VOGUE PATTERN 2659 and other stuff.......

There are times when I hate being a Libran (zodiac sign) not some strange cult! Not the creative aspects, for that read passion for messing about with fabric and scissors, but the imbalance, the indecisiveness that is apparently one of our traits.
Having spent the last two weeks with family and particularly the lovely grandsons and little time to spend in my sewing room, I suddenly find myself with actual time on my hands.  So ignoring the towering Pisa of ironing (there are only two of us living here now, I'm sure someones sneaking theirs in) I shut myself away to enjoy a few hours of sewing.......
So what do I do; sit there for more than half an hour not knowing what to start with first or in fact what I really felt like doing at all.
Do I finish taking in those trousers for my holiday, hem DH's new jeans, do a bit of the patchwork quilt or try to finish any of the WIPs in my basket.
Well you can guess what I ended up doing, coming on here to show you what I completed before my sewers block...

VOGUE PATTERN 2659....remember this

Well having made the dress I showed you the fabric I had in mind for the skirt, but hadn't found anything for the top. A quick root through my stash though revealed some more jersey , again in brown but this time with a self coloured embroidered design . And this is how they turned out.....

You'll note that I altered the neckline on the top, because I was using the same colour as the dress I made, I wanted the top to look a little different. I found instructions on tinternet to alter any neckline to a cowl so had a go. In all honesty it didn't work quite as well with this fabric which is a little firm, but I think with a softer jersey it would work very well.
The skirt is shorter than I would normally wear but I thought more of wearing it with tights and boots so I think I can get away with it.
I am still toying with the idea of the jacket, but have a few things I must definitely finish first!

Following this I was on a roll so I revisited a very old pattern NEW LOOK 6040......

certainly looking a bit dog eared now, well used.....
I bought some lovely rose patterned jersey, quite fine, from either the Harrogate knitting and stitching show, or the one at the NEC and needless to say it had just been waiting for me to decide what to do with it. Well once  I came across this pattern again my mind was made up. ( I do occasionally make a quick decision!)
And this is the result.......

 A better length for me I think. The 'underskirt' is a completely separate dress from the same pattern which works perfectly as a lining and at my age a 'modesty panel'!!. I did french seams on the dress as it is quite sheer and I don't possess a serger.

And finally after procrastinating....there I've been eating dictionaries as well!......I decided to play around with an idea for a few additions to my folksy and etsy shops to go with the needle cases I make.....Alice inspired pin cushions......

Love the design but feel the shape is a bit bulky looking. I have one I made as a wrist pin cushion, shaped more like a small pillow which I think I prefer....I have also created some numbers and letters which look like old typewriter keys which I might attach as the numbers for a clock face and make the cushions round instead.......but that's another decision I have to battle with ....wish me luck..

Hope your day is as sunny and cheerful, though very windy, as ours is...Have a great week....

TTFN

Jenny xx

PUTTING YOURSELF UNDER PRESSURE...........

Why do we do it?  Constantly putting ourselves under pressure to achieve something. I like so many had so much pressure when I worked that eventually my hair started coming out! Yet here I am retired, well, not too poor and possibly the envy of a lot if today's workers and I am still giving myself time schedules as if it really mattered to anyone but me. Daft I know, but how to cure myself I have no clue.
At the moment I am cross with myself because my decorating mojo seems to have left the building. Whether its the combination of short dark days, freezing temperatures and the occasional snow blizzard,

(A pain but oh so beautiful)

or just a case of too much in a short space of time before Christmas. Whatever the reason I cannot motivate myself and so I have decided to stop beating myself up about it and to concentrate on those things that have to be done, customers orders and decorations for our grandson's birthday party at the end of the month and then to just do whatever takes my fancy!

At the moment this means dressmaking and alterations.
My wardrobe cull is going well, several coats and dresses sold on EBay and more ready to go, and a fair pile for the local charity shop. All good stuff I hasten to add, having watched that Mary Portas programme on the tat that is offloaded to many of the shops, and I am trying to stick to my new mantra one in one out!
So during the cull I came across several items I really liked, but no longer fitted. Some were colours which I have had to really search for and I was loathe to get rid of. So what do you do but become your own alterations shop and I am very pleased with the items I have done so far. One pair of dark brown bootleg cords now straight leg, one pair of rather wide legged tweed trousers which not only fit but are a much better width for my small frame (and height! being decidedly vertically challenged),  and the chartreuse skirt which I made a while ago now several inches smaller. So three more items I don't have to replace.

And then  I came across this Vogue pattern from several years ago, which I never made up.

 Vogue 2659 

 So I rummaged through my boxes of fabric and found some fairly firm brown jersey and in a couple of hours had this......

 So I don't quite look like the model, but I love it and am so taken with the fit have found this rather super piece of stretch denim fabric to make up the skirt and am trying to decide what colour tee and jacket to make.

 Not too sure about the crops though I suppose I could again use stretch denim or something similar to make them a bit more classic for this old bird.

So you see although I am a bit sorry not to be reporting on my brand new bedroom, my hands will never be idle, nor I suspect will my wardrobe be empty!!

Off to track down some lovely gabardine, and perhaps some striped jersey.............

TTFN

Jenny xx