Stitches and Seams

It Can't Be February

2012-02-01T19:37:00.001-05:00

Wow, February already. I was so busy in January that I hardly noticed it was here. It was 80 degrees today, so summer is on the way. I'm not ready for warm weather yet. But at least it will give me something new to sew for since I'm getting a bit overloaded on winter(ish) clothes. I also need to make or buy some weekend tops because I have extremely slim (hah!) pickin's in that area.

I don't have much new today so here's another What I Wore photo. I made this cardigan a couple of months ago and Alex "modeled" it for the blog, but I don't think I ever got a decent shot of me in it, but that's probably because I've not worn it until today. The dress is one of my Walmart $18.98 bargains and have I ever gotten my money's worth and then some from it. Dani was waiting for a treat.

As I was dressing this morning, I thought about belting the cardi but didn't pursue it any further because I was lazy. I'm glad I didn't. It looks so-so, but it feels horrible. Too bulky. I know belted cardigans are the look, but not for me, thank you.

Lest you think it's All Glamour All The Time around here (cough:cough), here's what I'm wearing right now. Old Spongebob PJ pants and an even older football tee shirt. Chili's turn to stare me down.

The pants are just a little too big, don't you think?

I have an interview for another job scheduled for Tuesday morning, so now I've got to decide what to wear to that. I want the job I have and I'm reasonably certain I'm going to get it, but it doesn't hurt to increase my options. I don't have any suits or even any jackets that fit for mix/match but I'm sure I can put together something appropriate even sans jacket. No sooner than I found out about the interview day/time then I was handed a ton of stuff for a new project for next week, so I'm already thinking I need to see if I can reschedule that interview for later next week when I have more of the project behind me. I'll think on it.

Parting Shot: Tyler's home for the next few weeks. It's a LOT bigger than it looks in this pic.

What I Wore, What I Bought

2012-01-30T19:46:00.006-05:00

Yay, I left work tonight on time, read some email when I got home, snapped some pics before I changed into my lounging clothes, ate some dinner, loaded up the pics, and sat down to my blog *before* 7PM. Overtime is nice, but so are days that end when they're supposed to. It was also nice to need my sunglasses for the whole drive home.

The morning started great, when my boss said good morning and then told me (unsolicited) that there is NO WAY they are letting me leave and that she and her boss are going to do everything they can to get me hired on permanently. It will mean making a case to the CFO for creating a new position, but they feel confident they have plenty of ammunition. Fingers crossed that it won't be too much longer. And the agency called today too, with the possibility of an interview somewhere else, which I said "Set up!" so as to hopefully invoke Murphy's Law. You know, the one where I'm offered TWO jobs. ;-) My boss also mentioned that all of my extra pitching in has not gone unnoticed, to which I replied, "Thank you! And, really, I would feel bad if I didn't do what was needed to be done." (And I would.)

So, yes, good day all around. :-)

Here's the windowpane plaid Magic Pencil skirt in action, instead of in a hanger shot. Well, if you can call standing still in front of a door "action." I love this skirt. It's comfortable, stylish, flattering, and doesn't wrinkle too badly after a whole day of wearing. I can't believe such a big plaid on my lower half is flattering, but it is.

Rear view, which looks poochy after all day, but I sit on my butt at a desk and then in the car so pooch happens. At least you can see the vent on this one.

Now onto the Coldwater Creek purchases. This skirt is a definite keeper and the thing I was saying was SO ME. You can't see much detail, but it's a lined mesh knit that is pleated on one side to give the look of a faux wrap. Very comfy, very flow-y, and I want a pattern for more! And I definitely have to get those arms one color before the heat arrives. Yikes.

This is a wrap top, but the underlayer doesn't go all the way down, which I like because it cuts down on bulk and cups under the boob to make the neckline stay in place. It has turquoise in the print, so with the brown, it is also very ME.

A very sheer organza blouse. I will wear a cami under this one. But I love those colors and for summer (which will probably be here in about 5 weeks), I'm imagining a coral or cream skirt instead of brown. I'm also thinking of chopping the sleeves to 3/4 or shorter, since they're too long for me anyway. I know I don't have short arms, so what's with all the gorilla sleeves?

This blouse already has 3/4 sleeves. Much better. It's a little snug, but I'm not popping buttons and I will shrink into it soon enough. For summer, I'm thinking a linen skirt to go with this one. And my leopard-y pumps.

A sleeveless, lined shell with cross-over tie thing at the vee neck, which you can't see at all in this pic. This one is actually a little big but I'm going to take it in at the sideseams and/or waist darts. I love the colors on me, so a little fixing up will be worth it. It will look good with that coral or cream skirt I'm already planning for the organza blouse.

The one heartbreaker of the bunch. This blouse is SO pretty. Off of me. It's got a flounce on one side and a banded vee neckline on the non-flounce side. I love the color, and the fabric feels like silk (but is washable poly). Unfortunately, it just doesn't fit and never will. It's too tight at the bust, too long in the sleeves, too "something" at the armholes, and it looks very boxy on me, which I didn't realize until I saw this pic. I'm sure I could copy it, but I probably won't. Oh well. They can't all be home runs and now I have an excuse to visit the brick and mortar CWC at the mall when I return it.

Sewing Weekend, Part 3

2012-01-29T19:54:00.001-05:00

The plaid skirt I set out to make is done except for the hem, which will only take a few minutes — especially since my coverstitcher is already threaded and ready. I didn't add a kick pleat to this one, but I lined it since the plaid knit is very soft and I was afraid of Velcro-butt when wearing with pantyhose. I found a pair of PJs pants from which to nick some elastic, thereby avoiding an impulse trip to Joann's.

The main reason I omitted the kick pleat was this fabric was a PITA to lay straight on my cutting table. It's very drapey, even laying flat. I ended up cutting single layer, which was tedious enough with only half a pattern. I didn't want to risk a center back seam that was off just a smidge. Luckily, my OCD (and a gazillion pins) paid off and my side seams match exactly.

I like the skirt a lot. The only problem is that it's going to be an orphan unless/until I find/make something to wear with it.

Instead of starting on the top from the coordinating solid fabric, I decided I'm sending the fabric back. The color is perfect, but the knit is just not a nice knit. This (and the other colors I bought at the same time, which are also going back) are Fabric.com's single knit jerseys. Don't buy any. Luckily my 30-day return window still has 2 more days so I'm within the time limit. I don't even want any of this for crappy muslins.

