Robe done!

One down!  And, wow, I need to retake that in daylight.  But, still, done is done!  I tried out some slightly new techniques and only had so much trouble with my serger which is a bit of a record for our relationship.  The Lady Lovely Locks doll came today so I'll start in on that bit of fun tomorrow morning.  

A little behind

So much stuff piling up!!

That's my excuse for not posting earlier... like for the past few weeks. Sigh.

I've just been busy. Really.

And I couldn't find the camera cord. See, valid excuses, all. If I keep on will you believe me?

Sigh, sigh, sigh.

Still, for all my procrastinating on posting, I have been sewing. A lot of stuff for the shop which you can see by clicking over to that or checking out the shop blog, cherrylime.blogspot.com. I won't bore you with it here. :) The one new creation I do want to share, though, is the chemise and robe set that I'm developing. Because I can't just get one design and stick with it. :) I got inspired by a box of discounted cotton lawn fabric from Fabric.com that was just the craziest prints. So very, very 70s, all of them. Naturally the one I bought the most of was the biggest WTH? one - dyed stripes of mocha cream and BRIGHT pink with gold paisley and flowers all over. Glittery gold. Seriously. I really loathed the stuff. So figured I should use it for my muslin for the first chemise and summer robe and somewhere between the bolt and the garment I really began to like the fabric. Go figure. I think it was just too much when it was in fabric form while in chemise form it somehow works. Funny how that works.

Here's the muslin of the chemise - it's a very simple design, basically a trapazoid with scoops out for the arms. I like it.





Right before my wedding mom got me a high-end little nighty with the same basic design but the fabric was so stiff it was uncomfortable and the straps didn't adjust which had the empire waist hitting about halfway down my little C cups. Not the look I was going for. She returned it and I left thinking that I could do that and so much better. So nearly two years later this is my stab at doing so. :)

To go with it, this is the very beginnings of a sleeveless robe. I still need to add the lace to the armcycs, add in-seam pockets, sew up the sides, topstitch, hem, iron ... there's a lot to do. So please don't be too critical of the picture as it is. There's still a lot to be done! But it should give you an idea of where I'm going with it. I really like the addition of the wrap ties and might convert my normal cotton robes to wraps as well. Still considering, but I like it for this garment.



So, there it is. A bit of what I've been keeping busy with. How 'bout you?

New Pattern (Squee!!)

So ecstatic! I had this image in my mind of what my basic robe pattern could be and so last night I skipped a game night at church, pulled out the pattern, some tracing paper, and some old black knit I had and went at it and look what came out!!




This may be the most flattering item in my closet. The v-neck is so fabulous, the gathering just does the most amazing things for my figure, and the length makes my hips and thighs smaller and legs longer. Seriously, I think there's some magic happening. Hopefully tonight and tomorrow I can get a couple more of these cut out and posted on my Etsy shop. If I can bear to part with them!

Pictures

Robes and one set of coasters!

Need to finish photographing the others and make up another robe in anticipation of Cherry Lime Studios going live in a week - because there's no time like a recession and trouble on wall street for a new business venture. Sigh. Ok, enough sadness. Time for pretties. :)












And on another happy note, creative writing went very well today - my poem was last and when we finally got to it my prof, a published author a number of times over, read it, read it again (nerve wracking if you're on the hot seat, btw), then looked up and told me to send it for publication. As is. And the next five minutes were him and the TA gushing over it which, while a wonderful ego boost, didn't actually help that much since I'm so not sure I could repeat the act of creativity. And I certainly won't be supporting myself with it any time soon! But coming on the heels of a really frustrating encounter with the internship department it was really comforting and affirming to be told I am a competent human being, at least in one area of life. Of course it raises the question - how in the world do you go around submitting poetry? Oh well, will find out! Prof should know. :)

A Tale of Two Robes

I thought I'd show off two of the robes I've made from the same pattern. It's amazing how much the fabric changes the look. The pattern is, by this point, practically self-drafted. I think I started with McCall's 2940 but hated how massive it was. There's roomy and comfortable and then there's being consumed by fabric. Even the small was too large to move in. So I began changing it. I narrowed it about 4" at each shoulder, redrafted the armcyc to fit a little more closely, redrafted the sleeve cap to fit, flared a bit at the waist, and shortened it to hip length. And that was the first round of changes. I think I made more after that but before the blue robe was made. So, yeah, I consider it "my" pattern by this point. I figure I've earned it!

