My Life as a Luchadora

My Life as a Turkey,  I never thought I'd be so engrossed by the shenanigans of wild turkeys.  The documentary, which I stumbled upon on Channel 11 will suck you in.  It may make you do strange things--like put on a lucha libre mask.  Check it out.

Enter Lucha Libre mask designs on Spoonflower.  I saw these and couldn't resist.  So I ordered some for Thanksgiving. 

Because don't these masks just scream about gratitude?  Don't you think?  No?

Anyway, I thought they'd be fun.

So I ordered 4 designs.  I wasn't so good at paying attention to the detailed descriptions of the fabric.  As a result the Lucha Libre Mask of All Time is a bit small. 

I don't regret ordering it though, because it has little spikes for the headpiece--and that's just too cool.  The mask just barely fits on my head without any lacing up the back.  But as I said, that doesn't matter, because it's way cool.

Josephina felt so thankful about her Mariposa Magnifico mask that she wanted to go rob a bank in it.  However, this post will ruin the anonymity factor--meaning bank robbery just won't be a part of our expressions of gratitude this year. 

Anyway, the most delightful surprise so far with these masks was El Fuego Furioso which was designed for a cotton knit.  (Spoonflower folks were extremely patient and credited me since I originally ordered it on a regular quilting fat quarter and then had to reorder it on the knit.)  It was a worthy reorder.  It really works like a lucha libre mask.  You can pull it over your head.  It fits snug.  Perfect for giving thanks, for robbing the rich to give to the poor, for doing the laundry, whenever you feel you need a little extra oomph or a bit of super-strength...

Burda dress completed!

Ok, we left off long ago...
But the dress is done.
On the last day of the class...I stitched the bodice to the skirt (both the lining and the dress).  Then...the invisible zipper!!! Duh, duh, duuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh.

In all honesty, the instructor put in the zipper.  This was, on the one hand, good, because I wanted to finish the dress and wear it.  On the other hand, I don't think I know how to do it myself.  We'll see.

I'm fairly confident that I can do the whole rest of the dress by myself (except for the invisible zipper).

Anyway, the dress was not done when I left that final class, but what was left was all within my scope.

Done on my own:

1.  stitch lining to zipper tapes

2.  hem the lining  (Which I did during breaks from Shochugeiko.  Imagine me, sitting in sweaty gi pants on the couch in the dojo, hemming the skirt of the dress.)

3.  hem the skirt
4.  viola dress is done

I love it.  I love it.  I love it.  I love it.

Did I happen to mention that I love the dress?  Really really love it?

My summer has not been wasted.

First Burda Dress Continued...

So, I will confess that I picked this dress because it did not have sleeves.  I was traumatized by my first and last (so far) experience with sleeves...oh and with collars.  The dress doesn't have a collar.  It looks fairly simple, but has a nice shape.  And it's a petite-sized pattern.

But, things with Burda are not so simple.  The directions are simple.  They seem simple.  They are simple if you have lots of sewing experience and know what you are doing.  But that's ok, because I'm in a class. And my teacher, knows what she's doing.

So.  What I was trying to avoid by avoiding collars and sleeves, was working with putting together two pieces of fabric that don't exactly fit.  I find that annoying.  However, I'm beginning to understand that it is necessary when making something stylish that has more shape than a potato sack.  Curves seem to require this kind of finagling.  And I have curves, baby.

So, what I've learned so far...the beauty of stay stitching.  Yes it is a wondrous thing.  I get it now.  So, what you do is this.  The two pieces that are supposed to get stitched together, but don't look like they could possibly work, will work if you stay stitch the shorter piece 1/2 inch in from the edge.  Then, put the two pieces together, clipping into the allowance up to the stitched line as necessary.  This kind of spreads the fabric, helping it to grow and adjust itself to fit the longer curved piece.  Clip, clip, clip.  Pin, pin, pin, and if you are lucky, you will only have to stitch once.  Not so lucky, out comes the seam ripper.  Rip, rip, rip.  Pin, pin, pin.  But when all is said and done, you've created a magical seam.  You've made two pieces of differing lengths magically match up.  You are a sewing Goddess!

Next.  These simplistic instructions do not really explain what needs to be done so that this dress doesn't have raw, exposed edges.  There's no facing.  No bias strips.  It's all in the lining.  The lining does all the work and it's fabulous.

Sewing: My Very First Burda Dress!

So it is summer and so I'm taking the Step Beyond Beginner sewing class at Vogue Fabric in Evanston  again.  This time, I'm making a dress and it's lined.  I'm excited because I picked the pattern out of Burda magazine.  I subscribed, even though I've never made one of their patterns, mostly because I enjoy looking at the clothes and imagining that I could make such a thing...one day...one day...

dress-with-a-line-skirt

So...the challenges for this beginning sewist.  Burda prints shloads of patterns in their various sizes onto the same massive sheet of paper, so you have to trace the pattern (in your correct size)--meaning you have to somehow find the correct line to trace amidst all the other lines that are just screaming to be traced.  Then, what I like about the class, is that the instructor adjusts the pattern so that it will fit properly.  So we adjust, then you have to add in the seam allowances (because Burda doesn't add them in like most commercial patterns do).  I'm not complaining.  It was good, in that I think I'm starting to understand how the shapes work.  I'm not so good with 3d imaginings based off of a 2d paper pattern.  But having to trace it out, and then go back and add in seam allowances and hemlines, is prepping me to see it (I think).

Collars?!?

I will never look at them the same way again. How incredibly complicated! I never knew. I'm glad I'm taking this class, otherwise, I'm pretty sure I'd get frustrated and give up. I realize that one of the things that really stumps me in sewing is when two pieces of fabric do not match up. I always assume that it's my fault, that I cut the pieces out incorrectly... I never assume that there's some tricky easing thing going on.

With the collar, there's lots of clipping of the fabric to ease the collar onto the neckline. Who woulda thunk? Not me, that's for sure.

On a different note, sewing offers motivation to stick to one's diet. I started this blouse in September, and was unable to finish. It got put away. Now it's May and after the long hard winter, through which I obviously coddled myself with carbs, I am heavier than I once was. But there's no way that I'm going to work on this shirt and not wear it. Uh-uh.

Besides, I rode my bike this weekend. Bike riding, watching my shirt take shape, and the warm weather should do wonders for my figure.

A Step Beyond Beginner

I am officially a step beyond a beginning seamstress. Just a wee step, mind you. But it is a step nonetheless. I am making a blouse. I've sewn the darts. I've sewn the shoulder and side seams. It is beginning to look like a blouse (sans sleeves). It wil have sleeves! And button holes! And buttons!

Crazy.

Craftstacular

Cut up four t-shirts this weekend with the intent to make a skirt from the Alabama Stitch book. I need one more baby blue shirt as the baby blue shirts I used turned out a wee bit small. I managed to lay the pattern over the back of the shirt and cut out a panel. But the neck hole interfered with that in the front.

Anyway...a fabulous skirt is in my future. It may have a long gestation period. But the process has begun.