Tulle Star

 I am developing a theory of what I'm calling Unwise Sewing Adventures, and this project would definitely be one of those

 

 Yes, it's a long sleeve button up shirt made from a holofoil star spangled tulle.

Nothing about it was a good idea.

It was so much fun to make.

Ending the Bustier Odyssey

 So I altered the folds made in the previous waist cincher and traced around all of the pattern pieces, then got the original size 14 complete pattern and added the upper sections back on and jumped straight into sewing what I hoped would be the final version of the complete thing

It has issues, but, for something that goes together so fast, and that I probably won't ever seriously wear, it's good!

Ace Cinch

 I can't remember if I made any adjustments between the previous waist cincher and this one, but...this one ended up a bit small--not in a "help I can't wear this" way, but more in a "Oops All Drag Lines" way

 But it still has the fun built in pun of being able to say it's ace.

Misdirected Cinch

 So I reduced the depth of the folds I'd made to reduce the size of the previous cincher attempt and jumped right in to making the next one, using an odd thrifted rayon? cotton? nylon? blend brocade fabric that burned in a very interesting way that maybe someday I'll understand.

And I went ahead and got a tiny bit fancy, adding a loop of bias tape to hold a clip to hang shiny things

Too Much Cinch

 I do want to clarify, the making of the previous cincher--and all of the cinchers/bustiers made over the last week and a half--was, actually, a cinch.  Even if the previous one didn't actually cinch anything.

But I'm really not looking for heavy compression, not on something closed with a zipper.  So, when I folded out some width on the pattern pieces to make this one, I was too generous, and it ended up much smaller--in fact, as narrow as the first attempt.

However!  Since this one is not only front zip, but the top layer is a knit, so not really adding to the overall sturdiness, I am able to wear it

 

 Snugly.

It was not a Cinch

To address the fit issues of the previous project, I decided to make an underbust or waist cincher version.  This was partly because I felt like I'd be more likely to wear a waist cincher, as a sort of large belt that won't try to work its way up over my abdomen, and partly because I didn't have enough extra long cable ties to make many more full-length bustiers.

So I traced a combination of the size 14 pieces that I had overconfidently cut out of Simplicity 5006 before, and size 20, figuring things would average out.  I also decided to go with ¾" seam allowances instead of the normal 5/8"

and this time it ended up a bit large

 

 And that was good!  Because, due to the figure-skimming nature of this kind of garment, it doesn't look too large 

Beginning the Bustier Odyssey

This is zipped instead of laced, so I won't call it a corset.  Is it, then, a bustier?  Meh.

 But it's not a corset.

It's also too small.

Toy Sewing: Not Dolls, Not Plush

As an American kid in the 1980s, I was very much exposed to the advertising for the Get In Shape Girl line of toys.  Now, my Mom was an aerobics instructor, so most of that line of toys held no appeal for me.

But.

That ribbon wand.

So I bought it and I liked it, except for the fact that the ribbon was attached in a way that did not, most of the time, allow it to spin freely, so I'd have to stop playing and take a moment to untwist the whole thing.  Which got annoying.  I eventually left it at the grandparents' house for all my cousins to play with whenever they wanted.  After dealing with the need to untwist it, I'm not sure they wanted to much, either.

About a month ago, though, I was suddenly seized with the idea of making a ribbon wand.  A ribbon wand with a proper connector.  A ribbon wand that would not twist into an unfun worm.

Sewing in Denial: Fake Green

 In the early 2000s, there was an odd fabric outlet store that Mom took me to a few times.  It had a small front room with bolts of cottons, a smaller area with a selection of hot sauces, a medium back room with mill ends--mostly upholstery weight from the area office furniture factories--sold by the yard, and a large middle room with tables stacked chaotically with mill ends and offcuts of all sizes of the upholstery fabric, as well as odds and ends of other fabrics, all sold by the pound.  You can probably guess how much fun I had, digging through everything for ~treasure~

You can probably also guess--correctly--that I still have a lot of those fabrics in my stash.  I decided to finally use the big piece of weirdly supple short pile kelly green fake fur to make the coat I'd always wanted to make from it.