Blue Robe

I love this robe. It was originally inteded to be a bridal shower gift for a friend but I finished a little late and we haven't gotten together since. I got married a few months after she did and she bought me some stuff as well and, since we haven't been in the same place at the same time, we both decided to just keep the gifts we would have given to each other. Odd, but it works. :) And I've been wearing this robe to bits! It's fantastic for throwing over a pair of pants and a cami. It's nice enough that I could wear it out but super, super comfortable. I let my DH cut out the tie and it turned out far shorter than it's supposed to be. This is why he plays with computer code rather than wood working or sewing or anything else that requires measurements. :) Still, it works well enough that I haven't felt the need to recut it. Lazy, me? But anyway, LOVE this robe. Need to make more. Many more. And it sewed up in less than an hour thanks to serging all the seams. Gotta love that.

M's Robe

This robe was fun to make because I really got to let the fabric influence the design. Because it had a directional cross-grain weave and decorated borders I tried to make the most of it. The main pieces were cut with the bottom edge on the selvedge. Technically this affected the curve of the hem, making it straight, but the pattern's curve was already so slight that you can't tell. Due to a cutting error the long sleeves became elbow-length. I could have recut them but decided the shorter sleeve looks so good that I wanted to keep it. The sleeve cuffs are cut from the border and give a good weight to the sleeve. The neck band shows off the "wrong" side of the fabric. The belt is similarly made with the "wrong" side out but the border weave makes it hard to see in the picture. Ah, well. It was stunning in real life, if I may say so!

It took something along the order of 18 HOURS to sew this because I (a) had the bright idea to flat fell the seams which took forever and looked so bad I had to seam rip and redo them and (b) because SO MUCH of it was hand-sewn. I wanted it to be so beautiful on the inside that you could wear it inside out if you wanted. Part of doing that meant hand-sewing the band to the inside, stitch by TINY stitch. After seam-ripping my first (machine) attempt. I also blind-hemmed the hem. On the good side, I'm a far better hemmer now! By the end I was really enjoying the process. There's something very peaceful about hand-sewing and now I might be a little addicted. We'll see how long that lasts. :)



I really enjoyed making both gowns and have plans for yet another one in the works. I'll be sure to show it off when I get it made up!

More robe-ery

I gave the robe to M on Friday during her bachelorette party. She is, as it turns out, every seamstresses' dream recipient. She opened it, gasped, picked it up like it was some priceless artifact, tried to talk, gasped some more, and just turned it around asking, "wait, you MADE this? You made THIS? THIS? This is beautiful, I can't believe... I love ... so perfect ... Color ... beautiful.. YOU MADE THIS???" She tried it on and it looks fantastic, if I may say so. :)

I won't be showing her the pics of it on Elanor (dress form) since it turns out that M's larger than Elanor. It's my fault - since M and I are built proportionally the same, I thought that what fits me would fit her. Forgot about my Napolean complex. She's several inches taller than me but I always think I'm her height. I'm not. Common mistake on my part. So I should have thought about that with M's robe. However, while it didn't fit her the way it fits Elanor, it actually looks better. The front panels don't overlap as much and somehow it really improves the look. So it's good.

In other news, bought another robe pattern from Joann's at their sale to use in the pattern class I'm teaching and am nearly finished fixing the old machine I bought for $35. Also made two bundt cakes for M's reception. So keeping busy.

And now to get ready for M's wedding!

Finished! Finally!

After roughly 18 hours of work, the robe for one of my friends is finally done! I'll talk about it more tomorrow (or Friday, or...) but here's a preview. I'm proud of it. :)

Robe-ish Thoughts

Every so often I get dreams of a home-based business that would cause me to spring out of bed each morning greeting the day and, of course, provide a steady stream of income. Fortunately reality sets in pretty quickly and reminds me that I'm never happier than working with others (especially teaching - especially teaching in a place I don't have to clean) and that the one time I did sewing contract work I really didn't enjoy it. And then there's the paperwork, taxes, processing order ... ick.

Still, it's fun to spend a few moments indulging in the fun parts of that fantasy. Lately my "product" has been robes, which is at least more practical than the line of movie-reproduction patterns for 18" dolls that I was thinking of for a while. Someday I'll get around to posting pics of that endeavor... but like I said, recently I've been on a cotton robe kick. And while I know I don't have the time or desire to actually make batches of robes, I do enjoy looking at fabrics and matching them up as though I planned on building up inventory. All the dreams, none of the hard work. I love it. So a few combinations that have caught my eye ...




