July has felt like the longest month ever and a whirlwind all in one. It’s usually a very busy month for me, and this year was no exception. I am still tired and trying to figure out what the routine is that I want to get back to, but I at least had a little time at the beginning and end of the month to do some sewing and crafting, and get a post written up about it.
Sewing Progress
I already posted this quick DL02 that I made at the start of July. I’ll be honest; I totally forgot I made this this month. It’s not so much that I forgot I made it (I’ve actually been wearing it a lot), it just feels like the start of July was so long ago that it’s crazy to think it was still this month. As noted in that post I want to make a few tiny tweaks to the pattern (mainly removing some of the wire play I added to the underarm side of the wire). I did need extra height at the center front to fit my wire but I didn’t need to add any at the side, and I find the extra material is bothersome because it is too high and somewhat floppy since there isn’t any wire there to keep it in place. I’m looking forward to making another version because I think it will really dial in the fit for this pattern, and then I can move on to using it as a base for more interesting design work.
I also managed to replace the wires in my Black Beauty this month, which probably doesn’t seem like much but feels like a huge accomplishment. This bra has been sitting around in my sewing area for several months because it was in the wash when I was replacing wires to update the size earlier this year. It’s also a giant pain to replace the wires if you did a proper bar tack to keep them in place to begin with, and avoiding that task has also been a part of the procrastination process. It’s good to be finally done with ripping out bar tacks!
I also had a friend request to update a sweater design, so I broke out my Embrilliance embroidery software to create a cute little face to add to this sweatshirt. You can see the importance of doing a test stitch on the left – my first version (top) had some pretty bad registration issues around the mouth and eyes, but the updated version (bottom) worked out really well especially on the more lofty sweatshirt material.
I’m also working on some pattern drafting for some upcoming projects, but those are likely going to be part of my August sewing plans.
Sewing Delays
July was another month with a lot of travel and busy weekends. I’m really looking forward to August, where hopefully I’ll have some time at home to rest and recuperate.
Finished Projects
My only finished projects are the DL02 and the small mending projects I worked on this month, but it was still nice to get some projects out of the sewing space and back into the wardrobe.
WIPs & Upcoming Plans
I’ve been asked to recreate a bra based off of an existing garment because the style has been discontinued. I’m using the Beverly Johnson bra cloning technique to generate a pattern, and then making some adjustments because I want to fix a lot of the fit issues I can see from the existing garment. So I expect a lot of the next month will be spent on that. I may not show as much of the finished garment because it isn’t for me, but I will try to document some of the pattern making procedure and report on how well the finished version (hopefully) turns out. I’ve also got a long list of other projects I want to work on. I was testing out a lot of underwear patterns before I got super busy and stopped sewing as much, plus some other patterns I started working on fitting but put on hold back at the start of the year. I want to try doing some experiments with the DL02 now that the fit is so good, plus making some sports bras and other styles using the other patterns in the Make Bra line. I’m also really itching to make other garments that I can just wear out and about in the real world; I’ve been super inspired by some of the Cashmerette patterns I’ve been seeing on the internet, plus some of the new Burda patterns have sparked my interest. I also really want to make some trousers that aren’t jeans and aren’t a suit, and aren’t stifling in the heat of summer, and I’ve recently acquired some new drafting books that I really want to delve into. I know some sewing blogs and YouTube channels are already talking about transitioning to fall sewing; I expect the heat to persist for at least another 3 months where I live, so I’m definitely still in the summer sewing mode, though I do really want to sew a few jackets for fall and winter later this year. I also think it’s time for another closet analysis and re-organizaiton; it’s not really sewing but it is definitely tangentially related. I am realizing there are a lot of clothes I keep shuffling around in my drawers that I haven’t worn in quite a while because my size and preferences have changed, and I do think a good reorganization to prioritize easy access to my current favorites is long overdue. Of course, the balance between ideas, goals, obligations, and energy is ever a fine line, so it’s hard to know what I’m actually going to accomplish over the next few weeks. But I will say that I am excited to have a potentially relaxed month with some time to work on any of these projects and I’m excited to see what I’m able to work on in August!
Doctor T Designs 