WIP it! WIP it good

I've been glued to the tv watching the olympics and not as much sewing has happened as i would've liked. I even skipped Project Runway last night because i was watching the olympics. I'll watch it on demand over the weekend. I hope it's on there. It better be on there. otherwise i guess i can just catch up next week because they rerun the previous week's show right before the new show. (Update: Project Runway IS on demand! And there are bonus features, including exit interviews with the winners and losers of each challenge and visits to each of the designers' homes with a peak inside their closets.) My other favorite show right now is "So you think you can dance" on Wednesday night. They were courteous enough to show a rerun this week rather than a new episode because they knew i'd be watching olympics. I've been watching all of the gymnastics, swimming and diving. I did catch some archery and rowing as well.

so what am i working on? i'm actually kind of in the middle of 4 projects right now. 4 WIPs! What am i thinking!? Blue knit skirt needs some hem tape for the bottom hem. I'm OCD and can't stand to leave it unhemmed, but it wasn't cooperating. So i need to give it another go after i buy some fusible hem tape to stabilize it. or i could try starching it maybe? My "tent event" dress is also a WIP. i got bored and moved on to another project, but i will make myself finish it, promise! Then we also have my knit dress that needs some help which i have all cut out, but i need to work on the sizing of the top - much too big.

but instead of working on any of those things already in progress, i'm working on…

NewLook 6095

I'm doing view A, which is the version with the short sleeves. does it bother anyone else that view A is the bottom left corner dress? Left to right it reads D, B, A, C. yeah that bothers me. I thought sleeveless would be taking the easy way out, so i'm doing the sleeves. I hope they turn out looking okay and don't stick out awkwardly. They look a little bigger than a cap sleeve. If they look bad, i'll try to fix them or just take them off. Here's the fabric…

Amy Butler - Deco Dots Citrine

you can buy it here - and support the cute little sewing shop near where i live. i got everything cut out pretty easily (esp. compared to those knits i was working on earlier!) but i was unaware that stay stitching needed to be inside the seam allowance. well duh. it makes sense now that i think about it. i stay stitched right at 5/8th. you should be happy i stay stitched at all! look at me following directions!! except the directions didn't specifically say how far in to stay stitch. (Update: the directions DID say how far in to stay stitch - problem is, those directions were on a completely different page and that is just too much to ask of me. who flips back to reference other pages? obviously not me.)  i made friends with my seam Ripper. I've named him Jack. That's right. I'm hilarious. 

I fixed the stay stitching and i've finished the interfacing of the neckline and joined the shoulder seams. And I took photos! And my camera battery died! so i need to go recharge it so that i can get the photos off. so there will be more photos soon because i was very impressed with myself. the seams look super neat. my topstitching around the neck started to veer off course. by like 2 millimeters. and i looked at it and was like "that's fine." and then i promptly ripped it out and did it again. Muuuuch better. 

So next it says to sew up the back center seam half way up, but i'm being a rebel and will do that last when i install the zipper. so then it says to sew up the side seams next, and then insert the sleeves. BUT i could just install the sleeves and then sew the side seams all the way up connecting the bottom sleeve seam in the process?? 

and should i just hem the bottom of the sleeve first because it would be easier to sew the hem with the sleeve flat? or if i wait until i've sewn the bottom of the sleeve seams together, then the hem will look neater, but it might be more difficult to sew around because it will be a tight circle. not sure which route i'm going to end up taking. maybe i could do a hybrid of the 2, and sew almost all of the sleeve hem while it's flat, then sew the seam and then finish the hem very carefully?

what to do, what to do… Anyone have some brilliant advice or a preferred order of doing things?

Actual photos to come soon, promise! i love seeing all the photos in your blogs, and i've found that catching up on blogs is a great way to spend the commercial breaks during the olympics. 

And to make up for all those missing photos, here's a photo that was already on my computer…

on our wedding day, April 2012