Yep, Dan is still out of town. You can tell because there is a big pile of old BurdaMags on his side of the bed now. I like to flip through them before I go to sleep sometimes, and now that he’s not here, I see no reason to take them off of the bed at all. That’s right, I curl up with my Burdas at night now. (Hey, there’s that oversharing again!)
Sewing alone time continued yesterday, with the beginnings of Camicia #9 from the May 2010 issue of La Mia Boutique:
Molto bella! That lady sailor looks like she’s having a really good time. I fully expect to be in a similar state of bliss when my shirt is done too. Albeit with less belly on display.
This shirt is loooong. You can see that it’s long on the model, but I mean it is *really* long. And I don’t mean that in a The-Selfish-Seamstress-is-short way, because the Selfish Seamstress is actually quite long waisted (double whammy!) and shirt length usually isn’t much of a problem. Anyway, I basted it all together and it was pretty ridiculous. Wearing it not tucked in would be goofy, and you just can’t tuck that much fabric into your pants. I ended up taking about 5″ off the bottom of it and now it’s looking more normal shirt length. Here’s the current state of things:
In other exciting news, I finally took my rotary cutters (and cutting mat) out for an inaugural spin! More on that later though. As you can see, I’m using bottles of multivitamins as makeshift pattern weights :)
The fabric is some some leftover stretch poplin from Dan’s Belated Valentine shirt. The rotary cutter is making it really easy for me to be super economical with the layout, and it’s possible I may be able to make an entire blouse out of just one measly yard of fabric! We’ll see- I haven’t cut the collar yet. (Don’t worry, I have more of this fabric if I need it.)
I’m considering using a different sleeve than the one the pattern uses, and I’ve still got a ways to go on the shirt. Yesterday in the late afternoon, I decided that since I was by myself, I may as well put the sewing on pause and go out for some single girl Argentine tango dancing.
23 comments
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June 28, 2010 at 9:05 am
sueanfang
Hmm, I usually have a big pile of Burdas by the bed when Hubby is in it! But he’s away for 3 days, so they may just stay on the bed too!
June 28, 2010 at 11:23 am
betsy ross
Wow, what a lovely fabric choice. You’re going to fall in love with the rotary cutter I think- I know I did! Skip the ‘real’ pattern weights though. I made some bags of sand that work a treat, and they were practically free.
June 28, 2010 at 12:16 pm
Paunnet
That purple looks wonderful!
If you need any help with the instructions feel free to ask me, I’m Italian!
June 28, 2010 at 3:35 pm
selfishseamstress
Thanks! I’m fluent in Italian as long as I’m reading a menu :) I’m mostly ignoring the instructions for now (Google translate makes for some weird instructions), but I’ll let you know if I run into trouble :)
June 28, 2010 at 12:43 pm
Dei
Very nice on the blouse sew far. Nice rich color. I know you tame the length into perfection.
June 28, 2010 at 12:59 pm
Sherry
Nice shirt, but I agree it is crazy long! I was thinking what a nice sleeve it too – slim cut with cute gathers – but I’ll let you change it if you want ;-)
June 28, 2010 at 3:37 pm
selfishseamstress
I’m thinking now I may go with the original sleeve. I’m generally not a fan of the long sleeve with gathers at the top, but it seems to be sort of fitted. I may make another version of this in a different color with a different sleeve later though.
June 28, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Colleen P.
That’s what I love about princess seam shirts-you can make a tiny amount of fabric go a LONG way. The color is lovely as well, aubergine is a great color and works well with so many other things (it’s stunning with charcoal, BTW, and we know how Ms. Selfish loves her charcoal wool!)
June 28, 2010 at 3:37 pm
selfishseamstress
Oh, I do! And I was already mentally pairing them in my mind. Mmmm… charcoal wool…
June 28, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Beth (SunnyGal Studio)
You are brave with the rotary cutter. I have sliced my hand, the table and other things that were not the target. Just can’t seem to get the hang of it except for making bias binding. (which I now love to do) I am speedier with my trusty Fiskars scissors.
Love the purple poplin, e una domanda, parla italiano? Ho bisogno provare La Mia Boutique. non ho mai visto.
June 28, 2010 at 1:33 pm
Tenshi
Lovely pattern and lovely fabric. Actually, if I had that magazine, I would surely make that blouse, and I don’t think it can exist in any other color but purple or maybe teal.
June 28, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Kerry
So, what does one Selfish Seamstress wear when she goes Tango dancing? Inquiring minds want to know.
June 28, 2010 at 3:39 pm
selfishseamstress
You know, it’s been a while since I’ve done the full tango getup. Tango wear with all of its asymmetrical hems and flounces and black chiffon always looks kind of 1990′s Rampage to me. I tend to go with jeans or black pants and a black top, or something like that.
June 28, 2010 at 3:22 pm
PetitePear
I love the color and can’t wait to see how you change the sleeves. If you don’t mind me asking, what size are you in La Mia? I think we’re the same size (4 simplicity, 32 Burda) so it would be helpful if one day I manage to get my hands on La MIa. While we’re at it, what about Patrones size? Thanks!
June 28, 2010 at 3:40 pm
selfishseamstress
Hmm. I haven’t sewn enough from either to know whether the sizing is consistent across garments. I know that I usually grade down one size from the smallest size given. That’s what I did with this blouse pattern, so I think that means I’m sewing a 36?
June 28, 2010 at 3:38 pm
Victoria Baylor
I am soooo loving this blouse. The color and style is fab! It’ll suit you well (wink)!
June 28, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Tasia
Love that luscious purple colour!
June 28, 2010 at 7:34 pm
LynnRowe
Excellent! I love the SS blog, and La Mia Boutique. And now, a twofer! lol! Love that pattern, and your fabric choice. :)
June 28, 2010 at 11:47 pm
Kara
That is going to be a beautiful blouse! I’m in love with the color. But more importantly, The Selfish Seamstress tangos?! Awesome! I teach Argentine Tango (and also sew, but my sewing blog is doesn’t exist yet.).
June 29, 2010 at 4:59 am
Angela
Oo… love the color… it’s going to be gorgeous!
June 29, 2010 at 7:04 am
Marie-Christine
Very funny what people do to enjoy being by themselves.. I had a gf who’d drink Coke when I was out of town, as if I’d ever censored Coke but never mind. I have trouble myself with piles of Burdas in the bed, because I read lying down and the Burdas flop too much. I enjoy my large piles of open Burdas on the couch, even more anti-social :-). Keeps the cat hair from my side though.
August 8, 2010 at 7:59 am
Plum poplin and pintucks « The Selfish Seamstress
[...] I’m planning on making several changes to this dress- making the collar band a little less tall, eliminating the waist bow, skipping out on the prescribed tulle petticoat (Petticoat with an A-line skirt? Hrmmm.), and ditching the pockets. I’m not so keen on pockets right over my belly on a dress. I’m also finding that the bodice of this dress is super short even though I didn’t make any petite adjustments to it at all, so I’m going to drop the waistband a smidge. And I’m going to skip the bodice lining as well. It makes sense for BurdaMag’s original fabrics (moiré and taffeta!) but not so much for the lightweight poplin shirting I’m using (leftover from Dan’s Valentine shirt and the still-unfinished Camicia #9). [...]
August 23, 2010 at 8:45 am
Camicia No. 9- finished! « The Selfish Seamstress
[...] may recall Camicia No. 9 from some time back, when I got annoyed with the crazy sleeves, and then put it aside for a while [...]