My Little Orange Dress

According to most fashionistas for the better part of the last 100 years have said that every woman needs a little black dress.  Now while I do have one, I will say this and that is Orange is the new black...or at least it should be!  I love orange...fabulous color it is.  So bright and cheery and well orange :)  So when I was gifted this lovely orange fabric with little white polka dots I knew I had to make a dress for me.

Isn't she BEAUTIFUL?  The dress...I'm talking about the dress, I haven't become that vain...yet ;)

My favorite part is the neck line...

How cool is that?  I mean it's curvy yet depending on how you sew it up can be a daring plunge or a modest V-neck.  I'm in love with this dress!

What is even cooler is the pattern I used.  Several months ago a friend of mine called me up said she was gifted with a bunch of fabric, books and pattern making kits and wondered if I was interested in taking some of it off her hands.  Was I?  Of course!  So while I was off practicing for a Sunday morning she unloaded boxes by my back door...boxes I tell you.  In one of those boxes was this box that said Lutterloh System International...I opened it up and WOW!  I was hooked.

Basically it is a loose leaf notebook full of drawings of garments you can make a pattern just for you!  No, need to take time to make adjustments already printed patterns...no you draft a pattern just for yourself.  Now the patterns I have are most definitely dated I guesstimate around the late 60's to the early 80's.  Some patterns just make me laugh others I can't wait to make...especially after this dress.  However, as I was looking up the system online for this post I discovered that the system is still in print and you can find out about the Golden Rule and order supplemental quarterlies even today.

The other thing I like about this is that the pattern pieces are interchangeable.  Meaning if I like the sleeves on a shirt but love the style of a dress I can pair them up together without a hitch.  Talk about options!  I have found the easiest way to make the patterns is on the floor in my living room and perhaps I'll show you all one day how this system works.

Now of course every good thing has a down side and that is this system if for the advanced sewist who doesn't need written directions to sew.  Yes there are general directions for how to put in pockets, sew up darts, and other features in your garment but there are no directions for each individual project.  So if you need photos or pictures to figure things out you might not fair well with this program

Well what do you think?  Is orange the new black in terms of sexy?  Or do I just pull of the color really well?  I'm 3 garments into my goal...47 left and I'm seeing belts in my future.

#2- My New Shirt

Finally!  I can't tell you how many technical woes I've had trying to post my latest creation.  Add in having 5 kids and the chaos that ensues from them and well it has been a frustrating few days.  Even as I type I get pulled away every few words to remind the kids what they should be doing…leaving me alone!

Still, this past weekend I was able to sit down and get some serious sewing done.  In fact I'm hoping to get some more done tonight.  Now onto the pictures…

My hair isn't that red and I'm not sure I'll ever get used to looking at pictures of myself… still I had to show it off for you,

This is definitely not a one day sit down and sew project.  I worked at it slowly over a couple weeks though the bulk of it was done on Sunday.  I only added one dart on the fronts and it doesn't have any closures yet because I don't know what I want to do.  Buttons?  Snaps? or leave them off all together as I know I'll always wear it belted.

It was much longer than I expected but I do like it.  I can just picture it under a scoop neck vest or over a sleeveless dress for the winter.  It is a perfect grey color and I like the woodwork look to the print…perfect for layering.  Now to make a belt (or 12…you know me) so that I have some variety.  However it wasn't grey when I cut it out and sewed it up.  No, it was pink...

Not my color of pink.  I thought about dying it a darker pink, or even orange but settled on grey simply for the versatility.  I just love dying fabric…so much fun.  To take fabric that you don't love and make it FANTASTIC…well it's just beyond words to explain.  This time I used a Jacquard dye called iDye…I like it more than RIT…plus they have iPoly dyes for fabrics that have polyester or other man made fibers in them.  My poor husband is already overrun by fabric and yarn and I'm adding in dying…I might need a shed just for my crafty love :) 

The pattern is McCalls M5433 and I made option B.  If I ever make the longest size it will be more like a shirt dress on me…not a bad idea just something to know ahead of time.  I paid absolutely zero attention to all the sizing/shaping instructions and just did it as I know how.  Also…ignore all the serger tips they offer…total crap!  Still  I'll use the pattern again.

Well what do you think?  Please tell me if I should keep it as is or add buttons or snaps…I'm desperate for advice.  I'm now 2 garments into my goal…Yay!!!

The New Goal

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This should be a post about the 2 garments I made this last week but it isn't because I am dealing with technical difficulties...seriously this is a bit pathetic...all my techie blues.  So instead of sharing with you my woes I shall share instead February's Goals.

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I know, I know!  I can't believe that February is almost here.  And while there is still a week left in the month and I can't do an official recap of the month in regards to my goals I will share with you what I am planning on for next month.

My goal next month is to lose 8 pounds.  That is exactly 2 pounds per week and I know I can do it!  This is how I plan to do it...

I will increase my water consumption from 5 glasses of water a day to 6.
I will drink 1 mug of herbal tea everyday, in addition to my water.
I will spend 30 minutes 3 days a week doing cardio.
I will not eat anything after 8pm.
I will drink non fat milk and make any treats with it as well.

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I think that is fairly simple and should help out tremendously.  This month has been pretty hard for me because everyone is trying to lose weight and get in shape (something that always happens around the first of the year) and I knew it was something I needed to start at again, yet I couldn't because I already had a full plate with my small goals.

Now, I'm not a crazy wonder woman and know that since my plate is full right now I'm going to have to re-prioritize my small goals from this month to next.  The first is that starting in February I'll only be practicing the violin 4 days a week instead of 5 but will increase the time to 25 minutes instead of 20.  So really I'll be practicing the same amount.  I will continue to compliment the children but reduce the goal to 5 days a week and not 7... this isn't because they're awful kids and it is hard.  No, this is because I have been complimenting them on their day at bedtime and I'm not always home at bedtime.  This just frees me up to not have to think so hard on the days I'll be away at bedtime.

There, it is simple and totally achievable.

What about you?  How are your goals going?  Anything you need to fine tune?  Something not work out right?  Let's chat and be prepared for next month.