Faux Nineties, Veritable Wax Print
Or, at least, so its says. I think it may be a screen print, because there is a noticeable difference between the front and the back of the print, although it does take some squinting to see.
Overall, though, I think it passes as much for a late era Memphis/early era Factory Pomo style of print, so that it reads as more of a 1990s Throwback design than a wax print (real or not)
Years ago, I thrifted several yards of an odd fabric in a steely blue gray, and then a bit later thrifted more of it in an equally odd maybe-coral color. I used a lot of the blue a few years ago in a quilt (not just patchwork, but an actual quilt!), and then for a few other things, and during that time I found out the fabric was a cotton rayon blend called kettle cloth.
I had seen kettle cloth listed in the suggested fabrics of some vintage patterns, but I hadn't known anything else about kettle cloth. I don't even remember how I discovered that this particular fabric is kettle cloth. And as soon as I identified it as kettle cloth, I also learned that it's no longer made, and hasn't been for a while.
Which is a little odd to think about!
But so much of my fabric is vintage, made ages ago and never again, that it's not out of place in my fabric stash.
So, I grabbed McCall's 7981 and the not-exactly-coral kettle cloth and cut out the longest A-line view.
Then I made some weird decisions and had to let it simmer for a few days before I convinced myself they were worth correcting.
I am working on a sewing project--I actually thought it was finished several days ago, but I didn't photograph it immediately, and that gave me time to not only acknowledge that I made some Bad Decisions on it, but it also gave me time to decide that it was worth fixing. So, it's currently in the state of having had many stitches picked out, and only some of them re-sewn. I'll get there.
Also! In December, I finally started putting stuff into a print-on-demand shop, which is here: DollsAhoy Shop on FourthWall. So far it's mostly stickers with graphics related to doll customizing, creative positivity, Halloween, and food, but I do have the Unwise Sewing Adventures badge available as 3"/76mm stickers in a range of colors.
I do have at least one more sewing-specific design idea, and I'll probably have more, eventually. However...the time I'm taking to work on the designs is definitely coming out of the time I would otherwise be sewing. I am having fun working on the designs--I have loved working with vector graphics for literally decades, but have always had a problem coming up with ideas. There's a little more motivation now.
FourthWall shops also allow you to sell things you physically possess, so I plan to add doll clothes I've made, eventually, and maybe also some things I've made for me but decided didn't really suit me--and because I photograph everything I make for this blog, that means I wouldn't even need to take new pictures of the stuff.
Another deterrent to sewing: plain ol' winter cold. It's a lot easier to work on the computer while bundled up in a blanket than it is to work on the sewing machine while bundled up in a blanket.
Finally, there's been an occurrence in my life that I may never go into more detail about on this blog, but it's requiring adaptation that I am absolutely choosing over sewing right now. Things will smooth out, I'm positive.
I'll probably still end up posting another year of a ridiculous amount of projects, but, if I don't? It's because I'm putting work into other things. Some of which may be available as stickers.
The kiddo is a big fan of somewhat obscure older games, and a bigger fan of art for those games rendered in dubious style.
I had cut out pieces for a sweatshirt for him in November, and did not want to make another plain gray garment for him, so I asked him what graphic he wanted for the front. I figured I'd make another freezer paper stencil, whatever it was.
Time passed and I asked if he'd chosen an image yet; he had not. This repeated a few times, until I got an all caps email, subject line AWESOME, text PUT THIS ON THE SHIRT
So I opened the email and was confronted with...this
He likes Klax a lot, so I wasn't surprised he chose a graphic related to it...but...that it was this, and not the simple "highly stylized hand held up vaguely like the letter K" graphics that are more common...yeah. I wasn't going to do this with freezer paper stencils.
Granted, I was willing to try, but I knew it wouldn't go well. However! I have a hobby friend who has access to direct transfer film printing and set me up with a professionally printed image fused to black synthetic knit.
Now...I hurried a bit in my eagerness to get the graphic sewn to the front piece. But! I did get it centered, so that's something my experience has improved over the years, and then I sewed the shirt together in no time
I somehow stumbled across the Waffle Patterns Anzu cargo skirt pattern a while ago, and it made me add "cargo skirt" to my list of Vague Ideas for Someday Projects. I did make a carpenter skirt, out of a completely inappropriate fabric, and that I never once wore until I shortened it (which involved removing the excess pockets.)
I also wanted to make another shortened McCall's 7981, and it recently clicked together that a shortened 7981 could be a good base for the vague idea of a cargo skirt.
I decided to use the 2 yards of 60" pink chambray I got from the craft thrift store, since I didn't have any plans for that fabric and that much fabric seemed like it should be enough (and it was, with a decent remnant left)
Just adding pockets to McCall's 7981 probably would have worked just fine, but I also wanted to add a back yoke. I borrowed that, along with the shape of the edge to sew to the back yoke and the back pockets and the belt loops, from early 1980s Butterick 4703. Many pockets came from Simplicity 8526, plus some done free form.
And I ended up with this
