Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Not my UFO

 A great big thank-you to everyone for the very kind comments left on my last post.  Life has changed and will continue to change.  For the moment - we go on as best we can.
Just because I wasn't reporting on the sewing, doesn't mean that sewing didn't happen.  It's the best way I know to really "switch off" my brain.
Can anyone beat a 40(?)-year-old UFO?  Just wondering if I'm the only crazy one who cannot stand seeing a project that isn't finished, even if it's not mine.
This one is my aunt's.  She'll be 90 in a few months.  I never knew her to sew.  I remember her knitting, crocheting, embroidering - but never sewing.  At some point she must have taken a sewing class, or at least began to take a sewing class.  This blouse was all cut, marked - every seam line marked with carbon and tracing wheel - even mostly basted together by hand.  (Every pattern piece has my aunt's name on it, which is why I assumed that she was in a class.)  The copyright date on the pattern in 1970, so I'm assuming that all this work happened shortly after that  date.  Everything was stuffed into a bag, survived all these years and several long distance moves and ended up at my house a few years back.  I promptly tossed it into a corner and forgot about it - until I was moving the sewing room.  The fabric was still good.  Seemed as though it would still fit.  Why not put the blouse together?
The only things missing from the cut pieces were a collar and a back facing.  Luckily there were scraps, and I cut the View 4 collar, though I did cut it down some.  It seemed awfully large by to-day's standards.  The back facing I replaced with a bit of seam binding.  Don't like full facings on blouses anyway.  Well, that's one less UFO in my pile.  It did get a wash once the sewing was done - after all those decades stuffed in a bag, I figured it needed a wash.
Funny thing - when my mother took the blouse over, my aunt couldn't remember ever having started it. 

8 comments:

  1. Finishing off a 40 year old UFO! That has to an all time record. Well done you!

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  2. This project is worthy of a magazine article!

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  3. What a wonderful story! And the blouse is gorgeous - very pretty!

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  4. Wow! that is some story! The colour is wonderful, will you wear it?

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  5. ohhh, a wonderful story! Worthy of a beautiful blouse .... I am very, very happy to have you back for this virtual world. I hope you are right now ....

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  6. Irene; my second comment, but just answering your question... that tree is a Moreton Bay fig tree, That one is pretty old but they do indeed get huge, and the above ground root system is very distinctive of that type.

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  7. Wow, what a neat project to have finished. I actually like the pattern and the fabric is pretty cool too. Great job!

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  8. What a great story and a wonderful reason to finish a UFO!

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