Style vs Taste

Having a friend who trained as a make-up artist is fabulous for night's out ... if I ever actually had any I mean. But I haven't. At least, not recently anyway.

So instead, we had a girlie afternoon of make-up and silliness as AnnaP made me over and we had lots of fun and giggles playing in my back garden with a variety of outfits and poses and props (namely the wolf). The purpose was to find me a profile picture I wouldn't cringe at every time I saw it. Mission accomplished I feel!

But it threw something to light that I've been pondering on and off for a while. How do you pick a style that works for you?

I'm terrible at choosing a style. I see so many people and their outfits online that I absolutely adore (I'm talking about you Ulrika!) and I have clothes and patterns that fit those styles because, let's face it, I like the silhouette they create, the shapes and drape of the fabric. But there's one thing I forgot to take into consideration. My shape.

I've blogged about this before; I don't have the curves that Ulrika, Solanah or Gertie have and am almost straight up and down with a thick waist. My face, at 34, still has an awful lot of puppy fat that I'm slowly coming to terms with the idea is not going to change for the better. My hair does not like to be perfect and will find a way out of most styles. The styles of the 50's probably aren't for me. For prosperity I offer the evidence below:

Now, don't get me wrong. I think I look okay in the above outfits, I can get away with both of them but without the hourglass figure that the styles require I don't look great.

In comparison, here's a couple of pictures in a style more suited to my looks:

How do you reconcile to a style that isn't really to your taste but suits you instead of the style you love but don't quite fit? And how do you come to terms with the idea that you're cute and 34 years old? I love my hair, it's naturally wavy but it doesn't lend itself to grown up styles. At least, not the grown up vintage styles I love so much. So it's back to the drawing board I think, with more of the romantic and cute and less of the coiffed. Something more original to me and not others. Watch this space!

Oh, and here's a couple of snaps with the wolf because he's just so pretty:

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What To Wear To ... A Job Interview { Part 2 }

Well, after the disaster of previous job interviews, all involving the same outfit and a comment from Molly about her lucky Banana Republic blazer I have decided that my blue and white polka dot dress is seriously unlucky. Thankfully I have dress number 2 of 2, a red, white and black snazzy number from Tescos as back-up.

This is the dress that Mum doesn't like so much, it has too much fabric apparently (please excuse the hideous bathroom, another product of the previous owners).

Personally, I hate the batwing sleeves but love the V neck cos it makes my boobs look fab but I have to admit I tend not to wear it to interviews for that exact reason. My 'party' shoes are in the foreground, red suede and fake red snakeskin. They are real beauties and I'm always the envy of every girl whenever I wear them as they're no longer available. Obviously I wear them at every available opportunity.

This dress is obviously luckier than the blue and white polka dot dress because the NHS phoned a few moments ago to offer me the Project Co-ordinator's job they interviewed me for this afternoon. Yes, after SIX MONTHS (9 months out of the last year) unemployed, pending references, CRB check and the salary offer I will be gainfully employed very shortly. Yaaaaaaay!

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Project: Style Print 1421 { Notes }

Well, I finally finished my shirt (for a sane explanation on the pose please see previous post).

First Impressions of Sewing With A Vintage Pattern/ Sewing My First Piece of Clothing:

1) You are expected to have some modicum of common sense. Unfortunately, when it comes to sewing I seem to lose all mine. I had to recut the tie collar because I thought it would be best to sew the two pieces together after I'd stitched around the outsides. I know, I know, don't ask me what I was thinking, I obviously wasn't. Thankfully, the recut version went together perfectly.

2) Do not put anything with TV boyfriend David (Tennant) in it on the box to keep you company whilst sewing. This Does Not Help with concentration. Nor does anything to do with the Twilight Universe. Or Callum (Keith Rennie). In fact, steer clear of anything to do with brooding vampires or TV boyfriends (especially TV boyfriends with exciting clavicles and tantalising glimpses of chest hair*) whilst sewing. This should mean that you'll remember to sew the two collar pieces together before having to turn in the right way.

3) Follow the gorram instructions! That way maybe you won't have to recut the collar. Oh, and learn the difference between interfacing and facing please.

4) Listen to your Mother. She's usually right, you know this, why do you constantly fail to remember this?

5) Strangely, despite having made clothes before (albeit a long time ago) I think I was expecting to just go whizz whizz whizz, hey presto a piece of clothing that looks like something you could buy in a store but more to my taste. What I've got is a shirt that looks okay, I don't think you can tell it's handmade - which, frankly, is a miracle! - but to me it's obviously not store bought not because it's badly put together but because the size of the facing in the front that's clearly visible through the thin polycotton I used. Either I wasn't supposed to use such a thin material or the 50's had different ideas over facing sizes in comparison to today's cheapskate clothing companies.