There was a slight problem, in that I had, a few years ago, decided that I was probably never going to make that coat, so I then used some of it to make two Minecraft Creeper pillows (one for the kiddo and one for some friends.)  That meant that my yardage was short for the view I wanted to make of McCall's 9634 from 1998

(does the shape look familiar?  This is the pattern that the doll coat pattern I shared last year was based on--I'd been making doll coats based on this pattern since the pattern was new, but it was only for this project that I finally cut the tissue...)

I wanted to make view B, but there was only enough for--with some finagling--view D.  It worked out OK, though, because I am not proportioned like a fashion illustration, so it ended up longer than the illustration makes it seem

Green!

Sewing in Denial: Dancing Circa 1990

In the early 1990s, I had so many scarves made out of this kind of polyester chiffon with lamé brocade sections, so I couldn't resist buying this fabric when I found it in a thrift store

But what would I make from it?  ...uhhh...

You can possibly guess that the fact that I'm posting about it now means I decided to use New Look 6120 for another bomber.

 Honestly, I probably would have considered myself somehow above wearing something like this when I was a teen in 1990--it would have seemed way too casual.  'course, in the world we're enduring right now, it's probably way too formal, so that works out.

Sewing in Denial: Parties I Never Went To Anyway

 Another iteration of New Look 6120, this time with a fabric I knew might cause messy regret

That's the length of iridescent-to-holographic flip sequin ($29.99/yard in JoAnn) I thrifted in 2018, in the form of a "blanket," roughly 30" by 2 yards, with polyester fleece on one side and this on the other, for about $3.  I had no idea what I'd do with it, but, for that price (even minus the labor cost of cutting the stitches holding it to the fleece), I couldn't resist.  I eventually thought...maybe a jacket?  

And now: yes, a jacket.

H...hand...sewing...?

I am not good at hand sewing.

I used to take this as a point of pride.  I used to say things like "I hate making clothes with buttons!  Because I hate sewing the buttons on!  Because I hate hand sewing!"  But, then, I got a machine that made a better four-part button hole, and I realized that what I hated was not "the hand sewing of the buttons" as much as it was "the unavoidable confrontation of crap buttonholes." Then I got a buttonholer and I figured out that one of the random presser feet I had was to hold buttons while using the machine to zig-zag 'em in place, and I forgot about my "I don't exactly hate hand sewing after all" epiphany.

So, what this basically means is that, while I might not detest the idea of hand sewing now, I still don't usually think "Oh, I should hand sew that instead of using the machine"...and it means that my hand stitching is not...um...good.

But!

I didn't hesitate to volunteer to hand sew a few little felt thingies for the kiddo's teacher Valentine card.  I'd never made any little hand sewn felt thingies before (...um...obviously...), but I did have this book

which technically does have patterns, but I feel like they're more...suggestions...than the rigorous templates most patterns are.

Brilliant

As in "ooh shiny," not as in "ooh great idea," because, even though it's finished, I'm still not really sure if it was a good idea to put these together

I remember this place...

Soooo...yeah.

The kiddo had decided to be a pirate for Halloween, so I grabbed good ol' McCall's 8701 and asked him what colors, and he eventually declared that he wanted it to be Mo Willems Pigeon colors.  It didn't take long looking through my stash to find appropriate fabric.  It took longer to motivate myself to actually sew the stuff--although my speed and willingness did increase when I realized that, no, really, I didn't need to create a lining for the coat.  Everything went together quickly, once started.

Then not only did it rain all of Halloween (and the night after that), but the kiddo was also sick.

So.

He says he'll wear it next year, and it will probably still fit, but, for now, here's a picture of everything on the floor

Yes, that's vinyl.  Outer Space Pirate had come up in conversation at some point, and I have lots of this periwinkley pleather, so, enh, why not.  The shirt is a variation on McCall's 5675 (which I always forget how easy it is to make until I make it, then I think "Ooh, I should make a million more of these!" and never do.)

The only other real note (besides Hooray for leather and vinyl sewing machine needles) is Hooray for presser feet that hold buttons so they can be machine sewn.  Hooray.

A look back

Thought I'd sporadically share pictures of stuff I've sewn in the past.

...unfortunately, my past had a lower res camera and formatted photos for dialup, so maybe this isn't the best idea...  Anyway.  This was from 2002, dress based on a wedding dress pattern from the early 1970s that I don't seem to have anymore.  As Mom and I were going out the back door to take pictures, Dad said I needed a sword...

I do still have this dress, although I don't have (and never have had) much of a reason to wear it.