Circle Skirts and New Fabric: A Post in Nine Minutes

Due to technical difficulties, my posting time has been cut to nine minutes tonight.  Can I do it?  Let's see.

I've been hard at work on Vogue 8766 for a while.  My usual timeline for a project is one weekend: if I can't finish it in 48 hours, is it really worth it?  I was being tested this time because everything went wrong.  I didn't have a zipper.  I didn't have enough lining.  My hem wasn't going to hang right because of the fabric weight.  I didn't order enough horsehair for the hem and had to adjust the order before she sent it out.  Oy.  All in all, I think this took a week and a half.  That still isn't bad in the grand scheme of things, but to someone who loves a quickie project, that was forever.

Anyway, spoiler alert, it's done now.  I actually finished it a couple days ago, and if you follow me on Instagram, you'd know that.  (If you follow me, I apologize, a lot of these pictures are from my feed.)  So here she is, in all her horsehair glory!

I took these pictures for my mom.  Because she gave me the wool, I figured she wanted to know what I was doing with it!  It's a gorgeous fabric and I know it wasn't cheap.  However, the lining is; it's from Denver Fabrics.  I only lined the bodice.  There just wasn't enough for a skirt in the lining.  Whoops.

My Bernina is still inserting invisible zippers wonderfully, thank you for asking!

That cat?  He wants to know why I'm posing like a weirdo.  He also ate right through my leftover horsehair braid, so that's cool.

Circle skirt!  Not only is this a true circle skirt but I sewed 3" horsehair braid into the hem.  It's wonderful!  I bought the braid at Moxie Milliner and used Gertie's tutorial to insert it.  Oh my god, I want horsehair in every dress I own.  I wore it to work and felt so fancy and vintagey!  

I keep my Little Mermaid movie posters in the bathroom.  Don't you?

Here's a better look at how I wore the dress: with a green cardigan and belt, both from Target.  The Mary Janes in the above photos are also from Target--the Isaac Mizrahi line, circa fall 2006.  RIP, that was an awesome line and I wish they'd never killed it.

I got a ton of compliments on my dress!  This is definitely a cake project: I can use frosting to dress it different ways.  The wool is a really natural color with little hints of blue, black, and green, and god knows I have enough cardigans to wear with it!

A note on the dress itself: it was so easy.  I combined the bodice of view D and the skirt of view F.  I find that I rarely make the views as they're described, taking a little off or adding a little to it.  That's the best thing about sewing, right?  Much like science, things are whatever we want them to be.  I did find the shoulders to be a bit big, and if I make this again, I'll take those in.

Hmm, what else is going on?

I wore my peplum top today!  With these awesome pink pants, and a black cardigan, not shown.  The pants stole the show but I love my peplum.  I think another one is in order.

I ordered this Liberty from Purl Soho.  This is the Wiltshire Berry print, and I'm such an idiot; I was looking for this everywhere.  No one had it in the right colors, or if they did, they didn't have the right yardage.  Duh, Purl Soho carries Liberty, Emily.  I used some of my tax return--what didn't replenish my savings account after the move--to buy it.  It's so buttery and soft!  I don't know what I'll make with it yet--a shirt dress?  I have two yards. I also purchased Colette's Cinnamon slipdress to make a slip to go under it, maybe in green or light pink, whatever I end up making.

I don't have a picture, but I'm also drowning in gardening things over here.  I have so many seeds I've lost track (more are on the way), and now I've expanded to bulbs: ranunculus, peony, lily of the valley, begonias, and anemones.  Gardening friends, is this normal?  I've been reading everything on the subject and no one says you spend like a lunatic, but no one says you don't, either.  Also, if anyone wants to share some advice, I'm interested!

What are you up to?  I promise to stop by more often; things have been so busy lately!  Happy Valentine's Day!  I'm off to eat homemade chocolate ice cream!