Are you planning on joining a country western band?

Did you know that Fabric.com keeps an account record of what you order?  This is, truthfully, both awesome and awful.  I had ordered this wonderful chambray fabric.  Adjectives do not do it justice, honestly.  And although I knew it was chambray, I couldn't remember if it was a rayon blend or a cotton blend, so I skipped over to check out my order history.  And, oops, there it was.

Did I pay that much?   Surely it was on sale.  Surely.

If not, it is worth every penny.  Slubby, and soft, and it has nice drape, but presses well.  Like butter.

Except, I struggled to know what to do with it.  Especially after my husband walked by, glanced at it draped on the dress form, and asked if I was planning on joining a country western band.

Fast foward to me feverishly trying to find un-country/western chambray dresses on pinterest.

eshakti.com

jcrew.com

eshakti.com

So what do I notice?  I like simple chambray dresses that don't combine contrasting fabric.  And if they do?  Too country western.

A Million and One Reasons Not to Post

In the hammock, under the tree, at dusk, in summer

It amazes me that four weeks could have gone by like lightning.

I've had so many reasons why I haven't been posting:  otherwise occupied finishing the kitchen, running around to two soccer practices and a game each week, trying to teach essays at school, state-wide testing, meetings, losing my camera (and deciding I hadn't lost it at all but that it was stolen), drama at work, meetings, a traveling husband, car repairs, birthday parties here and away, more meetings, and on top of everything, not actually finishing even one single sewing project.  Sheesh.

And as I'm thinking of all the reasons why I haven't posted, and telling myself something is better than nothing, I must admit to the biggest reason of all.  Who am I to post of anything I have or haven't done, especially when there are much bigger, worse things going on not so far from my own home?  Who am I to post sweet pictures of my own boys, when I know another mother has lost hers?

That's what they don't tell you when you have kids.  Well, honestly, there's a lot they don't tell you.  Many too gross to even mention in partly mixed company.  But the big thing?  That for the rest of your life, your heart will go walking around outside your body, and that there's nothing you can do about it.

The truth is I worry.  A lot.  Not just about the avoidable and unavoidable things I know will happen, but also about the things that may happen, that could happen, or that have horribly and unfairly happened to other people.  Not out of fear, but out of empathy.  If I am affected this much, and it hasn't even happened to me, how would I ever find the strength to go on if it did?  And yet, people do.  Everyday.

And the truth is, that strength amazes me, too.

I've been busy (that's my excuse)

So, it's been a bit since I've posted, and I really truly was trying to post once a week.  Oops.  Well, I've been busy.  For real.
We've had snow days, which are for playing (and shoveling) and the end of the quarter, which means grading and more grading, and I have been sewing, but kind of slowly.
Also, there's the whole thing about tearing out the kitchen.

Construction continues in the background.

So at this point, I have 2 new shirts and a mostly finished new kitchen.  I am truly lucky to have such a handy husband and family.  On the kitchen front, what started as a new oven turned into new countertops and snowballed from there.

So, about the shirts: Both were made using this pattern from Burda.  Did you know that if you see this:

Note: This is the same pattern PDF as the “Flounce Dress”: and the Raglan Shirt, 

then your download includes those, too?  Bonus!  Not that I see myself making the flounce dress, but hey, you never know.
Also, new to me were the instructions to draft the neckband.  Helpfully, they tell you the dimensions, followed by this: (incl. seam allowances).  Now, considering that no part of the pattern includes seam allowances, and they say that in several different places, is that phrase reminding you to add them, (read: Include seam allowances!), or is it telling you that they already included that for you (read: including the seam allowance, which we're not going to tell you what it is)?  In this case, it seems they DID, and it was 1/4".  Just FYI.

Super comfy

Version 1 is a bonus; it is a long-er sleeved top. Those long sleeves on the Raglan shirt are LONG.  the sleeve pieces were honestly ginormous compared to the front and back of the shirt. In order to conserve fabric, I made mine shorter.  A lot shorter.  Heads up, if you're interested in the long sleeve version, I doubt you'll need to add hem length.  To the bottom, either.  I cut off about 2-3 inches before hemming, and I didn't trace the dress length.

Version 2 is the actual shirt I intended to down load and make.  It is made from about a yard of some cotton/poly blend.

Back view of sleeves and my hair

back of version 2 plus a view of where my microwave and tile will go

tag added so I can tell the front from the back

In both versions, I used some knit stay-tape to stabilize the neck line of all pieces. Also, I added a folded bit of Hug Snug under the back to make a tag, because sometimes, I get dressed in the dark.

Burda skirt

I don't have a whole lot to say about this skirt.  It's a slight a-line skirt from Burda that I made out of dusty teal blue wool/cashmere blend. Two slash pockets lined with scrap fabric, and I used grosgrain ribbon to stabilize the waistband.  I'm not sure if that was the best way to go, but it does look nice and clean on the inside.   

It's not love that I'm feeling, but it's not bad.