Project: FAIL

I have a beautiful rosebush that is going gangbusters right now. (OK, how often do you get to use the term 'gangbusters'?!) I have memories of making rosewater when I was an industrious adolescent. We had some wild rosebushes growing nearby and I followed the directions in The American Girls Handy Book.  The book was originally published in 1887 and is full of all manner of fun old-school DIY projects. Weaving a net for lawn tennis, anyone? The recipe for rose water involved cooking the petals in water, letting them steep, straining them and letting it sit uncapped for a few days. It worked great. Fast forward a few years (imagine the 'few' in air quotes, OK?) and I wanted to make it with the kids. My daughter was game because she likes things that smell beautiful. The 8 year old boy, not so much. My youngest is 4 and he was very excited about this project because he wanted to make perfume for his Auntie Rachel. I decided to go all high-tech and do the 'modern' version which supposedly makes a superior product, bla, bla, bla. I'm telling you, people, it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel! It they say it works in 1887, it still works today, and probably better. I used some fancy method where you basically catch the steam from the simmering petals. It involves lots of ice, lots of supervision, and results in a bowl of water that smells like....water. Twas a bust. Next time I will stick to ye olden methods and see how it turns out.

The Geriatric Line Backer Jacket

How's that for a description? It might be a little harsh, but this jacket is not my favorite. I wanted so badly for it to work. The pattern looked cute on the picture. Here is the issue: the sleeves are pleated and it adds too much bulk at the shoulders. It makes me feel like a football player. The fabric, I think, could have worked if the jacket was more streamlined. However, combined with the linebacker shoulders, I feel like it makes me look like an old lady. (No offense to old ladies!) The question is, what do I do with it now?

The Skirt That Does Not Love Me Back

I love this skirt. Alas, it does not love me back. This is the second time I made this pattern, and I **thought** I had a nice idea of what I would do better. Ha! I added a bit to give it a little more ease in the back, or at least I thought I did. In all honesty, I have no idea what happened. Somehow the same skirt, from the same pattern, turned out not to fit me and I really don't know where I went wrong. I am going to keep it around in hopes that it will work out. The fabric is from the fabulous yard sale we hit a few summers ago. A lady was selling boxes of brand new curtains that she had from her job. (She would photograph them for catalogs) She was selling them really cheap (like a buck or two each). This one is a purplish color...hard to describe and even harder to photograph realistically. It is a nice sturdy weight. The top of the curtain had a whole row of wooden toggle buttons that I cut off and saved for another project. The skirt buttons are vintage shell buttons from the stash that my Grandma and Aunt Phylis so generously gave me last spring. Seriously, I have such an obsession with buttons I could plan whole projects around them! I think a project like this is in my future.

The Devil is This Red Dress

This dress was supposed to be finished in time for the July Dress challenge. I used the Danielle pattern for this catastrophy (see here for a successful rendition) and I chose to use crepe de chine which is a HUGE nightmare. The fabric scorches easily so the facings can'tbe ironed to my liking and the fusing of interfacing on the waistband left permanent marks. AHHHHHHHHHH.... I've decided that I will not be finishing this dress. The one positive thing that came out of it though is that the invisible zipper went in wonderfully :) I always enjoy winning that battle especially when the rest of the project turns out all wrong!

The Dress of Gloom and Despair

So Rachel had this pattern. I loved it and decided to trace the pattern and make one for myself. (Rachel likes when I do this so that I can work out all the kinks and see if its a good pattern before she makes it. Clever girl she is.) So, I found myself some fabric and got to work. My observations are as follows:

• Vogue patterns are made to look very professional, inside and out
• Making a dress look professional includes french seams on EVERYTHING, and linings and facings so that there are no exposed seams
• While that may look all fine and dandy, its a major pain in the behind!!!
• Invisible zippers are a pain
• Especially when they break after you've installed it for the third time
• Having your mom install the zipper is way easier than doing it yourself
• Piping is really fun and a lot easier than I thought!
• Using a hand-me-down shirt to make the piping will make you feel very cheeky
  
• Spending hours and hours on Vogue dress that makes you look like you are smuggling watermelons is very un-gratifying; lets just say the the top part is not, uh, flattering for those who are a little busty ;)