6) Shirt's from the 50's appear to be a lot shorter than contemporary shirts, probably because they were more often than not going to be tucked into a higher waistband than today's bottoms. If I'm going to make any shirts that may not be tucked in on every wear then I'll have to remember to lengthen the pattern to accomodate that.

All in all I count this one as a win, despite the bad hemming, help from Mum, the too ripped top buttonhole (I got a little rip happy) and the neck facing I can't sew down. I don't think any of those things are really visible and I'm chalking this one up as a yay to me as a result.

* Mmmmmmmmmm

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Project: Style Print 1421

Finally. Finally! This is finished. Due to my procrastination this has taken me far longer than it should have but I am no longer scared of button holes thanks to my fabulous sewing machine that does it all for me! Literally. All I do is put the pedal to the metal. I lurves button holes! These were my first button holes ever and have come out fabulously, I'm so pleased! 

Mum was right, sewing the sleeve and side seam all in one long swoop is infinitely easier. After making some tiny pleat/ gathers along the arm scythe to make the extra fabric fit I just whizzed along the sleeve seam, down the side seam and voila! one side done. Gorffen*. Finis. 

I'm not happy with the hem, I just rolled and rolled again and then straight stitched down as I wasn't sure what else to do and the instructions for the blind hem stitch on my machine were a little off putting. It's resulted in the two puckers you can see at the bottom front where I hit the facing and interfacing but as the shirt is designed to be tucked in I don't care! 

I still don't have a clue about gussets. Mum did those for me whilst I was ... well, I was rummaging in the fridge for more coke and making marmite on toast if I'm honest but that's what Mum's are for ;)  I think if I ever make anything that requires gussets I'll have to investigate a better way to do it than the method laid out in this pattern.

And finally, a note on my pose; I thought I'd copy the pose of the view that I sewed to make it easier to figure out which one is the right one. I'm desperately trying not to laugh in the picture so please excuse me and my glasses (I forgot to take them off first like usual).

This is the first completed item for my Sewing With A Plan. Woo and indeed hoo!

Notes to Remember

1) Attach the neck facing to the shoulder seams so the collar sits properly, but allow enough fabric at the back of the neck to ensure it sits flat. I didn't on this project and so I couldn't sew the facing down.

2) Don't bother with interfacing the front pieces next time, just stick with facing.

3) Get Mum to sew all your gussets as you still don't have a clue.

* I should probably mention my off and on habit of writing the odd word in other languages. I tend to write just like I speak and as I'm saying the sentances in my head as I write them, occasionally I'll pop out with foreign words. I don't know why, I just like it. The languages are Welsh and French. French I speak a little, Welsh I don't really know other than the odd word (hence why it's only bits and pieces here!). I'd love to learn Welsh but can't afford a course. My favourite words are probably pobty ping meaning microwave (bakery/ oven and ping for the noise it makes, this is slang not the proper Welsh name) and gwdihw which means owl and is pronounced much like the noise it makes (goid i hoi is as close as I can come to writing it down). Oh and the number 5: pimp (pronounced more like pump but I'm easily amused)

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Project: Style Print 1421

Do you remember this pattern? I bought it at the Cardiff Vintage Fashion Fair.

Style Print 1421 was the pattern I thought I'd start my sewing career with. At least my sewing-without-any-help-from-Mum career anyway.

Ha! Was I wrong.

I spent all day today, some of yesterday and a few hours from earlier in the month cutting and making this shirt.

I have successfully (ish) sewn the collar to the front and back pieces, added the interfacing and facing and stitched the shoulder seams closed.

But I can not for the life of me figure out what the hell the pattern's talking about when it comes to the sleeves and cuffs. Not a sodding clue! Okay that's a lie, I have an idea but given that I've had to recut the collar already (more on that later, but shame on you David Tennant) I don't have enough fabric to recut anything else that I screw up and I'm at the stage now where I'm losing patience, the will to live, and the ability not to throw it in the bin/ ignore it/ mess it all up by doing it myself (delete as applicable).

This is where I'm currently at. The deformed left side is actually the left sleeve where I've attempted to follow Mum's advice; sew the sleeve to the bodice when flat and before side seams of bodice are sewn closed because it's easier and then you can sew one long seam from cuff to bodice hem (it's pinned and not stitched so there's hope yet).

A good idea in principle I feel, particularly given the trouble I usually have easing in sleeves as directed by patterns (i.e. with all seams sewn). And you may think this is what's causing me the trouble this time. Unfortunately, that brief hope was extinguished once I realised just how much ease had to be stuffed in to a hole a good two inches too small. This is not a sleeve that's going to go quietly into the breach, but rather put up a long and frustrating fight as it kicks and screams it's way either into a wadder or a shirt I'll never make again. Time, and Mum's help, will tell!

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