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So this is my latest creation: the shiny shapeless sack.

How’s that for alliteration of S-words!? Anyway, I had been shopping at JoAnne for some fabric to make a dress (a project that is henceforth on hold) and I saw this fun, shimmery fabric on the clearance pile. I thought it would be perfect material for a pretty holiday blouse. Then I was searching for the ultimate pattern for aforementioned blouse. I couldn’t find much that I liked in ALL the books I thumbed thru. Finally, I settled on Simplicity 2594, mostly because Simplicity patterns were a dollar that week.

The first thing I realized when I started working was that the shimmery fabric was much too heavy for this pattern. It reminds me of the satin pajamas I used to have when I was a kid. The kind where the reverse side of the satin was soft and flannel-like. This isn’t quite that heavy, but it has the same soft warmth to the back. The second thing was that I added about 2 inches to the length of the pattern, but I think it’s still a bit shorter than I’d like it.

All in all, it wasn’t a difficult pattern, and I might try it again sometime with a sheer fabric. I’ll probably still wear the blouse for holiday parties, but it definitely needs a belt. I opted not to make the belt because the shiny face of the fabric wouldn’t knot very well. But I could easily make one out of a contrasting fabric. Also, it doesn’t look too bad layered with a fitted tee underneath.

Dear Retro Butterick Pattern #6582,
I had such great plans for you. You were going to make me look so fabulously Mad Men. But when it came down to it, you didn’t make me look anything but misshapen. Poo.
Regards,
Vanessa

If you follow my twitter feed, you might have seen my note that said, “Grrr. 95% finished with a dress I’m supposed to wear to a wedding next week. A. It’s HUGE. B. I hate it.” Well, this was what I was referring to. I got almost done with it (everything except the hem) and realized that it was about 3 sizes too big. Now, I followed the pattern based on my measurements to a tee! Clearly, the pattern people thought I should look like a potato sack. So I took it in about 2 inches each side, and I still didn’t like it. I should have known not to buy a pattern that only had an illustration as the picture. It looks way cuter on the barbie-shaped drawing than it does on me. Plus, the fabric I bought is a little stiff and doesn’t drape nicely at the pleats on the shoulders. However, I must say that I did a bang-up job assembling the thing. I did my first zipper and darts, and once again made use of my serger to finish the edges. Alas, this cut just doesn’t look that good on me.

Looking at the photo I took of myself, it doesn’t seem too bad, but I think it looks awkward in real life. Mike is usually easy to please when it comes to dresses, but he doesn’t like it either. Because my legs are kinda short, I have to hem the dress at my knees, throwing off the overall balance of the dress. Since the neckline of the dress comes up so high, the whole thing makes me look a little top-heavy, and not it a good way. Oh well. At least it was an awesome learning experience.

As for the wedding this weekend, I went to every damn store in the mall, as well as a bunch of other places around town and was lucky enough to find something I sort of like. It’s OK, but Mike REALLY loves it, so I guess that’s a win. I’m just disappointed I won’t be wearing something of my own creation, and I had to spend money on a new dress on top of what I spent in materials.

So I think the whole idea of being an Elizabeth Taylor-style Cleopatra is out the window. I’m so bummed. Plus I bought a BEAUTIFUL corset from the Etsy shop: PSB Creations. Kristine did a fantastic job and I can’t say enough about how awesome it’s been working with her.

Given my amateur sewing abilities and the SHORT time remaining before the party, I just don’t think I’m going to have enough time to futz with it so that I can make it work. The original plan was to wear it under the garment and make it adjustable enough so that if I needed to take off the corset in the middle of the night, I could. While the corset is relatively comfortable, I honestly don’t foresee being able to wear the thing all night long. I suppose it’s not the end of the world, but I’ve been planning on doing this for a couple of months. EFF!!!