CAMO DRESS!!! Can you see me?!

I've been talking about the "camo dress" for so long, it's about time I unveiled the thing.

Drumroll please......



Now that you're blind from the glare off my pasty legs, let's talk about the dress! This is the Socialite Dress pattern from Anna Maria Horner. I chose camo fabric from J&O fabrics as my first run through as a sort of funky muslin to check the fit. I'm a big fan of muslins being wearable if they work out - and am pleased to say I wore this camo dress to brunch last weekend!
I have a pair of stilletto knee high lace up suede boots that I think are PERFECT with this dress - but not for a family brunch outing.

Here's a headless shot -- it's all about the dress (and my straggly hair - oy!)



I could totally win a game of hide and seek in my camo dress now.
I really like that this dress has pockets. And they were totally easy to sew in. Swear!




I'm sorry I forgot to get a picture of the back of the dress. Taking a picture of my butt just wasn't in my mind -- you understand!

This pattern has no zips or buttons to sew, the dress just pulls on overhead. It can be worn with or without a belt but honestly without a belt I think it looks a bit tentlike. I sewed myself a medium, and it fits. But for the next run through, I think I will make the top bigger and the lower part smaller. It's a bit more snug in the bust than would be ideal. This dress was pretty easy to put together. I would recommend it for beginners. And I'll be making it again.

So there you have it. What do you think? Chic or scary?!

Later skaters,
Janimal

P.S.
Oh, I have a tutorial to post for my quadruple stitched taggy blankets, and another Oliver & S pattern complete to show off. Come back soon!

In Case I Need To Hide In The Woods

Greetings lovely readers.

Most of the stuff I make is for my adorable kid. But ya know, I think this year
I may just have to make some clothing for moi.

So, may I present a project in the works -- the Socialite Dress by Anna Maria Horner!

When I typed this the first time I wrote "Socialist" instead of Socialite. Haha.

That must be my inner Brit fighting for blog space.

And....with this pattern I GUESS I need a muslin.

Before I show you my muslin fabric - here's the fabric I'm thinking for this dress:

Amy Butler Temple Doors in Fresh Mint from the Soul Blossoms line (available at Whipstitch Fabrics). What do you think - too bright?

I think this dress might be pretty in a lovely textured silk dupioni - but let's not get carried away yet!

I think the loose fit of this dress might work for my weird bodyshape combo. Like most women, my upper body measurements don't match the bottom ones. I don't like to brag but I'm happy to say I have quite a nice derriere. Not too big, slim hips, and quite cute. (blush) Unfortunately my belly makes up for all that backside perkiness by sticking out unattractively and pouchy. (I would blame Delilah but if you saw the chocolate stash in my desk drawer you would know the truth.) Up top I have broad shoulders and a bodacious chest.

Sometimes when I try RTW garments if I get a dress that fits up top, my lower half is lost in a sea of fabric. And if I find something flattering to my slim booty - it just won't go over my lady lumps up top. And if I do find something that fits the top and bottom, that sad pouchy belly sticks out and messes up the whole deal. Sigh. So I find myself thinking I may have to use the large pattern for the top, and somehow draft down to the medium or small at the hips while still allowing some extra ease over the abdomen. So - muslin time.

Now, I am NOT a fan of cheap muslins! I don't want to waste my precious sewing time working on something that has no shot at being worn! But I also don't want to waste my pretty pretty designer fabrics on a garment that will frustratingly not fit. So what to do? The challenge for me is to find some fabric to use as a muslin that I won't mind so much wasting, but if it works out I won't mind so much wearing.

Here's my muslin fabric pick for this dress:

Purchased online from J and O Fabrics.

Yeah CAMO! A friend of mine got me thinking about camo when she wore a camo jacket with some cool bright orange dragon embroidery on it. It was hipster fabulous. Then I saw some pieces by Junya Watanabe made from camo that were just COOL. Dresses and skirts with crazy ruffles and folds. I'm not prepared to layout a cool thousand on one of his awesome camo creations, so this simple Socialite dress will be my version. Perhaps if I can get the thing to fit, then I will add a ruffle at the hem as an homage to Watanabe.

And it's not like camo fabric is going to run out. The designer fabrics come and go, but I can always get more camo, right?!

If it doesn't work? Well, I like to make taggy blankets for little babies as gifts. I never have fabric for boys in my stash but camo would be great for this and I could cut up the wadded muslin and use it. See, no waste.

But hopefully my camo dress will be FABULOUS! Check it out, camo dresses can be so dreamy!

