Nip and tuck

Wow! I've managed to stay awake all day today...though I've not had my tea yet and that's usually what pushes me over the edge! I'm grateful it's ready made tortellini with some simply cooked veggies tonight so the making of it is unlikely to wear me out... I'm grateful for the washing done and good drying weather even for inside an open window, but even more so that I chose yesterday to go out when it was brighter and breezier and the sea was much more bouncy.

I'm grateful for rediscovering the delights of dressmaking. The speed at which I'm working is giving me ample time to savour ie each process is very slow and and there has to be a lot of rest time in between. It is very different from my snippy zippy making money from it days but all the tricks I learnt to save time and effort and materials are deeply ingrained so it's been fun to uncover them again. It feels like rediscovering a part of me. 

I give thanks I took my sewing machine in for a service, as the stitching is gliding along. The dress to skirt remodelling is going well so far. Over the last couple of days I've cut off the bodice and made a yoke by cutting that first tier shorter and turning over the top to make two channels for elastic. I wanted to leave all the ready made gathering and the hem intact but that meant the middle bit between the yoke and the frill was too long so I planned to make some tucks...then when I was looking for some elastic in my bits and bobs I found some lace so that's gone under the first tuck, tho I'll need some more for the second one . I've ordered a reel of elastic too...it's much cheaper that way...there'll be a lot of elastic involved in my new clothes!

I've also started cutting out the pieces for a blouse. This is using a bought pattern...well adapting it...and if it works out I'll copy it onto some wallpaper leftovers so I can make some more garments from it. I haven't used one for a very long time and I'd forgotten how desperately unhelpful many of the instructions are, so I'm giving a lot of thanks that I actually do know what to do!