So now I'm going to go veg for a while in front of the tube while shopping online fabric and apparel retailers to see what I can come up with. It's going to be hard to match the wine color so I'm thinking a drapey white blouse would work, with a scarf or a vest or something. I like to dress "in three's." I was hoping my off-white twinset would do, but the contrast in the plaid is white, not off-white, and the two (three?) don't look good together.

And now I see why the Muse was telling me to make those other items first. She was right.

Sewing Weekend, Part 2

2012-01-29T00:49:00.003-05:00

I'm obviously suffering from Sewing ADD this weekend as this is clearly not the plaid Magic Pencil skirt I went upstairs to sew per last post. Although it IS plaid and it IS a Magic Pencil skirt.

Again, "old" fabric was yelling louder than the new piece, and since my machines were already set up with the appropriate color threads …

I bought this fabric back in July or August from Joann's (of all places), when I was getting ready to sew interview clothes. I'm not usually a windowpane plaid kind of girl but this one spoke to me then, and it made itself heard again tonight. To match the plaids across the sideseams, I had to really eek it out, cutting the hem of the front piece on the same cut as the waist of the back pieces and I still came out a little short on the front hem. But I serged it all even (mostly) and no one will ever be the wiser. I really have no idea how I was ever going to get a skirt from this piece back in August when (1) I was wider and (2) I didn't yet have this great pattern. It's a good thing I let it age.

This fabric is a stretch woven and I wasn't sure if there was enough stretch to enable the skirt to still fit without alteration, since my previous makes of it were from knits. I sewed 1/4" side seam allowances instead of the 1/2" per the pattern and the skirt fits perfectly. Whew! I really should've played it safer and cut bigger seam allowances but for some reason, it just didn't occur to me until it was too late. I also added a back kick pleat to this one but lowered the start of the opening 3/4" since the first one I made with a kick pleat was nearly too high.

The wine plaid skirt is actually cut out but … I'm now out of elastic. Figures! I'm going to run through Joann's tomorrow before I hit the grocery store and hope I find something suitable, or I'll have to wait for an internet order to arrive. Although the thought is now crossing my mind that maybe I can steal some from too-big pants or a skirt Hmmm, not sure if all that ripping out will be worth it and I don't think I have any waistbands that are free casings instead of serged on and turned/topstitched.

Well, I suppose I could always work on the top instead … or whatever else that distracts me.

Sewing Weekend, Part 1

2012-01-28T21:00:00.002-05:00

(No, this is not a plaid Magic Pencil skirt, but that's coming.) I've had this sweater knit for a couple of months and it caught my eye one evening this past week and told me it needed to be sewn NOW. I didn't argue. I even picked out a pattern during the week and managed to get the tissue pressed and cut on Thursday, the one night in the last couple of weeks that I actually left work on time. Yesterday was another late one, with more coming next week. But I don't mind, and I love those overtime infused paychecks. Perfect for more SHOES. ;-)

I started cutting the fabric about 11 AM and then constructed until about 5 PM, with a LOT of breaks like dog outings, lunch, laundry. So it wasn't a solid 6 hours. Probably more like 4 and a good chunk of that time was spent making a perfect narrow hem on the bottom peplum/flounce. I decided to do a good job on this one and slow it down. Plus, I had my eyes half on catching up on the first 5 episodes of the new American Idol auditions, which is my favorite part of the show next to Steven Tyler doing anything. (My first-born son isn't named Tyler for naught!)

There was a little bit of potential trickiness around the neck/shoulders sewing the continuous neckband on with a pivot, but I paid attention to what I was doing and it went well. It's a nice design feature, giving the cardi princess seams on the front and a more shaped collar band in the back, with forward-sitting shoulder seams. The sleeves are sewn in the round by necessity due to the order of construction and they are actually decent sleeves that don't wrinkle/fold when my arms are hanging down. I left off the flounces at the wrists because they'd just get in my way and I really don't need any extra flounce at the hip on top of the peplum/flounce.

I cut a straight 16 and made no alterations and I'm happy with the fit. If I make it again, though, I will shorten the upper bodice a little so the "waist" seam hits me higher and the cardi ends up shorter. But that's a personal preference thing, not a fit thing, because the lengths on me are pretty much just like the envelope. I'll model it as soon as I figure out what the heck to wear under it. So right now, it's a semi-orphan but it won't be for long because I really want to wear it.

Here's the pattern envelope and line drawings, since I always want to see those when someone else blogs about weird pattern pieces. Piece 4,5,6,7,8,9 are what's relevant here.

As soon as I post this, I'm heading back to the sewing room to cut out and sew that plaid Magic Pencil. Tomorrow, I'll be sewing the top from the solid, around fitting in a trip to the grocery store.

I had thought I had this pattern in my stash …

… but it turns out I have this one instead, the Plus version. Sigh. It's too big now. So I think I'm going to try morphing the neck treatment onto my Ottobre tee, which itself is too big but I can just sew bigger sideseams to fix that. I'm going for the red-misses/blue-plus top, not the dress.

Speaking of shoes, my Zappos order arrived Thursday and is already on its way back. I struck out. One pair was too big and I was stepping right out of them and the other pair was iffy, even though I loved how they looked. I just don't do iffy anymore, and definitely not with 3-4" heels.

My Coldwater Creek order arrived Friday and I have some keepers. I'm sure I'll stage a modeling session soon. Wait 'til you see the skirt I forgot I ordered. It's SO ME. One blouse will have to go back, even though I love it. It's too tight in the bust and the sleeves are gorilla length. I wish there was a pattern somewhere for it, because I'd love to have one that actually fits (although I don't know how much I'd love to be sewing charmeuse!). In fact, I wish there were patterns for everything I bought. None of it is complex, but I just don't have time to try to draft each of the unique style elements. This is why I've been known to buy doubles and take one apart for a pattern. I'm almost tempted, but not at Coldwater Creek prices, even sale prices.

Ready for Launch

2012-01-26T19:56:00.001-05:00

The launch went well today and the day was relatively low-key, but tomorrow will be the test since the new website wasn't switched over until late this afternoon and even then was running v-e-r-y s-l-o-w due to DNS replicating. Don't you love it when I talk all geekie? ;-)

In my department, we all decided we'd wear the new brand colors (blue, red, green, yellow) to "celebrate" and this was my outfit. Our new look also incorporates lots of patterns (repetitive, not sewing!), so I did doubly well with my skirt as part of my look.

