The Blue Gardenia

#Makenine2019: Butterick 9083. The perfect pencil skirt? January 3, 2019 11:09

I have a mission this year. Actually, I have several. But let's focus on one today: The Perfect Skirt. For me, the perfect skirt is slim and sleek.  As skinny as a pencil. Oh, sure. I like flared. I like full. I do. Absolutely. But not everyday. All that fabric gets in the way. Really.

So. One of my blog series this year will highlight my search for the best pencil skirt pattern. Simply acceptable will not suffice. Just pretty will not make the grade. No. Absolutely not. It. Must. Be. Perfect. 

Butterick 9083 is my first contender. It is slim. It is sleek. But its princess seaming takes it over the top. Right over. In the illustration anyway. But will the actual make live up to the drawing? That, dearly beloved readers, is something I will find out. Later. So. Keep reading. Yes. Each and every day. Promise?


Learning to sew: In which more than my skirt goes mad! July 19, 2010 08:05 1 Comment

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Saturday, I went over to Marticia's for a sewing festival. You recall, dear readers — I know you do, because how could you possibly forget one small step along my sewing journey —that I was quite intimidated by my fraying selvage. So. I bagged up my fabric and my pattern, and I drove over to Marti's so she could show me how to fix it.

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Marticia lost patience with me, because I was taking pictures rather than pulling the thread to get the fabric on grain. Well, duh. I'm a blogger. I have to take pictures. I have to, beloved readers, for you. So that you can view my progress. So that you can be with me as I take baby steps along this path. I'm so unselfish. Really.

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Now. Because you read the headline or title or whatever it is we call the words that go across the blog story to draw you, dear readers, in, you are probably wondering why something — namely, me — was driven mad by this skirt. Well. Here ya go. The reason: The fabric stretch did not go horizontally around my hips. No. It went lengthwise. I do not need a lengthwise stretch. I don't. I don't. I need it around my butt. Otherwise, how will the fabric puff out into an unflattering ball in my buns area? Obviously, I needed a new fabric. Absolutely.  I did not want to waste the Lycra in my yummilicious linen-cotton blend.

So. Marticia to the rescue. Again. She put on her cape. She put on her boots. And she went to her fabric stash. And . . . and . . . drumroll, please . . . she worked her superpower magic and pulled out a piece of jade wool blend. Which just happened to be the right size for my skirt. Yippee skippee. So. It is now cut out. I have only to pull out the tracing paper and the tracing wheel and mark, mark, mark the many darts. Then I'll be ready to sew my Mad Men pencil skirt. I will. Double cartwheels to celebrate. Please.


Channeling Catherine: Hand over the pencil skirt. Or else. July 14, 2010 19:01 3 Comments

Deneuve-newton Being held at gunpoint: Undesirable.

Helmut Newton behind the camera: Fantasy.

Gorgeous Fabrics red plaid stretch cotton:   Facsimile.

Simplicity 2196, copyright 1957: Handy.

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