Girl, Those Legs Are BLINDING Me

So, if you can look past the glare that is my fish underbelly legs, here's some outside tripod shots of the finished dress. I'm wearing cream colored shoes and they are darker than my legs. Oy.

I removed the tie at the neck, which means I now have a buttonhole that leads to nowhere. Oh well, it gets hidden in the elastic gathers.

I also elasticized the sleeve hems. As they were last night, they just seemed frumpy muu-muu to me.

And yes, I am sucking in for all it's worth, why do you ask? ;-)

Here's the back view.

I think I'll go unpack a couple of boxes and then buy some self-tanner.

First Make in the New House

I think it's been like 2 months since I've sewn, but I'M BACK!! I obviously need to practice on the mirror shots again, at least until I dig out the tripod and find a good spot for self-timer photos. Did you forget what I look like? ;-)

Here's the dress on Zillie, where you can see the print better. This is a thoroughly aged buttermilk from Emma One Sock.

It felt good to have a sewing day, even if it was interrupted by a visit to the dentist and then 5 hours of numb face. And I didn't unpack even one box today which felt great too! But holy cow on the numb this time. Not only was my mouth numb, but I couldn't feel my nose or my eyeballs. My appointment was at 1:30 PM and I could feel my face again around 6:00 PM.

So, back to the sewing stuff …

Overall, this was a good pattern to jumpstart me back to garment sewing but I'm not head over heels in love with it yet. It's OK, though, and it will probably get a good amount of weekend wear since it's comfortable and easy to throw on. And it will likely grow on me after some time in the new magic wardrobe. It's not completely finished either. Still need to hem it and it's going to lose the ties hanging down from the neckline (too twee) and gain a belt/sash. I'll take more pics when it's completely done.

I read many of the reviews for this pattern (Vogue 1224) on PR and most of them advised to add length to the bodice as well as noting that the skirt was very short out of the envelope. So, like a lemming — a lemming too lazy to make a muslin — I went ahead and added an inch to the bodice length. I wish I hadn't. I think I'd actually prefer this waistline to be more empire-ish.

I didn't add length to the skirt because I didn't use the actual skirt pattern pieces. Since my Magic Pencil skirt pattern was handy, I got it out to lay over the Vogue skirt pieces for comparison. When I saw that my MP was an exact match for the size 16 skirt pieces, I decided to use the MP instead since I already knew it was the length I wanted. I cut a mostly 16 for the bodice but morphed to a 14 at the shoulders. Or what I think a 14 would be since this pattern didn't include an actual 14 in the envelope. It was pretty easy to just wing it based on the outward grading for the bigger sizes.I do like that the skirt is snug since peasant-all-over is not the way to look slimmer.

If you're familiar with this dress, you know about the weird sew-in interior elastic casing at the waist. Uh, no thank you. I just used the bodice/skirt joining seam allowances for the casing, folded upward and stitched down. I also did not line it, as the pattern calls for. No need for that either. Finally, I initially used the neckline elastic length per the pattern but ended up cutting about 6-8" off of that after seeing it was not nearly snug enough. I'm glad I went with the 14 shoulders cuz anything wider and my bra straps would be on display.


Parting Shot: The view out of my new sewing room window. It's very green and tropical out there, with a cute concrete table and benches. Kind of like the old McDonald's style. Plus, I can keep an eye on the dogs and their lizard hunting.

The threadracks were hung by the chimney with care …

… in the hopes that St. Butterick soon would be there.

But what to my wondering eyes should appear, but TWO MORE BOXES OF FABRIC … oh dear!

(Apologies to Clement Moore.) Where in the world did these come from and, more importantly, how am I ever going to squeeze them into the stash closet?? Will the boxes NEVER END?? ;-)

Looks like I'm going to have to sew them away. First up tomorrow, Vogue 1224. Should be a good fast and easy project to get me back into the groove.I hope I don't eat those words.

