Action and Distraction

It’s been a horrible week at work, battling against managerial incompetence and the usual bullying.  I’m only working four days a week now, to protect my tenuous grasp on sanity, but it can still feel like ten days.  Sigh.  My sewing mojo is struggling to get me into action most days.

Half term now though, a lovely clear ten days to do stuff that makes me happy.  A parcel arrived this week- a beautiful secondhand silk sari that I had forgotten about.  This may help me to get on with my SWAP sewing.  I found I am struggling to decide on the ‘print’ aspect of the rules, and have got bored with making black clothes, despite still having two pairs of much-needed black trousers cut out to wrestle with.  My featured print was originally going to be this one

which inspired me into the ‘mathematical’ [or at least geometrical] style of clothing I’ve gone for.  But I can’t decide what to make it into!  And there’s only a smallish piece too, as it wasn’t cheap.  Maybe I should piece it with some plain black and make another Style Arc Lani?  I’m enjoying wearing the grey one…

Meanwhile, this time of year always makes me crave bright colours to cheer myself up [yes, the Xmas tree is STILL up lol]

SO I fell victim to some very restrained eBay browsing, and ordered the sari.  They are so CHEAP!

It’s beautiful:

The majority of the sari is the top part,  quite a dark red and black abstract pattern, very wearable.  the decorative end piece [‘pallu’] is the more formal, less black front bit.  The gold edging is woven in, not braid, and should be featured somewhere, somehow.  It’s used, and a bit fusty, so I’m about to wash it in the bath to freshen it up  a bit.  This is the eBay listing pic [just £12.99, bargain!]

What to make?  There’s a LOT of fabric, so several things will come out of this.  I think, just for fun, I’ll start with this, ideal for sari fabric, even if I do need to grade it up a fair bit.  [Eight inches is only a bit isn’t it?]

It won’t be work-friendly because of those amazing sleeves, and I don’t care.

I also let myself be distracted by doing some sewing on the patchwork panels for the Cathedral gown [remember that?]  Here’s a reminder of what the panels look like

And here’s the result of about..not sure here…6 hours of hand sewing?

STILL got all the little coloured bits to add, so maybe almost as long again?  That will be panel #4 of five.  Whose idea was this?  Anyway, it’s quite calming to do, listening to my audiobook, even if it does leave my fingers in shreds.  I’ve trained myself to use a thimble, but I think I need one on every finger…

I’m also distracted by musings about this possible SWAP addition- re-fashioning this very Goth dress that’s been languishing in the wardrobe for nearly ten years, ever since our  first Vampire Party.

I was slimmer then, but honest, it’s stretch fabric so workable- I’m thinking of discarding the top, and salvaging the bottom as a skirt.  I think the red MAY need to go, but I’ll see how it looks cut down.  There aren’t many surviving pics of that party, we were making do with a crap camera at the time, and everything was blurry [nothing to do with the drinking, honest guv]

Anyway, that’s another idea that’s percolating.  I also want to get my finger out and enter various challenges that interest me.  I even went so far as to type up a ruddy spreadsheet with dates and timings…then just didn’t do anything about the first few.  I fancied putting in some entries for ‘Dressmaker of the Year’…then read that you have to actually send your garments in.  Forget that, I wear them too often!  ‘Match my Shoes’ on Pattern Review looked perfect for that ‘flamenco’ skirt…but I started it a few days too early for the rules.  Poop.

I’m sticking with SWAP of course, ages to go on that one yet, and will throw my hat in the ring for the ‘One pattern three garments’ challenge at ‘The Sewing Place’.  I’ll most likely go for the Tom & Linda Platt V1415, or the Kathryn Brenne V9114- I need more of those skirts, and I fancy making the trousers, which are not my style at all.  Always worth pushing the boundaries!

That’s MOST of what’s in my head.  Apart from hats.  And more Victorian petticoats.  And finishing two corsets.

Oh dear.

How easily distracted are you?