Slowly and with a couple of detours

Well, I'm slowly working my way back to sewing and blogging with a couple of detours. And some bronchitis.

But I did spend some time in Stockholm last week, and surprisingly enough I didn't spend any money on Simbra Siden. I did spend some, but worryingly little, at Ohlsons tyger. (Worryingly not because I-planned-to-spend-more-what-is-wrong-with-me but worryingly because under what circumstances was this fabric made when it only cost me 60 SEK per metre?)

The fabric is so far from what I normally buy, but for that price and 100% viscose I still thought it worth a chance. (I thought about Oonaballoona when I bought it but I think she would describe it as rather discreet...) I also bought some elastic thread - I thought of a dress (duh) that's easy to throw over your head when you're going to the beach or picking up some milk. Shirring in the back, something simple in the front, straps, and a skirt. Not too wide, I only bought 2 metres. But that's not first in line.

First in line is a dress from the Ultimate Dress Pattern. I ironed the fabric yesterday, despite the bronchitis, and also ironed the lining (after both fabrics been pre-washed of course). I went to Malmö a couple of weeks ago to drink champagne with a very dear friend, and made (another) detour to buy Bemberg lining, the Queen of linings (or so I've heard. I haven't used it yet.)

(I watched the Antiques Roadshow (BBC-version) while ironing. What you see (if you have super vision) is a painting of the then new queen Elizabeth II. The (female!) artist got a piece of her dress material to be able to paint it well, since the painting is based on a photograph (also taken by the artist). Isn't that amazing? A piece of the fabric of the dress the queen wore?)

I'm still going back and forth on the lining. I'll use the Liberty Cotton Tana Lawn that I imagine is very nice to have close to your skin. On the other hand, that requires more frequent washing, and since it's a rather fitted dress, also a lot more wear on the derrière. A lining, just slightly smaller than the main fabric, would handle that wear so the bum doesn't start to sag. (The bum of the dress, not mine.) But, once again, it is a summer dress and adding another layer, even if it is the Queen of linings, could make it less breezy to wear. I do need to decide soon. And decide on the neckline, both front and back.

Other detours have included a small re-design of my blog. I love the new fonts! And an over-all cleaner appearance. (I started considering Wordpress instead of Blogger since that seems to be what everyone is doing, but the more I read the more hesitant I become. It seems like quite a lot of work, both building it up and maintaining it. And I do love the simplicity of Blogger, compared to the dashboard of Wordpress which I've encountered on my posts for We Sew Retro. So I decided to stay where I am and just fix it up a bit. I hope you like it!)

Instead of buying new clothes in Stockholm, I bought a new perfume. It fits great in with my Pinterest boards of a luxurious and ladylike - Crème Brûlée from Laura Mercier. It's sweet, and there's lots of vanilla, without being too cute or too sweet or too girly - actually it's described as "decadent yet sophisticated". I love it.

Of course I drank champagne. And ate some duck (isn't that what you do on vacations?) And bought a book with taglines such as "like Kitchen Confidential but for tailoring" and "You'll never look at a suit in the same light again..." Dramatic, eh? I'll report back!

Today I finally got around to clean my new (vintage) nightstand that I bought at a flea market in Helsingör last weekend. I'm glad it wasn't any bigger, because it was perfectly enough to carry that one home through Helsingör, on the ferry and running to the bus to take me home. It fits so brilliantly in my bedroom that I hardly can believe it - fifty shades of green!

And, finally, what do you do when you're working on your comeback? Of course, you buy some new gadgets. I've felt the need for better photos on my garments - both sewing and vintage - but it's so damn hard. So this cute thing will help me hold my camera or phone, and another cute thing will be the remote (but the second cute thing didn't work so I'll need to exchange that). Then - outfit pictures here we come! (The only problem left is the object, i.e. me who never will be very photogenic.)

Well, I said there was a lot of detours. Now I really need to decide on those necklines. And give this bronchitis some rest.