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The week sure went by quick. I had a lot more planned but didn't have the energy to do it. My hands are still sore from woodcarving, and so I've had to lay off the knitting and crocheting. I'm looking forward to the weekend. My daughter may visit. We'll see.

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Sewing again

Last weekend was so full of holidays I didn't get to sew at all. It was my daughter's birthday and also her anniversary as well as Mother's day. I don't think I sat still for 4 days.
So today I was determined to sew no matter what. Like most women I don't have large blocks of uninterrupted time.
I felt even more guilty when my pen pal answered my last letter and wanted to know if the dress was done yet. Done? I've barely started.
So today I did the stay-stitching to keep the neck from stretching. Then I sewed the bodice sides to the bodice front. The next step is to sew the ties.

I couldn't find the ties I'd cut out to save my life. I searched through each pattern piece, searched the scraps. Put each cut out piece in a bag one by one. Looked under and over the chair where I had everything stacked.

I gave up and decided to hop in the shower. As I bent down to pick up my clothes, my eyes spied something purple. That sucker had slid off the chair, accordianed itself up into a 2"x2" square and into a box of stuff next to the chair. Well, at least I found it now.

Corset

Motivation is a weird thing. I suddenly got motivated to make a corset. Then I can wear it with the dress. So I took a little detour to corset land using a video I found on Threadbangers.

You know how it is when you have a kid and you can't get them into the tub, and then once they are in, you can't get them out? Sewing is like that for me. I couldn't seem to get into it, so I decided to work on the corset 30 minutes and the dress 30 minutes. It took me 30 minutes on the corset just to press it and mark the boning channels and get an idea of where the grommets would go, then the timer dinged. I had only just sat down at the sewing machine and my 30 minutes were up! So I went ahead and sewed the four boning channels and added the boning and then I topstitched around the perimeter and ironed it all again. Here is a photo of me trying it on.

Cutting out the pattern

Today I got the pattern pieces all laid out and cut. I still have to do the interfacing. I forgot how squirrely knit fabric is to cut. I had to chase it all over the table.

Time to cut the fabric

How many of you get nervous cutting into a perfectly good piece of fabric? Scissors here I come.

Got the fabric

I found the fabric I needed. The whole dress should cost under $20. initially. I have to be careful at M & L Fabric. This is like the third time they charged me $1.00 more per yard than it is marked on the shelf. I went with purple and red T-shirt knit fabric. I didn't realize until I put on my reading glasses that the trim is not just around the neck, but around the cuffs in view E as well. I like that idea a lot.
The fabric is getting pre-washed at the moment. I was hoping to cut it out today but I have a blister on my right thumb and my cat is sick, so I have a feeling I won't be able to cut it out.

And the winning pattern is...

After sleeping on it, I was more excited than ever about this project. I decided to go with a commercial pattern because down the road people are going to ask me how to make the pattern, and it would be a nightmare explaining to people with no sewing experience how to do flat pattern drafting.

I decided to go with Simplicity 3557. I chose this pattern because it pulls over the head, so it has no zipper to hassle with. It comes in many sizes, so anyone that wants to join in can probably find their size, and it has an adjustment for an A, B, C, or D cup.

Then I had to decide what color or colors I could be happy wearing for a whole year. So I thought of my favorite skirt, which is purple with red accents. I liked that skirt even more when a friend told me her mother would be appalled that I was wearing purple and red together. People sure get some weird hang-ups about what colors you can wear together.

I also feel like the details on this pattern give me lots of embellishing possibilities down the road.

So I just got all the pattern pieces cut apart. Now I need to see if I actually have the fabric I can use or if I'm going to have to buy some.

I've already decided I'm not going to 'live' in this dress 24/7. It's CA and it gets hot hot hot in the summer. But I am going to wear it a bit each day and take it out on the town.

I just flashed back on my Jr. High sewing class in the '70's. My teacher would pick out 2 or 3 patterns, and the whole class had to pick from those 2 or 3. So it was fascinating to see just what fabric each student would use.

As far as fabric goes, I want something that breathes, like cotton.

If you think you want to join in and make this dress too, please share your experiences and photos.

First Post or 'What's it all about Alphie'

First we need to define motley threads.
Motley means a mixture of incongruos elements and threads means clothing.

Here is my idea in a nutshell: Design a garment to be worn for one year. Change the garment as often as possible so that it morphs into other garments and becomes a vehicle of self-expression. Add to (embellish) and take away from the garment as the mood strikes me. Take a photo each day to document everything.