Tonight, I'm sipping a chocolate martini and luxuriating in the knowledge that I'm officially ON VACATION for the next 5 days, and I'll hang one picture in my bedroom and unpack the sewing books into the bookcase. And then tomorrow I'll get up early and hit the cutting table. It won't be all-sewing-all-the-time for the next 5 days, especially since I have to go to the dentist tomorrow for an unscheduled appointment due to part of my filling breaking off during lunch today and while I'm there I'm going to have the other two small fillings done that I've put off too long. It will be my first time using my dental insurance. Yay dental insurance and yay flexible spending account deductions! But at the end of my 5 days, I do intend for there to be new clothes to wear next week come hook or crook. Stay tuned.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like …

… my sewing room!!

It's done, it's done!! Well, except for  hanging up my 3 thread racks. 

The room is set up pretty much like my former sewing room, although this one is a skootch smaller so my ironing board is proving to be a PITA. But I'll get used to it. And it certainly could be a lot worse, like not having one at all. Sheesh, I have a LOT of stuff. ;-)

I brought my really big mirror from my former bedroom, which I know I will enjoy having in my sewing room, once I take some Windex to that sucker. You can actually sorta see me in the mirror but the flash is obscuring most of me.

One thing I did, which I'd been wanting to do for years, was to spray paint my pattern cabinet white. While it was empty and in the garage, I took advantage. So glad to be rid of that ugly commericial beige.

And, as you can see, we were able to wrestle my cutting table inside after all. Didn't even need to take it apart, but I do have to replace the casters since they bit the dust in the move. As you can also see, my fabric closet is door-less. Oops. Don't tell my landlord. There's a few possible solutions, but none of them are high on my list at the moment. Frankly, I'm enjoying the view of the stash again.

I still have some other boxes in other rooms calling my name, so I don't think I'll actually start sewing anything until mid-week but it's nice to know I can if I want to.

Slow But Steady

It still looks like a mess, but I'm making progress in here. I expect I'll have it 99.99% finished by the end of the day. Which means I might even be able to sew something soon. But that's putting the cart before the horse.

The Ikea shelves are back together, in place, and halfway loaded. The good news is the bins still to be unpacked take up a lot of room in a box so the remainder of the boxes should go fairly quickly.

Machines still in their boxes, but on my sewing table waiting their turn.

Fabric closet coming along. Here's a tip – if you're going to be moving your fabric closet, take a pic or two before you pack it up. That way you know approximately where the piles should go back to and, more importantly, what's still missing. All I had to do was look back in my blog and I had a road map to start from.

Unfortunately, what you can't see from these few pics is that there is still plenty of sewing room stuff still outside of the sewing room. Oops. My cup overfloweth. ;-)

My biggest concern is my cutting table. It's still on the front porch (yes, really), where it was parked on moving day because it's too big to fit through the door easily. We already had to take one shelf out of it to get it out of the old sewing room. It wouldn't be a huge deal to take it apart outside and put it back together inside, but I'm not sure yet if that will actually work. Since STBExH made it, who knows how it's really put together, and I already know for sure he painted over the screws. I don't know how much time/effort I'm willing to spend on it vs. just replacing it. I'll let you know.

My long weekend will be spent unpacking. I also only work on Tuesday next week and then I'm off again until the following Monday, by which point I'm DETERMINED that EVERYTHING will be put away. I may still have some pictures to hang, but I'm so tired of the boxes that I'm willing to spend "vacation" dealing with them once and for all.

Do you know what this is?

It's exciting, but …

I still have a LOT of work to do in here. Sigh.

Discombobulated Tour

First, Happy Mother's Day to all the moms. We're not doing much to "celebrate" here. Right now all of my boxes are my new children and we will be getting a lot of one-on-one time today. I think later, I'll force ask Alex to walk the neighborhood with me and the dogs, to check things out on a lazy Sunday.

Not a whole lot of unpacking has been happening yet. All of last weekend (it seems anyway) — and then some — was taken up by kitchen remodel, pool set-up, changing locks, and other miscellaneous get-ready tasks. I wasn't doing any of that, but having people here working did take away from my unpacking time. And then I had to go back to work on Tuesday. I've made some progress and I'm plodding along, but it's definitely going to be mid-June before I feel done. That's OK. I'm not in a race.

I just walked around the house and snapped some BEFORE pics. Everything is a disaster right now, except my bedroom which is OK. I've got a ton of Tyler's boxes in there but only because there's no designated spot yet for them either in the garage or in the attic.


