Giveaway Ends Tomorrow

I'm giving away 4 patterns, from 1940s to 1980s.  The giveaway runs through tomorrow so leave a comment if you wish to enter :)

Picasa Troubles

While writing a post tonight I realized that Picasa deleted a bunch of my photos :(  Most importantly the jumper pics, so those blog posts have no photos!  The photos are on my drive but all formatting is gone, and they're no longer in Picasa folders.  Picasa updated itself this evening so I assume that's the cause.  So I'll be reformatting and reloading photos tomorrow--whoopee.

I meant to show you some madras plaid that I'm hoping to sew a blouse from.  I have a couple patterns to choose from but those photos been affected as well.  Maybe tomorrow I won't have a migraine, will have some energy, and can fix all this as well as sew a little.  Wish me luck...

Easy Sewing

The jumper project is wearing me out and I need some quicker gratification.  I could make a t-shirt, I have some fun knits.  I really like what Tanitisis and Steph did recently with cowl tees.  I'm also considering a dress.  Specifically, this dress:

I've wanted to sew this pattern for a few years but worried about messing up.  If I do mess up, so what?  The pattern was 99¢, the fabric was on sale--just do it!  My arm would have to loosen up enough to cut the fabric, however, and that's seeming unlikely.  So I may make a tee after all.

I'm worried who I am if I'm no longer able to create.  Having something tangible to show for a day or week makes me feel better about life.  Lately even knitting has been impossible sometimes, with my arm hurting so much.  It's worrisome.

Jumper Fitting 3

I've made some more progress on the jumper (fitting post 1 and post 2).  Sewing has been difficult due to nerve issues in my arm.  But on I plod...

Look ma, sewing with cardboard!

I altered the right bust dart to be horizontal and eliminated pulling from the side seam.  Adding a center front zip created a tummy pouch, so I'm rethinking a front button closure.  Either functional or faux with a side zip.

I really like the scoop neck and think it will look nice with various necklines.

Right side

Left side

I prefer the look and fit of the diagonal bust dart on the left side and welcome opinions pro or con.  The front darts need further tweaking.  Everything needs tweaking, actually.

The left side has remained unchanged, and I prefer the shorter waist dart that's slightly further from the center front.

Some experimentation on the back neckline yielded interesting results.  A small scoop, as on the left, is nice.  A deeper scoop creates folds that need pinched out, etc.

The back darts need to move toward the center.  On the right side I angled the dart below the waist so it points toward the greatest fullness (aka my buttock).  It's better than the right side so I suppose the next step is to rip out and resew the darts.  I'm not sure why the right side dart looks curved because it's a straight line.  Hmmm


Well, that's about all the energy I have today.  My arm and shoulder have really tightened up making even simple alterations difficult.  I'm hoping to get more energy so I can fix these problems and move onto making the dress.  Right now just thinking about it exhausts me.

As always, thanks for reading :)

Nobody Wants Free Stuff?

I'm hosting a giveaway of 4 patterns--3 vintage, 1 1980s-- and so far only 1 entry.  I didn't expect a stampede but...

So please stop by and enter if you're interested.  Or just say hi.