Sunday, March 30, 2008

Problem Child

I am pretty excited because I finished the linen/rayon blouse that was giving me so much trouble a couple of weeks ago. As is so often the case, the problem child has ended up being near and dear to her mother's heart. I just love this blouse: the rumpled look of the linen (hey, what can I say...it camouflages those puckers!); the buttons my daughter picked out; the tunic length; the cuffs, which, for some reason, just strike me as being really beautiful. Thanks to everyone who offered advice an encouragement, here and at PatternReview. It's due in large part to you that this blouse was finished rather than becoming a wadder. Although this is not "officially" a part of my PatternReview mini-wardrobe, it is, in fact, the first piece of my new wardrobe capsule.

I have high hopes for my April sewing projects...let me list them for you.

* A birthday dress for my granddaughter, for which I've found the most adorable fabric. You can't see it in the photo, but it's sparkly!

* Also some clothes for her American Girl "Girl of Today" doll, a hand-me-down from my 16 year old daughter, using Simplicity 7083.

* Several ribbon belts for my oldest daughter.

* Muslins of Butterick 4991, McCall's 2818 and (hopefully) Burda 7944 in preparation for the mini-wardrobe contest.

I also have two other tops I'm itching to make, which will be great add-ons to my mini-wardrobe. I seriously need to figure out how to carve more sewing time from each day. Suggestions, anyone?

11 comments:

Kat said...

It's going to be great to see that blouse, and the fabric for your granddaughter is so cute!

Nancy Winningham said...

I'd love to know how to carve out more sewing time. No matter how much time I have to sew - it's usually not enough! Reading your post made me think of my own daughter's AG dolls which are now stored away for "the future" I wonder if I will be making some American Girl doll clothes in a few years.

Paula Gardner said...

I love making doll clothes. I was lucky enough to inherit my daughter's other AG doll, Josefina (DD's grandmother's name, by the way), so I'll be making some clothes for my doll, too, much to my DD's embarassment.

Dawn said...

Wow, I love those cuffs too. The more I sew I realize that it is all in the details. You're right, those buttons are perfect and so is your topstitching. I can't tell from the pictures, is it a slit or is there another piece of fabric behind it? I am thinking what I see is just the other side of the cuff but can't tell . . .

Paula Gardner said...

It's a slit, not a pleat. Well, it's not really a slit, either, as the cuff was never continuous, and then you slit it, if that makes sense. A pleat would also be cool.

It's really in the details for me since I wear a lot of solids and not so many prints. I'm trying to branch out, though.

Marita said...

What a lovely cuff!!!!:-)

When Ladies Dressed said...

Oh Paula, I love linen too! When people talk about how it wrinkle, I stick my fingers in my ears and say "la, la, la, la". I recently made a linen/cotten blend dress. The linen gave it a beautiful drape. I can't wait to see what else you make from it!

Paula Gardner said...

You may be pleasantly surprised, then, as it's going to be a major component of my mini-wardrobe. I'm not sure what it is about the linen. It's like it's elegant and casual at the same time. I just love it!

Bunny said...

Paula, if the rest of the blouse is anything like those fabulous cuffs, you sure have a winner! Can't wait to see the rest as well as DGD's outfit too.

Bunny said...

I find linen very seductive too. If someone has a problem with the wrinkles, its their problem, not mine. I don't think any wardrobe can have too much linen.

Paula Gardner said...

I think I have around 9 yards of linen sitting around my sewing room right now: black, white, black metallic and white metallic. As for those cuffs...they do look really cool, but honesty forces me to say, the picture more than does them justice. The picture is probably going to end up gracing one of the walls in my sewing room.