This will be the last time wearing this skirt until I take it in because it's now about 2" too big around the waist. I should've tried it on last week, but truthfully I probably still wouldn't have done anything about it due to lack of time/energy in the evenings, although I actually left the office on time tonight, for the first time in about two weeks. Yay! The twinset is also on the big side, especially in the shoulders, but it will just be removed from the wardrobe once I can't stand it anymore. The skirt should be easy to take in since I did make it with taking-in in mind. Famous last words, and I won't count on that until it's actually done. For now, it's being added to the ironing board pile, and the next time I make this skirt pattern, I'm definitely adding a kick pleat in the back because it really needs one.

Now I'm going to go catch up on some reading while waiting for Project Runway to come on.

Like a Sardine

2012-01-25T21:45:00.000-05:00

This is Tyler's new "home" for the next few weeks as his unit goes off into the ocean on a MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit, a ship very much like an aircraft carrier) for some training exercises. It puts his land-based barracks into a whole new light, as in you don't fully appreciate what you've got until it's gone. He'll be living like this come June for about 6 months, when his unit is in full deployment. My poor little sardine. ;-) But, speaking as his mom, I'd rather this for him than the Middle East sandbox, even if he probably doesn't agree.

Our big launch at work is tomorrow. I've been putting in some long hours, but there's a little light at the end of that tunnel now and we won't be quite as stressed and hurried. I've had some very nice compliments this week for going above and beyond, and reassurance that the higher-ups in my department will be doing everything they can to assure that I *will* be staying permanently. Yay! So hopefully that means it's just a matter of working out the formalities at this point, once we can all take a breath. I'll continue to be patient because it will be worth it in the long run.

Meredith – you asked about a pair of shoes. They are Easy Spirit brand and I saw them still available on Zappos last night, when I might have ordered another pair. Or two. Ahem. I kept the spotty pumps from the last order and am still deciding on the mustard colored pumps. The brown platforms are going back, though. I decided they were just a little too-too.My name is Debbie and I'm a shoe-aholic.

I also might have ordered some sale items from Coldwater Creek, which I'm really hoping fit because I just haven't had time to sew. But after really trying to shop online last night from bed on my Kindle (have I mentioned how much I love that Kindle!!), I was reassured that I *have* to sew. I couldn't find very many things I even wanted to buy. Wrong color, wrong style, wrong price, etc., etc. You all know the drill. I'm definitely making that plaid Magic Pencil skirt this weekend or I'm going to go CRAZY! I want a whole wardrobe of those skirts—they are just perfect for me.

Off to make my lunch for tomorrow and hop into my jammies. It's going to be a busy day since MY phone number was given as the main contact for new website issues. Gulp.

M5523: Good Things Come To Those Who … Procrastinate

2012-01-21T23:29:00.002-05:00

Of course as soon I post that I'm not going to be sewing for a while, I sewed. I just had to, for the sake of my mental well-being. You know how it is. I went into the office and worked from 9:30-4:00 today and I kept daydreaming about my machines nearly the whole time. I'll be working probably as long tomorrow but I may decide to do it from home since I don't want to miss any football, and maybe I can take a few sewing breaks in between. It's nice to have the choice, right?

As soon as I got home this afternoon, I finished two cammie purses that had been waiting (and making me feel guilty), and then I turned my attention to my ironing board, where I have things piled up on one end that I want to do *something* to, to make the items in the stack wearable again.I may never catch up with that pile but I can't bear to just toss some things yet.

Today, I finished up McCall's 5523, three months later. I sewed most of this skirt back in October and since I wasn't really happy with the fit, I let it sit. In that time, I got smaller and the skirt got bigger. Now the problem wasn't that it was too tight but too loose. Over the last month or so, I'd been trying it on and thinking about partially ripping out the princess seams and sewing them smaller but that thought made my eyes glaze over and the skirt continued to live in the pile.

Back in October, I had faced the waist with grosgrain ribbon but I hadn't tacked it down yet. Today, I stitched it down from the right side 5/8" down from the waist edge and then I threaded 1/2" elastic through my slapdash casing. It's a quick and easy solution but, hey, it works (and it doesn't even look bad on the inside). It will also give me more time to wear the skirt as I continue to shrink. I love losing the weight, but I'm starting to get a little pissed that some of my favorite things are too big (see comment above about ironing board pile). ;-) Yeah, I could have bigger problems, I know.

My waist is now 36" and seeing that skirt with elastic scrunching it up even more was amazing to me. I can't believe how SMALL that skirt looks on a hanger. Like, how in the world can that be MY skirt? Until recently, my skirts have overhung the width of a hanger, and then some. Now they don't. If you've always been thin, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, but my plus-size sisters will understand. It's a victory nearly as satisfying as watching the numbers on the scale head south.

One good thing about my skirt being bigger (and me smaller) is that I gained length due to less terrain for the skirt to cover. Plus my knee fat is finally starting to subside so I'm OK with a shorter hem now. Hence no need to face the hem as I was contemplating back in October. Hence. Who says hence in real life (besides me)?

So, here's the finished skirt from the front:

And the back. I really should've checked those seams before the photo since they're sitting a little off-center. Oh well. You get the idea.

Here's me back in October. I can't believe how much thinner my face is now.

The butt is still hanging on, though. ;-)

Yawn

2012-01-19T20:46:00.000-05:00

Just a very quick update to say that I'm SO BUSY with work right now that I don't have any spare energy for sewing or blogging or much of anything really. Our new brand/logo materials and website launch is in just a few short days and we're SO BEHIND due to a shall-remain-nameless web coding/hosting company that leaves a lot to be desired. Needless to say, everyone in my department is putting in lots and lots of hours. I just got home (8PM) tonight, worked all last weekend and every evening, and will be working this weekend too. I'm racking up lots of overtime $$, and hopefully even more HIRE-ME!!! points which is good, but the bottom line is I'm pooped. There's so much to do that won't get done by launch day, which makes me pretty confident I'll be around for quite a while even if I'm not hired on permanently. But really, they do need another body permanently so I remain optimistic. I think they're waiting for the dust to settle a bit, which I understand. There's been so much going on. I'm just impatient and wish I knew for sure so I can start making life plans.

