June BWOF of the month - BWOF 06-2008-103

Copying Christina - I've decided I need to sew up at least one project from BWOF each month. Else, I refuse to allow myself to buy it. At $10+ a pop, its pretty expensive eye-candy.



Which brings me to this month's project - BWOF 06-2008-103. The instant I saw these shorts, I knew I wanted to make them. The project was marked 2 dots - so, theoretically, I could sew it, and the shorts just looked so summery, I was sold.



There's a lot of pattern pieces to this one - 7, to be exact. Also, some details that are, in my opinion, definitely not 2-dot - for example, the zippered welt pockets, which I decided I would not freak out about, and simply try (worked well, I highly recommend diving in, what's the worst that could happen, anyway?). My pockets aren't perfect, but they look ok, and are functional. (Kathleen Fasanella's zippered welt pocket tutorial is pretty useful reading - I recommend it highly.)



I made my usual BWOF size - 40, taking a few inches off around mid-thigh for the petite-length adjustment. The shorts fit well, but are a tiny, tiny bit loose. I think I'm probably a 39 in BWOF, but am FAR too lazy to bother tracing both the 38 and the 40, and adjusting.



Other things? I ignored the fly front instructions totally, and used Sandra Betzina's tutorial instead. That probably saved me a few moments of swearing. Also, I had a RTW pair of cuffed pants as a reference in front of me when I was doing the cuffs. I'm sure BWOF's instructions were fine for the cuff, I just didn't look.

Finally, the original shorts come with a tie around the cuffs that you thread through eyelets. I was dubious about both eyelet as well as the tie, so left them out totally.

But apart from all of that, I found BWOF's instructions fairly clear and logical. Hmmm. I'm not sure if they are getting better, or I'm learning technique that I can apply to my sewing.

Twin disasters!

I went out last night to listen to a Cajun band. Wore my red dress - and promptly proceeded to spill a glass of red wine over it. Sigh. This is why I drink beer.

So, dress is in sink right now, with milk poured over the stain. (Internet advice for how to get out a red wine stain yielded a ton of suggestions - I'm working my way through them sequentially.)

Sigh. I loved this dress so much!

Other disaster - I've been sewing McCall 4826 in a pink striped seersucker that's been lying around in my stash for a few months. Like a complete idiot, I forgot to adjust for my short torso. I attached the painstakingly ruffled skirt yesterday afternoon, and UGGGHHHH!!!! I haven't had a sewing yuck moment in a while, but this one was it. The ruffles started at my hip, leading to an overwhelming resemblance to a whale!

So now, I have to rip out the skirt stitching, cut an inch or two of the front center waistband, and reattach. I might also have to take out 4-5 inches of fullness on the back skirt - its huge! I don't need 7 feet of fabric bunched up at my waist. Insane!

Bah. Not fun. I'm cranky.

Waiting to get sewing... wanting to get sewing...

I've no time though! A 2.5 hour commute is taking up every available hour, and when I return home, I'm just too exhausted to sew. (July 1st - hopefully, new apartment - will solve this.)

As a result, all I've managed to do in two weeks is make one dress. I used my yellow, grey and white knit to make Simplicity 4074. I was going to make a BWOF, but got too lazy to trace. Plus, I'd made Simplicity 4074 before, and it was all cut out and ready to go.

Again, I like but don't love this dress, and since I've felt like this twice, its the pattern. It might look better with a belt, though.



Question - can I wear this to work? I work in a business casual office. Could I get away with this on a Friday? Please weigh in... (Also, if it doesn't fit, looks strange, etc, please weigh in...)

Getting to know me better...

So, I started a new job Friday. Which means dramatic lowering of sewing output. (Otherwise a good thing, though, I'm really enjoying myself.)

Since I haven't been sewing, I'll do my meme instead. Lilia and Christina both tagged me - so here goes!

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Working as a software engineer, living in Cleveland, getting over a boy...

2.) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
I had a lot of work related things, which aren't interesting, and are probably fairly confidential. Other than that...
- I cut out Simplicity 4074 last night, and I'd like to start sewing it.
- Go to sleep early tonight, I'd like to actually catch the train on time tomorrow morning.

3) Snacks I enjoy:
Hmm. I actually don't like a lot of packaged snacks. However, I can eat my body weight in cheese, most veggie appetizers, bread. I love chocolate, though! No chocolate is safe from me.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
- Buy a house. I'd buy an old house - I love old houses.
- Buy a vacation house. Somewhere on a beach.
- Oh, since I'm dreaming, I'd like a plane to fly me to my vacation house.
- I'd do nice stuff for my parents and siblings, of course - house, vacation house, plane, that kind of stuff.
- Have I burned through a billion yet? No? Well, I'd invest in companies that promote alternative sources of energy, organizations that promote education in the Third World, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU.

Although all of these sound pretty fun, and its great to dream, I have to provide context here. I'm mostly truly contented with my life. I have a pretty good life.

5) Places I have lived:
In chronological order - Madras (Chennai), India; Cleveland, OH; Boston, MA (actually, Cambridge); Ann Arbor, MI and now, Mississauga (Toronto), ON.

6) Jobs I have had:
In chronological order - Software intern, Coffee shop girl, software engineer, technology consultant, museum gift shop attendant, management consultant and now, manager (I work in the corporate office of a retailer.)

I'm going to do my usual thing on tagging - if you want to play, please do. I'd love to know more about all of you!

Now, off to tackle the to-do list. Sewing, yay!