Photobucket Photobucket  photo M1_zpsmeajs2i9.png  photo hs_zpsjdypdbbd.png Photobucket

2.21.2014

Because it was time for another Hanami

Sometimes when reading sewing blogs or seeing photos on Flickr or Instagram, it's easy to overlook the process that goes into the making of a garment.  I tend to assume the project came together without a hitch.   For me, three of my last four projects (one still in progress) have come together like that, too.  Except exactly the opposite.

hanimi

I don't know if I'm rusty from sewing less while I was in my first trimester.  Or, to spin it more positively,  if it's because I've been taking more 'risks' in the projects I'm choosing.  Or a little of both. Whatever the reason, they've been frustrating, I've spent way too much time seam ripping, and thank goodness for podcasts, which are always my sanity saver when my projects go awry.

hanimi

When I made the Geranium dress for Mailbox Surprise, I didn't think to add the piping to the sleeves until after I had sewn the bodice and was getting ready to add the piping to the bottom of it, like I did here.  This time I felt the dress was missing something, so I talked to Dan about adding the piping to the sleeves.  I knew doing so would mean taking the whole bodice apart, so I was kind of hoping he would say I should leave it as is.  But I know he's always honest with me, even when it means more work.  And he agreed that the piping would be a nice touch.  So, ripping the stitching was inevitable, but what was particularly sweary was that I had already trimmed all of my seams.  It was tricky to add the piping to the trimmed, curved seam .  What I ultimately discovered was that it's helpful to trim the piping seam allowance to match the seam allowance of the sleeve, so they are flush with one another.  It makes adding piping so much easier.

geranium

It was definitely a lot of work to take the dress apart, but in my opinion, it was worth it.

hanimi

On this project, I had planned to add cuffed sleeves to the Hanami dress.  I was working off of this pin, so it didn't feel like much of a gamble.  I love the Oliver + S puppet show sleeve, so I adapted it and was eager to see my puff-sleeved Hanami.  I pinned the sleeves in place first to be sure I liked them.  (Dan even approved!)  I sewed the sleeves on last, so the entire dress was finished when I added them.

1A2A7979

When I tried it on Indigo, the sleeves just so did not work.  The best way I can describe them is as 80s churchy with a touch of 80s prom sleeve.  It was awful.  So, the sleeves had to go.  I knew that meant taking the bodice off of the skirt.  I didn't know it would also entail taking apart almost the entire bodice, including putting in a new zipper.  

hanimi

So, basically, I made this dress twice. :)

hanimi back

Thankfully, I'm happy with the sleeveless version, which also pairs nicely with a cardigan, though with our crazy weather lately, on this particular day she didn't need one.


hanimi


In other two-steps-forward-one-step-back predicaments, we moved back into our house today after spending almost three weeks in a townhouse so the floors in our house could be replaced.  Wow, is pulling up floors ever a mess!  Our house was in complete disrepair with most of our belongings covered in a fine layer of dust.  The carpenters draped well, but the dust still found its way onto everything.  It's sneaky stuff, that dust.  But we have things a l m o s t buttoned up and we're all so thankful to be back home.  And the new floors look great!


13 comments:

  1. well it's completely gorgeous. your hanamis are totally inspiring me, and i feel like the pattern was made for indigo - she's just beautiful in them! isn't it funny how ideas sometimes work out just as we imagined, and other times are just sort of a surprising disaster? but it always feels good to make it right, no matter how much blood, sweat, & tears it takes to get it there. i love your description of the sleeves, too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, I can totally relate to your story! The frustration is often just around the corner when I sew, especially when I'm trying new things and they don't turn out the way I hoped. In my head, sewing garments is so much easier than actually doing it. But I love it, so we keep going :-) This Hanami looks great in this simple fabric, and I must say I'm a fan of sleeveless dresses, they work both in winter and summer. And hurrayfor your new floors, I can imagine you're glad that that hurdle is almost history!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love what you said: "In my head, sewing garments is so much easier than actually doing it."

