It's feast or famine, isn't it? I said that to the young woman working a cash register yesterday, when the very long lines waiting to checkout were suddenly gone. She gave the me deer in the headlights look. No, really. She had no clue what I meant.
In my studio, it's feast or famine with the "F" word. Finished. Here's what I've been finishing between all the trips lately!
This jacket is from a Marci Tilton Vogue pattern, a jacket I've made now three times, and I still love it! I bought the batiked single knit at Sewing Circle in Wilmington, after my friend Barb made a cute shirt from the lavender knit. Here, I used a cotton (yes, cotton!) tulle for the trim. The tank top is also in the Marci Tilton pattern, more raw edge knit, with a tiny bit of interest in the neck band: it's twisted as it's stitched on. Next time, I'll make the tank a tad bit larger.
More Alabama Chanin! I love this dress! The pink knit was a sleep shirt I bought at a thrift shop in VA, on the way to Julie's house last fall. Yes, it was a hugeass sleep shirt, with no writing or printing on it. I downloaded (legally) a pattern from the AL Chanin website, had it enlarged at Staples, and cut a stencil from a piece of felt. I painted the pink with Tulip Soft Fabric Paint, a product I'd never used. Of course, I was relieved that the paint dried soft. I worked on this dress while in Oaxaca, using orange pearl cotton to stitch the appliques with. It took some time, and was a most pleasant stitching project.
The dress pattern is straight from the Alabama Chanin book.
Of course, when I got home, Bonnie took one look at it hanging on Carolina, and said, "Girl, what are you going to do about that hem?!?" So, I cut more strips and bound the hem, too. Thanks, Gypsy.
Neck detail....all the construction work was stitched with 12 weight cotton thread.
So, what to do about a bolero? What color? Tom and Jo Ann suggested purple, so I trotted down the street to the nearest Telas Parisina fabric store, in downtown Oaxaca, and bought a piece of purple knit. Not the nicest stuff, but I'll wear it for a while. I bought enough to make a long skirt, too, in case the outfit needed the purple at the bottom. It's not picture here, but it's finished, too! My next appliqued AL Chanin project will be made with Nice Fabric. I know: this is nuts, isn't it? ME? Stitching by hand?!?
Last October, while the Sistahs were at Julie's, Bonnie wanted to learn a bit about batik, so we had a little lesson. This was the sample fabric I used to show them techniques, and it turned out pretty nicely. I used three pieces of multi-colored hand dyes from my stash, which turned out to be enough to make this McCall's pattern blouse. The style is inspired by my friend Yasmin, who always looks beautiful wearing this kind of blouse. The photo doesn't show, but there is a slit at the neckline!
I faced the neckline with some orangy hand-dye, used a twin-needle for the hems. The blouse is more comfortable than I thought it might be, having worn nothing but knit for so long! I'll make this pattern up again, too, maybe sleeveless next time.
Different batik patterns on the front and back and sleeves...those small circles are made using a tiny clay flower pot! I wore this blouse while at Art&Soul Virginia Beach, and got several compliments.
Next post, I'll put up more pics of Finished Stuff. It's Feast time!
I'm all in love with Clarissa, at NewDressADay, http://www.newdressaday.com . Really I'm in love with what she's doing. About a year ago, I discovered her blog (see above link), and have been following her and laughing since. She began a year-long project of abstinence and creativity. She decided to not buy any new clothes for a year, working instead with only what she had, was given or could buy for $1, and blog about the experience. I might have those details wrong, but that was the general idea. Please go to her blog, and admire her vision! 