Fabulous camo gown by Gary Harvey made from recycled army jackets. Swoon. (oh click on that link - fabulous dresses to see!)

And Ohhhh, I like this one! Michael Kors , yes yes yes!

Unfortunately, not everyone does camo with so much style. This one is a Balmain. Available for purchase for just over a thousand bucks. Yuck.

I was thrilled that "Don't ask, don't tell" was repealled. But let's not get carried away and put sequins on our camouflage, please.

What do you think of camo? Would you wear a camo dress?

Wish me luck. I'll share my results, good or bad!

Later skaters,

Janimal

Applying The Fabric Stash Rules

My last post was about my fabric stash rules. This one is about how they actually work for me and how I have actually applied my rules (and enabled myself to buy more fabric, pshaw).

I made a few recent fabric purchases, here's how I justified them according to "the rules"

Last week I went to this site: http://www.fabricmart.com/
Ok, I got sucked into the clearance area here. One of the lovely ladies from my local sewing guild forwarded an email about some superduper sale.
I found this:

That's crushed velour - sapphire blue. For a DOLLAR a yard. YO! A DOLLAR!

Uh oh, remember rule #1? I got very quickly sucked into the appeal of dollar a yard fabric. I trampled all over rule #1 and 12 yards of variously colored crushed velour is on it's way to my house. I have no idea what this stuff feels like, so I can't say I love it. But yo, a dollar? What's a (Jewish) girl to do?
Um, so, I, um, bought some. In several colors actually. If you have any ideas what to do with it, I'm all ears. And I will probably be willing to share.

I totally just busted rule #1 (don't buy stuff just because it's on sale) BUT - I can still redeem myself! I can't apply rule #3 (buy for a project) because I have no idea what I would make with this stuff. So that leaves me with rule #2. If something comes in the stash, something must come out. SO, when this stuff arrives, I have a decision to make. Either decide I don't love it enough to be "stashworthy" and just give it away, or keep it and give away some other fabrics from my stash.

For a buck a yard, I am cool with this plan.

Either way, to manage the stash, I am going to have to give away some fabric. Either to a friend who's daughter is learning to sew, to a lady who sews her heart out making doggy blankets and beds for rescue animals, or to another sewing friend who doesn't have the same stash rules as me. Regardless, I get to give something away and that always feels good! It's an inexpensive experiment to check out a different kind of fabric, and a new fabric supplier. I'll post about this stuff when it comes in and let you know what happens to it.

Which brings me to me NEXT purchase.
(See, I told you I might be a little bit of an addict)
Whipstitch Fabrics sent me a 10% off coupon. Uh oh. I may have stash rules but I CANNOT RESIST this store.

I bought some more fabric online.

First up are 3 home dec fabrics from the Innocent Crush line by Anna Maria Horner. Check 'em out:

GORGEOUS! Totally rule #1.

These all are justified under rule #3. These home dec fabrics are going to be sewn into bags to give away as gifts. Won't they be lovely as Frenchy Bags?

These next couple fabrics are velveteen, also part of that same Innocent Crush line.

And this pretty cotton lawn by Alexander Henry.

I totally applied rule #1 to these. What lovely fabrics! Rule #3 does not apply because I really have no idea what I will do with them. BUT - hello rule #2! I am making the cover skirt from the book Sew Serendipity, which is using THREE fabrics chosen from my current stash. That means under rule #2 I am allowing myself to replace them with three pretty fabrics back to my stash. I only bought a yard of each of these 3, so I *may* buy more of each later. We'll see.

And last, but not least, I bought two knit fabrics to make tops for myself. I have a simple pattern to follow and these fabrics should coordinate with the skirts I just mentioned in the works from the Sew Serendipity book. These fabrics most solidly fall under rule #3. Planned projects that will not just become part of the stash.

Now, the problem I have with applying rule #3 to the purchase of these fabrics, is that I really can't HONESTLY apply it again in the very short term. I mean, with bags and tops all planned on my project list, it's tough for me to justify buying more fabric for immediate projects - because I already have too many projects planned. Rule #3 is now "on a break".

But that's the beauty of rule #2. I can still buy fabric, if I am willing to part with another. This keeps my stash fresh with beautiful fabrics that I love, will help me be (eh somewhat) responsible with my cash and storage space that I won't just go buy a bunch of fabrics that won't be used, and fabrics that might otherwise sit and not be used will have a new purpose in the hands of someone who appreciate them and will use them.

Ok - am I just kidding myself? Maybe. But this system, so far, seems to work for me.

Just don't send me a coupon.

Later skaters,

Janimal

P.S.

Seriously - what should I do with the crushed velour?