Thank you all for the kind comments about Pepper. While we'll definitely miss her, she was 16 and so it wasn't really an unexpected shock. She went pretty quickly at the end and seemed to be pain-free. Alex took it the hardest, as Pepper was around almost as long as he's been. The other two pups have been extremely snuggly ever since. Do you think they're afraid we'll scoot them out next? ;-) Not a chance! I have to say that it's very nice to have them around to help fill the void.

I'll be absent from the blog for a while longer, but know that everything is OK. There's just not enough hours in the day to do it all. And, geez ... I WANT TO SEW!! There's a plaid Magic Pencil skirt burning a hole in my brain and I've had the fabric prewashed and ready for DAYS.

Goodbye Pepper

2012-01-14T22:04:00.001-05:00

April 26, 1996 - January 12, 2012

We'll miss you.

V1257: Finished

2012-01-07T19:50:00.000-05:00

The dress is done, or will be after I hem the gorilla sleeves, and I strongly DO NOT recommend this pattern, at least not as is. What a PITA, especially when there are other great wrap and faux wrap patterns available.

The sleeves are the main deal breakers and if I make this again using this bodice, I will definitely cut out the sleeve portion and morph sleeves and armhole from another knit pattern as I showed last post. After adding 2" to the width and sewing the bicep area with 1/4" seam allowances, they are technically not too tight. But they are close to being snug and worse, they feel weird, with the stretch running lengthwise. Like Spanx for your arms.

But there were other problems too. I probably can't explain it well without photos, but the part on the skirt where the faux knot goes requires that you slit it at the waist in two areas. That's OK. But then the directions tell you to use double-fold bias binding to finish the slits. Um, no. First, it's a knit. Second, what a PITA. I just turned the edge under and topstitched it down. No one is ever going to see it anyway because it's hidden by the knot.

And speaking of the knot, you make a tube and then gather each end, with the end result to be a gathered knot. Which just doesn't happen. If you DO make this dress, skip that step.

The pattern is higher waisted than the line drawings lead you (me) to believe. It's not empire but the waist seam is definitely not at my waist. This is actually OK on me, because it's hitting me at a good spot. Just a warning to look out for this if you're looking for a dress waist that actually sits at the waist. I also left off the clear elastic I was supposed to sew onto the waist seam allowances for stability. It's a good idea for some fabrics, but this one is fine without it.

Finally, and not really the fault of the pattern, is that there are a good number of pleats to mark and sew and marking was nearly impossible on this fabric, unless I were to use tailor tacks. Which I'm not, because you know how I love handsewing. And making pleats in an ITY knit is headache-inducing, but I muddled through with an I-don't-really-care-if-it's-not-perfect attitude. The inside of this dress is NOT pretty. But knits are forgiving and I'm not going to be flashing anyone the inside of my dress. (Unless that guy from the elevator asks!)

I added tie ends under the knot, which do not show in photos at all. But they do show in real life and I like how they look. The give the faux wrap a little more realism. ;-)

See what I mean about the gorilla sleeves? OMG.

Now all that said, except for the sleeves and adding another 1-1/2" to the bottom, I made no other alterations, always a plus. And, I think the dress looks pretty good on me so I'll definitely wear it. As soon as I forget those horrendous drafting and construction errors. And once I do forget, I may even have a moment of crazy and make it again.

Random Thoughts - The Photo Edition

2012-01-07T15:21:00.001-05:00

1. This stuff is great. If you color your hair, buy it.

2. See. While my undyed hair is/used to be pretty much this red color and my roots are not glaring, I do have grays and they show up in the growth, especially at temples/forehead. Ug. All gone for another month. At $1.99 per box on sale, I bought 3 the other day.

It was beauty day today. I got my nails done this morning and gave myself a semi-pedicure (trim, repolish).

3. These are snakeskin with a faint leopard print, black shiny heels, and big gold buckles. Sitting down pics because I can keep the camera steadier this way, not because I'm lazy. ;-)

4. Mustard with a croc texture, 1/2" platforms, pointy toes.

5. Brown, with a bigger croc texture, 3/4" platforms. Awesome, no? Actually, they are all awesome. How will I ever decide? But another good thing about Zappos is that I have 365 days to decide, as long as they stay unworn, so I will see where my sewing (and buying) leads me before I make a final decision.

6. These are the shoes I last bought but didn't get a good pic of. Brown "penny loafer" pumps. Saucy secretary vibe, right?

7. Burda knit wrap/tie top from a few years ago. Remember how popular it was? I had outgrown it for a few years but I pulled it out this morning. It's now loose in the hips so it has a peplum thing going on. I kinda like that.

8. The dirty secret? I have to pin the underlayer to my bra so it stays up.

9. Both bodice pieces complete and attached to the back, sleeves sewn. STUPIDEST bodice design ever, and really up there for poor drafting (those sleeves). There is absolutely no reason for dolman in the front and set-in in the back. It's the mullet of sleeve design, and it's a total royal pain in the ASS to sew.

10. If I make this again, I would just cut off that horrible sleeve and morph a good sleeve and armhole onto the pattern. It would be very easy to do (see the pic), and I'm still considering it for this version. It will mean ripping out those painful sleeves and sideseams which is fiddly in a poly knit. I'm going to go try on the sleeves one more time and then decide one way or the other. I really like the rest of the design of the dress so I don't want to give up completely. But the mullet sleeves? Reeee-dic!

11. Part of the fabric delivery from Friday. The plaid is a rayon knit which will become a Magic Pencil skirt. The knit solid will be a top to match. It will be very cute, and NOT brown. ;-)

12. I took 43 pics just to get these 11.Crazy.

It's the Weekend!

2012-01-06T20:20:00.000-05:00

Project Runway All Stars is queued up on the DVR and my sewing room is calling me to work some more on the dress. I did pin a sleeve last night and it seems like it's still going to be snug but not as bad as a sausage casing, so 1/4" seam allowances will be in order. But I did pin haphazardly at 5/8" so there should be some leeway. I won't really be able to tell for sure until the back bodice is attached since it's such a weird piece.

I've had two requests for info on the clear elastic hanging off the one bodice piece I worked on last night. I'll put together a post/tute on that soon, but it won't be this weekend and I'll have to convince Alex to be the photographer since I can't spare a hand when sewing on clear elastic.

In the meantime, gotta love me a Zappos fix. I ordered these * well after* I got home from work last night and they were here today. How DO they do that? Now the hard part will be deciding which pair (or two) to keep since they all fit. I think I'm starting to amass shoes like fabric. Of which, a box of *that* arrived today too. ;-)

V1257: Moving on to Fabric

2012-01-05T23:22:00.000-05:00

This will either be a half-muslin or a whole dress. I decided to use "good" fabric and not do a true crappy-fabric muslin because those sleeves need a reliable test. I'll sew the upper sections and evaluate. If it fits, I'll continue. If not, I may decide to salvage the skirt and leftover fabric for a top. So far the lengths and boob coverage look OK on Zillie.

It's funny how sometimes you don't really *see* the fabric until it's stretched out on the cutting table. I thought this was a giraffe-ish print and instead I see it's actual a floral that reads giraffe. Personally, I wouldn't want brown flowers in real life but in this print, they're OK.

So far tonight, I've cut out and marked the pieces, attached clear elastic to the neckline pieces, and sewn the waist pleats on one side of the bodice. And that's where I'm calling it quits for the evening as it's getting to be bedtime and I need my beauty sleep. Although now that I'm thinking about it, I'm going to go pin that sleeve and try it on before I hit the sack so I don't lay awake wondering.

This weekend is going to be crazy busy with sewing cammie purses and doing more video training in preparation for a job interview. I figure the best way to up the odds that I get the job I'm working at is to interview for and be offered another one. Or who knows — maybe I'll like that one better. ;-)

Wardrobe Malfunction

2012-01-04T22:04:00.000-05:00

It was 31 degrees when I left for work this morning. Brrrrr.

I finally wore the brown mini houndstooth check skirt I made about a month ago and I think it's now going to go straight into the trash, because OMG look at those wrinkles. The bias side panels are fine, but the center front is a hot mess. And if that wasn't bad enough, my tights pooled around my ankles and knees all day. When I got home and changed out of them, I could pull a good 12" past my foot without affecting the rest of the leg at all. I wonder if I can serge off about 20" from the toes and if this will fix things. Or if I should just add them to the trash too.

On the plus side, my velour mock turtleneck was very snuggly and warm all day and I got to wear a new scarf.

There's been no more progress on the Vogue dress. It's been so cold, I just want to snuggle under the covers and read so that's what I've done the last two nights.

Oh and speaking of reading, here's a complaint. After being on the wait list for 2 months, I got a notice from the Library that it was finally my turn for the Kindle edition of The Help. I immediately did everything I needed to do to get it downloaded to my Kindle, went to open it up and start reading, and there's nothing there but the cover picture. I've deleted and re-tried about 5 times with no success. So I'm stuck. If I think about it, I'll try calling the library tomorrow but I doubt there's anything they can do. I'll probably end up just buying this one. I haven't heard/read a bad thing about the book, so it should be money well spent.

V1257: Pattern Tissue Evaluation

2012-01-02T22:59:00.000-05:00

I was going to write this tonight and post it tomorrow morning, but I really suck at remembering that it's a scheduled post and writing in future tense so here it is now instead of later.

This is Vogue 1257, to refresh your memory.

All of the reviews on PR complained about the tight sleeve, and with good reason. Holy cow- the size 20 sleeve is 13" wide, *before* subtracting seam allowances.

I was thinking I'd have to add at least 4" inches, but then I actually measured my bicep and … well … Holy cow again. My bicep, *with a shirt on* is 13". When did THAT happen? So that's why the scale is still going down but my pants size isn't. Oh well, I'll just have to be patient. Thinner biceps are great for eliminating a pattern alteration. Well, except here.

I decided to add 2" as a starting point. This is not my idea for the alteration, although it's pretty easy to see the sleeve "piece" melded with the front bodice. Now. ;-) I saw this in a PR review and thought, "Brilliant!" It's your usual full bicep alteration if you're not familiar with it.

The is the pattern piece altered, and turned back so CF is vertical, so you can get an idea of the whole weird shape of it.

I cut the bodice at the size 16, but the sleeve at the largest size, 20, because of the drafting goof. And then I also blended to more width at hip, figuring I can always take it in if needed. Better safe than sorry.

And that's where I'm stopping for tonight because tomorrow it's Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Back to Work I Go and I need to go chill for a bit and then tuck myself into bed. But I've had a great weekend and I feel very productive. Got lots of errands done, the panties finally finished, some work this afternoon, some Sons of Anarchy watching, lots of football viewing, a couple of grown-up beverages, blog reading, and a new pattern pressed, cut and altered. I love these long weekends. And there's another one coming up in a couple of weeks. Yay!

Speaking of chill — it's going to be FREEZING here tomorrow (literally freezing tomorrow night), so I'm already thinking about what to wear, and tights will figure in to it. Too bad I don't have any full-length boots. But as a consolation, it will definitely be nice to pull a nice new pair of undies out of the drawer tomorrow morning. There's just something about new underwear that makes the whole day better, am I right? Even without boots. Hahaha!

I Only Went In For Thread …

2012-01-02T14:04:00.001-05:00

… and purse-making interfacings.

13 spools of thread
2 yds fusible fleece
2 yds fusible heavy Craftfuse

And the rest just fell into my cart. Yet another pattern, Threads, 5 yds of pattern tracing paper (very much like Swedish tracing paper), 2 yds of brown/white dots poly stretch charmeuse (for an as-yet undetermined blouse), 3-1/2 yds of paisley stretch moleskin (for the 1980-ish Vogue dress), and an accent button for that dress which matched so perfectly I couldn't leave it.

I *did* have a 15% off entire purchase coupon good for sale and non-sale items alike which coincidentally expired today and I did return two dresses to Walmart this morning, so that absolves me a little. Um, very little.

Oh Thank Heaven

2012-01-01T22:33:00.001-05:00

Yes!! I am FINALLY done with the Panty Project (KS2908, modified, before you ask). They still need a trip through the laundry so the elastic shrinks back up. I love wearing my self-made panties and I will definitely avoid buying any RTW for as long as I'm able to sew, but truth be told, I hate sewing them. Well, what I really hate is sewing them assembly-line style. Maybe I ought to just knock out one or two pairs at a time every six months instead of attempting EIGHT. Urg. The mojo ought to deal with two with more enthusiasm. OK, not enthusiasm exactly, but tolerance.

But, really, I probably don't need to sew panties again for another five years. For kicks, I revisited my first real post on this blog, which was panty sewing. And I saw that every single pair from that 2006 post was still in circulation. Not from desperation, though, but because they were still in pretty good condition (with one exception) and still fit fine (through up and down weights too, go figure — although they DO fit better now).

This is the photo from back then:

This is the photo from 15 minutes ago:

One pair from the top photo is currently in the wash. Another (lower left corner) I tossed tonight because I noticed tiny fabric fatigue holes forming in a weird place and, well, I have a gazillion pairs now, because not only do I have these old ones and the new ones, I also have others I made in between.

But some are favorites and some are worn with certain outfits. Do you do that? Have panties you prefer with jeans and others you prefer with officewear, and then those that have seen better days for "those" days of the month? I hope so, or else I'm just weird.

This is the white tee I sacrificed for crotch linings. (Lord help me on the spam I'm going to get on this post with both panties and crotches. lol) After cutting what I needed, I stuffed it into my lingerie (oops, another spamtastic word) elastic bin so that maybe I can find it next time I am delusional and decide to make panties from scraps.

So, enough about my underwear. Under where? Under there! Sorry, that just popped into my head.

These are the patterns I'm contemplating for my next project. Unfortunately, the Vogue on the left has had mostly bad reviews, but at least I'll be forewarned. Maybe I'll consider it a personal challenge. ;-) The HP on the right I can see as a 2-piece dress (otherwise known as a skirt and top). The only problem I see with it is that I can't wear another layer over top (especially the top on the left which is my first choice), so will it be warm enough in my office? I'll ruminate over these and suitable stash fabrics while watching the rest of the football game tonight. (Looks like Tony Romo still ain't making it to the playoffs.)

Tomorrow will include some work I need to do (yay overtime, and from home), and a trip to Joann's for thread and purse interfacings. If I've decided on a pattern, I may even get to start on a muslin.

And with that, I'm off to toast the completion of the Panty Project. I'm very sure I deserve it. ;-) It's not Bailey's (my preference), but it's close, and a LOT cheaper.

Happy New Pattern (and Year)!

2011-12-31T20:27:00.001-05:00

When I'm not sewing, I'm buying. These all fell into my shopping cart today after discovering that BMV was having a good sale on all three brands. I also went ahead and signed up again for Club BMV after bowing out for the last couple of years. Since I'm earning back a lot of the $9.99 sale cost in just this order and I know there will be other orders in the coming year, I figure I'm not wasting money.

The two patterns from this order that have my attention and the greatest chance of getting sewn sooner rather than later are:

1. Vogue 1268. I love the 1980s/Working Girl vibe going on with this. I definitely would've worn (and rocked!) this in 1985 and I'm hoping I can wear it in 2012, but not quite as short as shown on the model. Truth be told, I would be perfectly content for 1980s styles (big hair and shoulder pads and everything) to come back into style. I loved that look. Or maybe it was just a good decade for me overall.

2. McCall's 6519. I like the draped side action going on, but this one will need sleeves stolen from another pattern. The skirt is kind of cute too and may make it into the queue.

It seems I'm drawn to dresses lately (Hi Carolyn!). I guess that's since I now have a crap-ton of skirts and the mojo needs to be fed.Plus, what's not to love about throwing on one garment in the early morning hours and heading out the door?

* * * * *

Thanks for sharing in my happiness at the unsolicitation on my newest outfit. No, I did not ask his name or say that I had made the outfit, but I did look right back at him and say, "Thank you" with a big smile. Frankly, I was too surprised to do much more. As some of you commented, how often do you hear a *man* complimenting in more than a general type of way about an outfit? I know that I will think of this compliment every time I wear the outfit.

* * * * *

I've been enjoying all the recaps in blogland the last few days and wish I could be a similarly introspective blogger on New Year's Eve, but alas, I am not. A lot has happened and a lot more is still to come, but I think overall, it's actually been a positive year. I'm pretty sure I'm getting this job (more details were shared by coworkers and my agency this week), I'm happier now about the way I look than I've been in years which does great things to self-esteem and confidence, and I've got a lot of good changes to come. I'm grateful for all of your support and I'm looking forward to 2012. It's going to be the best year ever!!

Happy New Year everyone!

Drive By

2011-12-29T22:14:00.000-05:00

As you may have guessed — with assembly-line sewing on the table waiting on the sewing table, not a stitch has been sewn since Monday. I did make good progress on the panty project but since then, nada. I've been going into the office early this week as we're under a big deadline so work has been wiping me out. Plus I seem to have stumbled onto a new, temporary addiction.

Tyler mentioned he'd been catching up on previous seasons of Sons of Anarchy on Netflix and I discovered that I can stream all the episodes for free on my Kindle with Amazon Prime. And that's just what I've been doing in the evenings instead of sewing. I may have also watched an episode or two during my lunch breaks. Ahem. ;-)

The good news for the day is that a very attractive man about my age (who knows? the older I get, the worse I am at guessing ages) got onto the parking garage elevator with me today. He stepped in after me and then quickly turned toward front as we all tend to do on elevators. But then, he turned back around, looked me square in the eyes, and said, "That's a gorgeous outfit you're wearing today." I nearly died. Of happiness. ;-) Today's the day I wore my new twisty top, Magic Pencil Skirt, and goldy-greenish cardigan. I guess it's a hit. Oh, and I also wore a smile all day long. Thank you Mr. Stranger.

Universal, and Magic Pencil Customization

2011-12-26T10:45:00.001-05:00

Whew! What a day we had yesterday at Universal, and oh! my poor aching legs. Sad, really, that a full day of walking does me in. I was wearing the brown ankle boots I bought for my Thanksgiving trip. Since they have man-made cushioned heels and soles, they were actually quite comfortable all day long as I knew they would be, and wearing them let me also wear a pair of my newer jeans without hemming or walking on the bottoms. It isn't the boots that I'm feeling today — just the constant use of out-of-shape leg muscles and creeping up on a certain age.

The crowds were ENORMOUS, so I ended up splurging on Express Passes that let us bypass the long lines. Expensive, yes, but probably worth it just in eliminating the irritation factor. The crowds were also enormously international and we felt our Americanism was quite the minority. But since it was Christmas Day, it was to be expected that the park would be filled with folks who don't celebrate it. Of course, there were a few rude peeps here and there as there always are, but by and large and especially with a swarm this huge, everyone else was pretty nice, friendly, and polite — even if we didn't understand a word they were saying to each other. I'm always impressed by international visitors' English skills when speaking to their hosts, even those Brits with the funny accents. ;-)

I haven't really been into the Harry Potter phenom (although I'm thinking I should really read the series via my library and Kindle) but Alex has and he was impressed with that new area of the park, and commented many times on how great the details were. The new Harry Potter ride was very well done too and impressed me, a theme park cynic and non-HP fan. The roller coaster in that section is still the "old" Dueling Dragons now renamed Dragon something-or-other, and it is still a screamer. I did all the coasters and other rides with Alex, except for the one where you end up dripping wet. It was quite warm yesterday (around 80), but I still wasn't up for walking around the park soaked to the skin. I have to say that every time I was strapped into a seat, I felt a little smug that I actually now fit into it comfortably. Or as comfortable as one can really feel when strapped into a seat right before plunging 400 feet. ;-)

My cell battery died way early in the day due to me leaving the screen on by mistake, so I didn't get many photos. Alex has some on his phone that he'll forward to me when he wakes up. Hopefully, they turned out OK and I'll be able to share a few.

* * * * *

For the sewing part of today's entry, I wanted to document the changes I made to the Magic Pencil Skirt for you and for the review I'll write up later.

The pattern piece on the right, below, is what you get in the pattern. It's the only piece, which is part of what makes the Magic. It's cut on the fold once for the front and again for the back. In order to add a kick pleat, I needed to add a CB seam. Since it's only one piece to trace, I decided I would do that instead of hobbling on to the original envelope piece. So, I traced the pattern and added a 5/8" seam allowance at the CB. Onto that, I added a 2" wide kick pleat extension. I didn't use any magic formula to decide how high to place it. Just keep in mind that if you place it too high, you run the risk of showing your undies. Thankfully, my guess as to placement turned out just this side of safe in the undies department. I should probably lower it an inch for the future.

After cutting, you'll now have three pieces instead of two. Sew the darts. Next, since there is no zipper here, sew the CB seam from the waist edge down into 5/8" of the kick pleat extension and lock stitches. Then continue your sewing but now using basting stitches to sew the remainder of the kick pleat. Press the seam allowances open. Then clip the corner at the kick pleat on the *right* extension, flip it over onto the left and from the right side, sew the extensions in place with an angled line of stitching, as shown below.

Remove your basting stitches and press the under flap to remove the basting crease. (Since I used a stable knit, I didn't finish the raw edges of the seam allowances or pleat. No one will see. But if this bugs you or you're using a ravel-y fabric, finish your raw edges as your first step, before you sew the CB seam). Continue with the pattern instructions, and obviously, start your hem at one side of the kick pleat and end it at the other, so you don't sew it closed at the bottom.

Speaking of undies, I think that's what's on the sewing room agenda today. While I really want to sew about 20 more skirts, I do realize that my closet is getting pretty full of them so I'm forcing a mini break. I don't know how many undies I'll get through because assembly-line sewing kills the mojo for me, but I'm going to make a stab because in the end, I really do prefer my self-made undies. I have a few pairs cut out from before the weight loss that I'll need to recut smaller and I also have some knit scraps from recent projects to add to the production.

I also realized when getting dressed casually yesterday for warm temps, that I'm really, really lacking in the short-sleeved tee department. Which is ironic, since I used to have so many. Well, I still do, but they just don't fit anymore. So I need to alter some smaller/shorter, toss some, and add a few new ones to the wardrobe.

Anything good on YOUR sewing agenda today?

Merry Christmas, and Some Sewing

2011-12-24T23:58:00.003-05:00

Chances are by the time you're reading this, Alex and I will be in line at Universal, waiting to ride a rollercoaster. I'm hoping this will be as cool a Christmas as I'm thinking, as I type this on Christmas Eve. At the very least, it will be different.

Today was a ME day. I had nothing to do but sew and watch football all day. You couldn't pay me to go near a store on December 24. And the day was a great present to myself! It's been busy at work this week (although the non-traffic driving in/out of the city has been a dream!), so I haven't felt much like sewing or computering in the evenings. I thought about it and that's just as far as I went. Instead, I curled up with my Kindle and read or played some word games. Sometimes you just have to decompress.

But this morning I slept in, then took the dogs out (and for those who asked, yes, we still have 3), and then planted myself in my sewing room and was productive. I cut and finished both the Butterick top and another Magic Pencil Skirt, and here they are:

And with a cardi that also is in this same color family of weird greenish gold:

Pretty great match, right? I love it when fabrics spontaneously match themselves from different orders and different times. This one took a while, though. The print is a buttermilk knit (remember those?) from Emma One Sock and has been waiting in the stash for years. The skirt is a Silhouette doubleknit very recently purchased from Fabric.com. It's perfect for a skirt or pants, but Silhouette is not interchangeable with Sophia. It's more synthetic feeling/looking, but I can tell it will wear like iron. With the polyester content of these pieces, this outfit ought to outlive me by 300 or 400 years. ;-) I still have a couple buttermilk tops which look as vivid as when the fabric first arrived, even after many, many wearings/washings.

Here's a shot of the top from the inside, since the seaming and twist are lost in the photos of the print.

I did add to the neckline at the shoulder seams and just turned under the hem and didn't bind it as I thought I might. I used Wonder Tape to hold it down while stitching, and once that is washed out, the neckline will have its stretch/recovery back. As you can see, I didn't finish every seam, mostly to reduce bulk and partly because these seams lay best when open flat. I also changed the construction order a bit so I could turn under the neckline edge and loop/hole (where the twist happens) while they were still relatively flat. Like Barbara of Sewing on the Edge, I'm in line to be hired by a pattern company to write better instructions. Also like Barbara, I'm not holding my breath.

I added a CB seam and kick pleat to the Magic Pencil Skirt, which is just barely discernible in any of these photos, including this one below which was taken specifically to show the detail. Oh well. I also made the higher-waisted version of this skirt this time, because I wanted to use the elastic at full-width. I'm not wearing my gut-sucking-in pantyhose in these pics, or else I might have tucked in my top to show you. You'll just have to take my word that the waist is indeed higher on this one than the last.

I'm also modeling my new shoes. It's been a month or so, so it was time for another pair, right? Plus, I don't want to wear out my current favorites so I needed to expand the repertoire.

You can't really see them in my pic, so here's the Zappos shot.

I also ordered these for kicks. I wanted to see how they looked and felt, not really intending to keep them. They are actually surprisingly comfortable, but alas a little too tight on my pinky toe. Since I've vowed to not keep shoes that aren't comfortable from the instant I first put them on, these will indeed be going back. But I'm definitely open to try a similar style now. Or am I too old for another round of platforms?

