30 Minutes a Day for September

This month, I have been trying to ensure that I spend 30 minutes a day in the sewing room actually doing something to move projects forward. I found that I would head into the sewing room but get distracted by the computer and leave an hour later having accomplished nothing. It's only been the last few days that I have kept track of the actual tasks that I accomplished, but I have found that it's keeping me on track so I'll probably keep doing that through October.

If anyone's interested, here's what I managed to get done over the last 5 days:

26th: Cut out Lady Macbeth costume, fused interfacing to back shoulder seam, started to lay out skirt pattern

27th: Cut out Style Arc skirt pattern from LM costume leftovers, worked on LM costume: stitched centre back seam and one shoulder seam, pinned down trim around neckline

28th: Worked on LM costume: stitched down trim around neckline, closed other shoulder seam, sewed in sleeves, sewed side seams and tried on!

29th: Worked on LM costume: eased top edge of trim, turned and stitched neckline, pinned trim to sleeves; Chose pattern for Pocahontas costume

30th: Finished Lady Macbeth costume: stitched down trim on sleeves, trimmed hem to right length. Worked on Pocahontas costume: prepped fabric, traced and altered pattern.


Goals for October: 

Continue to spend 30 minutes a day working on actual projects

1. Pocahontas costume
2. Buy some gold cord to use as a 'waist' tie for my Lady Macbeth costume 
3. Take photos of the costumes! 
4. Style Arc Susan Skirt
5. Tennis Outfit
6. White Long shorts for me
7. (Yarn-related) Honey Cowl - Nearly done
8. (Yarn-related) Marigold Cardigan - Half done
9. White Burda Plus Top 
10. Navy HP Blouse Back Tee

I know it looks ridiculous, but most of the stuff is half done already - or dead simple. Anyway, we'll see how far I get through my list.

Wrap Dress Muslin

I've been working on this wrap dress muslin for a while now. I find that when I run into significant fit issues it can make my mojo dry up faster than the speed of light. I've been consciously 'forcing' myself to sew for a minimum of 30 minutes a day, so that I can push past this point. Once I have these issues worked out, then I know I'll be fine. I have a number of knit pieces that would work beautifully in a dress like this, so it's worth it to me to get the pattern adjusted properly.

Initially I was inspired by dresses like this Diane Von Furstenberg dress (which I know is sewn from a woven):

DIANE VON FURSTENBERG Starred Clouds Coral Silk Valencia Dress 

Pattern: Ottobre 05/2013 #17

Size: 52 (although I may need to be sewing a smaller size in future)

Muslin made from Peacock poly-knit

Alterations made BEFORE cutting muslin: 

• Added 1" to sleeve width at bicep
• Extended front to be a full width piece (faux wrap) and cropped the under layer
• Added 1.25" to back side seam at butt level

Observations: 

• Dress is far too wide at neckline, bra straps are showing. 
• Dress is FAR too low at neckline - entire front of bra is showing
• It just feels too big overall - especially around the neck and shoulder area
• When I pulled the front crossover tighter, it pulled the side seams to the front, so I can't just do that...there is a chance that I pulled too much across. Perhaps I could do this if I only shaved off a little. 
• It almost feels as though I want to make a honking great dart on the underlayer to pull it in tighter. 

Alterations which still need to be made: 

• Raise neckline (ie. insertion point at side seam) by about 3 - 4"
• Bring in shoulders (reduce neck width)
• Remove length from skirt - not too much, but it is currently at granny level for me
• Bring in side seams, particularly at bust level
• Perhaps sew a smaller size, especially around the neck/shoulder area?
• For summer, sew a short sleeve, perhaps flare the skirt and the sleeve?

Achievable Plans for September

Apparently, goals are meant to be achievable...so I've pruned my original list and have settled on these items I'd like to get done by the end of this month.

I'm kind of cheating a little, because I'm fairly certain I'm going to buy the shorts, at least I HOPE I can buy the shorts. My DD is firmly in that stage where she's being very picky about her clothing, and the rules seem to be arbitrary.

The rest is all simple sewing (as you'd expect from me). I do want to tackle some more complex projects next month, but these garments are more urgently required.

Garment Sewing: 
1.  Knit Wrap Dress - Muslin UNDERWAY - AND THROWN IN BIN. Will start this one again next month with some further modifications.

This is the pattern I'm using - Ottobre 5/2013 - with some modifications to ensure modesty for work.

2.  Long shorts for DD (3 pairs - CHEATER ALERT - DID END UP BUYING THESE)
3.  Halloween costume for me - NEARLY DONE
4.  Halloween costume for DD - HAVE BOUGHT THE SUPPLIES
5.  Tennis skirt for me

Goals: 
Incorporate a minimum of 30 minutes of sewing each day

Shopping list: 
Seam tape