Ad-dressing the Issue

I haven't blogged recently.  I've had a lot of un-fun, none-creative stuff on my plate that had to be done.  I've had mixed results on what I like to call 'real-life stuff'.  The list includes:

• Associate Safety Professional (ASP) Test - taken, passed!
• Buying a house - looked, can't find, fail
• Minor issues w/ vehicle - fixed!
• Find my Prince Charming - been looking, varied results, still taking applicants :)

However, once I passed my ASP (actually a really big deal people-I'm thrilled about it) I got back to sewing and had immediate success with my next project. Maybe this is God trying to tell me something...

I had a conversation with the Bestie awhile back about the fact that although I sew a lot, I had not yet ventured back into the arena of making clothes for myself.  Because when you have a *cough* figure like I do, it can be difficult to fit clothes to oneself.  I decided last Friday it was time to try my hand at clothes for myself and my attempt was a great success.

I know - you're thinking, "That dress has a tag - you didn't make that!  LIAR!".  Well, yes...and no.  I took a tank of mine that shrank in the dryer (too short) and added a skirt.  The skirt was about a yard of fabric, which made a fairly gathered skirt.  You could use more or less depending on the look you're going for.  I also added elastic into the waistband to give the dress more shape and keep the skirt from dragging the top down.  So, I must admit - it doesn't look that great on the hanger.  I don't put a lot of pictures of myself up here, but I really think this dress has to be seen on to be appreciated...

So, I apologize because this picture is definitely grainy and blurry.  This is what happens when one lives alone and has an older iPhone.  But as you can see, the waist of the dress hits at/just above my natural waist (yes, I'm short waisted!) and just above my knee.  I love the shape and fullness of skirt and the length is just about perfect for me.  I have to be honest and say that this project was totally a crap-shoot and I'm pretty pleased at how it turned out.  I even wore it that night and my 'date' was very complimentary.  I wore it w/ a little cardigan and flats, but I think flip-flops and a long necklace would also be cute.  The Bestie suggested chunky jewelry and I think that's a great idea too.  It turned out being very versatile - more so than I even planned!


There you go - I've ventured into making clothes for myself at long last.  The success of this project has been a huge confidence boost.  I'm looking forward to trying my hand at making something else for myself.

What I'm Reading:  Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver