Vacation Sewing and my continual procrastination

So I am going on a vacation with my mother in law in about 23 days and I have just finalized my sewing plans.  I knew that I was going with her several months ago and should have started my travel wardrobe then but its so hard to sew for nice weather when the leaves start falling or when its -40C, but I had a panic moment the other day and now the mad dash starts.  For my wardrobe there are a few items that I have already made and that will come with me, I have also bought a few things but I really want to make a few things.  I would like to make a chambray shirt (discussed below), a gingham shirt (done just needs buttons) a pair of white jeans, a white denim skirt, 2 loose dresses (Vogue 1236), and maybe a couple blouses (Simplicity 2599).  It seems like an insurmountable amount of sewing but I will persevere.  The added drama of this situation is that because I am hourly and February is a short month I also have to squeeze in some extra work hours.  Also one more task for my February is that my husband is starting a business and I am designing his corporate identity, including business cards, logos, letterhead etc.  I also would like to do a big cooking day called “Once a month mom”.  Last time I did it with my mom I saved around $500 for the month in groceries and it was so nice to get home and have dinner waiting, no muss, no fuss, plus then I can have meals in the freezer for my husband who would just eat garbage food while I am gone. So this month looks like it is going to be a busy month with no breaks in sight.  But as long as I sew something each night then I think that I will be ok.

Well I have made two more simplicity 2339’s.  One is peach colored gingham and the other is a light blue chambray.  I love the peach gingham one, but I don’t have any pictures so I will have to show you that one another day.  But the chambray one I am not as much in love with it.

 

 I think it looks a little prison uniform (the final version had sleeves and a button placket).  The real kicker about it is that I have spent so much time working on it that I am hesitant to just throw it away or start over.  When I found the fabric I wasn’t one hundred percent on the color but I was running out of time and had no other options so I threw caution to the wind.  But I am almost finished and I have concerns that I will not love this creation.  So where does that leave this shirt, my personal thoughts on it is that I should either bleach the fabric to all white or I should dip dye the shirt (Like the below picture).   

 

My biggest concern would be that it may make me look larger than I am.  But fashion does say that a darker color tends to recede and a brighter color jumps at you so maybe this will make my large hips recede and bring the attention to my face.  The other real kicker about this shirt is that somehow I put the sleeve vent on the wrong way, its not a huge deal but last night I was about ready to pop when I realized what I had done, I will most likely wear this shirt with the sleeves rolled up anyway.

After the shirts I had decided that I wanted to do a Missoni style maxi dress using McCalls 6073, but as a personal observation there is no way that I can wear maxi dresses, I am just too short.  I know many people that are shorter than me wear maxis but I think that problem with the way that I am built is that I have a long torso compared to my short legs so it just looks funny (when my husband and I sit on the couch I am taller than him from bum to head but when we stand my legs reveal my petite stature).  So after careful deliberation I chopped the bottom 12 inches off the dress and wide a wide sash for the waist.

I haven’t hemmed the dress yet and I think that I would like to take this dress in a little around the bust and waist area.  McCalls 6073 was a super easy pattern and I think that I may try making it again out of some slinky black jersey that I have.  I still wish that I could wear a maxi but I am not hopeful that it would look good.

Up next is Jalie 2908 out of some white stretch denim material.  I think that I will make the flared leg a little more stovepipe or at the very least boot cut.  I also plan on adding a little chub control panel, I have done it on other pants and it works).  I will post a little tutorial on that as soon as I can.

Till later

Hugs

Megs