Recently in about me, sagaciously Category

...And I'm not sure what I intend to do with this space yet, other than to write.

However, given that I haven't had a "voice" in over a year, it feels good to have my voice back.  For now, that's more than enough :-)

Got suggestions?  You know what to do....the comment boxes of the blog are open....lol

It's an end of an era...

I've been blogging since November 24, 2001

Much of it has been personal. VERY personal. So personal, in fact, that it's become burdensome. If you're wondering why I'm stopping - that's it, in a nutshell. The joy I once felt in writing in this space is gone, for more reasons than I care to recount. But I am busy, things have changed - and I'd rather spend my time doing things, than talking about doing them.

My only goal when I started blogging/writing was to make some sense of what I was going through. And to tell the truth.

Blogging has evolved dramatically in the last 9 years, and with it....comes the time to ask myself if I need to evolve also. The answer is yes.

So, with that - it's time to go.

I want to thank you - those of you that have taken the time to read my stuff, and give me feedback, comments, email me, etc. I appreciate all that you've shared with me, positive and negative.

And no, I haven't stopped writing completely - it's just time for the journey to take a new direction.

This leg is over.

Now on to the next.....

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Yeah, I've been MIA - but I've been busy, and that's a good thing ;)

So, my friends decided that they were coming to visit Atlanta for the holidays, and wanted to go on New Year's eve. Now, I haven't been out on NYE since the early 90's, so I wanted to look fabu and have a fabu time - cause it may be the last NYE that I'll be going out on the town.

So the question of the day for me was - what to wear? And the first answer that popped in my mind was that YSL Lurex jumpsuit that I talked about in the plus sized trend shopping post in November.

However, not only did I not have $1,690 laying around for an outfit, but to my knowledge, YSL doesn't make clothes for women my size. So what's a fashionista on a budget to do? Bust out that Singer (or in my case, Baby Lock), hit up the fabric store - and Tim Gunn it.

And just in case you all have a desire to DIY it, I'm providing details ;)

Patterns:: First, let's talk about finding the pattern. I stalk Butterick & Vogue Patterns' websites regularly, and I sorta doubted I'd find the exact jumpsuit I wanted, which was true. What I did end up finding (via Google) is a host of Vintage pattern and craft sites like Lanetzliving, along with Ebay and Ecrater. So, I ordered 2 jumpsuit patterns initially, both with sleeveless looks, but back variations. However, I really wanted a halter-back jumpsuit, so after hitting up all my previous sites, I found a vintage pattern on eBay, Butterick 3934:

Note that the pattern was NOT my size - it was actually a few sizes too small. So, although I really liked the style, I knew alterations were in my future. But I love a challenge!

Fabrics:: This actually took a LOT more effort than the pattern. As any seamstress, designer, or reality tv show will tell you - fabric selection is e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. I could list all the websites and brick & mortar fabric stores I visited, and it would take up most of this post. So, the main point is, there are a ton of online fabric shops that have good selections in typical fabrics, like Denver Fabrics, Vogue Fabric Stores, and even exceptional, one-of-a-kind fabrics such as Emma One Sock. But they only came close, and I needed the fabric to be dead on.

So, we finally hit up local brick & mortar stores. My good friend Chelle pointed me to Peachtree Fabrics, but unfortunately although the selection is amazing, the only carry decorator fabrics. After hitting up a couple of other stores and asking tons of questions, the lovely ladies at Forsyth Fabrics (down to earth Jersey girls like Chelle) sent me to Gail K.

Cue the aww-AWW music, and let a gold halo shine on this store, m'kay?! The selection was amazing, I mean the store was overrun with stuff: sequins, prints, jacquards, lurex, organza, wools, heavyweight tweeds, etc. In other stores, when I said Lurex, the staff gave me that Scooby-doo "hunh" look. In Gail K, when I said Lurex, the staff pointed to a whole rack of bolts of fabric. Sweet!

Alterations:: As I said, the pattern was several sizes too small. So, I had to consult several sources to figure out how to resize it. I came across several techniques, including the splitter techique and the pivot & slide technique. However, I found a book that details the pivot & slide technique:

...except I made the pattern about 4 sizes too big. What to do?!

Tim Gunn-ing in this piece:: the interesting thing about committing to something is that, under the gun, when the resources are depleted (read: you're broke) and time is short...you will MAKE IT WORK. Which is what I did. I mean, I was clipping, resewing, trimming, reclipping, trying on, starting over....I think a person with less patience would have given up. But this chick was c.o.m.m.i.t.t.e.d. I kept at it, until it started looking like the picture in my head, and like a sculpture, it eventually, with more whittling and slicing, started looking like I wanted it to....and eventually:

Not bad, hm? I'm rather proud of myself....it might not be an exact replica, but I think it's pretty good for a first (after a long non-sewing hiatus) attempt.

Aight, gotta go...I have a ton of back-in-the-day fabrics/projects to now tackle. Project Saga continues....lol