So, here we go …

This is my bedroom. Or the dogs'. Depends on who you're asking. I still have books somewhere to unpack and pics to hang, but this room is 85% done.

My bathroom and closet, both of which are really double the size they look in this pic. There's double sinks (like I really need them!) and behind where I was standing is the potty and shower, and a door out to the pool. The cabinets and granite are new. Handles/knobs going on the cabinets soon.

My really big laundry room, which is a very important sewing feature. :-) At some point, I'm going to add a counter but for now, Tyler's old welding table does the trick. Yes, welding table. Don't ask.

One half of the kitchen. The eat-in part, with a big window which overlooks the pool.We haven't actually eaten anything in there yet. I just (mostly) cleared the table for the first time last night.

The other half. It's not my dream kitchen anymore, but it'll do. Especially now with new cabinets and granite. Like the baths, knobs/handles to come soon, plus finishing the backsplash, hanging the microwave, and switching fridges.

One half of the family/great room. This is a HUGE room, and I haven't quite decided on furniture placement yet, except my computer/desk will likely stay …

… right here in the corner since it fits perfectly next to the doors.

Here's another angle. I'm just unpacking knick-knacks and sticking them anywhere so the bookcases look like a thrift store at the moment.

From the other side of the family room, the hallway to the front door. The formal living room is on the left, between here and the front door. Alex's room is the half-open door to the right, where he's still sound asleep. ;-)

The living room, which is 100% disaster. The dining room is at the other side, and circles back to the kitchen from your left as you're looking at this pic.Anyone recognize anything sew-y in here?

Looking back toward the family room from the front door/living room area. My Ikea shelves from my sewing room are dissembled and on the floor at the right. 

Still in the same spot but looking more to the left. The first door is a bathroom, the second is a linen closet, and you can see a small sliver of my sewing room. I showed you that room the other day and nothing has changed yet.

The dogs' favorite feature — a doggie door from the lanai to the yard. It needs to be re-attached in one corner, but it's doing the job right now and fixing it is a lot lower on my list than other things.

The wonderful back yard. I have no idea what that box on the tree is. I just noticed it today myself. It's something electric because there are wires running from it up both trees.

The grassy area is only half of the yard. Beyond the grass, there are still separate plant beds but the path is dirt. There's a little bridge over a "dry creek" as you go deeper back, and beyond that it's more wild. The dogs love it. I love it. Very private, very serene. Yes, I'm in a neighborhood now and there are other houses around, but there's plenty of space between them so you don't feel crowded at all.

I think we need to plan for a sewing/pool party soon. Who's coming?? :-)

Is it nap time yet?

I'm back to work today, where I can finally get some rest. LOL

I haven't sat on my butt this long since last Wednesday. I'm actually writing this post from work too. During my lunch hour people - it's OK. (One thing about being the firm's graphic designer, you get access to all sorts of websites and software that the rest of the peeps don't get. Hahaha!)

I'm still plugging away at unpacking, and will be for weeks to come. The shot of my sewing room the other day, with a sewing machine front and center, was completely impromptu — that's where the machine was just dumped by someone (not me!). I found my Featherweight in the garage yesterday. At least I found it.

I think I'm over the pain enough to share that my moving day was a complete disaster. First, they showed up more t han an hour late. Next, they "somehow" tripled the price. Needless to say, my bank account did not spontaneously triple in response. I was between a rock and hard place and frustrated beyond belief. The short version of a very long story that also involves the stupid company actually calling the POLICE on me (who, BTW, just laughed with me and stayed for a grand total of 45 seconds), is that I hired two of the moving company's way underpaid workers to work for me privately, along with Alex and his friend, and a 26' truck I rented at U-Haul. It took all freakin' day/night (because by the time we actually started, it was already 2 PM), but we got it done. And without me having to give that crap company a dime.

That's Alex and Chili, my two red-headed boys, in the pool Saturday. I'm hoping to dive in tonight after work. I wonder, will my chocolate martini float?

Home Sweet Home

We're here. With a TON to do.

A Moment of Silence Please

… for I am packing the sewing room today.

