Finally, I've nailed it!

I've had some time to get back to my copy of Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing. I've worn my two previous versions of the Slim Chemise Dress and tossed one of them out because the fabric was just not right for the project. Sometimes, only wearing an outfit for awhile will tell me what is wrong with it. I suppose this mostly falls from the fact that I sew for myself and by myself. I don't have another knowledgeable sewer nearby for fitting help, so fitting problems drag on for months in my studio. Enough about what ails me and let's move on to a minor accomplishment.

I am finally happy with my drafted version of Vogue 7231 - The Slim Chemise Dress. I finally understood the problem with the collar and pulled grain line of the front slashed opening. Below is a "photo" of the dress again in a navy blue linen. It is a comfortable dress that is easy to wear. It falls into the casual dress category and I am very pleased with the navy blue.

The grey plaid dress and the light blue linen dress have been pulled from the wardrobe. The grey became a wadder project and the light blue is in the "well...the yardage is good pile". This keeps the net gain to the closet in the negative territory.

How old is that skirt?

That skirt is nearly thirty years old! I would date it to the late 1980's. I wore it before my son was born because afterwards I was never that small in the waist again. Now here it is again, straight out of storage and on the sewing room floor. Fitting problems aside, this is an excellent example of being generous with your sewing budget and buying the best and most conservative fabric your money can buy.

This skirt is wool and at that time of the 1980's, skirts were long, full and generous. There's a lot of yardage in that skirt. The wool was of decent quality and it has stored well and the plaid is timeless. Grey, black and burgundy are still part of my winter wardrobe colors. So, how can I get this skirt back into the closet and stretch the money I spent thirty years ago even farther? I started by picking the old skirt apart and discarding the original waistband. I cut a new waistband off the bottom hem edge of the skirt, thus shortening the length. I am heavier now and cannot carry off yards of wool nearly ankle length any longer. Shorter skirts are more attractive for me.

 The pleats were originally knife edged going all around the waistband. Lucky girl that I was thirty years ago, those pleats fell flat across my tummy and hips. No Longer! or rather "In My Dreams" would this work today. I contemplated making this a straight skirt, but I have one hip that is 1 inch higher than the other. Horizontal stripes on the bottom half always running up hill or down and this would be particularly noticeable if there was no fullness in the skirt. So the answer for plaids is some fullness and today's answer for fullness is the box pleat. To the left is the made over skirt, I can't really say new, can I? Sure I can. Ta da! A "new skirt" has been added back to my closet as a wearable item.

I've paired it with one of my "orphan" garments. This is a black tweed wool blazer, that refuses to wear out. Together these items will form a new core group in my winter wardrobe. I have some grey tweed pants already and a burgundy pullover sweater. I think I need to purchase a new black turtleneck and I have some burgundy silk for a blouse in my stash. A very soft grey blouse would be lovely also, but must be very light grey for me. So there....one lonely black blazer and some grey tweed pants are starting to collect some wardrobe "friends".