To me it seems that not much is being finished, though I am daily in my sewing room working on something.
I continue to machine quilt - a combo of walking foot, ruler quilting, and free motion quilting - the minimalist blue quilt. What's left now is a little more big stitch hand quilting in strategic places.
Louise Wackerman @imfeelincrafty released July block instructions for the Like Totally BOM, so I made those half-rectangle triangles.
Also I finish, very disappointingly, the Irina dress made in the Bernina sew along. On the hanger, it looks nice enough.
But when I tried on the dress... ugh! I look terrible wearing it. It's too high-waisted. The loose-fitting style makes me look very frumpy. Hubs commented that I look like someone from the 1930s. I'll never wear the dress. It's utterly "not me." So much wasted time, effort, and money spent on linen fabric. Sigh.
This week I mostly exercised, trying two new-to-me line dance classes with two different instructors. Both went okay, with me fumbling through quite a few new-to-me line dances that everyone else knew. Thank goodness for Copperknob, where I can access step sheets and videos of dances, for practice at home.
I finished only one audiobook this week, and it too was very disappointing.
Book Recommendation
Now, two of Nora's patients have been found murdered, both with severed hands. The police come to her to make inquiries, expecting Nora to provide explanations. She isn't sharing anything, including that someone is leaving notes, in her father's handwriting, inside her door; that she found blood on the floor of her basement; and that she found a hand in the trunk of her car. Is the person behind all this the man she's begun seeing?
I would have given this book a higher score if the narrator, Shaina Summerville, hadn't done such a poor job reading it. Each character seemed to have the same voice, and certainly the same inflections that made everyone sound angry or pompous. I'm not alone in my opinion, and found this comment on this post about the book:
I kept trying to listen past the narrator, for the quality of the story, and just couldn't do it. Read this one in print!
Linda's score: 3.7/5.0
Big bummer about the dress!!
ReplyDeleteShoot. Too bad about the dress not being you after all the work you put into it. That's one of the reasons I gave up garment sewing years ago. What I liked to create just wasn't my style to wear. I laugh at the line dancing because last year we went to a line dance class while on vacation. I just couldn't get the hang of it at all. Dancing is definitely NOT me.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry that your dress was so disappointing after all the time and effort expended in its making. That is the main reason I gave up sewing my own clothing so many years ago. So often patterns do not fit as illustrated or the instructions are vague. With quilting there are far fewer disappointments! The minimalist quilt looks anything but minimalist with all the lines of quilting you've already done.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame about your dress. Perhaps you have a friend who would look great in it? Or......can you cut it up to used in a quilt?
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean (previous post) about the importance of the narrator on audiobooks. My fave so far is George Guidall. And I'm sorry about your dress; that's why I've mostly quit making clothing. Readymade often is less expensive in money and usually less expensive in time. I still get sucked in by a good pattern sometimes, but I'm usually sorry.
ReplyDeleteHey Linda, maybe you can deconstruct the dress and give it a better style. Or maybe you dress wear it for a costume party, get a big wig.
ReplyDeleteThank you for suggestions! Deconstruction is definitely a possibility, though I certainly do NOT relish the idea. I'd much rather give it to someone else to wear. As for a costume party, those days are long past. We never socialize like that, let alone are invited to a costume party. I'll stick with your deconstruction idea, thanks Anonymous!
DeleteSorry about the dress. Did you consider adding elastic in the waist seam? It could still be added after construction and might give some structure to it all. Even if it’s just a house dress in this summer heat, beautiful dress.
DeleteI didn't consider adding elastic because that seam isn't at the waist; it hits me at the bottom of my rib cage which is why it doesn't look good on me. I sewed ties into the underarm seams, so I'm able to pull in the dress fullness without elastic. I'd really like it to hit me at the waist which means I need to add length to the bodice. So if I'm taking the dress apart, I might as well just remove some of the skirt fullness too. One thing leads to another! I'm not yet ready to face the task of remaking it. But thanks for your suggestions!
DeleteThat's too bad about the dress. It looks just great and you went through a lot of work to make it. I believe in all the years I've known you, this is just one little miss in all the things you have accomplished. Please don't let this bother you. Look around your studio, your home, and your friendships, and then look in the mirror at the wonderful person you are. Have a happy day,
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about the dress! I made a pink and white seersucker jumpsuit back in the early 80s and looked horrible in it. So frustrating, just sent to goodwill. Yep, I see quilt scraps with lovely chicken scratches in your future 🤭! You need a big bag of spice gumdrops 😻
ReplyDeleteThank you for commiserating about my dress, Pamela. I'm very disappointed, and it seems you too know how that feels. Ah. Goodwill. That's also a possibility. No way will I put chicken scratch into a quilt though. In this case, the linen is much too thin for use in a quilt. The dress needs a slip underneath it. But I sure like your remedy for my woes - spice drops! Haven't had any in a several months. Yep, that's the root of all my problems, I haven't had spice drops for a long time!.
DeleteI'm sorry to hear that the dress doesn't fit. It is absolutely adorable.
ReplyDeleteYour quilt has such a variety of stitches and patterns- really wonderful! Oh ugh, the dress. It's so pretty and so much hand work to be unwearable in the end. To say nothing of the time and materials costs. 1930s?? Well that tells the story I guess. It reminded me of a pair of heels I had at one time. They were royal blue and I wore them to work. A co-worker asked me if the shoes came with batteries or if they were that bright on their own! I never wore them again. As I look down at the PUBLISH button in this comment box- that's the color they were. Ha, ha, ha.
ReplyDeleteFun progress on your quilt, Linda! So sorry about the dress you made. Fit is probably why a lot of us don't sew clothes anymore. It's easier to try it on at the store and set it aside if it doesn't work for us. Maybe you could deconstruct it and use the nice fabric for a quilt, featuring the hand stitching parts. That book sounds scary!
ReplyDeleteCould you put some darts in the bodice and take some fullest out of the skirt? It really is so lovely!
ReplyDeleteGood suggestions, Anonymous! Yes, I could do both, probably with great success. However, most of the problem is that the dress is too high-waisted (or rather, I'm long-waisted). It looks like an empire dress on me. But, maybe I could add a contrast piece to the bodice... Well, you've certainly gotten me to thinking about this! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHappy to help! I’m a short girl, this problem is familiar.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about the dress--it sure looks cute on the hanger! And your quilting is really beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is beautiful!! Sorry about the dress. I tried making one and had the same ending. Love reading your blogs! I just read your blog on the binding and will try it on my next quilt.
ReplyDeleteHi Heidi! Thanks for your comment about the quilt, and for understanding about the dress. It's tough to sew clothes for oneself, though I've always thought I'd be better at it if I had a mannequin. Do you have one? I appreciate your compliment about my blog posts too. Thanks! Please let me know if I can answer any questions about the binding method. I've thought about writing a new tutorial, but I'd just be saying the same things in it as I did in the one you're using! Hope this method works for you!
DeleteWhat a bummer about the dress, Linda. I love the embroidery you did on it. I am extremely unsuccessful with garment sewing, and 90 percent of my experiences attempting it result in disappointment so I understand your feeling! If this doesn’t work as a dress, can you turn it into a top? The bodice part of it is beautiful. I wonder if the skirt part is removed, something. Sun be done to turn that top part into a beautiful blouse. I am sure you will find something to do with all your garment sewing skills!
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