SIX DAYS people! And 3 of those are working days. And I STILL have a crap-ton of … well … CRAP to pack. OMG to the nth degree.

And can I pack into the wee hours tonight? NO! The marketing department has a command performance at the CEO's house for a "casual" dinner party. It will be fun, by why-oh-why couldn't this be NEXT weekend? I'll have to switch gears around 4:30 to get ready and get to the store for some sort of hostess gift before I head out.

I should've taken all of next week off, and I may just try to squeeze in at least half a day off on Wednesday. But my plate is pretty full there too. (Literally, OMG - let's not even talk about ALL THE FREE FOOD brought in last week.)

On the bright side, we've finally found another me so my workload will lighten somewhat in about a month and I may actually have energy left for sewing again. She's great (much better than the guy who was initially hired and then backed out — everything happens for a reason), and I think we're going to be good friends as well as coworkers. Can't wait!

Back to the boxes.

Random Saturday Thoughts

1. Man, I have a LOT of crap.
2. And I haven't even started on the sewing room yet.
3. Blogger changed when I wasn't looking.
4. I think I like it.
5. At least in HTML mode, where the screen is so nice and wide.
6. Ten years' worth (give or take) of Sew News makes great, FREE, packing material.
7. Threads will work too, if I run out.
8. Don't panic. I think I'm going to treat myself to the DVD collection (or is it CD? Whatever.)
9. You waste good packing time when you get to the old family albums.
10. Gawd, I even found pics of me in a bikini.
11. I'm going through tape faster than boxes.
12. I hope I have enough to last through the weekend.
13. Or else Alex is getting assigned an errand.
14. Hahaha.
15. I've finished packing the living room and family room.
16. And most of my "office" area (really in the family room, but separate).
17. I think I'm making good progress.
18. Until I think about how much is left.
19. I'd rather buy boxes in one convenient place than scrounge for them.
20. But thanks for the suggestions.
21. I think I'm going to end up in the neighborhood of around 200 boxes.
22. Hoolie Doolie!
23. Hi Belinda.
24. I'm getting pretty excited about moving now.
25. I can't wait to be there.
26. And once I'm there, I have almost a week off from work.
27. Plus another almost-week at the end of May to go see Tyler off.
28. And pick up Alex's "new' car from my brother-in-law.
29. I've decided I want to plant a vegetable garden at the new place.
30. I know nothing about this.
31. Any good websites for newbs?
32. I figure in Florida, the veggies will pretty much grow themselves.
33. Well, they do that anywhere, but you know what I mean.
34. At work, the Marketing Department presented itself at the quarterly shareholders meeting yesterday.
35. I hate public speaking.
36. But everyone said I did well and they liked what I said.
37. Whew. But let's not do THAT again anytime soon, OK?
38. No matter how much I love my job. ;-)
39. I also had my magazine interview that I mentioned a few weeks ago.
40. I do much better one-on-one than me in front of many.
41. Now that I've sat my butt down to write this, I'm paralyzed.
42. But I need to get up and keep packing.
43. Just keeping packing ...
44. I hope the pool is warm when I get to the new place.
45. And I mean warm by Florida terms.
46. Bathwater.
47. That's it for now.
48. I tried to get to 50, but I just couldn't.
49. Unless I cheat.
50. Like this. ;-)

Let the Fun Begin

From here on out until at least mid-May, the posts will be random, scattered, and pretty darn boring. The moving experience has begun, and the only sewing thoughts will likely be mention of packed books, fabric, machines, notions, etc.

And with that note, I give you my first packed boxes in which are all of my sewing books. Unless there are some scattered about in the sewing room that didn't make it into this group. Which is highly likely. And I'm not really GIVING them to you. Presenting, that's what I meant. ;-) I will need these puppies again one day soon.

Do you know (well, you will now) that boxes from Home Depot cost ONE-THIRD of what U-Haul charges? Crikey. At HD, the prices range from 69¢ to $1.12 each. Boxes are $2/ea and up at U-Haul. So glad I found that out before I made a costly decision. I bought 60 boxes yesterday to start. Ten small, 40 medium, and 10 large. I will need at least double that. Isn't moving fun?

