Everyone needs a new dress sometimes

You know, if you've got surplus fabric and time to kill, there's really nothing wrong with this "making myself clothes all the time" thing, right?

Anyway, I used to be really fat (as opposed to just a little fat) and most things I wanted to wear didn't fit properly, patterns didn't come in my size and things just looked bad. I love to sew, obviously, so I taught myslef how to alter patterns. This was done through studying garments that I had no reason to ever own and reading tons of books. (the working at a fabric store helped too, just because it gave me an opportunity to see what people were making and how they were making things.

There are a few things I've learned along the way:
1. Pleats are not usually flattering.
2. I hate buttonholes
3. Read all the directions, then assemble the item the way you think it should be done.
4. zippers are not as hard as they sound. (actually, they are very easy!)
5. Invisible zippers are overrated. If you can't put a regular zipper in properly, then there's no reason to try an invisible one....and there's really no reason to use them anyway.
6. Interfacing is not always (or hardly ever) needed. There are exceptions to this, but not many. If you want your garment to lay naturally on your body, use sheer weight or none at all.
7. Sulky wash away interfacing is amazing. (see #6, sometimes it's needed to assemble the project, but not to make it useable)
8. tailors' chalk is my favorite marking item. You can get it in colors from the quilting department in most arts and craft stores.
9. Kitty cats love pattern paper
10. having a dress form makes all the difference.

Here's the fun brown denim dress! It still needs buttons, but it's 1:30am and there aren't 24 hour stores around here for my shopping convenience. Also notice there are pleats, which are actually flattering. Oh, and there's a tiny bit of gathering in the shoulders for "ease". ("Ease would have been about 1/2 the amount I had, but whatever) The heavier fabric makes it a little bit easier for me to wear, it doesn't stick/cling to me as much as some other fabrics.

$5 tshirt

I had a shirt that was way too big, so I made it into something useful.

After chopping 8" off the bottom, cuttung a plunging v neck, making it cross over and making a waist band I thought I was done, but the sleeves needed some help.

I turned the shirt inside out, pinned where the armpit and sleeves "should" meet up and tacked them in place. I really wanted to be done, so I kinda winged it. I'm surprised it worked!

Anyway, it needs a tank underneath to make it work appropriate, but now I've got a new work shirt.

I think I'm going to add a little pocket on the hip for a box cutter though. :)

Cooking for others, parts 1

There are two important things to know about my living situation right now.
1. I'm one of those vegetarians that doesn't like to eat tofu. Call me crazy, but you can get the same effect with eggplant, various beans and grains.
2. My Grandmother's version of cooking is to open a stouffer's box and put it in the microwave.


Needless to say, I do a lot of cooking (and cleaning). I made some sweet and sour stuffed peppers last week, YUM! Half were vegan, half were meat filled. I'd never parboiled anything before, so the peppers were my grandmother's task, and I made the filling. The vegan ones were filled with homemade vegan chili, rice and homemade sweet and sour sauce. They turned out wonderful! The meat one had rice, various vegetables (carrots, pepper, whatever I had in the fridge), ground beef and the same home made sweet and sour sauce.

Dinner was served, I found out that my Grandpa liked the vegan ones better than the meat ones because of the flavor. Now, I did add come chili type seasoning to the meat ones, trying to make them comparable. The sweet and sour sauce was the same and white rice is white rice no matter what you mix it with. It was the chili! Ha ha! I made a dinner he'd eat! Oh, I threw some pineapple on top to make it look pretty too!

I wish there had been a picture.

a little green is always a good thing :)

Once again I've finished one of those dresses I never thought I'd be able to wear (or had the patience to make) The secret to the recent success of these things that I've never thought I could finish: Tailor's Chalk. Not kidding! I have making darts, I hate spending the time to map the stupid things out. I HATE watching a garment and finding out the marking pen didn't wash out all the way (or discolored the fabric) So, now I use tailor's chalk.

Oh, awesome thing about the skirt, other than how full it is, it has pockets!