Good Morning Quilters! I am back in Grand Rapids where my sewing machines are.....where my stash is.....where my collection of UFO's reside.
From last week: The cotton yarn stash is turning into dish clothes and it is a great "car trip" project. So far, I've knitted four and am started to crochet the fifth one.
First this week, I am altering a new dress I just bought. We are going to a couple of weddings soon, and I felt the need to buy a new frock. I seldom wear dresses, but I do like them. This new dress is perfect in almost every way. Not perfect? The neckline is too low in front. (Hubby says "What's wrong with that?") I gave him an eye roll. I decided I could fix it by taking the belt (a chiffon long tie) and repurposing it around the neckline and it would then have a soft bow in the front, covering the low neckline. That's the plan, so I will see if it will work. Otherwise, I may go with plan B...wear an old dress or plan C...buy another new dress. I will let you know next week what happens. The dress:
It doesn't look too low on her, but she's a model....and probably never leans forward or turns her body. But everything fits perfectly when you are a model, right? But I'm an ordinary modest lady, who will be wearing a dress with a bow in the front. :)
What are you working on this week? I read your blogs and you make me want to start new quilts all the time. You are so creative! The new fabric lines coming out this fall are tempting too. My "finish my UFOs" commitment and the "use my stash" commitment must be renewed weekly. Sigh.
Please join the Design Wall Monday linky party below and show us what you are doing. Remember, you don't have to have a design wall, but a design wall really helps you if you can find a place for one. Big thanks to those of you who mention Design Wall Mondays on your blog, and provide a link back to this page. You are my kind of people. So, let's get this party going!
Dishcloths are very nice, I LOVE the dress! I had a dress similar to yours a long time ago. I just pulled one side of the neck over farther to the other side and stitched it. I would love to see your Dear Jane sewn into the flimsy stage this fall at retreat, happy stitching!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing what UFO you decide to tackle next. Couldn't you get a bit of white lace to sew into the that deep V to make it a bit more modest? That would be a lot easier then working with the belt.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the low cut necklines. I know the fashion is to show as much cleavage as you can, but this style looks ridiculous on the flat chested. Hence, you'll usually find me in t-shirts and I rarely wear a dress any more. One of the benefits of being retired.
ReplyDeletePat
I know what you mean by UFOs calling your name at the same time you are being tempted with new fabric lines. It's a constant struggle for me. I like your idea of using the belt to make a bow for the neckline. But the lace insert mentioned above is an option too.
ReplyDeletepersonally I think the dress looks great as it is but I don't have a large bust to worry about if that is what is bothering you - hope you can get it figured out
ReplyDeleteThe RTW neckline struggle is real!!! It's not just that the dresses fit the models perfectly -- the models are usually very thin and flat chested so there are no bosoms on flagrant display! One other option for you would be to insert a piece of lace in the deep V of the neckline, but your bow idea sounds like a good one, too.
ReplyDeleteOn my favourite dress I just put a safety pin on the inside holding both layers together where I prefer them to be.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on using up all that yarn!
the problem with wrap dresses is moving around not just modeling. The wrap tends to open more with each movement. I have a cute wrap top for summer but when I wear it all day I'm tugging at the edges. I made dresses like that back in the 70's with cute little flutter sleeves. They look great on most people so I should go looking for a pattern to try. As if I wear dresses any more here in casual colorado during a pandemic when we just stay home
ReplyDeleteI like to keep a little bag with yarn for dishcloths handy for long car rides, also. I find it hard to find clothing that doesn't have a low neckline these days. I agree that adding a piece of lace might be a nice and easy solution. I also have many UFOs; who doesn't! I think they multiply when we aren't looking.
ReplyDeleteI have several dresses in that style (sad to say I haven't worn them in years!) My way of preserving modesty is to pin the cross over point a little higher. Usually it works very well except when I take it off and get caught in the dress because of the pin. I find wrap bodices really are attractive on lots of figures. Have you seen cotton yarn knit or crochet to make washable covers for "Swiffers"? Check out this link. There is also one for a knit cover. https://www.favecrafts.com/Kitchen-Crochet/Mop-or-Sweeper-Cover-Crochet-Pattern
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
Paul and I had a similar dress discussion lately. When I mentioned that I could not wear it to work because it shows a tad more cleavage than I want, he responded - "I see nothing wrong with that". Husbands!!! Gotta love them :-) I am keeping the dress but strictly for date nights.
ReplyDeleteCute dishcloths! Having a small bust, there are plenty of dresses I would never wear for just the same reason. It is very annoying that so many pretty dresses are so low cut. Sometimes I wear a tank top underneath. Your solution is prettier.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it is hard to get motivated when a project seems so big. I can understand that with Jane Stickle. Maybe you can start with just a few blocks to sash them and that will jump start the project. That is a pretty dress, and I too would feel the need to add some way to make it more modest. I always say I will add a little triangle flap so it looks like there is a blouse underneath, but I usually wind up using the safety pin too.
ReplyDeleteRE: the dress issue - I often put a nice little singlet top with a lace insert under the dress in a coordinating colour. I have a fair amount of bust & totally understand your issue there!
ReplyDeleteThanks for interesting topics. I am currently making "Tea & Cake" quilt from Judy Newman's Book 2 - it's a biggie with approx 1800 1 1/4" hexagons but very pretty. I did want to make the Jane Stickle quilt but those pieces were very tiny & I have had microsurgery on my pointer finger RH) so often can't feel the needle & drop it but I manage. Last quilt was the Lewis Coverlet (Susan Smith) & I took a year to hand piece & hand quilt. Great training for finger rehab. Regards from NSW Australia, Jessica
Hi Judy, good luck with the dress and enjoy those events! Take care.
ReplyDeleteI may be too late with my suggestion for your dress challenge, but I usually throw on a tank under a dress or low cut shirt - it has two benefits since I am always cold too!
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