      That's so true for me too and I am a chronic under-estimater in determining how long my projects will take!

      Delete
  3. Oh dear. I'm on a streak of undeserved good luck with sewing my current project so I wish I could send some your way. I must say I admire your determination to get it right and not just pass the dress on to someone who likes the 80's puffy sleeve look. The finished dress is divine, so you know you got it right! beautiful photos too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ugh, the idea of having to move out with four kids while being pregnant and then coming home to a house filled with dust just gives me a headache (although, to be honest, my house is already filled with dust :). You are a trooper! And you're a trooper for all changes you made on this dress! They were definitely worth out because it looks fantastic! Oh, and can Dan come live with me so I can bounce my sewing questions off of him?

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is me ! I would unpick an entire dress for the sake of some piping! And I'm a chronic under-estimator of time too!
    And I've done churchy sleeves too! The dress I've just blogged over at Sewpony for her When We Were Young Series, will probably be unpicked and re-sewn. It's sleeves are definitely TOO much. Funny things sleeves!
    Your hanami is lovely. Simple and classy.

    ReplyDelete
  6. So impressed by your "stick-to-it-tivness"! Your description of the finished sleeved dress was priceless, and certainly not a look that redeems hours of patient sewing:) And hurray for husbands who give us the straight-up truth, despite knowing the angst it might cause! Your finished - second! - version is just stunning and as always, your extra effort certainly paid off.
    As for being back in your house, yay!! I know what you're saying about the pervasive dust that occurs . . . still trying to stay on top of my own here as well! And blissfully - you have beautiful new floors to show for your patience:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, Lucinda, you nailed it with "pervasive". Our insurance company paid of our place to be cleaned... and then the dust re-settled. So they paid for it to be cleaned again. And then it resettled again. So now we are wiping that construction dust off of every single thing we own. Every plate, hanger, book, and on and on. I find the dust to be irritating, too - itchy! If you haven't done so, be sure you change the air filter on your furnace. Ours was disgusting. Like unbelievably so. I hear if you don't, the dust will just keep blowing in through your vents. :/

      Delete
  7. A lovely dress, worth the effort! And all your beautiful hanamis are tempting me to try this pattern. I'd like to learn how to put a zipper into a lined dress. Are the instructions for this clear? Now that I'm comfortable with buttons I think it's time to move on to zippers. And hooray for being back home!

    ReplyDelete
  8. It's so beautiful! I just love the colors. You know, when I made my piped geranium, I was just going to pipe the waistline, but when I did that, I wasn't happy with it. It needed something. Like, you know, a TON more piping. So I pulled the whole thing apart and piped the armholes AND neck, and back button placket. Sometimes you just gotta do it. Now I just love that little dress, and I'm so glad I did that. I've forgotten all about the picking and grumbling.

    Living in a construction site is the WORST. And yes, the dust is awful. So glad the worst is over and you are on the road back to "normal" now.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a beautiful dress! I love sleeveless dresses anyway. It's always fast and easy to sew in my head. The reality is usually different ;)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I bet the new floors are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing your behind the scenes. Hearing these stories always makes accepting my own dates with the seam ripper that much easier. So, what podcasts do you listen to? Maybe lately it's all been Christopherus =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I had been listening to a lot of Christopherus audios, but I’ve also been listening to a lot of audios from a church in Portland called Imago Dei. http://www.imagodeicommunity.com/ I’ve been loving them! The lead pastor there started the Advent Conspiracy movement, which is a movement we’ve loved since it first came out. Their community is currently reading the Bible in a year, as am I, so their audios correspond with that and have been fascinating. http://www.imagodeicommunity.com/sunday/sermon-archive/ I also thoroughly enjoyed their series, “Your Questions about the Bible.” http://www.imagodeicommunity.com/sunday/sermon-archive/series/your-questions-about-the-bible/ They asked hard questions, and they didn’t give pat answers and I loved that! Inspiring!

      Delete

Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! I generally respond to comments via email. If your profile does not link to your email account, I try to respond here. :)