When you have multiple issues to deal with in terms of fixing a pattern, the question always comes down to, “Which one do I do first?” Although my first thought was to tackle the armscye issue first and then the side front, given then I know I will have to add fabric under the arm area to raise that armhole, I figured I would take out the extra fabric in the front first.
Now, the first leap might be to just make the seam between the center front piece and the side front piece bigger. But looking at the picture at the top, you can see that the seam is falling nice and straight down across the point of the bust. So, our problem is only with the side front piece. (more…)
One way to save money with sewing your own clothing is to pick something that costs a whole lot in a store. Now, while some things, like bridal gowns and men’s suits, take skill levels that require training and years to perfect, there are others that are well within the realm of an advanced beginner sewer. One of them is a wool jacket or coat. 
The little den is coming together now, with some little bits and pieces to pull all the disparate colors together. The original color of the den, when Elder Daughter used it as a bedroom, was an aqua color and she got some cotton hopsacking tab top curtains to match. Pretty, a little girly perhaps but not bad. Well, of course, all that aqua paint went out the window (literally) when the DH and I wrecked out the walls to rehab the space. And when we painted the new walls, we painted them the same color as the rest of the downstairs (another hint in terms of saving money on redecorating: Find a color that you can stick with across an entire floor). So, we had ‘pecan’ walls (a nice warm beige), a futon that needed a new cover, and some aqua colored curtains that were still good and that I was loath to give or throw away. 
As anyone who has been a reader here knows, Aunt Toby is all about ‘being prepared’. And one of the things I’ve discussed is having a wardrobe that will carry you though all of those panic-attack-promoting events.
Once upon a time, like a lot of people, Aunt Toby ‘fell in love’ with certain items. That’s the way I used to shop. Really. Before Aunt Toby ‘saw the light’, that is exactly what would happen. I could rationalize any clothing or shoe purchase on the basis of: bargain pricing (as in, % off); merely hanging on a rack with the sign ‘Clearance’ on it; or the fact that it came in my size (with a foot that needs a 6-D, this is an argument that Aunt Toby STILL fights on a regular basis since that size in a comfortable but fashionable shoe is pretty close to performing ‘cold fusion’ on my kitchen table…but I digress). 
