Party dresses

Thanks for the comments on my last post about sewing -- since I'm on a roll, here is the latest item that I made, which was Vintage Vogue pattern #1172. It requires a lot of fabric -- 7 yards, mostly for the skirt -- so I had to go somewhere that I could get cheap fabric because I can't afford to spend $70 on a dress for myself! So this was about $4 or $5 a yard -- still adds up to a lot, by my standards, but it is a wonderful pattern. Great for dress twirling!!

As a side note I miss The Rag Shop. Their tables of $2 and $4/yard fabric were essential for me for the things I made for myself. I feel as though sewing used to be something that us poor people did because we couldn't afford to buy clothes, but now it seems to be more a boutique craft that people do because they want to create beautiful heirloom quilts or special occasion dresses. Which are wonderful things, to be sure, but sometimes I just need to whip up some $2/yard dresses to get me through the summer when I realize that I no longer fit into all the dresses that I bought last year. :/ Since I usually buy clothing at thrift stores or on sale, I can't imagine spending $50 on fabric for just one item of clothing -- but I keep an eye out for sales and I have a large hoard of fabric I got over the years that I am still chipping away at.

Anyway, complaining aside, I tend to favor patterns that use just a couple yards of fabric so I can stretch my fabric stash out a bit. Usually when I see a pattern that I like, I buy two yards of it, without even knowing what I'm going to do with it...just so I have it around.

What I really want right now is this book The Party Dress Book, since I love the idea of dressing up, and my own little innocent idea of what a party should be. (No alcohol, lots of confetti, sweets and home-baked goods, and some fun games, maybe a bit of croquet on the lawn). So, whenever I upgrade to a better sewing machine, that is what I shall do.