More FLOTUS Sewing Inspiration

My obsession with FLOTUS continues :).

The Mrs. O website posted this awesome photo of Mrs. Obama in a full-skirted coat yesterday. 

photo credit:  MrsO.org

As soon as I saw the coat, it made me think of V8211.  Vogue released this pattern in 2006 and it’s now out of print.  Fortunately, I have it in my pattern stash!

Photo credit:  Antique Dollhouse of Patterns

One of these days, one of these days….

My 1 Dress: Muslin Progress

After 1 full weekend day, and two up-til-2am nights of sewing – not to mention watching all of Season 1 of Blue Bloods on DVD – I finished sewing the muslin early this morning.  Below are photos of the results so far.

I had done a number of pattern alterations before working on the muslin, but I clearly still have some tweaking to do.

1.        I clearly need to further lengthen the bust contour.

2.      I made my short waist adjustments to the midriff band (decreasing the band pieces' width by 1.5” in front and 1” in back).  From the look of the back of the muslin, it doesn’t look like the short waist adjustment helped completely.  Maybe I’ll see that more clearly when I lengthen the bodice.  And maybe it’s a different fit problem there.

3.      It looks like I need to move the protruding backside adjustment up about 2”.  I like how the back of my skirt isn’t as hiked up as it usually is because of the adjustment, but the bagging shown in the side views should be more like skimming the correct area if moved up.

4.      It also looks like I need to smooth the skirt front under the midriff band.  And maybe I need to add the width back to the midriff band...

5.      Then there are two sets of drag lines that may not show up well in the pics: a) from my left shoulder to my bust and b) from under my bust through the side skirt.

I’ve got some more work to do.  It’s a good thing I got Season 1 of Army Wives from the library too! 

More later gator.

MNAC: How I'm Getting Along so Far

Excuse the stream-of-consciousness feel to the following post:

 

I’ve been adjusting to my emerging wheat allergy slowly.  I still miss tasty things like doughnuts and danishes, and pizza, but I have learned the following things: 

 

If I have difficulty with wheat, the kids do too.

 

• That point got proven last Saturday, when I got weak (lazy) and stopped at MCD for food for the first time in over three months.  45 minutes after eating, the poor Little Mister was miserably sick.  No more MCD.
• In a hungry, habit-filled daze, I ate half a sandwich from MCD.  I still have a mild case of hives…
• For about two months now I’ve been making cooked breakfast and lunch for the twins.  I even purchased the cutest insulated apple bento lunch boxes for the purpose.
• Some lunches have been successes.  The kids totally loved breakfast for lunch.
• Bob’s Mills’ Gluten-free pancake mix makes totally indistinguishable pancakes which the twins loved. (And loved having for lunch)
• We are eating more fruits and vegetables. 
• I’m a fresh veggie killer.  I don’t get to them soon enough and they go bad on me.
• Time to use frozen only.
• And it’s time for me to stop faking the funk – it’s less expensive for me to buy California rolls until my technique improves.  And I stop letting sushi veggies go bad…
• We watched “Forks over Knives” on Netflix this week.  It didn’t employ the scare tactics many other healthy eating documentaries rely on for behavior change motivation.
• Is there a thrifty way to eat more fruits and vegetables?  This I need to explore.

 

I also need to explore how much I’ve actually been spending on food.  A few dollars here and a few dollars there adds up.  I just haven’t got a handle on to what.

Boots, Painted not Tossed

I'm so glad I found out about painting shoes! I only wish I'd know about it sooner. I could have saved some cosmetically-challenged but structurally-sound shoes. Oh well, I saved these! I bought these nice, simple brown leather boots from Bloomingdales in 2004 and have worn them almost to death. They look disreputable here:

My poor brown boots

Brown Boots: Close-up

I painted them with Lumiere Bronze and Neopaque Brown paints. I worked on these while sitting with the kids during their bedtime. They started out much too bright with just the bronze paint. I toned it down with the brown using a rag-off technique. Then they got too brown, and did a rub-off with some translucent bronze. I decided to try the technique out on the cheapy plastic belt I got last summer too. I wore my new painted items to work on Tuesday!

Boots painted with Lumiere Bronze and Neopaque Brown

Belt painted with Lumiere Bronze and Neopaque Brown

With the sealer topcoat, they were still a bit bright, but I'm pleased to continue to wear a comfortable pair of leather boots.

My 1 Dress: Progress & Fabric Choice

I made some progress on my goal dress last week.  I worked on the FBA and short waist adjustments.  I also added a protruding backside adjustment from Power Sewing.  I love that book - my high school sewing teacher gave it to me for a graduation present.

