Old Man Shirt Upcycle

Finally I finished my plaid shirt redo! This project ended up much more complicated than I intended it to be, or indeed should have been. That said, I must admit I'm kind of proud of it---this is the first piece of clothing that I feel like I designed entirely on my own. I've never done a tutorial, but maybe I'll make another one of these sometime and give some instructions (I need to tweak my process considerably before that can happen). Anyway, enough yammering---here it is...

(before and afters)
Cute, right? I'm happy that I decided to add the bow, not so happy that I put a zipper off-center front (I was going for something more edgy in the beginning). This top doesn't look too great with my old jean capris, but I picture it looking fabulous with a dark blue, high-waist skirt. Ah, don't you just love how new ideas just present themselves, unsolicited? :-) I headed to Hancock's yesterday and picked up some dark blue rayon challis (?) that will serve my purposes just lovely.
Something else I need to work on is clearing my closet of some articles of clothing that haven't seen the light of day in forever due to minor fitting/style issues. I have two piles going right now; one to donate, another to alter/upcycle/whatever you like to call it.

Monday Plaids

Alas, my weekend off is o'er, and the next I'll be working. Jake and I had a great time; we watched a couple of movies, went to Shakespeare in Central Park. On my own I did some crafting, baking, cooking, and shopping. I finished the plaid skirt that I mentioned in my previous post...
I'm fairly happy with it, even though it's probably not as full at the hem as it should be, and I look like I'm sagging it on this picture. Ah well, I can't expect too much from a pattern that I whipped up on my own, right? This was super easy; I measured my hips, then cut a rectangle that was my hip measurement + 3" for seam allowance and some fullness x the length that I wanted the skirt to be + 1" for the seam allowance. Then I just sewed the side seams (matching the plaids), added a casing for the wide elastic to go through at the top, and hemmed it by folding the bottom under 1/2" and then topstitching on the right side. Easy peasy. My next project is to make some sort of feminine top out of this men's shirt that I picked up while thrifting this weekend.I've seen many cute ideas using men's shirts, such as this shirt from JezzePrints; and this skirt from BurdaStyle; However, neither of these is quite what I'm imagining, or would work well with the plaid. I'm in desperate need of flattering summer tops, and most of the photos/tutorials that I found for this project were kind of baggy. Hopefully I'll dream up something during the night, and have the time to whip it up tomorrow before work!

Karate Dress Lady

Well my dress is done, such as it is. I'm a bit disappointed, as usual---my projects rarely turn out quite like I expect them to. My biggest problem with this dress is all the bunching that occurs in the bodice when I put the belt on, and the big time shapelessness that occurs when I don't put the belt on. Sigh. As reflected in the title of this post, I feel a bit like some sort of pseudo karate kid.
Next project; plaid skirt!

New Project, Same Frustrations

So I recently decided that I really need a new dress for summer. This decision may have been prompted by sweating too much in my jean capris in our 90 degree weather here in Louisville, I can't say for sure. I headed off to Joann's with my expired 50% off coupon (which I was informed of at the register) and hit the books. Although I had envisioned a shirtwaist type of deal, I was unable to find a pattern that captured what I had in my mind, so I decided to go a different route, and picked New Look 6803, which had a breezy, loose-but-not-baggy look to me. I've used New Look patterns before, and I've been generally satisfied (plus they cost $3.99!). Some of the directions are vague (I think they assume that the sewer knows enough to press, finish edges, etc.), but they work OK as long as you've followed patterns before. Anyway, the pattern includes a cute tie-belt thing that I figured would give me some sort of waist.

I then perused the fabric section for a good hour (I'm infamously indecisive), and ended up buying a 100% cotton fabric in navy that had a linen-y feel to it, along with a 100% cotton in mustard (sateen, I believe?). I just couldn't find the floral, natural fiber fabric that I was looking for, and figured navy would probably be more flattering in any case. My fabric lingo could use some work, my apologies.

The next day I cut out the whole shebang. Once again, I was appalled to discover that, according to my measurements, I was supposed to make a size 16! Now I'm a big girl, I won't lie, but I have never worn a 16. So I followed my instincts and went ahead and cut it out in size 14 (gutsy, I know ;-)). Note that this size is still bigger than anything I would buy. If anyone can offer me some sense regarding pattern sizing, please do. After putting Wigfield by Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris, and Paul Dinello to play in my computer, I sat down to sew. After about 1.5 hours of relatively smooth going, the main dress was done, aside from the hem!


I hopefully pulled the dress over my head, but my fears were confirmed; it's too big! I mean, it isn't huge, but it's definitely baggier than I would have liked. Today I hope to make the tie belt, so we'll see if that cinches it up satisfactorily, otherwise I may have to consider some alterations (ugh). However, I was pretty happy with the little pleats at the neckline--I think they're a nice detail to an otherwise very simple design. My camera is mediocre, but hopefully you can see those.

I supposed that the fitting issue was my own fault. I have yet to use the proper process and make a muslin first. My patience has not developed enough yet, I suppose. However, I can see myself making this pattern again once I find a nice floral, and when I do I think I'll try a size 10. Tomorrow I'll post a shot with me wearing the final product (which hopefully won't be the last time I don this getup). God be with you!

Statement of Intent

Welcome to Dosey Dotes!

My name is Miriam, and I've been crafting and journaling for years for my own personal satisfaction, and I've decided to finally join the 21st and put those interests together here on the world wide web ;-). I'm not terribly proficient or articulate, but I'm eager to share my projects, and to get feedback from my fellow crafty ladies and gents to help me in the creative process.

My favorite craft is sewing, but I have MUCH to learn! I'm for the most part self-taught, learning through following patterns and trial and error, so I love to glean practical tips and inspiration from other blogs and books.

I hope you enjoy your pit stop at my site!