The Monthly Stitch March Challenge: Miss Bossy!

In real life, I am the epitome of Miss Bossy--so much so that a friend once sent me a photo of a Little Miss Bossy book with the caption, "I found your biography."  But the flip side of that coin is that, when it comes to hobbies, I am sometimes paralyzed by indecision. Maybe that's why I have such a huge stash of patterns and fabric (yes, even after last week's purge).

I have "plans" for much of the goodies in my stash--in fact, there is a spreadsheet in my computer associating most of my fabrics with either a pattern or, at the least, a general style. But I decided to let go of the reigns a little and jump into The Monthly Stitch's new challenge for March--the Miss Bossy Challenge!  I have selected 3 of the orphans from the back of my pattern drawer--all things I would love to make "someday," and you, my lovely readers, have control.  I will absolutely make one of these garments in March.

Please use the comments to vote for your favorite. As I mentioned, I have a meticulous catalog of fabrics on hand, but I would love to see your recommendations for material as well.

Cleaning and Catharsis

I have a much nicer table than this now and have completed approximately 2.5 projects on it. Progress?

For the past two years, I've sewn very little for my personal use. I've been doing a lot of alterations for friends, working on dance costumes with my grandmother, and re-attaching the occasional button, but on the whole, my closet has been bursting with unused fabric and notions for far too long.

Last weekend, my dear friend Margaret and I decided enough was enough--we had to thin the stash.

Fall and Winter Wrapup

special guest appearance by Charlie

Well, my sewing challenge was not complete, for various reasons, including multiple sewing machine failures and my never-ending ability to make excuses for myself, but I did get a few things done!  Three pieces in total for my challenge, which is way more than last year when I finished.....one!  Here it is, plus a special bonus--my Christmas dress!

Palette Challenge: Status Update

Well, after a few weeks of TWO broken sewing machines, I think it is about time for a status update on the Colette fall wardrobe challenge.  I must admit, I've not made a HUGE amount of headway in the last weeks, but there is still hope!

Button Dress Photos!

A few shots from Gatsby--my button dress fit in great with all the other garb and even got a few compliments!  I highly recommend the event to all of you bay area costume enthusiasts.  What a lovely way to spend a late-summer day.

Palette Challenge Look 1: Decades of Style Button Dress

I've finished my first garment in the Fall Palette Challenge!  After some stumbling blocks and subsequent workarounds (some found here), the Button Dress from Decades of Style sewed up relatively quickly and without much drama.

Jammin': Working With Difficult Fabrics

I have had a bear of a time working on my first project for the Colette Fall Palette Challengel, for myriad reasons.  My usual sewing machine has no power and needs to go into the shop, the backup machine took a size of bobbins I didn't have on hand, and the backup-backup machine was magically missing the cover to the bobbin case!  After all that was taken care of (several trips seeking bobbins worked out well enough), there was still one big hurdle: the damn thread kept snarling after just a few stitches.

What was the problem? I checked my tension, all was well.  I switched from a universal to a sharps needle.  None of that helped; the filmy stretch silk I'd chosen for the body of the garment, while beautiful, was just too flimsy to stand up to my machine.

<3

The simplest solution is, of course, to choose hardier textiles that are easier to work with.  But how could you resist this gem of a piece (bought on extreme sale as a 2-yard remnant at Britex)? So.  What to do?