High Contrast

On Thursday, I decided it was necessary to wear this dress one more time before putting it away for a winter nap.

It was rather cold, but with a pair of nude fishnets and a warm coat, I made it through.

The dress had its debut in September, and I am just now getting around to going through photos of the finished dress that were taken in seasonally appropriate weather.

I can now say that the stretch woven suggested as a suitable fabric on the pattern envelope is definitely a better choice than my initial silk dupioni, but I still love both of my dresses!

This particular silhouette is definitely more modern than I usually go for, but I feel so very comfortable in this dress.

And if the perfect fabric comes along at some point, I cannot promise I won't try to make another.

But for now, I am going to move on to more seasonally appropriate garments . . . at least I am going to try.  I currently have a coat in progress on my sewing table, so there is a chance I may stick with that resolution!

Dress & Belt:  Made by me, Vogue 1220

Shoes:  Halogen “Hamarla-Lea”

The Return of an Old Favorite

When this Donna Karan pattern came out back in 2011, I fell in love with the dress.

So many of her designs use knit fabrics which means I have a collection of the patterns, but rarely cut into them.

But this one called for a stretch woven, and the style lines were so interesting I just could not resist.

I made a version of this dress in silk when the pattern was first released.  It was not a stretch woven, but there was enough ease in the pattern that it works just fine.  The peg to the skirt hem is a bit constricting, but not enough to make wearing the garment uncomfortable, but I always wondered how the pattern would work with the suggested fabric.

Not too long ago, I found this stretch woven at JoAnn Fabrics in an amazing blue and white print and the first thing I thought about was how perfect it would be for this Donna Karan design.

One of my favorite design details is that the button band is hidden, which makes it the perfect opportunity for me to practice using machine made buttonholes.  If they don't work out to my satisfaction, they aren't going to be visible anyway.  

And, of course, these ones turn out fine.  Go figure!

While this is a very modern design, with very ready-to-wear construction details, I really like that the style lines are not your standard front and back with side seams.  The diagonal pocket openings extend around the back hip and curve around towards the back and the pleats create a lovely waistline.  Most importantly, I have yet to see this dress look anything but amazing on an incredibly diverse set of body shapes - and that is a true sign of a fabulously drafted design.

Unfortunately, I purchased all of the remaining yardage which was not quite enough for this particular pattern.

The good news is that most of that extra fabric needed is used for the very large self-belt that gets wrapped and tied in a bow at the waistline.  This fabric does not look especially good on the wrong side, so I needed to rethink that element anyway.  

I do love the front bow, so I kept that detail, and made a fabric belt from the remaining yardage.  The closure is hidden behind that front bow.  Sometimes things turn out for the best!  And I am not one to let a little thing like 1/2 yard too little fabric stop me!

A Very Long Day/Week

It has been quite the week.  Getting back to work after a holiday weekend is always a challenge, but this was ridiculous.

Motivation was next to impossible on Monday and Tuesday.  Wednesday started out quite well; I had a very exciting trip into San Francisco (more on that to come!).  However, when I returned to my car, parked four stories under ground, my key would not turn.  The old wiggle the steering wheel trick was not working for me, and my ticket was not going to let me out of the garage after about ten minutes.  PANIC TIME!

A wonderful man who works in the garage spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to make the darn thing work.  How do you get towed out of a garage, anyway!?  It is hard enough trying to maneuver a small sedan around some of those turns!

Thankfully, Tink finally decided to cooperate and start (yes, I named my teal colored car after a Disney character – my previous Corolla was a lovely rosy mauve color, and her name was Lucy Rose “Mauve” Montgomery; I have a feeling quite a few of you will get the Anne of Green Gables reference).

Unfortunately, when I tried to start the car after work that evening, the same thing happened.  Tink was now a worthless tin can.  AAA took over two hours to show up, and it took another hour to get the car on the flat bed truck and to the repair shop, but not before the driver told me he did not have the proper vehicle to tow my car – well then why are you here?!? 

This is the outfit I was wearing.  And let me just say, four inch heels and a pegged skirt are not conducive to hoisting oneself into a flat bed truck.

After getting home and feeling very sorry for myself, I made myself a delicious salad and turned the television on.  Criminal Minds did the trick – suddenly I was not feeling so sorry for myself – things could be a whole lot worse . . . like missing limbs worse.

I should be grateful with all of the driving I do that this is the first time I have ever been stranded.  Sure, the occasional battery goes dead or there is a flat tire to contend with, but a jump later or a spare tire and I can move the darn car. 

So I am currently running about eight hours behind schedule, but Tink is back in working order, and I am hoping to catch my breath sometime soon!

Dress:  Made by me, Vogue 1220

Shoes:  Oh . . .Deer!

Necklace:  Farmers Market Stall

Earrings:  Liz Palacios