Operation New Dress Revisited

I've decided to revisit "Operation New Dress" and am hoping to have much more timely success this time around than I did the last time!

I've got one month from today before N's next pop up restaurant and I WILL have a new dress to wear for the occasion come hell or high water.

I just have to decide what the new dress will be.  I've narrowed down my choices and I have fabric at the ready.  I've also made sure I have appropriate cardigans already in my wardrobe as well as shoes.  (well, one choice of shoes is actually not in my wardrobe yet.  I just ordered them, but once they ship, Lotta From Stockholm has super fast shipping so I'm not really worried.) I'm good to go.

So here's my pattern and fabric choices for Operation New Dress (revisited).

The first up is Tiramisu from Cake Patterns.  I've had this pattern for a few years now and am likely to be the last person in the sewing world to jump on the Tiramisu train.  I bought it, I printed out the PDF, and put it in an envelope down in the sewing room and there it's sat.  One of these days, even if it doesn't make the cut for "Operation New Dress" this month, I'll assemble that baby and get to work on it.  The fabric is a nice cotton knit that I found in a bin at Fabricland in the city last fall.  It was a great price and those daisies with their navy blue heart shaped centres make me  smile.  I figure this one will pair great with either my white Miette cardi or even possibly my red Sunshower cardi.

Another choice on the list is another Emery dress version.  Still no gathers.  No way. Not happening. I  am planning pleats again, but this time using box pleats across the entire skirt instead of just the few small pleats I did on my last version (operation new dress, the original version).  I really love the gathered yoke mod I did last time, but am thinking going more with a traditional boat neck might be fun with this fabric.  I'll likely decide using the very scientific  method of "Eeeny Meeny Miney Moe".  Speaking of this fabric, I absolutely ADORE it!  It was an Ebay purchase from Thailand that I was a bit unsure of how it would go, but turned out great!  When it arrived, within record time (I think about two weeks? Maybe slightly more!) I was quite surprised.  Not only with the speed in which it arrived, but also the quality.  I was really happy with how it seemed right out of it's packaging, but thought things might go south when I pre-washed it.  Instead it turned out even lovelier than it's original state.  It's soft and got just the right amount of drape to it.  I can't wait to sew it up!  Again the Miette or Sunshower cardis will fit the bill!

My third choice, (by the way these aren't in any particular order at all), is from Sew Over It.  The Doris Dress has been offered as a class in the past from Sew Over It but just recently they released it as a stand alone pattern and I have to admit I'm pretty excited about it!  I've got it all printed out and assembled and just waiting to be muslined so I can check for any fit issues I might have.  The fabric is a fun rayon print that I got at Fabricland in the city a week or two ago.  It's so different from my usual type of print I gravitate towards that I was a bit unsure of it at first, but I'm going to be brave, branch out and give it a whirl.  This dress, once made, will be paired with the new low braid Lottas and my Vianne cardi.

So there you go!  One month to make one dress to wear to N's Southern BBQ pop up restaurant. 

Before I head off for the day -  the sun is shining, the thermometer is climbing and there is no way I'm staying indoors today - I want to just finish off with my pledge for Me Made May since tomorrow is May 1st!  Here's what I pledged on So Zoe's sign up post.

I, Sarah Jane of Prairie Girl Knits, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '16. I endeavour to wear at least one handmade item each day for the duration of May 2016' (not including my bras and handbags as that would be cheating since I only ever use handmade for them. LOL) I also endeavour to discover what "holes" are in in my wardrobe so that I can begin to fill them up.

I'll be back over the next few weeks with some updates as to how my challenge is going as well as hopefully some finished projects to tell you about!

Fabric Madness

I went fabric shopping yesterday and I went fabric shopping two weeks ago and somehow it has led to madness.  Especially given my sewing machine, which was an unfortunate Walmart Singer purchase about six or seven years ago, has been having fits lately and refusing to behave properly leading to much frustration, anxiety and foul language.

Some of the new fabric, washed folded and waiting to be pressed

Two weeks ago was for specific fabric for two test projects and denim for a pair of Ginger Jeans - why?!?  I know that the Goodtime Gal Singer won't handle denim - what delusion was I living under when I decided I could make myself jeans?!?!  Then yesterday was simply for 1.2 m of cotton to go with the .4 m of stupidly expensive Transformers print cotton that mysteriously ended up in my basket the last time.  (I say mysteriously, but Baby Boy was shopping with me, so there's not really a whole lot of mystery to it...) I decided to make pillow cases for the little boys with the print, but I refuse to spend over $20 to make a single pillow case. That's just crazy talk, thus the 1.2 m needed yesterday to pair with the print.  Of course one thing led to another...

Yup.  This is me.

I got the fabric I was after.  The boys picked out the colours they wanted.  But they were so very, very well behaved in the fabric store, which is very, very hard for two little boys to be, that when they asked if we could buy new fabric for summer pjs I said sure, and let them pick whatever they wanted.

Beautiful princess dress fabric

As we were wandering the store to pick out the pj fabric, Little Man came across a floral print he really wanted me to buy for myself.  I put it back on the table and we continued our hunt for his fabric, but he kept gravitating back towards the floral. Finally he pulled out the big guns.  "Mommy.  You should really buy this to make a pretty dress for yourself.  You will look like a beautiful princess in it."  SOLD.  How could anyone refuse that?

Then they both picked out their pj fabric, some fabric for a new handbag (I'm planning on Swoon Pattern's Blanche Barrel Bag) for me for spring and some cotton lawn for a spring top also for me.  See? Pure unadulterated madness.

So I need a list, and it needs to be prioritized. Because not pictured here are the test projects, the denim and the fabric for costumes/pjs promised for Superhero day at Baby Boy's preschool. (fair is fair and I made special ones for Little Man's Superhero Day last year so you know how it goes...). So onwards and upwards.  Let's get a handle on this fabric madness.  Maybe this list will keep me motivated, accountable and most of all ON TRACK.

1) Finish test project one Done!
2) Superhero costume/pj x2 (Batman and Robin.  By Wednesday.  Ack!!!!!) Done!
3) Finish test project two Done!
4) Crayon roll promised to good friend's little ones
5) Pillow cases x2 Done!
6) Spring top one Done!
7) Summer pjs x2
8) Blanche Barrel Bag
9) Summer Dress for me - can't decide what to do with my bright yellow floral... another Rebecca Shift, a Jamie with a 1/2 circle skirt, an Jenny with a 1/2 circle skirt or a Carolina Mae.  Maybe I'll just let the boys pick out the pattern too.
10) Baby gifts x 2 Done!

Oh and because I'm nothing if not crazy when it comes to crafting I'm also in the process of knitting a pair of socks for a test pattern and another pair of socks just because.

If you're looking for me, I'll likely be in the corner buried under stacks of fabric and tangled in sock yarn...