Are Old Lady Dresses Inevitable?

First of all, I must say it feels like it's been forever since I posted anything here, but I see that the last post was March 18th. It's been a while but not as long as it feels like. I have sewn a few other things besides this latest. I might get around to blogging them or I might not. Anyway...

My closet is full of bright, cheerful colors and prints. That's the way I roll, but I feel like one should have at least one serious outfit. For many years my serious outfit has been a plain gray polyester skirt and a dark blouse but I thought it couldn't hurt to have one more and I liked this fabric a lot even though I normally avoid gray like a flesh-eating virus. (Sorry. Probably shouldn't joke about viruses right now.)

I used these two patterns because why buy a new pattern when you can Frankenpattern it? (Why buy a new pattern...? Well that's silly even for a rhetorical question but you know what I mean.)

It turned out that I cut the bodice a little too short so I added a band between the bodice and skirt. I kind of like that detail even though it was just done to fix a mistake. (I feel like the skirt is hanging oddly in this photo but I didn't feel like going back and trying again.)

The whole time I was sewing this I kept worrying that it was going to be an old lady dress. I cannot have old lady dresses! Yes, yes, I'm 62 but "old" is and always will be 20 years older than I am. Right now old is 82+. When I am 70, old will be 90; when I am 80 old will be 100 and so forth.

Anyway, now that it's finished, it does look like an old lady dress but I don't hate it. I may wear it once in a while when I don't necessarily need to wear a serious dress. It would be a shame for this lovely, subtle floral to end up neglected and forgotten in the dark end of the closet.

(Photo taken in the new house, which is still unfinished but we're getting close. It feels like it would be bad luck to estimate when it will be ready for us to move in, though.)

And Another New Look 6963

I think this is the last one of these I'll be making for a while.

I normally wouldn't choose a fabric with this much gray but this one is so cute and geeky. It's vintage control panel stuff with cute little faces hidden in it.

It's a nice, lightweight 100% cotton - perfect for a summer shirt. I don't wear shirts and trousers much in the summer though. Dress weather is here. I have only worn the last one I made twice so far. But once in a while I do want something like this and I like to have choices.

* * *

That picture of me above will be the last one taken on that deck because it's gone now. We demolished it to make way for something bigger and better - a huge building project that's going to take weeks at least. That has been occupying my mind lately to the exclusion of almost everything else but I have managed to finish another sewing project which I will post later.

Just a Few Shades of Grey

I am usually opposed to grey except in a strictly supporting role but this cute little floral print was simply irresistible. It sort of reminds me of old black and white movies.

I decided almost immediately that it had to be another Simplicity 1882, this time with white piping.

I like this pattern even though I have not yet been able to get the princess seams to come out right. It's like it was designed for someone with weirdly high and wide set boobs. I mean, I know mine are over fifty and not as perky as they used to be but come on! Nobody is shaped like that. [ahem] Anyway...

This was my first attempt at piping. I've always been a little afraid of it. I definitely need lots more practice but I'm willing to live with this. Overall, I like it well enough. I need some colorful accessories to go with it. I have to confess I don't put as much thought into accessorizing as I probably should.