The yellow fabric with coffee cups dancing around it would be the base fabric with the swirling pink used for the edging and belt. Perfect for a nice sunny morning waiting for the coffee to perk so that the world comes into focus.




Another pink edged gown but this one is far more sofisticated. I see this one with a vanilla cappuccino topped with whipped cream in the morning and a pink martini in the evening.




And this set is dedicated to my mom who believes that it's not Christmas without some tacky green and red garb. I'd try cutting the red edging so that it's lightest at the seam and darkest at the edge. Hey, I might even dare wear it. So long as there's Christmas coffee with french vanilla creamer and some eggnog to make it better!

One Robe Down

You should thank me ... the original title of this post was "One Robe to Rule Them All" but I realized it was all cultural referent without any actual meaning. I mean, if this robe had rings or crowns or some other hint to royalty or Lord of the Rings then it would work. But since it doesn't I just couldn't justify the title.

Though now I have an idea for a future robe.

Anyway, the robe -



This is a bridal shower present for my friend. My friend who's been married for, um, 6 months. While I've never been the one who had my Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving, still, I'm usually a little more punctual than this. Fortunately this was just part two of the present - part one was a sweet but sexy nightgown made out of a fantastically soft and ever so slightly see-through cotton my mom bought long before I was born. So I don't feel as bad as I might over the delay in getting this robe done. Also I've had a few interruptions in my own life ... little stuff like finals, getting married, moving, and starting a new semester while unpacking to deal with. So anyway, the robe is finally done!

The pattern is my own design, modified heavily from a basic robe pattern from, I think, Simplicity. It's been a while since I've worked with the base, so sorry for the vagueness there! Anyway I made up one version with the original pattern for another shower present (for some reason all my friends have suddenly decided to get married) and even size XS was HUGE. Short but HUGE. It was absurd and just plain unflattering.

So for this second version I traced off the pattern and started modifying. As best as I can remember I thinned down the pattern by a good 2" on each side (more than 8" total), added a slight flare under the waist, reduced both the diameter and the length of the sleeves, straightened the shoulders, and shortened it a bit. While it's not yet perfect, I do like it.

I also really like the colors - my friend who's getting this is a huge Amy Butler fan so I wanted to make her something with that "look." This led me into colors and contrasts I wouldn't ever have picked for myself. But you know what? I love it. At the same time as I picked up this fabric I got a more subdued pair for my own robe (not yet started on) and in the 6 months between buying and making I'm still in love with these fabrics (more than I was when I bought them) and I'm tired of my own robe's fabrics. I think I need more bright colors in my life.

The pattern whips up in just a few hours, even under this slow seamstress's needle. I serge everything except for the hem and even that's just a basic straight stitch.

My favorite part of this pattern is the opportunities it presents. Since it's for home wear it's a great chance to do some crazy color-matching or use more novelty patterns that wouldn't make it out on the streets. It's also a blank slate for other modifications - add a square pocket on the front made from the edge fabric, perhaps make it ankle length from flannel for winter, some embroidery, trim or topstitching ... endless possibilities!

What would YOU do with this pattern?

Cozy weekend plans

Maybe it's our sudden bought of cooler weather (meaning, below mid-80s) or maybe it's the halloween candy everywhere but I'm in the mood to make something warm, cozy, and very now.

I want to make a sweater dress.

I mean, just look at this beauty ....


Now I'm not exactly the standard figure for these current tube sweater dresses. I'm curvy all over with little lumps and bumps in different places. I'm actually a "normal" weight for my hight (that is, doctors don't give me grief about watching what I eat or getting more calories) but that weight is kinda all over in various distributions. So sweater dresses, at least the RTW versions, are inheritantly wrong for me.

This is why I sew.

My plan is to frankenpattern this whole thing - a close-fitting deep cowl-neck shirt from and OOP Simplicity pattern, bell sleeves from one of my many prospects (I like bell sleeves and wind up buying patterns that I otherwise dislike just because of that detail), and then draft in an a-line skirt. My two best bottom shapes are a-line and flared but the flared tends towards the sexy side and I want to be able to wear this to church. So a-line it is.

Right now all this is purely in my head but I'll try and get it out this Sunday (my sewing day). I might even mess with DH's computer and see if it likes my camera and upload some pictures that way.

If I do that I can even show off the cotton robe I made before I give it to the bride-to-be (who, incidentally, got married 6 months ago - so I'm a little slow with my presents) next week. So much to do, so much to do. But all very fun. In contrast to the midterm I should be studying for. (sigh) Back to the grind...