Well hiya everyone. 

Although the earliest days of 2017 were lazy, a few weeks in I found myself craving order and space in my surroundings. I buzzed around in major de-cluttering mode…a seasonal event that usually has G running. This time around, he not only survived, but got in on the act. We ended up with quite a haul for our local Salvation Army. I had a good go at our closets and….horrors…my fabric stash. But…surprise, surprise…it turned out the de-stashing of the fabric stash wasn’t as troubling as I thought it might be. In short order, I culled enough fabric to fill a large garbage bag.

Sigh….my nemesis remained unchanged…..saying buh-bye to me-made clothing. Stuff I’ve sewn that I just don’t feel the love for. Maybe it never fit quite right, or I got the colour wrong or [fill in the blank]. I mean, as good as a garment might be, if I feel meh when I’m wearing it, then I should be able to let. it. go.  ‘Am I the only one?’, wonders me. 

Here’s an example….my Marcy Tilton Cirque Dress {Vogue Pattern 9112} blogged here! Made it. Loved it….or…thought I loved it. But the thing was, it wasn’t getting much wear. At all. After a critical side-eye…two things became evident. Number one: the colour. Wot? Tis true, I love colour….when I found this yardage in my local thrift store, I pounced. But. Turns out…and I think deep down I new this all along…it’s too bold, too saturated for my energy type. When I wore the dress, I felt like the dress was wearing me. While I was at it…the side-eye that is…I realized I didn’t totally love the asymmetry of the hemline. But. I still loved every other aspect of the silhouette and the fun collar and whimsical seaming.

So…I tried a little psych 101 on myself. What would I rather see in it’s {actively disassociating myself from any affectionate terminology} place? And…

TA DA. Original Cirque Dress out. Raspberry left-side-only Cirque Dress in.

Yes. I made two left sides. It wasn’t hard to do but early in I was a little worried.  In the pinning phase, all I could see was a rather unfortunately placed arrow.  My belief that garments look somehow more troubled in their pinned stage helped me move forward. AND, I’m so happy I did. My finished dress…tunic really…feels like a winner. The 100% cotton fleece, in a cheery raspberry tint, sings. The collar, faced with a scrap of this fabric adds to the springtime vibe. {The pockets, hem facing and arm facings are the same fun floral.}  It’s not showing up clearly in my photos, but the top stitching is a dark turquoise….I threaded my machine with two different threads, one green and one blue. To eliminate the fleece curling at the hemline…I faced the hem with lightly interfaced cotton and two rows of top stitching.

I think…I hope…I got it right this time! My tunic has had more wear in a few weeks than my original had in a year, so I’m optimistic.

In other news, I finally finished updating my About me page. I know. It took me for-evah. One of those weird things….hard to talk about yourself; hard to stop talking about yourself. Anyways, it’s done. And with that, I’ll sign off…thanks bunches for stopping by and reading…I’ll see you soon.

My Other Cirque Dress, Vogue Pattern 9112 Makes:

Marcy Tilton Cirque Dress The Original