Speaking of "fun," the guy who helped me yesterday at Home Depot tried to pick me up. Really. It was flattering but also kind of weird. Especially because I now have his phone number. (At his insistence and it was just easier that way, trust me.) But hey, at least I'm not dead yet. lol

Back to move talk … I've decided to let Alex and Co. off the hook and hire an actual moving company. They will get the job done quicker, will come with multiple hand carts and pads I won't have to rent, and none of us will have to maneuver a big ass truck. Plus, the pricing is pretty darn reasonable since I'm only moving about 2 miles away.

And now the rest of the decent wedding pics …

And have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE my job? Yep. Still do. Even though the person who was hired as another me backed out and it's still just me doing the work of ten. Perfectly fine with me, and all the OT is going to pay for my new leather sectional and flat-screen TV, still to be purchased. If only I had time to shop. Catch-22. lol

Another Tease

This is where we had dinner Friday night. That's my sister sitting next to me (she's 6 ft tall and all torso so she always dwarfs me), and my mom sitting next to Tyler. Alex and mom's squeeze Bob were also there, but no photographic evidence bears that out.

I don't really have a lot of pics of me at the wedding, although I'm guessing I'll be in a few of the real ones judging by how many times I nearly tripped over photographers. I'll share some more wedding pics when I catch my breath.

In short, the wedding was beautiful, the reception was a blast, and I probably gained a few lbs this weekend because the food was INCREDIBLE. It was a great weekend. Only to be blasted back to reality Monday morning when we lost power overnight and I had to put on my make-up in the car and then drag my blow dryer, brushes, and hair spray to work to try to tame the bedhead. I arrived before 7 AM because it was either sit at home in the dark or get to work and sneak into the bathroom.

I dropped Tyler at the airport yesterday, after leaving work early and taking my boys to lunch in the "big city." I'll miss him, but I know he's happy so that's really all that matters.

I've got to start packing this weekend, because May is going to be here before I know it. Because I don't have enough to pack, I stopped at Beall's tonight and came home with 4 new tops and a pair of shoes. Am I insane?? Will I ever sew again?? Yes, just not for a while, because the stash closet is about to become packing material. Pun intended.

Home

One pic for now. More later.

More Wednesday Random Ramblings

1. I just sewed.
2. OK, so it was just hemming Alex's pants for the wedding.
3. But I'm counting it.
4. Speaking of the wedding, it's this coming weekend.
5. I took Friday off, to pick up my sister at the airport, and then we'll all drive down to West Palm Beach.
6. This is the first paid vacation day I will have in TWENTY-THREE years.
7. The last one was maternity leave for the Marine.
8. Hah! Time flies.
9. No wonder I'm ancient already.
10. Yesterday was the worst day I've had in a very long time.
11. I lost the rental house via email at 6:50 a.m.
12. I fretted all day.
13. I was so frickin' sick about it, that my stomach was in knots and I couldn't eat a thing.
14. I even weeped in front of a co-worker. Or two.
15. But then it worked out (LONG story short, there was a huge miscommunication).
16. I didn't find out it was back on until 8:45 p.m.
17. Can you say LONG DAY?
18. What upset me the most was having to tell Alex.
19. Thank heaven I didn't have to.
20. And today I was starving. lol
21. I had a hair appointment last night.
22. I would've canceled to go mope except I NEED good hair for the wedding.
23. By the time I left, I was actually all Zen about it all.
24. The house, not my hair.
25. All that wasted worry.
26. I'm probably 55 now.
27. Today was the complete opposite.
28. And boy did I appreciate the difference.
29. Important lawyers, the CFO, and the CMO all praised me in writing (email) for the work I've done on a big project we're in the middle of.
30. No praise for ending sentences with prepositions. lol
31. Plus I wore my new purple/fuchsia print outfit and felt very pretty and girly all day.
32. So maybe I aged back down to 49. ;-)
33. My hair came out great.
34. You know sometimes you get a so-so cut, even though the same person cuts it each time?
35. I needed the great this time and he came through.
36. I still don't have a signed lease, but I'm Zen about it, remember?
37. What is meant to happen, will. And I feel strongly this one is meant to happen.
38. Today is my 25th anniversary.
39. And my last one.
40. Hah.