Have I been fooling myself?

Seriously, Have I?

Source

The time has come for me to go back to work, and I have just discovered I do not have anything to wear to work. Not literally of course, but I am sure I can only assemble 5 items I could consider wearing to work. Which makes me question what I have been doing all this while. What have I been sewing? Why do I have more fabric than clothes? Have I been fooling myself? Have I pushed things too far? For the past year, I have been entering shops and giving people superior stares when they rush to pay for clothes, saying to myself " I can make that". I know I can make "that", but did I?

FO:Vogue 1314

My love affair with knit fabric continues. This time I decided to make Vogue 1314. There are not many reviews of this dress online, and I wonder why. It really is a lovely pattern. The Vogue photo shoot had the model in a very strange pose. hmm..I think the pose is responsible for the lack of reviews, What do you think?

I used a fabric given to me by Claire last year. I had used part of it to make a maxi dress, and there was not much of it left. So I just squeezed this dress out of it.

The dress has sleeves, but I made mine sleeveless because I did not have enough fabric. When I make this dress again, which will be pretty soon, I shall make one with sleeves.

I made a size 14, which was not really necessary as I had to take it in at the waist after I made it. When I make it next, I will make a size 12, as I think that might fit me better.

There is not much to say about this dress, as making it was quite uneventful. It sews up really fast too. It calls for a lining, but I did not line it. For the armholes, I simply turned them in, and did a narrow hem. Job done.

I made it on Friday night when Noah went to bed, and wore it on Saturday for my alumni meeting. So, it is a really nice project when you want a new dress without spending days on it. My friends really liked it, and I got many compliments. Knit is the way forward for me I think, as it manages to hide my more unflattering lumps. I did wear Spanx though, to reign in those disobedient folds.

I want to make more dresses using this pattern, as I think it is a great wardrobe builder. I will mostly be wearing it to work, so I will make some with sleeves, and some without.

She would not let me rest

So, my mom arrived yesterday and what do you know? She made me take her fabric shopping. Rachel and Mela were going to Walthamstow market to look for some knit, and when I told my mom about it, she said she wanted to go to "that cheap market".

If you have ever thought I loved fabric shopping, know that my inability to stay away from fabric is nothing compared to this woman's. Here she is going for what she hopes to make a skirt with.

And here with Rachel and Mela

I'm sure I must have mentioned my mom's ability to psyche me into giving her my sewing related stuff. Last time she made me part with my overlocker. This time she is angling for my sewing patterns. She spent last night going through my stash, and selected what she wanted...the nerve! She's got it all packed in a suitcase, and is waiting to select some more. Now, I know I want to stash bust, but this, is pure thievery. 

I think it is worth mentioning at this point that saying "No" to my mom, is an invitation for a history lesson. Oh yes! If I ever feel the need to know my history from when I was conceived, till that very minute, passing by the Dior shoes she gave me for my wedding, all I have to do, is refuse to give her something of mine that she wants. So, I had to be crafty. I told her I was really broke now, and I am not working, and I don't know if I will EVER see these same patterns again. After much blackmail ( on both sides), we came to a pretty good conclusion. So, for every pattern she wants, I will trace my size off, and she will sew it up for me, and her payment will be the pattern. Genius right? Yes I know, I'm clever like that.

I am now looking forward to a few months of luxury, with my mom sewing for me. Oh the life I lead sometimes.

Little Updates

Saturday has come and gone, and you are hearing from me. That only means I did not damage my wool crepe fabric, and I am still alive and well.

I did not make the dress. I decided instead to put it on hold till I get the fit well and truly perfect. I am going to enlist the help of my mom, who will be coming to the UK on Tuesday from Cameroon.

I also started a new blog.

For those of you who have not met me, or have met me and not noticed (very unlikely), I stammer( stutter, if you are American). My stammer has been such a big part of my life. Many highs and lows. Mostly lows. From growing up in Cameroon, where the condition is not really understood, and people openly laugh at you, and make fun of you, and insult you, to living and finding work in the UK where people do not consider it a disability because it is not a visibly physical, and thinking you are just plain dumb during interviews.

My new blog is called The Covert Stammerer, and it will be about my stammer. I don't want to wax lyrical about my stammer here, so if you think it is something you might want to know more about, please do drop by, and say hello.

Pant Fitting with Sandra Betzina

The internet is not a good place I tell you. It is full of tempting things to render you even poorer than you already are....if you are as broke as I am that is. There I was today trying to find more fitting techniques for my Vogue dress, and I fell across a new Craftsy course. This time, it is a Pant fitting class. Hmm!!

I am really tempted to buy this one. For us in the UK, it costs £31. I don't have that kind of money now, so I shall contend myself with printed matter for now until I can spare that money.

This class comes with Vogue pattern 2948. Looking good. Where is my card.

Wool Crepe Dress: Adventures in Fitting I

So, the drama continues.

I decided I was not taking chances with this dress, so I decided to enlist the help of Mela and Rachel with fitting. They both have more experience than me when it comes to fitting. For one, I have never really done alterations on my patterns. I either did not have any problems before Noah, or I had, but was ignorant of the fact.

So we met at Mela's place for an afternoon of fitting. Rachel led the way by preping the pattern pieces