have the hem basted so I can work on it at the hotel. I'll post pictures when it's completely finished.

Thank you!

Posted by Alexandra at Studio Alexandra


A big huge THANK YOU to Lisa and Kat who have nominated me for this award! It feels good to know that people whose creations I admire stop here to read about mine.

Now the seven bloggers who inspire me (in alphabetical order, and some of them have already been nominated by others):

1. Carolyn who can take one pattern and turn out a bazillion different looks
2. Dana who sews some seriously classy clothes
3. Faith who knits and spins and weaves and cooks - all that with a smile and four very cute kiddos
4. Gigi who works knits like it's nobody's business
5. Notamermaid who has an enviable closet full of cool retro dresses
6. Toy who usually turns out one cool garment after another (but currently is in need of some extra positive vibes so please send her some)
7. Trena who can turn a sweater into a hat or a dress.
   

Thank you very much!