The Rest of the Story

And now for the rest of the story….   (Years ago on CBC Radio, there used to be a spot that started with those words, or something very close, and then the announcer proceeded with some interesting historical information that was always an interesting story.  In our family, this became a byword for when someone had to "confess" to something.)

Not only did I start that jacket way back when, I also decided to finally put a piece of black wool to good use.  (Also, by the way, a Creative Festival purchase of many years ago.)  It’s a light weight wool with a sort of basket weave to it.  It was supposed to become a sleeveless sheath.  And that’s probably why it sat.  When would I ever wear a sleeveless wool sheath?  What was I thinking?  Much better I make a skirt and actually get some use out of this wool.  I used my quarter circle pattern.   

(After all that work to draw it out, all that paper used, I might as well use it more than once.)  I love this pattern!  One seam – a zipper – and a waistband.  OK - I did complicate things a bit with a lining.  Mind you, there’s the definite inconvenience of having to let the darn thing hang for a while for the hem to settle.  And this skirt definitely did hang … for … a while.  Like from March to October.  Let’s just say it was a well-settled hem in the end.  Good thing that the mannequin has no problems standing still on the coffee table while I pin and repin and remeasure endless times, because it took a while to mark a straight hem.

And then I needed a new blouse.   

A very pretty cream cotton sateen with a stripey design (courtesy of a very good friend).  As usual, nothing in the pattern collection quite suited my “vision”.  And as always, I was determined to cut at a time when no stores are open.  (And who can wait for delivery after internet ordering?)  What I ended up using, was Vogue 2634 (OOP, but still available). 

Vogue 2634

It is not a shirt anymore!  I put centre front on a fold – actually 1 inch away from the fold so that I could sew in a box pleat, and I decided to draw some facings to finish the neckline.

OK, OK - I know - the facing shows through, but not so much when I'm wearing it.

The back has a seam, so that I could leave a slit and pull the blouse over my head.  (Always a good idea to think these things through, or one could end up with a blouse that is impossible to put on.)  The sleeve was extended and narrowed a bit and it now sports a sort of fold-back cuff.

Why is it, that, having actually finished an outfit, I have to go over and over in my head how I should have done this or that differently, how it would have looked better if I had only done this or that.  I get over it eventually and just wear the outfit.  But then there’s the next thing that I’m sewing that starts the whole “could have”, “should have” muddle going in my brain.  I’m trying to train my brain.  Every item sewn is an experiment.  There are so many variations possible at every step of sewing.  Must choose one and keep on sewing.  Guess I should be thankful that I actually get to the end of my projects and am able to wear them.