Swatch for next Simplicity 3759 dress

The above swatch looks more orange than the pretty pale pink it really is. It's more a wearable lipstick in your bathroom bin and less Orangeade. In any event, this is the stretch lace I plan on pairing with a cloud grey (the overcast sky variety not the ones thunderstorm type) super soft jersey for yet another rendition of Simplicity 3759. I'm trying to lighten the load in my closet by using two fabrics at once. The stretch lace will act as an overlay on the basic grey skirt. So to imagine it (as I often do in the pre-production stages) the lace will be on the skirt and the sleeves. To put it all over would be much too heavy. I'm going after a cocktail party at 8 p.m. look, besides, I'd totally lose the ruching detail at the neckline if I put the lace on the bodice. Somehow, I have this idea that I could put a crinoline underneath, but I don't think the skirt's quite long enough, but it would be fun to take Simplicity 3759, the first rendition, to a vintage shop and try one just to see how it would look. Maybe I will one day soon. There's always the vintage apparel shop in Evanston (naturally near Vogue Fabrics on Chicago Avenue, a half-block away from Whole Foods or to the Antique Resale and Thrift Shoppe (which has a new web site - more of a reference point that actual online sales portal).

But back to the stretch lace. It's funny how little I see this stuff in ready-to-wear or even made up in clothes by other sewers. Is it scary to sew? Not if you have the right needle, tension or even stabilizer if necessary. Or is just too sexy looking for everyday wear? It doesn't have to be if it's paired with more meek textiles. In my case, I plan to team it with a dense but still light jersey so I get coverage I need besides, my knit is so humble it will let the lace be the star of the show! I think the dress will be so stunning, I'll feel like wearing a pair of 1950s-era gloves, fascinator and coordinated tights. In my mind (a vast place even if it doesn't look like it), baby no. 2 will outshine no. 1. That isn't the always the case in real life, you know, where the first-born gets all the attention no matter what the second child does to gain notice? At least in my sewing world, the second even third attempt at a pattern can be far superior than my initial attempt. Haven't you found that to be the case?

So while flowered dress's hem is being pinned up, I'm also working at a snail's stride on the High Society hat from Romantic Hand-Knits. I have happily completed the brim, now there's the small matter of working on the crown. Even so I was surprised at how swiftly and easily I started this project. It's been a while since I knitted any lace pattern, so I wasn't sure how hard this hat would be. I'm hoping that the crown is quick work so I can wire the whole shebang already. I'm already contemplating another round on this particular pattern, this time in the suggested Knitpicks yarn. Blue might be pretty, I'm not sure. But I'd love to get something in a tweedy marigold flecked with bark brown, just something I can wear in the fall perhaps. Just maybe.

Here too are some interesting links that you might enjoy reading:
* How to make a t-shirt quilt. This is for all those whale-sized tees in your drawer or even get ones from a friend for a fantastic and personal birthday/holiday gift.
* Shirt Sold Out? DIY.
* The International Millinery Forum, Wagga Wagga, Australia, Jan. 17-22. Registrations are coming faster and furious, according to this blog.
* Finally least but not last, my newest poll results. When I asked how much sewing gets done when it's really hot outside, 40 percent of you responded, "a little." Aah. You're just like me. Over and out.