* * * * *

Rebecca Grace asked, "since knits are all different in the stretch, how can you test fit a pattern using one knit from the Sorry Sale Bin and know whether the Good Knit that you really like is going to make up with the same fit as your "muslin?""

I wish I had a scientific, proven method for you but I don't. The honest truth is I just wing it. But I've been sewing knits for a long time now and wearing them even longer, so I'm reasonably experienced and, yes, good, at knowing how different knits will behave and what adjustments I'll have to make between Sorry Sale Tester and Good Don't Want To Ruin It fabrics. So I guess my best advice is to just try, knowing you will fail sometimes but from that failure will come experience and knowledge. It's only fabric. ;-)

* * * * *

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! I hope Santa brings you everything you've wished for. Happy Holidays to those otherwise celebrating, and Have a Great Sunday to those who aren't. (Did I cover everything/everyone?)

B5429: The Muslin

2011-12-20T23:11:00.001-05:00

This is NOT a wearable muslin, because I wouldn't be caught dead in this fabric. You can't see it in the pics, but it's got multi-colored metallic threads woven throughout and it's way glittery and tacky looking. Funny how none of that shows in the photos. And what was I thinking? At least it's out of the stash now.

Other than needing a bit more length, since this is the raw, unhemmed length, I think it's a go. There are only four pattern pieces and cutting out and sewing went very quickly. It will be even quicker when I'm using my serger.

I cut a straight 16 and made no alterations. I'm still wearing a DD bra cup, so there is obviously some bust room in this pattern. While the fabric I used for the muslin is a knit, the stretch runs vertically and that's how I cut it, figuring that if it fit this way, it will fit with the stretch going around too, although I may need to sew deeper seams under my arms. I was actually expecting it to be tighter than it is, with very little width-wise stretch. Maybe I should've cut the 14. We'll see.

Speaking of arms, I didn't have enough fabric to cut full-length sleeves so I ended up cutting about 6" shorter than the sleeve pattern. And they are plenty long enough for me at what turned out to be bracelet length. With six more inches, the sleeves would be covering my hands. Not a look I'm after.

I think I'm going to bind the neck with my coverstitch machine instead of turning the raw edge under per the pattern. The main reason is because the neckline is just on this side of being a bit too wide and my bra straps are starting to peek out. If I remember when I'm cutting the real top tomorrow, I'll add a little to the pattern pieces at the top of the shoulder at the neckline edge. Otherwise, I'll be getting out the Hollywood stay tape.

I'm still not sure about the dropped shoulders, and, unfortunately, you can't see them at all in these pics. I can definitely feel the seam and it feels kind of weird, like my sleeve is falling down. Which, I suppose, it is. ;-) But this muslin knit is also fairly rough so that seam shouldn't be as thick in the real fabric. I've decided to use the paisley because it's thinner. The twist is already kind of bulky in this muslin knit and I don't want to push it with the sweater-y knit. Plus, the cardigan I wore today (and which you haven't seen) matches the skirt fabric very well, and if I use the thinner knit, I can do layers.

Hodgepodge

2011-12-19T21:50:00.000-05:00

A bunch of mostly disconnected stuff, except they are all sewing-related.

First up, the next in the OOO RAH wallets for a customer. I worked on this yesterday around football and Kindle reading. I almost forgot how much I missed reading.

I believe I can now sew these wallets blindfolded.

Tonight's sewing consisted of a 1-1/2" straight line, but it was an important inch and a half. This is the dress I bought from Walmart a couple of months ago. Aren't you digging the pants sticking out underneath? Before I would wear this dress I needed to lose a few more pounds so it didn't hug my butt quite as closely, and tack the neckline higher to keep my belly button from being on display. Both have now been accomplished and I will be wearing this tomorrow, with a cardi I've had on hold for the occasion. The temp is always cool in the office so a second layer is almost always mandatory.

Last night I started digging through some of my newer stash. Stash that hasn't even made it into the closet yet, but instead lives in a pile on the floor because of course I'm going to sew it all up in the next week. Yeah, sure. But I'm glad I did that because it stopped me from clicking the Purchase button on another cart full of irresistibles.

The fabric on the left is a knit which will become another Magic Pencil Skirt. I've been DYING to make another since the first one turned out so well and was so quick. However, I'm going to add a CB seam and kick pleat to this one just to change it up a bit. So much for quick. Hah.

The fabric on the right above or below, I haven't decided yet, will probably be the twist top from Butterick 5429.

It's circled in yellow here. I will need to make a quick muslin first for fit and to decide if I really like it.

Because I'm concerned about these drop shoulders. If not this pattern, I'll pick something else.

Now I'm just waiting for the lights to come back on at Candlestick park so the football game can continue. Looks like it's time to fire up the Kindle while I wait.

Let Them (me) Eat Cake

2011-12-17T21:47:00.002-05:00

After months and months (and months and months and months) of not eating cake or anything in the sinful dessert category, I gave myself permission to indulge in the extremely rich and chocolately cake that was put before me at the office party. I decided I earned it, and as you can see, I left no crumb unturned. ;-) The uneaten beauty next to my empty plate is the raspberry edition. Imagine the same pretty little cake but all in chocolate. It was worth it. DeeLISH. And much better than the rubber chicken for the entreé. OK, it wasn't really rubber and was quite good, but it certainly wasn't chocolate cake.

The party was fun. There were silly videos shown lampooning bosses and coworkers. I didn't know most of the ~~victims~~ subjects since they work in a different location, but they were still funny and my tablemates were kind enough to explain the really obscure references. It was also nice to meet some people face to face that I've only dealt with via telephone or email. And hey, I was NOT introduced as "This is our TEMP Debbie," but instead as "This is Debbie, a new addition to the Marketing Department." Gives a girl hope.

Most of the office cleared out shortly after our return from the party, but with a huge deadline looming, I not only stayed late last night but I went in today for 6 hours and continued some graphics work from my home computer upon my return. That's OK. A check full of overtime the week before Christmas will be quite welcome. And, of course, the Good Worker points are priceless in my quest to turn this gig permanent.

As I hinted, I ended up wearing the skirt with the red jeweled shell, the red drapey cardi, and the black belt. There was lots of red & black, and just black, so I fit right in. The only semi-issue I had with the skirt was climbing into the back seat of a car. Without a kick pleat, I had to maneuver trickily while still maintaining a ladylike posture. In the future, I think I will add a kick pleat, not that I can't do ladylike postures …