Creepy Craft Crusades: Emotional Brew

Such a mix of feelings this month has brought so far.

A mix of several inconveniences, and one giant wallop of good news.

The good news is that government shutdown is officially over.
My husband went back to work this past Thursday from his two week and a half furlough. What's more, we've received news that the whole time will be back-paid to us... at least the federal employees. 

I wouldn't call the lost time a "vacation", because that would mean ignoring the worry and anxiety of waiting for a conclusion, for the perception that this time was somehow enjoyable...

Anyway.

Since it was an emotionally taxing month, it seems only natural that I would immerse myself completely in my sewing... it's the best way that I can wind down or blow off steam, and it works oh so well.
I admit to being slightly surprised that this sewing streak is still going strong despite having lost a great chunk of worry-- at this point my fingers and brain would be telling me to slow down and enjoy the "victory"... but no.

I have begun yet another commercial pattern (from my latest pattern haul) which will later be reviewed upon successful completion. For now, all I have to offer is the muslin stage of the bodice from one of the said dresses, and a semi-panoramic view of my sewing room in its current state:

Before this pattern and after the shorts I created last post, I (reluctantly) drafted the pattern and already sewn a pair of Star Wars shorts for my husband. They feature my very first attempt at seam pockets-- which came out beautifully.
The reason for my reluctance was purely because it's Star Wars, and I'm a Trekkie.
I think it's safe to say that love hath no boundaries.

However!  I am allowed one petty act, I think, heh...
The miss-matched pattern of the fabric was an intentional but subtle jab.
I didn't want the shorts to be the very best that they could be, even though it really really disturbs my inner seamstress.
As I've finished mentioning, we may be husband and wife, but I am and was always a Trekkie... at least the rest of it has my best efforts, hah!

He's also sporting a bleach dye shirt I made him, too! It's one I made him months ago, but I just never blogged about-- there's a lot of projects that go unblogged. It's a Spinal Tap shirt!
Here's the back of it:

If you haven't seen the mockumentary that started a real band, then I suggest you watch it ASAP. It's quite funny, and surprisingly catchy.

And so comes the part where I let you in on a couple bits of bad news...
One of the issues that caused the shutdown was really only postponed... meaning this all could potentially happen yet again!
And for extra fun, both my main and spare pair of glasses suffered unfortunate accidents...

Skeleton Closet: Simplicity 2367 Review -- Reader's Choice

After months of planning on creating the shorts from one of these patterns (view D--simplicity). I finally got around to sewing it.
Since it isn't my pattern originally, the first thing I did was to copy each individual piece onto tissue paper... although, I really feel like that should be done no matter what; it extends the life of the pattern.

Anyway, in the post I linked, I had a bit of choice in front of me that I left up to my readers-- which one was I to make first? It wasn't a unanimous choice, but the shorts ended up being it.

And here it is. I changed my design decisions a bit from the initial plan-- it wasn't a large deviation, but instead of the intended venetian lace trim around the leg bands, I chose to create an overlay on the pockets; a little more subtle, just so I can easily match it up with anything in my wardrobe. It has a side zipper closure, and the pockets are quite deep and roomy.

During the mock up, which is too ugly for photos ( pale yellow satin marked with purple felt tip) I noticed some errors on the pattern and on the directions; I hope they were found and quickly fixed... but in this copy, they are present.

The mistakes are concentrated around the waist band; when you're piecing the 4 waist band pieces (2 front, 2 back) together you end up with 2 completed waist bands; one is your facing. Quite regrettably, I didn't take any photos of this, so this is going to sound profoundly confusing... I will create an example and update this post in the future.

The confusion comes when you're stitching them together; it directs you to stitch each band at the right side seam, which I assumed was the right sides of both front pieces because it did not specify.
When I started piecing the completed bands onto the shorts, I noticed that the facing wouldn't line with the base band; it ended up front with back, instead of front and front. So, you'll need to stitch to the left seam of one of the bands and it'll be correct in the end-- the one with only one side of interfacing so that the front won't be too stiff.
Next, the dot marks on the pattern piece of the front waist bands needed to mark where the front tabs go is not printed in for size 14-- which is the size I am. I took my seam gauge and approximated the distance between each dot for each size and then made the dot mark for my size.

Once again, I deeply apologize for not taking photos of this-- it's rather important if you're going to undertake this pattern.

But anyway. Near completion I realized I only had 14 inch invisible zippers, and this pattern needed a 7 inch zipper.


Since I don't have zipper stops, I had to DIY it. I first thought of melting the teeth together at the length I needed, but then I remembered I didn't have my soldering wand for precision melting...
Using super glue will fall off after a few washes, and stitching an overcast stop tears apart after enough wear... next best thing? Nail polish coated overcast stitch.

I figured this method out after a few bad trials with most DIY stop methods. I deduced that since nail polish makes a great fray check that stays nearly indefinitely, why wouldn't it work for protecting the overcast zipper stop. Best idea ever, I tell ya... and yes, I'm tooting my own horn.

As I mentioned, the pockets are done with an overlay of lace, and binded with bias tape-- although the pattern calls for folding under and top stitching all around. I liked the look of the bias tape.

All in all the pattern needed very little alteration-- I just added a bit of length to the leg bands because they were a touch too tight when I sat down. But yes, it was a nice weekend project... and luckily we are still of the weather to wear shorts down here in the deserty south.
Oh and the buttons! Can't forget about the buttons... they're my favorite! They're metal skull shank buttons that I picked up on Etsy several months ago.

What I am Wearing:

• Top: K-mart
• Shorts: Self-made with Simplicity pattern 2367 in view D
• Shoes: Hand-me-downs from my momma's old wardrobe