Progress, but still not done, and no photos!

I actually spent some time working on the dress this morning. I finally cornered JC so as to help me pin the bust darts. Well, let me say, he should keep his day job, since he didn't exactly pin it right. But I was able to recover from it. (Fortunately, he didn't stick me!) The hardest part, once I had my darts in place, was actually sewing them and making the garment look presentable. Part of the problem was that a)the darts should've gone in much earlier in the process, and b)by that same token, it was difficult to sew a straight line on an angle.

I did put the armbands in, and yay! I got them to work this time. So that felt pretty good. I sewed up the remaining seams and had everything done except the hem. Well, first I goofed up near the bottom. I was going to make little slits at the bottom on each side. I did well in seaming one of them, until I realized that I had sewn it upside down, at least thread-wise. The accent thread was on the inside of the garment instead of the outside. DOH! It didn't look bad when I showed it to JC. But then when I put on the dress for JC, it was like a tent. Well, better too much fabric than not enough, right? So, after all my efforts, for it to look decently on me, I have to take it in by at least 1-1 1/2 inches on both sides. This, then messes up the little trim at the bottom, as well as screws up the armholes that took me most of the morning to get in there. Oh, and I have to sew down the bust darts better now that I have a better idea where everything lies.

I think it's the "taking everything in" part that bothers me a little. Part of this is all part of the learning process, but geez, you'd think that with the majority of the population being overweight that the author would've made something in sizes that were at least in the XL category (even if parts of me are actual XXL, I'm sad to say). I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to go about taking in the dress quite yet, in light of the armholes. I'll have to think about it.

In the meantime, this project definitely is screaming out to me that I need a dressform. While JC's intentions are good, I think I'd do better if I could do it myself, but at the same time, I can pin things on myself and be that accurate. Perhaps I'll have to save up for one, and it'll be my birthday present to myself in a few weeks. In the grand scheme of things, they aren't that expensive (much like there are many inexpensive sewing machines too), but picking the right one is the trick. I think I know which one I want, but again, I'll have to see as time goes on...

The other thing that I'm interested in, if money were no object, is getting one of those sewing machines that's also for embroidery. I was looking at the HSN site the other day, and they were showing the one they were featuring, a Singer Futura. Oh man, they had me convinced, and I had all sorts of ideas running through my head on what I'd make with such a machine. But, that's when I have more disposable income, such as from hitting the lottery. (I have a kitchen to redo at this point, and the first part might involve getting a new dishwasher soon. :-S) Ah, one can dream, right? Oh, and a serger too, but I won't get ahead of myself. I don't even have a decent sewing table, after all! And the LCD light on my machine is flaky now.

Well, I have a number of other projects I need to do soon, which will use my Lotte Jansdotter book. My mother wanted an apron for her birthday, and that's coming up soon! So I have to get on the ball with that one. I am also thinking of making his and hers aprons as a little housewarming gift for my brother when he moves next month and hopefully we'll have a chance to visit.

Another project, which may even wait until much later, is making JC a new pair of swim trunks. One pair ripped this week, mostly because they're old, so I was thinking of recycling the lining and making a new pair using those. We'll see.

So, I think I need to get a move-on with these projects!