Oct-ov-ember MAGAM - Butterick 5917 and other stuff.....

Warning - Very Long Post!!

I've been MIA from the blogging world since the end of September, but I have been trying to squeeze in a little sewing amongst the other home projects we've had going - more on those projects later.  I'm going to call this my Oct-ov-ember MAGAM completed!

Here is Butterick 5917 - View C.  I liked this when I first started sewing on it, but now I'm not so sure.  I think the "Fromp-O-Meter" gauge is starting to rise with this one.....

I made a size 12 but probably should have made a size 10 as it's a little big in the bodice and shoulder area.  And I probably should have moved those sleeves in as they look a bit droopy in this picture.

I pattern calls for the ruffles at the neckline, and I added additional ruffles to the waistline - this could be what's making the Fromp-O-Meter gauge start moving in the wrong direction.

It does twirl good though - that's a plus!

Another pic - maybe I'm just standing funny?

Or maybe it's ruffle overload?   And what happened to the sleeve lining - it seems to be pulling funny here on the sleeve hems and there is plenty of lining length included so not sure why it's doing this.

Back view - not so bad...

On to the lining.  The pattern calls for just the bodice and the sleeves to be lined and not the skirt portion.  This seemed a little strange to me so I decided to line the entire garment.

I sewed the bodice together and treated them as one piece and ended up with a serged edge at the zipper that I didn't like so I covered it up with some ribbon.

Close-up of the ribbon - hand stitched along the zipper edge to lining fabric.

The skirt lining was attached after the entire garment was sewn and it was half sewn by machine and half sewn by hand.  I didn't care for how this looked so I covered the edges up with some ribbon again - Voila!  Looks a little more presentable here.

Front view - the ribbon "waistline cover up" goes all the way around the dress.

For the sleeve, I just treated them as one piece as well and serged the edges together.

Here's what the sides on the inside look like.  Not the traditional way to line a garment I know!

So - just what have I been doing with my time these past few months?  Well - I can finally say what I've been mentioning in previous posts - the remodeling project we were busy doing.

We decided to update our kitchen.  And when I say "We", I mean the DH and I did ALL.THE.WORK.OURSELVES! (with the exception of the new countertop installation).

The list included:
- Ripping out the old countertops - which I was more than happy to do!
- Installing a new hood.
- Installing a new range.
- Sanding and staining the cabinets and installing new hardware.
- Patching and "pass thru hole in the wall" that lead to the dining room.
- Tiling and grouting the backsplash.
- Painting.
- Installing new light fixtures and undercabinet lighting.
- Etc., etc., etc.  Those of you who have done a kitchen remodel know what I'm talking about.  And let's not even talk about the dust that is generated - I am still finding dust and I've cleaned the house multiple times!

We started on March 13, 2015 and officially finished on November 1, 2015.  I spent countless hours on the weekends sanding and staining cabinets - I don't think my hands will ever be the same, but it was all worth it.  We did take a few camping trips during the summer to get away from the project - as it did become a little overwhelming at times.  But all in all, we are very, very happy with the results and our hard work paid off.

Here are a few before and after pics for you.  

And, as if the kitchen remodel wasn't enough, halfway thru that project I decided that the Master Bedroom needed a bit of updating too - so I painted the wall behind the headboard, purchased a new duvet cover (that didn't fit properly so I had to fix it) and added new artwork.

Of course our chairs didn't match the new color scheme so I reupholstered them.

In this gorgeous chenille purchased from Hancock Fabrics.

Made two new drapes (fully lined with blackout lining - which I had on hand for some reason!)

And made new pillows for the couch!  The pillow fabric was from the stash as well.  

So - as you can see - I have been busy!  Just not busy updating the blog.

Here's the yardage rundown:

Stashbustin' fabrics:
Dress (with lining) - 8 yards
Curtain blackout lining - 10 yards
Pillows for couch - 2 yards
Stashbustin total for these = 20 yards

New purchased fabric (that doesn't count in my stashbustin' total):
Curtain fabric - 10 yards
Chenille for chairs - 5 yards

My previous stashbustin total was 46.375 yards.  Adding another 20 yards brings me to:

66.375 yards for the year!  Whoop! Whoop!

Happy Sewing everyone!  I hope to post alot more in the coming year.

Star