A new "Me"

My DM and DS gave me this wonderful gift as part of my Christmas present



So yesterday they arrived at my home all ready to wrap me in a dry cleaners bag and then proceeded to stick framers tape from my neck to my hips (widest part) to create my body form.

After an hour this is what I looked like from the back, the whole body is done but the front is TMI for public viewing, with very sore legs from standing still for so long (please excuse my messy cupboard, DH didn't think to close the door before he took the photo.)



At this stage DS took a measurement of my hip area for reference further on.

This is then cut up the back and you carefully step out of it and then stick the cut back together. This is your opportunity to check that there aren't any thin spots and if so you can put more tape on the inside of the form so as not to distort the outside widths. You then use your hair dryer to dry it is as much as you can.

We then stood the form on a piece of paper and traced around the bottom edge, then took a tape measure on its side and measured around it to make sure that we hadn't added/subtracted any width from the measurement taken above. The template was then cut out and checked to make sure that it fit in the bottom of the form and then a cardboard base was cut out with a hole in the centre for it to be placed on a stand, and then you carefully tape the base to the body form.

Now DM and DD did this for me about 9 years ago and with putting on weight (yes it was intended) and gym work the body has changed a bit so my old "me" wasn't a usable sewing aid for fitting garments.

When I first started sewing I purchased one of the adjustable manequins which just wasn't shaped the way I am, so we discarded the top and this is where my "old" me was hanging around. So we cut off the "old" me (on the floor) and put the "new" me in her place.



My shoulders are sitting on a wooden coat hanger which is attached to the pole. You then roll up newspaper and drop this into the cavity to stop it from collapsing (don't worry the tape drys as hard as a rock, it is more for when you press on it).

My new dress form will come in very handy for the top I am currently making so I had better get back to the sewing room.

Frustration and Smiles !!

The LBD has been challenging my sewing skills and knowledge of late and after much deliberation I have decided to make it sleeveless. My fabric after closer scrutiny is a Ronaldo Wool Touch Brazil Suiting. Now I really didn't know what this meant, but I know now this is a fabric that does not like to be eased, has very little if any give to the fabric, and with the tight sleeves of this dress the two were not a suitable mix.

I spent last Saturday at the Alexandria Achievers ASG Group doing a lot of frog stitching and managed to work out how to change this dress to a sleeveless version. It is still not 100% to my liking and instead of rushing it and "just getting it done", I have put it aside this week to restore my sense of achievement.

**********************

This is BWOF 05-2008-104 which is the longer version of this top I made in January. My inspiration came from a dress by Phase Eight I saw in a magazine and my fabric is from KnitWit.

As I had already done the pattern alterations for the orange top, I only had to extend the pattern to a dress and trace off the new band to incoporate the buckle that I purchased when we visited Victoria Island in Canada earlier this year.



I cut this fabric out on Friday night and then on Saturday with my sewing buddies I got it up to the hem stage, and then today after DH levelled the hem for me, I hemmed it with my Janome CP 1000 (I had also used this for the hems on the band) and wore it to the Rhodes Fashion Sewers ASG group for their Christmas Lunch. (You read correclty I attended two ASG Groups and sewed with my regular sewing buddies this month.)

This knit has more stretch than the top I made so the neckline is a bit lower than I normally wear and it did take me quite a few tries to find a necklace that worked, and I can see that I need to find one similar to the one they have pictured with the inspiration dress.

Here is the view from back once I got home.

Cheeky Cross Stitch

One of my other passions is Cross Stitch, however I don't get a lot of time to do this.

I have had my eye on this Dolly Mamas pattern for quite some time as it is my DDS all over. I finally bit the bullet and stitched it for her for her birthday this year.



My local framer did a fantastic job of framing it for me. He used the hot pink in her skirt as the first mat and then black as the larger one with a black frame. Unfortunately the photos that I took had too much reflection and I had to get it in the post to reach DDS for her birthday.

I got a very excited phone call the day of her birthday to say that she loved it and it was so correct, then I had to admit it was supposed to be for last year's birthday LOL.