Stripey Shirt Dress

Behold my stripey shirt dress!

I made this little number using McCall's 6696 which is one of the patterns that come with multiple cup sizes (which is wonderful if you are anything over a B cup) and I am pretty happy with it. I've had this fabric laying around in my stash for almost a decade and it worked really well with this pattern. I made a few alterations to the pattern including adding a small cut on gusset on the sleeves, adding a half inch FBA, pinching out a half inch of length from the back, and swapping out the pleated skirt with 2 full fabric widths gathered to the waistband.

For the first time I used french seams, even on the sleeves!

 Aren't they so pretty!?

The entire inside is finished! I'm making so much progress! Even the sleeves came out good.

I wore it all day Monday at work and didn't have any catastrophic wardrobe malfunctions so that was nice. Unfortunately the only proof I have is a rather sad selfie.

I am quite possibly the least photogenic person on earth. I also learned not to underestimate how short waisted, sway backed, and fat I am. If I ever make the pattern again I need to reduce the fabric in the back and raise the arm holes, but overall I am super proud!

On a side note, I've noticed a lot of other sewers seem to be crazy cat ladies as well, and they're always all "Oh Mr. Fluffins is helping." Am I the only one whose animals are diabolical assholes?

"Oh was this the next pattern piece you needed? It sure is comfortable." Also he figured out how to pull pins out of the pattern pieces as soon as I turned my back. I'm still finding pins in the dining room floor.

"Sooooo comfortable."

At this point I said fuck it and accepted it wasn't happening. B kept laughing at me because he could hear me cussing at Oni across the house. He kept asking why I didn't just push him off. Probably because every time I reached for him he flipped over on his back and greeted me with teeth and claws!

At least Zelda is less involved when she helps.

Nevermind.

Historical Sew Monthly '15 June

The Challenge: Out of Your Comfort Zone

So this was out of my comfort zone for a number of reasons. While it is not my first corset, it was the first time I created a one layer corset, its the first time I used a waist tape, first time using straight steel, and it's the first major project I've undertaken since my craniotomy.  Also, steroids make you eat like a fat kid so prancing around in a corset does make me a little self conscious. My stunt double in the photos is actually a bit smaller than me now.  Not to mention I've been nervous about trying to sew again since the surgery. I actually retook a beginner sewing class to help me get over my worries. But guys, this is some of the best sewing i have ever done. I mean look at those stitching lines!

 I've never been able to sew in a straight line before! (Also please ignore the animal fur. My house is like a petting zoo full of absolute jerks. No matter where I stash my stuff one of the animals can and will sleep on it.) And while there are some slight fitting issues, this might be the best thing I have ever sewn!

Fabric: Black Cotton Coutil

Pattern: Truly Victorian 110 1880 Late Victorian Corset

Year: 1880

Notions: sz 00 silver grommets, boning tape, black bias tape, black twill tape, black lacing cord, white lace, white grosgrain ribbon, straight steel boning, spiral steel boning.

How historically accurate is it? Probably not very. I had visions of being all gung ho and hand sewing. Yeah apparently I still have what my physical therapist called "the grip of a 70 year old woman". Apparently they have charts.  Oddly enough I was strong enough to cut my own boning, all though I am pretty sure the cats are emotionally scarred. So needless to say everything was machine stitched except for finishing the bias tape and attaching the lace. I ended up using pliers to do the hand sewing.

Hours to complete: ...i'm not real good at the concept of time. A few hours a night for a week. I wasted a lot of time when i ran out of boning and had to order more.

First worn: prancing around my house last night.

Total cost: $20-ish because I already had most of the stuff in my stash.

And one last photo of me actually in my finery.

New Beginnings!

The desire to restart my short lived blog can be summed up with one word. Craniotomy.  As diverse as my interests are and what I hope to include in this space, my reasoning and motivations inevitably come back to my brain surgery and the little hole where Cecile the Pineocytoma once was. (Yes I named my tumor.) Even a benign brain tumor has a way of reordering your priorities. Now that I am 4 months post op I am overcome with a desire to get out there and have adventures. I still lack the stamina to do very much but it gives me something to look forward to.

But the tumor and subsequent surgery has affected me in other ways. The surgery affected an almost immediate improvement in my pain levels, but I seem to have traded the pain for a horrible memory. Granted I am only 4 months out and even if it never improves, it is still a trade I would make again. I try not to let it bother me, but sometimes it is distressing that you have to use context clues to figure out what you did with your morning. Or you realize you can't remember how to get to a particular part of town that you are familiar with. I see people I worked with for years and have no idea what their name is.

I've always considered myself a storyteller. Being able to keep up a constant stream of inane yet humorous chatter was a skill I honed to keep the peace in a mildly dysfunctional family that so often had no idea what to do with each other. While so many people lie awake at night letting their regrets and embarrassments circle their minds like vultures, I stay up trying to turn my regrets into a self-effacing comedy routine I will never perform, because people are fucking terrifying. The loss of memory makes me fear for my stories. They are no treasure trove but they are mine. So I want to tell them in a more permanent format and invite friends and family members to do the same. What's more, I want to get out there and have more adventures and create new stories and record them.

Today I feel better than I have in years. Reviving this blog embodies the hope that things will continue to be this awesome and will hopefully quell the quiet fear that this is too good too last. But even if it is 2 months or 2 years, if something goes wrong, I want to have as many adventures as I can fit to go back and look at, even if I can't remember them all myself.