A Ruffly Hello

Golly, it's been a while.

One thing: Lindy Focus, the week-long camp that brings over 1,000 people to Asheville to celebrate vintage jazz music and dance. A very exciting and action-packed week builds up to New Year's Eve--which I skipped this year, due to overload and exhaustion.

I led a new project for the event this year: a real-time event blog to record and reflect on some of the event happenings. So instead of sewing new dresses for six nights of dancing this year, I led a team of bloggers and wrote and edited a whole lot of blog posts. The project made for a wonderful baptism by fire into WordPress blogging, so who knows? Perhaps I'll use my new skills in this space...though my plans are not yet clear, even to me.

Happily, the photos from Lindy Focus show a dress I never did manage to record once it was completed, the striped sweetheart ruffles dress. It's a mashup of a Simplicity 2174 bodice, self-drafted shoulder ruffles (wish I had made them wider!) and the skirt from McCall's 6503. Even though it fits in the upper bodice, it takes the lingerie guards I sewed in at the shoulders, plus a fair bit of fashion tape to keep my undergarments hidden. The fabric was from Waechter's Fine Fabrics going out of business sale. It's a rayon challis. Even though I now love the colors and the print, this design is one I know I would never have bought if it hadn't been a serious bargain.

Perhaps you remember or share my rule: no strapless bras...ever!

This is our local dance group. As I'm sure you can see, I'm on the right. FYI, I am purposely showing my vintage pink lacy slip at the hem of the dress--it's very pretty lace and I like it with the ruffly feeling of the dress.

There is one new dress in my life--which was intended for Thanksgiving--in a hilarious foodie rayon print (from FabricMart). It didn't quite make the deadline for our trip to Missouri to visit my in-laws at Thanksgiving. I surprised myself by finishing it up after we got home, all except for the hem. And there it waits for my mom to help me mark it.

This hem marking has been very much delayed by the illness and ongoing hospitalization of my dear step-father, over a month in duration so far. So, indeed, there have been things (enormous group blog projects, ill family members, other work and family activities) that have conspired against sewing, especially of the frivolous dress variety.

But I notice that there are other things I want so much to write about: my new interest in Bikram yoga (!), a natural cosmetics line I am liking, how breaking my smartphone has improved my life...and surely more. Chat soon.

And be sure to check out the bearded lady in the picture above--amazing, no? She is a makeup artist and theatrical costumer who likes to push it to the edge. And beyond.