As much as I would love to be able to join the new fabric buyers' club, I need to use what I have on hand (and/or can afford) as much as possible.  For the muslin, I'm using an old sheet from my mom's collection.  It's all prepped and ready to go.  And here are my fabric choices:

Stash Fabric from Jo-Ann's & Affordable Fabrics

I've had both of these fabrics in my stash for at least a couple of years.  The teal fabric is a stretch poly/rayon that I bought at Affordable Fabrics in Rocky Hill.  I bought 5+ yards of it at the time, so there's plenty for me to work with on this project.  I bought the leopard print poly charmeuse at Jo-Ann's ages ago.  I remember I loved it, had to have it, and used a 40% off coupon to get it.  I think it will make an excellent removable lining (aka - a slip). 

I hope to have the muslin cut out this week.  I'm really taking my time with this - but at least I'm moving forward!

More later gator!

It's Here, It's Here! 50% Off Kenneth King's Craftsy Class!!

(Note:  I'm just passing along this information because I'm so excited.  I have not been compensated for this post and will be paying for my own class registration.)  I have been learning so much in Susan Khalje's The Couture Dress class. One day as I logged into Craftsy, I noticed that Kenneth King has a jeans reverse-engineering class.  Since Lee stopped making tall jeans, I've been lost. My 1 remaining pair are dying, but I hate to give them up because they fit so well.  Now I can copy them! And yes, there are written instructions out there (especially if you have the Threads archive dvd like me), but I really am enjoying the video class format on Craftsy along with the interaction with the instructors and other (virtual) classmates.  And it's wonderful to be able to access classes anytime - like on my smartphone while running reports at work...  I just got the email below. 50% off Kenneth King's Jean-ius class!! Yay, I'm signing up today! --- On Sat, 3/3/12, The McCall Pattern Company <mccalls@mccallpattern.com> wrote: From: The McCall Pattern Company <mccalls@mccallpattern.com> Subject: Learn to reverse engineer your favorite fit! To: Date: Saturday, March 3, 2012, 3:25 AM March 3, 2012 Make All Your Trousers Your Favorite Trousers By Kenneth D. King | Couture designer, sewing celebrity, and teacher I'm Kenneth D. King, New York City-based couturier and sewing author. As you might imagine, I love clothes. I love imagining them, designing them, and making them. But no matter how fabulous a garment might look in your mind or in a magazine, there's one thing for sure: if it doesn't fit, it's not going to look good. That's doubly true when it comes to trousers! Ironically, trousers are one of toughest items to get a perfect fit! Custom make trousers that fit. That's where my brand new online Craftsy class, Jean-ius: Reverse Engineer Your Favorite Fit, comes in. As hard as it is to find a pair of trousers that fits right, we all have one. It's our favorite. It flatters us, and it feels good. Well, I have figured out a way to let you use those trousers as a blueprint for as many more as you want! Take them, turn them into a pattern, and then sew yourself a closetful of jeans, slacks, and trousers of all types. They will ALL fit perfectly and look amazing! Meanwhile those trousers you used to make the pattern won't be harmed in any way whatsoever. This is reverse-engineering without the deconstruction. I'm also going to pass along some secrets that make so called "tough stuff" easy. For instance, pockets, crotch seams, fly zippers, and waistbands. You'll be installing, customizing, and cutting them with ease. This class is all about having fun… and making magnificent trousers! And if you sign up now, you're also going to get 50% off the registration fee! You do not want to pass that up. Look fabulous in your favorite pants! Filmed in high-definition (so you can see everything), this class is both online and interactive. That means you watch it according to your schedule and however many times you want. Enroll once and your registration never expires! As you go, ask me questions in the class, and I'll respond and post comments of my own. You can also post comments so we can get a lively class discussion happening. I know you're going to love it, and so does Craftsy! If you're not satisfied with the class, they'll refund your money no questions asked. So hurry up and grab this 50% off discount! I can't wait to make you a Jean-ius! If you are having trouble viewing this email, view it here or cut and paste this URL http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/newsletters/mccalls/craftsy/Craftsy20120303/VoguePatterns_Jeanius_3-3-12.html into your browser's address bar. This email was sent to you by The McCall Pattern Company. Please add mccalls@mccallpattern.com (also the "FROM" in the email) to your email address book to ensure future deliveries to your Inbox. Thank you.s To subscribe to our email list click here. If you would prefer not to receive future emails about updates and promotions from Mccallpattern.com, please click here. View our privacy policy To find answers to your questions visit our online customer service page. © 2012 The McCALL PATTERN COMPANY, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 615 McCall Road, Manhattan, KS 66502

Internet Mimetics Are Awesome

I was whiling away time (um, when I should have been cooking breakfast) early this morning on Craft Gossip and saw this very cute tunic dress tutorial from iCandy Handmade.  I was amused because it looks so much like the tunic dress I made for The Little Miss and posted on Refashion Co-op in December.  I used two old sweatshirts and iCandy used fabric.

Both girls look so cute!


Photo Credit:  iCandy Handmade



Photo Credit:  The Happy Homemaker - Redux