"She's crafty, and she's just my type" Part 1
Following the example of a good and crafty friend, I decided to take a couple days off from work to do some crafting at home. Two major projects are in my sights: a wedding dress, and a lighting rig for my snake Percy's cage. The wedding dress is kind of self-explanatory. I don't need it until July, and I'm a bit nervous that I won't be exactly the same size as I am now, but I have the pattern and the fabric so I figure the sooner we can scratch stuff off the 'wedding to-do' list, the better.
Today was all about the dress. My excitement grew with every mile to Mormor's house - this bag of fabric is going to be transformed into a beautiful dress that will be perfectly made to fit me exactly! But there was some trepidation too. This is my dress. My beautiful, marvelous wedding dress. What if I spill something, or my scissors slip, or a seam tears? I think a major part of what happened within the first hour is that I stopped treating the fabric with such reverence and came to view it as just another piece of fabric.
Now, a riddle! Why is a dress like a stir-fry? Because all the work is in the preparation. At least, that's what it feels like right now. Mormor and I spent about 5 hours prepping the fabric and patterns for tomorrow's sewing. First, we had to decide on a size. I usually wear a size 4 or 6, but apparently I need a 24-inch waist to do such a thing in 1957 so we decided to use the size 10 measurements for the waist and hips (which is RIDICULOUS). Anything having to do with the sleeves or neckline we switched to the size 6. This is the wonderful thing about making your own clothing: you can have multiple sizes housed in the same pattern. With the sizes and pattern lines decided on, Mormor and I could start the hours-long cutting session.
First, cut the pattern. But not all the way! Leave a 1/2-inch margin around the edge. Then we had to measure out and cut the fabric, turning it around so we could cut 2 of each pattern but have the grain of the fabric running the same way for each piece. Pin the pattern in place, then cut everything right on the pattern line. I was so sick of cutting by the time it was over! By then, the fabric looked really dull and not so special anymore. I guess I had scissors burn-out! But I still stuck around for another hour to completely finish the cutting - we still had to cut 2 of each pattern piece for the liner. That became more unpinning, repinning, cutting along the pattern, and finally pinning ALL the pieces for each pattern section together. Whew! It was totally worth the extra hour though, because now I don't have to do any cutting tomorrow. Also, seeing the satin against the bright white of the ilner brought it all home for me. The dress is underway!! Stay tuned for part 2.
Today was all about the dress. My excitement grew with every mile to Mormor's house - this bag of fabric is going to be transformed into a beautiful dress that will be perfectly made to fit me exactly! But there was some trepidation too. This is my dress. My beautiful, marvelous wedding dress. What if I spill something, or my scissors slip, or a seam tears? I think a major part of what happened within the first hour is that I stopped treating the fabric with such reverence and came to view it as just another piece of fabric.
Now, a riddle! Why is a dress like a stir-fry? Because all the work is in the preparation. At least, that's what it feels like right now. Mormor and I spent about 5 hours prepping the fabric and patterns for tomorrow's sewing. First, we had to decide on a size. I usually wear a size 4 or 6, but apparently I need a 24-inch waist to do such a thing in 1957 so we decided to use the size 10 measurements for the waist and hips (which is RIDICULOUS). Anything having to do with the sleeves or neckline we switched to the size 6. This is the wonderful thing about making your own clothing: you can have multiple sizes housed in the same pattern. With the sizes and pattern lines decided on, Mormor and I could start the hours-long cutting session.
First, cut the pattern. But not all the way! Leave a 1/2-inch margin around the edge. Then we had to measure out and cut the fabric, turning it around so we could cut 2 of each pattern but have the grain of the fabric running the same way for each piece. Pin the pattern in place, then cut everything right on the pattern line. I was so sick of cutting by the time it was over! By then, the fabric looked really dull and not so special anymore. I guess I had scissors burn-out! But I still stuck around for another hour to completely finish the cutting - we still had to cut 2 of each pattern piece for the liner. That became more unpinning, repinning, cutting along the pattern, and finally pinning ALL the pieces for each pattern section together. Whew! It was totally worth the extra hour though, because now I don't have to do any cutting tomorrow. Also, seeing the satin against the bright white of the ilner brought it all home for me. The dress is underway!! Stay tuned for part 2.