More sewing. And my sewing baskets.

Here's an update I sent my friend at this point:
I've made all the adjustments to the pattern based on measurements and ease and what have you.  I've cut everything out in the muslin (well, half of it I cut out in an old sheet, because I didn't have enough muslin) and sewn everything together.  Matt wasn't around to sew me in, but I tried on what I had and discovered that, holy cats, it wasn't as if I measured anything at all.  According to measurements I needed a 44/48/46 bust/waist/hips, but the whole torso is very tight, the waist is rather loose (although that might be in comparison to the bodice), and the hips seem a bit loose, though it's hard to tell with the zipper seam not done.

So I've just retraced the bodice in 46, but I think I'll bump it up to 48.  I need to move a bit more than that 44 was going to give me and the 46 isn't that much bigger.

The sad tale of the whole matter is that I didn't print the sleeve pattern when I printed everything else and it's not available on the site anymore, for unknown reasons.  I did save it on the school computer, which meant going back down there yesterday, only to find my "new" monitor had died.  I replaced it with the one from the stand-up computer and printed out the sleeve pattern.  Did I then go that extra step and SEND MYSELF THE PDF FILE OF THE SLEEVE PATTERN?  No, I did not.  And now, needing to make a new sleeve pattern in a bigger size, can I simply dig the rest of the sleeve pattern out of the recycle bin and tape it all back together?  Well, I can, but it will be a more involved process since I so efficiently emptied my overflowing bins into the big bin.  Oy vey.

I'm glad I did make the muslin (and I'll make another one in 48 before cutting into that fabric) because the directions are really awful and now that I've made the whole thing I have an idea of what they are trying to get across.  Don't even get me started about the term "plackett" which is used often and refers to: the contrasting color in the bodice, in the skirt and also the waistband.  Those are six different pattern pieces, all of which are numbered.  Why they do not refer to the numbers is beyond me.  I also completely messed up one half of the collar, so I've got that out of my system.  And it's been years since I set in a sleeve!  I prepped both of them, but realized that just putting in one would give me a good enough idea.

So, yeah.  At this point I'm happy I didn't just start right in on the real fabric.  Here's the too-tight bodice.

 

And we're off again in muslin/old sheet land.
 

Also today, I cleaned out my sewing baskets.  I have two; one was my mothers, and one my grandmother's.  This was a fishing tackle box, until my grandmother added the quilted lining for my mom.  It's my usual sewing/mending basket.
 

In it I keep basic sewing supplies: pins, needles, basic thread, beeswax, measuring tape, marking items etc.
 

This sewing basket was one of the few things I asked for when my grandmother died.  It's the one I drag out when I'm officially sewing something. It has a lot of sewing extras.  Here's a look all the way to the bottom.  That tin on the right once held lip gloss, but now it holds all my bobbins.
 

It has a plastic divider that also holds things.
 

Isn't it cheery and fun?
 

Here's my favorite thing in the box.  My grandmother's name was Helen.
 

Okay, muslin take two.
 

Better fit this time!